3D printing basics
Workshop and Manufacturing Practices · Engineering
Study notes
Let's calculate the settings for printing a simple plastic cube that is 20mm wide, 20mm long, and 10mm tall. 1. First, we decide the Layer Height. Let's choose 0.2mm for a smooth finish. 2. To find the Total Number of Layers, we divide the Total Height by the Layer Height: 10mm ÷ 0.2mm = 50 layers. 3. Now, we calculate the area of one layer: 20mm × 20mm = 400 square mm. 4. If the printer moves at a speed of 50mm per second, and it has to draw a path 100mm long to fill one layer, it will take 2 seconds per layer. 5. Total printing time for the walls would be 50 layers × 2 seconds = 100 seconds (plus time for the bed to move).