Layer vs. Nozzle

[Gundy1024]

Question,

I am sure I read this somewhere but I can remember where.

Is there a limit to layer height based on nozzle size? Can I print a .05 layer height with a .5mm nozzle?

Thanks,

Gundy

[IMBoring25]

The general guideline I've seen is to keep layer heights between roughly 20-80% of nozzle diameter, so your proposed setup would be well outside that guideline.

When you're talking about extremely fine layer heights, you'll also run into positioning accuracy and precision problems depending on how your machine is set up. Positioning the nozzle accurately/precisely enough to use .05 layer heights on a delta printer will likely require a board with higher microstepping, like a Duet. A Cartesian or CoreXY tends to use a highly geared-down Z axis, which would help.

[geneb]

[img]http://www.geneb.org/rostock-max/50-micron-cube.jpg[/img]

50 micron layer height, 0.5 nozzle. Printed that on a v1 in 2013 and took two and a half hours.

I wouldn't do it again with anything larger than a 0.35 nozzle.

g.

[626Pilot]

0.35 is a great nozzle size. Even going from 0.4 to 0.35 makes a noticeable difference in how small a feature (like lettering) can be. At the same time, you don't lose so much width that it takes a million years to draw infill, and they don't create much more backpressure than a 0.4 nozzle. Really wish this nozzle size was more common. I can't even get that for my Cyclops. It is available for the E3D v6.