Brian.. Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 Here's an old favorite of mine. The print lines have vanished, and it's just 1 1/2 inches (40mm) tall . It's like something out of a factory. I haven't cured it yet - for some odd reason there's no bloody sunshine here. The hole is to let resin out., but I don't think it's necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted July 28, 2019 Author Share Posted July 28, 2019 I was concerned that the resin would be brittle, but it isn't. I'm using cheap Elegoo grey resin. It has little or no smell and the parts have a pleasant solid feel. I've dropped them a couple of times and they've bounced. If you want to print big walking robots this isn't the printer for you. You need definitely want the likes of an Ender or a Prusa. But if you want small, highly detailed parts this is wonderful value. My wife has not complained yet, except when she tripped over the empty box and threw it at me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROBODUDE Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Incredible---With that printer, could you scan an original part and then reproduce an exact copy of it in resin? For a couple hundred dollars that is a great value! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 What a fantastic finish Brian. Nice one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboDerby Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Wow Brian, these prints are looking fantastic. Great progress so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Yes fill the build plate with parts when you can as it will not increase the print time on this type of printer. Lay tall things flat when possible to reduce print time. And from what I see on line there are flexible resins as well. Many of the guys are mixing the flexible resin and the standard resin to make there own semi flex resins. Great to here the resin you are using does not smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golddalek Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Makes me want to buy a resin printer. You said you are still getting experience on it? Thanks for posting tips, anything is helpful. Even though I do not own a 3D printer, I've learned some tips, here, there as I have to design parts within capabilities of being printable....just need to make the jump to buying a printer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted July 28, 2019 Share Posted July 28, 2019 Well keep in mind that the $200 buck price on the Elegoo Mars 3D printer was over a few weeks ago, the normal price is $360 bucks, but there other resin printers in the $220 range so still low cost. And these things seem to go on sale , so just have to keep checking the prices. For example if you want a good low cost filament printer the kingroon 3d printer at $139 bucks is very good as it has a 24 volt system, heated bed that has removeable build surface and uses a liner rail for the bed, and a full color touch screen. But the small build area and lack of a part cooling fan can be a problem if you plan to print large or do not want to do the simple mod of adding a part cooling fan. But I just checked and as of today it is sold out at that price. You can get them around $220 bucks just like the Ender 3 and the Tevo Tarantula. Just checked and the Tevo Tarantula is no longer for sale in that price range, a few weeks ago you could get one $180 bucks, not any more. Just saw that AileExpress still have the Tevo Tarantula Pro for $199.00 free shipping. You can pay more for the printer if you want the upgrades like dual z drive or BLtouch, or TMC2208 drivers. Well you get the idea. If you see a 3d printer review on youtube that looks good and the price is low jump on it. Once the promo printers are sold the price will normally double. The ender 3 when it first came out was $169.00 but now you have to pay around $220.00 so it is still a good deal. But if you do the upgrades to it and there are a lot of them you can do like the duel Z drive or the new silent control board or replace the cooling fans with quite ones. You have spent another $100 bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 When it comes to cleaning the resin prints before curing, I found this you tube video very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 This video has sparked a hunt for the ideal resin cleaner. All sorts of stuff has been recommended, ranging from plain water, Dettol, Fairy Liquid and these American products. The biggest downside of resin printing is the mess. When you wear gloves you don't realise where you're putting the resin, and it can get everywhere. In addition every video seems to be full of dire warnings about the stuff. Isopropyl alcohol stinks far worse than the resin but at the moment it's the best cleaner I've got. I can't obtain these products in UK so I'm trying my own alternatives. I've ordered an ultrasonic bath and a UV curing light to try to improve the process. It's like the early days of 3D when there was a search for the ideal printing bed. I can see that it's on your radar, John. It's tantalizingly close to being ideal but it just needs a few improvements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 Here's the finished Mechanical Man with a Telsalda for comparison. I printed it in five pieces. I'm blown away by the quality. Anything you can draw, you can print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian.. Posted July 29, 2019 Author Share Posted July 29, 2019 I think I've a lot to learn about resin. When you first print it and clean it, you are left with an uncured or green piece that can easily be worked to remove any remaining support material. When you leave it in the Sun or under a UV light it cures and hardens, and its properties change I tried a quick Talking Robot battery door test. It looked pretty good at first and would have worked well. I put it in the sun for half an hour and it became very brittle - it snapped like a cracker. I thought that was the end of the spare parts printing, but an hour or so later I re-examined the part and found that it had hardened once more and become fit for purpose. It's just 2mm thick and I can't break it by hand. There are many resins out there and you have to do your homework to find the right one for each job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 The print is beautiful Brian. I did get a conformation from a resin printing guy on you tube that a UV lamp will jell up the resin left in what ever cleaning product you use and then you can strain it out and keep using the cleaning product so very little waist. My guess is any cleaning product that have a emulsifying cleanser will work. I bet window cleaner would work if you can find one that does not stink to much. Any thing that is mixed with water and used to clean a auto would probably work. Well let us know what you find works best for you in price, smell and cleaning the parts well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboDerby Posted July 29, 2019 Share Posted July 29, 2019 Yes! What a fantastic looking print. You seem to be making great progress Brian. Lovely Telsalda as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Brian if you have not seen this you tube on the Chitubox slicer setting give it a look. It is one of the best I have seen. Shows how to do the hollow and hole and custom supports all the good stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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