3d Printing General Topic...

[GU-11]

You need to subtract 0.15 - 0.2mm from the total diameter of the peg, so if you have a 5mm peg, it needs to be 4.80 - 4.85mm. We printed stuff on an Up 2 machine, & those are the numbers we ended up with after the 1:1 test print.

Many thanks for explanation! It's crazy how so many 3d printing sites keep stressing 0.2mm clearance, but not a single one bothered to make it clear if it's the diameter or radius.

...and they spelled "Swap" wrong? Maybe it's a geographical thing.

Has anyone besides Chrono have anything to show us from their 3-D printers? I would really be interested to see the finest shots taken of products using the finest resolutions you guys are capable of.

I think the formalab STL device would be the winner for me personally, each example I have seen is far more fine and smooth (as intended) than the rivals. The price tag isn't too far out from the extrusion types here either.

I think Tiertime (the company behind the UP printers) is based in Beijing, and frankly, that's considered a pretty good command of English compared to some other Chinese companies.

As for posting pics of 3d printed items, the stuff I printed are pretty small (deluxe TF weapons, heads etc.) and are pretty hard to take pics of. The fact that they're printed in white plastic makes it even harder. Sh!tty camera on my phone doesn't help either.

I don't know about Formlab's printer being "not too far out," though. Sure, it's reasonable for STL technology, but extrusion printers are still far more affordable and there's less work to do after the print, compared to the UP printers at least. The STL-printed resin object needs to be washed in alcohol to clean off the liquid resin, and you'll need to periodically change the holding tray, as repeated use causes the laser to dull the clear plastic.

On top of that, you still see very fine print-lines on the object, although the resolution on STL beats extrusion by a mile.

BTW, again to UP Plus users out there, if (knocks on wood) there's a power outage in the middle of a print or when downloading an STL file, can you simply turn the power back on later and start again? I know there's no way to continue where you left off, but it wouldn't damage the printer in any way, would it?

I'm asking because I'm thinking about getting a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) aka backup battery unit for use while printing. Even if the battery's charge might not last as long as a particular print, I can still safely stop the print and restart after the power comes back on.

I probably won't bother if the printer can't be damaged by sudden power cuts.

Edited November 13, 2014 by GU-11

[UN_MARINE]

Many thanks for explanation! It's crazy how so many 3d printing sites keep stressing 0.2mm clearance, but not a single one bothered to make it clear if it's the diameter or radius.

Happy to help! I forgot to mention, the 0.2mm clearance is also about print resolution. There's a high probability that any dimension/detail less than 0.2mm will be lost in the "scan lines" during the print, or fuse with an adjacent part. So it's best to model details larger than the recommended tolerance. Also, details that tiny tend to be very fragile, so I suppose the 3d print sites simply want to avoid the trouble.

[GU-11]

Happy to help! I forgot to mention, the 0.2mm clearance is also about print resolution. There's a high probability that any dimension/detail less than 0.2mm will be lost in the "scan lines" during the print, or fuse with an adjacent part. So it's best to model details larger than the recommended tolerance. Also, details that tiny tend to be very fragile, so I suppose the 3d print sites simply want to avoid the trouble.

I see. While the Up Plus 2's manual and brochure says you can print details up to 0.15mm (150 microns), I guess that's a more of a best case scenario and more dependent on the orientation of the object when printed. And thanks for the heads-up; I'll try to keep panel lines at 0.2mm or more from now on.

I generally avoid printing a "pre-assembled" object; it's cool, but not really worth the risk in case something fuses together. With separately printed parts, in case one of the parts's measurements needs adjustment, it's just a matter of reprinting that particular part.

[reddsun1]

okay, so what printer & program do you need to use to get something this cool?

It is a bit conflicting though; it'd be awesome as fu*k to have an action figure of yourself--but that seems to border on idol worship or something.

