Stu_davros Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 (edited) Having bought an Anycubic Photon after Bootneck kindly pointed out they were on offer, I have been printing away for about 3 weeks. So now is the time to take the plunge and build someting that I've printed. I had been quietly watching StevenBills build of the Y-Wing using his Elegoo Mars and this got my interest up in building a Star Wars ship, the CG model was bought from CGTrader (same author as Steves Y-Wing) and away I went. A couple of weeks of printing got me here: Scalewise I thought I would revive the old 'Box scale' of the 50's, but this was going to be 'Printer scale' i.e. as big as the printer would handle. There were some issues along the way, mostly of my own doing, here is one of the main engines, correct on the left, failed print on the right: This was caused by the part next to it falling off the print bed, also the orientation of the part. Also I was getting a surface like cucumber skin: (Upper rear fuse parts) This was caused by orientation of the part on the print bed, the weight pulling the still soft resin out of shape. Most, if not all of the failures were caused by the orientation of the part on the printer bed, something I only realised part way through printing the kit so I've had to reprint a couple of parts and repair faults in others. Here is the difference that correct orientation makes, the two halves of the cockpit, correct orientation on the left, incorrect on the right. I've done some prep work on the resin (face mask firmly on ) sanding the flat surfaces to give better contact when assembling. The mating surfaces are not perfect, but better than most resin kits. As there are no instructions beyond an exploded view and some build photos I marked up some of the parts to avoid confusion. Thanks for looking in, Stuart Edited September 13, 2020 by Stu_davros Spolling 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen W Posted September 13, 2020 Share Posted September 13, 2020 Will keep an eye on this as I have been thinking about a resin printer for some time to bring my 3d models into the real world, currently using paper and card with some success so this may be a jump for Christmas 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 Will definitely be following this, great work so far, love the magic of this 3d printing business! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenBills Posted September 14, 2020 Share Posted September 14, 2020 This is looking great! 3D printing is an exercise in patience and learning with every part you print! I need to get back on my Y-Wing. There are too many projects to do! SB 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu_davros Posted September 14, 2020 Author Share Posted September 14, 2020 On 9/13/2020 at 6:10 PM, Stephen W said: Will keep an eye on this as I have been thinking about a resin printer for some time to bring my 3d models into the real world, currently using paper and card with some success so this may be a jump for Christmas It's certainly a very interesting new direction to our hobby, however it's worth considering that resin printers are quite messy though so need to be kept away from pets and children. I have neither so can do this without having to put everything away when I'm not home. 19 minutes ago, StevenBills said: This is looking great! 3D printing is an exercise in patience and learning with every part you print! I need to get back on my Y-Wing. There are too many projects to do! SB Thanks Steve, patience is certainly a major requirement. However it's curious how much time I've spent looking through the window of the printer, watching another part emerge from the goo. A little update, I've started assembling the top hull, first up is the three parts of the cockpit. I'll be using the resin to glue it together and fill any gaps. Clamped together ready for some resin. The cured resin makes for a very strong bond. The two halves of the top hull centre were next, an F-clamp securely holds the two parts together and allows small adjustments to the position. I ran some resin along the joint on the back, Capillary action takes the resin across the whole joint, And about 30 seconds under a UV lamp forms a nice strong bond. Thanks for everyones interest. Stuart 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu_davros Posted September 18, 2020 Author Share Posted September 18, 2020 A little more progress, The main parts are printed hollow so drain holes were necessary: Most would be hidden inside the model but a few were necessary in visable areas, the resin was again used to fill these, using surface tension and the UV lamp to good effect. Once sanded down the resin blends in well. The top hull sides were next and quickly attached: Despite the size and complexity of the assembly glueing with the resin makes it feel like a single part. The two halves of the top hull rear were next, A test fit with the rest of the hull shows that a great deal of sanding will be necessary, This was caused by the distortion mentioned earlier pulling the resin out of shape, fixable but avoidable during printing. I couldn't resist a mock up of the top hull. Until next time. Stuart. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen W Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Really great stuff, I like the detail on the panels and shows how much detail can be produced using resin printers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu_davros Posted September 19, 2020 Author Share Posted September 19, 2020 The lower hull assembled much the same as the top hull so not much of interest. A test fit of the rear hull showed the fit was better than the top. It would still need some work though. The two halves of the hull were clamped together and glued, working from the aft to the forward, clamping and squeezing by hand as I went. I managed to close most of the gaps but a certain amount of filler will be required. Another mock up, Thanks for looking, Stuart 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 Stuart, It's coming along very nicely indeed. There are injected kits out there that need more filler than you're going to use! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roymattblack Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 Amazing stuff going on here. I can remember a string of posts on this very forum a few years ago where there were LOADS of people saying 3D printing will never impact on this hobby... Almost laughable now. I'm VERY tempted to take the plunge and get a printer for my large scratch-build cars... I'm watching this build with great interest. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 1 hour ago, roymattblack said: I'm VERY tempted to take the plunge and get a printer for my large scratch-build cars... Do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu_davros Posted September 19, 2020 Author Share Posted September 19, 2020 1 hour ago, roymattblack said: I can remember a string of posts on this very forum a few years ago where there were LOADS of people saying 3D printing will never impact on this hobby... Almost laughable now. I'm VERY tempted to take the plunge and get a printer for my large scratch-build cars. 22 minutes ago, Pete in Lincs said: Do it! Seconded. I can see it being very useful for you Roy. I think the market for garage scifi kits taking a hit, also the resin aftermarket companies. They need to roll with the times though and start producing CAD stuff for sale, it's already happening and will get bigger, with or without them. Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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