Build platform 2 testing

BP2 makes removing parts way easier. GIF sourced from Formlabs’ website.

build platform 2 testing

During my summer internship as systems integration & testing intern at Formlabs, I worked on the validation of a product that was just recently released in January of 2022, build platform 2. Build platform 2 uses quick release technology, allowing parts printed on the platform to be quickly popped off by flexing the build surface. It saves customers time and prevents them from having to use potentially-hazardous part removal tools when removing their prints.

I was responsible for testing prototype units of build platform 2, specifically their build surface’s fatigue strength, flatness, and magnet pull force. 

Out of an abundance of caution, some media is blurred for IP protection.

Fatigue strength

To test fatigue strength, I built a jig that would pneumatically flex the build platform in a repeatable fashion. This jig successfully discovered issues with the welds on the surface, leading to a redesign of the manufacturing process, which made the product more robust. The jig used a pneumatic piston driven by a 5 port, 2-way solenoid actuated by an arduino.

flatness and parallelism

To test flatness and parallelism of the surfaces, I used an automated testing routine that I programmed on Formlabs’ coordinate measuring machine.

Testing fatigue strength using the pneumatic piston.

Using the pull force jig to enact a moment on the steel surface

magnet pull force

Finally, I tested the magnet pull force of the platform on the surface. I built a jig that used a Nextech force gauge to allow a user to test normal and shear forces in 4 different locations on the product.

Using the pull force jig in its “normal force” mode

Takeaways

As this was my first foray into the world of hardware product testing, I made a lot of mistakes, and learned a ton along the way. I learned about the power of pneumatics in cyclic testing, statistical significance in data collection, and the importance of robust test jig design for repeatable tests.