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Exciting options offered by 3d printing (extremely tight budget modelers, this is for you!)

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:25 AM

I know! I'm really excited now. Anycubic has dropped thier prices for the Photon by nearly 50% since when it first came out.

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by rrebell on Thursday, July 18, 2019 10:02 AM

SPSOT fan

Thanks Harrison, it’s probably true that only resin printers can do the detail needed to make good looking oil drums Sad.

That container looks really nice though, especially considering that it’s a normal plastic printer!

 

And now you can get resin printers for $250 or less.

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Posted by mbinsewi on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 1:20 PM

Sent you a response.

Mike.

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Wednesday, July 17, 2019 12:25 PM

I'm interested. Sent you a p.m.

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by mbinsewi on Tuesday, July 16, 2019 2:07 PM

If your happy with it, it's all good. They look good to me. 

I think I have a couple of 5 car Athearn sets, undecorated, and I'am not sure if all of the detail parts are with them, but if your interested, PM me.  You can detail them out yourself, as you wish.

I'll never use them.  I have more well cars than I use now.

Mike.

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Monday, July 15, 2019 5:44 PM

Well, after three months of inconsistent working, I have finally finished my 3d model of a BN/BNSF 48' well car. I think it turned out great. It has almost all of the details of higher end models, mostly because I took all the measurements from a commercially available model (which I painfully and slowly exacted one at a time using a ruler and digital calipers). The red model is the final assembled result, and the white one with all the parts laying flat is what it looks like rendered and ready to 3d print.

Let me know what you think. I tried 3d printing it once, but the program read the file funny and the print got messed up. I might try again at some other point...

 

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Saturday, May 11, 2019 8:06 AM

Thanks Harrison, it’s probably true that only resin printers can do the detail needed to make good looking oil drums Sad.

That container looks really nice though, especially considering that it’s a normal plastic printer!

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by Harrison on Saturday, May 11, 2019 7:52 AM

SPSOT fan

Hey, Harrison, what kind of printer did you use to make those?

That container looks really good. That looks to be some intricate detail on the door!

The oil drums look like they melated or something? I suspect That they might make okay background detail though.

 

I am using a Prusa I3 MK2 https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/3d-printers/59-original-prusa-i3-mk2-kit.html#/7-color-black_and_orange. It is owned by my robotics team.

The container will get further detailed and painted. 
I don't think the oil drums will work any better than they are now, unless I got a resin 3D printer.

Harrison

Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.

Modeling the D&H in 1978.

Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Saturday, May 11, 2019 7:38 AM

Hey, Harrison, what kind of printer did you use to make those?

That container looks really good. That looks to be some intricate detail on the door!

The oil drums look like they melated or something? I suspect That they might make okay background detail though.

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by Harrison on Saturday, May 11, 2019 7:32 AM

Yesterday I got to the printer and printed this 20 ft container. https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:38392 Print settings are 5% infill, print upside down(no floor) and generate supporting. Printed with PLA, heated bed Prusia I3 MK2.

img_0894

Also printed some oil drums, they don't look the greatest though.

Harrison

Homeschooler living In upstate NY a.k.a Northern NY.

Modeling the D&H in 1978.

Route of the famous "Montreal Limited"

My YouTube

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Monday, May 6, 2019 7:16 PM

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by rrebell on Monday, May 6, 2019 2:39 PM

BNSF UP and others modeler

You mean like the resin ones? I would like to, when I get the money...

Or are you referring to something different?

 

No, these, seen some for fairly cheap like around $500.

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Posted by snjroy on Monday, May 6, 2019 6:19 AM

The seller calls it "smooth fine plastic". It's certainly as brittle as resin. The trucks broke off a few times while working on it. CA took care of that. It did require some prep work before painting. I sanded the piece using a piece of sand paper glued on an angled piece of wood. I also filled a few gaps with putty. So it's not off-the-shelf... besides, it would not be fun otherwise wouldn't it? I only have a short strip of HOn30 on my layout, so I did not want to spend 500$ for a RTR one... 

Simon

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Sunday, May 5, 2019 10:32 PM

Wow, that is really impressive quality. Is that resin 3d printed or standard 3d printed?

