How to Design and Print a Dice Tower on a Large Format Resin 3D Printer

In this episode I use an Illustrator drawing I created for laser cutting a dice tower and repurpose it to create a 3D model in TinkerCAD. I added supports and sliced the model in Chitubox, and then printed it on my new Anycubic Photon Mono X large format resin 3D printer. It was a fun exercise to get more familiar with TinkerCAD and a great way to use a drawing I already had!

[@MorgothBauglyr]

The deformation can be caused by a loose screw. Check if the screws used for levelling are secured; If the large screw holding the platform in place came loose during the print or if the resin tank screws are loose after printing. I had a similar looking problem with a different printer where the build plate started to wobble during printing because i had not tightened the screw enough.

[@GreylightMay]

Morgoth, that makes sense! I'll definitely start checking that as part of my routine maintenance. Thanks for the tip!

[@andy-in-indy]

Extra thumbs up for the good Doctor. 😁👍

[@GreylightMay]

Yes, I AM a Dr. Who fan!

[@andy-in-indy]

I think the print anomaly is caused by the resin shrinking slightly as it cures, and pulling the sides together. Stronger sides or a more gradual transition to the horizontal shelf may help, a well as rotating the parts to the left or right so that the horizontal shelf does not get built all the way across in the first few layers may also help.

[@GreylightMay]

Born Again, it does seem to be the arrival of the shelf that pushes the sides back out but I'd like to be able to prevent the shrinkage that occurs before. Do you think a longer cure time might help?

[@Zacknafin]

If your seeing the same issue with other prints, it’s most likely something on your Z. Clean and lubricate the lead screw or see if you have something in the way of travel.

[@GreylightMay]

Zacknafin, this is a new machine but I haven't noticed anything in my first 5 or 6 prints. I'm going to print a very simple test piece, though, to see if anything happens at this height, before moving on to the next debugging steps. Thanks for the tip!

[@evanstrong4064]

great video! the blue dice tower looks so cool! have you tried printing the parts individually from your original plans and gluing them together? Could that work to create a solid dice tower with some extra assembly or do you think printing something that has to fit together adds too many extra complications?

[@GreylightMay]

Evan, I think that would work. I'd have to print the sides vertically to fit, but I could put them flat on the build plate, which could avoid the bend I'm experiencing right now. All the other parts could be printed flat, which I'm quite comfortable doing after my work on the Gloomhaven tracker. Unfortunately, I've learned the fusing liquid I use for assembling acrylic sheets doesn't work on UV resin, so I'd have to find a good glue that dries clear. Do you have a brand you would recommend?

[@pajtaj]

Where did you go?

[@GreylightMay]

Phil, I'm finishing up my first video in a year, in which I explain that exactly! Mostly the answer is "I moved", but now I'm resettled with a new workshop, received shipment of my first personal laser cutter, and starting again to cut and 3d print new projects. Stay tuned!!

[@yomboprime]

Hi! I recently subscribed. The dent anomaly could be caused by damage in the Z axis?

[@GreylightMay]

Yombo, it looks like as the print progresses along the z, the sides are pulling in until the first printing of the bottom shelf, which forces it back out to the right position. The question is why are the sides drifting together? I thought at first it may have been vibration from my exhaust fan but the red print was done without the fan on, and it still occurred. Very mysterious! This bigger printer is definitely more finicky than my Creality printer.

[@aerouge4492]

@@GreylightMay would be intresting to see what happens if you print a simple cylinder, wether the dent anomaly shows up at the same height. If that'd be the case yombos guess at the damaged Z axis would be correct. The usual suspect of Z wobble doesnt apply as the rest of the print is straight. That this stops at the bottom shelf might be a coincidence or hint at the other posibility ... curing times. If resin cures uneven it tends to warp a litle ... this adds up to a steady curve on long flat surfaces. I recently printed some 100mm x 50 mm bases and my first prints curved like bananas until I got the curing times calibrated perfectly (after printing for a year without problems!). It seems long flat bodies really are a challenge for resinprinters as the material distorts easily during printing. While those distortions arent noticeable in usual models they are in printing technical parts.

[@GreylightMay]

Sandra, printing the cylinder seems like a very smart test step, so I will do that. What kind of damage might cause the two sides to move in opposite directions (inward)? My feeling was that a rail or motor problem would cause movement in the same direction for the whole model. Your curving banana experience seems to be a better fit for what is happening, and I was thinking of increasing the cure time as a possible solution. What magnitude of adjustment was needed to fix your problem?

[@aerouge4492]

@@GreylightMay well I am printing on the old Photon, so my final adjustment was to up the curing times from 7 seconds to 9.5. The damaged Z Axis idea could bring your print out of alignment at a certain height, but your point that both walls sag inwards points to curing times. Another solution that sprang to my mind would be to add horizontal supports in the area. Since you design your own STL that should be easily doable and faster than searching for the perfect cureing time.

[@GreylightMay]

Sandra, the idea of horizontal supports honestly blew my mind! But yes, I could manually add some and then remove them after printing. I would never, ever have thought of that, thank you!