Three-Dimensional Printing and the Art of Making Small Working Prototype Spectrometers

Abstract

In the past, moving from a concept for an analytical instrument to actually producing a functioning instrument was a relatively tedious and lengthy process. The traditional approach was to draft a design and then go through a number of iterations, along with design reviews and sign-offs. Today, if one has a good designer who is well-versed in computer-aided design (CAD) engineering software, then it is possible to significantly reduce the time to develop a good-looking functional design. However, the time to go from the CAD design to a complete piece of hardware is typically the longest part of the process. It is not unusual for machine shop delays to be up to 6–8 weeks. Today, such delays can be eliminated by producing the designed parts on a desktop with a three-dimensional (3D) printer. This article shows, by example, how a 3D printer can speed up the process of making prototype hardware for a spectral measurement system, shortening the time to produce functional hardware from weeks to days—or less.