![]() ![]() Happily, one of the features we added to SketchUp 8 is a solidity-checker. A solid model (as far as SketchUp’s concerned) is completely enclosed if you filled it with water and shook it, none would leak out. The answer is to create a model which can be considered solid. Every printed object is made out of solid material, whereas every SketchUp model is completely hollow. The biggest gotcha when it comes to modeling 3D printables with SketchUp has to do with solidity. This is a great way to prototype close-fitting connections like ball-and-socket joints and threaded parts. After the whole thing is made, the second material (it’s often wax) is melted away, leaving just the main components. Some machines can even produce interconnected, moving parts by printing a second type of material where voids occur. Choosing fancy materials (like stainless steel) can be pricey, but palm-sized objects printed in resin or plastic are surprisingly economical. Most machines top out at objects that are about the size of a lampshade. In general, the cost of additive manufacturing is based on the physical size of the thing you’re trying to print. This one is monochromatic because it’s made from a single material, but 3D prints can also be multicolored if you use the right machine. Image 7: A rendering of a solid-printed SKPRbot. Printed objects can be monochrome or multi-colored. Different 3D printing machines use plastic, resin, powder (which is hardened into a solid) and even metal. Starting at the bottom and working up, layers are “printed” on top of each other until a 3D object is formed. Beyond that, their 2D Design Tips page is super-helpful.Īdditive manufacturing (or 3D printing, as less fancy people call it) involves squirting material onto a platform. To send a 2D cut sheet file to Ponoko, you’ll need to export an EPS file using Google SketchUp Pro. It’s well-designed, beginner-friendly and affordable. If, on the other hand, you’d prefer to work with a service provider who can cut out your project and ship you the parts, you’d do well to peruse Ponoko’s website. Their machines are of the “metal router bits” variety their focus is predominantly on woodworking. If you’re planning to buy your own CNC hardware, I’d recommend having a look at ShopBot. ![]() Lasers have negligible kerfs CNC routers have more significant ones. Image 4: Kerf is the width of the cut left by whatever tool is doing the cutting. You’re actually making two models: one to design the final assembly (Image 1) and one that lays out all the pieces for cutting (Image 2). The challenge lies in designing the “kit of parts” such that everything fits together. These flat pieces are then manually assembled into a 3D object by means of slots, fasteners or glue. Which one you choose depends entirely on what you’re trying to make.ĢD CNC Fabrication is all about cutting parts out of flat sheets of material. The technologies are completely different and each is appropriate for specific kinds of objects. The first thing to realize is that there are basically two types of personal fabrication (at least when it comes to SketchUp). The PF train is just leaving the station, but with a little bit of help, anyone who knows their way around SketchUp can climb aboard. The idea is thrilling, but the process of actually going “from idea to object” can be intimidating. With all the hullabaloo about Personal Fabrication lately, scads of committed SketchUp modelers are getting very excited about turning their digital models into honest-to-goodness, physical things. ![]()
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