Just Jumped Into the Pool

Massey Apr 8, 2021

  1. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    I finally did it. I got a 3D resin printer. I went with the AnyCubic Proton Mono, and the washer/cure cabinet. I wanted the Mono X but I didn't have the extra cash to make that happen.

    So now that I have done that, where is a good place to get the files for things like shipping containers and bridge abutments, I mainly model in N scale. Oh... small people doing various things like walking and what not would be good too.
     
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  2. in2tech

    in2tech TrainBoard Member

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    Here is one place. A friend printed the 3D house for me and I had it bookmarked. There are other N Scale items too on there!

    Have fun with your new 3D printer. Show us some of your work after you get it going?

    https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3210150/files

    I watched a few YouTube videos and it seems like a really nice 3D printer. Maybe I'll get one in 2022? You got the cleaning station too, right?
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2021
  3. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Congratulations on getting a printer.

    I don't have bridge abutments but different type walls (brick/stone) that might help in some situations and some shipping crates along with a few other items that could be loads...

    https://www.thingiverse.com/sumner/designs

    ... along with buildings, roundhouse and other items. The items will all print on a FDM printer so let me see how they come out with your resin printer if you print any. I also recently bought one but haven't used it yet.

    Sumner
     
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  4. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Yea, I got the cleaning station too. After reading about how much of a pain the cleaning is, I figure I would let a machine clean and cure for me.
     
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  5. sd90ns

    sd90ns TrainBoard Member

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    [​IMG]
    You're probably asking yourself; "Self; what the heck does this picture have to do with model trains?".
    Well, I'm glad you asked and the answer is, absolutely nothing.

    However!

    The nosecone, which is approximately four inches in diameter and seven inches long was 3D printed for me, as no nosecone of that shape* was available in that size.

    AMAZING!

    *Commonly referred to as a "Big Bertha" style.
     
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  6. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    Ah, welcome to the world of Resin printing! You will definitely have some really frustrating days ahead...

    There's a good YouTube channel DIY and Digital, Jimmy does some good videos on Resin 3D printing, especially for N scale, and his video's are good for getting a better understanding around printing and some of the issues you face, like supports and selecting resin, plus he goes into the design aspect of it as well.

    For creating 3d models I'm using Tinkercad, its free and online and pretty basic but I can design or modify most of the stuff I need using that. added bonus is you can create Arduino based circuits as well as learn coding using the blocks function - designed for kids but I learnt a lot from it!

    Model wise - Like everyone else Thingiverse has been the best place I've found for models but I find the search function a bit clunky and it takes a while (sometimes) to find exactly what you are after. Also I haven't found many models for people on there (plenty of "Baby Yoda's") but I've googled the heck out of it and have a small collection of STL's of various people in various poses. Let me know what your after and I can forward them on to you. I haven't tried printing any of them yet (my layout currently blocks my access to the printer) so I have no idea if they will print out ok.
     
  7. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    The first real adventure I want to take is to create some shipping containers and skeleton trailers for them as well in N scale. I plan on making an Intermodal yard T-Trak module set and will eventually need to make cranes and trucks, but for now I will want a skeleton farm, and container storage. Also some jersey walls for the trucks to channel in and out of. I'm thinking the jersey walls and containers will be fairly simple, as they are not complex shapes, but the trailer frames will be a bit more of an adventure.

    Containers I will be wanting are mainly 20 and 40 footers as they are the typical ones found on ships, with a small splattering of 48 and 53s for truck to rail only traffic. I figured a couple hundred for the printer was going to save me quite a bit over buying commercial containers and skeletons. The trucks I will prolly buy commercial... maybe!
     
  8. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    I'd look at downloading Fusion 360 and start learning it. It is really powerful and you can do designs quickly but there is a learning curve. Your first projects would be a good starting point. The sky is the limit with what you can do if you take the time to learn it. I just finished the first year of using it and just renewed. If you don't do anything commercial, reason I don't try and sell anything, you can renew at no cost.

    This video got me started and there are tons more out there......



    Compound curves like vehicle shapes can be done but isn't a first project. I've looked a little at the process but haven't tried it yet. There are other programs out there but since you can use Fusion 360 free if you aren't going commercial I don't see why one wouldn't try it at least,

    Sumner
     
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  9. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    I don't think going commercial with this little printer would be a great idea. And since I'm still in the wet feet stage I will not make any future plans for now. I should be getting my printer and supplies later on this week.
     
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  10. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    From experience printing box like structures, I would create something that was solid in the 3d design software and use the hollow function of your printer software (Elegoo uses Chitubox, not sure what Anycubic uses) and add an internal support structure to the inside, around 30% of support should work fine for a container. It helps prevent suction issues when the bed is lifted from the LCD screen and stops the whole thing from warping. Juist don't forget to add a couple of holes to allow the excess resin to flow out.

