Ricoh 3D - Help Centre - An Overview Of Ricoh 3D's Print Guides

3D printing may seem like a minefield – but it doesn’t have to be.

Each 3D printer and technology has different printing capabilities, and there are common features that are used in the industry to test these. The team at Ricoh 3D use a number of well-documented scenarios to recommend key considerations at the design phase.

Follow our simple 3D Print Design Guide to help select the best materials and techniques for your project.

Minimum Feature Size

This is the minimum size that we can guarantee the system will be able to print. Any features under this size may not be reproduced by the printer.

Offsets & Moving Parts

This is the minimum distance required between multi-body parts to achieve a clearance fit, allowing the free movement of parts. Any features under this value may end up being produced as one part or feature, and may not function as intended.

Holes

This is the minimum size required for the printer to reproduce a clean hole.

Tolerances

This is the accepted tolerance for each technology that has to be considered during the design phase.

Printing Type	SLS	HSS / MJF	FDM
Minimum Feature Size i Minimum Feature Size The minimum size that we can guarantee the printer will be able to print. Any features under this size may not be reproduced by the printer.	0.8mm-1.0mm	0.5mm	1.0mm
Minimum Offset i Minimum Offset The minimum distance required between multi body parts to achieve a clearance fit allowing the free movement of parts. Any features under this value may end up being produced as one part or feature, and may not function as intended.	0.3mm	0.3mm	0.5mm
Minimum Hole i Minimum Hole Size The minimum size required for the printer to reproduce a clean hole.	1.5mm	1.5mm	2.0mm
Tolerance i Tolerance The expected deviation in size that is likely to occur during the printing process.	±0.3% per 100mm (lower limit 0.3mm)	±0.3% per 100mm (lower limit 0.3mm)	±0.3% per 100mm (lower limit 0.3mm)
Support Considerations	If the part is to be free from unsintered powder then any hollow sections without an opening (in the design) will need to have a drain hole added and bonded into place after the manufacturing process. Without the drain hole the unsintered powder is impossible to remove and will remain contained within the part. It is recommended that any sections greater than 6mm in thickness are hollowed in order to maintain part geometry. This will be done by the RICOH Rapid Fab team prior to printing and does not need to be considered during the design stage. Drain holes and hollowing of thick sections will be added by our engineers prior to printing. We will always seek approval from the customer prior before printing. All files sent to us are analysed prior to the printing process. We will advise of any issues with the geometry that may lead to problems during the printing or post processing stage.	If the part is to be free from unsintered powder then any hollow sections without an opening (in the design) will need to have a drain hole added and bonded into place after the manufacturing process. Without the drain hole the unsintered powder is impossible to remove and will remain contained within the part. Drain holes and hollowing of thick sections will be added by our engineers prior to printing. We will always seek approval from the customer prior before printing. All files sent to us are analysed prior to the printing process. We will advise of any issues with the geometry that may lead to problems during the printing or post processing stage.	The majority of FDM materials have soluble support material. So as long as water can enter the supported areas, this material is simply washed away. Materials such a ULTEM and PC do not have a soluble support material option so 'break away' support material is used, meaning it has to be removed by hand with tools. If the support material is not accessible or simple to remove then it may be difficult to achieve the desired design, which limits the complexity of design for these materials. A ball-within-a-ball structure for instance (pictured) would not be possible with ULTEM or PC. All files sent to us are analysed prior to the printing process. We will advise of any issues with the geometry that may lead to problems during the printing or post processing stage.