Looking for ways to improve my settings for printing
I'm still working through all the settings and adjustments I can make with printing. In another thread, where I was trying to solve a different problem, I mentioned that an object had a print time of 13 hours. One person commented that it seemed like that was a long time to print the object I was using and suggested uploading a 3mf file from PrusaSlicer and ask what I can do to reduce my print time and to improve what I'm doing.
This is close to the object I started with. I had to trim it, so it's only a 12 1/2 hour print job now. I'd love to know what I'm doing wrong or can do better so I can print something like this faster and improve my prints overall. I'm also concerned about weight. While I'm not making anything that holds heavy rocks or anything like that, this mount is for slide-on cases that hold things like my Mac Mini, which isn't heavy, but I want to be sure the mount will hold and won't sag or something like that over time.
RE: Looking for ways to improve my settings for printing
You aren't doing anything wrong. For a print that size on a Mk3 its going to take that long. If I was printing it I would change a few settings but those would actually make it take longer. Which wouldn't bother me though.
For a functional part Id have the perimeters set to at least 3, 4 would be better. Extra Perimeters results in more strength than extra Infill, so you can often go with less infill. Unfortunately you are going to need a 20-30% infill to support those flat upper surfaces adequately. Personally I would also use cubic or support cubic rather than gyroid. I've found that I tend to get more warping on large flat bases with gyroid (display stands etc) YMMV though. Also cubic results in a smaller gcode file 🙂
RE: Looking for ways to improve my settings for printing
If I was printing it I would change a few settings but those would actually make it take longer. Which wouldn't bother me though.
A lot of times I'd just let it take longer, but this is part of a process where I'm getting things set up for my workspaces in my study and workshop and I have a number of things lined up to print and I hate working with a makeshift space with so many things stacked up and in the way.
Extra Perimeters results in more strength than extra Infill, so you can often go with less infill.
Interesting - noted and I'll remember that.
Personally I would also use cubic or support cubic rather than gyroid.
No problem. I can't remember what the default infill is on PrusaSlicer. I think I ended up with gyroid when I was looking into different fills and forgot to set it back. Since it's been working, I just left it there.
I've found that I tend to get more warping on large flat bases with gyroid (display stands etc) YMMV though.
I printed this once, the cases for my equipment didn't fit onto the rails and I didn't even think of warping as an issue. I looked at my work to see if I had changed the rail height without realizing it and was about to print some test pieces when I had the object in my hand and just happened to see it looked warped. I recalibrated all three axes, did extra cleaning on my print bed, and reset the Z axis distance over the print bed then tried a reprint. While doing that, I took a saw to the first print and cut it down the middle and found the rails there worked - so it was the warping. (Which I'm sure you know, this was the learning process on that issue for me.) The 2nd one was just as bad. I asked for help here, but also looked around in my print tool drawers (don't know why!) and found the glue that came with my Prusa printer, so I used that and it worked - only for me to find I have adjust size and reprint!
I'd like to add skirts, but I already beveled the edges on this and just tried the glue. In the future I'll experiment more with skirts. I may make a small bridge from the most outlying part of bevels around the edges so I have a bridge and a skirt that won't make the bevel a mess when I trim it.
Also cubic results in a smaller gcode file 🙂
I usually just send the output from Prusa Slicer directly to OctoPrint. If I have to use special settings, I note it in the text files I have in my Blender files. I'm sure, as I continue to explore, I'll find more cases where I need to save 3mf files or gcode files for future use.
RE: Looking for ways to improve my settings for printing
Much of what you can do to speed it up also depends on your expectations for aesthetics.
For example, I would try to print this with 0.3mm layer height. I started with a 0.2 Speed profile, switched to 0.3 mm layer height, 30% adaptive cubic infill, and 3 perimeters. I think 30% should be enough, you may see a bit of pillowing but who cares, that part will be covered by whatever case you slide in there (but again, depends on your sense of aesthetics). 0.3 layer height may make the fillets look suboptimal, I would probably use chamfers. But it takes you down to 7h41m print time. To make the four slider posts a bit more "round", I added a height range modifier from 5 to 22.1 mm and set layer height to 0.2, which gave me 8h43m. I also played a bit with increasing the extrusion width but it only gave me another 15 minutes or so. Switching to a 0.6 mm nozzle (which I would do for a largish, functional model like this) would shave another hour off. I didn't look at all at opportunities to adjust individual speed settings for this model.
But again, more often than not, trying to print faster may impact the aesthetics of the model, and that trade-off is a personal decision.
Formerly known on this forum as @fuchsr -- until all hell broke loose with the forum software...
RE: Looking for ways to improve my settings for printing
Even if I don't respond to all points, I'm paying attention and, on many posts, I go through my profile and look for these posts and review them later - just like studying them so I can make sure I remember all the points people make. All this is helpful, since it does take a good while to learn all the details!
But again, more often than not, trying to print faster may impact the aesthetics of the model, and that trade-off is a personal decision.
After I get my printers and CNC and the workspace all set up, I'll be making custom signs with the CNC, but also moving toward making other items. In printing, I'm starting with pottery tools that I'll be making and selling. (There are things I, and the others at the pottery studio, have been thinking would be quite helpful, so that's where I'm starting.) Since that's an end goal, right now I'm practicing on aesthetics - learning to bevel in odd situations and just making things look decent. As I get that down, learning how to speed things up and use less filament without creating other issues will be a priority.
I'm learning - just not as quickly as I wish I could! 😉