The sad thing is I have a bookmark to that page and did not think to look at it. :facepalm
Fallout 4 Fusion Cell
- Thread starter NormanF
- Start date
I also found this page very useful: http://support.3dverkstan.se/category/31-guides
It seems you really need to take the FDM process into account when designing parts. For example, rather than relying on the in-fill to make the interior, I have started modeling in internal walls strategically. For example, a set of ring-shaped walls just under that feature may make for a much better print.
Also if you're slicing software supports it, using a concentric external fill really makes circular parts look great. Simply 3D costs a bit up front, but it does a great job of actually rendering the final output, so you can find these sorts of odd issues before printing.
It seems you really need to take the FDM process into account when designing parts. For example, rather than relying on the in-fill to make the interior, I have started modeling in internal walls strategically. For example, a set of ring-shaped walls just under that feature may make for a much better print.
Also if you're slicing software supports it, using a concentric external fill really makes circular parts look great. Simply 3D costs a bit up front, but it does a great job of actually rendering the final output, so you can find these sorts of odd issues before printing.
It's bad enough that I do not work on this on a regular basis, but to make matters worse I seem to have to backtrack a lot. I printed out blueprints for the Institute Pistol and thought, "Let me put the fusion cell in there and double check it fits. It doesn't.
The length is 3mm too short. I tracked it down the the longer part, the cathode. So I adjusted the model.
Another problem I was having was cleaning up all the detail on the top. I finally figured that by the time I sanded-puttied-primered all the gaps and holes I was going to lose a lot of detail.
So I redesigned the cap so it is actually four components. They go one inside the other. That way I can sand all the nooks and crannies and keep the putty to a minimum.
The length is 3mm too short. I tracked it down the the longer part, the cathode. So I adjusted the model.
Another problem I was having was cleaning up all the detail on the top. I finally figured that by the time I sanded-puttied-primered all the gaps and holes I was going to lose a lot of detail.
So I redesigned the cap so it is actually four components. They go one inside the other. That way I can sand all the nooks and crannies and keep the putty to a minimum.
I had a suspicion that some of these would have different sized fusion cells. I think they just sized it however they thought looked best. Obviously they didn't suspect the RPF! :lol
Wow, I worked on this twice in under a week!
One of the problems I noticed was that when I sanded down the previous parts I rounded over the edges slightly. It's not horrible, but I really notice it.
So I printed out some caps that will go on the ends while I sand.
An hour of sanding later the cathode is pretty smooth, but there are some spots that will need to be filled on the bottom. I put the anode on for a comparison. The anode obviously needs a lot more sanding.
One of the problems I noticed was that when I sanded down the previous parts I rounded over the edges slightly. It's not horrible, but I really notice it.
So I printed out some caps that will go on the ends while I sand.
An hour of sanding later the cathode is pretty smooth, but there are some spots that will need to be filled on the bottom. I put the anode on for a comparison. The anode obviously needs a lot more sanding.
Holy Moley, two weeks in a row! If this keeps up I might actually finish it.
Did some puttying and sanding. The lines are because I keep having these visions of a circle with a line through it. Sorry, Independence Day joke. I use the lines so I know when I have made a complete revolution while I am sanding.
Here are the parts right now. Or this morning actually, I dusted them with primer and still have some more filling to do.
Did some puttying and sanding. The lines are because I keep having these visions of a circle with a line through it. Sorry, Independence Day joke. I use the lines so I know when I have made a complete revolution while I am sanding.
Here are the parts right now. Or this morning actually, I dusted them with primer and still have some more filling to do.
GhostMinion
Sr Member
Looking good. :thumbsup
Now it is getting scary: three weeks in a row.
Printing out the small parts definitely paid off. If I had stayed with solid anode I would still be trying to sand in all the nooks and crannies. Instead, they are all ready to be assembled so I glued them all together. I also shrank the pictures so it would not take two minutes to upload and download.
I was aiming for 75mm. So close. I can live with it.
The first of two or three coats of automotive paint that I can polish before molding.
Printing out the small parts definitely paid off. If I had stayed with solid anode I would still be trying to sand in all the nooks and crannies. Instead, they are all ready to be assembled so I glued them all together. I also shrank the pictures so it would not take two minutes to upload and download.
