Note: This blog is originally written in Italian by Raise3D’s client 3dingrolab:
https://www.3dingrolab.com/2023/02/28/come-impostare-il-riempimento-su-ideamaker/
Let’s analyse the parameters to understand how and where they act.
Infill is a very important component, and the rigidity and robustness of our 3D print depends on it. But not only the infill, the printing time and the aesthetic quality of our object also depends on it.
Knowing how to manage it correctly is therefore essential, but to do so, it’s necessary to know each parameter very well, what it does, and how and on what it acts.
This guide will focus on explaining the main infill print parameters in the ideaMaker Slicer.
ideaMaker Infill Tab
1 Infill Extruder
Should the printer in question have a single extruder printer, this value is set to „All Extruder„. On a 3D printer with two extruders, this parameter can be used to indicate which extruder users want to use to print the infill of your object with. Normally, the infill is printed with the same material as the rest of the print.
2 Infill Density
This is the parameter that is most often changed with each new print. It allows users to vary the percentage of how the object is required to be, by means of a infill „texture“ (rectangular, cubic, grid, etc.). The higher this value is, the denser the mesh will be, greatly increasing the strength of the printed object, but on the other hand, more time and material is needed to print it.
3 Infill Overlap
This parameter is to determine how much fill overlaps the last internal print perimeter. Normally, the value set as default in ideaMaker is sufficient to ensure good strength and no gaps between outer wall layers and the infill.
4 Infill Flowrate
This parameter modifies the extrusion „Flow/Width“ for the infill only. Increasing this value will make the „Beads“ forming the infill wider than normal, and therefore also stronger. Increasing this value can be useful if users want to increase the overall strength of the object to be printed but may result in some aesthetic defects on the outer surface of the model. In this case, it is advisable to increase the ‚Shell‘ number in the Layer settings to compensate for any bulges or over-extrusions caused by an increase in the print flow.
5 Infill Type
This parameter changes the „Texture“ of the infill. Users can choose from a wide variety of shapes. Should the purpose be a very strong object, choose the „Cubic“ infill. If faster printing is desired, „Grid“ should be chosen, though the object will still have good strength.
6 Infill Extrusion Width Percentage
This parameter is like the „Infill Flowrate“ parameter, as was previously explained. The flowrate corresponds to the width of the extrusion, so a flowrate percentage corresponds to a specific width. Here, ideaMaker allows a custom extrusion width to be set, and automatically adjusts the print flow to obtain it. If users set the “Infill flowrate”, do not change this parameter and vice versa. This rule always applies.
7-8 Infill Offset X and Infill Offset Y
This parameter allows users to set a value in mm on the respective X and Y axes, where not to print the infill. These parameters can be useful to create an object where the normal center of gravity needs to be shifted.
Combine Infill Layers
Combine Infill Layer: This parameter is very useful, as ideaMaker gives users the option of printing the substrate with a greater layer height than the layer height set for the print in the “Layer” tab.
For example, if the print is being carried out at a layer height of 0.1 mm with a 0.4 mm nozzle, by entering a value of „3“, the printer will make two layers without infill, and the last layer will print the infill in one go at 0.3 mm thick. This setting prevents the printer from printing the infill for each layer, but only printing it in one go at the specific number of layers set. (if a stronger infill is desired, it is important not to overdo it and enter an appropriate value in the nozzle, as in this case, the nozzle is 0.4 mm, at most only three layers can be combined.
Infill Outer Shells
This parameter allows users to add contour lines to the infill, as if they were a sort of „Shell/Perimeter/Loop“ with the advantage that they will be printed at the same speed as the infill, increasing the strength of the object, without a substantial increase in printing time. Adding even just a single perimeter to the infill greatly increases its stability.
Fill in Gaps in Infill Outline Shells
There can often be small gaps between the infill and the walls around it (especially if the infill is printed with a high flowrate). Ticking this box reduces the possibility of small holes or missing material with more or less thin individual extrusions, which can be a problem for objects that are made to be as strong as possible.
This blog is shared by Raise3D’s client – 3dingrolab from Italy.