Supports - My Archenemy
Using the latest Prusa Slic3r, and my supports suck. I have tried so much & yet...they still suck. Tried Cura, definitely better, but still not great. Tried Meshmixer, and it wasn't great either. Anyone have some primo support settings they use with Slic3r. The image is of course...a fidget spinner bearing cap. I have convexed the top, so printing it upside down isn't an option, because it stinks far worse. Thanks!
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
The best support is no support:
-Split the object using Slic3r so that you print w/o supports.
-Use superglue and baking soda to instantly weld the pieces together
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
Yeah, that's exactly my last resort. I already have an STL file just for that.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
hate to say it but you should try S3d
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
hate to say it but you should try S3d
Yeah, because S3D must be a great slicer because it costs a lot of money. And loads of people fall into that trap.
There are plenty of decent slicers out there, most of which are free. Supports will always be an issue when printing. If you absolutely must use supports, then the best ones are those printed in PVA (or similar).
Slic3r PE is a great slicer, and is constantly being developed to improve things (like supports). The only problem I have with it is that I find it difficult to use because of a poor user interface (in my opinion).
Peter
Please note: I do not have any affiliation with Prusa Research. Any advices given are offered in good faith. It is your responsibility to ensure that by following my advice you do not suffer or cause injury, damage…
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
S3D is a product & company I would rather watch fail than support them right now. If they stop their DRM practices, I would consider it. Slic3r PE is good stuff, I agree with PJR in regards to the interface. $150 & extreme DRM just for supports...nah, think I'll pass. Figuring out Meshmixer supports, as that seems to be the best road. Tweaking is a pain in the butt, but I think I might be on to something.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
In the past I have used TinkerCad or Fusion360 to add manual supports ( which is just a slanted 45 degree cylinder) Do you have the thingiverse link?
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
Not on Thingiverse, it's a design I am creating. Working with the Meshmixer supports which are pretty good, I just need to figure the tweaking out a little better. My next step was to add them in 360 to try out as well.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
Problem seems to be that Slic3r stops the supports a couple of layers below the bottom of the overhang. This makes the lower layer of the overhang droop or unstable printed. The only option I found so far is setting the contact Z distance. But that doesn't seem to work: either it is 0 and then you can't detach the supports from the overhangs. Or you set it some non-zero value and then they are to low, tried it setting as low as 0.05, no dice...
Seems the support structures are seriously flawed in Slic3r.
Have some experience at work with a Zortrax 200. You can say many things of the Z-Suite, but the supports do what they have to do (Nice smooth lower overhang layers) and are easy to remove. The top layer of the support is attached to the bottom layer of the overhang with tiny little nubs or something that are easy to break away. A little filing or sanding makes it completely smooth...
So it is possible. It's just that Slic3r sucks at supports right now.
Tried Cura, but somehow the driver for the Prusa is completely bonkers. Printer made the strangest noises, clicks and whatever and after 3 layers had to stop him because the head was ripping the lower layers from the plate.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
Why don't you just change the caps' assembly design altogether then? Make two equal caps with octogonal cutouts in the middle and make a octogonal profile pin that will be press-fit into the bearing/caps assembly.
You'll have three parts for printing that will all have flat surfaces which will be able to provide enough surface adhesion to the bed.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
I am having the same issues with a small print for my mini quad. The support material either doesnt stick at all, not even to the bes or it's impossible to remove from the part. I wish there was a good setting for this. I saw Prusa's bull with support and am thinking that impossible with my printer
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
We are constantly working on supports in Slic3r. Generating good supports is surprisingly difficult.
There are currently the following issues open on Slic3r supports:
https://github.com/prusa3d/Slic3r/issues?q=is%3Aissue+is%3Aopen+label%3Asupports
> Problem seems to be that Slic3r stops the supports a couple of layers below the bottom of the overhang. This makes the lower layer of the overhang droop or unstable printed.
I don't think this is correct. Slic3r will print the lower layer of the object with the bridging flow, that means it will extrude 0.4mm diameter thick threads over the supports. If you set the gap close to zero but not exactly to zero, the threads will touch the supports exactly.
There has been a lot of discussion on the vertical gap at the following issue:
https://github.com/prusa3d/Slic3r/issues/102
> The only option I found so far is setting the contact Z distance. But that doesn't seem to work: either it is 0 and then you can't detach the supports from the overhangs. Or you set it some non-zero value and then they are to low, tried it setting as low as 0.05, no dice...
If you set the Z gap to zero, Slic3r will expect the supports to be soluble and acts differently.
Different filament materials seem to require a different strategy. PLA does not curl much and breaks easily, so the strategy of Slic3r works quite well. There seems to be an issue with Slic3r printing supported horizontal structures with ABS, where the print does not link to the support at all and the horizontal structure curls up rendering the support useless. This issue needs our attention.
> Seems the support structures are seriously flawed in Slic3r.
> Have some experience at work with a Zortrax 200. You can say many things of the Z-Suite, but the supports do what they have to do (Nice smooth lower overhang layers) and are easy to remove. The top layer of the support is attached to the bottom layer of the overhang with tiny little nubs or something that are easy to break away. A little filing or sanding makes it completely smooth...
So it is possible. It's just that Slic3r sucks at supports right now.
I know of no slicer, that would create such tiny little nubs. S3D doesn't do it, Cura doesn't do it, I don't think Kisslicer does it. Would you please provide some pictures? That would help us to make Slic3r suck less.
Re: Supports - My Archenemy
By nubs, do you mean like the supports Meshmixer creates?