SFL Designs

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Designing to 3D Printing, we've got you covered! Reach out to us if you have a custom part that you need designed or 3D printed.

We have a team of FDM printers that can print in PLA, ABS, ASA and PETG. We are here to help you along the way to success.

11/03/2026

Long roofline runs are built from sections. The transitions should still look intentional.

The Permatrack Middle Joiner connects adjoining sections so the run stays aligned and visually clean. It is one piece of the whole roofline system: UV-resistant PETG, 35 x 31 x 20 mm, and part of the full Permatrack accessory family with end caps and corner brackets for a professional finish. (Permatrack system only: it does not fit Puck Track.)

How long is your permanent-track run this year?

Check out the link in the comments below.

11/03/2026

We run a small print shop and we got tired of losing track of printer maintenance, so we built the tool we wanted and we are now opening it up to everyone for free!

It is called FleetWorks™. You add the printers you own. It looks up the maintenance schedule the manufacturer recommends for each model and spreads the work out week by week, so you are never servicing every machine at once. A dashboard shows what is due and what is coming up. When a visit is done, you check off the work and log any parts you changed. It keeps a parts list for what you will need next, with links to buy them, and it tracks what each machine costs you over its life.

It runs in your browser and on your phone. It costs nothing. You sign in with a free SFL Designs store account and your fleet is yours alone.

It is new, and it is still growing. There is a bug report button and a suggestion button built right in, and they come straight to us. If you run more than a couple of printers, we would love for you to try it and tell me what breaks and what is missing.

Try it here: sfl-designs.com/fleetworks/

11/02/2026

Before pixels go in, confirm the frame, mounts, and controller layout.

Start with the parts that control everything else: prop frame, attachment method, pipe size, controller and power-supply location, and cable path. If any of those are still undecided, solve them before spending hours pushing pixels. A stable structure makes the wiring job faster and the service job easier.

The four stages, in the photos: frame, pixels, wiring, controller box.

Which stage are you in: frame, pixels, wiring, or controller box? Tell us your stage and what is blocking you.

10/31/2026

If mounting hardware is still on your build list, watch this page.

We are preparing our Black Friday weekend details now. Use the time before Friday to check pipe sizes, count the parts you actually need, and separate printed parts from STL files. A correct list is worth more than a rushed cart.

Save your build list and watch for Friday's post.

10/31/2026

Before you sequence a single note, run the bars.

Vertical bars, then horizontal bars, across the whole house. If a sweep runs sideways, backwards, or offset, a model is lying about its rotation, its direction, or its starting corner. This post shows how to read what the bars are telling you and fix it in the model, with no rewiring in the yard.

Read the full post. Check out the link in the comments below.

Has the bars test ever caught one of your props lying, or did December catch it first?

10/31/2026

The power supply is the part nobody brags about, right up until the whole show browns out during the big song.

Sizing one is not guesswork. Count your pixels, know what each one can draw, add it up honestly, then run the supply at about 80 percent so it cruises instead of cooking. This post does that math in plain words, and covers why we only run genuine Mean Well supplies in our own boxes.

Read the full post. Check out the link in the comments below.

What is powering your show this year, and is it loafing or sweating?

10/30/2026

Do not start swapping parts at random.

Troubleshoot in order: power, data path, connectors, controller output, then the first failed pixel or section. Change one thing at a time and test again.

For a physical problem, check that clips are seated, wires are not carrying the frame load, and the prop cannot move into a cable. Random changes create two problems instead of fixing one.

Save this checklist before tonight's test run.

10/29/2026

A beautiful Fusion model can still be a terrible print. The printer gets a vote.

Orientation, overhangs, chamfers, and knowing when to split a part, this post covers designing for the machine you actually own, so you spend less time on supports and sanding and more time on finished parts.

Read the full post. Check out the link in the comments below.

What's the prettiest model you've designed that printed absolutely awful?

10/28/2026

If a frame bows under tension, add structure before adding more zip ties.

A Perpendicular Pipe Mount joins crossing pipe members so you can add a backer, brace an arch frame, or build a rigid intersection. Use it when the problem is frame geometry, not just a loose wire. Match both pipe sizes and types before ordering.

Configurations pair an open-clip side with an inserted-pipe side across 1/2" and 3/4" EMT, PVC, and PEX, 10 stock combinations, custom configurations on request. Printed in UV-resistant PETG, with ASA available for hot climates. It was made for exactly this job: creating a backer for props beneath arches.

Send the two pipe sizes and types if you need help matching the configuration.

Check out the link in the comments below.

10/27/2026

"Just make it 100% infill" is the 3D-printing version of fixing a chair with more chair.

Strength mostly lives in the walls. This post breaks down when extra perimeters beat cranking the infill percentage, and how to put material where the load actually travels instead of everywhere it doesn't.

Read the full post. Check out the link in the comments below.

Be honest: what's your default infill percentage, and when did you last change it?

Address

PO Box 472
Saint Clair, MO
63077

Telephone

+16363648330

Website

https://sfl-designs.com/

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