Unlike the Makerbots and repraps we usually see, DLP projector-based resin printer can make very fine 3D prints. It is one of the reason why more and more makers are focusing on building a DLP resin printer.
(First Successful Print - Belt Pulley | credit: Gary Hodgson)
Gary Hodgson is working on such a printer and what we like the most is he documents his steps in details and what he has achieved so far.
Hodgson outlines the various parts that make up the DLP printer and issues they have. The design of frame comes from ScribbleJ's DLP printer but with few changes to fit to the 20mm aluminium profiles.
Light curing resins are extremely expensive, the resin Hodgson bought costs ~€85 (+€35 shipping to Germany) is bit cheaper but still much more expensive than materials for FDM 3D printing. This is one of the barrier that a DLP 3D printer has, however the advantage of such material is a resin-curing process makes the end product much stronger than normal ABS-extrusion.
One tricky component Hodgson mentioned is the projector with right wattage of the bulb and high resolution. An InFocus IN2104 for example fits to his requirement with a 200W bulb and 1024×768 resolution. This choice gives him more flexibility to his printer design and it costs only €170 on Ebay. Not bad.
This is very much a work in progress. Hodgson did a full write up of his experiences including mistakes he has made. So we shall expect more details and information to come. "I will still make all files and designs available in case they prove to be useful." says Hodgson. It is really an admirable quality in a maker and will certainly be great resources for the 3D printing communities. Be sure to read through the full story here.
No comments:
Post a Comment