Anycubic Photon

[narrowminded]

Repeatability aside, if you don't see this as an issue then I do. Accurate printing is crucial. I have kits with dissimilar materials and I could not spend more time changing cad models eveytime something doesn't fit. My cad models are so intertwined with parametric related dimensions I would risk the model blowing up in cad. This has been my biggest issue with SW.

Okay.

[C855B]

A general Photon question: what is the repeatable minimum wall thickness?

[Mark W]

I just opened my last bottle of Anycubic Gray, so time to re-order.  Unfortunately, I'm finding the usual discount outlets either no longer show Gray as an option or are out of stock.    

Sure I can buy it straight from Anycubic for $47 for 500ml.  But all other colors on Amazon are $29 for 500ml. 
 

A general Photon question: what is the repeatable minimum wall thickness?

I frequently use .2mm walls as supports.

[Chris333]

Yeah I just ordered 2 bottles of gray and got an email that they were all out.

They need a US distributer.

Ended up getting black and maroon.

[narrowminded]

A general Photon question: what is the repeatable minimum wall thickness?

I have short experience with this BUT... My channel around the the perimeter of my tipper car has a main web dimension of .015" and the flanges are .008", all printing fine.  The hopper has recessed pockets that leave .012", also fine.  The supporting "tee" section for the hoppers, projecting up from the frame, are .028" wide x .008" thick with the "tee" at .015" x .008".  They print fine but have also been strong enough to support the hopper and withstand my handling.  I'm cautious handling them to a degree but they are pretty tough.  Tough enough that I haven't broken even one yet out of +100 chassis' printed.

Then there are the links and pins.  They are .010" x .012" cross section for the links and .015" diameter for the pins.  The rings at the top of the pins were .030" inside, now .020" and .010" cross section.  Those too have held up fine, and actually surprised me when they worked as they do, printing and functionally.  I tried them as an expected failure and have since printed four to five hundred successfully.

I broke some of those links when I dropped a six car string to the hard floor but broke nothing else.  Although partially intentional but not expecting to accomplish that level of protection, I like that fact as it acts as a sacrificial part, hopefully saving the more involved painted chassis, hopper, and coal load from damage.  That's how it worked out this time and was a relief to see the undamaged parts, all but the links, as they were gathered from the floor after the mishap.

I hope this much was helpful but I haven't printed any broader panels in those thicknesses yet so, if that's what you're after I'm not sure I can answer assuredly.  Not yet.

[C855B]

Thanks, guys. Let me ruminate on this a bit, a repeatable 0.2 mm might solve a couple of things on the drawing board that SW couldn't handle.

[narrowminded]

Yeah I just ordered 2 bottles of gray and got an email that they were all out.

They need a US distributer.

Ended up getting black and maroon.

I expect they will restock soon.   I also hope that.

[Chris333]

So after they asked me to pick a new color they now asked if they could just refund my money. So I canceled it and bought 500ml of black and 500ml of white. I'll make my own gray 

[narrowminded]

So after they asked me to pick a new color they now asked if they could just refund my money. So I canceled it and bought 500ml of black and 500ml of white. I'll make my own gray 

Why not?   I've actually been thinking of getting some black. 

Made 1200+ pins and 600+ links today.  Gave my Opti-visor a real workout.   For parts like that I started adding the supports in the drawing instead of the slicer.  It's more precise and they can be grouped in manageable sizes with good access to the snip point and with the base as a holder.  Makes that terribly tedious job a little less so.

[Chris333]

I replaced my FEP again. Right after I changed it last I ran it without the knob tightened all the way (again)  So it got pretty scratched up. Also from now on I try to move stuff around on the plate. If you just add parts they automatically go right in the center and that spot will get worn out quicker.

[Mark W]

I thought about mixing black and white for a second.  I ended up getting some Anycubic White, and a few different off brands in gray.  One of them comes in the same black bottle as my first Anycubic Gray, so I wonder if it's the exact same stuff anyway. 

I also picked up a 4 foot roll of FEP from Flexvat.com.  (I did the math, 4 foot is the best value and least waste)


For reference, I started adding an index to some of the useful posts and sources on the first post here.

[narrowminded]

For reference, I started adding an index to some of the useful posts and sources on the first post here.

Thanks for all you've done for this, Mark.

[narrowminded]

I replaced my FEP again. Right after I changed it last I ran it without the knob tightened all the way (again)  So it got pretty scratched up. Also from now on I try to move stuff around on the plate. If you just add parts they automatically go right in the center and that spot will get worn out quicker.

I just changed mine for the first time.  It was probably a little premature but there were two spots that were not great and then the typical slight "wavy" spots, for lack of a better term, that I believe is normal.  One mark was dead center but was damage from an error early on, forgetting to "zero" the machine after shutting it off while loading the program.  I had zeroed it on startup but turned it off when putting the thumb drive in, then turned it on and...   Fortunately I didn't break anything.  ALWAYS zero any time you turn the machine on.  And this is doubly bad for me because it's a standard procedure on CNC machines and for all of the same reasons.  I never did that before.   The other mark I can only speculate was the result of hitting it on an edge of the cleanout tub... or something.  It was a swirled indented mark, indented from the outside inward.

The change is super simple.  And this is an opportunity to just rave about what a beautifully simple, extremely clever, machine and process.

[Mark W]

Found a source for the 10 micron step resolution. 

https://github.com/Photonsters/anycubic-photon-docs/?fbclid=IwAR1ROCB2ZNgz86gyXfDXVvd6kPrV3kBen0u1N1Dy9RKRTk-GDut-YakatV0


https://i.imgur.com/9vLKEwL.jpg

Based on the threads and stepper motor type, each step of the motor can correlate to an exact 10 micron step in Z. 
So any layer height that is not an increment of 10 microns can actually reduce accuracy in Z height as the stepper tries to interpolate with half or micro-steps, sacrificing torque and risking "magnetic backlash"

https://www.micromo.com/technical-library/stepper-motor-tutorials/microstepping-myths-and-realities?fbclid=IwAR3cr2sr0Ev18QRVoBfUIeJiqoJOFqxGlAzfIsLBxowOyvfGT_fjmbilivw

[Lemosteam]

Found a source for the 10 micron step resolution. 

https://github.com/Photonsters/anycubic-photon-docs/?fbclid=IwAR1ROCB2ZNgz86gyXfDXVvd6kPrV3kBen0u1N1Dy9RKRTk-GDut-YakatV0


https://i.imgur.com/9vLKEwL.jpg

Based on the threads and stepper motor type, each step of the motor can correlate to an exact 10 micron step in Z. 
So any layer height that is not an increment of 10 microns can actually reduce accuracy in Z height as the stepper tries to interpolate with half or micro-steps, sacrificing torque and risking "magnetic backlash"

https://www.micromo.com/technical-library/stepper-motor-tutorials/microstepping-myths-and-realities?fbclid=IwAR3cr2sr0Ev18QRVoBfUIeJiqoJOFqxGlAzfIsLBxowOyvfGT_fjmbilivw

It should be noted that unless the screen resolution (pixel) is not the same as the Z travel, one is not printing a true cube any longer.  Unless that is what hardware resolution is referring to?