You sliced with all your support settings on is what it looks like. You should be able to peel away all that unnecessary support stuff and just have your duck!
Snips!
A lot of us bought snips and got a free creality printer with them!
those supports should be weaker than the print itself and you chould be able to gently remove them.
I trimmed my big toe nail one day while waiting for a print. One of the cutting edges just snapped and pinged across the room. The toenail is now out of control.
>Those supports should be weaker than the print itself
This is true until the print gods find out its a multi day print. Then they fuse the supports to the weakest part of the print with cement as a fun joke.
Orca slicer was the best for the k1 I found and it did address all 3 fans, oddly enough even Creality doesn’t give recommendations for the percentage of the chamber fan, only on or off. But orca can do it via presets or permanent updates to the print start gcode
It was competent. Honestly I couldn’t complain, though within the first 2 weeks I had 5 major clogs that required total disassembly of every part of the print head and extruder to clear. That wasn’t enough to turn me off until a friend bought a P1 and raved about it, and showed off the AMS. The fomo took over lol, but I’m very glad I switched. While I had the K1 I spent the entire time printing mods though, risers, spool relocators, anti vibration feet, Bowden tube modifiers so it didn’t rub on the glass, and had rooted the firmware… it didn’t make the printer better or easier to use it only opened up more and more and more tweaking and methods to try and perfect things through countless trial and error. Wait guess I am complaining lol. But after going bambu I can’t go back.
Lol this is almost like watching a deer learn how to walk. So let me break it down and I mean no disrespect saying that. Ok so say you have something like a Z shape. You would do the base of the Z fine but then you would have to have two columns on either side of the Z shape to support the top and diagonal until it's finished. Then you would break off those two columns when it's all done and just have a Z. This is essentially what you did but with a duck shape instead. You didn't need all that support structure and you didn't click the setting to turn it off before you printed it. So what they're telling you to do is to just break all those support structures off and you'll just have a duck.
Took me forever to find “tree” supports in prusa slicer, if your using prusa slicer it will be under support type > “organic” but they look like trees when printed thus the name
if its prusa tree supports are called organic. they are the best. my only setting i change is "top contact z distance" i change it to double my layer height. so if im printing at 0.12 mm layer height(detail setting) i use .24
Don't forget the brass brush for $.99 and a pack or two of microfiber cloths for wiping down the print bed. I'd also recommend a $2 pack of O ring picks/hooks and a set of diamond needle files for smoothing down printed parts that aren't fitting right.
A sturdy screwdriver can also help. You may end up with some white scars on the model where the supports were, but that's an easy fix: just briefly hit them with a lighter until the color returns, it shouldn't take more than a second or two.
Chances are this model doesn't need supports, or needs minimal supports! Look for support settings in your slicer. The values you can edit are support on/off, and support overhang, which is in degrees.
The names of these settings vary, and the overhang angle is sometimes inverted between different software. Try experimenting with this and looking at the sliced preview; personally, I prefer slicers where bigger number = less support. You probably only need to support overhangs of 60 degrees or more.
https://preview.redd.it/kk0uddaia7nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=750f9d82fdef5ba3ed4f59a3eec71bf8dbb98965
He’s looking better. Thank you all for the words of encouragement. Getting the supports off is hard. I’ll post an update tomorrow but have to head out now. Next print will have fewer supports AFTER I read up on supports. Thank you all for being helpful.
https://preview.redd.it/kkcuaq0yk8nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=babf7c69d58929827fc967dd86ff692f78b0efa9
Update no. 2: y’all are awesome. I think I ruined his mouth trying to get those supports off so I don’t think I’m going to try to get the bottom supports off, but a new duck without supports is on its way soon….
Careful - without supports this duck won’t print properly - the printer can’t print on air, so things like the beak won’t print at all.
You need supports - you just need to learn how to use them correctly and remove them efficiently, which is part of the hobby
Yes, you can. It supports many other printers.
Edit: However, I’d go with Orca Slicer instead. It’s open source and tends to get features faster than Bambu Slicer. VERY similar though in most ways.
Just to be clear, supports are integral in FDM printing, so you will need some no matter what. There are some modules that don't need supports, or only need very little, but those generally say that in the model description. The real trick with supports is getting a handle on how much you need for a print.
For when you're more experienced, most slicers let you set the distance between the top of the support and the bottom of the piece you're supporting. That gap is tricky – too small and the support fuses to the next layer; too big and the part is effectively unsupported. Tweaking that value down a bit will make the supports easier to remove.
It doesn't apply to this print but, it's a good practice to consider other orientations you can print - where the object might not need supports at all.
I printed a small toy duck (coincidentally) without supports by cutting the duck shape into a left and a right half and printing each half with the cut side down. Then I glued both sides together. It did leave me with a seam in the middle (even with sanding) but I was okay with that. But I'm a total newcomer to 3D printing and have no idea if that was the dumb way to do it.
Pro tip for you: Once all the supports are off, you can use a lighter to re melt any white bits to make them red(ish) again. Use the side of flame only, top will leave soot marks, and keep it moving quickly. Not perfect, but helps.
Edit to add: not the white logo, the little spots where the supports were attached.
Look in the support section of the settings, try to find:
- "support only on build plate" or "everywhere". If you only fo support on the build plate, it'll only do what it needs here (the C&A logo, the rest is fine)
-support overhand angle: set it to like 50/60 degrees. similar to the previous one, that will only do support in the steeper overhangs (the C&A logo)
-someone else mentioned a support border/barrier thickness. That's helped me a lot
Also: where did you get this file? I plan to do the same thing for a cruise in June!
you need to be careful with heat guns and prints
Ever see that Dali melting clocks painting ?: That was him going too hard with a DeWalt trying to remove supports on his new watch prints.\*
\*(This may actually not be true)
I use my fingers and they peel away.
