3D Printers

[Refueler]

having been 3D printing for some years now ... there are two areas that I realised were serious factors to obtain good results - before getting into pros and cons of slicers.

Z axis drive

Direct or bowden feed

My Repetier printer - the first I bought is now pretty ancient but even though from early days of 3D printing - it had dual drive Z and direct filament feed. Its let down by the fixed non heated bed. It has no adjustment to level ... this is done by using slivers under the glass placed on the fixed bed. To aid adhesion - Painters tape is used.
It still prints well today and I use for general PLA work where real precision is not so important.

My Ender 3 Pro - again a reasonably old machine has been updated with latest board ... boot loader .... CR Touch replacing the BL Touch that kept failing ... uprated bed levelling springs .... latest FW .... dual drive Z .... replaced Bowden feed with Creality Dual Drive kit.
The overall has transformed it from a reasonable unit to an outstanding printer ... such that any thoughts I had of buying a newer 'better' machine are now not needed.
This machine prints the intricate and precision parts in all filament types I use .....

Both printers can work with any Slicer Program I decide suits best - or the Gcodes provided by designers. I have total control.

 

[DavidJ]

Here is an old set of 3D objects I have knocked up ....

The piece that caught my eye was the frame (the one where the yellow arrow is pointing). Looks like quite an overhang with very narrow surface attachment. Did you design supports?

 

[Refueler]

The piece that caught my eye was the frame (the one where the yellow arrow is pointing). Looks like quite an overhang with very narrow surface attachment. Did you design supports?

Why ?

Just rotate it 90 and lay flat ....

I don't have to 'design' supports ... If needed - I can let the Slicer add them as needed or load support STL onto the bed and move as needed to the main item .. printer then accepts both item and supports as one print item.

If I have a long thin item that fails with 'Turkish Slippers' as I call it .. where end curls up of the bed ... I have thin circle buttons I can add stl onto the bed at items ends to increase area in contact with bed ... once printed - they just pull off ... same with the supports.

 

[DavidJ]

Why ?

Just rotate it 90 and lay flat ....

I don't have to 'design' supports ... If needed - I can let the Slicer add them as needed or load support STL onto the bed and move as needed to the main item .. printer then accepts both item and supports as one print item.

If I have a long thin item that fails with 'Turkish Slippers' as I call it .. where end curls up of the bed ... I have thin circle buttons I can add stl onto the bed at items ends to increase area in contact with bed ... once printed - they just pull off ... same with the supports.

Ah OK
It’s just the way it appeared on the screen it looked like that was your chosen printing orientation

 

[Hurricane]

Why ?

Just rotate it 90 and lay flat ....

I don't have to 'design' supports ... If needed - I can let the Slicer add them as needed or load support STL onto the bed and move as needed to the main item .. printer then accepts both item and supports as one print item.

If I have a long thin item that fails with 'Turkish Slippers' as I call it .. where end curls up of the bed ... I have thin circle buttons I can add stl onto the bed at items ends to increase area in contact with bed ... once printed - they just pull off ... same with the supports.

Turkish Slippers. That's a good name for it. I don't usually use glue so I sometimes get "Turkish Slippers". I find that adding Pritstick type glue solves the problem.

 

[Hurricane]

Ah OK
It’s just the way it appeared on the screen it looked like that was your chosen printing orientation

It took me a while to understand the Bambu Labs "Lay on Face" button. Like all things, once you know, it is actually quite simple. Select the object and it draws elliptical shapes on the object. Simply click an elliptical shape and it places that face on the build plate.

 

[SealineTony]

Defaults ?

Common printers do not have defaults as you refer to ... the slicer you use will be the decider and in that you will set the process in the gcode. ie Layer height / perimeters / extruder (feed) rate / speed ... and with LW-PLA - the temperature of extruder will determine the foaming / expansion ...

Defaults not my reference but I used the word as quoted by you in post #217 i.e "I feel confident would not come out suitable for flight with your Bambu defaults ....."
My assumption was that you were referring to the Bambu default filament profiles when you said "defaults" and of course these may have to be tweaked for accurate model dimensions, even those that Bambu created for its own filament types due to the numerous variations that can occur with changes within the 3d workflow.

