Hello everyone, this is my fourth blog post that outlines updates on my 3D molecular representations project. This one might be shorter than previous posts, but there are a few things that I need to address. Firstly, the soluble support that I was using previously (Polydissolve S1 from Polymaker, PVA Filament) went bad and I am currently waiting for the new filament to come in. I was not aware that I needed to keep this filament in a very dry environment, and it seems the filament absorbed too much moisture and became extremely flimsy. This seems to be the reason why there were so many MMU loading errors and misprints as when the filament tries to move through the MMU tubing and into the MMU extruder it kept getting jammed. Secondly, I have tried to transition into using a combination of PETG/PLA filaments instead of the PLA/PVA filaments however I am still having issues with printing with multiple filaments.
Side note: That weird white looking stuff on the base is spray glue from when I attempted to save this print with the only glue that I had near me… 🙁
Stand Issue… And SOLUTION!
I was satisfied with the old stand design, however, when I attempted to remove the supports, the peg snapped, and I decided to redesign the stand. The issue seemed to be a lack of support to the base of the peg which made it very unstable. Also, remember in a previous post I talked about added a simple design in the stand that displays the molecular name… well I did it and it turned out quite nicely. The new design is shown below:
Also, this grey filament is PETG just like with the blue filament shown previously, and I must say it looks so much better than PLA. But just like with PLA, I still have some “support scarring” on the bottom of the model as shown below.
Different Print Settings…
I decided to make an effort to supplement the soluble support and did some digging into the advanced print settings on Prusa and found a few interesting things. Firstly, the default print settings have the interface pattern set to one that is most ideal for soluble supports and there is another setting that is recommended when soluble supports are not used.
Under the “Print Settings” tab in Prusa, there is the “Rectilinear” option, which is ideal for non-soluble supports while the “Concentric” option is for soluble supports.
Secondly, there is an option to make the interface layer between the supports and model much thinner and therefore easier to remove.
Thirdly, there are support pattern options labeled “Grid,” “Snug,” and “Organic” which essentially changes the design of the support.
- Grid: The default style that prioritizes sturdiness over all else and can result in supports that are extremely difficult to remove.
- Snug: Similar to Grid except the supports conform to the shape of overhangs and results in reducing filament waste, easier to remove supports, and reduced stability in some parts of the print.
- Organic: Think of tree branches that wrap around the model to give support instead of scaffolding like with Grid and Snug. This method is fast and cheap to print however it is a poor option for some models and often excels when used to print something like a mini figure.
In the past I have always used “Grid” as that is what is set at default however, I tried using “Snug” for the redesign stand, and I personally think it helped with support removal. I have yet to use Organic however, I will be trying that sometime this week. Below is an image of the “Organic” support style that I found on google since it can be hard to visualized.
Next Steps…
My next objective is to take a molecular structure like hemoglobin and separate it into its 4 subunits (2 alpha and 2 beta subunits) for multiple reasons:
- This will allow for the models to be disassembled to be viewed as not just one structure but as multiple structures that come together and form one structure.
- This will improve print quality because molecular models are very complex and the autogenerated supports within the model can get stuck. This wouldn’t be an issue if I could figure out soluble support printing, but you know how that goes.
- This will allow for larger models to be printed as the separate parts can be arranged on the heat bed instead of altogether. This can further improve print quality as well because the model is being printed in a more horizontal fashion instead of vertically.
- This will allow pegs to be created in locations of known cysteine-cysteine disulfide bridges to further illustrate how these amazing molecules are created and folded. This is not just for looks either as the pegs will allow the model to be put together and displayed on the stand.
That’s all for now. See you next week!