When 3D printing, the appearance of your print is primarily controlled by the outer shell. This shell is composed of the top, bottom, and walls of the print. Generally, each of these can have its thickness set independently. Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all answer to the ideal wall thickness because it really varies based on the function of the print.
Layer Height and Thickness
One of the most important things you need to consider when planning how thick your walls or top and bottom should be is how thick your layers are. Each shell should be a direct multiple of the layer thickness.
For example, if you have a layer height of 0.2mm, you should ensure that your overall thickness is 0.4, 0.6, or 0.8mm. While you can absolutely go higher than that, you don’t want to pick 0.7mm, for example, because your printer can’t really create half layers.
For parts of normal strength, a wall thickness of 0.8 to 1.6mm is common. This is generally three or four wall lines depending on the line thickness used. Similarly, a top and bottom thickness of 0.8 to 1.2mm – roughly four to six layers depending on the layer height used – is common.
If you want to make high-strength parts, you may increase this thickness to around two or three millimeters. Of course, you can also choose to make the part solid with the walls filling the print volume. This will use more filament and take longer to print, especially for larger prints.
You can likely reduce the wall thickness to 0.4mm or less for models intended to display purposes. In this case, however, you should ensure that you have at least two layers. This helps to prevent any issues with the infill showing through a single-layer wall.
Conclusion
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