I was at a trade show in Washington DC and saw the most amazing thing... a printer that "prints" in ultra thin layers of resin, and builds a 3D image in a few hours! Basically the unit is a deep printer that accepts 3D images, then rolls back and forth across a flat plane adding layer after layer of resin until the image is complete. Price: $30,000 - but the part below in the image costs only around $3.00 of material to make! I gotta find one of these!

You could get in the resin business for $30K
You could make it back quickly if you made the right subjects
and marketed the products well.

As I (like many others) have $30k sitting burning a hole in my pocket, I find it appalling that you didn' t put a contact link in for the printer...what an oversight! #:-)

Seriously, the applications for this beast are mind-boggling imagine the masters for an entire range of figures in one night....... Could put the master designers out of a job.. I doubt it as no matter what is developed, human creativity is still going to be the number one factor....Jim

The link to the printer company is www.zcorp.com

Does it mention the 500 K dollar cost for the workstation and software tools you need to provide you with the 3D imaging that needs to be fed into this printer first ?
These things are used in the industry to devolop prototypes. I don't think they'd be fit to make fine details like 1/35 figures, though.

Ah well, we can but dream.....Jim

Sort of like the laser etcher we were hashing around the other day.
But that one connects straight to a PC and 'speaks' Corel draw..

and it's ONLY -sarcasm intended- 10K..

but you only get 2d output or low relief...

still for 50K I can get both a speedy pc and use them to put Verlinden, Warriors, Eduard and AA out of bidness... #:-) #:-)

Mike

All the members should pitch in 5 bucks, and then we could get it. And sell "Armorama" products on the web, and the proceeds benifit the site!

~Chip :-)

Aloha.
I've seen one a few years ago when we were looking for a plotter at work. It was made by Roland, you know the company from the synthesizers and guitar stomp boxes. I actually saw it make a replica of a Ferrari matchbox. So scale 1/35 is in order. Don't know the price but is was great to see.

Sorry to rain the parade...

... but I used to make and market resin parts a few years ago.

The whole "cottage industry" survives on goodwill and sharing... there's no way anyone could invest $30,000 and hope to re-coup it in this lifetime!

This piece of kit is obviously only meant for creating master parts. Anything taking "a few hours" is uneconomical for production... you'd still be back to someone mixing and pouring resin by hand to produce the parts (in minutes...)

I don't think the pattern-makers need worry just yet...

All the best

Rowan

Absolutely... and that is my idea... all I need is a master, and I can pour great RTV duplicates in minutes...i even have a centrifigual caster!

As for the other comment by General Failure about the cost of the "work station and software"... that's the great news! I have the Micrografx 3D modeler (under $100) and the system runs on Windows XP! I have what I need... except for my wife's permission to spend another $30K on my business! And again - I would go after my first love - architectural buildings, with figures as a "gee this would be neat to have!". I have made a nice (NICE!) living from my model and diorama business since 1998... I THINK this is worth a shot!

Hi again KFMagee

Looking at the beautiful stuff on your website, I don't think you need this bit of kit! :-)

Do you already do 3-D computer modelling? From experience, I think it would be hard to model (as against applying a bitmap) the kind of surface texture and detail on your products. I wonder whether it would be worth all the expense if you still have to apply all the detail.

I envy you in many ways. I used to make aircraft conversion sets, but I was never able to do it full-time because of pressure from my job as in video-editing and graphics. Having to rely on sub-contractors never really worked out, so I went back to modelling purely as a hobby...

All the best

Rowan

These types of prototype machines used to be ten times the cost. Now every city has someone or two that has one. for rapid prototyping With business down, contact them and see what they will do for you. You have nothing to lose. Grovelling helps!

Sealhead (Kansas sunflower)

Actually, Merlin, pattern makers do need to worry, at least in the matal casting industry. 10 years ago just about everything that was cast out of metal (iron, steel , aluminmu, brass, etc.) had a wooden master made by hand that was used to make the pattern equipment. Now there are "pattern shops" with no pattern makers. Everything is draw up and 3-D mesh modeled. Huge billets of steel are set up on big CNC machining centers and the computers cut the patterns. It isn't any cheaper than having a wood master made but it is far less time and labor intensive and far more accurate.
Ten years ago these rapid prototype "printers" solidfied the resins in layers about an eight of an inch thick. That has come WAY down, altough I am not sure what it has come down to.

Sorry about the industry update.

Shaun

PS: Jan is right. Just the software to do 3D mesh modeling is outrageously expensive. And getting someone to model something for you is outrageous, too. Think about 100.00 dollars an hour.

Hi Shaun

I take your point about pattern makers; I know these days a lot of kits are "computer-milled" (if that's the term).

I was really thinking of the cottage-industry end of the market when I said pattern makers needn't worry just yet...

All the best

Rowan

These things are coming down in price. They're generally used for "Rapid Prototyping" of non complex & some semi complex parts. I've seen demos of several different ones.

Sorry to disagree with you Merlin.....Ever here of Verlinden? I think the price killer would be the software. Someone in the modeling industry would be using this if there wasn't something more prohibitive than 30K for the machine. You could probably get one on a lease basis or get a small loan and buy it. I love Chips idea, but it's just too easy.

Guys... i still think you are missing the point in regards to costs... in "the old days" you had to buy a Silicon Graphics system and their proprietary software for a six-figure sum... now you can do the SAME work on an XP with a Corel product that costs less than $100!... And I'm talking good stuff!

Now granted,... all the detail of a tank would be very time consuming, but doing walls, windows, doors, and the like would take me less than 4 hours to draw out, and another 4 hours to "print to 3D"... then i have a detailed master with perfect lines and angles that I can cut apart to make the sectional molds...

I'm going to try this with a jobber soon to see if it works out... if it does - I'm buying one of these suckers for my business!

Go for it.........I'm a autocad user....if you ever need any help.......

Keith,

try http://www.prototype-ez.com/prototype/0050204_0060882_1.html i did a google search on "Rapid Prototyping service"

Let me know when you get it Keith, I'll be up for a demo. Now if I can just get plans for that 35th scale AVLB bridge heh heh