Question about support material

Hi,
After doing a couple of straightforward parts, I have in mind to create something which would have quite a bit of overhang. So I am guessing some support would be required when printing. As I know nothing about this can someone point me to a useful basic information source? Does slic3R automatically add support material? Would I need to add another print head to my Omerod?

thanks
Alan

Hi Alan

There's a section in the Slic3r manual about support material: [manual.slic3r.org]
We're working on a three-head machine, which will be available 'soon', along with an upgrade kit for the current Ormerod kits.

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Quote
droftarts

We're working on a three-head machine, which will be available 'soon', along with an upgrade kit for the current Ormerod kits.

Ooooh you tease!

Give us a hint on timescale?!?!?!??


Mike

I just tried to print a block designed to join 20x20 profile. It has pegs on two sides so no matter how I place it on the platter one of the sets of pegs will be unsupported. This is what happened, the bits jutting out drooped so what can I do to rectify this?

I don't think support material will work well for those pegs, so you'll probably need to get a bit creative. You could make it a two part object, or print holes instead of pegs, then push pegs (printed or otherwise) into them. Or, if you don't need the whole thing to be square, put a 45 degree chamfer on the edge of the cube furthest from the pins, and rotate the cube 45 degrees onto that chamfer. The chamfer is just to increase the surface area during printing, to stick the part to the bed.

Ian
RepRapPro tech support

Or print at 45 degrees as Ian suggests, but on a raft and a thin support wall instead of a chamfer.

Dave
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