FenixFoxStudios 3D-Print
Making Of my Company Logo
March 13, 2016 - Tommy Dräger
At my university, in the neighboring "Industrial-Design" program, there is the opportunity to participate in a "3D-Print" course to obtain the key authorization for the 3D printing arsenal. Since I have a very strong fascination with 3D printing, I did not hesitate for a second to register for the course. My university’s facilities include several devices. For my purposes, I decided on the MakerBot Replicator 2.
https://www.3djake.de/makerbot/replicator-2?gclid=CN6xm77tw8kCFVFuGwodV4EGzg
PLA filament
Single extruder
MakerBot printers use special software to export 3D objects into the native format. The program is available free of charge for various platforms. The program reads objects in *.STL format, which can be exported from various 3D applications such as 3dsMax, Blender, Maya.
After a short time, I just tried out the printer. Exported the 3D model from 3dsMax, imported it into MakerBot, made some settings, fed in the PLA, and started printing.
Unfortunately, the result was much too small. Apparently, I had not taken some settings into account.
On my second attempt, I corrected the proportions and also increased the step accuracy. The result then looked as follows. The actual model is printed on a support plate, which is important for flatness during printing, and can also be a great help for the many individual parts. The elements can be removed quite easily from the support plate. During my work, I accidentally broke off the small "i" in "Stud'i'os". Searching for this tiny, fiddly letter in the workshop took me 2 hours.
As you can easily see, the surface needs some post-processing. For the size of my model, I was able to skip the acetone vapor bath. I simply applied spray filler thinly. Then you wait until the paint is hard enough to resist a fingernail and sand the filler down with coarse sandpaper. If there are too many notches and grooves, the model may need up to two treatments until the unevenness is completely filled. Once the surface is completely even, you take fine sandpaper and bring the surface to a high gloss.
The new workshop at my university is truly a dream for every tinkerer. Since I am not from the industrial sector, I am repeatedly impressed and overwhelmed by the equipment and the breathtaking architecture.
The workshop is located in the former Samsung factories in Berlin Oberschöneweide, next to the Peter Behrens building.
In addition to priming and sanding, I bought an aluminum sheet from the hardware store. I cut the sheet to the dimensions 150*240mm. Then I roughened the surface, applied an adhesion primer, and then painted it blue.
After I finished sanding, I also coated the logo itself with white clear coat. Finally, I let everything dry thoroughly and took it home for gluing.
Then everything only had to be carefully glued together with superglue, requiring incredibly precise and steady hands. Lastly, I bought some polish and used a microfiber cloth to give the surface the final touch. In my opinion, the result can certainly be seen.