A friend has asked me to print some faceplates and has sent me the .stl file created from a scan and altered in a CAD package - which one I’m not sure.
I have loaded the .stl into Bambu Studio and it looks OK although we are up to the MKIII version now but i was wondering how to achieve a nicer finish on the top of the faceplate?
Currently there are fine diagonal lines across the whole top surface all of which seem neat/normal but there are a few that are more pronounced than others.
No big deal and certainly not a showstopper but I would like to improve the finish on the top surface of the faceplate to give a smoother appearance.
What settings should I be looking to amend in Bambu Studio to achieve a better top surface finish please? Ironing? Something else?
I have 15 of these to print and I can squeeze 4 of these onto a single plate so it doesn’t matter if the print time is increased (currently takes 30 mins to print a single faceplate) although I wouldn’t want it to be hours & hours.
I am printing with Bambu black PLA Basic on the X1C with a 0.4 nozzle, 0.2mm layer height, 0.42mm top surface line width and 200mm/s top surface speed if that might make a difference?
I think the model only has 52 layers if I remember correctly
As there are some small protuberances on the top surface its not as if I could tip the model upside down and give the top surface the even finish from the textured plate so where should I start looking and what adjustments should I make to achieve a smoother finish please?
It’s impossible to really give you a quality answer without seeing the geometry of the object you’re trying to print. As an example, a flat object can be smoothed out using a number of techniques. A more complex geometry requires some tricks. If you could upload a screengrab of the model as it sits in the prepare and preview screen, that will allow us to provide you better feedback.
Here’s what’s possible with transparent PETG but it requires a good deal of patience and time. Note in this 1" cube example, the models were all flat and there was some post processing necessary to achieve the glassy, near optically-clear look but it was far from perfect. Yet I keep this example around merely to show what can and cannot be done with filament settings and the correct filament.
There’s a whole thread on that topic that lasted almost 10 weeks where one of our members @ExtremeElementz struck gold with a profile he put up on MakerWorld. I took his work and on that basis alone, was able to tweak and re-tweak.
It was so long ago that I had to read through the thread myself to remember some of the things I had to do to get to that point. Check out the thread and you can how I did it. Just to be clear though(no pun intended), that cube took nearly 10 hours to print. The secret is in very high temps, slow travel and generous use of aligned rectilinear infill. Also, one must eliminate all walls and have the filament just zig-zag back and forth. The last step before post processing is of course ironing. What you will have is as close to an optically clear cube as one can get so far. I haven’t found any more than the one filament that achieved that which is in that thread. However, you will still struggle with the fact that the top layer is not perfectly flat. For that we go to sanding and a layer of clear polyurethane which gives it that final wet look. The clear interior does the rest.
I just finished a rough version of magnetic switch that I am experimenting with. In this example, I have a lot further to go. But my goal in this case wasn’t to print something optically clear but something “close enough” to allow me to verify the positions of the magnets as I turned the switch.
This photo is still a very rough version but it shows you other applications it can be used for.
Also another quick, very basic question if I may; it took me a while before I was able to zoom the plate/object not realising at first I cold use the trackpads on both PC & Mac to achieve this but when I zoom in the plate doesn’t stay in the centre of the screen. How do I move the plate/object so I can re-centre it after zooming in please?
And is there a way/setting to keep the plate/object centred while zooming in?
I can easily see what you’re trying to do. If you’re expecting those tabs to hold together, it won’t work. If you could provide the uploaded 3MF or post a zoom-in on the model, I can share what specific challenges you will face and how to work around some, but not all, of them.
Based on the screengrab, those tabs on the faceplate are not going to hold for more than a few seconds once you attach anything. The reason is that the force lines will coincide with the layer lines, which is the weakest part of the print. The fasteners are too small to hold and will snap off. This is best done with actual fastening metal hardware, not plastic.
Smoothness
In the example you provided, using the ironing function, as mentioned previously, would be the best method to achieve a smooth plate, but it will not create the molded-like appearance we all seek when reproducing a real-world plastic product—at least not without post-processing, such as a polyurethane clear coat. An alternative is to use a smooth plate and print it face down. However, that will create a second challenge as the filleted edges will now be facing down causing other issues. If you have control over the original model, then chamfered edges can overcome this issue.
As I mentioned earlier, trying to print both the fastening nubs and the plate simply won’t work, but I urge you to try it out yourself to gain experience in what can and cannot be done with the technology.
Thanks for the full & detailed reply @Olias…very much appreciated.
CTRL-7 right…not on a Mac it would seem! Typical. Ah well it was a lovely idea when it lasted. I’ve just been through the entire list of keyboard shortcuts; Global, Prepare, Toolbar, Objects List & Preview but see nothing to centre the plate. At least it gave me a heads-up on what can be achieved using many COMMAND-x keys. I thought I had cracked it when on the Prepare tab I saw COMMAND+1, COMMAND+2 etc but it only went up to COMMAND+6.
