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Writing on prints

Janger

Janger

(John)
Vendor
Premium Member
With what kind of pen pencil paint pen is best to write on 3D prints? I.e. Test #42? Sharpies blur over time.
Out of all the things I could find that make any mark at all I think the Identipen is best. (in YYC try Kensington art supplies) A fine sharpie is okay too perhaps second best. A soft pencil maybe but is hard to read without the right viewing angle. Most pencils pens make no mark at all. Here I am looking for something to make quick notes on the part, not so much for nice labeling. For nice labeling there is printing different coloured filament, or recessed space filled with something, crayon, paint etc...

Anybody else got a recommendation?
 

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I don't have a printer but most of the 3DP parts I've played with using common filaments are an inherently off-standish to many catalyzed finishing systems & even adhesives that are pretty bulletproof. In fact I know people that cast parts using 3DP prints as the direct mold making material for epoxy or urethane with no release agent on simple shapes. If the pen is not 'permanent' then its likely is some kind of dye in an evaporation medium like water, alcohol (hydrocarbon based). Even if its called 'permanent' its kind of a catch-all word for regular expectations, like don't bleed in the presence of water. Sharpies must have some special goodies because they are more permanent, but a squirt of methanol easily makes it go bye-bye. I have some kind of 'metal marker' which seems like a tougher version of nail polish enamel with a brush fiber tip. I think it has higher solvent content maybe to pre clean the surface. But its basically an air cure paint maybe not much different than what some plastic modelers use although a lot of those ware now water-bourne systems.

My understanding in the auto refinishing world they use special (catalyzed) paints & surface primers to adhere to 'plastic' parts where even normal otherwise tough topside finishes wont' last. So I just don't think you are going to get this in a convenient pen form. I have seen some nice finishes on 3DP parts but I think its all about the environment. Standing on a bookshelf is relatively easy. Rough & tumble world, not so easy.
 
Label maker.
All the cool kids are getting them now ;)
DavidR8

Thread 'Label maker - do you have a recommendation?'

Time to take my shop organization to the next level which means I need to label bins and drawers.
I see the major labels brands are Dymo and P-Touch.
I used a P-touch a lot when I worked in the US. It was alright but I disliked the tiny keyboard and it seemed to waste a bunch of tape with each label.
Does anyone have a label maker they recommend?
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Gennady said:
With label making stickiness is a problem.
I would vote for dual colour printing.
Click to expand...
It's hard to make good small letters that way. 24 point I get good outcomes, 12pt I don't.
When I do need text I print a recess and fill it with contrasting plasticine. Poor man's two-filament process.
 
PaulL said:
It's hard to make good small letters that way.
Click to expand...
copycatting Susquatch - your printer sucks :). but don't worry - mine is the same. I don't have Bamboo or similar for 1.5K I have old Anet which I am tinkering with, upgrading and stiffening. I printed drill indexes with letters embossed on angled surface and it came out unreadable. I sticked printed labels on top and they are peeling... Still in search of good way to have imprints.
 
PaulL said:
It's hard to make good small letters that way. 24 point I get good outcomes, 12pt I don't.
When I do need text I print a recess and fill it with contrasting plasticine. Poor man's two-filament process.
Click to expand...
I do this too and fill the recess with crayon, or furniture touch up crayons. That works but requires preplanning of what you want to have on the item. If it is in an intrinsic part of the part then yes worth doing, but if I want to write "Test #42" on it then I want a quick easy solution.
 
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Gennady said:
copycatting Susquatch - your printer sucks :). but don't worry - mine is the same. I don't have Bamboo or similar for 1.5K I have old Anet which I am tinkering with, upgrading and stiffening. I printed drill indexes with letters embossed on angled surface and it came out unreadable. I sticked printed labels on top and they are peeling... Still in search of good way to have imprints.
Click to expand...
Sand the surface for the label smooth, clean it, put super glue down, and then put on the label. Clamp. What a pain.

Maybe just superglue would work. I'll try to try it and report back.

I'm trying to also stick the super sticky double sided foam tape, 3m stuff, to glue 3d printed parts to other plastic. Similar issues with long term adhesion. Sanding helps as does cleaning the other plastic item.
 
Gennady said:
copycatting Susquatch - your printer sucks :). but don't worry - mine is the same. I don't have Bamboo or similar for 1.5K I have old Anet which I am tinkering with, upgrading and stiffening. I printed drill indexes with letters embossed on angled surface and it came out unreadable. I sticked printed labels on top and they are peeling... Still in search of good way to have imprints.
Click to expand...
One bullet proof approach is to switch filament colors when you get to the layers with the embossed letters, then switch back for the rest of the print. You can get really nice results and the slicers support this by pausing the print at the right layers so you can switch filaments.

Below is 8mm tall printing with the font "Impact", 0.4mm nozzle and 0.2mm layer height. 3 or 4 layers thick.


1733082481839.png
 

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Janger said:
Great test on HIPS, please try also writing HF Marker, Sharpie, Acrylic on the part. Marks inline with the filament printing direction generally looks ok, it is when it goes over the ridges that is becomes hard to read.
Click to expand...
that part (only thing I have that I care to mark) is only 30mm tall, with each step 5mm (it's a calibration piece), but since I'm in a good mood (sorry about the focus, but my shoulder is bothering me and it's difficult using just the right hand - need another finger to poke the image to set the focus):

20241201 Marking 3D Prints vertical.jpeg

Both the HF & Sharpie ran along the print lines pretty badly; however, the Acrylic didn't do too badly.
 
Janger said:
One bullet proof approach is to switch filament colors when you get to the layers with the embossed letters, then switch back for the rest of the print. You can get really nice results and the slicers support this by pausing the print at the right layers so you can switch filaments.
Click to expand...
Or break down and get an auto-feed ;)
Janger said:
Below is 8mm tall printing with the font "Impact", 0.4mm nozzle and 0.2mm layer height. 3 or 4 layers thick.


View attachment 55297
Click to expand...
Nice results!
 
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ChazzC said:
that part (only thing I have that I care to mark) is only 30mm tall, with each step 5mm (it's a calibration piece), but since I'm in a good mood (sorry about the focus, but my shoulder is bothering me and it's difficult using just the right hand - need another finger to poke the image to set the focus):
Click to expand...
@ChazzC You may like this home brew phone stand.
Janger

Post in thread 'Cardboard Box Solutions'

Ok, this isn't a cardboard box, but it is useful and cheap made from scrap. Digital zoom and image taker for cheap. Apple has this app you can download called "Magnifier" which lets you use the flashlight and camera with zoom. it's handy dandy for checking on things. If you do try Magnifier you have dig into the settings to make the flashlight button visible.
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