Blog 3: 3D Printing and Linear Systems
If I were to define a linear system from what I’ve learned in class so far, I would define it as a mathematical model that has more than one equation and more than one variable. These mathematical models are reached through using fundamentals of physics, mathematical analysis, and engineering intuition.
With this in mind, my 3-D printer, that I mentioned in my last blog, uses a linear system to print. Considering the printer as the system, it is in a steady state and there for the conserved quantities going in to the system are equal to the quantities coming out of the system. The quantities that are conserved are the plastic filament and change in temperature. It is obvious that amount of filament going into the printer is equal to the amount of filament coming out. The conserved temperature might not be as obvious. The filament enters the “Hot-end,” or printer head, and reaches a melting point. Once the filament exits the Hot-end it solidifies into the desired object by cooling back down to its initial temperature.
Lastly, because it prints anything that fits within the parameters, there cannot be a single equation for linear movement in the X,Y, and Z directions. Another point about the movement of the printer head is that depending on the print, it moves at different speeds and in different directions. A different example deals with the program that is used to upload the design to the printer. The program I use is called Cura, and it makes code which tells the printer where to move, how fast to move, and what temperature it will run at. Since no design is the same, the factors are dramatically different from the last design.
Above is a Gif I made of my 3D printer. Its tough to see because I was using black filament and wasn’t thinking about the best camera angle, but it shows the hot end laying down the plastic.