[electric indigo]

You can start here and turn yourself into a Ghostbuster or Trek Redshirt:

http://cubify.com/en/Store/DDDMe

[GU-11]

I saw something similar on Discovery Channel once, except in the show, the host got to do a full 3D scan at the facility itself, instead of just using a photo. IIRC, they use a 3d scanner to scan in your face and/or whole body, and then do the necessary mix-and-match on some software. From then on, it's just a matter of turning the CG model into a plastic representation.

[reddsun1]

You can start here and turn yourself into a Ghostbuster or Trek Redshirt:

http://cubify.com/en/Store/DDDMe

Hehe, that's friggin awesome.

[valhary]

I do not want to excite anyone but this is what I'm trying to make in my mini makerbot

[GU-11]

I do not want to excite anyone but this is what I'm trying to make in my mini makerbot

Nice! IIRC, the Makerbot uses only PLA, or do the newer versions now print ABS as well?

[valhary]

unfortunately yes only can print in PLA but mi biggest problem is the 3d file was created for a papertoy so needs a lot of work before act like a transformable toy

[GU-11]

I'm a little confused here. A paper toy? You mean like those TF figurines some people make by cutting up cardboard?

Either way, the general shape is pretty good; just needs a bit of smoothing out. Can't wait to see the final results!

[valhary]

this is the appearance of the original file like you can see was made for fighter mode and I trying to save some parts but looks like have to do it from 0 so I want start with the head

[GU-11]

Yeah, that does look like it needs more than a little bit of refining.

Good luck on your project! Hope to see some update soon!

[GU-11]

Just a bit of a "vanity post". Was wondering if I should post this in the TF thread, but seeing as it's the 3d printed accessories that are the stars....

Anyways, it's a commissioned accessories kit for Alternators Hound that I did for a customer. Admittedly, the finishing's a bit rough, but he was really anxious to get everything on his Alternators Hound, and just gave the parts a simple paint job without putty or sanding.

Edited February 16, 2015 by GU-11

[Kurisama]

I don't know if it'll interest any of you - but I decided to make some jewellery that is a bit niche;

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/RPG?section=Jewellery

Please have a look around and share with interested parties or people - am open to suggestions on what to make next

[UN_MARINE]

I'd like to throw this into the mix.

Because I'm pretty sure calling it "iDroid" & choosing iPhone5/5s as the base device defeats the purpose of the name.

The blue is from a Makerbot, the black & red, from an UP!2.

[Dangard Ace]

I've been messing around with a 3D printer(Makerbot Rep 2 mostly) as well. Mostly just to get current TF toys to look what I think they should look like.

More bot mode pics of Jetfire on the 3rd Party thread.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=36937&p=1189444

[valhary]

I want it

[big F]

I wish I had the skills to do this, mustering up a cube in sketchup is about my limit.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

This is freaking amazing: College student 3D prints his own (invisalign) braces for $60

Amos Dudley, a 24-year-old digital design major at New Jersey Institute of Technology, felt self-conscious about his teeth. But being a student, Dudley didn’t have the funds to get braces.

So, he decided to 3-D print his own and documented the DIY project in a recent blog post.

http://amosdudley.com/weblog/Ortho

His braces totaled less than $60, and after wearing them for about 16 weeks, his teeth are also significantly straighter.

Say hello to my new Dentist, Form 1 + resin, here i come =)

Edited March 19, 2016 by davidwhangchoi

[Mazinger]

Dangard Ace, on 29 Mar 2015 - 08:01, said:

I've been messing around with a 3D printer(Makerbot Rep 2 mostly) as well. Mostly just to get current TF toys to look what I think they should look like.

More bot mode pics of Jetfire on the 3rd Party thread.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=36937&p=1189444

What do you think the cost of the Fast Packs came to?

How much post scan work did you have to do to the models to get them to print?

I'm wondering if I could beat the prices I've seen on eBay for fast packs and strike parts ($90 ~ 150) for 1/55 scales.

I've also been thinking about how the cost and required skill level of doing something like this compares to trying to mold and clone with resin.

