Chris Higgs Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 My Photon printer arrived yesterday. Not unpacked yet, but I am tryng to make a pln for test printing various items I have already done at Shapeways. Currently planning on trying 1. MR Van bodies 2. LNWR wagon bodies 3. GWR Collett 3000 tender 4. Interior seating for various coaches 5. Some of my coach roofs So any quick tips will be handy. Which resin should I be using, how to incline the models (10 degrees by 10 degrees seems to be what I will used based on previous posts). Item 3 is on the list as I was not happy with the finsih from Shapeways and as it bristles with rivets sanding down was not really an option. Item 4 because any small imperfections will not be that noticeable hidden inside the coach and they work out too expensive to do at Shapeways. Item 5 will be the acid test as this is not an item that can tolerate drooping a bit in the corners. My latest generation of roofs from Shapeways with hollow bodies have been coming out straight and true so I will have to see if that can be bettered from a home printer. Item 6 will likely be a GWR Concertina coach as I have tried and failed to come up with any ideas of how to etch them! I will have to print each side in halves as they are 140mm long. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted May 3, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted May 3, 2019 If you have not stumbled across it yet, this is a very informative thread about using the Photon here on rmweb https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/142773-anycubic-photon-3d-dlp-printer/ Ian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1985 Posted May 26, 2019 Share Posted May 26, 2019 I updated my Photon with the new anti-aliasing firmware the other day, and tried some more prints of designs I'd been fiddling with a while back. It really seems to make a difference! I left it on setting 4 - I don't know what effect changing this has? It also occurred to me that I'd been having problems with horizontal lines appearing when printing open wagons, rather than vans, because the floor of the wagon was creating a suction effect. So I updated the design with a 1mm hole in each corner of the floor. I also increased the plank gap from 0.15mm to 0.2mm - I'm pleased with the effect now. Really pleased with the result! There is still a bit of a curve to the corner that was closest to the build plate, but hardly an issue, I think. The sacrificial bottom layer largely takes this up - when I file it off up to the sole bar, it allows me to even out most of the bend. I suspect increasing the lift from the build plate even further would probably help - but increase print times even further! This one was over 8 hours at 0.02mm layer height and angled 30 degrees up (no sideways rotation this time - I've abandoned that approach after seeing Steve's results on his wagons oriented this way). Justin 11 2 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 (edited) A couple of bits from me. A modest redesign of my old N2 body resulted in it fitting on a Farish 4F chassis. While the middle wheelset is in the wrong place, the overall wheelbase is more or less correct. I printed another one overnight which has the 'U' bend and exhaust pipes for the condensing gear printed as part of the body with the two pipes running from the smokebox to the tanks printed separately. I need to design and print a new 'pony' truck for the rear wheelset as the leftover one from my V1/V3 tanks leaves the wheels too far back. The 43xx is an old project that I decided to dust off and make an effort to complete recently - still very much a work in progress though. A NQP Grange has donated the tender and chassis parts for this one (the opposite of what Swindon did!). I took this one to RailEx last weekend where it seemed to get some favorable responses. Edited May 31, 2019 by Atso 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarriageShed Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 It's such a shame that you're not a Southern modeller 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 47 minutes ago, CarriageShed said: It's such a shame that you're not a Southern modeller I'm not a GWR modeller either..... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Square Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 10 minutes ago, Atso said: I'm not a GWR modeller either..... How do I give you double thumbs up? 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarriageShed Posted May 31, 2019 Share Posted May 31, 2019 23 minutes ago, Atso said: I'm not a GWR modeller either..... In that case I live in hope! Mind you, I usually do that anyway. The massive increase in 3D-printed 'kits' and building aids is really helping with that. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 I've been playing with the Anti-Aliasing upgrade too. The N2 body has had a 2 pixel AA applied to it and I've done another one with 4 pixels and will shortly be trying again at 8 pixels. Compared to the early N2 print above, it certainly does make a difference. No Anti-Aliasing this time but a set of cruel close ups of the Photon printed County. I've still got a couple of minor niggles to sort out but it is getting there... 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted June 4, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 4, 2019 The County and the 43xx look fantastic. