amber harbor
Question. I dont have a resin printer. I need some info / help on how to print the clear parts for the hand repulsors and arc reactor covers and whatever else led covers I need for an iron man suit.
Do you NEED a resin printer to print them well or is there a way to do it on a fdm printer.
I have clear filament but maybe I'm printing it wrong. How should I position it? How much infill or can you do zero?
Any help or tips is really appreciated thanks.
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minor jetty
Question. I dont have a resin printer. I need some info / help on how to print t...
Could you post a pic of the file? I've done a little bit of printing with tinted translucent petg, and I've found a couple tips for printing that so light shines through.
amber harbor
Can't really at the moment but mostly just the circle that is the repulsor or the diff shapes that cover the chest reactor. But please tell me your tips
minor jetty
Okay. So, for a flat circle, you would want to print it either flat or perfectly vertical. Vertical will cause some distortion, but it will also make the material more clear since there's less contact with whatever texturing the surface of your hotbed has.
If you print it flat, you want to make sure you can remove it without crystalizing it from flexing the part; this also depends on your bed type. If you have a flexible bed, that may work better than rigid glass.
Settings for getting the PETG to be more clear-ish or at least let light through include printing very slowly with few walls, low-to-no infill, and a higher wall-width. The goal is to have as much material deposited in a single push as you can, becaus the more lines you have, the more surfaces the light has to pass through, and the less clear the object will be.
So, fat thick lines from a large nozzle diameter, low infill, and slow, hot printing temps. Treat it like something delicate, like you are trying to extrude glass; speed is your enemy.
@amber harbor if you can tell me what printer you use, what size nozzle, and what heated bed texture you have, I can be a little more specific. Also, I am unfamiliar with clear PLA, so I'm mostly referring to clear PETG.
amber harbor
Thanks much. I'll check out the video when I get a chance.
minor jetty
Thanks much. I'll check out the video when I get a chance.
It's an article, btw.
magic junco
Can this also be used for things like lenses?
Haven’t dabbled in clear filament but i need to print various size/variations of lenses for two props.
minor jetty
Can this also be used for things like lenses?
Due to the nature of the beast, you won't be able to see through what you print. FDM just doesn't really allow for that.
The material, no matter how clear it is to start, becomes distorted and sometimes crystallized through melting and deposition.
However, light can pass through it.
magic junco
Due to the nature of the beast, you won't be able to see through what you print....
What would be a good option
minor jetty
Cutting an acrylic sheet, or maybe some sort of pour-cast clear self-leveling resin in a silicone mold. Not really sure on this. Similar to metal, crystal clear things or tinted, curved, clear objects are difficult to obtain with hobbyist-grade 3D printing.
minor jetty
Gotta invest in silicone molds and such
Or, possibly 3D print TPU molds, which you would then ensure are smooth on the inside before casting the clear resin into them...
magic junco
Or, possibly 3D print TPU molds, which you would then ensure are smooth on the i...
Hmm, is there anywhere i can get custom lenses from? Would resin printing be any better clarity wise?
minor jetty
Hmm, is there anywhere i can get custom lenses from? Would resin printing be any...
Possibly. Ask around on the resin chat and see if someone might print some for you.
worn tinsel
wait so you want a super clear cover for the reactor, repulsors...? are you diffusing the lights with something else?
magic junco
I need lenses for a prop I’m making
worn tinsel
@amber harbor not you. sorry
magic junco
Making this and a destiny ghost
minor jetty
is that star wars?
Lol yes, it is Star Wars; I think the term "droid" gives it away. I believe this looks like an Imperial Viper Probe Droid like the one that Luke discovers on Hoth, but a different model...
worn tinsel
yeah thats what confused me. i know what a probe droid is but it looks different
minor jetty
yeah thats what confused me. i know what a probe droid is but it looks different
It's missing the second lower cylinder...
minor jetty
magic junco
Lol yes, it is Star Wars; I think the term "droid" gives it away. I believe this...
It’s like a personal probe droid essentially
Cuz an actual probe droid is massive
minor jetty
Cuz an actual probe droid is massive
Ah. Good idea to start smaller.
amber harbor
Lol back on topic guys. 😉
amber harbor
wait so you want a super clear cover for the reactor, repulsors...? are you diff...
Ok fair need it diffused some. So how can I do that but still make the light come through?
worn tinsel
as far as print orientation idrk, i printed my repulsor cover flat on the plate and it came out mostly fine. i printed it at 100% infil with a concentric pattern.
oak wren
printing it flat would be better, since you do not want a clear lens, a bit frosted is better to diffuse the light and get an evenly bright disk if you put a ledcircle in there.
my lenses printed flat on a textured PEI bed are better than on the glass bed because the light gets diffused.