WARNING ... for many of you the following post may be like watching paint dry. But if you are thinking about getting into this (or want to know more) I hope you find it interesting. For those who have seen my 3D locomotive prints I thought you might like to know the software I use. Initially I did not create my models (just downloaded models others had posted). However, I am increasingly either modifying interesting downloads or creating my own from scratch. The modelling software that works best for me (so far) is Sketchup. The basic program is free but I use the Pro version which you have to pay for. I am also looking at FreeCAD but haven't done anything with it yet. The model above is an eccentric rod for the Big Boy locomotive. Once you have a model you need to slice it into many layers to print it. This produces a file (gCode) which contains a long list of co-ordinates and instructions telling the printer where to go to print the model. The program I use for this is IdeaMaker (also free). Configuring the slicing parameters is a challenge as there are hundreds of settings but the good thing is this program allows you to save multiple configuration files (configs). You can also assigned different printers and as I have 2 this makes selecting a config easy. I now have many saved configs so I rarely need to change any parameters, I just select the one I need. Below you see the same eccentric rod loaded into IdeaMaker ready for slicing. Depending on the size, complexity, speed and resolution prints can take from minutes to many hours. This eccentric rod took 33 minutes to print. Finally the software (actually firmware) that I use in my 3D printers. Printers come with their own firmware but you can load other firmware into them. I use Marlin 2.0 firmware in both my printers. This firmware has been specifically developed to allow the best control of your printer. It is open sourced, continually being updated and is free. The displays are somewhat primitive (see below) but have lots of setup options. This firmware is very popular in the 3D printing world because it does a great job. And at the end of the day ... that's what you need. That's about it ... 3D printing can be seen as a black art but once you get into it there are many rewards ... and it is fun creating stuff. There are also times when you want to throw the whole thing(s) out the window!! But every print is a challenge and you learn a lot with each print.
Hi Chris I've not tried Sketchup. I started with 123D by Autodesk (also free) but seems difficult to get hold of now. The beauty of the 3D creation programs is they don't care how you are going to print it. I've always found the real black art is getting the print to stick to the print bed on both FDM and Resin printing. Paul
Hi Paul, Yes, I had bed sticking problems also. What I found that works is to paint some diluted white glue on the bed (and let it dry obviously). I can do a few prints before I need to re-coat. It cleans off easily with water. I was also printing on a mirror (or glass) sheet. I started getting some shift problems and I went back to using the standard mat that came with the printer as I thought the extra weight of the glass might be an issue. The shift problems got worse so I bought another motherboard which I recently installed. That seems to have fixed the problem so I may go back to the glass sheet on the bed. If you use glass you definitely need the glue. Don't know about addressing this problem with a resin printer. I assume you have one. I like the fine resolution you can achieve but not sure about mucking around with the resin each time you print. How do you go with cleaning the printer after printing, or can you leave the resin in the printer until the next print? Chris
Hi Chris On my CTC for PLA I used 3M's Blue painters tape, a heated bed of 50 - 60 degrees and a clean with Lidl's W5 Window cleaner (I also use this to clean out my airbrush of acrylic paint). This normally worked, unless of course I'd screwed up the bed levelling. With resin (SLA) it's all down to leveling the build plate and the base layer cure times, once you get that right, it's a nightmare getting the print off the bed. Paul
I tried Sketchup ( free version ) years ago Paul and it`s very good....easy to use and you type in your measurements so you have very good control of what you want to design. An old image from the early design stage of my point levers done with Sketchup. Give it a try... Gormo
I still use 123D design. Couldn’t fathom the other systems. I’m trying to learn it’s successor, Fusion 360, but i can have a model drawn by the time I’ve worked out how to do it in fusion. I’m still using the CTC bizer printer with a dual head for the filament as I can’t afford a resin just yet and having a new born in the house don’t fancy the smell and issues (probably better than a dirty nappy!! ) I’m just in the midst of a new building. Porch and roof to do.
However you can dump the nappy outside in minutes, you have to wait several hours for the print to finish, nevermind clearing the fumes. Like you Andy, my fallback program is 123D, and I am trying to learn Solidworks, Fusion 360 and eventually Blender as all have thier advantages over the other. But as all have steep learning curves this take a while. Paul
There are plenty of YouTube tutorials on most of these programs, some better than others. The reason I favour Sketchup is I can build a model with lines and dimensions. I was originally a draftsman and this program works best for me. I can draw a model line by line rather than work with shapes (although you can also do that). I mentioned FreeCAD (see below), this looks promising and is very comprehensive BUT my initial impression is that it seems very slow. Importing an STL file and converting it to a mesh took ages. I don't know why this should be (Sketchup can do that instantly) and it has put me off using it. Seems to work OK if you build a model from scratch. I may get back to FreeCAD but for now Sketchup fills the bill for me. As you say Paul, these programs have steep learning curves and you usually end up using a fraction of the capabilities available. I have looked at 123D, Blender and Solidworks The guy who created the Big Boy model (Paul Fischer) used Solidworks (and he obviously knows how to use it, see below). eDrawings is part Solidworks and you can get it for free. Paul Fischer supplied the eDrawing of the model which allowed me to highlight all the parts. Without this it would have been almost impossible to put this model together. If you were building something like this Solidworks would be the way to go. For me, I think I will concentrate Sketchup and learn as much as I can about using it effectively. Chris
