Mimaki 3DUJ-2207: Stunning 3D Printed Reproductions Are Becoming More Affordable

Sometimes it is very valuable to explore new technology even if, at first, the costs seem to put it well beyond our current circumstances.

For example, most educators would have thought it frivolous to even think about using color video recording in the classroom in 1972 when Ikegami introduced the HL-33 HandyLooky camera... the first portable hand-held color video camera at around $60,000.  That is the equivalent of about $375,144.53 in today's money!  Color video was RARE back then.  And, to actually get a color image you almost had to have enough heat producing light to peel the paint off walls!

Ikegami HL-33 Handy-Looky Camera (1972)

Today, you can produce infinitely better video using your cell phone.  Color video is now everywhere.

Here is my point.  Educators who DID focus on the ramifications of color video in 1972, when it was essentially unobtainable to educators, were in a much better position to take advantage of that potential when prices plummeted enough to put color video into hands of teachers and students.

Now, quite frankly, most of us could not teach without the color cameras we use every day as we gather our classes together remotely via zoom.  But, I and others with experience using early color video equipment have an advantage.  We know how important lighting is to the process.  So, in my home, I am able to benefit by the use of lighting when using Zoom.   

But, why am I telling you all this in a blog devoted to 3D technologies?

FULL COLOR 3D PRINTING

Like color video in 1972, full color 3D printing is rare and seemingly out of reach for most educators in 2020.  But, I can tell you from first hand experience that it is important to consider its ramifications in all you do today.

For, unlike color video, which stood on its own, full color 3D printing now and into the future can benefit by the obtainable 3D technology we have within our reach right this minute.  And, that is 3D capture... either by 3D Scanner or Photogrammetry.  We can prepare for the future by how we capture today.

First, some background...

I have been blogging about 3D printing since 2012.  Much of my experience over the years has been with consumer filament type 3D printers.  But, it has also been my good fortune to work for a not-for-profit educational foundation that has allowed me to use an older Z450 full-color powder/binder printer.  

Even though it is only a CMY printer, with faded colors and no true black, with more than its fair share of issues, it has been my favorite printer for a long, long time.  Even with its limitations, we have had nothing remotely more capable for producing reproductions of historical objects even with the occasional down time.  There is nothing like full color, even if that color is not exactly accurate.

How Do We Prepare?

The first way to prepare for a future of color printing is to save our captures in a color format even if they are to be printed on a monochrome FDM printer.  The most common color format is an .OBJ file.  Here is an image we captured using an HP tablet having a RealSense camera and saved as an .STL file to be printed on an FDM printer.

RealSense Capture Saved as .STL File

 

While we might have to print this on a monochrome FDM printer today, it is important to prepare for the time when this same capture could be printed on a full-color 3D printer by saving it in a full-color format, like .OBJ. 

RealSense Capture Saved as .OBJ File

By looking FORWARD to a time when the costs of Full-color 3D printing WILL be within reach, we will be ready for that eventuality.

With this in mind, let me tell you about an amazing cost breakthrough in professional full-color 3D printing.

FROM AROUND $180,00 to UNDER $50,000

Yes.  I know $50,000 or even $30,000 is not quite the breakthrough to put quality color 3D printing into the hands of all teachers.  But, it IS a step in the right direction and could put full-color 3D printing into the hands of a school system to benefit all teachers.  And, it could help lower the cost of ordering individual full-color prints.

Mimaki 3DUJ-553 - The Baseline

Mimaki, a Japanese company, most famous for very large format 2D printers, has had the 3DUJ-553 for some time.  It sells for around $180,000+.

Unlike our full-color powder/binder printer, the hard plastic printed results are robust and stunningly beautiful.

Mimaki 3D Printer: Figurine Front

MIMAKI 3D Printer: Figuring Back

While every aspect of Mimaki 3D prints are amazing, I find the fact that they can print in clear, as evidenced by the veil, to be overwhelmingly impressive.  Here is a link to other equally impressive samples:

https://mimaki.com/special/3d_print/gallery.html

While $180,000 is admittedly hefty, it's hard to argue about the results.  Fortunately, for 2021 they have announced an alternative... a printer delivering the same quality of print in a smaller build size.

Mimaki 3DUJ-2207 - The breakthrough

I know most of us can't reach into our pockets and pull out $40,000+, which is the rumored cost of the recently announced 3DUJ-2207 due to debut in early 2021.  But, going from $180,000 to under $50,000, while delivering the same quality of print, is definitely an accomplishment that promises to benefit us one way or another.

What is VERY cool is that cost savings aren't at the expense of print quality.  In fact, the new printer will have even better potential resolution than the original.  It is accomplished by reducing the available print area and cutting the print speed to around half that of the original 3DUJ-553.

Here are the pages on Mimaki's USA site for both printers:

https://www.mimakiusa.com/products/3d/3duj-553/ 

https://www.mimakiusa.com/3duj-2207/ 

Now, I know that few of us... and perhaps not one of us... are in a position right this minute to purchase one of these printers.  But, I still urge you to pay close attention to both of them.  And, to keep them in mind as you consider buying 3D capture equipment and software and/or introduce 3D capture or Photogrammetry into your educational programs.

I urge school systems to carefully consider what having a centralized full-color 3D production capability can do for ALL subjects in all schools.  For the first time, using the clear material capabilities, we can print realistic models of protozoa, insects and other science demonstration tools.*  

Mimaki: 3D Printed Dragonfly

We can accurately replicate historical objects so students can handle them for close inspection and observation in history classes.  Because Vancouver iTech Prepatory had saved their captures of Fort Vancouver artifacts in full color, we were able to help them from several thousands of miles away by printing the objects they scanned on our old Z450.

