Glossary

3D Printing involves some new terminology. This Glossary should users acclimate to 3D printing in general.

  • Heated print bed: The heated bed allows for better prints. Prints easily adhere to a heated surface, and are easier to remove afterward.
  • Hot End: The Hot End of the printer is a construct of several parts, including the Nozzle, heating element, and barrel. Note that the hot end doesn't not include the stepper motor or the extruder housing.
  • Infill: This is the inside of the printed part. Infill can be made is various patterns, and generally saves you money on filament vs. a solid part.
  • Infill Ratio: The ratio of solid material to infill. This will decide how "solid" your part is.
  • Stepper Motor: These are the motors that run the Solidoodle. Stepper motors can be controlled to a very fine degree, and are a normal part of CNC operations.
  • Heat Core: The heat core is the area on the Solidoodle which heats the ABS plastic. It is normally covered in an insulating sleeve. The heat core can be somewhat delicate, and should be treated with care.
  • Thermistor: A special resistor that detects heat. The Solidoodle 3D printer uses a thermistor to keep track of just how hot it is getting at a given time.
  • Raft: A small lattice of filament that can be programmed on to the bottom of your prints. This allows your print to better adhere to the platform.
  • RepRap: RepRap is a series of hobbyist printers very similar to the Solidoodle. Solidoodles and RepRaps share a great deal of technology in common m
  • Sanguinololu: Sanguinololu is the technology that runs the Solidoodle mother board. It is a descendant of the Arduino technology and uses an ATmega chipset.
  • PEEK plastic: A Ketone plastic. Solidoodle uses PEEK for the barrel leading from the extruder to the brass barrel.
  • Slicing: The process that converts 3D models into a format understood by 3D printers. The model is "sliced" into layers which can be placed by the extruder.
  • Tessellation: In the context of 3D printing, tessellation is the process by which 3D models with volume are converted into shells for slicing.
  • Kapton Tape: Kapton tape, an orange polyimide film with a silicon adhesive, is the heat resistant tape used to cover the aluminum bed. Kapton tape is also used to fasten various parts such as the thermistor to the extruder because it can withstand the intense heat.
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