Robot – SCHOONE LIGHTS

Old idea, new light

In our last post we used 3D printing to create a new part to build a better version of an almost forgotten chandelier. Gerard modified the steel rods and in this post we use the same central part to present a fully 3D printed chandelier: TRAPEZE 02

The same light shades we used in our standing lights, are now building a hanging light. One can also put this light system upside down and it becomes a standing light!

Trapeze 02 is rather big, how about a smaller version?
After some adaptations of the central 3D printed part we prototyped TRAPEZE 03. To complete the Schoone Lights collection 2018 we also needed a wall light. New modifications of the central part gave birth to WALL ONE.

TRAPEZE 03 and WALL ONE ©Schoone Lights 2018

It’s amazing to see how 3D design and printing allows you to check out (prototype) your ideas in a very short time. Some years ago you needed a expensive molding service to build your prototypes. Today some 3D modelling and 3D printing do this trick faster and cheaper.

3D printed logo

The lights I print on my Leapfrog Creatr 2013 look great because of their ‘infill only’ structure. Next step is to design and print special or personalised editions. To do this, I import a logo in SketchUp and ‘draw’ it on the shape of the light shade. I can not go into the details but in sketchUp this is a time consuming enterprise.

To check out the limits of my printer, I starte with a very complicated logo. It took me nine hours to get two STL’s. I processed them in Slic3r and printed this light shades

’27’ logo © opqrstu 2018

Amazing print job on one extruder! I had no idea my printer was capable of printing the difference in density so outstanding. Okay, the word AMSTERDAM does not look great, but it was a test to see what’s the smallest font this kind of ‘infill only’ printing can handle. Too get an idea of the scale; this light shade measures 180 times 180 mm.

It takes some time but the product looks great. Let’s try another logo. Here’s the famous Leapfrog frog. Again a lot of drawing, but once drawn and sliced, these models can be printed over and over and over again.

LPFRG logo © opqrstu 2018

Up, we see the print at daylight, down it is lighted by a 12 volt 3 watt LED. Compared to ’27’ the shade density is lower and the logo density higher. I never use the same settings, because I want to learn how different settings influence 3D printing. I still have to fine-tune ‘infill only’ logo printing, but it’s a new and valuable opqrstu3D experience. It’s wonderful to see how differences in density enable graphic 3D printing. Un3Dprinted. Printed on yellow 3D4makers PET-G.

tissue engineering: testing PLLA

3D4makers has a new filament: PLLA. It’s a PLA that might be used in new medical applications like tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is a domain in medical technology and has emerged as a promising alternative approach in the treatment of malfunctioning or lost organs where patients are treated by using their own cells, grown on a polymer support, so that a tissue part is regenerated from the natural cells.

JP Wille, the founding father of 3D4makers asked opqrstu3D to test PLLA in infill only settings. Meanwhile, Slic3r updated their infill patterns with a pattern called ‘3D Honeycomb’. This new infill pattern should, in theory, provide maximum strength in all axes while using the least amount of material to do so. Today opqrstu3D tested PLLA on ‘3D honeycomb infill only settings and the results look very promising. The prints are light weighted, very strong and looking real clear. The cube is a tissue engineering test. As the pict also shows; PLLA is also a promising filament for non-medical prints.

Tissue engineering has nothing to do with boats and ‘kroonsteentjes’, it’s about growing animal/human cells in biodegradable materials. To demonstrate the possibilities of PLLA on infill only settings, I downloaded the model of an ear and a nose by addamay123. Creatr printed slightly adapted versions on PLLA, 3D honeycomb infill only.

3Dprinting industry

Three years ago opqrstu3D designed it’s first light: YAN.

A week ago Nick Hall wrote on 3Dprintingindustry.com: “….The energy savings on offer with this system (KCc) are substantial and it’s such a simple idea that has been turned into reality by a man that was struggling to make his 3D printer work at all. … Now he has ironed out the bugs with his Creatr and tamed his robot, Kamper and Schoen (opqrstu) are turning into a force to be reckoned with and could take the home design world by storm.”

True words, we go for it.

woven glass?

Today, Creatr printed ‘brocade’ on transparent PET-G. The most functional light in opqrstu3D history. Very clear, but structured enough to dim the direct light power of LED’s. Again, ‘infill only’ comes with an un3Dprinted look. This time, clear PET-G infill makes me think of woven glass: very thin (1 mm) but structured, excellent for 12 Volt, 1 Watt LED.

brocade © opqrstu2016 — brocade © opqrstu 2016

Opqrstu3D designed ‘brocade’, but it’s just an imitation of a very classic light shade. This shape became classic because it does what it has to do: spreading photons, the way we like it.

Are these lights affordable?

When you are an experienced 3D printer and study the ‘infill only’ concept, these lights are very affordable: once designed, you can print as many as you want. Creatr needs 4 hours to complete this job. It’s a tricky job, so not every print will survive. A ‘brocade’ light shade consumes 13 meters Pet-G and some electricity. You also need a very cheap LED driver and print a save housing around it: another 13 meters of filament on a 4 hour print job. Together: 26 meters PET-G, 8 hours of printing, some electricity and some cheap things, max: 15 dollars pro ‘brocade’ light system. Do It Yourself and save a whole lotta a money and energy.