Thin Walls

Took me a bit to dig up the thread:
https://www.shapeways.com/forum/index.php?t=msg&&th=1 3129&goto=63205#msg_63205

Their free "Viewer" can do the measurements you need. Here is it applied to one of my models.
Anything in Cyan or Blue could lead to a rejection, including that section above the rear window that (should be) solid.

Oh my Stonysmith,

you are a hero indeed!!!! Thank you very much for all that trouble, I know what a work that must have been. I will check it out asap.

many many thanks and more thanks :}

Wow so this thread was started 4 and a half years ago and has not had a post in over a year !
And yet its still sticky lol !

So what I would like to know - now that we have the automated fixer tool for thin walls ...
is does it actually work ?
I have applied it to a number of models that were nearly okay for their wall thickness
and it seems to improve some areas
but it does not remove all the unprintable area -
so what use is it really ?
Is anyone finding that it actually makes unprintable models printable ??

When I first run the fixer and it offers me the download files
if I click the Save&Exit does it replace the uploaded file with the new 'fixed' one ?

How come some seemingly simple to fix areas are not improved by the fixer ?

Question for Shapeways - it seems that the manual tests of printability are only done at the last moment before printing.
This means waiting sometimes 2 to 3 weeks to be told an item is not printable in a particular material.
Couldn't you prioritize assessing whether a model is printable as soon as the order is received ?
How about even charging us for priority assessment - I would gladly pay $5 just find out quickly whether it will be rejected or not...

Thanks - DV

This is a very big thread and I may have missed this already being answered-- If the thin wall checker gives a model an exclamation point in a triangle instead of an X, does that mean it's risky but can still be printed/sold? Or only by the maker? Thanks.

The Thin Wall Checker is indicative only - you can still order with the triangle + ! sign. Click on this sign to go and see where the thin parts of your model are (click on numbers 1-8).

If you do order the model, it will still be inspected by a human to see if it can be printed, so it is possible it could still be rejected.

Good luck...

Hey guys,

I wanted to post an update on our rejections process, named Project Caterpillar:

Read all about all the improvements we've made over the past six months here.

It's worth a read since we've done SO MUCH, but here's the relevant section about Wall Thickness:

#1 Thin Wall Checking and Fixing.
When we looked into the data for why we had to reject certain designs, it became clear that the biggest issue preventing them from passing our manual checks was in their structural integrity: they had "thin walls" and weren't strong enough to withstand the whole production process. While a large part of the process your product goes through is just bits and bytes, after a product is taken out of the 3D printer, it is physically touched at least 5 times in cleaning, quality checks, packing, and more. While our printers can produce nearly anything, you can imagine when blasting excess material off your model with high pressured air, your model will need some strength to survive. Soon enough our team decided to surface critical checks of your models on upload; the thin wall checker was one of the first of these tools released on our website. Shortly followed by the thin wall fixer, which in many cases can help solve issues with your models that would have otherwise caused the models to be rejected. We have lots of huge plans for this area, so we can show you the path, right at upload, to producing your model successfully.


And we invite you to submit continuing good ideas in this thread!

Thanks!
Natalia

Wow 6 years since this thread was started and I find I am suffering from exactly the same problems described here !

I recently had 9 models rejected, mostly in steel.

These models awalls exceed the stated requirements as admitted by Shapeways support.
They are also similar to many other models I have been printing over the last year or so.

Obviously Shapeways has decided for reasons you explain in your post here
that I am pushing the boundaries or what is reliable to print.

I am ... disappointed and angry that I have been allowed to spend thousands of dollars
developing models that are probably not printable enough to sell in the shop.
Really ... its disgusting that design guidelines are exceeded, the automated test is passed, test prints are done successfully, no one says there is a problem - and then suddenly most models are being rejected in the main target material.

Not only that, to make it MUCH WORSE ...
despite repeated requests for indications as to how much more support for weak area is required
I am getting no assistance on this at all.
As far as I can see this means I must spend more money doing various amounts of thickening of the supports
and discover for myself by spending more money on ordering test prints - exactly what is and isnt going to be acceptable.
And do this for every model !
Makes me want to puke.

Support's only suggestion is to make all the wires 3mm that are currently 1.2mm and according to specs could be as thin as .1mm.
On a 35mm model this is totally ridiculous. AND if this is applied to all my models it will make about 40 of hem unprintable in steel.

If anyone on Shapeways staff actually reads this and would like to help -
I have followed your guidelines and been lead down your garden path.
I think that you owe it to me to at least work with me to make these models printable.
Im sure that is possible, and you have the knowledge and skills to do it.

Steel and similar materials like ceramics are a bit different from other materials. When made they are like a sandcastle. If you print them and try to move them to the furnace, you need to ask yourself, might they break? It only has to be a small crack in a portion of the model for it to fail.

Could you print something shaped like a sea mine? The answer is no, there just isn't enough material to support the sheer mass of the object before getting to the furnace. Easily exceeds the minimum wall size, but the sheer mass of the object is the issue. (That said it wouldn't be an issue on the ISS)

Keep in mind that this thin wall thread was before clear rules were written; we were experimenting with WSF and none of the automated checks existed.

That being said, if these don't work in steel, they will most certainly work in the other cast metals. I've had some great success with the cast stuff recently and haven't had a single rejection despite some of the models creatively ignoring some of the design rules.