Fiber

Fiber related print settings and their details

Fiber print options are only available to Premium users.

Note: Fiber 3D print settings will work only with FabMachines F3 printer models. Make sure to select the F3 printer before using Fiber print settings

Basic Settings

Fiber print by default uses Extrude 2 in C6. Enabling Fiber print will override any conflicting Extruder 2 settings

Check the Fiber Print checkbox to enable fiber print.

C6 - Fiber print basic settings

Extrusion Width

Fixed-width of the fiber filament when printed. This should be provided by the fiber manufacturer. Note that the width of filament in the spool (generally circular section) will be less than the printed width.

For FabMachines' CF print filament, the width is 2mm.

Entering incorrect width here can lead to overlapping fibers and other issues as described in Fiber 3D Printing nuances

Print Speed (FIBER_PRINT_SPEED)

Speed at which fiber will be printed on the part.

Fiber print speed should match the speed at which the fiber is extruded from the spool (unlike plastic print). A mismatch can lead to fiber pulling away from the layer or excess fiber extrusion, which will lead to fiber not sticking on the layer and causing folds.

Print speed for fiber is generally slower than plastic because plastic filament melts completely and sticks to the layer. Fiber on the other hand is a continuous entity, which doesn't melt and deposit. It deposits with the help of surrounding resin material.

Print Speed after Cut

Speed at which fiber will be printed on the part after a cut is made

This speed can be faster than FIBER_PRINT_SPEED as higher speed after cut will not pull the already printed fiber off from the layer.

Fiber Cut Offset (FIBER_CUT_DISTANCE)

The distance between nozzle outlet and fiber cut point.

This distance decide when to make the cut in fiber, so the current segment ends exactly with cut fiber portion. Incorrect value here can lead to fiber overlap (if higher) or gap in fiber segments (if lower)

Initial Fiber Extrusion ( INITIAL_FIBER_EXTRUSION )

Extra fiber length to extrude outside the nozzle before starting print.

Since sticking fiber on the layer is slightly different than plastic, sometimes extruding an extra distance of fiber on the part before starting fiber print helps fiber stick to the part.

Fiber Z-hop (FIBER_Z_HOP)

The distance by which the nozzle should rise in Z direction before starting next segment.

When printing fiber, extruding fiber just to touch the nozzle tip (or slightly extra as noted by INITIAL_FIBER_EXTRUSION value) can be obstructed if the nozzle is just touching the part. In such case, nozzle can be lifted up by FIBER_Z_HOP value. Once the fiber is extruded for print start, the nozzle will be brought down to the part and print can progress normally.

Advanced Settings

C6 - Fiber print advanced settings

Plastic Wall Count (PLASTIC_WALL_COUNT)

Number of plastic walls outside a fiber wall, for each perimeter.

When fiber is used to print walls in a layer, plastic walls are printed outside and inside the fiber wall to ensure it is properly encapsulated and also to ensure bonding with infill portion. By default, at least 1 inner plastic wall is printed with a fiber wall. User can control how many plastic walls should be printed outside the fiber wall.

Fiber Wall Count (FIBER_WALL_COUNT)

Number of fiber walls per perimeter.

If a specific wall perimeter length is less than FIBER_CUT_DISTANCE it cannot accommodate fiber walls. In such case, the same width of wall will be filled with required number of plastic walls.

This option is disabled as the FIBER_WALL_COUNT can be estimated from PLASTIC_WALL_COUNT and FIBER_WALL_COUNT

This parameter is directly related to WALL_COUNT from Layer Settings . WALL_COUNT= PLASTIC_WALL_COUNT + FIBER_WALL_COUNT + 1 inner plastic wall

Continuous Z Print (Vase mode)

As the option says, this option allows a continuous print without cutting fiber after each layer.

This option can only be used if you are only printing walls of the object, no infill. In this case, the fiber doesn't need to cut. It can seamlessly transition from one layer to another.

Using this mode with infill in the part can lead to unexpected results

Alternate Fiber Layers

When using fiber, this option prints fiber wall/infill every other layer only

This option can be used to increase bonding of fibers by providing a plastic layer between each fiber layer.

Avoid layers for fiber

Comma separated list of layers where fiber print should be avoided.

This provides user a custom control to avoid fiber in certain layers.