So are you starting a digital stash Dave?
Pete
Pete
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The Matilda hull is printing - 52% after 5 hours................
I cleaned up the tracks - here's a before and after
I printed out the turret - you can either print it with hatch open, or closed - I did it open to see if the printer would cope!
I looked & found a Mk.VIII - ( previous post ) - and I wondered if I could find any more of the inter-war tanks. I looked in vain for the Medium Mark B, and the Medium Mark C - in fact I looked on Scalemates, and there are only 2 1/35 resin models ( by Panzershop )! 100 B's were made & 50 C's, but no injection moulded model. Paper Panzers Yes, real tanks that existed - no. I suppose sales would not justify the tooling..............
I've looked for these as well
Vickers Independent
Birch Gun
Vickers Dragon Carrier - somehow I don't think I'll find any!
DaveComment
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One model I did find, to my surprise was the British Super Heavy TOG 2
On display at Bovington
I suspect the camo may be bit too modern!
The model itself is in either 1/100 or 1/72 scale - I'd have to do a bit of measuring to see which. Either way, in 1/35 it wouldn't fit on the build plate without splitting. Another tank that may eventually join the queue for printing....................
DaveComment
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Now thatโs something that shouldnโt have seen the light of dayโฆโฆvery well worth modellingโฆ..Comment
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State of play - I'm having problems printing parts for the MT-T - they fail at the same point on both the Anet & Monoprice printers, so I'm guessing it's a problem with the model, not the printers - a little more investigation needed.
I finished printing the Matilda I hull, and have been cleaning up the parts. They need a bit of fettling to get a good fit, but it's getting close to a primer coat..........................
I'm not going to post a thread on 'under construction' as there are only four parts! I will put up a completed post in the next few days.
DaveComment
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Dave, a question. How to you deal with the print lines? Are these sanded off or do you fill them, or are they more visual and hte actuall surfaces are smooth right off the printer? Is there a way to print in higher resolution so as to avoid print lines?
I'm looking at getting a 3D printer, I understand that resin printers don't suffer from the line issue but I'm really leaning toward PLA.Si vis pacem, para bellum.Comment
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It's a balance - the layer height can be from 0.4mm ( can't be thicker than the nozzle diameter ) down to whatever the printer is capable of ie 0,05mm - I generally print at 0.15. Of course this means that a 0.05mm print will take 3 times as long as a 0.15mm. Taking the Matilda hull, it took just over ten hours to print, at 0.15mm print height.
Speed - the slower you print, the better the quality is in general
Tuning - the printer has to be set up to maximise the quality - the drive belts correctly tensioned, the build plate levelled correctly, and temperature set to suit the filament used ( for PLA, 200C Nozzle 50C build plate )
The model - has to be error free, and the slicer software has to be tweaked to give the best results.
All of these things have to be juggled, to find the best for your model - often it seems that you have to do this for every single mode. It helps to have a lot of patience!
The print always looks a bit rough, which is why I like to get a coat of primer on it! You can sand PLA, drill it, but it has a low melting point, so power tools have to be carefully used. Gluing is by 2-part epoxy ( for big joints ) or CA for smaller bits. I believe you can use Acetone, but I've not tried that!
If you can accommodate it, a resin printer is better, but they have smaller build sizes, use toxis resins, produce unpleasant fumes & require post-printing washing & curing.
Cost wise - a spool of PLA is now about ยฃ14, which goes a long way! The resin model from Accurate Armour of the Matilda I sells for ยฃ74 & I reckon I could probably print off at least 4 from one spool.
The printer is the expensive bit, I was lucky, picking mine up cheap off ebay! New, you're looking at ยฃ150 to a lot, depending on the features you want.
3D printing is becoming more accessible, but you still have to be prepared to take the time to get the best out of your machine - rapid it isn't!
DaveComment
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Thanks gents.
It's the toxicity and small print size that put me off resin printers. Plus I won't just be using it for model stuff so the larger print bed of PLA appeals. I'm currently looking at the Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro. It seems to have a lot of useful features, can accommodate pretty much all filament types, has the option to add laser engraving, and is at a reasonable price point.
This may change as I'm not looking to purchase until later in the year so something better might come along. At the moment I'm trying to get my head around Fusion 360, so I've got time to get better at that before purchasing a printer.Si vis pacem, para bellum.Comment
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All confusing to me but interesting . Think you need a very knowledgeable engineering background coupled with a knowledge of computer drawing .
Still maybe I will learn more as this continues.Comment
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John,
at the moment, home 3D printing for modelmakers is still in the stage where it needs patience, a lot of common sense, a little knowledge and a whole lot of persistence! It's getting better, but it's still quite 'geeky' - although, I don't think of myself as a geek!
Like Digital Photography - when it started, people said it would never replace film - but now how many have a film camera, let alone use it? That took a few decades, and I can see 3D printing heading along the same path. A pity this didn't come along a few years ago - I reckon I could have set myself up in a niche market!
What the printer is doing at the moment - this is the left sponson for the Mk.VIII International tank
I've found that running a fine wire brush over the finished surface will take away the annoying 'whiskers'
DaveComment
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I hope to reveal the finished Matilda I tomorrow................... I was looking to see how much the Tamiya/Takom Mk.IV WWI tank was, as I thought a comparison in scale size might look good. Ouch - ยฃ60.............Even the poor Emhar Mk IV kit is ยฃ25! It looks that a printed model of the Mk.IV might be on the cards.
In case anybody is wondering why I haven't done any aircraft yet, the fact is that the aircraft I'm interested in are already catered for by injection moulded kits! One that caught my eye, though, was a 1/8 Sopwith Camel with the ribs, struts etc all 3D printed - a bit too big, I couldn't get it through the door!
I've learnt my lesson, not to start prints on things that are too big - enthusiasm for 3D printing,overcoming the practicalities!
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Yes indeed Dave, my Cannon 5d with its lenses now sits in the cupboard . The progress in this will no doubt be fast in the coming years ,will it out ever strip plastic manufacturing eventually ? I can see most modellers having a 3 D printer in 10 years .
Too late for me I would think .Comment
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I've been sitting watching & touching my 3D printer as it works. I'm beginning to see the drawbacks of the machine not having a metal frame, I can feel the acrylic frame distorting slightly as it moves, and the vibration makes it rattle & nuts on the Y-axis have to be regularly tightened. There are a fair few braces that can be printed for the frame, that I'm looking at, but you can't get round that the frame is fabricated from 8mm acrylic sheeting, held together by a bunch of M3 nuts & bolts. The Monoprice printer is all metal & you can hardly feel any vibrations as it works. I'll be considering options, and I may get my self a birthday present.
I look at it this way, I could buy 2 X Takom 1/35 AFV kits, or the ICM 1/32 Tarhe for around the same price as a metal framed printer. Yes - I can persuade myself of anything, if I think hard enough about it!:rolling:
DaveComment
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