SLA/DLP Printers

Those liquid resin SLA/DLP 3D Printers have intrigued me for years ever since I saw a blog where someone built their own out of a DLP projector from a TV. But I hadn’t realized you could now buy one for around $500, previously they had cost thousands of US dollars.  The detail you can achieve on those is very impressive. I understand it’s a bit slower than filament printers but obviously well worth the wait.

How well does the resin keep when not in use?

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Absolutely gorgeous.

And you paint it best by printing the individually painted pieces as separately applied parts.  It may mean assembly is mire difficult, but it's much easier to apply a part with a pair of tweezers than it is to maintain perfect separations between two separately colored areas on the same surface.

Flip this one over and tie it down on top of an SUV...

I have had no plans on buying my own printer as I enjoy the products shipped by Shapeways.  But if this gets any more affordable than what you just presented, this will be on the Christmas list...this hobby is getting ridiculous over here...

Nice results!

Nice print! I'm also enjoying the resolution I'm getting from my Photon prints for N Scale. May I ask what layer thickness you're using? Looks like you've got the early generation photon - any issues with power supply or z wobble? Did you sand your build plate?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure out how common the issues are with this printer. Mine had minor firmware issues and a warped build plate, but nothing that couldn't be fixed.

Impressive details

Impressive details!  I would think an HO vehicle would fit in that size window and with the loss of Jordan vehicles someone could offer a full line of cars and trucks.

Robert

texture?

  Does this have the same texture or printer lines in it like most 3D printed parts?

Questions...

How well does the resin keep?

The instructions recommend storing the resin inside a lightproof container and not leaving it in the resin vat however I've left the resin in the vat for over 2 months without any issues, I make sure I put in into a draw so no sunlight hardens the resin.
As for general shelf life, I've got a bottle of the green Anycubic resin that I've had for over 9 months and it works perfectly well, I've even poured half into the vat and then back into the bottle numerous times and it's not showing any signs of decay.

Layer thickness?

The settings I used to print the boat with the Monocure Grey resin are... Layer Height 0.035, Exposure time 12 sec, Off time 6.5 sec and Bottom layers 4.

Any issues with Z wobble, power supply & sanding the build plate?

I experience just a very slight Z wobble but I've found by orientating the parts at 45 degrees from the Z axis as well as the X & Y axis I can avoid it being too obvious. 
I've had no problems with the power supply and the build plate is pretty much perfectly flat so no issues there.

Does this have the same texture or printer lines in it like most 3D printed parts?

The layer lines are way less noticeable than regular FDM 3D printing, almost to the point that they are impossible to see! I had the layer height set to 0.035mm for the boat and it can be set as low as 0.025mm, most FDM 3D printers have a minimum layer height of 0.1mm which is good but in comparison it is more noticeable.

I hope that answers some of the questions. The quality is amazing and it's only getting better over time! There is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to designing models and figuring out the best settings for printing but there are plenty of forums with specific information on getting the best results. It's definitely worth the investment if you plan on making your own details.

Great print and thanks for

Great print and thanks for the answers provided.

I got a couple more questions since i am interested in DLP printers.

1. Do you print at an angle in order to avoid z-wobble or also for easier removal of the part from the plate? Would it be difficult to safely/easily remove a flat(-ish) part from the plate like the boat, a car-side etc...(without skewing/bending/breaking the part)? I know that on an FDM machine with a flexible/removable plate, that is doable for example.

2. With respect to the resin itself, potential fumes and possible toxicity: Do you get any fumes/smell by leaving the resin in the vat for some time, or during cleaning of the parts / build-plate with IPA etc? 

Thanks again!

Painted Dinghy

Now that the dinghy has been assembled and painted you can get a better idea of the type of quality you can get out of a resin 3D printer.

 All the details are printed in HO scale, the Marty McFly figure is 2cm tall to give you an idea of size and the Ewok from Star Wars is 1.2cm tall.

Painting

Luke, I think your actually painting of those things is an unmentioned huge success.  The clean lines and separation is better than you get from a lot of pre-painted manufacturers.  Any tips on that?

Painting...

Thanks Dave,

I used Tamiya flexible masking tape for some of the straight lines on the dinghy, the rest is just trying to be as steady as possible with a fine tip paint brush.

