Build Your Own SLA/SLS

Reading this makes me start to think a slide axis might be more beneficial. At the least, it offers up and ideas for faster printing! (Even the possibility for multiple materials! Do some digging on them, they are blending materials in another paper)

And they quantify the force needed to release using Sylgard for all those interested.

Thoughts?

http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~yongchen/Resear ... 2_7232.pdf

Anderson - Thanks for the link. That's an interesting paper.

interesting link, but honestly, I think that the slide VAT need more accurate precision parts for be a good option, because the x or y sliding needs to be "micron" accurated.If you see semiprofesionals 3d printers like B9creator, you can notice most of 3d prints objects have a "wave" in z, that is logical and obviously, your fast movements and (micron errors)is noticed in the z build:

another photo of the waves:


If you print very small parts, that waves, is not noticeable.

Another main important thing about VAT tilt versus VAT Slide(b9creator):

SURELY doesnt work well with all resins, let me explain... if you have a hollow piece of 15 cm tall who wants to print in ELASTIC resin, probably you have a lot of problems, because the elastic compound was probably wasted with slide VAT movements and the elastic behaviour of the resin.For that reason my 3Dprinter configuration is with VAT tilt, because is more accurate(movement of unsticking is in z, like the build) and I can use different kinds of Shores.
about the time that spends for one layer my machine, depends of the steppers, the velocity steppers, and distance lift that you configure for unstick every layer.(and of course, the resin, and UV light of projector)

Actually, I think that 'wave' may be due to rounding errors in the threaded rod and the chosen slice thickness. RepRap magazine had a good explanation about it in one of their articles. http://reprapmagazine.com/issues/1/index.html

Dug a bit deeper and started to fall down the rabbit hole. Check out their implementation of multi-material SLA.

http://utwired.engr.utexas.edu/lff/symp ... 6-Zhou.pdf

I was just going over updates for the Peachy printer the other day and saw . Start watching at 1:35.

My question is, how close to neutrally buoyant is it? If it could be 100% neutrally buoyant then prints could be made with no supports whatsoever! Right? The only drawback would be that drain holes would need to be added for closed shells to get the water out. Also, capillary action would tend to retain the water in tiny recesses and the inner surfaces of walls would retain moisture as well, so some kind of special drying operation would need to be implemented.

UGG! I won't be able to participate fully in experimentation with any kind of SLA until at least February some time.