This is a matte PLA test for indoor letters. The bosses are for pin-mounts, not screws. For outdoors we understand that an ASA or ABS should be used for both temperature swings and UV stability. Haven't tested those yet but looking forward to it. We are also trying some tactile signage options (attached). Looks promising so far. Especially for braille.
Yes it will
So a 7" letter only has the cost figured in, not your overhead. Not that their is a great deal of overhead with a 3d printer, but look at it this way. You can sell a 7" letter for $46.70 (just assuming you will shoot for and stop at gemini's suggested retail) So $46.70 - 4.50 for materials + 1.25 for maintenance. Let's consider a small shop rent and utilities at a combined 1,000/month, with 5/8 hour days. I'm assuming a 7" letter took about 2 hours to print, and let's just say your demand for 7" letters is banging, nothing but. So you have 1 machine, knocking out 4 a day, 20 a week, or 80 a month. At 80 a month, you'll bring in $3,736. That's great! It'll cover our theoretical rent and utilities, only 360 in materials and 100 in machine cost. But now you're left with $2,276 to pay yourself. For a month. So that'll cover a low cost employee to setup the machines. I'd think to hit a volume where you'd be bringing in enough to cover a sales guy, a part time accountant, and a hybrid 3d/graphic designer, you'll be needing about 10 printers.
Apples vs. oranges. Gemini's formed letters are designed for long term outdoor use. PLA doesn't have that kind of durability -- not even close.
This was done on a Bambu X1 Carbon. If we end up moving forward with more 3D interior wayfinding signs, the cheaper printers will suffice making it more feasible to buy more of them!
ADA is not a Canadian standard. (It really should be but that's another discussion) Unfortunately Canada doesn't have a comprehensive standard, rather, it's left up to each province and municipality right now as to what standards they want to adopt. I don't believe any of our standards call out the sign face texture but I could be wrong.
Just looking at their offerings, I guess they dropped the Eclypse name and offer it as a overlaminate solution, now it's just a polycarbonate laminate in various thicknesses.
I want to say that the bambu's are going to excel at making interior stuffs moreso than the cheaper brethren. Numerous companies produce 2'x2'x5" printers, though all of the advertising is rough translated chinese, which just gives me the willies. Creality makes a k8 that is designed for printing letters, also just came across this monster that isn't too absurdly priced at around $50k, but that would not fit the bill here, just interesting:
I may be missing where you buy 1" PVC for that cost?? A 4x8 sheet of 1" PVC (the 3D letter is 1" thick) is about $350 CDN/sheet. That's about $11.00 CDN/sq.ft. which is what you would need to cut a 7" letter on a CNC. Plus now I have spent 5 times as much on CNC than a 3D printer and lets hope I can sell more 1" thick shapes or the rest of that 4x8 sheet is also wasted. A roll of filament is $30.00 CDN and isn't limited to just 1" letters.
Probably the difference in the cost of 3/4" vs 1", coupled with a fully nested sheet of 7" 5's (I can squeeze 138 on a 4x8). A CNC can do this lickity split, but this is like comparing a fork to a spoon. Yes, it can be done way faster with a different machine, but the other machine is going to make a mess, take up much more room, and potentially need some new circuits pulled.
I've looked at 3D printing to do interior stuff. It was about 2-3 years ago, but the speed was horrible. For example, laser cut a 7in tall ''A'' in 1in thick acrylic take me 4min. It would be faster with a CNC. I would curious how much time a 3D printer would take to create that even if the letter is hollow. Plus I did not like the textured finish with the test I've made.
These days size isn't an issue.
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