Let's Talk All Things 3d for prop creation, Scan, Design, Sculpt (real and digital), Print and Finish
- Thread starter greenmachines
- Start date
Awesome!
I feel the same way. My plan is to make the edges negative and back fill the gap that results. The centers will be touching but not the hair thin edges. These are the locations (bottom first, then edges) that elephant foot / mushroom and cause uneven matching. Removing that little hair thickness line on all matching edges will allow a tight fit.Looking nifty greenmachines...saying that, I don't like large surfaces to be glued together (especially with CA glue). You really need to come sharp and clean putting those two parts together
I have plenty to practice with so I may very well try adding vertical splines (threaded plastic rod or filament). I am going to use this one as my test bed for long print objects.
Now I am seeing the serious level of work that goes into print ready stl. I bought a blaster print from Buissonland and it was so prepped for prop makers that it had each material type separated. Wood handles, blaster body, flash hider, all separated so I can prep and paint each material type. The flash hider and barrel were so well designed as to allow me to just thread the two together using the threads already in the print. Separating this trident but still allowing for some alignment slots, minimal supports and scarring and with support rod holes....... not simple. Finding a great designer is like finding your favorite model kit company.
The elysium rifle from scornflake is that way, made for prop makers
Post in thread 'Elysium SMG Kit (or STLs)' Unlimited Run - Elysium SMG Kit (or STLs)
I have an uphill skill climb ahead.
The elysium rifle from scornflake is that way, made for prop makers
Post in thread 'Elysium SMG Kit (or STLs)' Unlimited Run - Elysium SMG Kit (or STLs)
I have an uphill skill climb ahead.
COOLING THE BED AND PRINTER FRAME -
Did not know this was a thing, an issue, or even possible but I had a failed print, just a few lines, and found a solution for it.
I had been printing successfully for days and just pop, it fails to adhere the newest print to the bed, on layer one. The line was obviously taller and soon let go of the bed and started birdnesting. These are certainly signs that the gap between printhead and bed has increased.
I had to really put the thinking cap on as I had successfully gone from section to section of this Aquaman trident with no issues..... and this one was a REPEAT PRINT!!!!
I wasn't loading a new file, wasn't changing filament, nothing new, just print a second one. FDM printer, of course. I removed a beautiful print and set it to print another of the exact same part.
Because the print bed is temperature controlled, I could not see how it could go wrong as it clearly stated the same temperature as before, as well as on the printhead.
My part, just removed, had a very large print bed footprint. Lots of area covered. Hint: very well insulating the bed....
The ONLY thing different on this run was the speed at which I started a second run. So, I waited for the temperature to drop to waiting temp. and restarted just like all the previous runs had required due to me piddling around loading the new part file.
It was perfect.
Obviously, the spread of the heat in the bed and its support structure was affecting the shape of the entire printer. Even though the bed temp was being monitored by the thermostat, the heat in non monitored portions of the frame was different than the previous, cold start, run.
I allowed it to cool and then reheat from the same point as other prints and everything was back to normal.
One more trick in the toolbox......
Did not know this was a thing, an issue, or even possible but I had a failed print, just a few lines, and found a solution for it.
I had been printing successfully for days and just pop, it fails to adhere the newest print to the bed, on layer one. The line was obviously taller and soon let go of the bed and started birdnesting. These are certainly signs that the gap between printhead and bed has increased.
I had to really put the thinking cap on as I had successfully gone from section to section of this Aquaman trident with no issues..... and this one was a REPEAT PRINT!!!!
I wasn't loading a new file, wasn't changing filament, nothing new, just print a second one. FDM printer, of course. I removed a beautiful print and set it to print another of the exact same part.
Because the print bed is temperature controlled, I could not see how it could go wrong as it clearly stated the same temperature as before, as well as on the printhead.
My part, just removed, had a very large print bed footprint. Lots of area covered. Hint: very well insulating the bed....
The ONLY thing different on this run was the speed at which I started a second run. So, I waited for the temperature to drop to waiting temp. and restarted just like all the previous runs had required due to me piddling around loading the new part file.
It was perfect.
Obviously, the spread of the heat in the bed and its support structure was affecting the shape of the entire printer. Even though the bed temp was being monitored by the thermostat, the heat in non monitored portions of the frame was different than the previous, cold start, run.
I allowed it to cool and then reheat from the same point as other prints and everything was back to normal.
One more trick in the toolbox......
joberg
Legendary Member
So, again...stupid question from the noob: is the bed temp different than the printing head temp? My thought is yes, different...but I could be wrong.
smithjohnj
Sr Member
There is the nozzle temperature which melts the filament as it come off the reel and out of the "hot end". This is the "extruder" which lays down the filament. The bed can also have a temperature control. Originally not all did. The bed temperature is to allow the hot filament as it comes out of the extruder to adhere to the warm bed. A "cold" bed often did not allow the filament to stick properly and it would rise off the bed. Some times just the edges of an object would curve up off the bed so there was not an expected, level surface for future layers. Sometimes the failure was more dramatic. A cold bed creates a condition much like a "cold' solder joint if people are more familiar with that type of failure.
