Trials and tribulations of 3D printing

[Fire at Will]

In the beginning there was the model and it was good.....

I'll forget the rest of the biblical references. My 3D printing has turned into something of an Icelandic Saga.

Your first small attempt turns out fine, and the next, so gradually you get more ambitious until the FEP fails. *!:;*!1, major problem, both to replace the FEP and cleaning up the spilled and cured resins from the LED screen without scratching it.

Gradually you move forwards learning how to angle prints, check for unsupported points, effective cleaning and numerous other issues.

But, it all takes time, that could have been spent painting (or gaming)

Then, you discover a leaking vehicle. It had been successfully printed, cured with a UV lamp and painted, but uncured resin was leaking from inside. So you drill drain holes to discover yet more resin. This happened despite your best planning to ensure the resin drained properly during printing.

So gradually back through all the last batches from the printer, drilling and washing and draining any remaining uncured resin (about 50% still had resin remaining)

The problem ones needed to be re-cured so they left out in the sun to cure. Generally worked fine but some split along a weak spot. Managed to repair most.

Feel I can move on with printing. However this will have to wait until family move out.

Then find another older model leaking - panic!!, check all the earlier batches, but can't find three.

Seems that this was a once off, it seems to be confined to the latest batches, printed when the temperature was still cool.

Find the missing three vehicles all painted, one is leaking, all have uncured resins inside.

I drain, wash and cure all three. One is OK, two are damaged, one beyond repair.

In my attempt to repair the remaining damaged vehicle it shattered.

Who knows what will happen next, but all future objects that have to be hollow printed will have extremely large holes added to ensure that resin drains properly during printing.


In the meantime I'm sorting out my new laptop with Windows 11 so I can use the 3D printing software again

[Minuteman]

I've been following your trials and tribulations - and some quite impressive successes - as you have been posting these on your blog, Will.

I have to say firstly that I admire both your courage in buying one of these machines and the associated software, hardware and consumables. Also your tenacity in trying to get it to work.

I know next to nothing about 3D printing, other than it is touted as 'the next big thing' in this hobby, and that one day we will all be turning out vast numbers of fantastic figures etc on our home printers. But somehow this seems a long way away as yet.

I wonder whether you have sought out some advice via some of the more general modelling forums eg: Britmodeller, Airfix Forum etc: or perhaps one or other of the people who do this commercially?

[Fire at Will]

My main source of initial help and advice has been a Yorkshire friend Simon R who has worked on these printers professionally for a large number of years, and decided to invest in a personal one a while before me. This was one of the reasons I took the plunge and purchased the same model of printer. Loads of helpful advice out there on the internet, but you still have to make your own mistakes first. Since then two other members of my club have bought one and we usually end end swapping "war stories"