Printing an Army of Xenomorphs

At the Con I got to answer so many interesting questions about 3D printing, as we launched a new product, 3D printed keychains, and one was the awesome Xenomorph Alien keychain.

They were very well received and went home in more than one pocket!

I did manage to get some great behind the scenes shots while we tested out the newest addition to our printer team, the TARANTULA! Our goal is to increase the number of items printed and decrease the time it takes but not sacrifice the quality of the prints.

Designing an Army

First of course, we had to set up the print on the computer-here's a little glimpse of what that looked like...ooooh, pretty! 

 

All Systems Go!

The machine is alot of screens and wires....

Go Go Gadget Glow-in-the-Dark

We gave a go at 8 heads in a single print, the largest yet! In glow-in-the-dark filament (bestseller at the Con!)

Time Keeps on Ticking...

Previously, it was taking 1.5 hrs to print 3 keychain size xenomorph heads. That's 30 min a piece. Don't let anyone ever tell you that 3D printing at home is ever fast or quick...if they do, they are probably lying... 

Now to see what it takes to print 8....here are some birds-eye views during the 4 hour print...

 

Success!

4 hrs later, and we have an army of little aliens! While the time per alien didn't decrease, the larger bed of the machine did allow for a greater spread to be printed across the machine, so we'll take it!

 

 

Stay tuned for the fine details...

Of course, once the print is done and cooled, it needs to be turned into a keychain! And that involves a few steps, which I will post up on FO (Finished Object) Friday.