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Using the PreForm Print Settings Editor (SLS)

The PreForm Print Setting Editor allows you to tailor print performance with Formlabs materials and supplier certified third-party materials by customizing a range of print settings that control laser power, speed, motion, and powder heating. The tool should only be used by advanced users who understand how to modify print parameters and debug any resulting issues. If you have an issue when printing with your custom print settings, Formlabs Support will ask you to revert back to the Formlabs default print setting. Due to the complex nature of custom print settings, we are unable to assist with fine-tuning or developing custom print settings.

Notice:

Use of the Print Settings Editor or any third-party material comes with risks, including risk of damage to the printer. Please read the terms of service to understand the risks.

Note:

The Print Settings Editor was introduced for Formlabs SLS printers in PreForm 3.41.0. Keep PreForm updated to access the latest print preparation features.

Introduction to tuning

Tuning is a multi-parameter optimization problem. When you change one parameter, you often need to change other parameters. For example, if you increase Perimeter Laser Powers, you may need to adjust Perimeter to Fill Spacing to maintain the same level of dimensional accuracy on small features.

Print performance is heavily dependent on your model geometry and how your model is oriented. You might create a custom print setting that works well for one model but works poorly for a different model. If you plan to use your custom print setting regularly, make sure to test the custom print setting using a range of models.

Maintaining printer health

Notice:

Certain combinations of parameter settings can lead to print failures or printer damage, including but not limited to smoke generation, powder combustion, and extensive powder melting. Read and understand the guidelines below before using the Print Settings Editor with your Formlabs SLS printer.

Settings with high Fill Laser Power (>25,000 mW) and low Fill Laser Speed (<6000 mm/s) increase the risk of smoke generation and powder combustion during printing.
Setting the Air Heater Set Points too high may result in powder melting at the rear of the print bed.
Setting the Bed Temperature Set Points too high can result in full print bed meltdowns which may damage your build chamber.
Setting the Buffer Trough Temperature Set Points or Hopper Trough Temperature Set Points too high will result in powder melting in the troughs which can damage the trough assemblies.
Setting the Upper Wall Temperature Set Points too high can result in powder melting and debris generation at the top of the print.
Setting the Lower Wall Temperature Set Points too high can result in powder melting at the build chamber walls.
Setting the Piston Top Temperature Set Points too high can result in the piston top fusing to the build chamber walls, resulting in Z-axis jams and damage to the build chamber.
Very large layer thicknesses require dangerously high exposure parameters that can result in combustion of powder within the printer.
Very small layer thicknesses can result in overheating and melting at the print bed, which can damage printer components.

Creating a custom print setting

Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
Create a new print setting.

Based on a Formlabs print setting	Based on a custom print setting
Click New Print Setting. A list of Formlabs print settings appears. Alternatively, click Formlabs Settings. A list of Formlabs print settings appears. Select an existing print setting on which you want to base your custom print setting. Each print setting is for a specific combination of printer type, material, layer thickness, and version (e.g., Default or Legacy). Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description. Click Copy & Edit Selected. A screen appears with the new print setting.	Select the existing custom print setting on which you want to base your new custom print setting. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description. Click the Copy & Edit icon next to the selected print setting. A screen appears with the new print setting.

Based on a Formlabs print setting

Based on a custom print setting

Click New Print Setting. A list of Formlabs print settings appears.
1. Alternatively, click Formlabs Settings. A list of Formlabs print settings appears.
Select an existing print setting on which you want to base your custom print setting. Each print setting is for a specific combination of printer type, material, layer thickness, and version (e.g., Default or Legacy).
1. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list.
2. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description.
Click Copy & Edit Selected. A screen appears with the new print setting.

Select the existing custom print setting on which you want to base your new custom print setting.
1. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list.
2. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description.
Click the Copy & Edit icon next to the selected print setting. A screen appears with the new print setting.

Click the pencil icon next to the print setting name at the top of the screen to rename your custom print setting. The default name of a new print setting is the name of the base setting with the prefix Copy of. For example, if you base your custom print setting on the Nylon 12 Powder V1 0.110 mm Legacy print setting, the default name would be Copy of Legacy.
Click the pencil icon next to the print setting description to input a description for your custom print setting. The default description of a new print setting is the same as the description of the print setting on which it is based.
Edit the available parameters.
When you are done editing your custom print setting, click Save. Your custom print setting is saved and the My Settings list appears.
1. Click Cancel to discard your current changes instead of saving.

