Support: Requirements

Stub page to capture the general and specific requirements for printing support material. Every statement with a bolded shall or shall not represents a testable requirement.

• Support material contact area with printbed shall be drawn with minimum length min_length and a minimum defined width min_width.
  • Support material generation shall adhere to the minimum and maximum widths.
• Support material shall be generated for all areas that contain unsupported perimeters, if support_material_enable == True for that area.
  • Unsupported perimeters shall be defined as having overhang_percentage or more of the perimeter width that does not have another extrusion type directly below.
  • overhang_percentage shall default to 60% (0.6) in the configuration.
• If support_bridges == False, support shall not be generated for bridging areas.
  • Bridging areas are defined as an area bounded by an perimeter loop with a straight unsupported segment adjacent to another segment in the same loop that is not unsupported.
• The distance from the top of the support to the bottom of the supported structure shall be defined as contact_distance_z.
  • contact_distance_z represents the real gap between the top of the generated support and the desired bottom of the above (bridging) layer.
  • contact_distance_z of 0 is useful for soluable supports.
  • Note: contact_distance_z + nozzle_diameter is the distance from the top of the bridging layer to the top of the support.
• The bottom interface of support material with another extrusion beneath it shall be separated by a distance of bottom_interface_z from the top of the underlying extrusion.
  • bottom_interface_z values are to promote removal of support base from another printed layer.
• Intermediate support material (between interfaces) shall be extruded at a layer height of maximum_support_layer_height.
  • maximum_support_layer_height shall have a default value equal to nozzle_diameter * 0.8.
• Intermediate support material shall be drawn at a space density of support_density.
  • support_density is a ratio from 0.0 (no intermediate support) to 1.0 (solid intermediate support).
  • support_density shall default to a value of 0.3
• Support material contact area shall be drawn at a space density of contact_density.
  • contact_density is a ratio from 0.0 (no intermediate support) to 1.0 (solid intermediate support).
  • contact_density shall default to a value of 0.3
• Support material contact area shall drawn with a minimal length and minimal width.
• Support material shall not be drawn within a separation distance contact_distance_xy from the model faces.