Create your print faster and save material without sacrifices. Introducing MakerBot MinFill, a powerful new Print mode that allows your 3D creation to use the minimum amount of internal support while retaining its structural integrity.

Our new MinFill is a superior option in terms of efficiency and productivity as we recognize that not all 3D prints require high durability and density. Instead, MinFill highlights aspects such as surface quality and print speed to ensure the most capable 3D creation with the given resources.

With our in-house testing, we found that 3D prints that use MinFill are printed 30% faster while using 30% less filament.

MinFill’s Basic Advantages

• A faster early concept modeling stage

• Classrooms and students can model more frequently while saving money for Educators

• Save time and money on prints with larger internal volume

• Compatible with: MakerBot Replicator+, Replicator (5th Gen), and Replicator Z18

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How MinFill Works

To better understand MinFill, let’s talk about the underlying science of general infill. The majority of 3D printed objects cannot be printed without internal support. Infill is the support structure within the shell of your 3D print and adding it to a print gives it durability and weight. While strength and support is important to any print, the more infill is added to a creation, the longer it will take to print.

Conventional 3D printing software allows you to adjust the percentage of infill used but is always printed uniformly, even in places that don’t need support. This leads to a waste of material that can add up quickly given the frequency of objects being printed. With this in mind, our software team  developed the perfect algorithm to give your print the support it needs while minimizing material use.

MinFill consolidates the internal structure of our 3D print in the most efficient way possible. This advanced print mode automatically analyzes your design and identifies exactly where infill is needed and where it is not. MinFill determines how much internal support is needed given the shape, placement, and density of the print. This entire process is done without compromising the model’s surface quality or appearance.

MinFill’s Exponential Speed & Filament Savings

As a result of MinFill using the minimum amount of infill support, huge benefits can be seen while printing models with a larger internal volume. Although smaller models are printed faster, larger models benefit the most due to the time and filament that is extricated.

MinFill prints 30% faster and uses 30% less filament on average, the exact savings will differ depending on the size and geometry of the model. With that in mind, we tested MinFill with models commonly found in design and engineering firms. We printed the following designs using both MinFill and the Balanced Print Mode in MakerBot Print (which uses 10% diamond infill) to compare both speed and filament usage.

Faster Turnaround Times Means Faster Iterations

All your 3D prints made faster. The advantage of being more efficient and productive, your design process using 3D printing can be increased dramatically in speed which can lead to quicker early concept modeling.

MinFill also works well with printing iterative form study models where print speed is more important than structural strength. Taking into account the overall form, proportions, size and surface quality of the design, each iteration only needs to withstand the minimal pressure of the designer’s tinkering. As a result, the entire model does not need to be filled with support infill.

In a different scenario such as a design studio or engineering consultancy, the quicker the prints, the more designs a team can complete. With the four prints pictured above, a total of four days of printing were shaved off using MinFill.

MinFill is a Major Breakthrough to our Customers

Addressing customer feedback is critical to our success here at MakerBot. We aim to provide our customers with the best products and solutions. With this new Print Mode, we can confidently say that MinFill is a breakthrough in 3D printing technology that will lead the industry in a powerful and dynamic way.