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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 22nd, 2023

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  • Oh boy, I keep a page just for this!.

    I need to update it (for example, Arachne perimeters in PrusaSlicer now let you print extra thin perimeters), but it’s useful to have a reference for common tolerances/dimensions like screw holes.

    But a couple of my little additional pet peeves:

    • Don’t put fillets on the underside of prints (against the bed). The nearly-flat angle always droops and looks bad. Use a chamfer instead, or make a fillet that actually starts at 30° from horizontal.
    • The weakest direction is between layers. Design your part such that you can print it in an orientation where the thin/weak parts aren’t printed where the layer lines can snap (eg, print it flat vs vertical)
    • Just like the straight lines inside screw head holes, thinking ahead in your design can prevent/minimize the need for support material. The earlier you start thinking about this in you design, the easier it will be. For example, can a part be designed with a 30° slope on an underside instead of being flat? Can you think about your print orientation early in the design process to avoid overhangs?
    • Chamfer of fillet inside corners, if it’s a structural part. This will greatly reduce stress concentrations.

    Personally, I don’t use 3 perimeters on most of my prints. On my prusa, they look totally fine with 2 perimeters. I only switch to 3 if I need the strength (which also almost always means I’m printing in PETG, rather than PLA, FWIW).