I have a model that needs to be printed as an assembly of interlocking parts. Mine simply has parts fitting together with square pegs and holes. Can these assemblies be printed with the parts away from each other at a distance greater than the minimum clearance, or do I have to make the clearance of the hole greater than the minimum clearance. For example, If I had one part with a square peg 2mm a side about 2.25mm long, would the square hole it fits into have to be 1.8mm longer on each side and the peg positioned as it would be assembled, or can the clearance between the hole and the peg be less and I can just have the parts more that 0.9mm apart? Also, is it alright to have the pegs at just 2mm? Because there are parts which can have larger pegs, but for some, I'd prefer to leave them smaller.
I'm printing this in Full Color Sandstone. This is how the model will look when I upload it. I was wondering if the parts need to be in place or if they can be offset from their as assembled location. This is probably a stupid question, but I like to cover all my bases.
There is zero need for the parts to be positioned anywhere near their final location. I would pack most of the parts inside of the bed so as to protect them during shipping. HOWEVER.. you also need to observe the need to protect those parts from flying away when they're hit with an airhose during cleaning. Either connect them with parts designed to be cut away (sprues) or wrap them in some kind of cage so that they don't go floating off.