Paul Derrico_FDM project

For this project I printed up a caricature of a robot.  I've been working on this model for a little while.  I wanted to create something that has 'living joints' or working moving parts.  I started on the model around the time that we started the course.  It's been a challenging model, and I've learned the most about NURBS modelling while doing this piece.

The original model was at about 30" tall.  I had no frame of reference for how large the final piece would be.  My biggest concern was the tolerance between the joints as the model was scaled down.  I decided to do it at 6" tall.  My thought process was that this would be the smallest it could be without losing any of the detail piping on the chest and abdomen area.

I quickly ran the piece through Keyshot and rendered it a few different ways.  The best one is the first pic here with the white and blue plastic material and the rubber tire.

The piece printed out great.  The arms move at the shoulders and the wheel spins just as I had planned.  The small details in the monacle, mustache, and antennae are strong and look great.  I'm super happy with the piece.   The only drawback to the FDM process and moveable joints is that the piece can't be molded and then cast in resin or injection molded.  The only way to make that happen is through printing individual parts and then casting them separately.  Some assembly required of course...