Capability Questions for my Summer Research

I'm working on a research project this summer doing strength testing of 3D printed objects. I'm have experience in 3D printing, but am still relatively new to any advanced projects. I plan on posting my findings to my RepRap wiki for others to use when I've completed my work at the end of the summer. I could use some help though trying to find out just what I can and can't do with slic3r. I know anything is possible to do, but I want to know it there is an easy solution or if anyone would be interesting in trying to do the mods for the program.

Q1: Separate fill angles
I'd like to be able to print the solid base and top layers at the default 45 degree angle, but I don't want my honeycomb pattern to be on that same angle (I'd like it at 90% so it's stronger in along the length of my beams). Is this currently possible? If not I think it would be a great addition to the program.

Q2: Creating different infills or doing so by using cad to create a file that and just printing the perimeters
Does anyone have any experience or idea how to program different infills that the current ones? I'd like to be able to print oblong hexagons in the honeycomb infill to get better resistance to bending in the lengthwise direction. Other idea's I had were to pretty much sketch the desired cell geometries & beams in some drafting program and just print them as perimeters without infill. However, I have had little success with this when I tried it in both solidworks and sketchup. Problems I've experienced in solid works are it won't create separate planes if everything is extruded to the same height. So, then I tried assembling the various cells, but I was having trouble with that as well. I then tried Sketchup, which I'm more experienced with, however after adding the addon to export .stl files, they crash slic3r when I get to that step. Any ideas on either method of producing beams with varying honeycomb cell geometries?

Q3: Turning off Alternating layers
I would be intereted in testing beams where the top and bottom fills lay lengthwise along the beam. I know I can use rectilinear and set the fill angle to achieve this, but every other layer alternates in direction. So, every other layer runs widthwise instead of lengthwise. Linear isn't a fill option for solid top and bottom layers.

Apologies if answers were blatantly posted somewhere else. I did not find them. Thanks for any help you may have.

Sam

Hello,

regarding your first question, keep in mind that honeycomb infill is alternated three times, rotating by 120° each layer. For the other things, you need to put your hands in the code. lib/Slic3r/Fill* are the files to modify.

Hi,
I have to make some tensile testing on ABS printed specimens,
and I have the same problem (Q3 in particular).
I have not found solution yet. If you find a method I appreciate if you notice me,
otherwise I'll notice you, if I'll be faster than you.

Daniele

Thanks for the acknowledgement and info Sound.

DanielSan I've done tensile testing myself and uploaded my test piece to thingiverse if you're interested. [www.thingiverse.com] Thing#366932

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/20/2014 03:14PM by sam2016c.

My friend suggested me to prepare the gcode with linear refill with slic3r and after to modify it manually.
In this way we can delete the part of code which refers to the width direction refill and substitute it with the length one.
next days I'll try it and I'll tell you.