The 3D printing revolution is upon us and the technologies associated with these machines is evolving every day. Stereolithography or SLA printers are becoming the go-to printer for high-resolution prints that just can’t be fabricated on a filament-based machine. ADAM DLP 3D printer project is [adambrx]’s entry into the Hackaday Prize and the first step in his quest for higher quality prints on a DIY budget.
[adambrx]’s current iteration employs a Raspberry Pi 3 and a UV DLP Projector, all enclosed in a custom frame assembly. The logs show the evolution of the printer from an Acer DLP to the current UV DLP Light Engine. The results are quite impressive for a DIY project, and [adambrx] has put up images of 50-micrometer pillars and some nifty other prints which show the amount of work that has been put into the project.
It is safe to say that [adambrax] has outspent the average entry to the Hackaday Prize with over €5000 spent in around 3 years. Can [adambrx] can keep this one true to its DIY roots is yet to be seen, however, it is clear that this project has potential. We would love to see a high-resolution SLA printer that does not cost and arm and a leg.
The title seems to be missing something. “Do It Yourself Digital Light Processing” somehow misses the main ‘printing’ function of the project/product. ;)
Or am I wrong and “DLP” already stands for “Digital Light [i]Printig[/i]”?
No, I too was expecting a DIY projector.
Still, a DIY SLA printer that makes chainmail is nothing to sniff at! (…though I may be drooling slightly)
Try SLS black Nylon for that. Strong, looks good and functional, you could do a whole shirt in one print! Imo, thats where its at these days :D
Yep. I was wondering how somebody had made their own DLP chip! This 3D printer is still very impression though.
You can buy the chips though, for example from TI. The term DLP is also used for the complete projector, so a DIY projector made from one of those chips would probably quality :)
The chips are, unfortunately, crazy expensive. E.g. dev boards which include everything are $400-5000. The chips themselves are a bit cheaper (the DLP2010 DMD is ~$50, it’s DLPC3430 controller is ~$40, and the DLPA2000 LED controller is $10). So ~100 in just DMD-related chips, plus circuitry to support it, plus optics.
It’s almost not worthwhile doing it on your own, when you can buy a low-end projector with the same specs and working circuitry/optics for only a bit more money.
Awesome job and writeup! Love the prints you got out of this and will be following for updates.