I found this on the preform download page, and I cannot seem to figure out if it actually exists. Does anyone know about this?
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Unfortunately, it has been almost a year, but not in action yet.
there is a beta program where you can download a version with adaptiv layer thickness. I use it all the time. Works good for me on a form2 but the program is slow. I only use clear material and never tested it with other materials. I can see the beta in my dashboard.
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Yes it is in the beta version. I was waiting for this for a long time from formlabsā¦ They sat on it for 2 months after advertising that is was part of the software. (it was not) Then the releaseā¦ VERY DISAPPOINTING to say the least.
They say āUse this advanced print mode to SELECTIVELY very layer thickness throughout printingā WRONGā¦
you can only turn it on or offā¦ thatās it there is no SELECTIVELY! & it always adds more time instead of balancing out the layering & detail to cut time. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THIS FEATURE! If we could pick the layers we want finer detail then this would be a game changer as far as print speed & detail but the way they set it up now its--------> GARBAGE
I think this function has not been established for good a reason.
If you print balls, as in the example, an automatic layer height adjustment may still make sense.
Most of the time, however, the prints are more complex and not so beautifully symmetrical. Then each part, which has a smaller slope, would make the whole plane to be exposed thinner. In the end, with an average part, there will probably hardly be any thick layers left.
However, it would make more sense if you could manually adjust the height of different layer areas, depending on the model.
Adaptive Layers is currently in Beta for Form 2, you can get it through the Beta Program in Dashboard here: https://formlabs.com/dashboard/#beta
Since the materials settings on Form 3 are still improving rapidly (just take a look at the PreForm release notes to see how much material validation work is happening at Formlabs over the last 9 months), we havenāt enabled this for Form 3 just yet, waiting for the material settings validation work to settle. Stay tuned!
@dave55rc Iām glad to hear you tried the beta feature and thank you for the feedback, bummer that it didnāt work well for you. The geometry youāre printing definitely makes a big difference - simpler parts with only 1-2 areas of detail will tend to see a more significant speed increase, while parts with details spread around the part in Z will tend to stay with the thinnest layers everywhere. If you can post an example of what you were printing that would be very helpful! We are currently looking into some ways that we could allow you more control over which layers get which thickness without creating an overly complicated UI in PreForm.
I will take some time and put something together to show how inefficient this feature is the way its set up now but really for this option to be full utilized you must put the control in the users hands. No over complicated UIā¦ pick your start thicknessā¦ lets say .1 then just scroll up the layer bar to the layer you want it to see more detail and have another side bar next to the layer bar where you can select a finer layer say .05 and so onā¦show the different layer heights by colorā¦ but I must say I donāt have much hope that this feature will get the attention it deserves as formlabs has been dragging its feet on this feature. I think they have there hands full with all the form 3 issues.
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YES. This is where you need to allow the user control, so if I have a straight sided part I can speed up the print, then get the detail where I need it.
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Thank you to everyone for all of the replies, I think I will wait a little longer until it is developed further. This tool looks like it could have a lot of potential especially with advanced users. I guess we will have to see weather or not they decide to invest any more time into its development.
Iāve tried beta adaptive layer right when it was released and it worked very well! Unfortunately after a few updates prints started to fail and right now Iām too scared to try it againā¦ I hope it will get fixed or even moved from beta stage to official feature cause it helps to save a lot of time.
Hi everyone,
Thanks for your thoughts on this topic! Weāve continued to work on adaptive layer thickness, and while it is still in beta, support has been expanded to the Form 3! To enable it, choose a compatible material in PreForm and select āBetaā for Print Setting.
However, if this feature isnāt working as expected, or if you have any ideas about how to improve it, please reach out to our support team. Theyāll be happy to diagnose the issue get you back to printing successfully!
Iāve āhackedā adaptive layers to meet my needs. Check it out: Customize Adaptive Layer Thickness!