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Digital technologies/3D printing/3D printing- Beginner (view source)
Revision as of 19:02, 16 May 2022
, 19:02, 16 May 2022→Layer Height
=== Important Parameters ===
=== Important Parameters ===
It is important to keep a few parameters in mind when FDM printing. Using the proper parameters will ensure that your print comes out right.
It is important to keep a few parameters in mind when FDM printing. Using the proper parameters will ensure that your print comes out right!
==== Nozzle Size ====
The nozzle size is an important parameter that affects the quality of the print you will obtain. Depending on the size of your print, as well as the desired quality, you may choose different nozzle sizes. Larger nozzles will be able to output more material such that prints on large nozzle printers will take less time (provided that other parameters such as layer height and printer speed are adjusted to take the larger nozzle into account). On the opposite side of the spectrum, smaller nozzle sizes will lead to a slower print, but finer feature qualities. At the Makerspace, we have 0.25mm, 0.4mm, 0.6mm and 0.8mm nozzles on our printers, the most popular sizes being 0.4mm and 0.8mm. Most desktop printers will have a 0.4mm nozzle size by default as this size strikes a nice balance between quality of print and print times. Laws of geometry being what they are, however, the amount of material you can output through the nozzle of your printer increases by a power of 2 as you increase nozzle sizes, such that you can expect to reduce printing times by roughly a factor of 4 by going from a 0.4mm nozzle to a 0.8mm nozzle (don't rely solely on presets to try to replicate these results, other settings need tweaking such as layer height and printer speed to reproduce this ratio of nozzle size to print time).
==== Layer Height ====
==== Layer Height ====
The Layer height is the first and most obvious parameter to tweak in order to obtain the preferred results. Larger layer heights will lead to coarser resolution in height (along the Z axis). Lower layer heights will lead to higher resolutions along Z.
The Layer height is the second and most obvious parameter to tweak in order to obtain the preferred results. Larger layer heights will lead to coarser resolution in height (along the Z axis). Lower layer heights will lead to higher resolutions along Z, but will also increase the print time drastically. Note that using larger nozzles will allow you to use larger layer heights due to the extra volumetric flow obtainable. See below for an example.
[[File:Layer-height orig.jpg|center|frame|Effect of layer heights on Z quality.<ref>B3D Online (2022). FFF/FDM 3D Print 101-Layer Height, Infill & Support. Accessed 2022/05/16 at <nowiki>https://www.b3d-online.com/blog-news/ffffdm-3d-print-101-layer-height-infill-support</nowiki></ref>]]
==== Print Speed ====
==== Print Speed ====
The print speed is another one of those obvious parameters that will affect print times. However, the ways in which the print speed will affect the final print are not always obvious. If the print speed is too high, the printer might not be able to dispense enough material through its nozzle per unit of time to fill the desired volume with the required amount of material. This can lead to bad adhesion between layers or even a complete lack of adhesion to layers. The ratio of layer height to layer speed (i.e.: material outflow through the nozzle) should therefore always be considered when FDM printing (the exact subject though being more of an intermediate subject). When making parts that will bear loads, print speeds are increasingly important as layer adhesion becomes an important factor in the strength of the final part.
==== Nozzle Temperature ====
==== Nozzle Temperature ====
==== Line Width ====
==[[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]]==