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What are supports?
3D printing is an additive manufacturing process where material is layered over and over to produce a product. This process has been growing in popularity recently and it gives endless possibilities to what can be created. Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is a method which melts materials and and extrudes them in layers and in a pattern. It is the simplest method of 3D printing and is one of the most popular.
The layers in an FDM print need something to rest on. Supports are often automatically put in when there is an overhang or bridge. This can be illustrated using the letters Y, H and T. Y and T have overhangs, while H has a bridge.
As seen from the picture, H and T have a messy print as there is nothing to support the material being printed. This means the material is being extruded into the air. However, Y comes out perfectly. This is because of the angle of the overhang. The bigger the angle, the less each layer is being supported and thus would fall.
There are 2 different types of supports in FDM printing: linear and tree.
Linear Supports
Linear supports come in a few patterns. The most common one is a zig-zag pattern. When printed, they look like long…
