Anycubic Photon

[narrowminded]

Maybe I'm being pedantic Mark, but to me opaque means "fully light blocking" as in "not allowing any light to pass".  The same definition is at https://www.dictionary.com/browse/opaque :
not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through.

I think what you mean is that even the gray resin is translucent (but not transparent like the clear or green resins are).  Translucent material allows some light to pass through.

   All of the resin colors are translucent.  Fixed.

That was pretty bad, huh.

[Mark W]

What's really going to throw you guys off...  visibly opaque, translucent, transparent, is not what dictates cure time or light bleed.  It's the amount of UV blocker, and the ratio of the other ingredients in the resin.   


Resin Chemicals @10:15

[peteski]

What's really going to throw you guys off...  visibly opaque, translucent, transparent, is not what dictates cure time or light bleed.  It's the amount of UV blocker, and the ratio of the other ingredients in the resin.   

But the terminology still applies. It is just opaque, translucent, transparent to the UV light (not visible light).     Makes sense.

No, that didn't make sense. Not sure what went through my mind when I wrote that.  I think this is what I meant:

The terminology still applies, but only for the opacity to the visible, not UV light. Obviously a UV-cured resin has to be transparent, or translucent to UV light (even if it is opaque to the visible light).

[Chris333]

So that aborted 22' boxcar... Yesterday I printed a set of 20' boxcars using the same file as I'd used before (it was still on the USB drive) and I got one 20' boxcar that was deformed the same way as the 22 footers. So I drained the vat and saw a small bump up on the FEP. Switched the FEP and it printed just fine. So now on my 4th FEP.   

I think the bump just happened to be right where the support was and that caused the problem for the boxcars while other stuff printed fine.

They need a machine with a FEP on a roll and every X amounts of prints you just crank the FEP a few inches. 

[narrowminded]

But the terminology still applies. It is just opaque, translucent, transparent to the UV light (not visible light).     Makes sense.

Just to be clear,   I did know those word's meanings and have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that.   Anyway, it's good you caught it.

[peteski]

Just to be clear,   I did know those word's meanings and have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote that.   Anyway, it's good you caught it.

Sure, and my statement you quoted was a bit awkward too.  It's all good. 

[narrowminded]

Then there's this about adding pigment.  I knew I had read something about this somewhere.  This business is full of "too muches", "just a littles", and "whatever it takes", with not many specifics.    https://www.monocure3d.com.au/cmyk-pigment-sets-s/193.htm

Apparently the pigment does have some effect, as would UV inhibitors.  It's light cured, after all.   I'm still curious about further hardening over time.   I know that plastics in general, when used in sunlight, can become brittle and for those purposes UV inhibitors are added.  Exactly what, why, and when, or degrees of susceptibility I haven't a clue.

[PiperguyUMD]

What kind of success have you all had printing small holes? All of the models I was printing through shapeways had mounting holes for grab irons etc. and they printed well enough - enough that they could be located and cleared out with the appropriate drill bit. My experience with the photon so far is that occasionally I will get a speck of a dimple where the hole should be. This is by no means a deal breaker, but man I loved not having to spend hours measuring and drilling those tiny holes!

[narrowminded]

What kind of success have you all had printing small holes? All of the models I was printing through shapeways had mounting holes for grab irons etc. and they printed well enough - enough that they could be located and cleared out with the appropriate drill bit. My experience with the photon so far is that occasionally I will get a speck of a dimple where the hole should be. This is by no means a deal breaker, but man I loved not having to spend hours measuring and drilling those tiny holes!

I haven't had good luck with getting small holes and especially reliably on size.  I mentioned this in a previous post about tolerance in general.  I go ahead and draw them in and use them as a pilot.  I have one that's to be .018" finish and I've gone up to .025" on the drawing with a dimpled lead going in.  I still have to drill it to finish but the lead is there and the drill, held in a pin vise, picks that up perfectly and the drill goes in very much at that point and straight, I suspect aided by the "pilot" hole.  I also haven't had a lot of small holes to do so will still be playing with this as the needs arise.

The hole reference is about halfway through this post but the rest helps to make my observations more clear.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=45736.msg602783#msg602783

[Chris333]

With Shapeways I would get a thru-hole and with the Photon it would get filled in, but easy to find and drill with the left over dimple.

Perhaps heating the resin vat would help?  I have just been drawing holes slightly bigger for the Photon.

[narrowminded]

And thinner resin, black in this case, does seem to print closer to size, about 1/2 of the error I had described that I was experiencing with gray.  And the through hole in a thin part (.018") came through better than in the gray.  @Mark W is the one who brought this up initially.  I will add to this as I add some more parts experience but it seems that the .002"/ .003"  X and Y face growth experienced with the more viscous gray may be more like .0015" with the much less viscous black.

[AlwaysSolutions]

Perhaps heating the resin vat would help?

Since I print in the garage I've been heating my vat/resin prior to printing and it helps a lot with the viscosity issues.    I've been printing some shells over the last few days that have holes in the roof and they've come out great so far.  I'd like to get a proper warming method figured out since placing the vat on my stove-top (the flat glass kind) is a little hinky.   

Edit to add: I'm pretty careful in doing a slow heat-up, basically get the glass to where it's warm (not combustible hot) and stays warm then rest the vat on top for 10 mins with a couple paper towels underneath.  Nothing browns or cooks!

[Lemosteam]

Since I print in the garage I've been heating my vat/resin prior to printing and it helps a lot with the viscosity issues.    I've been printing some shells over the last few days that have holes in the roof and they've come out great so far.  I'd like to get a proper warming method figured out since placing the vat on my stove-top (the flat glass kind) is a little hinky.   

Edit to add: I'm pretty careful in doing a slow heat-up, basically get the glass to where it's warm (not combustible hot) and stays warm then rest the vat on top for 10 mins with a couple paper towels underneath.  Nothing browns or cooks!

perhaps an engine block heater would work and keep a constant temp:


https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/kats-engine-heater-cartridge-11815/11124801-p?c3ch=PLA&c3nid=11124801-P&adtype=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvqDiBRDAARIsADWh5TcwV8RRGepQuwLJOIDkW9v0iR6q5uJmJomXGvbhvNsc5pyI_0UxBlcaAptYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

[peteski]

Or maybe an aquarium heater would also do the job, and have pretty fine temperature adjustment.

[Chris333]

Most aquarium heaters have a safety to shut off when there is no water.