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Old 17th October 2013, 04:21 PM   #1
Edymnion
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Default TARDIS for 3D Printer

The company that is making the 3D printer I'm getting has been using some fairly bad meshes for their promo stuff, so I volunteered to send them something better to use if they liked.

They happily accepted, and I realized I didn't currently have anything that would be 3D printer ready at the moment (and my sword project is long from being complete). So, I whipped this up today to send in to them.
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Old 18th October 2013, 06:06 AM   #2
Andy
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

looks excellent! How big will the 3D printed result be?
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Old 18th October 2013, 12:02 PM   #3
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

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looks excellent! How big will the 3D printed result be?
Variable. I built it as a single sheet water tight solid mesh for printing small copies, and then broke it up into three watertight meshes for larger printing.

I'm going to be getting the Buccaneer Pirate 3D printer as soon as it comes out (kickstarter is a wonderful thing), and it has a print volume of about a cubic foot.

Which means this could potentially be in the 2-2.5 foot upper limit range as currently modeled. Splitting it into quarters would be easy enough, so I could make it even bigger if needed.

Figure it should be a good testbed for various scales to see how well the printer does, lots of tight corners and long flat spaces as well as some tight detail up in the dome light.

Really get the hang of how to print this stuff before I try it on the sword I'm doing (which like everything else is an on again off again project).
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Old 18th October 2013, 12:06 PM   #4
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

In fact, since its you guys, here's the solid mesh to play with.
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Old 19th October 2013, 03:44 PM   #5
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

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looks excellent! How big will the 3D printed result be?
Bigger on the inside.
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Old 21st October 2013, 08:51 AM   #6
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

Hey, they already ran a copy off!

Said they could have gotten higher precision had they waited for one of the newer builds to come in, but they wanted to hurry up and run it immediately so they pulled one of the older clunkier prototypes out for it.

While still a little rough, I'm actually fairly impressed at the detail level they managed to keep with the small scale they did.
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Old 23rd October 2013, 02:27 PM   #7
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

Very cool. I want a 3D printer!
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Old 23rd October 2013, 02:56 PM   #8
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

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Very cool. I want a 3D printer!
http://pirate3d.com/

Thats the one I'm getting. If you get in on the pre-order, its $500. Retail price after that is going to be $700. Uses PLA or ABS, and has an 85 micron resolution (human hair thickness). For a point of comparison, the $2500 Makerbot currently only has a 100 micron resolution.

Only drawback is it has a relatively small print area, only 15x15 cm (or about 6 inches).

Just means you have to break things up into pieces if you want bigger prints.
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Old 23rd October 2013, 04:06 PM   #9
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

I've been looking at the Velleman K8200. I'm not clear on the possible resolutions though. Could I print parts that are detailed enough for e.g. Warhammer figures or is that sort of detail only available on the expensive printers?
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Old 23rd October 2013, 04:23 PM   #10
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Default Re: TARDIS for 3D Printer

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I've been looking at the Velleman K8200. I'm not clear on the possible resolutions though. Could I print parts that are detailed enough for e.g. Warhammer figures or is that sort of detail only available on the expensive printers?
Yeah, you can, the main thing is the lower the resolution the thicker the lines you'll see on it. For comparison, 150 microns is roughly the size of the ridges on your fingerprints.

There are tricks you can do to get really nice looking pieces from less precise printers though.

One trick is to use an acetone vapor bath with an ABS print to melt the outer layer. If you do it right, it melts into a slick surface that hides the bad print while giving you a nice smooth injection molded look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj53P2YzYGM
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It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind in motion. It is by the syrup of cola that thoughts acquire speed, the ears acquire ringing, the ringing becomes a warning. It is by caffeine alone that I set my mind into motion.

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