Glossary

Automatically varying layer thickness across a model — thin layers on sloped detail, thick layers on vertical walls — to balance quality and print time.

See also: Layer height

A wall-generation engine that varies extrusion width to fill thin features cleanly, instead of forcing fixed-width lines. Default in modern PrusaSlicer/Orca; matters most on text and thin walls.

See also: Perimeters (walls / shells), Extrusion width

Printing a flat span between two supported points with no support underneath. Dedicated bridge speed, flow, and cooling settings keep the span from sagging.

See also: Overhang, Cooling (part cooling fan)

Stopping extrusion slightly before the end of a path and relying on nozzle pressure to finish it, reducing blobs at line ends. A supplement to, not a replacement for, retraction.

See also: Retraction

Airflow that solidifies freshly extruded plastic. Critical for overhangs, bridges, and fine detail in PLA; reduced or off for ABS/ASA to prevent warping and layer splitting.

See also: Bridging, Warping

The slight outward bulge of the first few layers from heat and bed pressure. Corrected with first-layer flow/height tuning or an elephant-foot compensation setting.

See also: First layer

How wide each extruded line is, independent of nozzle diameter. Wider lines print faster and stronger; narrower lines resolve fine detail.

See also: Arachne perimeter generator, Flow rate (extrusion multiplier)

The foundation layer printed on the bed. Sliced slower, often thicker and hotter, because its adhesion and squish determine the success of everything above it.

See also: Layer height, Elephant foot

A calibration factor scaling how much filament is extruded. Too high causes bulging and rough tops; too low causes gaps and weak parts. Calibrated per filament.

See also: Extrusion width, Pressure advance / linear advance

The line-by-line machine instructions a slicer outputs — movement, extrusion, temperature, and fan commands the printer runs in order.

See also: Slicer

An isotropic, periodic infill that provides similar strength in all directions and prints without sharp direction changes. A common general-purpose default.

See also: Infill

The internal lattice that fills a part's hollow interior. Pattern and density trade material and time against strength and weight.

See also: Lightning infill, Gyroid infill, Perimeters (walls / shells)

The vertical thickness of each printed layer. Smaller heights mean finer detail and longer prints; larger heights are faster and stronger in Z but coarser.

See also: Adaptive layer height, First layer

A minimal infill that only grows supports where the top surface needs backing, drastically cutting material and time for non-structural parts.

See also: Infill, Gyroid infill

A part of the model that extends outward beyond what the layer below can support. Steep overhangs (past ~45–60° from vertical, machine-dependent) need supports or design changes.

See also: Supports, Bridging

The outer loops that form a part's vertical surfaces. Wall count drives strength and surface quality far more than infill does for most functional parts.

See also: Arachne perimeter generator, Seam, Infill

Firmware compensation that manages extruder pressure during speed changes so corners and line starts stay crisp instead of bulging or thinning. Tuned via slicer calibration prints.

See also: Flow rate (extrusion multiplier), Seam

Pulling filament back during travel moves to stop oozing. Length and speed are balanced against stringing on one side and clogs or grinding on the other.

See also: Stringing, Coasting

The visible start/stop point on each perimeter loop where the nozzle begins and ends a layer. Seam placement settings hide it on an edge or scatter it to make it less obvious.

See also: Perimeters (walls / shells), Z-seam

Software that converts a 3D model into G-code: layered toolpaths plus temperature, speed, and flow instructions a printer can execute. PrusaSlicer, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer, and Cura are the common ones.

See also: G-code, Layer height

Thin filament wisps left between separated parts of a print, caused by oozing during travel. Addressed with retraction tuning, temperature, and drying the filament.

See also: Retraction

The dense top layers of a support that contact the model. Tuning interface gap and density is the main lever for clean removal versus surface scarring.

See also: Supports, Tree (organic) supports

Temporary structures the slicer adds under overhangs so they don't print into air. Removed after printing; their interface settings control how cleanly they peel off.

See also: Tree (organic) supports, Overhang, Support interface

Branching supports that grow up to contact points while avoiding the model. Use far less material than grid supports and remove more cleanly on curved parts.

See also: Supports, Support interface

The mm³/s rate at which the hotend can melt and extrude plastic. It is the real cap on print speed; setting speeds above it causes under-extrusion regardless of the speed numbers entered.

See also: Flow rate (extrusion multiplier)

Corners lifting as a print cools unevenly. A material and environment problem the slicer only partly mitigates (brim, reduced cooling, bed temperature).

See also: Cooling (part cooling fan), First layer

The vertical line formed when per-layer seams stack. Aligning it to a corner, a back face, or randomizing it is one of the most common surface-quality tweaks.

See also: Seam