You are doing an excellent job on the model, but what the heck are FDM and PETG?
Hi Jim, apologies for not explaining the tech at the outset. Here’s a brief trot through 3D as used by me.
I do all my design work using Fusion360. This is not very different to traditional pencil and paper component design, except f360 enables you to turn the digital drawings into (virtual) 3D parts. I occasionally use other software such as Meshmixer if I need to sculpt something but this is rare. Turning objects from the virtual to real requires converting them into a printable format, commonly called an .STL file.
I have both resin (SLA) and filament (FDM) printing gear and use this according to whichever I think is best suited to the task. Resin printing basically uses a laser to cure tiny layers of liquid resin; filament fuses thin layers of melted plastic together. Most people start out buying an FDM printer as it’s cheap, clean and fun. Resin has a slightly unwarranted reputation for being more expensive, smelly, messy and hazardous.
As a very general rule, my default is resin, as this gives the best finish and is much better for detail. All the deck furniture including the cabins is printed in resin. I am still experimenting with resins, in a quest for the ideal, and these days I mostly use my own blend of Elegoo ABS-Like and Syratech Fast at a ratio of 50:50.
However, resin tends to be brittle and lacking in some other material properties. Filament can be much better in this respect and I tend to turn to it when I’m making parts, tools or equipment for the home and garden, or anywhere that I can compromise on finish or detail. For this model all three decks were printed using FDM. There are loads of different filaments available for FDM, such as ABS, PETG, Nylon, PLA. Each has slightly different properties and requirements. For instance you can smooth the surface of ABS post-printing with acetone, making it very popular with people who make war gaming miniatures, but it needs to be printed at a particularly high temperature and I’ve never got on with it so far. The ‘standard’ material is PLA, this can be printed at lower temperatures, comfortably within the capability of the typical hobby printer, but it’s a fairly rigid material. I prefer PETG, which is halfway between PLA and ABS; it’s also easy to print, but has the flexibility of ABS, however it has to be sanded by hand if you want a fine finish.
I hope that’s shed a little light on the basic 3D tech.