Quality Options
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Print quality and printing time depend on several factors, with nozzle diameter and layer height having the most significant impact.
Nozzle diameter determines the line width of printed segments, which affects tolerances in the X/Y direction. While some users adjust line width slightly, maintaining the same value as the nozzle diameter is common. Experimenting with a 10% increase has produced favorable results (e.g., printing a 0.44mm line width with a 0.4mm nozzle).
Any section of the print narrower than the line width will not be printed; therefore, a thinner nozzle diameter can lead to higher print quality. Certain slicer settings may allow for printing thin walls, though dimensions smaller than the line width may not be accurate.
Reducing nozzle diameter and line width increases print time. Printing speeds must decrease to prevent bottlenecking, and lower layer heights are often necessary.
A general guideline is to allow a clearance of half the nozzle diameter for mating parts. Printing a tolerance test can confirm optimal clearance settings for specific printers. Tighter clearances may be achievable with thinner nozzles, as half the nozzle diameter will be smaller.
Smaller nozzle diameters can also reduce layer adhesion. Larger diameter nozzles create increased entanglements between layers, which can improve layer adhesion.
A geared extruder is necessary when using very small nozzle diameters. Sufficient torque is needed to push filament through 0.15mm or 0.25mm diameter nozzles due to significant bottlenecking. Direct-drive extruders are preferable to Bowden setups for this purpose, as most Bowden extruders have difficulty pushing filament through extremely fine diameter nozzles.
Commonly used nozzle diameters include 0.25mm, 0.4mm, and 0.6mm. Smaller diameters can be challenging to dial in and result in long print times, while larger diameters can compromise tolerances. A 0.8mm nozzle is suitable for vase mode prints. For extremely large printers where quality is not a primary concern, a 1.4mm nozzle can be used.
For applications requiring super high detail, such as small jewelry, resin printing is recommended.
Layer height ranges that will result in reliable prints will depend on the nozzle diameter. Layer heights should remain within 25-75% (or perhaps 20-80%) of the nozzle diameter. A 0.15mm nozzle should print with 0.04mm – 0.11mm layer heights, and a 0.8mm nozzle should print with 0.2mm – 0.6mm layer heights. The extrusion reliability and quality decrease outside of these ranges.
Printing with a small nozzle and too large of layer heights increases the likelihood of clogging and filament grinding. Printing at excessively low layer heights on a large nozzle will not achieve optimal tolerances and quality.
Layer height refers to the thickness of each individual layer in the Z-direction. Larger layer heights reduce quality in the Z-direction, but allow for much faster printing. Printing at 0.2mm layer heights takes approximately half as long as printing the same object at 0.1mm layer heights.
Print speeds for a standard extruder/hotend setup often follow a bell curve. Printing speeds may need to slow down at very low layer heights and with small diameter nozzles to prevent bottlenecking and nozzle clogs. Print speeds may also need to slow down when using very large nozzles and layer heights to achieve the proper viscosity due to the increased volume being extruded per second. If printing speeds are too high with large layer heights and nozzle diameters, the material may not have enough time to melt.
For example, a standard E3D V6 hotend prints up to 15mm3/s. An E3D Volcano can print up to approximately 40mm3/s, allowing for faster printing with larger nozzles and layer heights.
The fastest linear speed on a standard V6 setup uses a 0.6mm nozzle at around 0.25mm layer heights. A larger 0.8mm nozzle may require reduced print speeds. Lower print speeds are needed when moving to a 0.4mm or 0.25mm nozzle.
Standardizing on a 0.4mm hardened steel nozzle with 0.1mm – 0.25mm layer heights is suitable for most 3D printing applications.
