All Glossary

3D-Printing

Standard 3D printing technology (not printing with clay itself) is very useful to potters and ceramic industry in making objects that assist and enable production.

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It is becoming more practical for potters and ceramic artists or entrepreneurs to take on projects never before possible because of the increasing accessibility of 3D printing. 3D printing makes you more independent. Ordinary consumer printers are useful for making mock-ups, master and block molds, forms, templates, mold pour-spouts, supports, holders, cutters, tools, stamps, embossers, rollers and more. It puts forming techniques you would not otherwise use (e.g. jiggering, casting, pressing, extruding, stamping) into easier reach.

The most difficult obstacle to adopting 3D printing is learning 3D design software. Don’t bother buying a printer till you do that (or you will have a printer with nothing to print). The software is intimidating. However the existence of standards is a big help in navigating all the options - terminology and methodology are very similar across all products. A major enabler is that, as of 2022 anyway, AutoDesk Fusion 360 is still free for use by education and businesses earning less than $100K per year (otherwise entry level is around $500/yr). OnShape is also free if you don't mind drawing being public. It is the standard for consumer part design and has exceptional online resources and training and almost every other product compares itself to Fusion 360. However, they are a commercial company, and don’t kid yourself, they are going to try to turn you into a customer and make you dependent on them. That being said, their product is still the best educational route to learning 3D. The experience, enthusiasm and confidence gained is applicable to moving to a free product (like FreeCAD) or a less expensive tablet-based one like Shapr.

Online service providers offer a wide range of printing technologies and materials, so you can email or upload 3D files. An exciting technology is laser fusing of powder, even metal powder (in this way metals and ceramic can be precisely printed). That being said, it may still be best to have your own printer. This is because the process of learning and perfectly designing involves cycles of tweaking designs and reprinting them. The freedom to do this is a big part of the utility of 3D printing, at least for hobbyists, potters and small manufacturers. Once you have a proven design, then consider sending it (for higher quality or saving time). Craftcloud3d.com might be a good start.

Owning your own printer is was first possible because of the RepRap international movement to develop open-source hardware and software platforms for 3D printing. Reprap printers used standard buy-at-a-hardware-store parts or ones that a printer itself can make. This means that anyone can buy and assemble an inexpensive printer to learn many details of their mechanics and operation. Of course today people buy commercial units that grew out of that movement. But DIY is still firmly embedded in the hardware and software.

Making practical use of the technologies and not getting caught up in the hype of things can be challenging. One way to do this gradual evolution, is just learn what you need to make the item required today. Contrary to the previous statement, it may be good to buy a printer before learning the design software, watching it sit idle will motivate you to learn Fusion 360 (or similar). By the same token, paying a consultant on Upwork to help you learn will motivate progress, just to avoid wasting that money and paying more consultants! The real “lights-on” moments will happen when you develop ways to draw things that are better than the teachers.

Filament: Each filament has advantages and disadvantages (e.g. cost, toxicity, temperature required, wear and tear on your machine, surface quality, durability, print speed possible). Use PLA at the start, it is important to have the fewest problems, this whole business is difficult enough, avoid any possible discouragements. We have had bad experience with TPU flexible filament but enough others promote it that it might be a good second one to try. Here is some advice from a follower (who uses a Prusa printer): "According to Google, “Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) filament is generally considered non-toxic and odorless, but it can release harmful fumes when exposed to fire or chemicals during the 3D printing process. To prevent long-term health issues, ensure your workspace has good ventilation and an air filtration system.” The secret to printing with TPU is constant speed while printing. Under print settings, go to speed. Set them all to 20 mm/s. Ironing will be greyed out unless you have it on. Then in the next section, Dynamic overhang speed, set everything to 20 mm/s. Under Modifiers set First layer speed to 20 mm/s. Then under Auto Speed (Advanced), set Max print speed to 20 mm/s. This will prevent almost all webbing and other print issues. Some people also suggest reducing the z-axis nozzle retraction, but I have not found a need to do that."

