Amazing new Prusaslicer 2.6.1 feature: Snap fit parts! Let's look into it.

[@NuRaLoQi]

The dovetail is useful for parts that used to handle a "pull" effect. For example, if you hang something from the ceiling and you print an adaptor for it, the dovetail will hold a lot better than the peg even if glued.

[@xanderwusky]

Yes, I made a gear sometime but it was to big for my printer, but since prusa can print bigger in 1 direction then the other and it was only slightly to big. I used my 3d modeling software to make a dovetail. Would have been way faster this way.

[@pureiso567]

I bet the dovetail would be a lot stronger without glue than the pegs.

[@LostInTech3D]

in one axis, yeah. If you could put a pin through the middle then that would be cool!

[@Frankysan]

In two axes, I would think.

[@jakobhansen1396]

@@LostInTech3D drilling a hole in the part in the slicer before making the dovetail is not to hard, but sequence will matter a lot

[@zsill777]

Honestly, depending on geometry, using the dovetail and glue combined sounds like the strongest option. That's a lot of surface area + interference on the dovetail, vs putting glue on pegs

[@pureiso567]

@@zsill777 Definitely agree, I have had more issues with pegs breaking overall in the prints I have done vs dovetail/puzzle like interfaces.

[@xXKisskerXx]

the bed define seems ideal for those that use the clips to hold beds in place, so you can literally map in the clips and have them as avoid zones, allowing more build plate to be printed on - without actually having a bigger build plate.

[@LostInTech3D]

been a while since I had a bed with clips on!

[@TDOBrandano]

One use could be to have snap-on overhangs that can be added midway through a print and get welded in by the layers above them

[@Hellawacked]

Only issue I see is the sheer line would still be there maybe if you added some resin to bond the small gap when putting them on?

[@SkonkBot]

The bed shape thing is great if you have a damaged part of the bed and want to avoid putting models onto it.

[@LostInTech3D]

exactly!

[@SAdeimosSA]

@@LostInTech3D it's also useful for converting CoreXY to AWD (adds steppers to the front trading space for ludicrous speed)

[@England91]

Or if the bed has warped over time somehow

[@ThomasWood3DPrinting]

Also, many people use clips or clamps for glass beds, this would be useful for that too!

[@TOT3m1c]

​@@England91I have exactly this. Back left corner on a MK2S is "high", and I can't compensate, so I avoid it. I'll be looking up this feature to omit it.

[@mattklapman]

Dovetail can be used where pegs cannot for many cases, especially large thin prints. Excellent video explaining the features!

[@beauslim]

I had no idea about this so thanks for covering it even if you are "late". Looks very useful for breaking large prints down to fit on smaller printers.

[@Sembazuru]

When playing with the cut tool in PrusaSlicer, don't forget about the "don't cut" right-click especially on complex models. A good practice model that I've found is the low poly rabbit that comes in the gallery. Try to cut each ear off individually and you will discover the power of being able to unselect parts of the model that cross the cut plane. Not many reviewers cover this feature that's a couple PrusaSlicer versions old, and I don't know why.

[@timonix2]

I just saw the update today. Downloaded it without actually checking what it did. Really cool features. If I hadn't found your video I wouldn't have known they existed

[@Rainyjax]

I can see one use for the dovetails right off the bat - printing right angle connectors for things, that cannot normally be printed on the side. That way, you could have all sides printed flat and be at their strongest, without having to make two separate models for it. Which is great, because I've seen a lot of models that I'd rather be in two parts than one, just for part strength alone.

[@Mitch3D]

I manually added dovetails to a long rail piece I printed on my Voron V0.1(with 120mm bed) having it built into the slicer is amazingly handy. Thanks for showing off the peg feature, it’s also a good calibration test. The new nesting options are nice too.

[@argy8141]

Shift A - Awesome, hadn't picked that up nor the dovetail cut. Thanks a million

[@thecyclingmaker]

Dovetails work really well when joining thin walled objects!

[@ender-gaming]

Dovetail are prefect for printing things larger than your bed. Think printing a 2x4 on your printer, dovetail joints. Now you'd probably not due that, but if you're printing a larger flat object (say a setup to hold cards and objects for a board game), having a method to join it yourself means you don't have to rely on the designer accounting for your print volume.