Zero experience of LW-PLA so interesting to learn that temperature determines foaming expansion .

Please do not take my post as a swipe at your knowledge and experience as I am sure you will agree we can all learn from each others experiences and learning is just what I am looking to gain from any interchange of information. Hence when I quote my own experience in these areas that may differ from yours it is with a view to picking up new knowledge that may prove useful in my own future printing endeveours.

For most of my printing - I run the designers Gcodes .... as they have done the hard work of getting the code right to produce the desired print. If I find an error - I do carry out beta testing of print for some designers - passing back to them faults / ideas found.

Run Designers Gcodes?
Interesting, could you expand on what you mean by this?

I am probably missing the obvious but from my perspective I rarely need to touch Gcode at all with modern slicers. As an example my workflow from years back used to be based on Simplyfi 3D slicer software but now I do not touch it relying on Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer:
1. Design model or part in Solidworks. Save the design as .sldprt for future editing
2. Design approved save in Solidworks Print3d as either .STL or 3MF. There is the option of saving as a STEP file for greater accuracy - I have yet to compare STEP to either STL or 3MF as I have not found any accuracy problems
3. Import the file into Bambu or Orca check slicer settings, Quality, Strength, Speed, Support etc
4. Slice and print

So far I have never had to manually input or overide any gcode scripts hence my interest in 'run the designers gcodes'

As I see it after reading here and many other posts on other forums - Bambu seems to have tried to 'automate' various factors that I and most users with 'standard' machines would be setting up in the slicer .... but as realised when reading many of the other forums posts - the defaults are unsuited to their tasks and when modifying print parameters - they are finding errors in print. Result - posts asking others how to correct.

Bambu I believe with the RFID tags associated with its own filaments (whoever the manufacturer is) has attempted to automatically set some of the paramaters in its own slicer Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer which are based on Prusa slicer. For many, at least from what I have read on other fora these profiles have proved perfectly adequate and great results had 'straight out of the box'. However what these default profiles cannot account for is inter machine variance, possible changes in filament batches, filament water absorbtion, nozzle wear/change therefore it should be expected that slicer setting may need to be changed or tweaked, in particular flow dynamic calibration?

I have to say that I have not seen many reports of specific errors relating to Bambu printers as all the negatives I have seen so indicate common issue that would apply to any FDM 3d printer. Happily most if not all of these 'errors' seem to be solved by one or more of the more experienced users on any fora. It would be useful to see any example of a model that may prove difficult to print if you have any links?

 

[Refueler]

Defaults not my reference but I used the word as quoted by you in post #217 i.e "I feel confident would not come out suitable for flight with your Bambu defaults ....."
My assumption was that you were referring to the Bambu default filament profiles when you said "defaults" and of course these may have to be tweaked for accurate model dimensions, even those that Bambu created for its own filament types due to the numerous variations that can occur with changes within the 3d workflow.

[/QUOTE]
Simply put - yes I was referring to Bambu defaults ... as there are no real defaults with regular printers as I explained.

Zero experience of LW-PLA so interesting to learn that temperature determines foaming expansion .

Please do not take my post as a swipe at your knowledge and experience as I am sure you will agree we can all learn from each others experiences and learning is just what I am looking to gain from any interchange of information. Hence when I quote my own experience in these areas that may differ from yours it is with a view to picking up new knowledge that may prove useful in my own future printing endeveours.

[/QUOTE]

Never thought that ... I just posted about alternatives ... not to imply anything or take offence. I may have been 3D printing for many years - but CAD I am unable to do. But I am still learning as new techniques etc come about ... filaments develop etc. We now have filaments you can print 'tyres' and then 'stretch' them over standard filament wheels ! Wood finish filaments .... structural strong filaments ... the world of 3D is ever growing each day.

Run Designers Gcodes?
Interesting, could you expand on what you mean by this?

