iamsuperdan Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Seems like many of us have taken the plunge and entered the world of 3D printing. It's been suggested we have a discussion thread, so here it is. A place to discuss printers, types of resin, sources for files, issues, awesome stuff you're doing, etc. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Just did these for a member. It was a nice little project. Designed in Alibre CAD and printed on an Anycubic Photon Zero. Still learning to use both. I like to use Blender for file cleanup and repair. It has so many features it kind of intimidates me though. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodent Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 Is it possible to ignore a thread? I am afraid that if I follow this thread it may be damaging to my bank account, LOL. 2 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 4 hours ago, Rodent said: Is it possible to ignore a thread? I am afraid that if I follow this thread it may be damaging to my bank account, LOL. Funny thing - although the machines are, like, $300, I’m looking at the price of printing a part (which the software will tell you, based on what you paid for resin and how much a part uses) and I’m like “I can print this whole body for 50 cents?! DEAL! I can see my machine paying for itself pretty fast… I ordered a set of 3D printed artillery wheels a couple of months back on eBay and they were like $10 delivered. I have the file they were printed from here and the resin cost is 15 cents. Of course, there’s other consumables to factor in, but I’m really impressed so far… I’ve just recently got the AnyCubic Photon 4k, and I’ve been having some OK results with it considering I never used one before. Right now, about half of what I print works out right and is usable, and I’m starting to learn what does and doesn’t work. First thing I printed worked GREAT and tricked me into thinking this was easy: I’ve since printed this (which took two tries, but I got it on the second go around) And next thing I want to try is wheels and tires - I tried a set tonight and they HALF worked but two of the tires didn’t print: I think the software is adding WAY too many supports to those tires too (even though it lost two in the tank)…the ones nearest the camera had so many supports they entirely covered the tread on the bottom of the tire ?) Has anyone had any success printing tires and wheels? Could I see how yours look with the supports and whatnot? I’m guessing the angle they sit at is really important too… This stuff is so exciting - you need some computer skills and decent analytical skills to solve problems, but I’m having a blast! Thanks for starting this thread @iamsuperdan! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 I participate on a model RR forum and members there have been using 3D printers for several years. There is a 3D printing section chock full of useful info (like all the special tricks they use when printouts fail). I realize that that it is a model RR forum, but printing 3D parts is printing 3D parts, regardless of what type of a model they are for. I don't think you have to be a member to view that forum. All ya all will likely find threads there useful, and learn something there. https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?board=45.0 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) Jim, it looks like your build plate was maybe a bit too "crowded" to print the tires? You may have to angle the parts up a bit more to make more room..........or just separate them out if things are a bit tight. As of now, I'm looking through files to see what I can print that's relatable to what I'm doing at the moment. We have a club meeting later this morning, but when I get home I may try to print one of the available .stl files I'm getting from this place. Edited February 5, 2022 by MrObsessive Non Functioning URL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 (edited) Good tips - thanks Bill! Trying again this morning with more angle and just a single set (two tires, two wheels) Also trying adding my own supports so that they don’t ruin the tread pattern as much as the automatically generated supports did. Guess we’ll see in a couple of hours if it worked or not! I’ve been enjoying Cults3D for hunting down cool stuff to print (and there’s no shortage of stuff on there) - like this! https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/hotrod-ford-flathead-3-versions-frenzel-supercharged-4x2-carb-1x2-carb Or this: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/peel-p50-printable-car Or even a lawn tractor ? https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/gt5-1-25-garden-tractor-model Edited February 5, 2022 by CabDriver 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1930fordpickup Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 How long does it take to print the 4 tires and wheels? I have so many questions that I should stop myself before I end up with one of these. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 1 hour ago, CabDriver said: Good tips - thanks Bill! Trying again this morning with more angle and just a single set (two tires, two wheels) Also trying adding my own supports so that they don’t ruin the tread pattern as much as the automatically generated supports did. Guess we’ll see in a couple of hours if it worked or not! I’ve been enjoying Cults3D for hunting down cool stuff to print (and there’s no shortage of stuff on there) - like this! https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/hotrod-ford-flathead-3-versions-frenzel-supercharged-4x2-carb-1x2-carb Or this: https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/peel-p50-printable-car Or even a lawn tractor ? https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/gt5-1-25-garden-tractor-model I use Lychee as well and its one of the best for resin printers. I typically run the auto supports but then move the slider in the Prepare section and look for problems. Slicers can miss islands, which will cause a fail or sag. Also, depending on the part I sometimes add one medium support at the lower rear to anchor them. Btw, nice tire & wheel set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeatMan Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 42 minutes ago, 1930fordpickup said: How long does it take to print the 4 tires and wheels? I have so many questions that I should stop myself before I end up with one of these. LOL Look at the lower left corner, it shows an approximation there. It shows 1hr, 46min, which is an estimate. On mine its usually about 20 minutes longer than their estimate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrObsessive Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 59 minutes ago, MeatMan said: Look at the lower left corner, it shows an approximation there. It shows 1hr, 46min, which is an estimate. On mine its usually about 20 minutes longer than their estimate. When I did my first test piece last week on my printer, it was initially for two hours. Nope........with the resolution I had it set at as I wanted it to be as smooth as possible, it was just over five hours for it to get done. