Build Your Own SLA/SLS

Hello everyone from Spain

I am an industrial engineer student from Madrid, and this is a DLP 3D printer I've been developing for around 5 months now: Sunrise



It was born from the need of an easily modifiable platform for making my own experiments while I was studying DLP 3D printing state of art for my final project. But it eventually became THE project itself.

Because it aims to be a platform for everyone to make fast experiments with, it is made out of FFF-printed parts, designed in FreeCAD for maximum software availability. Among the particular features I can name:
-Bottom-Up setup.
-Micro projector usage to achieve small size. (We intend to make our own projector eventually)
-Support for membrane vat bottoms. (Currently using baking silicone sheets)
-Motor assisted resolution change. (It's a good aid)
-Easily replaceable vat with QuickFit mechanism. (like the RichRap QuickFit extruder)

It's still in a very early stage of development, and there's a lot to decide, do, and adjust. For now it is an Open Source experiment platform for everyone to enjoy. Github repo here:

http://www.github.com/bqlabs/Sunrise

Looks nice! What projector are you intending to use?

Right now I'm using an Optoma ML750, small and powerful enough. I had to open it up and move the optics forward (by the thickness of a m2 nut) and now focus up to 50microns is posible.

We are currently developing a projector that will be open source, specifically designed for this applications (short wavelenghts, short throw, and good interfaceability)

It will be hopefully cheap to produce, all the electronics you dont need for building will be cropped (color engineering, 3d movie support, speakers...)

Interesting project, glad to know it's conected to BQ.
Have you printed something already?
Is the 700 lumen from the projector enough to cure the resin? What resin do you use/intend to use?
What are the baking silicone sheets?

The first iteration already printed coins and Sapphos, so when it comes to print, it works. Second iteration is more rigid to elliminate vertical artifacts on parts.

I've been printing with the same resin I used for B9 creator for a while, that resin takes long exposures to cure with this projector (Spot-GP B9 creator and PDMS edition). But two days ago I got my hands on a bottle of high reactivity Spot-GP, (named just "Spot-GP") and times dropped down to the second per layer.
I now have the problem that black pixels cure the resin, but this can be solved by tinkering with dyes. (A very smooth one has no effect, a very thick and opaque one may even avoid resin curing)
I'm still tinkering with that. I don't have a resin of choice yet.

Baking silicone sheets... That's how Resincat3D describes the silicone sheet they use on the bottom of the vat. It's basically a 0,5mm thick white/clear silicone sheet that is used to bake cookies on, inside an oven, so they don't stick.
Although not transparent, it generates a good projected slice, good focus is possible.
You can print with it, and resin doesn't stick at all. No exposure marks, no indentations, no nothing. Makes you think why would we use PDMS in the first place.

The baking silicone sheet was bought from here:

http://www.mwmaterialsworld.com/es/cauc ... taria.html