3D Printer options for small parts
Followers (1)
- RNinMunichBronze
@DodgyGeezer Thanks your reply. I totally concur with your assessment. I tried that with 3mm aluminum rod. I don't need a hole for ther axle as it will be glued to a base or on top of the bollard of similar dia. I have a rather large wood lathe in the workshop but gave that up as I couldn't center the material properly due to its small size and the process is too tedious and takes me forever.
Fishercat looks like I will be rethinking how I use my printer Col
Liked by AlessandroSPQR and Fishercat
@Fishercat
Hi Fishercat, your knowledge and hands-on expertise regarding 3D printers are truly extensive—kudos to you. I’m glad you joined this site.
Hi Fishercat, your knowledge and hands-on expertise regarding 3D printers are truly extensive—kudos to you. I’m glad you joined this site.
Liked by Fishercat
While a resin printer is capable of MUCH finder detail than a filament printer, there are 4 things that make a tremendous difference in the amount and quality of detail one gets out of one's filament prints.
First - layer height. For a standard .4mm nozzle, on my machine it varies from .08mm to .24mm. The smaller layers are, of course, much better looking. Second - print angle. Things printed against the bed of the printer have the texture of the bed. Things printed at very shallow angles show layers like little steps. And, the undersides of prints are always much rougher. So, it is often best to print parts at angles and use lots of supports. Third, switching to a .02mm nozzle also gives one noticeably nicer details, but does not work with fiber reinforced filaments. Fourth, carefully picking the filament and making sure it's absolutely dry will also help.
Two smaller improvements - one is using a second type of filament that doesn't adhere as an interface layer between supports and the part. However, this requires a second nozzle or it's painfully inefficient. The second is using a "quality" instead of "standard" preset.
Note that if you do all of these things, your print times will go up by a factor of 6 to 8. I find that completely acceptable - I set the printer to run overnight. Also, the latest generation of printers is FAR better at avoiding artifacts present in vertical surfaces - something that has plagued filament printers from the start.
First - layer height. For a standard .4mm nozzle, on my machine it varies from .08mm to .24mm. The smaller layers are, of course, much better looking. Second - print angle. Things printed against the bed of the printer have the texture of the bed. Things printed at very shallow angles show layers like little steps. And, the undersides of prints are always much rougher. So, it is often best to print parts at angles and use lots of supports. Third, switching to a .02mm nozzle also gives one noticeably nicer details, but does not work with fiber reinforced filaments. Fourth, carefully picking the filament and making sure it's absolutely dry will also help.
Two smaller improvements - one is using a second type of filament that doesn't adhere as an interface layer between supports and the part. However, this requires a second nozzle or it's painfully inefficient. The second is using a "quality" instead of "standard" preset.
Note that if you do all of these things, your print times will go up by a factor of 6 to 8. I find that completely acceptable - I set the printer to run overnight. Also, the latest generation of printers is FAR better at avoiding artifacts present in vertical surfaces - something that has plagued filament printers from the start.
Liked by chugalone100 and Rookysailor and
@JockScott
Um. If I wanted a 3x3mm roller (with a 1mm hole through the middle for an axle), I would probably turn it on a lathe. But it's hardly worth £1,000 + just to be able to do that. If I didn't have a lathe I would buy 3mm stock and use a pillar drill, or get a 3mm brass tube and slide a 2mm tube inside to give me a 1mm hole. Spend on a lathe is not worth it unless you want to do a lot of rotational cutting...
I have a 3 axis CNC cutter because my hobby involves making model boats out of sheet materials, and a 3 axis cutter is the ideal machine for cutting complex shapes in flat sheets of wood or metal. If I wanted to make 3-D shapes with it I would need a 5 axis machine costing tens of thousands - again, not worth it.
