{"id":166185,"date":"2023-02-01T11:33:56","date_gmt":"2023-02-01T03:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=166185"},"modified":"2023-02-01T11:33:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T03:33:56","slug":"support-settings-in-3d-printing-custom-or-tree-blocker-or-enforcer","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/support-settings-in-3d-printing-custom-or-tree-blocker-or-enforcer","title":{"rendered":"Support Settings in 3D Printing \u2013 Custom or Tree, Blocker or Enforcer?"},"content":{"rendered":"

An object with overhangs over 45 degrees normally requires supports to be added before 3D printing. Choosing the right support settings and structures is a skill that needs to be learned when using desktop SLA and FDM 3D printers. In this post we will look at a few examples for comparison and give you some ideas.<\/p>\n

Support Settings in 3D Printing \u2013 General Tips and Tricks<\/h2>\n

\u2013 Overhangs.<\/strong>\u00a0When 3D printing an arch-shaped area, layers may sag. Adding extra layers on top makes things worse. Being warm and soft the whole structure will end up looking quite deshaped. FDM 3D printers may be able to deal with some non-extreme overhangs. For example, support settings in a slicer software can be changed to make the layers thicker.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Layer Height.<\/strong>\u00a0Simply changing layer height from 0.1 to 0.2 mm can sometimes help with round corners. But of course, it depends on which printer and filament you are using, ABS will show better results than Flex\/TPU, for example.
\n\u2013 Speed.<\/strong>\u00a0Print speed is also a factor here. The lower the speed \u2013 the better the result, because cooling (if enabled) does its job in some non-extreme cases.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Temperature.<\/strong>\u00a0Temperature plays a major role here. Lowering the temperature can help to cool down the filament and it will set quicker. Some 3D printers have additional cooler fans installed. But please be aware that, if the temperature is too low, it may get in the way of effective extrusion. Always check the filament manufacturer\u2019s guidance.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Filament Quality.<\/strong>\u00a0Also, different filaments have different qualities. The properties of the filament may vary even for different color filaments from the same manufacturer. On top of that, if the filament has absorbed too much water due to the wrong storage arrangement, the results would be predictably worse.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Supports Brim.<\/strong>\u00a0When supports come from the build plate, having a brim greatly improves their adhesion to the bed.
\n\u2013 Z-hop Setting.<\/strong>\u00a0Is recommended. Usually, it is 0.5 mm high. The nozzle, while moving, may knock down any supports, no matter how good the bed adhesion is. In the loop video, a nozzle knocks down the support with a 20-layer wide brim.<\/p>\n

Cura Support Settings \u2013 Tree Support and Custom Supports Plugin<\/h2>\n

There are 33+ different support settings in Cura slicing software. You can find them by selecting an \u201call\u201d option in \u201c\u2261\u201d. We will briefly look at just a few of them.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Support Structure:<\/strong>\u00a0Normal and Tree Structures. \u201cNormal\u201d is an old way to place supports automatically when \u201cTree\u201d is a novelty. These supports are generated in a form of the tree. The tree support structure is recommended not just to reduce support material volume but also to reduce post-processing, like removing them. Branches of such a \u201ctree\u201d can lean without touching the base and the walls of the model.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Support Placement:<\/strong>\u00a0Touching Build Plate and Everywhere. \u201cEverywhere\u201d may be a bit too much and excessive cleaning and polishing are required to perfect the result. This can leave marks on your object. \u201cTouching Build Plate\u201d option, together with the \u201ctree support structure\u201d, may work very efficiently in some cases.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\u2013 Support Pattern.<\/strong>\u00a0There is also a possibility to choose Grid, Line, Triangles, Concentric, Zig Zag, Cross or Gyroid structures when adding the supports. We guess, such a wide variety of patterns was implemented to make the postprocessing process easier. In some post-processing cases, removing the supports from the model in one big chunk makes sense.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Custom Supports Plugin.<\/strong>\u00a0To get the plugin installed, go to Marketplace (right upper corner) \u2013 Plugins \u2013 Custom Supports by Krasimir Stefanov. After installing, restart the Cura software and\u00a0untick the Generate Support Settings<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Cura Support Settings \u2013 Custom Supports Plugin \u2013 Preview and Sliced Preview (Image: Cura Software Screenshot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Simplify3D Support Settings \u2013 Add\/Remove Existing Supports Option<\/h2>\n

This is a paid software. The ability to quickly add\/remove supports in a desired location made Simplify3D an unbeatable leader in this department for a long time. Manually adding supports saves a lot of time during post-processing and the quality of the object only wins from this.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Custom Supports in Simplify3D \u2013 Add\/Remove Feature<\/strong>
\n(Image:\u00a0Simplify3D Software<\/a>\u00a0Screenshot)<\/p>\n

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Simplify3D Support Settings \u2013 Manually Added Supports \u2013 Preview and 3D Print (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For some designs, like in the picture above, Simplify3D\u2019s \u201cAdd new support structures\u201d (or \u201cremove existing supports\u201d) is the optimal way.<\/p>\n

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Two Wrestlers in Combat \u2013 Failed Print \u2013 No Support in Place (Image: 3DWithUs)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We would recommend a particular support placement workflow to avoid the disaster similar to the wrestlers above. Instead of manually adding the supports from scratch, we would recommend to choose \u201cGenerate Automatic Supports\u201d first, and after that to start removing existing excessive parts. Otherwise, it can be easy to miss a place where a support needed. In the case above, we accidentally overlooked the fist area.<\/p>\n

PrusaSlicer Support Settings \u2013 Blockers and Enforcers<\/h2>\n

This slicer software was revamped in the recent years. MMU and SLA options were introduced. We wrote about the color-changing features in the past. In the support settings department, Prusa Research team introduced support blockers and enforcers. In a particular case below, we managed to reduce support structures under the arms and in many other places.<\/p>\n

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Supports Settings in PrusaSlicer \u2013 Support Blockers & Enforcers \u2013 Preview and Sliced Preview (Image: PrusaSlicer Software Screenshot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meshmixer Support Settings<\/h2>\n

Autodesk Meshmixer is a powerful tool. If you came across a model with pre-existing support structures, then more likely it was pre-made in Meshmixer. When other slicer software support features were less sophisticated in the past, Meshmixer often came to rescue, not simply pre-setting the supports, but repairing the meshes in general.<\/p>\n

After uploading your model to Meshmixer, go to Analysis \u2013 Overhangs. Support structures can be added\/removed manually. As adding them is slightly more complicated than removing, we would recommend a simple trick. Increase \u201cAngle Threshold\u201d setting instead and after this, select \u201cGenerate Support\u201d and start removing excessive supports.
\nThen a file, together with the supports, can be exported as STL file and uploaded to any slicer software from what we mentioned above. If you plan to scale the model, we would recommend to do it in Meshmixer before generating the supports.<\/p>\n

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Custom Support Generator in Meshmixer (Image: Meshmixer Software Screenshot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meshmixer also comes to help to the users of SLA machines.<\/p>\n

Chitubox Support Settings for Resin 3D Printers<\/h2>\n

Chitubox is the only slicer software for SLA machines that we had a chance to play with. And we can say it is extremely fast and straight forward. If earlier, Meshmixer helped to prepare files for SLA 3D printing by hollowing and generating support structures, Chitubox could do it specifically for\u00a0resin 3D printers (SLA, LCD, DLP)<\/a>\u00a0in mind.
\nAdd\/remove supports options and many other settings are available to play with.
\nPlease bear in mind that for SLA machines object placement is slightly different. The main reason is having to avoid large areas to attach to a FEP sheet in order to protect both the model and the FEP sheet.<\/p>\n