Ish Posted April 26, 2021 Report Share Posted April 26, 2021 My laptop ran me, like $1,000... But I purchased it nearly six years ago. It’s nothing special, I just needed something that would run WordPerfect and a web browser. If you’re going to be actually digitally sculpting new models, you probably need a high end computer. If you’re like most of us and will just be hitting the print button after maybe tweaking scales or slicing models in half... Really any computer from the last five-ten years should be fine. Lots of RAM is helpful (it always is) and a large HD (because Thingiverse is addictive)... But that’s about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justjokin Posted April 28, 2021 Report Share Posted April 28, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ish Posted April 28, 2021 Report Share Posted April 28, 2021 “Houston. We’ve had a problem here.” ”Have you tried leveling the print bed?” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Glacius Posted May 17, 2021 Report Share Posted May 17, 2021 Oh man, so my wife has totally surprised me. She has backed this: Not due to be delivered until Jan, 2022, but still. Oh I hope the chip shortage doesn't affect this. So excited. I've already got a ton of terrain STLs that this would be perfect for. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted May 18, 2021 Report Share Posted May 18, 2021 I backed this terrain project other day: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stellarartisan/stellarscapes-3d-printable-sci-fi-terrain Extreme amount of terrain made to print on a SLA printer. Pre-supported and everything, supposedly. We will see! I am very pumped. Someday I need to look at an FDM printer. That dual extruder above looks kinda cool! Also found these Guard Space Cossacks: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/loreminiatures/lore-miniatures-the-altirvun-core-set Female troops and all. Sweet 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Glacius Posted September 15, 2021 Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 Need help 3D printer dudes. So right now, Elegoo is kickstarting their massive Jupiter printer. Also, Anycubic is kickstarting their DLP printer. I've secured a Elegoo, but been having doubts if this is what I really should get or not. Its huge and I'm a bit concerned that its way more than I need. The Anycubic looks great, but not sold on their brand (heard of issues before). Small window where I can cancel my Elegoo backing and switch to the Anycubic, but before I take that leap, would really like to get some input from you guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted September 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 What are your print plans? You can always print small things on a big printer, but not the other vice-versa way around. The only caveat to consider is how much to replace the emitter screen. The not so secret in the community is that the screens are considered consumables, so is it a $40 fix, or a $400 fix? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Glacius Posted September 16, 2021 Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 I don't have solid plans yet. I have been gathering STLs for a while from raging heroes and archvillian so I do have some big models that I could print. Then there is also washing and curing to consider. What is it going to take to finish those large prints? The appeal of the anycubic is that they already have a wash and cure machine to go along with the DLP. The appeal of the Elegoo is that I have many more options of what I can print and how many of them as well as its a better deal. I'm saving about 43% through kickstarter compared to about maybe 15% or so with anycubic. I think I'm leaning towards keeping the elegoo. I've already spent the money and I hate losing out on a good deal. 🙂 But I'd still love to hear any pros and cons for either printer from those that know better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torg Posted September 21, 2021 Report Share Posted September 21, 2021 I went ahead and jumped in on the Anycubic Kickstarter for the DLP Photon Ultra. Feeling like a good miniature printer upgrade from my photon S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cryxian Posted September 26, 2021 Report Share Posted September 26, 2021 (edited) https://wulfsheademiniatures.gumroad.com/ Have you all seen his stuff? I'm want to print all of it! What kind of printer should I get to print his stuff out? I've never been computer savvy and I'm thinking a resin printer would be best for figures. Edited September 26, 2021 by cryxian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted September 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2021 The Phrozen Sonic Mini has done me well. You can find them on Amazon for around $160. