|
|
 Rank: Super-Elite      Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
Here are some pics and a video of the Form2 SLA 3D printer.This printer is very different from the extruded filament printer that is the most popular 3d printer at the moment. SLA printers use a laser to "draw" a pattern in a pool of liquid resin .The resin has photometric properties and when exposed to the lasers light beam it turns into a solid.The print is laid down layer by later just like an extruded filament printer.The part is printed upside down. The print based is lowered into the tank of resin.The laser beam draws the layer of the print on the floor of the tank.The tank then slides sideways to peel the layer of cured resin off the tank and then the print bed raises the part out of the resin. A slider wipes across the tank to redistribute the resin and then the print bed is lowered back into the resin for the next layer to be printed. The major benefit of these printers over extruded filament printers is they can produce very high resolution parts with very fine detail and overhangs. The drawbacks of these printers is they are much more expensive than filament printers, they print quite slowly compared to filament printers and the resin is pretty expensive to buy ($150 for 2 l of resin ). The other drawback is the printed parts need some post print processing to be usable.Right out of the printer the parts are covered in uncured resin so they are very sticky to the touch.In fact you really shouldnt touch them at all. You have to soak the parts in isopropyl alcohol baths to remove the excess resin. Once the parts are dry you also need to expose them to UV light for the resin to completely cure.You can put the parts outside for an hour or use a curing oven.I made my own curing oven for less than $50. The Form2 is one of the best SLA printers available for the home market.It can produce parts similar to SLA printers costing tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars. It has a small build volume 6 inches by 6 inches by 7 inches) but the quality of the parts is just amazing. Here is a video showing the Form2 in action.It is printing the head of a large scale Dalek that I am building.There are also some pictures of the lights that go on the Daleks head that I printed and a full Dalek model. For reference the full Dalek model is about 3 inches tall and took 7 hours to print. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My7QcrRrsSk
darbyvet attached the following image(s):
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite   Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
|
What an awesome piece of kit you have there. I have seen these type of printers working on youtube and they are fascinating watching an object rise out of a liquid. Very scfi. Results look really good though. Is the resin smelly when you are working with it? Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
Thanks Tony,
no there is no smell to the resin.it is really sticky though so you cant handle the parts without wearing gloves.
The machine is very quiet too.
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
Since the resin requires UV light to fully cure ideally you should use a curing oven to expose the print to UV light.Putting the part in sunlight would work, but in my part of the world it gets pretty cold in the winter so I figure a curing oven would be a good idea.Formlabs makes one, but it is really expensive.Some people use curing stations that are used on nail salons, but these are pretty small. I found a blog where a guy made his own curing oven.So I gave it a try and for $50 I made my own curing oven. Here are some pictures darbyvet attached the following image(s):
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
|
darbyvet wrote:Thanks Tony,
no there is no smell to the resin.it is really sticky though so you cant handle the parts without wearing gloves.
The machine is very quiet too.
Carl Many thanks for that. Just been watching some of the youtube videos and it is impressive. Love the curing oven as well, looks very futuristic and reminded me so much of an old tv series I used to love called "Time Tunnel". Always impressed with your posts - look forward to your next. Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
So the Form2 continues to amaze me with its printing ability.Here are some parts for a Dalek gun that I am printing.These parts are TINY and are perfectly printed.Just jaw dropping. darbyvet attached the following image(s):
|
|
|
 Rank: Pro Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/01/2014 Posts: 119 Points: 343 Location: Newcastle
|
I’ve been looking at these for awhile and I’m holding off my millennium falcon build until I can afford one, does the printer only fill the tray with the required amount of resin for the current print or does it just fill the tray to a set level meaning you are left with unused resin? Current builds: HMS Victory, hachette black pearl, DC-3, R2-D2, Millennium Falcon
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
Bazholding wrote:I’ve been looking at these for awhile and I’m holding off my millennium falcon build until I can afford one, does the printer only fill the tray with the required amount of resin for the current print or does it just fill the tray to a set level meaning you are left with unused resin? The printer fills the resin tank to a certain level.Once the print is finished there is resin left in the tank.It is not wasted.The cover of the printer prevents the resin from curing so the next time you print it just tops up the tank and starts printing again. There is a chip on the reservoir tank that tells the printer how much resin is in there and the printer keeps track of the amount of resin you have left.I have not gone through my first 2L of resin yet, but I assume there may be a bit of wasted resin as you get to the end of the 2L Another thing to note.The build tank has to replaced after every 2L of resin you go through.There is a clear window on the bottom of this tank that the laser fires through.Eventually this becomes cloudy due to the laser and needs to be replaced with a new build tank.So every time you need to replace the 2L resin reservoir you also need to replace the build tank. That adds to your costs.The build tank is $60 and 2L of resin in $150. I have read that some people use the left over resin to "weld" parts together.You can take some resin out of the tank and smear it over the parts you want to glue together and then cure the resin with UV light.After a few minutes the resin has cured and the 2 parts are glued together.
|
|
|
Rank: Pro Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/01/2014 Posts: 119 Points: 343 Location: Newcastle
|
Thanks for the information. Those costs could make it expensive to run, i will have to get looking around for those costs in the uk. Current builds: HMS Victory, hachette black pearl, DC-3, R2-D2, Millennium Falcon
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 31/05/2010 Posts: 5,679 Points: 17,011 Location: Wiltshire
|
Bazholding wrote:Thanks for the information.
Those costs could make it expensive to run, i will have to get looking around for those costs in the uk. There is some uk component pricing at the bottom of the following link https://www.goprint3d.co...20umx19YCFYqT7Qod_DUEEA
Happy Modelling
BUILDING: Hachette Spitfire Mk 1A, Constructo Mayflower
SUBSCRIPTION COMPLETE (Awaiting building): USS Constitution, Sovereign of the Seas, 1:200 Bismarck (Hachette)
COMPLETED: Porsche 911, E-Type Jaguar, Lam Countach
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
Looks like the European prices are similar.Formlabs was a kickstarter project and they have taken a bit of flak over their pricing and distribution.The printer has an open source setting so you can use other manufacturers resin, but you have to play around a bit and if it goes wrong it can be very messy and expensive to fix.
I think it would be cost prohibitive to print large models with this printer, but for small parts where you need exceptional detail you cant beat this printer.
In opinion it prints as well as some of the professional Objet SLA printers and they start at $30,000!!!
IF you do get one I would stay away from the white resin.It has some issues apparently.
Carl
|
|
|
Rank: Pro Groups: Registered
Joined: 26/01/2014 Posts: 119 Points: 343 Location: Newcastle
|
thanks for the link. the detail it can print is amazing but the running costs look like they soon stack up. I will have to see how it compares to the ultimate 2 & Zortrax m200. but I know the print quality isn't as good. Current builds: HMS Victory, hachette black pearl, DC-3, R2-D2, Millennium Falcon
|
|
|
Rank: Super-Elite Groups: Registered
Joined: 17/12/2013 Posts: 3,982 Points: 11,974 Location: NY, USA
|
The Zortrax produces really nice prints, better than the ultimaker in my opinion, but no FDM printer can touch the level of detail of the SLA printers.If you want to make big parts quickly and dont mind a lot of sanding an FDM printer is good.Filament is about $20-$30 for 1Kg. If you need high resolution you need an SLA printer, but the costs are MUCH higher.
Carl
|
|
|
|
Guest
|
US
