DefineLuck
Active Member
3D printed
(Almost) Finished Halo Reach Pepakura and Foam Hybrid Spartan Suit
- Thread starter Flaminshotgun
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Flaminshotgun
Member
Ah, no wonder it looks so perfect. I was under the impression that 3D printing made the armor pretty thin and fragile. Not to mention expensive XD
Dirtdives2424
Division Scheduler and Keeper of Con Lists
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- S2424
Hey Flaminshotgun. Each method of fabrication has its pros and cons, including price range. Depending on how much detail you want to put on your build.....could determine a price range. Same holds true for all material......
Flaminshotgun
Member
Yeah I know I just wanted to know if DefineLuck had some method around the fragility of the usual 3D printed armor.
DefineLuck
Active Member
not all 3D printed parts are fragile. It all depends on what type of filament you are using. I Also slush cast smooth cast 65D on the backside of my parts to give it extra strength and durability. Some of the bigger pieces I fiberglass resin so it stays lightweight. You could probably stand on some of my pieces and they wouldn’t break. It all depends on the amount of time and money you want to put into it.
Dirtdives2424
Division Scheduler and Keeper of Con Lists
- Member DIN
- S2424
I don't know much about 3D printing....but I do believe that you could control the thickness of the wall and filler. #D printed pieces could be very durable.
Flaminshotgun
Member
Could you be more specific on how you do it then? I’ve never been shown a 3D printed suit that wasn’t brittle and weak. What filament do you use? About how much did it cost you in total?
Supre_
Member
There are a lot of videos online that will show how to increase the strength of 3D printed objects. Depending of the model it can be increased infill size or increased shell thickness. I have yet to print a model that just broke due to normal handling but I have not done a stress test like DefineLuck has done. I am planning on printing a helmet with some really thin walls that will prop need reinforcing. In terms of filliments they can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. I have been using Colorfab PLA which is expensive in the £32 range but I have started to test cheaper eSun PLA for £18. You can use ABS which is stronger but more off a pain to print due to increased heat needed and there are many other types so best to look up strength test vidoes on YouTube
DefineLuck
Active Member
i share a 3D printer with a friend of mine, I’m no means an expert on it but through trial and error you end up learning a lot about its capabilities. I’m still messing things up big time but luckily he knows way more about the technical side of 3D printing than I do. I do however have a lot of experience with resin casting and fiberglass. I understand you’re not sure what a durable 3D printed suit looks like but it’s literally just as simple and reinforcing the backside or Inside of the parts in a material that will harden and make it more durable. Like I said previously I Use smooth cast 65D which is a resin that can be slushed around and cures hard as a rock. Other times I use fiberglass resin and mat so that I can keep the piece lightweight for example the torso was done that way.
Flaminshotgun
Member
32 pounds to make a whole suit? Or 32 pounds to make one piece?
Flaminshotgun
Member
Ah so you get a thin case with the 3D print then harden it separately. That makes sense.
DefineLuck
Active Member
Yes they are thin when they come out of the print but make no mistake they are not brittle. I have absolutely printed pieces in cheap filament and you could crack them in half with your hand. But recently I’ve been messing around with a new type of PLA and it’s like rock hard. Unfortunately our printer is out of commission so I’m not going to be able to experiment until we get it fixed.
Supre_
Member
£32 for a roll of filiment. The amount used depends on the size off the needed pieces and the settings for it like supports and infill. I have seen people needing around 10 rolls to finnish a suit
Flaminshotgun
Member
So probably around $500. Which is definitely expensive, but if I were a rich man I'd definitely do it that way XD
Just for the ease of not having to do much beyond painting.
tvanhelene
Member
Oh gosh, I wish there wasn't much to do after printing hahaha, in reality, there is weeks or even months of filling and sanding that needs to be done to get a proper finish on 3d printed parts. I suspect I will be filling and sanding for a long long time once all my parts are done printing.
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