3D-printing caveats…

3D-printing caveats…

3D printing materials have limited strength and temperature/UV stability

As you think through possible responses to a need or solutions to a problem, be very clear about all the demands on that solution – especially those related to safety. Because consumer-grade 3D printers print with thermoplastics, the devices they produce will always have limited strength and a limited range of environmental temperatures. They may also degrade if exposed to long periods of sunlight. Note that I continue to be more impressed every day by the durability of devices printed from TPU.

Open-source designs and devices are unlikely to have undergone extensive testing to validate their safety and effectiveness

Those wonderful, freely downloadable designs you find on the web have probably never been tested for safety or effectiveness. You’ll be the alpha and beta testers for these devices. Give the designer feedback if you discover problems or have ideas for improving the design.

Liability for injury is unclear

If a device should fail and someone should get hurt, it’s unclear who’s liable – if anyone. Many locations have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect people who act out of concern with no expectation of remuneration, but they were designed to encourage doctors and healthcare providers to provide emergency care at the scene of an accident, and that’s not what we’re talking about here. Also, if you’re a professional, responsible for the care of people with disabilities, you may be putting your certification at risk. I’m unaware of this sort of thing ever ending up in court or what the outcome may have been.

You cannot create a transparent object. The best you can hope for is a translucent object.

You cannot create the equivalent of a laser-cut acrylic keyguard – in the sense that you cannot create a transparent, 3D-printed object.

The following picture shows a commercial, laser-cut, acrylic keyguard (click on the image to enlarge it):

Light passes easily and directly through the uniform sheet of acrylic.

3D printing cannot replicate this effect. Clear filaments are available for 3D printing (click on an image to enlarge it):

However, 3D printing involves laying down thin threads of filament next to, and on top of, each other:

Light refracts as it passes through each of these threads and into the next. To complicate things, the layers are normally laid down at right angles to each other. The result is a scattering of the light and a diffuse image (click on an image to enlarge it):

Colors can pass through the print, but the text and graphics will be too blurry to be useful.

Is 3D-printing safe?

Where should I look for things to print?

How can I start designing my own 3D objects?