Filament samples (with rack)

thingiverse

I tried numerous filament sample systems, but none met my needs perfectly. So I created my own system. Additionally, there's a rack to store and display the samples. My goal was to create a sample with varied thickness fields (to assess transparency) and without any curves or holes for smooth prints and space for labels. One sample measures 54x42x2mm. Thickness fields are 10x10mm, ranging from 0.2mm to 2.0mm in 0.2mm increments. It works best with a 0.4 nozzle and 0.2 layers. I recommend printing the samples using the following settings in Cura 3 (if you use another slicer, find similar settings). Some settings are hidden by default in Cura and need to be enabled first (some are defaults, but I've included them for verification). Layer Height: 0.2 Initial Layer Height: 0.2 Wall Line Count: 2 Top Layer: 999 Top/Bottom Pattern: Lines Bottom Pattern Initial Layer: Lines Z-Seam Alignment: Sharpest Corner Top/Bottom Speed & Wall Speed: 30mm/s (adjust according to your printer's quality; I suggest a maximum of 30) I also recommend using skirt and increasing the skirt line count if you've recently changed the filament. Check the prepared model in Cura. If all settings are satisfactory, you should achieve the same result as shown in my screenshots. Ensure that the printer begins filling the bottom layer at the center of the 0.2 field (the walls can start there). If not, rotate the model. With these settings, the entire sample is printed with a nice 100% infill (as top layers) and only at the given speed. In my case, it took around 25-30 minutes to print and required less than 5g of filament. Regardless of the settings you use, save them for future reference. To compare samples accurately, always use the same settings. The filament sample can be scaled on both X and Y axes if a larger one is needed, with wider walls accepted. You can print the rack in your preferred settings. The samples can be placed in either portrait or landscape format within the rack, which has 35 slots. The slots in the rack are designed to have a width of 2.2mm. On my print, it fits perfectly – I'm unsure about other printers. I've added a small part of the rack for testing before printing the entire one. If it doesn't fit, stretch the model slightly on one axis. The rack is designed to stay on the desk but can be modified to add bolts for wall-hanging systems like pegboards at the back side – however, there's a risk that the samples might fall out of the rack. Find your own solution or design your own rack. **Update:** I've added a second version of the rack with 15 slots as requested. (Hint: If you upload the rack to Tinkercad or use your favorite tool, you can add custom text at the front.) Remember to check the remixes for compatible items on Thingiverse: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3108748/remixes