How to Print the Storage Boxes

The storage boxes I’ve designed are heavily optimized for fast and reliable printing, typically yielding great results without necessitating special printer settings. However, there are a few considerations worth noting.

Do Not Scale the Objects

In designing the storage boxes, I meticulously selected dimensions that ensure rapid and smooth printing. The wall profiles have a constant width across the entire height, ensuring smooth and swift printer head movements. Scaling the storage boxes alters these precise dimensions, potentially resulting in suboptimal prints.

Use Supported Nozzle Sizes

I’ve optimized the storage boxes for printing with nozzle sizes of 0.4mm, 0.6mm, or 0.8mm. Using other nozzle diameters, such as the 0.5mm nozzle that were widely used in the past, might lead to compromised print quality.

• A 0.4mm nozzle is recommended for superior aesthetic prints.
• If speed is your concern, a 0.8mm nozzle is preferable.

To illustrate the significance of nozzle sizes, consider the following image, which depicts how the wall profile of a storage box is sliced for different nozzle sizes.

The walls are printed with two, three, or four filament lines of nearly identical width. The introduction of the “Arachne” perimeter generator changed how walls are printed with a 0.6mm nozzle, so I included both variants for this nozzle size.

Achieving consistent filament line widths across the entire profile is crucial for optimal prints. Using nozzle sizes, such as 0.5mm, often results in uneven line widths and this potentially leads to a wrong wall thickness.

Check the Slicer Result

Different printer manufacturers recommend specific slicer software, and not all yield equally favorable results. Therefore, it’s crucial to review the slicer’s output, layer by layer, ensuring consistent filament line widths for optimal results.

Basic Printer Settings

Most slicer software default profiles align with the following recommended settings:

For the Prusa Slicer software, you can choose the “… Quality” or “… Speed” profile to get the best settings for the print.

Two Perimeters

Two perimeters are sufficient for the model files in this storage box system, given the recommended nozzle sizes. Additional perimeters may slightly alter the box bottoms but won’t affect the largest part of the print, the walls.

No Supports

The models in this storage box system don’t require supports, rafts, or brims.

15% or Zero Infill

I designed the storage boxes to be efficient, minimizing filament usage without compromising structural integrity. Most of the models, with the exception of the 700 series rail grids which use a minimal amount of infill, don’t require substantial infill. A 15% infill is a safe default choice that doesn’t usually impact the models.

However, in the case of some larger storage boxes, especially when a 0.4mm nozzle is in play, the slicer may attempt to add infill to small areas at rib intersections. See the image above how this looks like. These additional infills are unnecessary, and opting for zero infill can slightly speed up the print without having any side effects.

Recommended Layer Heights

The choice of layer height directly influences print quality. Here are my recommendations:

For the 0.4mm and 0.8mm nozzles, the default heights are typically half the nozzle diameter. For the 0.6mm nozzle, I recommend 0.2mm. This is because the layer heights significantly influence how the storage boxes align. For instance, a regular storage box printed with 0.2mm layer heights results in an exact height of 44mm. In contrast, printing a tall storage box with a 0.3mm layer height aligns at 83.9mm instead of 84mm, leading to discrepancies in larger stacks.

Advanced Settings and Adjustments

Though I primarily use Prusa 3D printers and wouldn’t claim to be an expert, I have gained insights from printing hundreds of storage boxes and fine-tuning settings over time. In this section, I’d like to share my thoughts on some advanced settings that I’ve found helpful within the Prusa Slicer software.

Adjusting Elephant Foot Compensation

Through my experience, I’ve observed that the default 0.2mm elephant foot compensation can sometimes be excessive, especially when the first layer is perfectly calibrated. This might not be evident when printing an object with walls at a straight angle from the print bed. However, it becomes noticeable in objects with a 45º overhang at the bottom, a characteristic of all my storage boxes.

In such instances, the second layer might almost seem like it’s printed in thin air, leading to suboptimal bonding with the object. To improve the results, I often reduce the elephant foot compensation to 0.1mm or even eliminate it entirely if I can tolerate a minor protrusion at the object’s base.

Enabling Arc Fitting

The “Arc Fitting” feature, available in the latest versions of Prusa Slicer, detects arcs in the printer head movement and consolidates the numerous small line segments forming the arc into a single G2 or G3 command in the G-code. While this adjustment doesn’t affect print time, it does reduce the G-code file size and results in slightly smoother printer movements.

Update: It seems that meanwhile, in the current version 2.8 of Prusa Slicer, this feature is enabled by default.

Avoid Crossing Curled Overhangs

In the latest version of Prusa Slicer (version 2.8), you will find an experimental option called “Avoid Crossing Curled Overhangs.” Enabling this feature ensures that travel movements avoid areas where curling may occur.

You only need to enable this option if you encounter curling with the filament and setup you are using. Most filaments behave perfectly fine, and in many cases, any curling is so minimal that it does not affect the print.

Height-Based Adjustments

Height-based adjustments can significantly speed up and improve your prints, especially for larger nozzle sizes and big prints.

In the image above, you can see many long travel movements (blue lines) across the part for each layer. These movements are caused by small infills that the slicer adds at the center of each rib. While these infills aren’t needed at the sides, they are beneficial at the bottom area to improve stability.

To optimize this in Prusa Slicer, you can add a “Height Range Modifier.” Right-click on the model and select this option from the context menu. For revision D of the boxes, set the range from 5.5mm up to a value above the actual box height, such as 100mm, while keeping the layer height unchanged.

Next, apply modifiers to this height range. Right-click on the height range modifier and select “Infill” and “Layers and Perimeters.” Set the infill to zero, perimeters to one, and top and bottom layers to zero.

Recommended Filaments

I’ve conducted tests on my storage boxes using both PLA and PETG filaments, finding both materials to be well-suited for these prints. If you intend to store heavy items, I recommend opting for PETG or another material that resists deformation over time. However, for most applications, PLA proves to be a fantastic choice.

I’ve achieved excellent results with the following filament brands:

• Prusament PLA and PETG: Prusa’s filaments come at a premium price but offer exceptional quality. The tight tolerances of these filaments ensure that the printed parts turn out immaculate and precise.
• AzureFilm Silk PLA: This brand offers some of the most lustrous filaments I’ve encountered, although they do necessitate specific temperature settings. If you’re in search of a gold filament that genuinely resembles gold, AzureFilm Silk might be exactly what you’re looking for.
• 3DJake ecoPLA: These filaments have consistently delivered excellent performance. They offer an expansive color palette, including glitter, matte, and satin variants. One minor drawback is that the color descriptions don’t always precisely match the received product.
• Extrudr PLA NX-2: Printing with this filament introduces a unique experience. It’s hard to articulate, but this PLA variant is not only easy to print but also bears a remarkable resemblance to PET in terms of feel. It possesses a distinctive softness that sets it apart from other PLAs.