Yuenyong Nilsiam - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Yuenyong Nilsiam
Proceedings of the 2023 9th International Conference on Computer Technology Applications
The Journal of World Intellectual Property, 2020
This paper analyzes the findings of an international survey questionnaire to which responses were... more This paper analyzes the findings of an international survey questionnaire to which responses were received from over 500 members from different technical societies of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The survey is primarily intended to uncover members' perceptions of patent filing and research-driven innovation. Our thesis statement is twofold. First, the introduction of basic intellectual property (IP) courses to university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics curricula would teach students valuable basics of IP and associated issues, technology protection; and possibly stimulate novel/innovative R&D outcomes. Second, studying relevant active/lapsed/expired patent documents could provide stimulating input for ongoing academic research. After analyzing the survey results we conclude that IP coursework could be a catalyst for students and researchers to explore patent opportunities related to their specific interests. The resulting knowledge would further enable researchers to prepare more compelling funding applications. In our experience, IEEE conference publications are often closely aligned with inventions to solve pressing
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of... more One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of drivers. In this study eye tracking using a novel open source Internet of Things (IoT)-based system has been developed. This study evaluated three driver’s eye recognition algorithms to be integrated into the open source solution to wake drivers as they begin to dose off: 1) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Haar Cascade, 2) 68 facial landmark points and 3) gaze detection in three different face positions for both day and night driving conditions as well as with and without glasses. Each combination of those factor is tested 100 times. The best algorithm is chosen based on the numbers of correct detections and then this algorithm is tested again based on light (day and night), angle of face (left, right, and center), angle of camera (left and right), and glasses (on and off) to detect both blinking and closed eyes. The results show that the most accurate algorithm to detect a driver’s eyes is CNN with Haar Cascade algorithm with 94% accurate. The system can detect the status of the eyes of drivers during driving and if drivers close their eyes longer than two seconds, it sounds an alert to wake the driver and avoid the accident. The proposed open source system costs about US$100 and could be widely deployed to help reduce accidents on the road throughout the world.
The waste from fish causes the quality of the water to be lower or even harmful for aquatic anima... more The waste from fish causes the quality of the water to be lower or even harmful for aquatic animals. The nitrate in the water can be removed using plants as doing in hydroponics system. The waste water from the fish pond cycling through the hydroponics farm to removal the nitrate and back to pond. Combining fish tank system and hydroponics farm, it is aquaponics system. In this research, the proposed system using Internet of Things concept (IoT) to help monitoring and controlling the system. Arduino microcontroller board is used as the main controlling and processing. All sensors are connected to the board and data is transferred to the database on the cloud via wireless Internet connection. The lights, the fish feeder and the pumps are automatically controlled by the software on the Arduino board. However, the lights can be controlled manually using an application on a smartphone. The application shows humidity, temperature, moisture data from the sensors and the status of the ligh...
Road accident is the first cause of death for people ages 15–29 around the world. In Thailand, th... more Road accident is the first cause of death for people ages 15–29 around the world. In Thailand, the statistic shows that the road accident increases every year as well as the number of injured and death due to the road accident. This research proposes a system consists of mobile application, beacon, and GPS system to record the information. When application detects the beacon in the car, the status of driver is recorded as active in a car. The route information is tracked using GPS system of the smartphone. All information is sent to the cloud database via the internet connection of the smartphone and the information can be viewed on the smartphone application. The application was implemented successfully and working as expected. The system can detect the status of the drivers and the route sending to the cloud for further analyzing. Based on the information, many insightful information can be found, and many useful predictions can be made.
Inventions, 2016
Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United State... more Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is cumbersome and involves a significant time investment to locate inactive patents less than 20 years old. This article reports on the development of an open source database to find these public domain ideas. First, a search strategy is explained. Then the operation and use of free and open source software are detailed to meet the needs of open hardware innovators. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the utility of the approach with 3-D printing. The results showed how the Free Inactive Patent Search enables users to search using plain language text to find public domain concepts and then provides a hyperlinked list of ideas that takes users to the USPTO database for the patent for more information. All of the source code to operate the search and the website are open source themselves and provided in the public domain for free. In the case study on 3-D printing the time to identify public domain patents was cut by a factor of more than 1500. This tool has the potential for accelerating the development of open hardware technologies to create high value for the public.