Related Information

Large mold a testament to what 3D printing can do

This is a 3D-printed block mold of a medium-sized Medalta Potteries ball pitcher being prepared for filling with silicone rubber (to make a case mold for pouring working plaster molds). Although I used two different consumer 3D printers, a Prusa MK3 and MK4, the four pieces mate very well! I taped them together first and then welded them using an ultra-violet curing superglue from Home Depot (6 seconds to harden). The glue leaves a slight bump - that is not a problem - can be removed from final working molds. Notice I also made a 3D printed displacer (bottom inset) - I fill it with rocks as I fill the mold with PMC-746 rubber.

The 3D printed hinge demonstrates the capability of a consumer printer

This was printed as an assembly. The grooves between the teeth were filled with printed support but it cleaned out easily. The hinge moves smoothly and has no slack. I did not draw it, I downloaded it as an upgrade to the door in my Creality K1 Max printer. Making something like this is a good lesson in the precision that consumer printers are capable of. Stratasys, a long-time maker of industrial 3D printers is suing Bambu Labs, a maker of low-cost consumer machines similar to those from Creality. Stratasys apparently sees a real threat from consumer printers that are gaining quickly, and in some ways surpassing the capabilities of industrial devices.

Final cast-jiggered cone 6 mug beside original 3D-printed mock-up

This is a product of a casting-jiggering project I did in 2019 to recreate a 1960s Medalta Potteries mug. The first step was drawing a profile in 2D (using Adobe Illustrator) and then working with a Fusion 360 freelancer at Upwork.com to create a quality 3D drawing. 3D printing this mock-up was possible after that, using my favorite 3D slicer, Simplify 3D. The mug was drawn "parametrically", that is, measurements and geometric relationships were built-in such that changing contours and the size preserved the original design. The first production mug, made about a year later, is on the right. Molds were scaled up 10% from this mockup size so that final pieces would be this size, however the firing shrinkage of the clay turned out to be about 12%.

Making complex ceramic tile shapes by 3D printing your own cookie cutters

This was done on an affordable RepRap printer. The red plastic templates were drawn in Fusion 360 and sliced and printed using Simplify3D. A wooden block was used to press these cookie cutters into the clay. The plastic wrap made sticking a non-issue (and rounded the corners nicely). Commercial bottled glazes were applied to this low fire talc body by brushing (in three coats) after bisque - the rounded corners make brushing easier. The tiles were fired at cone 03. This is an old classic design that I discovered when researching Damascus tile. The toughest obstacle was learning how to use Fusion 360. It turns out that cookie cutters are a starter project for many 3D software packages, there are lots of videos on making them.

Large cookie-cutter 3D-printed in four pieces

These four sections were glued together to make a larger one. Now it is possible to quickly precision-cut the shape for making my pie-crust mugs. Later I re-printed these templates on a better 3D printer so the inner vertex holes cut out much better.

3D Printed spout for ball mill

When full of balls and glaze this Royal Doulton ball mix weighs about 80 lbs. If efforts to pour it out don't cause a hernia the slurry ends up spilling everywhere as the balls come out with it! Trying to stop the balls with my hand ends up spilling even more. The answer was to 3D print a spout and a ball retainer. The bar and screw that normally hold the lid on work well to hold this in place. For multiple batches of the same glaze, it can now be poured right from the rack, no need to carry it to our sink. And not a drop spills. In the upper right picture, I had to change the filament midway, from green to black. It was easy to draw this in Fusion 360. I first printed the ring and flange to be sure of a good fit into the rim. A rubber band stretched around the flange provides a very good seal with the jar.

Printing a prototype propeller for my Lightnin lab mixer

An example of how handy the ability to print in 3D can be. The worn-out stainless propeller costs $500 to replace. But the size and pitch of the blades is not right anyway. So I draw them using Fusion 360 and print them in PLA plastic, enabling experimenting with different sizes and pitches. While I could have one printed in stainless at shapeways.com I do not need to because these plastic ones are surprisingly durable. How about getting a tight fit on the shaft? No problem. I measured this shaft with callipers and printed that size. It was a little tight so I printed it slightly larger and it fits very tightly. One issue: If you mix slurries with hot water the blades will bend and the collar will loosen. If you would like this STL format file (for 3D printing in your slicer software), it is available in the Files manager in your Insight-live.com account.