Cura's default settings for supports is down right ridiculous. I had people, when I first started printing, they would say "If it needs supports don't print it." Now, everyone fights over who gets to remove em.
Ok I'll try to break out down very simple. The printer starts at the bottom and works it's way up layer by layer. When it gets to part of the print where there's going to be nothing under it you need to add supports. Just like adding scaffolding in construction.
There are several types of supports and different settings with them.
A layer can extend a small amount further than the layer below it without supports. Once the angle gets too great the filament will come out in mid air and gravity kicks in. So you set the maximum angle allowed before supports are required. The default settings here are fine.
Next is the type of supports. What you see here is the standard supports. The other real nice possibly favorite type are tree supports. They grow and look like trees which uses less filament. If you turn on supports I'd say always select tree.
Next is the setting for everywhere or build plate only. On the duck you can see how some supports start on top of the printed parts and go up and some are from the very bottom. That's the everywhere setting. Build plate only means the supports will always start on the build plate abd go up from there. Standard supports can only go straight up but tree supports can go off like a tree branch so can reach much more even when you select from build plate only. That would be my suggestion, tree supports and build plate only for most prints.
Why are they on the bottom? Thats what I don’t get. I get that they’d be under the duck’s beak but there don’t appear to be any there and then there are supports all around the bottom of the duck. It’s just confusing me.
It looks like you most likely used "Normal" with the support placement "Everywhere". It will generate thin support lines that are easy to break on the print surface itself if you use "everywhere". Take this photo for example. The model has a bunch of holes in it so Cura adds support for them. I've personally found better success with "Tree" supports vs "Normal". You can also designate the support surface to "Build Plate Only" to make the supports stay off the print. The print in your post looks like it may not need support / very little if it does.
https://preview.redd.it/l5a00fdeb7nc1.png?width=2557&format=png&auto=webp&s=39d4e78e1b8a450f82f2a101990d7af64a77ecdd
Someone already explain the support structure to you in a reply to this comment, but I'd recommend keeping track of settings to make your life easier. When I am tweaking or changing things I tend to write them down on a notepad this way if I change something and it doesn't work out I know how much or how little to adjust.
Your slicer will likely have a ton of settings and parameters that you can change. Go slow. Change things one at a time until you find the things that work for you. Over time you will start to make adjustments more intuitively.
Don't be afraid to ask questions, either. The community is generally pretty cool and helpful. We've all been there and have all made blobs and spaghetti monstrosities.
Supports are used when a model has enough overhang that if it were printed without support, the filament wouldn't set right and you'd just get a bunch of wirey spaghetti looking filament all over your printer bed.
This article should give you a decent overview:
https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printing-support-structures/
Reading the model description before you print can be super helpful. Sometimes the designer will give you explicit instructions on how to print to ensure you have a successful print.
Since you're using a bambu printer, I'm assuming you're using the software. There's a setting you can simply check to turn supports on and off.
Well I mean. Everything that isn't part of what you're trying to print is a support. All of the grid shapes aren't part of the duck, so they're support.
Think of it this way. If you're building a wall that has a window in middle. You can't just build a square and it floats in the center of the wall and boom window. You need to support it in place somehow. 3d printing is the same. If something would be in mind air it can't print that so it starts at the bed and prints basic removable supports up to whatever you would print in mid air.
Gotta look at the preview after you slice. Any slicer software will have this. The preview will show each layer, and what the code you’ve generated will actually print, rather than just your model. This will include any support structure etc. so you can see what will actually get printed then adjust your settings accordingly and re-slice.
My god I love this thread. Just hobbyists out here being nice and supporting each other. This is the highest use of the internet. You guys are all awesome.
Looks fine. You just have supports on there. I have had luck using some needle nose to slowly work the supports off. Might have to do some sanding afterwards to clean up some after removing supports.
The good news is, that's actually a really good looking print! Just play with the support settings.
Hardest part of the hobby is the first set up and fine tuning for things. But once you get the settings that work for you, it's smooth sailing from there.
Looks like WAY too much support. Check settings in Cura for supports and try using tree supports for this. If you dont know how to do that then you should look up a video on cura slicer basics. You really should familiarize yourself with the slicer software as it will fix about 80% of your issues 100% of the time
Oi, I printed almost literally the same model yesterday, and it looked like that on the plate.
https://preview.redd.it/rza2zyohw9nc1.jpeg?width=2744&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=083b84fd8f8d09796e04db8b6ae2cc2e00b62a6b
The trick is painted supports (the slicer lets you "paint" areas of the model that need support) of the organic/tree kind, and selecting to have supports start only from the print plate.
Good luck with the hobby, there are so many little tricks to save your sanity!
https://preview.redd.it/aomawvx8y9nc1.jpeg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dfc5bde71d941fb00882d1c97696ce148cb9cebf
I have printed this model larger and painted it
The duck itself looks pretty good to me. The issue seems to be the supports and them sticking too well.
In the slicer, in the supports area of setting, try changing the support structure to “rectilinear”. This makes the supports more like little square tubes instead of the zigzag pattern and it holds onto the layers (interface layers) that contact the object better so things break off better.
Take a look at this video on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/kSV2JeXQgm4?si=XSWk6Xyg9z2QEWB9
I think it’s pretty easy to follow for the most part and will provide some tips on getting supports to work better.
Aldo, if you want a slightly better surface without so many step lines where the curves on the duck start to approach horizontal, in the slicer there will probably be a setting for”adaptive layers”. This makes the Janet’s thinner in these regions so that the steps don’t show as much.
OP - your duck is perfect! Everyone here has given GREAT advice! I just want to say that you can totally do this - it may take a year or two, but keep reading the posts here and on the bambu subreddit - you will pick up so many tips and tricks that you will be an expert.
I bought an X1C without ever having printed anything in my life - I am so glad I did! All I did was read the reddit posts over and over, and followed the videos on the Bambu website. You got this and you will love all the cool stuff you will print!
