How Long Does It Take to 3D Print? – Reduce the Time!

The 3D printing process is a really patient activity. Because it takes time to completely 3D print an object, it is a very popular activity in domestic as well as industrially. 3D printing is used for making 3d models using filaments. So time duration for 3D printing is an exciting topic for the 3d printing owners and reduces time and completes the 3D print easily.

Normally 3D print will take 15 mins to 24 hours or more than that according to the complexity of the 3D model. Fine details, supports, infill, solidity, print speed can increase the 3D printing time. Using proper orientation, less infill, fewer supports can reduce the 3D printing time considerably.

When you 3D print, you can change so many orientations according to printing time. But there are many factors for this. So let’s see how these factors affect the 3d printing time.

Factors for 3D Printing Time

When we consider the 3D printing time, there are many factors to be considered. All these heavily affect the 3D printing time duration, and we have to use those with optimizing. Normally when we do 3D printing, we can calculate the time and material amount using the slicer software. Slicer software provides the actual material and time frame according to the provided 3D model.

So let’s consider each factor and its affection for the time.

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Size of the Object

This is pretty common. According to your general knowledge, you can understand more size objects can take more time, and less size will take less time. Although the size is matters, it can be reduced if there are fewer supports to the object. So better oriented the object as it required fewer supports.

Height

When the height is more, it can be buckle if there is no proper support. So you can orient it along the bed. So it will be a solution for the buckling.

Type of 3D Printer

Many 3D printers are available on the market. Many manufacture present 3D printers with many user-friendly options to the market. So when you are selecting the 3D printer, you have to think about many factors. When the mechanical components are really compatible with the hardware parts, they can run smoothly. Low-quality 3D printers are with vibrations, and some do not work properly.

Due to this reason, printing time can be changed. If the nozzle is not heated properly, it can be clogged. Those mechanical problems directly affect the 3D printing process.

Fine Detail

When a model with fine detail takes much time, if there is fine detail, the 3D printer nozzle needs to move much distance to finish the layer. So adding the fine detail will take much time as well as much material. Fine detail really increases the quality of the 3D model.

But make sure the fine detail should not small than the nozzle diameter. Those fine details are not able to print if the layer thickness is le than the nozzle diameter.

Supports

According to the printed object orientation, support is required. Supports are printed with another material. Therefore it will take much time to print the 3D model. If there are more supports, you can orientate the object as it shows fewer supports. More supports will require more materials also, so print the model wisely.

Infill

When we print the solid model, infill is essential. Infill is important for support and also increases the strength of the model. When you slice the model, you can see there are so many infill patterns and also infill density. According to your selection, you can observe the printing time will change.

When the infill pattern is changed, it will require more material and more laying length, so it will increase the time. As well as infill density is high, it will require more material and time. Therefore use considerable infill that provides the minimum strength for the model. More infill density and pattern will waste time and material.

Solidity

Solidity will decide the strength and stability of the model. If you need to increase the solidity, you need to increase the pattern and density. No object will be 100% solid because it is useless. There are inner structures that can provide the best strength and stability to the model with more than 100% solidity.

More solidly require more material and printing time. So reduce the solidity as much as possible as it provides sufficient strength to the material.

Print Speed and Layer Height

Both are affected for reducing the 3D printing time duration. When the layer height is high, it can print more material on the layer, and it will lead to a quick finish. Print speed is also the same as this. But if these are increased, the layer quality can be reduced. When the layer thickness is high, it can be bend, and the printing speed is too much, high layer thickness will be reduced.

You should use a suitable layer height and print speed considering the outer environment and nozzle temperature. If the outer temperature is high, it will take much time to take solid. A semi-solid state will buckle the layers, and high-speed printing will necking the walls easily due to high-speed print.

Type of Material

Different materials are with different molten temperatures. When the temperatures are different, its print speed should be different. The same printing speed cant is used for all filaments. There will be under extrusion fault when there is more speed, and less molted filaments. So use the temperature of the exact filament for the best output.

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Post Processing

After the printing is done, it should be subjected to post-processing. You can use Acetone and any type of equipment for post-processing the model. Post-processing is really dependent on the user experience. You can remove excess parts and soluble support if the supporting filaments are soluble in the water. And then use Acetone or any recommended compound for the best output.

How to Calculate The 3D Printing Time

Calculating the 3D printing time can’t be solved by hand. It is a mathematical calculation by the slicer software. When we do 3D print, we have to use many options according to the object. So handwritten calculations are not able to do this.

You can use slicer software for this calculation. It will calculate the material amount, time, and other essential parameters. It can calibrate the 3D printer and use the optimized setting for the best output.

Free Slicer software you can use for the 3D printing calculations

Read More About – How to Calculate 3D Printing Times

How to Reduce the 3D Printing Time?

We can reduce the 3D printing time in 02 ways.

01. Reduce the 3D printing Process in 05 Steps

Another one can be done when we set up the 3d printing process. Already we have the modeled 3D model now; let’s see how to optimize the 3d printer to have the best quality 3d printing.

• Increase Printing Speeds

We can increase the 3D printing speed without necking the filaments. When the filament is necking, it will not adhere to the previous layers. So use suitable printing speed.

• Infill and Inner Density

When the infill is high, it will take a lot of time. If you can reduce the infill pattern and density, you can reduce the 3D printing time duration.

• Reduce the Supports

According to the model orientation, it may require supports. When there are more supports, it will take much time to print them. So orient the model as it requires the least supports.

• Use the Optimized Layer Height

You can use the optimized layer height with the printing speed without extruding the layers.

• Use Proper Orientation

According to the 3d model printed side and orientation, the time will depend. When the slicer requires more supports during the printing, you can orient the model and recheck it. Until you have the minim supports, you can orient the model.

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02. Object modeling process

When we do 3D modeling, we can design the model with low details. That means adding less detail to the object. If there is more detail, it will take much time for the 3D printing process. After the model is finished, this is not able to change. So if you are the modeler, you can use fewer polygons for the model. Fewer polygons will produce low detail objects.

When the more curved surface will take much time to 3d print.

How much Material Can I 3D Print in 1 Hour?

Normally you can print 280g filaments in 1 hour. It depends on the model and printing speed. This is based on roughly theoretical calculations. But this value is not the actual value every time because the nozzle is not moving constantly. When we consider the slicer, this is no the actual every time. If the nozzle moves same speed, this can be alright, but in the real situation, that is impossible.

*Assumption – Nozzle speed is constant over the process and used PLA as filament

Material amount;
= Printing Speed x Extruder area x Material denisity x 3600s
= 50mm/s x 3.14 * 0.04 * mm³ x 1240 kg/m³ x 3600s
= 0.280 g/hr

Filaments and Printing Speeds

Before you select the filament, you should know which one can be used for the maximum speed. So let’s see what affordable speed all the filaments can print well are.

Read More About – How Much Does it Cost for 3D Printing per Hour?

Conclusion

3D printing the object will take much time. We can reduce the 3d printing time by changing the supports, infill, geometry, orientation, and many more. We are not able to change the model-based properties such as surface details etc.