Resin Reality

[49thStateRT]

So far I am not a fan of resin parts, and I worry that more and more kits are going to be resin. I see really cool images of new kits and then sometimes they show the cleaned up parts, or renderings of them, but rarely do you see the actual pieces you get. When you do you see they are almost never cleaned up, they have all the 3-d printing "tree" still that has to be removed and cleaned up in hundreds of spots on some. The sprue model makers, if they are decent, have spent years perfecting how to limit and hide sprue attachment points and ejection mold bits. Any thoughts on this?

 

[Jakko]

3D-printing in resin is an entirely different beast from moulding plastic, is the simple explanation. 3D-printed parts need those supports so they don't collapse during printing, while plastic kits need the attachment points to allow plastic to flow into the mould cavities the correct way (both to fill them completely and to avoid stresses in the material). That pretty much guarantees that the larger 3D parts will need more supports than plastic parts need sprue attachment points.

I gather, though, that when supports are placed automatically by the software, there are usually many more than turn out to be necessary when they're placed by hand by someone with some experience. But, of course, letting the software do that saves time.

 

[49thStateRT]

I get that, but that is my point. You buy let's say an aftermarket part, for half the cost of the kit. The picture shows a perfectly cleaned up part. You get it and it is straight from the printer. Maybe it is more detailed than a kits part, or maybe it is something that is never going to be in an old kit, but you have to saw and file let's say 15 resin printer supports off the part, and not in hidden areas. I just hope the 3d printers don't put the model kit makers out of business quite yet.

 

[mcs1056]

I am working on my first 3D figure...some kind of troll. Because it has so many protrusions (beard, tools of death and destruction, gangly hair, etc.) the remnants of supports are everywhere.

I'm trying to be cautious, as I know the sanding dust is no-go for my lungs (or the dog's). That, plus the material is SO HARD. it's nearly impossible to sand or file. When I do get something kinda cleaned up, I worry that I'm removing too much detail. The layer lines are another issue.

I've tried acetone to smooth things up a bit...no good. I'm headed toward sandable or filler primer, but then that concern over losing detail comes back to me. First, I'll try various levels of Mr. Surfacer, but I'm to the point that I'm not liking this, and I just bought my own 3D resin printer to make more.

It doesn't help that, as stated above, the advertised or YT video demos show a piece already cleaned up.

Helpful tips would be appreciated.

 

[BarleyBop]

... Been watching the development of SLS printers... Way expensive, but no attached supports (so no nubs and dimples).
A guy can dream.