I’ve been running the 3D printer, with mixed results. Failures and disappointments are the fault of the CAD models; the printer itself (Anycubic Photon Mono X 6Ks) is working as advertised. Printing is not a fast process; some prints took 12 hours.
Some early results with the 3D printer.
First up: some 1/144 and 1/285 X-20 Dyna Soars. Once I got the angle right, the results are pretty spectacular. The 1/285 ones will definitely be used to make metal castings; probably the same with the 1/144. pic.twitter.com/1O2fBWxy2P
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
As a lark, I threw in the M61 Vulcan in 1/18 scale, in two orientations. Both seem to have come out looking pretty spiffy, though I haven't trimmed off the supports yet.
Did this just because I wanted to. But if anyone wants one – or more – I can provide. pic.twitter.com/E5NdGp8eCS
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
The Casaba Howitzer in 1/18 scale. The original CAD model was created solely to create line diagram illustrations and was in no way optimized for 3D printing, thus the telescope shroud printed funny and fell off. Impressed that it did as well as it did. Model needs revision. pic.twitter.com/XIvNrtSdtT
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
Another one thrown in Just Cuz, a 1/350 North American Aviation Mars Excursion Module. Clearly failed, but again the model was not made for printing. The printer made a valiant effort to reproduce the RCS system, with is on hair-thin struts. Not much point in this at this scale. pic.twitter.com/fq6k2hM11k
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
1/18 Little Boy, again printed from a non-optimized model. Even so, I'm impressed… the tail was modeled as 3mm thick sheets, and the printer fully replicated that: 0.167 mm thick. Clearly too thin. So currently printing is an updated version. These would make great kits. pic.twitter.com/0D92hWuc0s
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
Lastly, two shells from a 1/18 Fat Man. The tail struct has the same issue as little Boy, so it'll need to be fixed before printing. Again I think this'd make a great kit. pic.twitter.com/OoxMmuUpHl
— Unwanted Blog (@UnwantedBlog) April 27, 2024
6 responses to “3D print results”
i did not recognize the M61 Vulcan at the first glace .. my first thought was “semi horizontal launch track for rockets” (alike to “when worlds collide”)
The support structures actually intrigue me more than what is being intentionally printed.
You could make something like the Cygnus from THE BLACK HOLE from the leftovers.
The Orion parts with supports could be glued in the hollows of slag…interesting rocks—to make an asteroid ship like Space Academy.
I have an odd, greeble-centric mindset.
Where many scratch-bashers simply put odds and ends on crafted forms…I want a base that must be worthy of the greeble.
I’m impressed at how good your first bunch of prints are. I had failed prints with discouraging regularity. I found out prototype parts for injection molded kits warp badly, because they’re too thin at about .030″, so I thicken them to .060″ where it doesn’t interfere with fit. (Maybe thin walls come out better on FDM printers, but I wanted fine detail.) Those tails on Little Boy and Fat Man I’d scratch from .005″ sheet styrene, instead of printing them.
I still haven’t licked the problem of large parts distorting. I drew Exeter’s saucer from This Island Earth, separated into quarters, and got 89° angles no matter the orientation. I suspect it’s due to the resin shrinking when it cures. It evidently shrinks anisotropically, grrrr!
I went into this with a sense of dread… I saw a *lot* of posts where people talked about wasting dozens of print runs as they dialed in the settings. But so far I’ve only had a few printer problems; by far the bulk of the issues I’ve encountered are due to the model not being right or orientation issues.
I’ve had success with my first print of a Fat man tail, with the caveat of one anomaly that’ll be readily fixed in manual post-processing. Two more – with three added M61s to fill in space – are just now printing.
I wonder if there is a computer program that can design molds for objects in the most ideal way.
I have long thought the way USS Enterprise models are put together is flawed.
Imagine a side view of Gary Kerr’s drawing of the 11 footer.
Now imagine a cut just in front of the nacelles that travels down and slices through the secondary hull just forward of the nacelle strut.
So the same with a vertical cut just behind the strut.
Now you have a one-piece “V” shaped bracket with all three “points” terminating in short cylinder sections you can tap threads into.
The areas where nacelles attach to the cigar hull is now part of the one-piece mold’s detail.
No gaps…no slots…no tabs.
I’ve watched this video, but I haven’t run my resin printer yet, so can’t vouch for the truth of what he says, but the idea seems sound. My garage is unheated, so right now printing is a seasonal affair.
https://youtu.be/Qs2Rb0ExnIM?si=LnMpva_1mfLjHt9k