This month’s Part of the Month is an up-scaled air turbine induction housing, chosen by Development Engineer, Brandon Liu. It wasn’t chosen for the reasons you may think, like being practical or having interesting engineering factors. No, Brandon chose this part because he thinks it looks like a fish, specifically this koi fish:
I guess I see the similarities?
When creating a part, you can add ribs pretty easily with SLA; internally by hollowing part and externally with support. That is what makes this air turbine induction housing look like it has “scales” according to Brandon. He also thinks that the open top of the induction housing looks like the gaping mouth of a fish.
Beyond his fondness for koi fish, Brandon likes that this part has a functional purpose and that there are components on the part to install a gasket. “Any part that contains practical elements to it, is very intriguing to me,” says Brandon. He also appreciates how well Stereolithography is able to print holes smoothly. If a part is oriented in the Z position, sometimes the holes can come out a little flat or oval shaped. With SLA, prints laid in any direction, even upright or at an angle, will generally turn out perfect.
This air turbine induction housing part was printed on the Neo450s using Somos Watershed XC 11122 and took a total of 28 hours and 36 minutes to print.
To achieve that phenomenal surface finish, the part went through a few post processing actions. When the part finished printing, the tray tilted to drain the excess resin from the part. Then the part was taken for support removal and an isopropyl bath. After the bath, the part was left to dry for about 2 hours so there was no isopropyl alcohol left on it during the curing process. Lastly, when the part is cured in the Neo UV800 curing machine, it was then sanded down to perfection and ready to go.
Create extremely accurate parts, small or large, with SLA technology. To learn more about your printer or material options, stop by our office or give us a call at 949.474.9222.
Want to print your own air turbine induction housing? Download the file from GrabCAD.
Meet Brandon Liu
Meet our Development Engineer, Brandon Liu. Brandon works alongside our Engineering team to create innovative products for our customers. Whether he’s scanning parts with our 3D scanner or working on Purple Porcupine customer files, Brandon brings enthusiasm and a learning mindset. Brandon’s favorite part about working at Purple Platypus is that every day there is a diverse array of applications, and each come with their own learning experiences.
Out of the office, Brandon enjoys competitive dance, spending time with friends, and trying new Irvine restaurants. If you haven’t had the chance to meet Brandon, yet stop by our office to say hi or connect with him on LinkedIn!
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