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Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

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Dollpimp2018
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Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by Dollpimp2018 »

I am looking into buying a 3D printer to print my own doll heads. I want to spend under $5000. The problem I have is that there are lots of printers and some of the best cannot print TPE, the ones I have seen printing TPE on YouTube don’t do a great job, you can see the layers up close. Colouring a printed head will be another monster. So I am here asking for advice. Do any of you have experience printing doll heads? Or have you seen someone do it? Which printer can do the job? :drinking:
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by LDF »

Dollpimp2018 wrote:I am looking into buying a 3D printer to print my own doll heads. I want to spend under $5000. The problem I have is that there are lots of printers and some of the best cannot print TPE, the ones I have seen printing TPE on YouTube don’t do a great job, you can see the layers up close. Colouring a printed head will be another monster. So I am here asking for advice. Do any of you have experience printing doll heads? Or have you seen someone do it? Which printer can do the job? :drinking:
3D printers can print TPE, but the TPE's shore hardness is well above the 00 range of the fleshlite type of TPE used in sex toys (like our dolls).

IMHO: the current batch of 3D print heads isn't up to the task. You would literally have to install your own print head to print TPE or silicone for you own doll heads.

What a 3D printer might be able to do well enough is make a mold for you to use in casting your doll head. But, then you'd have to find a way to cast silicone or TPE.

Here's a source of TPE pellets:

http://www.gainshine-tpe.com/virtual-sk ... rials.html

You're going to have to make your own auger-extruder print head, feeder, and hopper. Yes it's possible. No, I don't recommend working with TPE without mitigating the risks. It's too toxic when heated. :cry:

Let's put it this way: a Bowen extruder won't work.
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by jms033 »

LDF wrote:
Dollpimp2018 wrote:I am looking into buying a 3D printer to print my own doll heads. I want to spend under $5000. The problem I have is that there are lots of printers and some of the best cannot print TPE, the ones I have seen printing TPE on YouTube don’t do a great job, you can see the layers up close. Colouring a printed head will be another monster. So I am here asking for advice. Do any of you have experience printing doll heads? Or have you seen someone do it? Which printer can do the job? :drinking:
3D printers can print TPE, but the TPE's shore hardness is well above the 00 range of the fleshlite type of TPE used in sex toys (like our dolls).

IMHO: the current batch of 3D print heads isn't up to the task. You would literally have to install your own print head to print TPE or silicone for you own doll heads.

What a 3D printer might be able to do well enough is make a mold for you to use in casting your doll head. But, then you'd have to find a way to cast silicone or TPE.

Here's a source of TPE pellets:

http://www.gainshine-tpe.com/virtual-sk ... rials.html

You're going to have to make your own auger-extruder print head, feeder, and hopper. Yes it's possible. No, I don't recommend working with TPE without mitigating the risks. It's too toxic when heated. :cry:

Let's put it this way: a Bowen extruder won't work.

That's a pretty cool site, they'll even make you a sex doll!

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by grimreefer24601 »

Not going to happen at that price point. Any 3D printer with a build volume large enough is going to be $10000 or more. To get the detail without significant Z Banding you'll pay more. And that's just to print with ABS. Printing TPE or TPU will require even more specialized equipment.

Jinsan has around 280 different heads. If you have something you want they will make it custom.

Grim

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by Dollpimp2018 »

grimreefer24601 wrote:Not going to happen at that price point. Any 3D printer with a build volume large enough is going to be $10000 or more. To get the detail without significant Z Banding you'll pay more. And that's just to print with ABS. Printing TPE or TPU will require even more specialized equipment.

Jinsan has around 280 different heads. If you have something you want they will make it custom.

Grim

That was my fear, that the technology to do it at home for cheap, or for a small business, doesn't exist yet, lol. I guess we will have to wait another 10 years :drinking:
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by Dollpimp2018 »

LDF wrote:
Dollpimp2018 wrote:I am looking into buying a 3D printer to print my own doll heads. I want to spend under $5000. The problem I have is that there are lots of printers and some of the best cannot print TPE, the ones I have seen printing TPE on YouTube don’t do a great job, you can see the layers up close. Colouring a printed head will be another monster. So I am here asking for advice. Do any of you have experience printing doll heads? Or have you seen someone do it? Which printer can do the job? :drinking:
3D printers can print TPE, but the TPE's shore hardness is well above the 00 range of the fleshlite type of TPE used in sex toys (like our dolls).

IMHO: the current batch of 3D print heads isn't up to the task. You would literally have to install your own print head to print TPE or silicone for you own doll heads.

What a 3D printer might be able to do well enough is make a mold for you to use in casting your doll head. But, then you'd have to find a way to cast silicone or TPE.

