Before I buy...

[petenico 0]

Hi,

Can anyone help please?

I have a .stl file for the part you see in the image that I would like to see printed before I commit to buying an Ultimaker.

The file size is 4.8MB and the part is approx. 65mm long, 50mm wide and 27mm tall.

PLA material would be suitable (any colour), ideally built with a 0.1mm layer height and it can have infill or be solid.

The maximum width of any wall is 0.8mm.

The component is part of the cylinder for a static display model of a radial engine.

Thanks for looking,

Pete (UK).

[IRobertI 521]

It would probably be easier for someone to print if you uploaded the model

[petenico 0]

Robert,

I agree (!)

...see attached file.

Pete.

[IRobertI 521]

That looks quite printable and it's an interesting model, I might give it a go tomorrow. But no promises. For now though I have to go to sleep, why can't I go to sleep at a decent hour *sigh*

[Daid 306]

Printed at 0.1mm layers with a 0.4mm wall size (to make the 0.8mm parts work better). In a blue color that we don't sell. :lol:

[IRobertI 521]

I gave it a go as well. This is at 0.16mm layer height though, saved some time Sorry about the white(ish) filament, it makes it hard to photograph. But that's the only "disposable" PLA I have.

[petenico 0]

Daid/Robert,

I am very impressed. Amazing.

Thanks to you both for taking the trouble to test-build the part for me from my file.

I am now more than convinced that the Ultimaker is capable of producing what I require (a STEEP learning curve heading my way, I believe). Looking forward to trying anyway.

Attached is a pic of how the cylinder pieces are broken down (to allow fused fillament construction) and a pic of how it all appears when the pieces are glued together. All the other components of the engine are solid modeled ready for preparing but the cylinders looked the most difficult parts so (hopefully!) it may get easier.

One question to either/both of you. Do you use Cura or Netfabb for preparing your models?

Pete.

[IRobertI 521]

Since daid is the one behind cura I'm willing to bet a large chunk of cash that's what he used. Personally I prefer KISSlicer and it is also what I used for this print.

I have Netfabb as well but I've given up on it, the developer is way too slow in responding to the community. Personally I wouldn't recommend you spend the money on it as it stands right now.

[Daid 306]

I indeed used Cura. And a random printer at the office. I didn't watch it or note the time it took to print :-)

If you are going to print models like the one shown above, remember that the plastic will shrink/expand a bit depending on how it's layed down. So you might need to tweak a bit to get a perfect fitting result.

[billdempsey 0]

Since daid is the one behind cura I'm willing to bet a large chunk of cash that's what he used. Personally I prefer KISSlicer and it is also what I used for this print.

I have Netfabb as well but I've given up on it, the developer is way too slow in responding to the community. Personally I wouldn't recommend you spend the money on it as it stands right now.

Agree with Robert. Save your money and don't bother with NetFabb. The company behind it doesn't care about Ultimaker users and updates are few and far between.

Like others I use Cura, too. It's mostly dead simple to use. I do wish the expert settings were on another tab, rather than in the menus. Doesn't make sense to me to have two pages of settings on tabs and a third page in the menus. I also wish it saved it's window locations between runs. It always opens on my middle monitor, so I have to drag and resize it to my right hand monitor. Then, when I print, it pops THAT window up on my middle monitor, so I have to move it, too. Lastly, I wish it let you adjust the print speed and temperature on the fly. Maybe Daid can add these to a wish list for future versions of Cura.