How did we create our part for this project?
Since the SLA machine here at Carnegie Mellon is not working, we fashioned our part using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a process similar to SLA. FDM uses a CNC controlled robot with a miniature extruder head. The head melts bars of plastic into thin "blobs" and then draws out these blobs on a platform, one layer at a time. Once the hot plastic in in contact with the colder layer underneath, the "blob" freezes and adheres to that layer. The transfer of design information is the same as SLA, which utilizes STL and SLI files for the final product. The computer will also automatically build in bracing when transmitting the design information to the machine, if it is needed for the part. More information on FDM can be found here. How our design information was transmitted to the machine can be found here.