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My son and I have a lot of different filament printers (both commercial and home builds) and I was thinking maybe it is time to dip our toes into the resin printer pool? Anyone having success with their resin printers? Anyone have advice on specific brands or models? Something that actually works? Maybe we will see something cool at Maker Faire in a couple of weeks?
Ive been using a couple of resin printers lately: the Form1+ and the B9 Creator. Neither is perfect, but both work, at least most of the time. The Form1+ is good for making small fine-grained parts that will be used directly, while the B9 is mostly used for making patterns that will be burned out and cast using the lost-wax method. I've been working with a guy trying to re-engineer the resin vat for the Form1+; he's on the verge of producing some aftermarket vats that should improve performance a lot. I've also been using an aftermarket vat in the B9; the resin tanks seem to be the weak points of these designs.
What did you want to use a resin printer for?
Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com
We do not have a specific use for it yet, just like to mess with different technologies.
Alright, here's my question. Does your pdms/ sillicone unstick itself if you attempt to print large surface?
A certain 75US$ vat tends to fail miserably when printing large surface, the sillicone just peeled itself with large print. On top of that, their support technic told me to wash the acrylic vat with ISP alchohol.......
I want to know if your vat has any kind of this issue.
We're still testing it, but the results look good so far. Adhesion to the glass is better than to the acrylic, but I haven't tried printing anything with a base that covers the whole surface yet - it sounds like we should. It was the shortcomings of the supplied vat that sent me on this quest, one of the principal ones being that you can't clean them out (using isopropynol, which is the recommended solvent for the resin) without seriously degrading the acrylic. If you want to contribute your thoughts to this effort, there's a Glass Tank thread on the Formlabs support forum with a link to a survey: http://forum.formlabs.com/t/glass-tank/4171/83
Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com
When they upgraded their new liner to this one, all I can see is a joke. That much plasticity deformation will eventually lead to printer's death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgALH8PcjQ4
I am also currently designing my own vat for the pegasus touch, 75$ for pissed poor quality acrylic vat with plenty of stress concentration, was the reason that push me looking for a DIY version.
I do not have much experience with pyrex glass, I don't know if you can use those silicone caulk for glass to glue them.
I do have a big sheet of acrylic (3mm) that I planned to thermoform and shape box. Planning to use it for the vat, but I would prefer to go with glass, since it will be harder to scratch.
Also for your silicone are you using the one from sylgard?
Yes, we're using Sylgard, but I'm not thrilled with it. It tends to form cloudy spots and erode where the light hits it repeatedly. So I'd love to hear about optically clear silicone rubber alternatives that were more robust. There are also issues that arise when you coat the tank where the glue joints are - Sylgard is a platinum-cure silicone, which means that it's not only expensive but it's very touchy about what it will cure next to. Other types of rubber can inhibit the cure, leaving you with sticky areas in the PDMS. So if you're trying to work out an alternative vat, I'd strongly urge you to test the Sylgard up against whatever silicone caulk you plan to use before committing a lot of time and materials.
Andrew Werby
Juxtamorph.com
Been testing the Ember Printer the last few weeks and so far I really like it. Cannot speak to the longevity of the Vats but I think you can buy two for $100US whenever they get cloudy. Their printer design and resin are open source and it allows you to use any resin you want. The accompanying software is still in beta right now, so you have to upload it to Autodesk's website to convert to the file type the Ember needs. They recommend Meshmixer for adding supports. Not as fast as other resin printers I've used, but the quality is very high.
Thanks bford903
Did you actually buy the Ember, or did they give you one to play with? I have a hard time understanding the value proposition there; it's nearly twice the price of the Form1+, has a much smaller part volume, and the software that makes it work is still a work in progress. Is the "open source" aspect so compelling as to make it worth purchasing? How many people really want to tinker with the source code for these things? Most people seem to just want something that works....
This article discusses some of these issues: http://3dprint.com/45084/autodesk-ember-available-now/
Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com
The company I recently started working for bought an Ember for testing. I never mentioned anything about value proposition; merely that it is a viable option as far as resin printers go. Since the software is still in beta, they currently have a different process for loading files onto the printer, but it's not difficult. When you load your file onto the Ember website to convert it to the file type the Ember uses, you have the option to print with any resin you want and the optimum settings are already loaded, put there by the community. However, you can tweak the settings to your heart's desire if you wish. It also integrates with that 3D scanner app, 123D Catch, but I haven't tested that yet. As far as "open source" goes, I'm not a tinkerer, but it is available if you're so inclined.
