One of the things you might want to do is collect all the "sprue" parts that link the printed items to use a found shapes. One of the things I would like to see--a hybrid 3D scanner printer. Every once in awhile, I will find interesting plastic shapes--toy containers with interesting filler pieces--car parts--and What I would like to see is a MAKE MIRROR function, where a copy and a mirror image of an item are both produced so the plastic is the same on each. This is interesting http://up-ship.com/blog/?p=35570 http://guides.libraries.psu.edu/3d/models This might allow for new ways to 3D print large items--and have big models fit into small boxes http://graphics.cs.cmu.edu/?p=1278 http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~christoy/Projects/Telescopes.html https://phys.org/news/2017-07-telescopes.html https://phys.org/news/2016-07-tool-intricate-art.html
@MadMan1701A are you on any 3d Printing Facebook Groups or other forums? I'm just getting into the DIY printing aspect of the biz (FDM and Resin Printers) and found this meme to be useful: Obviously, the Dodo image is from Ice Age. I added the STL?s. Comic Sans font. Based on a similar meme with seagulls. Double-whammy, if you get it. Anyway, still following with much interest!
Haha, cool. I'm in the TEVO Tarantula group, and the Flashforge group I think. I'm also in the Starship Modeler group, there are a few printer users there. I've been really interested in getting a SLA printer the past year or so, and I've gotten some commercial samples. I'm probably not going to go that way, though, since the parts are so brittle! I dropped my Formlabs rook thing, and it shattered like glass when it hit the tabletop. ABS for me, for the foreseeable future. Got a few things in the works, and should have some more stuff soon. This hurricane has had me distracted all week, but luckily it stayed east of here. We're just now getting some wind, but nothing serious. Have fun, guys! -Ricky
If I remember correctly, the Davinci 3D printers have a few models that have an integrated laser scanner. The detail it can see isn't the best, but I think the software even has a copy function. I do save all the "rafts" and stuff to use as filler on parts that end up with gaps, because of part warping or shrinkage.
I thought this was interesting as well: Cleaner plastics? http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Making_polymer_chemistry_click_999.html The researchers' reaction technique, dubbed SuFEx for sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange, combined with a newly identified class of catalysts that speed up the reactions, could be used to make everything from water bottles and mobile phone cases to medical devices and bulletproof glass. Room temperature plastic making https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/07/170728181225.htm "...the process of linking polymers is not simple. It requires two chemical reactions, which are typically initiated through either a lengthy two-step process or a one-step process induced at elevated temperatures and longer time spans." "The method Kloxin and Shete developed is one step and works rapidly at room temperature and ambient conditions." Oh for crappy resin kits to go extinct
I know you print all sorts of SciFi related stuff, I'm not sure what the demand for it would be, but I just rewatched the 86-87 movie "Innerspace" for the first time since the mid 90's. (I loved that movie as a kid) It's held up really well, I'd personally love to see a model done of the "Kraken II submersible pod" in the film. It had this cool "real world" aesthetic to it that would make a great display, I'm pretty sure you've seen the film. If you haven't, it's a strong "must check out".
I second this, as well as the printing. Personally, I am thinking of getting a printer to recreate some toys long out of circulation.
Ah, I love that movie! I'll definitely have to put that on my want to build list. Looking at some pictures, it shouldn't be that hard to build a 3D model of it. Been busy at the day job, and haven't been feeling very well the last few weeks, so I've gotten kind of slow with everything. My doc prescribed me several new drugs for my Diabetes and Triglyceride situation, and they make me so tired. Hopefully my blood work gets better next month, and I can come off some of this stuff! But, back to important things, I did finish the USS Indianapolis I was working on for a client, which was heavily inspired by Pierre Drolet's USS Jeffries. And, another Beyond Enterprise, just because I haven't posted a picture of one in a while! On the actual Printer front, I've built acrylic enclosures on both of my machines to help regulate temperatures. For some reason, I've been having a lot of part curling and cracking, but the enclosures definitely help. More soon, -Ricky
I'll say this: Diabetes sucks! I hope you get it all figured out soon. Being in control is not only better for your health, but you end up feeling better in the long run--though it sucks in the beginning. Personal opinion on the design aspects of the NU-Trek...I hate the Nacelles, Struts, and Secondary hulls, but you've done a fine job keeping the aesthetics of the newer designs. I'll have enclosures built for my printers before I even have my printers set up. I'm going to try my hand at PETG printing. My resin printer should be vented to the outside, anyway.
Thanks guys. Yeah, diabetes sucks, I've been dealing with it for about 10 years now. On my third cycle of medication changes... medication combos seem to work for about 3 years or so, then I guess the body just gets used to it. Makes for a rough transition though in between. I keep going back and forth on the resin printers... the sample parts I've gotten from a couple of places seem really brittle, almost like glass. I broke my Formlabs one a few months ago when I knocked it off the shelf by accident. I think I'll just stick with ABS for now. More soon, trying to build some stuff today but I keep getting distracted by Discovery news! -Ricky
I love that ship! Another vessel you might want to take on https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/...ravel-around-the-solar-system-and-beyond.html In the news http://www.hrl.com/news/2017/0920/ www.spacedaily.com/reports/Physicists_predict_nonmetallic_half_metallicity_999.html www,nextbigfuture.com/2017/09/scientists-computationally-design-new-metastable-ultra-light-crystalline-form-of-aluminum.html www.parabolicarc.com/2017/09/17/xplicit-computing-debuts-advanced-cae-software-ondemand-cloud/
Thanks. Yep, I found out when I was about 25, but they told me they thought I was probably untreated since I was a teenager. Right now I'm on Metformin, Januvia, Invokana, and other stuff for my Triglycerides. Still not working great, so that will probably change again next month. Yay. So, back to models! Which of the ships from Discovery should I do next? -Ricky
USS Europa would be cool (not sure how much reference material there was for this, the admiral's starship). Otherwise, the USS Disco herself would be great to see!
@MadMan1701A, do you find yourself feeling a certain...power? Like, not needing to purchase most commercially-available merchandise now? I haven't been able to print yet, but it's been forever since I decided to get printers and have not purchased a single action figure or ship miniature since. As a matter of fact, I'm about to sell my entire X-Wing Miniatures Game collection, and as much as I cherish them, I'm considering selling all of my AA/DST Trek figures, too, including my long-sought-after TWOK figures. I just feel that I can make them better. BTW, what slicer do you use? On-topic: Have you ever done a Reliant or Miranda-Class variant? Perhaps an Alt-Universe Reliant?