I was aiming for 75mm. So close. I can live with it.
The first of two or three coats of automotive paint that I can polish before molding.
GhostMinion
Sr Member
That looks great!
Darn it!
I clayed up the parts for molding on Thursday night. I forgot how miserable that job can be. See how much of the anode is sticking out of the clay in the bottom half of the picture? Remember that later on.
I also did a quick inventory of the rubber I had on hand. I had Rebound 25 and 40 and figured that would be good enough. Friday I double checked and decided that would not work for a poured mold so I made a trip to the semi-local Smooth-On distributor and picked up a trial size of Mold Star 30. That night I poured the first halves. At this point I was worried I would not have enough. I figured I had an old mold I could trim some rubber from or just cut up to bulk up the mold. Or even use some of the Rebound. That turned out to be a non-issue because in the morning I was removing the clay before pouring the second halves and the anode popped out of the silicone. The mistake was that I only had a small section of the anode in silicone so there was not enough surface area to hold it in place. It sucked, but after pouring the silicone in the other mold I knew I would not have had enough silicone.
Oh look, no bubbles. :angry
Since I have the Rebound 25 and 40 I am going to go with a brush on mold. I don't feel like ordering Mold Star or taking time off from work to go pick some up from the distributor or claying up the part again.. And even though it is actually more work the work is easier.
For the first five minutes of separating the mold I was afraid I had not used enough mold release and I was going to have to cut the part out but then it finally came apart. Looking inside there might be bad seam on the bottom, but I won't know for sure until I cast a piece later.
I clayed up the parts for molding on Thursday night. I forgot how miserable that job can be. See how much of the anode is sticking out of the clay in the bottom half of the picture? Remember that later on.
I also did a quick inventory of the rubber I had on hand. I had Rebound 25 and 40 and figured that would be good enough. Friday I double checked and decided that would not work for a poured mold so I made a trip to the semi-local Smooth-On distributor and picked up a trial size of Mold Star 30. That night I poured the first halves. At this point I was worried I would not have enough. I figured I had an old mold I could trim some rubber from or just cut up to bulk up the mold. Or even use some of the Rebound. That turned out to be a non-issue because in the morning I was removing the clay before pouring the second halves and the anode popped out of the silicone. The mistake was that I only had a small section of the anode in silicone so there was not enough surface area to hold it in place. It sucked, but after pouring the silicone in the other mold I knew I would not have had enough silicone.
Oh look, no bubbles. :angry
Since I have the Rebound 25 and 40 I am going to go with a brush on mold. I don't feel like ordering Mold Star or taking time off from work to go pick some up from the distributor or claying up the part again.. And even though it is actually more work the work is easier.
For the first five minutes of separating the mold I was afraid I had not used enough mold release and I was going to have to cut the part out but then it finally came apart. Looking inside there might be bad seam on the bottom, but I won't know for sure until I cast a piece later.
I decided to get fancy for this mold. I cut a hole in a piece of MDF, then screwed another piece of MDF to that to form a cup. Then I put one end of the anode in the hole and jammed some clay in there. I may have smoothed it a little. The white thing in the middle will be the opening to pour resin in for rotocasting.
(Holy cow it is nice to upload these from work. I click "Upload Images" and they just appear.)
Since the brush on process takes about six hours I will not be doing that until Friday night. If I had a life/girlfriend I would not get to it until Saturday morning. I have not decided if I am going to use just four or five layers of Rebound 25 or two or three layers of 25 followed by two or three layers of Rebound 40 for extra stiffness in the mold. On top of that will be a Plasti Paste shell. Let all that cure, remove the MDF, and then repeat the Rebound and Plasti Paste.
When I bought that Mold Star I thought "Hey, maybe I should buy some WED clay and supplies to for a matrix mold. Nah, I will wait until I actually need the stuff." So of course I now kind of wish I had bought that stuff, but I still would not start on it until Friday night anyway.
(Holy cow it is nice to upload these from work. I click "Upload Images" and they just appear.)