    Print one out first to check it all works ok, then use the build plate to the max by fitting as many containers on as possible, squeeze em in there! doesn't change the print time with an LCD resin printer so you get more bang for your buck. Just watch to resin levels for the first build and top it up if it looks like its running low, and once you know how much resin you need you can just leave it to go nuts.
     
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  11. Mr. Trainiac

    Mr. Trainiac TrainBoard Member

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    Shipping containers should be easy enough to design, we all know their major dimensions, and ISO standards mean more detailed drawings are not impossible to find either. I think you will be designing a lot of items yourself. Things like container chassis and rolling stock shells are pretty advanced, and I doubt many people would give away those designs for free on Thingiverse. However, I did see some containers on Thingiverse, as well as the Jersey Barriers you want.

    The world of CAD software is another aspect of 3D printing that takes a bit of a learning curve. Fusion 360, SolidWorks and Inventor are some of the biggest suites out there. I prefer Inventor over Fusion 360, even though they are both Autodesk products. Inventor can be expensive (but I have an education license, so its a non-issue for me), so you may want to consider Fusion 360. They have similar features, but I like the interface and screen of Inventor more. Fusion seems like it has a lot of confusing drop-down menus to find everything. It cleans up the screen a bit, but its annoying when you need to find the location of a tool when its hidden in some sub-folder.
     
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  12. Massey

    Massey TrainBoard Member

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    Well the printer showed up on my doorstep yesterday. The washer is supposed to be here today, and after an E-mail asking where the rest of my order is, I was informed that the resin will be next month. GRRRRR!

    Where can I buy and what type of resin is good for low odor and good quality printing?
     
  13. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    What I got but haven't tried yet, but liked some of the reviews:

    Water washable but it seems most of these are probably higher odor.....

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X34Z9SC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Got good reviews and isn't suppose to smell too much....

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VBM4Z7Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    I'll post more when I finally use the printer. Trying to finish the roundtable and it won't print on the resin printer as it is too large. A number of things I've designed won't fit on a resin printer unless one has spent a lot of money for a really large one.

    Hope you and others post which is your favorite resin and why,

    Sumner
     
  14. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    I like this resin, you can add pigments to colour it, or just leave it clear. very low odour and easy to handle. Cleans up well with both ethyl alcohol and IPA. specifically designed for 4k mono printers so you can really cut the print time down. I use 25s on the base layer and 2s per layer when printing at .05mm layer thickness.

    3D Jake resin basic

    The first batch of resins I used where these ones. Slightly stronger smell but barely noticeable even in the dining room - unless you leave the lid off the printer for any length of time. Quality of prints was good - my biggest issue was getting the cure times right - the black needed almost 2x what the white did. Downside is it becomes hard but a little brittle so doesn't work well when making screws out of it. Print time is a little longer, 35s on the base layer and 2.5 to 3.5 seconds per layer depending on black or white.

    3d Jake resin white
     
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  15. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Chris I'd try that but looks like I can't find it in US and with shipping it is over $75 delivered here. I'll keep an eye out to see if a US distributor shows up,

    Sumner
     
  16. Stephane Savard

    Stephane Savard TrainBoard Member

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    I don't like Siraya Tech fast. I find it deforms too much and I could never get a great detail with it, especially on the surfaces towards the build plate. Will not buy this resin again.

    Lately been using PHROZEN 3D Printer Water-Washable Rapid Black. I don't wash it with water, but use 70% iso, and this works really well. I also get really nice details with it. My modern gondola prints were completed using this resin (see my older thread about this). It's not too smelly, different, almost vinegar in smell.
     
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  17. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Have you tried the gray or do you think it doesn't make a difference in performance. I started with black on the filament printer and for most things didn't like it as it was harder to cover/hide with paint vs. gray.

    I found the following settings that two people posted that were close to each other. Does it look close to what you have found to be good?

    [​IMG]


    I think I'll order the resin and start with it. Thanks for the recommendation,

    Sumner
     
  18. Stephane Savard

    Stephane Savard TrainBoard Member

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    Sumner, I just looked at my settings.. for the Phrozen water washable black, I use 0.05mm layer heights, six bottom layers at 20 seconds, and remaining layers at 2.5 seconds. Though note that I use a Mono X printer with the LED at 80%. You need to do a resin exposure test for your printer though, always safer than trusting settings you find on-line.

    I have no idea if the grey and the black behave similarly, but the black is semi transparent, it's not an opaque resin. If using a mono-screened printer, 7 seconds exposure will be much too high.
     
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  19. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Thanks, I'll do the test. I have the AnyCubic Mono and the two that posted settings have Elegoo Mars printers that I think are also mono but as you said I need to test. Thanks for the advice, it helps,

    Sumner
     
  20. Chris Hall

    Chris Hall TrainBoard Member

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    I would go with the default settings for your printer first and then adjust from there. Mine is the Mono Elegoo and the settings you have above look more like the colour LCD ones.
     
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