Solar Energy, 2016
The average American is highly supportive of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and has the oppor... more The average American is highly supportive of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and has the opportunity to earn a high return of investment from a PV investment for their own home. Unfortunately, the average American does not have easy access to capital/financing to install a PV system able to meet their aggregate annual electric needs. One method to overcome this challenge is to allow 'plug-and-play solar', which is defined as a fully inclusive, commercial, off-the-shelf PV system (normally consisting of a PV module and microinverter), which a prosumer can install by plugging it into an electric outlet and avoiding the need for significant permitting, inspection and interconnection processes. Many advanced countries already allow plug-and-play solar, yet U.S. regulations have lagged behind. In order to assist the U.S. overcome regulatory obstructions to greater PV penetration, this article first reviews the relevant codes and standards from the National Electric Code, local jurisdictions and utilities for PV with a specific focus on plug-and-play solar. Next, commercially available microinverters and alternating current (AC) modules are reviewed for their technical and safety compliance to these standards and all were found to be compliant. The technical requirements are then compared to regulatory and utility requirements using case studies in Michigan, which were found to create arbitrary non-technically-valid barriers to grid entry. The analysis also exposed the redundancy of the utility accessed AC disconnect switch for residential and small commercial grid connected solar PV. It is clear that the AC disconnect switch is not necessary technically and thus imposing it is an economic barrier to grid entry for solar PV systems with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified microinverters. To reduce consumer and utility workload and the concomitant soft costs, this article provides a streamlined application with only technical requirements and free and open source software to ease utility implementation. Finally, the advantages of supporting plug-and-play solar PV with UL certified microinverters include greater PV system performance, faster uptake and higher PV penetration levels, improved prosumer economics, and more environmentally responsible electric generation.
Machines, 2015
To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3... more To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure current (I) and voltage (V) of the gas metal arc welders (GMAW). This paper builds on previous open-source hardware development to provide a real-time measurement of welder I-V where the measuring circuit is connected to two analog inputs of the Arduino that is used to control the 3-D printer itself. Franklin firmware accessed through a web interface that is used to control the printer allows storing the measured values and downloading those stored readings to the user's computer. To test this custom current and voltage monitoring device this study reports on its use on an upgraded all metal RepRap during the printing of aluminum alloy (ER1100, ER4043, ER4943, ER4047, and ER5356). The voltage and current data were analyzed on a per alloy basis and also layer-by-layer in order to evaluate the device's efficacy as a monitoring device for 3-D printing and the results of the integrated design are discussed.
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
International businesses usually use Forex exchange market to support their business. However, in... more International businesses usually use Forex exchange market to support their business. However, investing has a risk so they need an accuracy Forex information to make the decision. The simple moving average (SMA) has been widely used and a well-known moving average method for time series forecasting. In this empirical study, we would like to do a performance analysis of EUR/U SD Forex rates by adding simple moving averaged technique and financial factors (Dollar Index (DX), US Interest rate (federal funds rate), Inflation rate (IR) and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP)). Four Forex datasets are Forex, Forex with factors, Forex with SMA, and Forex with factors and SMA to forecast Forex rates. Research efforts on Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Linear Regression (LM) for forecasting EUR/USD Forex rates. It is shown by using mean square error (MSE) that by adding financial factors and simple moving average to Forex datasets, the performance has improved significantly.
To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3... more To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure current (I) and voltage (V) of the gas metal arc welders (GMAW). This paper builds on previous open-source hardware development to provide a real-time measurement of welder I-V where the measuring circuit is connected to two analog inputs of the Arduino that is used to control the 3-D printer itself. Franklin firmware accessed through a web interface that is used to control the printer allows storing the measured values and downloading those stored readings to the user's computer. To test this custom current and voltage monitoring device this study reports on its use on an upgraded all metal RepRap during the printing of aluminum alloy (ER1100, ER4043, ER4943, ER4047, and ER5356). The voltage and current data were analyzed on a per alloy basis and also layer-by-layer in order to evaluate the device's efficacy as a monitoring device for 3-D printing and the results of the integrated design are discussed.
