Good to ask… Before my hub was running, I got an stl printed for me (not via a hub) and I paid £40 for a rubbish print!!!
Wow, it’s nice. What scale do you want it? As mentioned below, the holes might be a bit of an issue, but it depends on the scale… With FFF, It might take a bit of time to make sure all the holes are clear afterwards.
Is it a light fitting? At 100%, that makes it 17.8cm tall? If you want, I’ll print the first 5cm or so tonight to see how the holes come out. (FFF).
Yeah I have thought about using the Form 1+ printer, however I need it to be this size for both aesthetic values and for the size of the bulb I am using.
If printed upside down you will get the poor surface on the outside (FDM specific point), If you can get it printed the right way up, the overhang is hidden to some extent inside the bulb. Depends again where the finish is critical, that’s why Hubs will often ask so many awkward questions about your product
Having problems with your STL, got a low-res print on the go now to see how it comes out. My build area is only 15cm high, so I re-scaled your balloon, leaving the screw thread the same size.
Here’s my suggestions so far:
You have a massive polygon count for a fairly simple shape - My computer kept crashing. Using Blender I have applied the ‘decimate’ modifier with a .3 setting to make it more manageable.
Because you have an enclosed shape, whichever way round it’s printed, there will be a lot of support material needed, this is expensive and best avoided. There is a ‘fashion’ in 3d printing to make everything support free - I think this is a bit of a fad, but certainly minimising supports is a great idea.
Your STL is non-manifold - that means there are gaps in the surface - specifically at the top of your balloon - the 8 sections come to a set of points, but they need to come to the same point.
I understand your brief is to design something that can only be 3dprinted… While your shape certainly fits this brief, here are some modification ideas to make the printing easier:
Cut the shape into 8 sections that snap and glue together. One of the great benefits of 3Dprinting is the ability to print functional parts. Then the sections will print largely support free, much quicker, and you can mix and match colours.
The whole piece at 15cm high will take about 13hours to print at low resolution, the separates can still be printed at the same time, but will be much quicker (about an hour each). Also, they can be bigger as many printers have a print area that is longer than taller.
I assume this is a light cover - one of the great things you can achieve with 3dprinting is Lithoplanes (search Google images!). One of the reasons your STL is so complex and takes a long time to print is the holes… If instead of the holes, you varied the thickness of the walls, so the outside would be smooth, and when the light is switched on, the Thames reveals itself. This effect is definitely something for 3d printing and it will simplify your print and make it stronger (so it can be thinner) and quicker to print.
Hey man, thanks for giving this a go. The ideas are great about Lithoplanes, however I have finalised this version of the design as it has now been handed in at university.
How would you suggest to separate the parts to “snap” them together.
