What is 3D printing

What 3D printing is

3D printing or additive manufacturing is a process of making three dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The creation of a 3D printed object is achieved using additive processes. In an additive process an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created. Each of these layers can be seen as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of the eventual object.

How does 3D Printing work?

It all starts with making a virtual design of the object you want to create. This virtual design is made in a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file using a 3D modeling program (for the creation of a totally new object) ór with the use of a 3D scanner (to copy an existing object). This scanner makes a 3D digital copy of an object and puts it into a 3D modeling program.

To prepare the digital file created in a 3D modeling program for printing, the software slices the final model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers. When this prepared file is uploaded in the 3D printer, the printer creates the object layer by layer. The 3D printer reads every slice (or 2D image) and proceeds to create the object blending each layer together with no sign of the layering visible, resulting in one three dimensional object.

Methods and technologies of 3D Printing

Not all 3D printers use the same technology to realize their objects. There are several ways to do it and all those available as of 2012 were additive, differing mainly in the way layers are build to create the final object. Some methods use melting or softening material to produce the layers. Selective laser sintering (SLS) and fused deposition modeling (FDM) are the most common technologies using this way of printing. Another method of printing is to lay liquid materials that are cured with different technologies. The most common technology using this method is called stereolithography (SLA).

Selective laser sintering (SLS)

This technology uses a high power laser to fuse small particles of plastic, metal, ceramic or glass powders into a mass that has the desired three dimensional shape. The laser selectively fuses the powdered material by scanning the cross-sections (or layers) generated by the 3D modeling program on the surface of a powder bed. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered by one layer thickness. Then a new layer of material is applied on top and the process is repeated until the object is completed.

All untouched powder remains as it is and becomes a support structure for the object. Therefore there is no need for any support structure which is an advantage over SLS and SLA. All unused powder can be used for the next printing. SLS was developed and patented by Dr. Carl Deckard at the University of Texas in the mid-
1980s, under sponsorship of DARPA.   R

Reference: http://3dprinting.com/what-is-3d-printing/

Edward

Our Second Task was to learn about three idea generation tools so that we could coach other group members as to how to use this tool. One of the tools that our group used was Random word I will try to give some information about this tool.

Random Word Technique When to use it Use it to stimulate open and divergent thinking and seek creative new ideas. Use it to re-ignite creative thinking when you are running out of ideas. Use it to get people out of a rut when their thinking is still rather conventional. Quick X  Long Logical X  Psychological Individual X  Group How to use it 1. Find a random word Find a random word that will be used as a stimulus for new ideas. You can do this in a number of ways, including: Look around you. What can you see? Can you see any words? What about things? What else is happening? Open a book at a random page. Run your finger around the page and stop at a random point. Look for a suitable word near your finger. Ask the people you are with to give you a random word. Select a word from a prepared list of evocative words (fire, child, brick, sausage, etc.) Good random words are (a) evocative and (b) nothing to do with the problem being considered. Ambiguity also helps. Nouns are usually best, but verbs and adjectives can also be used effectively. 2. Find associations Think about other things about which the word reminds you. Follow associations to see where they go. Think openly: associations can be vague and tenuous (this is creativity, not an exam!). When working with a group of people, you can write these down on a flipchart as people call them out. It can be useful (but not necessary) to leave a space after each associate for use in stage 3. 3. Use the associations to create new ideas Now create new ideas by linking any of the associations with your problem. Again, the linkage can be as vague as you like: what you want is ideas! Write the ideas either next to their associations from step 2 or on a separate page. If other people give ideas that trigger further ideas from you, then you can go off down that route to see where it goes. As a variant, you can do stages 2 and 3 together, finding an association and an immediate idea from this. Example I am seeking a way to reduce discomfort for passengers on trains. With a group of passengers, we look out of the window and see a school. Associations from school are learning, bullying, exams, playtime. Ideas include teaching the rail company how uncomfortable the seats are, taking a firm stance in this, giving marks for different trains and seats and having games on trains so passengers do not notice the uncomfortable seats. How it works Random Words works in particular by making you go elsewhere for ideas, and hence pushes you out of your current thinking rut. It uses the principle of forced association to make you think in new ways and create very different ideas.

Reference: http://www.creatingminds.org/tools/random_words.htm

Edward

Edward

Thank you to all the coaches who assisted our group throughout the course. I must say I learnt a lot of new things and met many interesting people. Our group did a good job and I say a big kudos to everyone who made the a success.  If you wondering if you should participate in Inno 58h I would say yes, because its a whole new experience that help equip you for the challenging working world outside studies. 

Edward

Starting the assignment

Finally, we received the assignment from Paroc. Our task is to create "New products using Building Demolition Waste or Building Site Waste from stone wool insulation products". Something like that we were already thinking after the visit in the company.

