S Scale in 3D - What's on the Printer

[Rob R]

Fill in the gaps between your supports with lots of small supports, not so much to keep it stuck to the plate but to give something for the print to grow from. Hold it upside down and imagine the print growing like a crystal down from the plate.

I find that supports make more difference than most of the other print settings, that and the angle to the build plate.

Rob

[Timber]

thanks - will try this tomorrow....

[Rob R]

Corner of tank next to firebox and a couple of bits of footplate near the front could do with a couple more supports.

R

[flubrush]

I agree with Rob - you need a lot more supports along these overhanging edges and light ones will do the job if you've got plenty of medium supports doing the main grunt of providing a secure base for the part.

 

Here's the slicer image of the medium supports for the 16 tonner

 

 

The medium sized supports are all round the base and quite close together.   But to reproduce major details like the angle round the top of the sides and all the angles on the end door,  copious amounts of light supports are provided to give a reasonable base to start these overhanging edges.

 

 

It took many attempts until I got a support setup that could give me a good print every time.  The rubbish bin sits right under the printer and that's where a lot of attempts go straight off the plate. :-)   A member on another forum, who does a lot of excellent 3D prints, recently stated that he expects to have at least five attempts at setting out supports until he gets a good print.

 

Jim.

[Timber]

Thanks for all the support (pardon the pun :-)) - this is what is on the printer at the moment.   It is going to take 13 hours to print but a first peep as it moves above the resin is that it looks better.

[Rob R]

That should look a lot better.

Any remaining droopy bits can be targetted with an extra support or two for the next print and eventually it all comes good.

Rob

 

[Timber]

Given that I have 13 hours to kill, I put my wobbly print together.  It is as light as a feather but it has a bit of puff in it.

 

 

[Timber]

I think that I over exposed and there are now too many supports.....i wrecked the print removing them all.   Do you remove the supports before you cure?

 

Try again with somewhere in the middle.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Timber

[Rob R]

I always remove supports before curing. Fine and medium supports usually peel of like shelling prawns. If the support is on something delicate I will snip it with side cutters. You say you over exposed? Is that curing or printing? Curing I use short bursts (60 - 90 seconds) in a glass jar  with tap water. Turning/repositioning between each burst to even out the uv exposure. You can tell when it's done by the "feel" of the resin. Better to slightly under than go over.

I wouldn't say there are too many supports, possibly some may need repositioning, might be able to loose those going to the top of the cab backplate  but generally you cant have too many.

Keep going. You are getting there.

From a wet weekend on Anglesey.

Rob

[Timber]

Thanks will try the attached tonight.  The good news is that it is not warping.  I set the exposure time on the slicer to 6 seconds.   It was 2.7 on the earlier model - but the rivet detail was lost.   Maybe I will recalibrate to 3.5.   The Elegroo data sheet says 6 but other blogs on the web have suggested lower.

[Rob R]

Exposure on the Mars 2 pro for water washable grey resin ( for most elegoo resins actually) is 2.7. I have not had to deviate from that for the actual print exposure. For the initial base layers I have reduced the default exposure of 25 down to 12. It makes things easier to get off the plate and supposedly increases the life expectancy of the screen. But, exposure times are specific to printer models. Experiment time again.

Rob

[Rob R]

Also try reducing your support tip size a little as well, will make it a bit easier to remove without damage.

R

[Timber]

Seems to be heading in a better direction.....I reprinted the chassis ...now I have this in better shape I will apply the same techniques to the integrated chassis and body.

Edited May 1, 2022 by Timber

[Rob R]

Looking good.

[apl31]

As mentioned in "whats on computer"  I am completing some half finished designs. This is LNWR dia 16 Brake van built 1870-1901. It was built from an excellent article and drawings  in Cumbrian Railways Journal (Vol 7 -8 2002) by Peter Ellis. Guy Wilson of CRA also supplied a drawing of a Dia 17 van as I could not find any photos showing the inner Cabin wall. Many thanks to both.

 

The body is printed in one piece with separate Axlebox springs (fitted temporally in photo), brake blocks and handwheel. The print uses Society rocking W irons W1003.

 

The print is " as printed" condition with a coat of primer to highlight lumps and bumps. Considering I used recycled resin its not a bad finish. I have decided to only use new resin when Im happy I have got everything sorted. I produce a lot of scrap.

 

Rob has kindly offered to print a copy for a second opinion. If that's OK , it will be available for S scale members who would like one.

