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Hi

Ive not bought a printer (yet), am looking at the SeeMeCNC Rostock MAX, i do have some molds to print. I cam up with the design i need, however i need a "hole" in it (see image), the software doesnt seem to have balked at it, however is having a hole in the middle possible?

How will it lay down filament after the hole?

[img]http://www.ashleygriffin.ca/temp/3dprin ... 0-hole.jpg[/img]

Absolutely. You will just need to make sure you "check mark "support such that the first layers above the hole/rectangle do not sag. Or rotate the print such that the hole is vertical to the print layers.

It could probably print as-is, without support, as long as you slice it properly and have dialed in your printer's "bridging" ability, which amounts to having the correct temp for filament, speed and flowrate.

3D-Print wrote:Absolutely. You will just need to make sure you "check mark "support such that the first layers above the hole/rectangle do not sag. Or rotate the print such that the hole is vertical to the print layers.

I cant rotate the job as its about 12 inches tall (wont fit on the table when rotated), however where is the setting "support such that first layers........." setting?

That will entirely depend on what slicing software you are using. In Cura, it's on the left in a dropdown.

bot wrote:That will entirely depend on what slicing software you are using. In Cura, it's on the left in a dropdown.

MatterControl (wasnt aware there were other software), i downloaded it as looking at one of there printers.

Is MatterControl good? (i assume so as its designed for there printer), however i am open to change it if needed.

I would recommend you play around with different slicers, because they each have their advantages/disadvantages. It's not a set in stone thing that you have to use one or the other. MatterControl is not bad, although I use Slic3r.

As the people above have said, there is two ways this print can be done: generating supports in the hole and then taking them out afterwards, or bridging(basically printing in thin air) the part.

Here is the general rule of thumb that I use to decide whether to bridge or to generate supports.
If the gap is less than 4" wide AND it is a straight line, then I would recommend bridging. Yes you can print it if it's larger than 4", but it may be more prone to sagging. If there is any type of curve where it needs to bridge, then it won't work because it won't be able to make the curve on thin air. To print with bridging, you don't have to change anything in your software, it should automatically do this.

If it is a large gap or it needs to print something complex and not a straight line, then I will use supports. For MatterControl, you can do this by selecting "Advanced Controls", "Settings", and checking "Generate support material".

You may need to do some calibration to get bridging/support materials working correctly as well. I am unsure how to do this on MatterControl, but it can be done.

In MatterControl using MatterSlicer you go to Settings/Print/Support Material and with the Advanced drop down selected, you will want to check the "support everywhere box" which allows support to be generated in internal space that would benefit from support structure.