Category: Configuration

If you’re a 3D printing enthusiast, you know that one of the most important decisions you have to make before printing is how to orient your model on the build plate. The orientation can affect the print quality, the functionality, and the amount of post-processing of your final product. I want to share some best practices that I’ve learned the hard way for determining the optimal orientation for your 3D prints.

First of all, you have to consider the print quality of your final product. This means looking at factors such as overhangs, supports, layer lines, and surface finish. Generally, you want to avoid printing overhangs that are more than 45 degrees from the vertical axis, as they can cause sagging and poor quality. You also want to minimize the use of supports, as they can leave marks and require extra work to remove. You can do this by orienting your model so that the most complex or detailed features are facing up or sideways. Additionally, you want to consider how the layer lines will affect the appearance and strength of your print. You can reduce the visibility of layer lines by orienting your model so that they follow the contours or curves of your design. You can also increase the strength of your print by aligning the layer lines with the direction of stress or load.

Secondly, you have to consider the intended use of your final product. This means thinking about how your print will function in its environment and what kind of forces or stresses it will encounter. For example, if you’re printing a hook or a bracket that will hold some weight, you want to orient it so that the layer lines are perpendicular to the direction of force. This way, you can avoid delamination or cracking along the layer lines. On the other hand, if you’re printing a decorative object that will not be subjected to much stress, you can orient it for aesthetic purposes and choose the angle that best showcases your design.

Thirdly, you have to consider the amount of post-processing that will be required for your final product. This means looking at how much time and effort you’re willing to spend on sanding, smoothing, painting, or gluing your print. Generally, you want to reduce the amount of post-processing by choosing an orientation that minimizes the need for supports, improves the surface quality, and reduces the number of parts or seams. You can also use some tricks such as using a raft or a brim to improve adhesion and prevent warping, using a higher infill percentage or wall thickness to increase strength and durability, and using a lower layer height or a finer nozzle to improve resolution and detail.

As you can see, there is no one-size-fits-all answer for determining the best orientation for your 3D prints. You have to weigh the pros and cons of each option and decide what matters most for your project. However, by following these best practices, you can improve your chances of getting a successful and satisfying print every time. Happy printing!

One of the challenges of 3D printing small, thin parts is heat dissipation. Heat dissipation is the process of transferring heat from the printed part to the surrounding environment. If the heat dissipation is not efficient, the part may warp, crack, or melt during or after printing.

There are several factors that affect heat dissipation in 3D printing, such as:

  • The material of the part and the print bed. Different materials have different thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity, which determine how fast they can transfer and store heat. For example, metals have high thermal conductivity and low specific heat capacity, which means they can quickly dissipate heat but also heat up quickly. Plastics have low thermal conductivity and high specific heat capacity, which means they can retain heat for longer but also take longer to cool down.
  • The geometry and size of the part. Smaller and thinner parts have less surface area and volume to dissipate heat than larger and thicker parts. This means they can overheat more easily and deform under thermal stress. Additionally, complex geometries with sharp corners, overhangs, or thin walls may create hot spots or weak points in the part that are more prone to warping or cracking.
  • The printing parameters and environment. The printing speed, temperature, layer height, infill density, cooling fan speed, and ambient temperature all affect the heat dissipation of the part. Generally, higher printing speed and temperature, lower layer height and infill density, higher cooling fan speed, and lower ambient temperature can improve heat dissipation and reduce warping. However, these parameters also depend on the material and geometry of the part and may need to be adjusted accordingly.

To improve heat dissipation in 3D printing small, thin parts, some possible solutions are:

  • Choose a suitable material for the part and the print bed. For example, use a material with high thermal conductivity and low specific heat capacity for the part, such as metal or carbon fiber composite. Use a material with low thermal conductivity and high specific heat capacity for the print bed, such as glass or ceramic. This way, the part can quickly dissipate heat to the print bed and the print bed can slowly release heat to the environment.
  • Optimize the geometry and size of the part. For example, increase the surface area and volume of the part by adding fins, holes, or channels to enhance heat transfer. Reduce the complexity of the geometry by smoothing sharp corners, eliminating overhangs, or increasing wall thickness to avoid hot spots or weak points.
  • Print a “sacrificial” part right next to your print. This has the same effect as increasing the surface area of the part and will give the part time to cool.
  • Adjust the printing parameters and environment. For example, lower the printing speed and temperature, increase the layer height and infill density, decrease the cooling fan speed, or raise the ambient temperature to reduce thermal stress on the part. However, these adjustments may also affect the print quality and strength of the part and should be done with caution.

Heat dissipation is an important aspect of 3D printing small, thin parts that should not be overlooked. By understanding the factors that affect heat dissipation and applying some solutions to improve it, you can achieve better results with your 3D prints.

Coasting and wipe distance are two settings that can affect the quality of your 3D prints.

