Detailed settings of the linear support in a 3D slicing software

1/12/2016

Last time we talked about the detailed settings of the treelike support in a 3D slicing software, and this time we will talk about the detailed settings of the linear support.

1.Overhang Thresh:
Linear support will be added if the overhang angle of the 3D model is larger than the angle you set.

2. Pillar Size
If you want the linear support to have a higher density, you should set a smaller value.

If you go into expert mode, more options will be available for linear support such as:

1. Space to Model (Z)
This is to decide the vertical space between the 3D model and the linear support. Bigger value means it will be easier to remove the linear support.

2.Path Space
This is similar to the Pillar Size settings space between adjacent support path, small path space will have a higher density of the linear support.

Other Article:

What is the support function in the 3D slicing software

Gap between 3D printout’s perimeter shells without overlapping?

24/11/2016

image source: 3druck.com

You may encounter the situation that there is gap between 3D printout’s perimeter shells without overlapping. Today we will talk about what actions we should take to solve this issue.

1.Distance between nozzle and build plate

If the leveling was not done properly, there is chance that the distance between nozzle and build plate is too far, which could lead to a gap between the 3D printout’s perimeter shells without overlapping. Therefore, user should try to do the leveling again.

2. Perimeter shell overlap rate

User can try to adjust the 3D model’s perimeter shell overlap rate in the expert mode of the Flashforge's 3d slicing software Flashprint. Normally the overlap rate should be set to be 30%.

3. First layer height is too low

If setting the first layer height too low, there could be a gap without overlapping. Try to increase the first layer height and make sure the first layer height is bigger than layer height.

Other Article:

What is the function of the 3d printer heat bed?

3D Slicing Settings for Big 3D Print

19/11/2016

When doing a big 3D print, there are some 3D slicing settings we need to pay attention. Today we are going to talk about this:

1.3D Printing Speed
Print with slower speed would be better if you find that the big 3D print can not attach on the build plate firmly. This setting can be set in the 3D slicing software Flashprint as following:

2. Temperature of the heat bed
if there is a heat bed in your 3D printer, please activate the heating function of your heat bed. With heat bed, the warping issues of the big 3D print can be minimized. Beware that the suitable temperature of the heat bed depends on what 3D printing filament you will use. Heat bed temperature in the Flashprint can be set as following:

3. Using Raft / Brim
Warping issue easily occurs on the bottom part of the big 3D print, so sometimes it is better to add a raft or brim at the bottom of the 3D model, which can increase the 3d print adhesion on the build plate. In the Flashprint, raft can be added in the following way:

4 Infill density
It is better to have less infill density for the big 3D print, Lower the infill density can lower the warping possibility. It is because the higher infill density means that more contraction force will be created when the 3d print is cooling down.

Other Article:

What is the function of the 3d printer heat bed?

What is the influence of an infill pattern in 3D printing

17/11/2016

Image credit: 3dp0

Generally, when we print a big sized 3d model, the choice of infill pattern will become more influential than when printing a small sized 3d model. Today we are going to talk more about this.

Hexagon infill pattern is one of the most common infill pattern, and hexagon structure itself is strong. Therefore, using hexagon infill pattern can make the printout stronger, but as the toolpath of the this infill pattern is more complicated, it will take longer time to 3D print the 3D model with hexagon infill pattern.

Another common infill pattern is a line infill pattern. Compared with hexagon infill pattern, line infill pattern is less stronger, but as its toolpath is relatively simple, it takes less time to 3D print with a line infill pattern.

The following is the comparison of using line and hexagon infill patterns in the Flashforge's 3d slicing software Flashprint. As we can see the, using hexagon infill pattern will consume more 3D printing time than using the line infill pattern.

Other Article:

What is top solid layer in the 3D slicing software?

Settings in a 3D slicing software to improve the print bed adhesion

12/11/2016

image credit：robinsonia

Sometimes you may encounter a situation that a 3D model cannot attach on a print bed firmly. Actually there are some settings in a 3D slicing software that can improve the print bed adhesion.

First is the printing speed. If we slower down the printing speed, a 3D printout will be able to attach on the print bed more firmly. If you are using Flashprint, you can do this setting as following:

Second is to increase the temperature of the print bed if your print bed has heating function. Increasing the heat bed temperature can improve the print bed adhesion, and for each printing material, the suitable temperature for the heat bed will be different. If you are using Flashprint, you can adjust the print bed temperature as following

Another setting is to adjust the extruder temperature. If we increase the extruder temperature, the printing filament will become more liquefied, which can help improve 3D printer's print bed adhesion.

Increase extruder temperature

Other Article:

What is the function of the 3d printer heat bed?

5 Settings relevant to Printing Speed in a 3D Slicing Software

10/11/2016

Image credit: celtic3d

Previously we introduced 3D printing speed setting, but actually there are several types of 3D printing speeds and today we are going to talk about this.

