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encounter issues when trying to print extremely thin features that are smaller than
the nozzle diameter. For example, if you were trying to print a 0.2mm thick wall with
a 0.4mm nozzle. The reason for this is that you cannot accurately produce a 0.2mm
extrusion from a 0.4mm nozzle.
The extrusion width should always be equal to or greater than the nozzle diameter.
Because of this, when you click “Layers” in Cura, you may notice that the software
removes these small features from the preview. This is the software’s way of telling
you that you cannot print these very tiny features using the current nozzle on your
3D printer. If you are frequently printing very small parts, this may be a recurring
issue that you encounter. There are several options that will allow you to
successfully print these small parts. We will example each one in the section below.
19.1 Redesign the parts with thicker features
The first and most obvious option is to redesign the part so that it only
includes features that are larger than your nozzle diameter. This typically involves
editing the 3D model in the original CAD package to modify the size of the small
features. Once you have thickened the small features, you can reimport the
model into Cura to verify that your printer is capable of reproducing the 3D shape
you created. If the features are visible in the Layers, then the printer will be
capable of reproducing the revised features.
19.2 Install a nozzle with a smaller tip size
In many cases, you are not able to modify the original 3D model. For example,
it may be a part that someone else designed or one that you downloaded from
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