Abstract

The Nordin group at Brigham Young University has been focused on developing 3D printing technology for fabrication of lab-on-a-chip (microfluidic) devices since 2013. As we showed in 2015, commercial 3D printers and resins have not been developed to meet the highly specialized needs of microfluidic device fabrication. We have therefore created custom 3D printers and resins specifically designed to meet these needs. As part of this development process, ad hoc 3D printer control software has been developed. However, the software is difficult to modify and maintain to support the numerous experimental iterations of hardware used in our custom 3D printers. This highlights the need for modular yet reliable system software that is easy to use, learn, and work with to adapt to the unique challenges of a student workforce. This thesis details the design and implementation of new 3D printer system software that meets these needs. In particular, a software engineering principle-based design approach is taken that lends itself to several specific development patterns that permit easy incorporation of new hardware into a 3D printer to enable rapid evaluation of and development with such new hardware.

Degree

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Electrical and Computer Engineering

Rights

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