So it comes down to a 3-D printer. The choice is fairly straightforward - do you want large, less detailed objects or smaller intricate ones? I typically make boats at 30" or less in size. and resin is the best way for me to produce the detailed fittings I need for a small model of perhaps 25" LOA. If I wanted whole hulls at 36" or more, printed in sections, a filament printer would be the cheaper, less messy way for me to go.
At the limit, you CAN print big sections of boat hulls with a resin printer (though check the base plate size), while you can't really print very small detail with a filament printer. You will find that a filament printer has a larger base plate, because it's optimised for this sort of work. But what is it you most want to do?
Note that a filament printer only has filament threads as running costs. while a resin printer needs resin (about twice the price of filament by volume, cleaning materials, UV hardening equipment and is generally more messy and smelly.
I enclose a pic of one of my resin printed Mk 32 torpedos for the EeZeBilt 20" PT Boat. Poor picture, but you might be able to see that the bolts (about the size of the ball in a ball point) are perfect hexagons
Here is a link to a youtube video showing the kind of detail you can get at lower sizes from a filament printer:
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=how+smallcan+you+make+detail+with+a+filament+printer%3F&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c26096d0,vid:Jw2_7sY4l10,st:0
Um. If I wanted a 3x3mm roller (with a 1mm hole through the middle for an axle), I would probably turn it on a lathe. But it's hardly worth £1,000 + just to be able to do that. If I didn't have a lathe I would buy 3mm stock and use a pillar drill, or get a 3mm brass tube and slide a 2mm tube inside to give me a 1mm hole. Spend on a lathe is not worth it unless you want to do a lot of rotational cutting...
I have a 3 axis CNC cutter because my hobby involves making model boats out of sheet materials, and a 3 axis cutter is the ideal machine for cutting complex shapes in flat sheets of wood or metal. If I wanted to make 3-D shapes with it I would need a 5 axis machine costing tens of thousands - again, not worth it.
So it comes down to a 3-D printer. The choice is fairly straightforward - do you want large, less detailed objects or smaller intricate ones? I typically make boats at 30" or less in size. and resin is the best way for me to produce the detailed fittings I need for a small model of perhaps 25" LOA. If I wanted whole hulls at 36" or more, printed in sections, a filament printer would be the cheaper, less messy way for me to go.
At the limit, you CAN print big sections of boat hulls with a resin printer (though check the base plate size), while you can't really print very small detail with a filament printer. You will find that a filament printer has a larger base plate, because it's optimised for this sort of work. But what is it you most want to do?
Note that a filament printer only has filament threads as running costs. while a resin printer needs resin (about twice the price of filament by volume, cleaning materials, UV hardening equipment and is generally more messy and smelly.
I enclose a pic of one of my resin printed Mk 32 torpedos for the EeZeBilt 20" PT Boat. Poor picture, but you might be able to see that the bolts (about the size of the ball in a ball point) are perfect hexagons
Here is a link to a youtube video showing the kind of detail you can get at lower sizes from a filament printer:
https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&q=how+smallcan+you+make+detail+with+a+filament+printer%3F&sourceid=opera&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c26096d0,vid:Jw2_7sY4l10,st:0
Liked by chugalone100 and JockScott and
@DodgyGeezer Thank you for the comprehensive info on the various printers. Sofar, based on the info provided by the members on this forum I tend to lean towards the Bambu A1 mini, however some of the material I like to reproduce are 3x3mm in size (roller to be place in inside the hawser hole for guiding the lines and onto bollard posts). For this purpose a mini metal lather would be probably better suited but not having a greatt deal experience in this field, I wonder if it is worth the expense. I also wondered getting it customs made.
Now I am worried the Bambu set up may not do the job. I have no problem cleaning up the pieces by sanding.
Other items like steam winch cylinder assemblies maybe be perfect on the other hand.
What do you think? Appreciate your advise
Now I am worried the Bambu set up may not do the job. I have no problem cleaning up the pieces by sanding.
Other items like steam winch cylinder assemblies maybe be perfect on the other hand.