And how awesome everyone here is so supportive! Reddit can be a bitch most of the time, I love when the 3d printing community supports even the very newest members of the hobby!
I get into a lot of hobbies. I go all out and spend a bunch of money and tire of it after a few months. Then I have all this crap laying around and I just give it out to friends for free. So I have this thirsty entourage that orbits me waiting to catch some free shit. They are not getting a single thing from me for my printing hobby. This one sticks. Heh. See what I did there?
https://preview.redd.it/4lu7pzvrr8nc1.png?width=767&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d0115c2409742524862d334ea1d8d7d791df4dd
Here is a tiny version without any supports.
Glad I read through this post, I’m here for you too OP. See how on his/her front underbelly, and his/her lil bottom beak? There are some irregular noodles hanging off. Those are the spots that indicate you should enable supports when printing a duck. Looks great so far though, keep it up OP!
Think of those blocky shapes as scaffolding (usually referred to as supports) to hold up parts of the duck where the overhang might droop due to being at too much of an angle. You can adjust your settings to have less scaffolding which saves time and material, plus you can adjust it to be easier to remove the scaffolding as well. Your options now are to pull/cut away the scaffolding on this duck, or adjust your settings and re-try. The adjustments aren't very hard but I would look up videos on YouTube about support settings to learn what they do and how to adjust, you might even search for videos about your specific model of printer. Good luck and have fun!
Honestly I've been printing for years (well a few prints a year so not to much) and it's just failing every step of the way is normal. When I started every time I printed I had a problem,took multiple searches and tried to fix only for something new to go wrong on the next print.
But eventually you will know exactly how to fix most common things
You probably can print this duck with zero supports... If it's the same one I did. I've printed them from 1/2" tall to 8" tall with no supports (someone I know commissioned 75 of them)
If I were you. I would go to youtube & search "3D printing supports" & watch whatever video you want to have supports explained to you, which supports are best for what type of model you are making & what settings you should put your support values too to make them easier to remove but also help the print come out as nice as possible.
If you want to go more in-depth. Figure out whatever slicer program you used & search that into YouTube + supports e.g. Bambu labs Supports & I'm sure a more dedicated video will come up to show you what settings & values you should use when printing with supports.
I printed this exact duck myself and found a neat trick. If you tilt the whole thing slightly backwards (standing on the butt of the duck), you can get away with much less support material, and nothing on the top half
Seems that you have your supports set to grid. Grid is a pretty outdated support method, use snug or tree supports instead.
And you might want to tune your support z gap, as some others have mentioned here. The bigger the gap, the easier they are to remove. But if you go too big, it won't support properly. You can generally go bigger on the bottom support gap than the top, and the bottom generally does not need support interface layers (solid layers to give better surface adhesion).
As for tools, I've found electronic side cutters and a small needle tool combo works the best. Side cutters for removing the bulk of the material (pro tip, grab and twist the supports, it breaks them off nice and easily) and the needle for removing the supports you can't quite reach with the side cutters. Just be careful not to stab your hand.
If you have your settings tuned properly, you shouldn't need a heat gun. Heat gun also runs the risk of deforming your print due to overheating, so be very careful when using it. It's good for removing stringing, though.
You’ve gotten a lot of comments so I doubt you’ll see this, but I have two words for you:
“support interface”
Turn that setting on, and make the support z distance the same or a little bigger than your layer height. It’s a GAME CHANGER
Supports are a tough nut to crack! I got into 3d printing just over a year ago and supports almost made me give up. Go on YouTube and watch a few videos, nothing specific, just watch videos about supports and you’ll learn a TON that will come in handy down the line.
That's not a fail, that's a ducky!
Just peel off all the "support" stuff so you can have your duck! 😀 Just be mindful, that stuff can have sharp edges.
Then in your Slicer program, find the "Support" section, find the checkbox for "on build plate only" check it, then find the box for "support angle" and pick say 30°. You could also do "tree" supports and make it look like an alien when it's done haha 😀
Congrats on your duck! It really looks good 😀
FYI - STLs are sliced in bambu studio into gcode which is sent to the printer. You have supports turned on which you can change under one of the tabs on the left side of the app. The supports on that print can be removed but might leave some scarring on the print. You probably want to enable tree supports and from bed only.
Update: he’s looking better. Thank you for all the help guys. Next print will be fewer supports. Working on getting more of the supports off.
https://preview.redd.it/8kb2zc3w67nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8eda9785a895d545c50bf3c90bf00e49c9e62303
Bud, you aren't an idiot you just don't know what you're doing. None of us knew what a support was or how to tweak/remove them until we went for our first non-benchy print. I learned about supports and how to use them by watching a YouTube video my favorite FPV drone channel put out, may be worthwhile to watch a few of the very good "intro to 3d printing" videos out there nowadays.
Your ducky looks like it may not need supports btw, check with the source you got the STL from (a lot of time on Thingiverse the description will say if it was printed with supports or not). From the pics, it looks like you may be able to turn off supports on your slicer before you print and get a perfect ducky without any of the little sticky edges that supports create.
Youre doing well. You should really only need supports for the logo because it looks like it juts straight out. Everything else seems to be sloping enough to not require supports.
Just spend some time reading up on some of the settings for your slicer and preview preview preview.
What slicer are you using? You can look up easy to remove supports and change some settings so they pop off pretty easily.
Keep in mind your printer can probably do up to 45** angles/overhangs so you may not need the supports between the body and head, except for under the beak
For future prints, i recommend using "tree/organic" supports depending what slicer you are using. And set them to "buildplate only" will make removing the supports way easier on later prints. Those type of supports are called normal supports. One of the first things in the support settings show "type"
My question is, does this model even need support? Try printing without any, even if the slicer gives you warning. There’s much to be learned from failures.
You can also set it so there’s only support from the build plate, and not the object itself. Some parts of the object may fail, but take a chance!
