Two for one (4/18 + 4/20)!

4/18:
I was granted access to the full "pro" version of the app I use for 3D design, so I now have much more capabilities. (the pro version is usually $300/year, but as a student I can have a free subscription!) I've been toying around with it a lot. I can now import images that I can then sketch construction lines over. I drew an idea that I had for the spinneret in procreate, then imported the JPEG to shapr3D and sketched over the drawing to create a 2D face. What I did then was draw an axis of revolution to revolve the face around. This way, I have a 3D representation of my idea. And now, I can print it out. I am still in the process of refining the design so that there shouldn't be any trouble printing, but also printing different versions for presentation purposes. (I'll insert images when I get home so you can actually see it.)

The printer has also been fixed. The extruder nozzle was cleaned out and we replaced the PLA filament. I think the old one was too old and becoming too brittle to properly feed into the extruder.

So, ultimately, the prototype "spinneret" will be constructed with the following:

Sketching/design: Procreate
3D modeling/refinement: Shapr3D
GC Code/printer programming: Cura
Printer: Monoprice MP Select Mini 3D Printer
Filament: 1.75 mm Black PLA (polylactic acid) by MakerBot

My goal is this weekend to finish my paper and the prototype, so that I can get the paper edited and reviewed next week.

4/20:
Today, I worked on my paper more. Next week, after I finish the rough draft of the paper, I will more actively seek out judges. Or, if I have time, I'll send some emails.

- Noah