MatterHackers

MatterHackers Engineering/Technical Internship

MatterHackers is a Southern California-based reseller of hardware, machines, and materials used in plastic 3D printing. The Engineering/Technical Internship involved the operation and testing of both FDM and Resin 3D printers, evaluation of different 3D printed materials, and the development of standardized test methods for technical datasheets. The internship lasted from June 2022 to September 2022.

Technical Data Sheet Development

My primary task at MatterHackers was to develop and conduct a standardized method of testing and analyzing material samples for use in MatterHackers' technical data sheets. The goal was to overhaul their existing data sheets by replacing unreliable material properties with in-house measured material data. With the help of the other intern, Alan Onuma, we developed standardized procedures and methods for collecting data, including but not limited to:

  • Optimal print settings to be used across all different types of materials

  • Procedure documentation for how to run the Universal Testing Machine

  • Documentation and spreadsheets outlining material properties to be collected and published

Our procedures included running a tensile and flexural test on 3D printed part samples in accordance with ISO 178 for flexural tests and ISO 527-2 for tensile tests. This ensured that our collected data is valid and up to international standards.

Data Analysis Python Programs

My main contribution to the Technical Data Sheets was developing Python programs to perform data analysis and property lookups from spreadsheets generated by the testing machine's program. I developed two programs: one program organized the unlabeled data output by the machine into a readable "Master Spreadsheet" with all the data and the other took that spreadsheet and generated mini "Report Spreadsheets" with important material properties for a specific material.

Master Spreadsheet Program UI

Master Spreadsheet Sample (Cropped due to size)

Master Spreadsheet Generator

The Master Spreadsheet Generator creates one massive spreadsheet that includes every test ever conducted on the Universal Testing Machine. It includes all relevant material/sample information and the corresponding measured material properties such as the Modulus of Elasticity. The UI is designed so the user simply has to select a few other unlabeled spreadsheets from the machine's computer.

Report Spreadsheet Program UI

Report Spreadsheet Sample

Report Spreadsheet Generator

The Report Spreadsheet Generator takes the existing Master Spreadsheet, filters the data based on a list of serial numbers, and generates a readable report. The program also performs statistical analysis based on sample size and hardware precision. (The statictical math was primarily developed by Alan Onuma). This report spreadsheet contains the data that will be published in the material technical data sheets.