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Miniature Printing and Magic Layer Height

Discussion in 'General Questions' started by Brian Guenther, Oct 25, 2018.

  1. Brian Guenther

    Brian Guenther New Member

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    So, I've been doing a lot of testing and prinitng on my C2 over the last couple months and have been learning how to solve problems myself and make small adjustments to setting via research and trial-by-fire.

    Recently I have been trying to print miniatures on the C2 with very little success. I have been getting slightly better results as I have been slowly, monotonously changing settings to make sure I keep a close eye on what works and what doesn't.

    Anyone else have any luck printing miniatures on the C2? I'f so what kind of settings are you using. I want to post my settings but I dont have my computer in front of me. I'll addendum later with them.

    Also, as I have been researching, I keep coming across this "Magic Layer Height" that people are talking about when printing. They explain it as: The natural height that your printer steps during printing, usually a random looking number like 0.4235. People mention that it can make a big difference in the final quality of the miniature.

    Is there a "Magic Layer Height" for the C2


    Thanks
    ~Brian
     
  2. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    how mini is mini? Typically for say a 15mm tall mini you'll want to print with a .25 or smaller nozzle. It will expand the printing time and slow you down but the end result is very worth it.

    I dont really do the "magic layer height" because i see no need. the imperfections in the process are still visible so I just stil with a good ole fashioned .05 to .75 layer height whenever I print minis.

    Now that said- mini printing is much better on a resin printer. They are able to more easily capture detail- just resin printing is expensive, messy and well yea. expensive and messy.

    Dont know that any of this is very helpful for you but there it is :D
     
  3. Brian Guenther

    Brian Guenther New Member

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    Thanks for the quick reply!

    So I’m looking at more 28mm height minis. Tabletop gaming and painting type stuff.

    The magic layer height is just something that kept coming up, glad to know someone is having success without worrying about it.

    I actually ordered a few nozzles of different sizes to try that out.

    So also one of the big issues I had with the minis was the supports that printed. On the couple of successful prints(made it to the end and vaguely resembled the original model) the supports were insanely hard to remove. To the point that I either had to leave the support or risk breaking the mini. And recommendations for the support settings?
     
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    PRECISION, THY NAME IS RIGIDITY

    OK, with that out of my system ....

    Yes, minis print in higher quality on a resin printer. period. Anything tiny does (and this is why we built a DLP, but that is another story)

    However they can be 'decent' on a C2.
    No magic layer height, they thing to remember is to scale print speed with 'quality'/resolution. If you decrease the layer height, decrease the print speed proportionately.

    The C2 has a good chance of decent prints in this area because it is a gantry style and much more rigid than the R1 :)

    Smaller nozzles are great but they mean smaller layer heights too (keep the layer height at about 50% of the nozzle diameter for best results)
     
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    We currently use the C2 as our default 'quick and dirty small item printer with good quality'

    0.25 mm nozzle.
     
  6. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
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    What software?
     
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  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Simplify3D
     
  8. WheresWaldo

    WheresWaldo Volunteer ( ͠° ͟ʖ ͡°)
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    There is a mechanical limit that should be considered with respect to layer height. Most people just ignore it because of microsteps. Steppers are built with a certain number of steps per full rotation, Robo uses steppers that have 1.8° movement per full step. They are designed so that each full step is precise and repeatable. Now 3D print controllers and for that matter CNC too, have this thing called microsteps. Microsteps uses electricity to limit the movement of a stepper to a fraction of a step. The Robo controller, as with most based on Marlin Firmware, have the ability and are set to 16 microsteps per full step. The great thing about microsteps is that you can virtually dial in any amount of linear movement in any axis. The problem is that microsteps are not always a 1:1 linear relationship to the amount of voltage applied.

    All of this is to say, that you will get more consistent and precise prints using full steps and not microsteps. What this means for the C2 is that full steps in the Z axis moves that axis 0.02 mm linearly. So if you can keep your layer heights divisible by 0.02 mm you will likely have all of them on full steps and not microsteps.

    In practical terms it probably does not make all that much difference, but if you must be as precise as possible then at the very least file this information in your mind somewhere you can recall it when you want it.
     
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