I use a UP Mini 2 printer which is portable and has worked very well for me. I do all my own drawings using Autocad 123D Design. This program is an upgrade of Tinkercad which adds extrusion, fillets, chamfers, etc which are very useful for rolling stock. A couple of my locos are attached.
My suggestions are:
- Use ready to run mechanisms whenever possible.
- Don't blindly use 3D printing for everything. If you have flat surfaces such as diesel cab sides or steam tenders then build them in styrene or get them laser cut in mdf or acrylic. If you have a non-tapered boiler then find a piece of plastic pipe.
- The orientation of the model on the printer is very important and can save a lot of rubbing down and cleaning up. The most visible surfaces should be vertical.
I find that time spent drawing a model is very pleasant after a days work and a great alternative to watching TV.
Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound
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