Side Mission: Team Associated SC10 forward receiver box

[WickedFog]

Revopoint 3d has the Inspire 2 scanner at $500 that will do indoor/outdoor at 0.05 to 0.1mm accuracy.

I'll check that one out. I am looking for a handheld, to be able to do larger stuff if needed.

I actually think it would be cool to get into the whole Lidar mapping scene. I bet it could be quite popular around here if my kid wants to go make some side dough. There is a lot of growth going on here lately.

 

[332_RC]

I'll check that one out. I am looking for a handheld, to be able to do larger stuff if needed.

I actually think it would be cool to get into the whole Lidar mapping scene. I bet it could be quite popular around here if my kid wants to go make some side dough. There is a lot of growth going on here lately.

It can be handheld. I've thought about getting one.

 

[WickedFog]

It can be handheld. I've thought about getting one.

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I've been kinda eyballing the 3dMakerpro Seal for starters. Just to have something for the 24th scale stuff. But their Lynx system is pretty awesome for bigger stuff, and cheap. I see Revopoint has their Range 2 for even bigger stuff. Creality actually makes some very nice ones too.

But I have seen much nicer ones on ebay, just like Spksh here. I saw a pretty high end Creality one sell awhile back I wish I had the money for. It was less than half price. But there are too many other things higher up the need to have list.

 

[Spksh]

The secret cheat code is "45". Modern printers can handle 45 degree overhangs no problem, vibration and motion-induced wobble notwithstanding. The game you play is finding creative ways to orient your object in the slicer until you get no overhangs, and then worry about how you'll support it.

It's the "overhang wall" value we're trying to minimize.

So, nose to the bed at 45 degrees, I get rid of the whole 82.5 degree super shallow support problem. The remaining overhang is from the rounded corners at the very front. Remember the rule for first layers: Chamfers are your friend, and Fillets are the enemy.

Gimme that sweet 45 degree slicing action. No more rounded overhang on the bed.

But there's no way the whole print will stick to the bed well enough to print up the total height. The center of gravity is way outside the first layer, and the motion of the printer will ruin the surface quality.

We need to add some CAD-designed supports to brace the print. Fins are great for that. We're smarter than the slicer, right?

Now this will print (with a brim) just fine. Of course you'll have a big-ass triangle sticking out the back that you'll need to trim off and then sand. That's too much post-processing for me. We can do better.

Let's make the fin breakaway, only touching the print with a 0.2mm point. Now it'll snap off cleanly.

But, due to the nature of the layer lines, it'll never snap off flush with the surface. That'll leave us with a raised ridge right down the middle of the surface we're trying to protect.

We must do better!

 

[Spksh]

The surface we're playing with needs to be flat, but it won't be seen. If we dig a trench for our breakaway fin, we can snap it off and the leftover ridge will still be below the surface that matters.

Now the fin can touch the bottom of the trench.

Now, how will this print in ASA? When I can figure out why my 0.2mm nozzle keeps getting blocked, I'll let you know.

 

[WickedFog]

The surface we're playing with needs to be flat, but it won't be seen. If we dig a trench for our breakaway fin, we can snap it off and the leftover ridge will still be below the surface that matters.
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Now the fin can touch the bottom of the trench.
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Now, how will this print in ASA? When I can figure out why my 0.2mm nozzle keeps getting blocked, I'll let you know.
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I use modeled supports for a lot of stuff. Esoecially when it's tall. I've even made up some tape trees and stuck in problem areas on the fly

 

[Spksh]

I use modeled supports for a lot of stuff. Esoecially when it's tall. I've even made up some tape trees and stuck in problem areas on the fly

I’m having a real bad print day, I’m tempted to break out the glue gun

 

[Littlemotor]

Not even gonna lie-I was seriously having to verify that I hadn’t landed in some sort of time warp over here..

I’m all caught back up proper between this, and the OG thread now.

 

[Spksh]

 

[Spksh]

Now, how will this print in ASA?

Badly, as it turns out!

Repeated failures at pretty much the same height. I thought they were nozzle blockages (unscrew, heat nozzle, cold pull, repeat ), but now I think the failures were caused by the cantilever force in the unsupported direction, until the center of gravity shifts back.

Allow me to present Pyramid Head.

The PLA print was fine, now I'm using the last of my black ASA. Thoughts and prayers, please.

 

[Spksh]

Getting closer. The front came loose and started wobbling everywhere (hence the awful surface quality), but the whole thing didn't yeet itself off the bed.

Let's nail this sucker down even more.

 

[Littlemotor]

-but the whole thing didn't yeet itself off the bed.

I literally spoofed my tasty beverage reading this…

Hang in there brocephus-you’re makin’ moves for sure.!

