Designing 3D printed products

For the TSN project, my lab procured some NetFPGA Sume development boards. Since it was a sophisticated and expensive piece of hardware, I wanted to protect it from any physical and electrical damage. So, I designed a case for it. I took this as an opportunity to purchase a 3D printer for myself to meet my long time desire of owning one. I bought the pocket friendly and geek-engaging Creality Ender 3 3D printer. As a test run, I printed some 3D models of super hero figurines from the internet. I edited the models in software like Autodesk Fusion 360 and Blender. I have used PLA material in all my prints.

NetFPGA Sume case Link to heading

I used Autodesk Fusion 360 for designing the case after carefully measuring the Sume board. The case was designed in such a way that the board could be easily equipped with and removed from the case and secured to it with screws. The case had a provision for the power supply, optical fiber cables and USB-JTAG to be connected to the board. It had to be printed in two parts as it was too big for the print bed. So, a T-shaped joint was designed to join the two parts. The case was a success and has been in use for two years.

Functional products Link to heading

I gained enough expertise to now design and print functional products. This invovled designing from scratch or downloading designs from the internet and modifying them to suit my needs. I learned to design products in such a way that there was minimum use of material and maximum strength while keeping print time low. Thanks to the YouTube channel Maker’s Muse for tips & tricks and Thingiverse for designs.

Desk organization Link to heading

I designed a phone stand that could hold a phone in different angles. It ended up working for a tablet as well. I also added rasiers to my laptop-stand which enabled me to push cables and a usb-hub below the stand, saving valuable desk space. I printed a USB and SD-card stand and a battery holder whose design I found online.

Products with moving parts Link to heading

I tried printing products with moving parts and was genuinely surprised by the results. The possibilities of 3D printing exceeded my expectations.

Phone mount for my motorcycle Link to heading

This mount is to attach a smartphone to my motorcycle handlebar. The phone can be tightly secured to the mount using a screw mechanism. The mount has a clip mechanism to attach to a GoPro camera mount already on the handlebar. I learned that even screws and nuts can be 3D printed, and they work well enough. Just to be extra secure, I used a metal screws and nuts.

Lab projects and workspace organization Link to heading

To organize the workspace in the lab, I made hooks, USB holders, battery holders, phone stands, etc. I also attached 3D printed logos of my lab (ZENLab) and IISc to the door of the lab for easy identification by visitors. I helped my friend Himanshu in designing cases for a Raspberry Pi 4, a temperature sensor and a pulse oximeter sensor for a project on implementating FRER to make transmission of patient data from an ambulane to a hospital more reilable.

Modified gripper fingers for a robot Link to heading

For the TCPS project, I designed a set of modified fingers for a two-finger gripper on a robotic arm which housed a custom-built force sensor array PCB made with force sensitive resistors. The modified fingers with a sensor array was used to detect the contact region and force between the gripper and a laparoscopic tool.

3D printing - a new normal Link to heading

3D printing has become a new normal for me. Any replacement part that I can design is now printed instead of being bought. I now gift my friends and family 3D printed products like keychains, figurines, models, etc. Some of the products I have printed are shown below.