[Case study] The use of the Anycubic 4MAX Pro 3D printer by «Communication Space»

Updated Jun 13, 2020 32164

Hi everyone, and welcome to our blog! Today, our attention is turned onto the professional Anycubic 4Max Pro 3D printer and its unusual applications explored by “Communication Space”, a development and socialization center on a mission to help children and adults with mental disorders to effectively adapt to the environment. Learn from this article how powerful 3D printing machines find good use in non-profit establishments.

A few words about the «Communication Space» center

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

The “Communication Space” Center is aimed at helping people with mental disorders of various degrees of severity. The center’s patients are children and adults with genetic diseases, organic lesions to the central nervous system, intellectual disorders, autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, emotional and behavioral disturbances, and epilepsy.

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

The center was established by parents of special kids in the fall of 2013, but the center’s team has been built in remote 2002. The center is literary a ray of hope for the families whose children are not accepted to any state educational institutions. Exactly such kids make up about half of the students in the Center now. Many of the children have been working with the specialists of the Center for more than ten years, and the Center is regarded as an alternative to the state school for ordinary children.

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

The team of "Communication Space" believes that any child, adolescent, or adult with any mental disorder can be helped. The founders managed to create an effective, friendly, and safe environment for communicating with people who do not know how and who will never be able to communicate in the ordinary way that we are used to.

Criteria to choose the right equipment

Source: all3dp.com

Equipment was purchased as part of grant support. The model was chosen considering limited financial possibilities, but still was fully compliant with safety standards and met the dimensional requirements (the Center does not have enough space to accommodate a large printer) as well as boasting solid functionality. Ultimately, the choice fell upon Anycubic 4Max Pro 3D printer that seems to satisfy all these demands.

Technical specifications

Source: all3dp.com

GENERAL INFORMATION

Extruder Type: Single
Print chamber: 270 × 205 × 205 mm
Travel speed: 100 mm/s
Print table temperature: 100 °С
Extruder temperature: 250 °С
Printing technology: FDM
Layer thickness, from: 50 micron
XY Resolution: 12.5 micron
Z Resolution: 0.2 micron
Supported materials: ABS, PLA, HIPS, Wood
Thread diameter: 1.75
Nozzle diameter, mm: 0.4
File transfer: USB, SD
Printing speed: 60 mm/s
Power supply: 110/220 W, 50/60 Hz
Dimensions, mm: 454 × 466 × 410
Weight, kg: 22.5
Software: Cura
File support: stl, obj, dae, amf, gcode

Equipment applications

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

Having their own 3D printer enabled “Communication Space” to independently create various auxiliary aids and appliances, for example, mounts and holders, details of toggle buttons, inclined stable supporters, and other personalized elements for various devices used in working with children and young adults with learning and developmental disorders.

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

“With the help of a 3D printer, we learned to develop prototypes of details, which can either be printed independently in the Center’s facilities or ordered from specialist contractors if it is necessary to print a large number of identical products,” commented the representative of the Center.

Examples of prints: a protective case for iPad

Source: facebook.com

The Center’s team explains:

“In order to help special children better communicate with other people, we use a tablet with pictograms that pronounces words and expressions for the children, and can also voice some simple desires and express their emotions. We created a special case for the tablet that clearly separates the graphical icons to prevent children from confusing pictograms and ensure additional protection for an expensive device”.

Source: facebook.com

As a result, we get a whole kit for communication and proper expression of a child’s thoughts and desires:

Ipad wi-fi 32gb;
Kids’ tablet case;
A strap for carrying on the shoulder;
Protective glass;
Free communication app Symbotalk;
A case-separator;
A small portable loudspeaker JBL to increase the volume when necessary.

Source: facebook.com

The Center’s leading expert on alternative and additional communication Ruslan Vyalitov comments:

“The 3D-printed tablet case is perfect in terms of size and comfort. The hooks are sturdy and secure, so you don’t need to think about accessory mountings. In the first two versions, the case’s upper surface turned out plicated as if it was missing a top layer. This was a significant shortcoming because such a surface would quickly accumulate large amounts of dirt and dust. However, our third attempt was a critical success!”

Source: facebook.com

How similar tasks were handled before

“Previously, we had to buy ready-made cases, but they were too expensive, and it took quite a long time to wait for the delivery, while it was always difficult to choose the proper model – one must thoroughly select the case for a particular mobile device. Such specific accessories for tablets are generally not produced commercially and they must be made individually keeping in mind the sphere of application”.

Drawbacks

The equipment itself does not have any faults. But on the whole, 3D equipment itself has an entry threshold: it is necessary to figure out what is what, to study a lot of manuals and guides, and to understand how it works; although this can hardly be called a drawback.

Subtleties of use and recommendations

It is necessary to attentively approach the choice of a 3D printer. It is better to start with beginner-friendly models. It is recommended to use 3D printing machines with an enclosed chamber: uncompromised safety is mandatory when you plan to install the printer in a place where children and teenagers study.

Bottom line

Source: prostranstvo-center.ru

Anycubic 4Max Pro professional 3D printer is precise, reliable, and pretty suitable to be used for educational purposes due to its enclosed print chamber for absolute safety and user-friendliness including a convenient design and intuitive interface. The device is well suited for frequent use even in the social sphere, which is proved by the example of the “Communication Space” ANCO Center.