wax printers?

Hi all,
I love shapeways, and it's great that they've switched their printer onto high quality mode, but I need even more detail for my next project!!

does anybody know where I can get a model printed with a high detailed wax printer? (shapeways were gonna get a a wax printer, but now it seems unlikely since they discovered the high quality switch on their printer - which I stupidly pointed out :S - kinda shot myself in the foot there...)

Many thanks

Sean

Anyone?

hi sean!

try http://atelier-alexa.com/ :: really nice guys from south africa / austria based in vienna

hope they can help you.
best, storchi

Thanks Storchi - Lifesaver

Sean

look for a printer with a Solidscape machine... best prints i've seen, bar none.

HI What are you going to use the wax for.... if I may ask

Ok, well your objet edan printer 500V is a fine printer, one of the best infact - when used on high quality mode, which most of the time you don't, so this causes awful stepping in the printed models (on high speed mode) which I find completely unusable (I print 1/6 scale and smaller - so I have to resculpt back into the model) as it stands, when you switch the printer back to high speed mode I have to use www.moddler.com to print my models (slightly cheaper and is always switched onto high quality mode)

Anyway, high quality mode or not, miniature figures just don't print out well because of the stepping. Projet hd's (which prints in acrylic) is another good solution, it prints at a slightly lower layer thickness of 0.045mm with much less stepping, but is expensive, and the perfactory prints at a higher layer thickness (compared to your objet edan's high quality mode) at 0.015mm and has a higher resolution as well - but this is reflected in the price and is just too expensive (from the companies I've found who use it) for larger non jewellery type objects. So this leves me with the solidscape wax printer which prints at a higher layer thickness than all of these printer and has a much more reasonable price tag to it (at www.cadjewelrydesign.com) which will print my figure (a 75mm figure in this case) with all of the detail, no steps and no prep work (priming and sanding down and then realizing that most of the detail is gone!!)

and if you want any more reasons just look at this model produced on a solidscape -

There's a wealth of valuable info in that post. please allow me to clarify the ProJet HD / Invision HR niche a little, for the few users who might have need of it.

ProJet HD was formerly branded as Invision HR: same manufacturer, same material, same specs. Hobbyists who need that technology are probably best served by Printapart.com, which builds Invision HR parts in the highest-resolution UHD mode. That gives a layer thickness of 0.031mm, for an effective build resolution of 800 layers-per-inch and XY resolution of 656x656 dots-per-inch.

It's not as detailed as SolidScape's wax prints, but it's a great source if you've got a need for small, detailed thermoset-acrylic parts. The parts are said to be suitable for investment casting / lost wax.

Excellent link - veywetpaint, I will certainly bookmark this company - do you know what there prices are like?

It's about 3x the price of a comparable Objet ("detail") part from Shapways. Expensive, but not bad for ProJet HD quality. Especially since they use the VisiJet HR 200 material. You get to choose your price-point based on priority. (You get a discount for allowing scheduling flexibility.)

I have two gripes, illustrated in this picture: Click for picture. The blue part at left was built by Printapart. (The other part was built on my own SD300 machine.)

1. Subtle interference patterns sometimes appear on curved surfaces. Is it a side-effect of UHD mode?
2. Support material leaves a waxy residue, which turns white if not cleaned off. That's not a problem for casting patterns.

Thanks for that

That's wierd about the interference patterns - I've never heard of that problem before

Where did you purchase your SD300? (if you don't mind me asking) how much did you get it for?

Do you know of any companies who print with a solidscape (aside from the ones mentioned already)

Thanks!!

Where are you in the world? I know of a couple of places in the UK.

I'm in the UK too! (although the companies I've found so far charge far too much)

What places do you know?

I bought the SD300 through SolidVision, a dealer in New England. You can find specs, videos, pictures, pricing, and even a review from MCADCafé at their web site here.

I also started a blog to share my experiences at http://mysd300.blogspot.com/

As for other Solidscape printing services, I see several candidates in Additive3D's "Art & Jewelry" list here. Some examples are Innovative CAD Technologies, PrecisionDesignStudio, and RPWax.

Hi,
that's great ! Can't wait to see some updates on this manner.

Could you post some photos of your test prints ? Or some particular info about what machine you're trying, amount of detail etc. ?

Has shapeways ever mentioned that wax printing will EVER become a reality? It has been almost 2 years since this was first mentioned, and I have yet to see it happen

I am very interested in prototyping different parts that must first be made in wax then casted in silicone and reproduced in silicone. The other materials shape ways produces are much too porous or not detailed enough for this.

If you want it, vote here and get others to vote as well https://feedback.shapeways.com/forums/111989-shapeways-feedba ck/suggestions/2427719-offer-wax-models

I know that it has/is being investigated.

How about the developments with the Envisiontec wax printer??

https://www.shapeways.com/blog/archives/520-Very-high-detail- printing...-also-in-wax.html

I saw them at a fair some weeks ago and they are developing some pretty nice machines and materials.... that will not break so easy and are perfect for casting.


grtz PP