More outlines or more infill

[3DbyCB]

I currently use S3D for slicing and one thing that I have been going back and forth on for my models are whether to use more outlines or more infill for the strength of the part. The model I am making is a shower head with printed treads and I've found that by using 3 outlines instead of the default 2 outlines in S3d that I get a much stronger part and can use significantly less infill (10%). I just wanted to pose the question for others to get your thoughts on whats the better route to go.

Thanks,
Chad

[ednisley]

use more outlines or more infill for the strength

I use a single perimeter thread for small or finely detailed parts, two threads with 15% 3D Honeycomb infill for most objects, and three threads with 25% 3D Honeycomb for "strong" objects. The infill percentages are for PETG, but the general idea has worked for years: the infill supports a rigid shell against outside forces. Build a solid shell and you need only enough infill to prevent crushing.

A single perimeter allows more room for infill in tiny peninsulas. More perimeters tend to crowd out the infill pattern, no matter how dense you make it, so there's a tradeoff between perimeters & infill deep in the corners.

This pillar fits inside a stack of hard drive platters and holds four LED strips:

Hard drive mood light central pillar - angled slots for LED strips

The OD is 25 mm and the strips are 12 mm wide, so there's not much room for the four mushroom shapes that support the platters. Two perimeter threads choked off all the infill, so I had to go with one. The usual 15% 3D Honeycomb infill provides enough strength, but I wouldn't want to use it for anything structural!