My two main workhorses for painting ultra fine detail on my smallest models like the dinghy and the figures are shown in the photo below.

 As for the alligator, it was painted with my Iwata Revolution Airbrush, there was a little trick I used to get the speckled look on the back of the alligator (it's hard to see in the photo but it makes a big difference), I turn the pressure down to something like 2 or 3 psi and start applying paint, because the pressure is so low the paint splatters out in fine spots rather than a mist and it gives a nice speckled look.

It works well for mud splatter as well.

It's not something I've not shown in any videos before but it's a good little trick that gives a nice effect. Something like what we used to do with a tooth brush to flick paint.

What I usually do to paint figures is mount the figure to a skewer and then fix it to the desk, then with both hands I hold the paint brush and make very small strokes starting at a distance from the figure gradually moving closer to the figure while making the stroke movements until paint starts to be applied to the desired area. 

Hope that makes sense... It's something that is easier to show in a video rather than explain! I should make a video on painting figures I guess 

Cheers
Luke

As always, looking forward to

As always, looking forward to your next YouTube installment. One question.. What do you do with all the dioramas that you model. Are any of them sold or built for model companies. I just imagine your house full of these fine models and a wife that is frustrated having to dust around them. 

Good stuff

I don't have the steadiest hands when it comes to the fine detail stuff, but it's the fine details like you show that really make a scene, so I want to improve.  

Anycubic Photon and resin 3D printers

For those who may not know about resin 3D printers, and especially the Anycubic Photon, here are some things you need to be aware of.

1. Working with resin is very messy. Filament 3D printers are a piece of cake compared to the cleaning hassle of resin 3D printers.

2. Anycubic Photon resin is extremely smelly. You may need to banish the printer to someplace where you don't have to smell the fumes, so be prepared for this additional hassle.

3. Anycubic Photon resin is hazardous stuff. You must cautiously handle it with gloves and goggles to avoid contact. Filament 3D printers are a walk in the park compared to this resin.

4. Once the part is finished, you need to cure it with UV light. Before it is cured, handle the soft part with care to avoid damaging it.

5. Once you're done doing the printing and don't expect to use the printer again in the next few day or so, you need to do a thorough cleanup process not unlike what you do when you're done using an airbrush. If you leave an uncleaned resin printer just sit for more than a couple days, you risk damaging it.

This all said, the Anycubic Photon printer does amazingly smooth and fine detail for a $500 3D printer. Watch this video for more info on resin 3D printers and how to deal with them safely.

Before you buy....

Form experience, make sure you think about these things before you buy:

- You will work with chemicals. Don't under estimate this! Be prepared, be really careful. Stick to proper procedures.

- Cleaning up involves handling contaminated parts. When the print finished it costs me about 20 minutes to clean well and safe. Don't rush! If you might not have time to clean well delay the printwork.

- Prepare your workspace. Lots of paper towels, bottles alcohol and vynil gloves (not latex as I understand those are not for chemicals). Some disposable containers. The workspace should be dedicated with an easy to clean surface as the printed parts, coated in liquid resin, can pop of the build plate in an unforseen direction.

- Cleaning your printed part in alcohol will leave resin in the alcohol. As the alcohol interferes with the curing proces you end up with a mix of toxic uncured resin in alcohol which is an environmental hazard. For now I store it until I have found a way to seperate the resin form the alcohol so it can be cured in sunlight or UV lamp and safely disposed.

- Block out sunlight. My AnyCubic Photon was struck with a sunlight beam a short time. The resin in the vat and on the outside of the build plate cured instantly. I couldn't remove it so had to buy a new vat. Bought also yellow UV filter replacement window parts… You might not need those replacement windows if your space is closed (but still well ventilated).

That all said, the printwork is much much much better than that produced with my M3D filament printer, for me it's worth all the hassle although I print less frequent. Combining printwork is possible without extra printing time. It is also possible to print in quick succession so cleaning up is only needed at the very end.

Good luck!

- Gion

Free 3D models in HO scale?

Excellent work!! I congratulate you!!
This printer is spectacular and I will buy it right now!
I fully understand that the most purist is to make the models in 3D yourself.
But that is very difficult with people, animals, etc, so I ask all lovers of model trains and 3D printing: Do you know websites with free 3D models in HO scale?

