A Guide: Designing Architectural Models for FDM Printing

This guide outlines key technical considerations when preparing architectural models for FDM Printing.By following these DOS and DON’TS , you can avoid costly iterations and ensure your designs are both visually accurate and physically manufacturable.

Long, thin rods or railings may cause Z-wobble issues during printing. This can result in the part breaking off mid-print or printing with blobs and imperfections along the railings.

Thin walled structures has a high chance for printing defects.

Thin walls can cause holes and pits to form at the Z-seamline.

Thin walled structures are not strong especially in the direction parallel to the layer lines.

👍DO: FDM guidelines to follow

• Maintain a Minimum Wall Thickness of ≥ 1mm
  FDM printers use a nozzle that deposits melted plastic layer by layer. For this reason, any feature under 1 mm in thickness is likely to fail during printing or result in weak, incomplete walls.
  
  - We reccomend design walls ≥ 1.6 mm for added strength and reliability.
  - Avoid paper-thin walls or single-line elements that cannot be interpreted by slicing software.

For architecture models it needs to be split into many individual files for printing.

• Separate All Levels, Staircases, and Furnitures
  To enhance print success and reduce post-processing effort:
  
  - Separate building levels into distinct files or objects within a file.
  - Submit furniture and interior elements (like staircases or fixtures) as individual parts.
  - Modularizing your model ensures correct orientation, optimized support usage, and easier handling.

Hollow vs Solid
Fill up the internal structures

Solidify hidden parts that are not visible into solid blocks
To improve print reliability and reduce troubleshooting time:

- Convert hidden or internal walls into a solid block to prevent fragile, thin structures.
- Fill in hollow sections that aren’t visible if you don’t need it to be shown in the final presentation.
- This enhances the overall strength and durability of the model.

1. Bottom isn’t flat.

2. Too many supports generated.

3. Poor surface finish after support removal.

• Check that the base surface of the model is flat and smooth
  To ensure good bed adhesion and smooth finish:
  
  - Make sure the base cooverage is at least 75% flat to prevent warping or detachment.
  - Avoid rounded or uneven bottoms as they can cause the print to detach mid-process.

The file is too big for the print bed, it needs to be cut down into smaller pieces.

• Stay Within the FDM Build Volume
  Our FDM printers have a maximum print bed capacity of 230mm x 230mm x 240mm (X × Y × Z):
  
  - Any component exceeding this size must be split and reassembled post-print using connectors or adhesives. Always consider the orientation of parts to best fit within these bounds.

If the overhang angel exceeds 45°, there will be significant filament drooping defects. Supports must be used on any steeper angle but it would negatively affect the surface finish of the overhang.

Poor surface finish after support removal.

• Design with Overhangs in Mind
  FDM printers struggle with unsupported overhangs exceeding 45°. Excessive overhangs lead to:
  
  - Sagging layers
  - Poor surface finish
  - Print failure
  - Try to minimize overhangs

If the model had any non manifold edges or any errors it would lead to weird distortions in the final model when it is printed.

• Ensure Models are Manifold and Error-Free
  Your file must be watertight (manifold) with:
  
  - No holes or zero-thickness faces
  - No non-manifold edges or flipped normals
  - No internal overlapping geometry
  - Use tools like Meshmixer, Blender, Netfabb, or your CAD software's export repair features before submission.
  - We reccomend using the Bambu Studio platform to check for any errors

For small and fine details SLA is the best option as compared to FDM.

• Opt for SLA (resin-based) printing for Small or Highly Detailed Components
  If your model includes:
  
  - Fine detail <1mm
  - Intricate façades or complex design like ornaments
  - Small-scale structures (e.g., railings, grills)
  - We recommend switching to SLA printing, which provides higher resolution and better surface detail as compoared to FDM. However do keep in mind that SLA printing may be more costly.

👎DON’T: Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Don’t merge all the elements into a single mesh:
  - Makes slicing and orientation difficult.
  

• Don’t assume scaling down will preserve detail:
  - Thin elements may disappear or distort.
  

• Don’t use unsupported file types or unoptimized exports:
  - Make sure you export in .STL, .OBJ, .STEP, or .3MF formats with the correct units (mm).

Final Checklist before submitting for a quote.

✅ Are your walls ≥ 1 mm thick?

✅ Is every level, furniture piece, or structure a separate part?

✅ Have you simplified any complex geometries like mesh or grill?

✅ Does your design avoid severe overhangs (>45°)?

✅ Is your file manifold and error-free?

✅ Have you checked if SLA would better suit intricate components?

✅ Is your model within the 230x230x240mm build volume?

✅ Have you exported your file in an accepted format (.STL, .OBJ, .STEP, .3MF)?

✅ Are your files scaled correctly?

Need a second look before printing?

We offer free printability analysis for all submissions. Upload your files to Phasio for a quote and our team will evaluate them for FDM compatibility!