Build Your Own SLA/SLS

Lets start some comprehensive stuff based around the electric/electronic needed to build a DLP printer:

What kind of hardware are you guys using? I found the following page http://reprap.org/wiki/Alternative_Electronics which gives a nice overview about the existing solutions, but is there some kind of hardware recommended?

Kind regards
Daniel

Well we do not need as much as reprap, they need extruder control, heaters, pid, high
performace motion.

we need to move Z axis, an X axis for the vat tilt/slide, maybe a pump to fill resin, but as time goes by more features can be added.

I have opted to go with grbl to start with, viewtopic.php?f=6&t=4
but who knows, we may have auto platform leveling etc, etc, one day,
at present we need to have a PC to send the images, is there a way around this??, SD card?? on a rasberry pi?.

Initially, when I started my build, I wanted to be able to run everything from a Raspberry Pi board. It supports an HDMI output, so it may be possible running Mono under Linux using Creation Workshop and the RaspPi as the controller with a stepper motor board or 2.

hello guys,

i have bought an Mega2560 Board + Ramps 1.4 + a few optical endstops and a sy42sth47-1206a stepper+A4988 driver, which is known to have high torque at low revvs.

As far as i understand Creation Workshop, thanks alot for releasing such fine software!, its possible to raise the build plate a few mm´s and lower it back instead of having a tilted vat? is that correct?

That's correct, with the latest version 13, you've got a lot of options to use tilt or not, and you can insert custom GCode into various stages of the build.

Hello PacManFan in the old forum you gave a link to modify an DLP
to mount a lamp not original, can you repost? I'm currently testing your software, in short my first photos of some prints.

Here's the link for fooling the control electronics to replace the bulb:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Fooling ... lightbulb/
It differs from projector to projector, but overall, the steps are the same.
I'll have to post a tutorial on how to modify the throw distance as well.

Here's my original blog posting on modifying some optics in my Infocus 2104:
http://probjectblogs.blogspot.com/2013/ ... s-dlp.html

Hey guys,

when start planning my dlp printer, i made a list of NEEDED parts. What do you think about it?

- DLP projector (should be modified)
- a vat for resin (the projected area should be Borosilikatglas ( for example: Borofloat 1200x600x3mm around 28€ per pice) or quartz glass)
- Z-Axis for lift (this means linear guides, a spindle, shaft coupling, stepper, endstops, building platform)
- Arduino (maybe Mega 1280 or 2560)
- stepperdriver (maybe A4988)
- power supply (maybe ATX, but i would prefer a Xbox power supply because it needs no activ cooling, is mounted in a perfect fitting housing, it is powerful enough and a used one costs only a few euro/dollar. The 150W version of this power supply delievers almost 13A! That should be enough)


With all these parts it should be able to print with CreationWorkshop, the projector connected via HDMI or DVI/VGA to the PC and the arduino connected via USB to the PC.
I think this should the minimum.

Is there any mistake in my planning?

If you are making a bottom up machine, you'll probably need another stepper motor and driver for the tilt axis. If you are making a top-down machine, you can use just about anything for the vat, and will only need 1 lower-powered z axis motor.
I'm using a piece of plexiglass for my vat bottom. I was using a piece of borosilcate plate glass before, but it broke. I haven't noticed any difference in the curing time.

Ah okay,

but is there difference between 2 kinds of printing? I mean, resolution or something else?