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Made in gb
[SWAP SHOP MOD]
Killer Klaivex







Case in point, from the FW website:-




That's not resin cast, that's off a 3D printer. Has anyone bought any? I'd be interested to know if this was a production shot or a prototype shot.

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2021/06/11 15:51:41



 
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






They may be prototypes for advertising only.

Guess we’ll need to see confirmed production pieces.

   
Made in fi
Locked in the Tower of Amareo





Pretty sure it's been long that they use 3d prints early to test and give painters models to paint before actual moulds are finished

2024 painted/bought: 109/109 
   
Made in us
Regular Dakkanaut





FW does 3d print their masters/prototypes in recent years, I don't think they still do any traditional sculpts, or perhaps some composite method (3d print base with greenstuff cleanup) before mouldmaking. But I believe they still do the resin casting for mainline production, for volume and product consistency resin casting still make sense.
GW main store def does 3d printing prototypes for product reveals now, as certain macro photos have noticeable print lines that don't show up on the actual injection mold products.

This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2021/06/11 16:13:42


 
   
Made in gb
Moustache-twirling Princeps




United Kingdom

 PondaNagura wrote:
FW does 3d print their masters/prototypes in recent years, I don't think they still do any traditional sculpts, or perhaps some composite method (3d print base with greenstuff cleanup) before mouldmaking. But I believe they still do the resin casting for mainline production, for volume and product consistency resin casting still make sense.


A few of the FW AI models have ended up with print lines in the resin casts - Arvus Lighters & Vultures IIRC.
   
Made in no
Umber Guard







Casting is much more cost effective for mass production, but as people say, the rare print line will show up in casts as a result of the original model being printed.
   
Made in gb
Ridin' on a Snotling Pump Wagon






It’s worth noting that they’ve been using rapid prototyping for years now.

Certainly there was a period (which may be up to and including today) where the initial design was 3D rendered, then rapid prototyped before traditional sculpting was done to add the finer details and doohickeys.

   
Made in us
Dakka Veteran





GW may not be using 3D printing for production but I sure am...

To produce models for my own use in 40K...

bwhahahhaahahahahah.

On a less snarky note. 3D printing is a wide field. I wouldn't be surprised to find GW using 3D printed molds for testing sprue layout and similar.. or for short production run models. You see there is newer HIPS tech that allows use of short-life 3D printed (not metal) mold internals in a metal frame. The life of said molds is short but it's a metric ton cheaper than the standard method, like a hundredth the cost. So it's perfect for limited run product or for testing before you shell out the big bucks for the final mold.

GW also uses internal re-casting for the creation of both Warhammer World "displays" and for the creation of certain terrain bits where you have wrecked vehicles.

It's actually quite a reasonable practice. Something I don't think I would ever really state when talking about GW, the king of unreasonable and puffed up corporate behavior.

Consummate 8th Edition Hater.  
   
 
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