On Thu, 5 Nov 2020 07:48:06 -0800 (PST), Tim R
wrote:

On Wednesday, November 4, 2020 at 7:20:14 PM UTC-5, wrote:
I think you will find it hard to get a budget 3D scanner and 3D
printer to make acceptable knobs with any type of fine detail. Or fine
finishes for that matter. Some folks print stuff using ABS and then
polish the stuff in an acetone vapor chamber of some sort. That can
work pretty well. But still the best resolution of inexpensive
printers is ends up to be, in a practical sense, about .25mm, or .010"
at the finest. The cheapest 3D scanners that will scan stuff to a
resolution of .1mm, or .004" start at about 700 bucks.
Eric


I'm only familiar with the hot plastic style of 3D printer. They have them at the local library and before COVID I was able to watch them build some impressive sculptures (with kids working on them.)

I did not realize there was another kind with higher resolution available until I saw an ad for 3D printed trumpet mouthpieces, and the required finish and resolution is much higher, so they are using a cured resin approach.

I found this link:
https://all3dp.com/1/best-resin-dlp-...eolithography/
I wasn't even thinking of the resin printers. They can generally print
at a higher resolution than filament printers. They are limited though
to just several resin compounds. Filament printers have, as of now,
many more options. For printing small stuff like knobs a small resin
printer might just be the ticket. And you can get small ones for about
200 bucks. Which leaves more money for the scanner. Maybe Pete doesn't
even need a scanner with high resolution. He could scan at the low
resolution and then clean up the scan with a CAD program. That would
work. I have done similar stuff converting jpeg files into CAD files.
Eric

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