Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Casting Clonedel Parts Tomorrow

The six of you that signed up to cast Clondel Parts should head to the Solheim Lab (MEB 042) at 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. Remember to wear close toed shoes and pants.

Other News...
Here's some proof that the bottle opener Adam and I built actually does work:

I guess it should come with instructions. Want to print your own? Look for it on Thingiverse in the near future.

Those of you who are interested in the Big Red Seafair project will be happy to know that we just ordered some HDPE filament so that we can begin experimenting on how to print with HDPE. Hopefully we will have that dialed in by the time we are done building our extruder. So start dreaming of how to overcome the shrinkage issue and how to turn milk jugs into filament.

-Matt

General Meeting #2 Results

So we had a very successful General Meeting #2 last Monday.  At the meeting we finished all the hoop jumping required to be certified as an actual UW club.  As a result - We Have a Name!  The official name of our previously referred to "3D Print Club" is now:
Washington Open Object Fabricators
or WOOF
A BIG thank you to Corwin for that inspired name idea.

We also approved the Constitution for the club and the final version can be found at the bottom of this post.  The officers discussed it thoroughly and we regrettably came to the conclusion that because we are a brand new club with big goals, we have to include a Dues section into the Constitution.  We are going to ask members to pay $5 in order to have access the club resources through August.  We will keep you informed as to how and when we need you to pay.  We still need to pull together the logistics of that so that all of your dues goes straight back into setting up the club.

We gave a rough price estimate for those of you interested in building your own printer.  Depending on what features you want in a printer, it will cost somewhere between $300-$350.

We announced the generosity of Professor Ganter who has given us the resources for two printers.  We just have to build them.

We talked a little bit more about the Seafair Milk Jug Boat Competition that we would like to be able to enter a printed boat for.  We have a printer that is fondly referred to as "Big Red" which we will be able to print out large sections of the boat to be assembled together.  The printer, however, has many issues that need worked out.  So we will be identifying members who are interested in being a part of that project and will be putting together separate meetings for it.  The race is only a few months away so we need to get working ASAP.  So keep an eye out for more information on that.  We also talked a little bit about working with Engineers Without Borders and the Robotics Club.

In conclusion: a very good meeting.  The plan is to now "split up" the group into people interested in the different projects.  We plan to have separate meetings for each project and only hold general meetings when we need to get everyone on the "same page"  Right now our list of projects are:
Build your own printer
Build club printers
Milk Jug Printed-Boat
Engineers Without Borders/Helping 3rd World Countries
What we will need from you: which groups you are interested in and (more importantly) would be willing to lead the project.  We need people who are interested in being officers and taking control of a project.

Keep Printing!
Beth


The Constitution:


Article I - Name

Section 1            The name of this organization shall be Washington Open Object Fabricators

Article II - Purpose
Section 1             It shall be the purpose of this organization to educate interested UW students on the development of the Additive Manufacturing world.  This includes construction of the club’s own printers, use of the club’s printers for projects, and improvement upon the technology for the benefit of Additive Manufacturing.

Article III - Affiliations
Section 1            Currently this organization holds no affiliations with any other groups inside or outside the University of Washington.

Article IV - Membership
Section 1            The majority of the membership of this organization shall consist of regularly enrolled undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Washington.  Only those members who are currently registered University of Washington students have voting privileges.
Section 2            Non-University of Washington students may have associate membership status.  This includes University faculty and staff as well as individuals not related to the University, however, they may not have voting privileges.
Section 3            There are no eligibility requirements for this organization.

Article V - Officers
Section 1            The officers of this organization shall consist of five official officers:
                                    President: Matt Rogge
                                                Duties: Leads group gatherings and presides over non-voting decisions
                                    Vice-President: Adam Commons
                                                Duties: Supports the President in his/her duties.  Takes leadership in the absence of the President
                                                Coordinator: Bethany Weeks
                                                            Duties: Handles the business and administrative duties required by a UW certified club.
                                                Officer: Colin Ching
                                                            Duties: Assists in the duties of leading the organization.
                                                Officer: Mark Hanson
                                                            Duties: Assists in the duties of leading the organization.
                                    Non-elected members of the organization will support these officers in the guidance of the organization.  These sub-official  positions will form and dissolve as needed by the organization.  These non-elected members must only be current University of Washington students and consist of individuals who volunteered themselves for the role.
Section 2            All officer positions can only be held by current University of Washington students.
Section 3            Term of Office shall be one year from September 1 – August 31
Section 4            An officer can lose his/her position if they break any SAO or organizational policies and the organization members deem them un-fit for office via a vote.

