Printed 5 of the wheel mask for Andy’s 1/16 Easy Eight over the weekend. The print quality has improved after tweaking the parameter settings a bit. FDM printing is wonderful - no messy clean up afterward, no toxic fumes from liquid resin, and structurally more durable. Once they’re printed, they are done! No messing with the supports and ready to go. Sure, the surface finish is not as good but for functional pieces like this, it’s moot.
James,
I wonder if sometime you could tell us about the 3D printing world, either here or somewhere else on the site.
I’m wondering how the 3D world is doing, where you think its going either with the designing/printing technology, etc.
Thanks, Dan
If I could chime in on this. The 3D printing industry is very large in it’s own right but is used far more extensively as an extension of or in support of other industries. If you’re reading this on your phone right now, there is a high likelyhood that your phone model was prototyped using 3D printing. If your car was made after the 2000’s, it’s likely that parts of it were prototyped using 3D printing. Some hyper-luxury cars’ body work is wholly 3D printed.
The direction that 3D printing can take from here is only forward. 3D printing will become ever more prevalent in our daily lives as the various technologies evolve and become more accessible and useable for the general public. Right now it takes specialized equipment and software and people with somewhat specialized knowledge to use these machines effectively. The skillset is hardly unreachable for the average person but it’s not something that is just intuitive or necessarily easy to learn. As 3D printing becomes more accessible, the technology will open up to many more people and will become easier to learn and understand. Already there are consumer grade printers (like what James and I use) will built-in slicing software to slice or adjust files in the printer. Eventually, the technology may get to a hypothetical point of maturity where anyone can go to the printer in their kitchen, select some file and have a utensil or broken part printed for them on the spot. I don’t think we can get too much faster than it is now with consumer printers though.
Unfortunately we start to hit the hard wall of physics when we try to print faster. An extrusion head can only heat plastic filament and lay it down so quickly. Resin can only cure so quickly yet still be hard enough that it won’t tear apart from itself. Lasers can only sinter metal or plastic so quickly. That being said, a few years ago a new printing technology was unveiled called CLIP or Continuous Liquid Interface Printing. It is one of the fastest methods of resin 3D printing being able to print approximately 100 times faster than the machines that James or I use. There’s dozens of different technologies out there all with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The technology that James and I use is called MSLA or Masked Stereolithography. It’s similar to DLP, Digital Light Processing, which uses a projector to shine a slice of the print in UV light onto an array of micromirrors. These mirrors redirect light up into the vat of resin to cure an ultra thin layer of resin. MSLA replaces the projector and micromirror array with an array of UV LEDs, a bank of lenses and an LCD screen. The LEDs shine up through the lenses to spread out the light evenly and onto the LCD screen. The LCD displays dark areas where the light needs to be blocked and clear areas where light shines through. Another very similar technology is SLA or Stereolithography. With SLA, replace DLP’s projector and swap in a UV laser module. Same concept.
Back to where it’s going. In terms of design, a not-at-all recent technology is also now revolutionizing the way industry works in a similar way to 3D printing. This tech is 3D scanning. With 3D scanning, we can now scan a preexisting object, process it, upload it to our software of choice and then either further edit it or print it. The pipeline from design to physical object can be greatly shortened with this technology. I’m not as familiar with scanning as I am with printing because I’m only just dipping my toes into the water but, like 3D printing, there are a number of different technologies to get you to the result you want. It’s very big in many manufacturing and service industries. The realty website where you’re viewing the kitchen of the home you’re looking to buy? The interior could have been 3D scanned. Your new car could have been partially designed by an engineer 3D scanning a clay model. The contractor brought in by a large company to design a new office layout could scan the interior of the office space to ensure that the layout fits exactly. The possibilities with 3D scanning and 3D printing are virtually endless. This has been called the Second Industrial Revolution and I truly believe it is.
Again, in the near future, it could be very possible that all we need to do is pop an object into a scanner, scan it and then have it automatically sent to a printer in our home and have it printed out same day.
Unfortunately the world of 3D printing is so large that one or two people can’t have an all-encompassing view of it. There are too many technologies, many with niche applications, that no one person can know everything.
Hi Dan,
The 3D printing world is doing well and thriving in a few words.
It’s only going to improve until it hits some physical limit. For our hobby, I think it’s only the beginning, and it’s going to get bigger. On Kitmaker, it appears that Mike and I are the only active 3D designers, printers, and sellers but I am sure that the list will expand soon. I also admit that there are some “silent” designers and printers among us, but they’re watching and printing somewhere in their corner.
The costs of printers will decrease - even though resin price may go up; and the print quality will get even better. Now the road block would be learning CAD programs - they have improved in terms of user-friendliness, but it’s still not that easy to learn - takes a lot of time and practice. Either way, it will become more accessible. This also means more deaths of the traditional resin AM producers as you may have noticed in the recent months. Either they switch to and embrace 3D printing technology or the market will force them out. There will be more competition for sure and eat up profits for many.
At the high level (not so much focused on our hobby), https://www.cadcrowd.com/blog/6-ways-3d-printing-will-change-the-world/ had an interesting article about how 3D printing will change the world. I disagree with some points for sure, and they are a bit dramatizing. It’s similar to how nanotechnology was predicted to change the world. Nah. Nanotechnology improved our lives in some areas, but not that much b/c it’s an expensive technology, cost/benefit ratio is not great, and ROI is not there. I also think we may have hit the scientific limit on nanotechnology. There’s science fiction of nanobots invading our bodies, doing major surgeries, and killing germs, etc. vs. reality. I think 3D printing is more accessible and has better ROI.
So the referenced article says:
Production will Take a Turn Towards the Local
I agree with this. Decentralized manufacturing with a greater access to industrial 3D printing is happening but turning a big ship around is not easy.
The Medical World Will be Turned Upside-Down
Yes, this is happening already - but slowly and not upside-down. Faster production of prosthetics, dental pieces, and medical instruments, etc. The traditional dental designers and resin producers are losing their jobs.
However, I say dream on about bioprinting cells, living tissues, and living bones, etc. Cloning and stem cell technology tried it many years ago. It’s not going to be that easy or cheap.
3D Printing will Spark a Creative Renaissance
Sure, I agree like we’re seeing in our hobby.
3D Printing Could Help Solve the Housing Crisis
Nah. Disagree. The existing construction industry will resist against it. Plus, the building and safety regulations are all based on the traditional form of housing. It is very difficult to change laws. Not only that, it takes a very long time and lots of resources to build infractures (e.g. utilities, sewage) to support new housing developments. Just b/c you can 3D build some houses fast, it does not mean they’re livable.
New Kinds of Crime Will Emerge
Maybe. We shall see. 3D printed guns do not perform well though (at least for now). Copyright violation and piracy - not really new.
3D Printing Could Save the Environment
Nah. Dream on. That’s what people said about nanotechnology. Again, ROI is not there. Motivation is not there. 3D printing technology can produce other toxic byproducts and pollutants, still uses a lot of energy, and increases consumption. I do not see it.
My 2 cents. At least, we are having fun, right, and do not need to rely on kit manufacturers to produce accurate products as much?
@Dan , Wooo. That set-up looks much simpler to CAD and 3D print than what I had to do. I was going to ask you more about the WWII type 30 cal. mounts and brackets, etc. but figured it’s a “movie” set up so I can make whatever passable.
I didn’t see that sort of holders in the links you sent me from usarmymodels article.
I thought about replicating that but decided to do what’s above b/c it looked cooler in my opinion.
