Messin' With Resin - 3D printed track

[Martin Wynne]

resin can be left in the vat for days with no harm coming to it, as long as your cover is uv proof. If you're not sure cover the printer with the box it came in or a heavy duty garden quality bin bag, i've done both.

Hi Tom,

My thought was to use aluminium cooking foil?

Do you leave the tank in place on the printer, or remove it to a flat surface so that it can be parcelled up entirely in foil?

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Martin Wynne]

I managed to get it off but punctured the FEP in the process. Fortunately I already ordered some FEP and it should be here tomorrow.

Hi Andy,

Bad luck.

There should have been 2 spare FEPs in the box. The bag has a label on it not to throw them away!

Just reading good info here about changing the Elegoo FEP:

https://www.scalefour.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=83053#p83053

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Martin Wynne]

Google is your FEP friend:

Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene was invented by DuPont and is sold under the brand name Teflon.

Martin.

 

[AndyB]

Hi Martin,

No spare FEP with mine but the stuff I ordered from Amazon came in the mail today.

One thing I noticed is that the slicer is a bit different form the slicer I use with my filament printer. It does not care if there are blocks embedded in other parts but the Elegoo version does not seem to automatically integrate everything into a single solid or surface. I had to do a logical add of all the parts in my model to make them into a single surface.

I'll do some investigating.

Andy

 

[Martin Wynne]

Hi Andy,

I'm struggling with the slicer too. I've got a stack of chairs ready to print, and assumed it would add a support under each one. But it's getting in a complete muddle -- 2 supports on some chairs and none on others:

I'm going to have to add the supports in Templot.

p.s. notice the random screw heads and key offsets. I'm wondering if it will be visible in 4mm scale?

Further work needed on the plugs, draft angles, etc., but first I want to see what will and won't print.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Matt M.]

HI Martin,

Barrier Cream is useful stuff. I use it working on cars but with gloves as well.
That is a workplace standard these days. That physical barrier is important.

I also end up with sweaty hands but you do get used to it. You shouldn't
be wearing them for too long, just while you are handling the unset chemicals
and if you are wet sanding the finished product.

Try to find a brand that fits as closely as possible. It helps with the comfort
if they fit your palm and length of fingers properly. Those little bits of extra
finger length make picking up small items very hard.

The longest continuous use I have these days is at New South Wales State Archives and
Records were I will be wearing them for four hours straight at times while handling
NSWGR plans. Typing in them is a bit crap though.

Matt M.

 

[AndyB]

That resin is indeed nasty stuff. Despite limited exposure yesterday the aroma has been haunting me all day. I think I'll have to make myself a fume cabinet.

 

[Jim Gu7thrie]

I'm struggling with the slicer too. I've got a stack of chairs ready to print, and assumed it would add a support under each one. But it's getting in a complete muddle -- 2 supports on some chairs and none on others:

I'm going to have to add the supports in Templot.

Martin,

Don't do that. You'll curse the day you did when you maybe want to change the orientation or modify supports for any reason and you have to go back to Templot to do it. Your slicer should allow you to add, delete and edit your supports. I find that the auto generation of supports by the slicer I use - Chitubox - can be a bit peculiar with model railway subjects. I think the algorithms might be geared up to do the figures for war-gaming. I find that it's almost automatic for me to edit an auto generation and with a recent wagon body, I found it better to do all the supports myself which was quicker than modifying an auto-generation.

Jim.

 

[Matt M.]

Hi Andy,

A respirator is a useful and from my point of view mandatory bit of kit.
3M and Norton supply good ones but it is better to see if you can try
one on for fit and comfort.

They do have to seal well so you should test it against a perfume or
something less toxic. Put on and adjust, twist your head around and
check that the seal stays sealed. You shouldn't smell anything.

Full face is best, especially when sanding plastics and wood for dust
protection but half face is possibly easier if you have the multiple
glasses for focal length issue.

After that you are moving into fume filters (my choice for soldering),
which are more expensive and the justification would be the amount
of time you spend in that environment.

Matt M.

 

[Martin Wynne]

One thing I noticed is that the slicer is a bit different form the slicer I use with my filament printer. It does not care if there are blocks embedded in other parts but the Elegoo version does not seem to automatically integrate everything into a single solid or surface. I had to do a logical add of all the parts in my model to make them into a single surface.

I'll do some investigating.

Hi Andy,

I've had a torrid morning trying to get the Chitubox slicer to accept STL files which were fine on the Bibo. Tried to make sense of several mesh repair tools. Got nowhere. One program I tried told me I was making a big mistake using STL files which were nearly always broken, and I should use OBJ files instead.

Then I found this online STL repair service:

https://www.formware.co/onlinestlrepair

Brilliant. Upload STL. Wait 3 minutes while nothing seems to be happening. Download repaired STL.

Bingo, Chitubox loads it and slices it without errors.

Of course I'm not really using STL files. I'm creating DXF files in Templot, but DXF seems to be unknown in the 3D printing world. I'm using TurboCAD simply as a converter to convert DXF to STL. It doesn't support OBJ files.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Tom Allen]

i bought a Hazmat suit when i first started, but it made my hands sweat.

 

[Martin Wynne]

Very pleased with the first results.

The CAD:

Straight off the printer -- 4mm scale (difficult to photograph without any paint):

I will write some more after a meal.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[Tom Allen]

boiled egg?

 

[Martin Wynne]

boiled egg?

No, roast beef and yorkshire pudding (had a boiled egg before I started printing, just to be sure).

Martin.

 

[AndyB]

They look great Martin!

(I fixed the resin tank. Not difficult at all but thank goodness for power screwdrivers. Lots of little screws.)

 

[Charles Orr]

They look excellent Martin.

 

[Matt M.]

Hi Tony,

The original paper full body suits used in spray painting were bad enough.

Took care of an elderly relative in hospital ten years ago who was in
isolation due to possible VRE infection. Wrapped in plastic PPE but head
free. 4 hours at a time twice a day.
In a humid Australian summer with no air-conditioning.
That equaled 2 loads of washing at 10 o'clock in the evening.
Talk about damp...

 

[AndyB]

Very pleased with the first results.

The CAD:

View attachment 568
Straight off the printer -- 4mm scale (difficult to photograph without any paint):

View attachment 567

View attachment 566

View attachment 565

View attachment 564

View attachment 563

I will write some more after a meal.

cheers,

Martin.

Hi Martin,

Have you considered making the "plugs" cylindrical rather than rectangular, or even with two cylinders (Lego?) to maintain alignment?

It would not be difficult to make hardened drilling jigs for ply sleepers in 00, 00-SF, EM, P4 etc., etc.

Cheers,
Andy

 

[Tom Allen]

Thinking about gauge widening and angled chairs on points, would this be dealt with on the sleepers?

 

[Jim Gu7thrie]

Very pleased with the first results.


Straight off the printer -- 4mm scale (difficult to photograph without any paint):

Those look good. Congratulations.

Jim.