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Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner (view source)
Revision as of 20:43, 12 May 2022
, 20:43, 12 May 2022→How do FDM Printers Work?
==[[Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner/How do FDM Printers Work?|How do FDM Printers Work?]]==
==[[Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner/How do FDM Printers Work?|How do FDM Printers Work?]]==
Fused deposition modelling (FDM) printers extrude melted material through a nozzle. As this happens, the nozzle is moved along a predetermined toolpath (a set of spatial coordinates), laying the extruded material on existing surfaces along the way. The toolpath is generated from CAD models in a software called a slicer software, named thus given that it slices 3D models in thin 2D layers which when stacked reform the original model.
Fused deposition modelling (FDM) printers extrude melted material through a nozzle. As this happens, the nozzle is moved along a predetermined toolpath (a set of spatial coordinates), laying the extruded material on existing surfaces along the way. The toolpath is generated from CAD models in a software called a slicer software, named this way given that it slices 3D models in thin 2D layers which when stacked reform the original model.
[[File:FDM Layers.jpg|center|frame|A FDM print closeup to show the layers in the print.<ref>Redwood, Ben (2022). ''How does part orientation affect a 3D print?'' Hubs, a Protolabs company. Accessed on 12/05/2022 at https://www.hubs.com/knowledge-base/how-does-part-orientation-affect-3d-print/</ref>]]
==[[Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner/FDM Printer Components|FDM Printer Components]]==
==[[Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner/FDM Printer Components|FDM Printer Components]]==
To save on material, rather than completely fill a print a solid part with plastic, 3D printers will print what is called an "infill". Infills are usually by default a grid-like pattern that gives a 3D printed part rigidity and density. The "Infill (%)" slider allows you to select how dense (in percentage) the grid pattern inside the model will be, 0% being completely hollow, and 100% being completely solid. The higher the infill percentage, the stronger your part will be, but the longer it'll take to print.
To save on material, rather than completely fill a print a solid part with plastic, 3D printers will print what is called an "infill". Infills are usually by default a grid-like pattern that gives a 3D printed part rigidity and density. The "Infill (%)" slider allows you to select how dense (in percentage) the grid pattern inside the model will be, 0% being completely hollow, and 100% being completely solid. The higher the infill percentage, the stronger your part will be, but the longer it'll take to print.
It is a common misconception that 100% is always the best solution to creating a strong part. While 100% infill will create the strongest possible part, the ratio between printing time and part strength worsens as you increase the infill density, especially after approximately 60%. Selecting 100% is therefore often a waste of time and material in comparison to lower infills.<ref>Alvarez C, Kenny L, Lagos C, Rodrigo F, & Aizpun, Miguel. (2016). Investigating the influence of infill percentage on the mechanical properties of fused deposition modelled ABS parts. ''Ingeniería e Investigación'', ''36''(3), 110-116. Available online: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-56092016000300015</ref>
It is a common misconception that 100% is always the best solution to creating a strong part. While 100% infill will create the strongest possible part, the ratio between printing time and part strength worsens as you increase the infill density, especially after approximately 60%. Selecting 100% is therefore often a waste of time and material in comparison to lower infills.<ref>Alvarez C, Kenny L, Lagos C, Rodrigo F, & Aizpun, Miguel. (2016). ''Investigating the influence of infill percentage on the mechanical properties of fused deposition modelled ABS parts.'' Ingeniería e Investigación, 36(3), 110-116. Available online: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-56092016000300015</ref>
In other words, if your part will not be facing any mechanical strain, <u>we recommend you select an infill percentage between 5-20%</u>. If high strains are expected and thus strength is required, <u>use 60% at the very most</u>.
In other words, if your part will not be facing any mechanical strain, <u>we recommend you select an infill percentage between 5-20%</u>. If high strains are expected and thus strength is required, <u>use 60% at the very most</u>.