How to make 3D prints faster
The speed setting matters least. Print time is set mostly by how much plastic you lay down and how much of it is support, and real speed is capped by acceleration and how fast the hotend melts filament. Fix these, in order.
Settings that reduce print time
- Remove supports. They are slow, travel-heavy and thrown away. Reorient, or use wave overhangs.
- Thicker layers. 0.2–0.28 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle; 0.12 to 0.24 mm halves the layer count. Variable layer height keeps thin layers only where curves need them.
- A 0.6 mm nozzle. The largest single gain for functional parts without fine detail.
- Less plastic. Two or three walls and 10–15% lightning or adaptive cubic infill for non-structural parts.
- Calibrate max volumetric speed. Your hotend's melt limit caps every fast move. OrcaSlicer's test, included in Unlayered Slicer, finds it in one print.
- Raise acceleration. Small parts rarely reach full speed. Input shaping allows higher acceleration without ringing.
Only then does the speed number matter.
Speed vs quality
The trade-off sits in the outer wall, the only line you see. Keep it moderate and run inner walls, infill and supports at the hotend's limit.
Where the slicer matters
The slicer decides how much material is printed and in what order. Unlayered Slicer includes tools aimed at print speed, and wave overhangs remove support print and cleanup time.