3D printers allow creators to print all kinds of complex models. Upgrading your device with a dual extruder allows you to enhance your prints with multiple materials at once. One of the advantages of dual extruders is the ability to print support structures to strengthen your designs.
Those new to the world of 3D printing may be unfamiliar with support structures and the purpose they serve. You don’t need them for every design; however, knowing which kinds of 3D prints need support structures will help you prepare your process.
Overhangs are a concept in 3D printing that describe structures extending off of your design’s base. Think about them like the letter T—the horizontal line on top of the letter creates lines that hang over the vertical line. Designs featuring these geometric shapes require support through the curing process.
Certain overhanging parts don’t need support if you print them at a 45-degree angle or smaller. However, anything more than 45 degrees will require support. Otherwise, gravity can take hold of your model and pull the overhanging portion off your print before it dries.
Other kinds of 3D prints that need support structures are parts with holes. Whether your design has one massive gap in the center or several smaller holes throughout, support structures keep those spaces from collapsing in on themselves.
You might think supports are unnecessary for these designs since they occupy space that should be bare. However, materials like PVA and HIPS are dissolvable. Once your print dries completely, you can dissolve your support structures without scuffing your print surface.
Printing regular shapes like circles and squares makes for an easy design and print process. However, some models include irregular shapes with unsupported edges and strange bends. These designs almost always need support structures to hold the desired form.
Gravity can be a 3D printer’s worst nightmare when you have to spend extra time and energy forcing things into positions that don’t fit the natural mold. Support structures do this job for you by keeping things in place until the post-printing process is complete.
Support structures are a useful tool for people looking to take their 3D printing to the next level. You can only improve your skills by pushing beyond what you already know; experiment with these complicated designs to grow your talent as a 3D creator.
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