Colin Dow - Simplifying 3D Printing with OpenSCAD

Design, build, and test OpenSCAD programs to bring your ideas to life using 3D printers

Colin Dow

BIRMINGHAMMUMBAI

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First published: March 2022

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ISBN 978-1-80181-317-4

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This book is dedicated to my wife, Constance, and our sons, Maximillian and Jackson. This book would not be possible without their continuous love and support.

Colin Dow

Colin Dow has been 3D printing since 2013, starting with the laser-cut wooden frame version of the Ultimaker 3D printer. He has gone through a dozen or so 3D printers over the years, from MakerBots, PrintrBots, early Prusa i3s, Delta printers, and liquid resin printers. Colin has been working with OpenSCAD since 2014, using it with 3D printers to design and manufacture model rocketry parts for his model rocketry business. Through his aerospace workshops, he has introduced many students to 3D printing, including in-class demonstrations of 3D printing. Over the last few years, Colin has been designing and building automated drones for his drone start-up using 3D printers and OpenSCAD.

I would like to thank all the engineers, technicians, and innovators that have come before me. To paraphrase the great Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of technology giants."

Basil Dimakarakos is a self-employed IT professional acting as a support specialist with over a decade of experience in IT analysis of system needs, infrastructure design, and layout, with a Diploma of Computer and Network Engineering Technology.

His work as an IT professional has involved many roles: instructor for Office applications, analyzing business needs, configuring integration with peripherals, the design and layout of office networking systems, installing and configuring telecommunication tools, managing website/database access.

Basil has worked for IBM as a help-desk representative, TD bank as an internal user support assistant, Reed Exhibitions as an IT manager and support liaison, as an IT technician for SME Canada, and as a self-employed IT technician for several small to medium-size businesses over the years.

After work, he engages in a variety of activities including music recording, reading both fiction and non-fiction books, fixing old audio electronic gear, cycling, and cooking.

Most of all, he spends time exploring different technical and science-related media for new discoveries, inventions, gadgets, and ideas encompassing everything from artificial intelligence to zoology in the public media.

Constance Dow has been involved in technology for over 20 years. She started out in the software industry specializing in quality assurance and database configuration. She holds a BA from the University of Toronto as well as a computer science diploma from Sheridan College. Currently, she works for a large pharmaceutical company ensuring compliance with local regulations.

Gabriel Frampton is a modular origami designer and geometric artist with a parallel career as a basic science research assistant at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. He had previously been writing 3D geometry calculations by hand to develop new modular origami designs and discovered that the same principles could be applied to 3D printing by writing code using OpenSCAD. His work in 3D printing and geometric origami can be found by searching for @foldedcrystals.

Mats Tage Axelsson is a long-term Linux fanatic who has been designing his own CAD models since the last century. He has also worked for big telecoms companies, making your mobile phone systems bigger and better.

His most common activity nowadays is writing for Linux magazines on topics such as how to use and optimize your computer for your favorite applications.