Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Anyone have any tips for how to print this storage bin? I designed it to slide into an area in a vertical surface that used to just have a plastic cover.
Support tabs should be fine but wanted to get advice on the lip of the bin before I wasted many hours of printing time only to find that the lip warps or needs a crazy amount of support to work.
I've rotated it to see if it would be easier in other orientations but I think the original is likely least wasteful. Also thought about splitting the model and gluing it together after printing.
Thanks in advance for any inputs.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Attached file to previous post but not seeing it there.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
To attach anything but text or pictures to the forum you have to ZIP them up. Its why we always request people to zip up a saved project file, from Prusa Slicer use File>Save Project As.
With a project file people can see not only the model(s) but also all the settings being used as well as any modifiers etc. They are also good to post back as someone can make changes, add supports etc and then you can see what they have done, slice it and look at the previews etc. Good learning tool too.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Going to try a couple different methods. Bear with me. I originally tried to upload the .3mf file from Prusa Slicer, then even tried screen captures (.pngs).
Trying .3mf on this post again...
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Zipped the .3mf...
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Personally Id print that opening down. As in the attached project file.
The bottom (now printed at the top) should bridge over fine, now that I've manually set the bridging angle to the shortest distance. PS for some reason seems to often choose the longest. There's already bug reports for that though lol.
While that will probably make the bottom of the box a little wavey/rough in practice you can just add either a thin printed removeable panel that you can drop into the bottom if looks are important or use a thin foam or rubber etc. Like you see in a cars drink holders.
So I've changed several settings in the project. Compare them to what you had (you can use the compare profile function in PS) and if you want to discuss the reasons or logic behind some of the changes just ask 😉
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Thanks. I had a feeling that flipping it was going to be part of the answer but wasn't clear how it wouldn't create the need for supporting the bottom (now top). I gotta do some more studying on the settings. (Do you know if there's a doc that explains each of the settings in Noob Detail? Or are the articles (and random YouTube videos) the only available source(s) for info?)
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Unfortunately there isn't any doc. There's 'some' info on the Prusa Slicer Knowledge base but its patchy and doesn't go into a lot of details. I've never seen a systematic explanation of the settings. The tooltips when you hover over them are sometimes useful and the newer settings Prusa have at least been trying to do links to info on them.
Probably not the answer you are looking for but slicing stuff, studying the layer by layer preview and then changing something to see its effect is pretty handy many times.
Also just start a thread in the PS forum at the bottom of the list (way down there) asking how to do stuff will generally get you a response or two by some of use 🙂
There's just so many ways to tackle stuff, its highly geometry dependent most times too. Like your part, you could print it in the normal upright orientation but that's a lot of support. Same way that flipping it like I did means much less for the trade off of bridging that first layer. I'm pretty sure its within the MK3's bridging capability when done the short distance but even there, it would be possible to paint a line to define manual support in the middle, turn on support for enforcers only option and add a smaller section of support that runs down the middle to halve the bridging distance if needed. I've bridged that sort of span on my Mk3 though so I don't think it will be needed.
If it was being printed on my old CR10 with its upgraded parts fan then I could bridge them the long ways 🙂 I have to run the fan at 30-50% normally on that printer otherwise it cools too well and I get weak parts. 150mm bridges were quite possible on that machine.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Great. Thanks for the explanation and the help here. Its very much appreciated. I'm sometimes leery about trial and error because it can get expensive but just having a decent starting point helps a lot.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Outside the box thought. Given how the bottom of the bin and the flange around the top will benefit from being placed on the bed, could you print it in two half's and join then together?
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
If you want to check your setup with the filament you are using you can cut the top of the flipped model off leaving a very small gap between the bottom of the bed so its still bridging, then also cut the sides off too to just leave the middle section and print that. That way you can check the bridging without using much material. Saves a lot of time too.
Great. Thanks for the explanation and the help here. Its very much appreciated. I'm sometimes leery about trial and error because it can get expensive but just having a decent starting point helps a lot.
RE: Ideas for How to Print Storage Bin
Sorry I haven't updated. I can't get past the thermal anomaly error since upgrading firmware when attempting to print this.