What projector is everyone using?

[thebluedirt]

As i mentioned on the resin thread, i would like to experiment with some resin mixes-- with the hope of coming up with a way to optimize the mixes.  My chemE buddy has agreed to help.

 

What i need from those here is a sound-off on what projectors/bulb types ( well ideally what i need to know is what wavelength of light we need to cure at ).

 

Can you guys let me know what hardware you are using-- and that way i can match what we make to the hardware? I dont have a projector or a machine, so i'll have to rely on you guys to test what we make...

 

thanks!

Dave

[Michael Joyce]

I'm using a Vivitek D535 with good success.
http://www.vivitekusa.com/v_display_content_detail.asp?category_id=71&subcategory_id=422&product_id=193

They claim 3200 lumen from a 240 Watt bulb.

I extended the lens assembly by 3.2mm.  It can now focus as small as 51.2 x 38.4 mm up to 102.4 x 76.8 mm.  Since this is a XGA (1024 x 768) native projector that allows for resolutions of 50 to 100 microns.

MikeJ

-- 
"Measure Twice, Cut Once"
http://www.B9Creations.com

[thebluedirt]

hi, thanks-- what resin are you using and what's your cure time per layer? i am trying to get an idea of what resin/projector compos people are doing so i know what would be helpful....

[Michael Joyce]

Cure times are around 10-15 seconds.  Check out the resins at http://www.spotamaterials.com/index.php

On 4/13/2012 2:49 PM, thebluedirt wrote:

hi, thanks-- what resin are you using and what's your cure time per layer? i am trying to get an idea of what resin/projector compos people are doing so i know what would be helpful....

On Friday, April 13, 2012 4:14:46 PM UTC-4, B9Creations wrote:

I'm using a Vivitek D535 with good success.
http://www.vivitekusa.com/v_display_content_detail.asp?category_id=71&subcategory_id=422&product_id=193

They claim 3200 lumen from a 240 Watt bulb.

I extended the lens assembly by 3.2mm.  It can now focus as small as 51.2 x 38.4 mm up to 102.4 x 76.8 mm.  Since this is a XGA (1024 x 768) native projector that allows for resolutions of 50 to 100 microns.

MikeJ

On 4/13/2012 1:50 PM, thebluedirt wrote:

As i mentioned on the resin thread, i would like to experiment with some resin mixes-- with the hope of coming up with a way to optimize the mixes.  My chemE buddy has agreed to help.

 

What i need from those here is a sound-off on what projectors/bulb types ( well ideally what i need to know is what wavelength of light we need to cure at ).

 

Can you guys let me know what hardware you are using-- and that way i can match what we make to the hardware? I dont have a projector or a machine, so i'll have to rely on you guys to test what we make...

 

thanks!

Dave

-- 
"Measure Twice, Cut Once"
http://www.B9Creations.com

[Henrique Muringa]

Hei Mike!!!

Never saw your pics!! Nice quality prints man! Congrats!!!

I've a question to you, do you use VAT Tilt?

[Hradec]

Hey Mike... Didn't see those pics either... really nice quality man.. congrats!

Have you used anything from chemshapes on your design? what software/electronics are you using?

thanks for sharing those... really nice!
-H
blog   home

[Michael Joyce]

Thanks!  I've been working on various ideas since last December.  I initially concentrated on a "pillow method" using air pressure/vacuum to inflate/deflate a layer of teflon FEP stretched over glass to separate the part after cure.  I got that working fairly well but there are problems with the teflon stretching and wrinkling when the air is vacuumed out.
I plan to open source everything I've done once I have some time to organize things. 
My hardware is simply a windows machine controlling the hardware via an Arduino Uno.
So there's some Arduino code which implements an "API" of sorts for the printer.  The windows machine is running Processing code which displays the layers and controls the printer functions via the API commands.
I've also written some Processing code which takes GCode (created by silc3r) and creates image files for each layer (a backwards way to approach things, but it was quick and easy for now).  It also allows me to manually add supports, to those layer image files.
I've attached a draft of my printer API.  I hope to soon release some Arduino code to allow it to simulate an attached printer so folks can test software that uses the API.
Wish I had more time to work on this stuff!
Mike

[Hradec]

Hoo yeah... we briefly spoke about adding support for your printer on our CS1 host software... cool!!

It may be faster for you to get an arduino mega and run our firmware. I just finished implementing the print movement with axis movement end feedback from the arduino. 

check it out: http://www.chemshapes.com/?p=662

Our firmware is basically a modified version of Ultimaker Marlin... I'm stripping most of the axis and temperature control out of it, and using the amazing interrupt based stepper control they have, with acceleration and all.. We figure acceleration will be a great advantage specially for homing and vat-refill, not to mention it turns the sound noise waaaay down... 

anyhow, great result!!! Really neat solution using air bed as vat-release!!! 

thanks for sharing!!

-H
blog   home

[Michael Joyce]

I'd love to see your software support my printer, but it's too late for me to change my hardware at this point :-)
I'm testing other release methods right now, there's a thousand ways to skin a cat...
Best,
Mike

[Hradec]

Well, I'll do it at some point... It's just a matter of priority, you known? well see! ;)

-H
blog   home

[thebluedirt]

Thanks to Mike for chiming in.. Any other datapoints i could get on what projectors and resins people are using would be helpful...  

  * projector and bulb type

  * resin type

  * cure time per layer

  
if i can get a few more data points, i'm hoping to mix up some recipes and enlist the help of my chemE buddy to figure out how to add colors and/or optimize the cure time... as well as establish the combinations that works so that others trying to make machines can do so...

thanks

[Henrique Muringa]

Hey man I guess there's only a few people that can give you that info, because few people have everything set up for testing..

I bought a DLP, never heard of someone using it for this purpose, so I'll be the first, I'll let you know when I test it...

But, one thing is for sure, you need the right combo: a good resin, and a good DLP, that in last case represents a good source of energy, in the right wavelenght, so the resin can cure. We don't have info on all working systems, so you won't have a lot of data points... But I've noticed most of the sucesfull cases I've seen use high powered projectors (DLPs with >3000 lumens) but that is just an observation, it all depends on the output of the projector and your resin.. Also the less power you give, more time it will take to cure, but is that a bad thing at all? And, as far as I know, you can compensate that by using a smaller area, and bigger Z slices...

=]

[thebluedirt]

thanks for the input. yes it was clear to me after doing research that the projector and resin combo was key.

It also looks like there are two main approaches:  UV cure resin and a projector with mercury vapor bulb and/or mods to the color wheel to pass UV, and resin that cures in visible light, and a really strong projector...  at least that's what it looks like...