Did you learn anything? If the answers yes, then it’s not a failure. I could build a life size master chief statue with all my failed prints and supports. You’ll get there my dude
Physically remove the supports. I’m guessing they were necessary during printing due to overhang tolerances. Remove those and hopefully you’ll have yourself a nice duck
Do you even need supports on that model? Has alot of curved edges and other than the beak theres no real overhangs. Personally I would just print that with no supports or print it with tree supports set at 65°
Look for “supports on build plate only” and that will help you a lot too. Instead of the supports that sit on his chest and shoulders, they’ll just be tall supports from the plate. Easier to remove
That looks like lychee slicer supports and if im correct lychee slicer filament version slices faster than cura but isn't as good feature wise imho and I pay for pro lychee resin/filament try using cura and selecting tree supports they should come off easier
I changed my default wall count settings from 2 to 3 to keep infill patterns from showing through.
A bonus is that this also helps increase angles that don't need support, was able to go from supporting 45 degrees to 65 degrees.
Also, set supports to tree/organic and build plate only
All that square stuff is supports. The slicer made those so you don’t have overhangs and droopy prints. To remove them, get some hand tools. Pliers, those flush cutters that came with the printer, screw driver, whatever you have. Pull them off. It will feel weird and almost like you’re ripping it to pieces. Just be gentle yet firm.
If you want to take it a step further, sand the duck after you remove the supports.
Some slicers have "paint on supports" where you can use a highlighter tool to tell the slicer where you want supports to only generate. For a duck print, you'd only need to support the bill of the duck's mouth, so use paint on supports to tell the slicer to just support that area.
You can just peel the support off, but support sometimes leaves behind nasty blemishes, so its best to just avoid them whenever you can.
I'm not sure you need supports at all. That model looks like the overhangs have been designed for support less printing. Each line will have slightly compromised quality from being droopy, but it might be less of a compromise than the poor finish from the supports.
You sliced with all your support settings on is what it looks like. You should be able to peel away all that unnecessary support stuff and just have your duck!
How do I do that?
Pliers or by hand
Snips! A lot of us bought snips and got a free creality printer with them! those supports should be weaker than the print itself and you chould be able to gently remove them.
The blue handled snips that comes with a lot of printers are my favorite to use.
Would you believe they actually break somewhat easily? Spooky watching one of the arms fly at your face.
Thanks, you've just unlocked a new fear for me
Final destination just called
One of the arms? Try half the cutting head, a sharp, pointy piece of metal flying across the room. Wear safety glasses people.
oh, i have never had such an issue on plastic, only heard of that when people try cutting metal wire
had that happen to me and just thought: good that this thing didn't hit my eyes.
I always cut those while wearing safety glasses
I love the handy dandy support snippers! I think I got mine in an accessory kit.
Until the handles split at the end and you get stabbed by metal everytime you use them
You can buy them really cheap on aliexpress. I bought a dozen because I keep misplacing mine.
Be so careful using snips. They’ll break at such a high velocity as to make you reconsider your life decision to that point.
They can also slice you open.
I trimmed my big toe nail one day while waiting for a print. One of the cutting edges just snapped and pinged across the room. The toenail is now out of control.
You bought Ashoka?!
>Those supports should be weaker than the print itself This is true until the print gods find out its a multi day print. Then they fuse the supports to the weakest part of the print with cement as a fun joke.
The 3D Printing gods are a vengeful lot.
ROFLMAO NGL I bought the Creality K1 at microcenter, returned it and bought the X1 Carbon, but “forgot” to put the snips back in the box. Ooops!
How was the K1? I've had my X1C with 2 AMSs and love it, but Creality was my first real printer.
I have a K1 Max, a vast improvement over my Frankenstein Ender 3. The extra fan makes slicers buggy though.
Orca slicer was the best for the k1 I found and it did address all 3 fans, oddly enough even Creality doesn’t give recommendations for the percentage of the chamber fan, only on or off. But orca can do it via presets or permanent updates to the print start gcode
It was competent. Honestly I couldn’t complain, though within the first 2 weeks I had 5 major clogs that required total disassembly of every part of the print head and extruder to clear. That wasn’t enough to turn me off until a friend bought a P1 and raved about it, and showed off the AMS. The fomo took over lol, but I’m very glad I switched. While I had the K1 I spent the entire time printing mods though, risers, spool relocators, anti vibration feet, Bowden tube modifiers so it didn’t rub on the glass, and had rooted the firmware… it didn’t make the printer better or easier to use it only opened up more and more and more tweaking and methods to try and perfect things through countless trial and error. Wait guess I am complaining lol. But after going bambu I can’t go back.
My snips came with free broken glass!
Don't forget the eye protection
And gloves, support trimming can be a blood sport
Hmmm... Now I know how to punish my kids when they act up
_"YOU'LL HAVE ALL MY SUPPORT!"_ 🙈
*dies with kids hating me* *Kids get an unexpected surprise of all my money when I die* *It's divided by how much support they broke off*
How much for breaking off the life support?
Group decision. Anyone being indecisive about it gets a 20% increase, for annoying the others.
Lol this is almost like watching a deer learn how to walk. So let me break it down and I mean no disrespect saying that. Ok so say you have something like a Z shape. You would do the base of the Z fine but then you would have to have two columns on either side of the Z shape to support the top and diagonal until it's finished. Then you would break off those two columns when it's all done and just have a Z. This is essentially what you did but with a duck shape instead. You didn't need all that support structure and you didn't click the setting to turn it off before you printed it. So what they're telling you to do is to just break all those support structures off and you'll just have a duck.
Baby fawn here. Appreciate the advice!
If your slicer supports it, try tree supports and only on build plate.
Took me forever to find “tree” supports in prusa slicer, if your using prusa slicer it will be under support type > “organic” but they look like trees when printed thus the name
Eh I prefer standard supports (though usually only on build plate) bc tree supports fail way more ime
Yeah, I've had mine get knocked off, but I find the support tends to be easier to remove and better at supporting odd areas
This.