Thank you very much and keep creating.
Claudio

3D plans

Take a look at https://www.thingiverse.com/ - you'll need to search around as things can be indexed under a variety of terms.

Places to get 3D files...

As Jeff mentioned one of the biggest is Thingiverse plus here are a few extras below:

https://www.thingiverse.com/

https://www.myminifactory.com/

https://pinshape.com/

https://www.tinkercad.com

Just to name a few, I'm sure there are plenty more but these seem to be the most common ones. Also Tinkercad is an online design platform meaning you can quickly and easily make basic designs yourself and it is pretty intuitive. There are significant limitations using Tinkercad over a proper 3D design program but for basic designs it's perfect.

Another tip you might find useful, some of the 3D files you download may be in separate parts, for example the dinghy was in 35 different parts! I uploaded all the separate parts into Tinkercad using the 'import' button and then assembled the dinghy and saved it as a complete model. This works well depending on how the model is orientated for printing.

Definitely do some research on how to get the best results using the Anycubic Photon, there are plenty of videos on YouTube and I also suggest watching the video Joe shared in the above post, Angus shows many of the precautions that should be taken when using 405nm UV sensitive resin. It's nothing to be scared, just make sure to wear gloves and avoid touching the resin with bare hands just like you wouldn't touch polyurethane glue or photo etching fluid.

Lastly the resin is quite smelly, I have my printer set up in my downstairs storage room next to the garage. I strongly suggest not setting this up in your lounge room! A garage is a good place for this printer, the smell quickly dissipates when finished printing but it gets quite overpowering during the print.

Anybody tried creating trees

Anybody tried creating trees for scenery using 3d printing? I've seen models for trees, and the pines look like they might be decent, but I have no idea how slow it would be to print up a forest of pine trees, or if the cost of materials (excepting the printer) would exceed the cost of ready-made HO trees.

disposing of used alcohol

Keep it till its cloudy then pour it in a disposable plastic.  Place in the sun till ALL the alcohol is evaped.  The left behind resin will cure and you can throw it away.  Maybe recycle it.

< https://www.bouldercreekrailroad.com/anycubic-photon-review.html>  Quote below:

The methylated spirits lives in a jar on the shelf and I use it numerous times but when it does get too dirty I pour it into a disposable container and leave it out in the sun. The methylated spirits or alcohol evaporates and the residual resin cures to the bottom of the container. I do this over and over until the disposable container is unusable and I throw it into the rubbish. You don’t want to pour the contaminated mixture into the garden as it will kill whatever plant life is there!

I am at a total loss to

I am at a total loss to explain and understand US postal charges - we have been complaining for some time about being ripped off on ebay with postal charges from USA to UK - so today I found a real classic.  I thought I would follow Boulder Creeks advice and checked the price for the paint brushes he uses - I can get them from Hyatts for a discounted price of $2.37 each - so for the two - less than US$6 . Then I check the price for shipping to me here in Scotland - which, let us face it, is really a case of taping them to a piece of card and popping them into a "Jiffy bag"( padded envelope) - quoted price US$31.95 !!!  Holy Cow!  I can  get an HO loco shipped from the US for less.  Somebody, somewhere is coining it in. (a UK expression meaning" making a lot of money") on postal charges!

3D Resen Cleanup

Gentlemen. I can no more than praise Luke Towan not only on 3D printing,(which in my opinion is far better than what I've seen from Shapeways)' but on all his modeling endeavours. He's just a master at his craft.

I however I am so intimidated with Cad workup (I've tried Sketchup) that I'm no where near doing my own printing...and I have LOTS to print!

 But even though I'm a dunce at what all of you know I have what I think is an intelligent question ie. Isn't evaporating solvents (including alcohol and mineral spirits) into the air as polluting as much as a quart in a land fill is to the ground and water?

If CAD intimidates you....

Take a look at Tinkercad. It's web based, and works by adding (and subtracting...) "primitives", simple shapes that can  be adjusted and resized.

You can export files for printing. You can invite people to collaborate if you get stuck. It's worth taking a look, and it's free to use (you don't download it, it's in the cloud) Besides the CAD, there's a lego-like brick builder, and electronics as well.

https://www.tinkercad.com

Here's a screenshot of a CNG Fuel Tender I designed in Tinkercad for my railroad.