Supports

conditions that require supports supports are a temporary structure, printed in the same material as the part, that may be required to ensure successful printing supports are removed after printing conditions that require supports are overhangs (and bridges) any feature that projects from the part either horizontally (parallel to the platform) or below the recommended self supporting angle (shown in red) reference dls design guidelines for overhang distance and self supporting angles per resin overhangs (and bridges) island a feature that begins printing above the platform before it is connected to the rest of the part island adhesion when a part or its orientation does not have enough surface contact with the platform to hold on at the start of a print, adhesion supports or a different orientation are needed reference dls printer dynamics docid\ u7xyytjydp3bvsyy2qkcu adhesion stability supports are needed to allow the part to withstand the suction forces of printing reference dls printer dynamics docid\ u7xyytjydp3bvsyy2qkcu stability apply supports after orienting your part this guide will show you what tools you have available inside the printer ui and how to use them part supports strategy is a topic covered in detail in the orientation & supports guide parts designed for dls™ production can greatly reduce or eliminate the need for supports supports are resin specific supports are resin specific carbon's supports are calibrated to suit the selected resin support parameters are based on the resin to provide an optimal balance of stability and ease of removability for auto supports, density and quantity of supports varies per resin you must select your resin first before creating a support structure select your resin first before creating a support structure if you do change the resin after creation of supports, the software will give you a warning to verify if you want to keep the previous support structure or clear supports regenerate supports after transforming a supported part, you have the option to regenerate supports selecting yes will regenerate supports based on the existing support points, while selecting no will delete supports available in software v1 43 and higher transforms include orienting toggling between on/above platform spinning/rotating scaling supports regenerate after transform enable feature for projects created prior to v1 43 supports regenerate after transform transform part hover over regenerate supports dialog to view support points select yes for supports transform may negate some supports enable feature for projects created prior to v1 43 without action project created before v1 43 transform part ⚠︎ supports gone supports gone to enable feature delete or add any support undo action if desired project ready for v1 43 functionality note that if you want to regenerate supports, you must select yes in the prompt immediately before taking any other actions (such as adding additional supports or refreshing the page) otherwise the functionality will be lost and supports will be cleared supports may revert back to default parameters when regenerated after a transform double check support parameters and rebuild as needed where different support parameters are desired part position while orienting and supporting your part, you will need to decide if the part should be above platform or on platform the primary considerations are as follows assess each consideration for each potential orientation platform contact open project settings view slices ⚠ first print slice very small first print slice very small above platform first print slice good contact first print slice good contact on platform platform contact feature distance from platform less than 3 mm less than 3 mm above platform greater than 3 mm greater than 3 mm on platform supports <3mm tall are less effective and more difficult to remove feature distance from platform unvented volumes print defect from unvented volume unvented volume with on platform auto orientation no unvented volume lifted above platform above platform lifting a part onto supports will eliminate unvented volumes when the unvented cavity sits on the platform unvented volumes your part will be lifted above platform if you select that option and run auto orientation in the orient tab if you did not auto orient your part, then you will need to actively select above platform in the supports tab (the part will not default to above platform) note that the above platform choice lifts your part 6 mm above the platform above platform orientations always require supports , but more options are available if you prefer to change the default part position to on platform , you may do so in your project settings the setting is named default part position for auto orientation (printer requires 1 36 software version) types of supports there are two types of supports offered in the software, each providing unique benefits fence supports fence supports bar supports bar supports supports are printed in the same material as the part and are removed from the part after printing, leaving behind small support nubs on the surface of the part that you see here fence supports fences are narrow, perforated walls that are extruded from polylines defined on the part fence supports can be added manually to your support structure how fence supports work created by defining polylines on your part surface connect at the part with a series of tapered points that are narrowest at the part surface, where the support breaks off during removal tall fence supports lose stiffness and can move or buckle unless strengthened (see 💡 tips & tricks below) creating fence supports with polylinesfence supports break line at part surface when to use fence supports along edges when surface finish is important when less than 30 mm tall when not not to use fence supports when greater than 30 mm tall (unless strengthened per 💡tips & tricks) 💡 tips & tricks for taller fence supports the downside to fence supports is that they are