As the angle increases, the underlying surface area for
each layer becomes smaller and smaller until there's simply not
enough surface for the next layer to adhere to. In these
instances, support material is practically a requirement if you want
your part to print at all.
Now that you've got a good handle on why support can be
useful, let's go over the parameters that you can tune to get good
support that is easily removable from your part.
Pattern Spacing
controls the distance
between each “track” of support that is laid
down to support your part. The wider the
spacing, the less support that is printed.
Infill Angle
adjusts the angle at which
the support structure is built.
Interface Layers
allows you to specify solid layers interspersed with the support
material. This comes in handy when using multiple extruders. For example, if you're printing a
part in PLA with lots of support, you can generate all the support with PLA, and then have 5 or 6
interface layers of PVA (a water soluble filament). The print would then only be in contact with
the PVA interface layers and it would be a flat layer to print on. When finished you can dissolve
away the interface layers and the rest of the support falls off the part cleanly.
X and Y Distance
dictates how far away the support structure will be from the part
you're printing. You want it as close as you can get it without it actually touching the surface of
the part. The default of 0.7mm seems to work out pretty well.
Z Gap
specifies how many layers should separate the support material from the part.
This parameter contributes to how easy or difficult it is to remove support material from the part
once the print is finished. If you have too little gap, the support material will have more of a grip
on the part surface making it difficult to remove. If the gap is too large, the support material
won't be able to do its job very effectively.
If
Support Everywhere
is checked, you're probably going to get more support material
than you bargained for. If you have an internal feature of a part, this may be required in order to
support it, but keep in mind that it will also add support to features like horizontally oriented
holes, which don't normally need support to print properly.
78
45 Deg. Infill