[/QUOTE]

Many 3D print models / items to download have various files in the ZIP archive ... often : folder of STL's .. another folder of GCodes - which are the same STL's but already sliced - usually with Prusa or Cura ... another folder of emf of FFF files of the STL's ...
Basically I check the STL for form and any errors ... if OK - I then copy the relevant GCode to SD card - put SD card in my printer and start the print. It means that I don't have to think about infill .. perimeters .... layer heights ... temperatures ... etc etc ... its all been done by the original designer to replicate his model or whatever. This is vitally important when it comes to models that I wish to fly ... as the weight is a killer if not looked after. Its very easy to go overweight or too weak if you try own settings.

I am probably missing the obvious but from my perspective I rarely need to touch Gcode at all with modern slicers. As an example my workflow from years back used to be based on Simplyfi 3D slicer software but now I do not touch it relying on Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer:
1. Design model or part in Solidworks. Save the design as .sldprt for future editing
2. Design approved save in Solidworks Print3d as either .STL or 3MF. There is the option of saving as a STEP file for greater accuracy - I have yet to compare STEP to either STL or 3MF as I have not found any accuracy problems
3. Import the file into Bambu or Orca check slicer settings, Quality, Strength, Speed, Support etc
4. Slice and print

So far I have never had to manually input or overide any gcode scripts hence my interest in 'run the designers gcodes'

[/QUOTE]

If I am printing with the Ender - I just copy the Gcode file supplied as is ... and print. If I am going to use my Repetier - then usually I have to have remove the Hot Bed lines from the code - if not then the printer waits for the bed to heat up - which on that printer is not heated.
Think you misunderstand my post. YOU in fact are still using Gcode - line #3 of your list is where the Gcode is being created based on Bambu and your settings ... once sliced - the printer uses the resulting Gcode to print.

Bambu I believe with the RFID tags associated with its own filaments (whoever the manufacturer is) has attempted to automatically set some of the paramaters in its own slicer Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer which are based on Prusa slicer. For many, at least from what I have read on other fora these profiles have proved perfectly adequate and great results had 'straight out of the box'. However what these default profiles cannot account for is inter machine variance, possible changes in filament batches, filament water absorbtion, nozzle wear/change therefore it should be expected that slicer setting may need to be changed or tweaked, in particular flow dynamic calibration?

I have to say that I have not seen many reports of specific errors relating to Bambu printers as all the negatives I have seen so indicate common issue that would apply to any FDM 3d printer. Happily most if not all of these 'errors' seem to be solved by one or more of the more experienced users on any fora. It would be useful to see any example of a model that may prove difficult to print if you have any links?

As I say for general non critical weight printing - Bambu have it with their path ... but as I explained ... the sort of printing I do nearly each day .. as many others I know in other forums - such setup is unsuitable.
Imagine that Concorde ... that is printed using LW-PLA and the designers GCodes .. its printed weight is under 530gr .... for a model approx 1300mm long and 660mm span .... (I previously misquoted the length). It is very light but because designer knows his 'stuff' is strong without carrying excess weight.

To paste posts - would need my delving into various threads to weed out the relevant as they ask within threads regarding models - not a Bambu thread .. RC Groups is a place that has often comments.

 

[John100156]

I really don't get the point of all the colours. On our boat we have the painted markers all in red (every 5m) so my wife just needs to count 4 marks for 20m.

Your way, if anyone other than the misses, or the paint marker counter, wants to know how much chain is out and they're not available or have forgotten, they would never know how much chain is out. With coloured markers at intervals, any crew member can pull-in, or let-out a little to the next marker sequence is seen and would know exactly how much chain is out....! We had labels at the lower and upper helm switch positions and one inside the chain locker lid, identifying the colour sequence - easy for our size of boats.

I like the simplicity of coloured chain markers, a chain counter is also good but with the latter you need power and like any other electrical device, it can fail. Markers do fall-out from time to time, hence I always use 5 or 6 of any colour marker in a row but I must say over 16 years in the Med., and on 3 boats (Fairline, Sealine, Princess), I only ever lost a few markers...!

Edit: Aaaah I just noticed Hurricane has already responded to Pete's post.....

