| Electronics > Beginners |
| Buying 3D printer |
| << < (5/10) > >> |
| CJay:
--- Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 16, 2018, 01:56:50 pm --- --- Quote from: Discotech on August 16, 2018, 01:51:27 pm --- --- Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 16, 2018, 01:35:28 pm ---3D printed enclosures usually look terrible --- End quote --- Surely that's just opinion based ? Of course injection moulded plastic looks better than 3d printed but to say 3d printed looks terrible is just false https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2070417/makes/#makes Those enclosures for the famed LCR tester don't look at all bad and for the cost of filament probably work out cheaper than buying an injection moulded one --- End quote --- but not remotely comparable to a proper enclosure - looks totally homemade. --- End quote --- Have to agree, the Finder I have makes lovely 'things', I've been printing custom brackets (see pics) and adapters that just didn't exist until I designed them but there's no way it's up to a 'finished product' level of quality, it's excellent for prototyping. I do prefer a 'finished' look if I build something I'm going to keep around. |
| Sudo_apt-get_install_yum:
--- Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 16, 2018, 01:35:28 pm ---If you want enclosures you probably don't need a 3D printer - 3D printed enclosures usually look terrible - designing around an off-the-shelf box will look orders of magnitude better. --- End quote --- I got to disagree with that. Yeah it’s not going to look injection molded but it’s not going to look terrible. Sometime when I feel like something a bit fancier I use my Form 2 which makes real high quality prints. If a feel like making it’s a tad nicer I use FDM printer with fine layers and ABS filament and then dip the print in a vat of acetone, it becomes smooth and shiny almost identical to an injection molded part. A few years ago I did some work developing a low volume product. Instead of injection molding the parts we printed the end goal part (Master part) with a Form 2 and then treated it slightly to get a better finish. I then poured silicone around the master part and made silicone mold, this was then used to "injection mold" the parts. They were indistinguishable from professionally made ones. I’m not sure of the actual name but I mixed a few chemicals and pigment together, sucked out the air in a vacuum chamber and then injected the plastic into the mold while its was in vacuum and heated it to set the plastic. Yeah with a bit of work and know how you can get incredible nice parts that originated from a 3D printer! ;D |
| mikeselectricstuff:
--- Quote from: Discotech on August 16, 2018, 02:12:20 pm --- --- Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 16, 2018, 01:56:50 pm --- --- Quote from: Discotech on August 16, 2018, 01:51:27 pm --- --- Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on August 16, 2018, 01:35:28 pm ---3D printed enclosures usually look terrible --- End quote --- Surely that's just opinion based ? Of course injection moulded plastic looks better than 3d printed but to say 3d printed looks terrible is just false https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2070417/makes/#makes Those enclosures for the famed LCR tester don't look at all bad and for the cost of filament probably work out cheaper than buying an injection moulded one --- End quote --- but not remotely comparable to a proper enclosure - looks totally homemade. --- End quote --- Surely the fact that you can design with CAD and print out custom prototype enclosures instantly far outweigh the negatives of any home made look your enclosure has, --- End quote --- Depends what you are trying to a achieve. If you're selling to anyone but hobbyists with low expectations, a 3D print will just look like a joke. There's a huge range of off-the-shelf cases, and even the cheapest will have a better looking surface finish than a 3D print. Obviously you need to start by selecting the enclosure and designing around it, rather than looking for a box to fit an existing PCB etc. |
| metrologist:
All talk about the printer, but that is useless without some design to print. How do folks actually create the design, particularly complex designs? Isn't that most significant aspect of this, and the most difficult hurdle? |
| CJay:
--- Quote from: metrologist on August 16, 2018, 06:13:43 pm ---All talk about the printer, but that is useless without some design to print. How do folks actually create the design, particularly complex designs? Isn't that most significant aspect of this, and the most difficult hurdle? --- End quote --- I use Designspark 3D, took me a couple of hours to work out how to use it to the point I'm at now and I expect to get more proficient with practice, I've also used Fusion 360 which seems more capable than Designspark but may be overkill for my needs. |
| Navigation |
| Message Index |
| Next page |
| Previous page |