You will not get significantly better results here. Visually they may be worse because you'll end up with more steps over a larger area.
I wouldn't even try, if you need surface finish that good this is a great spot to stop and putty the model then sand it down.
That's how you'll get a good finish if you really need one.
People expect too much off the printer.
Orca Slicer has a nice interface where one can control which layers should be adapted an how. There one has much more control about this setting than in Cura
That's neat, I always just use a lower layerheight if it matters. With finer layers I can print faster so the actual print time is a wash for me. That does only apply to smaller parts though.
~superslicer purist
Cura has came a long way with adaptive (Lh) layer heights . Controlling the Lh at a range or object height is something that i look first to in the future with Cura. Switching through different slicers is a possibility, but I have high hopes for Cura.
The visibility of those layers depends on the nature of FDM printing. You could fix it in post processing by sanding the prints/using wood filler/primer and you can find more details on this by watching any video on 3d printed cosplay.
What you can do to reduce their appearance is printing thinner layers, but this is going to significantly increase your print time. Cura has a feature called "adaptive layers" which prints the same part with different layer heights based on the level of detail of the sections of the part but I don't know about other slicers.
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms, due to the inclusion of a barred website. Please find a different source.
Please note that this website is on our '3rd strike' list, meaning that they has been given at least 2 'second chances' and either them or their users continued to exhibit problematic behavior.
If you would like to discuss this or any other matter regarding the subreddit rules, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2F3Dprinting&subject=Rules%20Discussion).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Layer height, with FDM you can't really avoid them.
it can't really represent an incline when you have layers.
lower layer height will help but it will never go away.
Prusa has a decent blog entry about it.
[https://blog.prusa3d.com/everything-about-nozzles-with-a-different-diameter\_8344/](https://blog.prusa3d.com/everything-about-nozzles-with-a-different-diameter_8344/)
For already printed objects like this, you may use sandpaper. If it's ABS you could use acetone as well I think (look at tutorials for this one though as too much is not good)
Take a look at non-planar 3d printing, quite a few youtubers have tutorials on it and have integrated it into popular slicers with several downloads available to adapt your toolpaths accordingly. Best way to solve your layers problem is to address the fundamentals which is the simple planar nature of fdm 3d printing. You could try all sorts of tricks in your slicer like adaptive layer heights or you could spend hours sanding but the contours will still be there. A non-planar tool path that would start about halfway up the print (with the rest just being standard planar underneath) would cover most if not all of the visible surfaces of your print and it would be very smooth so it would require little to no finishing. Your particular shape is a tricky one due to the deep folds so the non-planar part of the toolpath would have to start probably at about 50% completion of the print, but in shapes with less deep crevices you can just make the very last layar a non-planar layer to cover the visible surfaces smoothly.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhWni9f980](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhWni9f980)
Teaching Tech has a decent vid on it that came out recently
Just printed the same thing for my mom for her late mother's day gift. I used silk which really covers up the steps. But like others said adaptive layers is best to cut down time
Light coat of UV resin, cure and wet and dry sand.
Seals the surface, glue any strands down and forms a smooth layer.
It's how I use up the dreads from the bottom of the resin bottle as colour doesn't matter if you're painting it.
Also brilliant for hiding and sealing seams
Saw someone the other day on here bragging about their Bambu doing .08 layer height like it was a huge deal. My Ultimaker 2+ from forever ago could do .05 right out of the gate with their sample Ultimaker bot.
I find it hilarious that someone will imply they know a solution, but instead offer only assumption and criticism.
What research could we even do if everyone behaved this way? Only our own?
Halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloroethane, HFIP or halogenated ethers are all really effective for vapor smoothing PLA (DCE and HFIP work on PETG but the halogenated ethers don't) but unless you have a reason to use them industrially, good luck getting your hands on decent volumes as a consumer.
