As most people know, Ultimaker 3D printers use Fused Deposition Modeling (or FDM) to create physical objects.
This process involves slicing a digital model into a stack of horizontal layers using slicing software like Ultimaker Cura.
These layers are then printed sequentially to form a physical object.
Quality and Speed
Most slicing software assigns a constant spacing (called layer height) between each layer.
A very fine layer height produces high-resolution models, but each additional layer increases the printing time. Thicker layer heights print faster
—because fewer layers are printed—but the finished model will have less detail. These situations put users in a position where they must choose to optimize printing
time or print quality.
What if you could have the best of both worlds – where your print layer height could adapt to the object's shape?
Adaptive Layers, a new slicing feature available since Ultimaker Cura 3.2, makes this possible.
Applying Adaptive Layers in Product Development
What does this mean in practice? Poly-Tainer Inc. is a plastic bottle manufacturer and decorator that produces containers for the health and beauty market.
To accelerate their 3D CAD design implementation process, they invested in two Ultimaker 3 Extended printers for in-house prototyping.
With 3D printing technology, Poly-Tainer can share accurate concept models with their customers (often major retailers like Target and Walmart),
and eliminate design uncertainties before investing up to $100,000 in mass production molds.
Bottle prototype using the "Fast" slicing profile in Ultimaker Cura. Layer thickness is consistently 0.2mm (200micron).
Bottle prototype sliced using adaptive layers. Print time was reduced by 10%, and more detail was given to areas that needed it.
The appearance of the final product on the shelf is an important consideration in the sales process. With adaptive layers, Poly-Tainer can print detailed concept models with improved appearance and quality in less time than models with constant layer height.
The angled parts of the model have finer steps per layer, and important design elements (such as the threading on the bottle neck) have better detail.
The layer thickness color scheme included in Ultimaker Cura's layer view shows variations in layer thickness. In this example, thicker layers are yellow,
and finer layers are blue.
The dual extrusion capability of the Ultimaker 3 allows for the use of soluble PVA support material, which helps achieve design features such as a "bottom raise," an important design element in bottle manufacturing.
Compared to a constant layer height, using adaptive layers and soluble PVA support creates this concept model more quickly, with well-defined decorative bevels and increased detail that also aids in the process of decorating bottles with precise multicolor mesh prints.
A bottom raise is an ideal feature for health and beauty product containers. The horizontal cross-section of this feature shows the blue support structure. After printing,
the support material can be easily dissolved in tap water.
Accurate 3D printed concept models enable Poly-Tainer to order custom decorating tools before the first product is created with production tooling. This saves approximately 4-6 weeks in time-to-market for new designs.
How Adaptive Layers Optimize Speed and Detail
Ultimaker Cura's adaptive layer feature analyzes the tilt angle of the model's outer walls. The slicing engine optimizes the layer thickness for each section. Curves are printed with finer layer analysis, while vertical flat areas are printed with thicker layers, reducing print time. The calculation is automatic, with three user-definable parameters: maximum variation, step size, and layer threshold. Default parameters are usually sufficient to provide good results, but testing can be done to further optimize the print time for a user's specific model while still preserving fine details.
Free Slicing Software
Ultimaker Cura is completely free for users. You can try this feature by loading this sample .STL file into Ultimaker Cura 3.2 or higher. Access the adaptive layer settings from Ultimaker Cura's interface by switching to custom mode and searching for "Adaptive Layers" in the search bar. We always love to hear how Ultimaker helps people streamline their business processes. Which features do you think are most important for your workflow?
Feel free to share your thoughts in our 3D printing expert community.
Special thanks to Frank Cowles of Poly-Tainer Inc.
Original link: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/52520-print-detailed-objects-faster-using-adaptive-layers-in-ultimaker-cura