Experimental Techniques
Beyond materials experimentation, there are many different experimental techniques that produces a physical print that looks and behaves differently compared to the digital model. Usually, these techniques revolve around manipulating the 3dprinting toolpath and extrusion rates.
DeFextiles
DeFextiles is a research project conducted at MIT that investigates the use of under-extrusion in 3D printing to create quasi-woven textiles.
You can read up more about it here as well as the published research paper:
Non-Planar Printing
Non-planar printing is a process that leverages the z-axis movement of the printer to create non-planar top surface solid fills. It started as a research project from TAMS in the University of Hamburg. You can find out more about it here:
There is also a store that sells special nozzles for non-planar 3D printing as well as Grasshopper scripts to generate the associated g-code:
Spiral Vase Mode
Spiral vase mode is a mode that will result in seamless prints. It can be used on single-perimeter wall prints. During a vase mode print, the z height is continuosly and gradually increased, rather than printing one layer at a time. This will avoid the usual weak point and unsightly 'scar' where the layer change usually occurs.
This printing method derives its use case from being particularly suited to printing vases and is a setting that can be turned on within PrusaSlicer.
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