The wall thickness analysis takes a voxel-based approach. It is comparable to pixels in 2D, but used in 3D space, and represented by a cube volume. The analysis tool splits up your model in a series of voxel or cube-shaped volumes. The analyzer will use these volumes to detect whether there are enough voxels to comply with the minimum recommended wall thickness of each material. The downside of this approach is that the orientation of your design can influence the outcome of the analysis. So if you see that any repeated details or features in different locations on one model are marked as sufficient on one occasion, and insufficient on another, it is possible that the analyzer has misread the thickness and that the details or features do have sufficient wall thickness.
Insufficient Wall Thickness
The wall thickness is not optimal for the chosen material. Wall thickness refers to the distance between one surface of your model and the opposite sheer surface. In general, if the thickness of a model’s wall is insufficient, there is a high risk of production failure such as a loss of detail or features, rounded edges, or even parts breaking off. This is simply because there is not enough material to give the section strength and this means the attachment of the feature will be too thin for printing or too weak to survive the unloading of the printer, post-treatment or shipment. We advise you to increase the wall thickness on the indicated regions and check the specific considerations below.
Insufficient Wall Thickness on Sharp Edges
Sharp edges with limited wall thickness risk getting rounded off. This happens because of multiple reasons, such as the resolution of the printer, layer thickness and the limited strength of small sections. The sharper the edges, the higher the risk of rounded or broken-off tips. There are two ways to solve the issue: increasing the wall thickness of the tip or increasing the angle.
Insufficient Wall Thickness on Embossed or Engraved Details
The wall thickness analysis can’t detect whether the wall thickness of your embossed or engraved details is sufficient. We therefore recommend you to look at the design guide of the material you need. For engraved text or surface details, we usually recommend a minimum width, depth and overall height. Embossed text or surface details should be thick enough that they will not break during production or transport. Similarly, we recommend a minimum width, height and depth.
Not Optimal Wall Thickness
The wall thickness is not suited for the chosen material. There is an increased risk of loss for details and features, rounded edges, or even parts breaking off. We advise you to review this area and increase wall thickness if necessary.
Sufficient Wall Thickness
The wall thickness is optimal for the chosen material. To ensure a good outcome for your 3D print, you can check the list of extra considerations for sufficient wall thickness below.
Sufficient Wall Thickness
Even though the wall thickness of an embossed detail might be displayed as sufficient, you should still check the height of the letter. In some cases, the wall thickness analysis is unable to detect whether details protrude enough, or if they are legible. Please make sure to check the optimal height for embossed details in the design guide.
Additional Remarks
Don't Forget Physics: Gravity, Stability Etc.
Wall thickness analysis doesn’t take into account the stability, gravity, and actual strength of your part. Please be sure to consider how your design will be brought to life in the real world before proceeding with your order.
Special Rules for Connected Models
For connected models, different wall thicknesses should be taken into consideration. This increased wall thickness is needed to make sure that all the parts will stay together and can be handled as one part. You can check the Connecting Parts chapter in Basic Rules, Tips and Tricks for Grouped Models in the design guides.