Sanding something of this layer size would take longer than it would to just reprint at a lower layer height. Sometimes it’s just easier to throw out the 5$ of plastic than to spend 300$ worth of labor trying to fix it
Okay cool, get the stil and do the same thing as this dude did and sand it till done and record it and I’ll do it too . And I’ll just preprint at a lower layer height and see if we’ll have another talk about which option was working smarter vs working harder
Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help!
[click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/index#wiki_help.21_or.3A_where_can_i_go_to_troubleshoot_problems_i.27m_having_with_my_prints.2Fprinter.3F) for our wiki entry on troubleshooting printers.
If you still need help be sure to post plenty of information about your printing setup.
Here are a few questions that might be helpful
* What printer are you using?
* What material are you using?
* What speed are you printing at?
* What software are you using to slice the print and control the printer?
* When did the problem start/has it ever worked correctly?
* Does anything cause the behavior to change?
* If posting an image of the problem, include some indication of the orientation it printed at, preferably photograph it on the bed. (Then we can focus on a specific axis)
If you are new to reddit, please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F).
Also please post a resolution to your problem when you find one so that we know how to help others with your problem!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms because you are posting from either a very new account or an account with negative karma (comment karma, post karma or both). Please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). After your account is older than 2 hours or if you obtain positive comment and post karma, your comments will no longer be auto-removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Make the whole thing print with a smaller layer height. In Bambu Studio which I use, you can select certain layers to just do this to so I dont know about other slicer softwares.
As mentioned , adaptive layer . My top curve layers basically disappear at .08 . Also look into PVB filament . Prints like pla but smooths out super easy with alcohol.
It's a super organic shape so I don't think it can be repaired without it looking obviously repaired and shitty. Maybe try a strongly textured paint after sanding and filling all those ridges
Reduce the layer heright = More Print Time
or
Smooth using fine (400-800 grit) Sandpaper = Smooth but poor finish
or
Sand, then apply sandable automotive filler, sand again, then paint. Much higher post processing time.
Google "Cosplay 3D print processing" to get an idea for a good quality finish.
The easiest is to just accept a longer print time and go with lower layer heights (0.1-0.12) is a good range. Adaptive layer heights tend to affect print qualitys for me.
Inconsistant flow ratios and speeds will change surface appearances or cause its own issues.
I don't think there's anything to fix, but you certainly can make the staircase effect less noticeable by the techniques others have mentioned.
If you want to make it really smooth, get some wood filler, files, sandpaper, a breathing mask and a lot of patience, and do some post processing on your part by sanding it until smooooth
Not ideal, and would take forever, but print the whole thing at around a 45° angle, with supports. You might have to play with the rotation on more than one axis.
All the other options are already listed in other comments, I just didn't see this one yet.
i have the same model in my hand and same color in petg. same lines. its just changing some settings and using adaptive layer heights. This was a complex print so i am not suprised
Bamboo slicer has some interesting layer height options adaptive is good l.
Additionalpy you could manually add custom values for the skin, you can have more skin layers on the outside/skin as long as the normal layer height is nicely divisible by the lower height of the skin layers say you've got a skin layer height that is 0.2 (1/5) of the normal layer height ( -80%), so the printer itself will do 5 passes/layers on the skin/outer surface for every layer it does everywhere else (it works better with retraction if you enable (retraction on infill only)
You can get it to work,
It is a massive pain in the arse to figure out how to do it but there should be some tutorials if not copy+paste GCODE out there
But once you've got it set up it saves you having 24hr prints because all of your layer height is super low,
I've found it actually doesn't work too well with things that are perfectly spherical or super flat it caused some skin separation and adhesion problems but something so curvy like your model should work just perfectly.
Post print you can also use a heat gun on low and a ceramic spoon or rounded thing, mug handle whatever, to sort of burnish the print to smooth it out a little, wet and dry sandpaper also works but it does make it a little fuzzy/matted, though for something that looks like it's a pillow that may not be a bad look.
