mightyjebus
Active Member
The cheapest way to 3D print recently has been the use of FDM printers which require quite a lot of post work to get a good result. This normally involves hours of sanding, filling and painting to achieve a decent looking prop.
FDM is a bit like squeezing tooth paste out of a nozzle as the nozzle follows a path to build the outline of a shape. after each shape is outlined the nozzle moves up slightly and then does it all over again. This ends up with a model that has layer lines and one of the limitations of FDM is the thickness of this layer. for detailed printing people can get down to 0.2 or 0.1mm but even at these resolutions the layer lines are still noticeable.
FDM is popular simply because of cost. You can pick up a FDM printer for less than $200 whereas the much more accurate SLA printers would set you back $2000.
recently there has been a DLP printer released by Anycubic (Anycubic Photon if anyone wants to check it out).
DLP is similar to SLA in that it used light to cure a resin to produce highly detailed models. SLA uses laser light to cure a thin layer or resin and builds the layers up just like a FDM printer, The difference is that SLA can get down to crazy resolutions (0.010mm).
DLP is a cheaper alternative and instead of a laser uses a LCD screen to project UV light onto the resin. Currently the anycubic photon will cure resin down to 0.025mm. That's 4 times more detailed than the best FDM resolution.
I've been running a couple of FDM printers for a couple of years now and recently got my hands on the DLP printer. The price is around $500 for the DLP printer which is a steal considering the print quality I'm getting. I printed out 2 Deckard pistols, one on a FDM and the other on the DLP, and I thought I'd share the results.
I'll talk about the post processing as I go along.
Let's start with a picture of both pistols.
The top pistol is from the DLP and the bottom the FDM. The grips on both are from a mould I made from the set of grips I printed and sanded to get a smooth finish before covering in silicon and casting in clear resin with a couple of drops of amber colouring to get the results seen on the pistol.
below are some comparison photos of the details that both printers produce.
FDM cylinder catch
DLP cylinder catch
FDM dial
DLP dial
DLP LED pole on the top and FDM LED pole on the bottom
FDM on the left and DLP on the right.
FDM markings
DLP markings
more FDM markings
more DLP markings
As for post processing the DLP parts take around 1/10th of the time it takes to produce a good looking FDM part. In the majority of cases I've just cut the DLP part away from the supports and painted with no sanding or filling.
There are a few downsides to DLP printing. The resin is toxic so gloves are needed when working with the liquid resin. Once it's cured it's safe to handle. The build volume currently is about 1/2 the size of a standard FDM printer so big projects need to be chopped accordingly to fit in the print bed. Once the DLP print is finished it will require further curing. This either means sticking it out in the sun or if you live in the UK like me it involves sticking the parts under a UV lamp for 15 minutes (UV lamp used by nail technicians is the type I use and cost around $20). The last thing to mention is that prints need to be washed once they come of the printer to remove any excess resin. There are a few ways to do this but I've found that a bath of IPA for a few minutes clears of the resin best.
I'll quickly mention cost and the price of resin isn't cheap. 500ml will cost around $45-60 and you can go through this liquid quickly. It's worth taking the time to hollow out any models before printing so that you use less resin.
Hopefully some people will find this post useful and I'll finish off by showing some of the other DLP printed models I have printed.
FDM is a bit like squeezing tooth paste out of a nozzle as the nozzle follows a path to build the outline of a shape. after each shape is outlined the nozzle moves up slightly and then does it all over again. This ends up with a model that has layer lines and one of the limitations of FDM is the thickness of this layer. for detailed printing people can get down to 0.2 or 0.1mm but even at these resolutions the layer lines are still noticeable.
FDM is popular simply because of cost. You can pick up a FDM printer for less than $200 whereas the much more accurate SLA printers would set you back $2000.
recently there has been a DLP printer released by Anycubic (Anycubic Photon if anyone wants to check it out).
DLP is similar to SLA in that it used light to cure a resin to produce highly detailed models. SLA uses laser light to cure a thin layer or resin and builds the layers up just like a FDM printer, The difference is that SLA can get down to crazy resolutions (0.010mm).
DLP is a cheaper alternative and instead of a laser uses a LCD screen to project UV light onto the resin. Currently the anycubic photon will cure resin down to 0.025mm. That's 4 times more detailed than the best FDM resolution.
I've been running a couple of FDM printers for a couple of years now and recently got my hands on the DLP printer. The price is around $500 for the DLP printer which is a steal considering the print quality I'm getting. I printed out 2 Deckard pistols, one on a FDM and the other on the DLP, and I thought I'd share the results.
I'll talk about the post processing as I go along.
Let's start with a picture of both pistols.
The top pistol is from the DLP and the bottom the FDM. The grips on both are from a mould I made from the set of grips I printed and sanded to get a smooth finish before covering in silicon and casting in clear resin with a couple of drops of amber colouring to get the results seen on the pistol.
below are some comparison photos of the details that both printers produce.
FDM cylinder catch
DLP cylinder catch
FDM dial
DLP dial
DLP LED pole on the top and FDM LED pole on the bottom
FDM on the left and DLP on the right.
FDM markings
DLP markings
more FDM markings
more DLP markings
As for post processing the DLP parts take around 1/10th of the time it takes to produce a good looking FDM part. In the majority of cases I've just cut the DLP part away from the supports and painted with no sanding or filling.
There are a few downsides to DLP printing. The resin is toxic so gloves are needed when working with the liquid resin. Once it's cured it's safe to handle. The build volume currently is about 1/2 the size of a standard FDM printer so big projects need to be chopped accordingly to fit in the print bed. Once the DLP print is finished it will require further curing. This either means sticking it out in the sun or if you live in the UK like me it involves sticking the parts under a UV lamp for 15 minutes (UV lamp used by nail technicians is the type I use and cost around $20). The last thing to mention is that prints need to be washed once they come of the printer to remove any excess resin. There are a few ways to do this but I've found that a bath of IPA for a few minutes clears of the resin best.
I'll quickly mention cost and the price of resin isn't cheap. 500ml will cost around $45-60 and you can go through this liquid quickly. It's worth taking the time to hollow out any models before printing so that you use less resin.
Hopefully some people will find this post useful and I'll finish off by showing some of the other DLP printed models I have printed.
