Printing parts
Step 1: Download the parts
To download the parts, you can either:
- (Recommended) Clone the repository at https://github.com/Oliverhiggins93/AutomatedSmartphoneMicroscope. All the parts will be located in the cloned folder, in "CAD models/42. Smartphone_inverted_small_v9/stl".
- Download the models from the page below by clicking on the links in the STL previews.
Step 2: Print the parts
This is going to be quite a lengthy step, as the microscope requires quite a hefty amount of printing to complete. Each of the parts is designed to be printed on a basic PLA extrusion printer without support. Personally I have had good success printing the parts with a standard 0.4mm nozzle on an Ender 3 printer in PLA.
Each of our microscopes have been sliced using the standard quality (0.2mm layer height, 20% infill) settings in Ultimaker Cura. The total print time for all parts was just under 40 hours and required several separate prints because of the size of the part footprint.
The full list of all parts to print is as follows:
- Base (Bottom_carriage) x 1 Base (Bottom_carriage)
- Camera holder (Flexible_cam_holder) x 1 Camera holder (Flexible_cam_holder)
- Frame (160mm_shunt_box) x 1 Frame (160mm_shunt_box)
- Objective tube (Flexible_tube_bolster_fixed_v3) x 1 Objective tube (Flexible_tube_bolster_fixed_v3)
- X Stage base (Rail_stage_x_m6) x 1 X Stage base (Rail_stage_x_m6)
- X Stage top (Rail_carriage_v2) x 1 X Stage top (Rail_carriage_v2)
- Y stage bottom (Rail_stage_y_v1.stl) x 1 Y stage bottom
- Y stage top (Rail_carriage_y_top_v2.stl) x 1 Y stage top
- Shaft couple 3mm (3mm_shaft_couple_sideclip_v4.stl) x 1 Shaft couple 3mm
- Shaft couple 6mm (6mm_shaft_couple_sideclip_v2.stl) x 2 Shaft couple 6mm
- LED frame (Led_frame_2_4mm.stl) x 1 LED frame
- Tube lens holder x 1 Tube lens holder
- Condenser holder frame (Condenser_holder_frame.stl) x 1 Condenser holder