I've never used a Form1+ so I cannot speak about quality and ease of use, but I can tell you that the Ember "just works" and prints very well. I'm very impressed with what I've seen from the Form1+ as well. A representative from FormLabs was nice enough to send me some sample prints last year; a ring in their castable material, and the "twisted rook" which I have on display in my home.
The company I work for does not sell the Ember. I'm just saying that for the last few weeks I've been testing it, and I like it.
I use a B9Creator a resin printer dor printing miniatures.
i usually print very small miniatures - a man sized miniature is 6mm high.
Samples on my website : http://brumbaer.de/index.php/3d-printing
Check out the airfield, especially the tower interior.
Or the Ork army under http://brumbaer.de/index.php/epic-armageddon/35-orks
For larger models look at the Goblin Trombone or the Bastion or The Fortress.
The detail of the printer is fantastic way better than Filament printers (I own an Ultimaker as well). The models are sturdy enough for play, but do not match the strength of ABS or even PLA.
The nice thing about the B9 resin is that you can invest it in a mold, burn it out and cast metal into the resultant void. If strength's important to you, have them cast in bronze. Considering the size of your parts, it shouldn't cost too much.
Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com
HellobAndrew,Quote:
Originally Posted by awerby
despite being true, the argument doesn't count fot the comparison of printing technologies, as it adds an additional time and money consuming step not inherent to the technology.
it's like saying a small build space is no disadvantage, because you can divide a large model into smaller parts. Or like saying that you can increase the surface quality of a fdm print with vapour and use a milling machine to add the missing fine details.
The B9 is the right tool for most things I do, but there are one or two things the Ultimaker 2 is better suited for.
With my older standard-def v1.1 B9 printer, Red resin worked fine and I printed nearly a jug's worth before seeing faint clouding. It was only when testing that printer with the then-new Cherry resin, I needed to crank the layer exposure times to around 14 seconds... that's about the limit for PDMS at that lumen level.
My recent results with the new v1.2 B9 Creator HD:
http://b9c.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f...art=120#p32398
In addition to the insane detail, the HD projector brings a higher power lamp... this means that each layer's exposure time is only in the 1-2 second range. All the moaning about PDMS clouding is a thing of the past with the new machine. Almost 30 print sessions with a combo of Black and Cherry prints and the PDMS remains crystal clear.
Attachment 7192
I have the same question with you, I know B9 and form1+ are all good, but they are too expensive for me. I recently find another printer, XYZprinting Nobel, it is only 1499, I just don't know how it performance. But according to some review it looks not bad.
Impressive work!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brumbaer
The best will be to get a sample of one of your designs printed on the printer your interested on.Quote:
Originally Posted by abc0903
The xy resolution is specified with 0.3 mm, which is very low, if it is voxel to voxel distance. If it is feature size it it not bad, but not good either. In comparison the voxel distance in xy of a B9 is 0.03mm read ten times better. The feature size on the B9 will be somewhere between .1 and .15 mm.
Be carefull with reviews, many people testing 3d printers come from other fields of expertise, so they might find the quality great, but just haven't seen what other printers can deliver.
Many reviews and comparisons are done without the "tester" ever having laied hand on the printer(s) or even a printout. Printers have a learning curve and you have to spend some time with a printer to get the best result. Something most testers don't have.
Also the technology is changing fast and you can't stay uptodate on every detail. So some things will be repeated again and again despite the fact that they are obsolete.
Look for forums where people discuss the printers, their use and problems and where you can see samples of what people can do.
Keep in mind that people without problems usually post less than peoples with problems.
Look how fast people get help on the forum.
I for one am sceptic of an manufacturer who has no open forum, I always suspect he has something to hide - but that's just a personal quirk.
Best find somebody willing to print you a sample of one of your designs. Decide on how you like the result and remember that you have to be satisfied by the print quality, print speed and handling. No need to pay fore something youdo not need.
Has anybody here looked at the LittleRP or better yet have experience building it?Quote:
Originally Posted by abc0903