IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1503860
IPC COMMUNITY 39 SUMMER 2023 that work by curing liquid photopolymer resin with 405-nm UV light, layer by layer. Unlike FDM printers that build models by fusing material onto lower, previous layers, photopolymer resin systems usually cre- ate models by dipping the build-plate into a bath of resin. UV light shines through the bath and onto the build-plate, curing lay- ers one at a time. The Mars 2 Pro is an LCD- based system, which uses a monochromatic LCD screen to create "masks" that permit UV light into the resin bath, following the image corresponding to a "slice" of the prescribed model. Once a model is created in a CAD tool, it needs to be converted into slice images, which is done through specialized slicing software. For the Mars 2 Pro printer, a proprietary slice fo r m a t i s c r e a t e d using Elegoo's Chitu- Box software. Chitu- Box also generates the support geometry required to reinforce complex models. However, sometimes I use an additional slicing tool called PrusaSlicer to pre-build supports before importing the model into ChituBox, but it depends on how detailed or specialized the supports need to be. The Mars 2 Pro can produce layers between 0.01-mm and 0.05-mm thick, and the per-layer curing time is less than two seconds, making it an ideal method for fabricating models faster and cheaper than if we relied on a third-party service. As any designer or engineer can attest, cre- ating a finished product often requires a lot of trial and error. In early January, I began testing my new gnome design, knowing "there would be no points for second place." Fortunately, I had plenty of time to spare, but I soon discov- ered that the supports needed for the trophy were too fragile and difficult to remove from the build-plate without damaging the entire model. Like Maverick striking out with "Charlie," I needed to re-think my strategy if I wanted to succeed. I attempted various removal tech- niques and printing parameters, finally con- cluding it would be better to revert to a simpler and easier-to-print trophy model. By removing the jet from the trophy, I reduced the number and thickness of supports needed. By doing The ChituBox interface. Kraken and Nostromo were two of the 3D printers used for the gnome project.