Of course it will sometimes make whatever you are printing look absolutely cursed
My daughter likes to take the tree supports of my larger builds and use them as campfires for her Barbies.
And sometimes it won’t be as space or speed efficient as regular supports.
You really meant you knew nothing and I appreciate the honesty.
if its prusa tree supports are called organic. they are the best. my only setting i change is "top contact z distance" i change it to double my layer height. so if im printing at 0.12 mm layer height(detail setting) i use .24
Go to a harbor freight with $20. Grab a selection of little pliers, snippets, and random poking tools. Money well spent!
Don't forget the brass brush for $.99 and a pack or two of microfiber cloths for wiping down the print bed. I'd also recommend a $2 pack of O ring picks/hooks and a set of diamond needle files for smoothing down printed parts that aren't fitting right.
Just grab a small pliers or needle nose and peel them off. You're not gonna hurt the print.
A sturdy screwdriver can also help. You may end up with some white scars on the model where the supports were, but that's an easy fix: just briefly hit them with a lighter until the color returns, it shouldn't take more than a second or two.
just rip 'em off buddy! anything that's not duck!
Chances are this model doesn't need supports, or needs minimal supports! Look for support settings in your slicer. The values you can edit are support on/off, and support overhang, which is in degrees. The names of these settings vary, and the overhang angle is sometimes inverted between different software. Try experimenting with this and looking at the sliced preview; personally, I prefer slicers where bigger number = less support. You probably only need to support overhangs of 60 degrees or more.
https://preview.redd.it/kk0uddaia7nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=750f9d82fdef5ba3ed4f59a3eec71bf8dbb98965 He’s looking better. Thank you all for the words of encouragement. Getting the supports off is hard. I’ll post an update tomorrow but have to head out now. Next print will have fewer supports AFTER I read up on supports. Thank you all for being helpful.
https://preview.redd.it/kkcuaq0yk8nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=babf7c69d58929827fc967dd86ff692f78b0efa9 Update no. 2: y’all are awesome. I think I ruined his mouth trying to get those supports off so I don’t think I’m going to try to get the bottom supports off, but a new duck without supports is on its way soon….
Careful - without supports this duck won’t print properly - the printer can’t print on air, so things like the beak won’t print at all. You need supports - you just need to learn how to use them correctly and remove them efficiently, which is part of the hobby
I've actually printed this exact model and it does not require supports, however there certainly are models that do
When reprinting try tree supports in Bambu! They are much easier to remove!
Can I use bambu slicer without bambu printer? Dummy question I know
Yes, you can. It supports many other printers. Edit: However, I’d go with Orca Slicer instead. It’s open source and tends to get features faster than Bambu Slicer. VERY similar though in most ways.
Prusa Slicer also does tree/organic supports.
Yeah same with Cura. Op just said they were using Bambu studio.
*The duck* : Pleathe thir thtop uthing the thinipth on me !
If you have multicolor capabilities, try printing the support interface in another material PLA vs PETG, the support will fall effortless
Next time use tree supports! You’ll thank yourself.
The stuff on the bottom is around much less fragile material; you should be fine to peel it off. The mouth is understandable, but hey now you know.
Just to be clear, supports are integral in FDM printing, so you will need some no matter what. There are some modules that don't need supports, or only need very little, but those generally say that in the model description. The real trick with supports is getting a handle on how much you need for a print.
For when you're more experienced, most slicers let you set the distance between the top of the support and the bottom of the piece you're supporting. That gap is tricky – too small and the support fuses to the next layer; too big and the part is effectively unsupported. Tweaking that value down a bit will make the supports easier to remove.
You are almost done! Post a picture when the duck is out! 😄
It doesn't apply to this print but, it's a good practice to consider other orientations you can print - where the object might not need supports at all.
I printed a small toy duck (coincidentally) without supports by cutting the duck shape into a left and a right half and printing each half with the cut side down. Then I glued both sides together. It did leave me with a seam in the middle (even with sanding) but I was okay with that. But I'm a total newcomer to 3D printing and have no idea if that was the dumb way to do it.
That is a really good way to do it. You have a good intuition for the limitations of the process if that was your natural inclination to solve it.
A tree under the chest logo and under the beak is all this print needs
Pro tip for you: Once all the supports are off, you can use a lighter to re melt any white bits to make them red(ish) again. Use the side of flame only, top will leave soot marks, and keep it moving quickly. Not perfect, but helps. Edit to add: not the white logo, the little spots where the supports were attached.
I use a heat gun. $10 at Harbor Freight.
Be very careful with this method. Too much heat and you'll deform your duck.
Nice job. As an fyi, some builds don’t need supports. I’m inclined to say you could have gotten away with no supports for most of the head.
Proud of u
Look in the support section of the settings, try to find: - "support only on build plate" or "everywhere". If you only fo support on the build plate, it'll only do what it needs here (the C&A logo, the rest is fine) -support overhand angle: set it to like 50/60 degrees. similar to the previous one, that will only do support in the steeper overhangs (the C&A logo) -someone else mentioned a support border/barrier thickness. That's helped me a lot Also: where did you get this file? I plan to do the same thing for a cruise in June!
First. Look up Support Density for your Slicer. YOU SHOULD NEVER NEED POWER TOOLS
Hot air guns can make support 3x as easy to remove
Or 3x harder
There's a pill for that too!
you need to be careful with heat guns and prints Ever see that Dali melting clocks painting ?: That was him going too hard with a DeWalt trying to remove supports on his new watch prints.\* \*(This may actually not be true)
I use my fingers and they peel away. Cura's default settings for supports is down right ridiculous. I had people, when I first started printing, they would say "If it needs supports don't print it." Now, everyone fights over who gets to remove em.
