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this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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It depends on the model being printed.
1 micron is easy to achieve on the Z axis with almost any printer, using any 3d printing technology (FDM/SLP/SLA/etc).
In the X/Y axis, the vast majority of FDM printers are off the table for 1 micron - increasingly so as the Z height of the model increases, especially on bed-slingers like the Ender 3. The taller the model, the harder it is to maintain accuracy on X and Y.
In SLA/DLP printers, it's all about the motor, controller, and whatever shields excess light/beam diameter.
To answer your question directly: I have no trouble getting highly reliable micron accuracy in a $99 Creality Halot. The key is to understand your model in relation to the pixel density of the screen. Some calibration prints tell you where the steps are, describing the relationship between input and output - which will most certainly be different from printer to printer at the consumer level. Once you have that data, some simple math tells you exactly how to design your object in a way that takes these natural constraints into consideration.
Yes - at any scale, even at the size of a car...or a battleship. When you accept the constraints of the hardware into the design of the object being produced, you can get micron repeatability out of just about anything.
Oh I see.... You've confused microns with Thou (aka mils)... much like Elon has.
Nope.
So does that mean that you can get 1 micron accuracy as long as the part is sized to a multiple of the pixels width on the x and y? Is that just for aligned straight edges or can that be done for curves too?
The pixel alignment is a good place to start, but no 2 printers will produce an identical result at that level. That's why it's important to tune the model to the printer - not the other way around.
Can you get it on curves? Yes, certainly. For 3d printers, even the position you choose for the model within the build area makes a difference.
The question is really about executing the process of engineering in the correct order.
The most common mistake is to design the thing you want to build first. In reality, you start with what is essentially a sketch of what a functional end product looks like. Then, you buy/build tools/manufacturing equipment. Finally, you refine your sketch into a manufacturable product based on assessment of the most reliably repeatable results available from the actual machinery as it is installed.