3D printing ornament hooks the cool way!

But what if we shift our focus? What if we stop obsessing over how fast the machine moves and start asking: How fast can we purely extrude material? 🤔

3D printing is always spoken about as the production technique that stacks multiple small layers (Typically ranging in height from 0,12mm to 0,35mm), with small lines of extruded material (typically 0,40mm).  The factor of “Speed” is mostly exploited by moving quickly with the toolhead, zooming over the printbed with enormous “mm/s" values, and scary acceleration numbers advertised at 20.000mm/s2!!

But a 3rd value, the "Volumetric Flow Rate", is the secret behind how I managed to print my entire batch of Christmas ornament hooks in less than 1.5 seconds per piece! Seriously, seconds! 

Take a look here at how you can too!

Every hotend assembly—from the heater block to the nozzle—can only transfer heat into the filament at a certain rate. This rate determines the maximum amount of plastic volume it can properly melt and push through the tiny nozzle opening in a given second. This maximum is expressed as the Volumetric Flow Rate (mm^3/s).

If we utilize this to the maximum potential, we don't even need to move quickly, and with these hooks, it even results in a stronger product. You know, because layer adhesion is not a thing when the “print” is only 1 layer :) 

(Yes, this is actually real-time)

Therefore, the G-code Generator acts as a custom slicer focused entirely on extrusion rate; it takes your hotend's maximum volumetric flow rate as the main constraint and then calculates the fastest possible toolhead speed to achieve that flow limit. By simply inputting your printer's build plate dimensions and the desired quantity of hooks, the generator automatically gets the optimal arrangement on the print bed, where the end of hook #1 is able to start hook #2 with just a quick retraction. The final print is a very, very simple single-line of 1mm high and 1,2mm wide, directly tracing the shape of a classic ornament hanger, which, when paired with a high-flow setup like the Rapido UHF hotend, allows each piece to be produced in a blistering 1.5 seconds.

Check out the full real-time video on youtube too if you want.

If you would like to make it your own, check out the g-code generator on my website, or head over to the Printables listing with over 40+ pre-made gcodes uploaded (cant upload klipper codes tho, but you can make them!)