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of... more One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of drivers. In this study eye tracking using a novel open source Internet of Things (IoT)-based system has been developed. This study evaluated three driver's eye recognition algorithms to be integrated into the open source solution to wake drivers as they begin to dose off: 1) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Haar Cascade, 2) 68 facial landmark points and 3) gaze detection in three different face positions for both day and night driving conditions as well as with and without glasses. Each combination of those factor is tested 100 times. The best algorithm is chosen based on the numbers of correct detections and then this algorithm is tested again based on light (day and night), angle of face (left, right, and center), angle of camera (left and right), and glasses (on and off) to detect both blinking and closed eyes. The results show that the most accurate to detect driver's...
Additive Manufacturing
Lowcost gas metal arc welding (GMAW)based 3D printing has proven effective at additive manufactur... more Lowcost gas metal arc welding (GMAW)based 3D printing has proven effective at additive manufacturing steel and aluminum parts. Early success, however, was based on handwriting Gcode, which is inadequate for the majority of potential users. To enable automated slicing a 3D model and generating Gcode for an acceptable path for GMAW 3D printing, this paper reports on upgrading of the free and open source CuraEngine. The new slicer, MOSTMetalCura, provides the following novel abilities necessary for GMAW 3D printing: i) change the perimeter metric from width to track count, ii) avoid movement that overlaps previous weld beads, iii) have infill start immediately after the perimeter finished and in the direction that eliminates translations, iv) add a variable pause between layers to allow for substrate cooling, v) configure GPIO pins to turn on/off the welder, and vi) set optimized wire feed speed and voltage of the welder based on printing speed, layer height, filament diameter, and tool track width. The process for initiating these changes are detailed and the new slicer is used to help improve the function of the printer for ER70S6 steel. To find the printing function with the smallest bead width based on volume of material, the line width, layer height, and printing speed are varied to provide wire feed speed calculated by MOSTMetalCura, then the settings are used to print 3D models. The results of 3D printing three case study objects of increasing geometric complexity using the process methodology improvements presented, which show resolution of 1mm bead widths.
Designs
3-D printing has entered the consumer market because of recent radical price declines. Consumers ... more 3-D printing has entered the consumer market because of recent radical price declines. Consumers can save substantial money by offsetting purchases with DIY pre-designed 3-D printed products. However, even more value can be obtained with distributed manufacturing using mass customization. Unfortunately, the average consumer is not technically sophisticated enough to easily design their own products. One solution to this is the use of an overlay on OpenSCAD parametric code, although current solutions force users to relinquish all rights to their own designs. There is thus a substantial need in the open source design community for a libre 3-D model customizer, which can be used in any design repository to democratize design. This study reports on the design, function, and validation of such software: the Free Open Source 3-D Customizer. It is demonstrated with a case study of the customization of 3-D printable external breast prosthetics. The results showed that novice users can adjust the available parameters according to their needs and save these to a new file on a website. This PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) library is free and open source and has potential for increasing the usefulness of online repositories to enable distributed manufacturing using consumer customized 3-D printable products.
Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing
The metal 3-D printing market is currently dominated by high-end applications, which make it inac... more The metal 3-D printing market is currently dominated by high-end applications, which make it inaccessible for small and medium enterprises, fab labs, and individual makers who are interested in the ability to prototype and additively manufacture final products in metal. Recent progress led to low-cost open-source metal 3-D printers using a gas metal arc welding (GMAW)-based print head. This reduced the cost of metal 3-D printers into the range of desktop prosumer polymer 3-D printers. Consequent research established good material properties of metal 3-D printed parts with readily-available weld filler wire, reusable substrates, thermal and stress properties, toolpath planning, bead-width control, mechanical properties, and support for overhangs. These previous works showed that GMAW-based metal 3-D printing has a good adhesion between layers and is not porous inside the printed parts, but they did not proceed far enough to demonstrate applications. In this study, the utility of the GMAW approach to 3-D printing is investigated using a low-cost open-source metal 3-D printer and a converted Computer Numerical Control router machine to make useful parts over a range of applications including: fixing an existing part by adding a 3-D metal feature, creating a product using the substrate as part of the component, 3-D printing in high resolution of useful objects, near net objects, and making an integrated product using a combination of steel and polymer 3-D printing. The results show that GMAW-based 3-D printing is capable of distributed manufacturing of useful products for a wide variety of applications for sustainable development.
