3 Design Tips for Better 3D Printed Holes - CAD For Newbies

[@creepyloner1979]

bonus tip: if you want a perfectly smooth, round hole with more resistance to delamination, make the hole oversized and print an inner liner vertically that you then glue or friction fit into the oversized hole. this also helps with clearance issues because you can just adjust and reprint the liner to get the exact fit you want with minimal waste.

[@learningtocrash4030]

This can also make the part stronger at this potentially high stress area by orienting the pieces at 90 degrees like plywood. The insert could also act like a ring to keep screws from splitting the main part with layers parallel to the screw

[@gabiold]

This is a clever idea!

[@martinsmith2948]

this is an amazing tip! blew my mind! thanks!!!

[@75new]

Thank you for being the only 3D printing channel who uses the terms "tolerance" and "clearance" properly!

[@ChrisRiley]

Hey Angus, I know this is an old video, but I was searching around on some Fusion tips and teardrop holes are a real game changer when folks start designing. I am always happy when I see videos that are so helpful to others. I always appreciate what you do.

[@FilamentFriday]

7:02 - You need a deburring tool to clean out those holes. Nice tips.

[@jeric_synergy8581]

Thirded. C'mon, they are one of the cheapest tools out there.

[@3dbatman126]

My experience, it's hard to keep deburring tool centered. I resorted to vertical stand drill. But looks aside I now would employ Angus' teardrop holes for simplicity.

[@jacen3716]

Very impressive design skills! I'm impressed you designed your own printer!

[@RonFloyd]

Some really cool tips Angus! In addition to the last example, at 6:32, if you needed to, you could always drive 3D printed wedges (or even just wood screws) into the "smiley face" cutouts to make the fit even tighter.

[@EpicHeroSandwich]

love the compliant bearing hole design!

[@BenRyherd]

Good design tips even for the more seasoned designer. On the teardrop holes, with everything ideal your slicer and printer should work together to where the "Flat spot" at the top of the hole is at the correct height. It's possible that you get a small amount of droop when printing that bridge that makes those holes too small. For the sake of proper parametric sketches, it'd be far better to define the angle of that point, then you could make it 40 to 50 degrees to the horizontal to ensure that the overhang can be printed and that also allows you to change the diameter of that hole without having to also change the dimension you had to the point. For example you had an 8.2mm hole for your rod and 5mm from the center of the circle to the point of the teardrop. If you decided later to go to 6mm rods your teardrop would have a much sharper point and a much larger amount of material removed relative to the size of the rod. If you decided to go up to 12mm rods your "Point" of the teardrop would be inside your circle. This in conjunction with your tangent mates would probably throw up an error on that sketch until you changed the dimension for that point. I'm sure you were building based off of a preset pile of parts and you knew what size was going in there and weren't going to change your mind but practicing Parametric modeling even where it's not necessary really helps keep up skills (In my opinion anyways).

[@skibur848]

Ben Ryherd ok I didnt need a speech but thanks

[@TheOfficialCzex]

Well-stated, Ben! Thank you for your invaluable insight.

[@danzo5521]

@@skibur848 you’re stupid and angry, my favorite type of person to make fun of!!

[@skibur848]

@@danzo5521 i uh. Alright thats good. uh. i mean mk. im not angry and uh the stupid part? yeah i agree in pretty stupid

[@gabiold]

All this can be eliminated if you simply constrain the angle of the spike, not the height. It will not completely be aesthetically pleasing as it will look too high for bigger holes. You can avoid that if you specify the height, but not from the center rather from the perimenter and you have to drop the tangential constraint. The phenomenon is that with smaller holes the layer hight thus the quantization effect has much bigger impact on the accuracy that with bigger holes. You can print a larger hole with proportionally smaller teardrop.

[@Nifty-Stuff]

ANGUS!!! Thank you SO MUCH for the compliant hole design / spring fingers quick demo you did. This saves me SO many problems when trying to design the perfect fit!

[@MakersMuse]

Ey, thanks for the comment! Glad to hear it helped

[@lukasdon0007]

It's also worthwhile to remind people about *PLA creep*; even if the fit is very snug and tight, and even if you use screws to clamp it, PLA will deform over time under constant loads. So a hole which was initially very snug and tight, will after a few months be loose because the PLA has permanently deformed. So any design that requires snug fits and constant stresses, should be printed in other types of plastic that don't suffer from this (really annoying) property.

[@elmariachi5133]

Pro hint: Don't print the holes - print the matter around the holes! :)

[@tin2001]

There is no spoon.

[@ransombot]

The hole truth.

[@da-n-ny1742]

I usually add about 0.5mm to the radius to allow for material expansion with any hole. Even then some are too small and use a razor, drill or deburring tool. A lot depends on the nozzle size, print orientation and detail settings of the slicing software as well.

[@saeed6811]

Simpler fix: 1. Design a bit larger hole so that when you print, you get more tolerance. 2. Drill a bit smaller hole then rim it with a rimming tool to your proffered size.

[@ihatenumberinemail]

@@saeed6811 *reaming tool

[@cheroso1000]

This is the best 3D print/maker channel by far! Thanks a lot!

[@brandonlewis2599]

+1 For teardrops and slots. Thanks for the tip, I've been struggling with this for a while.

[@daveyJ213]

Angus, I am very new to CAD design and 3D printing. However, the information contained herein is EXCELLENT. Very good tips; much appreciated. This will save time and trouble down the road as I try to master this new knowledge base. Thank you for sharing.

[@cyberspider78910]

Some genius tips. What I appreciate about this particular videos is hands on approach...Thanks....

[@MFEeee]

Thank you. The slot for fitting bearings is genius! Printed a CNC router bracket to accommodate a bldc motor. My bearing holes came out too small and I don’t have a drill bit big enough to expand the hole. Tried friction pressing a 10mm socket with a wrench. Expanded a bit but cracked the piece. Printed in ABS. Going to try this. Thanks again!

[@finjanx9402]

I'm one of those who don't know a thing about engineering but I enjoy watching people making stuff and the whole process is just beautiful!

[@cncmillworks2779]

Thank You, I just designed 18mm x 50mm cable chain links for my CNC and the tear drop trick will really help. I was having to file the tops back into round. You most definitely help to empower.

[@akozhukhovskiy]

You have a good collection of printing tips! They make people think about the process. It lacks only a section dedicated to the use of an induction furnace in the interests of 3D printing.

[@theimpatientbrewer]

Excellent video, always waiting with baited breath for the next one.

[@Art_Of_Sound]

Always great vids Angus. TIP: Use the load/modifiermodel etc in Prusa/BBL etc to load a reinforcement area around the hole first using 100% concentric infill. A lot of time the PLA 'creep' can simiply a lack of area reinforcement. I have found no issues with PLA movement relative to any other unless temp is involved.

[@lionelmartinez7044]

Angus, awesome tips. i have already used your tips on some fixture designs and wow what a difference. usually we end up reaming the holes to get a tight fit but using these techniques really our post process down. i've shared your video to my coworks to help them design for 3D print as well. Thanks Angus

[@franktkalcevic5342]

I like to leave the holes under size, then use a reamer in a drill press or milldrill to get the hole to size. I also use Slic3r's modifers feature to make the walls around counterbored holes thicker (or solid infill)

[@arieverveer665]

Yep, I also use this technique and it works well. Plus a Lathe for outside diameters.

[@randywetzler5976]

I also found this method to be the best if your looking for precision. Often a number drill size or fractional bit will work for most fitments. For perfect bearing fits then go with a reamer if you can afford it.

[@spinnetti]

Hmm didn't know there was a "modifiers feature".. I've been printing more shells to get around this. Will have to look that upl

[@specialk2733]

Wow mann . I just picked up my first printer the other day ( inventor dual ) lot to learn but u got some awsome work and explain what ur doing and it’s pretty easy to understand the way u explain stuff .👍🏻

[@xavimourelo]

Wow, these tips are awesome! I could be watching this kind of videos for hours, very useful. Please do more tips!

[@snazzyriza9518]

Your hair Angus! Love it!

[@alfonse777]

This guy is sly. One of the best channel on the topic :)

[@willeykev]

OUTSTANDING TIPS!! THANKS Angus!! I knew about and use the second one all the time, but the first and third - excellent! Will definitely use them from this day forward in lots of design work!

[@aaryangaikwad1676]

Before i watched this i used to think that holes are accurate!! But now i know that they are inaccurate and also how to solvr it! Thanks Angus for helping me!!!

[@h0ll1s]

This is great Angus, awesome to see your designs!!

[@lloydrmc]

I *really* appreciate your sharing these design details.

[@EdgarInventor]

Angus, a walking, talking, 3D Printing Wiki!

[@Inventorsquare]

He's not a person. He's a Printer Wiki.

