Suggestions for Printing Details Model

Hey Guys -

I'm fairly new to 3D printing having (finally) received an Ender 3 Pro Christmas. I've printed and learned a lot since then, but know I still have much more to learn. I've got a question I was hoping someone could advise on if possible...

I've got an STL of a model which was initially designed not for 3D Printing, but for plans for woodworking. I'm trying to print a small version of it, but as it's very detailed; am having issues. Below are the settings used for my most recent attempt as well as pictures of the results. I think the biggest issue is the size as some areas are so small, so plan to make the next a bit bigger. It's also incredibly detailed but if I print with supports everywhere, it's nearly impossible to clean up.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Hardware / Software
- Ender 3 Pro
- Ultimaker Cura 4.4.1
- Octoprint
- Hatchbox PLA (Plan to use wood filiment once perfected if possible)
- Firmware: Stock (Adding a BLTouch this week so will be updating to Marlin)

Size
I scaled the model to be 75mm in length prior to slicing which took 8 hours to complete. I planned to attempt a 120mm print tonight, but it estimates 21 hours to print - yikes!

Print Settings
Quality
- Layer Height: 0.12mm
- Support Line Width: 0.4mm
- Support Interface Line Width: 0.4mm
Shell
- Wall Thickness: 1.2mm
- Wall Line Count: 3
Infill
- Infill: 20
- Infill Pattern: Cubic
Material
- Printing Temp: 200C
- Build Plate Temp: 60C
- Enable Retraction: Yes
Speed
- Print: 50mm/s
- Travel: 150mm/s
Support
- Generate Support: Yes
- Support Placement: Touching Buildplate
- Support Overhang: 59
Build Plate Adhesion
- Type: Brim

Attached Pictures
- Most recent print with only a couple of supports removed
- Most recent print cleaned up a bit
- Screenshot of model in Cura
Unfortunately, I cannot post the actual STL as it's licensed... :)

Any suggestions?

Thanks, Guys!

If you consider that the model was created to be constructed from wood, each individual component would be cut from appropriate material. It's more than likely your current approach will not finish well for that reason.

I've take others' plans for wood projects but used the flat files to duplicate on the 3D printer. The gears, for example, will print flat on the bed, providing reasonably good detail. Each component would have to be printed and checked for fit, as 3D printers tend to expand a dimension slightly and cause interference on tight designs. Your holes may be dimensioned for 3 mm, for example, but will print at 2.8 mm preventing that 3 mm pin from fitting, especially if it printed at 3.2 mm diameter. These numbers may be exaggerations to more easily present the concept.

What software did you use to convert the original plans to an STL file? I expect that it is powerful enough to allow you to create each component as described above.

Good Afternoon - Appreciate the reply...

Well, the artist initially sent me the design in STL as I planned to add the model into VR. Once I got a printer, I realized they took the same types of files which is why I wanted to try to print. I feared printing individually would be an answer as it's fairly complex, but still may try.

I usually wouldn't spend as much time on something like this, but my father recently passed unexpectedly and this woodworking project was something he finished a couple of weeks before and was so proud of it. I thought it would be nice to try to print a miniature copy for each family member (the actual one is about 2' wide)

I currently use Cura as my slicer and am not much into designing, but have tried using TinkerCAD, Meshmaker, and Blender. Considering attempting a larger print to see how much it helps, but didn't know if any adjustments like adding walls or what not would help overall.

If you think of anything, please let me know. Thank you!

Something this small is especially challenging to print when the cross section in the horizontal plane is so tiny. By breaking apart the design and printing flat, the layer lines allow fewer restrictions on what can be printed successfully. You may be able to import the model into Meshmixer and use Edit, Separate shells to get the component parts.

Another advantage to flat component printing is you can use "normal" thickness for the layers, speeding things up. I've recently printed a part with 0.300 layer height, so much more quickly than the forecast thirteen hours. Due to the layer orientation, it's not as coarse as one might think with 300 microns. Sophisticated curves are a different matter but not if it's printed flat.

I've seen that model before, but can't place the origin. When I see posts of images of this sort, I think how much fun it would be to build one, but not as much fun during the printing phase, if there are tolerance problems during assembly!