IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1503860
IPC COMMUNITY 40 SUMMER 2023 so, I also reduced the amount of resin used, and therefore the cost of material to print the trophy. After yet another month of troubleshooting, I was ready to begin printing gnomes. The tro- phy would consist of three parts: the gnome body and pedestal, a name plaque, and a vol- leyball. Each print produced three gnomes, and with three printers working simultane- ously, we built the required 38 gnomes in no time. To streamline the process, we printed the name plaques separately from the gnome bodies, which made it easier to mass produce the gnome bodies without needing recipient information. Funny enough, those little gnomes are tem- peramental. The 3D printers must be kept between 68–78°F throughout the printing process because of the water-washable resin we use for printing. However, the weather in Chicago can be unpredictable, with wide fluctuations in temperature and humidity. To counteract this, I constructed an enclosure with a built-in heater to regulate the tempera- ture. My efforts paid off. We prefer water-washable resin for our application as it eliminates the need for large amounts of solvent to clean the prints. Ingenuity to the rescue: I used a storage bin, a pond circulation pump, and an old The two separate pieces. An enclosure built to regulate the temperature of the gnomes. Water-washable resin is used for application.