 

[Spksh]

OK, this one finished and was actually still stuck to the bed. Surface quality is rough on the underside, but I'm calling Good Enough (at least until I get a printer with dual nozzles so I can print 100% support material ).

The Super Macro View of Shame (TM) makes it look way worse than it feels in person. Compared to the webbed overhangs of my original fins, this is actually better.

Snap!

Good enough to drop into the chassis without any hand-finishing (except to tap the screw holes).

Now on to the lid!

 

[Littlemotor]

OK, this one finished and was actually still stuck to the bed. Surface quality is rough on the underside, but I'm calling Good Enough (at least until I get a printer with dual nozzles so I can print 100% support material ).
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The Super Macro View of Shame (TM) makes it look way worse than it feels in person. Compared to the webbed overhangs of my original fins, this is actually better.

Snap!
View attachment 265297

Good enough to drop into the chassis without any hand-finishing (except to tap the screw holes).
View attachment 265298

Now on to the lid!

 

[Spksh]

Who likes cake?

I really like this orientation for the lid, but obviously there's lots of unsupported overhangs and long bridges on the underside.

But, all those overhangs are parallel to the bed (unlike the box). So, let's print the negative volume in layers that match the overhangs. Add some pauses to the print job just before the bridge layer, insert the support block, continue. What was an overhang is now printing on a solid surface.

Getting the tolerances right is a bit trial and error. I printed the cake in PETG, which PLA won't stick to. But I need the first layer to stick, or I get a stringy mess.

Let's cover the cake in blue painter's tape and some print bed glue and try again. Here's the last support block going in, right before the top surface gets printed.

Layer by layer reveal. They popped out nicely, although I left the tape behind on the final layer. Just peels out, no problem.

Pretty happy with that, although there's a few areas that either didn't stick on the first layer or got smeared because the support wasn't exactly flush. I love that you can see the tape joins in the final surface.

I think If I dropped the support by another 0.08mm (the layer height I'm using here), I'll get a little sagging by less smearing. All of this testing was PLA, so now I have to figure out what I can stick to the top of the supports that ASA will actually adhere to...

 

[Littlemotor]

Who likes cake?

I really like this orientation for the lid, but obviously there's lots of unsupported overhangs and long bridges on the underside.
View attachment 265394
View attachment 265395

But, all those overhangs are parallel to the bed (unlike the box). So, let's print the negative volume in layers that match the overhangs. Add some pauses to the print job just before the bridge layer, insert the support block, continue. What was an overhang is now printing on a solid surface.
View attachment 265396

Getting the tolerances right is a bit trial and error. I printed the cake in PETG, which PLA won't stick to. But I need the first layer to stick, or I get a stringy mess.
View attachment 265397

Let's cover the cake in blue painter's tape and some print bed glue and try again. Here's the last support block going in, right before the top surface gets printed.
View attachment 265398

Layer by layer reveal. They popped out nicely, although I left the tape behind on the final layer. Just peels out, no problem.
View attachment 265399
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Pretty happy with that, although there's a few areas that either didn't stick on the first layer or got smeared because the support wasn't exactly flush. I love that you can see the tape joins in the final surface.
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I think If I dropped the support by another 0.08mm (the layer height I'm using here), I'll get a little sagging by less smearing. All of this testing was PLA, so now I have to figure out what I can stick to the top of the supports that ASA will actually adhere to...

Soooooo far above my paygrade, but man-you don’t ride the ol’ strugglebus for very long at all..

 

[Spksh]

Soooooo far above my paygrade, but man-you don’t ride the ol’ strugglebus for very long at all..

I ride it way longer than I want to

 

[RetroThutmose]

Why ASA?

 

[Spksh]

Why ASA?

Heat and UV resistance; it gets hot here over the summer.

 

[Spksh]

I didn't need to worry about ASA sticking. I tried some basic paper masking tape for the first ASA experiment; stuck so well we ended up splitting the print along the layer lines trying to get the supports out

Decent overall surface finish, though.

I decided to treat the support blocks like I probably should have from the start: actual parts with real tolerance requirements. Let's go back to the blue tape and glue, and increase the nozzle temperature to improve layer bonding.

Shall we unwrap our present?

Tape peels off the support block instead of the main print, but that's fine.

Still some issues on that front corner with the screw holes.

I'll take it.

I'm out of black ASA, so I need to order some in for the "final" print, but in the meantime I've decided to throw out this idea and buy some HIPS filament instead . I convinced myself to get over the idea that I'd be wasting filament with filament changes when printing with different support material. HIPS and ASA don't stick, so it'll be the perfect support interface layer, and I won't have to deal with the prep or babysitting the print.

That's the plan anyway.