Proceedings of the 2023 9th International Conference on Computer Technology Applications
The Journal of World Intellectual Property, 2020
This paper analyzes the findings of an international survey questionnaire to which responses were... more This paper analyzes the findings of an international survey questionnaire to which responses were received from over 500 members from different technical societies of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The survey is primarily intended to uncover members' perceptions of patent filing and research-driven innovation. Our thesis statement is twofold. First, the introduction of basic intellectual property (IP) courses to university Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics curricula would teach students valuable basics of IP and associated issues, technology protection; and possibly stimulate novel/innovative R&D outcomes. Second, studying relevant active/lapsed/expired patent documents could provide stimulating input for ongoing academic research. After analyzing the survey results we conclude that IP coursework could be a catalyst for students and researchers to explore patent opportunities related to their specific interests. The resulting knowledge would further enable researchers to prepare more compelling funding applications. In our experience, IEEE conference publications are often closely aligned with inventions to solve pressing
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of... more One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of drivers. In this study eye tracking using a novel open source Internet of Things (IoT)-based system has been developed. This study evaluated three driver’s eye recognition algorithms to be integrated into the open source solution to wake drivers as they begin to dose off: 1) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Haar Cascade, 2) 68 facial landmark points and 3) gaze detection in three different face positions for both day and night driving conditions as well as with and without glasses. Each combination of those factor is tested 100 times. The best algorithm is chosen based on the numbers of correct detections and then this algorithm is tested again based on light (day and night), angle of face (left, right, and center), angle of camera (left and right), and glasses (on and off) to detect both blinking and closed eyes. The results show that the most accurate algorithm to detect a driver’s eyes is CNN with Haar Cascade algorithm with 94% accurate. The system can detect the status of the eyes of drivers during driving and if drivers close their eyes longer than two seconds, it sounds an alert to wake the driver and avoid the accident. The proposed open source system costs about US$100 and could be widely deployed to help reduce accidents on the road throughout the world.
The waste from fish causes the quality of the water to be lower or even harmful for aquatic anima... more The waste from fish causes the quality of the water to be lower or even harmful for aquatic animals. The nitrate in the water can be removed using plants as doing in hydroponics system. The waste water from the fish pond cycling through the hydroponics farm to removal the nitrate and back to pond. Combining fish tank system and hydroponics farm, it is aquaponics system. In this research, the proposed system using Internet of Things concept (IoT) to help monitoring and controlling the system. Arduino microcontroller board is used as the main controlling and processing. All sensors are connected to the board and data is transferred to the database on the cloud via wireless Internet connection. The lights, the fish feeder and the pumps are automatically controlled by the software on the Arduino board. However, the lights can be controlled manually using an application on a smartphone. The application shows humidity, temperature, moisture data from the sensors and the status of the ligh...
Road accident is the first cause of death for people ages 15–29 around the world. In Thailand, th... more Road accident is the first cause of death for people ages 15–29 around the world. In Thailand, the statistic shows that the road accident increases every year as well as the number of injured and death due to the road accident. This research proposes a system consists of mobile application, beacon, and GPS system to record the information. When application detects the beacon in the car, the status of driver is recorded as active in a car. The route information is tracked using GPS system of the smartphone. All information is sent to the cloud database via the internet connection of the smartphone and the information can be viewed on the smartphone application. The application was implemented successfully and working as expected. The system can detect the status of the drivers and the route sending to the cloud for further analyzing. Based on the information, many insightful information can be found, and many useful predictions can be made.
Inventions, 2016
Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United State... more Although theoretically the patent system is meant to bolster innovation, the current United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is cumbersome and involves a significant time investment to locate inactive patents less than 20 years old. This article reports on the development of an open source database to find these public domain ideas. First, a search strategy is explained. Then the operation and use of free and open source software are detailed to meet the needs of open hardware innovators. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the utility of the approach with 3-D printing. The results showed how the Free Inactive Patent Search enables users to search using plain language text to find public domain concepts and then provides a hyperlinked list of ideas that takes users to the USPTO database for the patent for more information. All of the source code to operate the search and the website are open source themselves and provided in the public domain for free. In the case study on 3-D printing the time to identify public domain patents was cut by a factor of more than 1500. This tool has the potential for accelerating the development of open hardware technologies to create high value for the public.
