Spring Time - Printing Time

P6 15 Ton Coal Hopper

Having got the Mono X up and running, I needed to find a nice subject and decided to use the P6 hopper which I had drawn a few months ago as a test bed.

It’s an interesting wagon, basically the NER’s first attempt to increase the wagon load/tare weight ratio thus reducing costs but also reducing the number of wagons needed and length of a train for any given load weight. The better known high capacity NER hopper is the P7 which is available from Slaters.

The build plate is big enough that I could get all the components printed in one run of 3hr 20 mins a huge time saving over printing using the Mono even assuming the body fitted the build plate which it doesn’t.

Late yesterday evening it had printed, had an initial wash and the support system was cut away, this morning more cleaning up before then curing.

Mossy (a happy bunny)

 

Paul

Thank you young sir.
I'm surprised how quite it is compared to the Mono and yes that tank does take one heck of a lot of resin!

Mossy

 

Paul/Andy

I would like your thoughts on this problemet please.

Bored with constantly using Chitu along with being banned from printing today I decided to review another of the 'to be printed' candidates just to make sure everything was in place, a D10 double bolster. Lucky I did as I spotted a glaring error, as well as having two swinging bolsters, there are pockets to take 6 supplementary bolsters, these drop into pockets on the inside of the sides (not on the outside - error spotted) but because I had combined all the components I had redo the whole thing. Not a problem just tedious. This time around as well as correcting the error I made sure the floor was kept as a separate body for printing purposes.

At this point the clanger hit me, there was no way of getting the floor in, the small pockets intrude into the wagon interior by 2mm on each side. My initial solution was to cut slots into the floor to accommodate the pockets but then I came up with an alternate solution, but is it viable?

The plan is/was to print one end of the wagon as a separate body, which would allow the floor to silde in under the pockets and then glue the missing end on afterwards, but what do you experts think?



You can see one of the internal pockets top right of the photo. There is a 1.25mm gap between the bottom of the pocket and the solebar and the floor is 1mm thick so it should slide neatly in between the two and then the separate end fixed in place. The best schemes gan after .... and all that.

Mossy

 

Hi Andy,

Almost all my wagon floors are printed 1mm thick, long axis parallel to the build plate with supports along the bottom, up each end and across the underside of the floor, none have ever warped. I don't used warm water, I have a pair of tiny very scissors with which I remove the supports after initial IPA bath, but before curing and final wash. They normally get printed on the same build as the body.

I also allow a .25mm tolerance on all sides of a floor, expecting to need to shave a little off to make them fit.

I have never heard of using warm water to remove supports pray tell more, I'm interested.

Mossy

 

Andy,

I may well give warm water a go, I'm always up to learn new techniques. Is this pre or post an IPA wash?

Mossy

 

Cheers Mate.

I will definitely give it a go. The natter little scissors are starting to get a bit blunt.

Mossy

 

Hi Paul,

I'm not really clear what your suggesting can you run it one more time.

Mossy

 

yep fully, didn't get the mini bits under the pockets

Thanks Paul

 

That's looking very pretty Rob. Can't wait to see the final result.

Mossy

 

Andy,

Too true, I hate painting the most but transfers come a close second. Just happy I have a master on the job and not me!

Mossy

 

Rob,

I especially like the way the P6 has come out. I think it's by far the best 3d print I have managed to date.
For the V1/2 brakes, I thought I might have a go at using that Krystal Clear stuff, any tips or words of warning?

Mossy