I got to inherit a nifty little 3D printer from a friend. The thing is that I got it from him about 2-3 years ago, but only now, finally plugged it in and ran some models.
Inspired by some other friends who are printing mask extenders and PPE parts for the community, I set out to see if I could put the 3D printer to use.
The Micro 3D printer, or M3D Micro is a cute little device that was one of the first designed for consumers. Calibration and set up are automated, but it also means little tweaking. It’s also small, which means it takes up very little space, but it also means a limit to what it can print. This is fine for getting started.
There is now a great library of 3D models to choose from and to contribute to, https://www.thingiverse.com/. There are a number of mask extenders to choose from, but it seems only one that works with this printer size-wise is this mask extender https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4263289 . And it’s one of the smallest small patterns to select for a test. Under my printer’s default settings, it took 1hr 13 min. The other small model options were coins (Harry Potter) but it took longer and uses more filament.
Below are my results:
Starting from the left, it was a little disappointing, not to mention that by walking away and coming back an hour later, I found the model in the air stuck to the nozzle as it whirred in the air. About 80% into the print, I aborted.
Round 2: I start learning terms like, Raft, Support, Model on Model, Wave Bonding, etc. I wanted to keep my changes to a minimum. I increased detail and quality because of the webbing and clumpy looking results. I also thought to “tape the raft down” in case it’s normal.
Round 3: Okay, 2 was looking better, how about if I take the temperature down because it’s still clumpy looking. The result was so much better, and with a dremel, I should be good to go.
Round 4: What happens with the most subtle change? Just 1F up. What a difference! I am good with this. Now to print a second and test it out for practical purposes. I have a Zoom call with some old school friends (2 are physicians) and one is an administrator in health care, maybe at least one of them would be interested in testing it out?
Here’s what Round 3 and Round 4 look like with the raft and supports removed:
Are you a 3D printer? What models are you working on?