not always strong enough to be relied on for stability, with the default settings not performing well when fences are tall (over 30 mm) there are a couple tricks to make fence supports stronger and more effective at taller heights adjust parameters increase the wall thickness learn more about editable support parameters supports adjust parameters increase the wall thickness hybrid use fence supports on edges and bar supports in the center for stability hybrid use fence supports on edges and bar supports in the center for stability matrix build fence supports in a grid pattern to make them structurally stronger matrix build fence supports in a grid pattern to make them structurally stronger bar supports bar supports are hexagonal rod structures that attach at a single point on the surface a collection of bar supports automatically truss together to create a strong, stable support structure auto supports utilize bar supports, and you can also manually add bar supports supports generated at the same time will truss together points generated in a separate operation will not truss with existing supports, only with supports in the same operation how bar supports work created by defining points on your part surface connect at the part with a wide tip and taper to a neck that serves as the break point beyond the break point, the bar widens to its main diameter, until it reaches the platform for an even larger base structure for adhesion when to use bar supports for stability when not not to use bar supports when surface finish is important, due to larger support nubs on surface manual supports manual supports manual supports is the best option for creating an efficient production build a selection of tools are available to provide both types of supports (fence and bar), as well as the ability to fine tune the support parameters for your build conditions choosing where and how supports are added to your parts allows you to make the best decisions for your application regarding orientation and supports there are three methods for manual supports and some general guidelines that apply to all supports /#patchsupports /#fencesupports /#barsupports /#editing supportssupports /#deleting supportssupports /#editable support parameters multiple areas and types of supports can be generated at once for example, you can have multiple patch sections, each with different parameters multiple fence polylines can also be drawn with separate parameters, and all can be generated at once, with the patches, even on multiple parts patch patch is the quickest method to apply supports to a surface both fence and bar support types can be generated with the patch tool select patch menu under manual tab supports with patch video text select a surface where supports are needed adjust overhang angle to highlight the surface you need select support type bar, fence, boundary fence only adjust spacing to increase/decrease density of supports optionally edit primary support parameters optionally include a boundary of fence supports on edges adjust margin to specify distance from edge optionally edit boundary fence parameters click generate all including the boundary fence is generally advised unless the fence causes cleanability issues base raft option the base raft option automatically places supports closer together with large bases that connect many (or all) supports together as a “raft ” this option was created for certain dental applications to create supports compatible with automatic part removal via the ao backpack, part of carbon’s automatic operation suite of products all patch supports that will be printed in automatic mode require the use of base rafts while this feature has primarily been tested with certain types of supported dental models printed in dpr10 , all users are able to access this feature when using patch supports note that selecting “base raft" pre sets the bar spacing and base diameter parameters and disables the boundary fence for these dental applications; however, all parameters remain editable to provide flexibility for a wide range of use cases generate base raft for patch supports go to the supports tab select a patch for the area to be supported, following overhang guidelines for the model type under bar support parameters, toggle base raft to on use default parameter settings or adjust as desired default settings are optimized for use with the ao backpack and dpr 10 dental models/dies click generate all dismiss any notifications of supports that could not be generated generate base raft for patch supports example base rafts in dental applications the left shows examples of bad bad supports for auto mode generated with base raft off base raft off small, disconnected bar supports and fence supports will leave debris in the cassette and cause either delays for debris removal or auto mode to turn off the right shows examples of good good supports for auto mode generated with base raft on base raft on supports are spaced closer together with large bases that connect most, or all, supports together base raft off | base raft on patches as edge constraints existing patches can be used as an edge constraint for new patches in software release v1 37 and above previous software versions used the overhang angle only as an edge constraint, overlapping existing patches if present strategically, this allows you better control over where supports are placed, or what parameters are used within patches existing patches can be used as an edge constraint for new patches fence select fence menu under manual tab fence supports video text click points to draw a polyline click esc when done with a polyline hold shift to snap to an edge click on polyline to select for editing click new point to extend draw window over point to select and click on polyline to select for editing hold e and click & drag a point for fine tuning select straight tip for horizontal surfaces or angled for angled surfaces clicking note that when a polyline is selected in green green , it is