Editing a custom print setting

Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
Select the existing custom print setting you want to edit.
1. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list.
2. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description.
Click the Edit icon next to the selected print setting. An editing screen appears.
Edit the available parameters.
When you are done editing your custom print setting, click Save. Your custom print setting is saved and the My Settings list appears.
1. Click Cancel to discard your current changes instead of saving.

Tip:

After changing a parameter, if you are not currently editing another field, click the Undo button at the top of the Print Settings Editor window to revert the most recent change. Click Redo to reapply the change. You can also undo or redo changes with the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Shift+Z (Windows) or Command+Z and Command+Shift+Z (MacOS), respectively.
Press Esc to close the array editor or the Print Settings Editor window.

Exporting a custom print setting

Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
Select the existing custom print setting you want to export.
1. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list.
2. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description.
Click the Export Print Setting icon next to the selected print setting. A file dialog box appears.
Enter a file name and select a location to export the print setting. The default file name is the same as the Setting Name of your custom print setting.
Click Save. Your custom print setting is saved as an FPS file.

Importing a custom print setting

Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
Click Import FPS File. A file dialog box appears.
Navigate to and select the print setting file you wish to import.
Click Open. The print setting is imported and appears under My Settings.

If the imported print setting matches one that is already listed in My Settings, a confirmation window appears. Click Replace to replace the existing print setting with the imported print setting.

Deleting a custom print setting

Click Edit > Print Settings Editor. The Print Settings Editor window appears, showing a list of the existing custom print settings.
Select the existing custom print setting you want to edit.
1. Filter the print settings list for a specific printer type or material using the dropdown menus at the top of the list.
2. Use the search box to search for a print setting. You can search for a material name, layer thickness, or a term in the print settings description.
Click the Delete icon next to the selected print setting. The Delete Setting? prompt appears.
Click Delete. The selected print setting is deleted.
1. Click Cancel to close the prompt without deleting the selected print setting.

Printing with a custom print setting

Import, orient, and support your models.
Click Edit Job Setup. The Job Setup screen appears.
Select a printer, material, layer thickness, and your custom print setting, as you would with a Formlabs print setting.
Click Apply.
Click the orange Upload Print button and upload your print job to your printer.

Available parameters

Fuse 1 generation

Note:

This section is under development. Content may change.

