Formlabs
Square Coupling Design
As a mechanical engineering intern at Formlabs I worked on replacing a motor coupling on the Fuse printer. The original coupling was challenging to source and expensive. I also proved through testing that it was over engineered for the task.
I started by properly understanding the thermal environment which the coupling would be operating in using multiple thermal probes and cameras. The data I gathered from this ruled out using any acetyl components as it would be too hot for them to operate effectively, and in testing they quickly showed signs of wear.
I decided to instead use a simple steel square coupling. The simple steel square coupling would be replacing a spider coupling. Because the spider coupling is designed to handle misalignment well, initially there was concern that the steel coupling would cause performance issues. Through testing and tolerance stack-ups I proved this is not a problem.
Fuse IQC
I also worked on the internal quality control for the Fuse printers. I inspected and ran tests on numerous printers and cylinders to catch errors that the factory did not. After I understood the process, I also worked with the IQC manager to simplify the tracking and reporting system for parts going through IQC.
Cylinder Seal Verification
As Formlabs transitioned from US based to China based suppliers I was responsible for verifying the Chinese components performed as expected. One of the components was the seal between the cylinder platform and walls that prevented powder leakage. I wrote a script that tested the seal over the lifetime of the cylinder in roughly 8 hours. By comparing the amount of powder that leaked between the original and Chinese seal I confirmed the components performed similarly.