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We continue experimenting with the use of the Smooth-On XTC-3D after we recently shared our first experience using it. This time we used Natural PLA filament for our tests as we wanted to see will the use of the XTC-3D help in improving the transparency of the printed parts. Last month there was an interesting article about using the XTC-3D for improving the clarity of the Taulman T-glase, so we wanted to see if there will be a similar effect on parts using the semi-transparent Natural PLA filament. The initial results that we’ve had with parts that we have already printed and decided to use for tests were not very good as apparently the 3D printed part with that you want to be more transparent will need to be specifically printed with thin walls. So we gave up on experimenting with improving the transparency on already 3D printed parts with Natural PLA, and while we also wanted to try out the Taulman’s tutorial for T-glase filament we had trouble with the filament sticking properly to our build plate covered with standard 3M ScotchBlue tape on the MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer that we are using, so we have postponed testing with that material and XTC-3D for a later time as well.
What we have decided to do instead was to coat the 3D printed parts with XTC-3D, then sand them and paint them with a standard spray paint used for coloring plastic materials. We have started with a Batman logo that we have printed with Natural PLA filament, left to right on the photo: the 3D printed logo, the logo sanded with fine sanding paper getting a more matte look and then painted with black metallic spray paint. The end result is really nice and smooth surface after the sanding and painting, though we did not do great with the painting part, but we did it in a bit of a hurry. As we have mentioned the 3D printed parts that we have used here for testing are not good for testing to improve the transparency of Natural PLA filament as they are tick objects with infill like is the case of the Batman logo, but even with multiple shells and without infill it is hard to improve transparency. You would probably need to use less shells with no infill and maybe larger layer height to get better results with improved transparency on Natural PLA as the recommended setting for T-glase suggest.
The Batman logo is easier to coat with XTC-3D and sand and paint, so we decided to also try a bit more complex 3D print – a small trophy cup. We have already had a few of these printed, so it was easy to compare before and after. On the photo above you can see the 3D printed cup on the left and the same cup coated with XTC-3D and sanded on the black background. You may notice that the coated and sanded cup still does show some noticeable lines for the layers, even though the surface is actually smooth – this is a result f the transparency of the material. On the right part of the image above you can see the already painted cups, the one that is coated with XTC-3D and sanded (inside and outside) on the left part and the one that is directly painted after being printed. Again not perfect painting on our side with some dust particles getting caught by the paint, but you can clearly the very smooth surface of the coated and sanded part. Even without sanding the 3D printed parts that are coated with XTC-3D that are painted after that may look great, but sanding may help in getting the paint to stick better and be more durable on the long run. We are going to continue experimenting with the Smooth-On XTC-3D coating as we like the results so far, though it does need to getting used to and trying out different with settings for the 3D printed parts depending on what are the final results that you want to achieve.
There are already multiple 3D printer filaments that contain carbon fibers infused with thermoplastics such as the Proto-pasta Carbon PLA filament. These filaments for 3D printers however all rely on chopped carbon fibers and the end result is not as good as what we are used to seeing both visually and in terms of mechanical properties from woven carbon fibers infused with epoxy. A company called MarkForged, founded by an aerospace engineer, however is trying to change all that with their device called Mark One Composite 3D Printer that is designed to print using continuous strands of fibers embedded in a thermoplastic matrix, a process that they call CFF (Composite Filament Fabrication). The Mark One 3D printer is capable of printing carbon fiber, glass fiber and Kevlar composite materials, but these need to be designed especially for the device filaments.
According to tests made by MarkForged of their special filaments parts printed on the Mark One can be designed to be stronger than 6061-T6 aluminum by weight and up to 1/3 the strength of the best carbon fiber composites made today. This strength is achieved thanks to the use of continuous fibers as a reinforcement in the printing material as opposed to the use of chopped fibers that Carbon PLA and ABS filaments designed for normal FFF/FDM 3D printers rely upon. Composites made with continuous reinforcing fibers exhibit substantial increases in strength and stiffness compared to similar materials using discontinuous (chopped) fibers. The CFF technology used utilizes a thermoplastic matrix that solidifies immediately after extrusion, so the printed parts are ready for use as soon as they have finished printing. But the Mark One 3D printer apparently can also print using Nylon and PLA thermoplastic materials aside from the composite fiber materials, so you should be able to use the device for more things that do not require strong fiber composites. The Mark One composite 3D printer uses a dual printhead design: one head is capable of printing composite filaments (CFF) and the other, traditional thermoplastic filaments (FFF) and parts may be printed either by a single head or a combination of the two.
