Your 3D printer can print twice as fast with this simple trick

3D printers are great, until you wait several days to print a decorative prototype, only to realize that there is a reason your 3D print failed after the time has passed. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to fix a poorly printed project, but there is a way to get your 3D printer running much faster than it usually does. This simple trick won’t let you 3D print objects in less than a second like China’s new 3D printing method, but it can make your printed projects twice as fast or even faster. Just modify the filling and its density.

As you may already know, 3D printed objects are not complete solids. They are made up of the outermost surface you see – the walls or perimeter – and the geometric structure inside – the infill. Changing the way your printer approaches these aspects influences how long a print takes.

There are many different infill types to choose from, all with varying print times. If you’ve never touched the fill settings before, you’re probably using a grid or row fill with a density of 15-20%. It’s pretty fast, but you can upgrade to Lightning fill for twice as fast print times. Reduce the infill density to around 10% (and in some cases even 5%) to print even faster, although this will reduce the durability of your print.

The infill type determines the shapes that the internal structure of a 3D printed object uses for its skeleton. The shapes of the infill – whether unidirectional lines, grids, or the aptly named lightning bolt – affect your structure’s resistance to compression and the force it can withstand in different directions. Not knowing the proper type of infill to use is one of the biggest mistakes 3D printing beginners make, often leading to slower print times than necessary or even complete project failure. Lightning infill prioritizes, above all, fast print times and reduced filament expenses.

To achieve this, Lighting infill prints branch-like structures instead of uniformly packed lines. This results in a finished structure that is mostly hollow, except for the top. With less surface area to fill, Lighting also uses significantly less material, producing ultralight structures in which filament is used only where it is needed.

Since 3D printed structures made with Lighting infill are mostly hollow, they are much less resistant to external forces than other types of infill. If you are making shelf brackets, hooks, or components that will be subject to mechanical stress, Lightning Infill is not the solution. If you’re making a decorative figurine or something to put on your desk, the weaker structural integrity won’t matter as much.

Adjusting your infill is one of the simplest tips for reducing your 3D printing times, but there’s so much more you can do. As long as your physical printer isn’t hindering speed, you can change some settings in the software you’re using to print faster.

Whether you use Ultimaker Cura or PrusaSlicer, you can adjust all kinds of options. For example, increasing layer height or decreasing print quality can significantly reduce the time required for 3D prints because you reduce the number of motion cycles your printer must complete. You can increase the width of the lines and reduce the number of perimeter walls to achieve a similar effect.

It’s also possible that your cutting software isn’t using the full capabilities of your printer, in which case you can increase the printing speed in the application. You can also try increasing the acceleration, but this may cause small imperfections to appear on your print. You can also make physical changes, like getting a larger nozzle and configuring your software to support it. Depending on your project and starting conditions, these modifications can reduce your 3D printing times by up to 85% compared to what was initially estimated, leading to faster project completion and potentially less frustration.