Solar Energy, 2016
The average American is highly supportive of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and has the oppor... more The average American is highly supportive of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and has the opportunity to earn a high return of investment from a PV investment for their own home. Unfortunately, the average American does not have easy access to capital/financing to install a PV system able to meet their aggregate annual electric needs. One method to overcome this challenge is to allow 'plug-and-play solar', which is defined as a fully inclusive, commercial, off-the-shelf PV system (normally consisting of a PV module and microinverter), which a prosumer can install by plugging it into an electric outlet and avoiding the need for significant permitting, inspection and interconnection processes. Many advanced countries already allow plug-and-play solar, yet U.S. regulations have lagged behind. In order to assist the U.S. overcome regulatory obstructions to greater PV penetration, this article first reviews the relevant codes and standards from the National Electric Code, local jurisdictions and utilities for PV with a specific focus on plug-and-play solar. Next, commercially available microinverters and alternating current (AC) modules are reviewed for their technical and safety compliance to these standards and all were found to be compliant. The technical requirements are then compared to regulatory and utility requirements using case studies in Michigan, which were found to create arbitrary non-technically-valid barriers to grid entry. The analysis also exposed the redundancy of the utility accessed AC disconnect switch for residential and small commercial grid connected solar PV. It is clear that the AC disconnect switch is not necessary technically and thus imposing it is an economic barrier to grid entry for solar PV systems with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) certified microinverters. To reduce consumer and utility workload and the concomitant soft costs, this article provides a streamlined application with only technical requirements and free and open source software to ease utility implementation. Finally, the advantages of supporting plug-and-play solar PV with UL certified microinverters include greater PV system performance, faster uptake and higher PV penetration levels, improved prosumer economics, and more environmentally responsible electric generation.
Machines, 2015
To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3... more To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure current (I) and voltage (V) of the gas metal arc welders (GMAW). This paper builds on previous open-source hardware development to provide a real-time measurement of welder I-V where the measuring circuit is connected to two analog inputs of the Arduino that is used to control the 3-D printer itself. Franklin firmware accessed through a web interface that is used to control the printer allows storing the measured values and downloading those stored readings to the user's computer. To test this custom current and voltage monitoring device this study reports on its use on an upgraded all metal RepRap during the printing of aluminum alloy (ER1100, ER4043, ER4943, ER4047, and ER5356). The voltage and current data were analyzed on a per alloy basis and also layer-by-layer in order to evaluate the device's efficacy as a monitoring device for 3-D printing and the results of the integrated design are discussed.
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
International businesses usually use Forex exchange market to support their business. However, in... more International businesses usually use Forex exchange market to support their business. However, investing has a risk so they need an accuracy Forex information to make the decision. The simple moving average (SMA) has been widely used and a well-known moving average method for time series forecasting. In this empirical study, we would like to do a performance analysis of EUR/U SD Forex rates by adding simple moving averaged technique and financial factors (Dollar Index (DX), US Interest rate (federal funds rate), Inflation rate (IR) and real Gross Domestic Product (GDP)). Four Forex datasets are Forex, Forex with factors, Forex with SMA, and Forex with factors and SMA to forecast Forex rates. Research efforts on Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and Linear Regression (LM) for forecasting EUR/USD Forex rates. It is shown by using mean square error (MSE) that by adding financial factors and simple moving average to Forex datasets, the performance has improved significantly.
To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3... more To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure current (I) and voltage (V) of the gas metal arc welders (GMAW). This paper builds on previous open-source hardware development to provide a real-time measurement of welder I-V where the measuring circuit is connected to two analog inputs of the Arduino that is used to control the 3-D printer itself. Franklin firmware accessed through a web interface that is used to control the printer allows storing the measured values and downloading those stored readings to the user's computer. To test this custom current and voltage monitoring device this study reports on its use on an upgraded all metal RepRap during the printing of aluminum alloy (ER1100, ER4043, ER4943, ER4047, and ER5356). The voltage and current data were analyzed on a per alloy basis and also layer-by-layer in order to evaluate the device's efficacy as a monitoring device for 3-D printing and the results of the integrated design are discussed.
