3D Printing For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon
Printing certain objects — especially large single parts — on a 3D printer can be tricky, because the edges of a big part often curl during printing. Some parts are more likely to suffer from this problem than others.

If you're printing parts larger than 100mm, even when using PLA on a heated bed (which doesn't allow much warping), you may still have some problems. Using ABS for big parts will certainly challenge most home 3D printers. Fortunately, Slic3r has a setting that addresses this problem, and you may find it useful for all sorts of parts.

The Brim option in the Print Settings tab provides a horizontal ring of extending perimeters on the first layer of an object. This option can be highly useful if the object you're printing is sticking to the base of your build platform or if an object's corners start to warp during a print.

The Brim option was invented mainly to help big objects stick to the build plate during an extended print. It can also be helpful, or even essential, if you're printing tiny objects that don't have a lot of surface area in the first layer. The printed brim peels away from a finished object, with minimal cleanup required.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book authors:

Richard Horne (RichRap) has worked as an engineer, marketer, and product designer. He blogs and shares ideas on making 3D printing easier for everyone. Kalani Kirk Hausman has experience as an IT consultant, enterprise architect, auditor, and ISO. He conducts research on integrating 3D-printed materials into educational curricula.

This article can be found in the category: