Making a Doll With Dremel 3D Printer

freezenator · Post by **freezenator** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:25 am

I just got my Dremel 3D Printer from Lowes. It works perfectly. I am currently working on printing out an entire female figure that I have made using Blender MakeHuman. Only have a few pictures of the process. More will come. Please comment if you have not done so.

sanskrit · Post by **sanskrit** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:35 am

Hi freezenator, nice work there!

How do you like the Dremel 3D printer? How much material did you need to make this figure?

DollAfficionado · Post by **DollAfficionado** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 1:44 am

Congratulations on your new printer!

MannequinFan · Post by **MannequinFan** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 4:07 am

Hey freezenator, congrats and welcome to the world of 3d printing!
I hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I have.

Makehuman and Blender are a great combo - looks like a nice little doll you've got going there!
I couldn't help but notice from the photo it looks like you've got some large facets in the model.
BTW, in Blender you can apply a subdivision modifier to increase the mesh density before you save the print file. This will smooth out the facets.

Just select your mesh layer, click on the little wrench icon and change the view number.
You'll need to click "Apply" to actually change the mesh before you save the print file.

: subdivision modifier.jpg (852.56 KiB) Viewed 5292 times

DollAfficionado · Post by **DollAfficionado** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 8:47 pm

As soon as I clear some other projects, I might look into one of these 3D printers. Until then, I am enjoying reading about how TDF members are using them.

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Fri Feb 12, 2016 9:37 pm

That's really cool. Can't wait to see the whole thing.

freezenator · Post by **freezenator** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 4:50 pm

Here are some more pictures. At first i was using superglue to glue on the joints, but that proved to be more difficult and a hassle, so I used a glue gun instead. It didn't close the joints as close as the superglue, so I used plastilina to hide the seams. I then spray painted the figure so that the texture and color become more uniform. Now that the figure is complete, there comes the hardest part: the mold making process. Please give me some ideas as to how I can carry out this task.

These were some of the parts before they were glued on.

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I used a Dremel tool to smooth out the edges after the hot glue was applied. Then I put on some plastilina.

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I did the same process on the legs.

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This is the complete figure. This is before the paint was applied.

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This is after.

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DollAfficionado · Post by **DollAfficionado** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 6:02 pm

It is amazing the detail of which these 3D printers are capable.

ErrorNull · Post by **ErrorNull** » Mon Feb 15, 2016 11:08 pm

wow that's pretty cool

rubherkitty · Post by **rubherkitty** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 12:23 am

Good job.

Here is some info on making a basic block mold. http://www.smooth-on.com/Silicone-Rubbe ... index.html
At the bottom left is a video "Two piece silicone mold of a knife"

In the video they are casting a hard resin, but you use the same mold material for casting silicone.
Just make sure to use a spray mold release barrier.
A block mold should be OK for the size of your doll. If it was larger you might have to create a hard shell cover "mother" mold.

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:16 am

She looks cute pur together.

freezenator · Post by **freezenator** » Sat Jun 25, 2016 4:21 pm

I just had my mold finished. I would of done it myself, but as most things in life, doing it myself would not go well. What I did make during the ordeal was the armature. It a simple armature of wire, brass square tubing, smaller tubing for the bones, and epoxy for reinforcement. It is a very simple armature. I did not want to make it too complex because this is a prototype, and I do not want to spend too much time on minute details. I have already spent too much time on the project anyway, but it is rewarding. The hardest part has yet begun. I will be casting her into silicone. This is a risky task, so please give me words of encouragement and advice so I will not mess up.

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: FullSizeRender (6).jpg (1.87 MiB) Viewed 4756 times

samara78 · Post by **samara78** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 2:20 am

Wow very very nice

tyrellkao666666 · Post by **tyrellkao666666** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 3:20 am

wow nice

mannequin man · Post by **mannequin man** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 1:13 pm

Freezenator, hi. great job on your project !! ..awesome ! i am soooooo hooked on this 3D printing tech, im nuts for it ! I have, ( as some know ), worked with molding & casting a bit, & looks like your coming along fine. many, many molding & casting materials out here. one Company I use all the time is,.. ( http://www.IndustrialPolymers.com.) they being out of Houston, TX. anyway, they are relatively cheaper than others with fine results. they specialize in Urethanes, etc. plus they have a wide variety of products. check 'em out if ya like. ive used them with great results ! if you inquire of a certain material, they will send you a free ( book ) of samples of different grades of the product your inquiring about. this book of samples are about 20-30 pieces of product, sizes of 3" X 4" X 1/4" thick. ( appox ) the nice thing with Urethane rubbers are, some are pigment capable of color. not all, but several.

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...MM