Resin Printer for making embossing plates and stamps

[BDAZ]

I recently acquired a Creality LD002H resin printer. I have been looking at 3D printers for years, but the filament printers were too Rube Goldberg with poor results and the resin printers were too expensive and messy. Finally there is a perfect storm of inexpensive, high resolution printers, easy to use slicing software and most importantly, water washable resin with almost no odor.

I am in the process of bending Photoshop to my will, never having used the 3D functions but wondering what software folks are using to create stamps, etc. I have had the printer for a week and have attached a few pics of my first days prints and a few subsequent ones.

I am hoping to make custom stamps with text, SW and Celtic designs for belts and other items i make commercially.

The first pic is my first day's prints, then a pilot and seat for an RC plane I am working on, and then a stand for a Badger 105 airbrush. 

Thanks!

Bob

Edited February 12, 2021 by BDAZ

[chrisash]

Fusion 360 is a great 3D software with free access to hobby guys have a look at youtube for thousands of tutorials

[CastleLeatherWorks]

looks cool man cant wait to see what else you come up with

[BDAZ]

7 hours ago, chrisash said:

Fusion 360 is a great 3D software with free access to hobby guys have a look at youtube for thousands of tutorials

Thanks, I'll give it a go. I have been making some progress with Photoshop, got as far as creating a usable STL but the process is not intuitive and laborious, especially after spending years (since Photoshop Beta .07) with PS 2D.

Cheers!

Bob

[kgg]

Nice to see you getting into 3D printing. As far as design software two excellent platforms are Fusion 360 and Solid Works. Besides the quality of your 3D printer and consumable materials the slicing software will make or break your 3D print. I would try some free resin slicer software and do a print quality / speed comparison to see what works best for your machine and your needs. For my filament printers and designs I have found Ultimaker Cura to be excellant where as PrusaSlicer software to be lacking in comparison even through I have Prusa and Prusa hybrid (Bear Upgrade) printers.

Kept us updated on how your resin printed stamps work out.

Personally I like the filament printers but that largely has to with my personal wants and needs (printed part strength, size of print, choice of available filament from low cost/quality china stuff to excellent Canadian or American made, available printer upgrade / replacement parts cost and less steps to final prototype). Just like with sewing machines, no one machine does it all.

kgg

 

[BDAZ]

I have been looking at Fusion and will check out solid works. As for slicers, I started with the manufacturer recommended Chitubox  but shortly discovered Lychee which seems to be better, especially the Pro. I have been using the slightly more expensive Elegoo water washable. I will testing some less expensive Chinese resins soon.  In tests I have made with the Elegoo, it seems to have sufficient compressive strength to work well. It's not great with shear or elasticity, but there are traditional resins that can compete with ABS if I want to deal with the mess.

I did test filament printed stamps for a project 5 years ago or so, and the quality was not up to the job. even sanding and using a torch, I couldn't get the surface smooth enough. The resin printer is 100% if the model is properly oriented and supported.

I like your sewing  machine analogy and I turn down jobs that won't run on my Cowboy, because they are too thin. The only imitation at the moment is the build size, but I will invest in a larger one if I start running out of build space. 

Funny, your comment about filament origins...when I was a kid I used to spend my summers in Europe, I met a fellow English speaking  traveler, an adult,  and I asked him where he was from and he said America. I asked him what state Canada. Since then I never use America to refer to the United States, don't want to get Canadian nickers in a twist... I have spent delightful times in Montreal, Vancouver and most recently, Guelph. 

Bob

[toxo]

13 hours ago, BDAZ said:

I recently acquired a Creality LD002H resin printer. I have been looking at 3D printers for years, but the filament printers were too Rube Goldberg with poor results and the resin printers were too expensive and messy. Finally there is a perfect storm of inexpensive, high resolution printers, easy to use slicing software and most importantly, water washable resin with almost no odor.

I am in the process of bending Photoshop to my will, never having used the 3D functions but wondering what software folks are using to create stamps, etc. I have had the printer for a week and have attached a few pics of my first days prints and a few subsequent ones.

I am hoping to make custom stamps with text, SW and Celtic designs for belts and other items i make commercially.

The first pic is my first day's prints, then a pilot and seat for an RC plane I am working on, and then a stand for a Badger 105 airbrush. 

Thanks!

Bob

 

That's fantastic stuff but I can only look sideways at it cos I've got enough on my plate building my hot foil machine. Seems like you're only limited by your imagination. Well done.

[kgg]

No matter what 3D printer you use ABS is either messy and/or smelly. Hate the stuff.

26 minutes ago, BDAZ said:

Since then I never use America to refer to the United States, don't want to get Canadian nickers in a twist...

I can see some get their nickers in a bit of a twist but I am old school. When I am asked where I am from I say "Newfoundland". Funny during the Meach Lake US/ Canada talks back in the 90's we were crossing back from the US to Canada and asked by the Canadian border guards where we were from. I replied "Newfoundland". Their reply "OH, 3 Americans, have a nice day." We wondered what Canada had now done to Newfoundland.

kgg

[BDAZ]

7 minutes ago, kgg said:

No matter what 3D printer you use ABS is either messy and/or smelly. Hate the stuff.

I can see some get their nickers in a bit of a twist but I am old school. When I am asked where I am from I say "Newfoundland". Funny during the Meach Lake US/ Canada talks back in the 90's we were crossing back from the US to Canada and asked by the Canadian border guards where we were from. I replied "Newfoundland". Their reply "OH, 3 Americans, have a nice day." We wondered what Canada had now done to Newfoundland.

kgg

Too Funny! Flown over St. John's numerous times but never been there. Almost went to a Celtic festival a few years ago (I play Irish tenor banjo) and I played with some folks from the province also a few years ago. Most Statesiders don't realize Newfoundland became a part of Canada as recently as 1949. Of course there are some that think Canada is a US state!  I was once on a photographic field trip with my students and we were camped near Lubec, ME. I was taking some photos near the international bridge, and asked the US border guard if I could cross and he said "sure". I took a few pics on the bridge and lets just say, as a Photography professor in the 60s, I wasn't clean cut. When I passed him on my way back he yelled "Halt!" Then he asked me for my papers. I pointed to my car, only 30 meters away and he said, "I can't let you into the US without documents" Arguing was to no avail, so I walked back over to the Canadian side and explained my situation. They told me to wait, and a in a while, an old station wagon with a could of Mainers, known to the guards came by. They asked them to hide me under blankets in the back and was able to return to my homeland! 

Bob

[BDAZ]

24 minutes ago, toxo said:

That's fantastic stuff but I can only look sideways at it cos I've got enough on my plate building my hot foil machine. Seems like you're only limited by your imagination. Well done.

Well that's exactly why I avoided filament printing, but current resin printing is plug and play and with water based resins, a breeze to clean up. I literally unpacked the machine, loaded a model from Thingiverse and a couple of hours later I had a pilot curing in the sun! Easy Peasy.

Bob