Hello,
I have recently purchased a 3d printer. I have wanted to offer it to artists as a service. I am trying to expand the options artists have available to them, so if you want a quote on a 3d print, e-mail me or send me a file so I can get you a price. I will do my best to be affordable.
The printer I have is the Objet eden 350. The print quality is amazing, so if you are in the market, let me know.
Peace,
Gumbydammit
What kind of material does it output? Is it plastic-like, wax-like or … ? How hard/durable is it?
How does it do with angled surfaces? Are there noticeable layers?
Hello,
There are several materials it will print. You can get info on them at www.objet.com
The materials fall into 2 major categories. Plastic like and rubber like. There are some that are more refined and some that are stronger.
The print quality is amazing. Instead of 5 to 20 thousandths of an inch at a time, it prints in about 20 microns per layer. If you have an area oh high rates of angle change, you can see something, but it is almost imperceptible. (because in the x and y axis the resolution is 600 dpi… in the z axis the slices are almost invisible)
The only machine that even comes close is the solidscape, but that machine prints in wax, and the parts are extremely fragile. These parts are very strong. (by rapid prototype standards)
I am planning on taking some pictures of models I have printed. I should have some tomorrow. I will post some then.
Peace,
Gumby
There is a prototyping thread which also included some offers. But they were very expensive considering that most here would love to have a toy version of their carving, but for the price one would pay for a similar structure from a toy store. And that gap is very difficult to span considering the cost of the equipment. If one has no production ideas behind his design, the cost is prohibitively high imho. I saw solidscape at a fair once, amazing quality, but yes, only good for investment casting. But the resulting metal objects are fantastic.
Cheers
Lemo
lemonnardo,
I really wish you wouldn’t assume you know what is involved. No one has sent me models to quote, so how can you be telling me that the price is too high?
The whole point to me is realizing your art. That is why I bought the machine. I have things I want to accomplish. Your time is worth something. imagine you sculpt a maquette out of clay. Lets say at a job someone makes 10 dollars an hour. If you spend 40 hours making the sculpture, you have effectively spent 400 dollars.
My point being nothing is free, but if you have ever had to buy archival oil paint and canvas (or any good art supplies for that matter) you know why artists are usually starving artists. But true artists are driven to a higher goal. It’s not enough to go buy a toy at the store, it needs to be the realization of the art in their minds.
That is why I am trying to make that possible for more people. It has taken me years to acomplish getting this machine, and I am going to try to make it a viable outlet for artists.
Thanks for your ear.
Gumby
Don’t get me wrong! Nothing is free. And I think your offer is generous considering that most machines are used inhouse and are thus not accessible for the artist or freelancer.
I did a lot of research the past two years and know the prices of the leading 3D printers and their consumables. I also talked to a lot of artists last year and made a survey regarding interest in a service like this and the price expectations. And that lead to my statement regarding the price and me not offering this service. The average price expectation for a plastic model was below 100$ for a 3x3x5 inch envelope… Hard to achieve imho.
Due to my findings I think it would be of great advantage for you to be pro active and produce some pricing instead of waiting for someone to submit a project for pricing. Show the community some sample projects you did and in which price range those projects are located.
I am sure you will receive more requests once you have posted some cool images of the samples you print. Also the size of the objects you can print would be of interest I guess.
Education about the process, the reason for the time it takes to print a model, and the requirements regarding the mesh geometry might wake more interest in your service as well.
Again, don’t get me wrong, I wish you the best business there is!
Best of luck!
Lemo
i’m interested in materials and pricing and resolution compared to this:
http://www.3dtotal.com/3dprinting/
From what I saw on their site, I am almost the same in pricing for a six inch part. I look forward to seeing more parts come in for quote.
One thing I can say for those that are looking for a printing resource. This printer I am using is extremely high quality. Make sure the final models you send (Quote models can be lower poly count) are very high quality. Otherwise the polygons will be easily visible in the printed part. I am attaching a very small part with extreme detail and curvy complex surfaces to show how refined the surfaces are. No printer is perfect, but after years of experience with RP machines this is pretty much the best.
Here is one more view of the bee…
Peace,
Gumbydammit
wow awesome model, really nice to see the transparency on those wings too, that shows much about the material and printing ablility.
I sent you a PM through here with a model to quote if possible.
The quality looks fantastic gumbydammit. Any chance you can post some higher resolution photographs? I love seeing stuff like this.
Just out of interest, when preparing models for 3D printing are there any specific rules to adhere to? Minimum thickness of tube-like shapes, detail size etc.
There are several different guidelines depending on how you plan to model. I have been doing experiments on my own models to push the limits. The wings on the bee get down to almost .010" (.354mm) that’s freaking tiny in the world of prototyping. I started to see details breaking below that thickness. So that is a pretty good indicator of where not to be under at your smallest details.
If the part needs to stand on it’s own, then it depends on scale and proportion. If the model is fifteen inches tall, then I would recommend a different minimum than if the model was three inches tall. But usually 2-3 mm is a pretty good guideline to stick to. Try not to go under that. (remember, I feel the need to reinforce that that’s just a rough guide. you still need to use good judgment)
If you want to see more views of the bee, you can check out this article.
http://aliasdesign.autodesk.com/learning/articles/details/Interview%20with%20Henry%20Goecke_133202/
So that’s all for now. feel free to ask other questions you may have.
BTW, It says you are at Weta. That’s cool. I tried to get involved with Evangelion, but the plug got pulled before it took off. So kudos for being at a great studio.
Peace,
Gumbydammit
Doesn’t that machine cost like a hundredthousand dollars…?
…HOW did you realize this purchase!?
You are actually in the correct ballpark. So people that read this…
remember that number when you hear that a part costs real money.
I have quoted a few parts that didn’t go through because of cost, but I want to shout “YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT COST IS!”
phew, that was therapeutic.
Actually in all seriousness, I am trying my best to make this possible for the common man. If a model costs you two to three hundred dollars, that’s really a drop in the bucket for a one off custom made prototype of your own design.
As far as how I realized it, SAVE SAVE SAVE… and then sign your life away. Easy really… =)
Wow I guess you have Jedi-patience…if I had FINALLY saved up to a 100.000$…
I probably would’ve bought something else eventually like a nice car:P
But you did what you promised to yourself
Respect Jedi-Master