How to learn mechanical engineering skill for better 3D printing design?

January 31, 2018 4:34 PM

Are there resources (online, videos, books) that will give me the basics that I need for hobbyist level? I am thinking that Mechanical Engineering classes from MIT Open Courseware would be overkill, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm not looking to become an engineer, but just build better things from a "maker" perspective.

I want to get better at designing my own objects for hobbyist 3D printing, taking into account common best practices (like, this sort of thing has already been designed well for millennia — don't reinvent the wheel), ideas about what reinforcement/supports are needed, how the FDM object will react to stresses, that sort of thing. I want to understand the basics, so I can get better at designing and printing my own parts and assemblies.

posted by mboszko to Technology (4 answers total)

Best answer: Here are some guidelines for manufacturing, which are probably more important for you than actual stress calculations. There are different rules for 3D printing than for injection molding or casting. Draft and constant wall thicknesses are crucial for mass production, but you don’t have to worry about it.

Stresses and such will come from mechanical engineering calculations, but that won’t be easy. Start by calculating forces (free body diagram!) then you can calculate the different stresses based on section properties (which you can get from your design software). Honestly, though, I’d avoid stressing 3D printed parts too much anyway.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:54 PM on January 31, 2018

Best answer: While the full MIT OCW experience is probably overkill, you might benefit from the fundamental vocabulary you'd get from (a light pass through) a course like 2.001 or some other solid mechanics overview. Understanding the basics of stress, strain, elasticity, deformation and failure would help a lot of 3D printing advice make more sense (eg, one of the issues you're dealing with is that many 3D printed parts, while themselves made of a relatively strong plastic, have abominable shear strength in the plane of the printing layers). You don't need to go super deep to get an appreciation for the issues at play.
posted by range at 6:17 AM on February 1, 2018

Response by poster: Thank you all! Huffy, your 3D Hubs link led me to their book, which looks like it may have additional useful information about designing better for 3D printing, and that let me to a couple of related books that also look good (thought I have not read yet):

• The 3D Printing Handbook
• Functional Design for 3D Printing
• Make: Design for 3D Printing

That Machinery's Handbook looks daunting, but seems like a good next step. Lots to digest, thanks!
posted by mboszko at 12:24 PM on February 1, 2018 [1 favorite]

I have a Machinery’s Handbook 29th edition. It’s a wonderful resource for all kinds of mechanical design, but it doesn’t have anything about rapid prototyping or 3D printing (but it does have a lot about machining. We used to call it the “Machinist’s Handbook”.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:41 PM on February 1, 2018