Slic3r in Depth
recommended to have a minimum of two perimeters as this gives some
insurance that if a section of the perimeter is not printed correctly then the
second perimeter will help cover it.
The upper and lowermost layers that sandwich the model are filled with
a
Solid layers
pattern. For the bottom layers the important factor to
consider is how the surface will look should there be a mistake whilst laying
down the first layer, and for this reason it is recommended to have at least
two bottom layers.
A similar consideration is required for the top layers. Because the
intermediate layers are likely to be filled with a pattern set less than 100%
then the covering layers will have to bridge this pattern and this can require
more than one pass to cover completely.
Another tip to consider: Setting the top solid layer to zero, and setting
the infill also to zero, will result in a hollow receptacle, ideal for turning
models into vases
2
for example. Here manipulating the settings within Slic3r
can be used to generate different kinds of prints, and not only be used to
control surface accuracy.
Figure 3.10: Creating a vase from a solid model.
Infill.
Fill density is defined on a scale of between 0 and 1, where 1 is
100% and 0.4 would be 40%. For the majority of cases it makes no sense to
100% fill the model with plastic, this would be a waste of material and take
a long time. Instead, most models can be filled with less material which is
then sandwiched between layers filled at 100% (see Solid layers above).
2
http://slic3r.org/blog/tip-printing-vases
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