Hey Tech Enthusiasts! It’s Carolina, your friendly tech trainee, diving deep into the realm of 3D printing today. We’re about to dive into an oh-so-common hiccup that some of us face – Cura’s 100% infill not emerging as solid as we’d like. So, gear up as we dissect this glitch!
Correcting Cura’s Incomplete 100% Infill
1. Alter the Infill Design to Lines, Zigzag, or Concentric
2. Reset the Bottom Layers Count to its Original Number
3. Integrate Support Blockers within your Model
Tackling the Non-Solid 100% Infill in Cura
The trick to making sure Cura’s 100% infill shines in all its glory is as follows:
1. Transition the infill style to Lines, Zigzag, or Concentric
2. Adjust the bottom layers count to the original setting
3. Embed support blockers within your design
Switch to Lines, Zigzag, or Concentric for Infill
A stellar way to remedy the less-than-solid 100% infill in Cura is to opt for infill patterns that steer clear of overlapping, like Lines, Zigzag, and Concentric.
To modify your model’s infill pattern in Cura:
– Navigate to the settings, search for “infill pattern”, or simply tap the “Infill” section.
– Locate the Infill Pattern option and from the list, cherry-pick your desired infill pattern.
Tech Tip: A pattern such as cubic creates multiple line directions, leading to infill line overlaps. Overlapping at crossings results in voids, causing the model to lose its solidity. Printing on these overlaps induces nozzle resistance, disrupting material flow. The fallout? A print that doesn’t truly hit that 100% mark.
Revert Bottom Layers Count to Original Setting
Another hack to get that solid 100% infill is to revert the model’s bottom layers count to its prime setting. Often, printers gloss over the bottom layer count with 100% infill. Here’s how to set it right:
– Open settings via the top-right menu
– Modify the infill to an original value, say 4
– Access the Top/Bottom option to view your model’s bottom layer count
– Re-adjust the infill to 100% and reset the bottom layer count to its starting number
Implement Support Blockers within Your Model
Spice things up by introducing support blockers. These gems let you customize infill percentages or tweak other model aspects. Use blockers for parts of your print, adjusting infill for specific sections. For models with expansive sections that don’t require full infill but have smaller zones needing added robustness, this works wonders!
Here’s the drill:
– Choose the model for the support blocker
– Hit the Support Blocker tool on the left sidebar
– Mark the model area for the block addition
– Resize and reposition the appearing gray box
– Tap on “Per Model Settings” followed by “Modify setting for overlaps” and “Select settings”
– Now, customize with your Infill Density & Infill Pattern. Aim for a 100% & Lines combo, maybe?
Do ensure to preview post-slicing to confirm all looks dapper!
For a deeper dive, explore my piece on ‘How to Efficiently Utilize Cura Support Blockers’. And if visuals are your thing, there’s a tutorial video showcasing the support blocker addition technique.