What do you think? Appreciate your advise
Liked by AlessandroSPQR
@IanL1
It may be worth rapidly documenting my experience with more sophisticated modelling tools ? Ask any further questions about them...
1 - I have a Seig C3 Arc Euro 7x14 Chinese lathe (Arc Euro now closed down, but 7x14 Chinese lathes are readily available). Lathes are messy and noisy machines, so I use it in an outside shed workshop. For boats, I make prop tube bearings, shafts and motor connectors on it. You need to learn how to use a lathe, and it's useful to have a tap/die set, a quick-change tool mount and a tailstock die holder. It works well.
2 - I have an eShapeoko CNC cutter - made up from a kit by Amber Spyglass https://amberspyglass.co.uk . The machine is slightly noisy but quite clean, so I use it in an attic workshop in the house. I made a kit up because an important feature of a cnc cutter is the base size, which limits what you can make. I wanted to cut keels and side skins for model boats, so I ordered one with a 1m 'Y' axis. You can get up to 1.5m as standard from Amber. It was the cheapest way I could find to obtain a machine which was suitable for model boat parts in sizes I wanted to make.
To make it up you need to be used to Meccano-type assembly and electronic soldering. You then need to learn to use a 2-d drafting package, save the result in GCode format and use the open source Gcode Sender to send instructions to the cutter. The Amber cutter frame can hold anything - laser cutters, milling tools or other cutters such as a vinyl knife - I use a small high-speed router bought off ebay for about £20.
Holding work firmly on the base is important. I mainly cut balsa sheets for my EeZeBilt boats and have made up a jig which holds 36"x4" balsa sheets. The whole process works well.
3 - I have a Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra Resin 3-D printer. It is a quiet but messy and slightly smelly machine, which is kept in a dedicated bedroom in the house (on a melamine easy-clean table). I used to have a Phrozen Sonic resin printer - and found that it was hard to set up and the prints would often fail. Eventually the LCD screen ( a critical part that has a shortish life) wore out and I got the Saturn. This is a much better machine, easy to set up and prints rarely fail.
To use it you need to learn to use a 3-D drafting package, then save the output in .STL format and pass it to a 'slicing' package (usually Chitubox) to create the instructions for the cutter. The parts are built onto a metal base which is repeatedly lowered into a bath of resin where layers are repeatedly added. When finished, you have to lever the sticky piece off the base, wash it in alcohol and put it in a UV enclosure to harden. This can be messy and smelly. The parts are made with fine detail, and the machine is suitable for making parts from about 1mm up to 150mm. Typically prints take an hour or so.
4 - I also have a Bambu Lab P1S (actually, my son's) sitting next to the Elegoo Saturn. This is a filament printer which works by moving a print-head over the metal base and squirting a tiny drop of melted plastic into position. This is less messy, but takes a longer time than a resin system - typically several hours. You use the same software to create a drawing and generate instructions for the machine, but you do not need to wash and harden the end product. It is more suitable for making parts with less detail but greater size - perhaps 30mm up to 300mm.
Each machine is optimal for its own specific application, but I find that I use the resin printer most often. It is ideal for model boat fittings from 1/4" to 6" in size, and can produce detail smaller than I can easily see.
For any specialist machine you need to learn how to operate it. But you do not necessarily have to learn how to draw up the parts you wish to make. You can download 3-D drawings off the net, either free or at a price. For EeZeBilt boats, my web site contains both free downloads for 3-D resin model boat fittings, and free downloads of the 2-D cnc cutting paterns for cutting the wood for model boat kits. My aim is that, with suitable modern machinery, anyone who wants an EeZeBilt kit that was available in the UK in the 1960s will be able to buy some wood, download the data from my site, and recreate their own kit at home...
It may be worth rapidly documenting my experience with more sophisticated modelling tools ? Ask any further questions about them...
