3DPrinting @lemmy.world petey @aussie.zone 1 wk. ago

Friendly reminder to print awkward models on an angle

This is a battery cell case that was a pain last time I printed it with supports

Model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5240533/files

21 comments

Ohh nice, battery pez dispenser!

Is that considered a raft + supports or just supports on there?
- Just supports, I had to manually paint them in to prevent the slicer from putting them all the way up the side
  
  In Orca slicer, if you use tree supports and hybrid, an option appears (advanced must be enabled) for something like "Essential supports only". It is so much better than spending all that time adding or blocking supports.
- Looks like the model is just resting on supports. Might have a roof or "support interface" (a layer between supports and model)
As a total beginner, it's not really clear to me what's meant here. I read printing some things are better to print at an angle, like boxes, for additional strength. Is that what's meant here?
- I think OP is putting it at an angle so there are no 90 degree overhangs and so the model doesn't need support added or removed.
That's actually genius, thanks for the tip man
What exactly is the difference to just printing it standing?
- Less overhangs?
  
  That's one, but if you are priting a particularly delicate part, printing at an angle could strengthen the part significantly
- This model is almost entirely overhangs with small gaps between them, making support removal a pain. This way uses less filament and makes for better quality
- This particular model would have lots of troublesome bridging if printed vertically, and would need supports along the entire length if printed horizontally.
That's so smart! Thanks for the tip
Caveat: I know nothing about 3D printing.

That being said, couldn't you just print it on its side?
- That’s a great idea and would require similar amounts of support, however there’s still going to be 90 degree overhangs that wouldn’t come out quite as nice as the orientation I used
  
  The model in question only has 1 flat side, its end (which is the top in the photo). Every other side requires supports if it’s on the build plate because of the recess in the cap, and the cap being wider than the rest of the model
- It really depends on what you're printing, how strong you need it to be, and/or what axis you don't mind looking uglier because of layer lines.
  
  In this case OP might have been able to print it on a side with minimal supports, but the idea is that printing it at an angle turns things that would have been overhangs (which are hard for printers to do because of the melted plastic sagging) into upwards slopes. The alternative is adding support material that is intended to snap off (i.e. The block at the bottom of this picture), but those would be hard/impossible to remove in models like OP's that would have supports inside the holes.

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