Since the brush on process takes about six hours I will not be doing that until Friday night. If I had a life/girlfriend I would not get to it until Saturday morning. I have not decided if I am going to use just four or five layers of Rebound 25 or two or three layers of 25 followed by two or three layers of Rebound 40 for extra stiffness in the mold. On top of that will be a Plasti Paste shell. Let all that cure, remove the MDF, and then repeat the Rebound and Plasti Paste.
When I bought that Mold Star I thought "Hey, maybe I should buy some WED clay and supplies to for a matrix mold. Nah, I will wait until I actually need the stuff." So of course I now kind of wish I had bought that stuff, but I still would not start on it until Friday night anyway.
Almost there. This is the Plasti Paste 2 shell. I did not think to take any pictures of the rubber portion. The sticks are to create keys for locating the other half of the mold. I had planned to coat the MDF with Smooth-On sonite wax, but my container was dried out. Second plan was to use Turtle Wax, but I tried it on a piece of scrap MDF and I did not think that was going to work. So the plan I went with was aluminized real duct tape and then spray release on top of that. On a whim I put a dab of the Plasti Paste in one corner. When I removed the shell that test piece popped off too so the tape was probably unnecessary.
Here you can see what the sticks did.
That was yesterday. I have since added the rubber for part two and a shell. Tonight I am going to clean everything up and maybe do a test cast.
Here you can see what the sticks did.
That was yesterday. I have since added the rubber for part two and a shell. Tonight I am going to clean everything up and maybe do a test cast.
After the last post I went and checked out how it turned out.
Second half of the shell. I don't know why I did not post this picture in the last update. I am using the piece of MDF with the aluminum and sticks to keep this level. They are not being used for the shape.
Trimmed and drilled.
I would have crossed my fingers at this point, but it would have made separating everything hard. As it was, the mold was a bit of effort to get separated. The tips of the alignment keys around the outside all stuck to the other layer.
At this point I had to do a test piece. I was going to cast the cathode too, but it was late and I was tired and hungry. I was also very annoyed because I have a gallon of Smooth Cast 65D that surprisingly is still good after several years. Or it was until I started shaking the containers pretty aggressively and started seeing drops of something hitting my garage floor. The container for part A had a crack about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. So I wrapped it in plastic and put it in a bucket with cat litter in case it keeps leaking. Luckily, and for reasons unknown, I also had a trial size of 65D so I used that instead.
Another issue is that this is a small mold and even using small containers to measure everything out I have too much resin. Ideally, I would mix together more and do both molds at the same time. However, I do no have a girlfriend/wife to help out and my dog does not have thumbs.
Before and after resin going in.
And here is what came out. I'm very happy. No picture of it, but that I got 95% of that flash off with my fingernail. Some light sanding and maybe putty and it will be perfect.
Now I just need to do a test cast of the cathode and this will basically be done.
Second half of the shell. I don't know why I did not post this picture in the last update. I am using the piece of MDF with the aluminum and sticks to keep this level. They are not being used for the shape.
Trimmed and drilled.
I would have crossed my fingers at this point, but it would have made separating everything hard. As it was, the mold was a bit of effort to get separated. The tips of the alignment keys around the outside all stuck to the other layer.
At this point I had to do a test piece. I was going to cast the cathode too, but it was late and I was tired and hungry. I was also very annoyed because I have a gallon of Smooth Cast 65D that surprisingly is still good after several years. Or it was until I started shaking the containers pretty aggressively and started seeing drops of something hitting my garage floor. The container for part A had a crack about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. So I wrapped it in plastic and put it in a bucket with cat litter in case it keeps leaking. Luckily, and for reasons unknown, I also had a trial size of 65D so I used that instead.
Another issue is that this is a small mold and even using small containers to measure everything out I have too much resin. Ideally, I would mix together more and do both molds at the same time. However, I do no have a girlfriend/wife to help out and my dog does not have thumbs.
Before and after resin going in.
And here is what came out. I'm very happy. No picture of it, but that I got 95% of that flash off with my fingernail. Some light sanding and maybe putty and it will be perfect.
Now I just need to do a test cast of the cathode and this will basically be done.