Name	Description	Units	Reasons to Modify	Common Issues
Layer Thickness	Thickness of a single layer of powder during printing.	mm	To adjust print speed, surface finish, or Z-axis fine feature performance. Increasing this value can improve print speed. Decreasing this value can improve surface finish or fine feature resolution.	Most parameters are tuned around layer thickness. If you change layer thickness, you need to adjust almost every other parameter to get optimal print results.
X Correction Factor	Scale factor for the X axis to account for print scale correction.	unitless	To adjust dimensional accuracy of large features (larger than several millimeters) in the X direction. This value is preset by Formlabs to compensate for the volumetric shrinkage of each Formlabs material.
Y Correction Factor	Scale factor for the Y axis to account for print scale correction.	unitless	To adjust dimensional accuracy of large features (larger than several millimeters) in the Y direction. This value is preset by Formlabs to compensate for the volumetric shrinkage of each Formlabs material.
Z Correction Factor	Scale factor for the Z axis to account for print scale correction.	Array field of Z positions, with unitless scale factors	The Z Correction Factor array field defines a lookup table of Z height (mm) and scale factors. With one entry, it acts as a constant correction. With multiple entries, it linearly interpolates between them. Click Edit Array Field to open the table popup, where you can add, duplicate, edit, or delete points in the lookup table. To paste data, use Ctrl/Cmd+P or the Paste button. You can paste 2-column tab-separated values copied from a spreadsheet (e.g., Google Sheets or Excel) or a JSON array of pairs (e.g., [[0, 1.0], [10, 1.1]]). The format is detected automatically. To copy data, use Ctrl/Cmd+C or the Copy button. This exports the table as tab-separated values.
Outer Boundary Offset	The space between the outermost perimeter laser path and the model's nominal boundary. A positive value means the laser perimeter will be inset smaller than the model's nominal boundary.	mm	To correct for cases where small features (millimeter scale) are undersized or oversized. If your positive features are oversized, increase this value If your positive features are undersized, decrease this value If your negative features are oversized. decrease this value If your negative features are undersized, increase this value	Changing this value too much can erode or dilate negative or positive features. For example, if you set this incorrectly, small negative holes might be filled in or small positive features might not print correctly. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Fill Laser Power	Power output from the laser applied to the bulk fill of the model.	mW	To adjust energy delivery rate to the bed from the laser. Increasing this value can improve material properties. Decreasing this value can reduce dimpling and pitting defects. Overall fill laser exposure is a function of Fill Laser Power, Fill Laser Speed, and Fill Hatch Spacing.	High laser exposure can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering . Low laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy.
Fill Laser Speed	Speed the laser moves at across the bulk fill of the model.	mm/s	To adjust the laser speed at the bed. Increasing this value reduces smoking and print time. Decreasing this value can improve material properties. Overall fill laser exposure is a function of Fill Laser Power, Fill Laser Speed, and Fill Hatch Spacing .	Low laser speed (and therefore high laser exposure) can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering. Low laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy.
Fill Hatch Spacing	Spacing between adjacent scan lines within the bulk fill of the model.	mm	To change the exposure. Increasing spacing will result in more energy delivery to the print bed. Decreasing spacing will result in faster print times. Overall fill laser exposure is a function of Fill Laser Power, Fill Laser Speed, and Fill Hatch Spacing .	Close spacing (and therefore high laser exposure) can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering. Low laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy.
Upskin Layer Count	Number of layers where Upskin Laser Power is applied to the top surface of models.	layers	To change the number of layers the Upskin Laser Power parameter is applied to.	Too many upskin layers may result in Z inaccuracy or brittleness of thin parts. Too few upskin layers may result in poor top surface finish. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Upskin Laser Power	Power output from the laser applied to the Upskin regions of the model.	mW	To reduce energy delivery on top surface layers of parts. Reducing this parameter can reduce surface artifacts, such as dimpling and pitting, and make top surface finish more consistent. Note: Upskin Laser Power is applied with the Fill Hatch Spacing and Fill Laser Speed parameters.	If Upskin Laser Power is too high, top surface finish may be poor. If Upskin Laser Power is too low, thin parts may become brittle and layer delamination at the tops of parts may occur.
Downskin Layer Count	Number of layers where Downskin Laser Power is applied to the bottom surface of models.	unitless	To change the number of layers the Downskin Laser Power parameter is applied to.	Too many downskin layers may result in parts becoming too small in the Z direction or lead to brittleness of thin parts. Too few downskin layers may result in parts becoming too large in the Z direction. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Downskin Laser Power	Power output from the laser applied to the Downskin regions of the model.	mW	To reduce energy delivery on bottom surface layers of parts. Helps reduce downward thermal bleed and ensure correct feature size in Z. Note: Downskin Laser Power is applied with the Fill Hatch Spacing and Fill Laser Speed parameters.	If Downskin Laser Power is too high, parts may be too large in the Z direction. If Downskin Laser Power is too low, parts may become brittle or be too small in the Z direction. Layer delamination may also occur at the bottom of parts.
Fill Direction Rotations	Laser scan direction pattern.	Array field of layers, with angles in degrees	To change lasing direction by layer, which can improve thermal management of the build and can result in more uniform surface finish.	Some materials may exhibit increased Z-axis surface roughness when the laser fill direction is changed. Layer lines may become more apparent on vertical surfaces.