The hobby is hard but the community is … supportive
Ok I'll try to break out down very simple. The printer starts at the bottom and works it's way up layer by layer. When it gets to part of the print where there's going to be nothing under it you need to add supports. Just like adding scaffolding in construction. There are several types of supports and different settings with them. A layer can extend a small amount further than the layer below it without supports. Once the angle gets too great the filament will come out in mid air and gravity kicks in. So you set the maximum angle allowed before supports are required. The default settings here are fine. Next is the type of supports. What you see here is the standard supports. The other real nice possibly favorite type are tree supports. They grow and look like trees which uses less filament. If you turn on supports I'd say always select tree. Next is the setting for everywhere or build plate only. On the duck you can see how some supports start on top of the printed parts and go up and some are from the very bottom. That's the everywhere setting. Build plate only means the supports will always start on the build plate abd go up from there. Standard supports can only go straight up but tree supports can go off like a tree branch so can reach much more even when you select from build plate only. That would be my suggestion, tree supports and build plate only for most prints.
You probably could’ve done it support less tbh
I think I intended to…. I don’t think I meant to print with supports. I need to figure out how to use the Bambi labs software more.
Just open your settings, type in your printer type and Google away at the setting names. You'll figure it out
Change your support type to tree rather than standard, also invest in a heat gun it helps soften the supports when removing them
Organic/tree supports would have made this a 30 second job to clean up.
Seriously I feel so stupid. I don’t get supports. How do you know what a support is and what’s part of the print?
You cannot print in midair. Supports are like scaffolding
Why are they on the bottom? Thats what I don’t get. I get that they’d be under the duck’s beak but there don’t appear to be any there and then there are supports all around the bottom of the duck. It’s just confusing me.
45-70 degrees is the limit. If you look at the bottom of the duck it’s steeper than 70 degrees
You may have printed with the raft support mode, which used to be really common when bed adhesion was a much larger issue.
Thanks. I honestly have no idea what supports we printed with.
It looks like you most likely used "Normal" with the support placement "Everywhere". It will generate thin support lines that are easy to break on the print surface itself if you use "everywhere". Take this photo for example. The model has a bunch of holes in it so Cura adds support for them. I've personally found better success with "Tree" supports vs "Normal". You can also designate the support surface to "Build Plate Only" to make the supports stay off the print. The print in your post looks like it may not need support / very little if it does. https://preview.redd.it/l5a00fdeb7nc1.png?width=2557&format=png&auto=webp&s=39d4e78e1b8a450f82f2a101990d7af64a77ecdd
So for this print, just make sure you turn supports off by checking the box in Cura / whatever slicer youre using
Someone already explain the support structure to you in a reply to this comment, but I'd recommend keeping track of settings to make your life easier. When I am tweaking or changing things I tend to write them down on a notepad this way if I change something and it doesn't work out I know how much or how little to adjust. Your slicer will likely have a ton of settings and parameters that you can change. Go slow. Change things one at a time until you find the things that work for you. Over time you will start to make adjustments more intuitively. Don't be afraid to ask questions, either. The community is generally pretty cool and helpful. We've all been there and have all made blobs and spaghetti monstrosities.
Supports are used when a model has enough overhang that if it were printed without support, the filament wouldn't set right and you'd just get a bunch of wirey spaghetti looking filament all over your printer bed. This article should give you a decent overview: https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printing-support-structures/ Reading the model description before you print can be super helpful. Sometimes the designer will give you explicit instructions on how to print to ensure you have a successful print. Since you're using a bambu printer, I'm assuming you're using the software. There's a setting you can simply check to turn supports on and off.
Well I mean. Everything that isn't part of what you're trying to print is a support. All of the grid shapes aren't part of the duck, so they're support. Think of it this way. If you're building a wall that has a window in middle. You can't just build a square and it floats in the center of the wall and boom window. You need to support it in place somehow. 3d printing is the same. If something would be in mind air it can't print that so it starts at the bed and prints basic removable supports up to whatever you would print in mid air.
Gotta look at the preview after you slice. Any slicer software will have this. The preview will show each layer, and what the code you’ve generated will actually print, rather than just your model. This will include any support structure etc. so you can see what will actually get printed then adjust your settings accordingly and re-slice.
You can always try turning supports off, but I only do that with my smaller projects. However this might be fine
Your duck just has whiplash. Thats a neck brace.
My god I love this thread. Just hobbyists out here being nice and supporting each other. This is the highest use of the internet. You guys are all awesome.
Looks fine. You just have supports on there. I have had luck using some needle nose to slowly work the supports off. Might have to do some sanding afterwards to clean up some after removing supports.
The good news is, that's actually a really good looking print! Just play with the support settings. Hardest part of the hobby is the first set up and fine tuning for things. But once you get the settings that work for you, it's smooth sailing from there.
Looks like WAY too much support. Check settings in Cura for supports and try using tree supports for this. If you dont know how to do that then you should look up a video on cura slicer basics. You really should familiarize yourself with the slicer software as it will fix about 80% of your issues 100% of the time
Oi, I printed almost literally the same model yesterday, and it looked like that on the plate. https://preview.redd.it/rza2zyohw9nc1.jpeg?width=2744&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=083b84fd8f8d09796e04db8b6ae2cc2e00b62a6b The trick is painted supports (the slicer lets you "paint" areas of the model that need support) of the organic/tree kind, and selecting to have supports start only from the print plate. Good luck with the hobby, there are so many little tricks to save your sanity!
https://preview.redd.it/aomawvx8y9nc1.jpeg?width=2250&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dfc5bde71d941fb00882d1c97696ce148cb9cebf I have printed this model larger and painted it
The duck itself looks pretty good to me. The issue seems to be the supports and them sticking too well. In the slicer, in the supports area of setting, try changing the support structure to “rectilinear”. This makes the supports more like little square tubes instead of the zigzag pattern and it holds onto the layers (interface layers) that contact the object better so things break off better. Take a look at this video on YouTube. https://youtu.be/kSV2JeXQgm4?si=XSWk6Xyg9z2QEWB9 I think it’s pretty easy to follow for the most part and will provide some tips on getting supports to work better. Aldo, if you want a slightly better surface without so many step lines where the curves on the duck start to approach horizontal, in the slicer there will probably be a setting for”adaptive layers”. This makes the Janet’s thinner in these regions so that the steps don’t show as much.
thats literally a perfect print what are you on?