First is the Exterior Speed which is to set the 3D printing speed of an outermost shell of the 3D model. Generally 3D slicing software will allow users to set the Exterior Speed. If you want to set the Exterior Speed in the Flashforge's Flashprint 3D slicing software, you need to set Flashprint as Expert mode and then do the setting in the Perimeter menu as following:

Besides Exterior Speed, there is another 3D printing speed for Top/Bottom Solid Layer called Solid Speed. This setting can also be done in the Infill menu in the Flashprint's Expert Mode as following:

The 3d printing speed for printing infill (Sparse speed) can also be set in the following menu. In general, the infill printing speed can be set faster than other 3d printing speeds:

Some 3d slicing softwares can also allow you to set the 3d printing speed of the support. In Flashprint's expert mode you can set the printing speed of tree-like support and linear support as following:

Finally, if you need to print a 3d model with dual materials, you may need to activate the "wall" function. The 3D printing speed of the wall can also be set in Flashprint's Expert mode as following:

Other Article:

3D Print Speed Setting and Its influence

What is the difference between ABS and PLA 3D printing settings?

5/11/2016

image credit: 3dfizz

When 3D printing either ABS or PLA, the settings in the 3D slicing software are different. Today we will talk about what settings we need to pay attention by using Flashprint 3D slicing software.

The first thing we need to pay attention is the 3D printing temperature. The ABS printing temperature is around 230-250°C, while PLA 3D printing temperature is around 210-220°C. If you do the settings wrongly such as setting the ABS 3D printing temperature too low, there will be a possibility that the ABS material can not be squeezed out from the nozzle. In the Temperature menu of the Flashprint, user can set the printing temperature by entering extruder temperature.

Another thing we need to pay attention is the temperature of the heat bed of the 3D printer. As the contraction rate of ABS and PLA are different, the heat bed temperature for ABS can be adjusted to 110 °C, which can decrease the 3D printout warping problem. For 3D printing PLA, heat bed temperature can be set to 60 °C. The heat bed temperature can be set in Flashprint as following:

Lastly, users need to pay attention to the fan setting. Fans should be turned off when 3D printing ABS, while the fans should be switched on when 3D printing PLA, which can help minimise the warping issues as well.

3D Printing Settings to Minimise Warping Issue

3/11/2016

Image source：3daftermarket

You may sometimes encounter the warping issue during 3d printing. Today we are going to talk about what settings we should do in the 3D slicing software in order to minimise the warping issue.

If want to minimise the warping problem, we first can set the print speed slower in the 3d slicing software. Slower print speed can help the model to attached on a build platform more firmly, which can help decrease warping issue. In the Flashprint's Speed menu, the print speed can be adjusted as following:

Also, if your 3D printer is equipped with a heat bed please heat the bed according to what the printing material you will use (PLA generally is 60 °C，and ABS generally is 110°C). Heating the bed can effectively minimise the warping problem. To heat the bed in the 3D slicing software Flashprint, user can adjust it in the Temperature menu as following:

Activating raft function can also help minimise warping issue:

3D Printing Settings to Minimise Warping Issue - Flashforge Flashprint

Lastly, too high infill density could cause the warping. If warping happens, try to decrease the infill density. In general, infill density can be set 15%-30%.

3D Printing Settings to Minimise Warping Issue - Flashforge Flashprint

Add/ Remove support material in the 3D slicing software

29/10/2016

Previously we talked about the types of support and the overhang angle, this time we are going to talk about adding / removing support material in the 3D slicing software.

There are some 3D slicing software which can automatically generate support material on the 3D model, which means the software will analyse the overhanging surface of the 3D model and autoatically add support material on those overhanging areas. Although this automatic support generation function is very useful, sometimes users need to add/ remove the support material by themselves.

For example, after the automatic generation of the treelike support, you may find that the treelike support is fragile and may break down during the printing process. In this situation, you need to manually add more support material on the support to strengthen the support. The following is the demonstration by using Flashforge's 3D slicing software Flashprint:

Add/ Remove support material in the 3D slicing software

Press "add' （model by Karl Williams）

Then, add the support material

If you find that some auto generated support materials are not necessary, you can remove those support materials as following pictures:

Press "Delete"

Other Article:

3D Print Speed Setting and Its influence

What is retraction in a 3D slicing software ?

27/10/2016

image source: yeggi

There is a function called "Retraction" in the 3D slicing software. This function is used to minimize the oozing problem during printing especially dual 3D printing .

The oozing issues during dual 3D printing is caused by the fact that when one nozzle is printing the 3D model, another nozzle, which has already been heated, will be in stand-by status. During standing-by, the printing material is melted and inevitably coming out from the nozzle, which leads to oozing. We can use the "Retraction" to control the speed and movement of gears of the extruder motor to pull the filament back into the nozzle to minimize the oozing.

There is a Retraction function in the Flashforge's 3D slicing software Flashprint. Retraction belongs to be a expert mode. Within the Retraction function, there are Retraction Length and Retraction Speed. Retraction length is to control how long the filament will be pulled back into the nozzles, while Retraction speed is to control how fast the filament will be pulled back.