1 - I have a Seig C3 Arc Euro 7x14 Chinese lathe (Arc Euro now closed down, but 7x14 Chinese lathes are readily available). Lathes are messy and noisy machines, so I use it in an outside shed workshop. For boats, I make prop tube bearings, shafts and motor connectors on it. You need to learn how to use a lathe, and it's useful to have a tap/die set, a quick-change tool mount and a tailstock die holder. It works well.
2 - I have an eShapeoko CNC cutter - made up from a kit by Amber Spyglass https://amberspyglass.co.uk . The machine is slightly noisy but quite clean, so I use it in an attic workshop in the house. I made a kit up because an important feature of a cnc cutter is the base size, which limits what you can make. I wanted to cut keels and side skins for model boats, so I ordered one with a 1m 'Y' axis. You can get up to 1.5m as standard from Amber. It was the cheapest way I could find to obtain a machine which was suitable for model boat parts in sizes I wanted to make.
To make it up you need to be used to Meccano-type assembly and electronic soldering. You then need to learn to use a 2-d drafting package, save the result in GCode format and use the open source Gcode Sender to send instructions to the cutter. The Amber cutter frame can hold anything - laser cutters, milling tools or other cutters such as a vinyl knife - I use a small high-speed router bought off ebay for about £20.
Holding work firmly on the base is important. I mainly cut balsa sheets for my EeZeBilt boats and have made up a jig which holds 36"x4" balsa sheets. The whole process works well.
3 - I have a Elegoo Saturn 4 Ultra Resin 3-D printer. It is a quiet but messy and slightly smelly machine, which is kept in a dedicated bedroom in the house (on a melamine easy-clean table). I used to have a Phrozen Sonic resin printer - and found that it was hard to set up and the prints would often fail. Eventually the LCD screen ( a critical part that has a shortish life) wore out and I got the Saturn. This is a much better machine, easy to set up and prints rarely fail.
To use it you need to learn to use a 3-D drafting package, then save the output in .STL format and pass it to a 'slicing' package (usually Chitubox) to create the instructions for the cutter. The parts are built onto a metal base which is repeatedly lowered into a bath of resin where layers are repeatedly added. When finished, you have to lever the sticky piece off the base, wash it in alcohol and put it in a UV enclosure to harden. This can be messy and smelly. The parts are made with fine detail, and the machine is suitable for making parts from about 1mm up to 150mm. Typically prints take an hour or so.
4 - I also have a Bambu Lab P1S (actually, my son's) sitting next to the Elegoo Saturn. This is a filament printer which works by moving a print-head over the metal base and squirting a tiny drop of melted plastic into position. This is less messy, but takes a longer time than a resin system - typically several hours. You use the same software to create a drawing and generate instructions for the machine, but you do not need to wash and harden the end product. It is more suitable for making parts with less detail but greater size - perhaps 30mm up to 300mm.
Each machine is optimal for its own specific application, but I find that I use the resin printer most often. It is ideal for model boat fittings from 1/4" to 6" in size, and can produce detail smaller than I can easily see.
For any specialist machine you need to learn how to operate it. But you do not necessarily have to learn how to draw up the parts you wish to make. You can download 3-D drawings off the net, either free or at a price. For EeZeBilt boats, my web site contains both free downloads for 3-D resin model boat fittings, and free downloads of the 2-D cnc cutting paterns for cutting the wood for model boat kits. My aim is that, with suitable modern machinery, anyone who wants an EeZeBilt kit that was available in the UK in the 1960s will be able to buy some wood, download the data from my site, and recreate their own kit at home...
Liked by Tony R and AlessandroSPQR and
Having gone thru several 3D printers in the last 8 years I know the limitations. however, most of my models are in the larger scale area, typical 1/16 for my armor and around the 1/14 - 1/25 scale for most of the boats. (I do have a few out of that range.) For those smaller scales an FDM printer the print jobs are going to be larger objects on the model. For smaller more detail intense the resin printer is the best way to go.
