Print Settings for a Balanced Print

Hello all,

I have made a list of printing software settings that can be used as a good start for making well balanced objects. Simply put, I have figured out ways to use supports, rafts, infill, gaps between tear-away pieces, etc. within the MIX Lab and with our Makerbot Printers for everyday printing. Please feel free to copy these settings and post any changes you may come across that aid in making balanced prints. Printing profiles are not a one-size-fits-all situation, so it always helps to keep this discussion going. Good luck!

-This profile is meant for a balanced print with strong walls and large flat surfaces. It will help to:

  • prevent warping of flat surfaces
  • create objects that are hard to break
  • create surfaces that are clean and free of most blemishes

Balanced Infill
*Infill can be set to any number above 3%.

Extruder Settings
*Filament Diameter- 1.77 mm
*Retraction Distance- 0.7 mm

  • In this case, adding to the retraction distance prevents common stringing issues, which is caused my the filament not separating from the previous layer when the nozzle moves. The filament diameter should be set automatically at 1.77 to allow for minor differences in the thickness of each spool of filament.

Shells
*Number of Shells- 3 shells

  • Shells are the amount of layers that create the walls of the object. In this case, having three shells will create strong walls with minimal chance of gaps in the walls, or gaps between layers.

Supports Settings
*Support to Model Spacing- 0.4 mm

  • In using this setting, supports will tear away from the object easily. If you find the supports are not tearing away easily, increase the amount by 0.1 mm. If you find that the supports aren’t connecting and overhangs are failing, decrease the amount by 0.1 mm.

Base Layer Settings
*Raft Size- 10 mm
*Raft to Model Shell Vertical Offset- 0.3 mm
*Raft to Model Vertical Offset- 0.38 mm

  • This raft size allows for larger flat surfaces to stay connected to the build plate without the worry warping. In some cases, a 15 mm raft can be used when 10 mm is not enough. The two offset numbers are meant to allow the raft to tear away from the object easily. In some cases depending on temperature, these numbers may need to be increased or decreased. Doing this by 0.01 mm each time will be best.

to adjust settings in Makerbot Print:

  1. Insert an object to be printed
  2. Click cog symbol for settings
  3. Scroll down the list of viewable settings and click “custom settings”
  4. Click through each setting topic and adjust accordingly
1 Like

@Joshua this is really helpful information, thanks for sharing!