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to try my first printing of a model part......a Dyno stand for engines. I can betcha that will take at least five hours or better for that to get done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinkybritches Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 I would like to list a few tips that I have gathered over the last few months of resin printer ownership. 1) Make sure your build plate is level. It doesn't have to be checked after every print, but definitely check it If you start having print failures. 2) Dial in your exposure time. Too little exposure can cause your part to separate from the supports during printing. Too much exposure can cause loss of detail and part fitment issues due to the part being bigger than designed. Too much exposure can also make support removal difficult. I will post links to 3 popular exposure files when I can get to a PC. 3) Temperature is important. Resin does not like cold temps. Most of the resin manufacturers give a temperature range for their products. Lots of people put their printers in an enclosure with a small space heater if they have to print in a cold space. Sitting the bottle of resin in a pan of hot tap water for a few minutes also helps. 4) Clean and cure your parts per the resin manufacturer's recommendations, if they provide any. I mostly use Siraya Tech resins. They provide a lot of useful information on all of their resins on their website as well as their Facebook group. 5) If you use Facebook, join the group for your printer. Their will be lots of knowledgeable people to help with most any problem you may run into. Also join a group for your chosen resin. Again, lots of knowledge. 6) Be safe. At the very least wear gloves and safety glasses. The above tips are just the basics I can come up with at the moment. I've only been printing for approximately 6 months and these tips have been very helpful to me. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinkybritches Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Here are links to 3 popular resin exposure test files and how to use them. 1. https://siraya.tech/pages/siraya-tech-test-model There you will find the file to download and an explanation of how to use it and how to interpret the results. 2. https://3dprinterly.com/how-to-calibrate-resin-3d-prints-testing-for-resin-exposure/ Here you will find a download and explanation of the XP resin validation file. Also has info for Anycubic printers. 3. https://ameralabs.com/blog/town-calibration-part/ Another file with good explanation. I hope this is helpful to new resin printer users. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 6, 2022 Author Share Posted February 6, 2022 19 hours ago, CabDriver said: Has anyone had any success printing tires and wheels? Could I see how yours look with the supports and whatnot? I’m guessing the angle they sit at is really important too… I've done quite a few sets of wheels/tires. Haven't taken any pics of them still on the supports though! I've had the best results printing the tires flat on the print platform, sitting on supports. Takes up more space, but I haven't had a fail yet. I did a set of tires standing upright, and they worked just fine, but took a lot more work to clean up; removing all evidence of the supports. Will get some pics tomorrow, as I will be doing some more printing. Will try and take pics of the whole process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, iamsuperdan said: I've done quite a few sets of wheels/tires. Haven't taken any pics of them still on the supports though! I've had the best results printing the tires flat on the print platform, sitting on supports. Takes up more space, but I haven't had a fail yet. I did a set of tires standing upright, and they worked just fine, but took a lot more work to clean up; removing all evidence of the supports. Will get some pics tomorrow, as I will be doing some more printing. Will try and take pics of the whole process. Thanks Dan! I’d be interested to see that! Did three runs at getting some tires and wheels printed today and definitely got CLOSER anyway… First completely successful print WAS with them laying down, like you mentioned - ditto the wheels. Print quality was best with them angled up slightly though, virtually no lines or imperfections aside from the issue with figuring out where to put the supports. I had enough of printing wheels for one day so I’m trying a random mix of various other parts I’ve been wanting to try this evening…I’m hoping I can get some good nut and bolt heads printed…I’m getting low on Tichy Train ones that I normally like and it would be cool to be able to just print a bunch of sizes instead. Plus, had some seats and a grill and some other little geegaws I wanted to see printed: Edited February 6, 2022 by CabDriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills72sj Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 I am going to follow this thread. I almost invested in a 3D printer but found exactly what I was looking for from Auslowe. I recently purchased a number of items from a vendor on Shapeways. I was QUITE impressed with the quality of the items I ordered. I have the funds to invest in a printer but I do not have anyplace where I could set it up or store it. (Small house shared with an awesome wife). I also still have the problem where I am buying stuff WAY faster than I can build it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my66s55 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 8 hours ago, CabDriver said: Thanks Dan! I’d be interested to see that! Did three runs at getting some tires and wheels printed today and definitely got CLOSER anyway… First completely successful print WAS with them laying down, like you mentioned - ditto the wheels. Print quality was best with them angled up slightly though, virtually no lines or imperfections aside from the issue with figuring out where to put the supports. I had enough of printing wheels for one day so I’m trying a random mix of various other parts I’ve been wanting to try this evening…I’m hoping I can get some good nut and bolt heads printed…I’m getting low on Tichy Train ones that I normally like and it would be cool to be able to just print a bunch of sizes instead. Plus, had some seats and a grill and some other little geegaws I wanted to see printed: Printing flat on the build plate whenever is good, but printing on supports need to be on an angle. The backs of those seats are going to be bumpy and need a lot of work to make them smooth. Here is a video showing how to find the right angle to get a perfect print. