Preparing a Model for Printing
Model Preparation
Prerequisites
PrusaSlicer Installed
HSP1-I Profiles configured via Obtaining the HSP PrusaSlicer Profiles
PrusaSlicer UI Overview
First loading up PrusaSlicer may be a little daunting. Prusa has tried to reduce the amount of visual information for first-timers by hiding portions of the interface based on a beginner/normal/expert mode dropdown in the top right, outlined in green. Feel free to switch modes to normal/expert since many useful features are hidden in beginner mode by default.
Outlined in blue is the top toolbar. This toolbar is used for adding, removing, and arranging models. Outlined in yellow is the left toolbar. This toolbar is used for positioning, rotating, and modifying models physically, or for modifying print settings for specific parts of a model. It also contains a measuring tool for basic inspection.
Outlined in red is where printing presets are selected. From the top in this example we have the 300 Micron Standard Print setting profile selected. This profile is good for single and dual-material prints. Since this is dual-material capable, below that we have the option to select two Filament presets. In this example both materials are set to our Layer Line Engineering PLA. Below that is the Printer preset selection. This option determines the available Print settings and Filament presets. In this example we have the standard dual-material capable profile selected with two 0.6mm nozzles. If a Physical printer was setup while configuring the profiles, they will show up in this dropdown as well.
Still in the red section are common override options for the Print settings presets. The area outlined in purple is where models and their properties will be listed.
Step 1: Adding Models for Printing
You can add a new model by clicking the cube with a + icon on the left side of the top toolbar. This will open a file picker dialog. Once the model is placed, you can rearrange and change properties of the model. One of the most useful orientation tools is the Place on face option in the left toolbar. In order to use the tools on the left toolbar, you must select a model in the plater view or model list on the right.
In the top toolbar there are options for arranging multiple models. PrusaSlicer has the ability to setup multiple beds for multiple print jobs. The button on the left is to arrange all models into as few beds as possible, and the button on the right will arrange anything on the current bed only. Additional beds can be added automatically by dragging additional models into the empty space outside of the current bed.
Step 2: Selecting the Correct Presets
The first preset to select is the Printer preset, located at the bottom of the preset area. The available options will depend on what was selected when Obtaining the HSP PrusaSlicer Profiles. In the current image, all available options are shown. Select the 2xX.Xmm Takoto profiles for single, dual, and breakaway/soluble support prints. Select the X.Xmm Duplicator/Mirror profiles for Duplicator or Mirror mode.
If a physical printer was configured when setting up the HSP profiles, you can select them under the same Printer preset dropdown. They will be at the bottom of the list in the Physical printers section.
In the standard Printer profile mode, two Filament preset options will be available. In duplicator and mirror mode only one Filament preset is available. We do not support printing the same part in two different materials in duplicator and mirror mode. Select the appropriate material(s) from the Filament dropdown.
For each nozzle size we have three standard layer height options. Typical layer heights are equal to half the nozzle diameter. This offers a good blend of resolution and print speed. For the standard Printer profile there are also options for soluble interface and soluble support. These options can also be used for breakaway supports. These settings are experimental.
Advanced Settings Overrides
Settings can be tweaked beyond basic support settings and infill percentage. Most of the commonly changed settings are under the Print Settings tab.
Layers and perimeters
Perimeter count and Top/Bottom Solid layers are commonly changed. Most of the strength of a printed part come from the perimeters rather than the infill. Perimeters are also often the greatest contributor to printing time. Increasing the Top Solid layer count can improve the top surface quality, especially for parts with large top surface areas. Bottom Solid layers primarily benefit bottom surface strength.
Infill
The most common infill settings to change are Fill density and Fill pattern. The default cubic pattern offers a good balance of print speed and strength. Gyroid offers slightly greater strength with no crossing infill, but comes with a significant increase in print time. It is not recommended to change the yellow settings here. Top/Bottom fill pattern can be changed for aesthetics
Support Material
Support Style is a very common setting to change. Grid is default, and will generate extra material on a grid, often overhanging the perimeter of a supported overhang. This option is effective but often generates more support than is needed, sometimes causing removal issues. Snug is similar to grid, except it doesn't generate any excess. Snug is often easier to remove, but it can lead to too little support being generated. Organic is very easy to remove, but it doesn't support large, flat overhangs as well as grid or snug. Organic can bend around geometry and support models that would be infeasible to print otherwise. It is a powerful support tool that can often be the best option, but it requires additional tweaking and care in use, especially for tall models.
Top/Bottom Contact Z distance determines the surface quality of a supported surface, or the surface quality of a surface with support built on it. Lowering this value too much with non-soluble/breakaway support can render the support inseparable, but leaving this value too high will negatively impact surface quality. The default option typically offers a good balance.
Support Pattern determines the strength of the generated support structure. This option is only active for Grid and Snug support styles. Rectilinear is good for shorter support structures and generally results in easy to remove support, but for tall support structures it can deflect in the perpendicular axis. Rectilinear Grid solves this issue, but reduces the strength of the support, making it much more difficult to remove. Honeycomb maintains the strength of Rectilinear and doesn't have the deflection issue, but it increases print time.
Step 3: Slicing and Verifying the Toolpaths
Once all settings are configured correctly, the current bed can be sliced by clicking the Slice now button in the bottom right corner. This will automatically switch the plater view to the Preview view. Once complete, the vertical slider on the right of the preview view can be used to inspect each layer if desired. We recommend checking important feature via this slider. The horizontal slider at the bottom can be used to inspect the paths in a layer.
Step 4: Transferring to HSP1-I
Once the sliced preview is verified, the print job can be exported via the Export G-code button. This will open a dialog to save the gcode file. If a physical printer is configured or a USB drive for offline use is inserted, additional buttons will be available for uploading directly to the machine or saving to the external drive.
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