 

[SealineTony]

Thanks for your comprehensive reply

Many 3D print models / items to download have various files in the ZIP archive ... often : folder of STL's .. another folder of GCodes - which are the same STL's but already sliced - usually with Prusa or Cura ... another folder of emf of FFF files of the STL's ...
Basically I check the STL for form and any errors ... if OK - I then copy the relevant GCode to SD card - put SD card in my printer and start the print. It means that I don't have to think about infill .. perimeters .... layer heights ... temperatures ... etc etc ... its all been done by the original designer to replicate his model or whatever. This is vitally important when it comes to models that I wish to fly ... as the weight is a killer if not looked after. Its very easy to go overweight or too weak if you try own settings.

I see now. Most of the files I have downloaded from sites such as Makerworld, Printables, Thingiverse etc have tended to contain only STL or 3MF without any pre sliced versions. I had also forgotten about copying gcode to micro SD card which is what I first did with my Creality printer then latterly using WiFi which is the way I operate with Bambu or Orca. I can certainly appreciate weight and strength to be a vital part of a flying model.

If I am printing with the Ender - I just copy the Gcode file supplied as is ... and print. If I am going to use my Repetier - then usually I have to have remove the Hot Bed lines from the code - if not then the printer waits for the bed to heat up - which on that printer is not heated.
Think you misunderstand my post. YOU in fact are still using Gcode - line #3 of your list is where the Gcode is being created based on Bambu and your settings ... once sliced - the printer uses the resulting Gcode to print.

Again I see what you mean and thanks for the clarification and I do appreciate where in the workflow our image file description converts to gcode

I have been amazed at the changes and advancements made over the years since I got my first 3d printer and the advances made within slicing applications

BTW You certainly have a very impressive range of flying models showing in your posts all look really great, are they mostly 3d printed or do you also do the old fashioned balsa frame and tissue models?

 

[Refueler]

The Slicer I use on my Repetier and Ender - they do not have some of the better infill geometrys ..... using the supplied Gcodes solves that as the designer codes in the infill best suited to the print ...

A slicer that I have had recc'd to me - I tried it a couple of times but was not so comfortable with - Supaslicer ....

 

[Hurricane]

Over the last few days, I've been doing a non-boaty print job.
I have managed to get my hands on one of the new Radxa X4 SBCs.
This is a little Raspberry Pi "look alike" SBC - with a difference - it has an Intel x86 chip on board.
In fact, it is one of the new Intel N100 chipsets which means it runs all the software that you would normally run on your Desktop PC or Laptop - quickly.
Dirt cheap as well.
Here's a link to Chris Barnatts review on this device.

I bought the 4GB model (without any EMMC) and one of the Radxa heat sinks to suit it.
I also bought one of the new Raspberry Pi cheap 2230 NVME drives that have just been launched (£27)
The whole lot came to £108 including the SBC, heat sink and NVME disk drive.
It took me no time to install my favourite Linux distro onto it and customise it with my own stuff (I call it Mikes Manjaro because it is Manjaro with my additions).
Of course, this little board will run Windoze as well for those people who follow and don't want to lead!!
Here is a photo of the SBC itself and its heat sink



As you can see the heat sink only does half the job as a case so it needed a bit of 3D printing to finish the job.
So, here it is - complete with the heat sink on the top and a 3D printed lower half.



One problem I had was that this SBC has a power button on the board - by default it boots whenever the power is applied but it is also nice to have a power button.
I suppose I could have soldered a button to a wire and attached that to the board but have you seen how small these things are these days?
So, I made a 3D printed button that pushes a shaft through the enclosure to push the SBC's PCB button.

This is still a bit of a prototype - I have, since, rounded the edges a bit and I will change the colour of the button - probably to red.
Here is a photo of the side with the 3D printed button.



Electronically, this is a very powerful little device.
Truly a "Pocket Rocket"

It would make a really great ships PC.

