Part Design (MakerBot)

 Main Article: 3D Printing

Before printing parts on the MakerBot, the parts must be designed to meet the geometric and building constraints of the machine. This includes matching the machine's tolerance capabilities, shrinkage/expansion, accommodating for hole precision, and building arches and overhangs with supports or fillets to avoid sagging. {|
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="2"|

Tolerances

 * style="vertical-align:top;"|MakerBot has specific tolerances that need to be met in order for the part to be printed correctly. All finished parts will have a variance on the X, Y, and Z axes. There will be a 0.3% variance in the X axis, 0.2% in the Y axis, and 0.4% in the Z axis. Parts should be designed bigger/smaller and machined to tolerance if accuracy is necessary.
 * style="vertical-align:top;"|MakerBot has specific tolerances that need to be met in order for the part to be printed correctly. All finished parts will have a variance on the X, Y, and Z axes. There will be a 0.3% variance in the X axis, 0.2% in the Y axis, and 0.4% in the Z axis. Parts should be designed bigger/smaller and machined to tolerance if accuracy is necessary.

In addition, MakerBot has a minimum layer height of 0.1 mm. The layer height can be adjusted accordingly for the part that is being printed.

Minimum Extrude Tolerance
MakerBot is unable to print parts (or parts that have features) that have a diameter of 3/32" or smaller.

Minimum Wall Tolerance
When designing cuts into parts, the cuts need to be placed a minimum of 1/32" away form the wall. If it the cut is too close to the wall it will cause the deform.
 * MakerbotMiniExtrudes.JPG
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="2"|

Overhangs and Arches
If a part contains overhangs and arches, try to avoid using rafts/supports when printing the part. Only use support material if the overhangs and arches are gaping more than 1". If the part contains circular edge(s) on the base plate then support material must be designed onto the part in the 3-D design program. Reasoning behind this is because MakerBot will fail to print parts using its standard supports and rafts feature. For arches and overhangs at 90º, a fillet can be added to prevent sagging.

Edges
All outside edges automatically have a rounded edge of 3/32". This is due to the size of the filament when it is being extruded.

Hole Design
When printing a part that contains a hole design in it, set the shell thickness to 2 and to make the hole 0.005 inches smaller in the 3-D design program. When part is made, the hole can then be drilled to size. Refer to Drilling and Tapping for drilling recommendations.

Edges Touching Base Plate
For edges that are touching the base plate cannot peak on the base plate, they must be at least 3/32 wide to avoid print failure.