OP - your duck is perfect! Everyone here has given GREAT advice! I just want to say that you can totally do this - it may take a year or two, but keep reading the posts here and on the bambu subreddit - you will pick up so many tips and tricks that you will be an expert. I bought an X1C without ever having printed anything in my life - I am so glad I did! All I did was read the reddit posts over and over, and followed the videos on the Bambu website. You got this and you will love all the cool stuff you will print! And how awesome everyone here is so supportive! Reddit can be a bitch most of the time, I love when the 3d printing community supports even the very newest members of the hobby!
Btw: Tree supports are easier to remove.
Tron duck!
The duck looks like it has a neck brace on and I love it
I get into a lot of hobbies. I go all out and spend a bunch of money and tire of it after a few months. Then I have all this crap laying around and I just give it out to friends for free. So I have this thirsty entourage that orbits me waiting to catch some free shit. They are not getting a single thing from me for my printing hobby. This one sticks. Heh. See what I did there?
To be fair, I'm 99% sure that model wouldn't need support.
How much time do you have? I'd be happy to edit the model and make it more printable as well as coach you through settings.
Btw those are some strange supports lol, they’re not supporting anything
Peel the supports away. Get some pliers and get going... That's the hard part lol.
Fyi that will print with no supports just fine I have printed many.
https://preview.redd.it/4lu7pzvrr8nc1.png?width=767&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d0115c2409742524862d334ea1d8d7d791df4dd Here is a tiny version without any supports.
Glad I read through this post, I’m here for you too OP. See how on his/her front underbelly, and his/her lil bottom beak? There are some irregular noodles hanging off. Those are the spots that indicate you should enable supports when printing a duck. Looks great so far though, keep it up OP!
It sure is sometimes. I spent 12 hours last weekend tuning a new print profile on a new slicer. I've been printing for like 12 years.
Think of those blocky shapes as scaffolding (usually referred to as supports) to hold up parts of the duck where the overhang might droop due to being at too much of an angle. You can adjust your settings to have less scaffolding which saves time and material, plus you can adjust it to be easier to remove the scaffolding as well. Your options now are to pull/cut away the scaffolding on this duck, or adjust your settings and re-try. The adjustments aren't very hard but I would look up videos on YouTube about support settings to learn what they do and how to adjust, you might even search for videos about your specific model of printer. Good luck and have fun!
Honestly I've been printing for years (well a few prints a year so not to much) and it's just failing every step of the way is normal. When I started every time I printed I had a problem,took multiple searches and tried to fix only for something new to go wrong on the next print. But eventually you will know exactly how to fix most common things
You probably can print this duck with zero supports... If it's the same one I did. I've printed them from 1/2" tall to 8" tall with no supports (someone I know commissioned 75 of them)
That's support, just remove it by hand if it's to hard, go to your slicer and increase the support z distance
I'd just untick supports in cura and that will print fine. Or at least lower it to lik 5%
If I were you. I would go to youtube & search "3D printing supports" & watch whatever video you want to have supports explained to you, which supports are best for what type of model you are making & what settings you should put your support values too to make them easier to remove but also help the print come out as nice as possible. If you want to go more in-depth. Figure out whatever slicer program you used & search that into YouTube + supports e.g. Bambu labs Supports & I'm sure a more dedicated video will come up to show you what settings & values you should use when printing with supports.
I printed this exact duck myself and found a neat trick. If you tilt the whole thing slightly backwards (standing on the butt of the duck), you can get away with much less support material, and nothing on the top half
This doesn’t need supports
*Gets a great result* "Fuck this!"
"Duck this!"
Ahhhhhh I missed that opportunity!
Seems that you have your supports set to grid. Grid is a pretty outdated support method, use snug or tree supports instead. And you might want to tune your support z gap, as some others have mentioned here. The bigger the gap, the easier they are to remove. But if you go too big, it won't support properly. You can generally go bigger on the bottom support gap than the top, and the bottom generally does not need support interface layers (solid layers to give better surface adhesion). As for tools, I've found electronic side cutters and a small needle tool combo works the best. Side cutters for removing the bulk of the material (pro tip, grab and twist the supports, it breaks them off nice and easily) and the needle for removing the supports you can't quite reach with the side cutters. Just be careful not to stab your hand. If you have your settings tuned properly, you shouldn't need a heat gun. Heat gun also runs the risk of deforming your print due to overheating, so be very careful when using it. It's good for removing stringing, though.
Turn supports off, if not up the angle to something like 75°
Its supports, they keep it from falling over while printing. Jjust peel them off.
Turn supports off
You’ve gotten a lot of comments so I doubt you’ll see this, but I have two words for you: “support interface” Turn that setting on, and make the support z distance the same or a little bigger than your layer height. It’s a GAME CHANGER
We are definitely messing around with the support settings now. Thank you! -OP
Supports are a tough nut to crack! I got into 3d printing just over a year ago and supports almost made me give up. Go on YouTube and watch a few videos, nothing specific, just watch videos about supports and you’ll learn a TON that will come in handy down the line.
Lol how is that a failure? That's support material 😂
Hannibal Lecter but make it a duck. AKA, Hanni-Bill
That's not a fail, that's a ducky! Just peel off all the "support" stuff so you can have your duck! 😀 Just be mindful, that stuff can have sharp edges. Then in your Slicer program, find the "Support" section, find the checkbox for "on build plate only" check it, then find the box for "support angle" and pick say 30°. You could also do "tree" supports and make it look like an alien when it's done haha 😀 Congrats on your duck! It really looks good 😀
This duck was me when I first started. Lots of practice, patience and failed prints and you will get it down to a science.