And that is why this issue really surprised me. The bed said the right temp, the extruder said the right temp but the print nozzle was obviously farther away from the bed than it should be. I let the whole machine cool and then reheat ONLY the extruder and the bed to the same temp as before and it was perfect.
I know it isn't the same physics but the easiest way to explain it is to lay your hand on cardboard and then spray water over your hand. The cardboard will puff and swell where your hand was not covering. The same applies to drying. The heat being held in the bed, only were the print is, causes the non covered areas to release heat faster, which causes the bed to warp. The highest temp is still controlled by the thermostat but not the even spread of that heat.
sparkmatter
Member
The "ungroup" button is labelled "split to parts" on my slicer (accessed by right-clicking the object)
thank you!!
smithjohnj
Sr Member
Just a few more temperature comments to consider when trying to plan a print or diagnose a failure. The bed temperature is only good for the first layer if you are printing a thick layer. If you have thinner layers the heat may permeate up - but most plastics we print with act as insulators. Ideally after the first layer you will be printing on the same type of plastic you are extruding. The hot extrusion will melt and adhere to the any adjacent layers below or beside the one being deposited. But print speed and object size comes into play in conjunction with localized layer size. With a large print there may be a long time lapse between when those adjacent layers where deposited - they may be at ambient temperature. If you are also printing fast - the amount of time available for the heat going into the new strand may be enough to melt the extruding filament with little excess heat to melt the adjacent layers. If you have a cooling fan running that will also reduce the adherence. The cooling fan is normally used to help with overhang and bridging - to help solidify the new strand where there is less to adhere to.
wonderful video on supports and removal with a crazy tip on Sharpies as a release agent.... as in wow:
Adding rod support to large props:
This is a top notch video where he covers all the shortcut keys and why. Adding a hollow section that matches the intended rod support all the way up to pvc pip support.
This is a top notch video where he covers all the shortcut keys and why. Adding a hollow section that matches the intended rod support all the way up to pvc pip support.
I'll have to see if I have any pictures, but another 'trick' I used on large print files for strength and transportability was to create a void for PVC pipe and use hidden set screws to keep the two halves together; The two halves (for instance of a sniper rifle) slide together, and then screws on one half are tightened into the PVC to lock it in. PVC does run the whole length, but it is sleeved and sectioned near the joints. 5mm rods (my go to) and slots are also added between the joints just as insurance to align the connection and prevent twisting.
***found pics, the screws aren't installed but they thread in straight up from the bottom on this one and into the PVC walls. This sectioning was HUGELY important as I had to ship it from the USA to Australia (that's another story) and it would have been exorbitantly expensive***
***found pics, the screws aren't installed but they thread in straight up from the bottom on this one and into the PVC walls. This sectioning was HUGELY important as I had to ship it from the USA to Australia (that's another story) and it would have been exorbitantly expensive***
This is a perfect example. Thank you laellee that is exactly what I was looking for as an example. Now I wonder how many folks I have seen at FanX walking around with your stuff.
Have you noticed or dealt with accidental hole fill? In areas where you would be inserting this internal stabilizer or with bolt holes? I see a few features on my slicer that hint at making holes the right size are there any rule of thumb ideas to keep holes from filling accidentally?
My main focus of that question is for non threaded small rods, 1/4 inch to 15mm where they have nothing but me pushing on the other end to overcome the hole fill? I know to use a twisting motion to overcome true misprints or glue joint overflow but on some it would just break the parts if I didn't take the time to clear the path with a drill or file.
TazMan2000
Master Member
I prefer copper pipe due to its extra rigidity. The additional weight adds a tiny bit to the realism when you hold it.
TazMan2000
TazMan2000
Last edited:
Not positive if I am following you, but here's a few things:
-My biggest thing is to round over internal rod channels that end INSIDE a print, so I essentially extrude half a sphere. Combine that with a support setting in normal ranges (45 degrees+), and the slicer will not fill the holes.
-For holes that will get threaded/clear fit/loose fit, I use exactly the recommendations you will get from googling it. I never tap my own holes in print stuff, just flare the beginning slightly and let the screws/bolts do the work for me.
-For clearance around smooth rods/etc, I go minimal .2mm all the way around. So a 5mm rod gets a 5.4mm hole, etc.... This is as much to make them snake through clean (sometimes I do curve them for hard shapes) as to have space for adhesive. This combined with no supports should keep them clear.
-You can easily blow the bottom out of a channel if you are not careful (especially with metal rods), so I measure all of my rod lengths while modeling and cut-to fit later a little short. THis is probably 'easier' for me because I add all this stuff as part of my workflow manually. Also, ROUND YOUR ROD ENDS. Wood, metal, whatever, hit them with a grinder. They will slide through cleaner and are less likely to catch on ridges at joints. This is absolutely necessary if your rod channels have a curve (even only a 1/4" over 2-3 feet), they will snag on anything they can. Same principle as trimming your filament ends before feeding them into your extruder drive.
Thank you, you are directly on point.
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