Most Popular
1500 questions
18
votes
3 answers
Can you put PLA parts in your car (in the sun)?
I'm in the process of building my own head unit / stereo prototype for a car, which will have a 3D-printed enclosure.
My concern is that cars can get quite hot in the sun, and even more so if you live in hot climates. Some estimations put the…
user10974
18
votes
8 answers
Ideal print bed: Glass or Aluminium?
Glass is always level, easy to clean, easy to work with.
Aluminium allows for the addition of automatic bed leveling with an inductive sensor and distributes heat a little more evenly.
When printing mostly ABS and PLA, which one is better?
Chase Westlye
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18
votes
12 answers
What could be causing my y axis to slip?
Occasionally, while printing, my y axis will slip and the layer will, from that point forward, be shifted, ruining the print.
What might be the causes of an axis slipping? I have tried cooling the motor which seemed to have been getting warm, and…
Matt Clark
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18
votes
6 answers
Drilling 3D-printed plastic
I need to do some post processing of my 3D-printed models that includes adding some holes. For each of PLA, ABS, PETG and other 3D-printing materials:
In what ways is drilling a hole in a model made from that material like or unlike drilling wood?…
Tony Hansen
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18
votes
5 answers
Tool to measure in STL files
I want to create parts for a 3D printer using OpenSCAD. Having some STL files from the vendor, but nothing else (no technical drawing, no CAD files).
Does anybody knows a free tool, that allows me to
measure distances between 2 selected…
Thomas S.
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18
votes
3 answers
How important is the minimum layer height on a 3d printer?
I know the minimum layer height will effect how detailed of an item you can print and the amount of time it takes to print something, but is it necessary to have an extremely low minimum layer height if you plan to print only larger objects?
CJK
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18
votes
4 answers
How do I keep my extruder head from getting clogged?
Using a thermoplastic MDF printer with a 0.4mm extruder nozzle, I frequently have trouble with the nozzle getting clogged.
I am not sure what's causing the clog, but my guesses are dust and/or burnt filament (from leaving the hot end on without…
Martin
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18
votes
7 answers
Open Source 3D scanning
I am trying to make a structured light 3D scanner using single camera, light projector and a turntable.
After days on Google I did not find any reliable open source project which I can get to work. SLStudio really seemed a good choice but did not…
Hamza Tasneem
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17
votes
2 answers
What is Thermal Runaway Protection?
What is Thermal Runaway Protection (TRP) and why should I enable it?
How does one do so in Marlin?
Trish
- 20,169
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17
votes
1 answer
How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?
In setting up a probe for automatic bed leveling, the limits of the probing area must be entered in the firmware of a 3D printer.
When using a sensor, how do you define the bed limits for the sensor in Marlin firmware?
E.g. the Marlin (1.1.x)…
0scar
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17
votes
9 answers
First 3 mm prints poorly, then fine after that
I have an Ender 3 that I have been pretty happy with so far, however it recently started an odd behavior and I can't figure out what's causing it.
What happens is that the first ~3 mm of the print comes out "sloppy". After that, everything clears…
Steve In CO
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17
votes
1 answer
Tips for making parts that push/snap together
I would like to make some parts that will fit together. Specifically, I'm making an array of holders for small glass vials, which will stack together vertically to make a kind of extensible spice rack, for a scientific application.
Of course, I…
N. Virgo
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17
votes
2 answers
Why all the excitement about linear rails?
Whenever a 3D printer that uses linear rails is announced (case in point: the cetus), the Internet (well... at least that corner of it dealing with 3D printing) gets abuzz with excitement.
I researched a bit the topic myself, and while I understand…
mac
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17
votes
2 answers
How do I 3D-print fair dice?
As 3D printers become more and more reliable, their prints get better and better. But FDM printers do have their problems too: you print tiny ovals that smooch together at the edges, and infill makes it awkward at times. So, how do I make a…
Trish
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17
votes
4 answers
Are there any metals that exhibit a large glass state?
Plastic is used in 3D FDM/FFF printing partly because it had a wide temperature range for its glass state - where it can be flowed with some force, but won't flow due only to gravity.
Most metals have a very narrow, or non-existant, glass state. …
Adam Davis
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