why do you need to take the direction of the print you are printing into account in a 3D printer?

Question

I understand like for vertical or horizontal but why is it sometimes better to print left/right rather than front/back?

In: Technology

Answer 1

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.