Hello, I need some advice on how to correctly insert a nut into a 3D print. The model is my own, creat in Fusion 360, and I want to insert a nut that will be encapsulated in plastic. Logically, I created a cavity that is slightly larger than the nut itself.
I stop the print and insert the nut without any problem.
The problem occurs when the printer starts printing the first layer on top of the nut. Naturally, the filament does not adhere to the nut, and as a result all the upper layers do not hold, creating a hole. In the image you can see where the problem is.
At layer 39 the print stops, the nut is inserted, and the print then continues. However, the first thing that gets printed are circles in the middle of the print, (that circule is printing on nuts and nuts have 0 adhesiv) and I canât figure out how to make it print differently. Ideally, it should act like a bridge between the edges of the nut.
My personal solution is to put the nut âon the outsideâ of the print, so I can insert the nut after the print has finished. And for a number of models, that need fastening with a bolt, I simply design a hole that is 10% smaller than the Ă of the thread. The bolt will then âtapâ itself in the hole. Iâve used this method on PLA and PETG-HF models and it simply works. Like on the phone holder in this picture, where two M6 bolts hold the thing in place.
An untested idea: Check the box for Quality>Advanced>Print infill first .
That will print the infill, the bridging over the nut (attached to the infill), and then the walls of the bolt hole (attached to the bridging), in that order. You can see this with the horizontal slider in Preview.
Another untested idea: Wipe the top of the nut with a glue stick before insertion to help the filament stick.
Ideas involving more design effort, but more likely to work:
Itâs the filament contacting the nut as itâs being extruded thatâs the problem. You need to set the nut a little deeper in the pocket, so that the nozzle can do a âbridgeâ without the extrusion contacting the nut at all.
Effectively, the printer wonât even âknowâ the nut is there, itâll work the same as if the pocket was empty.
Inserting a nut after printing using glue or two-part epoxy did, of course, occur to me, but itâs nowhere near an ideal solution for what I need it for.
Mainly thanks to @lkraus the Makerâs Muse tutorial was excellent and solved the problem perfectly. I had tried something similar with those small bridges, but as I can see now, I was doing it completely wrong. I made two versions: the simplest one with my print using a 0.6 nozzle and a 0.3 layer height, where I used a 0.3 infill, and on the right in the picture is the version where I made bridges like he does at the end. Both versions work without glue, etc. I can recommend both, but Iâll go with the second version, because then thereâs no need to clean filament out of the hole afterward.
Thank you very much to everyone, and I hope this will also help someone in the future.
Of course, I had the screw positioned lower, but the problem was that the printer was printing into empty space between the nut and its layer, and instead of the filament sticking or remaining suspended, it stuck to the nozzle, where a small blob formed.