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Did a cast of the cathode last night and gave a quick trim to both parts. Again, most of the flash came off with just my fingernail.
Maybe I'll get it painted this weekend. The hard part will be decals. Some of the text is white so even if I had a color laser printer I would not be able to make them myself.
Edit: As happy as I am, I am still not totally sure about the nubs on the anode.
Maybe I'll get it painted this weekend. The hard part will be decals. Some of the text is white so even if I had a color laser printer I would not be able to make them myself.
Edit: As happy as I am, I am still not totally sure about the nubs on the anode.
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GhostMinion
Sr Member
Looks pretty damn good to me. :thumbsup
I have four shades of yellow from two manufacturers and on a test I did they all look pretty much the same. :angry
I have been thinking about the next issue: decals. This thing will need white decals on the anode along with red and black decals on the body. I can do the black decals on my laser printer like I did for my mini-nuke. The red would be tricky, but I could always get a cheap ink jet for that. The big problem is the white decals. You would think somebody would make an affordable white ink for inkjet printers or white toner cartridges for laser printers. They would corner the market with model train people. An Alps printer would be $300 on the lower end of the spectrum. Ouch. Having decals made would be somewhere in the area of $40 a sheet because of the white. My solution? A screen printer. I initially thought about the "Yudu CardShop Personal Card Screen-Printer", but the reviews on Amazon were mixed and it sounded like extra screens were hard to find and expensive. One of the reviews mentioned the Gocco printer. After some research that sounded like it would work for me. It is a small screen printing system from Japan designed for making greeting cards which seems to be a big market in Japan.. I am only printing single colors, but with some effort it can also be used for multiple layered colors. Luckily I happened to find a practically new one just after it was listed on eBay for $65 with shipping. Not a bad price for an experiment. If it works out I will definitely look into getting it to work with easier to find supplies. It uses flash bulbs to expose the pattern and the screens seem to use cardboard on the edges. And of course it is out of production. I got the B6 model. I really wanted the PG10 or PG11 because they do a better job of registration for printing multiple colors, but I think the cheapest one I saw was $229 which was way too much for an experiment.
Edit: I found a demo of the higher end unit that I thought cost too much. Mine will work the same way.
I have been thinking about the next issue: decals. This thing will need white decals on the anode along with red and black decals on the body. I can do the black decals on my laser printer like I did for my mini-nuke. The red would be tricky, but I could always get a cheap ink jet for that. The big problem is the white decals. You would think somebody would make an affordable white ink for inkjet printers or white toner cartridges for laser printers. They would corner the market with model train people. An Alps printer would be $300 on the lower end of the spectrum. Ouch. Having decals made would be somewhere in the area of $40 a sheet because of the white. My solution? A screen printer. I initially thought about the "Yudu CardShop Personal Card Screen-Printer", but the reviews on Amazon were mixed and it sounded like extra screens were hard to find and expensive. One of the reviews mentioned the Gocco printer. After some research that sounded like it would work for me. It is a small screen printing system from Japan designed for making greeting cards which seems to be a big market in Japan.. I am only printing single colors, but with some effort it can also be used for multiple layered colors. Luckily I happened to find a practically new one just after it was listed on eBay for $65 with shipping. Not a bad price for an experiment. If it works out I will definitely look into getting it to work with easier to find supplies. It uses flash bulbs to expose the pattern and the screens seem to use cardboard on the edges. And of course it is out of production. I got the B6 model. I really wanted the PG10 or PG11 because they do a better job of registration for printing multiple colors, but I think the cheapest one I saw was $229 which was way too much for an experiment.
Edit: I found a demo of the higher end unit that I thought cost too much. Mine will work the same way.
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Quick update. I figured that since this is ink the best decal paper would be for inkjets so I ordered some. Now things might get tricky. When I started writing this post I was going to explain how I stumbled across a site that said the ink that comes with this system is oil based so it can take longer to dry on anything other than paper like it was designed for and how I had been looking at acrylic alternatives. Then a little bell started going off somewhere in my mind and I looked and found that you should not paint acrylic (that I mostly work with including clear coats) over oil based paint. It seems to me that oil based ink will be similar, so I think I am going to be buying that acrylic ink after all. 
