QA

How Thick Should A 3D Printed Lithopane Be

The first one is “MODEL” and it allows us to adjust the size and resolution of the lithophane. I recommend you start with a Maximum Size of 150 mm, a thickness of 3 mm, and 0 for the border. “Thinnest Layer” allows us to choose the smaller width of the image.

What is a good thickness for 3D printing?

If you want higher-strength parts, use larger values such as a wall thickness of 2-3 mm and a top and bottom thickness of 1.6-2 mm. For more display-oriented models that don’t need much strength, you can get away with a 0.4-mm wall thickness and a top and bottom thickness of 0.2-0.8 mm.

Should a lithophane be 100% infill?

If you’re going to print your lithophane vertically, it’s best to set the layer height as low as possible. Since we want all the details, it’s better if you don’t print at high speed. Try to keep it lower than 2000 mm/min. Setting the infill to 100% will let the light do its trick better.

How big should a lithophane be?

I recommend a resolution of at least 200 pixels per inch. For instance, if you were printing a 2″ x 3″ wallet size lithophane, I would recommend submitting at least a 400 x 600 pixel image (2″ x 200 pixels + 3″ x 200 pixels).

Can you 3D print 1mm?

Making a model excessively thin, such as 1mm, will create a model that is so thin that it might create a mess trying to take it out, not even mentioning strong enough to be shipped or transferred someone else. Therefore, you need to make sure you check the thickness of the model in the 3D software.

How thin can a 3D print be?

Too thin walls When scaling down a model, it could happen that walls become too thin to be printed. Most 3D printers have a set nozzle size with a diameter of 0.4mm or 0.5mm. Although this works for most models, problems could arise when layers smaller than this nozzle size need to be printed.

What infill should I print lithophane?

If you were to print your lithophane using the standard 20% infill you will see a bunch of gridded lines as light shines though your lithophane. ​Yes! I know this from experience! Instead you want to set you Infill to 100% this will make a solid lithophane.

What is the best way to print lithophane?

Print slowly (40mm/s) with small layer height (perhaps 0.1mm) inside of an enclosure and use your best adhesion control. Print at the same temperatures at which you normally print your filament. Print framed lithophanes so that their long dimension goes in the same direction that your bed moves.

Do lithophanes have to be white?

Lithophanes don’t have to be white but light passes through white filament a lot better, so it produces higher quality lithophanes. It’s definitely possible to 3D print lithophanes in different colors, but they don’t work as great as white lithophanes.

How small can you print a lithophane?

Print speed The best lithophanes are made by printing them slow. In general the slower the better the result will be. We like to print at 45 mm/s but this is already pretty fast for lithophanes, however we get good results without losing too much detail. We would advise to print at 30 mm/s to get the best results.

Can I print a lithophane flat?

​The first option for your 3d printer setup is to print your Lithophane laying flat on the bed, with the textured side of the image facing up or print your Lithophane vertically. ​As each layer is printed it the filament is “squished” into the print bed.

Should a lithophane be a positive or negative?

If you want a lithophane, then set the Positive or Negative Image? value to Negative. If you want the dark parts of your photo to recede and be darkened by shadow, then select Positive. The Lithophane Resolution is the distance (in mm) between unique thicknesses on your final lithophane surface.

What should my layer height be?

For most 3D prints the ideal layer height is 0.2mm because it’s a good middle point between quality and printing speed, both for large prints as well as small and detailed ones, and the layer lines will not be too visible.

How thin can you 3D print metal?

The printability of gaps and voids differs between various metal 3D printers. Generally speaking, those details should not be thinner than 0.5 mm.

How do you print lithophane Prusaslicer?

RE: How to print a Lithophane ? In Prusa Slicer click Printer Settings tab and then on the right side Advanced. You will see the advanced menu on the left side where you can see the option speed. From there you can tweak your and lower it.

What is lithophane resolution?

The lithophane resolution is the distance between pixels in the printed lithophane, so a value of 0.3 mm/pixel means that each unique lithophane thickness is 0.3mm apart in the x and y dimensions. The overhang angle determines what becomes your overhang angle when you print the lithophane vertically.

Can a 3D printer print from a picture?

Unfortunately, we can’t make a 3D print out of an image file, a PDF or a photo. Before you can 3D print anything, you always need a 3D model. A 3D model is a virtual input that a 3D printer needs to print an object. There are free apps, like Qlone or Smoothie 3D, that can transform photos into a 3D model.

What is smoothie 3D?

Smoothie-3D is a Deliciously Free Photo-to-3D Modeling and 3D Printing Tool. For example, it’s easier now to take your kid’s ‘artwork’ and make it 3D printable even if you don’t have access to a 3D printer.

How many walls does lithophane have?

Walls/Shells: 8(or more if you are making a particularly thick lithophane) to allow mostly walls, the infill will take care of the rest(frames etc). Bed Temperature: First layer should be 60c for PLA, then 55c for the 2nd followed by 50c for the remainder of the print.