Parametric G-code · Clay printing
ClaySlicer
Shape a vessel in the browser and the tool writes G-code directly for the Delta WASP 40100. You see the toolpath before the printer starts.
gcode.pages.devRepository: private
Ljubljana · Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana
David Kolšek
Mechanical engineer and researcher. I build practical tools, make prototypes, and study low-cost printing of long-discontinuous-fibre composites.
The work runs from the CAD model to the finished part: design, machining, 3D printing, electronics, and the software that ties them together. I am open to research collaboration, fabrication commissions and development work.
Tools and techniques
- CAD
- FEM
- GD&T
- Python
- JavaScript
- TypeScript
- Embedded C++
- G-code
- FFF
- Resin
- LDF composites
- Clay extrusion
- CNC milling
- Lathe
- CO2 laser
- PCB design
- OpenCV
- Three.js
- WebXR
- Raspberry Pi
- Illustrator
- LaTeX
01Projects
Selected projects — web tools, fabrication, embedded systems and research. Every web tool below can be opened and used.
Live web tools
Research tool · Composites
Filament compound calculator
Recipes for PLA, PA6 or PC with chopped carbon or glass fibre and SEBS-g-MAH. It converts between mass and volume fractions and scales a recipe to the capacity of the compounder.
ldfcalc.pages.devSource
Guide · Slovenian and English
Vibe coding — a practical guide
Eighteen chapters on building software with language models: choosing a model, the working loop, common mistakes, publishing, and handling sensitive data.
vibecodeguide.pages.devRepository: private
Educational portal · Personal finance
From salary to wealth
Costs, taxes and investment routes for a Slovenian investor, with a source behind each number. Prices are fetched in the browser on each visit, so the page stays static and still current. Educational material, not financial advice.
financnisvetovalnik.pages.devRepository: private
Tangible instrument · Computer vision
TileGroove
Put printed tiles on glass, a phone camera reads them, and the loops play in time. The set includes a calibration sheet and original CC0 samples.
tilegroove.pages.dev
Augmented reality · Print preview
ScalePrint AR
Look at an STL file at true size on your desk. Check the size before you start a long print.
view3d.pages.dev
Rules archive · QR linked
Board Game Rules
Rules for 24 board games in Slovenian and English, with original SVG diagrams. Each game I build carries a QR code to its page.
boardgamerules.pages.devRepository: private
3D game · Three.js
Nightona US&A
An arcade racer in the browser. The track geometry, the banking and the opposing drivers are procedurally generated.
nightona.pages.devRepository: private
Automated pipeline · Daily
What’s Up Ljubljana
A daily bulletin for visitors to the city. The pipeline collects events and weather, then publishes the page with no manual steps.
ljubljana.pages.dev
Tool collection · Small experiments
DK Lab
A catalogue of small, useful browser tools — from a sensor kit and chess over WebRTC to language aids.
claudeartifacts.pages.dev
Quiz · Multiplayer
Kviz Most
A Slovenian multiplayer trivia quiz. A whole pub quiz runs from static files, so hosting costs nothing.
triviador.pages.dev
Hardware and embedded systems
Data logging · ESP32
ESP32 logger
A battery-powered temperature and humidity logger. The board sleeps, wakes at the capture interval, writes one 8-byte record to flash and sleeps again; a web dashboard on its own access point shows the data and holds the settings.
Two things set it apart from the usual logger: the firmware measures its own clock error during deep sleep and corrects it at every synchronisation, so the data has no gap and no overlap, and it measures when the attached power bank switches itself off and adjusts its load pulse to match.
Repository: DavidKolsek/ESP32_logger (private)
Hardware synth · PCB and firmware
XIANO
A synthesizer on a Seeed XIAO board. I made the capacitive keyboard PCB, the firmware and the case — full electromechanical development at small scale.
Repository: private
Computer vision · Safety aid
Marine Aid
An obstacle alarm for an 11 m sailboat. A Raspberry Pi with one camera segments the sea, tracks obstacles and scores the threat in the image plane.
02Research
PhD in mechanical engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, 2025–2028.
My PhD work explores whether low-cost FFF hardware can process long-discontinuous-fibre (LDF) composites without relying on proprietary continuous-fibre systems.
The work covers fibre preparation, wet sieving, filament compounding, large-nozzle extrusion, critical fibre length models and mechanical testing.
The feedstock for this route — matrix pellets and chopped fibre — is substantially cheaper than bought composite filament. Once raw material stops being the constraint, larger test series become possible, and later real production.
Basis of comparison: price per kilogram of input material (matrix pellets plus chopped fibre, at laboratory purchase quantities) against commercial carbon-fibre filament at retail quantities, 2026 prices. The range depends on the supplier, the quantity and the fibre type; the full method and sources are part of the doctoral work.
| Programme | PhD, mech. eng. |
|---|---|
| Period | 2025–2028 |
| Process | LDF-FFF |
| Material | CF/PLA |
| Fibre load | 5–20 wt.% |
| Nozzle | 1.0–1.5 mm |
03Workshop and fabrication
I repair and remanufacture functional parts. A broken part becomes a CAD model, then I machine it or print it. The new part usually outlives the old one.
Processes
CNC milling
Metal and plastic parts machined to fit. Repairs, replacements and one-off tooling.
Manual turning and milling
Lathe and mill work: handles, spigots, transitions, adapting existing parts, and making parts from stock to my own technical drawings.
FDM and resin printing
Prototypes, game parts, test specimens and end-use parts. From stock PLA to carbon-fibre composite feedstock.
Clay and paste extrusion
Work on the Delta WASP 40100. The toolpath comes from my own parametric G-code generator, not from a slicer.
CO2 laser
Game boards, enclosures, engraved QR codes and one-off pieces in wood, plywood and acrylic.
Electronics
Custom PCBs, firmware and sensing. Examples: a capacitive synth keyboard and a boat vision system.
Design and creative work
3D modelling and design
Parametric models, assemblies and technical documentation, for my own shop or for a client. I model for the manufacturing process, not just for a render.
Vector graphics
Illustrator: artwork for laser and print, board game illustration, logos, labels, templates and instructions. A vector file is both the drawing and the machine file.
Laser one-offs
Single pieces and short runs: puzzles, game boards, made-to-order gifts, engraving and part marking.
3D printed models
Useful parts for the home, the workshop and sport, as well as models made for display and exhibition.
04Commissioned work
Selected commissions. Each needed a different mix of design, fabrication and electronics — usually that mix is the reason the job came to me.
Measuring device
Beehive scale
A device for monitoring the mass of a hive. Design, choice of sensing and fabrication.
Art installation
Lunar hammer replica
A replica of the Apollo mission hammer for an exhibition piece. CAD model and technical drawings, manufactured on a manual lathe and mill, with materials chosen for what the exhibit had to do.
Art installation
Robotic arm
A moving arm for an art installation: mechanics and drive, control electronics with its software, plus assembly and support on site.
Art installation
Engineering for an installation
Solving the mechanical requirements of a second art installation — from the artist's idea to a mechanism that survives the run of the exhibition.
05Contact
Write to me about research collaboration, making parts, or developing a device. I am interested in projects where the thing actually has to be built, not only drawn.
dk11573@student.uni-lj.si