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Jason's Printer Thread


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Jason, 

 

I took the liberty of downloading your file and printing it on my Shuffle.  I've been messing around with small parts and thought it would be a nice change to try something a bit bigger.   I scaled it up to S scale and it just fitted on the build plate.

 

post-542-0-67180900-1548418359_thumb.jpg

 

This it straight out of the printer.   I sliced it in ChiTuBox to 30 micron layers and accepted a default support placement from the software.  I just raised it 5mm from the base and didn't try any orientation.   It took about five hours to print.   The weight of the complete print was 20gms.

 

post-542-0-66109100-1548418710_thumb.jpg

 

This is a view of one of the sides showing the layering on the side.   The lighter layering looks to be about the pitch of the ballscrew.  The single heavier layering mark seems to be co-incident with the inner horizontal beams and is only apparent in the centre of the side where the beams are - so maybe some interaction there.   The lighter layering normally disappears with one coat of primer.

 

post-542-0-36836800-1548419013_thumb.jpg

 

After a quick coat of Halford's red primer and the layering is still just visible.

 

post-542-0-89589700-1548419546_thumb.jpg

 

...and a kinder shot of the side showing pretty good quality which would need a minimum of work to finish off.   I would re-visit the placing of supports on the outside if I wanted to do another one.  You can see the remains of the supports on the nearest door which I hadn't cleaned off.

 

At the moment I think I am having a post printing problem with curing.  Even after about an hour in my UV LED tank yesterday and a hour on the window shelf this morning,  the resin still feels a bit tacky and soft and I would normally feel a bit worried about spraying over it.   I have to do a bit more investigation.

 

Jim.

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Jim, thanks for putting the photos up - they look good :). I’ll change the model and remove the bars next week, then reupload. I’m also putting a bevel on the heading. I’ll alao add some guides so a styrene floor can be added. The roof is proving to be problematic, and at the moment I’m fairly stumped.

 

On the stickiness, my guess is that you need to clean the model more as there is still uncurled resin on there. My rule of thumb is to rub my finger (or thumb even) across the model. If it sticks in any way I clean it some more. Also, you should be able to remov3 the model from the alcohol and dip into water without a cloud of resin coming off the model. You could try the airbrush or paintbrush methods to really get in there.

 

Also, if you are swilling in tubs of alcohol and water, you do need to change the liquids from time to time as they become saturated in the resin you are removin* from the models.

Edited by JCL
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On the stickiness, my guess is that you need to clean the model more as there is still uncurled resin on there. My rule of thumb is to rub my finger (or thumb even) across the model. If it sticks in any way I clean it some more. Also, you should be able to remov3 the model from the alcohol and dip into water without a cloud of resin coming off the model. You could try the airbrush or paintbrush methods to really get in there.

 

Also, if you are swilling in tubs of alcohol and water, you do need to change the liquids from time to time as they become saturated in the resin you are removin* from the models.

 

I'm still trying to sort out my cleaning and curing process.   Using the airbrush as a sort of pressure jet washer with IPA seems to do a good job with the smaller items I have been printing and seems to be a bit kinder to detail than dunking and brushing.  I do have some reservations about my LED tank since I have read that UV LEDS can be a bit off the 405nm wavelength for the resin which could give poor curing.  I've just ordered a 405nm LED lamp from Amazon to see if that improves matters - it won't arrive from China for another week or two.  I've also had a look at ultrasonic cleaners but I'm a bit put off by adverse comments about the reliability of the less expensive ones and a bit reluctant to spend about the same amount as on my printer on the top end ones. :-)

 

At the moment I'm slowly winning with Fusion 360 - mostly two steps forward one step back. :-)

 

Jim.

Edited by flubrush
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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Jim

 

I used the sun for a while, but it does take a long time. More recently I was able to get a UV lamp from the printer supplier here in a Victoria, and it’s been brilliant.

 

https://www.ccadprint.com/online-store/Peopoly-UV-Curing-Lamp-p115037904

 

Often people say print the model at an angle because it reduces the likelihood of the vat from being wrecked by the suction forces. One thing nobody has mentioned is that the thing you’re printing may be delaminated. I found a print I did a while ago as a test.

