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3D Printing
3D Printing Forum Which 3D Printing file format should I choose?
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  • 3D Printer file format
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Which 3D Printing file format should I choose?

HKPhysicist
HKPhysicist 8 months ago

Hello Friends,

I am planning to hire a graphic designer to design an enclosure for my new battery temperature monitor.

Then, I will take the design file to a friend`s laboratory and print the enclosure.

As I am new to 3D printing, here are my questions:

  1. Which file format should I choose so that it can be printed across most 3D printers?
  2. Which material (plastic?) should I choose for my enclosure so that it can be considered robust, good looking and commercial grade?

Please give your opinions.   Upside down

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Top Replies

  • milosrasic98
    milosrasic98 8 months ago +2
    Hi! If you just want to print out the file without doing any modifications, most slicers should work with STL or 3MF files. As for the material choice, could you give a bit more detail on the environment…
  • anniel747
    anniel747 8 months ago in reply to HKPhysicist +2 suggested
    www.3dxtech.com/.../flame-retardant
  • HKPhysicist
    HKPhysicist 8 months ago in reply to anniel747 +1
    Cool! There are UL-rated Flame Retardant (FR) polymers in market! I just order these when I hire a shop to print my enclosures!
Parents
  • HKPhysicist
    0 HKPhysicist 8 months ago

    Another question is:

    • Which free-to-use software (proprietary) or open source software can read and open STL file quickly?

    I did try FreeCAD but it is so slow that sometimes it takes almost 30 minutes to open a file.  When I rotate the model, it takes another many minutes to finish. Disappointed

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  • HKPhysicist
    0 HKPhysicist 8 months ago

    Another question is:

    • Which free-to-use software (proprietary) or open source software can read and open STL file quickly?

    I did try FreeCAD but it is so slow that sometimes it takes almost 30 minutes to open a file.  When I rotate the model, it takes another many minutes to finish. Disappointed

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  • cstanton
    0 cstanton 8 months ago in reply to HKPhysicist
    HKPhysicist said:
    Which free-to-use software (proprietary) or open source software can read and open STL file quickly?

    OpenSCAD and variants thereof.

    HKPhysicist said:
    I did try FreeCAD but it is so slow that sometimes it takes almost 30 minutes to open a file.  When I rotate the model, it takes another many minutes to finish.

    You may need to review your rendering hardware and storage speed.

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  • HKPhysicist
    0 HKPhysicist 8 months ago in reply to cstanton

    How do you rate the newest Blender v4.2.5?  It can import STL file without 3rd party extension.

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  • cstanton
    0 cstanton 8 months ago in reply to HKPhysicist
    HKPhysicist said:
    How do you rate the newest Blender v4.2.5? 

    If I need precision I go for parametric cad tools such as OpenSCAD, blender may be capable of this, I find that blender is difficult for ease of precision.

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