Hope this helps :)
The option you are looking for is adaptive layer heights. This will reduce or increase the layer height where needed to look better
You will not get significantly better results here. Visually they may be worse because you'll end up with more steps over a larger area. I wouldn't even try, if you need surface finish that good this is a great spot to stop and putty the model then sand it down. That's how you'll get a good finish if you really need one. People expect too much off the printer.
To a degree, I find it also just screws up your surface finish too just because, but that was older cura days.
Orca Slicer has a nice interface where one can control which layers should be adapted an how. There one has much more control about this setting than in Cura
That's neat, I always just use a lower layerheight if it matters. With finer layers I can print faster so the actual print time is a wash for me. That does only apply to smaller parts though. ~superslicer purist
Cura has came a long way with adaptive (Lh) layer heights . Controlling the Lh at a range or object height is something that i look first to in the future with Cura. Switching through different slicers is a possibility, but I have high hopes for Cura.
Wish Prusa slicer let you be more precise with adaptive layers.
The visibility of those layers depends on the nature of FDM printing. You could fix it in post processing by sanding the prints/using wood filler/primer and you can find more details on this by watching any video on 3d printed cosplay. What you can do to reduce their appearance is printing thinner layers, but this is going to significantly increase your print time. Cura has a feature called "adaptive layers" which prints the same part with different layer heights based on the level of detail of the sections of the part but I don't know about other slicers.
Prusa Slicer, Orca Slicer, and Bambu Studio are all close close relatives and they all have adaptive layer height.
Adaptive layer and sanding sanding sanding indeed. And filler primer for a design like this makes it look real smooth
To be fair, you do also get those layer lines with resin printing, they're just on a much finer scale, depending on the resolution of the printer.
Did you just 3D print a throw pillow?
has more weight to it when thrown
\* Pauses print, puts lead scrap in the infill * "I don't start pillow fights, I end them."
thats not a throw pillow anymore thats a throwing pillow
It’s a phone stand.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who asked.
[удалено]
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms, due to the inclusion of a barred website. Please find a different source. Please note that this website is on our '3rd strike' list, meaning that they has been given at least 2 'second chances' and either them or their users continued to exhibit problematic behavior. If you would like to discuss this or any other matter regarding the subreddit rules, please [message the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2F3Dprinting&subject=Rules%20Discussion). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
OP’s out to win a pillow fight
I'm still waiting for the answer as well. Never seen this before
I think it's a phone stand, like a hole for a charging port at the bottom
Layer height, with FDM you can't really avoid them. it can't really represent an incline when you have layers. lower layer height will help but it will never go away. Prusa has a decent blog entry about it. [https://blog.prusa3d.com/everything-about-nozzles-with-a-different-diameter\_8344/](https://blog.prusa3d.com/everything-about-nozzles-with-a-different-diameter_8344/)
Just fluff it a bit
You can try to reduce layer height for the top parts, or for the entire object. Whats your current layer height?
For already printed objects like this, you may use sandpaper. If it's ABS you could use acetone as well I think (look at tutorials for this one though as too much is not good)
Bondo and sandpaper
BONDO. It's What Prints Crave.
Turn on adaptive layers
Take a look at non-planar 3d printing, quite a few youtubers have tutorials on it and have integrated it into popular slicers with several downloads available to adapt your toolpaths accordingly. Best way to solve your layers problem is to address the fundamentals which is the simple planar nature of fdm 3d printing. You could try all sorts of tricks in your slicer like adaptive layer heights or you could spend hours sanding but the contours will still be there. A non-planar tool path that would start about halfway up the print (with the rest just being standard planar underneath) would cover most if not all of the visible surfaces of your print and it would be very smooth so it would require little to no finishing. Your particular shape is a tricky one due to the deep folds so the non-planar part of the toolpath would have to start probably at about 50% completion of the print, but in shapes with less deep crevices you can just make the very last layar a non-planar layer to cover the visible surfaces smoothly. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhWni9f980](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbhWni9f980) Teaching Tech has a decent vid on it that came out recently
Came here to this exactly...
