Computer Aided Design (CAD)

Started online tutorials for Computer Aided Design (CAD). This will be useful for designing custom parts. Managed to design a universal fitting that I later printed on the NUIG Makerbot printer. This is some good progress to have made as it may now be possible to compare conventially manufactured parts against 3D printed parts. I have also contacted the NUIG engineering department about making a 3D scanner! This will be useful for scanning parts as opposed to spending time designing them on CAD. I’ve scheduled a phone call with a mechanical engineer tomorrow who will tell me more.

It will also be possible to do a quality test with both parts to see if PLA (Poly Lactic Acid) parts have potential in replacing metal parts. These are some aspects that I am currently working on. I have also started structuring the materials and methods part of the thesis based on what I just mentioned.