Fusion Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D Printers require resources such as reliable power and a specialized plastic filament. In Colombia, and other developing countries, the power supply can be inconsistent, and in some areas is nonexistent, so a new solution for 3D printing is necessary. In 2017, an RIT MSD team developed a 3D printing solution that combined solar energy and battery storage to overcome an unreliable power grid system. However, the solar power unit that was designed did not function as intended.

The key goals of the project are to make improvements to the existing solar-powered 3D printer developed by RIT students in 2017. The power management system should be made robust and the printer should fail gracefully when power cuts out. It’s desired that the printer accept pellets rather than filament and include additional functionality such as milling or laser cutting to increase utility. Finally, the printer should be easy to package, assemble, disassemble and transport to Cali, Colombia. The resulting solution should ideally be sustainable with easily obtained local materials. This project hopes to encourage and nurture innovation in children in Colombia and enhance ongoing education efforts with 3D printing technology.

For an updated project description, click on the following link for the Project Readiness Package.

2017 Imagine RIT project presentation

Project Name

Solar Powered 3D Printer

Project Number

P19462

Project Family

Sustainable Technologies

Start Term

2181 (Fall 2018)

End Term

2185 (Spring 2019)

Faculty Guide

William Nowak

Primary Customer

Dr. Marcos Esterman

Sponsors

The Bill Hard Fund; RIT Global; Fundautónoma; Universidad Autónoma de Occidente

Supplemental funding provided by a gift from Harris Corporation

Planning & Execution

Project Photos and Videos

Imagine RIT

Gate Reviews

Problem Definition

Systems Design

Preliminary Detailed Design

Detailed Design

Build & Test Prep

Subsystem Build & Test

Integrated System Build & Test

Customer Handoff & Final Project Documentation (Verification & Validation)

PRP

Requirements

Schedule

Cost

Risk Management

Communication & Minutes

Problem Management

Use Case

Benchmarking

Functional Decomposition

Morphological Chart

Pugh Concept Selection

BOM

Mechanical Drawings

Electrical Schematics

Software Diagrams

Manuals

Mockups

Test Fixtures

Prototyping

Test Plans

Analysis Results

Simulations

Test Results

Design Review Documents

Technical Paper

Poster

Imagine RIT Exhibit