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MakerBot MinFill: print 30% faster and save 30% filament
Apr
With the latest development of the MakerBot slicing software MakerBot Print you can realize your ideas even faster. MakerBot MinFill is a new dynamic print mode and the first of its kind in 3D printing. MinFill is short for Minimum Infill and uses an intelligent algorithm to reduce the internal structure of a 3D print to a minimum.
For professional users, it is not always crucial that the 3D prints are durable, dense or heavy. Sometimes surface quality and printing speed are more important. In these cases, MinFill offers a very efficient solution – especially if the objects have a large internal volume.
MakerBot’s tests have shown that printing with MinFill is around 30% faster and requires 30% less material/filament. For very voluminous models such as spheres or similar, MinFill can print up to 80% faster. For professionals, this means faster creation of “early concept models” and mold studies, allowing for more iterations in less time.
MinFill’s advantages at a glance
- Professional users accelerate early concept models, form studies and iterations.
- Teachers and trainers can serve more students and apprentices and save time and money in the process.
- Based on the tests, MinFill can typically print 30% faster and with 30% less filament*.
- The larger the internal volume, the more time and money is saved.
- MinFill is compatible with the MakerBot Replicator+, Replicator (5th Gen) and the Replicator Z18.
* MinFill’s performance numbers are averages based on MakerBot internal testing with various object geometries with a significant internal volume.
How MinFill works
Let’s dive into the science of infill to understand MinFill. Infill is the support structure in your 3D print that is printed as a pattern. Most objects cannot be printed without it. The infill holds or supports the outer walls (shells) and the top layers of the print. The denser the infill pattern, the more solid and durable the print result will be. The only disadvantage: using more infill also requires significantly more printing time and material (filament).
With most 3D printing software, the density of the infill can be adjusted. This ensures that it is printed uniformly throughout the object. It is also printed in places that do not require structural support. Because of this inefficiency, in the past we had to manually change the setting so that each print had an infill pattern. -With MinFill, this is now done automatically using an intelligent algorithm.
A powerful new print mode and infill setting, MinFill radically optimizes the support structure within a 3D print. Through this advanced algorithm, MinFill analyzes the 3D model to determine where support structures are actually needed. Depending on the geometry of the model, MinFill creates the smallest possible support structures in your print. It determines the angle, placement and density of the infill wherever it is actually needed, such as on top layers or certain walls.
Unlike other infill settings, MinFill decides whether the printout requires internal structures at all. If none are required, none are printed. At the same time, care is taken to ensure that no compromises are made in terms of surface quality. MinFill is the only solution of its kind where this applies to all geometries without the user having to make any manual adjustments in the printing software.
MinFill’s exponential time and material savings
As MinFill creates as little internal support structures as possible, its benefits are particularly evident in 3D printed models with large volumes. Even smaller objects are often printed faster with MinFill; however, the larger the internal volume of an object, the more printing time and filament is saved.
On average, you can print around 30% faster with MinFill and use 30% less filament. How much time and material you save depends on the size and geometry of the printed object.
Since MinFill is designed for professionals, MakerBot tested this print setting with models that might be found in design or engineering offices. They compared MinFill to the Balanced print mode, which uses 10% Diamond Infill. MinFill printed the following models with different time and filament optimizations.
The last example shows a dodecahedron with a much more difficult geometry that requires support structures for a variation of faces.
Shorter production times mean faster iterations
MinFill’s benefits go beyond the individual print. MinFill speeds up the design process, especially in the early concept model phase. This allows designs to be evaluated faster and move on to further iterations.
By saving time and money, MinFill is also ideal for shape studies. You can quickly evaluate the basics of a design, overall impression, size, proportions and surface. Especially for such models, printing speed and material savings are much more important than structural strength. As a result, it does not have to be completely filled. It is enough if the model can withstand the pressure of the hands and the critical eye of the designer.
In a busy environment, the faster you can print, the more projects you can complete. These five objects saved a total of four days printing time!
Minimum infill is a milestone for our customers
MakerBot is committed to listening to their customers and providing effective products and solutions. With this new print mode, they offer another industry-first milestone that takes 3D printing to the next level.
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