mUVe3D Maker DLP Pro+ questions

[Jon Neilon]

I am thinking getting the Maker Pro+ and I have a couple more questions before I purchase:

- What is recommended to buy as add-ons / upgrades or accessories? (Shutter, Projector Control?,Large Vat, Large Alum plate + plate mount?)

- Is there Resin people tend to use? Which ones?

- Is resin toxic or off gases that may be harmful? Are some safer than others?

- How sealed is the unit? I have two cats that produce endless amount of fur everywhere... will this be an issue. Should I get new cats?

[Matthew Caron]

Somewhat in different order than you asked:

 - I've been using MakerJuice SF without issue. It's reasonably priced, especially if you buy in 1L quantity. Try not to keep too much on hand, there's a shelf life of about a year. I've used Red and Green, red has better results as far as accuracy, green has a faster cure time. I have some Red MakerJuice G+ to play with. Other people are using some of the FunToDo resins with varying results, and I know Ryan has been playing with MakerJuice in different colors. For starters though, MJ SF Red is my recommendation.

 - A shutter isn't really necessary with the MJ resins. More sensitive resins may need it. I do not use one.

 - I also don't use the large vat and associated stuff because I don't need that large a print area. Also note that the bigger your print area, the longer your exposure times will need to be.

 - MakerJuice's resins are supposed to be low VOC and safe. I find them to have a smell, but it's not overpowering to me. My wife hates the smell. A separate room or area with good ventilation is not a bad idea. 

 - The resin also gets all over everything and tends to strip finishes. Put it on a workbench you don't care about and wash your hands well before touching everything. Buy rubber/latex gloves too. I have a PC in that room with a keyboard and mouse that I don't care about and they're now all different colors from having the paint stripped off and the plastic damaged by the resin. Also consider what's on your floor. Mine is epoxy coated concrete and drips wipe right up.

 - You'll also want a quantity of isopropyl alcohol and some plastic bins for washing parts, a spatula or razor blade to pop prints off the plate, a silicone scraper (aka silicone spatula) for mixing resin (best be soft here to not damage the FEP), and a roll of paper towels.

 - I also bought the UV curing oven and like it very much.

 - The unit is not sealed at the bottom, and the fans from the projector will circulate air. I have 6 cats, and I keep the printer in a separate room where the cats don't go, and have only had a few instances where a cat hair got fused into my part.

 - I would not have it in a generally accessible location due to everything detailed above (smell, resin being a solvent, etc.)

Hope this helps.

[Jon Neilon]

Thanks again Matthew,

Very informative. I may need to rethink my workspace a bit..

[mUVe 3D Admin]

Jon,

I'm not sure if it was an accident or if there's still confusion, but the title references a Maker Pro+ but that's not one of the models. You have the Maker, Maker X, and ULTIPro+ in the completely aluminum extrusion body machine. You have the Pro and Pro+ in the 3mm aluminum sheet body. Perhaps you were just referencing the ULTIPro+ 

Matthew pretty much sums it up.

To add to him. The Pro and Pro+ are relatively sealed because of the new design changes. There is no fan to push air out of the chamber, and there's not an open space around the mounted reservoir. So the likeliness for spills and fumes goes down substantially.

If you start getting into exotic, non-standard, or foreign resins be prepared to have ventilation or some kind of charcoal scrubber close by as fumes may become an immediate issue. If you stick with MakerJuice, smell is pretty minimal if you have a wide open space to print in. If you're like me then you're in a small home office right off the side of the living room. We have 2 cats and 2 dogs and I just play it safe. Use caution when moving resin around and always clean up immediately. If you practice safety and cleanliness you really have minimal to worry about.

mUVe 3D Support

[Jon Neilon]

Sorry I did not mean to say Pro+. I meant to say Maker+ 

Do I need to get the Large Alum plate and plate mount if I get the large Vat for this?

[mUVe 3D Admin]

Jon,

You'll only need the Large Build Plate and the Large FlexVat. The standard mounts are universally accepting of both sizes of build plate and vat :)

mUVe 3D Support

[Jon Neilon]

So Large Build Plate, Large FlexVat, Alum Shutter with motors, RPi2 wiring, MJ SF Red, Spatula, Syringe.. that it?

I only want to purchase everything once.

[mUVe 3D Admin]

Jon,

That sounds like it sums it up. The motor you need is a standard hobby servo, a micro servo with metal gears is usually a good size and strength. You could also order DRV8825 motor drivers if you want to upgrade the ones that come with the machine. The DRV8825 is a 2.5A capable versus a 2A capable of the stock driver. It's also a bit better designed as it's made by Texas Instruments. You'd need 2 of those. Lastly a USB to RS232 adaptor for the projector control. With one of these you can have the software turn the projector on and off so you can walk away knowing the main consumer of electricity isn't going to sit on at the end of a print if you're not there to turn it off.

Get a good 2A or better power supply for the RPi, otherwise you'll have power issues.

mUVe 3D Support