How to Get Faster Prints with Your Zaxe Z3 Tips & Tricks One of the best things about 3D printing is the quick turnaround rates you can’t achieve with any other manufacturing method. 3D printing is fast and the devices are getting faster every year but the speed of additive manufacturing can still be not enough in some cases.
Thanks to the Core XY system that we have on our Zaxe 3D Printers, you will already be getting a fairly fast 3D printing experience. But there are always ways to make the process faster in case you need to print something in a limited amount of time.
Change the Printing Speed The most obvious solution to this problem would be to change the printing speed on your Zaxe Z3. After you start the printing process, press the Settings icon on your 3D printer’s touchscreen. You will be able to adjust the printing speed directly from this menu. Keep in mind that increasing the printing speed too much might have a negative effect on the quality and precision of your print.
Increase the Layer Height If top-notch resolution and details are not crucial to your print, you can also adjust the layer height to get a faster printing experience. Before you slice your model on xDesktop, you can adjust this setting on the Layer Height slider. You will have to sacrifice details and resolution, but changing the layer height is one of the sure ways to keep the printing process as short as possible.
Decrease the Infill Density A high infill density is usually only necessary when you are printing end-use parts that will have a mechanical function. The higher infill density will make the print sturdier and more robust. But when sturdiness is not necessary for your print, you can decrease it to speed up the printing process. You can go as low as 20% without having any issues, especially with prints that are only supposed to be visual representations.
Change the Infill Pattern If you didn’t change your infill settings on your xDesktop for a particular print, it will likely be set to the grid infill pattern. While grid pattern is a reliable and well-balanced pattern overall, it is not the fastest. To increase the printing speed, you can change the infill pattern by clicking Advanced Settings under the Infill Density slider after dropping your model on xDesktop. The fastest infill patterns will be;
Adjust Support Angles If the model you are printing has a lot of overhangs, this will affect the printing duration considerably. With prints that have a lot of overhangs, a good chunk of the printing hours is dedicated to printing the supports that are needed for a good quality print. If the material you are using is not susceptible to losing its form in a warm environment, you can make printing quicker by decreasing the support angle on your xDesktop before the print from the Support setting slider. In a lot of prints, you can get away with setting the support angle to 10°.
Change the Orientation of the Model Decreasing the support angle is not the only way of lowering the amount of support your print will have. On xDesktop, you can change the position of the model. For example, by positioning the model upside down, you can decrease the need for support. Not only will this make the printing process shorter, but it will also allow you to waste less filament on individual prints.
Use a Bigger Nozzle Your Zaxe Z3 will support several different nozzle sizes to choose from as you please. While you can achieve amazing resolution and details with a 0,25mm nozzle, this will make the printing process much slower than it could be. If you need to get your print faster and you can sacrifice resolution for speed, using a bigger nozzle can double the printing speed in some cases.
