http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php Shapeways: Bring your creativity to life in 3D http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=35832&th=6597#msg_35832 For example, I have a cylinder, is it stronger if orientated flat, on it's side, or tilted on it's edge?
I know that orientation is controlled by shapeways, but so far all my parts have been created in the orientation i exported.]]> thomashuang.net 2011-10-04T05:38:17-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=35835&th=6597#msg_35835 I don't think that with WSF there's really a good reason to prefer one orientation over another. I guess printing on the side would give the strongest result but printing along the axis would give you a smoother outer surface. Still, WSF is pretty strong and I've never really seen layer separation in any of my prints so I wouldn't worry about it.]]> TomZ 2011-10-04T06:23:45-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=35836&th=6597#msg_35836
There is a slight difference of strength in orientation with the Z axis being slightly weaker in my experience.]]> duann 2011-10-04T06:52:33-00:00 http://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=rview&goto=35849&th=6597#msg_35849
However, another batch were printed with a different orientation, and as well as unsightly layering along large areas of the model, at least twenty or thirty small detail parts sheared off, leaving the models unsightly and with a lot of remedial work to do.

For the casual customer, this leaves me with a dilemna. Either I design out a lot of the small detail which gives these models their accuracy and quality, or I leave in the detail, and worry that some customers receive a very substandard model, for the same price as a 100% quality model.

I would very definitely put in a vote for choice of orientation, as it hugely affects the quality or otherwise of some very detailed models I wish to sell.]]> Bunrattypark 2011-10-04T13:03:36-00:00