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will start to see holes and gaps between the layers. This is typically most obvious
in the corners, where the size of the part is changing (for example, if you were
printing a 20mm cube on top of a 40mm cube). When you transition to the smaller
size, you need to make sure that you have a sufficient foundation to support the
sidewalls of the 20mm cube. There are several typical causes for these weak
foundations. We will discuss each one below and present the settings that can
be used in Cura to improve the print.
16.1 Not enough perimeters
Adding more outline perimeters to your part will greatly improve the strength
of the foundation. Because the interior of your part is typically partially hollow, the
thickness of the perimeter walls has a significant effect. To adjust this setting,
click “Basic” and click on the “Shell thickness” to set the value.. For example, if
you were previously printing with 0.6mm perimeters, try the same print with
1.2mmperimeters to see if the gaps disappear.
16.2 Not enough top solid layers
Another common cause for a weak foundation is not having enough solid
layers for the top surfaces of your print. A thin ceiling will not be able to adequately
support the structures that are printed on top of them. This setting can be
adjusted by clicking “Basic” and selecting the “Bottom/Top thickness” to set