Coasting is a setting that tells the printer to stop extruding filament a little bit before the end of a perimeter or an infill line. This helps to reduce the pressure in the nozzle and prevent oozing or stringing. Coasting can also reduce the amount of blobs or zits that appear on the surface of the print. However, coasting can also cause gaps or under-extrusion in some cases, especially if the coasting distance is too large or if the filament is not viscous enough.

Wipe distance is a setting that tells the printer to move the nozzle along the perimeter or the infill line after it stops extruding filament. This helps to smooth out the end of the extrusion and reduce any excess filament that may ooze out of the nozzle. Wipe distance can also improve the surface quality of the print by hiding any imperfections or seams. However, wipe distance can also cause over-extrusion or dragging in some cases, especially if the wipe distance is too large or if the nozzle temperature is too high.

Both coasting and wipe distance are useful settings that can help you achieve better 3D prints. However, they are not mutually exclusive and they may interact with each other in different ways depending on your printer, filament, and model. Therefore, it is important to experiment with different values and find the optimal balance for your specific situation. You can use a test model like this one (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1363023) to see how coasting and wipe distance affect your prints and adjust them accordingly.

Level first, then mesh, then Z offset. Or do I set the Z offset first, then level then mesh? Or is it…

I always start with mechanical functions, then move to software compensation. No sense in trying to set a Z offset on a bed that’s tilted 20 degrees. Where would the offset even apply to? The highest point? The lowest point? I’m not sure.

First, set your mechanical level. This is done by turning the screws and making sure that your bed is mechanically aligned to your nozzle. Next, set your mesh to compensate for any variance in the bed flatness. I don’t use Z offset, I haven’t had to. But if you do, this is the point that you should implement it. The machine has a sense of where the bed is so it is able to apply an accurate Z offset.

Sometimes prints will have issues only at a specific height. The symptoms may be poor fill at a specific height, layer shift that always occurs at a certain Z, or something else that seems to consistently occur at a certain height.

When this happens, I start looking at, and around, the lead screws for Z. I look at the motors, the screws themselves, and the bearings. When I inspect the lead screws, I make sure there are no physical issues, such as nicks or dings in the screw itself and that the lead screw isn’t bent in that location.

I had a mishap over the weekend that made me have to stop my print. The print was too long and I had too much into it to want to start over, so I decided to print the other piece and glue them together.

As I was doing it, I noticed how well the pieces fit together. I’ve done this in the past and the parts didn’t fit together well. I’ve spent a lot of time tuning my printer and making sure that it is printing to the proper sizes.

I realized that one of the benefits of this effort is that, when things do go wrong, I am able to put the pieces together because the sizes match.

I’ve seen a number of people asking for functionality related to controlling or monitoring their printer remotely. The easiest way is to set up a Raspberry Pi and attach it to your printer. With the price of Raspberry Pi’s right now, though, this is a significant cost. I’ve had good luck with Armbian on a Le Potato that costs substantially less. After some experimentation, I ended up replacing the firmware on my printer with Klipper and putting Klipper on my Le Potato. It’s been working great.

If the sides of a calibration cube are a little bowed, there are a couple of things that I would look at.

  • e-steps/rotation distance (Klipper): if your extruder is extruding too much material, the material has to go somewhere.
  • calibrate Z: same thing as above, if your z steps are off, you might not be moving up as much as you think you are. The extruder is calibrated to extrude a certain amount of material. If you end up extruding more material, it needs to go somewhere
  • pressure advance: your nozzle may be oozing a little bit and causing your sides to become bowed

The quick answer: Yes

When you first start out 3d printing, you most likely will not know whether that stringing issue is caused by poor retraction settings, temperature settings, or something else. I don’t do it anymore, but when I first started 3d printing I kept very detailed logs that included every parameter setting, as well as the ambient temperature, the type of filament used, and a description of the overall 3d print outcome.

I found these records to be very valuable in troubleshooting. They provide a lot of insight into what might be wrong when I change filament or what has gone out of whack if I don’t change anything on my printer but it just starts acting up.

After a while, two things will happen.

  1. Your machine will get more dialed in. This is just a natural result of tinkering with the settings and getting incremental improvements out of it over time. Once your machine is dialed in, any parameter changes will be pretty minor.
  2. Your knowledge will grow. You will start to intuitively know what setting needs to change based on how your printed part looks.

It’s not necessary to keep detailed logs indefinitely. When you are starting off though, I can’t think of any better way to build your knowledge base.

I notice that new users often post something similar to “I just got my first printer, what should I upgrade first?”

My answer is usually “nothing…for now.”

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not opposed to upgrades. But this post is more specific to new users. There is a lot to learn when you first start out 3d printing. Proper temperatures, speeds, loading your print correctly. There are slicers, different cad packages, and the list goes on. Don’t add more complexity to the situation by upgrading a bunch of items on your printer. Learn your printer. Once you feel like you have a good handle on the stock printing process, maybe try out a small upgrade and just work your way up from there.