If one needs both but only want one printer, determine what you need the most and look for a printing source to make the other objects. That could be a friend (or family member) or a business (local or internet) that can do the other work. I used Shapeways at on time as they had high end printers (much better than resin), but I thinks they did themselves in.
As for size, my printer is about the size of a 2' X 2' X 2' cube. The print area is about the size of a 6-1/2" cube. Can be set up for a one time calibration or self calibrate before every print. It is fully enclosed (for filament that needs to be printed that way (my case ABS) with a door on the front that swings open. I am real happy with the QIDI X-Smart-3, which I have had for slightly over 3 years. (I did get a second X-Smart-3, still in the box) that QIDI sent to me for free because I gave them feedback on the one I am using. Regardless, of that I still think they are an excellent 3D printer for the money.)
A friend recently bought a Bambu multi color filaments printer (enclosed) for about $5000 (US).
If one needs both but only want one printer, determine what you need the most and look for a printing source to make the other objects. That could be a friend (or family member) or a business (local or internet) that can do the other work. I used Shapeways at on time as they had high end printers (much better than resin), but I thinks they did themselves in.
As for size, my printer is about the size of a 2' X 2' X 2' cube. The print area is about the size of a 6-1/2" cube. Can be set up for a one time calibration or self calibrate before every print. It is fully enclosed (for filament that needs to be printed that way (my case ABS) with a door on the front that swings open. I am real happy with the QIDI X-Smart-3, which I have had for slightly over 3 years. (I did get a second X-Smart-3, still in the box) that QIDI sent to me for free because I gave them feedback on the one I am using. Regardless, of that I still think they are an excellent 3D printer for the money.)
A friend recently bought a Bambu multi color filaments printer (enclosed) for about $5000 (US).
Lew
Florida, USA
Home page: https://www.RCFlorida.org/lmb
Florida, USA
Home page: https://www.RCFlorida.org/lmb
@ColRay Hi, I am not a computer electronics guru, just a simple engineer so I am not sure what you mean? I know it connects with my desk top computer, that I do the drawing on to create the programme. Maybe someone else could answer your querry. I just know it works well. Cheers Ian
Ian Langley
Liked by hermank
@ColRay just upgraded my old Creality Ender 5 Pro with an enclosure. The old machine still does the trick, maybe it is slow but it produces pretty accurate results and I have it dialed in pretty good. I did upgrade it with auto level, glass build plate (use 3d lac) and modified the extruder position.
Liked by hermank
@ColRay I had issues with my wrists and hands a few months ago which badly affected what I could do so fully understand. Apart from enjoying working with timber (and even ply!) I do need to get some parts printed when I'm near to finishing my models. But for what I need it's not really worth buying my own printer but the big issue is a lack of space. My wife often mentions I have too much stuff and I'm struggling to argue against that now! Especially when she says I have models in most rooms now! Managed to get away with "they make nice ornaments"!
Nearly asked how much the Bambu is that you are talking about but won't!
Nearly asked how much the Bambu is that you are talking about but won't!
Scratch building 7 Faireys at a scale of 1:12 and also have 2 built by Dave Milbourn
Liked by hermank
@Fishercat Hi. I to bought a 3D printer to make parts for my Venice water taxi and bought a Bambu A1 and Iits absolutely perfect. I have have used it quite a bit since completion of the water taxi and it performs well. Its the old story, you pay for quality and I could see the quality as soon as I started assembling it. Cheers Ian
Ian Langley
@JockScott with FDM printers, the ONLY machine I would EVER consider used - and that reluctantly - is something with automatic calibration (basically a Bambu) a year or two old or less that has been lightly used and is being sold because the person needed a bigger print bed. Anything else, I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.
These are lightly built consumer machines, and there's a LOT that can go wrong with them. There are a lot of things to calibrate, not just bed height and leveling, but belt tension. The extruder, hot end and nozzle can also be faulty or worn out. Certain kinds of filament will destroy certain kinds of extruders and nozzles. And, if everything isn't right, you don't get a print. Until just 2-3 years ago, all of these calibrations had to be made manually. And, often it was difficult to figure out which of a large number of issues was causing print failure. It could be absolutely infuriating for a beginner.
