Group Assignment¶
For this week, our group assignment was to test the design rules for our the printers in our Fab Lab. You can find the group documentation here, or continue reading for my personal documentation.
The Design Rules¶
Like last week, we we had to find out the design rules for a machine, the 3D printers to be specific.
So we found a test file here, and then sliced it using a software called PrusaSlicer which you can download here.
After slicing, we downloaded the file, and then printed it.
This is how it came out, but you can find out more about it on our group assignment page for this week.
The Conclusion¶
So we came to the conclusion that our printer wasn’t the best at embedded letters, but they were readable (especially when larger). The vertical test was solid until about 6cm, when it started to become really fuzzy and the layers were really messy. The bridging went surprisingly well, but the filament wasn’t really distributed properly. The printer can print angles really smoothly up until about the 60 degree mark, where the sides start to become rough.
Our 3D Printer¶
The 3D printer that we have at our Fab Lab is the Prusa i3 MK3, and here’s a basic introduction to the printer, and a labelled diagram of the printer that I found on the Official Prusa Website.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) |
| Nozzle Diameter | 0.4mm |
| Layer Thickness | 0.1mm -> 0.3mm |
| Filament Diameter | 1.75mm |
| Materials | PLA, ABS, FilaFlex |
| Temperature | PLA -> 218°C |
| Slicer | PrusaSlicer |
| Build Volume | 200 x 200 x 200 mm |
Slicing¶
Slicing in 3D printing is basically slicing a digital model into horizontal layers so the printer can create the object layer by layer, using settings like layer thickness and print speed to determine its final look.
Everyone that I know here uses the PrusaSlicer to create a g-code of their design. You can download it here, and then set it up (all you need to do is select the printer that you’ll be using).
What I learned¶
Spending this week with 3D printers was quite entertaining, and I learned quite a bit of stuff.
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Never leave the 3D printer unattended.
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Don’t overheat your printer, or underheat it.
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Start off your print at a slower speed to make sure that your foundation is strong.
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Printer speed does make a difference !!!
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The way you slice your design could be the reason it doesn’t print properly.
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3D printers can print horizontally to a certain extent.
That’s it for the group assignment !
