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Minimum print size

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by Kingbob, May 22, 2014.

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  1. Kingbob

    Kingbob Active Member

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    Hi All

    I havent got my Robo yet, but i'm 2219 so hopefully should ship any day now!

    I've always been a model maker, and i plan to use the printer to make model making easier. One of the challenges of scratch building is when you need to make multiples of a part, and trying to keep them all exactly the same. Or in making something with odd shapes or compound curves, using just flat plastic sheet or rods etc can be a nightmare.

    The first test of the printer when it arrives are parts for a US M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport truck (8 wheel drive, 4 wheel steering). I've drawn models for part of it, so i'm all ready to print, but something occured to me.

    The tip of the extruder on the Robo is 0.4mm wide, but a lot of the parts i've drawn, have structures that are maybe 1mm wide, or 1.5 etc etc. How does the printer handle printing a part that might be fractions of nozzle width. For example, a piece with a 1mm width, is 2.5 x 0.4mm nozzle widths. How does the printer manage that, does it overlap the plastic, or can it simply not do it?

    Should i tweak my model so that any appropriate thin parts are in multiples of the 0.4mm nozzle width? Ie: 0.8mm, 1.2mm, 1.6mm etc?

    Are there any smaller diameter extruder nozzles out there that I should maybe look at?



    Btw, this is the model so far:
    [​IMG]

    Which is the winch platform from this:
    [​IMG]

    Thanks.
     
    #1 Kingbob, May 22, 2014
  2. Peter Krska

    Peter Krska Active Member

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    You do realize that in order for you to print that winch thingy, you'll be printing it as separate parts and then gluing it together?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    #2 Peter Krska, May 22, 2014
  3. Kingbob

    Kingbob Active Member

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    Yeah obviously.

    Thats just my overall model so i can see how it looks. It breaks down into several smaller pieces.
     
    #3 Kingbob, May 22, 2014
  4. Printed Solid

    Printed Solid Volunteer Admin
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    Hey kingbob, looking forward to seeing pic of your model as you get it put together.

    There's got to be a good slicing 101 guide somewhere that someone can point you to, but I'll try to give you some brief but useful answers.

    You do want to keep your minimum x-y feature size at around 0.8mm to give the nozzle the chance to trace inside and outside walls for all features. You can get smaller nozzles, but things get a lot trickier. Your part will also get a lot more delicate.

    You also have shells/perimeters (same meaning, but different software uses different terms) and infill. Shells/perimeters are the number of times the outermost shell of your model is 'traced' by the extruder. So to get your 0.8mm feature, you will be at 1 shell. To some extent, you can get odd gappy features between 0.8 and 1.2 because there isn't enough room to fit a line in there. Once you get to higher number, if the slicer is smart enough, it will jitter the space to get you a nice fill. Think of it like a kid coloring in a picture.

    Infill is what happens in all of that empty space between your shells. Making a model solid is typically a waste of plastic and can cause trouble with warping. So typically, you will select enough shells to get your desired structural strength, then pick an infill pattern to fill in some of that space in the model. Infill is most useful as an internal support if you have a structure with a roof to it (internal overhang).

    There are a lot of good, free slicer programs that have tool path simulation. You can download repetier host with slic3r or Cura now and slice up some of your models to start to develop an understanding of these terms before your printer arrives.
     
    #4 Printed Solid, May 22, 2014
  5. Kingbob

    Kingbob Active Member

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    Thanks Matt, great advice. I'll have to start trying to think in 0.8-1.2mm widths for anything detailed.
     
    #5 Kingbob, May 22, 2014
  6. Kingbob

    Kingbob Active Member

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    Also going to order a 0.25mm nozzle for the E3d v5 which i have ready and waiting!
     
    #6 Kingbob, May 26, 2014
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