PSI - Issue 73

Barbora Křistková et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 73 (2025) 87 – 93 Barbora Krˇistkova´, V´ıt Krˇivy´, Miroslav Vacek / Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2025) 000–000

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Due to the high cost per print, the models were first printed in PLA material. The printing of the models was necessary to grasp their visual form, eliminate manufacturing defects, and optimize the shape of the designed parts. 3D print settings in Prusa Slicer software for the initial 3D print by Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) from PLA were set to height 0.2 mm. In the object is infill as rectilinear. There are also set supports for the central part of the spider fitting as organic support. The print of each model was approximately five hours long by Figure 6, Figure 7 (31).

Figure 6: First printed design of spider point grip made of PLA material

Figure 7: Second printed design of spider point grip made of PLA material

3. Future work

The next steps will involve optimizing the elements. In particular, the thickness of the spider legs needs to be increased to make them more rigid. After printing the element on a PLA 3D printer, it was found that the mesh density was insu ffi cient to achieve a smooth appearance. This step will need to be performed using Blender software, where the mesh density and smoothness can be increased. The transition to fixing the legs on the central cylinder will need to be smoother, resulting in a more subtle and elegant shape for the whole element. Next, the strength of the entire design will be computationally evaluated using static software and a numerical calculation model to determine the maximum load capacity. Then a fitting detail will be selected from the elements to be produced in collaboration with Protolab’s research center (32). The detail manufacturing will use the SLM 3D method with 316L stainless steel powder. The mechanical properties of the metal powder can be di ff erent greatly between manufacturers. The mechanical properties of the 3D printed steel guaranteed by the manufacturer that the print should subsequently meet are presented in Table 1 (33). The SLM 3D printing process has advantages over other 3D methods (e.g. SLS), as it melts the powder into a liquid form, thus achieving greater homogeneity throughout the element. The SLM method can significantly reduce the