3D Printing background¶
Quick background on 3D Printing¶
There are different limitations for each method and each material, so you need to design for the method and material. Common methods:
- Fused Deposition Modeling
- Molten plastic extruded in thin layers. Most common hobbyist method.
- Stereolithography
- Bath of UV-curable resin; lasers cure one layer at a time on the surface. Can be high-resolution.
- Selective Laser Sintering
- High-powered laser selectively fuses thin layers of powdered material. Can do metals.
- Polyjet
- Photopolymers sprayed in thin layers and then cured with UV
- Binder jetting
- Deposit binder liquid to join powdered material. Can do ceramics.
Design notes¶
In no particular order . . .
- Build strength: FDM prints can be weak parallel to build plate (due to layers not fusing well)
- In general, avoid more than 45 degrees overhang without support; more than that you can get drooping.
- Minimum thickness of walls and features depends heavily on material and method
- Tolerance when exporting to STL: 0.01mm. Anything more and the file may be too big due to excessive detail that can’t be used by the printer
- Aim for a “watertight” mesh as in this diagram.
- If sintering and you have open space, don’t forget drain holes.
References¶
The above was summarized from: