Best Practices

Design Focus Software Focus Hardware Focus
Designing Modeling Equipping
Design Planning Selecting Software Selecting Hardware
Design Scope Digital modeling Selecting Material
Design Preparation Maintaing Equipment
Design Export Preventive maintenance
Mesh analysis and repair Calibration
Job Preparation Before hitting "Print"
Part Placement Load Material
Slicing Bed Adhesion
Fabricate Fabricate
Observe Observe
Intervene Intervene
After Printing
Part Validation Log Parts Part Removal
Make Changes, Tune settings Machine reset
Finishing
Assemble Share
Photograph Archive
Document

DESIGN PLANNING

Some Design Rules

Source:9 Design Rules for a Successful 3D-Print

DESIGN SCOPE

The Design Scope outlines the general aims and goals of your project design and lists the major deliverables and milestones. It is dependent on your available resources and time.

When working on larger projects, outlining the scope and sequence is important so that you cann deliver the project on time.

SELECTING SOFTWARE

Gilles Pinault created an attempt at a flowcharting the selection of software. It is by no means the last word for which software to work with.

When it comes to creating models for 3D printing, there is no shortage of free or commercially available software applications at your disposal. Your choice of software tool(s) will depend on a variety of factors: Click on this link to see a list of the most popular software applications broken down by platform. Below the table you will find a list of software applications used by the Ultimaker Pioneers and their students.

DIGITAL MODELING

SELECTING HARDWARE

SELECTING MATERIAL

materials
Not all filament is the equal. Always use quality filament, as quality filament is usually made in a cleaner environment, which means it's only going to contain components that will actually melt in your printer's hotend.

DESIGN EXPORT

When you export your design, make sure your: Even if the software you are using doesn't offer a means of checking a model for "watertight", smallest feature, and scaling to mm 1:1 desktop 3D printer scale, there are a number of 3rd party software packages and utilities to help with this.

MESH ANALYSIS AND REPAIR

In order to print your model, your mesh must be watertight and the normals must all be facing out. Keep in mind that you won't be able to see if your model is printable, but software exists to analyze and repair.

PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

CALIBRATION

PART PLACEMENT

SLICING

LOAD MATERIALS

Temperature and fan settings:

BED ADHESION

PLA

The first layer is the most important part of any print. There are a few things you need to do to get the first layer to stick well.

Flexible Materials

Raft

A horizontal grid that goes under the object that acts as a platform to stick to the bed and build from. Useful when printing models with small parts at the bottom of your print.

Brim

The lines around the bottom of the object which keep the corners of your model down without leaving marks on the bottom of the object. This is a good option if your main objective is to get your model to stick to the print bed. Brims can also be used to stabilize delicate parts of an object that are isolated from the rest of the model.

Skirt

A line around your model but that does not touch. This is good for last minute bed leveling adjustments and ensuring that the filament is extruding well before your printer starts to print your model.

OBSERVE

INTERVENE

OBSERVE

INTERVENE

PART VALIDATION

LOG PARTS

MAKE CHANGES, TUNE SETTINGS

PART REMOVAL

MACHINE RESET

ASSEMBLE

PHOTOGRAPH

DOCUMENT