Extruder temperature is the single most important setting in 3D printing. Without the optimal temperature, no print will work. So, this is the first thing you should tune. To check the optimal temperature for your printer, refer to the printer manual (for most printers it's between 200°C - 210°C) or you can print a temperature tower to see which value works best for you. Too high extruder temperature can cause over extrusion with blobs all over the print. On the other hand, low temperature will cause under extrusion where not all layers will be fully printed. If your printer offers a heating bed, it primarily affects bed adhesion. A hotter bed will provide good adhesion (too high could deform a part on the bed), while a cooler one will lead to warping. The optimal temperature for a heated bed should be between 60°C - 70°C. You can find temperature settings under the material section in the Hexo 3D Printing app.

Layer height defines the resolution of the print. A small layer height will give more resolution but will take more time. A larger layer height will print faster as the machine does not have to print as many layers, but the resolution will be compromised. Another thing to keep in mind is that a small layer will give you a weaker part. The optimal layer height should be 20% of the nozzle size. You can find layer height settings under the quality section in the Hexo 3D Printing app.

As the name suggests, we are referring to the speed at which the printhead will move. Increasing the speed will result in faster prints but will affect the print quality. Complex and detailed parts require slower speed to capture the details. However, the more rigid a 3D printer is, the higher the speed it can print while maintaining the quality.

Build plate adhesion is an auto-generated physical feature that improves the bed adhesion (how well a part sticks to the build plate). It's typically important for the first layer. There are mainly three types of Build Plate Adhesion:

Infill can affect the print in two ways: print time and part strength. The higher the infill density, the more strength a part will have. 0% refers to a hollow part with no infill, and 100% refers to a completely solid part. The optimal infill density is 20%. Infill pattern refers to the geometric shape of the infill. The Hexo 3D Printing app offers a variety of infill patterns to choose from. Just keep in mind that some patterns optimize print time at the expense of part strength.

Shell thickness refers to the number of layers of wall, top, and bottom. Shell thickness has a significant impact on a print. The higher the shell thickness, the stronger the part will be and the longer it will take to print because the more shell you have, the more solid layers your machine has to print. In the Hexo 3D Printing app, you can tweak all three parameters individually under the shell section.

Cooling refers to the speed of the part cooling fan on your printer. When adjusting the cooling fan speed, consider the material you are using to print. If you are using PLA, it requires moderate cooling. But if you are using ABS, you shouldn't have any cooling because it can lead to cracking. If your part has overhangs and you don't want to use supports, you can increase the cooling fan speed to rapidly solidify overhangs.

Supports are critical to effectively printing parts with overhangs or bridges. Optimizing the cooling rate can assist with printing overhangs without using supports, although it's not recommended. The printer cannot simply dispense material into the air; it needs some support to print on. The Hexo 3D Printing app controls the overhang angle for optimal printing, so if you suspect your part has overhangs, the generate supports feature is recommended.

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