3D Printing - whether to buy, what to buy and how to use it?

[adrian]

I have no meaningful issues with the Mars 3, at least not yet.

My "friends" main reservation with the Mars 3 is that apparently the main system board is encrypted such that the only format of files accepted is the new Chitubox format which means you are limited to Chitubox basic or pro slicer. Allegedly it was just a simple misunderstanding but at one point the basic version (1.8) was not compatible with Mars 3 but the pro version was. So the rumours started that once the 1yr free subscription has expired you maybe locked into an annual (not that cheap) subscription. Apparently the latest version 1.9 Basic is now compatible - for now!

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[Boyblunder]

Simon, going back to the IPA issue my recent experience has worried me. I used to like the smell of IPA but after some intensive printing, washing and attempting to recycle IPA over the last couple of weeks I've concluded the IPA fumes are causing me chest problems. The temporary solution is always wearing a proper mask, longer term (when the Hairy Biker's thread project is finished) I'm going to put power in the garden shed so that washing happens there unless I come up with a better solution (pun). Anyone know of an equivalent to Mean Green, it doesn't seem to be available in the UK?

 

[simond]

Robin

Screwfix seem to have a selection of 3M and JSP reusable half masks and filters. I’m sure there are other sources too.

atb
Simon

 

[Rob R]

Simon,
I have had my Elegoo Mars 2 Pro for a bit over 6 months now and as others have said it is a bit of a learning curve, especially if you are trying to get to grips with a CAD package at the same time.
I have it located in the "box" room, with the Mercury Wash and Cure, both from Amazon when they were in a "flash" sale which saved me the best part of £100 on the pair.

I am using the water washable resin and personally don't find the smell an issue. SWMBO complains about it when the printer is running but when it was pointed out that the smell was far less than her nail varnish/remover and hair spray the reply was "that's different!" I just shut the door and open the window and wait until she has gone to work/gone to bed.

For washing I have a 4 litre plastic tub with lid (ex baby bottle sterilizer) which gets put outside in the sun to cure the washed off resin before disposal.

For curing I use the Mercury with the parts in a jam jar of "Corporation Pop" to keep them cool, and cure in short bursts of 90 seconds or so and have had no issues with warping at that stage.

Drawing wise, for the most part I have been using TinkerCad.
It is basic and has it's limitations but it (mostly) works for me and on various forums there are some pretty good examples of what can be done (railway wise) and there are plenty of youtube tutorials.
This GNR 4 plank open (work in progress still - sorry Susie) in S has been done with TinkerCad and printed on the Mars.



S scale british outline wagons fit comfortably on the Mars build plate (no 40' boxcars) but you wouldn't fit a standard gauge 7mm wagon on there easily, certainly not as a one piece item.
You could fit G3 wagon iron work and coach sections (like Jamie did with the modular resin prints) if you were so inclined and any number of smaller architectural fittings, boiler fitting, buffers etc so have a think about what you want to use it for, although for far less than the price of a decent O Gauge loco kit you could get up and running with any of the upper end hobby printers and have a great deal of fun (and an equal measure of frustration!).

Go on, go for it.
You know it makes sense.

Rob

 

[John Baker]

Hi John,
Could you please elaborate on the heater arrangement? I will need to attain temps in the 25°c to 30°c range for the two of the resins that I want to test. I'm currently running at about 22°c room temperature. I plan on building an enclosure, but I could use a spec on the heater and timer elements.

Thanks,
Jim

Hi Jim,
It's very much a 'homemade' approach, but hope this is helpful. Using the products listed below, all from Amazon it keeps the printing chamber nicely between whatever values you set it at. I made a simple mounting bracket for the fan from some spare aluminium, and attached this to the temperature controller, which are both then connected to the power supply. I had a spare PSU, but they are available on Amazon too. My system runs on 24V, but all of the items I used are available in 12V too if you prefer. The fan and controller are just bolted through the lid (which drills surprisingly nicely), insulated with some rubber washers as it gets quite hot. I placed the sensor from the temperature controller near the bottom near the resin tank.
The fan is a 24V, 250W but there are a few different voltage/wattage options around. The PSU is 24V 15A.
Benefits: Very controllable temperature, and only heats the space needed
Drawbacks: the lid is tethered by the power cable, although as you can see from the photos, for my setup this isn't a problem, as I hang my lid on a hook above the printer to save space on the table.