editable when the polyline is red red , it is selected for deletion bar select bar menu under manual tab bar supports video text click multiple points for bar supports click generate all multiple bar supports generated at the same time truss together hold shift to snap to an edge new points truss together but remain separate from existing supports control connection points click start point hold ctrl for end point magenta indicates sub optimal location click end point repeat as needed generate all control connection points note that the size of the dot on the part while creating fence and bar supports is not representative of the size of the support tip that will be generated, which varies by resin editing supports the start/end points of bar supports and the polylines of fence supports can be edited after they are generated only one support can be edited at a time, and processing support edits on large, complex models may be slow press esc to cancel a support edit if desired available software v1 43 and higher bar supports edit bar support location edit bar support location click on support click edit bar move tip location magenta indicates sub optimal surface click to set location move base location can place on part or on platform edited support connection may differ edited support connection may differ the algorithm building supports may make unexpected decisions when editing supports differences most likely occur on steep surfaces when supports truss together click undo and try again with slight variation until satisfied with results edit fence support location edit fence support location click on support click edit fence move polyline control points hold e while clicking and dragging points click on part to add new points to extend polyline click generate all when editing is complete delete points box select unwanted points (start your selection box outside the part to avoid inadvertently creating new supports) and press delete fences generated automatically via patch supports can be edited, but because such fences did not have defined polylines prior to generation, a new polyline will be estimated for editing purposes prior to software v1 43 projects created prior to installing v1 43 that include support structures, support editing will not be available until you make at least one alteration to supports click on support support not editable support not editable delete or add any support undo action if desired click on support support editable support editable note that any supports edited after these steps will revert to default parameters unless parameters are adjusted prior to editing prior to software v1 43 ensure that the supports tab is active to edit support locations deleting supports delete ungenerated supports hover over single bar point and click when red with cursor not over a part draw a window to select points/patch and press delete or backspace with cursor over a part press ctrl (or ⌘ ) while drawing a window to select points/patch and press delete or backspace or delete selected supports here \[trash icon] delete ungenerated supports delete generated supports click on a support and press delete draw a window to select supports to delete press delete to remove supports delete generated supports clear supports delete all supports on selected part(s) warning to confirm clear supports editable support parameters manual supports, of both types, default to parameters that have been optimized for the selected resin default values work well for the majority of print conditions, but parameters are editable to address special conditions the parameters that can be edited fence support parameters fence support parameters tip thickness thickness at the top of the support this dimension may be fully or partially embedded in the part wall thickness main thickness for most of the fence support base thickness wider portion of the fence support that sits on the platform bar support parameters bar support parameters tip diameter diameter at the top of the support this dimension may be fully or partially embedded in the part neck diameter where the tip narrows as the break point bar diameter main diameter for most of the support base diameter wider part at the bottom of the support where it sits on the platform by default, the base on a bar support is a multiplier of the bar diameter if you choose to specify a bar diameter but not a base diameter, the base diameter will be scaled up or down according to the bar diameter guideline varies by height, and the most conservative guideline is shown fence guidelines for rpu 70 default parameters and guidelines the default (auto) values for each parameter are pre set for the resin you selected those values are listed below the field as a guideline so you have a benchmark for increasing or decreasing values when guidelines have an asterisk , the guideline varies by height, and the most conservative guideline is shown to use adjusted parameters, adjust the values before generating a support existing supports cannot be edited after generation but can be deleted view adjusted parameters you may select any existing support to view the dimensional parameters associated with that support software v1 43 and higher if multiple supports are selected that have different parameters, measurement fields will display “multiple ” select an individual support to see relevant dimensions view adjusted parameters when existing supports are selected in the print preparation ui, parameters are grayed out/inactive to clarify that generated supports cannot be altered to modify support parameters, delete existing supports and re generate example parameter edits tip/neck decrease tip size example 1 impeller on bar supports impeller on bar supports this part is printed raised on a bed of bar supports support nubs removed in finishing support nubs removed in finishing all support nubs will be quickly sanded off the bottom surface as a finishing step tip size reduced on edge tip size reduced on edge an issue arises with