Article VI - Elections
Sections 1            Selection of officers shall be held within the first week of April.  The President shall be in charge of alerting the organization’s members of the upcoming elections one month prior to the elections.  The President shall do this via e-mail as well as announce it in the general meeting.
Section 2            A vacancy of the Vice President office is acceptable if the organization will not suffer from the loss.  A vacancy of the President will result in the organization’s faculty adviser appointing a member to the position until an emergency vote can be completed.
Section 3            Voting will take place via online poll.  A majority will consist of greater than [100/(number of candidates)]% of the vote.  If there is a tie, a second vote will be cast between those candidates.  If a tie still remains, those candidates will be declared co-officers and share the responsibilities of that position.

Article VII - Meetings
Section 1            Regular meetings regarding operation of this organization shall be held monthly and must be attended by all officers.  These meetings times will be posted on the organization’s website and via e-mail.  Non-operational meetings will be held as deemed by the members and for organizational events.
Section 2             A quorum shall consist of the President and one half of the other elected officers.

Article VIII – Executive Board
Section 1            Management of this organization shall be vested in a board of directors.
Section 2            The board shall consist of the elected officers and faculty advisors.  They will be equal in power and not have titles.  Faculty advisors will not have voting privileges but may, and are encouraged to, state their opinions on the matter.
Section 3            Powers and duties will be shared and agreed upon by the board members
Section 4            Reports to members will be made if the board deems it is necessary or if at least one member requests such a report be made.  In such as the latter case, the report will only be made upon request.

Article IX – Advisers
Section 1            There shall be at least one faculty advisor, staff adviser, or sponsor acting as advisor who shall be ex-officio members with no voting privileges.
Section 2            Selection of an advisor will be based upon knowledge of Additive Manufacturing and its related subjects in order to develop and further the goals and purpose of the organization.
Section 3             Duties of the advisors will be to sit in upon the board of directors as well as provide expert knowledge that assists, leads, and develops the goals and purpose of the organization.



Article X – Dues
Section 1            Members shall pay dues in the amount of $5 on a quarterly basis for access to the organization’s printing resources.
Section 2            The bank account will be maintained and funds allocated by the President and Vice-President.  A current excel sheet of expenses and payments will be maintained at all times.  Any member of the Executive Board may request the most recent file.

Article XI Constitutional Amendments
Section 1            The constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds majority membership at any regular or special meeting.
Section 2            Notice of amendments must be made to the organization’s members two weeks in advance of voting unless deemed an emergency by the faculty advisor.


Approval Date: April 23, 2012

Friday, April 20, 2012

Club Naming

Hi again Fabbers,

We need an official name that everyone can live with. A NAME MUST BE CHOSEN MONDAY  Ideally it shall be catchy, professional, and communicates what our club is all about.  Matt, Adam, and I have been brainstorming but we need your ideas and opinions as well.  Below are some of the (less awful) names we have come up with.  Please peruse them and leave comments of your opinions and/or suggestions of awesome names.

Thanks!
~Beth

3Dogs
Extrudex 
Add Engineers
ProtoDog
DesignWorks
Digital Design Dogs (3D)

Extrude Punks (ExPunks)
EvoDesign 
Ex Ink / X-Ink
Slicers 
Fabbers
Paw Printers 
Tri-D Printing (play on 3D Printing)
Fabricators 
Solid Freeform Fabricators
FabDesign   

Club Constitution

Hi Fabbers!

We still have some hoops to jump through before we are a certified UW club.  One of those hoops is constructing and approving a club constitution.  MONDAY NIGHT WE MUST HAVE A CONSTITUTION  I have pulled together a draft and need your feedback.  Below, I have posted the current draft of our constitution.  I need you guys to leave comments on what you agree/disagree with, things we should include, any re-phrasings, etc.  I have included notes on the specific areas where I need help.  But any contributions/feedback is greatly appreciated.  We want this to be a truly Group Approved Constitution.

Thanks!
~Beth


The Constitution




Article I - Name

Section 1            The name of this organization shall be________________________[BW1] 

Article II - Purpose
Section 1             It shall be the purpose of this organization to educate interested UW students on the developmental processes and techniques of Additive Manufacturing [BW2] , including construction of the club’s own printers, use of the club’s printers for projects, and improvements upon the technology .