Temperature controller:
ARCELI 24V Digital LED Temperature Controller Module, XH-W3001 Thermostat Switch with Waterproof Probe, Programmable Heating Cooling Thermostat: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools
Heater & Fan:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07BK1VQTP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
PSU:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B071W121H7/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[simond]

John,

did you consider mounting the heater/fan assy off the base, with a “mousehole” cut-out from the lid?

Would that be a viable way of fitting a heater?

cheers
Simon

 

[JimG]

Another way of doing it

I used much the same components but housed them and the printer in a large Really Useful Box :-





The temperature controller sits lower centre with the power pack behind on the bottom of the case. The 12V 100W heater and fan is fastened to the side of the case near the top of the picture. The temperature sensor is on the other side of the case beside the printer. The whole thing works with the lid of the box fitted so that the heater isn't also trying to heat the spare bedroom as well.

The Really Useful case was originally intended for my first printer - a Phrozen Shuffle - to deal with fumes, hence the extractor fan in the top. It was built before the printer arrived and was immediately redundant since I hadn't appreciated that the Shuffle's door hinged upwards.

I've never actually had any fume problems with the Phrozen resins I've used.

Jim.

 

[simond]

Jim

Did you manage to get the power supply in there too?

 

[John Baker]

John,

did you consider mounting the heater/fan assy off the base, with a “mousehole” cut-out from the lid?

Would that be a viable way of fitting a heater?

cheers
Simon

Must admit I didn’t. I hadn’t had the printer long when I installed the heater, and I didn’t know if hot air, blowing almost directly onto the print whilst in progress would affect it or not - I still don’t know to be honest! To be safe, I put the fan away from the print at the top of the printer. I also knew I wouldn’t need to move the lid very far from the printer, so the wire was never a problem for me.

 

[simond]

Thanks John, the hot air flow is a consideration.

 

[JimG]

Jim

Did you manage to get the power supply in there too?

Simon,

Yes, in the bottom of the case, under and behind the temperature controller. It is hard up against the rear of the setup so that its power plug can be inserted through a hole in the case.

Jim.

 

[Big Train James]

John,
Thank you for the information on the heater setup. It falls in line with what I've since seen online, and JimG's arrangement is also the same general kit of parts. I need to get everything ordered up so that I can get on with testing additional resins.

Jim

 

[Big Train James]

My "friends" main reservation with the Mars 3 is that apparently the main system board is encrypted such that the only format of files accepted is the new Chitubox format which means you are limited to Chitubox basic or pro slicer. Allegedly it was just a simple misunderstanding but at one point the basic version (1.8) was not compatible with Mars 3 but the pro version was. So the rumours started that once the 1yr free subscription has expired you maybe locked into an annual (not that cheap) subscription. Apparently the latest version 1.9 Basic is now compatible - for now!

ChiTu Systems and Chitubox: a lesson in fighting open-source 3D printing-南极熊3D打印网 - 平台

The nominations for the 2021 3D Printing Industry Awards are now open. Who do you think should make the shortlists for this year’s show? Tell us now before nex ...-3D打印

www.nanjixiong.com

Adrian,

There are, or were, two issues with the Mars 3 with respect to the Chitubox software. As you note, the issue of being forced to pay for and use the Pro version has already been resolved. However, the other issue, where new ChiTu Systems printer boards will only accept files sliced in the Chitubox software, is still outstanding as far as I know. I haven't found any updated information on it yet, although I've only taken a very cursory look lately. Supposedly, after much hue and cry and gathering of pitchforks and torches, Chitu Systems is relenting, and will make it so that files generated with other slicing software will be supported.

In reality, the issue isn't something to lose too much sleep over, and I wouldn't let it affect your decision making regarding a printer choice. The first thing to remember, is that the Chitu Systems policy applies to all new printers utilizing their boards, not just the Elegoo models. If Anycubic uses Chitu Systems boards, then there printers would be similarly affected. The second thing to remember, is that the real issue that people have with Chitubox is primarily with the support functionality rather than the slicing functionality. Actually, there is another issue, which is simply the quality of the program as a piece of software. But I'm going to discuss that a bit later on.

Everything that happens in the software up to the point of slicing, can be done in other programs like Lychee. It's only that final step that is at issue. The work-around is to finish all other work on the print, things like orientation and support placement, then save it as an stl file and export across to Chitubox. It will come in as a pre-supported model, the only remaining step is to slice it.

It is one additional step, and it's a work-around as opposed to an elegant solution, which I always object to. But I don't think it significant enough to impact your choice of printer, unless you are determined to avoid the situation altogether by considering a printer that doesn't use a Chitu Systems board in the first place. Hopefully something will get resolved in the near future, but ultimately it doesn't matter except in principle.