 

post-14192-0-40790900-1548641356_thumb.jpeg

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Interestingly, I've heard that they are attempting to formulate a resin that can be cleaned in water.

Amera Labs do a water soluble resin, clean up using a solution of fairy liquid. I have been using it for a few weeks and am impressed, getting good results on my Phrozen Shuffle XL.

Avoiding use of IPA is a plus for me, having had some skin problems resulting from it

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I used the sun for a while, but it does take a long time. More recently I was able to get a UV lamp from the printer supplier here in a Victoria, and it’s been brilliant.

 

https://www.ccadprint.com/online-store/Peopoly-UV-Curing-Lamp-p115037904

 

That's the same as the one I have ordered so I chose well. :-)

 

Jim.

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  • RMweb Gold

I've been reading around on the water soluble resin and found that the disposal of the water should be the same as water used as part of the cleaning process of 'normal' resin i.e. don't pour it down the drain/on your garden.

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  • RMweb Gold

I've been hard at it at work the last few days, but have made progress on the NER Inspection model. Mike Trice has been kind enough to do the clerestory roof after I'd tried and failed on a couple of methods, and then I completed the radiators. I've a test to do in the printer after a quick bit of beading rework on the sides to make them thinner, and a final check, if everything works out I'll do another upload to Thingiverse, and by the looks of it from this editor window, I might be able to upload it here as two separate files. Mike has kindly said I can also upload his contribution. Here are a couple of renders to give you an idea of where we're at.

 

final-1.jpg.de63878c32c5b4be1116270bcca16264.jpg 

 

final-2.jpg.8914489bd8c2e8f8b192da0bf5b2aa9a.jpg

 

The roof in Asura with its supports added. It was being converted to gcode as I grabbed this image.

to-gcode.jpg.fee6efbbeefe7a0560ac34791135097f.jpg

 

File Types
When I create my model, I use 3D modelling software that has its own native file type (Blender and .blend file type). Often, that file type is not compatible with other 3D modelling software. There are a few universal file types that are compatible with different software. So if I want to get my model from my 3D modelling software and into my printer software, I export my file as an STL file. This can then be imported into my printer software and I can do things like reorientate my model and create supports. Once this is done, I then export that file as gcode and save it onto a memory card, and that goes into the printer. The gcode file contains the printing instructions. The printer works in very thin layers called slices, and the gcode file defines all of these slices and tells the printer how to recreate each one. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not really.

 

Checking the Final File

I attempted to print a model the other day and for the first time since I started doing this, the gcode file was corrupted. Instead of printing a bogie, it created a crazy looking spider. So with this latest model I wanted to quickly view the model in the gcode file before it was printed to make sure it was ok. After trawling the internet, I realised a piece of software I already had would be able to do the job called Cura by Ultimaker. It can pretty much do everything except the supports, and is what I used before moving onto Peopoly's own software. If anyone is interested in viewing the gcode version of their model, the software is free and can be downloaded from https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-cura-software.

 

I mentioned before that I am still pretty new to printing my own models. This is still an experiment to see how far my skills have come on, and to see what the printer can do. Some of the parts are very small, the lower surface must be flat, and the model takes up a lot of printer space, so it'll be interesting to see what it can and can't do.

 

Prototype Photo

I also found a really good photo of the inspection car on eBay which filled in a lot of blanks. https://www.ebay.ie/itm/392229942449?ViewItem=&item=392229942449

 

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3 hours ago, JCL said:

Prototype Photo

I also found a really good photo of the inspection car on eBay which filled in a lot of blanks. https://www.ebay.ie/itm/392229942449?ViewItem=&item=392229942449

 

 

Oh yes, just this thing that would have put you off starting if you had seen it first, the, huge gap between body and solebars, the spindly brackets on the sole bars and the semi-bulleid wheels :-( not to mention that you still can't see the arrangement of the engine gubbing underneath - nice one :-)

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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Bill - if you think that's bad, you'll be shocked to see the other photo I had from the Graces Guide (https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1912EnV113-p489.jpg) . Luckily I had access to a diagram as well. Those straps would have to be styrene or something else as there's no point printing them. I'm pleased I didn't set out to sell them as kits. Cute little thing though.

