Jump to content

Hole dimension smaller than STL cad file


Recommended Posts

Posted · Hole dimension smaller than STL cad file

Hi all,

I find ALL my hole dimension are approx. 0.3mm smaller than the cad stl file.

I printed 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 in ABS and PETG

I used CURA 3.2.1 for my print and both materials had the same results for the holes, the outside dimension on the PETG was nearer to the stl cad size.

If I use the scale option in Cura it just scales the outside and NOT the hole dimensions.

Is there a plugin to fix this or have I to just increase Hole diameters to compensate, which is OK if I am to print my own design/drawn models.

Awkward if I have to pass on information to 3rd parties about how they should adjust their hole sizes.

 

Thanks for any ideas.

hole size check.stl

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Hole dimension smaller than STL cad file

    Yes unfortunately you will have to change your hole diameters to compensate. 3D FDM printers do not draw circles they draw straight lines, obviously  lots of small lines. The line cuts across the apex of the circumference and you end up with  a slightly smaller diameter; which if dimensional accuracy is important for a part is a pain. Some trial and error will get you to where you want to be. Printing slow and cool all help to reach dimensional accuracy too. A long time since I have needed to do this but I think I used to increase the diameter between 0.2 to 0.4mm. It could be that it varies on size of diameter but I never needed to investigate that.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Hole dimension smaller than STL cad file

    Also, when depositing molten filament in a circle, it is pulled inwards towards the center of the circle, before it has time to solidify. Like syrup would be pulled inwards.

     

    If the holes need to be accurate, a simple solution is to carefully go through them with a hand drill. No electric drills: they will melt the model if it is PLA.

     

    I bought a separate drill chuck for this, so I have a good grip on it, and I use that as manual drill. This gives enough power, and gives you a good feeling for what is going on.

     

    DSCN5622.thumb.JPG.bcd33809236414534d665e6ac120651f.JPG

     

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • UltiMaker Cura 5.7 stable released
        Cura 5.7 is here and it brings a handy new workflow improvement when using Thingiverse and Cura together, as well as additional capabilities for Method series printers, and a powerful way of sharing print settings using new printer-agnostic project files! Read on to find out about all of these improvements and more. 
         
          • Like
        • 18 replies
      • S-Line Firmware 8.3.0 was released Nov. 20th on the "Latest" firmware branch.
        (Sorry, was out of office when this released)

        This update is for...
        All UltiMaker S series  
        New features
         
        Temperature status. During print preparation, the temperatures of the print cores and build plate will be shown on the display. This gives a better indication of the progress and remaining wait time. Save log files in paused state. It is now possible to save the printer's log files to USB if the currently active print job is paused. Previously, the Dump logs to USB option was only enabled if the printer was in idle state. Confirm print removal via Digital Factory. If the printer is connected to the Digital Factory, it is now possible to confirm the removal of a previous print job via the Digital Factory interface. This is useful in situations where the build plate is clear, but the operator forgot to select Confirm removal on the printer’s display. Visit this page for more information about this feature.
          • Like
        • 0 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...