More to follow regarding my experiences using Chitubox Pro.

Jim

 

[Rob R]

"Everything that happens in the software up to the point of slicing, can be done in other programs like Lychee. It's only that final step that is at issue. The work-around is to finish all other work on the print, things like orientation and support placement, then save it as an stl file and export across to Chitubox. It will come in as a pre-supported model, the only remaining step is to slice it."

Jim,

Why don't you just export the Lychee sliced object as a ready to print .ctb file and by-pass Chitubox altogether?


Lychee Slicer 3 (free version)
WAGR D class van from Thingiverse as a test file, not played with, just auto supports for the export test.

 

[GrahamMc]

Why don't you just export the Lychee sliced object as a ready to print .ctb file

My "friends" main reservation with the Mars 3 is that apparently the main system board is encrypted such that the only format of files accepted is the new Chitubox format

I know nothing of these things, just a prospective purchaser but it appears that the Lychee update for the Mars 3 and other new printers (version 3.6) only came out mid December. A lot of people might not be aware of the update. Useful to know you're not reliant on Chitubox, if I'm understanding this correctly. Have a look at this page on the Mango/Lychee website to see more.
HTH
Graham.

 

[GrahamMc]

it would be great if folks who have printers can share their experiences, we can add to the WT Knowledge base!

Thanks for starting the thread Simon, I'm sure there's a few of us finding it very useful.

 

[Big Train James]

Graham,
I would be one of those people that hadn't yet discovered the Lychee update for the Mars 3. I had learned about the locked Chitu boards issue early on, and I didn't find any obvious updates to the situation in the few subsequent times I've looked. Not surprisingly, once I received the printer, there was a lot of excitement to print something. And once I saw what the printer was capable of, there was a lot of excitement to print everything! As such, and because I'm managing sufficiently with the free Chitubox Pro, I haven't gotten around to trying Lychee yet.

In answer to Rob's question, if the board locking issue is resolved, there isn't in fact any need to use Chitubox for the slicing function. The caveat to that statement would be if there is some functionality in Chitubox Pro that Lychee doesn't currently feature. The first thing is whether you are a Mac or Windows user. Lychee appears to have a Mac version, Chitubox (at the time I was getting started) did not. It could be made to work, but not without effort. I'm not affected by this as a Windows user, but I'm sure there are plenty of Mac users that would be affected. [Edit: That last bit doesn't quite make sense, the lack of Mac support isn't a feature of Chitubox of course. But it is a notable concern, so I'll leave this here.] The other feature I am thinking of off the top of my head is the multi-parameter slicing capability in Chitubox Pro, where multiple slicing profiles can be applied to a single print file, assigned by height or even by individual model. I can slice one model at a certain layer thickness, while slicing another model at a different layer thickness.

I was going to write up a summary of my Chitubox Pro experiences, and have a good bash at the software. But I've decided to take at least a brief look at Lychee first, to get some context. I will go so far now as to say that Chitubox Pro is a serviceable program, I have been able to repair, orient, support, and slice effectively with it. My main problem with Chitubox is the UI, which is very poorly implemented in my opinion. If I were in snark mode, I might suggest that it was created by a sixth grader, except that might be insulting to sixth graders as I suspect there are plenty of them that can turn out better code.

I'll follow up at some point in the near future with a general review of Chitubox Pro, and possibly Lychee as well. In the meantime, I'll be happy to answer any specific questions that come up.

Jim

 

[simond]

Thanks Jim,

like Adrian, I had some concerns about being “locked in”, which would have led me to eliminate the Elegoo range from my potential purchase. That concern may well now be irrelevant.

atb
Simon

 

[Rob R]

I don't know if my version of Chitubox is pro or otherwise (it is what came with the machine) but it seems to do everything that it is asked to do (running Windows 7 pro). It could well be that I'm not pushing it to anywhere near it's limits.
Every day is still a school though....
Rob

 

[JimG]

I'm running the free version of Chitubox - V1.8 - and it seems to work OK, now that I've got used to it. But the user interface is a bit peculiar and takes a bit of getting used to. However the latest version - V1.9 - has a different file format of its output and requires me to upgrade the firmware in my Phrozen Sonic Mini 4K to read the files. I haven't done this so far since I'm unsure if this new printer firmware will be backward compatible with all my older Chitubox files I'll maybe ask a few questions and maybe get an answer.

Jim.