http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php Shapeways: Bring your creativity to life in 3D http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24175&th=4622#msg_24175
The strange thing is it has an identical radiator at each end but both have printed differently. It should be slightly recessed.

On end 1 it's slightly raised , though there is a recessed line marking the edge

On end 2 it far too deeply recessed


original STL file attached ]]> tebee 2011-02-23T23:22:17-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24214&th=4622#msg_24214
I wonder if the problem occured because the radiator faces didn't line up exactly with a material layer for printing so the machine 'rounded' the radiator surface up or down to the nearest matching material layer (assuming the shell was printed from left to right as shown in your pictures).

I 'm new to Shapeways and have only received one print so far; that print had a tiny error on one face in the X-Y plane. Nothing printed on that face where it intersected a perpendicular face, leaving a shallow recess the width of the perpendicular face one print layer deep (0.2mm deep by 0.7mm across).

A question for Shapeways staff: what is the exact thickness (no rounding off) of the print layers for White Stong & Flexible material? If we design our models in multiples of that thickness everything should print exactly as it was drawn.

]]> GWMT 2011-02-24T19:29:42-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24215&th=4622#msg_24215
As far as GWMT's question about designing to the print layers, that's an idea. The problem is 1) shapeways doesn't currently let you choose the print orientation, and 2) unless the model is lined up perfectly, all the work of building it per build layer would be for nothing. As far as the thickness being rounded, it's impossible to give an exact thickness. For wsf, each layer is spread on, and fused. The layers consist of granules of material that won't ever lay exactly the same every time. It would be like trying to make a perfectly level bed of sand (larger granules). ]]> Youknowwho4eva 2011-02-24T19:48:15-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24218&th=4622#msg_24218 I was quite prepared for the mesh not to appear here as it's on Shapeways minimum detail level, but I'm trying the same model somewhere else were it should print.

Yes it's HOn30.

The rivet are 0.25mm hemispheres, but the ones that where the same size on the side of the cab did not print ]]> tebee 2011-02-24T20:15:45-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24221&th=4622#msg_24221

I've been designing models using a 0.007" x 0.007" x 0.007" grid (0.2mm x 0.2mm x 0.2mm) based on info from Dimension ( http://www.dimensionprinting.com/3d-printers/printing-produc tspecs-elite.aspx ). At its finest setting Sandstone (Z Corp) prints on a 0.0035" x 0.0035" x 0.0035" grid ( http://www.zcorp.com/en/Products/3D-Printers/ZPrinter-650/sp age.aspx ).

I try to fix the model in relation to the Origin Point (in Solidworks) so all surfaces are some whole multiple of 0.007" away from the Origin Point. I assume the 3D printer software requires the operator to place the origin point of your model within the build volume at a grid point based on the minimum layer thickness of the material used - is this true?]]> GWMT 2011-02-24T20:33:12-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24223&th=4622#msg_24223
I've just dug my vernier out and on end 2 above it's recessed 0.67 mm so it's conceivable the grill just hasn't printed at that end but that does not explain the protrusion on the other.

I've been checking through and I've got a couple of other models in the same batch were things don't seem to have printed the right depth/thichness , though they are not as noticeable as this one. ]]> tebee 2011-02-24T20:50:52-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24225&th=4622#msg_24225 Design rules & detail resolution for SLS 3D printing page.

I did take a look at your model there tebee, in AccuTrans there were inverted normals and in NetFabb there were numerous holes and a overall negative volume too. Perhaps in fixing the model, Shapeways' MeshMedic created more issues?

]]> stop4stuff 2011-02-24T21:23:46-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24282&th=4622#msg_24282 - it's bookmarked now.

From the page http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/design_rules_for_3d_print ing the layer thickness for White, Strong & Flexible is 0.15mm (0.0059").

I'm going to design my next model on a 0.15mm x 0.15mm x 0.15mm grid and see what that does.

]]> GWMT 2011-02-26T22:18:49-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24283&th=4622#msg_24283
So that still leaves me with the question - what went wrong?]]> tebee 2011-02-26T22:47:22-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24292&th=4622#msg_24292
Maybe correcting all the normals so they point in the same direction will fix the print problem.]]> GWMT 2011-02-27T18:15:05-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24294&th=4622#msg_24294
Having said that, Tebee, can you identify the print orientation from your model?
I ask because it could be that the area and deviation of depth in the radiator regions were printed horizontally (as the printer lays and sinters the material) there's a bit of sag going on. Does the roof look like it has layers from side to side or lengthways?]]> stop4stuff 2011-02-27T18:59:52-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24296&th=4622#msg_24296 tebee 2011-02-27T19:53:24-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=24308&th=4622#msg_24308 service@shapeways.com)


]]> stop4stuff 2011-02-28T07:36:37-00:00