[@Sembazuru]

I've been playing with (i.e. mocking up in PrusaSlicer with a cylinder primitive, but haven't actually designed and printed yet) using the dove tail feature to cut up a planting pot false bottom. (These are used to avoid having to completely fill a deep pot with soil.) When getting a large pot to replant some aloe plants, I saw the ones for sale at the store and thought "I can print that... I think. Larger than my printbed, but there is that new dovetail feature..." I'll probably spend more time and filament getting it right than the $20 plastic discs in the store cost, but that seems to be the hobby these days...

[@jakobhansen1396]

Dovetails are very useful, especially on thin features and when using an angle and making them one way. On thick features and reducing tolerance the dovetail becomes a permanent connection, when hammered together

[@critter42]

Improved Arrange is my favorite new item in 2.6.1 - this is something I've been wanting for a while because I am commonly printing whole plates of parts.

[@rDunfee]

dovetails make excellent rails for moving parts. I could see using that being a lot more user friendly for quick designs instead of mucking around with tolerances in fusion 360

[@802Garage]

I think the snap connector design could be optimized. First off, they don't need that much clearance in the middle. Second, if they are printed with more of a mushroom head shall we say, they can have less angle and therefore less strength reduction while still holding as firm or more firmly. Overall they just seem a bit flimsy, I hope there are tuning options in the future, but it's still an awesome feature.

[@enhidri160]

🤨🤨

[@conorstewart2214]

That’s exactly what I thought, they look removable, which may or may not be useful but they probably can’t be removed and inserted many times. They also look like they might just be a friction fit inside the hole. A sharper overhand on the peg and a corresponding area on the hole would most likely be stronger and be harder to remove.

[@802Garage]

@@enhidri160 Wut?

[@ddade11]

You can use the dovetail on thin pieces that need to connect. If the object is flat and only 10 or so layers thick, the dovetail would allow them to connect when dowels would not. I have made the dovetails manually on a deck of card holder that was bigger than my bed.

[@dr_dr]

Depending on the direction of load in relation to a model, the dovetail could be very useful.

[@3d-printz]

dovetail is a very nice option for joining wingsegments of 3d-printed rc planes when the root is to big to be printed in a single piece. Also i find it amazing how the industry reacted and precisely targeted the needs of makers who don´t have the skills to use a good cad themselves. It seems a lot of modifying tasks which would have been done in a cad will be made in slicers in the future. this brings a lot of new aspects and will change the way we share meshbased models sustainably.

[@girak2]

I really enjoyed watching you struggle to put together the companion cube after you printed the cut model. I would struggled too! Hahahaha

[@DavidMulligan]

Dovetails and pegs would both be very useful for changing the direction of printing to optimize loads vs layer adhesion.

[@jacobsoby3910]

Dovetail would be good for drawers where you might tend to snap off the layers when printed normally, you can now lay all faces flat.

[@Everblades09]

I'm new to the 3D printing world and was having an issue trying to print something that was large and had some interesting details. I can't wait to give this a go!

[@LostInTech3D]

remember to add tolerances between parts :)

[@MetalheadAndNerd]

Dovetails are perfect for strong connections like in furniture parts. I use them for a long time.

[@armoth6958]

Been waiting for this for forever! Definitely need dovetails too, here's hoping!

[@JohnOlson]

One place I wanted to use dovetail is recently doing a riser for the K1. It was an easy path extrude in fusion 360, then in PrusaSlicer, sliced it into 4 corner pieces with dovetail joints.

[@agmuntianu]

the custom bed shape would be useful if scara based 3d printers ( using a scara robotic arm) catch on

[@Алимпиец]

I sometimes print molds and the cut with pegs is very convenient for this, in literally 2 clicks I get a collapsible mold ready for filling with silicone, after sealing the seams of course

[@Promethium666]

dowels for simplistic joining, dove tails for decorative joining, snap fit plugs are like the trim clips in your car, one maybe two time use and they break.

[@JohnDane]

Dovetails can also be really useful for when you are printing thin objects that wouldn't handle a peg connector well

[@alexlundgren8297]

Dove tail feature would be great for making things modular. Like a storage bin system or something.

[@ijcarroll]

5:10 i have been looking for this! I was looking for a way to print a wheel that's able to be split into fourths for size that would make a perfectly strong joint for a wheel.

[@tinayoga8844]

As far as the bed shape use. What if you have the nozzle crash into your bed and damage the surface at one spot. (hopefully not the center) Maybe you can avoid it.

[@AwestrikeFearofGods]

5:00 Pedant here. I think you mean clearance. Tolerance is something else.

