I understand like for vertical or horizontal but why is it sometimes better to print left/right rather than front/back?
In: Technology
**Like I’m Five:** 3d printers have to move their internal bits around to make your part. Most common printer designs move left-to-right and front-to-back using different parts. Since these different parts have different weights, they can move smoothly at different speeds, which affects print quality and time.
**More:** If you look at the Prusa i3, you’ll see that the left/right movement (X axis) is a belt-driven hotend, and the front/back movement (Y axis) is a belt-driven glass bed. The former is much lighter than the latter, and so can accelerate more quickly and smoothly with the same motor.
Some printer designs (e.g. the old Solidoodles) have the X axis mounted on the Y axis, making the difference in mass even worse.
The mass of an axis determines the maximum acceleration that the motor can deliver, which in turn limits printing speed. Also, at higher mass, your speed is limited by the axis deflecting or resonating. This typically leads to problems like blobbing or ringing.
This can matter for metal powder bed printing because of how you are positioned to the recoater blade (left/right/ and airflow (front to back). The orientation to the recoater blade can determine if it is lifted up or pushed down, and air flow determines where spatter from melted droplets are more likely to land.
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