I am going to break character, so I’m not speaking as if within the realm of Kirtrite for the rest of this post. As of publishing this post, I’m just a dude working in his garage trying to make this business succeed.
At Project Kirtrite, I want to ensure a premium quality miniature with the 3D printing technology used. I can achieve this a few ways.
I’m sure many of you may know, but there are many kinds of 3D printers out there. I don’t want to go super into detail, but for Project Kirtrite, I use resin 3D printing for most of the miniatures. Some exceptions will be noted in the description as FDM printed, but that is just primarily going to be the larger terrain pieces.
For the resin, I don’t just use the cheapest resin I can find. I use my own custom mixture of Sirayatech ABS like Fast, Tenacious, and Sculpt. I find this blend gives a balance of excellent detail, strength, and just the right amount of flex. I’ve had many miniatures pass an accidental drop test without breaking at all.
I also work hard on the software side in pursuit of beauty. These artists out there have sculpted amazing minis, and I want to make sure those fine details are preserved in the final product. All the miniatures are printed solid. Some terrain or larger minis may be hollowed, but will say so in the description. Unless otherwise specified, I print miniatures at a layer height of 30 microns, or .03 millimeters. (Terrain may be printed at higher layer heights of 50 microns or FDM printed.) This, paired with the 4k monochrome screen of the printer ensures excellent detail on the print.
Over the last couple years, I’ve learned a lot, especially from mistakes and failures on making excellent supports, so I can always tweak supports to my own needs for optimal printing. I have a strong preference for the software Lychee software for supporting miniatures.
All these elements combined result in a great print, which is then washed twice in 99% isopropyl alcohol. After that dries off, I wash it a third time in hot water to gently remove the supports. This method leaves minimal to no visible scarring on the model. This is the goal, so you can get a miniature with no cleanup required. Just prime and paint, then have fun on the tabletop!
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