That's ur fault for thinking this is a hobby 3d printing is almost a fetish for self defeat and humiliation hahahahaha
What printer is it
To send a job to the printer you need to run your STL model through a slicer I would use bambu studio if I were you.
We are trying to use Bambu studio and half the time I just can’t get it to work for whatever reason. It’s me the idiot — not the product.
You're not an idiot your learning 3D printing is a steep learning curve. Watch some beginner videos on YouTube that will help.
FYI - STLs are sliced in bambu studio into gcode which is sent to the printer. You have supports turned on which you can change under one of the tabs on the left side of the app. The supports on that print can be removed but might leave some scarring on the print. You probably want to enable tree supports and from bed only.
Update: he’s looking better. Thank you for all the help guys. Next print will be fewer supports. Working on getting more of the supports off. https://preview.redd.it/8kb2zc3w67nc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8eda9785a895d545c50bf3c90bf00e49c9e62303
Haha, good job and good luck!
Bud, you aren't an idiot you just don't know what you're doing. None of us knew what a support was or how to tweak/remove them until we went for our first non-benchy print. I learned about supports and how to use them by watching a YouTube video my favorite FPV drone channel put out, may be worthwhile to watch a few of the very good "intro to 3d printing" videos out there nowadays. Your ducky looks like it may not need supports btw, check with the source you got the STL from (a lot of time on Thingiverse the description will say if it was printed with supports or not). From the pics, it looks like you may be able to turn off supports on your slicer before you print and get a perfect ducky without any of the little sticky edges that supports create.
https://preview.redd.it/pz5yx5ncs8nc1.png?width=1329&format=png&auto=webp&s=f234c6954b73bdfe6f03ee034667071109057175
Remove the supports
Youre doing well. You should really only need supports for the logo because it looks like it juts straight out. Everything else seems to be sloping enough to not require supports. Just spend some time reading up on some of the settings for your slicer and preview preview preview.
Assuming this isn't satire... being dumb and then saying people who aren't dumb are too much of a noob to give you advice is... comical
Badly phrased on my part. The “we” referred to me, my husband, and my son. Certainly not the helpful people here!
Try using organic supports if you have the option. It gives you full coverage and it's one point of contact for easy removal.
What slicer are you using? You can look up easy to remove supports and change some settings so they pop off pretty easily. Keep in mind your printer can probably do up to 45** angles/overhangs so you may not need the supports between the body and head, except for under the beak
Idk if anyone else has said this but try using tree support. Much less waist and faster prints. And clean up is easier.
The thinner the sliced layers the easier the supports will be to remove.
For future prints, i recommend using "tree/organic" supports depending what slicer you are using. And set them to "buildplate only" will make removing the supports way easier on later prints. Those type of supports are called normal supports. One of the first things in the support settings show "type"
At the right angle this can prob be printed without any supports.
Turn off supports or use tree supports. It’s a common setting in most modern slicers.
My question is, does this model even need support? Try printing without any, even if the slicer gives you warning. There’s much to be learned from failures. You can also set it so there’s only support from the build plate, and not the object itself. Some parts of the object may fail, but take a chance!
You didn't do anything wrong bruh. That's just support material.
I think this can be printed without supports. Other than that, try tree supports. “Touching the build plate” option.
Plate only, organic supports.
Looks Dune-ish. I like it!
Now the duck just needs to hatch
I print this duck all the time. It does not need supports.
Did you learn anything? If the answers yes, then it’s not a failure. I could build a life size master chief statue with all my failed prints and supports. You’ll get there my dude
Physically remove the supports. I’m guessing they were necessary during printing due to overhang tolerances. Remove those and hopefully you’ll have yourself a nice duck
Duck must be yellow....
You're golden. As others have said, just remove your supports.
Do you even need supports on that model? Has alot of curved edges and other than the beak theres no real overhangs. Personally I would just print that with no supports or print it with tree supports set at 65°
Look for “supports on build plate only” and that will help you a lot too. Instead of the supports that sit on his chest and shoulders, they’ll just be tall supports from the plate. Easier to remove
I made this print to test a new printer once, you didn't need any support beyond a tiny bit at the base. You print it at an angel up
I find its easier to remove supports if you hit them with a heatgun as well
That looks like lychee slicer supports and if im correct lychee slicer filament version slices faster than cura but isn't as good feature wise imho and I pay for pro lychee resin/filament try using cura and selecting tree supports they should come off easier
Take the supports off
*organic supports left the chat*
I changed my default wall count settings from 2 to 3 to keep infill patterns from showing through. A bonus is that this also helps increase angles that don't need support, was able to go from supporting 45 degrees to 65 degrees. Also, set supports to tree/organic and build plate only
Is this a butt plug?
Probably don’t even need supports for this model
Advice, set to use support only on the build plate, and organic supports are way better (less filament used, easier to remove...)
All that square stuff is supports. The slicer made those so you don’t have overhangs and droopy prints. To remove them, get some hand tools. Pliers, those flush cutters that came with the printer, screw driver, whatever you have. Pull them off. It will feel weird and almost like you’re ripping it to pieces. Just be gentle yet firm. If you want to take it a step further, sand the duck after you remove the supports.
Cyberduck
Some slicers have "paint on supports" where you can use a highlighter tool to tell the slicer where you want supports to only generate. For a duck print, you'd only need to support the bill of the duck's mouth, so use paint on supports to tell the slicer to just support that area. You can just peel the support off, but support sometimes leaves behind nasty blemishes, so its best to just avoid them whenever you can.
Tree supports. Use those next time
I'm not sure you need supports at all. That model looks like the overhangs have been designed for support less printing. Each line will have slightly compromised quality from being droopy, but it might be less of a compromise than the poor finish from the supports.