Design Issues

3D Printing Design Issues

When designing projects for 3D printing, you need to consider the following:

• Size Make sure you know what size your model is. Make sure that your model fits within the build volume (maximum height, width, and length) for the 3D printer you are using. For example, the Ender 3 Pro has a build volume of 220mmx220mmx250mm (last one is the height).
• Color The color of your design DOES NOT MATTER when it is printed. What DOES matter, is the color of the filament used to print your model.
• Overhang When printing, the extruder will melt the filament. The hot melted plastic must be printed on something below it. In general, if you have parts of your design that are not supported from below, you will end up with a big ball of plastic mess.
• 3D! When printing a model, you need to make sure that your design is ACTUALLY 3D. This means no 2D or 1D shapes (like a line, or a plane). CAD software will allow you to create 2D designs or shapes - but they will not be printable.

See the links for more information on issues related to 3D printing designs and how to deal with overhang.