However, the most recent machines do all the calibration automatically. And, because very competent machines (the Bambu A1 mini) start at $229 (it's a small bed, but it does great work - my friend has one) brand new. I simply could not recommend a used machine. The next step up, the Bambu A1 is a little over $400 brand new. There are other machines that I am not personally familiar with that are less money and are also full featured.
As to resin printers, again the state of the art has been advancing VERY rapidly. But, especially for small and detailed parts, a used machine can be OK if it's fairly new. Mechanically, they're a lot simpler and more robust than FDM printers. The big thing to know about resin printers is that the screen - this is actually a computer tablet display without the backlight - that sits under the resin vat is a wear part. The strong UV bulb beneath it will eventually kill it. So, a heavily used machine is ripe for a repair. Other than that, it's pretty much all about the rigidity of the vertical column that runs the build plate up and down. If the hardware and firmware is working right, the machine should work. I've had luck with my Elegoo machine. That said, there are PLENTY of new machines that are very reasonable in price - just go for a major manufacturer.
These are lightly built consumer machines, and there's a LOT that can go wrong with them. There are a lot of things to calibrate, not just bed height and leveling, but belt tension. The extruder, hot end and nozzle can also be faulty or worn out. Certain kinds of filament will destroy certain kinds of extruders and nozzles. And, if everything isn't right, you don't get a print. Until just 2-3 years ago, all of these calibrations had to be made manually. And, often it was difficult to figure out which of a large number of issues was causing print failure. It could be absolutely infuriating for a beginner.
However, the most recent machines do all the calibration automatically. And, because very competent machines (the Bambu A1 mini) start at $229 (it's a small bed, but it does great work - my friend has one) brand new. I simply could not recommend a used machine. The next step up, the Bambu A1 is a little over $400 brand new. There are other machines that I am not personally familiar with that are less money and are also full featured.
As to resin printers, again the state of the art has been advancing VERY rapidly. But, especially for small and detailed parts, a used machine can be OK if it's fairly new. Mechanically, they're a lot simpler and more robust than FDM printers. The big thing to know about resin printers is that the screen - this is actually a computer tablet display without the backlight - that sits under the resin vat is a wear part. The strong UV bulb beneath it will eventually kill it. So, a heavily used machine is ripe for a repair. Other than that, it's pretty much all about the rigidity of the vertical column that runs the build plate up and down. If the hardware and firmware is working right, the machine should work. I've had luck with my Elegoo machine. That said, there are PLENTY of new machines that are very reasonable in price - just go for a major manufacturer.
Liked by hermank and chugalone100 and
@ColRay Working on this one of and on as I usually print RC aircraft but hey this is also fun see : https://www.printables.com/model/1348500-rc-dutch-canal-tug-boat-ship-amsterdammertje-lisa/comments/3405527
I would strongly suggest not to get a used 3D printer (unless you are buying it from someone you know and trust and can vouch for the printer's capability. Newer ones have improved over ones made only three years ago, better quality, faster, etc. The reason why used ones are on the market is because either they don't work well, need repair, slow, or poor quality, or the owner can no longer use it (deceased, aged).
You need to make some decisions on whether you want a FDM (filament) or resin printer. Resin printers produce very good quality parts, better that FDM. However, FDM printers are much cleaner, no liquid resins to handle and messy clean-ups. You need to think about what kid of parts you want to make, material, quality, etc. You can do a lot of research on your own - so much info on the internet!
I'll give you an example of what I use: QIDI X-Smart-3 FDM printer (now two years old). It is very fast and makes pretty good parts. Because it is enclosed, several months ago I added a heating device to warm up the chamber which helps strengthen the parts by keeping the temperature high (65C) and that helps the layers fuse together. I use ABS on just about everything. It weld-cements parts together, even to styrene material. Superglue works well when fastening to other materials. The printer was about $400 (US) and the heater about $50 (US).
