At the moment 3D modeling and 3D printing are mostly used to create miniatures of game characters, and today I will elaborate on that.
Stages of Modeling
- Work on the miniature begins long before its appearance becomes clear. First of all, the characteristics and description are described in order to make the model fit harmoniously into the squad.
- Next, a sketch is created.
- When the approximate appearance of the character becomes clear, he is given a certain pose. Next, the character is modeled “clean”. This is probably the most difficult and painstaking part of the work.
- At this stage, it is necessary to immediately think about how the model will be cut into pieces. If you set up for this right away, further cutting will not be a big problem, otherwise, prepare the model for printing can be torture. Here I should point out that for different printers, some conditions in the preparation of the model are different.
- After cutting the model is sent to print. I want to say right away that the scale of miniatures is very small, the miniature height is only 35mm.
- After printing, the model must be reproduced, and this is done by casting liquid plastic in a silicone mold. Molding is also a process that requires skill. There are usually several parts in a figure and it is not always possible to estimate at once how best to arrange them in relation to the sprue. In some models, different parts have to be placed in different molds. Such a decision may be due to both the total number of parts and their configuration. Experience has shown that the larger the mold, the more demanding the configuration of the sprue.
Important Points
- In addition, the mold has no reservoir where the plastic is poured. It has to be built up with improvised means. You will need time and material to figure out which mold configuration is best.
- Then the actual molding process takes place. An expensive quality plastic called Smooth-Cast is used. Despite the promise of the foundry plastic’s creators that it does not require vacuum equipment, it is still necessary. Without it, a large percentage of castings come out with small defects in the form of bubbles. A homemade vacuum chamber is used for degassing.
- After casting, the sprues are neatly bitten off and the figurine is practically finished. The recipient will only have to glue it with the best glue for styrofoam to his liking (included with some figures are different combinations of equipment) and set it on a stand that can be left as is or to be creative and artistically decorated.
- And of course, any miniature is finished after painting.
3D Printing Technologies
3D printing offers mankind fundamentally new opportunities, all thanks to a wide pool of technologies that are constantly being improved. Today there are already more than ten 3D Printing Technologies for Miniatures, and I am sure that the flight of inquisitive engineering thought will not stop there. For now, let’s briefly review the key features of the 3D prototyping methods at our disposal.
DMLS – Direct Laser Sintering
This method was developed by the well-known Munich-based company EOS and is used for metal fabrication. Already familiar to us the file in the format STL before the start of printing is divided into drawings, each of them – one of the layers created during the construction of the model. Metal powder sintering is provided by sufficiently powerful fiber lasers. A small amount of metal is fed into the build chamber and flattened with a special roller. The laser head moves along the contours set in the drawing and sinter the fresh powder according to the contour of the future product, and so on until you have the finished object in front of you. The main beauty of this technology is the high precision, with layer thicknesses up to 20 microns.
DLP – Digital LED Printing
Today this relatively young technology is considered one of the worthiest alternatives to laser stereolithography – it is also based on the processing of photopolymer resins, which allows for remarkable accuracy in prototyping. Instead of lasers, DLP printers use LED light projectors, forming not only the outline of the future model but the entire layer. DLP technology is in demand in digital dentistry, production of souvenirs, in the field of free design and jewelry, 3D printers working in it are gradually replacing the SLA equipment. The advantages include excellent accuracy (up to 15 microns), a wide range of mechanical and physical-chemical characteristics of photopolymer resins, and a large selection of color solutions.
LOM – Three-Dimensional Lamination
This method was developed by the world-famous 3D company Helisys Inc. and belongs to the rapid prototyping technology. Its essence – in successive layers of gluing film or sheet materials (metal foil, plastic, and even paper). The contour of each new layer is determined by the laser cutting parameters. The printing process is as follows: the first layer of material with a previously applied adhesive layer is placed on the working platform, the laser outlines the contour of the future product, the excess material is cut off, the platform with the finished layer is shifted down, a new sheet is fed into the chamber. Of course, the resolution is inferior to stereolithography or selective laser sintering, but three-dimensional lamination allows the production of dense and large products that respond well to post-processing. The peculiarities of LOM include the need for post-processing of the finished object, as well as the fact that the thickness of the layer depends on the selected production material. This is the most accessible and inexpensive method of 3D prototyping due to the low cost of consumables.
That’s It!
You can print many different things with a 3D printer. Does your child want a new toy? Print it! Especially, sometimes the simplest items are not on sale. For example – rack mounts, gears for kitchen appliances, coasters of the required size and design. The technology is already quite mature and the quality of 3D printed items is constantly improving. It’s easy to imagine a near-future where everyone has a 3D printer in their home. So I hope that this article was useful for you.