/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>310609
It's not opensource. Makerbot changed the TOS of thingiverse so they own everything you post. FUCK MAKERBOT!

>>309672
damn, they posted files too:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9264

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I just downloaded moot.

Still, FUCK MAKERBOT for not being open source any more!

>>303831
That's a really stupid design, you won't get much resolution, and the prints will take forever.

Get yourself a DLP projector, plastic vat capable of holding horrible nasty photopolymer, and a linear slide, and you've got a 3d printer that should have no trouble making miniatures.

Here's an example of one:
3dlprint.com

Only problem is that photopolymer you use to make the models is expensive.

As far as scanning goes, that's going to be difficult, especially for something as small and detailed as miniatures.

I doubt a cheap 3d scanner like a nextengine will be able to scan small figurines. You might be able to use a Roland MDX equipped with a touch probe, but that's going to be arduous and I'm sure you'll be able to get the resolution you need.

The absolute best way to scan these things that I can think of would be a micro CT scanner. Unless you are absolutely rolling in money, you will not be able to afford one.

However, you can usually buy access to them, at a rate of around $150 an hour and I'd say an hour would be enough to scan about 3 figurines. Though maybe you have some friend who has unfettered access to one of these machines?

Other than that, you could scan them destructively by casting them in clear block of resin, cutting off layer by layer, and taking a picture of each layer with a high resolution camera.

>>303094
my best advice would for doing so would be: don't.

That mask is huge! So unless you've got one them fancy german EOS machines, you're gonna have to scale.

Even then a face sized mask is gonna be pretty huge.

>> I have easy access to a quality 3d printer.
Now what sorta machine are we talking about here? You gotta make or model here?

And for the love of all that's holy don't tell you're using a Z-corp, if you are, you're gonna be pretty disappointed if you want to wear the thing. Z-corps make fragile prints.

As far as making a model goes, use whatever 3d software strikes your fancy. Just export to .STL and make absolutely sure you go into your export settings and set curvature and angle as low as possible, so you don't end up with NASTY triangles all over your print.

After exporting, check your STL for errors, if your model's complex, it's gonna have them, with software like Geomagics and fix em'. If ya send a bad .STL to a machine, your model could turn out very bad, and you could even BREAK THE MACHINE!

>>209491
yeah, if you don't care about your models being able to support any load. Even a makerbot beats a Z-corp in model strength anyday.

>>205021
>>As a potential business this interests me.
You're too late. There are big companies called "service bureaus" that specialize in this sort of thing.

>>205371
>>simply machining them
Metal 3d printers are being used to produce aerospace parts from titanium, because as it turns out, superhard titanium alloys are really difficult to machine. Not to mention the 3d printing process is a lot less wasteful than machining, plus you can make much lighter parts than you could with machining, pic related.

>>187122
There are whole set of companies out there that do this, they are known as service bureaus.

They are fairly big operations and it would be very hard for you to break into the business your self.

>>187183
>>187187
That's patently false, shapeways uses the Direct Metal Laser Sintering(DMLS) process(pic related) for producing stainless steel parts, where they fuse stainless steel powder together with a laser beam.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_metal_laser_sintering

It's a cool process to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VImKhUD-8hk

They also use the Electron Beam Melting process to produce parts from titanium. In electron beam melting one uses an electron beam to fuse metal powder together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_beam_melting

it's a VERY COOL process to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqa3TMxje14

>>140029
Build a 3d printer from garbage.

>>132322
That's an cylinder block, got it here
http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/archive/2011/12/features/from-image-to-object/viewgallery#!image-num
ber=4

But, one could make heat exchangers this way.
Pic related is a chassis component from the same gallery.

>>130300
Castle Island has a pretty good introduction to the different technologies and what not: http://www.additive3d.com/

reprap.org and the reprap chatroom on freenode are your best bet if you want to get into it.

Now if you want to learn more about the processes and science, "Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Rapid Prototyping to Direct Digital Manufacturing," is a pretty good book.

>>132302
Oops wrong pic, that's a lightweight airplane component that saves tons of money in fuel replacing conventional machined parts.

Here's the engine block, now try to CNC it!

>>130321
>>suddenly being able to make anything and everything at the press of a button.

>>3d printing is almost exclusively a cosmetic process useful only for mockups and fit testing.
Well if you're referring to the 3d printing™, as in the process used by Z-Corp machines, then I'll agree with you.

There are much better additive manufacturing processes out there for making real parts like laser sintering, selective laser melting, electron beam melting, etc.

>>Subtractive machining has been around for hundreds of years for a reason
It's also quite wasteful of material.
>>Try printing that fuckers.
Challenge accepted, challenge completed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHEGx9Py8vI&feature=player_embedded

Challenge accepted again:
http://www.fraunhofer.de/en/press/research-news/2011/november/high-tech-spider.html


Try CNCing pic related fuckers. It's a stainless steel engine block, and that weird looking organic shape ain't cosmetic, it's to cut down on weight.

>>130459
3d printers can be used to make molds. There are selective laser sintering machines out there that sinter sand together to make molds.

3d printers can also print fugitive materials, like wax, for lost wax casting. Heck, plastic 3d printer can be used to do plastic burn-out casting.


>>131856
>>Current 3D additive printing struggles with structures that have stress bearing parts
Nope, that's what support material is for.

>>mold casting is more structurally sound
not necessarily, electron beam melted titanium properties can exceed that of cast titanium

>>pin/dowel system to create molds
That'd be a recastable die, it's workable, but very complicated.