<p>While your conceptions of &quot;leveling&quot; might apply to SLA or SLS, they are misconceptions with respect to FDM. &quot;Leveling&quot; the bed in FDM <strong>is not about leveling</strong> but about squaring it with respect to the rest of the motion system. There is no need for it to be &quot;level&quot; with respect to gravity. FDM printers operate leaning diagonally or hanging sideways off of walls (typical in some print farm configurations with auto ejection), upside down (e.g. the Positron), or in any other configuration you like. There are even printers setup to be carried as backpacks, printing while the wearer is in motion. Being on a ship, with extremely slow changes in orientation from the movement of water and the vessel, is <strong>completely irrelevant to FDM</strong>.</p>
<p>If you want some numbers, the accelerations you cited, 100 mm/s² in X/Y and 400 mm/s² in Z, are at least an order of magnitude below what a decent FDM printer experiences constantly as part of printing. Nowadays, good printers print at 5000-15000 mm/s² nominal acceleration, and experience additional forces from pseudo-instantaneous changes of velocity at the boundaries between linearizes segments comparable to another 2000+ mm/s².</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-11T15:01:52.250Z
2023-09-11T15:01:52.250Z
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
<p>I want to operate a 3D printer on a ship. This brings up some issues. I want to estimate how likely it is to get usable results under conditions on a moving vessel.</p>
<p>First, it is impossible to level the platform and keep it balanced on which I want to install the printer. Any ballasting operation will tilt the plane even when berthed. This, of course, rules out several printing technologies, such as stereolithography, laser sinter printing, etc., which rely on gravity to keep the materials in a fixed position.
In my opinion, the only technology that is more or less tolerant of slight inclinations of the printer bed is FDM.</p>
<p>However, a ship is also moving. Even when berthed, it will respond to waves and wind. I do not intend to use a printer in rough sea listing to 10° or more. However, under rather calm conditions (2 m wave height), we reach +/- 2° list and +/- 1° pitch easily at turn rates of 50 mrad/s. Linear accelerations are +/- 0.1 m/s<sup>2</sup> (X and Y) and +/- 0.4 m/s<sup>2</sup> (Z).</p>
<p>I'm aware that an FDM printer will be affected by acceleration and position. Position changes will alter the vector of gravity pulling on the printer's mechanics, and acceleration will superimpose another force.
Of course, an error will be introduced. How big that error is will depend primarily on the stiffness of the mechanics and slackness of bearings and support.</p>
<p>Has anybody had experience with a moving coordinate system (most likely on board any vehicle) while printing with an FDM printer?
What problems do I expect when using a printer with actors in the most common cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) on a ship?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-11T13:58:03.980Z
TLDR: Probably none. Having viewed many YouTube videos to learn about 3D printing, I have seen numerous people 3D printing in outer space, trucks, cars, a backpack, upside down, a 6-point bungee harness, etc.
agarza
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T06:08:53.880Z
@agarza good comment to encompass the overall robustness of nowadays FDM printers to acceleration.
Ariser
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-09-12T10:36:50.440Z
There's a fully working 3d printer on ISS and it didn't need much modification. There's a model that prints upside down, due to space constraints. The most significant problem will be a spool holder that doesn't let the filament tangle as the spool wobbles. I recommend printing one of the auto-rewinder models intended for AMS/MMU. The second problem is all the paraphernalia you can order on-line with next day delivery if you need them. A bearing here, a non-standard screw there, short on heat-set inserts, the bowden tube fitting got damaged...
SF.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-03T09:01:28.883Z
Very interesting question. Can I ask for what purpose you're planning to print on a ship?
Bob Ortiz
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-04T10:34:21.823Z
@BobOrtiz In most cases: Replace broken things. It's a research vessel with fairly complicated machinery. If we stocked 86 of 100 possible spare parts on board right tomorrow part no. 87 will break. The other thing is, that you can't plan ahead which additional things you will need to accomodate the scientific payload aboard. Frequently we'll have to make things fit. We can weld, turn the lathe and the milling machine but there are still things you can't build that way.
Ariser
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-04T10:36:40.043Z
@SF. Interesting thoughts. Concerning spare parts of the printer: We are used to stock the most vital spare parts for all machinery already. So we will have a close look on spare part lists of a printer model we are considering to buy of course.
Ariser
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-04T10:52:48.077Z
@Ariser Also look into a filament dryer. In very moist air even fairly moisture-resistant filaments like PLA can start misbehaving.
SF.
<bed-leveling><fdm>
What problems to expect when operating a 3D printer on a ship?
Ariser
# What problems to expect when operating a 3D printer on a ship?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-09-11)

I want to operate a 3D printer on a ship. This brings up some issues. I want to estimate how likely it is to get usable results under conditions on a moving vessel.

