Date of Award

2021

Degree Type

Capstone Project

First Advisor

Dr. Bahram Nassersharif

Abstract

The following report is an overview of the Team 19H: Extra Dimensions project, a 5-Axis 3-D printer, produced over the Fall `20 and Spring `21. The project was presented by the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), located in Newport, Rhode Island, and is sponsored by Nathan Wiebe. The problem is de ned as the design and construction of a 3D printer with two additional axes of rotation while staying within the given budget. Conventional 3D printers rely on support material while printing and lack the ability to produce complex geometries. Adding the additional axes can improve 3D printing by eliminating supports and improving layer strength giving the capability to print geometries that would be impossible on a standard 3-Axis printer.

Fall 2020 served as the research and development portion of the product. Each member completed both a literature and patent search in order to obtain details on competition and possible approaches to the problem. Following, each member drew 30 unique concepts for the printer and a Pugh analysis and a Quality Function Deployment(QFD) analysis were performed. The chosen designs were taken from the concepts that remained after the analyses and then presented in the Critical Design Review. Using the CAD software Fusion 360, each member drafted their portion and a complete geometry was created. To end RD, the team presented the Proof of Concept to the sponsor and peers.

Spring 2021 focused primarily on redesign, testing, and building of the printer in addition to research and development of the g-code and slicing software. The work was broken down into three topics and each member was responsible for one in order to reach the final product. A base printer was ordered, assembled, and used in order to redesign the product. During the spring semester, the project was also entered into the American Society of Engineering Education conference and was selected to be presented. The team finished off the year with a final design presentation to the sponsor and peers. The current status of the project is such that a complete design has been created including an informative quick start guide.

Comments

Team Name: Team 19H, Extra Dimensions

Sponsor: Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)

Sponsor Representative: Nathan Wiebe

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