Proper configuring supports

[tfacchini 0]

Hi, I have this very organic print, and I'm struggling to proper configure support.

 

With my current settings I'm getting floating pieces of support which will obviously fail.

 

Do you guys have any advice dealing with such type of prints?

 

Thanks in advance.

[tfacchini 0]

Also if I change the Support Placement setting from everywhere to touching build plate, I face this problem.

 

 

[Slashee_the_Cow 457]

Touching build plate will make it so that only parts of the model which have absolutely nothing between them and the build plate get supported - so if your overhang is over another piece of your model, it won't generate support.

 

Could you please provide the Cura project file (.3mf, in Cura go to File > Save Project) so we can have a look at the model and your settings and try and figure out what's going on? For something like this a couple of screenshots really isn't much to go by.

[tfacchini 0]

Sure, totally get, here's the attached file.

 

 

Looking forward to see and understand how to solve it

 

EyeglassV4.3mf

[Slashee_the_Cow 457]

Solution is fairly simple: you need to upgrade to a newer version of Cura. Trees got reworked in 5.4 and are much much much better. Those problem areas don't even need support.

 

The current stable version is 5.5, you can get it here.

There's also the 5.6.0-beta 1 available, if you like living cutting edge (I adore it) then you can get it here, but it probably doesn't have anything new that would help you, so you should probably just use 5.5.

 

Edit: Also, heads up. The material in the project is PLA, but you have a PETG profile selected and the temperatures are... actually I don't know what happens if you overheat PLA, but probably bad.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Slashee_the_Cow

[tfacchini 0]

Thanks for the heads up, both in Cura version as well as on the selected material.

 

Just as an FYI I'm printing PETG, so no issues with that, but it's always good to have things done right, so again thanks.

 

As for the new Cura version tree support, using the same or similar configurations, that's what I got (attached). My question is about the areas I indicated using blue arrows.

 

 

Do you believe these areas (arrows) down need support?

[Slashee_the_Cow 457]

The four small holes in the corners are fine.

 

The gaps at the top of the eyes are probably way too much overhang, especially for PETG, but the gap there is 1-2 layers - it's hard enough to get it to put any support in using regular support, let alone trees (and either way, the settings required will make it put support friggin everywhere). Not to mention you'd then need something with a really fine point to try and poke the tiny bits out after the print - if you can even tell the difference between the support and the regular material.

 

So without putting support there, it might not look too bad, it's just that the top few layers around will probably sag and end up resting on the eyes.

 

There is one (impractical) way that will get it to print support for the eyes - print it on its back:

But that's going to result in a lot of support to clear away.

 

Ideally, you need to redesign the model so the gap around the eyes is big enough that support will go in there (either shrink the eyes or remove a little bit around them, though obviously with such thin connection points it's going to make them more likely to pop out, so you might need to fix that. If you're "creative" enough, there are other ways you could try and do it:

• Make it so the eyes are their own model, then on the main model put a couple of bits poking into the gap, so that you can print the mask, then print the eyes, then glue the eyes onto the bits you put into the gap.
• Instead of a gap, have a small recess where it goes in a millimetre or two. Bonus points if you get a thin brush and paint the inside of that black.
• Glasses. Hey, I did put "creative" in quotes.
• Another "make the eyes their own model" thing, except instead of gluing it into place, have a couple of clips on the backside that hold them in place.