Perimeter Count	Number of adjacent contours within the perimeter region of the model.	unitless	To change the number of perimeter contours drawn by the laser, affecting the thickness of the perimeter region. Typically is set to 0, 1, or 2. If this value was originally set to 0, refer to the note below.	Increasing the number of perimeters will slow down printing and will result in excessive perimeter overlap with the fill if the Perimeter to Fill Spacing parameter is not adjusted. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Perimeter Laser Powers	Power outputs from the laser applied to each perimeter region of the model.	Array field of perimeters, with laser power in mW	To adjust the energy rate to the perimeter region by the laser. Increasing perimeter power can result in stronger thin features in the X and Y directions and sharper edges of parts. Overall perimeter laser exposure is a function of Perimeter Laser Powers, Perimeter Laser Speed, and Perimeter Spacings.	High perimeter laser exposure can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering. Low perimeter laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy.
Perimeter Laser Speed	Speed the laser moves along the perimeter region of the model.	Array field of layers, with laser speed in mm/s	To adjust the laser speed at the perimeter region by the laser. Increasing this value reduces smoking and reduces print time. Decreasing this value can improve fine feature strength in the X and Y directions and sharpen part edges. Overall perimeter laser exposure is a function of Perimeter Laser Powers, Perimeter Laser Speed, and Perimeter Spacings.	High perimeter laser exposure can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering. Low perimeter laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy.
Perimeter Spacings	Spacings between adjacent contours within the perimeter region of the model.	Array field of perimeters, with perimeter spacing in mm	To increase or decrease spacing of adjacent contours within the perimeter region. Larger spacing results in lower energy density for the region. Smaller spacing results in higher energy density. Overall perimeter laser exposure is a function of Perimeter Laser Powers, Perimeter Laser Speed, and Perimeter Spacings.	High perimeter laser exposure can lead to surface artifacts or other symptoms of oversintering. Low perimeter laser exposure will result in brittle, weak parts and part curling. Changing the laser exposure will require tuning dimensional accuracy. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Perimeter to Fill Spacing	Distance from the outermost perimeter to the fill region.	mm	To change positioning of the perimeter region relative to the fill region. A negative number causes fill to overlap entirely with the perimeter region. A positive number allows some of the perimeter region to fall outside the fill region.	Too large of a positive overlap can cause the perimeter region to become discontinuous with the fill and result in poor material properties. Too small of an overlap can result in surface artifacts from the perimeter region being superimposed on the fill. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Perimeter Upskin Laser Power	Power outputs from the laser applied to each contour within the upskin portion of the perimeter region.	Array field of perimeters, with laser power in mW	To modify energy deliver to contours on the top layers of parts. Generally used to decrease power, not increase it.	If Perimeter Upskin Laser Power is too high, layer edges will be more pronounced on top surfaces. If Perimeter Upskin Laser Power is too low, perimeters will not resolve on top layers and material properties may suffer.
Perimeter Downskin Laser Power	Power outputs from the laser applied to each contour within the downskin portion of the perimeter region.	Array field of perimeters, with laser power in mW	To modify energy delivery to contours on the bottom layers of parts. Generally used to decrease power, not increase it.	If Perimeter Downskin Laser Power is too high, layer edges will be more pronounced on bottom surfaces. If Perimeter Downskin Laser Power is too low, perimeters may not resolve on bottom layers and material properties may suffer.
Armor Laser Power	Power output of the laser to the Surface Armor regions surrounding the model.	mW	To change Surface Armor stiffness and reduce curling and birchbark artifacts.	If Surface Armor laser exposure is too low, birchbark and part curling become more common. If it is too high, Surface Armor may become more difficult to remove and may curl and drag within the print bed.
Armor Laser Speed	Speed the laser moves at within the Surface Armor regions surrounding the model	mm/s	To change Surface Armor stiffness and reduce curling and birchbark artifacts.	If Surface Armor laser exposure is too low, birchbark and part curling become more common. If it is too high, Surface Armor may become more difficult to remove and may curl and drag within the print bed.
Armor Spacing	Spacing between adjacent scan lines within the Surface Armor regions surrounding the model.	mm	To change Surface Armor stiffness and reduce curling and birchbark artifacts.	If Surface Armor laser exposure is too low, birchbark and part curling become more common. If it is too high, Surface Armor may become more difficult to remove and may curl and drag within the print bed.
Armor Thickness (XY)	Thickness of the Surface Armor region around the model in XY.	mm	To change how thick the Surface Armor region is. Thinner Surface Armor means less material to remove from the surface of the part, while thicker Surface Armor may be more stable.	If Armor Thickness (XY) is too low, poor surface finish and part curling become more likely. If Armor Thickness (XY) is too high, there will be significantly more Surface Armor to remove from the bottom of parts. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Armor Depth (Z)	Thickness of the Surface Armor region that is lased below the part in Z, measured in layers.	unitless	To change how much armor is printed below the parts. Armor Depth (Z) is primarily used to reduce the likelihood of curling.	If Armor Depth (Z) is too low, curling becomes more likely. If Armor Depth (Z) is too high, there will be significantly more Surface Armor to remove from the bottom of parts. For additional information, see the section Visual examples of selected parameters below.
Air Heater Set Points	Temperature set points for the air heater, and the heights at which they're applied.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To change air heater output. The air heater output can shift thermal uniformity within the print bed.	If the air heater temperature is too high, the rear of the print bed will be hotter than the front and some melting may occur. If the air heater temperature is too low, the front of the print bed may be hotter than the rear.