 

3768-side.jpg.58e201093d803bbaba9a793ad37dd862.jpg

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I had time to print the roof off last night. At 40um it took 9 1/2 hours to complete. It’s a good job I can leave it running unattended! From the printer, the roof looked like this. Still covered in resin, I left it a few hours inside to printer cabinet to drain while I got on with my job.

 

11950C3E-D801-4BDE-968D-1780858CBD09.jpeg.d057281e2fe25d7e0decc94890ee48f0.jpeg

 

I then put it in front of the UV light to cure, and unfortunately I over did it and one corner curled up. The bad corner is below

 

939CDDDC-641B-4BF7-BB73-258BD908EE12.jpeg.b85d080a6e448b81b58601a5a1798f0b.jpeg

 

 If you’re wondering, the two dots on the radiator are support nubs.

 

69DDFCBB-2131-4F65-B11C-D7367C58DFBA.jpeg.79b199876bdf0dde103a3e5d571004d8.jpeg

 

I also need to keep an eye on supports as 2 merged with the model behind the right radiator. The crack below was caused by me. I’ve found that I need to chop into the supports further away from the roof to reduce the tension on it while they are being removed.

 

32A4E3EE-4C94-4012-99D1-0F79CFE513FB.jpeg.19a59aa04d13e77ee457e8875524c609.jpeg

 

That said, it’s proved that Mike’s roof file works a treat. I’ll upload them tomorrow.

 

In the meantime, I’m wondering if I should do an experiment and print the whole thing in one go and not at an angle. My thought process is that the clerestory window openings would reduce the suction. Any views?

Edited by JCL
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2 hours ago, JCL said:

In the meantime, I’m wondering if I should do an experiment and print the whole thing in one go and not at an angle. My thought process is that the clerestory window openings would reduce the suction. Any views?

A quick look at the end profile suggests that printing the roof "not at an angle" could result in an area approximately half the overall width being in contact with the printing surface so you might just get away with it. Does your slicer software allow you to view the slices produced?

Edited by MikeTrice
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  • RMweb Gold

Hi Mike,

 

I've found that the Asura software I use has a function that allows me to create a cross section of the model so I can work out if any of the supports are too close to it. It works on a slider, so I can slide it up and down randomly to get the best view. I've created an animation showing this - it'll be a test of the new RMWeb. :)

 

animation-400.gif.b79da13f0d73be70a7e6e836647e5850.gif

 

Click on it then give it a few seconds to start working, it waits until your computer has downloaded the picture fully before starting the animation. If it still doesnt work, click on it again.

Edited by JCL
Post animation test...
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Given this is about me learning a bit more about the printer, I thought I’d print the inspection car parallel to the plate instead of at an angle and see what happens. I had that duff print create a hole in the silicone one of my vats, so I thought, as long as I don’t attempt to print ove4 the hole, I’ll be ok. I wasn’t. I forgot that the printer uses a laser that is directly under the dodgy bit of the vat, so the beam wasn’t passing properly through the silicone.

 

Anyway, this...

 

CAA64E0E-2D5B-4AFA-8D3C-7A0AF05C3C6B.jpeg.ce1e5d43f806a0f2ceb299d699e7b248.jpeg

 

caused this...

 

70F16E9D-A7E8-4228-8319-A71304EA749F.jpeg.d12e47a551c971bbc5aed410911a1037.jpeg

 

So all in all, I made the wrong choice. Having said that, I do know that the model file is ok, so I will be able to upload it, and I can use the 90% of the model that is good to test paint colours and lining. Apart from the dodgy section in the middle, the other bits look unfinished because there is a lot of uncurled resin on it.

 

Another print has been set off, so should be done by the time I get up in the morning. I’ll let you know how I get on.