2020 17th International Conference on Electrical Engineering/Electronics, Computer, Telecommunications and Information Technology (ECTI-CON), 2020
One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of... more One of the top reasons for road accidents that result in injuries and deaths is the dozing off of drivers. In this study eye tracking using a novel open source Internet of Things (IoT)-based system has been developed. This study evaluated three driver's eye recognition algorithms to be integrated into the open source solution to wake drivers as they begin to dose off: 1) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with Haar Cascade, 2) 68 facial landmark points and 3) gaze detection in three different face positions for both day and night driving conditions as well as with and without glasses. Each combination of those factor is tested 100 times. The best algorithm is chosen based on the numbers of correct detections and then this algorithm is tested again based on light (day and night), angle of face (left, right, and center), angle of camera (left and right), and glasses (on and off) to detect both blinking and closed eyes. The results show that the most accurate to detect driver's...
Additive Manufacturing
Lowcost gas metal arc welding (GMAW)based 3D printing has proven effective at additive manufactur... more Lowcost gas metal arc welding (GMAW)based 3D printing has proven effective at additive manufacturing steel and aluminum parts. Early success, however, was based on handwriting Gcode, which is inadequate for the majority of potential users. To enable automated slicing a 3D model and generating Gcode for an acceptable path for GMAW 3D printing, this paper reports on upgrading of the free and open source CuraEngine. The new slicer, MOSTMetalCura, provides the following novel abilities necessary for GMAW 3D printing: i) change the perimeter metric from width to track count, ii) avoid movement that overlaps previous weld beads, iii) have infill start immediately after the perimeter finished and in the direction that eliminates translations, iv) add a variable pause between layers to allow for substrate cooling, v) configure GPIO pins to turn on/off the welder, and vi) set optimized wire feed speed and voltage of the welder based on printing speed, layer height, filament diameter, and tool track width. The process for initiating these changes are detailed and the new slicer is used to help improve the function of the printer for ER70S6 steel. To find the printing function with the smallest bead width based on volume of material, the line width, layer height, and printing speed are varied to provide wire feed speed calculated by MOSTMetalCura, then the settings are used to print 3D models. The results of 3D printing three case study objects of increasing geometric complexity using the process methodology improvements presented, which show resolution of 1mm bead widths.
Designs
3-D printing has entered the consumer market because of recent radical price declines. Consumers ... more 3-D printing has entered the consumer market because of recent radical price declines. Consumers can save substantial money by offsetting purchases with DIY pre-designed 3-D printed products. However, even more value can be obtained with distributed manufacturing using mass customization. Unfortunately, the average consumer is not technically sophisticated enough to easily design their own products. One solution to this is the use of an overlay on OpenSCAD parametric code, although current solutions force users to relinquish all rights to their own designs. There is thus a substantial need in the open source design community for a libre 3-D model customizer, which can be used in any design repository to democratize design. This study reports on the design, function, and validation of such software: the Free Open Source 3-D Customizer. It is demonstrated with a case study of the customization of 3-D printable external breast prosthetics. The results showed that novice users can adjust the available parameters according to their needs and save these to a new file on a website. This PHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) library is free and open source and has potential for increasing the usefulness of online repositories to enable distributed manufacturing using consumer customized 3-D printable products.
Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing
The metal 3-D printing market is currently dominated by high-end applications, which make it inac... more The metal 3-D printing market is currently dominated by high-end applications, which make it inaccessible for small and medium enterprises, fab labs, and individual makers who are interested in the ability to prototype and additively manufacture final products in metal. Recent progress led to low-cost open-source metal 3-D printers using a gas metal arc welding (GMAW)-based print head. This reduced the cost of metal 3-D printers into the range of desktop prosumer polymer 3-D printers. Consequent research established good material properties of metal 3-D printed parts with readily-available weld filler wire, reusable substrates, thermal and stress properties, toolpath planning, bead-width control, mechanical properties, and support for overhangs. These previous works showed that GMAW-based metal 3-D printing has a good adhesion between layers and is not porous inside the printed parts, but they did not proceed far enough to demonstrate applications. In this study, the utility of the GMAW approach to 3-D printing is investigated using a low-cost open-source metal 3-D printer and a converted Computer Numerical Control router machine to make useful parts over a range of applications including: fixing an existing part by adding a 3-D metal feature, creating a product using the substrate as part of the component, 3-D printing in high resolution of useful objects, near net objects, and making an integrated product using a combination of steel and polymer 3-D printing. The results show that GMAW-based 3-D printing is capable of distributed manufacturing of useful products for a wide variety of applications for sustainable development.