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 Ok some experimentation with Anti-Aliasing. First the control piece with no AA Next up 2 pixel AA applied I managed to drop the 4 pixel AA from a good height so we'll have to skip onto the 8 pixel AA print. I'll leave it to others to judge if there has been too bad a loss of definition as the AA level increases. Personally, any softening of details is more than made up for in the increase in the quality of the surface finish. 8 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1985 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 That's excellent! I'd been wondering how much difference the different levels of AA would make. The wagon I printed above was at 4 pixels (default), and I'd been meaning to experiment with the other settings. Looks like another trade off to judge on individual models rather than adopt a "best" setting, I guess! J 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 With Jerry's permission, I will be bringing a handful of N gauge test prints with me to sell at the Warminster show tomorrow. While this are only beta tests and not fully completed kits, I believe that they might be of interest to those willing to undertake some scratch-building to make them complete. As with all 3D prints there will be an element of post finishing work required to get the best out of them. Prices will vary depending on the quality of the print and number of parts but will be between £12 and £20 - reflecting that these are not finished production products. 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TomE Posted June 7, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted June 7, 2019 I'll see you there Steve. It'll be interesting to see the results from the AA feature in the flesh. Tom. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 7 minutes ago, TomE said: I'll see you there Steve. It'll be interesting to see the results from the AA feature in the flesh. Tom. Excellent, I look forward to seeing you there! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium njee20 Posted August 23, 2019 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 23, 2019 So I've joined the Photon club, having spent 6 months deliberating whilst I tried to get to grips with various CAD packages! Finally got to a basic level of competency with Fusion 360, so duly ordered from Anycubic! First up I printed a signal head with position 1,2 and 4 route indicator, most of the hoods on the junction indicator didn't print (or I broke them cleaning them up), so that'll get re-printed at some point, but happy with the quality! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr I've always liked the Powell-Duffryn JHA hoppers, originally in service with ARC, latterly Hanson, so that's the first big project. First print of the body came out alright, a bit big, I've re-scaled and will reprint it. Interestingly on the re-print Chitubox put in hardly any supports. I can't see it working, but have left it to print anyway, see what happens! Needs a bit of sanding on the faces, or I need to play more with the orientation. I rotated through 40 degrees on the Z axis, and a slightly random amount on X/Y! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr A distinctive feature of the prototype is the Gloucester LTF25 bogies, with inside frames. Lyneux of this parish has done a stunning 4mm version, which I won't pretend to get close to! I'm going more for a representation! Wheelbase was too long on the first print, and the brake gear was just too fragile, despite being markedly reinforced versus the real thing! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr Made some tweaks, found quite quickly that I definitely need to deviate from realism given my mediocre skill levels, but the second print looked better. Fitted a pair of wheels to it (breaking the brake gear in the process, that still needs more reinforcement), but think it'll look like a reasonable approximation under the wagon! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr Pleased so far, enjoying playing! Many thanks to many on here for their inspiration! 11 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1985 Posted August 24, 2019 Share Posted August 24, 2019 Several of us seem to have been tempted by Simon Jackson's Z rail upgrade kit for the Photon. Mine arrived during the week, and I fitted it one evening. It was pretty straightforward, apart from the anti-backlash nut, which I found pretty tricky to screw onto the stepper motor Z rod. Looks good when it's on though! The proof of the pudding is in the print, and there is a noticeable difference - although quite subtle I think. Before (left) and after (right) with my GER open wagon design. Both printed at 0.02mm with 4xAA. Even though these were only angled up (around 20 degrees, as per the chart of optimum angles that's doing the rounds on the Facebook group) and not along its axis, I still always seem to end up with a "good side" and a "bad side" in terms of banding. Both of these wagons are showing their "bad side" - you can see the quite prominent wavy effect to the one on the left, whereas the one on the right does still have one or two subtle bands, but much more easily ignored, I think. I think I did revise the design to increase the plank gap - I think from a 0.15mm hollow pipe to 0.2mm - perhaps over scale, but it looks more like what my eye wants to see! 6 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TomE Posted August 27, 2019 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted August 27, 2019 Hi Justin. Looks like a good result! I'm struggling to make out any banding in the photo on the right example whereas it's clearly visible on the left one. The detail also seems more refined on the right hand version, similar to what I found with the PALVAN print after installing the upgrade, Tom. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 (edited) The result with the Z rail upgrade is very impressive, the bottom edge doesn't seem to have warped on the second one. I'm going to have to get one myself now! I've been working on some CAD for an LNER Ivatt N1 (no. 4557). As there is nothing available RTR that would be suitable as a donor, I'm going to use this model as my first foray into chassis design/construction. Jerry has kindly offered my a couple of sets of Farish 4F wheels for this project. Edited August 30, 2019 by Atso 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
