Infill
contains parameters that control the non-visible interior structure of a printed part
as well as how strong it is – more infill makes for a stronger part.
Infill Density
is a percentage
that dictates how much infill will be used. Typically, you’ll see anywhere from 15% to 25% used,
but some parts need more, some need less! It all spends on what the model is for. If you’re
printing little “toy” things like the SeeMeCNC Blinky, 15% is just fine – but if you’re printing
something like a bracket or other part that’s got to be mechanically strong, 80% or 100% infill
isn’t unheard of.
Gradual Infill Steps
can be used to reduce the infill density of a part the
further away the infill is from the outside surface of the model. This can be used to decrease
printing time as well as increase the infill density without as much of an increase in the plastic
used to print the part.
The
Material
category contains parameters that are mostly specific to the material that
you’re using to print with. Both
Printing Temperature
and
Build Plate Temperature
are pretty
self-explanatory. When in doubt with either parameter, follow your filament vendor’s guidelines
on printing & bed adhesion temperatures.
Diameter
is used to tell Cura’s slicing engine how
thick the filament is. Getting this value as close to reality as possible is importance since it
dictates how material flow is going to be calculated. In order to get a good value for filament
diameter, I recommend spooling off a meter or so of filament and then sample the diameter
using a pair of digital calipers. Put the average of those values into
Diameter
.
Flow
is used to manage the flow rate of the extrusion. This is used to adjust for two
things – under extrusion and over extrusion. Under extrusion occurs when the amount of
filament being extruded is less than required to meed the needs of the print. This can result in a
poor first layer, perimeter loops that aren’t connected, or gaps between the perimeter and the
infill. Over extrusion happens when more plastic than required is extruded. This can result in
messy or “mooshy” looking parts. With an accurate filament diameter, you shouldn't need to
adjust
Flow
much, if at all.
Enable Retraction
is a setting that controls whether or not the extruder will pull back or
“retract” the filament in the hot end. Retraction typically occurs when the printer is executing a
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