Operation: Make design, open slicer and convert file to g-code, turn on printer and heater, send g-code to printer, start the printing. When done remove the part(s) from the printing plate, post process the parts (sanding, etc.). I left out the many small steps such as settings, but this is the overall process. Again, check YouTube and you can see how other do it.
The photo shows a machine gun, ammo box and tray, ammo belt, rack, all ABS 3D printed. The pedestal is brass/copper material. (I need to clean up the top of the ammo box, noticed it in the photo.)
Recommendation, check local resources (library, schools, or friends) that can get you going on how the process works. There are so many resources out there for already 3D modeled parts, some free, some at a reasonable price, and then the money grabbers.
You need to make some decisions on whether you want a FDM (filament) or resin printer. Resin printers produce very good quality parts, better that FDM. However, FDM printers are much cleaner, no liquid resins to handle and messy clean-ups. You need to think about what kid of parts you want to make, material, quality, etc. You can do a lot of research on your own - so much info on the internet!
I'll give you an example of what I use: QIDI X-Smart-3 FDM printer (now two years old). It is very fast and makes pretty good parts. Because it is enclosed, several months ago I added a heating device to warm up the chamber which helps strengthen the parts by keeping the temperature high (65C) and that helps the layers fuse together. I use ABS on just about everything. It weld-cements parts together, even to styrene material. Superglue works well when fastening to other materials. The printer was about $400 (US) and the heater about $50 (US).
Operation: Make design, open slicer and convert file to g-code, turn on printer and heater, send g-code to printer, start the printing. When done remove the part(s) from the printing plate, post process the parts (sanding, etc.). I left out the many small steps such as settings, but this is the overall process. Again, check YouTube and you can see how other do it.
The photo shows a machine gun, ammo box and tray, ammo belt, rack, all ABS 3D printed. The pedestal is brass/copper material. (I need to clean up the top of the ammo box, noticed it in the photo.)
Recommendation, check local resources (library, schools, or friends) that can get you going on how the process works. There are so many resources out there for already 3D modeled parts, some free, some at a reasonable price, and then the money grabbers.
Lew
Florida, USA
Home page: https://www.RCFlorida.org/lmb
Florida, USA
Home page: https://www.RCFlorida.org/lmb
Liked by JockScott and RNinMunich and
S0me of the new printers are not much extra cash a than a used one Col
The Ender 3 go for a very good price
The Ender 3 go for a very good price
Liked by JockScott and AlessandroSPQR and
Thankyou Fishercat. What would I have to look for (quality/features etc) if I search the second hand market?
Liked by Fishercat and AlessandroSPQR and
Fishercat "There's just too much to go wrong" yes that's what I'm finding out with 'my hand me down' printer Col
Liked by AlessandroSPQR and hermank and
There are 2 kinds of 3D printing. Filament printing, which is what you have in mind, and resin printing (SLA printing).
Filament printing isn't all that well suited to really small parts or small details, but it's a great choice for slightly larger ones. The newest generation of printers cuts about 90% out of the learning curve with resin profiles, auto bed leveling etc. The Bambu A1 and A1 Mini are great for dipping one's toes in the water without costing too much. I don't recommend older or used filament printers. There's just too much to go wrong and older ones were just way too fussy. If you stick to PLA-HT (high temperature tolerant - regular PLA will sag in direct sunlight) filament, you don't even have to dry the filament so long as your ambient humidity is at about 50% or less - so there are very little ancillary costs.