First, it is impossible to level the platform and keep it balanced on which I want to install the printer. Any ballasting operation will tilt the plane even when berthed. This, of course, rules out several printing technologies, such as stereolithography, laser sinter printing, etc., which rely on gravity to keep the materials in a fixed position.
In my opinion, the only technology that is more or less tolerant of slight inclinations of the printer bed is FDM.

However, a ship is also moving. Even when berthed, it will respond to waves and wind. I do not intend to use a printer in rough sea listing to 10° or more. However, under rather calm conditions (2 m wave height), we reach +/- 2° list and +/- 1° pitch easily at turn rates of 50 mrad/s. Linear accelerations are +/- 0.1 m/s2 (X and Y) and +/- 0.4 m/s2 (Z).

I'm aware that an FDM printer will be affected by acceleration and position. Position changes will alter the vector of gravity pulling on the printer's mechanics, and acceleration will superimpose another force.
Of course, an error will be introduced. How big that error is will depend primarily on the stiffness of the mechanics and slackness of bearings and support.

Has anybody had experience with a moving coordinate system (most likely on board any vehicle) while printing with an FDM printer?
What problems do I expect when using a printer with actors in the most common cartesian coordinate system (X, Y, Z) on a ship?

**Tags:** bed-leveling, fdm
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: TLDR: Probably none. Having viewed many YouTube videos to learn about 3D printing, I have seen numerous people 3D printing in outer space, trucks, cars, a backpack, upside down, a 6-point bungee harness, etc.  
> **username_0**: @agarza good comment to encompass the overall robustness of nowadays FDM printers to acceleration.  
> **username_2**: There's a fully working 3d printer on ISS and it didn't need much modification. There's a model that prints upside down, due to space constraints. The most significant problem will be a spool holder that doesn't let the filament tangle as the spool wobbles. I recommend printing one of the auto-rewinder models intended for AMS/MMU. The second problem is all the paraphernalia you can order on-line with next day delivery if you need them. A bearing here, a non-standard screw there, short on heat-set inserts, the bowden tube fitting got damaged...  
> **username_3**: Very interesting question. Can I ask for what purpose you're planning to print on a ship?  
> **username_0**: @BobOrtiz In most cases: Replace broken things. It's a research vessel with fairly complicated machinery. If we stocked 86 of 100 possible spare parts on board right tomorrow part no. 87 will break. The other thing is, that you can't plan ahead which additional things you will need to accomodate the scientific payload aboard. Frequently we'll have to make things fit. We can weld, turn the lathe and the milling machine but there are still things you can't build that way.  
> **username_0**: @SF. Interesting thoughts. Concerning spare parts of the printer: We are used to stock the most vital spare parts for all machinery already. So we will have a close look on spare part lists of a printer model we are considering to buy of course.  
> **username_2**: @Ariser Also look into a filament dryer. In very moist air even fairly moisture-resistant filaments like PLA can start misbehaving.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-09-11. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

While your conceptions of "leveling" might apply to SLA or SLS, they are misconceptions with respect to FDM. "Leveling" the bed in FDM **is not about leveling** but about squaring it with respect to the rest of the motion system. There is no need for it to be "level" with respect to gravity. FDM printers operate leaning diagonally or hanging sideways off of walls (typical in some print farm configurations with auto ejection), upside down (e.g. the Positron), or in any other configuration you like. There are even printers setup to be carried as backpacks, printing while the wearer is in motion. Being on a ship, with extremely slow changes in orientation from the movement of water and the vessel, is **completely irrelevant to FDM**.

If you want some numbers, the accelerations you cited, 100 mm/s² in X/Y and 400 mm/s² in Z, are at least an order of magnitude below what a decent FDM printer experiences constantly as part of printing. Nowadays, good printers print at 5000-15000 mm/s² nominal acceleration, and experience additional forces from pseudo-instantaneous changes of velocity at the boundaries between linearizes segments comparable to another 2000+ mm/s².


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