How to print this part?

[ChrisInNewark 0]

I'm looking for a bit of help from the community with suggestions for the best way to print this part.

I've tried printing it laid down on the build platform but it uses a lot of support material and it doesn't print well at all. I thought I'd solved the problem by printing on its end but as it got to the top of the print it became too unstable, rocked around too much and failed.

I don't know if anyone has any suggestions for the best orientation to print this but I'd be most grateful for any ideas/suggestions that anyone may have.

[kris 29]

Print two (one flipped by 180°). Orientation as on the first image. Connect the long edges of the parts with walls that are slightly thicker than your nozzle (to make sure they get printed, check in layer view). That way you end up with a symmetric and closed cross section. The support walls need to be machined of.

Edited May 20, 2016 by Guest

[fbrc8-erin 270]

I completely agree with Kris. That's going to get you the minimum amount of parts needing support. You might also want to turn on the brim feature under Platform Adhesion--since you don't have much surface area holding it to the bed (even with supports), turning your brim on should help stabilize it.

[shurik 87]

As Kris said + I would use raft in this case.

[jechsturk 3]

I would use raft too (+ the information from kris), not brim.

Tall objects with small touching surface to the heated bed will be ripped of even with brim (that's my experience). Raft will keep it stuck to the platform if your bed leveling and adhesion is ok!

Edited May 20, 2016 by Guest

[Titus 170]

Or open it in mesh maker and add some support beams onto orientation 1

[ChrisInNewark 0]

Or open it in mesh maker and add some support beams onto orientation 1

 

Thanks for this. I'd never used Meshmixer (I presume you meant Meshmixer and not meshmaker) before but a quick YouTube search and I was able to add additional supports and have managed to print the part. Many thanks.

[Titus 170]

 

Or open it in mesh maker and add some support beams onto orientation 1

 

Thanks for this. I'd never used Meshmixer (I presume you meant Meshmixer and not meshmaker) before but a quick YouTube search and I was able to add additional supports and have managed to print the part. Many thanks.

 

Yeah my bad! Can you show us the supports you made and the print itself ?

[ChrisInNewark 0]

 

 

Or open it in mesh maker and add some support beams onto orientation 1

 

Thanks for this. I'd never used Meshmixer (I presume you meant Meshmixer and not meshmaker) before but a quick YouTube search and I was able to add additional supports and have managed to print the part. Many thanks.

 

Yeah my bad! Can you show us the supports you made and the print itself ?

 

Sure, here you go.

I added the supports to hold the part as it was wobbling around too much. When I tried printing the part the first it didn't print with any support for the top of the part, although it did print support for the bottom of the part (I'm not sure why). When I reprinted them with my added extra supports it also printed support for the top of the part however, the added extra supports were still necessary.

They didn't print fantastically but I think that that was more to do with my layer height settings and speed but I'm glad to get them out of the way and can now move on and print the next parts I need.

Thanks again for your help, it was most appreciated.

Chris