Article III - Affiliations
Section 1            Currently this organization holds no affiliations with any other groups inside or outside the University of Washington.

Article IV - Membership
Section 1            The majority of the membership of this organization shall consist of regularly enrolled undergraduate and graduate students of the University of Washington.  Only those members who are currently registered University of Washington students have voting privileges.
Section 2            Non-University of Washington students may have associate membership status.  This includes University faculty and staff as well as individuals not related to the University.  However, they may not have voting privileges.
Section 3            There are no eligibility requirements for this organization.

Article V - Officers
Section 1            The officers of this organization shall consist of five [BW4] official officers:
                                President: Matt Rogge
                                     Duties: Leads group gatherings and presides over non-voting decisions
                                Vice-President: Adam Commons
                                     Duties: Supports the President in his/her duties.  Takes leadership in the absence of the President 
                                Secretary: Bethany Weeks
                                     Duties: Handles the business and administrative duties required by a UW certified organization 
                               Officer Position #4:  To be determined
                                     Duties: To be determined
                               Officer Position #5:  To be determined
                                     Duties: To be determined
Section 2            All officer positions can only be held by current University of Washington students.
Section 3            Term of Office shall be one year from September 1 – August 31
Section 4            An officer can lose his/her position if they break any SAO or organizational policies and the organization members deem them un-fit for office via a vote.
Section 5             Non-elected members of the organization will support these officers in the guidance of the organization.  These sub-official  positions will form and dissolve as needed by the organization.  These non-elected members must only be current University of Washington students and consist of individuals who volunteered themselves for the role.

Article VI - Elections
Sections 1            Selection of officers shall be held within the first week of April[BW7] .  The President shall be in charge of alerting the organization’s members of the upcoming elections one month[BW8]  prior to the elections.  The President shall do this via e-mail as well as announce it in the general meeting.
Section 2            A vacancy of any non-Presidential office is acceptable if the organization will not suffer from the loss. Five officers are required to re-register as a club each year.  A vacancy of the President will result in the organization’s faculty adviser appointing a member to the position until an emergency vote can be completed.
Section 3            Voting will take place via online poll, from which candidates will be elected through a relative majority of the total voting population.  If there is a tie, a second vote will be cast between those candidates.  If a tie still remains, those candidates will be declared co-officers and share the responsibilities of that position.

Article VII - Meetings
Section 1            Regular meetings regarding operation of this organization shall be held monthly[BW10]  and must be attended by all officers.  These meetings times will be posted on the organization’s website and via e-mail.  Non-operational meetings will be held as deemed by the members and for organizational events.
Section 2             A quorum shall consist of the President and one half of the other elected officers[BW11] .

Article VIII – Executive Board[BW12] 
Section 1            Management of this organization shall be vested in a board of directors[BW13] .
Section 2            The board shall consist of the elected officers and faculty advisers.  They will be equal in power and not have titles.  Faculty advisers will not have voting privileges but may, and are encouraged to, state their opinions on the matter.
Section 3            Powers and duties will be shared and agreed upon by the board members
Section 4            Reports to members will be made if the board deems it is necessary or if at least one member requests such a report be made.  In such as the latter case, the report will only be made upon request.

Article IX – Advisers
Section 1            There shall be at least one faculty adviser, staff adviser, or sponsor acting as adviser who shall be ex-officio members with no voting privileges.
Section 2            Selection of an adviser will be based upon knowledge of Additive Manufacturing[BW14]  and its related subjects in order to develop and further the goals and purpose of the organization.
Section 3             Duties of the advisers will be to sit in upon the board of directors as well as provide expert knowledge that assists, leads, and develops the goals and purpose of the organization.

Article X – Dues[BW15] 
Section 1            Members shall pay dues in the amount of ___ on a _________ basis for access to the organization’s printing resources.
Section 2            (Section on the provision for accounting procedures for the allocation of funds, maintenance of the bank account, etc - To be determined)

Article XI Constitutional Amendments
Section 1            The constitution may be amended by a vote of two-thirds[BW16]  majority membership at any regular or special meeting.
Section 2            Notice of amendments must be made to the organization’s members two weeks in[BW17]  advance of voting unless deemed an emergency by the faculty advisor.


Approval Date:




 [BW1]There will be a separate discussion for Naming

 [BW2]Needs a better phrase/descriptive - Anyone know of a better version of "Additive Manufacturing?"

