Re: OT: 3D printer, fun if you make things

It can print *HOLES* though. Use nuts on those bolts of course. Like this:

Also:

------ sed-dowel-thing.scad ------ $fn = 24;

difference() { union() { cylinder (d=17, h=20); translate([-3, -15, 0]) cube([6, 30, 10]); } translate([0, 0, -0.01]) cylinder (d=15, h=18); translate([-1, -16, -0.01]) cube([2, 32, 16]); for (a=[-1,1]) { scale([1, a, 1]) { translate([0, 11, 5]) rotate([0, 90, 0]) cylinder (d=4, h=10, center=true); } } }

translate([0, 0, 20]) cylinder (d=12/cos(30), h=14, $fn=6);

Heh. Try it without and see :-)

In some industrial areas, metal parts are being made that are stronger, and more reliable than the original parts. Do not whine about plastic..

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. For screw/bolt holes, I either let it droop the fraction of a mm it will (and drill it out) or print a notch in the top to compensate. For larger flat spans, if you're seeing droop, tune your bridging settings. I can span many inches without support. Non-flat spans (like 5-30 degrees off "horizonal"), yeah, you need support.

ABS and PLA, yes. PETG sticks to itself like mad. If a "tall" part fails it's due to stress cracks originating at all those inside corners, not due to layer adhesion.

Most of the non-structural parts (brackets and such) of my electric motorcycle conversion are 3D printed PETG. Like any tech, you need to understand its strengths and weaknesses to use it successfully.

Yup. Plenty of videos already, search for "3d printing bridging" Here's a sample:

Generally, yes.