Layer height means the thickness of each printed layer of material.
A lower layer height leads to smoother and more detailed prints, but also increases print time.
A higher layer height speeds up the process but sacrifices detail.
The layer height doesn’t need to be one fixed value, it can also be variable throughout the prints height. This helps to speed up the print while maintaining detail where it’s important.
Perimeter and Top/Bottom Layer count
The perimeters form the horizontal shell of the printed object. More perimeters result in stronger outer walls but also use up more material and take longer to print.
The top and bottom layers are the solid layers printed on the top and bottom of the model. The number of these layers affects the strength to some degree and also the smoothness of the top surface since a minimum number is necessary to cleanly cover the infill below.
Seam
The seam is where the 3D printer starts and stops printing each perimeter. The seam is not only a cosmetic artifact, it also affects the perimeter strength to some degree.
Infill (also called sparse infill)
A 3D print could very well be printed completely hollow, but there are good reasons to add sparse infill to the inside
For one it adds a bit of extra strength, especially against compression force
It supports the top layers in order to not have them sag down
There are many patterns to choose from and the density can be freely adjusted on a percentage basis (20% infill means 20% of the internal space is filled with material).
Solid layer patterns and infill patterns
Solid layers and infill can be printed in many different patterns.
For solid layers rectilinear is pretty much the best and only choice for strength, all others are more cosmetic than strong
For sparse infill different patterns provide different stiffness in different directions
For example honeycomb is very strong vertically
Gyroid isn’t extremely strong but provides equal strength in all directions
Supports
Supports are structures printed to hold up overhanging sections of a model.
In most cases it is possible to create a design that doesn’t need supports but with downloaded models you don’t always have that liberty.
Support material can be removed after printing. Depending on the area needing support it can be anything from easy to impossible to remove everything.
Ironing
Ironing smooths the top layer of a print by making the nozzle "iron" the surface. The nozzle moves very slowly over the top layer after it’s been printed, re-melting the surface slightly while extruding just a little bit of material.
This fills in any minor imperfections, giving the print a smoother finish.
Stringing
Moving the print head from A to B (travel move) while tiny amounts of material are still oozing out the results are fine, spider web like strings.
Those are called strings, hence the term stringing
Retraction and Z-Lift
When the print head moves between areas of the model without extruding it retracts the filament back a tiny bit to prevent stringing or blobs of plastic from forming on the print.
Z-Lift means the print head is lifted slightly during travel movements to avoid dragging the nozzle across the print surface. This is mostly a failsafe setting and usually not necessary. It also increases stringing quite a lot.
Height Modifiers
Height modifiers allow you to change print settings at specific heights of the model.
For example you can increase or decrease the perimeter count and infill density at certain heights
Geometry
Everything making up the model is referred to as its geometry
The slicer can add, remove and modify the models geometry to a limited degree
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