lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 Is anyone going to the 3D print show this weekend? http://3dprintshow.com Since Shapeways are there I was thinking about going to talk to them about the variable quality I am getting from FUD and their plans to remedy (possibly by allowing control of print direction). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etched Pixels Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I'm not. I did get a reply from them about print direction a while back saying they were looking at it, but that it would cost more as it reduced the amount they could print in one run. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I wish I was going, so I could have a chat with the Formlabs guys, but unfortunately I've got other commitments. I'll be interested to hear what Shapeways say about the variable FUD quality, having suffered from the same problem, if you do decide to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Formlabs looks amazing - watching the video now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Only $2699 if you live in the USA. I wonder what their starting price will be on their website when they start full production? This will REALLY change the playing field for the amateur 3D printer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 $2,999 plus shipping and duty for the Formlabs printer looks great. I was very tempted, until I saw that the laser (at 300 microns) was not as small as I would want it to be. Everything else looks superb and if the laser was half the size I'd have probably ordered. Maybe they will do a version with a smaller, or more focused, laser in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I think a minimum feature size of 0.3mm puts it on a par with FUD, which should be adequate for 4mm and above, but I can see that it would be desirable to have a smaller minimum feature size for 2mm scale. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 FUD has a feature size of 0.1mm This has a minimum feature size of 0.05mm: http://b9creator.com Similar price, similar type of project but using UV cured resin not lasers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonhall Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 I did think about it, but concluded that £20 for a trade show was a bit steep, it puts the value of model railway shows in context. Jon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 FUD has a feature size of 0.1mm The smallest protrusion i tried to get printed was 0.15mm diameter for rivets. I think the smallest feature I tried to get printed is 0.1mm gap. This has a minimum feature size of 0.05mm: http://b9creator.com I've looked at this one too. Iirc the resin is quite flexible and it would appear (on my interpretation of the pictures) that although the resolution is high I think the accuracy would need to be higher for me to be more interested. This is a good site for this kind of thing: http://www.prsnlz.me/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 FUD has a feature size of 0.1mm I stand corrected This has a minimum feature size of 0.05mm: http://b9creator.com Interesting - where did you find that info, please? I wouldn't mind taking a closer look at the specs of this machine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 Interesting - where did you find that info, please? I wouldn't mind taking a closer look at the specs of this machine. It's on their FAQ page under: What are the dimensions and resolution of the build volume? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyneux Posted October 17, 2012 Author Share Posted October 17, 2012 The other benefit of B9 creator is that the cost of the resin is dirt cheap (a few $ per litre) compared to over $100/litre for Formlabs (IIRC). I need to find the references to support this assertion! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 17, 2012 Share Posted October 17, 2012 The other benefit of B9 creator is that the cost of the resin is dirt cheap (a few $ per litre) compared to over $100/litre for Formlabs (IIRC). I need to find the references to support this assertion! I don't know if there's that much difference - the B9Creator resin costs about 10 cents per gram, so that's $100 per kilo. Not knowing the density of the resin, I'm not sure how much a litre of the Formlabs resin would weigh, but I guess it's going to be similar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 The other benefit of B9 creator is that the cost of the resin is dirt cheap (a few $ per litre) compared to over $100/litre for Formlabs (IIRC). I need to find the references to support this assertion! Yerbut, I've heard of at least one person having this sort of resin impounded by the Border Agency when he tried to import it.......... So you would be looking at £100+ if it has to come in through an 'Accredited Supplier' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 18, 2012 Share Posted October 18, 2012 Is anyone going to the 3D print show this weekend? http://3dprintshow.com Since Shapeways are there I was thinking about going to talk to them about the variable quality I am getting from FUD and their plans to remedy (possibly by allowing control of print direction). I think this has been solved, and that print direction not the most effective way of improving the quality. I'm going on Friday, so I'm hoping to have a long chat with the team about FUD etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumo Posted October 19, 2012 Share Posted October 19, 2012 I went along to the show this afternoon. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was certainly worthwhile and exciting. I would say it was about as good a representation of the nascent industry as the UK could muster. Apart from that... a lot of printers printing, lots of odd smells and basically almost everything at the moment has grain. Too much grain. The whole scene is 'early stages' but exciting. Almost everyone was printing iPhone covers. Okay, but have some original thought please. This is a browser based modeller that I would love to use but they charge by storage.... I don't really want them storing my models and then going bust. Is that too paranoid? https://tinkercad.com/ And this is just genius. Do your modelling with Minecraft! www.printcraft.org Shapeways were either not their or had an unmarked stand with a table - the latter seems more likely! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Yerbut, I've heard of at least one person having this sort of resin impounded by the Border Agency when he tried to import it.......... Do you know what reason they gave for impounding it, please? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Not specifically, but obtaining all sorts of chemicals in the UK is much more difficult than in other countries. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted October 24, 2012 Share Posted October 24, 2012 Not specifically, but obtaining all sorts of chemicals in the UK is much more difficult than in other countries. Yes, which I've never quite understood - the authorities must think we're all potential drug manufacturers and terr'ists or something! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 I think this has been solved, and that print direction not the most effective way of improving the quality. I'm going on Friday, so I'm hoping to have a long chat with the team about FUD etc. I talked to the guy from Shapeways on Friday and he told me that they have three new Projet 3500 machines now. One is in New York and two in Eindhoven. However talking to one of the 3D systems resellers it seems that these machine have a reputation for being fragile and that the out put is very dependent on the skills of the operators. Having said that I have had some pieces done by a bureau in the UK who finishes them by shotblasting. This seems to clean up the surface much better than any other method i've seen used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Very interesting. What is the scale on that part, and who made it? Do you know how they shotblast small plastic/resin parts without destroying them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Very interesting. What is the scale on that part? 4mm Do you know how they shotblast small plastic/resin parts without destroying them? Carefully Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
richbrummitt Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Having said that I have had some pieces done by a bureau in the UK who finishes them by shotblasting. This seems to clean up the surface much better than any other method i've seen used. Which one, what material, and what was the minimum feature size? (Reply by pm if you would prefer not to name them so publicly.) I've used several of the bureaus over the last six years for paid work and after discussing the requirements the material or minimum feature size or tolerance is not sounding too promising. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 The machine is a Projet 3500 and the material is the same as Shapeway call Frost Ultra Detail. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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