Phase III: May I introduce Mena Oris, High Elf, blade artist

Well, this part is "with" filling. The former parts were "without" filling. I'm still experimenting with different methods.

New micro-SD-card bought. Printer is at work. Again right upper body. Cross fingers it'll solve the problem.

 

No, not that much. It's kinda 20% more material. But it doesn't really matter. Material is one of the minor parts of the costs. Even printing time doesn't increase much. I expect material costs of ~30 Euro for the actual figure. The hollow parts were the result of another software for generating print programs. As far as I can see I can reduce the infilling rate (plus consumed material and print time) for most parts. No need to make the parts that strong. Another way could be to increase the wall thickness and remove infill again. As mentioned: I'm still experimenting.

 

Up and down. Printer thought it could be a good idea to save some material last night when I was sleeping:

I stopped the print in the morning. No clue what this new mess around is. Left shoulder is very good. A bit frustrated I decided to print the head as next:


It's not very good but acceptable. Tomorrow I'll start the right upper body again ... but will monitor the print this time.
Crazy: Meanwhile I have to look up to her - LOL!

(I hate that bastard of a tablet for the bad photos!)
Mena Oris 12

Well, the right ear is a bit lacerated. The left one looks better.
Most likely we'll have a small photo session featuring old fellow "Prototype" next week.

 

Okay, second try with right shoulder failed again. This time at 30 mm hight. Looks like the 3d-model causes the problems. I have to contact my modeler.

 

Got another version today. It didn't work at first try. I couldn't cut it. Damn, I hoped to continue tomorrow.

 

ROFL! Really cool! Could be a good business idea: print special dildos

I'm too lazy to continue with Mena Oris atm. Probably at the weekend.
But hey! Great Moment for Mena today. She met the ghost of one of her ancestors! Sir Marley Oris - lol!


Found this tonight:
https://www.myminifactory.com/category/scan-the-world
That's an interesting project.

 

Okay, I got the final model of Mena Oris. A few corrections and exported as a new file. Hopefully I can sort the problems out.

 

Mena Oris 14 and 16

The right arm while prepairing the right upper body again. I had some problems with intersections. Hope it's solved now. I will print it tomorrow.
It will be the last part (... the ashole of this project). No clue if I'll print the seperated blades as well. Probably later when I run the second version of the figure. Additional I consider to make a base with her name.

 

Well, fourth and fifth try to print Mena's right shoulder failed again. I'm desperate. No clue what to do now.

 

Well, I'm a bit late. This fucking shoulder part was a bad 3d-model. Finally I could repair it. But than the printer got broken. It's at the seller for repair and some tuning now. I remember well the "Medium Golden Woman Statue" I once owned to decorate my apartments. This statue of Mena Oris will be the equivalent in real live.

 

Puhh, finally! Got my printer back at Saturday and printed this fucking idiot bullshit right shoulder. I will print her left blade seperately and let the desastrous right blade as it is. I hope I can finish her at Monday and will ask my photographer for a date with her. Later I will paint it in bronze or copper or brass and get more photos. So no bad blurred pictures taken with my tablet but good pictures - even from details - hopefully until next weekend.

 

Well, I'm close to give up. Nozzle heater doesn't work anymore. I can't print the blade. Bahhhhh!
Too much bad luck menwhile. I tend to give back this printer as well - or smash it to the wall. Would mean: No cheap good 3d prints. I am really pissed of all this Chinese stuff. The dream became a nightmare.
I will cancel the photoshooting and the scheduled website as well. Doesn't make sense to publish it. Neither process stability nor good results. Too much costs and effort.

My local dealer is a manufacturer as well. Probably we can develop our own printer together. I will ask him.

 

Here is my balance:
3d model: $400 (20 x $20/hr)
3d printer: $480
material (filament, colours): $50
print time: 140 hrs (= lifetime of the printer, insignificant costs)
CAD time: 15 hrs (x $60/hr = $900)
assembly and paint time: 15 hrs (x $25/hr = $375)

The printer didn't survive. Means: I would need a new printer for every single project of this kind and trash the old printer. I ask: who would accept that his new coffee machine fails after 100 cups of coffee?

Funfactor: -1 (frustration)
Learnfactor: +1 (high - no more machines from Chinese manufacturers!)
Costfactor: ±0 (unsatisfactory)

Conclusion: It's not worth to continue with such things. I'm at $1000 already without profit. The idea was to offer such unique statues below $1000 and make profit. Nice dream ...

However, I will probably send all the parts to Shapeways and ask for printing costs. Just to get an imagination of the value of my 1000mm-$1000-Mena Oris-statue.

 

Holy shit! The printer works again. I just tested to heat the nozzle today and it worked. So I could print the last two missing parts of Mena's dagger. Right now I glue her together. What a glorious mess! Must be a defective contact. My local dealer offered to me to substitute the heater by a better one. Probably it'll help. Hope dies last ;-)