I should have asked this a long time ago.

3D Printing
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1

I should have asked this a long time ago. Is there any way to do a reverse brim on a 3d print? I spent a long time cleaning each tooth of each gear with an exacto knife because I wanted good bed adhesion and the first layer squished out a little bit. Most of the time that is never an issue, but for this project, it was a huge issue. If there is a way to slice it with one less perimeter on the first layer only, that could certainly help the cleanup. The alternative is to make the model have smoother edges. If anyone has any suggestions on how to do that with sketchup, I am interested in that solution too!

Originally shared by Daniel Jones

It ticks! This project has taken me a long time, but I am happy with the results. It is nice to hear it clicking away as I work.

The plans are very reasonable and can be purchased at http://www.woodenclocks.co.uk/index.htm

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2

That’s a very nice clock :slight_smile: I’ve had the same problem as you when printing gears. But I haven’t found a solution for it.

3

that just means your initial z height is too close to the bed. raise it up a bit and you will get less squish.

4

I normally add a .5 mm chamfer to the edges in contact with the bed to counteract the squish.

5

Regardless of why/if you really need it, yes it is possible. I’ve kind of lost track of the other slicers but with Simplify3D you can use completely different slicer settings for different layers with ease.

6

Chamfer! That’s the term I needed. I use the free eMachineShop software to convert DXF to STL and I am able to chamfer the ‘top’ edges. Since these are 2D, I can flip it upside down in the slicer so the bottom is chamfered. Thanks Harvey!

7

Have you tried to print on a raft?

8

I have printed on a raft in the past, but I didn’t consider it because of the time and material needed for the raft. In retrospect, the print time would have been half of the time it took to clean the parts up. In the future I will be wiser.

9

Chamfering a gear to save cleanup is probably the best approach if you are needing to ‘squish’ to the bed for adhesion. A good example of gear edge chamfering for this purpose is from a good few years ago on some hearingbone gears for the wades extruder. You can see that here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:10707

BTW - Love the clock. How long do you get from a single wind?

10

I get about 15 hours. The instructions say it should get at least 12 hours. The drum that unwinds could be made to have a smaller diameter and potentially get close to 24 hours. At 6 lbs of weight, it has plenty of torque since the plastic has less friction than wood.

11

Honestly after having printed few bangle bearings and other similar thing, the best solution is the raft. No need to post process if the settings are good.

12

Now that’s a great looking clock.