Hi Folks,
I have received some questions and I would like to create a king of FAQ so I can answer some of them.
If you have any question, please send a comment in this blog and I will do my best to add it in the next FAQ. You can also add me on twitter and send your question there. http://twitter.com/jvelosojunior
BTW, I have receiving many offers from nice people who are willing to support the project somehow. I really appreciate that. I will contact you in when the help is needed.
I intend to create a kind of forum, so we can improve the communication between everyone interested in this project. Any suggestions for this?
What is the current status?
A: I am currently working on the technical material for patent deposit. The machine looks like the existing in the market but it is very different. You can’t see the difference because I can not disclose it before depositing the patent.
This is the main reason you don’t have much detail of the machine here. This process can take few weeks and maybe months. I will keep you updated.
Why is taking so long to start the project on the crowd-funding?
A: I will start the crowd-funding when I finish the patent process, I don’t want to commit with anyone something and later delay to deliver.
How much the kit will cost?
A: The kit will be a very small fraction of the existing machines with similar quality but for sure a bit more expensive then the existing kits as you need very precise components to achieve such resolution.
You won’t get good resolution with simple components you can find in the common hardware store. Wood and common screws and nuts can’t be part of this kit.
Material
Is the material hard?
A: There are huge number of materials with different properties, some hard other soft and flexible.
What colors are available?
A: Yes, there will be different number of colors and I am currently testing a clear material
What resin are you using?
A: I don’t have one single resin that I am using right now; actually I am testing many combinations. You can see that the color and material looks different in some pictures I posted.
Is it UV curable resin?
A: No, It is near UV curable
How much the resin will cost?
A: Not sure, but for good quality resin the price won’t be much different from what you can see in the market right now. I hope the volume can bring the price down once the technology becomes more popular.
Light Source
What is the light source?
A: Projector
Software
Did you develop the software?
A: Yes I did
Is the software capable of building the support structures?
A: Not yet, but it will be soon.
Cheers,
Junior
Nice FAQ,
ReplyDeleteI'm really looking forward to this ;)
Just hope the kit won't become too expensive in the end.
hello junior,
ReplyDeletei'm character artist for the video game industry and you are going to make my dream come true, thanks for that !
i already have 3d printed some of my zbrush characters with 3d printing companies.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40805163@N02/sets/
if you need nice models for you printing tests, it would be a pleasure to me to give you some of my 3d characters.
Guybrush.
Hi! Junior,
ReplyDeleteSorry for a couple of questions :
1. Are those materials suitable for lost-wax casting?
2. Is the software ok for the stl files from Rhino?
Looking forward to your forum dedicated to this machine and the software! It is excellent for both pre- and after-sale support.
Give him a break. He's worked hard to design an incredible machine that will bring professional quality 3d prints to the hobbyist market price point. If he is succesful everyone will benifit from it, why shouldn't he be allowed to benefit from it as well? Dont crucify him for trying to be succesful and make a living. He has earned it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteGimmie, gimmie, gimmie... what a bunch of vultures and leaches. You guys can claim this "for the benefit of everyone" BS, but the real truth is, you just want someone else to do all the heavy lifting, while you reap the benefits. Get off your ass and go build it yourself, and make it open-source. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteIf I were Junior, I'd delete everything and leave a post saying: "You're on your own as*holes"
For those who have time to develop what he has shown, this is what appears he did.
ReplyDelete1) Get a DLP Projector
2) Build a machine with the DLP and a Z Axis Drive Motor with screw. Because of the fine resolution you might have to use a ball screw drive with a stepper motor. Ball screws allow for very close tolerance positioning within .0005.
3) Modify the lens on the projector to allow setting of the Tilt Lens from within your software or do it manually yourself. You could install a small stepper motor to allow this adjustment. This setting allows the image to be focused on the UV curable resin.
4) Once your machine is running you must now get your image ready for prepossessing.
5) Create your image in a program like 3D Studio. This is the program he is using.