Our first workshop in the camp was about thinking "which are the questions we need to find answers to in order to create new products using Building Demolition Waste from stone wool insulation products?" We used Einstein's five questions method and after that, concentrated on the defining the needs of the company.

We came up with many questions and chose five that we considered the most important (as explained in the video):

1. What is our goal? What motivates the company?

– economic benefits

- environmental benefits, CSR

- improved customer service

 

2. What kind of products can be made of stone wool?

3. Who are the customers?  

4. Where is the production going to take place?

- at the site

- at Paroc factory

5. How are we going to commercialize it?

NEEDS:

- Paroc needs a competitive advantage to distinguish from its competitors -> offer service for customers to get rid of construction waste

- Paroc needs to minimize its landfilling costs -> invent how to use the waste

Our colleagues gave us good advice such as that the important thing for us is to  convince the customer that the quality of our recycled products is as good as of new products.

Aleksi, Edward, Elina, Amaia, Luigi & Javier

Welcome to the innovation camp!

This is our room...

Aleksi, Edward & Elina

The Tipping Point

- Aleksi

Book Read By Edward

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

The book is a mixture of tales, psychology, economics, marketing, epidemiology and more. The principle focus of The Tipping Point is how small changes, can bring about large effects. Instances such as marketing of Hush Puppies shoes, the broken windows theory, Paul Reveres Midnight ride, Word of mouth, Mass hysteria and more. 

Gladwell actually internments the spirit of human acquaintances and the human need to feel part of something. The book is really intended for anyone interested in looking at what moves people and how a small event can result in large response. From my perspective, the argument presented in the book proceeds with a very reasonably and was sufficiently developed and supported by the factual instances. 

 The fundamental argument presented in the books is: According to Gladwell, the tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold and subsequently spreads with incredible speed through society. Many social trends and phenomena follow the same elementary outline as epidemics; that they follow the same identical pattern because they are caused and sustained in much the same way; that the difference between trends that get past the "tipping point" and those that do not may often be one or more very small factors; and that if one wants to create any sort of social trend (whether that be buying a product or committing fewer crimes), it is important to attend to such very small factors.

Through his study, Gladwell found that epidemics have three characteristics in common. First, the thing that spreads the epidemic is contagious. In the case of a product or an idea, Gladwell refers to its sticky quality or ability to lodge in the cultural mindset. Second, small changes in the environment result in large effects on the spread of the epidemic. Third, at some identifiable point the trend tips and causes a dramatic change - an epidemic. Factors that lead to this tipping include key people or promoters and the contexts in which they operate, among other things.

In Gladwell's terminology, stickiness is a characteristic of ideas that are memorable, catchy, and inescapably applicable to a particular situation. In technology education there is no sticky phrase. But from my perspective, I think Gladwell is an insightful observer whose understandings here are original, thought-provoking, and even worthwhile.  

Edward

Visit at Paroc on the 28th of November

Me, Aleksi and Edward went to Parainen to visit Paroc facilities and hear about their business and products. Our Spanish team members were not able to come, so we went just the three of us. We were warmly welcomed and the days started off with a presentation of the company. Our innovation task was not yet revealed to us but we received a lot of information on how Paroc operates and what kind of products they produce. This will certainly help us to think about solutions for their current challenges.

After the presentation and the breakfast, we went for a guided tour inside the factory where stone wool is manufactured.

Paroc is able to reuse part of the waste generated in the process. The fluffy material which is produced in the beginning of the process that we saw surrounding the machines on the floor are partly reused and the rest goes to landfill. Apparently, this is not a big amount of waste because it weighs so little. On the other hand, the extra side edges cut off from compressed stone wool that are generated in the cutting process are entirely recycled. They are shredded and reintroduced to the process. The same thing is done to material that is somehow damaged in the process and cannot be sold as end product. This minimizes the waste treatment and material costs.

However, biggest challenges that Paroc is facing at the moment are related to the treatment of waste. Landfilling costs are becoming higher in all countries where Paroc is operating because of tightening environmental legislation. Even more expensive than landfilling fees are the costs generated from toxic waste that has to be sent to special waste treatments plants. One of Paroc's goals is to create zero-waste plants and they already have one in Sweden. The innovation assignment was not revealed to us yet but I assume it has to do with reusing waste generated in the production, maybe about inventing how to use the dust created in the process because for now, Paroc doesn't have a use for it. The task could also be about optimizing a reverse logistics system for collecting the construction waste from customers because Paroc considers it to be a great competitive advantage, when it can organize a collection of such waste for its customers. In any case, when the innovation camp starts tomorrow, we will probably find out what our task is!









Elina