In the world of 3D printing, non-planar printing technology offers new perspectives for creating models with smooth curves and aerodynamic surfaces. YouTuber Michael from Teaching Tech has taken an in-depth look at this technology and reports on the latest developments through contributions from the open source community.
Non-planar 3D printing technology differs from traditional 3D printing in that the Z-axis not only goes straight up, but follows the contours of the printed object. This creates gently curved, three-dimensional surfaces instead of the typical staircase effects.
Inspired by a master’s thesis from 2019, a GitHub user called EiNSTeiN implemented the non-planar function in the open-source slicer PrusaSlicer 2.6. Michael and his team took over this fork and provided a portable Windows version for the community.
The challenges lie in hardware compatibility and slicer settings. Many hotends do not provide enough clearance for the non-planar movements. Airbrush nozzles proved to be promising, but brought their own problems. Creative solutions are required for automated bed leveling.
In the slicer settings, users have to enter parameters such as the maximum non-planar angle and the maximum height. Unfortunately, some models cannot yet be sliced reliably. Michael sees potential for improvement in extended control options and optimizations for travel movements.
Nevertheless, Michael’s results show the potential of the technology for propellers, wings and other models with inclined surfaces. The slicer version of Teaching Tech can be downloaded here for Windows.
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