Ask the CNCKing: Why is 3D printing so slooow?
3D printing slow? Learn why 3D printing is takes so long and why that’s generally a GOOD thing. Watch the video!
Ask the CNCKing: Why is 3D printing so slooow? Transcript
Hi there, this is Jon from CNCKing.com and a very common question I get on my website is why does 3D printing take so long to be done? Now, I’ve made a quick little video about a minute long just to show you how fast it is real-time. After that I’ll explain things in more detail.
(intro)
(real-time 3D printing on my 3D Systems Cube)
Well, I hope you found that very very boring. What I was printing actually was this cog box. Now, why is it so slow?
It’s based off resolution more than anything else. 3D printing works layer by layer where resolution is based off the thickness of each layer. If the layers are too thick, then the resolution on the mesh it produces is really bad. If you cut the layer in half, it will take twice as long to print and if you cut it again in half, it will take four times longer.
What you see here is better quality mesh take longer to print generally speaking across all 3D printer. Now there are some ways around this like getting rid of some mesh and hallowing out – there are many little tricks here and there.
Generally speaking, my models take between six and twelve hours to print. It’s not a bad thing because I’m not sitting there looking at the printer work, I just need to check on it every hour or so to make sure all is good.
When the print is finished, it lets me know.
(break)
Now that you know why 3D printing takes so long and generally why it’s a good thing (better resolution), let me tell you one of my pet peeves. That’s how they advertise 3D printers.
Companies love to show the mesh quality you get out of a 3D printer but rarely will they print something that takes-up the whole cubic space. The reason for this is they don’t want to tell you it takes a day or two to print something of that size but more importantly, the longer it takes to print something, the more things can go wrong.
When ever something goes wrong with 3D printing, you have to scrap the whole mesh. With CNC lasers or routers, you can still salvage some parts but with 3D printing there isn’t any real salvaging to be done – you just chuck it out.