Infill: The infill is the percentage of the inside of the print that is filled with material. A higher infill makes the object sturdy and able to bear more weight but can increase the cost. Most decorative items can have 10% infill. Having no infill is not advised, unless the object was specifically designed that way.
Shells/Walls: In the image above, you’ll see the number of shells or walls each print has. The number of shells or walls thickness is how thick the outside layer is. A thicker wall increases strength but also increases cost. . To request additional or thicker walls, put your request in the comments field. Our default shell thickness is usually two walls with a total thickness of 0.8 mm.
Scale: The scale is the size of the print by comparison to the size it was designed to be. Most models are printed at 100% scale, but it is also common to change the size. Keep in mind: when decreasing model size, you will also be decreasing the size of details. This can result in a loss of quality when printing if taken too far.
Layer Height: 3D printing slices a digital object into layers and prints each layer one at a time. Layer height is the thickness of each slice. The smaller the layer height, the finer the detail of the finished print. Small layer heights take significantly longer to print because more layers are needed. Standard print jobs are printed at 0.2mm layer height and for most jobs, this is a good option. Our printers will print down to a 0.06mm layer height.
Supports and PVA: It’s generally best to have supports turned on. The printing software we use will only generate supports where needed. You will be responsible for support removal. We offer two options for support materials: PLA supports and dissolving PVA supports. PLA supports break off after printing and are our most common supports for most projects. For some models, they may need sanding to get rid of residual marks left behind or have bits in hard to reach places. PVA supports don’t leave aesthetic marks, creating a much nicer surface finish. PVA costs more at 20 cents per gram, uses much more material, and increases printing times.
PVA Support Interface: It is possible for some prints to use a mix of PVA and PLA supports. This allows you to get a good surface finish with minimal increase to time and cost. This option will not work for some models if the, as the supports will be more difficult to remove. To request this option, please use the comments box of your form and ask for PVA at the support interface only. We can analyze your model to see if it is a potential option.
*.stl is the most common and ideal file type to submit for printing. We also accept .obj models on the web app (and .step models via email). Files accepted by the web app must be less than 200MB. For larger files or other file types, please contact the DSC first at dscommons@uvic.ca
When submitting your print, be aware that the final result may not look exactly as the 3D file you submitted. Intricate details can be lost as the printer may not be able to print as fine due to the nozzle size. If a detailed print is required, a finer layer setting is recommended (0.06 mm is the finest layer height offered). Supports and rafts will be left on and need to be removed carefully (or dissolved in water for PVA supports).
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