{"id":13916,"date":"2024-10-23T23:14:40","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T05:14:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/?p=13916"},"modified":"2024-10-23T23:14:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T05:14:41","slug":"gcode-louis-jencka","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/2024\/10\/23\/gcode-louis-jencka\/","title":{"rendered":"GCODE – Louis Jencka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this project I’ve explored how to work with G-Code, and how to use it to fabricate unique forms & textures that aren’t producible via a typical slicer program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I developed a Python script that describes several different forms, generates G-Code for printing them, and visualizes the toolpath that g-code prescribes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My script takes the form of a Python Jupyter notebook, with my own helper class PrintTurtle<\/code> for generating G-Code that mirrors the movements of a 3D turtle abstraction. In addition to creating G-Code, this class can display the G-Code toolpath as an interactive 3D visualization in Jupyter, using the K3D library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My design process for this project began with lots of experimentation on how to control and extrude via the printhead of my printer. I had to explore questions like “what’s a reasonable extrusion rate?”; “how close do layers need to be to adhere?”; “what are the useful ways to extrude mid-air?”. I wasn’t able to answer every question, but I did get a feel for workable approaches to printing directly via G-Code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, I wrote a bit of Python to abstract away most of the G-Code I needed to generate to a “turtle” abstraction, and to visualize what forms that G-Code might produce. My code produces a list of gcode instructions from turtle movements, and produces a visualization which highlights movements, extrusions, and “blobs”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After I had this Python code put together, I was able to rapidly iterate on generating test-forms; mainly to prototype different kinds of texture, as well as movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I found a few approaches that I liked which wouldn’t be producable via a slicer, and began iterating on different forms that could incorporate them. For each form, this meant that I would first work towards a visualization that I liked, and then I would repeatedly print and tune it to work with the printer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I’ll highlight three different forms here. The first form is a vase-like shell, with “blobs” of random size embedded in its surface. The blobs are created by extruding in-place without any other movement (e.g. “G1 E20 F50”). This produces a very textured surface in which the layers are warped around the inset blobs. A traditional slicer could produce a shell similar to this one, but would not be able to texture it like I have, as I’m effectively varying wall-thickness from point to point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My second form is a tall, narrow, spiraling pyramid. It’s composed of three long twisting columns of blobs, which have uniformly spaced threads strung between them. Neither of the two main elements — the mostly empty walls of strings, and the solid twisting columns — could be produced by a typical slicer as far as I know. Although they’re built in small segments, the columns are orthogonal to the direction a slicer interprets a model, and would be unlikely to be preserved or produced as they are here.

The third form is a sparse cylinder, composed from spheres which zig-zag across Z-layers. This grid of spheres has a transparent, mesh-like look, and is very flexible. I created the spheres using the same “blob” approach as in the previous pieces. A traditional slicer wouldn’t be suited for creating a form like this, where there are no continuous walls of any kind; this form is more like a thin cylinder of infill than a closed printable shape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
LouisJenckaLA4<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Attached is a zip file containing my gcode files, the python notebook which will produce them, and a HTML version of that same notebook. I’ve also included below a look at the python code I used to generate the bumpy vase, and a snippet of the gcode used to print that vase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
; start_print BED_TEMP=60.0 EXTRUDER_TEMP=215.0\nM106 S255 ; turn on part fan\nM140 S50 ; Start bed heating\nM109 S215 ; Set and wait for nozzle to reach temperature\nM190 S50 ; Wait for bed to reach temperature\nG90 ; absolute xyz positioning\nG28 ; home\nG0 X150.00 Y150.00 Z0.3 F1500 ; move to center of print area\nG91 ; relative xyz positioning\n\n; LEVEL 0\nG1 X0.00 Y17.65 Z0.00 E2.77 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.00 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.01 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.01 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.02 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.02 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.03 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.03 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.31 Y-0.04 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.05 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.05 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.06 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.06 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.07 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.07 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.08 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.08 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 E0.31 F50\nG1 X0.30 Y-0.09 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500\nG1 X0.29 Y-0.09 Z0.00 E0.05 F1500<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Gallery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Test & Failed Prints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Visualizations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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*Cura couldn’t open my G-Code files, so I’ve chosen to include the visualizations from my python code instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Final Prints<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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In this project I’ve explored how to work with G-Code, and how to use it to fabricate unique forms & textures that aren’t producible via a typical slicer program. Process I developed a Python script that describes several different forms, generates G-Code for printing them, and visualizes the toolpath that g-code prescribes. My script takes the form of a Python […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":69,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,46,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-large-assignment-4-g-code-assignments24","category-studentwork24","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/69"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13916"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13959,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13916\/revisions\/13959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handandmachine.org\/classes\/computational_fabrication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}