Here's a source of TPE pellets:

http://www.gainshine-tpe.com/virtual-sk ... rials.html

You're going to have to make your own auger-extruder print head, feeder, and hopper. Yes it's possible. No, I don't recommend working with TPE without mitigating the risks. It's too toxic when heated. :cry:

Let's put it this way: a Bowen extruder won't work.
Thank you for the information. I have some 3D head designs, is there a software that can take a 3D design and create a 3D mold for it? so the mold can be printed?
PipeDream Kitty Unboxing Video https://vimeo.com/308222911
IronTech Victoria Unboxing Video https://vimeo.com/305089873
AmorDoll Bianca Unboxing Video https://vimeo.com/298682320

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by LDF »

Dollpimp2018 wrote:
LDF wrote:
Dollpimp2018 wrote:I am looking into buying a 3D printer to print my own doll heads. I want to spend under $5000. The problem I have is that there are lots of printers and some of the best cannot print TPE, the ones I have seen printing TPE on YouTube don’t do a great job, you can see the layers up close. Colouring a printed head will be another monster. So I am here asking for advice. Do any of you have experience printing doll heads? Or have you seen someone do it? Which printer can do the job? :drinking:
3D printers can print TPE, but the TPE's shore hardness is well above the 00 range of the fleshlite type of TPE used in sex toys (like our dolls).
IMHO: the current batch of 3D print heads isn't up to the task. You would literally have to install your own print head to print TPE or silicone for you own doll heads. What a 3D printer might be able to do well enough is make a mold for you to use in casting your doll head. But, then you'd have to find a way to cast silicone or TPE. Here's a source of TPE pellets: http://www.gainshine-tpe.com/virtual-sk ... rials.html
You're going to have to make your own auger-extruder print head, feeder, and hopper. Yes it's possible. No, I don't recommend working with TPE without mitigating the risks. It's too toxic when heated. :cry: Let's put it this way: a Bowen extruder won't work.
Thank you for the information. I have some 3D head designs, is there a software that can take a 3D design and create a 3D mold for it? so the mold can be printed?
Autodesk Fusion 360 can take your 3D CAD designs and allow you to generate your own STL, etc., files for the 3D printer. If you're a student, you can get it for free for 3 or 4 years.
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by grimreefer24601 »

So Gainshine wont respond to me. I contacted them over a month ago. I'm probably too small for them to give a damn about. I order TPE 20 pounds at a time from Jinsan. That means you're probably way too small for Gainshine to give a damn about your order either.

Any 3D Slicer should be able to do what you want. Your print bed size will be limiting. You will still need to address Z Banding. If you address those issues you can print a model that you could make a silicone face from, maybe.

Not likely TPE due to the heat required for TPE to create bonds. Seriously, you are not making a TPE doll at home. If you think you can you don't understand the material.

Grim

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by Dollpimp2018 »

grimreefer24601 wrote:So Gainshine wont respond to me. I contacted them over a month ago. I'm probably too small for them to give a damn about. I order TPE 20 pounds at a time from Jinsan. That means you're probably way too small for Gainshine to give a damn about your order either.

Any 3D Slicer should be able to do what you want. Your print bed size will be limiting. You will still need to address Z Banding. If you address those issues you can print a model that you could make a silicone face from, maybe.

Not likely TPE due to the heat required for TPE to create bonds. Seriously, you are not making a TPE doll at home. If you think you can you don't understand the material.

Grim
Okay, no TPE, but if the mold can be printed silicone can do the job. :)
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IronTech Victoria Unboxing Video https://vimeo.com/305089873
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by LDF »

Uhhh...

Print heads can heat up to well over 250 degrees C, so I think the issue with TPE is still that hot TPE emits toxic fumes.

An unheated auger extruder can print in silicone by the way. If it's A-B platinum silicone, you would need 2 augers (A-B) feeding into the print head (you could add colorant into one of the above).

Yes, slice height banding artifacts is an issue.

So, it's likely easier for someone who has their heart set on a certain face to send photos, CAD files, etc., to Jinsan (I'd ask the local experts exactly who you need to contact for pricing) where their sculptors can create a sculpt and mold just for you (for a price).

I don't know if your $5,000 price point is enough, or if you can get the two heads for one special. :)

It seems that UV light curable silicone is a possibility for 3D printing in the future:

https://research-information.bristol.ac ... Kuhnel.pdf
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by rubherkitty »

If you're willing to make a silicone head, just do it the tried and true way.
Make a model/plug of the head you want.
Make a mold from that then cast your silicone head.
You can do this on your kitchen table and there are several tutorials.

I just started the process myself.
Making my own doll eyes now so I can make the head fit the eyes I make.

I'm taking a short cut my making a thin shell mold of an existing mannequin head using Bondo and fiberglass. I will then press warm clay into the shell halves, let it cool in fridge, then pull the halves to be joined VS sculpting the entire head from scratch.

I will use this base head to make further modifications of several model faces.
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by LDF »

Here's a video on 3D printing silicone molds:

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by grimreefer24601 »

That printer "used" goes for $9,900. New, the base model is $18,000. That just to print a mold large enough, and detailed enough to make a mask/head.

Still isn't cost effective to 3D print even a mold for a head.

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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by LDF »

You know something? I completely forgot about the SLA type of 3D printer.

1 word of caution: the stuff is toxic in its uncured form! 8O
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Re: Best TPE 3D printer for doll heads under $5000

Post by NewAirHH »

LDF wrote:You know something? I completely forgot about the SLA type of 3D printer.

1 word of caution: the stuff is toxic in its uncured form! 8O
1282295.jpg
A SLA printer will definitely do the job, but your investment would be about as much as an extended family of Realdolls, so you'll want to prototype you design scaled down on a modest 3D printer and when it's ready, send off your full-scaled final design to Shapeways or CADBlue or someone else who has one of the big 3D Systems machines, and specify an elastomer as material.
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