Nenad Grujović1, Jelena Borota1, Milan Šljivić2, Dejan Divac3, Vesna Ranković1
1Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Sestre Janjic 6, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
2Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Banjaluka, Vojvode Stepe Stepanovica 75, 78000 Banja Luka, B&H
3Jaroslav Černi Institute for the Development of Water Resources, Jaroslava Černog 80, 11226 Pinosava, Serbia
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Abstract:The 3D printing belongs to rapid prototyping (RP) technology and is an extremely versatile and rapid process accommodating geometry of varying complexity in various applications, and supporting many types of materials. Besides commercial manufacturing and production process, RP technology can be successfully applied in art and industrial design. The major objective of the study presented in this paper is to provide a high-quality procedure for the optimal and most appropriate application of RP to realization of artistic items. Special attention is devoted to the relation between conceptual design in art and 3D printing, with representation of experiences gained in practice.
Key words: rapid prototyping, art, design
- INTRODUCTION
Digital art is a new form of expression in contemporary art of the 20th century. With this term is described the various artistic works created using digital technology. Depending on the application of technical resources, software or hardware, there are different kinds of digital art, which continue to evolve with the development of computer technology. In the early seventies the concept of digital art is trying to gain its true definition.New media art is term that actually defines digital art. Digital technology has changed and transformed traditional activities (painting, drawing, sculpture) in entirely new forms, such as pixel art, digital installation, computer games, and created a new artistic practices. [1]
With the appearance of software for three-dimensional graphical representation, modern artists are able to express their creativity by using it as a form of expression. By this software, artists design 3D models, which are a mathematical representation of 3D object, but without the possibility of materializing their work. Three-dimensional printing facilitates the transfer from the virtual to the material world. In this way, digital art gets one additional site.
Nowadays, there are many art students who are using 3D printing technology, especially in the design of ornaments, jewellery, furniture, sculpture, etc. Among other, 3D printing technology is used to visualize future piece of art, make copies of them, and can be used in creating the conceptual design of piece of art.
3D printing technology is commonly used for rapid and far cheaper, by conventional means, production of prototypes and testing samples and is classified as production technologies, which belong to a large family of additive technology, ie. production technology by adding.
Fig.1. The application of 3D printing in digital art – Torolf Sauermann [2]
- 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY
Three-dimensional printing technology is a new additive technology, which, based on 3D digital models, generates a workpiece by adding material in thin layers. There are two types of 3D printing technology: direct printing and printing binder.
In the process of direct printing, base material is applied to the work surface using a print head, after which material is curing by UV radiation. On the other hand, in the process of binder printing, print head is used for applying binder (adhesive) onto the surface of the powder material (substrate), which is the basic material.
Figure 2 shows the printing procedure for printing a single layer [3]. ZCorp 3D printer parts are shown schematically: 1 powder bed, 2 feed piston, 3 roller mechanism, 4 bridge with inkjet print head, 5 build piston, 6 build platform and 7 gate for excess material.
The first operation shows a bridge that carries feed piston and print head and moves from left to right. Direction of movement feed piston is shown in the picture, and by its moving feed piston applies a certain amount of powder. In second step, powder extends in a thin layer over the previously-made layer in the build platform. At the end of the walk to the right side, feed piston removes the excess powder to the gate for excess material. In the next step, bridge is moving from the right to the left side, while the inkjet print head printing the cross-section of actual layer. Upon the bridge arrival at the left end position, the powder bed for the addition of materials is raised by one step, while the build platform goes down for the thickness of the layer, and for each new layer of the cycle is repeated.
Fig.2. The 3D printing procedure on the printer ZCorp
Powder, which is not connected with binder, serves as a support. When the procedure is completed, finished part is surrounded with the support powder. Build piston is raised, and supporting powder removes very carefully with sophisticated vacuum cleaner. The rest of the powder, that is sucked, can be reused for creating new model. After short drying, model may ready for using. But post processing is necessary, if model wants to be used in the purpose of design and functionality.
Start of using 3D printing process in commercial purposes is connected with establishment of ZCorporation Company in 1994 in Massachusetts, USA. In the 1997th, based on patented technology [4], which is developed at the Institute of Technology, Massachusetts (MIT), this company has developed and commercialised its first 3D printer – Z402 system [5]. This technology is one of the procedures with the pulverized material, and it use the principle of binding printing technology.
Choice of binder is limited, but the principle is versatile, and new applications are constantly appearing. On the other hand, same as 2D inkjet printers, it can be made objects in colour, which is a unique opportunity in the world of RP techniques [6].
Fig.3. ZCorporation ZPrinter 310 System in the Center for Information Technology Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac
ZCorporation is constantly improving material for 3D printing process. New material on the market place does not require infiltration of cyanoacrylate or epoxy adhesive, because the mechanical properties are satisfactory. Also, it is working on researching for moulding materials and materials for making iron casting cores. The fastest RP system today is Spectrum 510 3D printer. It has increased resolution in the horizontal plane, and thus provides a better surface quality and development of more precise details of the printing parts.
Fig.4. Prototypes made at the Center for Information Technology (CIT) Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac
Applications of 3D printed parts made are numerous, and constantly growing [7]. Various post-processing features can easily be the model of the desired shape and characteristics. Some applications are: improvement of the geometry and functionality of parts, conceptual design, functional testing, FEM visualization (Finite Element Method) and visualization of thermal changes, development patterns for casting and more.
Center for Information Technology at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac, since 2006, was among the first in the region who is began to research in this area.
