33
votes
Accepted
Will 3D Printed Dice Be Fair?
It probably won't be fair.
Incidentally, I have a decent amount of experience with 3D printing.
It depends heavily on the particular technology that you're using to do the 3D printing, but nearly all ...
- 444
18
votes
Accepted
Tool to measure in STL files
I suggest Blender. It's not the simplest of tools but it is free and learning it will improve your 3D printing skills. :-) (I write this answer also for future viewers of this question so I start ...
- 702
18
votes
What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together?
I use my clearance values according to my rule of thumb: 0.1 mm - to fit with some force, 0.2 mm - just fit edge to edge without force.
Examples:
3 mm metal cylinder to be pressed into plastic part ...
- 514
12
votes
Accepted
Do 3D printers really reach 50 micron (0.05 mm) accuracy?
There's not a simple answer to this question, or if there is, it's "no". However the situation is a lot more complicated. When printer specs cite accuracy like this, they're usually basing the claim ...
10
votes
Is 3D printing a good way to save money?
I would say that the general answer to your specific question is no. If you want to justify buying a printer because of all the things you could print instead of buying that is not going to be easy.
...
- 141
9
votes
What are some good FOSS or free tools for editing STL files for 3D Printing?
You can use OpenSCAD. It's a script based powerful CAD open source software under GPL.
On Thingiverse, a lot of things are made with this CAD software (the ...
- 191
9
votes
Will 3D Printed Dice Be Fair?
I've printed a few dice, and thrown them ~100 times each to check -- they were very far off from fair. One reason, I think, is that the inner fill (and thus a lot of weight) is oriented a certain way. ...
- 3,201
9
votes
Should I include fillets on my 3d printed parts?
Fillets in X-Y plane (i.e. between two vertical surfaces) work great for 3D prints and increase the strength a lot. They usually also improve the print quality, because the print head can keep a ...
- 281
9
votes
Do 3D printers really reach 50 micron (0.05 mm) accuracy?
One of the things I was told about was that many printers don't necessarily have that crazy precision of 0.05 mm (50 micron). Another person told me something different - he said most of those ...
- 14.8k
8
votes
Accepted
How are things like a USB casing designed for 3D printing?
3D printing provides a faster method for prototyping and have always been labeled as prototyping machines. Until recently, it has been rare to see 3D printers used for "mass manufacturing".
Yes, most ...
- 6,284
8
votes
Accepted
Should I include fillets on my 3d printed parts?
If your part needs structural support, then the word is: absolutely. Fillets provide the added support when you need it. If your part has a meeting line which is sharp - 90° (or perpendicular), there ...
- 2,423
7
votes
Accepted
Is this model feasible to print?
Here is a set of options you can get:
print the object on multi color printer
Unfortunately we got some limitations here (on the market). Printers have limited set of heads which are in fact ...
- 3,456
7
votes
Accepted
Grease for PLA sprocket
I use cosmetic vaseline - petroleum jelly. Usually it is white to transparent and odorless. It's cheap and available in all drugstores and cosmetics stores.
As suggested by Tom van der Zanden I'm ...
- 3,456
7
votes
Printing an iPhone Case
Yes this is possible. For an FDM/FFF printer, you'll need to print with supports. I might also recommend printing in PLA to minimize the chance of warping during the print (from experience).
It might ...
- 6,284
7
votes
Accepted
M4 screw and nut for 3D printing?
You can get a model for nearly everything McMaster-Carr sells from their website.
M4 Hex Head Screw - https://www.mcmaster.com/#91280a140/=15dmpx8
M4 Nut - https://www.mcmaster.com/#90592a090/=...
- 2,090
7
votes
Accepted
Are self intersecting meshes dirty from a 3D printing perspective?
Self intersecting meshes are considered dirty, yes. The reason you haven't had trouble before is probably that the software you were using was cleaning your mesh for you, behind the scenes.
Generally ...
- 148
7
votes
Accepted
Font for cutting?
I did a quick search using The Google with the terms "stencil font." There were too many results to list here and the first link I clicked on provided some seriously ugly fonts. Stencil fonts by ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Best practices to fix a threaded nut inside a print
One good option would be to - if possible - change the design, so the nut is inserted from the opposite side, so that the bolt just pulls it in tighter rather than pulling it out.
Another option ...
- 14.8k
7
votes
Accepted
How to print a two color part with only one extruder
What you ask may be easier than you think. The slicing software is unimportant, generally speaking. Consider especially that your requirements fit the solution spot on.
Take a look at this ...
- 11.3k
7
votes
Accepted
How can I generate and export the support structure for an object as a mesh?
You could try Meshmixer its free and the supports generated with it are embedded into the 3D model.
Here you can find a reference on Meshmixer supports. Meshmixer is well known for making custom ...
- 446
7
votes
Split/edit part in FreeCAD?
When you want to change an STL file in FreeCAD then this is how I do it. I open the STL file in FreeCAD and select the option in the Part/...
- 283
7
votes
What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together?
Short version: basically, this depends on your printer, make, model, type, state of maintenance, extruder, slicer settings, belt tension, play, friction, etc.
Long version: Basically your printer ...
- 34.5k
7
votes
What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together?
Yes, some clearance is necessary. Even if you were machining perfect metal parts, you would want a clearance gap (and make an allowance for mis-alignment along the Z axis too, long joints can bind ...
- 3,792
7
votes
What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together?
Before we get into nozzle sizes and snap fits, let's start with the bigger picture. We need to use a common language for defining the parts.
Allowance is a planned difference between a nominal or ...
- 353
7
votes
Why is the printed object smaller than original model?
Are you using the stock firmware of your printer? Sounds like to me that you have 16 tooth pulleys and your firmware is set to 20 tooth i.e. 80 steps per mm
The calculation behind the steps per mm is ...
- 699
7
votes
Do 3D printers really reach 50 micron (0.05 mm) accuracy?
A resolution (sometimes called "accuracy" for marketing purposes) of 0.05 mm means that if you produce a bunch of 10 mm dice and a bunch of 10.05 mm dice, then the 10.05 mm ones will be statistically ...
- 173
7
votes
Accepted
Is there a way to print with ABS without enclosure?
There is no requirement for an enclosure when printing ABS. Like many things in FDM, there are improvements to be made, but there is a scale of what is possible.
A heated bed is much more necessary (...
- 3,792
7
votes
Accepted
My 3D printer shows inbuilt designs, but my designs are invisible
Install the "Chitu code" plugin from the Cura website, some companies use the Chitu board as their printer's CPU and Tronxy does that. Without the plugin, it won't show a preview of your ...
- 106
6
votes
What are some good FOSS or free tools for editing STL files for 3D Printing?
If you want to do basic edits to an STL, a program such as MeshMixer might be right for your. It offers the ability to combine and subtract models, add custom supports, and similar, in a fairly ...
- 3,987
6
votes
Accepted
What does a "3 h5" mean in reference to the axle of a motor?
I think it's a reference to a tolerance. Look at this ISO table. This States that the nominal diameter of 3mm is held to a tolerance of +-0.004mm.
@DarthPixel provided some great links identifying ...
- 6,284
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