Need Help with layer above support structure

[akila 0]

Hi,

I'm new here, just got my UM2, and printed my first 2 prints ever.. it went great and I'm so happy with my choice of printer..

I noticed on my second print which was an experimental print to test supports and wall thicknesses and fill.. etc i noticed where i have an overhang the support structure printed very well underneath it, but then the first layer of the overhang was the infill (and not a solid shell. the overhang is flat, so the result was all great except the overhang, the top of the over hang was a solid shell but the bottom of it was infill and solid shell on the perimeter only.

is there any way i can have Cura to print solid shell above the support structure? i looked around cura but didn't see this option..

Thanks,

 

[pm_dude 27]

Hi Akila,

Welcome to ultimaker! Glad to read your are enjoying your printer .

Could you post a picture of the overhand? It will help see what is happening. You will see over time, that anything requiring support are highly affected by it. Contact with supoort is almost always bad. Some material react better than other.

[akila 0]

Hi Dude, (cool name by the way) : )

Thanks for your response; i printed another test with an overhang to better understand whats happening and watched it in action.. i realized right away that my question was silly, and that it was in fact printing solid above the support structure (and not infill), the spacing between the support though simply meant that the first layer directly above the support will be be loosely connected therefore creating a rough looking surface.. with more research on the subject i realized thats normal in all 3d printers.

But what's puzzling me the most is the fact that the first layer above the raft structure (although the raft is more solid) the first layers above the raft is much smoother..so whats the difference??

And if this is a universal issue (printing with support structure), why is there no option in CURA to start building the support structure in lines like it does (to save material), and then on the top final layers of the support structure to print a solid layer (which would have the rough edge on the under side like in my case), and then on top of that the same type of raft construction, these 3 elements would be part of a support structure that would be underneath over hangs. This way the support structure would be easy to separate from the model (just like removing the base raft from the model) and would give the overhang a nice clean surface where it touches the support structure....? or does this option exist??

Thanks,

 

[pm_dude 27]

i realized right away that my question was silly

Your question is not silly at all. It's part of the learning process .

I don't know what you have printed with raft but depending on what material you print with, it wont be that easy to remove. Yes it may look better but its also more connected to your model than normal supports. It also depend on what temperature you print at since the hot material will stick more to existing layer.

Consider using Brim instead. your model will touch the base and brim will be added around your object for many layers (20 or 30 by default).

There is the option to print support with lines or grid (expert settings). There is no option (to my knowledge) that will fill the top of the support. Grid is more solid but more difficult to remove. You can also consider generating your supports in Autodesk MeshMixer. Its free and very useful for objects like figurines.

It could be worth the try to just model the support yourself and print with that instead of generating it in cura to see the difference.