A while back, Eph founds a really nice model that clearly had some though put into the design so that you get the look of a multi-colored print through clever use of shadows generated by the geometry. Here's the link: https://www.myminifactory.com/object/chromatic-vase-40704 I previously printed a small one in Everyday PLA (yep - still have some of that stuff - just wish they still sold it) in glow in the dark. It came out really well, and thus went onto the windowsill, but a short while back my wife asked for a large one in purple. I did have some Colorfab nGen in purple, which was accepted and so I printed. Here's the finished result: Ultimately, for such prints you really want to ensure watertightness. For watertightness, I went for belt and bracers. The base is composed of 8 layers at 0.2mm. The bottom 2 are printed with concentric infill to give a pleasant exterior. The next three layers are printed with rectilinear infill at 110% extrusion to try to ensure a good solid fill and also to block any holes generated from the concentric layers. Finally three more layers of concentric infill to give the base a pretty look when staring into it, and also to add more material to guard against leaks. The next weak point for watertightness is the first layer of vase mode at the point where your first layer completes. I printed with 1mm thick extrusion on a 0.4mm nozzle and also 0.2 layers and between all those settings, I think this gives a good shot a watertightness. I put water in and left overnight with a paper towel underneath to check. It was bone dry in the morning . With that done, my wife selected some flowers to complement it and there we have it.
Nice work! I assume that you used the multiple process feature of S3d 4.0? By the way, can you give me a brief review of nGen? I have never used it but I am curious. Thank you!
Exactly. S3D now permits multiple processes even when using vases. I think all my proceses were actually vase mode, but the first two processes had enough bottom layers specified to achieve the outcome I detailed. nGen. I print at a bed temp of 85 and a nozzle temp of 220. I had quite a few failed prints with glass and glue, but haven't had a problem with the Alu/PEI bed. It seems to print similar to PLA once you get layer one stuck. A cooling fan seems to be the way to go to achieve consistent geometry (though I have a feeling that I left the fan off in the above print). That said, the above print is strong (could be geometry) whereas a different vase was quite brittle and broke with very little pushing (could have been the cooling fan or geometry or both. Once printed, the printed part has some movement. It's not strong and solid like PLA, but something closer to ABS, maybe even more malleable than that.
Sounds similar to Polymaker filament, does it ooze? I am looking for materials that don’t ooze, like MakerBot PLA, that stuff it a pleasure to print with but it’s brittle and can’t stand any heat.
