Printing large flat panels vertically instead of horizontally?
I have to print some panels that are 15mm thick (it varies - one edge is not as thick) and are about 120mm x 200mm.
I was thinking that I can only fit one or two on a print bed at a time. It occurred to me, though, that if I set the slicer to include a brim, maybe these are thick enough I could orient them vertically and maybe fit 4 or even more of them on the bed at a time. It would take longer to print, but it would be fewer print cycles, which is easier for me to handle. The panels would be big enough that I don't have to worry about delaying or slowing the printer for each layer to give filament time to cool and set between layers.
Is there any advantage to printing something like this vertically? And are there drawbacks I have to be aware of if I do that?
RE: Printing large flat panels vertically instead of horizontally?
Will there be any downside to having the layer lines oriented across the short side of the panels when they're put to use? If that's a problem, you might get away with chamfering the edges and orient them on a 45 degree lean to get the best of both worlds - multiples to a bed with slightly longer layers
RE:
Will you be printing these on a CoreXY printer or on a bed slinger? If the printer keeps pushing the bed around, I would be a bit concerned about mechanical vibrations of the prints -- reducing surface quality or even shaking them loose from the bed. But even then you could probably get away with it if you orient the long axis in the Y direction.
Otherwise, Geoff's point regarding reduced stability of the printed parts due to the layer orientation is valid. But I assume this will be for your vent cover application, where the parts do not experience much mechanical stress? Then this would not be a concern.
If you want to print interlocking features to join multiple panels together, that might be more difficult in the vertical orientation? It may be undesirable to print with supports in that area, since it will make it more difficult to get a snug fit of the interlocks.