3D Printing Overhang Test
Testing the limits of 3D printing overhangs with a Prusa Mini and analyzing print quality at different angles.
3D Printing Overhang Test
Why did I do this?
Having taken the new ENGR-11 course at my university, I got the mission of making a 3D print and showing it in this writeup. So I started looking for an overhang test, and after a bit of roaming on Thingiverse, I found this overhang test model, and here is the final print after 1h02m of printing with PLA on a Prusa Mini, with 60°C bed temperature and 215°C nozzle temp:
Results
Top View
Side View
And here's a side view of the print:
Underside Analysis
This is the underside, you can see the drooping gets worse as the angle went up. Gets more obvious at 60 degrees.
What I learned
This overhang test demonstrates the practical limits of FDM 3D printing without supports. The Prusa Mini handled angles up to about 45° quite well, but quality degraded significantly beyond that point. This knowledge is crucial for designing parts that can be printed successfully without requiring extensive support structures.