Utilizing 3D Printing to Construct Astromechs and Costumes

Our September Hacker of the Month is a Maker by way of and thru. Greg Bellows of Riverside, California, makes use of his inventive skills to contribute to 2 nice organizations; the 501st Legion – a nationwide community of costumers and prop makers who attend conventions and charity occasions as stormtroopers, Imperial guards and different unsavory Empire characters from the Star Wars universe, and the R2 Builders – an enchanting group of makers that construct astromechs like R2-D2 and BB-8 with all of the bells and (literal) whistles.

Greg started his journey into 3D printing again in 2012 when he began constructing his first astromech droid, R4-K5. After studying concerning the success different members of the neighborhood have been having with printing, he began researching the chances of 3D printing himself. He rapidly realized that printing the elements for his droid can be an especially price efficient strategy, so he bought a Makerfarm Prusa i3v, and the remaining is historical past.

As a result of constructing an astromech is such an enormous undertaking, iterations and troubleshooting occur alongside the way in which to a completed droid. Work usually occurs on one half at a time; legs, physique, head, element elements, and so on. Then making an attempt elements, seeing in the event that they match, going again to the drafting board, and making an attempt once more again and again make for an extended, however fulfilling, endeavor.

Greg makes use of a number of ending strategies for his 3D prints, relying on which filament he’s utilizing. Whereas he has experimented with PLA, ABS and PETG at numerous instances, he virtually solely makes use of PETG now. He tends to print his elements with a big brim to make sure high quality mattress adhesion (and fewer wasted filament!) so an X-Acto knife is usually the primary software used to trim a bit.

Subsequent comes sanding, sanding and extra sanding to get items finger-smooth, particularly super-shiny droid elements! A tough sanding block comes first, to get the bigger imperfections knocked down. Physique filler and extra sanding a couple of instances come subsequent with finer and finer grit sandpaper. As you’ll be able to see from the images, Greg’s outcomes are implausible – a results of hours and hours of liberal software of elbow grease!

When Greg first began constructing astromechs and costume items, there was a large amount of woodworking or metalworking wanted to get the specified outcomes – abilities that take effort to excellent, not too point out barely increased materials prices and a major time funding as effectively. As soon as Greg educated himself on easy methods to 3D mannequin, and the particulars of 3D printing, he was in a position to create a prototype, and finally completed props, in a fraction of the time. For Greg and others, 3D printing has ushered in a complete new period of prop and costume making.

As a member of the 501st Legion and R2 Builders, he is ready to do conventions and charity occasions in the local people. As Greg explains it, “These occasions have raised cash for most cancers consciousness, youth literacy, Make-A-Want Basis and all kinds of organizations that assist individuals. It offers me a terrific sense of pleasure that I discovered a approach to marry my interest of creating and love of Star Wars with a approach to give again to others in my neighborhood. It is the final word win-win.”

His 3D printing has helped him reside out his ardour for Star Wars and attain out to his neighborhood in methods he by no means thought doable. One of the best factor about Greg’s involvement with the 501st are the fantastic smiles he is ready to convey to youngsters’s faces – it makes all of the arduous work price it!

Began by Albin Johnson in 1997, the 501st Legion has been one of many only a few Star Wars themed volunteer organizations formally acknowledged by Lucasfilm – their neighborhood and charity efforts have been rewarded by having the identify “501st Legion” integrated into official Star Wars materials together with such milestones as Timothy Zahn’s novels Survivor’s Quest and Idiot’s Cut price, the Episode III Visible Dictionary, LucasArts’ Star Wars Battlefront II online game, quite a few toys, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars sequence and extra.

Greg was additionally in a position to embody his droid because the ring-bearer in his greatest pal’s wedding ceremony, as soon as he was sufficiently dressed up after all. R4-K5 additionally obtained to chop unfastened and dance after the ceremony!

In fact R2D2 clones aren’t the one superior issues within the Star Wars universe. Greg has been designing and constructing a working mannequin of a Darth Nihilus lightsaber, in addition to a 1:1 scale mannequin of a BB-8 droid that may match the colour scheme of his R4-K5 droid.

We sit up for seeing Greg’s completed BB-8 creation, in addition to many extra 3D printed props and costumes!

For extra data on the 501st Legion, go to https://www.501st.com/

For extra data on astromechs like R4K5, go to http://astromech.internet/

Need to be our subsequent Hacker of the Month? E-mail chris.morgan@matterhackers.com, and inform us about your 3D printed creations – you might be featured in our subsequent e-newsletter. Hacker of the Month wins 3 free spools of PRO Sequence PLA or ABS filament to additional their pursuit of 3D printing greatness!