6) This is the step that takes time to do unless you are a programmer to create your sliced images automatically.
a) You must slice your object at a very fine resolution and take a .bmp picture of every slice. You could take a picture every .005 or what every resolution is required for the machine. (This is where some of the development comes in because I don't know how thick he leaves for every slice )
A program that slices your part may work, but I am not sure what format it saves the image in. Don't forget the format must be viewable by the projector.
b) This will be a very tedious process unless done automatically. Don't forget we could be talking 1000 of pictures to slice your object.
7) Once the images are all done he projects one image at a time into the liquid to harden it for as many seconds as required and then he goes to the next image.
8) The program he has written is doing this automatically. Setting the time of the image, setting the index to show the next image, and then indexing the Z Axis.
I know it sounds like it is easy but I am quite sure even with all the items I listed their is a lot of development time involved getting this done. The only item I really can't develop myself is the UV curable resin he is using for his machine.
Good luck and keep me posted if anyone finds out the UV curable resin and where to buy it.
These are some of the items that is probably taking time to develop.
ReplyDeleteI believe he is projecting the image through a sheet of glass of some sort. By doing this you will get some form of distortion of the image. This is why you probably need the Tilt adjustment on the lens.
I am not a UV expert so when you project this image through glass are you loosing some of the UV rays needed to develop the resin?
So if anyone finds out about the type of resin give me a shout at hans2008@cogeco.ca.
Thanks
The only thing that might be patentable on this machine is the resin. All the hardware and drive mechanisms are open source. Because we are talking about different ways of moving a mechanical table does not make it patentable. Every machine has some form of movement and furniture has been dipped this way for years when stripping off the finish. This mechanism can also be found in automatic plating company's, when plating parts. Used for dipping parts into various types of chemicals.
ReplyDeleteUsing a projector to display an image sure as hell can't be patentable. This technology has been around for years.
So what do we have. Well like I said the resin mixture might be patentable and maybe the software design he is using to run his machine. I really don't know what else would be classified as patentable, but I have been surprised before.
Good Luck and happy 3D Printing!!!!
Hans
Well I took a quick look at the Envisiontec system and it seems they are using the Tilt for their table not for the DLP projector. I guess using this Tilt mechanism to create a higher resolution on their image. By tilting the table you can change the size of the image pixel during printing. As the table tilts the pixel becomes smaller on the part. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis machine here seems like a direct copy of that technology. Lets get it working. I believe as long as it is for individual use nothing will be said. I Hope!!!!!!! :)
Hans
One more thing I would like to post about htis process. I believe the patent for this process runs out in June 2015. So if you build one just make sure you use it for yourself until the patent dies and I believe you will be save to go.
ReplyDeleteJust a thought!!!
Happy 3D Printing!!!!
Hans
some people posting here should really get a life... or at least a new attitude.
ReplyDeletei would really like to know what thes flamers are aiming to print in the end. i guess everybody who really needs to print stuff cares about the endresult and costs. all the rest is some internet BS of crazy dudes
Looks like someone went ahead of me. I just finish my 3d slide software and now I will start working in my 3d printer. My first Idea was to use a DLP projector 4 years ago but now I see few people doing the same project, anyways, congratulation, you must have spent lot of time on this project, hopping you are successful in other projects.
ReplyDeleteI think I will save a lot of time if I work with your kit and some modifications. I will using the printer to built part in ceramic and metal powder. Tell me about the cost of the kit once it become available?
I really piss with those people who criticized Junior. They should go to ...... I will not use the right words for those guys who deserve it. I spent hours of my spare time to develop a 3d slide software. Let me tell you something guys, if you are not a programer you have no idea how much time, dedication and skill it takes to develop such programs. As easy as they might looks they are not. Beside dealing with all the tedious codes, you also has to deal with mathematical algorithm to slide the model then joint all the points to make each slide solid polygons. Then when you are done with the software you only finish 50% of the project. Junior had to put A LOT OF TIME/EFFORT to get to the point he is now. If you do not like the idea of him making money or getting a patent out of it then use your small brain to develop your own stuff so you can appreciate somebody's work and effort.
ReplyDeleteHello Junior,
ReplyDeleteWe'd love for you to submit your project on our new crowd funding site: FundaGeek.com - the first crowd funding resource expressly for technical innovation and basic research. If you're interested in creating a project for our upcoming launch, please send your details to: projects@fundageek.com
Cheers,
Daniel