{"id":65060,"key":"Concrete_trowel","title":"Concrete trowel","latest":{"id":1110986,"timestamp":"2024-06-18T15:39:18Z"},"content_model":"wikitext","license":{"url":"https://www.appropedia.org/Appropedia:Copyrights","title":"CC-BY-SA-4.0"},"source":"{{777 notice}}\n\n[[File:ConcreteTrowel 1.jpg|thumb]]\n\n{{Device data\n| manufacturing-files = http://web.archive.org/web/20160117064707/http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1179953/\n}}\n\n{{Project data\n| authors = User:Ejmarsha\n| years = 2015\n| made = Yes\n| replicated = No\n| cost = USD 1.12\n}}\n\nAccording to Construction in Africa, investors are looking to invest $100 billion dollars in the infrastructure of Africa per year starting in 2013 in the next decade.<ref>Construction in Africa, KPMG (2014) Available: https://www.kpmg.com/Africa/.../Construction%20in%20Africa.pdf</ref> A way to put this money to use in the developing continent and to save money in the building of infrastructure, 3D printers could be used to make tools more available and cheaper. One tool is the concrete trowel which could be 3D printed as a cheaper method for smoothing out concrete walls and plaster on walls for the building of infrastructure in developing countries. This trowel would help fulfill the needs of affordable tools for concrete and interior work on houses and buildings in developing countries. Also the light weight of a 3D printed trowel would ease the strain on the wrists of construction laborers. Lastly customizable handles could be made based on a construction worker's grip which would make it easier on workers.\n\n== Bill of Materials ==\n\nCAD files of parts\n[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1179953 FreeCAD files found here]\n\nSTL\n\n* [[File:masonary handle.stl|Masonry Handle]]\n* [[File:masonary toolbase.stl|Masonry Tool Base]]\n\nPurchased materials\n\n* JB weld\n\n== Tools needed ==\n\n# [[Athena Build Overview|MOST Delta RepRap]]\n\n== Skills and knowledge needed ==\n\n* N/A\n\n== Technical Specifications and Assembly Instructions ==\n\n* Overall tool base dimensions Length and Width are 8 in by 4.25 in\n* The masonry tool base slicer settings were\n* Layer Height: 0.25 mm\n* Top/Bottom layer thickness: 0.75 mm\n* Shell Thickness: 1.4\n* Fill Density: 100%\n* Printer Speed: 30 mm/s\n* Travel Speed: 50 mm/s\n* The masonry handle slicer settings\n* Layer Height: 0.25 mm\n* Top/Bottom layer thickness: 0.75 mm\n* Shell Thickness: 1.4\n* Fill Density: 60%\n* Printer Speed: 60 mm/s\n* Travel Speed: 50 mm/s\n* Print times: 2 hr 46 min for the tool base and 59 min for the handle- total time: 3 hr 45 min\n* Assembly\n* JB weld was placed on the short end of the handle and the handle was placed in the middle of the tool base (2 1/16 in from the long side and 4 in from the short side of the tool base)\n\n=== Common Problems and Solutions ===\n\n* When taking off the handle and toolbase carefully peel them off or may run the risk of plastic sticking to print platform\n\n== Cost savings ==\n\n* 70 g of PLA filament were used which was a total cost of $1.12 at $16 for 1 kg of PLA filament\n* The JB weld cost $3.00 for 2 oz of JB weld but only about.5 oz was used in assembly which cost about $0.33\n* Adding up both costs the total cost is $1.45\n* Trowels can range in price from $3.00 to $50\n* The cost savings would be $1.55 to $48.55\n* The cost savings in percent would be 51% to 97.1%\n\n== Gallery ==\n\n<gallery>\nFile:Concretetrowel_2.jpg| Trowel View 1\nFile:Concretetrowel_3.jpg| Trowel View 2\nFile:Concretetrowel_4.jpg| Trowel View 3\n</gallery>\n\n== References ==\n\n<references />\n\n{{Page data\n| keywords = 3D printing, concrete trowel, construction, Plastic\n| sdg = SDG10 Reduced inequalities, SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities\n| published = 2015\n| organizations = MTU, Michigan_Tech's_Open_Sustainability_Technology_Lab, MY4777\n| license = CC-BY-SA-3.0\n| language = en\n}}\n\n[[Category:OSAT 3D-Printable Designs]]\n[[Category:Construction]]\n[[Category:Concrete]]\n[[Category:Construction and Materials]]\n[[Category:3D printing]]\n[[Category:Plastic]]"}