Re: LCDs and UV

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, Sebastien Bailard
<penguin@...> wrote:

> The mechanical side of FDM is also easier, unless you're more

comfortable

> around an optical table than a machining workshop.
>
> Of course, I'm biased.

Well its not really a question of which is best but it is a question
of which is suited to a certain task.

What appeals to me in this project is the simplicity, if the only hard
part is getting the resin I can live with that. The system I linked
to has produced a 0.4mm diameter bevel gear. I'll never be able to
match that. I am sure they are using a commercial SLM (spatial light
modulator) not a cheap LCD TV, and much better polarizers than I would
likely be able to get hold of, not to mention the objective lens. But
I'm not afraid of optics and have built several microscopes, its not
rocket science once you know some basic rules, if I were to aim for
lower resolution and lower performance it might just work. Its
essentially a photographic reducer with an electronic light source and
a z-axis. The devil will be in the details of course but there might
be some fun involved in trying. Even if the exposures are long I would
guess that the time per layer would beat many other processes.

I've noticed as well that there seems to be an increase in the use of
visible light curing resins in general, that might be something to
persue, at the moment I'm finding it a bit hard to get real info.

Graham