Project
Design a part for 3D FDM printing
A closed file is not yet a printable part. In FDM the object is born in layers: the direction of the layers decides where the piece is strong and where it can be delaminated. These are the checks we do before quoting.
Guidance
The layer is a plane of weakness. If a clip works by opening and closing, the layers should not be parallel to the stress breaking it. Orient the piece so that the main force is in the plane of the layer, not between one layer and another. If the aesthetics of a face matter more than resistance, say it: you choose a compromise, you do not pretend that the two things always coincide.
Minimum Walls and Details
A wall drawn like a sheet of paper does not come out of the machine. In FDM a reasonable minimum thickness is a few tenths of a millimetre, and it must contain at least one continuous perimeter. Very thin text, ribs and pins need to be thickened or removed. If a detail is thinner than one layer, the printer will not invent it.
Shots
Beyond a certain angle, the layer does not have enough support and needs support. The supports are removed, but they leave a mark and add time. 45 degree chamfers, fittings and a flat face on the build plate reduce the supports. If a geometry cannot avoid them, it must be said in the quote: the finish of the supported area is not that of a free wall.
Holes, trees and couplings
A hole drawn at nominal size often comes out tighter, because the perimeter closes inward. A shaft can come out larger. For a fit, leave clearance and plan to test the first part, instead of calling out a machine-tool fit. FDM 3D printing does not replace a ground tolerance. If you need a precise sliding fit, we treat it as a constraint and choose orientation and material accordingly.
Face on the build plate
The face resting on the build plate comes out different from the others: smoother, sometimes with a slightly crushed edge. You choose which face can afford it. Avoid putting a fine text or critical coupling on that plane, if you can orient it vertically.
Files to send
- STEP or STP if you want us to read geometry and not just mesh.
- STL or 3MF if the model is already ready for printing. The 3MF better keeps units and some extra information.
- OBJ only if it is the format you have: check scale and units.
- Unit in millimeters, closed model, a part per file when possible.
The choice between PETG, ASA and resin lies in guide to materials. When the file is ready, ask the quote and indicates the use of the part, not only the quantity.