How to improve my drawing with problems with supports

[bob-hepple 59]

Hello

I have put questions on before about this project and how to achieve what I'm after I came up with the decision to split the item into two the fist pic shows the entire item orientated a different way but you get the picture (no Pun)

the second shows how I have just printed it (4hr) print at 180 with speed set at 30.0 and a resolution of .20 the support in the second pic shows it is some way from the top contour about 1.mm if I am going to do this in two then the face above the gap has to be bang on strait so I can glue the two faces together can anyone tell me where I've gone wrong.

 

 

[gr5 2,189]

I'm going to have to make some guesses because you are leaving a lot out of what you say.

1) The first picture looks great. I'm guessing the bottom side doesn't look so good, right? And I'm guessing that's going to be the "outside" of the final part and you want it to look better? Please verify this is your goal.

2) The second picture looks great - I don't see a problem. The underside of that long "flap" seems to stop early. Is that the part you want to glue on? The flap? You want to glue very thin edge to very thin edge? I don't think that will work well. I'm just confused here as I don't understand your goal and I don't understand what the problem is.

It seems to me orientation #2 is a good solution but why not print the whole thing as one part? I know it wastes lots of support but so what? If it were me and I printed in that orientation I would turn off support and build my own support in cad as simply two walls that go all the way up with regularly spaced holes to allow me to cut it off later. It will need sanding and that edge will not be as pretty but close enough?

But even easier, I would print the part like orientation #1 but lay the side with the small hole in it flat and down on the table and the other flap in the air. Then I would change the model so there is NO BEND between the flap and the main section. Then print it and after it's done printing I would heat it up with a blow dryer or some hot water and carefully bend it into the correct orientation. I would probably build a jig to bend it perfectly. This jig would probably be made out of two flat stiff things like a table and a book cover or a table and a thin piece of flat metal propped up.

 

[bob-hepple 59]

Gr5

Thank you for taking the time to my questions, indeed you are bang on the first pic shows a good print, I printed this way so the internals were good to check my measurements there are components to be located into this, and you are correct the outside which is important for cosomatic reasons was not good at all.

The second was an attempt to see if this gave me the best looking part which also failed, the face that was not supported dropped and also if you look carefully the is a flaw half way up the print that made this print mechanically un sound. This is a pro type of a part that will be thicker (big square in pi 1) at moment it is 2mm thick but will be 5mm and it will have a tube printed through the centre to conduct water. My thinking was print it in 2 pieces , 1, I didn't think it would print a tube very cleanly horizontally, and 2 it would cut down on print times instead of a 10 to 12 hr session (1) 6hr session a day???

I haven't had a good print out as yet I am trying another orientation as we speak based on pic 1, but with no supports. I do think that printing it all out as in pic2 seems feasable but also I don't exactly know how to draw my own supports, I am not adversed to trying though. I will post a couple of pics of the next printout if you could give me your opinion I'd appreciate it.

Bob

 

[bob-hepple 59]

Gr5

it was late when the print finished but hears a few results the picture above gave poor results internally

 

as you can see its a bit messy this was printed at 180 pla with shell thickness .80 and speed at 30 .20 resolution

 

the picture below shows another try which I thought might of worked but it also has quality problems

 

again internally spot on but the surface finish was not good again print at 180 and a resolution 0f .15 sped at 30

on the left of the picture there is a hing and doorway that I printed out very small but its good this was going to be glued into place the load on this is not allot so would be quiet sufficient.

I think i'm now ready to try and get a decent print before I change the design to incorporate internal channels ect I noted your thoughts on putting bend in at later date but these are to be printed in multiples so don't want to get into that and also the bend is very crucial.

how would you go about putting supports in on the cad

 

[bob-hepple 59]

forgot to put the surface finish picture to the above

 

also when you look at the 3rd picture up from this you can see distortion on the internal surfaces.

 

 

 

sorry if I'm getting you confused

 

Help is appreciated

 

Bob

 

[bob-hepple 59]

Ok im a bit stumped I don't think I can get the best out of my Um2 printer with this file I don't really know how to draw supports in cad but thought of mesh maker I have read a few blogs on this so I downloaded it and tried something out on screen see below

Cur has cut the printing time down from 4hrs to 3.30mins but not sure if this will work any thoughts...

HELP !!!!!

 

[gr5 2,189]

Those supports are too skinny. In meshmixer you can make them 8mm wide - try that. Also you can manually add cross support support. Meaning you click half way up one support and then click or drag (I forget which) on another support higher up or lower down and it connects the 2.

Is it okay if the quality is good on the outside but bad on the inside? If so then this last orientation seems smart.

 

[bob-hepple 59]

Gr5

No internals are important for accuracy I have posted other questions but can't upload any pics at moment server reporting errors

 

[gr5 2,189]

Can't you just sand/file the bumps down until it fits (the inside that is)? Is it *every* surface? The tricky one is that tilted surface - I would expect a few tiny bumpouts but since it is already supported by the sides it should be pretty good (bridging). Also the two things that screws screw into - those might dip a little but you can just fix them in a few seconds with a good razor knife.

And finally that overhang that has the most meshmixer supports - that will need lots of support on the edges - especially the 2 side edges.

 

[gr5 2,189]

Oh - the absolute trickiest part might be that hole in the overhang as now it's not bridging. I would consider putting a ring around it lower down if there is room and supporting that ring with meshmixer supports so that when it starts printing the "roof" there is already a ring to connect to. But that's just one of many possible options.

 

[yellowshark 153]

Hi Bob, I think the pic in your post of 5th August at 11:53am is probably the way to go. Is it possible for you to post on the forum or email the model file, as an assembly? STL probably OK although a STEP file would be better.

When George was talking about internal quality I suspect he was referring to surface finish rather than accuracy. Using PLA those supports a will roughen up the surface finish, unless you spend hours on post print finishing.

I am not sure what those internal circular cylinders are – guides for two screws? One thing that struck me was that I might design them so they are attached to the main housing which I suspect will likely provide a better finish and increase their strength. If I can get at the assembly in Solidworks I will have a better idea.

 

[bob-hepple 59]

Yellowshark

those pillows are mounting post for another component, they are attached to the side walls with a 2mm fillet that supports the column 3/4 along it length they are quiet solid.

The picture you say is the way to go was done in mesh mixer, but I was not convinced Gr5 says they should be larger in dia which I would agree, it was a feasability study to see if it would help but i'm not convinced. I think it will still cause a lot of work especially in the front area where there is a door/hatch on a hing that requires a good finish for it to work.

I have more pictures, I will upload when the server allows me (Forums Server reporting problems) I can send the stl file over I won't get the permission to send over the part files.

The flap and hing all work, they are printed out separately and glued into position the mounting holes for the hing are blocks, they were originally put into the solid but the printer would not do a clean hole, so I thought it would be better to glue them into the housing which also worked..

will post later

Thanks

Bob