Angle Prints and required supports to get functional and robust objects.

3d Printing / Slicers / Setup / Problems
1

I know here are many people avoiding supports like hell, but sometimes you have no choice to get the result you need.

The orientation of the layer lines is the weak point of FDM printing. A flat surface is optimal for FDM printing. But sometimes these
two affect each other from opposite sites. Printing optimal results in a weak part, but reducing the weakness by re-orientating the part
also reduces the print quality and increases the need to plastic waste.

Here is a good example:

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This is the broken part or a safe door locking mechanism. Why the vendor used a plastic piece for this, is …
I will try to get pictures and the safe model for a thingiverse post, so I will updating the post to share more information on the result.

As you can see the broken section seems to be the weak part.

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As shown the print was not done flat on the table. It got printed in ABS with tree support to reduce the impact of real support on the print quality.

I angled it X and Y by a few degree. I did this because of the “wings”. Any other orientation would be less robust due to the layer lines.

Standing upright may have worked, too. But I have no clue about the mechanical stress at the mounting holes. Especially the small tail
hole could break very easy. Due to the angle the lines are slightly longer

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Here the result. :smiley:

It still needs to fit, which I cannot test, as I don’t have access to the safe, but the square pegs are robust like hell and you cannot break them by hand. Well, at least without hurting yourself.

But this shows that sometimes even additional support is required to get a successful and more important functional and robust print.

SafeLockBracket_AngledPrint_2.jpg
SafeLockBracket_AngledPrint_2.jpg1024×768 247 KB

SafeLockBracket_AngledPrint_1.jpg
SafeLockBracket_AngledPrint_1.jpg1024×768 245 KB

SafeLockBracket_FinishedPrint_1.jpg
SafeLockBracket_FinishedPrint_1.jpg1024×768 299 KB

SafeLockBracket_Broken_1.jpg
SafeLockBracket_Broken_1.jpg1024×768 304 KB

2

Interesting approach. Like you say, I suspect printing vertically, with support for the wings, would work too. I also am not sure about the stress at the holes, but I suspect it’s not much different from vertical. Since it’s small, it might be an interesting experiment.

3

Well, this way I have the maximal robust result in all dimensions. I don’t think I will investigate further, since I have no clue how the locking mechanism is working and assembled.

The ABS part is at least more robust than the plastic used originally (which is no ABS as it does not react to acetone). While the original part is bending with a little force, the ABS version needs far more force to get bend a little.

I suspect the pegs are also harder to break off, so it will hopefully fix the safe.

4

A lot of parts like that are molded nylon.

5

Could be. It looks and feels like the plastic used for tupper ware or cable ties. Just a more hardened version.

6

Most cable ties are nylon, even the Hulk version used by police.

7

I got feedback (no images , but they will follow later on for sure) as I delivered the part on sunday.

The replacement part worked and the safes door latch mechanism got repaired by the use of 3D printing and a little CAD design.

Otherwise the safe would already be trashed. The glory of 3D printing.

8

When you say “safe”, do you mean a locked box to store valuable things? I’m having a little trouble picturing a plastic part to lock a safe.

9

Yes, I mean that. The original part was made from nylon. From what I understand the part is from the latch driven by the door handle to click the door close and keep it closed.

The owner meant that it is hard to get the unlocked safe door open when the plastic part is broken. If not I would just ask for the location of that safe and take a bottle of acetone with me to open it in secret. :smiley:

10

Wow, I hope that part isn’t a key part of the security.

11

No. As I said it is part of the latch (I hope this is the correct name). This snappy part every door has to keep it shut in unlocked state. Basically if the part breaks, the handle no longer works, so the safe is more secure in broken state :smiley: