What is the best orientation for printing this Y-tube adapter so that, if possible, no support – or as little as possible – is required?
I find that the support I’ve been using so far is too thick; how should I adjust it so that it’s as delicate as possible, given that it doesn’t really have to bear any weight, and so that it’s easier to remove?
I had a look at a tutorial where PETG was used as support material, but then you’d have to change the filament for every layer, wouldn’t you!?
In my opinion you should orient the lower side of the Y to the build plate, and no support should be needed. Maybe you may need to adjust some settings to have bridging transitions in the center of the Y smooth and clean.
If you want to use support in the center of the Y you should use the same material; this shouldn’t be too difficult to remove …
I would place the single inlet on the build plate with the two outlets pointing upward - depending on the actual part geometry, the filament you use, and your overhang and support settings it won’t require much support.
I’d just suggest running your machine calibrations if you haven’t lately and if this is a part you really want to get right do some temperature towers.
You may also want to experiment with using the aux part cooling fan, in which case placement of the part on the print bed will also matter.
Yes you can use PETG for support if you’re printing the part in PLA, but on a single nozzle printer that’s going to require a lot of purges. Instead, in the supports menu you can set PETG as your interface material only - that will drastically reduce your filament changes and purge waste, but still give you very clean supports.
