Tuesday 29 September 2020

3D Printing

In a break from our usual remote games, Pete gave us a talk and demo of his 3D printing setup. It is one of those technologies which has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. My first exposure to it was a few years ago in the Medical School at work where 3D printers were being used to synthesise replacement bone sections for maxillofacial surgery, and the process involved 3D scanning to generate the shapes of the pieces. I was later fortunate enough to visit the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre where components of the Boeing 787 were being manufactured using a 3D printer which cost around a million pounds. Perhaps a bit out of reach of the hobbyist!

So, it hasn't been something I've paid much attention to, but increasingly I've seen things that people had produced in the wargaming community, which are good quality and relatively inexpensive. Last year Pete bought a 3D printer which makes plastic models, and he ran us through the sorts of things he'd done.

The main thing which make this all work is the control/slicing software, which in this case was provided with the printer.



Here a 3D model has been loaded into the slicing software. The software controls scaling, how many models to produce in each print run and critical variables around material thickness and density, the resolution of the 3D image and whether some of the extrusions (MG barrels etc) need additional support while printing.

The model above is of a WW1 Mark IV tank.


And this is the finished thing. It even has air gaps under the unditching beam rails, just amazing. The thing which really surprised me was the number of 3D models available for free. The Mark IV model came from a free pack containing virtually every WW1 AFV ever made, and which could be scaled up or down as required.

I'd always imagined being crouched over a 3D CAD programme trying to draw a Tiger tank in 3D, but it looks like for many subjects,. other people have already done the hard work.


Petes printer runs off plastic filament, which is about £18 for a kilo of material. The other main type of home printer uses resin which has the huge advantage that it can print multiple models simultaneously. With a plastic printer, the print time scales in proportion to the amount of material used so more models take longer. Resin is more expensive (around £40 a kilo) and harder to work with though.


The business end is here, the heated printer head, which moves over the print base. The process is hot, slow, noisy and smelly, so finding somewhere sensible to run the printer is a must.


But the finished results are great. A trio of 15mm Schneiders, virtually unobtainable as decent models in this scale except at vast cost.

That was a really interesting session. I'm at the stage where I have more stuff than I know what to do with, and the limitation is one of storage space, so I'm not convinced either the capital cost or the effort of learning how to do it is worthwhile for my situation. If you did need to run off one, or a ton, of specific vehicles, guns, figures or terrain pieces, then it is ideal though. 

This is already a viable alternative to traditional manufacturers, and even if the DIY aspect doesn't appeal to everyone, one can imagine a future where figures are printed on demand, in much the same way as books are on Lulu.
  




9 comments:

  1. Thanks Martin, interesting and as with most things we are still on a journey of improvement and range of utility with these things, who knows where we will be in just 3 years from now in terms of hobby.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As with all technologies, they get better exponentially to start with. Compared with the stuff I saw in our research labs at work this is way more accessible for general purpose use. The medics scanning injuries and then 3D printing replacement bone parts was pretty cool though...

      Delete
  2. I was sorry to miss this session but happily Pete has agreed to present it at VCOW 2021. I too have storage issues so having a friend with 3D printing capability is a good compromise!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am sure it will be a very popular session.

      Delete
  3. Martin I'm in the same boat (more stuff than I know what to do with). With a huge supply of 15mm troops, tanks, aircraft, AT guns, trucks and self peopelled tank destroyers, I'm not sure it's viable for me to purchase a 3D printer however if there arises a need for a more esoteric piece of kit, i will reach out to one of the scores of guysive met at conventions and on Ebay who will print on demand for a reasonable fee.

    These are certainly amazing times we are living in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, just astonishing. My main issue is storage space, hence bodge ups like those Semovente 37/42s and endless kit substitutions. It would be nice to have the correct versions of every gun and vehicle in theatre correct colours, but I just don't have the space. So I have to be selective - mostly. LOL

      Delete
  4. Thanks for the write up Martin.

    Cheers,

    Pete.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for putting the talk together - it was really interesting and very helpful.

      Delete
  5. Very useful. I've bought some good prints from commercial printers but don't plan to purchase my own.

    Regards, Chris.

    ReplyDelete