{"id":165062,"date":"2022-07-13T16:07:06","date_gmt":"2022-07-13T08:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=165062"},"modified":"2022-12-09T11:32:29","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T03:32:29","slug":"the-10-most-important-3d-printer-slicer-settings","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/the-10-most-important-3d-printer-slicer-settings","title":{"rendered":"The 10 Most Important 3D Printer Slicer Settings"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Slicer settings are the defining factor for successful 3D prints. Learn about the 10 most important 3D printer slicer settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Settings Mean Everything<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Slicer settings can be adjusted to improve the quality of prints (Source: Richa via Geeetech)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019ve ever worked with a 3D printer, you\u2019re probably familiar with\u00a0slicers<\/a>. But in case you aren\u2019t, a slicer is a program that turns a 3D model file (STL, OBJ, 3MF, etc.<\/a>) into a\u00a0G-code<\/a>\u00a0script, which can be interpreted by your machine\u2019s firmware.<\/p>\n

Without a slicer, your printer wouldn\u2019t know how to function. With it, you can specify settings that dictate how your model will be printed. If you don\u2019t already have one, some super powerful and popular slicers include\u00a0Cura<\/a>,\u00a0PrusaSlicer<\/a>, and\u00a0Simplify3D<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Slicer settings are important because every 3D printer is different, every material is different, and every 3D model is different. Printers and materials will therefore always require different settings to achieve a\u00a0good print quality<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Slicer settings cover all aspects of printing, from the\u00a0temperature of the heated elements<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0thickness of each wall and layer<\/a>. If you want the highest quality prints or just to print something as quickly as possible, you have to know the primary settings to change on your slicer.<\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll go over 10 slicer settings that are fundamental to 3D printing. For each setting, we\u2019ll discuss what it is and what it affects so that you can decide how you want to use it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3D Printing Terminology: All Important 3D Printing Terms<\/a><\/div>\n
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Temperature<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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The nozzle and bed temperatures are two of the most important settings you can tune (Source: d0gbait via Reddit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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First up is temperature. The temperature of the nozzle is the single most important setting in your slicer because, without a Goldilocks level of heat (not too cool, not too hot), no print will work. Nozzle temperature should be the first thing you tune on your slicer whenever you begin printing with a\u00a0new filament<\/a>, and you can do this by printing a temperature tower to see which values work best.<\/p>\n

Too high a nozzle temperature will cause\u00a0over-extrusion<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0blobs and zits<\/a>\u00a0all over your print. At the other end of the spectrum, too low of a temperature will cause\u00a0under-extrusion<\/a>, where not all the layers are fully printed.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s just for the nozzle temperature, though; bed temperature is a whole other player in 3D printing if your machine has a heated bed. If so, bed temperature is another setting you can adjust, and it will affect your print\u2019s bed adhesion. Generally speaking, a hotter bed will provide better adhesion, while a cooler one could lead to\u00a0warping<\/a>. Just don\u2019t raise the temperature too high, or else a part could deform on the bed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The Best 3D Printing Temperatures for PLA, TPU, & More<\/a><\/div>\n
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Retraction<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Retraction can prevent stringing (Source: archetrico via PrusaPrinters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Retraction is usually the first setting people think about when they see\u00a0strings, hairs, or whisps<\/a>\u00a0on their print. Retraction determines how much and how fast filament is sucked back into the nozzle to prevent material from\u00a0oozing<\/a>\u00a0out when it\u2019s not being extruded. Retraction is controlled by a few specific settings, chief among them being retraction distance and retraction speed.<\/p>\n

These settings should be adjusted when you see stringing, but be mindful that retraction isn\u2019t the only solution to this problem and nozzle temperature also plays a role. You should change your retraction settings in small intervals and don\u2019t make any significant increases until you\u2019ve tried lowering the temperature. Too much retraction can cause nozzle jams, as the filament is more aggressively pushed in and out of the nozzle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Cura Retraction Settings: How to Avoid Stringing<\/a><\/div>\n
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Flow<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n
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Flow can help prevent over-extrusion (Source: donnysaysvacuum via Reddit)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Flow, sometimes known as the\u00a0extrusion multiplier<\/a>, determines the rate at which filament is extruded. For example, with a 100% flow rating, your printer might use 10 cm of filament for a particular part feature, but if you change the flow to 90%, the same feature would only require 9 cm. In the end, adjusting flow affects how many steps the extruder\u2019s motor turns per millimeter of material deposited.<\/p>\n

Flow can be used to account for over or under-extrusion on your printer without adjusting a printer\u2019s E-step parameter, a value stored in firmware. While technically, flow and E-steps can both be used to solve the same problems, it\u2019s best to tune the E-step value during printer calibration and adjust flow as required by particular print jobs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Extruder Calibration: How to Calibrate E-Steps<\/a><\/p>\n

Adhesion Assistant<\/h3>\n
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Brims provide a good balance between material consumption and bed adhesion (Source: UTA_FabLab via Thingiverse)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An adhesion assistant is a physical feature added to a print \u2013 auto-generated by the slicer when instructed to do so \u2013 which is designed to enhance\u00a0bed adhesion<\/a>. Bed adhesion is how well a part sticks to the build surface, and it\u2019s typically most important for the first layer. An adhesion assistant comes in three main forms:<\/p>\n