[@LostInTech3D]

just reading the words, I did a whole video on this to satisfy your pedancy ;)

[@Baldavier]

Dovetail is good for aesthetics or puzzles

[@LostInTech3D]

puzzles is the only use I could come up with! :)

[@1empyre1life]

Nice overview! Now to wait for Orca Slicer to adopt these and update...

[@konstissfx]

The dovetail is also pretty useful if you consider printing collapsible cores for moulds.

[@BuzzBazzJ]

all this was new to me. been using cura as slicer since I got the MK2.5S+ this summer... might have to give PrusaSlicer a go.

[@MrBaskins2010]

custom infill patterns in cura got me droolin

[@olive3365]

I used dovetails to cut up the 5' sword blade i made so layer adhesion (when the blade was printed horizontally instead of vertically) so they would put as little stress on the length of the blade as possible to prevent snapping. I figured pegs wouldn't be as strong as a dovetail, but if they are then 🤷🏼‍♀️ oops i suppose. I saw someone recommend puzzles which I hadn't thought of, but cosplay is the only thing i could think of personally

[@LostInTech3D]

Ah, no, probably makes sense on large objects, which I don't really print much of

[@mrkthmn]

To add to the list of Dovetail uses: thin/flat parts. Im trying to make a box for my mom to hold some of her photography stuff and Im gonna have to split it in half cause of the size. Theres no way I could fit any variety of the pegs in the thin walls of the box to help align them for glueing but the edges could have a dovetail and that would work just fine for lining the two halves up.

[@shaitand69]

As you discovered when your snaps fell off, snapfits involve removing material which means less reinforcing the joint against stress than a dowel. As long as the adhesive is as strong as the original material the more surface area in a joint the better along with a broader cross section where sheer force is applied. The second is why dowel joints are so weak. Look to videos on woodworking joints for a better understanding on this, though the wood grain plays some role the relative joint strengths more or less translate. Dovetails are stronger joints but there is a simple hack to get what you want out of the dowel and get the strength. Since you want to lay flat on the bed, use your dowels, but also prepare the entire surface you are mating and use a thin layer of epoxy. The dowel joint essentially acts as a key to align the parts correctly and to clamp the parts together while the epoxy dries, the cross section of the joint is now equal to that of the part rather than limited to the diameter of the dowel.

[@Liberty4Ever]

I was just about to manually add three dovetails to a TPU product that I manufacture and sell online so the customer can configure it to three different lengths. Guess I'll let PrusaSlicer do that for me. I also have a product in mind that would use interlocking ABS and TPU so that's a welcome PrusaSlicer feature as well. I use 3D printing for functional parts and I don't do miniatures, scale models or cosplay, but I have developed an urge to buy a Neptune 4 Pro Max (when Elegoo makes the Max with steel rails) and 3D print a SpaceX Starship model scaled 22:1 so the diameter barely fits on the 420 x 420 mm bed. It would be 18 feet tall! Those snap pegs would be a great way to assemble the pieces. I should wait until I can find an STL that has the new hot staging ring that was recently added.

[@LostInTech3D]

haha, I have the 3 max, and I have no doubt that the 4 max will be amazing, but make sure you have a lot of room for it.

[@JordanHaisley]

Dovetails are awesome for moving parts. IE you can build parts that move around a base like a track.

[@pbft.j]

Dovetail is just better for models that will go through more force? All I know is that when we use big cameras on set, I trust the ?surface area? that the dovetail mounts use. I am always wary of "screw" strength? I like using "arca swiss" mounts on everything, which is essentially a dovetail mount, instead of your standard camera 1/4th screw.

[@LostInTech3D]

you make a good point, I use arca mounts on all my stuff.

[@HairyStuntWaffle]

Bed Shape - could define clip locations for that kinda bed?

[@HairyStuntWaffle]

oh and not sure if new, but you can define a STL _of your printer_ so you can see what the final product will look like on your printer!

[@LostInTech3D]

Yeah you could

[@ethzero]

That's... pretty good. Ugh, am I going to have to learn a new slicer for my Ender?

[@edmarciniak7612]

I could see a good use case for non rectangular or non circular bed shapes to maximize the build area available on a linear delta printer. In fact, at the top, the build area is also non circular….this is all assuming that your controller doesn’t lock you out of areas outside a simple volume.

[@mauriceprins2852]

This is perfect for my voron 0.2! (12x12x12cm buildvolume)

[@bens3641]

dovetail is pretty strong.....pegs are kinda wimpy. Nice video, I learned some stuff! Thanks for sharing.

