TECHNICAL INFORMATION
This section includes the information about various technical terms you might come across during the course period.
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THINGIVERSE
Thingiverse is a website dedicated to the sharing of user-created digital design files. Providing primarily open source hardware designs licensed under the GNU General Public License or Creative Commons licenses, users choose the type of user license they wish to attach to the designs they share. 3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines and many other technologies can be used to physically create the files shared by the users on Thingiverse.
Thingiverse is widely used in the DIY technology and Maker communities, by the RepRap Project, and by 3D Printer and MakerBot operators. Numerous technical projects use Thingiverse as a repository for shared innovation and dissemination of source materials to the public. Many of the objects are for the purpose of repair.
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INSTRUCTABLES
Instructables is a website specializing in user-created and uploaded do-it-yourself projects, which other users can comment on and rate for quality. It was created by Eric Wilhelm and Saul Griffith and launched in August 2005. Instructables is dedicated to step-by-step collaboration among members to build a variety of projects. Users post instructions to their projects, usually accompanied by visual aids, and then interact through comment sections below each Instructable step as well in topic forums.
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GRABCAD
GrabCAD, Inc. is a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based startup that has created a free cloud-based collaboration solution that helps engineering teams manage, view and share CAD files.
GrabCAD evolved into a community for engineers to share CAD models and moved its HQ to Cambridge, MA in 2011. In 2013, GrabCAD released Workbench, a free cloud-based collaboration solution. Workbench is used by companies big and small to support the design of physical products of all sorts - from basic screws to jet engine brackets at GE,[2] to robotics that zap germs.[3] According to the company site, GrabCAD was founded with the goal of bringing together all the tools engineers need to manage and share CAD files into one easy to use platform.
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CNC
Computer Uumerical Control (CNC) is the automation of machine tools by means of computers executing pre-programmed sequences of machine control commands.[1] This is in contrast to machines that are manually controlled by hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated by cams alone.
In modern CNC systems, the design of a mechanical part and its manufacturing program is highly automated. The part’s mechanical dimensions are defined using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and then translated into manufacturing directives by computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software. The resulting directives are transformed (by “post processor” software) into the specific commands necessary for a particular machine to produce the component, and then loaded into the CNC machine.
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GITHUB
GitHub is a web-based Git or version control repository and Internet hosting service. It is mostly used for code. It offers all of the distributed version control and source code management (SCM) functionality of Git as well as adding its own features. It provides access control and several collaboration features such as bug tracking, feature requests, task management, and wikis for every project.
GitHub offers both plans for private and free repositories on the same account which are commonly used to host open-source software projects. As of April 2017, GitHub reports having almost 20 million users and 57 million repositories, making it the largest host of source code in the world.
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ULTIMAKER
Ultimaker is a 3D printer manufacturer. Their product line includes the Ultimaker 3 family, Ultimaker 2 family and the Ultimaker Original. The company started out as an open-source printer company. Contrary to the RepRap project founded By Adrian Bowyer, Ultimaker is not focused on an end-goal of self-replication. Their product is designed to make high quality prints. Ultimaker sells the Ultimaker Original family as a DIY kit and the Ultimaker 2 family pre-assembled.
Ultimaker’s 3D printers currently print using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polylactic acid (PLA). Ultimaker’s printers also can print with other thermoplastics such as Nylon and Acrylic (PMMA), but this may be a little difficult.
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CURA
Cura is a 3D printer slicing application. It was created by David Braam; he was later employed by Ultimaker to maintain the software. Cura has been released under the open source Affero General Public License version 3. Development is hosted on GitHub. Cura is the preferred slicer software for Ultimaker 3D printers, but can be used with other printers as well.
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AUTODESK AUTOCAD
AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design (CAD) and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers. Prior to the introduction of AutoCAD, most commercial CAD programs ran on mainframe computers or minicomputers, with each CAD operator (user) working at a separate graphics terminal. Since 2010, AutoCAD was released as a mobile and web app as well, marketed as AutoCAD 360.
AutoCAD is used across a wide range of industries, by architects, project managers, engineers, graphic designers, and many other professionals. It was supported by 750 training centers worldwide in 1994.
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RHINOCEROS 3D
Rhinoceros (typically abbreviated Rhino, or Rhino3D) is a commercial 3D computer graphics and computer-aided design (CAD) application software developed by Robert McNeel & Associates; an American, privately held, employee-owned company, that was founded in 1980. Rhinoceros geometry is based on the NURBS mathematical model, which focuses on producing mathematically precise representation of curves and freeform surfaces in computer graphics (as opposed to polygon mesh-based applications).
Rhinoceros is used in processes of computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), rapid prototyping, 3D printing and reverse engineering in industries including architecture, industrial design (e.g. automotive design, watercraft design), product design (e.g. jewelry design) as well as for multimedia and graphic design.
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AUTODESK EAGLE
EAGLE is a scriptable electronic design automation application with schematic capture, printed circuit board layout, auto-router and computer-aided manufacturing features. EAGLE stands for Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor (German: Einfach Anzuwendender Grafischer Layout-Editor) and is developed by CadSoft Computer GmbH. Cadsoft Computer GmbH was acquired by Autodesk Inc. in 2016.
Popular DIY electronics site SparkFun uses EAGLE, and releases the EAGLE files for boards designed in-house. Other notable users include Adafruit, Arduino and Dangerous Prototypes.
EAGLE contains a schematic editor, for designing circuit diagrams. Parts can be placed on many sheets and connected together through ports.
The PCB layout editor allows back annotation to the schematic and auto-routing to automatically connect traces based on the connections defined in the schematic.
EAGLE saves Gerber and PostScript layout files and Excellon and Sieb & Meyer drill files. These standard files are accepted by many PCB fabrication companies.