Dragon Knight 3D Printer Project

Contest Description

Teams must find the best balance between quality, speed, and material efficiency while keeping the scale of the chess piece unchanged and staying within other given constraints. We are evaluated based on the quality of our print, the amount of time it took, and length of filament used to complete our print.

I worked with Angel Fang. 

Our Strategies:

1. Adding Modifiers: 

We followed this tutorial and learned how to add modifiers. We changed the infill density of the entire object to 5% to save filament and reduce printing time. Modifiers are used to target certain sections that might be weakened due to this change. In order to solidify the foundational base, overhanging middle, and delicate top of the dragon pawn, we used cylinder-shaped modifiers in Object Settings to partially increase infill density to 30%.

2. Adaptive Layer Height: 

Similar to modifiers, we considered using adaptive layer height allowed us to change the layer height in certain areas of the piece, decreasing filament usage.  It would increase layer height in less detailed areas to speed up the print and decrease filament usage, while decreasing layer height in detailed areas to improve resolution and surface quality. However, having already added modifiers, we felt like there were already points of weakness. Adaptive layer height was not absolutely necessary since we already cut a lot of time.

3. Changing Infill Pattern: 

We changed the infill pattern to Lightning, a less filament consumptive pattern than Grid, the default.

4. Support Settings: 

We changed the support type to Tree (auto) and more specifically, Tree Slim. Tree supports only add supports where necessary and using the slim version of it only further decreased time and filament usage.

5. Z-Hop: 

Z-hop is what raises the nozzle slightly when moving between different parts of a print. We changed the quantity of Z-hop when retracting to 0mm. This came at the risk of collisions if the nozzle drags, but it did reduce print time since the printer didn't need to perform extra vertical movements.

Conclusion:

In prior prints, I had never forced myself to be mindful of time or learn to cut it down using settings. This assignment also placed the strain of quality on my mind. 

Many of the settings and troubleshooting I learned throughout this challenge were entirely new for me. One of them being the use of modifiers to increase print efficiency. I had never even considered selectively increasing infill density in critical areas while keeping it low elsewhere. I was also forced to learned how to balance strength and material efficiency because of that. Adaptive layer height was another new tool that showed me how to optimize resolution without increasing print time significantly.

For infill, I had never done different patterns of infill and never considered that some might take more time. But contrary to my preconceptions, different infill patterns impact material usage and strength. Switching to Lightning infill significantly reduced filament consumption compared to default options like Grid, reinforcing the importance of pattern selection. I knew of tree supports and had seen them used, but I had never used them myself before this assignment. I had to be strategic about support settings and the extent to which I could guarantee efficiency without compromising structural integrity. In the end, every setting adjustment has trade-offs that need consideration.