Adventures In 3Dprinting Part 2 of 2!

Another reason I got back into 3Dmodeling and printing was not just to create figurines but to create better concept art as well. I'll touch more on that in a future post with some all new 2D images like the one below created with 3Dmodeling and Photoshop that will most likely turn into header cards, posters and prints. Maybe...

Part 2 of 2 Color and process!

This is what the finished Dank robot soldier looks like all painted up on the 3dprinted resin parts tacked together. There were some last minute color changes on the model in minor areas to make certain sections pop a little better. Now the robot figure can be printed in any scale and I can make any new changes to enhance it if needed. Like I said before (in the previous post) once I solve the articulations it can then go from maquette statue to poseable toy concept.
Big huge thanks to artist Victor Durango for the paint assist on the project.

Here are some process shots of the robot design broken up and on the 3Dprinter que. The images also show the build sprues and flat rafts that attach the part to the print bed on the Moonray 3dprinter. The average print times for all the parts ranged from 4 to 8 hours give or take and there were no failures on the entire run.

 Printing upside down takes some getting used to as I was worried about big clunky solid parts falling off due to gravity. The good news is the raft the sprues are attached to are stuck to the print bed really good and takes a some effort to release it from the print bed with a metal spatula that comes with the printer.

The excess resin is soaked and cleaned off with a old toothbrush in a 91% alcohol bath. I soaked the parts for 10 - 15 minutes, brushed them down and rinsed them off with clean water. All parts sat for a day to fully dry and they say you can put them in the sun for a few hours to cure them and harden them up more. You can also use all sorts of UV lighting to cure them further if needed.

 The gray resin was the best color to print this project in so I could see all the forms and details better. There were occasional build lines and divets or flaws on some areas where I removed the build sprues but overall the project came out pretty good. You have to double check sprue placement as they kind of ran into the fingers and over some detail on the bottom of the laser pistol. That was a royal pain trying to tool those areas and next time I'll orient the hand and gun in a different position. Lesson learned here.

 I probably should have made the legs one part or used square pegs to line them up better. Lesson learned here.

So the Moonray 3Dprinter from Sprintray did a great job on this Dank Robot Soldier project and now I have a better understanding of it after a decent learning curve. I do have several other projects in the works so stay tuned for more in the coming weeks. If you have any questions about this project or 3Dprinting in general you can email me and I do answer emails.