3D Printing with FDM

Lesson 1: Understanding FDM - Understanding how an FDM printer works will help the user to gain an appreciation for the machine and what level of detail it can produce.

Lesson 2: Prepare Printer - This lesson will detail the steps which should be carried out prior to starting a print to ensure the printer is set up correctly.

Lesson 3: Prepare File - Within this stage you will understand how to set your printer up within the slicing software that turns a model into G-Code that is read by the printer; giving it vital instructions on temperatures, print head positions etc.

Lesson 4: Export, Import & Orientate -Lesson 4 will focus on the process of exporting our SOLIDWORKS model as an STL file and the settings which should be adjusted to ensure a good quality print is achieved.

Lesson 5: Adhesion -Good bed adhesion is an important factor to ensure that the bottom layer of a print is neat and uniform. This lesson will describe what trouble shooting steps to take if the first layer doesn’t print correctly and the tools available to you to improve bed adhesion.

Lesson 6: Supports & Finishing -Lesson 6 will look at how to determine if your model requires support and where it should be added. We will also cover how the supports can be successfully removed and how to achieve an optimum finish to your part.

Lesson 7: What to do When it Goes Wrong - In this section, we will look at the issues you can face when using an FDM 3D printer. Examples will show the various failure modes which can occur with a description of what has gone wrong and the things to look at to correct it.