3D Printing Stack Exchange
3D Printing Stack Exchange

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1500 questions
17
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8 answers

Good (preferably free) Beginner Software for Part Creation?

What software is best for the basest of n00bs when it comes to 3D parts creation? I have a heavy math background and know how to create explicit functions of volume, surface area, center of mass, etc. Ideally, I'd like a program that uses those…
Cerberus
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17
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1 answer

Tips for making parts that push/snap together

I would like to make some parts that will fit together. Specifically, I'm making an array of holders for small glass vials, which will stack together vertically to make a kind of extensible spice rack, for a scientific application. Of course, I…
N. Virgo
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8 answers

Ideal print bed: Glass or Aluminium?

Glass is always level, easy to clean, easy to work with. Aluminium allows for the addition of automatic bed leveling with an inductive sensor and distributes heat a little more evenly. When printing mostly ABS and PLA, which one is better?
Chase Westlye
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17
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5 answers

Bed leveling method?

Is there a good method or tool to level the bed of 3D printers? I find myself making small adjustments a lot and it's mostly just trial-and-error. A normal bubble level is of limited help and trying to figure out if the head is the thickness of a…
Michael McGlothlin
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17
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7 answers

Would 3D printing multiple copies at once saves time?

I am wondering - of course if the 3D printer's bed big enough - printing multiple copies of the same print could save me significant amount of time in a small production line, excluding minor wastage such as setup time, post-processing time,…
Mehrad
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17
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2 answers

Which resolution is needed for bricks compatible with Lego?

I found a story about someone 3D-printing equipment for their Lego minifig, using an Ultimaker. (Article is in Dutch, but accompanied by photographs). I noticed that what they made weren't the actual connecting bricks, but the tools used by the…
S.L. Barth is on codidact.com
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17
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3 answers

Printed part auto-eject (automatic part removal)

What are the methods to auto eject parts (into a collection area/box/basket) in order for the 3D printer to continue printing? For some reason this feature isn't common (yet?). Is there a hidden reason why? Will using the print head to ram the part…
allanlaal
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17
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2 answers

Differences between moving build plate vs. extruder

What are the differences, and pros & cons, between 3D printers with varying layouts for moving head vs. moving build plate? Example layouts would include: X Head; YZ Bed; XY Head; Z Bed; XYZ Head; etc. In particular, what are their…
agent provocateur
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17
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4 answers

Resolution Drawbacks

With an ABS or PLA extrusion 3D printer, are there any potentially negative quality differences that could occur if I try to print at a higher resolution? I am not concerned about print time as the equipment is not under high demand. I am, however,…
kaine
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4 answers

Do 3D printers really reach 50 micron (0.05 mm) accuracy?

I've always been wondering about the actual accuracy of 3D printing devices. When looking for the perfect machine to buy, I looked at the speed, price, filaments supported etc, but also accuracy. I once asked somebody who could give me some advice…
StLuke5
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16
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6 answers

Creality Ender 3 printer power consumption?

Anyone have any idea how much power it takes to run a Creality Ender 3 3D printer every day for several hours at a time? Like what does it eat up per hour? A rough estimate of power use per hour would be nice, then I can figure out how much it costs…
James Hanvey
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16
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3 answers

Ender 3 nozzle homes off the bed in the Y axis

I just received my new Creality Ender 3. I was going through and checking/adjusting everything for alignment, and I noticed that when you "auto home" the print head, the nozzle stops off the front of the print bed by 5-10 mm. Is that normal? Is it…
Steve In CO
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16
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5 answers

Print only part (fraction) of a model

I've made a 9H-printing model tonight, and only a little part of it failed (because a support dropped off). I want to reprint only that little part. How can I do that in Cura? How can I tell Cura to generate a gcode file so only that little part…
Xenos
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16
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1 answer

Which is the difference between MK6 and MK8 and even MK10?

I made and assembled my own 3D printer two years ago and I notice that some extruders are MK6 and MK(*whatever). Some of them has the block fuser horizontal and others vertical, then uses a nozzle longer. The block heater that I made was an aluminum…
Fernando Baltazar
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How to improve face that are printed on support?

Is there anything I can do to improve the bottom side of surfaces that are printed on support? I always try to rotate the model so that surfaces that need to look nice are on the sides or top, and, if possible I divide the model into smaller parts…
Nir
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