3D Printing Orientation and Guide
Julia Valenti
jcvalenti@cpp.edu
What is 3D Printing?
Topics to Help You Succeed in 3D Printing
5. How FDM/FFF Printing Works
6. Types of Filament and Uses
7. Printable Type Files
8. Cura Slicing Software
9. Positioning of a Print
11. Support material
12. Layer Height
13. Bed Plate Adhesion
14. Infill
15. Wall Thickness
16. Tolerances
17. Hardware Issues
18. Cura
How FDM/FFF Printing Works
Types of Filament and Uses
PLA ABS PETG TPU
(Polylactic Acid) (Acrylonitrile butadiene (Polyethylene (Thermoplastic
styrene) Terephthalate “glycol- polyurethane)
modified”)
Difficulty to use Low Medium Low Medium
Printers Monoprice, Ultimaker, Ultimaker, Craftbot
Ultimaker, Craftbot Craftbot Craftbot
Pros Easy to Use Acetone Soluble, Heat Layers Weld Flexible
Resistance (100 C) Together Well
Cons Brittle, not Heat Warping/Shrinkage, Lower Heat Hard to print on
Resistant (50 C) Best in Enclosure Resistance (80C) Bowden Tubes
Temperature 180°C – 220°C 210°C – 250°C 220°C – 250°C 210°C – 230°C
Bed Temp 20°C – 60°C 80°C – 110°C 50°C – 75°C 30°C – 60°C
(Optional) (Optional)
Printable Type Files
Cura Slicing Software
Positioning of a Print
● Most Surface Area
● No Islands
● No Overhangs
● May Need to Split Part
Support Material
Usage:
● No Ideal Positioning
● Floating parts
● Overhangs/Islands
● Organic parts
Cons:
● Hard to Remove
● May Break Part
● Cosmetics
Layer Height/ Resolution
Note: I usually use .1 mm, .2 mm, or .3 mm
Bed Plate Adhesion
Uses: Uses: Uses: ABS Filament
● helps prime your ● holds down the edges of ● helps with warping and
extruder your part bed adhesion
● establish a smooth flow ● can prevent warping ● helps stabilize models
of filament ● helps with bed adhesion with small footprints
● creates a strong
foundation
Filament use: Light Filament use: Medium Filament use: High
Print Speed: Fastest Print Speed: Fast Print Speed: Medium
Separation: N/A Separation: Easy Separation: Medium
Infill ● Choose the Shape of the Infill
○ Grid- easiest infill patterns to print
● Save on plastic and materials ○ Triangular - High strength in the direction of
● Choose the Density of the Print the shell.
○ Higher percent takes more time ○ Zig zag-Great to use for flexible materials.
○ Higher percent = more strength ○ Honeycomb-greater overall strength in all
directions than a rectangular pattern
Wall Thickness
Most Printers: .4mm Nozzle => Multiples of .4 optimizes print time
.8mm
● Mediocre Strength
1.2mm
● Strong, Time Consuming
1.0mm
● Same time as 1.2mm, not as high of strength
Tolerances
● Printers are not 100% accurate to the model
● Parts with interferences/interactions
● Parts for exact dimensions
● Combined Parts
● Different for Every Printer
● ± .3 - .5 mm Safety
Hardware Issues
● Bed Leveling
● Clogged Extrusion Head
● Moisture in Filament
● Broken/ No Filament
● Electrical
● Cancel Button
● Problems with Preheat/Starting Print
● Micro SD cards
● Other Issues Guide
How to use Cura
● Set up printer
○ Other: Monoprice Select Mini (V2)
● Change Print Setup
○ Recommended to Custom
● Adjust all of the settings to fit your part
● Click Prepare to Slice your part
○ (if a time is already showing up than it may have auto-sliced)
● Plug in a MicroSD/SD card with the converter
● Click “Save to Removable Drive”
● Plug in the MicroSD or SD card into the 3D printer
● Press Print!
Test Your Knowledge!
1. Find a CAD file that you want to print
a. If you do not have a modeled file you can find one on
Thingiverse.com
2. Import the .STL file to Cura
3. Adjust Cura settings for ideal print
a. Change your settings to the right 3D printer
b. Change the print to ideal positioning
c. Do you need any brims or support?
d. Choose infill density
e. Slice (make sure it’s within the time limit)
4. Import the .gcode onto a sd card
5. Print!
