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SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Solidoodle Press → Large prints on the Press?
Has anyone attempted any larger prints on the press? If so, please share you experience.
When my printer arrives, hopefully next week, I plan on using it to print a guitar body. I've broken the model out into 9 different pieces and the largest one will fit in a 7" x 7" cube.
Based on the reviews I have seen I'm not so sure the press will handle the job....
I have done a large print, really close to 8" in diameter and about two inches high with the starter filament. It actually turned out pretty nice. Took 12 hours to print (and I don't recommend trying to sleep in the same room as the Press) but it came out really nice. I did get one little bump about half way through, and one edge peeled up a little bit. Other than that it worked fine. And the peeled edge was probably my part, as I didn't have a very even coating of glue on the print bed.
I also printed a gear cube. That one took about 10 hours since I slowed the printer down a little bit and was printing at 150 microns. It turned out really good though! It wasn't as big as my other print, but the print time was similar.
I have done a large print, really close to 8" in diameter and about two inches high with the starter filament. It actually turned out pretty nice. Took 12 hours to print (and I don't recommend trying to sleep in the same room as the Press) but it came out really nice. I did get one little bump about half way through, and one edge peeled up a little bit. Other than that it worked fine. And the peeled edge was probably my part, as I didn't have a very even coating of glue on the print bed.
I also printed a gear cube. That one took about 10 hours since I slowed the printer down a little bit and was printing at 150 microns. It turned out really good though! It wasn't as big as my other print, but the print time was similar.
was that with soliprint? And you also mention glue? Abs and acetone?
I have successfully printed multiple copies of a part that is 175mm by 30mm. As long as you do not use the included ABS (seriously inferior filament)... you will be fine. Just make sure you test the machine with smaller pieces first.
Please see attachment.
I just used some glue stick (Elmer's All Purpose) on the glass bed. It works really well with ABS, and then you can usually just pull the glass plate out and set it to one side, and the parts will pop themselves off as the glass cools. Makes it really easy to get parts off!
Here are some pictures of an 11 hour print that I just finished today. It is a chassis for robot soccer.
I actually printed this first in HIPS plastic, and the result was really fragile, and it warped a bit. Not a ton, but it would have been worse in ABS.
This is printed in PolyMax PLA. Which is honestly the best filament I have used by a long shot! It is a little bit expensive, which is why I only use it after verifying a design in a cheaper material and when the part needs the strength, but it is obscenely strong and really, really easy to print. The only downside is that sometimes it sticks a little too well to the build plate. I broke my original glass build plate trying to get a print in PolyMax off of it!
I had an odd happening with a large floorplan print on the press. It printed about 5mm or so, then it shifted the entire model to the side. Not sure why it happened, but I think I may have printed outside the 8in boundary. I shrunk the model on the X axis and now it seems to print fine, however the model warped and peeled away from the bed. This is more of an ABS issue than a printer issue. Next time I'll jack up the temperature. I'll submit pics when its done.
I had an odd happening with a large floorplan print on the press. It printed about 5mm or so, then it shifted the entire model to the side. Not sure why it happened, but I think I may have printed outside the 8in boundary. I shrunk the model on the X axis and now it seems to print fine, however the model warped and peeled away from the bed. This is more of an ABS issue than a printer issue. Next time I'll jack up the temperature. I'll submit pics when its done.
Not to say you didn't check, but the glass bed has moved on me a few times. 2 shims solved that problem.
I've had great success with large prints. I use Elmer's glue sticks on my build plate, and I heat the plate to 100C or 105C.
I've also secured my build plate with shims.
I recently printed a 7.5" diameter chain guard for my bicycle on my Press in one go, and as far as I could tell, it adhered perfectly.
After many hours of frustration, I'm getting pretty good results on anything that isn't round... The largest print on this was almost 22 hours.
Woah, that is sick! 22 hours? I'm impressed.
That guitar is awesome!
+1 on guitar
Outstanding Job on the design and the execution!!
Thanks guys! I still have a little work to do before the design is right. The guitar plays nicely, but it's just not strong enough. I'm either gonna use 2 steel rods down the middle, or make a wooden core between the neck and bridge.
SoliForum - 3D Printing Community → Solidoodle Press → Large prints on the Press?
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