When it comes to 3D printing, resolution is one of the most important factors. If you want to print something with precision and detail, it is important that the printer has a high resolution. In this article we will explain what determines the resolution of 3D printing machines and how they work, so that you can determine the type of printer that best suits your needs!

Keys to Resolving a 3D Print

Resolution refers to the 3D printer’s ability to distinguish different positions when printing. The higher the resolution of a printer, the more accurate it is and the finer details it can produce.

The resolution of a 3D print is determined by a few key factors. The first of these is the printer’s ability to distinguish different positions when printing. This is the so-called “position accuracy”, measured in microns (1 micron = 0.001 mm). The second part of the resolution refers to how much something can be printed with the 3D printer; this is the “minimum feature size”. Finally, there is accuracy: how well does the machine stratify the printed layers? The greater the difference between these two numbers, the higher the resolution.

This resolution is determined by a few key factors:

• The size of each nozzle that extrudes the filament to create an object;
• The size of these nozzles with respect to the width of each layer on which they are deposited;
• The speed at which they move;
• Their number (for example, if they have only one nozzle or two).
• The height of the layer (or z-axis movement) of the printhead.

Height of the layer

The second most important factor to consider is the layer height of the 3D print. Layer height refers to the thickness of each layer of the 3D print and is measured in millimeters (mm). A low number means a thin layer will be printed, while a higher number means a thicker layer will be printed.

The standard range is from 0.1mm to 0.2mm; however, high resolution prints may have smaller values ​​(0.05mm or less), which allow for more detail, but are more time consuming and use more material.

Diameter of the nozzle

The nozzle diameter is the size of the opening the printer uses to deposit the plastic. The smaller the nozzle, the higher the resolution of the print. A larger nozzle will allow more material to be deposited on the build plate, with lower resolution.

The width of the nozzle is measured in millimeters. A 0.5mm nozzle will deposit less material than a 1 or 2mm nozzle and have a higher resolution. The width of the nozzle is important because it determines the amount of material that can be spread in a single pass. The smaller the nozzle, the higher the resolution that can be achieved.

Print Speed

Print speed is the maximum speed at which a 3D printer can print, determined by the extrusion speed of the printer. The faster the filament is fed into the hot end, the faster the material will extrude onto the build platform. This results in a faster print time.

However, if you increase the print speed too much, you can experience warping problems due to insufficient adhesion between the plastic layers printed together (known as under-extrusion). In this case, it is necessary to decrease the thickness of each layer until it works correctly again; however, care must be taken not to make them too thin, otherwise the prints will be faint.

Higher resolution means slower prints and higher costs

The resolution of a 3D print is determined by the diameter of the nozzle and the height of the layer. These two factors affect the size of the model features. The smaller the characteristics, the higher the resolution; however, increasing either of these two values ​​leads to increased printing times and costs.

To better understand the relationship between layer height, nozzle diameter, and resolution, consider this example:

If you have a 0.4mm nozzle that prints 0.1mm thick layers, every 10 layers will represent one millimeter in height (10 * 0.1mm = 1mm). In theory, if we reduced the size of the nozzle to 0.3mm and left everything else unchanged, we would be able to print finer details because each 10th layer would only represent 0.7mm instead of 1mm (10 * 0, 7 mm = 7 mm). This means that if we wanted to print an object with 100 equally spaced grooves on its surface, before changing any settings, these could easily be made with an accuracy level within 1% tolerance.

Resolution measurement

Resolution dimensions include:

• Line Width – The distance between two parallel lines (measured in micrometers).
• Line Spacing – The space between adjacent lines (also measured in micrometers).
• Surface roughness – How rough or smooth the surface is; it can often be determined by the ease with which a piece of paper slides across it.
• Edge Sharpness – How sharp or blunt an edge is; it can be measured using a stylus dipped in ink and used to press against the side of a 3D model printed at various resolutions.
• Surface finish – the glossy and shiny appearance of the print; it can be observed by controlling the amount of light reflected from the surface and the amount of light refracted on other nearby surfaces.

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you a good idea of ​​how the resolution of a 3d print works and how it affects its quality.