3D Printed Columns
Printing Without Supports
As this model was quite simple in shape, I wanted to see if I could print it without supports. I had an idea about how this could be achieved.
As both the top and the bottom of the object were flat I reasoned that I could split the model into two parts and print each section flat side down. As the column itself was tapered it seemed that the safest way to do this work was to remove just the top section. This would also be a good place to disguise a join.
While I was dividing the model up it seemed like a good idea to hollow out the centre. This would save a little resin and reduce the weight of the final object. That lead to the idea of putting a small plug on the underside of the column top. This would then serve as a means to accurately position the top for assembly.
Due to the height of the model I was looking at quite a long build time. I decided with little surface detail on the model I could drop the resolution slightly from the usual 0.5mm to 0.8mm. I also reduced the cure time from 8 seconds to 6 as I was pretty confident that it would be enough. This brought the print time down to just over five hours. This would be the longest print run I had done on my little printer and I was keen to see how it would handle it.
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