How to get the infill pattern to be identical in every layer?

[Xalara 6]

I am attempting to print a translucent part using Ultimaker Transparent PLA. However, due to the way Cura alternates infill direction my parts are coming out more opaque than they should. How do I stop Cura from alternating infill direction and instead have the infill the exact same on every layer? It's not a structural part so all I care about is it letting a good amount of light through.

 

For context: Normally I would achieve this by printing the part on its side so that the natural print layers will achieve this but I can't do that for this particular part.

 

Details: Cura 3.5, Ultimaker 3, Ultimaker Transparent PLA

Edited October 4, 2018 by Xalara

[Hovestadt 0]

Hi, 

does it help to look at filling.

like %

line distance

pattern like triangle etc.

thickness

etc.

 

Wim 

[geert_2 557]

Print slow and make sure you have no underextrusion. Also print on the warm side (but not so warm that the material starts to produce too much gasses). So that the extruded sausages can flow well into the corners of existing layers.

 

I would suggest you do little test cubes of 15 x 15 x 15mm, and adjust temperature, speed and flow settings on the fly, to see the effect.

 

But it will never be very good, in my experience. The best I could get with PET (never tried transparent PLA), was some sort of "frosted glass" look. It is good enough to let a light shine through, or a logo embedded in the model. But not for a lens...

 

These are transparent PET (text voids totally enclosed by the model):

 

 

 

 

 

[Xalara 6]

Thank you. For me frosted glass is good enough since it will have LEDs behind it and I need to diffuse the point light effect. However at the moment the criss-cross pattern of each layer is really dimming the LEDs.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Xalara