I have access to a 3D printer at work, but we don't have a scanner. There is a 3d print shop near me that charges $75 for a scanning session. They set it up, make sure it's well captured. Printing is separate.

[Dangard Ace]

Those weren't scans. Pair of calipers, a ruler and 3D program to create the fast packs.

[Temjin]

Don't know if people still into 3D printing, but I have been working on a display stand for 1/60 YF-21, printed some test parts and waiting for the rest from Shapeways.

 

 

 

[sh9000]

Anyone here interested making custom parts for Hi-Metal R like heads, neck connectors, fast packs, etc?  How much would they cost?

Edited December 31, 2016 by sh9000

[Temjin]

14 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Anyone here interested making custom parts for Hi-Metal R like heads, neck connectors, fast packs, etc?  How much would they cost?

Hard to say about labor cost, everyone works differently. If just the material cost based on shapeways pricing, may be $80ish for an example 1/60 YF-19 fast pack.  May be more or less, just guessing I could be wrong. Also take consideration the surfaces will be rough.  There is a new material available at shapeways with smoother surfaces, but much more expansive.

 

[Temjin]

Some new parts came in, here a test on the strength of those joints.

[Temjin]

Moved the project to the Workshop section.

 

[Chronocidal]

Decided to dig this old thread up due to recent renewed interest.  Funny to see how much the printer market has changed since this topic started.  I think I paid less for my giant enclosed Qidi X-Max than I did for the Up! Plus 2, and it's got nearly a cubic foot print volume.  It stood out to me mostly because of the near 100% 5-star rating on Amazon.

It's kind of a monster.  I really love the magnetic build plate though.  The texture makes prints stick very well, and it's flexible, so you can bend it to pop them free easily.

I spent a little while setting it up, and did one of the default test prints, just a combination block with a hollow cylinder, and it came out very smoothly.  After that, I went all in, and printed a full copy of my old Excalibur model, about 7 inches long.  It went off mostly without a hitch, though I found out I needed to mess with the support structure settings to give me something less destructive, since the supports took a few chunks out of the back of the model.  Nothing some putty/sanding won't fix though. 

All told, I was really impressed with how well it made the whole thing.  The surface has a bit of corrugation to it, but all the panel lines printed visibly, so I'm planning on just giving the whole thing a coat of gray paint to see how it turns out.

I did a few test prints to see what kind of resolution I can get with panel lines, before cutting new engravings in the model.

Those cuts are marked in millimeter widths.  I made one block with 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, 1.5, and 1.0 cuts, then printed it at 1/2, and 1/4 size.  Lines start to get fuzzy between the 0.375 and 0.25 mm range, so I'm aiming for that for the updated model.  What really impressed me was how smoothly the printer produced a simple calibration block.  The top surface especially is so smooth as to be almost reflective.

After nailing down the engraving depth, I printed a couple of completed parts from the model, one tail, and one engine plate.  Both turned out very well, though I might still tune the settings for them.  The details on the nozzle are approaching the limits of thin-walled detail that the printer can handle, so I've thickened them up a tiny bit.

All the gray is in ABS, and sands really nicely, so the tail should polish up into a nice smooth finish.

I think the only down side to this printer has been the build times.  It seems to take a very long time to finish larger objects.  The full red ship model took about 31 hours to complete, while just that tail print took a little over 11 to finish up.  The engines were a little less than an hour I think, being a lot shorter, but I think the biggest thing is just that I have the quality settings on maximum.  Given how well things are working, I think the smoothness has been worth the wait.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Chronocidal

[big F]

The really great thing about 3D printing is the ability to print something that would have normally taken me days to produce by hand, then cast if I wanted more than one.

Now I just design and print, come back in a few hours and its ready, no fuss . Also if I got it wrong in someway, I didn't waste hours of my time.

Since getting a printer my thoughts are “can I print it” when ever i need a solution to something.