Bed Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the bed prior to lasing, and the heights at which they're applied.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To change bed target temperature. This is the primary temperature of the powder before lasing, controlled via energy output from the quartz tubes.	If the bed temperature is too high, the powder cake can become stiff, parts can become oversintered and inaccurate, and powder may melt prematurely. If the bed temperature is too low, birchbark artifacts become more likely, part curling becomes more likely, and significantly more laser energy is required to melt model regions.
Quartz Heater Gain Multiplier - Heating	Limits the total output of the quartz tube heaters during precoats.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To modify the rate of thermal energy output delivered to the bed by the quartz tubes. Reducing quartz tube output results in a slower, more even heating of the powder before lasing.	If this parameter is set too low, a layer may not be able to reach the target bed temperature.
Quartz Heater Gain Multiplier - Printing	Limits the total output of the quartz tube heaters during printing.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To modify the rate of thermal energy output delivered to the bed by the quartz tubes. Reducing quartz tube output results in a slower, more even heating of the powder before lasing.	If this parameter is set too low, a layer may not be able to reach the target bed temperature.
Buffer Trough Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the buffer trough during printing, and the heights at which they're applied.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To adjust the powder preheating step before recoating. Increasing powder preheating reduces the heating load from the quartz tubes and can help improve thermal uniformity of a layer.	If the trough temperature is too high, powder flow and recoating can become worse, and powder can melt in the troughs preventing correct trough operation. If trough setpoints are too low, curling may be more likely during recoating.
Hopper Trough Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the hopper trough during printing, and the heights at which they're applied.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To adjust the powder preheating step before recoating. Increasing powder preheating reduces the heating load from the quartz tubes and can help improve thermal uniformity of a layer.	If the trough temperature is too high, powder flow and recoating can become worse, and powder can melt in the troughs preventing correct trough operation. If trough setpoints are too low, curling may be more likely during recoating.
Upper Wall Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the upper wall heater during printing, and the heights at which they're applied	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To adjust the upper wall temperature so that sufficient energy is delivered to the edges of the bed. Increasing upper wall temperature can help with bed edge curling.	If the upper wall temperature is too high, powder around the edges of the build can melt and be dragged into the printable area. If upper wall temperature is too low, part curling or birchbark at the edges of the bed may occur.
Lower Wall Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the lower wall heater during printing, and the heights at which they're applied	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To adjust the temperature the powder cake and parts experience below the printing plane. Useful for addressing part warping and Z inaccuracy.	If the lower wall temperature is too high, powder can experience unnecessary aging and potentially melt into the piston top, resulting in stalled or damaged build chambers.
Piston Top Temperature Set Points	Temperature set points for the piston top heater during printing, and the heights at which they're applied.	Array field, with set points in °C and heights in mm	To adjust the temperature of the powder at the start of a print. The piston top temperature is very important for early print thermal uniformity.	If the piston top temperature is too high, powder at the bottom of the build may melt into the piston top and result in stalled or damaged build chambers. If the piston top temperature is too low, part curling may occur early in the print.
Pre-Lase Dwell Time	Time the printer waits between recoating and laser firing.	seconds	To allow additional time for powder temperature to equilibrate through a newly recoated layer.
Post-Lase Dwell Time	Time the printer waits after laser firing and before recoating a new layer.	seconds	To allow additional time for melt cooling to occur before recoating a new layer.	If the Post-Lase Dwell Time is too short, thermal energy may accumulate in parts and result in dimensional inaccuracy and poor surface finish or surface defects.
Minimum Layer Time	Minimum time the printer spends on each layer. If a layer completes faster, the printer waits for the remaining time.	seconds	To allow additional time for melt cooling to occur before recoating a new layer.	If the Minimum Layer Time is too short, thermal energy may accumulate in parts and result in dimensional inaccuracy and poor surface finish or surface defects.
Recoater Speed	The speed the recoater moves across the bed between layers.	mm/s	To change the recoater motion and powder recoating behavior.	If the Recoater Speed is too high, top surface defects can occur from uneven recoating.
Powder Dosing Ratios	Angle of the trough flippers during powder dosing and recoating, and lased area fractions to apply at each angle.	Array field, with flipper angles in degrees and area fractions in unitless numbers.	To control the amount of powder dosed for multiple lased areas, ensuring a balance of sufficient recoating and reduced overdosed material.	If flipper dose angles are too low, layers will underdose and prints will fail. If flipper dose angles are too high, powder will accumulate outside the print area and can cause defects during recoating.
Precoat Thickness	Total thickness of powder introduced during preheating and before laser firing.	mm	To provide time for the thermal profile within the printer to stabilize and create a buffer layer between the printed parts and the piston top.	If Precoat Thickness is too small, the printer will not have enough time to preheat powder. This can cause defects or a print failure
Precoat Dwell Time	Time to pause after each individual precoat.	seconds	To control the individual recoat time within the precoat portion of the build.	If Precoat Dwell Time is too short, the printer will not have enough time to preheat powder. This can cause defects or a print failure.
Postcoat Thickness	Total thickness of powder added on top of a build after the final part is printed.	mm	To change the amount of powder added on top of a build. Increasing Postcoat Thickness can help with warping of parts printed last.	If Postcoat Thickness is too low, parts printed last are more likely to warp. If Postcoat Thickness is too high, prints may run out of powder before completing.

