USEFUL TERMS

ABS

Poly acrylonitrile butadiene styrene – apart from PLA one of the main materials for 3D printers. Features a high impact strength, hardness and resistance to scratching. It is not resistant to UV radiation. Soluble in acetone, which allows for post-processing of prints by using the acetone vaporizing method. ABS prints can also be glued together with ABS solved in acetone. ABS features a fairly significant thermal shrinkage (up to 0.7%). The typical operating temperature for ABS is 220 to 250 Celsius degrees and about 100 Celsius degrees for the bed. The heated working space is necessary to maintain dimensional compatibility for printed items.

Adhesion

In the 3D print context it means the adhesion to the device bed. Insufficient print adhesion can result in partial or complete
tear of the print from the table during printer operation. The ceramic table of the 3DGence printers provides a good adhesion for the certified materials, however for hard to print plastics there is a lot of commercial solutions available for improving adhesion of the print to the bed. Grease or soiling on the table has a negative impact on adhesion.

Autocalibration

A printer capacity to perform an automated bed calibration. This process is designed to generate curve and irregularity maps for the working table and by introducing dynamic corrections it provides a constant height of the nozzle over
the bed. It usually takes from a few to several dozen minutes, and necessary user operations are reduced to starting the process
by using an appropriate command.

Autocompensation

Consists in a single-point measurement of the distance to bed and determining a correct distance to start a job. This process takes place each time before printing. After setting a correct height over a single point, further part of the print will be performed by taking into account the table curve pattern stored in the printer memory – thanks to this, the distance
between the nozzle and working table is always the same and corrected in Z-axis on a continuous basis.

Bridge

A part of model printed in the air, suspended between two parts of the print. It is subject to special calculations while
preparing the file for printing. If the bridge is too long, it may be subject to deformation. In such cases this component should be supported with support structures.

Brim

One of the methods of improving print adhesion to the bed. It consists in increasing the adhesion surface to the bed by
generating additional, external brims of the solid at the level of the first layer of the print. The more brim lines will be added, the larger will be the adhesion surface. Typically, from 5 to 20 brim lines are used. The brim should be used, in case of problems with detaching prints from the bed.

Curling

A negative phenomenon that occurs during 3D print using FFF technique. Curling can be observed while printing
overhangs or sharp edges between faces of a solid. It manifests as curling of the print edges upwards. In extreme situations it
may lead to print failure, and always have a negative impact on visual effect, especially at the bottom parts of the print. It leads
also to collisions of the printing hotend with the print during operation. The basis method of fighting against curling is the active print cooling. If turning on the fans does not help, it is good to lower the speed of printing.

Endstop

An optoelectronic switch that limits a 3D printer movement beyond the maximum range. The device is fitted with
3 optical endstops – one for each axis. The optical endstop does not require any physical contact with the corresponding
interrupter, which provides its long life, however one should notice that it is sensitive to the sources of bright light which may
result in triggering its false operation.

Extruder

A part of the 3D printer working in the FFF technology. It is designed to feed the filament at a strictly defined rate,
and consequently – quantity. The 3DGence ONE printer is fitted with a Direct Drive type extruder. It means that extruder motors
are located beyond the moving printer parts, leading material to the head via the PTFE tubing. It makes the design lighter and
has a positive impact on the print quality.

Filament

Popular description for material used to print in fused deposition modeling (FFF) technology. The filament is a thermoplastic
wire (PLA, ABS, PVA, HIPS, PC, Nylon or other) generated with specific tolerances The filament is wound on a spool.
The relevant parameters when selecting a filament include: dimensional tolerance and the method for protection against moisture (optimally the filament should be vacuum packed with a moisture absorber.) A high diameter of the spool hub provides an opportunity to use its entire length – an excessive bending of the filament (e.g. on a small spool hub) can cause problems with its application. The filament after opening the package should be stored in a dark, dry place with a moisture absorber.