 [BW3]Again, I don’t feel this is the right descriptive

 [BW4]These were all self-appointed in the interest of the organization do to the immediacy of the need for leaders.  Please let me know if you disagree with the appointments and require an emergency election.  We need to determine when this emergency appointment ends and hold a regular club election for the next period of office.   Also we NEED two more officers to qualify for club certification.  If you are interested please attend Monday's meeting (4/23 at 4:30 ME 246)

 [BW7]Just randomly chose a date

 [BW8]Again random choice

 [BW9]I cannot think of an elegant way to state this.

 [BW10]Again random choice

 [BW11]SOOO confused about what this section is about in the sample.  I just made something up. – I actually had to look up what “Quorum” means

 [BW12]I do NOT understand why they have Elected officials and an Executive Board.  So if anyone understands the difference and need for this section, please explain it to me.  It is a required section.

 [BW13]Anybody know the difference between a Board of Directors, Advisory Council, and Executive Board?

 [BW14]Again I feel I could use a better phrase/descriptor of what we are doing

 [BW15]We will be discussing this on Monday

 [BW16]Random Choice

 [BW17]More Randomness

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Next Meeting Monday April 23 at 4:30 in ME 246

We've got a bunch of stuff going on and need to have a meeting so that we can make some group decisions. Here's what we will cover:

  • Costs involved with making your printer and how we will handle money.
  • We need to decide on group printers. How many and how will we fund them.
  • We need two more people to be officers of the group. If you are interested show up to the meeting.
  • Introduce our first group project which will involve Big Red, Seafair and recycling.
  • 5 people are needed to help with the casting of the first 10 Prusas. those people will be selected at the meeting.
Hope to see you there.

Activity #1 went well. We had a great couple of days of printing. Tons of excellent stuff, bolts, a key, two triforces, a coin, a skull and more. I think I'll need to keep a camera in the room so I can get more pictures. Here's what I was able go get from other people.

My machine's extruder wasn't behaving very well and there were a few problems with the calibration of the z axis, but we got it all working for the most part. The variety of different parts that people brought in were great for highlighting the different issues one faces when desinging with the intent to print. I can't wait to see what this group produces when we have more printers in action and when we have more than blue filament. 

For those that showed up, great work and thanks for being patient with me and the machine.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Introduction and Orientation with Reprap Prusa Mendel

Check out this video.  It is a great introduction to 3D printing.  This will help immensely with the learning curve and make you familiar with parts and terms associated with 3D printing.  The video features a Reprap Prusa.  This is the same model as the one Matt and I are building (the under construction printer at the meeting).  If you are new to all of this and serious about a desire to build one for yourself, then PLEASE watch the video!!!

enjoy,



Saturday, April 14, 2012

Welcome to the Fabbers@UW Blog.

This will be our home on the web (for now at least). Check it out for announcements, help pages, materials lists etc. Not much of this is up yet, but it will hopefully get there soon. 

You may have noticed that you had to log in to view the blog. I thought we'd keep it private to start. Once we get the thing polished looking etc. we can open it up to whoever wants to see our stuff. Any of you in the group who are interested in helping out with this part of the club, be sure to let us know.

On that note, if you are interested in helping out with any of the administrative type tasks at all please let us know. We'll have many jobs to do for sure. A few jobs might be: coordinating, ordering materials, keeping tools organized and accounted for, writing a constitution, the blog, and planning workshops. Many hands make hard work light.

I just finished building Prusa last night. Only thing different from what you saw at our first meeting is that the electronics are installed. Now I just have to get it running. Unfortunately my Arduino isn't talking with my computer. Hopefully I'll get that working tomorrow.
I'll make my next post about doing your first print.

One of Solheim Lab's Bots

The Solheim Lab in the ME Building on the UW Campus is the host location for Open3DP. We have a variety of bots in the lab (both commercial and DIY). We are excited by the idea of a local UW Fab group.

As such, we would like to introduce you to one of our bots - an original Makerbot Cupcake CNC. We purchased this bot in the winter 2010. It was assembled as put of the Advanced RP/RM class.

Recently, we dusted off this bot and made a few upgrades. On the Thingiverse site, there is a listing called Cupcake Upgrades and another called Thing-O-Matic Upgrades

We gave it a new lower rider carriage. It is pictured with Brutstruder (DC motor version extruder). Lastly, we gave it a new Z axis platform and some lighting.

It has been working quite well over the last few weeks.