3D Printer Basics – Slicers

In this following episode of 3D printers basics, I thought it would be good to talk about “slicers”. Slicers are software that take the file you wish to print and translate it into something called GCode – which are essentially instructions for the printer to follow step-by-step. There’s a few slicing software out there:

Cura: https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura

Prusa Slicer: https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/

*Simplify 3D: https://www.simplify3d.com/

Slic3r: https://slic3r.org/download/

There are many more slicers on the market but these tend to be the most common. Simplify 3D is marked with an asterisk as it is a paid somewhere whereas the others are free. I’ve never personally tried it, but it is typically well recommended.

Cura is one of the most used but Prusa Slicer is my personal go-to. It is also the one we used at the Sandbox now. At some point, we used Slic3r but switched to Prusa Slicer.

Surprisingly, some slicers will behave differently on your prints. Some have easier to find options than others. For example, Cura’s basic function are limited and need to be enabled in the profile but it has many options.

This is not an in-depth guide but it provides great information on slicers and may help you set yours up:
https://all3dp.com/3d-slicer-settings-beginners-8-things-need-know/