SLA /MSLA 3D printing with an Elegoo Mars Ultra - with a model making inclination

[Gary MacKenzie]

Been messing with ''tinkercad'' too , which is more visual program, but aparently uses different logic.

With openscad each command is processed , then the next , in order you have them on the program list
so moving a piece up or down the list alters how it interacts with other pieces

In tinkercad for example , a hole overrides everything else, no matter when you added or deleted a piece, unless I am missing a way to lock pieces so that other things don't interact with them.

Now down the youtube rabbit hole watching tinkercad videos

Ok , different logic , a "group" is the solution , group two or more pieces including hole , and it becomes 1 logical piece so that hole in it doesn't affect other pieces.

 

[wotan]

Like many I will probably never get into 3D printing, at least at home. I do use 3D software though and my choice is Blender. Now this is much more than a 3D drawing program since it can produce things up to full movie quality CGI, with animation etc etc. If I ever decide to try to print something I will probably send one of my files out to a printing service to get the smelly bits done.

John

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Like many I will probably never get into 3D printing, at least at home. I do use 3D software though and my choice is Blender. Now this is much more than a 3D drawing program since it can produce things up to full movie quality CGI, with animation etc etc. If I ever decide to try to print something I will probably send one of my files out to a printing service to get the smelly bits done.

John

If you can handle blender you are streets ahead of me.
I tried blender very early on and lightwave back in the days of an amiga2000 and the theory was good, but my practical abilities, not so much.
I'm messing with software because the delivery company ''evri'' have managed to misplace the heater I orderred to keep the resin at a sensible heat for printing .......

It is still ''delayed'' so two days later isn't next working day.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

The parcel finally arrived.
No explanation of where it's been for 10 days.
Plugged the heater in ......... its as much use as a chocolate fireguard. Didn't raise temp by 1 degree in 90 minutes ( I need at least 15 degree increase.

To make sure it wasn't me having a bad time , I put a old style 60w lamp ( same wattage as the small heater ) into the same space and in less than 60 minutes the temp was up 3 Degrees.

So , need to rethink the heating idea.

Until I can keep enclosure at approx 25 degrees , I can't really do anything and the 10 day delivery really slowed me down.

 

[Dave Ward]

Gary,
you show amazing patience! If it had been me I'd have had a play with this already ( and found out why you have to have a 25C enclosure )......................
Dave

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Gary,
you show amazing patience! If it had been me I'd have had a play with this already ( and found out why you have to have a 25C enclosure )......................
Dave

I have, that's why I know it needs more temp than I have. ( I apologise, thought I had explained, but possibly lost it in a re-edit before posting )
When I get it working I'll show the ''faulty'' results and the ''now i work results''

A failed print either has a 'lump'' or ''nothing'' at low temps, neither of which are helpful

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Result of the test without the right temp




(1) the number of cylinders should equal the number of holes ( 2 ) which it almost manages , BUT , not all cylinders and 'holes'' are there
(3) the infinity sign should have a crisp sharp point, this doesn't quite
(4) horizontal steps are not as crisp as they should be and the writing is blurred ( it's the date of the print )
(5) and (6) should have equal number of lines and gaps and the edges should be crisp.

This points to the temp of the resin being wrong, so it ''flows'' back under the print area slower than it needs to , and the amount of light being projected needing adjusted.
The print is 51mm x 51mm and max of 2 mm thick.

Now working on raising temp and will take another test print and see what it turns out like.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

A few more tests and i am 95% happy with where I am, I can heat the area , but it isn't thermostatically controlled, so that's the fix I need to make.

here are a couple of test pics. 0.05mm layers @ 2.5 seconds exposure



sorry for blurry image , its a 25mm square print , which is used to check overhangs and fine supports holding a square loop in place ...... https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/exposure-tester-v2



The stringing is likely to have been caused by the cleaning action and the fact that you don't cure these tests and I may have been a bit too rough with drying using kitchen towel .....
https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/resinxp2-validation-3d_for_dentistry ---- and no , this should be free , someone is not playing by the rules at that link






all the lettering is readable, so it needs a few tests .1 sec less time , one .1 sec more time

Phrozen's XP Finder and RP Tester Test Model Download and Tutorials

Use the Phrozen XP Finder and RP Tester to help dial in any resin. Download the file and check the tutorial articles or videos to learn more.

phrozen3d.com

I actually think they may all be fractionally over exposed, so will do tests at 2.4 secs per layer first , but that will be tomorrow, as I know that tv , computers and model making warp time , 3d printing has a bigger warp factor.

 

[Dave Ward]

Looking good, Gary - are these printed flat to the build plate, or at an angle? Just wondering how they come off the build plate - watching some of the YouTube vids, it seems to be a bit tricky at times
Dave

 

[Jim R]

Looks like progress both in results and your knowledge. It's certainly interesting to follow.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Looking good, Gary - are these printed flat to the build plate, or at an angle? Just wondering how they come off the build plate - watching some of the YouTube vids, it seems to be a bit tricky at times
Dave

Flat on the plate.
The newer plates have a pattern on them that is a lot easier to get prints off ( and yes I have marked mine already )
These are proof of concept prints, which is why most are never cured, just printed, and cleaned so that you can handle and check
Much like filament each resin needs tweaked settings.

Looks like progress both in results and your knowledge. It's certainly interesting to follow.

It's putting months of research into practice, and it is a steep curve, hopefully getting near the summit now.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Bloody hell that's thorough
I just dived straight in and hoped for the best

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Bloody hell that's thorough
I just dived straight in and hoped for the best

I would have, but i knew the cold could be a major problem, and the printer has an acf film rather than a fep film , so that alters things.
I may be buying fep sheets as replacements rather than acf film if it causes problems.
I am also scared I break the screen with a failed print ( slim chance , I know ) , as there are not many replacements in the wild yet.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

German 1/35th scale dual ''jerry can'' holder



Printed version, still with supports




The slightly sparkly piece is the superglued piece i snapped by being careless
Still some small bits to clean up , helps if you wear the optivisor when you should.

I'm happy with this as a first print.

Once the supports are removed, which I did after curing, next time it will be remove the supports before curing.

 

[David Lovell]

Fantastic ,all dark side of the moon stuff to me but absolutely lovin it ,so intresting watching it all come to fruition.

 

[JR]

I'm with you Dave, your remark about a mobile was true, this is indeed a very black art .

 

[Jim R]

Like Dave and John I haven't a clue what's going on but it sure is interesting.

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

Printed a test character , 28mm , from Tapbleflip Foundry , called ''Puck the adventurer"



Better picture tomorrow, quickly grabbed picture with camera phone, and as you can see he fell and picked up a few dog hairs.

This guy will get cleaned again , and hopefully painted to see how that goes , meanwhile i think i have the resin timings more finely tuned , so printing at 36 micron ( 0.036 mm layer ) height , 2.5 secs per layer = almost 3 hours to print that little guy.
or , if i had filled the plate i could have printed about 30 of him in same time.

This is why, for example , a full 1/35th scale Sherman kit would take days to print all the parts, assuming no failures.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

This is why, for example , a full 1/35th scale Sherman kit would take days to print all the parts, assuming no failures.

True, on a home machine the size of ours ,but even now there are TV sized commercial machines which could do it in one hit,and it's only a matter of time before that technology is utilised more and more in industry. And resins will be more highly developed also (and of course way more expensive),we hobbyists are still in the baby end of the market, wonderful though it is!

 

[Gary MacKenzie]

work in progress