Additional explanation and visualization of selected parameters

Below are visual examples of selected parameters and relationships between parameters. Use these examples to understand how changing these parameters may affect your printed parts.

Outer Boundary Offset

The Outer Boundary Offset sets the space between the outermost perimeter laser path and the model's nominal boundary. It accounts for the size and spread of the laser spot, helping to preserve small feature resolution in SLS printing. In the figure below, the Actual Lased Area includes both fill and perimeter regions.

Relationship between Armor Thickness, Perimeter Count, Perimeter Spacings, and Perimeter to Fill Spacing

Armor Region: The armor located around the nominal printed part, outside of the outermost perimeter. The XY armor region has separate parameters from the fill and perimeter regions.
Armor Thickness (green arrow): The thickness of the Armor Region in XY.

Perimeters (dashed lines labeled 1 and 2): Perimeters are used to draw the part edges. The perimeter has separate parameters from the armor and fill regions. In this figure, Perimeter Count is set to 2.
Perimeter Spacings (red arrow): The distance between adjacent perimeter lines.
Perimeter to Fill Spacing (purple arrow): The distance between the innermost perimeter and the outer edge of the Fill Region.

Relationship between Upskin Layer Count, Downskin Layer Count, and Armor Depth

Upskin region (red): The topmost layers of a sliced model, which sit within the nominal part boundaries. The upskin region has separate parameters compared to the fill region (marked in blue). In this figure, Upskin Layer Count is set to 2.
Downskin region (green): The bottommost layers of a sliced model, which sit within the nominal part boundaries. The downskin region has separate parameters compared to the fill region (marked in blue). In this figure, Downskin Layer Count is set to 3.
Z armor region (orange): The armor region located below the nominal printed part, outside the part boundaries. The Z armor region uses the same exposure parameters as the XY armor region.

Surface Armor

Surface Armor is a layer of partially sintered material added around the part. This improves physical properties, lowers the risk of warping, and can generally improve part quality. Surface Armor can be difficult to remove, so thick armor may make part retrieval and material cleanup more difficult.

Perimeter Count

If Perimeter Count was originally set to 0, then the scanning algorithm used by this setting does not include perimeters. Adding perimeters may not work at all or may cause unexpected behavior. Material settings without perimeters are mostly older legacy settings—use more recent settings as a starting point when developing settings with perimeters.