Support clarification

MatejEU · January 7, 2018

Hi, I'm printing a specific model that will expose all of its internal walls/shells/surfaces when it's in use. I'm able to print it out without any problem, but I would like to improve the visual aspect of certain sections. More specifically, at one point, it will try printing out a surface without any supports (which are enabled).

In the left part of the image you are able to see surfaces before it starts printing a part of the next layer in the mid air. This will result in sagging of the following few layers, which don't look that great in the end. The gap is two layers high, i.e. 0.4mm in my case. I searched forum and I've tried tweaking different values for supports in Cura (3.1), but it simply won't lay any support at this point. Perhaps because of the discontinuity in the surface, i.e. it would have to bridge two separate parts of the model. I tried to find min. length of a support, so that at least it would put them on those two separate bottom surfaces, but with no success in doing so.

Also, the isolated layer in the right part of the image is confusing me, it will make two of them and then it will make layers that are closed, i.e. a bottom surface of the next section. Is it trying to make a support from it?

Ok, I've played a bi t more and found a way to remove it, by reducing the number of bottom layers from 4 to 2.

Now, I think that there is a bug hiding in here somewhere :/ In changing the number of bottom layers, the gap between two surfaces remained the same, i.e. two layers or 0.4mm. Why would it change the type of the surface at this stage?

Thank you, M.

Edited January 7, 2018 by MatejEU
Formatted the text

gr5 · January 7, 2018

3 hours ago, MatejEU said:

Ok, I've played a bi t more and found a way to remove it, by reducing the number of bottom layers from 4 to 2.

I think the above link has one of your answers. I don't know about the answer to your support question. I mean how would you get the support out? Are you talking about PVA disolvable support?

MatejEU · January 7, 2018

Indeed, thank you again gr5 for the help with the issue of undefined (for me at least) layers added to the top/bottom surfaces

As for the support clarification, in the image below you can see that the support is added and how it looks. It can can be broken off easily since it is thin, but it can help with the support of the upper surfaces/layers. At a different place, it isn't added, but it would be definitely helpful.

I was hoping to get something like this.