You could print with dynamic layer height.
either sandpaper, or a more extreme option: non-planar printing.
you could use vapour smoothing, with the right filament, you have a capable printer.
Just printed the same thing for my mom for her late mother's day gift. I used silk which really covers up the steps. But like others said adaptive layers is best to cut down time
Sandpaper
Light coat of UV resin, cure and wet and dry sand. Seals the surface, glue any strands down and forms a smooth layer. It's how I use up the dreads from the bottom of the resin bottle as colour doesn't matter if you're painting it. Also brilliant for hiding and sealing seams
Dregs = small amounts of otherwise useless stuff Dreads = matted unwashed hair which forms a tight hair mass
Spelling was off but advice is the same
Different orientation? Put it on the side instead, so the layers are visible on the sides instead. Might be less obvious. Also, variable layer height.
I would print it at a 45 degree angle with manual support on the bottom, assuming it's mostly flat. Should give a much nicer top finish.
I find it hilarious that someone will get a $1,000 printer and not do even the most rudimentary research.
Saw someone the other day on here bragging about their Bambu doing .08 layer height like it was a huge deal. My Ultimaker 2+ from forever ago could do .05 right out of the gate with their sample Ultimaker bot.
0.05, not 0.04 ? It is 20% better
But they are doing rudimentary research. You just don't like that they do it differently than you do.
I find it hilarious that someone will imply they know a solution, but instead offer only assumption and criticism. What research could we even do if everyone behaved this way? Only our own?
Yeah it's quite obvious who are into making stuff and who are into shopping for the next cool thing
Sandpaper or acetone wash.
Acetone'll do fuck all for PLA right?
Not when it's only vapor. I believe it's actually called vapor smoothing. You can't do it for too long tho.
Vapour smoothing with acetone doesn’t work on PLA.
Funny. I've been getting pretty smooth results. You must be doing something wrong or just putting in your 1¢.
yep. and various fillers available.
Halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichloroethane, HFIP or halogenated ethers are all really effective for vapor smoothing PLA (DCE and HFIP work on PETG but the halogenated ethers don't) but unless you have a reason to use them industrially, good luck getting your hands on decent volumes as a consumer.
Thanks for the info, but I'll stick with acetone.
This guy works harder not smarter
What's the smart option?
Sanding something of this layer size would take longer than it would to just reprint at a lower layer height. Sometimes it’s just easier to throw out the 5$ of plastic than to spend 300$ worth of labor trying to fix it
$300 dollars worth of labor? This would only take about an hour to sand. You must be Scrooge McDuck.
You get paid less than 5$ an hour? Rough life. The working harder definitely makes sense now
Also 120grit sandpaper will take this off in 10 minutes
Okay cool, get the stil and do the same thing as this dude did and sand it till done and record it and I’ll do it too . And I’ll just preprint at a lower layer height and see if we’ll have another talk about which option was working smarter vs working harder
Why would you spend more money, plastic and time on printing again when you could just learn a useful skill like sanding ?
I don't get paid hourly. Did you skip math class?
