Above the final couple several years, we have seen an complete explosion of masked stereolithography (MSLA) 3D printers that use an Lcd monitor to selectively block UV light coming from a impressive LED array. Mixed with a stepper motor that slowly lifts the establish plate away from the display, this arrangement can be applied to develop superior-resolution 3D prints out of photosensitive resins. The machines are inexpensive, somewhat basic, and the stop benefits can be phenomenal.
But they aren’t foolproof. As [Jan Mrázek] explains, these printers are only as fantastic as their optical set up — if they don’t have a constant UV light resource, or the masking Liquid crystal display is not performing properly, the last printed element will undergo. In an energy to much better comprehend how these factors effect print high quality, he designed the DrLCD: a TSL2561 luminosity sensor mounted to a robotic arm with related software package to map out the printer’s light supply.
The outcomes when jogging DrLCD from a couple unique kinds of printers is intriguing. [Jan] was obviously able to make out the style of lenses utilized, and in 1 case, was even capable to detect that a darker spot in the scan was due to a bit of resin owning leaked into the light-weight supply and clouded up the optics.
But DrLCD can do a lot more than just tell you where you have received a dim location. Utilizing the facts gathered from the scan, it’s feasible to make a “compensation map” that can be mixed with the sliced design you would like to print. As the slicer assumes an idealistic light-weight resource, this map can aid by including additional masking where shiny spots in the screen have been detected.
[Jan] goes on to evaluate the dimensional precision of printed parts ahead of and immediately after the payment map has been applied to the design, and was ready to establish a compact but exclusive enhancement. Not absolutely everyone is heading to be worried about the 157 µm deviation observed with no the backlight payment, but we unquestionably are not likely to complain about 3D printers getting even a lot more dimensionally exact.
A couple many years back again we coated a identical procedure that made use of a DSLR to seize superior-resolution photos of the bed. Although arguably considerably a lot easier to pull off, we can not enable but slide in love with the superb overengineering that went into the DrLCD process, and we simply cannot wait around right up until it starts making household calls.
