Fastest Infill pattern?

[Joakim Krassman]

Hi,

Have anyone tested to see what infill that the replicator prints fastest? This could be really interesting when printing large objects.

Cat, Shark or the honeycomb?

Joakim

[Jetguy]

NONE of the above. Line infill will always be the fastest. Every single one you listed is tons of short segments.

HOT TIP OF THE DAY: short segments NEVER reach the feedrate you set. If you set 80mm/s or 50mm/s, short segments are lucky if they reach half.

In fact, if you assumed constant acceleration, it in theory only hits 25%. You set 80mm/s for feedrate. It started from 0mm/s and got to 40mm/s before we had to start slowing down back to 0.

In the first half, the average speed was 20mm/s half of the 40 actually reached. In the last half, the same thing happened, you only started at 40 and slowed down to 0, resulting in averaging 20mm/s. 20mm/s is 25% of 80mm/s the desired and max feedrate.

 

 

For example, if you are in a neighborhood with a bunch of stop signs every block, the speed limit may be 25 MPH. You might hit 25 if you floor it in one block, then look like an idiot locking up the brakes to not blow the stop sign. You get out on the main road with a long stretch and no big deal, you accelerate normally and reach the posted speed limit. You show down gradually and stop at the stop stop sign.

Feedrate is a speed limit and basically desired speed. The acceleration ramping at both ends limits how fast you will reach before you must slow down. Average speed will typically be 50% of the highest speed reached, and especially true on short segments.

 

So infill that is hundreds of small segments, even if you set the speed limit (feedrate) to 1000mm/s, will never ever get there.

Infill with the longest line segments is line infill. Honeycomb is a hex of short segements. Shark is even more insane. Cat, well who the heck thought of cat infill?

Funny, for about 15 seconds in then the image of a single person at age 40 with nearly the same number of cats in an aparment sets in.

That's who uses cat infill.

I mean shark, I get it, sharks are cool. My shark ate your cat (somebody needs to make that print and post it).

[Joakim Krassman]

Great, I wasn't aware of the linear fill - I must test that instead of all the others. One more question, is the parameter infillDensity the same as the other one in the GUI where i set the percentage of infill? 

infillDensity = .3 equal to 30% ?

I have been using my Rep 2 for only two days, so I am learning - but what a wonderful machine it is!

Regards, Joakim

[Jetguy]

Yes, that is correct.

 

BTW, sounds like you are using Makerware, which is fine, just know that I mentioned line infill from Replicator-G and other slicing programs.

I don't know if Makerware has the equivalent of line.

 

Good time to read the manual http://www.makerbot.com/support/makerware/documentation/slicer/

[DHeadrick]

From what I understand, the only way to get another infill pattern is to make a custom profile.  Makerbot really needs to add that the GUI.  If they are going to offer the options, why don't they make them easy?

[Jetguy]

Just to point this out, but sure Makerware gives you this interface a 5 year can use, so fine to begin on.

However, I just showed you the link for the settings manual and notice how there are NO pictures of anything or detailed examples.

 

This is WHY I still stick with Replicator-G and Skeinforge as the slicer.

Take a look at this page on infill

http://fabmetheus.crsndoo.com/wiki/index.php/Skeinforge_Fill

 

Fill types:

Grid Circular

Grid Hexagonal

Grid Rectangular

Line