Preparing SLA/DLP Prints

Blades and Blasters terrain will print on most 3D printers (Resin or FDM) - here at HQ I print all my prints on an Anycubic Photon - so the prep is absolutely minimal.

All the items I sell that are 3D printed will also come directly off the photon. The model will be cured and the supports removed, so you can skip those steps.



The items are designed so that a light sanding will clean up print lines or support marks in an easy way. For some overhang there may be a little marking from the supports, which a neat file will remove.

If you have a printer at home, you're probably used to all of these stages already (and may well have some better tips - let me know!) but just in case, I'd suggest picking up:

A couple of grades of sandpaper and fine wet & dry paper.

A good pair of flush side cutters - ones designed for model railway track work well.

A scalpel knife.

Starting to Clean the Print

I'm assuming you've dunked your print in alcohol and rinsed it before we start. I prefer to snip supports before giving them a UV blast.

To start, clip of any support on the visible surface of your model - these matter more, so do this bit carefully:

external supports

If you slice your prints like I do you might find these external supports nestle themselves annoyingly just *under* sharp edges.

I tend to clip them off and do my best to clean them up at this stage, because the edges can be more brittle after a dose of UV (though easier to sand).

This might mean digging into the recesses with your scalpel carefully.

removed support

Once I'm happy that all the supports I need to be careful with are removed, I dig in to the main supports underneath the model with the clippers. This is a combination of clipping and ripping by hand - if you get stuck just clip some other supports, they'll soon give up.

Removed Supports

Sadly those supports just go in the bin - though I often think I could make some nice 6mm ruins if I put my mind to it.

This is where the print goes under the UV lamp to finish curing, as there's less risk of doing anything that can chip the edges to follow.

If you're ordering a ready-printed model directly from the site, this is the state you will receive your models in.

Afterwards, I go back to file and fix any blemishes - a cheeky bit of putty will let you fix any edges that aren't sharp enough - depending on how fussy you are, this is the step to spend the most time on.

Filing and Fixing

Lastly, I give any sides where I won't damage detail a blast with the wet and dry paper. Print lines on the cubic are almost non-existent, but this just makes sure.

Wet and Dry

And that's it! Ready for basing (which I'll cover my method for in future) and priming. If print lines are an issue for you, don't be afraid to give your primed coat a wet and dry (make sure it's fully dry first) then give it another thin coat.

Easy as that - not much different to any other miniature prep.

 


Share this post


Leave a comment

Note, comments must be approved before they are published