3d printing glossary

Brim—This is the single-layer flat area around the base of the model, sometimes enabled in your slicer to ensure adhesion to the build plate. Unlike a skirt, a brim has a 0.00mm offset from your model.  The brim is attached to your part and extends outward, like the brim of a hat.  Use brims to stabilize small parts or isolated sections of a model.

Filament—The material used in Fused Deposition Method (FDM) or Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing.

Infill—The mesh pattern inside the 3D print that provides structure.

Layer height—Also known as layer resolution, this is the thickness of one printed layer measured in millimeters. With a thinner layer height you will usually increase the quality of the print, leading to a smoother surface and more detail visible in the Z-direction of the model. The default layer height for Cura's Fast Print profile is 0.15mm.

Overhang —This is the part of a 3D model that hangs in midair. Remember, you can't print in air. You can enable supports in Cura, design supports in your modeling program, or sometimes reorient your model to eliminate this issue. A rule of thumb is that you can successfully print an overhang of less than 45° unsupported.

Print speed—The speed at which the print head moves while it is printing. Based on the print speed the amount of plastic that needs to be extruded will be calculated.

Positioning precision—The accuracy with which the print head moves in the X and Y direction. Instead of moving around in a perfect circle, the print head moves in steps of 12.5 micron.

Raft—This is the printing technique for adding removable support material at the bottom of a print in order to prevent warping. The raft itself is the horizontal latticework of filament located between the model and the build plate. Rafts can be useful when the bottom surface of a model is not completely flat or when the print has difficulty adhering to the build plate. Rafts are also used to help stabilize models with small footprints.

Shell—The exterior layer of a 3D printed model.

Skirt—This is a line printed around the object on the first layer, but not connected to the object. This helps prime the extrusion and also gives you a moment to check and correct any bed leveling issues before printing starts. You can set the skirt's line count, distance and minimum length in Cura.

Slice—The single layer of a 3D printed model.

Slicer—The software required to convert an STL or OBJ file into G-code, the machine readable file needed by a 3D printer to reproduce the model. Slicers, like Cura cut the model into horizontal layers (slices) and generates the toolpaths needed to fill them.

Support —Additional material which can be generated by your slicer to support the structure of the model which wouldn’t have any stability otherwise. Support parameters can be adjusted in Cura.

Travel speed—The speed at which the print head moves while it is not extruding any plastic.