3D Printing Failures

Posted On: 2013-08-22 09:53:16 ; Read: 1752 time(s)

In recent months 3D printing has become more accessible within the tech industry. But with more accessibility comes more room for failure. Looking into the groundbreaking technology, it is apparent that 3D printing isn’t as straightforward at it seem and instead is part of a learning curve to complete a finished item. Successfully printing an item is now seen as a skill, so here are a few top tips:

Stability: When designing your item, make sure there are no ‘thin’ areas. Thin areas can cause the item to break when printing.

Size: Make sure the object size is within the printing threshold.

Hollow Out: When designing your item, allow a hole within the item. This will cause the item to be hollow and will minimise the rate of failure and decreases the amount of materials that are used.

Separate Edges: Like stability, allow edges to either be overlapped or not touching at all. If edges are touching, it increases the chance of breakage.

Maintenance: Regularly clean your build platform with rubbing alcohol. The oil from your hands will not allow the object you’re printing to stick to the build platform.

Although some projects may not always go to plan, 3D printing failures have resulted in some interesting pieces of art. We have put together some of the most memorable 3D printing failures:

Beast loses his head...