[Knight26]

I love my 3D printers (I have a CR-10S that I upgraded and an Ender-5) and am just waiting on the Ender-5+ (The CR-10 sized Ender-5) to come down in price so I can pick that up. I'm also looking at getting one of the LCD SLA printers this year for my small and clear parts (like canopies).  I really should post the pictures of the fighters and other stuff I have 3D printed from my books.

[Chronocidal]

So I realized belatedly why I had so much trouble finding this old thread.. I was looking in the Workshop forum.    Any chance we can get this shifted over there instead?  Might get a little overlap with all of the individual printing projects that get posted, but I think it just has a tendency to get lost in the flood of variety in this section.

Anyhow, think I'm going to rework that tail tonight, and try again for 0.3 panel lines.  Turns out I left off at least one panel, and some of the smaller details I tried to add didn't turn out visible, so removing them might stabilize the print better.  I'm also thinking of adding a thin support panel to the back edge of the tail, to help preserve the sharp edge.  Always easier to leave myself with extra material to remove, rather than a jagged surface I need to fill in.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Chronocidal

[big F]

The Creality printers are so versatile. My Ender 3 has easily paid for itself several times over.  A few choice mods make it so much better than its starting point. Its a great printer straight out of the box.

 

[UN_MARINE]

Wow... I forgot I posted in this thread.

Nice prints! It shows the difference between a competent slicer/g-code and a not-so-smart one.

I never printed any kind of calibration blocks or benchmark models, I just tend to adjust after the fact. After a couple of mishaps, we pretty much adjusted for any quirks the printer had.

I'm still using an Up! Plus 2.

[Chronocidal]

The nice thing is, I'm not really printing to calibrate my printer, since it's doing just fine with everything I throw at it (though, it depends on which slicer software I use.. more on that in a minute).  This is more calibrating my model-building, giving me targets to shoot for in terms of how detailed I can make things and still have it turn out well.  Those calibration blocks were a 5-minute model I made just to help me choose what size lines to cut into my model.

3D Studio Max is probably not nearly the best software I could be using for CAD modeling, but it's the best software I have available, and I'm far more familiar with basic polygon modeling than any sort of precision CAD or NURBS software format.  Where this becomes difficult is when I go to add what would be relatively simple feature additions in CAD software, like a uniform thickness to a surface, or a precise engraving.  Since polygons have no thickness, I have to manually construct the inner walls to form solid parts, and engraving can become a geometric nightmare that results in thousands of segmented polygons that may or may not actually form a continuous surface once you begin cutting.

Most of my work on this model in the past two weeks has been developing a consistent engraving workflow within my model.  Most of that involves laying out profile splines along panel lines that have no inherent thickness to them.  Once the profiles are set, I can add outlines to them in the width of my engravings, and extrude those into cutting surfaces, which can then be used to cut divisions into the model, which can then be extruded in either direction to make raised or engraved detail lines.

The difficulty relative to actual CAD software is that where CAD software would keep the panel lines as an adjustable feature, cutting those lines into a polygon mesh is a destructive process, and can't easily be adjusted once done.  If I want to change my engraving thickness, I have to go back to my original cutting profile curves, pick a new width, and then repeat the cutting process.  Most of the setup in the model I have been doing has been to prepare a baseline set of model parts and panel lines, from which I can quickly generate a new copy with a desired panel line width.

As far as slicer software goes, I've actually had more success with the default Cura-based software included with the printer than I have with Simplify3D, which has had me kicking myself a few times, but I believe what I really need to do is just go through the included software, and carefully replicate all of the advanced settings in S3D to try and tune it better.  S3D's slicing logic is just visibly better, while the included software tends to add some really odd support structures that don't actually support anything, or stick tiny bits of unnecessary material in strange spots, that just have to be cleaned off later.  

[RichterX]

I am coming back to the forum after being away since 2012, wow seeing the print quality from samples of 2014 and today shows how much the technology has improved.  I have a a Flashforge Adventurer 3 and have been doing 3D prints and my own designs in Fusion already for little over a 2 months. I will soon be putting some photos.