When you order or print a part on a 3D printer yourself, two settings determine its strength, weight, cost and print time: wall thickness<\/strong> and infill percentage<\/strong>. Choosing these values well gives you the ideal balance between how the part performs and how much material it uses.<\/p>\n In this article we\u2019ll look in detail at how to choose wall thickness and infill for different types of items, which infill patterns exist and when to use each one.<\/p>\n Wall thickness is the number of outer perimeters the printer lays down before moving on to the infill. The wall forms the outer shell of the part and directly affects its appearance, strength and watertightness.<\/p>\n In most slicers (Cura, PrusaSlicer, OrcaSlicer), wall thickness is set either in millimetres or as a number of perimeters. For example, with a 0.4 mm nozzle, two perimeters give a 0.8 mm wall and three give 1.2 mm.<\/p>\n For FDM (fused deposition modelling), the minimum recommended wall thickness is 1.2 mm<\/strong>, which equals three perimeters with a 0.4 mm nozzle. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n Depending on what the part is for, wall thickness should be chosen individually:<\/p>\n How to design load-bearing parts \u2014 teeth, fits, choice of plastic \u2014 is covered separately in the article 3D printing gears and mechanical parts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Infill is the internal structure of a part, printed between the walls. Unlike a solid object, a 3D print can be partly hollow, saving material and time. The infill percentage defines how much of the inner space is filled with plastic.<\/p>\n The right infill percentage depends on what the part has to do. Here are proven recommendations:<\/p>\n Important:<\/em> increasing infill from 20% to 100% raises a part\u2019s strength by roughly 30\u201340%, but uses 3\u20134 times more material and makes printing longer. That\u2019s why for most jobs the optimal range is 15\u201330%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Besides the infill percentage, the pattern<\/strong> plays an important role. Each pattern has its pros and cons.<\/p>\n The simplest and most common pattern: perpendicular lines forming a square grid.<\/p>\n A complex wave-like 3D pattern that gives equal strength in all directions (isotropy).<\/p>\n A pattern that imitates a beehive \u2014 one of the strongest patterns in nature.<\/p>\n Studies show that adding wall perimeters gives a bigger gain in strength<\/strong> than increasing the infill percentage. For example, a part with 4 perimeters and 20% infill is often stronger than one with 2 perimeters and 50% infill. So if you need maximum strength, increase the walls first and then the infill.<\/p>\n Infill directly affects the weight of the part. A part with 20% infill weighs about 60\u201370% less than a solid one. For items where weight is critical (for example, drone parts), use minimal infill with enough walls.<\/p>\n Print time grows in proportion to the amount of material. Going from 20% to 50% infill can make printing 30\u201350% longer and raise the price accordingly. At 3dprint.lviv.ua<\/a> the price is calculated with the optimal settings for each type of item, so you get the best result at a reasonable price.<\/p>\n Here are a few proven recommendations from experienced printers:<\/p>\n For convenience, we\u2019ve put the recommendations together in one table:<\/p>\n You\u2019ll find more about the available materials and their properties on our materials page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Choosing the right wall thickness and infill is the key to efficient 3D printing. Adding wall perimeters gains more strength than adding infill, and the right pattern can noticeably improve a part\u2019s properties without using extra material.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not sure which settings to choose for your project, get in touch with us at 3dprint.lviv.ua<\/a><\/strong>. We\u2019ll help you pick the best settings for your part so it\u2019s strong, light and economical. Send us your 3D model, and we\u2019ll recommend the best print settings for free!<\/p>\n Need quality 3D printing? PLA and PETG materials<\/a>. price calculation<\/a>. order printing<\/a>. Delivery across Ukraine by Nova Poshta.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Why wall thickness and infill matter When you order or print a part on a 3D printer yourself, two settings determine its strength, weight, cost and print time: wall thickness and infill percentage. Choosing these values well gives you the ideal balance between how the part performs and how much material it uses. In this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=408"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":481,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/408\/revisions\/481"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/3dprint.lviv.ua\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Wall thickness: basics and recommendations<\/h2>\n
What wall thickness means in 3D printing<\/h3>\n
Minimum wall thickness for FDM printing<\/h3>\n
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Recommendations by type of item<\/h3>\n
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Infill: percentage and its effect<\/h2>\n
What infill is<\/h3>\n
How to choose the infill percentage<\/h3>\n
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Infill patterns: which to choose<\/h2>\n
Grid<\/h3>\n
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Gyroid<\/h3>\n
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Honeycomb<\/h3>\n
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Other popular patterns<\/h3>\n
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How walls and infill affect print properties<\/h2>\n
Strength<\/h3>\n
Weight<\/h3>\n
Print time and cost<\/h3>\n
Practical setup tips<\/h2>\n
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Quick settings guide<\/h2>\n
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Conclusion<\/h2>\n
Order 3D printing<\/h2>\n