the default tip size on supports close to an edge, where the tip size is large enough to leave material on both the bottom and side surface sanding the side surfaces would add a lot of time to the finishing step to avoid additional finishing, the tip size can be reduced on these edge supports to eliminate support nubs from appearing on the side surface example 2 reducing the tip size could be used to better match feature sizes on the part this threaded example uses fence supports on the edge of the thread the default tip size wraps around the edge of the thread, while the smaller tip size stays confined to only the edge example 3 reducing the tip on fence supports and both the tip and neck on bar supports, you can reduce the size of the support nubs left on the part while results are visually subtle, this could have a favorable impact on finishing time in a production application note that the height of support nubs is not affected, only the thickness/diameter caution caution reducing tip/neck size too much can cause parts to detach during printing as seen in the example below utilize tip reduction with caution tip/neck increase tip size part detached from supports during printing part detached from supports during printing increasing the tip size can be a fix for parts that break away from supports during printing parts that are top heavy and unstable, with relatively few supports at the beginning of the print, may benefit from supports having a stronger connection to the part to combat dls printer dynamics see also base parameter below wall/bar increasing the wall thickness or bar diameter is a method to improve stability of a part during printing to combat dls printer dynamics by default, bar supports already provide great stability, but fence supports provide little to no stability when tall in this example, the tall supports are required for stability only fence supports | bar supports fence supports 1 the default default fence support is too thin at this height to provide stability, will likely buckle under its own weight, and the part will fail will fail 2 increasing the wall thickness increasing the wall thickness of the fence to the dls design guidelines for the resin will create a successful print bar supports 1 bar supports are always a stable option with default default parameters 2 as bar supports are already stable, increasing bar diameter is less common, but could be pursued to reduce the overall quantity of supports in this example, a single bar support is used with an increased bar diameter increased bar diameter for this strategy to work, the tip and neck diameter also need to be increased to have a stronger connection to the part base if the wall thickness or bar diameter has been increased, the base often should be increased as well to remain larger than the support note that fence supports and bar supports behave differently in the software when determining the base size fence base thickness is a static number to increase the base size to proportionally scale with the wall thickness, you must enter a higher value bar base diameter is determined by a multiplier of the bar diameter a larger bar diameter will automatically scale up the base proportionally if the base scales up more than you prefer, enter a value fence support base fence support base default wall thickness and base increased wall thickness and default base increased wall thickness and increased base bar support base bar support base default bar diameter and base increased bar diameter and default base (increased proportionally by default) increased bar diameter and increased base (manually increased) base adhesion base adhesion for parts highly susceptible to dls printer dynamics , the support itself may under adhesion to the platform increasing the base will mitigate this failure this is especially true if you have increased the tip size of the support to hold onto the part more strongly usually, the part will detach from supports first, but if that connection is made stronger, the base may also need to be increased in size auto supports when to use auto support is best used as a tool to provide guidance for quoting auto supports provide a quick approximation of how many supports will be needed via part and support volume estimates in the project analysis tab quoting with auto supports the average run time is a few minutes when not not to use auto supports utilize overhang and island information to inform where supports may be needed printing forces are not considered in the algorithmic solution adhesion and stability are therefore not fully accounted for and print success with auto supports may vary extra supports extra supports due to how the algorithm assesses overhangs, it is not uncommon for auto supports to add small supports that are either difficult to access for removal and/or add minimal benefit (examples of extra supports shown here in red ) under supported under supported auto supports may not fully account for adhesion and stability this example shows a manually supported solution that has a greater density of supports in key areas for adhesion and stability auto supports are resin specific auto supports in rpu 70 and epu 40 the supports generated are specific for the selected resin for example rpu 70 will not have the same results as epu 40 in the example shown here, you can see that the epu 40 version has a greater quantity of supports (due to epu 40 being softer during printing) the elastomeric resins and mpu 100 tend to show the greatest variation from other resins how auto supports adapt to the resin break points are sized for the resin density of supports suit the resin quantity of supports suit the resin how to use auto supports select the automatic automatic tab for quick iterations , then click generate generate select the automatic tab for quick iterations, then click generate run on a single part the software will not allow you to select more than one part lay out the full build after supports are generated run on a single part