First time I tried COMMAND+7 nothing happened but when I reloaded the app and tried again BOOM! the plate was centred.
Odd then that it appears to be an undocumented hotkey…I wonder how many other undocumented features there are?
I’ll give the PC a try in a while so thanks for that. Had me stuck for ages.
Regarding the model itself; what you say makes perfect sense and is something with my extremely limited experience would never have picked up in a month of Sundays so thanks again for your insight and sharing your experience with me especially before I end up printing 15 of them for a friend.
The tabs only came in with v2 of their .stl and is for hanging a lightweight telephone handset on with the RJ11 I guess going through the square hole in the middle.
I’m not looking to achieve a factory-fresh finish on the faceplate and won’t be going to the trouble of post-processing. I’m just looking for something better than this;
I think I mentioned in my original post about printing it upside down so maybe I was starting to think along the same lines but I’ll try switching the ironing on and see what that gives me.
Please see attached the v3 .3mf file I exported from the original .stl file in Bamnbu Studio if it might help.
Appreciate your input on this @Olias so thanks very much!
Noteworthy observation here: There is no such thing as a lightweight phone when said phone has the handpiece slammed down in anger. Just about the only feature this boomer misses from land lines.
I recognized the POTS line switchplate since part of my technical pedigree was voice and data installation.
Here’s what I might consider. Take any switchplate and salvage the metal and use the printer for asthetic designs.
If you look at the back of a Leviton plate as an example, you’ll see that the plate has a reinforced metal backing. That should give you and indication of the kind of force it was designed to accept.
The searchable name for this kind of plate is called a “Keystone Wall-Mount Phone Plates” I know there is a Bellcore spec for the spacing of the hanging studs but I couldn’t find it using a quick search. The spec was often referred to as “Western Electric 354 Wall Phone”
Getting back to what I was referencing in my previous post. You might have much better luck taking a standard metal outlet plate and fastening a pop rivet in the location where you want to hang the phone. Then simply print your faceplate and leave holes behind to fasten the printed plate to the metal one with the pop rivets. This will give you both the strength and aesthetics you’re looking for.
Thanks for uploading the 3MF, this allowed me to make two simple changes.
First, I flipped the plate 180 degrees. This gave us the advantage of being able to print face down.
Second, I lowered the model so that the rivets were below the build plate so they won’t print. A better way would be to add holes in that space but I’ll let you have that fun. Lowering it so that it’s flush with the build surface will give you that contact needed for something smooth assuming you have a smooth build plate. Or if you want to experiment, just use the texture PEI plate as it also produces a pleasant surface.
Tip: If you don’t have a smooth build plate, pull a page out of the old RepRap playbook. In days of past before heated beds we used regular painter’s tape. I’ve found that one can use thick packing tape on top of texture PEI and it will produce a very smooth surface on the build. Test this first though in a small corner to ensure that the tape you’re using isn’t incompatible with the heat you’re generating. High quality 3M packing tape works well.
My own boomer mentality tends to agree with you Olias!
Wow…thanks for the time & trouble you put into research on this for me and the effort in creating the new model.
I spent some time in IT infrastructure dabbling with everything from token ring BNC/coax to Cat6/Fibre but don’t recall seeing any backplates like that.
I would be happier going back to the v1 that didn’t have the hanging hooks but I have mentioned it to my mate and he can make the decision as they are for him after all.
I will print the plate upside down on my textured plate as I do like the finish but I also have a selection of Bambu plates here I could use including the smooth PEI and 3D effect sheet combo so I’ll take a look and see what might suit it best.
I’ll have to work out how to put holes in the plate as I am a complete newbie to 3D printing and don’t even have a CAD program lined up yet although I do have a list of items I would like to design & make.
I’ll give the modified 3mf file a go and let you know how it works out.
And here goes my first problem…the modified 3mf file now won’t load into my version of Bambu Studio v1.10.1.50
I did post in both Bambu Studio and Bambu Handy a day or so ago asking if the latest app updates were ‘safe’ bearing in mind all the noise over the upcoming X1C firmware but both posts were community flagged for moderator attention and the posts have been hidden for a reason unknown to me.
And I noticed just now that my X1C also has a firmware update pending but I don’t intend to update anything until I determine if this will affect the use of my printer but how I can do that if my posts are getting hidden God only knows…
Had me stuck for ages.
Lowering it so that it’s flush with the build surface will give you that contact needed for something smooth assuming you have a smooth build plate. Or if you want to experiment, just use the texture PEI plate as it also produces a pleasant surface.