[@leclerc_1652]

OMG, until now, I have been using cura, and after seeing your video, I am making the switch to prusa immediately. 😅 Also, as a video request, could you please make a video comparing Ultimaker Cura, Prusa Slicer, and Bambu studio. I would find it very useful if you could do the comparison of features between those. Thank you

[@Sembazuru]

I'm not sure if comparing Bambu Studio to the others is fair. AFAIK (I could be wrong), Bambu studio pretty much only wants to talk to Bambu printers. Maybe use Orca Slicer in the comparison instead of Bambu Studio? Or am I wrong about Bambu Studio being able to slice for non Bambu printers?

[@leclerc_1652]

@Sembazuru well, before when it just released it only supported bambu printers but now it has multiple other printers like Anker, Anycubic, Creality, Elegoo, Prusa, Qidi, even Voron and more. But yeah I think since orca is better than bambu studio it might be ahead of the others, so then it would be a better comparison

[@richdobbs6595]

I do have a bad spot right at the center. These seem like some good features that might get me over the activation energy barrier to switch off of Cura.

[@Jack5822]

Can you easily add stops to the dovetail? If so, it would have tons of use.

[@redherring5532]

"Ah c'mon PEG" - Al Bundy

[@hightde13]

I hope they add simpler keys and notches in the future.

[@LostInTech3D]

That would be very useful, there's probably a list of connection types they could add

[@alang6402]

I was going to write about dovetails but there is enough dovetail love already.

[@hunters6787]

Personally can’t wait for this to come to OrcaSlicer, as I’m sure it will 🤞🏻

[@nobodyuknow4911]

1:32 "scheduled to start shipping in October"... uh huh... and when was the Prusa XL finally shipped after saying it was coming soon? ^_^

[@LostInTech3D]

Haha I'll chase up on that and see what's going on

[@flashforum939]

Love these videos ❤

[@chrisdixon5241]

I wonder if the custom bed shape could be useful along with auto arrange to define 2 or more bed "areas". During slicing you could then print different parts onto one larger bed by cutting it into several regions, and then removing them all together at the end. Also could be useful if you want to miss certain areas of the bed (for example the clips holding the print surface on old ender 3s)

[@LostInTech3D]

yeah, stuff like that...will be interesting to see what people do with it.

[@firefoxchind555]

Id love automatic shadow gaps when slicing

[@LayerLabAustralia]

I am getting this error when trying to export the model after adding holes to the cut - "unable to perform boolean operation on model meshes prusa". I tried the windows repair function but it didn't work. I have also sent the model to stl fixer as i thought it may be a geometry error but that didn't help either. what am i doing wrong?

[@LostInTech3D]

In prusaslicer? Report a bug on their GitHub

[@LayerLabAustralia]

@@LostInTech3D okay, thanks for the response :D love your vids :)

[@TheMrTorbi]

Dovetail is pretty usefull for big but thin panels that you cant really print in one piece. I wish i had that feature earlier when i needed it.

[@ferdinandhenkel4567]

I could see the custom bed shape thing being useful for klicky probe users.

[@tralanehaynes9725]

After cutting in prusaslicer and bambu and adding plug connectors, the negative part is not exporting to cura, but the positive part is. Any suggestions?

[@Netasurfer]

Would you make a review on OrcaSlicer?

[@LostInTech3D]

If I ever get time, sure

[@marc_frank]

3:21 great job

[@bernardodallacosta8684]

I think Dovetails are usefull when you print something thats to thin for use the other metods... i had done something simillar to print my dice sword boxes.

[@Wassermelonenbaum]

I use dovetails to make a prototype modular so I dont have to reprint the whole thing and can swap parts easily.

[@kajekage9410]

What would you say the minimum length and width for the snap connections? And the minimum sidewall for them? Like if I have a 5mm wall would a 3mm snap work or is 1 mm on either side too small and/or the width/length of the snap too small?

[@infidelgaming1670]

Dovetail would be useful for larger pieces or as a secondary connection that ends with screws being tapped in (raspberry pi case, etc)

[@DavidMulligan]

I have a homemade Core XY printer based on the Hypercube which prints narrower than I would like because of the placement of the XY stepper motors. This is a perfect use case for the custom bed shape feature! I can now get a extra centimeters of the sides back! Thank you for demonstrating this!

[@scifimodelshop]

way to NOT go over have how to draw a line to slice the entire reason I clicked on this link. Well managed to get Pcbway in the video so I guess they was happy

[@LostInTech3D]

what?

