Something completely different
Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2017 8:28 am
Here is something a little different from all that gold and silver!
This little (15mm square base) model of the most fundamental of facilities was printed in Proto at 25XY with 20Z. The corrugated iron is 0.15mm at its thinnest, and you can see it is translucent in parts. This printed OK but was a little fragile, so this version is beefed up a little in areas where it doesn't show (you can see this in the parts photo). It was printed in 4 parts as shown in the B&W photo. The main reason for doing it this way was to simplify painting. The iron, roof and door were printed vertically with virtually no supports - The 'timber' framing was extensively supported using Contour. There is a little layering evident on the door, but the iron is superb.
This started out as a little father/son exercise drawing up some model buildings. We chose the smallest to start on, and it was only after we were well through the modelling that it occurred to us to print the model rather than build it. Unfortunately, most of the buildings we are interested in are far too large for the Solus, but we will be able to print details.
One interesting lesson was that very thin structures lose all strength when washed in water. The main iron part completely collapsed when washed, so for this model a quick alcohol rinse was all the parts got. Strength is regained when the parts dry, so in some early experiments I was able to drape the iron over the frame and have it dry for a snug fit. That is not particularly controllable or quick though, so for the final model I just tweaked the scale slightly in Contour to get a perfect fit right off the build plate.
The Solus is an amazing printer!
Photos were taken with a 50mm macro lens at F32 with a multi-flash set up. Enjoy!
This little (15mm square base) model of the most fundamental of facilities was printed in Proto at 25XY with 20Z. The corrugated iron is 0.15mm at its thinnest, and you can see it is translucent in parts. This printed OK but was a little fragile, so this version is beefed up a little in areas where it doesn't show (you can see this in the parts photo). It was printed in 4 parts as shown in the B&W photo. The main reason for doing it this way was to simplify painting. The iron, roof and door were printed vertically with virtually no supports - The 'timber' framing was extensively supported using Contour. There is a little layering evident on the door, but the iron is superb.
This started out as a little father/son exercise drawing up some model buildings. We chose the smallest to start on, and it was only after we were well through the modelling that it occurred to us to print the model rather than build it. Unfortunately, most of the buildings we are interested in are far too large for the Solus, but we will be able to print details.
One interesting lesson was that very thin structures lose all strength when washed in water. The main iron part completely collapsed when washed, so for this model a quick alcohol rinse was all the parts got. Strength is regained when the parts dry, so in some early experiments I was able to drape the iron over the frame and have it dry for a snug fit. That is not particularly controllable or quick though, so for the final model I just tweaked the scale slightly in Contour to get a perfect fit right off the build plate.
The Solus is an amazing printer!
Photos were taken with a 50mm macro lens at F32 with a multi-flash set up. Enjoy!