Artist and Professor Eric Hagan (check out the Make Magazine article on Eric) brought our class to New York University’s Advance Media Services Department (AMS) for a tour of both existing machinery and resources which are available to ITP students – as well as the rest of New York University (NYU).

Some things haven’t changed that much in twenty years.  Parts produced using stereolithographic techniques are still crumbly, yet possess amazing resolution.  Powder deposition machining/sintering  has become incredibly refined, as has the Stratasys photo-polymer rapid prototyping technology.

In addition to the incredible detail and off-the-machine surface finish of parts, there has been the addition of colors and the ability for some machines to actually blend polymers used in fabrication to print parts possessing different Shore properties than discrete compounds.  This means that you can have parts as floppy as a rubber band to “rock” hard within the same 3D printed part.

The addition of optional conductive materials is the burgeoning technology.  When these are introduced, it will be possible to print multilayer and three-dimensional circuit artwork (non-boards), wiring harnesses, electrical connects, and resistor networks as part of the rapid prototyping operation.  Add a pick-and-place rotary head and entire finished functional electrically operated models will be able to be manufactured.

As the technology stands of this writing, flexible tubing may  be integrated into an articulating object, with both being printed during the same operation.

When I first spoke about the technologies of CAD and CAM more often than not I was rewarded with looks reserved for the parents of challenged children.  An exception to this was the reception by Bruce Wands, (then chair of the BFA Computer Art program, now chair MFA Computer Art Program) at New York City’s School of Visual Arts.  Bruce funded the first classes in CAD CAM for artists in New York City which we called Digital Sculpture   We had several seats of AutoCAD and were able to run .dxf drawings on a 2.5 D machine.  Our CNC machine was kept in a utility closet where hands-on classes were held.  Our end of the hallway, next to the fire escape, didn’t have heat.  Hah! Those were the days!

Shelly J. Smith and Bill of AMS

Professor Eric Hagan with his class

Zhenzhen Qi, Shelly and Bill

This articulating structure multi-part structure was created as one assembled model

Detail of articulating model

Color printing

Scanned and printed

Printed clear lens array

AMS’s laser.

Some 3D parts require secondary operations to remove support structures put in place during printing.

Cabinet for blast cleaning.

Fun things to do with a laser. Mouse ears have probably already been made.

With the patience of a saint, Bill answered every question.

Bill explaining parts

Bill explaining the $300,000 Stratasys

Stratasys in action

Bill discuses water-tigtht models

Photopolymerization with multiple Shore properties.

Stereolithography bed

Detail of monochromatic STL part

Polychromatic model detail

Polychromatic model detail

Polychromatic model detail

Student work stations with Maker Bots and 3D scanners

Peter Terezakis
ITP Master’s Candidate
Tisch School of the Arts
http://www.itpme.info
http://www.terezakis.com