Week05 Adults¶
As a group, we used a premade test print file we found online at Thingiverse.com, and each member of the group sent the all purpose tester file to a printer at home or at the lab. As a group we tested 6 different 3D printers. We tested on a Bambu A1 mini, a Bambu A1, an X1 Carbon, a P1s, an Anycubic Kobra, and a Prusa MK3S.
We used a pre-made test design because we felt that it covered a large number of design settings that we wanted to test and only took about an hour and a half on average for all of the printers. For the design settings that it did not cover, or tests we felt we needed more details on, we were able to find additional test files.
We also took this time to learn how to send prints to the Bambu printers in the Fab lab. We followed the steps below to send a tester to a Bambu A1 mini and an X1 Carbon.
Steps we followed:
- Log in to Bambu studio using the G-mail icon at the bottom of the Log In screen!
- Open the .3mf or .stl file in bambu studio
- Make any alterations you need, cut, size, rotate, add supports.
- Slice plate: check time of print, and cost to make sure you are not printing something too big or too small
- Print plate
- Choose your printer, and make sure your printer plate is clean (wipe down with alcohol), the printer is plugged in, and your filament is loaded.
- Do not print remotely to the school lab, because you are not there to watch for failures, ask if others need it, or clean the bed before use
We collected the 6 test prints, labeled them one through six based off of our table, and as a group we evaluated each printer for the settings found in the table.
As a group we reviewed the bridging and stringing on the files and discussed the difference between bridging and overhangs. Angela shared a resource to us that she uses in her Engineering class to review different 3D printing terminology, printer settings, and design considerations.
3d Modeling and Printing Vocabulary and Acronyms
Then Angela and Kim marked off all 6 for the fail points on the 10 and 15 degree overhang locations.
Kim and Camile then used a caliper and measured the outside of the 8mm and 6mm hole diameter to determine the tolerance value for each print.
Kim and Dorian read the text to determine the engraving clarity of the 6 prints, we eyeballed this setting based on how legible the smallest words we could read on the tester were.
Chamomile and Kim looked at the 4, 3, and 2mm holes in the hole test section and determined at which size the print failed to make a hole.
Finally, we did a scale test and we measured the 3 10mm rectangles (x, y, z) in the corner to determine how close each were to 10 mm.
Markdown of Table
| Bambu X1 Carbon | Bambu A1 Mini | Bambu A1 | Anycubic Kobra | Bambu P1S | Prusa MK3s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print Time | 1hr 8min | 1hr 21min | 1hr 22min | 1hr 42min | 1hr 7min | 2hr 45min |
| Filament | Bambu PLA Blue | Bambu PLA Blue | Elegoo PLA Black | Hatchbox PLA Green | PLA+ Blue Grey | Poly Terra PLA White |
| Bridging Capabilities * | Successful up to 25mm | Successful up to 25mm | Successful up to 25mm | Successful up to 25mm | Successful up to 25mm | Successful up to 25mm |
| Overhang Test | 70° on 10 75° on 15 |
70° on 10 75° on 15 |
50° on 10 45° on 15 |
50° on 10 45° on 15 |
60° on 10 60° on 15 |
60° on 10 60° on 15 |
| Stringing | None | None | Minor (stringing test only) | Major (beyond stringing test) | Minor (stringing test only) | Minor (stringing test only) |
| Tolerance | 7.82/8mm 5.69/6mm |
7.59/8mm 5.46/6mm |
7.55/8mm 5.49/6mm |
7.99/8mm 5.72/6mm |
7.79/8mm 5.82/6mm |
7.64/8mm 5.84/6mm |
| Engraving | “Diameter” | “Diameter” | “Bridging” only front | “Bridging” | “Bridging” | “Bridging” |
| Hole Quality | All circular | All circular | All circular | All poor | All circular | All circular |
| Scale | X: 9.87 Y: 9.87 Z: 9.66 |
X: 9.97 Y: 9.97 Z: 9.91 |
X: 10.00 Y: 9.79 Z: 10.15 |
X: 10.24 Y: 10.52 Z: 10.41 |
X: 10.17 Y: 9.95 Z: 9.99 |
X: 10.13 Y: 10.02 Z: 9.90 |
Our test only went to 25mm. Machines could probably bridge further.
Bridging Capabilities
Overhang Test
Stringing Test
Tolerance Test - missing this picture.. I think kim or angela took it.
Engraving Quality
Hole Quality
Scale
Conclusions:
When comparing the results in the above chart it was noted that the prints that used Bambu filament were the only ones that did not have stringing. Furthermore, the highest quality engraving was with the same filament brand, unsealed right before printing to prevent water absorption. Since most of the tests were done on a Bambu printer, and none of us messed with the temperature settings, it is reasonable to conclude that the Bambu printers have calibrated their machines to their filaments. Should we find the ideal settings for each filament we might be able to get better quality prints.
The overhang test all read 45 degrees or above. Bambu studio has their automatic supports set to 30 degrees. This may be one of the reasons Bambu printers have a high success rate. A 15 degrees factor of safety could likely compensate for user error in proper filament settings, and poor environmental controls.