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted September 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2021 The main thing you have to come to grips with is that it's a mess. No matter how careful you are you are still dealing with a gooey liquid. Be prepared to deal with that. Budget another $75 for various ancillary items you'll need. I exclusively use Elegoo Water Washable resin. It's a bit more fussy, but it has far less fumes than typical resin. It is technically water washable, but it still leaves greasy stains in clothing. I bought a silicone pet food mat to put on my workspace to contain spills and drips, they will happen. You will want a dedicated place to set up. I wouldn't recommend a rollaround cart or something. Plan on a 2'x2' space, minimum. I couldn't bring myself to spend the money on a wash and cure station. I really don't think they are necessary. Although I don't own one, an ultrasonic cleaning vat would be a better investment as it can multitask. Isopropyl alcohol is still a great solvent for the resin, and an absolute must for cleanup of the vat and buildplate. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted September 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2021 My typical workflow once a print is successfully complete: Allow the buildplate to drain. I have an offset bracket on the printer to drain back into the vat, as well as a stand to drain back into the resin jug. Immerse the buildplate in the water tank, some vigorous dunking and swirling to wash the liquid resin off the plate and the part. Plate then mounted to drain. Once it's had a chance to drain for 10 mins or so I use a household sprayer with warm water and a bit of ISO to really get in and rinse the part. I do this in a garbage can. Plate then mounted to drain and dry. I then remove the part and dunk in a ISO bath to remove any last resin in the nooks and crannies. This is prolly overkill, but the evaporating ISO dries the part faster. I would advise against scrubbing the part with a brush. It works fine for large robust pieces that won't break, however the brushing will affect the surface of the print as it's still soft, unless a roughened surface is ok (terrain) While the part is still soft I'll remove it from the supports. Doesn't have to be dry. Correct settings for the contact points will all but leave the model undamaged. Let the part dry. Once the part is dry I put it in the UV box to cure. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted September 26, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2021 Waste disposal. The resin is "toxic". Handle with gloves. The resin jug will get messy. I cleanup with paper towels, water and ISO. The paper waste gets thrown out as normal, but I leave my can in the sunlight to cure the resin in the paper towels. The waste water from the rinsing tub is a whole other issue. You can't just pour it down the drain. Filtering it isn't practical at the hobby scale. The setup to do so isn't cheap. I have an old storage tote that I pour my waste water in, I keep the tote outside so the sunlight hits it to cure all the particulate resin. I let the water evaporate and once it's dry I scrape out the cured resin and dispose in the garbage. For curing these cheapest route is a little solar powered turntable and a south facing window. Sunlight is the best lamp I've found. 10 mins and you're done. My actual station is a little uv lamp I found that came with a turntable for $12. I built a little bracket to hold the lamp then I enclose the whole setup in a white foamcore box. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Glacius Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 I'm tempted to drop my kickstarter pledge. Not sure if I have the bandwidth to do resin printing. 😞 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torg Posted September 28, 2021 Report Share Posted September 28, 2021 Bro G - Resin printing isn't that hard - just use gloves ... and dispose of waste properly. it has a learning curve but there is tons of online help, tutorials and etc. on YouTube. As well as user groups on many of the social media venues. I have a resin printer (any cubic photon S) and a Filament printer. Both methods have advantages, disadvantages and a learning curve. But the 3d printing hobby is very rewarding - and mind expanding. I recently jumped onto the Photon Ultra kickstarter... but yesterday I dropped out of it. Mostly because I am unsure as to the real quality differences from the current 4k standard stuff and the new DLP they are doing. And the actual size of the build plates for what I am looking to do as prints. I dropped out mostly because I won't be saving that much if do the kickstarter vs. waiting 6 months or till next summer to make a choice. I have the smaller older resin printer - and it works for me now - although I do want a larger print area at some point. one suggestion - if you unsure about the resin printer as a whole... drop from the kickstarter - and pick up one of the cheaper smaller resin printers - just to get a basic fell for resin and the hobby as a whole. for less than 300$ you can get a decent starter resin printer for figures. Later after your comfortable with the resin process - then jump into a bigger printer. The prices (like many things in tech) are constantly dropping... in a year everything will be different. -d 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justjokin Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 All 3d printing is going to take tinker time. I spent the same time with filament printers as I do with resin. I just get higher quantity of higher quality with resin. Both have their frustrations and logistics. Dialing it in is so satisfying and productive, either way. A good day with an FDM printer. The mech turned out great! (Older Monoprice Ultimaker iiiP) Trying so hard with FDM for clean 1/100 Abrams... not great. Never what I was really hoping for... Then it was Resin T-55AMs all day!! (Elegoo Mars2 Pro, here) Add T-72s and Leopards... Resin printing is where I will focus my 3d printing energy until something else comes along... I'm rooting for you to go for the Saturn, but man is Jupiter sweet! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Glacius Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torg Posted November 1, 2021 Report Share Posted November 1, 2021 After a bit of time riding the fence - I am getting ready to upgrade my resin printer situation. I currently have an Anycubic Photon S - and I want to upgrade to a 4k machine with a mono LCD. Also, wanting a bigger print area. Leading my pick is the Saturn ... although I am wondering if the Mono X is a good move as well. Aside from the ~1.5" Z hight difference in favor of the Mono X... what else should I be considering? Based on reviews and side by side comparisons I am 80% go on the Elegoo Saturn as my upgrade path. Anyone have experience with the Saturn first hand or even better both machines? -d * I will be looking to sell my Photon S as well when I settle on the replacement (thinking ~$100) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torg Posted November 9, 2021 Report Share Posted November 9, 2021 Ok - I decided to pick up the Mars 2 ... mostly because of the machine size and overall cost reasons. And thinking that I will probably jump into a larger printer in another year if I feel the need for that later. The sub 300$ price was nice - and I picked the wash and cure station - just to make things that much more painless lol. It will be a nice jump up from my Photon S. The Photon S I will be selling for 125$ - with some resin - the original packaging / docs - etc and some extra FEP. It also has the build plate leveling aftermarket set up - but I will include all the older parts for the stock leveling set up. Contact me if interested - can meet up anywhere in the Portland Metroplex to hand it off. -d 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 Does anyone have actual experience with clear resin? Is there any inherent advantage/disadvantage over opaque resin? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justjokin Posted January 1, 2022 Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 I mostly use 'spru' gray. Only time I've used clear resin was when I bought some to try it out. It's cool if the thing your printing should be transparent and that color. Other than that, it seems like it makes details a little harder to make out, depending on lighting. I used various clear resins back in my SmoothOn/Oomoo days, but most of that stuff was destined to be painted, so it didn't matter the color. Some examples that didn't get fully painted where the clear resin really was the way to go: 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted January 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2022 How is it to work with? Does it hold detail the same as opaque? I'm finding some of the clear is a bit less expensive, but what's the tradeoff? Assuming it being primed over anyway... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justjokin Posted January 2, 2022 Report Share Posted January 2, 2022 I didn't find any difference in quality after paint went on. So, plus for cheaper transparent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottshoemaker Posted January 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 So I picked up a used Anycubic Photon Mono X. It's in very nice condition and I trust the previous owner. I put a new FEP on according to various user guides and videos. I'll be damned if I can't get a complete print. I'm sticking to the build plate fine. I'll get around 700 layers into a print and I'll get full delamination. In some cases I've had a partial delamination. I've tweaked exposure times, lift speeds, changed print orientation, different models, etc to no avail. I have a working theory. I've noticed when I get down to the last 1/3 on a bottle of resin is more viscous, like between evaporation and not mixing well enough that the ratio of the various particulates is thrown off. (Herefore known as the "dregs"). I mixed these "dregs" with a new bottle to spread out the imbalance, but I think I jacked up the new bottle as well. I'm using Elegoo Water Washable Ceramic Grey in all instances. I'm leaning into my theory as I'm having am much higher than normal failure rate on my Sonic Mini, unless I empty the vat and remix all the resin before the next print. Keep in mind that in all cases, My adhesion to the build plate is rock solid. The questions I posit are: 1. Am I missing something on the Photon Mono X? 2. Has anyone seen an issue with off balance resin mixtures? Or just a bad batch of resin? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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