FAQ

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing is a process of making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model, usually by laying down many successive thin layers of a host of different types of material. It is also known as additive manufacturing (AM) and it empower designers and manufacturers print object of any shape and geometric dimension. In simple words, it is one of the fastest modes of developing physical prototypes accurately and true to scale.

How much time does it take to 3D print any object?
The time taken to print any object depends upon the size of the object and settings set for an object. A small object with less dimensions and infills can be printed in less than an hour. Objects with higher dimensions will take several hours to print.

Where 3D printing is being used?
3D is touted to be the third industrial revolution and has been around for two decades. The popularity and accessibility of this revolutionary technology is increasing at fast and steady pace. As of one India’s leading 3D printer selling in India, 3D Techno has empowered clients various verticals such as.

Medical
Architecture
Electronics
Education
Footwear
Automotive
Product Design (Prototyping)
Casting and Engineering
Customised Gifting (3D Face Scanning)
Plastic Moulding and more
How can I get models for 3D printing with Prusa and Prusa i3series of 3D Printers?
You can use 3D models that you have on the SD-card with prusa 3d printer. You can use freeware CAD software to make STL files You can download ready-to-use .stl models from different online repositories Make sure any model you are willing to print should be strictly in .stl file format

What is infill in 3D printing?
In 3D printing, infill refers to the structure printed inside the object. The size, shape, pattern, and percentage depends heavily on the design requirements. Higher infill percentage translates to physically stronger 3D printed samples

What is a PLA Filament?

PLA (Polylactic acid) is biodegradable thermoplastic derived mostly from corn. Due to its brittle nature, PLA is not recommended for 3D printing. Printed object may break down after a few months. Furthermore, the material has sharp edges when it breaks, making it a hazard especially when removing the support material from printed parts.

What kind of plastic filaments can be used?

ABS, PLA, HIPS, TPU, PETG,PC, Carbon Fiber plastic materials are used on our 3D printers.

What material should I use? ABS or PLA?

Use of PLA is avoided as it has lower strength as compared to ABS when it absorbs moisture. Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) printed parts have a strong, hard, and rigid output. ABS is also chemical resistant Dimensional stability is perfect of 3D printing It can be electroplated for greater high-impact resistance, tensile strength and stiffness Excellent high and low temperature performance It is also resistive to many plasticisers and has excellent ductility and flexibility

What Colours filaments are available for printing?

At 3D Techno, we have a range of colours in different material types readily available. Check out our collection of filaments here: www.3dtechno.in

Can I use any commonly available filaments?

Our filaments have been tested and they confirm to our 3D printer’s specifications. Other filaments may be used. However, we recommend not doing so, as some filaments work poorly, specifically, non-virgin plastics. This can also cause damage to the extruder head and machine

Can I use multiple colors?

Yes, you can use multiple colors. You can use prusai3 is a dual nozzle 3D printer in which you can use 2 colours. To have more than two color in a single object, you must change the filament during the printing process. This can be done easily by pausing the print in the software, and then using the utility to extract the existing filament and initiate the extrusion of the new filament

What grade of ABS is being used? Can you share the data sheets of the material?

We can provide the MSDS of ABS & as wellASTM 638 test reports of printed samples.

What is the workstation compatibility?

It supports Windows workstations running XP (32 bit & 64 bit), Vista, Windows 7 (32 bit & 64 bit) and Windows 8.

How do I add support to my printed objects?

Our slicing software recognises the need of supports and generates minimum supports automatically.

What is the strength of the printed output?

Strength of the object or parts depends heavily on the of amount of infill which can be controlled via the supplied software. If you need a quick prototype just for display, you can use lesser infill making the part almost hollow. However, if you need a component for functional testing, you can opt for higher infill, making the 3D printed object stronger.

What is anPrusa series 3D printer?

The Prusa series from 3D Techno is an industrial-grade 3D printer that use Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) to create 3D models from a 3D CAD file (STL).

What materials can the prusa series of 3D Printers print?

Currently, the Prusa i3 can print in ABS, PLA, HIPS, PETG, Flexible filaments, CarbonFibber, PC, nylon, wood-fills etc. At 3D Techno, we are constantly experimenting with new materials.

What can I print with the Prusa?

Any prototype with minimum wall thickness 1.2mm and minimum overall size more than 2mm can be printed.