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs2Rb0ExnIM 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 16 hours ago, my66s55 said: Printing flat on the build plate whenever is good, but printing on supports need to be on an angle. The backs of those seats are going to be bumpy and need a lot of work to make them smooth. Here is a video showing how to find the right angle to get a perfect print. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qs2Rb0ExnIM That video was great - thank you! Getting something to print well is one thing…getting it so the supports don’t ruin the detail is QUITE another@iamsuperdan - does the forum support the upload of .stl files? Would be cool to be able to share designs somehow; we have some super-talented designers on the site here! At the other end of the spectrum of 3D design skills, here’s a little something I came up with today - wheel holders so your wheels and tires don’t keep rolling away when you’re doing mock-ups: Super easy to design in CAD and took maybe 20 minutes to print - these things are gonna be a game changer at my bench! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinkybritches Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 Nice wheel holders Jim. I'm hoping to print some tires very soon using Resione F69 rubber-like resin. Maybe by this weekend. I will post pictures of my results. https://www.resione.com/products/f69-black-flexible-rubber-like-3d-printer-resin-1kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 9 hours ago, CabDriver said: @iamsuperdan - does the forum support the upload of .stl files? Would be cool to be able to share designs somehow; we have some super-talented designers on the site here! At the other end of the spectrum of 3D design skills, here’s a little something I came up with today - wheel holders so your wheels and tires don’t keep rolling away when you’re doing mock-ups: Super easy to design in CAD and took maybe 20 minutes to print - these things are gonna be a game changer at my bench! That is a very good question! I'll ask our IT guru and see if that's possible. If not, will see if it could be made possible. We would need to be very cognizant of the source of the .stl file. If it's something that someone here designed, then no problem. However, we can't just start posting cool things we've picked up or found online. In the meantime, I'd try and attach a file, see what happens! Great job on the wheel holders! I'd be down for a set of those. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 45 minutes ago, stinkybritches said: Nice wheel holders Jim. I'm hoping to print some tires very soon using Resione F69 rubber-like resin. Maybe by this weekend. I will post pictures of my results. https://www.resione.com/products/f69-black-flexible-rubber-like-3d-printer-resin-1kg Thanks buddy! I saw someone using that rubber-resin online...I'll be really interested to see how you like it! I'd bet you'd need to do some careful clean-up of your tray after using it so it doesn't contaminate future parts...but I'd love to try it on some smaller parts too and see how it performs. Imagine being able to print toothed blower belts, and rubber gaiters for shifters and floor mats! Way cool! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 Just did a test. Currently .stl files cannot be uploaded. Looking into adding that feature. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamsuperdan Posted February 7, 2022 Author Share Posted February 7, 2022 6 minutes ago, CabDriver said: Thanks buddy! I saw someone using that rubber-resin online...I'll be really interested to see how you like it! I'd bet you'd need to do some careful clean-up of your tray after using it so it doesn't contaminate future parts...but I'd love to try it on some smaller parts too and see how it performs. Imagine being able to print toothed blower belts, and rubber gaiters for shifters and floor mats! Way cool! The rubber resin is significantly more expensive than the normal resin too. I think I'd consider buying a second resin tank specifically for the rubber resin, if I was going to try that. Looks great, but I've been pretty happy with the results I'm getting on the normal resin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CabDriver Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 9 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said: Just did a test. Currently .stl files cannot be uploaded. Looking into adding that feature. That would be really cool! Thanks Dan! 8 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said: The rubber resin is significantly more expensive than the normal resin too. I think I'd consider buying a second resin tank specifically for the rubber resin, if I was going to try that. Looks great, but I've been pretty happy with the results I'm getting on the normal resin. Good idea - I just looked at replacement/spare tanks for my little AnyCubic and they're not super expensive...that would be a good solution. Probably doesn't hurt to have a spare here anyway for when the plastic film on the tank starts to get to the point of needing replacing too - I already nicked mine in one little spot trying to get some baked-on resin off of it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my66s55 Posted February 8, 2022 Share Posted February 8, 2022 Here is my tip for the day. I just learned this myself last month. Do not remove the supports from your print after it's done printing. Instead, clean it up and put it into a container of hot water. It should be about 130-140 degree's F. Cover it if you can and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Remove it and the supports will come of easily. Some will even fall off. Some might not come off easily. Clip them as close to the part as possible. I use a straight edge razor blade to cut it off at the surface or some times you can use something to push the stub off. The result is that you eliminate pits. I didn't believe this at first, but I tried it on my last print and it works. Hot water softens the supports and won't damage the print. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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