Learning Through Educational Tools: Supports

Supports are meant to be temporary, but they can be a bit of a pain to remove. If there isn't enough distance between the top or bottom, it can somewhat weld itself to the part, requiring time and effort to remove. I managed to jab myself pretty good with a needle file while removing some of the remnants under the steps on the left them still in place. The stairs on the left side definitely couldn't have supported itself without supports.

Supports are meant to be temporary, but they can be a bit of a pain to remove. If there isn't enough distance between the top or bottom, it can somewhat weld itself to the part, requiring time and effort to remove. I managed to jab myself pretty good with a needle file while removing some of the remnants under the steps on the left side. There is also a chance of a part breaking free, and flying at your eyes. So, at least have some glasses on, if not real eye protection.

Ok, so what tools do I use? Well, I use a few different kinds of pliers, I recently got some flush cutters, that are oh so handy, and I also use a mixture of various files and sanding paper. The cutters and pliers are used for removing the larger pieces first. The cutters make it easy to weaken the supports, before removing them with the pliers.

It sometimes works well to wiggle the supports side to side, or left to right. Or in flying terms, you need to yaw, then roll. Some parts can handle rougher treatment, but you definitely need to be careful with delicate parts. Otherwise, you will end up with a broken part. I have had this happen more than once on detailed models. Remember that these are not parts formed by injection molding, they are layers of plastic that are melted together. They can be broken along the layer lines if manhandled.

In the software, supports show up tall rectangles, indicating nodes, or points where they are supposed to touch the part. You can change the resolution, or what overhang angle for it to automatically detect. Finer resolution allows automatic supports to be placed on more detailed models, or in smaller spaces.

Simplify3D, the slicer I use, allows you to add, or remove supports manually. Sometimes the automatic supports miss a detail, or don't provide sufficient support. So, you might wish to add supports. In some cases, it may add supports to internal parts that don't allow you to remove the supports. I have found this functionality very useful!

Supports also have many other options, which I will cover in more detail in the future. The quick version is that you can choose the percentage (how close together the standard infill is), Whether to have dense supports (more support, thicker on the top and bottom), and distance between the part and the support. The density and distance can control the finish, and ease of removal. I rarely use dense supports, simply because they are a pain to remove. That said, they can prevent drooping on the bottom layer, so the finish can be nice, if you have the settings dialed in.

Similar to infill, the support infill percentage can make a difference in how the part's finish looks. Too far apart, and bridging won't work well, too close, and it can be hard to remove. Not to mention using more filament, that will go to waste. Temperature and cooling also come into play, but that is a running theme for pretty much every aspect of 3D printing.

Supports are an important aspect of 3D printing. Without them, some parts would be impossible to print. Learning when, and how to use them is key to making great printed objects. I am still learning, but I have come a long way since my first years of printing. I hope this has been useful to you. Please feel free to ask questions, and provide constructive criticism. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you have a great day!