Week 5 : 3D scanning and printing

Design Rules Characterization

To evaluate the design limitations of our 3D printers, we conducted multiple printing tests using the designs provided this week. We began by conducting imprecision tests without support. We selected the three unsupported designs provided and, to test the limits of our printer, we also chose a design that required support.

For printing, the filling was set to 15% and the print setting was set to 0.3. All other parameters are the default settings for the Original Prusa i3 MK3S & MK3S+ 0.6 nozzle printer.

The results are presented below:

In designs without proper support, print quality tends to decrease as the unsupported distance increases. To ensure optimal print quality and avoid defects in the final product, it is crucial to add supports to parts with large exposed areas. Proper use of supports is essential in 3D printing to achieve high-precision parts with a professional finish. These elements support protruding parts during the printing process, ensuring the integrity and fidelity of the original design.

The surface finish design was utilized to showcase the finish of the parts, demonstrating that by adhering to the above parameters, a nearly perfect finish can be achieved. This approach emphasizes the quality of the final product by attaining a flawless surface, underscoring the significance of precision in the configuration to achieve high-quality results and meet customer expectations.

Finally, we tested the printer pressure using the wall_thickness design. The results are presented below.