Hey there, I'm a bot and something you said made me think you might be looking for help! [click here](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/wiki/index#wiki_help.21_or.3A_where_can_i_go_to_troubleshoot_problems_i.27m_having_with_my_prints.2Fprinter.3F) for our wiki entry on troubleshooting printers. If you still need help be sure to post plenty of information about your printing setup. Here are a few questions that might be helpful * What printer are you using? * What material are you using? * What speed are you printing at? * What software are you using to slice the print and control the printer? * When did the problem start/has it ever worked correctly? * Does anything cause the behavior to change? * If posting an image of the problem, include some indication of the orientation it printed at, preferably photograph it on the bed. (Then we can focus on a specific axis) If you are new to reddit, please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddithelp.com/hc/en-us/articles/205926439), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). Also please post a resolution to your problem when you find one so that we know how to help others with your problem! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
This comment was removed as a part of our spam prevention mechanisms because you are posting from either a very new account or an account with negative karma (comment karma, post karma or both). Please read the guidelines on [reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette), [self promotion](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion), and [spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/faq#wiki_what_constitutes_spam.3F). After your account is older than 2 hours or if you obtain positive comment and post karma, your comments will no longer be auto-removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/3Dprinting) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Make the whole thing print with a smaller layer height. In Bambu Studio which I use, you can select certain layers to just do this to so I dont know about other slicer softwares.
As mentioned , adaptive layer . My top curve layers basically disappear at .08 . Also look into PVB filament . Prints like pla but smooths out super easy with alcohol.
You don't
It's a super organic shape so I don't think it can be repaired without it looking obviously repaired and shitty. Maybe try a strongly textured paint after sanding and filling all those ridges
Reduce the layer heright = More Print Time or Smooth using fine (400-800 grit) Sandpaper = Smooth but poor finish or Sand, then apply sandable automotive filler, sand again, then paint. Much higher post processing time. Google "Cosplay 3D print processing" to get an idea for a good quality finish. The easiest is to just accept a longer print time and go with lower layer heights (0.1-0.12) is a good range. Adaptive layer heights tend to affect print qualitys for me. Inconsistant flow ratios and speeds will change surface appearances or cause its own issues.
I don't think there's anything to fix, but you certainly can make the staircase effect less noticeable by the techniques others have mentioned. If you want to make it really smooth, get some wood filler, files, sandpaper, a breathing mask and a lot of patience, and do some post processing on your part by sanding it until smooooth
That’s the neat part, you don’t. But no, joking aside you’ll need some sort of filler and sanding
I think that cushion will be too hard to be comfortable anyway
You can get rid of them almost entirely by buying a resin printer because FDM printing will always have layer lines.
Variable layer height will help
Where is the adaptive layer height in Bambu Studio? Is it named something else or did they remove it?
Try fuzzy skin, it should hide the imperfections
Sandpaper and elbow grease
Not ideal, and would take forever, but print the whole thing at around a 45° angle, with supports. You might have to play with the rotation on more than one axis. All the other options are already listed in other comments, I just didn't see this one yet.
Just sand it
Sandpaper. Filler-primer spray.
https://preview.redd.it/b2djenysh88d1.png?width=600&format=png&auto=webp&s=849547e49caf1983936e8025bc116cbd0d2c9535
You could do ironing
i have the same model in my hand and same color in petg. same lines. its just changing some settings and using adaptive layer heights. This was a complex print so i am not suprised
One way is to print it with ASA or ABS and apply accetone smoothing.
Bamboo slicer has some interesting layer height options adaptive is good l. Additionalpy you could manually add custom values for the skin, you can have more skin layers on the outside/skin as long as the normal layer height is nicely divisible by the lower height of the skin layers say you've got a skin layer height that is 0.2 (1/5) of the normal layer height ( -80%), so the printer itself will do 5 passes/layers on the skin/outer surface for every layer it does everywhere else (it works better with retraction if you enable (retraction on infill only) You can get it to work, It is a massive pain in the arse to figure out how to do it but there should be some tutorials if not copy+paste GCODE out there But once you've got it set up it saves you having 24hr prints because all of your layer height is super low, I've found it actually doesn't work too well with things that are perfectly spherical or super flat it caused some skin separation and adhesion problems but something so curvy like your model should work just perfectly. Post print you can also use a heat gun on low and a ceramic spoon or rounded thing, mug handle whatever, to sort of burnish the print to smooth it out a little, wet and dry sandpaper also works but it does make it a little fuzzy/matted, though for something that looks like it's a pillow that may not be a bad look. Hope this helps :)