[@MarceldeFolter]

Good video, bit late as I finished my printer last summer with these problems solved. Instead of a teardrop hole, I usually make a tri-lobed hole, this way the rod is clamped perfectly

[@ClayAlmquist]

Good voice, can understand. Not too slow or too fast. Helped greatly.

[@cavinrauch]

Amazing !!! Your videos are going to become insane if you keep going down this path ! Keep it up man solid content as always.

[@KiR_3d]

Wow! These tips about holes are really great! The 3rd is just a master piece! It can be thought out but you've made this for us! :)

[@dsp4392]

This is some top notch content.

[@spetsnatzlegion3366]

Was this a pun or have I been on the internet for too long

[@ChrisFredriksson]

2 out of 3 was new to me, great tips!

[@satori_mountian_station]

Such a great design. And through great design youre using less materials. Awesome.

[@Tinker_Box]

This is definitely the tip I urgently needed!! Lots of solutions spring up in my head. Thanks for the video!

[@braxtynbrannon]

I love seeing what you can design in fusion 360. I've gotta sit down and really learn it, but for now I'm using Solidworks. Great tips on the different ways to create holes I've learned a lot!

[@MaikWeber]

Why do you want to learn fusion 360 when you have acces to Solidworks? It's much better!

[@oldsalty3d122]

Nice! Your timing was perfect! I needed those tips for a print design I'm currently working on at the moment. Going to implement your tips right now. Thanks so much Angus, your awesome!!

[@DisgruntledPigumon]

Wow. It is so good to see someone out a printer to good use.

[@DonGoddardAllAboutPaint]

It's videos like this that caused me to subscribe to your channel. Thanks for what you do!

[@zaSpeaker]

Thanks for the tips. I've always had trouble shoving my rod in a hole.

[@AdultsSwim1]

Great tips! I especially loved the teardrop idea. Your bridging technique instead of supports also looks interesting. Can't wait to see it in action!

[@USWaterRockets]

Cool tips! You don't need a teardrop shape if you print with fine layer resolution. Many slivers have dynamic layer heights just for accuracy in areas like this.

[@Hermy21]

Great tips Angus, love the teardrop! Keep up the great work!

[@SuprSi]

I'm so impressed with your design, very cool! Have a great xmas/new year Angus ;)

[@TheMidnightSmith]

Dude I'm so stoked to see this! Thank you!

[@Snagglepuss1952]

Useful tips. Thanks Angus, easy to understand as always, cheers

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

Great tips, thanks Angus!

[@Johnn_T]

Nice work Angus, looks like you have enjoyed your break from things! As a retired design engineer myself I’m impressed-you will go a long way bud. As for me, I need to somehow convert from PTC Creo (used when at work) to Fusion if I’m going to keep up with the world I think lol

[@PoiSonSonic]

So good! Let's bump this up!

[@pedrohenriqueboscofi]

Big thanks for sharing those tips, I've been following the channel for a long time now and always had in mind a project that shares a lot of similarities to that one. It is good to see the things that I thought that were in line with how you did and it worked, and even cooler to discover both that drop shape hole and the hole fingers techniques! thank you!

[@tonyfweb]

I'm about 6 years late to this party, but the teardrop has been incredibly useful. I found that having the teardrop be 0.5mm higher than the circumference of the circle and having the lines be a tangent ends up creating essentially a perfect circle for holes under 10mm. It might work with bigger holes, but this is the biggest I've dealt with for my personal needs.

[@justinholtkamp9972]

10/10 most useful video yet... thank you so much

[@onomatopoeidia]

Excellent content. So many useful techniques there,

[@chalky3320]

some very good tips there angus,thanks for sharing

[@tastefullysinfull5570]

Bloody brilliant, New to printing with my Ender3, I have learned so much from your vids, Esspecially about getting 360 for free!

[@LanceThumping]

I wish you would've mentioned if, in the compliant holes, you change your clearances at all to alter the pressure. As in, do you continue using the slight gap you need based on your clearance test or do you use exact values and count on the plastic to take up the flex and increase the pressure on the part?

[@Leadingedgeindustrial]

Fantastic video, as always, Angus! Thanks for sharing these tricks with us!

[@AaronSchmidt52]

Awesome video! Thank you for the great tip Angus, please keep them coming!

[@KieranShort]

This is awesome. Thanks Angus. I've had this problem over and over (with the tops flattened). I try and print the holes vertically to get perfect circles.. but you cant always do that.

[@dagr8kerek]

Wow, this is the most interesting video you've ever made!!

[@SamsDesigns]

Way to go again Angus! Great tips!

