Formlabs Project Description

Worked as a Print Process Engineering Intern in the Optical and Thermal Systems team at Formlabs with a focus on studying and improving the thermal systems and the print process, deploying both experimental work and detailed FEA/CFD models to refine machine architecture for reliable thermal and process control at production scale in the SLS team.

• Analyzed and resolved the No. 1 ranked customer complained printed part artifact of warping by implementing a specialized post-print routine in python which reduced the part warping from above a 1000 microns to below 300 microns universally. This work involved a detailed analysis of the part cooldown in a normal and specially implemented post-print routine by developing a COMSOL model of the Additive Manufacturing process to study the effects of differential cooling across the cross section of the printed parts. Tested multiple permutations of the post-print routine by implementing it on specially designed geometry for the warp tests which concluded in-house measuring and summarizing the data collected across a fleet of 3D printers at the factory.


• Worked on researching the effects of each heater employed in the Fuse 1+ architecture by designing a special test matrix and quantifying it in terms of the thermal uniformity of the print bed, and mechanical properties & fine feature resolution of the printed parts on special test geometries. The study concluded by documenting the same in a comprehenesive report to help drive the development of the next genration 3D printer at the factory.


• Collected and analyzed thermal data by integrating sensing elements like thermocouples and InfraRed cameras into the printer architecture in-house to improve the thermal performance of the printer.


• Gained hands-on experience in printing and post-processing parts on 2 different 3D printing architecture - namely SLA and SLS.


• Developed a thermal model in COMSOL to study and optimize the performance of the Quartz heaters which is the primary heating element used in the Fuse 1+ architecture to enhance control on the natural convection inside the print chamber.