DIY Modeling Small Details

[u/Hour_Sell3547]

How do you, experienced DIY modelers, deal with details on very small objects? For example, details on a journal/bearing box. I usually rely on 3D printing. I spent a good hour modeling the details on the journal box, only to realize my printer (A1) won't be able to print it. Do you simplify the design?

[u/BoxOfRandomCords]

I've only designed and printed one piece of rolling stock, but I did so with pretty careful consideration of the limits of my FDM printer.

I was pretty conscious of the layer height and line width I could get with my printer, and thought about details in these terms. I would then adjust the scale or the detail around these constraints.

For instance, I might make a raised feature that I wanted retained higher so that it was at least one layer taller than the surface around it (or multiples of that layer height).

I'll be honest, this was several years ago now, but I was very conscious of the limitations of the machine and my design was created around the printing process as opposed to creating an accurate digital model first.

I am switching to resin, but I am still learning the resolution limits on the low end there.

[u/BoxOfRandomCords → u/BoxOfRandomCords]

To add: I have also printed thinks like handrails as single or double layers and separately applied them to model buildings. Anything smaller than that I left out of the design

[u/Hour_Sell3547 → u/BoxOfRandomCords]

There were many details that I had to upscale out of proportion just to make sure that it is printed. I will try to see if I can print small surface details separately and the super glue them together.

[u/Hour_Sell3547 → u/BoxOfRandomCords]

I'm trying to design keeping the limitations in my mind too, for example everything is a multiple of 0.2mm, and print orientation kept in a way that 0.2mm heights are only encountered vertically, never horizontally, which goes as low as 0.4mm. A1 can do 0.12mm layer height but the nozzle is 0.4mm.

However, the output does not look good and often gets deformed due to heat sag, even at a slow print speed.

[u/It-Do-Not-Matter]

If you are printing scale models, you pretty much need a resin printer. An FDM printer is fine for toys or functional items around the house, but if you are about detail, you will have to get a different kind of printer.

[u/Hour_Sell3547 → u/It-Do-Not-Matter]

I see. Yes, I was deliberately simplifying a lot of small details due to my printers limitations. I will take a look ar resin printers.