Just 3D printed a technika board

[Michael Roberts]

Looks good Jim - thanks for posting.

Impressive!

I don't think I would have either the patience or the tech prowess to do this, but I admire yours!

[ic-racer]

The hardest part is that you need to have a decent CAD program to actually design something and these programs have a steep learning curve.

This is the main reason I don't currently own a 3d printer. What software are you using? How much did it cost? What computer platform?

[Peter De Smidt]

Yeah, I've tried to set aside the time to learn a good 3d modeling/design program, but the learning curve is really steep. Sometime....

[Dave Ogle]

Recessed next?

[Andy_Arizona_01]

Cool! Have you film tested them?

I 3D printed some lens boards for my crown graphic, and it took me a while to realize that light was passing through it and added a mottling effect to my negatives. Black spray paint is a good solution if you have this issue too.

[Jim Andrada]

I mostly use longish lenses so don't often need a recessed board. On the other hand maybe I need one for my 90mm Super Angulon so I can get some rise/shift - sounds like enough reason to make one

I use Rhino. It wasn't particularly cheap but compared to something like ProEngineer or Vector Works it's a bargain at $995. Come to think of it, TurboCad is fairly good - used to use it before I got Rhino. I think it's $199. I often use Rhino to build 3D components and then animate in Cinema 4D. But there is a steep learning curve for all of these. On the other hand, Photoshop isn't something you pick up and use the next day either and most of us have been able to learn it.

My wife is complaining about not being able to store her frying pans in a small space so I used Rhino to design a rather complicated rack that will let her store them in a Lazy Susan under our counter. There's no interference calculator in Rhino but if you animate the path of an object you can pretty well see collisions at a somewhat gross level. And I'm designing a sort of swing-away airline table with cupholder for my fancy new wheelchair and building it out of aluminum bar stock and 3D printed parts with a nice spalted maple top. Ulterior Motive - I'll use the base of the table as a camera support. Before we build anything around the house I always do a Rhino design and let my wife visualize it - I've done furniture that way and it saves a lot of -"That isn't what I thought you were making!!!!!" events. This stuff is really useful around the house - but did I mention the learning curve? And unless you're a sort of crazy old computer programmer who just loves to play with this stuff it's too pricey in both time and $$$.

[Jim Andrada]

I've been using printed lens stops and haven't had any issue with light leaking through the Dremel plastic - but I thought about that and will print thicker if it's a problem. I'll test the Technika board today or tomorrow just to be sure. So far anything over 1mm seems to be OK and the Technika board is 2.1mm thick. I also set the infill to "solid". I did see leakage under 1mm.

I'm thinking of spraying inside and outside with matte black paint as well

[Tin Can]

Jim,

Thanks for a reality check with prices, learning curve, etc

I will not be doing any of this type of thing...

However I am downloading 1946 Old Time Radio from Wayback Machine, and yes I do donate

Been an avid AM radio listener as long as I can remember

I see my 'speedy' expensive cable Internet has slowed way down for this download...

[Jim Andrada]

@ Andy

By the way, where in AZ - I'm in Tucson

Re mottling a couple of things occurred to me. Was it a random pattern or somewhat regular? How thick was the lens board? Usually they just lay down a thin skin on both sides with a grid pattern of supports in between to provide a base for the upper skin. So making the board thicker without forcing solid infill wouldn't be any more lightproof than a thinner board.

[grat]

There's a "free for personal use" package called DesignSpark Mechanical which exports STL files quite nicely.

Bit of a learning curve, but it's designed for non-engineers, and there are a number of online tutorials.

Also, there are designs for lensboards such as the technica on Thingiverse.

Finally, I prefer to use PETG-- slightly more flexible than PLA, but has a higher softening temperature, meaning it's more likely to survive in a car in Florida in the summer. It's also not too tough to get opaque black-- as few as three 0.2mm layers is pretty much impervious to even a bright light.