A 3D-printed spout enables a flared rim on cast ware

It was glued down using the casting slip itself (it stuck in seconds). About ten minutes after draining a fettling knife was run around the inside, then it detached easily. The overhung lip produced imparts structural strength that resists warping, for drying and firing, to the thin walled piece. This spout has advantages over the traditional "spare" built in to the upper part of a mold. It enables a one-piece mold. The lip can be more overhung. Draining is cleaner and easier. Molds are lighter. Extraction can be done sooner and it is easier. The spout does not absorb so there is less scrap. The degree of overhang is adjustable by simply printing new spouts.

Version 2 ceramic beer bottle rubber block mold

This time I printed the block mold, rather than the case mold, in six pieces on my consumer 3D printer.
Top: I printed the two halves upright (creating them in the slicer rather than Fusion 360). Because the print lines run concentric the quality is so much better than the previous version printed flat. The ribbing inside made the halves strong so they did not go out of shape when filled with plaster (to give them weight).
Second: The mold halves were simply laid against each other - they mated perfectly (and stayed in place because they are full of plaster). The four rails were then clamped in place.
Third: The PLA was soaped (using Murphy's Oil Soap) and rubber poured in (Smooth-On PMC-746). The next day it easily pulled out.
Fourth: The finished rubber case mold. The sides are pretty flabby so I make them rigid using the four rails (placed upside down).
Right: Using a plaster mold created from this rubber case mold I slip-casted a bottle using my L4768D recipe, glazed it with GA6-B and fired it at cone 6.

3D printed three-piece jigger case mold complete

It is now practical to make true-round, perfect-fitting, all-in-one case molds for jiggering using a consumer 3D printer and PLA filament. This is a one-off test mold using a consumer printer, but the method is so fast that production molds on an industrial printer are feasible. The process is: Create the drawing in 3D CAD (e.g. Fusion 360), print the three sections, glue them, turn the assembled shell upside down, fill with plaster, let it set and peel out the inside two pieces using a heat gun.

Things to note:
-This is very light, the walls are only 0.8mm thick.
-The shoulder (C) is printed solid and the PLA printed surface from A to D is left in place permanently, this enables precise and durable fit into the cuphead. I print the outside shell upside down, no printed support is needed and it prints very quickly.
-The down-pointing flange (A) embeds it into the plaster providing a durable edge against which to fit the pour spout (F). The glue joint connecting A & B breaks when B & E are removed.
-B and E are printed upside down, no support is needed for B, since the top is open, it thus prints quickly.
-The base E has a flange that enables gluing it precisely into B. It has a debossed logo and prints upside down for maximum quality (print support is generated but because it is short it prints quickly).

3D printing case vs block molds for ceramics

Left are case molds, they are made by 3D printing the positive profile on a backplate (with holes for natches). These are secured into slotted rails. Right is a block mold, it is made by 3D printing the profile of a working mold with integrated rails. This one is printed vertically in four pieces. It is held together and straight with printed brackets. We pour rubber into these to make case molds. Each method has advantages and issues.
-Case: Faster to print. Easier to draw. Joins cast as easily removed bumps on the working molds. This is only suitable for prototyping, making one working mold.
-Block: Much more attention is needed in printing, there are more issues with orientation of print, infill, printed support, multi-piecing, fit and seam-filling. 3D drawing of these is more difficult. And block molds are bigger because they are molds of molds. They also need to be more precise to merit the cost of the rubber.

Fusion 360, my choice for 3D mechanical design in ceramics

Intimidation by the complexity of this type of software is the biggest obstacle you will face to learning 3D design (for 3D-printing). Fusion 360 is the new mission of AutoDesk, the leader in CAD software for 30 years, bringing much of the power of their industrial strength Inventor product into the hands of everyone! Fusion 360 has a lot of advantages. It is a standard. There is a simple learning curve via their Tinkercad.com, videos on Youtube, easy online help and many freelancers to hire (at Upwork.com). It is free to qualifying users (teachers, students or people who earn less that $100k/yr), the fact that software of this kind of power and utility is actually available to anyone who wants to try it is amazing. Fusion 360 (and other 3D design products) cannot run 3D printers (3D slicers do that). Fusion 360 is very demanding on the processor and graphics hardware of your computer, typical laptops are not powerful enough.

Fusion 360 can also be used for modelling, but other products are better.

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