CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Reducing Seams In FDM Prints With Scarf Joint Seams

Hackaday: One unavoidable aspect of FDM 3D printing is that each layer consists out of one or more lines that have a beginning and an end. Where these join up, a seam is formed, which can be very noticeable if the same joint exists on successive layers.

1 comment:

Theo K said...

As someone who owns an FDM printer and has used that printer to make props in high school seems definitely something that needs to be considered when signing a print. Currently my personal method of getting rid of seams involves a lot of sanding and acetone, however, not having to do that work post printing could save time and labor. I've used scarf joints before in Woodworking and have definitely learned about them in various classes and institutions but I had never considered applying that principle to 3D prints. I suppose it makes a lot of sense to stagger where seams come together on prints, however with models having the default setting of creating a scene by having all layers come together at the same point it was just something I had never considered. Although it is more work to set up the scarf joints when you're printing a lot of one piece it is definitely worth it to put in that work before printing as opposed to after.