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by snjroy on Sunday, May 5, 2019 6:25 PM

I've been using 3d prints from Shapeways. I think the level of detail is more than adequate for HOn30. With a bit of sanding, they can be quite convincing. I think some folks remove some of the grain by exposing the pieces to acetone (I leave that to the pros). I just do some final sanding. Below is an HOn30 shay I've been working on. It still needs some detailing and a bit of weathering. It is motored by a Tomix drive. The gears don't work, but it is so tiny that my 50 year old eyes can't really tell... I certainly appreciate the smooth running mechanism. Anyway, 3D is here now for me. And it can only get better.

Simon

  20190505_145451 by Flickr" alt="" />

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Saturday, May 4, 2019 5:01 PM

This printer you talk about, is it an FDM printer? Also, may I ask what the printer brand and name is? I didn't know that standard 3d printers could achieve way better results than what I got. I'll have to look into this.

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by York1 on Saturday, May 4, 2019 3:53 PM

BNSF UP and others modeler

No defense intended (pardon the pun).

I just want people to know absolutely everything before making a judgement or decision...

Thats why I gave a short tutorial on my first post. Let 'em try it first, then see if they like it. 

 

Thanks!

My son-in-law has a medium priced printer.  He made me some containers that were in flat pieces -- needed to be glued together.  They included floors.  The ribbing, connecting pins, door latches, etc., were all very highly detailed.  There were no rough lines.  The containers were just as detailed as the ones I bought from Atlas and Kato (except for painting and decals).

For ten containers, we used under a dollar of plastic, as opposed to $6.00 to $12.00 per container at the LHS.

For an N Scale intermodal train with 15 doublestacked cars, and more cars in the yard, and more containers sitting in the yard, I was overwhelmed by even sale prices.

While I'm too cheap to buy my own printer, I think this is a great  possibility for some modelers.

York1 John       

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Saturday, May 4, 2019 3:34 PM

You mean like the resin ones? I would like to, when I get the money...

Or are you referring to something different?

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, May 4, 2019 3:11 PM

Why not just go with an liquid 3d printer, very fine detail.

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Saturday, May 4, 2019 11:39 AM

No defense intended (pardon the pun).

I just want people to know absolutely everything before making a judgement or decision...

Thats why I gave a short tutorial on my first post. Let 'em try it first, then see if they like it.

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, May 4, 2019 11:13 AM

BNSF UP and others modeler
Keep in mind that I am limited by the 3d printer available (its a $2000 dollar knock off and it prints better than the name brand), and this is my very first print/test model, for pete sakes. I didn't design the file either. If I did, there would be more door details and they would be finer, and there would be places for connector pins too. I am currently working on designing a BN/BNSF 48' well car from scratch. That will have way more detail than the one currently on thingyverse. Once I get it finished and printed, I'll post pictures to show you what is really possible. For those of you that cannot tolerate the visible layers that distort smoothness, resin 3d printers print so fine you don't even need to sand anything and you have to hold the print up to the light to see the layers.

If I had $500 odd dollars laying around, I'd buy one and give you demonstations of the best in current 3d printing. However, Luke Towan has already done it anyway...

BNSF,

Stop getting defensive.  No one is criticizing you; just pointing out the limitations of 3D technology, at present.  The resolution of SLAs is getting better but still in the 2 to 5-mil (0.002 - 0.005") range, which will yield visible roughness to the naked eye.  (FYI: I used to machine as part of my job as a technician so I know a little something about it.)  I congratulate you on giving it a whirl.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Saturday, May 4, 2019 11:12 AM

You container is a fine model considering the money you paid for it. However I am cursed as a rivet counter, and am not content with what a $2000 printer will give you. I have see Luke Towan’s videos, as well as the ones on MRVP. The quality you get with a resin printer is exceptional, especially considering they come for less than $500 dollars, less than plastic types. Of course each to his own!

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Saturday, May 4, 2019 10:18 AM

If you use fine enough grit, it won't distort dimensions. The striations are not very coarse. The price for the container, which weighs under an ounce, is just over 40 cents (if you buy a roll of PLA at $15 for 2.2 pounds). Thats even better than I first thought.

