Toward a Network Based 3D Printing Service

Abstract: This bachelor’s thesis has given us an opportunity to gain insight into how to create a service from scratch and to develop it into a fully functional service. The 3D printer service starts when a customer uploads a file containing the 3D design that they want to have made via a website. The file is stored and the printing request is placed into a queue. After that the client simply waits until the object is printed, with all of the various steps being handled automatically. The uploaded file containing the 3D design is automatically converted into Gcode by using the software Skeinforge. Gocde is the language that the printer interprets. The printer itself is controlled by the ReplicatorG program. The ReplicatorG program transfers the Gcode commands to the printer to print the desired object. This Gcode includes commands to warm up the automated build platform where the object will be created and to warm up the extruder head – through which plastic will be extruded to create the 3D object. If the customer wants to see the object while it is being printed – we have made this possible via a network attached camera. This camera is placed next to the printer. Once the object has been printed the automated build platform is allowed to cool and a motor driven belt advances to eject the object from the platform. In an ideal system the object would be put directly into a bag or other package – with a pre-printed label, thus it would be ready for shipping to the customer. This portion of the system has not yet been realized and is left as future work.