How to separate models into smaller pieces.

[DaveTheFace87 0]

Hi all!

 

I am very new to 3D printing and loving it so far, I have a few projects I really want to do but the issue is the do not fit on the bed of the printer. I was wondering how I could separate pieces into manageable sized pieces? I have already used the mesh tool to split them but I still need them smaller.

 

Thanks

[GregValiant 697]

A picture is worth a thousand words.  A screenshot of Cura is worth 1,348 words.

 

You could scale them.  You can move some off to the side of the build plate while you slice others.  You could export the individual parts as their own separate STL files and load them later.  Hard to tell without seeing what you are trying to accomplish.

[tinkergnome 917]

34 minutes ago, DaveTheFace87 said:

I have already used the mesh tool to split them but I still need them smaller.

 

Sounds like the opposite...?

You have already separated the individual models and now you want to split a single 3D model into several parts?

 

Like this: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-split-3d-model-3d-builder ?

 

 

[DaveTheFace87 0]

On 10/8/2021 at 5:47 PM, GregValiant said:

 

I have attached a picture below for you to have a look at. The main issue is the blade, I would like to make it into 3/4 pieces that are easier to deal with.

[GregValiant 697]

What we have here is a special Ender 3 Pro that has a build volume (in Cura anyway) of 230 x 230 x 1000.

 

I opened my sword blade in MS 3D Builder (any STL editing software will do).  I added 2 cylinders 2.2mm diameter x 20mm long and carefully positioned them so they would be centered within the sword blade at 200mm intervals and then subtracted the cylinders from the blade.  That leaves holes in the blade.

 

After saving I bring the blade into Cura.  Add a support blocker and configure it as a cutting mesh with 0 top and bottom layers, 0 walls, and 0 infill density.  Scale it up so it covers the part of the blade I don't want to print (in this example it is 610mm tall) and it is placed so the bottom of the cutting mesh is at Z=200.

 

When I slice the model I am left with the first section of the blade with locating holes on top.

 

Next I sink the blade 200mm into the build surface in Cura and move the Cutting Mesh up 200mm

 

 

When sliced - I have the center section of the blade.

 

With Horizontal Hole Expansion set to 0.1 my printer will make a hole just about 1.9mm in diameter.  I super-glue pieces of 1.75 filament into the holes in one part and then super-glue that part to the next part of the assembly.  The pieces of filament act as locating pins and even though the mating surfaces are slip planes, we have positive location.

 

I'm sure there are other ways to do it.  The rear luggage compartment of this bike was created using the above method.  As long as parts can be positively located in relation to one another - big ones can be made from several little ones.  Whether you use locating pins or create lap joints or mortices it will work.  You can actually split the model into several STL's by doing "Subtract" operations in your editing software.