Manufacturing Instructions
ExoMy was 3D printed the Ultimaker 2+ and 3, but any modern printer should be able to print it. 1.5 kg of filament is theoretically enough to print an entire ExoMy. In reality however there's always going to one or two failed prints that increase the required filament.
You can find all the *.STL files including their recommended print settings here.
The following tools are optional but recommended as they make post processing much easier.
- Deburrer- To clean up the remains of the brim.
- Small Pliers - To remove the bulk of the support material.
- Wood Carving Set - To remove remains of support material.
All parts were printed with a 0.4 Nozzle, 0.15 mm layer height and 20% infill. These settings were a good compromise between speed and detail. Other settings can work but expect some experimentation regarding tolerances.
The parts were designed to require as little support material as possible. For certain parts it is therefore best to disable support material entirely as it adds a lot of unnecessary post processing work. Check out the Excel sheet located here that contains the recommended print settings for each part.
Bolts are used to mount most parts as they ensure a reliable and strong connection.
Direct Cutting Most holes were printed without threads with the intention of having the screw cut the thread on first insertion, as it is sufficiently strong and cuts down on post processing, print complexity and the number of parts.
Threaded Inserts One exception is the mounting of the top cover. There, threaded inserts were used as the top is expected to be removed fairly often.
The easiest way to install the threaded inserts is to use a soldering iron. Place them on the tip and slowly insert them into the part.
Multi Color Printing
The solar panels were printed using the dual extruders of an Ultimaker 3. Use the P12_Solar_Panel_*_fill.STL and P12_Solar_Panel_*_shell.STL files and combine them in your slicer if you want to print the solar panels in multicolor as well. Here is an article on how to do it in CURA.
Single Color Printing
If you want to print the solar panels in a single color you can simply print the P12_Solar_Panel_*.STL files.
ExoMy's mouth and hat can easily be customized using either SolidWorks or the CAD software of your choice. The same procedures apply for the mouth. Simply replace P26_Hat with P25_Mouth.
With SolidWorks
Open P26_Hat.SLDPRT. In the Configurations tab you will see all the hats designed by us. Double click the Default configuration. You should see a default file without any customization. Add a new configuration and make sure it is active. Finally you can go to town and let your creativity run wild to design a new hat for ExoMy.
With Other CAD Software
Import the P26_Hat_Default.STEP file into your CAD software and start designing your hat!