Sonic Mini 8k

[JeffB]

WAIT one minute @JeffB  you finally rebuilt your machine!? I need to see that!

Sorry for the thread drift...  Here's the proof!

Untitled by jeffB, on Flickr

Untitled by jeffB, on Flickr

The old Photon 1 is in the background.  Part of the deal with the "boss" on getting the Mini-8K is that I have to get rid of one of the two I have, so sadly the Photon 1 needs to go (but not until the Mini-8K arrives!).

So if anyone wants a Photon 1 I'd like to get $75 or best offer.  I won't ship it, so you need to be able to pick it up in Connecticut (I'd be willing to drive up to an hour to meet you, but I won't deliver it to your home if it's an hour away).  It's the old metal case version.

For the sale price you get the machine, with a dual rail upgrade installed (from the guy in the UK), two Elegoo spare vats (the plastic ones, with new FEP installed) and a spare (new) LCD. 

If you are interested, let me know and I can provide more photos.  I know it's not worth much because better printers are really cheap now days, but if you're looking for spare parts for your Photon, or want a second machine for simple details, this is your machine.  It's a work horse.  I had to get rid of it, but it's part of the deal to get the better machine!

Jeff

[timwatson]

Looks great @JeffB looks like you and Chris went with the same approach. That's looks good. On the 8k they fixed z-axis issues really well and I don't see any flexing in the z-axis.

This is what I've been making with 8k rez. ESM 36" metal wheels. Homemade and printed gears. This mechanism is almost 100% printed except for axles. 5.8mm wheels 12mm wheelbase. No idea on the gear ration but it's geared way down. I am working on the noise now.


Next to the Toma Hon30 Porter


GIANT tungsten weight on top.

[Chris333]

Have you tried to print finer gears?

[timwatson]

Have you tried to print finer gears?

I have ... I have gone down to .2mod. They're not really as accurate but I haven't printed gears that small on the 8k machine YET. These are .35mod and .4mod

[timwatson]

Have you tried to print finer gears?

I'm going to try a .2mod gear set to see if I can get them going.

[John]

Tim .. what resin are you using for this ..

[timwatson]

Tim .. what resin are you using for this ..

I'm using a Resin from a company on Amazon, their name is Lafvin (Black). I haven't been able to find anymore to replace what I have, but I have used straight Elegoo grey mixed with Siraya blu. My first try with this was for an Hon30 AHM diesel from the 70's that had cracked gears. I'll probably start a separate thread on rolling your own gear sets and printing them.

[Chris333]

I noticed Anycubic craftman resin is only half the cost of their regular stuff.

[timwatson]

I noticed Anycubic craftman resin is only half the cost of their regular stuff.

Have you ever used it? Is it any good?

[Chris333]

Never tried, but $19 a liter vs. $38 for regular makes me want to try.

[Jesse6669]

I just received my SM8K, ran a test print, and wanted to share and get some feedback from the more experienced users.  I've been designing and printing with Shapeways for many years but this is my first 3D printer-- so I'm basically a resin printer "noob".  I have been reading and watching various YouTube channels and trying to absorb the information, but you know how it goes.. you learn more by doing.

So, I went for it "right out of the box", prepped an old 1:450 E8A design in Lychee using the settings for Phrozen 8K Aqua Gray Resin with 10um layers.  Here are the result (after curing and a little scraping at the front panels behind the cab where there's a noticeable diagonal layer, plus primer):
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
The engineer's side didn't fare as well.  Lots of "globules" of what I presume is resin that I didn't wash off before curing.
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I know it's not perfect but it's still far better than Shapeways in terms of surface detail and finish (except the leftover resin).  The design looks more crude (to me) which is because at 1:450 I normally have not bothered with rivets and finer details in the original design.. but now I can see they are missing.  1:450 rivets..?!?   I see almost no layering (except that rogue diagonal) and there are even artifacts from the design visible now that SW used to "blur" (see the left on the nose, and the curve of the roof).  Looks like my design standards are going up.  Ay ay ayyy...!