How hard is it to set up the Prusa series 3D printer?

Setting the Prusa 3D printer with the supplied step-by-step instruction manual is simple. All instructions about loading the software, connecting to a workstation, and importing STL files are carefully explained in the manual. When you first use the machine, you need to manually calibrate the height of the table. Once that is done, the settings can be stored on the machine and is automatically recalled when powered up.

Do I require a special location to install the 3D printer?

The 3D printer’s outer body temperature reaches upto 50-60°C. Well ventilated spaces aid in better heat dissipation

How hot does the 3D printer get?

The 3D printer’s outer body temperature reaches upto 50-60°C. Well ventilated spaces aid in better heat dissipation

How fast is the 3D printer?

The speed depends on the size, material, choice of resolution, infill level, support material, raft influence, and many other factors. Usual 3d printers can print from 8 – 10 cubic cm per hour, Prusa series machines can print upto 15 cubic cm per hour &Prusa i3series machines can print up to 30 cubic cm per hour.

What is the print resolution output?

The printer can print at 100-250 microns layer height with 0.4 mm nozzle diameter.

What is the difference between Layer Resolution and Print Accuracy?

Layer resolution is the material stacking height for additive manufacturing i.e. the distance between two consecutive layers. Print accuracy is the degree to which the result of a measurement conforms to the value in the 3D design.

How do you take care of shrinkage after cooling in the 3D models?

Shrinkage of the models is calculated in the software. The material flow, speed, and infill width is calculated according. This process is completely automated, our software comes with profiles for different materials.

Is post processing required on printed parts?

In most situations, you can peel away the support structures from the model. ABS parts can be further sanded, milled, drilled, tapped and painted for added aesthetic value.

What is the warranty of a 3D Techno printer?

The printer warranty is 12 months from your installation date.

What is the cost of 3D printing?

The reel that is supplied with your 3D printer usually contains 800g of filament. The amount you print per kg varies with the amount of raft and support material required. Roughly, the average amount is less than Rs. 2 per cubic centimetre (approx.). The easiest way to calculate the cost of the material that will be used for your model is to use the print preview option under the 3D Print menu. This application will calculate the total weight of material used, including the raft and any support material. Cost to Print = Weight of Model x (Cost of Spool/Full Spool Weight) + Cost of electricity.

Can we resume the print after a power cut?

Yes. Keeping in mind unstable power supply conditions across many parts of the world, our 3D printers are designed to resume printing after a power cut or interruption.

What are automatic support structures?

While the printer is laying the model down onto the heated platform, the printer uses the same extrusion head and lays down low density support structures. If you imagine printing a standing up letter “T”, it would require supports to be laid for it all the way up to the top, so that the 3D printer has a base to print the crossbar on. In a nutshell, support structures act as scaffolding. They aid in the construction of parts and are removed in the final stages.

Do I need a 3D software for 3d printing?

Our 3D printers are equipped with a slicing software package that will lay out the model in the printing area and either scale or duplicate it. The model needs to be designed/modified in CAD programs such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, SketchUp Pro or TinkerCAD and then imported to our software as an “STL” file. In simple words, it is a visual print driver

Do I have to calculate the support material in models?

No. Our 3D software lets you select the angle of the support material, and it automatically places the material for any angle that exceeds it. There is a simple visual tool in the driver (it shows a bowl with varying sloped sides) to help you set it accurately. You can also opt to have the model print with a “raft” or a base piece, depending on the requirement.

Can the support material be easily removed?

Yes, in dual extruder 3D printer Prusai3 , the support material is different from intended material and our support material is non-hygroscopic and is soluble as well. While in single extruder 3D printer Prusa i3+, the support material is the same plastic as the model. The support material is attached to the model at “pinpoints” so that it tears away easily.

If I don’t know how to design, can I get ready files to print?

Yes, there is a large community of designers sharing thousands of STL files online. You can download these ready-to-print files and it use easily with any 3D Techno 3D printer.

What is the minimum hardware requirement to run the slicing software?

Almost any modern computer (bought in the last 3 years) should be able to run the visual print driver.

Which operating system Is the slicing software compatible with?

The slicing software is compatible with Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8 (32 & 64 bit) and Mac OSX 8+, MAC etc).