With ABS part I use “same stuff” or Ambroid “ProWeld” to fuse surfaces together. Keying if necessary. I got that tip from a tour of Stratasys back in the mid 90’s
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The software 3D-COAT has a feature that will split an .stl, and automatically add in alignment pegs and holes.
Yup. That’s more-or-less the process I use. I wet the mating surfaces with Acetone before I stick em together with ABS/Acetone slurry though, just to soften the surface and ensure the dry surface doesn’t absorb the Acetone out of the slurry to quickly. A good sanding afterwards finishes the job. Spot the joint…
Cheers!
AndyL
Fantastic responses, keep them coming!! 
‘Keys’ seem like a great idea particularly for alignment. Some of the techniques still sound a bit messy and dare I say it not very user friendly. Is anyone out there trying chemical free solutions?
@ST3P_GLASGOW This project is great! A really useful and helpful post too. Are you able to tack the parts together before fully attaching and would this be of benefit to the process if you don’t?
I have built around 6 large scale models that have been larger than my build plate. One project had 212 parts!
Many different ways to do this.
Pegs are awesome
Allow holes to run through center of parts to insert metal rod or PVC pipe. Make it like a shish kebab
Weld edges together with soldering iron
Friction welding with dremil and old filament.
Bondo
or xtc 3d
This is a great post, thank you.
We had a similar experience but with another 3D printer. The task was to print a full scale large UAV (150cm*200cm) using a printer with a small build envelope.
We sliced it up using CATIA, then glued the pieces with superglue and a gap filler, then sanded it and painted it. It turned out pretty well.
we’d definitely be interested in keys, but skeptical about the fit due to shrinkage. If there’s some way of adding keys with consideration for shrinkage, we’d love to find out more about it!
I bought the 3D Doodler pen for just this reason, when i have curling at the edge surfaces, I will glue the pieces together and where I have gaps, I will plastic weld the two pieces together to create a smooth surface.
Does this software account for FDM printers hole shrinkage because if I have models that need connector? As a way to combat this issue without an automatic solution I will model the part and offset the hole by .0125" to adjust for printer tolerance.
IF YOU HAVE AUTODESK INVENTOR, LIKE WE DO. THERE IS AN APP TO DOWNLOAD.
OR
CHEERS
BARRY
METACAD ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS LTD
Great to see so many fantastic pieces of software that are making this easier. @MetaCAD do you have any experience of how they cope with thin-walled large builds?
Solvent welding is the best solution I have found. Despite what community trends may lead you to believe, acetone is not ideal for dissolving ABS. MEK (butanone) works far better and is commonly used when assembling plastic model kits. If you don’t have a perfect fit between pieces solvent welding will not produce a strong void-free seam, you need to dissolve some ABS in the solvent to create a glue that can fill the gap. I have also experimented with friction welding (ABS filament in a handheld rotary tool) but I don’t think it’s ideal for most parts as the weld is only on the surface. It has applications, but is more limited than solvent welding.
8 days later
Or you modify your printer a bit…
https://ultimaker.com/en/stories/view/97-printing-out-of-the-box
Thank you @stephan_5 I think this project is really great and shows that innovation can be achieved by questioning, adapting and experimenting with what we already have available.