Printing With Textures?

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tommy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:36 am

Printing With Textures?

Post by tommy » Wed Jun 18, 2014 5:04 pm

Hey guys, I've currently been messing around with Blender. Just a while ago I created an object and I clicked the smooth button in the toolbox. It made it nice and smooth but when I exported it into and stl file and opened it up in repetier host to print it, it wasn't smooth! I read online that stl files can't use textures so I'm wondering if there's another way to print with textures. I've done quite a bit of research but can't seem to find anything. Please help. Thanks.

pandelume
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:41 am

Re: Printing With Textures?

Post by pandelume » Wed Jun 18, 2014 6:29 pm

I don't claim to be an expert, but as I understand it the issue is that STL files are surface files wherein the surfaces have been constructed from triangular facets. In other words, when you export a model to STL whatever geometry you originally had goes away and is replaced with a set of planar triangles which approximate the surface. It depends on the software, but you may be able to export with a greater number of triangular facets - which would give you a closer approximation of the original surface features - at the expense of greatly increasing the complexity of the file. Most slicers aren't happy when they have too many facets, so if you go this route it would pay to experiment with your slicer to see where it chokes.

Having said all that, I don't think this will solve your problem with texture per se. Completely apart from the mesh and slicing issues are limitations on the printer. It depends on nozzle size and a few other factors, but generally I wouldn't expect an M2 to be able to print features smaller than about .5mm, which leaves most texturing outside the achievable resolution. On top of that, this type of 3D printing has it's own kind of surface texture artifact - namely the horizontal layers which are visible on the model exterior - which would obscure any fine texture.

tommy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:36 am

Re: Printing With Textures?

Post by tommy » Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:45 pm

Thank you for replying so quickly! It was just what I was looking for. I just barely read that .vrml files canuse textures and that shapeways can print from them. Do you have any idea on how I can print from vrml files and if it would work? Thanks.

pandelume
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2014 6:41 am

Re: Printing With Textures?

Post by pandelume » Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:38 pm

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any idea how you should proceed forward using .vrml files - apart from suggesting that you check the documentation on your software to see what filetypes it supports.

I don't think switching filetype is going to solve this problem, since it has nothing to do with the mechanical resolution of the M2 or the limitations of the FFF process. Other processes (such as laser sintering or stereolithography) are able to produce smaller features and therefore may be able to more accurately reproduce surface textures. It this is a serious concern for you, you might consider something like the Form1+ (http://formlabs.com/products/form-1-plus/), but keep in mind that machine costs twice what the M2 does, has about 1/4 the build volume, and significantly higher material cost. I'm also not sure about the mechanical properties of the cured resin, but I suspect that ABS and PETG are better for production parts. If you only need a few textured models, perhaps ordering from Shapeways is the most cost effective solution.

tommy
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 3:36 am

Re: Printing With Textures?

Post by tommy » Fri Jun 20, 2014 4:28 pm

It's not too much of a problem for me to print with textures. But I'll keep that in mind. And again thank you for helping me.

jsc
Posts: 1864
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 4:00 am

Re: Printing With Textures?

Post by jsc » Fri Jun 27, 2014 4:58 pm

Did you want to print with textures, or without them (i.e., smooth)?

If you want it smooth, without layer marks, you will have to print at a low layer height, like .15 or .10mm, and even then do some post processing. There is a recent thread about finishing PLA you should check out.

If you want textures, the most recent featured item on the Thingiverse homepage is a very fuzzy bear.

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