3d-Printing

TL;DR Phone scanners (Polycam, KIRI Engine, RealityScan) export raw geometry that’s sparse, has holes, and is non-manifold—not printable. First critical step: normalize scale. Scans export in meters and import at the wrong size. Fix this before anything else or Blender’s voxel remesh produces nothing. Blender’s voxel remesh rebuilds the mesh into a guaranteed watertight, manifold shell. Then decimate down to a slicer-friendly polygon budget. Export as both STL (geometry) and 3MF (units + compression). Slice in Bambu Studio and print. Watch for: voxel size mismatch, color loss after remesh, holes bigger than the voxel size, and X1C build plate limits (256×256mm). The Photogrammetry Gap There’s a seductive lie in 3D printing: buy a phone, scan something, print it. In reality, there’s a canyon between a photogrammetry scan and a printable model. ...

TL;DR PETG is the go-to filament for functional homelab parts — heat resistant, mechanically strong, and chemically stable. The advertised temperature ranges on most PETG spools (230-250C nozzle) are too low. After systematic testing, the settings that actually produce strong, well-bonded prints on the Bambu Lab P1S are 265C nozzle and 80C bed, with first layer at 270C/85C. These temperatures are 15-35C hotter than what the manufacturer label suggests. Amazon came through with a 4KG bulk delivery that arrived the same day the previous spool ran out, which was cutting it closer than I would like. ...

TL;DR I added a Bambu Lab P1S to the homelab and it has become one of the highest-value additions to the setup. Print quality out of the box is near injection-mold level for functional parts. I have already printed ventilated node enclosures, SFP+ cable routing brackets, custom rack shelves, and equipment mounts. Setup took under 30 minutes from unboxing to the first print. The ability to prototype custom hardware solutions in hours instead of waiting days for shipped parts changes how you approach infrastructure problems. ...