Codename: DropLit

[Flateric]

I don't think the cost of consumables is really the point here. Unless they are higher than others offerings, which I can not see being the case since the cost of the consumables seems to have stablized somewhat recently.

The cost of the printer itself would be the same for all involved but the cost of which projector you personally choose and what resolution/brightness will be the cost determining factor that each user will have to decide for themselves. Some may be happy with a used projector off fleabay that can be had for around 50-100 bucks. Hell I have found projectors for free around my city when I am dropping off electronics at the recyclers.

But they are very low res generally, 800x600 sorta dealio. I personally already have a nice high res projector, 4000 ansi lumins so really the printer from the guys here would be ideal.

But comparing printing costs to a reprap filament based printer is not really fair or even a factor in the discussion towards this technology.

To me it is like saying, hey the laser sintering metal 3D printer you guys are making is great, but could you make it cost around the same as a max2 and have similar printing costs? It just is not a resonable or fair way to think of a totally different 3d print technology.

[mhackney]

I'm in too. I actually started to design a home brew DLP printer - did all the research and have the basic frame construction designed and ready to cut. Planned to use 15x15 with printed joints, etc. But, I'm putting this on hold, no sense re-inventing the wheel and I prefer the camaraderie here!

I also have a nice ViewSonic HD projector ready to go for this project. I agree Flateric, materials cost is not really a determining factor for me either. The resolution obtainable and the speed of printing (especially some of the simple parts I want to manufacture) negate the higher material costs. And, with a larger market in the future, these will come down too. There are already flexible materials available for this technology! Who knows what is next?

cheers,
Michael

[geneb]

The projector will have to be 1080p and DLP. LCD won't work.

g.

[Eric]

I was really saying that I have no idea what the cost of consumables is for this type of printer, and that any reasonable purchaser would want to know some ballpark numbers before committing.

[Mac The Knife]

55 dollars a liter,,,,

[johnoly99]

The projector I'm using right now is an Acer P1283, and they can be found for around $300 and some change new. It's working REALLY well I did remove the UV filter and broke the color wheel glass off, and that's about it, 20 mins of hacking and it's good to go The resin I'm testing with is MakerJuice SubSF and I had him dye it blue (hehe) and it goes for about $57/Liter and it's quite a bit! I bought two for the experiments, it's a LOT of resin, so i'd say it's comparable to filament really.

Updated info is, i have a dropcam on my desk pretty much all the time, http://dropc.am/p/droplit to watch if you're really bored haha. I have been curing resin with it this week, and did an article for HackaDay on it. You'll see it shortly on their site. The few things left are to update the CAD files, Lasercut the next version, assemble and prove the mechanics on that version, then start printing with it! I have the first proto on my desk working 90+% now, and have dialed in on software issues that need addressed. If you look in the github repo, you'll see i've added what electronics and cad files i've got working now, and there's also firmware instructions, need to make them a little more user friendly though

Keep up the thoughts guys, feedback is always needed

[Polygonhell]

Any particular reason you chose such a small printable radius?
And for that matter why quote it as a radius, surely the projector produces a rectangular image.
If this does make it too production, I would strongly suggest shipping with a particular projector, otherwise your going to have a support nightmare with people tuning layer exposure times.

[geneb]

My understanding is that the print x/y limits are a function of projector resolution.

g.

[Flateric]

I think you may be correct Gene. The resolution is obviously fixed and blowing up the printable area would only go to pixelate the output like blowing up a bit map with no Anti-aliasing to smooth it.

Unless I misunderstand the technology, which is entirely possible.

[Polygonhell]

My understanding is that the print x/y limits are a function of projector resolution.

g.

Sure but you can trade off resolution for size and curing time though.
You might have to move the projector back to get enough throw (or add an additional lens) to cover a larger bed and at some point the loss in resolution would be unacceptable, but at 6 inches your still at better than 0.02mm / pixel from a 1920x1080 projector.
One thing size probably does complicate is the pealing process between layers.

Looking at most of what I print, a fair amount of it would not fit in a 3.5 inch circle, but in a 5 inch circle the vast majority of it wouldn't be an issue.

[geneb]

So bug John about it. I'd like to see a larger printer area myself.

g.

[Polygonhell]

So bug John about it. I'd like to see a larger printer area myself.

g.

Well I'm sort of assuming he reads the thread he started.

[heathenx]

Better come quickly. Oly brought the DropLit to the MakerHive tonight.

[johnoly99]

First couple prints of the day off the second prototype, almost ready to go!

[critical_limit]

Have one request and two questions:

1) Please post more pics of printed parts.

2) when? how much?



still waiting for my Rostock Max (stucking in customs, and that drives me crazy!), but I guess my next project (and money) goes to seemecnc as well

[artexmg]

Awesome!

Beta Tester signing in!

[DavidF]

Drop mine in the mail, Ive been wanting to take the next step with my investment castings. Lost pla only goes so far, this would take it to a whole new level!!

[Tinyhead]

Oh man! Been gone a couple weeks and look what I'm missing. The build area is a bit of a bummer, but I haven't seen any of these resin printers that can do larger print areas. This resin technology is really picking up though and I'm sure it won't be long before the print area and the media area a hell of a lot cheaper.

[sgraber]

It's going to be a while before the resins come down in price. The raw materials cost significantly more than pelletized ABS or PLA, and then you've got R&D cost, formulating time, bottling, etc.

[Pilcrowdesigns]

I want one! the model looks great. Where these already offered and did sell out? I seen on the main website it shows it. If not and there will be beta testers, I'd love to be one. I have a ton of 3d models I made I could test with.

[Jimustanguitar]

Drop mine in the mail, Ive been wanting to take the next step with my investment castings. Lost pla only goes so far, this would take it to a whole new level!!

Does the UV resin dissolve, melt, or burn out in a way that you could use it for investment casting? That would be cool!

[artexmg]

Drop mine in the mail, Ive been wanting to take the next step with my investment castings. Lost pla only goes so far, this would take it to a whole new level!!

Does the UV resin dissolve, melt, or burn out in a way that you could use it for investment casting? That would be cool!

Yes! ... well, depending on the type of resin .

Look at this one: http://madesolid.com/fire-cast-resin.html

You can find more, but, like in filament, there are still space for new types of resin to play with so you can fine tune it for your specific application. Now, it is easier (I think) to mix chemicals than produce filament, so, I want my lab to start playing with resin ... well, first, I need my printer!

[sgraber]

FYI Josh over at MakerJuice has one almost ready to go too.

Does the UV resin dissolve, melt, or burn out in a way that you could use it for investment casting? That would be cool!

[brent]

Just got back from the shop. The DropLit is absolutely amazing and should be your next machine. Price is going to be relatively affordable given the enhanced print quality.

[sgraber]

Brent: can you post any photos? I'd love to see!