Can ELEGOO Mars print functional objects?

[Podret]

Hi, 

I'm a high school student and I study robotics and electronics in my school. I have got an Anet A8 but recently I got impressed by 3d LCD resin printers, especially by the ELEGOO Mars because of his good value for money.

My question is: can I print some functional objects like mechanical parts for small robots and other stuff like that, or not?

[admin]

Absolutely you can, there are different resins for different needs

[VDX]

... yes, it can! - not with the stability of injection molded plastic parts, but with "tough" resins good enough.

Or you use "water soluble" resin for printing "one off" injection mould forms

   

Viktor

[Two Wheeler]

My question is: can I print some functional objects like mechanical parts for small robots and other stuff like that, or not?

No. You need to pay a toolmaker to make stuff for you. You need to keep guys like me employed.    Actually, I print nothing BUT functional stuff. Don't get me wrong, figures are cool and require a LOT of intricate work and thought, but I don't know what the hell I would do with them after printing them.

3D printing started out as a tool for rapid prototyping, The parts were mostly for visual reference, but evolved into functional prototypes and low volume parts. As speed gets better, and printers get cheaper, eventually MOST manufacturing will be done via some form of additive manufacturing...and I will be out of a job.

The attached photo is of some clamps I printed to hold some small parts in a fixture I made for milling. They're printed in cheap gray resin and probably won't hold up - they may crack in half if I really reef on the screws - but if they do, I'll try again in a different resin. Clamps.

Part of the process of evolving this technology is recognizing opportunities to use it. That's where YOU come in. GET CREATIVE!

[nighteagle]

My experience shows that the Mars is not correct in demensions in xy and also in Z. XY can you calibrate but Z-Height is a nightmare.
I have printed 5kg resin in 2 weekls and test all ideas to calibrate z-height (xy i can adjust with the XY dimensions in chitubox) but the printer can not print correct in z-Height.
If you print a model like a stairway an each step is 5mm then you can see that here are some problems. Bigger problem is for Holes in Z-Height - so the dimensions measure in xy are fine after adjust xy - but in z-Height is not a circle is more an 0... i have talked many times with elegoo and also with the slicer chitubox-people. Looks like the slicer is okay - but the printer have some backslash problems. I have wrote an post here with all my experience and calibration. Workaround is to set the firmware value for z-height calculation to another value and then measure the printed model..

I can say for functional parts is not the best idea to use this mars 2 pro.

[cliffyk]

My Z-axis problems went away for the most part after I installed the Jackson Products twin rail mast. I cannot highly enough recommend this modification if you are serious about Z-axis stability and accuracy.

It must be kept in mind that the the entire Elegoo line are hobbyist level machines built to a very tight price point--that said, they can do some amazing things within that inherent limitation.

Re: resins, I have yet to find an inexpensive "ABS-like" resin that is worth a crap for any but the very most lightly loaded mechanical components. The best I've used was Phrozen's Functional Flex Resin (apparently no longer available) either by itself or mixed 50/50with some cheap crap. I just got a kg of Siraya's Tenacious resin and it seems promising as an additive to the cheap gray garbage (also @ 50/50).

The worst I've bought was Elegoo's Water Washable stuff--brittle as Heck, and literally crumbling in your hands like that crap European car makers used for interior parts in the 90s. More about that fiasco here.

[Two Wheeler]

My experience shows that the Mars is not correct in  demensions in xy and also in Z.  XY can you calibrate but Z-Height is a nightmare.

I printed a tire gauge holder last night. The interior dimensions were 1.5" (X) by 1.25". The X dimension was spot on, the Y dimension small by .002.

The Z dimension was supposed to be 2.750 but actual is 2.688!

[cliffyk]

I have just today been having favourable results with a 50/50 mix of Siraya's Tenacious and some cheap ($17 for 500 g) "ABS-like" LAFVIN grey crap from Amazon.