Engineering Stack Exchange
Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [3d-printing]

The process of creating three-dimensional objects out of plastic or other materials using a device similar to a printer.

3D-printing is the process of creating a three-dimensional object using a the same principles as printing with ink. Layers of plastic or other materials are slowly built up inside a device typically the size of a large desktop printer. 3D printing is a somewhat recent invention, but it has revolutionized the maker movement by making prototypes and models easy to make.

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What should the size difference be between a lid and a container?

I am designing a box and lid (for a home-made micro computer). Using Autodesk Inventor (Student Version), I've created my box which looks something like this: I plan on 3D printing (ABS Plastic) the box and lid in the end. And I am going to create…
Thomas Gerot
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How do you make a 3D print with an accurately aligned bore hole?

I am printing a wheel with a 2.5mm hole in the middle to accept a shaft of a motor with a set screw. The problem I am having is that the wheel is always wobbly when spinning (sometimes more, sometimes less without changing any parameters). Is there…
electricviolin
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How to prevent vibration loosening whilst maintaining adjustability?

I have some height-adjustment nuts screwed onto vertical threads to support my print-bed for a 3D printer. They are domed nuts and the aluminium build-plate sits on top of the domes, three holes in the plate align with the domes to hold the plate in…
jhabbott
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Is "pitch diameter" the same as the distance between the centers?

I am designing gears in FreeCad, and printing then on a FlashForge Finder. I want to know if the pitch diameter is the same as the distance between the centers of the two gears. Both gears are external spur gears.
Avagadro's Number
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Snap fit on an enclosure

I am designing an enclosure, and top and bottom should be linked thanks to snap fit. I have to use 3D-printing to make both parts. The material is ABS. I made some trials, but they keep breaking. I am using the design in the following picture. Do…
Mathilde
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How do you create a chamfer in 3D CAD that joins the edges of two different shapes?

I am trying to make a 3D model. It consists of a cylinder resting on an extruded ellipse as you can see in the picture below. I now want to join the top edge of the ellipse with the top edge of the circle. In a sense, I want there to be a chamfer…
PJazz
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How to calculate the adhesion I need to keep a 3D printed bending part straight?

3D printed parts cool down during printing, resulting in thermal contraction which causes a bending moment and separation from the printing bed. The issue is solved by increasing adhesion to the printing bed, which however results in more stresses…
FarO
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Can I use AutoCAD to learn mechanical engineering by DOING (like programming)?

I would like to learn mechanical engineering as a side project. But, I would like to learn in a way similar to programming. Learn by doing. Of course I understand I can't build things automatically just yet as I have no 3D-printer and they aren't…
MechLearner99
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Evaluating performance of heat sink designs without finite element simulation

I have the opportunity to do a few metal 3D prints for just the material cost, and would like to experiment with the performance of heat sink designs (mostly for fun). Since I have no experience designing heat sinks, I would say that the expected…
PlasmaHH
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How to secure a rotating disc so that it has no wobble

For a 3D printing application, I need to have a spinning disc(that I will rotate via geared stepper motors) that will wobble as little as possible. By wobble, I mean that it will only rotate around it's axis and not shift side to side. The goal is…
James Baxter
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Are ABS/PLA too volatile to be used in cryo vacuum?

I need to use a custom part inside high vacuum (cryo vacuum), for example as a shadow mask. If PLA/ABS are not volatile, I could just print the part I need. The question is, are ABS or PLA too volatile to be used in cryo vacuum chambers?
Sparkler
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Why are many compliant mechanisms only flexible in the joints?

I've been playing around with 3D printing some compliant mechanisms, mostly to get precise linear motion, and I've noticed that many commercial compliant mechanisms are often designed like this: Where the flexible parts are only thin by their…
Beacon of Wierd
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Why is 3D printing with metals so uncommon?

What are the differences between the processes of 3D printing with plastics versus metals? Why is metal such a problem? There are plenty of metals with low melting points. And AFAIK metal can be sprayed and directed in a number of ways such as with…
Jayy
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How to hold electrical wires on a part?

We are looking for a solution to hold two Power cables on a 3D printed part. This part is installed in a vibrating environment. So we need the cables to be pressed not to move and not to transfer vibrations to electrical components. We have thought…
Mathilde
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Where can I find technical drawings for computer parts?

I want to 3d print a custom computer case, I have the skillset to do so, however, I do not know where to find the technical drawings required. I need drawings for a 280mm Radiator, an ITX Motherboard, and various other parts.
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