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

[Neil Merryweather]

Just had a read through your blog and all the replies, very interesting, both informative and logical.
Question - Do I really need a 3D printer??? Answer - not yet, Logic - I do not have enough items/parts I need printing so the cost at the moment would be a waste.
Solution - download one of the many CAD programs and use the tutorials, get the experience first and go from there.
As Dave Ward stated - how many people have jumped in at the deep end and now have an extra piece of furniture as a display item like a vase....
Will keep watching and reading...
Mike.

Mike
I personally find the process of creating a digital model and being able to print it just as satisfying as scratchbuilding, especially if I need more than one of the same thing.
And it's amazing what you think of to print once you've started- who would have thought of printing hobnailed boot soles for French fusiliers? For them I've made Shakos, muskets (I downloaded that...), pockets, shoulder tabs and cuff details, random water-bottles and canteens and I've just started on hands (also downloaded for free) and all of them multiples, saving me an age of time scratchbuilding.

[Scratchbuilder]

Neil,
Fully agree that once you start it becomes a usefull tool, but to be honest I cannot think of one thing I need, but I am sure they are staring me in the face. I will of course keep up with the blog(s), gain a bit of CAD experience and then I will be swimming in resin. But I will be a convert pretty soon...

[Dave Ward]

Just had a read through your blog and all the replies, very interesting, both informative and logical.
Question - Do I really need a 3D printer??? Answer - not yet, Logic - I do not have enough items/parts I need printing so the cost at the moment would be a waste.
Solution - download one of the many CAD programs and use the tutorials, get the experience first and go from there.
As Dave Ward stated - how many people have jumped in at the deep end and now have an extra piece of furniture as a display item like a vase....
Will keep watching and reading...
Mike.

Mike,
Getting to know a CAD program can be very time consuming - I went on several courses at IBM to learn CATIA, it took about 3-4 years before I considered myself proficient! - of course that included things like stress analysis & animation, hardly relevant to 3D printing. I learnt other packages, like IDEAS & Autodesk Inventor, once you have the 3D mindset it's a lot easier. Having said that some people cannot get their head around CAD, I was lucky, I picked the basics up fairly quickly - of course, being paid to learn something is a wonderful inncentive, especially as your wage grade rose as you passed various courses!
Apart from modelling stuff, I've printed sink plugs, door wedges..................
3D printing has been around for a few years, but only in the last 4-5 years has it entered the home hobbyist arena - still comparatively early days. I'd seen it ( and used it ) in commercial use & decided at the beginning of the year to give it a go
Dave

[Gary MacKenzie]

Mike
I personally find the process of creating a digital model and being able to print it just as satisfying as scratchbuilding, especially if I need more than one of the same thing.
And it's amazing what you think of to print once you've started- who would have thought of printing hobnailed boot soles for French fusiliers? For them I've made Shakos, muskets (I downloaded that...), pockets, shoulder tabs and cuff details, random water-bottles and canteens and I've just started on hands (also downloaded for free) and all of them multiples, saving me an age of time scratchbuilding.

I have done multiple refinements on the truck body mockup I was working on, as the model when rendered triggers thoughts on how to improve the model / simplify for printing.

Silly little tweaks that will make major differences

Also messing with microsofts own 3d Builder , I use the viewer a lot , but the builder is a great simple shape construction program, no frills , but does what it does well

Just had a read through your blog and all the replies, very interesting, both informative and logical.
Question - Do I really need a 3D printer??? Answer - not yet, Logic - I do not have enough items/parts I need printing so the cost at the moment would be a waste.
Solution - download one of the many CAD programs and use the tutorials, get the experience first and go from there.
As Dave Ward stated - how many people have jumped in at the deep end and now have an extra piece of furniture as a display item like a vase....
Will keep watching and reading...
Mike.

Personal opinion based on buying this printer.

1. hold off on buying the latest version for a few months, In retrospect with the niggles so far I would have been better off buying the Mars 4 pro, over the Mars 4 Ultra, as the wifi on Ultra is let down by the slicing software interactions with it at present.
The Mars 4 Pro has same resolution, no wifi, plastic body not metal base , but is £50 approx cheaper = 2 1/2 bottles of resin, and it uses the older fep/nfep which though shorter lifespan than the new ACF , has less niggles over timing and affecting some surface details
2. some of the things I wanted to print are just too small and delicate when printed ( at present ) to be easy to work with.
3. Moving to clear resin which prints faster may be a major upgrade.

For dorama pieces, the FDM printers are probably a better idea, a much larger print area, and no chemicals to deal with.


Do I regret buying it - no.
It has given me my mojo back, and as soon as the opticians make my new prescription up ( I am using my long distance glasses to use a computer screen @ less than a metre and everything beyond 2 metres starts to blur ) I may be able to see well enough to get back to some modelling, using the printer to make mods, and to make other things too.

[Dave Ward]

I've come across this website - it gives good basics on 3D modelling
https://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30594 - some bits may be obvious, but if you're a total beginner, useful
Dave

[Waspie]

I find the whole 3D printing thing really intriguing and it probably is the future of the hobby. What you guys are doing is fascinating and mind boggling.

There's a 'but' for me. I'm a realist!! I'll be opening boxes with complete, (hopefully), kits for my time left on this planet.

Reasons; age, expense, time!

Age - no longer a young chicken.
Expense - speaks for itself. I'm kinda one of those buy cheap to learn on, then, dive in off the high board and get the Rolls Royce printer emptying the family coffers!! Then get bored because I hit the 'too difficult' stage.
Time - Well, there's time to learn basics and beyond, testing, re-learning. Back to age again, the grey cells don't absorb data like it used to so the time is a big factor. (Having to relearn what I forgot I did last week). Like I said, I'm a realist - I know me!!

All that said. I will continue to read how you guys are progressing with interest and hopefully your skills and knowledge will advance to the point when the prices will drop and the up and coming modellers will benefit from all before them.

It's a bit Star Trek-ish!! Boldly going and all that.

[Gary MacKenzie]

wip

Doing block colours as new spectacles still aren't ready for collection, and small intricate stuff is out of my realm at the moment.

[Gary MacKenzie]

This may interest some of you.
A 'FREE' 3d model of a Gundam Character is being released in parts over the festive season.
Video of construction and link to the first set of files at the following link

[Andy the Sheep]

I just tried my own (lazy) way to 3D printing: outsourcing. :smiling4:
There's a jeweler in a nearby village who's decided to update his production process by introducing 3D printing. This allows him to prepare a detailed CAD model, get the approval from the customer, print it in 1:1, get again the approval from the customer then print the final resin prototype which will be used to create the mould for the gold/silver/metal casting.
I asked him if he could print some test Panther tracks elements from .stl files I downloaded for free from the net some months ago (what the h**k was that www address is now the question hammering in my head!:rolling::upside and he was happy to give it a try.

This is the result (3 assembled links on the left, a pin still to be cleaned and a pin still to be freed from its printing support on the right).

A single piece compared to a Friulmodel metal one (on the left)


A comparison with Takom's link and length Panther tracks


I think the 3D printed ones are rather good. The pinholes need a bit of cleaning but nothing really difficult.
He told me that a complete set of about 200 links and pins are in the same cost range of those I can find ready made from renown brands.
The difference is that I would give my money to a local artisan ...
Finally, for this test printing the gentleman didn't charge me a penny...:money-face::thumb2: