Quarryscapes Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Last year print quality was good generally, a few bits of fuzz from poor orientation but was always good enough that it could be cleaned up and looked just fine. My latest orders though have been a complete and utter catastrophe! The turnaround times have come down significantly though - models are now being delivered much much faster and perhaps there lies the root of the problem - emphasis has been put on getting stuff to customers fast, rather than getting decent quality. And lets just see what we're dealing with shall we? All parts are FUD unless specified otherwise Here are some bolster wagon parts - the original order was of excellent quality, easily on par with injection moulding, then I ordered some more - and they were basically useless! They were reprinted - and the replacements were better, one of the 3 wagons' parts was a bit iffy but could be cleaned up ok. I ordered some more bits which arrived yesterday, a bit more challenging this time, and with luck there was a WSF quartering jig in the order which you will see in the photos as a handy reference to the quality of the FUD parts: Here's another type of timber bolster, and it's actually an acceptable model - it didn't warp and the outside is pretty good, but the underside - what the hell is going on here? Then onto a Cambrian 2-4-0T - This is an alteration of an earlier model with hopefully less warping and better strength. Well the warping IS better, but.... The rest of these are another Cambrian 2-4-0T, of a different design. This has the WSF quartering jig in most of the pictures, the square block with the V shape cutouts. Most of the time the WSF is of far superior finish! Now I expect that the flanges on domes etc are fragile, however I have printed close to a hundred so far and to date only one had ever suffered minor damage, despite being 0.05mm thick, it is clear from the state of this one that it was not handled with any kind of care (it was definitely not damaged in transit as the missing pieces are not in the bag it shipped in). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbedford Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 It looks like these have been cleaned using a solvent. They are easily rectified by painting them with primer before sanding. A similar thing happened at Shapeways a couple of years ago when the machines they were using started to wear out and needed replacing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwardian Posted May 12, 2016 Share Posted May 12, 2016 Last year print quality was good generally, a few bits of fuzz from poor orientation but was always good enough that it could be cleaned up and looked just fine. My latest orders though have been a complete and utter catastrophe! The turnaround times have come down significantly though - models are now being delivered much much faster and perhaps there lies the root of the problem - emphasis has been put on getting stuff to customers fast, rather than getting decent quality. And lets just see what we're dealing with shall we? All parts are FUD unless specified otherwise Here are some bolster wagon parts - the original order was of excellent quality, easily on par with injection moulding, then I ordered some more - and they were basically useless! DSXT2402.jpg DSXT2404.jpg DSXT2405.jpg DSXT2410.jpg They were reprinted - and the replacements were better, one of the 3 wagons' parts was a bit iffy but could be cleaned up ok. I ordered some more bits which arrived yesterday, a bit more challenging this time, and with luck there was a WSF quartering jig in the order which you will see in the photos as a handy reference to the quality of the FUD parts: Here's another type of timber bolster, and it's actually an acceptable model - it didn't warp and the outside is pretty good, but the underside - what the hell is going on here? DSXT2430.jpg DSXT2432.jpg DSXT2436.jpg Then onto a Cambrian 2-4-0T - This is an alteration of an earlier model with hopefully less warping and better strength. Well the warping IS better, but.... DSXT2438.jpg DSXT2439.jpg The rest of these are another Cambrian 2-4-0T, of a different design. This has the WSF quartering jig in most of the pictures, the square block with the V shape cutouts. Most of the time the WSF is of far superior finish! DSXT2441.jpg DSXT2442.jpg DSXT2443.jpg DSXT2444.jpg DSXT2445.jpg DSXT2448.jpg DSXT2449.jpg DSXT2452.jpg Now I expect that the flanges on domes etc are fragile, however I have printed close to a hundred so far and to date only one had ever suffered minor damage, despite being 0.05mm thick, it is clear from the state of this one that it was not handled with any kind of care (it was definitely not damaged in transit as the missing pieces are not in the bag it shipped in). I am sorry to see that you have been lumbered with such poor quality printing from Shapeways. This is of some concern. When funds permit I am set on exploring this medium, and my starting point was to be a brace of your Cambrian 2-4-0Ts. I struggle to find any budget for modelling at the moment, so I cannot contemplate spending £60 odd for something unusable. Any updates on the quality issue would be of interest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted May 14, 2016 Author Share Posted May 14, 2016 It looks like these have been cleaned using a solvent. They are easily rectified by painting them with primer before sanding. A similar thing happened at Shapeways a couple of years ago when the machines they were using started to wear out and needed replacing. Yes they have, but it does not remotely affect the prints - the good prints have had the exact same treatment. I am sorry to see that you have been lumbered with such poor quality printing from Shapeways. This is of some concern. When funds permit I am set on exploring this medium, and my starting point was to be a brace of your Cambrian 2-4-0Ts. I struggle to find any budget for modelling at the moment, so I cannot contemplate spending £60 odd for something unusable. Any updates on the quality issue would be of interest. Comparing old prints to these there is a marked difference, the worst bits on the old prints are as good as the better bits of these, even allowing for print lines from support material these are poor. It even affects the cast metal items I have from them, which look just the same but shiny brass! I'll be doing the Large 2-4-0 as an etched kit I think, I do not want to be putting my name to a product that is going to arrive with a purchaser in the state above. Not sure what I can do with the small 2-4-0T, the whole point of the print was it was a good way to deal with that awkward valance round the tank tops, I do not want to form that from sheet brass. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JCL Posted May 14, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted May 14, 2016 Hi Quarryscapes. While you could prime before sanding, printing in FUD, you have paid extra for a print that has good detail and should need little cleaning up. Your remedial work would undo a lot of work you did on the computer. I don't think their QC has got worse - I just don't think it has got any better either. I had a GNR A5 single printed a couple of years ago with the very same problem. A proportion of the cab end, and the whole of the back looked like it had been sandblasted with talcum powder. I wrote to service@shapeways.com and sent the photos to them whereupon they reprinted the whole lot. Consistency is a problem. I had a problem with warping a couple of weeks ago which I wrote about on here. Yes, I should have added a couple of struts to my model (done now), but the thing had printed perfectly well twice before. It's a hassle, but on the up side, their customer service is fantastic, and they have reprinted everything to date that has been a problem. Cheers Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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