I haven't take time to read all the comments so I apologize for any duplication.
Printers - There are two main types of printers - FDM and SLA
FDM is the filament style printer. SLA uses light cured liquid resin.
You said resolution was a concern so SLA will give you the best resolution however it comes with a cost on several fronts - price of machine, price of resin, and the prints take longer. You also must rinse the prints in isopropyl alcohol and post cure the resin under UV light. Not to mention the resin is "dangerous" - you don't want to get it on your skin or eyes.
FDM is relatively quick to print but you can get much larger build area. The drawback is visible layer lines but they can be removed with sanding... some FDM material is easier to sand than others.
In regards to modeling software, I use Fusion 360 from Autodesk. It's free to non-commercial users.
Past versions (and Free versions) of Sketchup weren't really designed for modeling 3D components meant to be printed. Maybe that's changed. Don't know.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Steve
So do I need to order the cleaner and post curing units? For what I'm planning you can not sand most areas to get a smooth finish so I don't see an FDM printer working for me. I can wash parts in my flux solvent and expose parts with a UV lamp if that will work.
Well I'm printing my first 3D print. I set the printer to print it flat on the print base but the preform software suggested I print it with supports. Not sure if I did the right thing. I was printing something with the letter R as a hole and since the top of that letter has a "hole" where the print is not supported I added a solid layer I will machine off later.
So does the preform software add supports where it needs to like on the letter R "hole"?
It was really hard to remove my part from the print platform. I will put small standoffs on the surface where the parts sits on the print platform. The part came off when I squeezed in in my vice and it just popped of with a click sound.
You can see what I'm planning to do with my photo. I plan to fill the hollow image with a transparent filler and then machine both sides flat so I can illuminate by back lighting with some LEDs. But my numbers and letters have a very fine thickness and I don't think a pour in filler will fill those fine lines. So I need to make them larger and or find another font.
I am also thinking of making instrument gauge face plates and switch rockers but who knows.
Now as far as the FORM3 printer, as you can see the result is very good. But it is a messy, long time consuming thing to do. This print took a little over 2.5 hours but a half hour was the print try filling so that stays filled now. There is an odor when the printer is running. I set the layers a 50 micro thickness. The FORM3 can do finer and thicker where thicker makes it print faster.
I printed my second gear knob test today. Just another disk but I got the numbers working out nice now and I printed it with a bunch of little standoffs so it was easy to remove from the printer base. I ordered some clear casting epoxy and some color dyes to experiment with filling the shift "decal". My plan is to make the decal translucent so I can mount LEDs behind it. But I can even print it as a solid ball and the decal would never wear off with it cast into the ball. Then there is the possibility of 3D printing a mold so parts can just be cast.
Laying out the decal on a ball is a little more challenging since you need to tilt the lettering to the center. I'm using TinkerCAD which is a very simple to learn program but does not have a lot of the fancy controls of other 3D modeling software. If your new to this I recommend you start with TinkerCAD.
My FORM3 printer would print the parts by placing the part where it sees fit and add the supports needed but it wants to hold it with the disk sideways and that would take a long time to print. Printing parts you need to have supports where the part is not solid from the base. So parts that hang in free air above the base will sag or not print solid without something holding it up. Now all those supports need to be cut off the part so that surface is not perfect either.
Doing more experimenting. It's a pain I can't set a large flat surface onto the base plate when 3D printing. Can't do that because it's to hard to remove from the base plate. So I'm printing it elevated with many small standoffs printed first so just twisting it by hand after the print breaks off those standoffs. It still prints very nice even setting the print layers at 0.1 mm thick which speeds up the print.
I printed 4 of those gear disks to experiment with filling the "decal" with translucent epoxy. I just filled one. I mixed up 5 grams of epoxy and used 3 drops of white coloring and will see how that works out passing light through it.
Dave, we just got our 3D scanner at work. Getting the training for it in mid Jan. Let me know if there are any parts you'd like me to scan.
Cool. I was just thinking about 3D scanning if I need to make a broken part from a kids toy or an automotive part. It takes a lot of time to layout a part.
Cool. I was just thinking about 3D scanning if I need to make a broken part from a kids toy or an automotive part. It takes a lot of time to layout a part.
We got an industrial level setup. The thing is accurate down to 0.035mm. It will also convert scans into solidworks files. It'll be super nice to be able to use since it's definitely not affordable for a hobbyist.
Well I machined that first test disk with the translucent white "decal" and it looks pretty good in that the light makes nice sharp letters. I was worried that I might see the black sides when back illuminated. I do need to print another test disk with a thicker "back plate" so the number 4 holds that center "post" straight and gives me more to machine off to get it flat before the decal fill. I then want to try to polish it to see how black the 3D parts get.
That clear epoxy I'm using is really nice. It's thin, clear and hardens to a hard glossy surface with no bubbles.
Here is my latest 3D print. I'm still learning the tricks to 3D printing. This last print taught me I need to make the items accessible to get them thoroughly cleaned (printer liquid removed after the print). So next time I will print the letters open on the top of the ball. This one I had the letters open inside the ball and could only clean it through the hole in the bottom of the ball. But it came out pretty nice anyway.
This 3D resin polishes up pretty nice.
Think I will shorten the shift outline a little.
These letters had no offset and the R and 5 show it since they are the farthest offset from center.
I ordered a new tool holder for my lathe so I can machine balls. I had to machine this one by hand adjustments.
The OE ball offset the decal a little. I will offset it a little more so.
Still not sure if LED back lighting will be possible but the white "decal" on these balls can never wear off.
Last edited by Bitsyncmaster; 12-27-2019 at 01:59 PM.