Dissertation Experiments - Day 1

Today I am beginning the experiments for my dissertation. The idea is based on the PPE production the APSU GIS Center did in the spring. In my experiments, I will be attempting to optimize my printer settings to maximize the output of shields, keep the costs low, and retain quality. This is turning into an interesting problem because I have 3 different 3D printers. I own an Artillery Sidewinder X1, Creality Ender 3, and a Creality CR6 SE. For the most part, I can match printer settings and have set them up appropriately.

To facilitate the project, I have also set up OctoPrint on each individual printer. With OctoPrint, I can keep track of all the vital statistics from the print including filament used and print time. I am also able to remotely monitor (and cancel) the prints. Additionally, I am doing time lapse on each print. I am hoping to post to YouTube.

As noted in the picture above, I am using Hatchbox Orange PLA. I initially started with black PLA, the best selling PLA on Amazon, but quickly noticed the black blended too much with the printer beds and made remote monitoring difficult. I settled on Hatchbox Orange (#5 Selling on Amazon) because it offered great contrast.

I am expecting to do at least 160 prints of PPE headbands over the course of my experiments. I believe that I can get 30 bands per roll of filament. Unfortunately, I started to add a brim to the prints to better adhere to the printer beds. As of now, I am starting my benchmark prints. These are the prints with the most detailed, costly, and time consuming settings. I will do 10 from each printer to be an index for quality. As the experiments continue, I may try to buy another printer to speed the process.

I will try to post some pictures and videos as the project progresses.