I'm not sure if there is a clear distinction between quality and resolution. I consider them as two very different things. Quality as the adherence of layers and consistency of the print, i.e no bobbles or rough bits and i consider resolution as the layer height. 0.3mm layers for standard build and less for higher resolution.
Neil Underwood made an interesting post regarding layer height here: http://blog.reprap.org-layer-height-on-prusa-mendel
I have generally printed things as 0.3mm layer height and been happy with the prints produced.
Recently while perusing thingiverse i came across this: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12278
Having ordered the 'official' one from Dimension a while back whilst doing a university project i thought it would be interesting to print one and see how it compares.
 |
| Three Twisted Bottles |
 |
| Close up |
You can see from the pictures that the resolution of the Reprap printed bottles is far superior to the Dimension model, which is nothing short of amazing. The layers of the Reprapped bottles are not visible by eye (or camera) in most light, the bottles feel smooth to the touch and the screw threaded cap works well.
Where it does fall short is the quality. Once the print had finished the bottle was left with bobbles and rough edges. These 'imperfections' mostly came free from the model with a little rub with the thumb which make me think that the problem is with my printer setup.
Overall this is very encouraging as at 0.1mm layer height the finish isn't perceivably far from an injection moulded part and i would expect that in the next 12 months the capability of these machines will improve so much that 0.1mm layers will become the 'norm'.
Well here's to hoping!!
