week05 Student
- 3D Printing and Scanning - Students
Torture Test- Max¶
I printed the Ultimate 3D Printer Calibration and Test Block, sourced through the Bambu Studio built‑in model search. The model is originally published here. This torture test is designed to evaluate dimensional accuracy, bridging, overhang performance, tolerance fit, and general print quality. It serves as a consistent benchmark used in past Charlotte Latin Fab Academy projects, so running it again on our current machines helps maintain continuity in documentation and comparison.
First, I located the model using the built‑in search in Bambu Studio, then I downloaded and opened it directly in the slicer. I just used the default Bambu A1 Mini print settings (no parameter changes). Finally, I cleaned the print bed, then sliced and sent it.
The tolerance and overhang features performed within expected limits. The 0.3 mm clearance cube dropped out immediately, while all tighter tolerances stayed fixed. Overhangs printed cleanly across all angles with no measurable sagging. The bridge’s shorter spans remained flat, but the 90 mm bridge developed a clear upward warp, though it still completed without failure. The print quality, overall, was still very high, and I am a huge fan of the bambu machines. Previously, we had Prusas, which needed a special web page and ethernet setup to send files, so this is a huge improvement over that.
Overhang Test - McKinnon Collins¶
I found this overhang test on thingiverse. This model has a variety of overhang lengths ranging from 10mm to 100mm. Additionally, the underside of the model can be easily viewed, which is where overhang sagging is visible.
The Thingiverse file can be accessed here. Krzysztof M. created this model.
I downloaded the file as an stl and then imported it into Bambu Studio. I used the default infill and 0.20mm for the quality. I made sure not to add any supports or else this overhang test would be pointless.
This is my test after being printed on the Bambu A1 Mini. As each overhang gets longer, the bottom lines sag down more and eventually become detached from eachother.
Clearance Test - Yian Hu¶
To perform the clearance test, I first searched the internet to understand what I needed to do, and ended up finding this design from Printables.
This design tests clearances from 0.10 mm up to 0.35 mm, and adds additional functionality by showing the clearance with joints. Doing so prevents each part from falling out and makes the design more interactive.
Infill Reference Card Print — Oliver Abbott¶
I printed the All 20 Infill Reference Card on the Bambu X1 Carbon. This model showcases every infill pattern available in Bambu Studio, making it a great way to visually compare how each pattern looks and understand its properties.
I used the AMS to print the card in two colors — black for the background and white for the text and infill pattern samples. The AMS automatically switched between filaments during the print, creating clean contrast between the labels and the infill demonstrations.
The 20 Infill Patterns¶
Rectilinear — Parallel lines that alternate direction each layer. Fast to print and provides decent strength. One of the most common general-purpose patterns.
Grid — Two sets of parallel lines crossing perpendicularly, forming a crosshatch mesh. Simple, fast, and provides even strength in the X and Y directions. Bambu Studio’s default pattern.
Triangles — Lines forming triangular shapes. One of the strongest patterns for perpendicular loads due to the rigid geometry of triangles.
Cubic — A 3D pattern that creates cube-shaped pockets tilted at an angle. Distributes strength evenly in all three axes, making it great for structural parts.
Line — Similar to rectilinear but with lines only in one direction per layer. Fastest infill to print but weaker than grid since there’s no cross-support.
Concentric — Lines follow the shape of the outer walls inward. Good for flexible prints and thin-walled objects, but not ideal for structural strength.
Honeycomb — Hexagonal pattern inspired by bee honeycombs. Excellent strength-to-weight ratio and distributes force evenly, but slower to print due to the complex toolpath.
3D Honeycomb — A variation of honeycomb that shifts vertically between layers, creating a true 3D structure. Even stronger than standard honeycomb but uses more material and takes longer.
Gyroid — A smooth, wavy, continuously curving pattern. Provides nearly equal strength in all directions, good for flexible parts, and allows air/fluid to flow through. A popular all-around choice.
Hilbert Curve — A space-filling fractal curve. Creates a unique pattern that’s mostly useful for decorative or specialty prints. Not commonly used for structural parts.
Archimedean Chords — A spiral-based pattern radiating outward. Similar to concentric but with a mathematical spiral. Niche use case.
Octogram Spiral — A star-shaped spiral pattern. Decorative and uncommon in practical use, but interesting for visual prints.
Adaptive Cubic — Similar to cubic but adjusts density based on proximity to walls — denser near the surface, sparser in the center. Saves material while maintaining surface quality.
Support Cubic — A variation of cubic optimized for use as support material. Designed to be easy to remove while still providing adequate support during printing.
Aligned Rectilinear — Like rectilinear but all layers share the same line direction instead of alternating. Useful when you want consistent grain direction.
Tri-hexagon — A combination of triangles and hexagons. Provides a good balance of strength and material efficiency with an interesting geometric pattern.
Cross — Lines form a cross or plus-sign pattern. Flexible in the Z direction, making it useful for parts that need some give or cushioning.
Cross Hatch — Similar to cross but with additional intersecting lines. Slightly stronger than cross while maintaining some flexibility.
Lightning — A tree-like branching structure that only builds infill where it’s needed to support the top surfaces. Uses the least material of any pattern and is the fastest to print, but provides minimal structural strength.
Zig Zag — A continuous zigzag line pattern. Similar to line infill but connected, reducing the number of travel moves. Good balance of speed and simplicity.
Lab 3D Printers¶
Our lab has three Bambu Lab 3D printers, each suited for different use cases:
Bambu Lab A1¶
- Build volume: 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- Extruder: Direct drive
- Motion system: Bed-slinger (bed moves in Y, toolhead in X/Z)
- Nozzle: Standard 0.4 mm (compatible with 0.2, 0.6, 0.8 mm)
- Max speed: 500 mm/s
- Bed leveling: Auto
- Multi-material: Compatible with AMS Lite
- Enclosure: No
Bambu Lab A1 Mini¶
- Build volume: 180 × 180 × 180 mm
- Extruder: Direct drive
- Motion system: Bed-slinger
- Nozzle: Standard 0.4 mm
- Max speed: 500 mm/s
- Bed leveling: Auto
- Multi-material: Compatible with AMS Lite
- Enclosure: No
Bambu Lab X1 Carbon¶
- Build volume: 256 × 256 × 256 mm
- Extruder: Direct drive
- Motion system: CoreXY (bed only moves in Z)
- Nozzle: Standard 0.4 mm (hardened steel available)
- Max speed: 500 mm/s
- Bed leveling: Lidar-assisted bed leveling and first layer inspection
- Advanced features: Input shaping / vibration compensation
- Multi-material: AMS (4-filament automatic material system)
- Enclosure: Fully enclosed build chamber
The X1 Carbon is the most capable machine in the lab — the CoreXY motion system means only the bed moves vertically, resulting in better print quality at high speeds. The lidar system actively inspects the first layer for defects, and the enclosed chamber helps with temperature-sensitive filaments like ABS and ASA.