3.3. FIRST SLICE
A density value of 0.4 is enough to give almost all models good mechanical
strength. A value of 0.2 is usually the minimum required to support flat
ceilings.
Slic3r offers several fill patterns which will be discussed in more depth in
section 3.4 - Infill Choices. Choosing a pattern will depend on the kind of
model, the desired structural strength, print speed, and personal taste. The
more exotic fill methods are usually too slow and unnecessarily complex
for most use cases, and so most of the time the infill pattern is either
rectilinear
,
line
, or
honeycomb
. Honeycomb gives the most strength
but is slower than both rectilinear or line.
Support material.
Printing a model from the bottom up, as with FDM,
means that any significant overhangs will be printed in the air, and most
likely droop or not print correctly. Choosing support material will add
additional structures around the model which will build up to then support
the overhanging part. The
Pattern spacing
option determines how dense
the support material is printed.
Figure 3.11: An example of support material.
Tip: It is sometimes worth considering altering the orientation of the
model in order to possibly reduce overhangs.
Raft layers will add additional layers underneath the model and stems
from the early days of 3D printing. It can help with prints without a heated
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