[@Thom45K]

Thanks for the design tips! Another tip is try to use the flat side of the carpet knife to clean out holes, the sharp side will often cut into the material.

[@l3d-3dmaker58]

4:30 am for me, actually a pleasant surprise love your tips btw!

[@REALITY_ONLY_PLEASE]

Another brilliant video. Thanks again.

[@protoplastik5172]

more tips: * Create a long bevel or draft of about 1 or 2 degrees at the area where you will start inserting rods. * The flat part of the circle is beneficial for providing a bit of press fit. * The 'clamp' is a nice idea to some extent. Often, you may not have room to have that feature. Again, a bit of draft on the hole will help here. I've found 1 or 2 degrees for about 5mm works great. * Rather than a teardrop, create a 'keyway' shape. Then, if you want you could put a printed wedge in the keyway. The keyway will print much nicer than the teardrop shape. * Do your best to design holes that can be printed with the axis going in the z direction.

[@marcoaurelioglindro6972]

Great tips Angus! Excited to try these tips out :)

[@discogodfather22]

Very cool stuff, thanks. Another method I have used is to undersize the hole and then drill a hole so there is a nice machined high tolerance hole.

[@Inventorsquare]

I find a more appropriate term for over-sizing or reducing certain dimensions in order to meet a proper fit due to the missed accuracy of printing would be 'compensation', since although we may say we have designated a "clearance" within the CAD software to do so, the actual measured value of the part will be quite different, making it not so much a clearance but a compensation amount. I hope we can adopt this.

[@davidsally_pizzatony]

Some great ideas Angus

[@rafamuratt_]

Hey Angus very nice design, it looks to be very functional too, congrats!!!

[@RSmarza]

Very useful tutorial. Please, consider do more like it. Thanks

[@ChunkySteveo]

Great set of tips Angus!

[@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994]

Knurl Nuts are awesome! So much better than dropping or losing nuts when assembling.

[@spinnetti]

Cool design. Another thing I do is anneal the parts. While they are hot, rods and what not fit in fine, and upon cooling parts are both annealed and grip like a mo-fo. No need for tricks that way

[@MatheusFP104]

Great design!! Can’t wait for the opensource project!

[@terryclair2914]

Excellent advice! Thank you Angus.

[@spikekent]

Great tips and design solutions Angus.

[@scottcurrier7347]

Angus... keep these tips coming! Good stuff!

[@hradford55]

Fantastic video! Thank you so very much, I can't wait to incorporate these ideas into my designs.

[@FancyGeeks]

I tend to print just a pinhole or a starter hole, if you will, and then drill it out later but that's not always a good solution. I look forward to trying these tips!

[@rheller_82]

Some very good 3d printing design tips thanks alot.

[@Miguel-Gutierrez]

I just discovered you to learn Fusion 360 I like how you speak clearly.

[@patrickmarr7076]

Great ideas, Angus! I like the way you think! Another way to get better holes might be to print an oversized hole then fill it with a bushing that was printed vertically. That way the circularity won't be affected by steps in the layers. This can also help two holes on opposite sides of an assembly to remain true if there is any warping of the plastic. (Let the rod hold both bushings in perfect alignment, then use adhesive between the bushing and the case to set the alignment)

[@BenRyherd]

I have done this on a couple models, but unless you're fastening on both sides, or you make a flanged bushing, it's hard to keep it in place. If you really need the accuracy it does work, but the added complexity is usually not worth it. I usually do it because I'm indecisive and need to start printing a part of my design to actually commit to working on it, then have to use bushings to change the holes to meet what I end up designing the rest of the parts to, though I don't need to do this often.

[@aggronn]

Very nice video! thanks for this input and keep up the good work

[@N.M.E.]

Amazing... just what i always needed!

[@lupofroi]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

[@jeric_synergy8581]

Dude, that was EXCELLENT. Thank you much!

[@WorksbySolo]

Very thoughtful tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@aaronrhaywood]

Great tips Angus!

[@kc0jtl]

I am sure you provided lots of valuable information, but I couldn't stop looking at your shirt.

[@MB-lh5kw]

Awesome video , I like the design concepts videos you do

[@tjkirkpatrick9451]

Very impressive Angus great work.. a fantastic clip, very informative. i like your design brief easy to understand great concept Best regards Tj

[@Keefcooks]

Great tips Angus. Thanks!

[@observed00]

Glad you are doing this content.

[@neatmachine]

Excellent as always! Thanks! What material are you printing with?