I was wondering about the benefits or requirements of placing the part on an angle. I’ve just started making parts on my Form 2 and have just chosen the auto generate each time. Now I have a shape just like a cup, and wonder if I can just place it straight, of course upside down so everything drains and then auto generate the supports. Anyone have any suggestions?
Thanks
We definitely recommend printing parts at an angle. Parts tend to build with better quality when subsequent layers gradually increase in surface area. If you haven’t already, check out the slicer tool on the right-hand-side of PreForm to watch what your part looks like as the layers stack. I find it to be a really helpful visualization of the print process. You can see, for example, where a delicate feature starts building or the quantity and sufficiency of structural support for a flat surface.
When you have a large surface area as the starting layer it is difficult to get it fully supported, you’ll likely end up with layers that are damaged. Also, there’s an effect where the light from the laser goes through the current layer and cures extra material on the other side–this causes downward facing surfaces to lose detail. This effect becomes worse if you start with a large surface area which will require significant sanding to smooth down.
For the Form2 you can more easily print objects directly to the platform without supports (the sliding motion between layers works better for this) so for something like a cup you would be able to print it directly on the bottom.
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