I.materialise Standard Resin: an alternative to FUD?

[Penrhos1920]

I'm looking for an alternative to Shapeways FUD. This is spurred on by the lack of print quality consistency, but also worries about the potential for crystallization of the model in years to come. I've had some really good prints in FUD of small parts like a smokebox handle and lever, but I've had large tank sides and bunkers that have needed hours of filling and sanding.

 

What I'm looking for is a printing process that produces smooth flat surfaces and fine details similar to injection molded polystyrene kits. One problem I've encountered is that some require thick walls and I've got used to the thin walls that FUD can produce. So far I think the best I've found is printed on the Form 2 machine using there Standard Resin. Are there any other options I ought to consider?

Edited July 25, 2017 by Penrhos1920

[Quarryscapes]

I'm looking for an alternative to Shapeways FUD.  This is spurred on by the lack of print quality consistency, but also worries about the potential for crystallization of the model in years to come.  I've had some really good prints in FUD of small parts like a smokebox handle and lever, but I've had large tank sides and bunkers that have needed hours of filling and sanding.

 

What I'm looking for is a printing process that produces smooth flat surfaces and fine details similar to injection molded polystyrene kits.  One problem I've encountered is that some require thick walls and I've got used to the thin walls that FUD can produce.  So far I think the best I've found is printed on the Form 2 machine using there Standard Resin.  Are there any other options I ought to consider?

 

Have you tried SHapeways' BHDA? Similar to Formlabs stuff. 

 

[Penrhos1920]

I have considered BHDA. I've seen some good examples but also some bad ones with too much surface roughness. But I'm going to give it a try as my latest model is cheaper in BHDA than FXD.

[Penrhos1920]

I've now tried BHDA and it's very disappointing. Almost every flat or gently curved surface warped. The only part that wasn't warped had a straight edge which was printed curved!

 

I've seen I.materialise have a new material which appears to be their version of BHDA - Standard Resin. Confusing name or what. Has anyone tried it? What do you think of it?

 

I uploaded a model but it is cheaper in Standard Resin than High Detail Resin which I don't understand.

[MGR Hooper!]

I uploaded a model but it is cheaper in Standard Resin than High Detail Resin which I don't understand.

But isn't standard always cheaper that high detail? Or have I missed something? Either way which ever you choose to trial, please do share your results.

[Quarryscapes]

High Detail appears to basically be FUD but with a solid coloured resin rather than that translucent stuff SHapeways use., so will have all the same drawbacks. The other i.Materialise resins are printed by Stereolithography which is similar (though not identical to BHDA). Models need to be designed specifically for stereolithography to get good results, which is where things often fall down because designers seem to be blissfully ignorant of the characteristics. 

 

https://i.materialise.com/shop/item/t07-fahrgestell-f2a?Designer=bodo-lutz-schmidt&SortBy=interesting&PageNumber=1&PageSize=4&Index=74

 

is a good example of the standard resin, though it appears to be good in general, the layer height is large so stepping is very obvious where it occurs, so printing orientation will be very important. 

[simon br blue]

I've been trying different materials recently.

 

From 3D print hub I've had a couple of hopper bodies printed, I think they were printed in Formlabs standard resin on a Formlabs form 2 printer.  The chassis was printed in HDA from Shapeways.

 

 

Regarding HDA warping or bending I've found it softer that some of the other materials and can distort if left under stress.  I did a n gauge 25 shell and the bodyshell side walls were on the thin side and they warped.  More complex shapes like bogie sideframes tend to be more stiffer by design.

 

Another new material that shapeways are trialling is HP strong and flexible.  The material seems to be like a finer version of WSF that can be printed using the same thickness's as FUD or HDA.

 

The picture below shows the 3 different materials on similar models.

 

 

Left to right HPSF Y6, FUD J70 and HDA class 04.  The HPSF model looks slightly fluffy like a WSF model, the FUD model is let down by the scars from the support material although it does produce some nice grain for the wooden body.  The class 04 looks a lot crisper with the main problem I've been experiencing with HDA is models being rejected at the printing stage because of problems supporting the model during printing (the PHA chassis above had to be printed with the support material left on as a previous model was rejected as they wouldn't be able to remove the support material.  It took 10-15 minutes to remove the supports and some were fiddly).

 

I've used imaterialise and their Grey Resin (previously called Prime Grey) is like Formlabs standard resin but at a lower resolution/ thicker layering.  It's good for making bodyshells in S Scale and above.