If you use a .2mm nozzle, it can do a surprisingly good job on shapes, though truly small details still aren't good. And, the slow print times with the small nozzle are very much worth it for an amateur like me. I just set the thing to go overnight. I don't have pics of small parts done with my filament printer - I don't use it for small details. I use it for things like motor mounts. It can produce perfect surfaces - if you are willing to sand and fill if necessary. The pic is of the kind of thing I do with filament - it's a 1:8 model of the anchor currently carried by the Pinnace Virginia (museum ship Bath, Maine) - roughly 150mm long.
Resin printing is better suited for fine details and small parts - that's the type of printing they make the tabletop gaming figurines out of. While some resins are reasonably strong (I use Ameralabs TGM-7 - GOOD stuff), most others are brittle. The printers also start at a very reasonable price, though the one I use (Elegoo Saturn 16k) is more money. This is a fairly messy process and uses some nasty chemicals - prints come out dripping in gooey resin and have to be washed off in isopropyl alcohol and then cured with UV light. It's worth it for me. The fine details in the other images - hatch dogs, lifebelt and holder, deck lights, ladder, axe and ports - are all resin printed here (the deck lights are 2 pieces - clear light and white painted guards). The boat itself is wood - only the details are printed.
Of everything in these images, only the axe is a file I downloaded. Everything else I did from scratch in Autodesk Fusion.
The third image is the rudder angle indicator from the helm on this tug - that's as small a part as is practical to print with a resin printer.
Filament printing isn't all that well suited to really small parts or small details, but it's a great choice for slightly larger ones. The newest generation of printers cuts about 90% out of the learning curve with resin profiles, auto bed leveling etc. The Bambu A1 and A1 Mini are great for dipping one's toes in the water without costing too much. I don't recommend older or used filament printers. There's just too much to go wrong and older ones were just way too fussy. If you stick to PLA-HT (high temperature tolerant - regular PLA will sag in direct sunlight) filament, you don't even have to dry the filament so long as your ambient humidity is at about 50% or less - so there are very little ancillary costs.
If you use a .2mm nozzle, it can do a surprisingly good job on shapes, though truly small details still aren't good. And, the slow print times with the small nozzle are very much worth it for an amateur like me. I just set the thing to go overnight. I don't have pics of small parts done with my filament printer - I don't use it for small details. I use it for things like motor mounts. It can produce perfect surfaces - if you are willing to sand and fill if necessary. The pic is of the kind of thing I do with filament - it's a 1:8 model of the anchor currently carried by the Pinnace Virginia (museum ship Bath, Maine) - roughly 150mm long.
Resin printing is better suited for fine details and small parts - that's the type of printing they make the tabletop gaming figurines out of. While some resins are reasonably strong (I use Ameralabs TGM-7 - GOOD stuff), most others are brittle. The printers also start at a very reasonable price, though the one I use (Elegoo Saturn 16k) is more money. This is a fairly messy process and uses some nasty chemicals - prints come out dripping in gooey resin and have to be washed off in isopropyl alcohol and then cured with UV light. It's worth it for me. The fine details in the other images - hatch dogs, lifebelt and holder, deck lights, ladder, axe and ports - are all resin printed here (the deck lights are 2 pieces - clear light and white painted guards). The boat itself is wood - only the details are printed.
Of everything in these images, only the axe is a file I downloaded. Everything else I did from scratch in Autodesk Fusion.
The third image is the rudder angle indicator from the helm on this tug - that's as small a part as is practical to print with a resin printer.
Liked by RNinMunich and AlessandroSPQR and
3D Printer options for small parts
For my 1:150 scale model I am running out of options to acquire, or built parts to scale. I was considering buying a reasonable priced Micro Metal lathe but don't trust the Chinese models for quality and don't want to invest over $1.000. Saw a few 3d Printer second hand on the local market, but have no experience with 3d Printing, particular with associated software. Have had some experience with construction CAD programs. Looking for suggestions from this forum for something low end priced (< $500) which could handle small parts building. I understand critical feature would be a fine nozzle.
Any advice would be helpfull
Any advice would be helpfull
Liked by Julio and AlessandroSPQR and
Liked by
Loading…