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  • RMweb Gold

Looks good Mike. Looks square too, which is encouraging. Mine is 10% done so I’ll drag it out in the morning. On the model, I raised the partition walls a tad so a .5mm floor can be added.

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  • RMweb Gold

Here's the original at the front, the duff one at the back and the good one in the middle. I'm going to leave the duff one on the supports and just spray it and use it to practice lining, then I'll start on the middle one. I just have to find an equivalent for the NER lake in the Vallejo colours (because those are the ones I can get over here).

 

sm_IMG_2264.jpg.18aa62bc62490a50163aa985449b42e6.jpg

The good one that I printed this evening. I had a good look at it and there's no warping whatsoever, so it's definitely the UV light that's causing it - I must be more careful about how long the models sit underneath it.

 

sm_IMG_2265.jpg.dc2a96c1596ca0fda7e2c2149db516f0.jpg

 

Finally, a test for the website, here's the STL file for the NEW inspection coach without supports. Even if you don't have a printer, you can still download it and spin it around in an STL viewer. I don't know about Macs, but Windows 10 comes with one.

Well, I'm happy with how today's final model turned out. It's been a good way of both testing the printer and my  knowledge of working with it. I've also been able to test some new ideas in Blender, and Mike's been able to show me how to do the rounded ends of the roof.

 

And one tip that has made life easier, get a roll of grease proof paper and use it to stand everything on when cleaning a finished model. Although it's only a matter of degrees, I'm happier putting that stuff in the bin than plastic, also, it stays flatter better.

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8 hours ago, JCL said:

Even if you don't have a printer, you can still download it and spin it around in an STL viewer. I don't know about Macs, but Windows 10 comes with one.

 

They have one.

 

Looks good. . . . . some parts have arrived in the post today...

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On 20/01/2019 at 19:29, billbedford said:

 

 

It is also a lot messier and long winded than using a well thought out printer like a Form 2

 

I am pretty sure the cleanup process for the Form 2 is pretty similar.  A friend who has one for model railway use bought an extra washing tank and UV oven to speed up the finishing process.  

 

With regard to estimating the volume of resin required for a model, Netfabb does this based on the STL file.

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On the volume estimation, I've also found in the last few days that Blender has an add-on that just needs to be activated that also shows the model's volume. I'm going to have a look at the other check options on there.

 

3d-print-add-on.jpg.2cd93c5b5af58b4651252f88517f028f.jpg

 

Out of interest, is anyone else using Blender, or are you using other software to build model files?

 

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11 hours ago, JCL said:

 

Out of interest, is anyone else using Blender, or are you using other software to build model files?

 

 

Fusion 360 and now getting my brain round it.  Its parametric features certainly make tweaking a model very easy but it has taken a while to understand exactly how they work.

 

Jim.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

After doing the body for that NER railcar I had no excuse for not doing the GNR/LB&SCR one - especially as I'm in the GNR Society. I drew up the plans a while ago, but new information meant that I had to redo them. This model is longer than the other one, and so it'll need to be split into three parts. Luckily it's an easy split as the ends can be removed from the middle passenger section. Not only that, but there was a seam in the roof at the same place, so I should need to do much if everything marries up correctly.

 

1772605666_GNRrailcar-final.jpg.2734ffde6b27a42b490d1e40a5cc7283.jpg

 

I did wonder if I could get away with printing it vertically. I knew really that I couldn't, but I tried anyway (for science ;) ) and this was the result. To be fair, the non crushed side looks lovely and all of the details have come out perfectly. So the suction force created by having the roof on there has stripped the body from the supports, and then crushed that side. I'm going to do it again this evening when the resin has had a chance to warm up.

 

On the warming up thing, the resin I use needs to be at about 25C to work correctly (there's also high temp resin that needs to be at 30C, but what I do it's not worth the extra hassle), so I use a greenhouse seedling heading pad to get everything to the right temperature. Generally when the inside of the cabinet hits 25C I give it an hour for the resin to warm up properly.

 

KkgcsPN0.jpeg.f4ce2cbf9fac3b27ebf1a9664350a2e7.jpeg

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