Figure 4 showes some of the prototypes for engineers and construction designers in the field of construction (segment of the tunnel for Corridor 10), in the field of bioengineering (prototype of inhaler for company “Prizma” - Kragujevac), in the field of automobile engineering (mechanical assembly of door handles) and mechanical engineering (model of anchor machine) tha aer made at the Center for Information Technology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac.
- PROCEDURE FOR MAKING MODEL IN 3D PRINTER
In the Center for Information Technology at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac is in use ZPrinter 310 System ZCorporation. ZPrinter 310 System use ZPrint Software applications for printing prototypes, Figure 5.
ZPrint Software supports several file formats for 3D printing, such as PLY, 3DS, VRML, but the most famous is the STL format. During import of STL file, it may cause problems, because errors that occurred during modelling. These errors in the STL file can be removed Zprint Software, but only a simple one. Serious problems must be solved by special applications, such as CATIA, SolidWorks, AutoCAD and more. The parameters, that are important for the printing process, are: layer thickness, saturation (parameters related to the amount of binder), pour compensation binder and anisotropy scaling.
Fig.5. Model in ZPrint software
During the determination of part orientation in the software, sensitive details should be arranged in a vertical direction. The supports can set up for particularly sensitive areas by using the "Fixture".
Basic post-processing process consists in removing excess powder from the printing part and carefully taking out of the working chamber. After that, excess powder shall be removed from the printing part in air pressure chamber. The next process is drying printing part (freely or in an oven at 90 ° C) and the strengthening with sophisticated infiltrators. Model is infiltrated with cyanoacrylate adhesives, or for persistent models, epoxy adhesives. After all post-processing process, parts can be treated by sandblasting, coloring or metallizing for better visual effect. By the combination of the basic material and urethane infiltrate can become the flexible parts. [8] [9]
- EXAMPLE OF APPLICATION
In addition to a wide variety of applications in the field of industrial design, special attention is paid to the application of RP in a complex project of making a giant art sculptures. The basic idea for creating sculptures Ultrasaurusa (called "Luna Park") in his life-size belongs to the couple Ivan and Heather Morrison. Model, 16 high and 20 meters long, is designed to decorate the park in Portsmouth (UK). For this occasion, artistic couple is made a documentary art movie "An Unreachable Country - a long way to go," which shows the birth process of this sculpture, which is designed and fabricated by Serbian experts in Kragujevac, under the direction of Goran Krstic, mechanical engineer [10]. 3D model, that was printed in the CIT, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Kragujevac, has found its place in the early stages of conceptual design, then in the process of contracting, performance at a competitive public tender, and then in the final design and construction.
Fig.6. Parameters for printing with ZPrint software
For the corresponding CAD model Ultrasaurusa height of 16m and 20m in length, it was necessary, by using 3D printing, to produce smaller Ultrasauros model, measuring 16cm x 20cm, in order to more easily perform optimization in conceptual design. To enable 3D printing of this model, it was necessary to generate the STL file based on this model with parameters control.
The resulting STL file is loaded into a ZPrint software application. During the 3D printing process, layer thickness was set on 0.09 mm, and printing process lasted 2 hours and 25 minutes, Figure 7. After printing, the part is removed from the powder, cleaned and put in oven to dry, which lasted 1 hour. Finally, the infiltrate was applied on final model to improve the mechanical properties and quality of the model surface.
Fig.7. Model ready for printing with ZPrint software
The material used for printing the ZP102 in combination with binder ZB56, as recommendation by the company ZCorp.
Fig.8. Model after 3D printing
- CONCLUSION
Thanks to the advantages of RP technology, designers can create complex parts, saving time and money. Depending on customer needs, optimisation of product design is easier and with minor limits.
Easy for of use, affordable and high-speed of manufacturing, 3D printing technology now enjoys great popularity both in industry circles and in the world of design, modern art, etc. Prediction says, that the price of these devices and production costs soon will increase their use.
There is only one limit in the application of 3D printer and this is user's imagination. It is possible, with proper preparation, printing also very large models, dividing them into parts and assembling them as children's blocks. Models can be sanded, polished, metallized, coated, etc. In any case, this kind of printing present the future that must be wisely used.
Due to other circumstances in the same location in Kragujevac is a multidisciplinary environment between Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Art. It is a pity that there are not joint projects between them, but presented the result is one step in that direction.
Fig.9. Ultrasaurus at Luna park, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
REFERENCES
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[8]ZPRINTER 310 USER MANUAL (2003), ZCorporation, September 2003.
[9]TRAJANOVIĆ M., GRUJOVIĆ N., MILOVANOVIĆ J., MILIVOJEVIĆ V. (2008)Računarski podržane brze proizvodne tehnologije, Mašinski fakultet, Kragujevac, 2008
[10]
ACKNOWLEDGMENT: The part of this research is supported by Ministry of Science in Serbia, Grants III41007.
Correspondence
Nenad Grujović, Full Professor, PhD
Department for Applied Mechanics and Automatic Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Sestre Janjić 6, Kragujevac, Serbia
Jelena Borota, Dipl. Eng.
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Sestre Janjić 6, Kragujevac, Serbia
Dejan Divac, Senior Research Associate, PhD
Institute for Development of Water Resources "Jaroslav Černi", 80 Jaroslava Černog St., 11226
Beli Potok, Serbia
Milan Šljivić, Full Professor, PhD
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Banjaluka, Vojvode Stepe Stepanovica 75, 78000 Banja Luka, B&H
Vesna Ranković, Associate Professor, PhD
Department for Applied Mechanics and Automatic Control, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Sestre Janjić 6, Kragujevac, Serbia