1.  How important is layer thickness?  I see others use 50um layers for N scale.  My next test (in the machine now) is a 20um. 
2.  Any suggested settings for Phrozen Aqua Gray 8k?  Seems there are a million and one variables and I don't know the cause-effects of them yet.  I'm just using one of the standard sets of parameters that I found in Lychee Slicer.
3.  How important is the orientation?  The test model I did was at about a 45 degree angle (length wise) and it turned out well, but is that necessary?  It had a bunch of auto generated supports, and looks ok except for a bit of sagging along the sills and what appears to be layers sticking to the FEP film? on the left of the pilot. 

Of course I expected to (and did) make a couple mistakes on the first model.  I'm going to say #1 is I didn't wash thoroughly enough.  So wash, and wash again.  Trying a different layer thickness.  Back to testing and making more samples..  Any and all advice is appreciated.

Jesse

[timwatson]

So, I went for it "right out of the box", prepped an old 1:450 E8A design in Lychee using the settings for Phrozen 8K Aqua Gray Resin with 10um layers.  Here are the result (after curing and a little scraping at the front panels behind the cab where there's a noticeable diagonal layer, plus primer):
(Attachment Link)

I'm guessing you realize this since you're noticing the lines but you've probably gotten this over cured on the exposure times. I am a big fan of running the xp2 resin calibration test to get a ballpark for exposure settings. Listed exposure times are for a specific machine from a specific user with humidity and heat being all variables you can factor into successful printing. Doing the resin calibration will get an exposure time that's right for your specific machine. I am using anywhere from 1.8s to 2.8s depending on resin.

I typically double clean my prints, once in Denatured alcohol then another in IPA or Mean Green cleaner. I use a soft bristled brush to make sure all the uncured resin gets cleaned off.

The engineer's side didn't fare as well.  Lots of "globules" of what I presume is resin that I didn't wash off before curing.
(Attachment Link)

This just needs better cleaning.

I know it's not perfect but it's still far better than Shapeways in terms of surface detail and finish (except the leftover resin).  The design looks more crude (to me) which is because at 1:450 I normally have not bothered with rivets and finer details in the original design.. but now I can see they are missing.  1:450 rivets..?!?   I see almost no layering (except that rogue diagonal) and there are even artifacts from the design visible now that SW used to "blur" (see the left on the nose, and the curve of the roof).  Looks like my design standards are going up.  Ay ay ayyy...!

1.  How important is layer thickness?  I see others use 50um layers for N scale.  My next test (in the machine now) is a 20um. 
2.  Any suggested settings for Phrozen Aqua Gray 8k?  Seems there are a million and one variables and I don't know the cause-effects of them yet.  I'm just using one of the standard sets of parameters that I found in Lychee Slicer.
3.  How important is the orientation?  The test model I did was at about a 45 degree angle (length wise) and it turned out well, but is that necessary?  It had a bunch of auto generated supports, and looks ok except for a bit of sagging along the sills and what appears to be layers sticking to the FEP film? on the left of the pilot. 

1. I now use mainly .04mm for faster prints and .02mm for more detailed prints. I used to use .05mm and .03mm but with the SM8k I have bumped that down since it handles it well. The smaller the number the less the "stair stepping" will be noticeable.

2. Do the test print, it takes >10mins to complete and you can do many and change exposure times. Find out which time works best.

3. I typically do most my prints parallel or perpendicular to the build plate. I have tried angling the prints with only varied success. I'd say for starters on small prints (like yours) just let it sit on the build plate to get exposure and cleanup corrected. Then add supports under it and lift off the build plate. Supports are kind of their own magic/science/art.

Check out 3d print farm for his video on supports for more details on how to do them well.

[Jesse6669]

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for.  I will be running the calibration test prints today. 

I'm already experiencing a bit of "culture shock" from being able to go from design to model-in-hand in a couple hours instead of a couple weeks.   
Jesse

[timwatson]

Thank you, this is exactly what I was looking for.  I will be running the calibration test prints today. 

I'm already experiencing a bit of "culture shock" from being able to go from design to model-in-hand in a couple hours instead of a couple weeks.   
Jesse

It's the most wonderful (and addictive) feeling going from an idea to physical product in a matter of hours.