Fix My Glock: Difference between revisions

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== Troubleshooting Your Print ==

~~Coming soon~~.

Many print-related problems can be traced back to one of two things: Lack of experience with slicer settings, and not following the print instructions in the README file included with the frame distribution.

A Glock frame (or any firearm) should not be your first 3D print. Use commonly available test objects to hone your 3D printing skill. You don't need to learn every setting in the slicer, but you do need to understand the basics -- particularly with respect to strength and supports.

This section provides some general guidelines but developer's instructions should take precedence. If you downloaded a frame that doesn't include any documentation, find the frame design it was based on and follow that design's README instructions. If you cannot determine the original source of a design, you may wish to reconsider using it.

=== Recommended Filament ===

Enhanced PLA (PLA Pro or PLA+) is the least expensive and easiest to print filament that is known to be reliable in Glock frames. It is recommended that you ''DO NOT'' use any of the following: PETG, PETG-CF, PLA-CF, Plain PLA, "Artistic" PLA (silk, matte, wood, etc.), PC, TPU. Other common filaments that are known to work but require highly-tuned settings to get reliable prints include: PCTG, ABS (no CF/GF), and ASA (no CF/GF). Most engineering filaments will work if you have well-tuned settings and a printer that can handle them. These include CF/GF reinforced versions of: PA6, PA12, PA612, PPA, and PPS. PET-CF/GF is controversial. It can produce reliable frames with the right settings but it's lack of impact strength makes it prone to sudden failure. Do not use engineering filaments unless you have verified your settings by producing (and breaking) test parts to verify strength of the resulting prints.

=== General Print Settings ===

* Print temperature and cooling: Use the maximum temperature recommended by the filament manufacturer and the lowest part cooling fan speed that still results in acceptable print quality. Use a test print such as a Benchy to tune temperature and cooling settings.

* Strength: 4 walls, 100% rectilinear infill. More walls is acceptable, but testing has shown that with 100% infill there is no strength benefit to using a large number of walls. Historical guidance was to use infill percentages in the high 90s. This was due to some slicers not correctly handling 100%. These issues are long since resolved and current versions of Prusa, Bambu, Orca, and Cura slicers handle 100% infill just fine.

* Supports: Manual tree supports is the most popular approach. Automatic tree supports will work, but will generate more supports that really necessary. In all cases, having well-tuned support interface settings will have a major impact on the quality of your print. Slicer "defaults" are rarely optimal, and no one can just ''give you'' the optimal settings for your printer/filament combo. There are many support tuning videos available on YouTube (e.g. https://youtu.be/1BXPPyk-CgI?si=FyPgpuvAUO6SUp_E). If you have never tuned your support settings, time spend watching some videos and doing support tuning prints is well worth it.

* Orientation: Rails-up vs. rails-down (or grip-up vs. grip-down if you prefer) is the subject of much debate. In terms of strength it makes no difference. Rails-up is the traditional recommendation. Pros/cons are:

** Pro: No supports in most of the areas where parts install (rail pockets, locking block pocket, etc.). Not a big advantage with tuned support interfaces.

** Pro: Less chance of warping.

** Con: More support material, longer print time.

** Con: Support scars are on "visible" areas of the completed frame. Not a big disadvantage with tuned support interfaces.

* Angle: Horizontal (rails parallel to build plate). This is the correct orientation for both rails-up and rails-down prints. Do ''NOT'' angle the frame up or down. Layer adhesion strength is directly proportional to layer surface area. Angled printing reduces layer surface area in critical places like the front rail and locking block pin holes. "Intuitive" arguments in favor of angled layers opposing the direction of frame stress are provably incorrect.

== Troubleshooting Your Build ==

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 == Troubleshooting Your Print ==
-Coming soon.
+Many print-related problems can be traced back to one of two things: Lack of experience with slicer settings, and not following the print instructions in the README file included with the frame distribution.
+A Glock frame (or any firearm) should not be your first 3D print. Use commonly available test objects to hone your 3D printing skill. You don't need to learn every setting in the slicer, but you do need to understand the basics -- particularly with respect to strength and supports.
+This section provides some general guidelines but developer's instructions should take precedence. If you downloaded a frame that doesn't include any documentation, find the frame design it was based on and follow that design's README instructions. If you cannot determine the original source of a design, you may wish to reconsider using it.
+=== Recommended Filament ===
+Enhanced PLA (PLA Pro or PLA+) is the least expensive and easiest to print filament that is known to be reliable in Glock frames. It is recommended that you ''DO NOT'' use any of the following: PETG, PETG-CF, PLA-CF, Plain PLA, "Artistic" PLA (silk, matte, wood, etc.), PC, TPU. Other common filaments that are known to work but require highly-tuned settings to get reliable prints include: PCTG, ABS (no CF/GF), and ASA (no CF/GF). Most engineering filaments will work if you have well-tuned settings and a printer that can handle them. These include CF/GF reinforced versions of: PA6, PA12, PA612, PPA, and PPS. PET-CF/GF is controversial. It can produce reliable frames with the right settings but it's lack of impact strength makes it prone to sudden failure. Do not use engineering filaments unless you have verified your settings by producing (and breaking) test parts to verify strength of the resulting prints.
+=== General Print Settings ===
+* Print temperature and cooling: Use the maximum temperature recommended by the filament manufacturer and the lowest part cooling fan speed that still results in acceptable print quality. Use a test print such as a Benchy to tune temperature and cooling settings.
+* Strength: 4 walls, 100% rectilinear infill. More walls is acceptable, but testing has shown that with 100% infill there is no strength benefit to using a large number of walls. Historical guidance was to use infill percentages in the high 90s. This was due to some slicers not correctly handling 100%. These issues are long since resolved and current versions of Prusa, Bambu, Orca, and Cura slicers handle 100% infill just fine.
+* Supports: Manual tree supports is the most popular approach. Automatic tree supports will work, but will generate more supports that really necessary. In all cases, having well-tuned support interface settings will have a major impact on the quality of your print. Slicer "defaults" are rarely optimal, and no one can just ''give you'' the optimal settings for your printer/filament combo. There are many support tuning videos available on YouTube (e.g. https://youtu.be/1BXPPyk-CgI?si=FyPgpuvAUO6SUp_E). If you have never tuned your support settings, time spend watching some videos and doing support tuning prints is well worth it.
+* Orientation: Rails-up vs. rails-down (or grip-up vs. grip-down if you prefer) is the subject of much debate. In terms of strength it makes no difference. Rails-up is the traditional recommendation. Pros/cons are:
+** Pro: No supports in most of the areas where parts install (rail pockets, locking block pocket, etc.). Not a big advantage with tuned support interfaces.
+** Pro: Less chance of warping.
+** Con: More support material, longer print time.
+** Con: Support scars are on "visible" areas of the completed frame. Not a big disadvantage with tuned support interfaces.
+* Angle: Horizontal (rails parallel to build plate). This is the correct orientation for both rails-up and rails-down prints. Do ''NOT'' angle the frame up or down. Layer adhesion strength is directly proportional to layer surface area. Angled printing reduces layer surface area in critical places like the front rail and locking block pin holes. "Intuitive" arguments in favor of angled layers opposing the direction of frame stress are provably incorrect.
 == Troubleshooting Your Build ==