I am want to print Small flat parts without support by Formlabs 2. I saw the other topic that is talking about the same idea. Some people stated that there is a relation the large surface and the adhesion which means the larger the surface area the most likely the print will fail and I do agree with them at some point
However my main concern, what is the max height or thickness that I can print without support by Formlabs 2?
If I increased the resolution will I have a better bed adhesion that will reduce the printed part from failure?
Does the resolution has any relation to this topic or not ?
Because I am trying to print on fabric direct from the 3D printer and I can not add support.
The design part is rectangular shape:-
Width=10cm
Length=2cm
Height/Thickness=1cm to 2cm
If anyone tried this or even has any idea, I will be honored to read it.
I’ve printed parts flat on the build platform that were at least that big without adhesion issues or failures.
There are several problems that do crop up. The bottom layers against the build plate are cured differently and can be a little less accurate. The build platform height is seldom accurate so the part won’t be accurate in the Z direction. To add to this the platform also has some tilt causing the bottom to be off a bit.
For molds I orient the parts so that the tilt error offsets and the parts line up reasonably well.
Due to the way the printer works, that’s not ideal. High surface area could be an issue, but like FredB said, the printer treats the first layers differently so it’s not going to be exactly to the thickness you want. Also, after about 5mm it changes the exposure setting which results in a line across the print. It’s not usually an issue when the parts are raised above the platform but it will be an issue for anything printed directly to the platform.
Thanks FredB and Zachary_Brackin. The accuracy of the Z axis, I will take it into consideration for sure.
I guess that is a great point but my max height is 2 mm so I guess I am safe from any failure at this point.
And Las thing do you think if I increased the resolution will it make any differences ?
( because when I increases the resolution , it increases that number of layers but with thinner thickness. My point is by making more layers will cause the stronger the adhesion between the layer which hold the part steady to the build). I am not sure at all for this point if you think I am wrong or there is something I misunderstood please tell me
If it’s vertical you shouldn’t notice a difference. Even then, it’s likely easy to sand, and if you’re printing directly to the platform then you’d need to sand the sides anyway.
In theory, yes, but in practice you will. How noticeable it is depends on your printer performance (how well each layer registers with the last one - it won’t be absolutely perfect on any printer) and model geometry (thin walls will flex a little bit which can cause minor offsetting). The smaller layer height hides the effect better.
I can upload prints (from two different printers) demonstrating it if you don’t believe me, and can give you a model file to print to compare it to yours.
It’s easy to sand but personally I print directly on the base to avoid post-processing work.