[@BikeGuyFPV]

3:26 states pegs are good for making parts that have height or size issues, but not for parts that would have support issues. 2:43 states pegs are good for the fox model because if not used, the belly of the fox would have undesirable support issues so better to split the part in two and then join both halfs back up. Did you not proof read the script before making the video because this is a counter active argument for what you're saying. Seems very confusing on what you're trying to convey here lik most of the other videos.

[@LostInTech3D]

Dowels are good in the second example, If I said pegs, I misspoke.

[@Etrehumain123]

Ahahah "it just works" sign being broken is a chef kiss of irony

[@Humatra]

Yeah I totally agree. It's not worth it for me to try and keep up anymore. Pre releases are just a headache, tons of rules to learn. I just glance over the new stuff for my cubes. I don't even feel bad skipping over cards when I see they have too much text.

[@DrBrooksNY]

Dovetail? - absolutely. It's the reusable/break downable part that you are over looking. I make board game inserts and some times things need to be smaller to fit back in the box...for one example.

[@dankilmer9070]

Good stuff man thanks! :)

[@LostInTech3D]

haha no tomatoes again, we're on a roll ;)

[@dankilmer9070]

@@LostInTech3D 👌100% lol

[@MarkFraserWeather]

I would like to see multiple dovetails per joint.

[@jeffstrains4014]

I ran into a challenge slicing a part in half that's to large for one print. So you have to export one of the slices and it will not export the side with the negative infill for pegs. So deleting one side then again on the other is my best guess. Then it warns you they might not fit. Splitting a 4 day print to guess sucks, will need to read more.

[@LostInTech3D]

can you not just drag it outside the bed area?

[@jeffstrains4014]

I did not know you could print with parts blued out! Almost 4600 hours into starting out ha..@@LostInTech3D

[@mcode-u1g]

What Filament is that black filament?

[@LostInTech3D]

prusament galaxy black

[@richdobbs6595]

Can you use snap dowels?

[@Jimmy___]

Good video. A bit too much rambling at the beginning, and I would have liked if you explained the tolerance for dowels a bit better. It's not clear to me why there are 2 tolerance settings and what they do. Surely if you set one side to have 0.2mm tolerance, you don't need to do the same for the other side? Or are you saying that 0.4mm total tolerance is correct?

[@SercanSalkir]

i used to love prusaslicer but since i've used orca slicer i cant turn back. it just seems too old.

[@UnCoolDad]

Queue KZbin demonetisation due to a video on pegging 😂

[@LostInTech3D]

Hah.

[@meanman6992]

Oh I can see many uses for the dovetail, but then I print large functional mechanical prints.

[@LostInTech3D]

I bet you would design them in the cad though right?

[@henryhbk]

Have you discussed your many, many tiny pumpkins thing with your therapist?

[@LostInTech3D]

Lol I'm a KZbinr, my therapist is the public

[@deeply999]

dovetail would be great for wall mount parts

[@ljadf]

Pronounce maths maths and I'll like and subscribe

[@LostInTech3D]

you what

[@TechieSewing]

Outro music is back!

[@smorris12]

I feel this video should have a PEGI rating... Someone pass my coat, please

[@g.s.3389]

I prefer having a larger printer than handling pegs... I still think, just like many, that the prusa mk4 bed, is too small.

[@MutsUnited]

The spinning parts is a need feature

[@kayquexavier]

Grab a humanoid model, slice the limbs with pegs, voilà, now you have a doll that can move freely…

[@LostInTech3D]

should work, at least until it wears down

[@HellbellyUK]

I've seen a similar idea but using Lego Technic pins as a sort of "Universal connector"

[@kazolar]

Video time 1337 -- see what you did there

[@LostInTech3D]

cant believe it took someone this long, haha, have an award. 🏆

[@802Garage]

@@LostInTech3D I've pointed that out on a lot of videos over time and it seems like nobody gets it, hahaha. We're old probably. Didn't catch it on this one.

[@carteradams1079]

It's a shame that STL ocarinas are so hit-and-miss, why can't we put a mouthpiece on a liter jug? The acoustics on mine was like it was glue and macaroni

[@soulsbreaker]

"I kinda got bodded down with some other things"... you could say, you got lost in tech? haha...

[@patrickboyd8368]

I's not just you I call them pegs as well

[@kullwarrior]

I'd take you did not understand the phrase 'pegging'? I think this is why Prusa did not call it pegs