Hi,
I designed a 3d model of Roger Ebert dressed as Emperor Palpatine giving two thumbs down for our Oscar Pool Fantasy League trophy.
I’m trying to print the award with Copperfill filament and I’m getting some mediocre results. I’ve had some good results with regular PLA but the Copperfill + “the Ebert” AKA “Darth Criticus” is giving me a real challenge.
Here is a render of what “the Ebert” looks like in Simplify3d followed by a couple photos of what he actually looks like when printed with the following settings: http://imgur.com/a/jaO4a
3D printer:
Flashforge Creator Pro Extruder
temp: 230
Layer height: .3
Printing speed: 4800 mm/min
Modeal orientation: vertical (like in the render photo)
Bed: blue painters tape + 50 degrees (with no heat the model was detaching about 50% through the print)
Shells: 4 Raft: On (2 layers)
Skirt/Brim: On Generate support: no
If anyone has any advice to help me bring Ebert (back) to life in the way he deserves I’d appreciate it.
Happy to answer any questions, share the model file, etc. if that’s helpful.
I have no experience with the Flashforge but the Makerbot is a similar system and it prints the metal-filled materials (bronzeFill, copperFill, etc.) around 195c I believe.
You will definitely need support for this model at the bottom/back of the chair, to prevent the sagging on the 3rd picture
You should contact colorFabb support (support@colorfabb.com) with this question, listing your problems, settings etc. and they should be able to help.
Maybe someone with a similar printer to yours can shed some more light on this as well.
Also make sure, to select “inside out” in the “Layer” options of Simplify3d, this will help with overhangs. Aside from the support, that’s necessary under the chair, this model should be OK to finish.
Use a caliper or a fine knife to snip off any blobbers around the surface.
I finished copperFill by first sanding a little bit with rough to fine sand paper. After that I’ve started with medium steelwool (you can leave out the sandpaper part, if you spend more time with the steelwool).
As the model has many cavities I would recommend to just use steelwool, as the sandpaper won’t get in the cavities.
Using a brass-brush (shoe-cleaning tool) is highly recommended, it brings the copper shine out very well.
To get the model to look like in the Colorfabb advertisement pictures you can get some black spraypaint, spray the print briefly and !instandly! whipe it off with a towel. Use the brass-brush or steelwool to remove some of the dried paint if required.
Lastly use polish like Brasso.
I’ve also used a buffing wheel with polish, this gave better results, compared to Brasso.
I would use a lower layerheight (0,16mm was my preference for metal composites) to get some detail.
Work on perfecting the retraction settings (more coasting or extra restart distance) and use increased cooling for overhangs.
Good luck with that project, please share some pictures, once you’ve finished the statue.
I agree with Marius, looks like you definitely need supports, I would say also under the arms and under the top of the chair. In my experience removing copper/bronze fill supports is quite easy, and they the connection points file down very well. Also I found with the copper fill, its a bit heavy and sometimes the motor fails to pull the filament through at a constant rate, which can cause the underextrusion, I would keep an eye on the print and from time to time give it a little help by giving the roll a little push round to loosen the filament a little.
Hey so you are definitely going to need supports under those overhangs. Additionally your temperature is a little high which is why you are getting a poor surface finish. The filament is stringing, meaning it oozes out as you finish printing and begin to travel. Lastly I would recommend printing on pva coated glass rather than painters tape. You will have much better part adhesion. If you would like I could print this and mail it to you. You can reach me at … Good luck, Evan
