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Old 07-07-2019, 08:26 PM
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Quasar Quasar is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Western North Carolina
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vcp
That's ok Mike, we all gotta start somewhere. First question, do you have a 3D printer? Or, are you planning to use one at school or a library or something (where you'll probably be limited to PLA plastic). If you have your own, is it limited to PLA (or PLA types) or can you print in ABS or PETG or something else?

The only reason I could do single-wall (that's just one noodle of extruded plastic, or about 0.5mm thick) is that I was printing in ABS which is much less brittle than PLA. Thin-walled ABS prints become very flexible.

Vase mode, that I mentioned, is a printing method for single wall prints, in which there is no discrete 'step' when transitioning layers as the print progresses upward. The extrusion is a continuous single wrap around the shape you specify.

Do you know how the slicer software prepares your design for printing? In many cases, there is no need to specify wall thickness in your CAD program - you can just do a solid shape, and then specify the wall thickness in the slicer. Do you know what slicer software you'll be using?

Resources, hmmm. For 3D printing in general, or specifically rocketry related? For rocketry, we'd probably need to find some threads on one of the forums.


Thanks for the thoughtful response, vcp. I don't have a printer, yet, but there is one where I work. However, I'm not sure if I can talk the guy that uses it into letting me do a personal project with it. If I remember correctly, it's a MakerBot brand printer. When I do get my own, I'll get one that can use ABS.

If I can use the one at work, I'll find out what software the operator uses. I really don't think he uses it much, as I've been working there for over two years and I've never seen him making anything.

As far as what I'd use a 3D printer for, yes, I would do some rocket parts, but I'd probably use it more for other things.

Thanks again.
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