Keep in mind that I am limited by the 3d printer available (its a $2000 dollar knock off and it prints better than the name brand), and this is my very first print/test model. I didn't design the file either. If I did, there would be more door details and they would be finer, and there would be places for connector pins too. I am currently working on designing a BN/BNSF 48' well car from scratch. That will have way more detail than the one currently on thingyverse. Once I get it finished and printed, I'll post pictures to show you what is really possible. There is an easy fix to eliminating the striations entirely. Resin 3d printers print so fine you don't even need to sand anything and you have to hold the print up to the light to see the layers.

If I had $500 odd dollars laying around, I'd buy one. But for now, I'll have to settle for what I can get. However, Luke Towan has tons of good videos on resin 3d printing, I recommend you take a look...

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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Posted by SPSOT fan on Saturday, May 4, 2019 10:12 AM

My opinion on 3D printing is that it is a very useful tool, but I’m not thrilled about the roughness lower end printers, such as those you can afford in you home or what a local library may have, produce. The sanding required seems to soften the details, making them fit for nothing about background details. You could also make parts for mechanisms (say switch machines) with lease, since in those cases roughness and detail is less of a problem. Lower end printers offer print poorer results when doing curves, square stuff (i.e. the container BNSF printed) comes out better.

I am very impressed by the results I’ve seen people get using resin printers or printing services (i.e. Shapeways). They usually lack the roughness that characterizes lower end prints.

The real benefit of 3D printing is you can print details that are not commercially available. Just often you can’t get the detail in cheaper 3D printers you’d otherwise get. I don’t think that 3D printing really saves money, but it can make anything you what provided you can design it online.

Regards, Isaac

I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!

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Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, May 4, 2019 9:36 AM

Waiting to see just what his undecorated model cost.  I notice the connector pins (for lack of knowing the correct term) that hold containers together are not on his print, but I suppose double sided tape would work, or it could be another detail you'd have to add yourself.

Containers on Shapeways are pretty pricey, considering what they are.  I like the undecorated models from A-Line, but I don't see them on their web site any more.  Ebay is still a good source.

I agree with BN as far as the price of the packaged 3 container sets, although they are nicely detailed.

And it totally depends on what type of container traffic your modeling, the overseas, which is mainly 40 and 20' containers, or the domestic, which are the 45' through 53' models.

As far as printing quality, I'm more than happy with the bulk pnuematic trailer I bought, everything that the prototype has, is there.

Mike.

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Posted by tstage on Saturday, May 4, 2019 9:21 AM

BNSF UP and others modeler
As for the roughness, you are correct. But it isn't too coarse and nothing sandpaper can't help.

BNSF,

By the time you sand out the roughness, your container ribs will more-than-likely become fairly wide because of the amount of material you'll need to remove.  If you do, be sure to do it outside or wear a mask.

In general, 3D printers are great for concept modeling and prototyping.  The resolution and tolerances, however, are still not fine enough for detail work and injection-molding is much better at that.

Hopefully 3D printing will continue to get better though.  It's fascinating to watch a build.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by BRAKIE on Saturday, May 4, 2019 7:07 AM

Guys,Food for thought more or less. One could use the home mades for bottom containers and the more detailed store bought containers for the top.

Larry

Conductor.

Summerset Ry.


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Posted by mbinsewi on Saturday, May 4, 2019 6:40 AM

Yea, the bottoms not a big deal, I thought about that after I posted, and your picture doesn't show the door detail, that's why I asked.

So these are 40'ers?  Bottom line, what does each container cost, undecorated, as your pictures shows?

I have a couple of container trains I run, one with 40' ers, to represent foreign destintation ports, and a train with a mix of 48' and 53', to represent domestic traffic, and I have a trash container train,  Seattle "style", if you will.  These aren't long trains.  20 cars on my lay out is long.

I've been able to pick and choose over the years through Ebay, and A-Line's undecorated offerings.

Mike.

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Posted by BNSF UP and others modeler on Saturday, May 4, 2019 12:00 AM

mbinsewi...

Many containers I have seen in the model industry do not have floors. I have a couple (athearn I think?) As for the roughness, you are correct. But it isn't too coarse and nothing sandpaper can't help. The door detail for my specific model (which I got off of thingyverse) includes two poles and hinges. If you want something more, you can always design your own model. And I know not all librarys charge because up to a certain limit, one near me does not. Thats why you have to do some research for your area...

I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.

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