suggestion for function to allow faster print and better looking

[Jabbery 0]

Hello,

 

 A feature suggestion to make faster and better looking prints is to adjust layer height on visible surfaces while leaving layer height on inner surfaces. In the cura preview this is red in color that I am suggesting to adjust for finer layers.

 

 Example, with a 0.8mm nozzle one could have inner print areas at a layer height of 0.6mm while setting the visible surfaces to 0.1mm. On a layer change cura could adjust the layer height and print the visible (6 layers in this example) at 0.1mm and then continue from that final nozzle height at 0.6mm for inner areas and infil.

 

 If one had a cube with a hole in it. The outer visible wall of the cube would be at 0.1mm as well as the inside of the hole. A bit of caculating is needed of course for odd heights like 0.65mm layer height and 0.15mm outer wall height would be 3 layers of 0.15 and 1 layer of 0.2.

 

 This would greatly cut printing time and have a pleasing looking print.

[ahoeben 1,963]

See the "Infill Layer Thickness" setting. You can set that to eg twice the layer height.

[Jabbery 0]

Thanks, yes I have used that feature. It does save a bit of time on the infill but only the infill. Using that feature the remaining features would all be printed at the finer layer height which is too slow. Infill layer thickness would though save more time if only the visible perimeters were in 0.1mm thickness, line thickness 0.4mm and infill 0.8mm (nozzle size dependent).

 

 For example on a stronger part with say 4 perimeters and 40% infill. Only 1 of the 4 perimeters would be at the fine height for cosmetic reasons.

 

 Many models I print have no requirement for inner features that can only be seen if you saw the part in half to be at super fine resolution. I rarely use transparent materials. Structurally there would not be a lot of difference maybe even a touch stronger. Transparent may actually look good this way.

 

 The overall print time would be greatly shorter and look as if the print was completely done at 0.1mm or layers at 0.1mm and infill at 0.6mm.

 

 Using Prusa Slicer for the feature type report. The time is not accurate but works for the example.

(0.8mm nozzle, 1mm line width, sampled model uses 200M of 1.75mm filament)

External perimeters roughly 22% of the print

Infill roughly 20% of the print

Features - everything else 58% of the print - this is where the time is saved.

 

 0.1mm layer height - 42.9 hours print time

 0.1mm layer height with 0.6mm infill layer height - 36.8 hours

 

If the suggested feature is added

0.1mm external perimeter, 0.3mm features and 0.6mm infill - 17.7 hours and looks like the 0.1mm quality.

0.1mm external perimeter, 0.6mm features and infill - 16.6 hours and looks like the 0.1mm quality.

 

That is a 55% time savings for only infill adjustment or you could roughly print 2 models in the same time frame and they would look like the higher resolution. Its also a 61% time savings over everything at 0.1mm.

 

External perimeters would always have to be printed first to avoid collisions and once it matches the overall height of the features then the features would print, same again with infill if that is also a different height. i.e. 0.1mm external layer,0.3mm features layer, 0.6mm infill layer. This would avoid collision movement calculations and possible nozzle shape issues.

 

 It would really be the same process as the infill every 2nd or 3rd layer but with external perimeters. It would have to allow for the full range of devices, i.e. 1mm nozzle and 0.05mm layers so 15 external layers to one internal layer