Utilizing 3D Printing to Construct Astromechs and Costumes

Our September Hacker of the Month is a Maker by and thru. Greg Bellows of Riverside, California, makes use of his artistic 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 – a captivating 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 in regards to the success different members of the group had been having with printing, he began researching the probabilities of 3D printing himself. He rapidly discovered that printing the components for his droid could be a particularly 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 best way to a completed droid. Work sometimes occurs on one half at a time; legs, physique, head, element components, and so forth. Then making an attempt components, seeing in the event that they match, going again to the drafting board, and making an attempt once more again and again make for a protracted, 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 varied occasions, he nearly completely makes use of PETG now. He tends to print his components with a big brim to make sure high quality mattress adhesion (and fewer wasted filament!) so an X-Acto knife is often the primary instrument used to trim a chunk.

Subsequent comes sanding, sanding and extra sanding to get items finger-smooth, particularly super-shiny droid components! A tough sanding block comes first, to get the bigger imperfections knocked down. Physique filler and extra sanding just a few occasions come subsequent with finer and finer grit sandpaper. As you possibly can see from the images, Greg’s outcomes are incredible – a results of hours and hours of liberal utility 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 – expertise that take effort to good, not too point out barely greater materials prices and a big time funding as effectively. As soon as Greg educated himself on find out how to 3D mannequin, and the particulars of 3D printing, he was capable of create a prototype, and ultimately completed props, in a fraction of the time. For Greg and others, 3D printing has ushered in an entire 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 area 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 an amazing sense of pleasure that I discovered a option to marry my interest of constructing and love of Star Wars with a option to give again to others in my group. It is the last word win-win.”

His 3D printing has helped him dwell out his ardour for Star Wars and attain out to his group in methods he by no means thought potential. The very best factor about Greg’s involvement with the 501st are the fantastic smiles he is ready to carry to kids’s faces – it makes all of the laborious 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 group 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 Discount, 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 capable of embody his droid because the ring-bearer in his finest good friend’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!

After all 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 can 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 info on the 501st Legion, go to https://www.501st.com/

For extra info on astromechs like R4K5, go to http://astromech.web/

Wish 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!