MarkForged Mark One Specifications:
– Printing Technology: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Composite Filament Fabrication (CFF)
– Build Size: 320mm x 132mm x 160mm (12.6″ x 5.2″ x 6.3″, 412ci)
– Material Compatibility: Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass, Kevlar, Nylon, PLA
– Highest Layer Resolution: FFF Printing: 100 Microns, CFF Printing: 200 Microns
– Extruders: Dual Quick Change
– Filament Sizes: FFF: 1.75mm, CFF: MF4
– Chassis: Anodized Aluminum Unibody
– Build Platform: Kinematically Coupled
– Software: Eiger Cloud Enabled
– Supported OS: Mac OS 10.7 Lion +, Windows 7+, Linux
– Supported Browser: Chrome 30+
– Supported Files: .STL
– Connectivity: WiFi, Ethernet, USB, USB flash
The MarkForged Mark One 3D printer does not come cheap, but it is also a device that is not designed for the average home users – it is apparently targeted at professionals that need to be able to work with stronger fiber reinforced parts that they design and print. You can currently order the Mark One Composite 3D Printer for $5499 USD (dev kit is available at $8799 USD with more materials), but there is approximately 10-12 week lead time. With the device being shipped worldwide, so as long as you need it and are ready to wait a bit for it you should be able to get your hands on this interesting 3D printer.
MarkForged Mark One filament price:
Carbon Fiber CFF Filament – $1.55/cm3 or $25.34/in3
Kevlar CFF Filament – $1.15/cm3 or $18.83/in3
Fiberglass CFF Filament – $0.67/cm3 or $10.96/in3
Nylon FFF Filament – $0.22/cm3 or $3.65/in3
Apart from Nylon you should be able to use cheap PLA filament as well, and as you can see the fiber reinforced special filaments do come pricier with Fiberglass probably the best choice if you need high strength at the best price with Kevlar and Carbon filaments used only when they are specifically required. Unfortunately there is still no option to order filaments on the official website, so you should probably contact the manufacturer to request additional filaments to be shipped with your order of the printer or get the development version instead of the standard one that comes with more materials bundled.
– For more information about the MarkForged Mark One Composite 3D Printer…
ATLAS 3D is a 3D printable laser scanner kit based on the Raspberry Pi platform that should come as an affordable good quality DIY solution that you can build yourself and get the ability to 3D scan yourself with good quality and at affordable price. The project was published on Kickstarter looking to make it from a prototype to a widely available product with the help of crowdfunding. The goal of the project was just $3000 USD and it has been passed in no time due to the big interests from users that apparently want to have the ability to get an affordable 3D scanner that is able to provide them with good vitality and speed – something that is apparently still lacking in the world of 3D scanners.
ATLAS 3D works by illuminating an object with laser light and then using 3D triangulation to generate a point cloud for each location where the laser hits the model. Neighboring points are then connected as triangles to form a 3D model. This model can be used as-is for many purposes or it can be processed in a software package such as Meshlab to make it water-tight and print ready. All of the software runs onboard the Raspberry Pi, so there are no required drivers or software packages to install. A web browser is used to communicate with the scanner on your home network. Once a scan is performed, the web browser is used to download the resulting models.
The ATLAS 3D scanner should be able to provide better quality than a MakerBot Digitizer at the quarter of the price, though it may still be as good as more than 10 times expensive a NextEngine for example (at least in terms of resolution). This is at least based on the comparison that the author of the ALTAS 3D project has put up on the Kickstarter page. The ATLAS 3D scanner will be available for $209 USD with everything you need apart from the parts you will need to 3D print, so a 3D printer is required for you to get the full product and you will of course need to assemble everything yourself. You might be able to get the 3D scanner a bit earlier if you manage to get among for the early bird supporters on Kickstarter and get your kit as early as April. More units should be available in May and June. Furthermore since this is a free as in open source, open hardware, and open electronic design 3D printable turn table laser scanning platform you will be able to get everything you need from other sources as well and completely build the product yourself.
– More details about the ATLAS 3D scanner that you print yourself on Kickstarter…