EDIT - just for interest, I have a photo of it attached to a monitor

 

[Piddy]

I've been using Onshape.com - It's online-only, free-to-use (if you don't mind projects being 'public'), full-blown 3D CAD. I believe it's based on an older Parametric Technology program. I have found it easy to use (and I have played with FreeCad, LibreCAD, Fusion360 and a bunch of others). Whilst I am struggling to convince SWMBO we need a 3D printer, I have a friend with a couple of Creator Ender Pro's who kindly prints my designs.

I have a replacement catch for my hatch blinds:



and my latest - a flute glass (actually plastic) holder to stop them flying about when sailing:

It's in 3 parts.

Soon I'm going to design something really useful - but what good fun it is playing with the designs.....

Piddy

 

[Hurricane]

I've been using Onshape.com - It's online-only, free-to-use (if you don't mind projects being 'public'), full-blown 3D CAD. I believe it's based on an older Parametric Technology program. I have found it easy to use (and I have played with FreeCad, LibreCAD, Fusion360 and a bunch of others). Whilst I am struggling to convince SWMBO we need a 3D printer, I have a friend with a couple of Creator Ender Pro's who kindly prints my designs.

I have a replacement catch for my hatch blinds:
View attachment 185231


and my latest - a flute glass (actually plastic) holder to stop them flying about when sailing:
View attachment 185232
It's in 3 parts.

Soon I'm going to design something really useful - but what good fun it is playing with the designs.....

Piddy

Yep - I love designing my own stuff.
A few months ago, my daughter suggested a fun present for her husband (who loves 3d printers) - a screw sorter that she found online.
But rather than downloading it, I designed my own version - using FreeCAD of course.
Really satisfying.

This week's news from FreeCAD.
One more bug blocker before Version 1.0 gets released - nearly there.
I've been using Version 1.0 Release Candidate 2 for a few weeks now without any noticeable problems.
This Version 1.0 is a significant improvement over the previous releases.
IMO, FreeCAD is "coming of age".

 

[markc]

My latest boat bit, a couple of clips to replace broken ones, created in FreeCad RC. Also, just designed a replacement radar screen suncover

 

[vas]

My latest boat bit, a couple of clips to replace broken ones, created in FreeCad RC. Also, just designed a replacement radar screen suncover

View attachment 185233

Mark, I hope you built that as it stands in the pic (plate down) and not with the base down as I don't think it will last v.long base down

 

[Hurricane]

Yesterday, I made my Cockpit Gate Catch.
To remind you, the black part in this photo is broken and needs replacing.



And this is the result



Designing it in FreeCAD was the easy bit - even though the oval slot wasn't square to any of the planes.
Although I say it myself, I'm getting quite good at altering a sketch's placement.

The actual printing was more challenging - several angled faces - only one, of course, can be on the build plate.
So I ended up using some sand paper and then wet/dry to finish it.

I've used ASA and printed it solid for strength.
I'm hoping that the ASA will be better at withstanding the UV.

I also tried printing it using the Bambu "0.08mm Extra Fine" profile.
But there wasn't any appreciable difference so I stuck to the "0.20mm Standard" profile which printed in half the time.

 

[Refueler]

For surfaces that overhang / not vertical etc etc ... did you not try "support" ? usually you can separately designate print density of support - so its easy to remove.
Then its just cut away and sand the little bit left ...

 

[markc]

Mark, I hope you built that as it stands in the pic (plate down) and not with the base down as I don't think it will last v.long base down

Hi Vas

Yes I printed upright to ensure there was strength in the clip. If I printed flat I'm sure it would snap far too easily!

 

[Hurricane]

For surfaces that overhang / not vertical etc etc ... did you not try "support" ? usually you can separately designate print density of support - so its easy to remove.
Then its just cut away and sand the little bit left ...

Good point
I've used supports before and they do work but the important overhang in this case was a gradual slope which seemed to cope.
But, as you say, maybe I should have used supports.

The job is done now and doesn't look that bad.

Here's the next job
Anyone like to take a guess?
Another boaty one.



Still a prototype design - Ive not done helixes in Freecad before so this new to me.
Actually the FreeCAD helix bit was, again, easy - all done in the Part Design so no cheating.
That helix also tapers.