![]() |
Raft settings A raft is a 3D printed mesh, several layers thick, that is printed directly atop the build plate to produce a smooth platform on which a model can be printed. When a skirt or brim won’t cut it, a raft is an easy – albeit time- and filament-consuming – solution to many first-layer problems. It is particularly helpful for models with small legs or printers with rough or unlevel build plates. In Cura, rafts have a lot of settings, especially when you have turned on visibility for all of the settings. Here are the main ones you should consider and calibrate according to your machine, model, and material of choice: Raft Air Gap: This is perhaps the most important raft setting. If this value is too low, you won’t be able to remove the model from the raft. If this value is too high, the model won’t stick and will fail. A good starting point is half the width of your nozzle. Raft Extra Margin: This value determines the size of the raft by defining the distance between the edge of the model and the edge of the raft. 5 mm is a good starting point, but feel free to increase this value if you’re having issues making the raft adhere to the bed. Raft Top Layers: This setting defines how many top layers the raft has. Two is typically plenty, but if you have issues with a rough raft top, consider increasing this value to three or four. Most of Cura’s default values for the other settings work well, but there are various settings that you can tweak to customize the raft’s top, middle, and base layers. You can use these settings to define the number, thickness, and width of the layers in each section, as well as the spacing between them. Speed, acceleration, and jerk settings are also available for each raft section. Typically, the line width, thickness, and spacing get smaller as the raft is built up. This ensures that the raft has a thick and quickly printed interface with the build plate and a smooth interface with the main model. Rafts are notorious in the 3D printing community. All you have to do is read a few Thingiverse forums to see that rafts are a pain to remove and completely unnecessary for parts with large footprints. Long story short: print a raft if your model has a small first layer surface area, but try using brim first! Source : all3dp.com |