Imagine how these same objects might look printed on a true color Mimaki 3DUJ-2207!

And, we can assemble displays of entire teams, in realistic 3D miniature, in the school's trophy cases.  

To me, this is a huge opportunity for educators.  And, at the very least an opportunity for all of us to consider what full-color 3D printing has to offer to our students, now or in the future.

*I want one of these!  https://www.doitplenoptic.com/3d-microscope-is-coming/

The Value of Realistic Expectations

As far as I know, there are no perfect 3D scanning tools.  And, that is most definitely true when it comes to sub-$1,500 scanners.  But, that has never stopped new users from prematurely declaring this or that scanner is 'junk' or 'useless'.

I was reminded of this recently as I explored a web site for uloading scanned or captured images.  There was a scan of an object that appeared quite good to me, having seen the results from dozens of scanners over at least 6+ years.  But, it was disheartening to see the person uploading the image to seem to be utterly disappointed by the result.  I can only guess that they were expecting perfection from their new scanner right out of the box and, in my experience, that is laudable; but, totally unrealistic expectation.

The All Too Often Sad Outcomes of Unrealistic Expectations

I am not going to post an image of the object because my purpose is not to offend, or even criticize this user.  In fact, my issue with their position isn't that they do not tkink the scanner they have is adequate; but, that an expectation of perfection can often be an impediment to success and fulfillment.

Back in what many would consider to be the dark ages, I was a teacher of middle school students over several years.  One of my most promising students was also my most frustrating student.  If this student did not get 100% on a test, they angrily tore their paper up in little pieces. 99% was completely unacceptable.

I have watched this person over the years and have seen the devastation this has had on both their personal and professional life.  Who could hope to have a long term relationship with a person that demands perfection in all things.  And, in spite of the fact that this person clearly had the intellectual capabilities of doing great things, that has not been the case in the real world of work.

The Abrupt End of Growth and Discovery

My heart sank as the user declared they were probably sending back the scanner, which I know to be one of the best in its price range.  One reason for my lamenting that decision is that I new, from experience, based on what I could see in the scan, that none of the competitors in that price range was going to do any better.  Now, to be fair, I do not know their ultimate reason for thinking they need a super-high quality scanner.  In fact, for their intended purpose they actually may need an ultra-high resolution scanner well beyond anything moost of us need in the classroom.  But, if so, they had better be prepared to spend tens of thousands of dollars for one.

But, even then, I have the sneaking suspician that this user would be less than impressed by the output from the best professional scanner right out of the box.  As far as I am aware, the results from ALL scanners require some level of post-processing to achieve anything close to perfection.

In every case, what is likely to happen is that a new scanner is purchased, tried and found wanting only to be returned without any real effort to understand the tool's true capabilities.  An unrealistic expectation allow a person to dismiss a product too prematurely without any real commitment to getting the most out of it.

And, that is a shame... because, the journey usually has the potential to be even more valuable than the outcome.  When we make a commitment to fully understanding a tool, the adventure can take us into many directions.  In the case of scanning, that can be coming up with special lighting solutions or, in the case of scanners using a turntable, a more indepth study of the object being scanned to overcome design limitations that hinders the scanning function.

Bringing Expectations into the Realm of Reality

The first place I would look for a dose of reality is our ultimate purpose, educationally, for scanning.  In the scope of this blog, that is to use the capturing process as a starting place for observation and research.  While we want the best representation possible, within the means at our disposal, the actual capture need not be absolutely perfect to be of enormous value to our students and the community.

So, in fact, it matters little if we use Qlone on a smart phone or a $25,000 scanner.  Both are a means to and end and the bottom line is that all we need to do is focus on learning to use what we have to get the best result possible given our circumstances.

If we have no means to scan, we need to find the best we can find within our budget.  If we have a scanner, however crude it may appear to be, we need to focus on getting the most out of it.  And, all this has to be done with the realization that some things are going to work better than others and that disappointment is NOT a show-stopper.  It is an opportunity to learn and grow.

I have spent the past few weeks using a single scanner focusing on capturing objects purposely chosen to challenge both the equipment and myself.  In the process, the challenges have driven me to come up with new lighting techniques specific to this scanner and learning an all new image processing program that can help deal with the specular nature of the objects themselves.  I'm very pleased with where we are now in our understanding of this scanner.  But, I know there is more to learn.

But, now, I will be going back to some older scanners we've owned for years to see how they fare with these same objects.  Though I have extensive experience over the years with these scanners, what is different this time is that I bring what I have recently learned with the most recent scanner. While it may or may not help for any given scanner, it certainly enhances the probability of improving the outcomes with each scanner even if it's only a starting point for a new quest to discover a different lighting strategy.  But, if I were to bring unrealistic expectations for any of these tools to the table it bring all exploration to an abrupt end.  And, that is the worst outcome of all.

P.S. Recently, I picked up an HP Z 3D scanner to test and immediately tried using it.  Quite frankly, while I don't think my expectations were too high, since I have an HP RealSense scanner tablet, it was difficult to keep from losing tracking.  Not wanting to give up, I contacted the product manager and learned it had been discontinued.  And, the reason for that was that HP, too, realized it was difficult to use.  Creating a 3D scanner that is user friendly is NOT easy.  And, the fact that a huge company like HP found it difficult to pull off to their satisfaction should say something about how truly difficult it is.  Even so, while the HP is now lower on the priority list, it is still a tool we plan to pursue to try to learn because when it does work, it is gorgeous.  We don't like tools going to waste!