Simplify3D User Forum

I normally print on rafts and I get a pretty good bottom finish, but when I use supports I don't get anywhere near as good a finish. Should I be able to get the same sort of finish with a support (basically just a higher raft)? I have a Flash Forge Creator Pro and am very happy with print quality except for supports. (No cooling yet - waiting for my fan to arrive). I'm printing PLA at 200c, 0.2mm.

Raft settings:

Raft Layers: 2, Raft offset: 3mm, Separation: 0.19, Infill 80%

Support Settings:

Resolution: 3mm, Angle: 45
infill: 30%
extra inflation: 0mm
Dense Support layers: 5
Dense infill: 75%
Print support every: 1 layer

Separation:
Horiz offset: .3 mm
Upper Vertical Sep Layers: 1
Lower vertical sep layers: 1

It's not exactly the same since the raft is just a big flat surface. When you do support you will have 3D contours that you need to support. But you are on the right track trying to use dense support layers with a higher fill percentage for the dense layers. Personally, I get the best finish when I use a dissolvable support material. That way I can reduce the upper/lower vertical separation layers to zero and just dissolve away the material.

Im in the same boat. i generate the supports and add as i need and it just seems like the supports do not come close enough to the desired print to actually support anything.

corb555 wrote:I normally print on rafts and I get a pretty good bottom finish, but when I use supports I don't get anywhere near as good a finish. Should I be able to get the same sort of finish with a support (basically just a higher raft)? I have a Flash Forge Creator Pro and am very happy with print quality except for supports. (No cooling yet - waiting for my fan to arrive). I'm printing PLA at 200c, 0.2mm.

Raft settings:

Raft Layers: 2, Raft offset: 3mm, Separation: 0.19, Infill 80%

Support Settings:

Resolution: 3mm, Angle: 45
infill: 30%
extra inflation: 0mm
Dense Support layers: 5
Dense infill: 75%
Print support every: 1 layer

Separation:
Horiz offset: .3 mm
Upper Vertical Sep Layers: 1
Lower vertical sep layers: 1

I second the dissolvable support suggestion. I'll add that to get better contours, especially on smaller models, you should reduce your support pillar resolution to 1mm.

Also in the same boat - not fond of having to dual extrude, but am having so little luck with supports I'm really having to do my best to avoid them. I might have to test a print with Makerware to compare, but one of my main reasons for buying Simplify3D was manual supports. Some more support options (eg multiple automatic generation support sizes/being able to keep manual supports with automatic generation created afterwards, being able to change the density along the model horizontally etc) would be fantastic, along with being able to fix the above. On 1 vertical separation layer, it basically doesn't support, but with 0 it's impossible to remove. Is there an in-between?

No dual extruder here... so I've got to print supports with the primary extruder. The surface touching the supports have been problematic for me as well. Especially curved surfaces... Its almost as though S3D treats the project surface as an internal layer and not a perimeter.

I view supports as wasted material, so I've always tried to use a 10-30 infill percentage... depending on the layer height. This evening, I had great results switching to a higher infill support percentage (50) and utilizing dense support layers (2 @70%). Also used a higher pillar resolution (2mm). Some combination of those four parameters made the supported exterior surface actually look normal. I suspect the dense layers may have created a better platform to build the project surface...

This pretty much does it for me.