The Snapmaker can “go as low as 50 microns” (0.05mm).
BUT
What’s stopping it from going lower? I guess my real question is, Is that number based on tests and what worked well? Or is that the minimum movement the step motors can do? I have no idea…
Most people default at 0.2mm layers. I go 0.1, and if I want detail I go 0.05, but I would LOVE to go as low as 0.025.
If anyone has any insight I would appreciate it, thanks.
Other people more knowledgeable about stepper motors and controllers have calculated that the best layer heights to use are multiples of 0.04mm. So the recommended min is 0.08mm.
But I’ve also printed a 0.05mm layer height, and it came out nice. Next time I reprint that piece, I’ll try 0.08mm and see what the difference is.
Cura does not enforce the 0.05mm minimum layer, but I haven’t actually tried to print something. It’s happy to slice something at 0.04mm or 0.02mm.
Even though the magic number is 0.04mm, I can get repeatable motion to as little as 0.015mm through the machine’s microstepping and enabling backlash compensation. Practically I think you could command the printer to print at 0.015mm if you so chose, and it would fail for reasons not related to linear module motion limitations.
I have not actually had successful prints at 0.05mm, I end up with curling and other issues I haven’t been able to work through.
Generally the limiting factors for successful printing at any given layer height or any speed even will be constrained by a series of physical parameters including:
I have had successful prints at 0.08.
I think I had a successful print at 0.04.
It is absolutely critical that your esteps be calibrated for your actual filament, your flow rate in your slicer (Flow Rate Calibration Factor if using Cura) is Calibrated.
The biggest problem with printing thin layers like that is that the filament isn’t moving through the nozzle very fast. You can combat this by increasing your line width to 150% of your nozzle diameter. This will give you good layer welding and it will push a little more filament through. If you find that your extruder gears can’t keep up and start to skip, you might need a little more heat (a couple degrees) or you might need to print slower.
One benefit of printing a little slower is that the hot end being near by gives the plastic a little more time to relax. Cooling is a trade off. For things like bridges you want tons of cooling. You certainly have to have enough cooling before the next layer goes down. On the other hand, if you have too much cooling the plastic shrinks too rapidly and those shrinking forces are additive layer by layer so the edges start to curl up.
All of these kinds of issues can be magnified when printing small layer heights, and the print jobs take incredibly long to complete. I printed a set of knife handles / knife scales using this technique and used translucent filament. It made the print partially see through because of all the heat really welding the layers together. I was using something like 98% infill too.
Thanks for the input guys!
I uhhh… was impatient though… lmao.
I have a small-ish print going now at 0.025. So far, granted only like 4 or 5 layers in… it looks great!
I have a feeling it will still fail at some point… but either way… I’m now sure that it’s doable with a well configured machine.
Okay… so now I come to you with the opposite question.
I’m using Cura as well, so idk if it’s a cura thing or a SM thing. Not exactly sure how the plugin for that works…
When I put 0.025 for layer height, the box turns orange. I assume that’s just a small visual indicator basically saying, “I wouldn’t recommend doing that.”, now I need to print something HUGE, but a VERY basic shape.
What’s the thickest layer height I can actually go? I assumed it would be 0.4 just like my nozzle, but the box turns orange with 0.40. Anything over 0.32 makes it turn orange, and anything over 0.30 turns the infill layer thickness orange. (Which wouldn’t even slice on 0.4 until I == both parameters.)
I… may have enough patience to wait for an answer this time, lol.
And for anyone wondering, my 0.025 print actually turned out really well. It had some warping, nothing major, and was sort of expected. (I’ve been having a warping issue lately, I think due to the weather changes and office HVAC.) But all in all it looks pretty good. I also didn’t slow my speed down any from where I print at 0.1-0.05. 40-50 depending on what it was doing.
You need some “squish” so the different layers bind properly. Otherwise you will just have separate layers lying on top of each other and it will end up as spaghetti.
So the 0.32 is probably a good maximum height. What I have used successfully for large prints or if I want to go faster is use a larger layer width. I have successfully printed stuff with a 1 mm layer width using a 0.4 nozzle. I actually always do the first layer like that to get an almost perfect adhesion.
You will lose detail and your overhangs and slopes will need to be less steep. Otherwise it works pretty well.
Depending on your slicer, there is also the option to use variable layer height. So that you can print those parts that need more detail with lower layer heights.
What settings did you use to achieve a perfect .08?
I’ve been trying for two weeks straight to get a remotely good print using Luban with pla that came with the machine on a .4 nozzle. Calibrated e steps, k factor, and had good prints .12+
I ditched Snapmaker software in the first week. There is a LOT more control available in Cura.
Retraction, retraction prime speed (the speed that filament is put back into the nozzle), coasting,
The issue is that at 0.08, any extra filament compounds too rapidly. So you really need to have a good grasp of how to slice for it…
Underextruding a little bit is better than any over extrusion.
The hardware can definitely do it, but the software is where the magic really happens.
Oh… I see. I’m pretty content with luban for now, they are a new company so I hope they give it more features later on. I’ll bump up my layer height for now. Thanks for the comment I would’ve wasted another week experimenting! 
I bought my v1 5 years ago. Their slicer is based on a very dumbed down version of Cura. It is garbage. Their intent is to try and make 3d printing easy. I ran into limits with their software in the first week I used it.
I don’t regret learning more about other slicers at all… Cura 5 is pretty new and they’ve added a few really awesome things to it that make prints better and faster.
Luban is stuck in the past.
I don’t think Snapmaker is a new company, but they sure are a lazy one.
I actually switched to cura and the most notable thing is the tree support! I’m still struggling to get a perfect .08 layer height but I’ve managed to get at least a .16 layer height working.