Hi there, i am very experienced in modelling and i have also 3d print experience, with an Z-Corp printer. On that machine we had the problem, that the size of the printed parts varied slightly. Stuff which was printed in upper left corner of the printer space was different in size than the opposite corner, by some thenth of a mm. I am planning to do a couple of parts, which ultimateley have to fit into each other, they are going to be assembled into the final shape. Therefore i need the highest possible accuracy. Does the "White, strong & flexible" has issues like the ones i described? Thanks for sharing knowledge, Cheers, Heiner ---> www.weltundbild.de <---
In my opinion, SWF is less accurate than the detail materials, but it does appear to be much stronger. Because results vary with the application, I would suggest making yourself a series of small models that use a range of the kind of accuracies you need. Since Shapeways is so reasonable cost-wise, and since SLS is a very common 3D printing method, it will be a good investment for you to do this. -Whystler
I have only worked with the white, strong and flexable material. When working with my dragon models I originally had a .005 gap between internal and external parts. Example: Post and hole. When I had my first parts made I found they would not go together so I ended up having to file down the parts to fit. I then made some test parts and varied the size of the posts and holes by .002 increments and then test fit them to determine which sizes worked together. I found out for my parts I needed to increase the hole size by .008 and downsize the post by .006 or any equivalent to get total size difference of .021 between post and hole diameter ( .0105 per side though .01 would have been fine). I recomend making test parts of your important features to determine the best desired results for your application.
Hi there EKELSO, This is good useful information. Thank you! Is that .021 cm, mm, or inches? -Whystler
.021 inches difference in size Whystler. I think .02 would have worked fine though. They were created seperately and then fit together with that size difference. This provided a medium fit for my parts which allowed me to assemble and disassemble them if needed. If you wanted a tighter fit you might need a smaller difference, especially if you do not need or want the parts to come apart at all. This may also vary to a small amount depending on printing orientation. If they had been printed at the same time I believe they would have required twice that to remain seperate parts based on post by others on the forum specifying a .5 mm gap to keep them from fusing together.