[apl31]

I forgot to mention I will probably make the step board from brass as attempts print it integral with  body and separately produce some seriously deformed results 

[ianb3174]

A seriously good effort there

[apl31]

These 3d prints were shown at the recent Zoom meeting, I thought others may be interested in what we are doing in S scale.

The 2 wagons are my first printed in Elegoo water washable translucent green resin and I'm very pleased with results.  On the left is a LNWR dumb buffered hopper wagon. On the right, a Furness Rly Gunpowder van. They are as printed, you can still see some supports left on wagon. They have been given a light spray of primer to show detail. 

After 9 versions, starting from new at least 3 times, I have at last  produced a body for the FR 2-4-2T engine that I am satisfied with. The body fits Timbers etched chassis from his Sharp Stewart 2-4-0 tender design. it is fitted with Timbers resin wheel centres on S scale society tyres. It is fitted with N20 motor/gearbox (300rpm) driving through a 1:1 bevel gearbox.

The brake van is LNWR D16, which if finished less couplings. It is fitted with society rocking W irons plus  wheels and buffer shanks. I'm not happy with my diamond painting so I will repaint and possibly use 4mm HMRS transfers. Actually I might build another as new prototype information came to light after I finished. I have have updated the design accordingly.

Edited July 17, 2022 by apl31

[Rob R]

My apologies, I should have posted this earlier for the benefit of those not attending the SSMRS zoom meetings (not a member? Come on in. We don't bite 😉).

APL13's LNWR Brake Van (V6) printed in Elegoo water Washable Transclucent Green resin and given a quick squirt of red oxide primer.

Not cleaned up before painting so it does look a bit shabby.

Also the better resolution of the resin showed up a few drawing issues (which is why I didn't bother to clean it up fully) which APL13 has since corrected.

 

Rob

[apl31]

Seeing your photos again is tempting  me to print a new body ( later revision) in the green resin, the detail is so much improved.

[Rob R]

The WW green isn't absolutely perfect as resins go but it does give a much sharper print.

The downside is it also shows all the printing imperfections.

I have a couple of bottles of ipa washable resin to play with but I need to reorganise the workroom a bit to fit in the 2 stage washing before that happens.

I have seen photos of some very good prints done on the M2pro and I am wondering if a lot of the issues I have been getting are resin related.

Only one way to find out.

R

[Flying Fox 34F]

22 hours ago, apl31 said:

 

After 9 versions, starting from new at least 3 times, I have at last  produced a body for the FR 2-4-2T engine that I am satisfied with. The body fits Timbers etched chassis from his Sharp Stewart 2-4-0 tender design. it is fitted with Timbers resin wheel centres on S scale society tyres. It is fitted with N20 motor/gearbox (300rpm) driving through a 50:50 bevel gearbox.

apl31,

 

Where did you get the Bevel Gearbox from?

I’m following the 3D printing developments with much interest and I’ve been studying the N20 motors. The Bevel gears would be the Icing on the Cake for what I have in mind.

 

Kind regards 

 

Paul

[Regularity]

You can also get N20 gear motor with a right-angle drive: they use a worm and wheel as the first stage. They have 3mm final axles, with a D section.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254942541046?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=aOWTo0jgSRC&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=xPD_JaqpTK6&var=554822692259&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

 

[apl31]

Paul

I made the bevel gearbox in nickel silver sheet building it up on N20 gearbox for "accuracy" . I had some motor and bevel gears lying around but as regularity says there are lots of different types of N20 now. There is a shorter version now which would have been ideal I could have fitted between drivers, but only available in 3v and 6v I believe.

Edited July 16, 2022 by apl31

[apl31]

As mentioned at last night’s Zoom meeting I’m working on a new print.

This is a NER (ex S&D) Shildon or Bouch brake van, built from1860. The drawing was taken from an excellent book “North Eastern Railway Brake Vans” by Ian G Saddler.

I decided to design/print in separate parts (the symmetrical sides, roof, buffer beams, end panels (not printed yet)), so it would be easier to fit round a brass floor and also aid painting, as can be seen in photo Im not neatest painter Ive got white over top windows. The cabin walls and other finishing parts will be made in plasticard. S Scale Society W irons, wheels and buffers will be fitted.

The parts are blue tacked together for photo. I am now pondering on body colour, it needs to be early livery which could be dark brown, Indian red or red oxide depending on what you read.