justin1985 Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 35 minutes ago, Atso said: The result with the Z rail upgrade is very impressive, the bottom edge doesn't seem to have warped on the second one. I'm going to have to get one myself now! Perhaps not an entirely fair comparison on the bottom edge warping - the pre-upgrade one was printed with 5mm supports, but the post-upgrade one with 7mm. I've now settled on doing all further prints either direct on the build plate for simple or flat objects, or with 8mm supports for complex things like wagons. Adds to the time, but definitely avoids the warping. Both also had a sacrificial bottom lip for the supports to attach to, which has been filed off in the pictures. Btw, I also have a spare set of Farish 4F drivers if you end up needing them Steve. J Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
porkie Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 On 23/08/2019 at 18:03, njee20 said: So I've joined the Photon club, having spent 6 months deliberating whilst I tried to get to grips with various CAD packages! Finally got to a basic level of competency with Fusion 360, so duly ordered from Anycubic! First up I printed a signal head with position 1,2 and 4 route indicator, most of the hoods on the junction indicator didn't print (or I broke them cleaning them up), so that'll get re-printed at some point, but happy with the quality! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr I've always liked the Powell-Duffryn JHA hoppers, originally in service with ARC, latterly Hanson, so that's the first big project. First print of the body came out alright, a bit big, I've re-scaled and will reprint it. Interestingly on the re-print Chitubox put in hardly any supports. I can't see it working, but have left it to print anyway, see what happens! Needs a bit of sanding on the faces, or I need to play more with the orientation. I rotated through 40 degrees on the Z axis, and a slightly random amount on X/Y! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr A distinctive feature of the prototype is the Gloucester LTF25 bogies, with inside frames. Lyneux of this parish has done a stunning 4mm version, which I won't pretend to get close to! I'm going more for a representation! Wheelbase was too long on the first print, and the brake gear was just too fragile, despite being markedly reinforced versus the real thing! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr Made some tweaks, found quite quickly that I definitely need to deviate from realism given my mediocre skill levels, but the second print looked better. Fitted a pair of wheels to it (breaking the brake gear in the process, that still needs more reinforcement), but think it'll look like a reasonable approximation under the wagon! Untitled by njee20, on Flickr Pleased so far, enjoying playing! Many thanks to many on here for their inspiration! Really like the jha hopper and the bogies look ace. Keep up the good work 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Well, after a lot of playing around trying to get the center of gravity more or less right, my 3D printed N gauge Atlantic successfully pulled itself along the test track today! There is still a lot more to do, but I'm really happy that this is finally a runner! 10 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted September 9, 2019 Share Posted September 9, 2019 Around seven years ago I designed an LNER C12. I've never been satisfied with it and so I've designed another one from the ground up, which is nearing completion. While I've used Isinglass drawings, I've based this one on no. 4511 (a Hitchin locomotive) in mid to late 1930's condition. Hopefully, having now installed the new z axis rail, I'll be printing the test prints of this and the N1 in the next couple of days. 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atso Posted September 11, 2019 Share Posted September 11, 2019 The first passes at the C12 and N1 came off the printer late last night. I've given them a clean in IPA, light boxed and removed the supports, but otherwise they are as they were printed. I've done a bit of testing and found that the C12 body can be weighted to around 30g (plus whatever the weight of the chassis will be). 11 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold scottystitch Posted September 11, 2019 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 11, 2019 28 minutes ago, Atso said: The first passes at the C12 and N1 came off the printer late last night. I've given them a clean in IPA, light boxed and removed the supports, but otherwise they are as they were printed. I've done a bit of testing and found that the C12 body can be weighted to around 30g (plus whatever the weight of the chassis will be). Wow! They do look incredible for 3d prints. Well done, sir! 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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