Alex
February 6,2025
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Why Slicer Settings Matter for Polymer Clay Cutters

When it comes to 3D printing polymer clay cutters, achieving sharp, clean cuts isn’t just about having a great STL design—it also depends on your slicer settings. The way your 3D printer interprets your STL file can make the difference between a perfect, crisp cutter and one that just doesn’t perform well. In this blog, we’ll dive into the key slicer settings that impact your results and how to optimize them for the best quality.
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Why Slicer Settings Matter for Polymer Clay Cutters

When it comes to 3D printing polymer clay cutters, achieving sharp, clean cuts isn’t just about having a great STL design—it also depends on your slicer settings. The way your 3D printer interprets your STL file can make the difference between a perfect, crisp cutter and one that just doesn’t perform well. In this blog, we’ll dive into the key slicer settings that impact your results and how to optimize them for the best quality.
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We've got the comparisons, but how do we do it?

The slicer is the bridge between your 3D design and the final printed object. 

 

The right settings ensure: 

✅ Clean Edges – No jagged or rough outlines that affect your clay cutting/cut out. 

✅ Proper Thickness – Avoiding too-thin cutting or embossing walls that break or too-thick ones that distort your clay designs. 

✅ Smooth Printing – Preventing gaps, warping, or layer inconsistencies.

 

Essential Slicer Settings To Consider for Perfecting Your Cutters

 

1. Wall Generator/Arachne Settings

This setting can be called something different depending on the slicer. I used to know it as "thin walls" setting that you could toggle on and off in Cura Slicer. **Edit for new blog** If you would like to check out my slicer tips for Cura Slicer click here! In Bambu Studio these settings are under "wall generator". To toggle it you'll click "classic" and then change it to the only other option "arachne". Once you've switched it you'll have various settings pop up underneath. This is where you'll do most of your tweaks, but just changing that one setting can make such a difference for your cutters.

 

2. Layer Height

For smooth and sharp blades, a layer height of 0.2mm or lower is ideal. (I typically use .16mm)

A finer layer height produces smoother blades, reducing the need for sanding/clean up on your clay earrings.

 

3. Infill Density

10-20% infill works well for strength while keeping the cutter lightweight.

Avoid 100% infill, which can make the cutter unnecessarily heavy. I also recommend changing the infill pattern to something other than grid (I use gyroid). Grid has a higher chance of knocking your print off of the plate.

 

4. Print Speed

Slower speeds (around 60-150mm/s depending on the specific area) lead to cleaner details and reduce printing defects.

 

Sound like a lot? If you'd rather skip the tweaks and just get my perfect settings check out the info below~
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Please keep in mind these are only the settings I changed from the standard settings in Bambu Slicer.

Layer Height - 1.6mm

Seam Position - Aligned

Wall Generator - Arachne

Wall Transitioning Threshold Angle - 15°

Top Shell Layers - 6

Bottom Shell Layers - 4

Sparse Infill Density - 15%

Sparse Infill Pattern - Gyroid

Outer Wall - 60 mm/s

Inner Wall 150 mm/s

Sparse Infill - 200

Internal Solid Infill - 200

Top Surface - 150

Acceleration Speeds 

Normal Printing - 3000

Outer Wall - 2000

 

My .2 nozzle settings (which get you a clay cutter with a .2 mm blade!) are included in our How To 3D Print Polymer Clay Cutters course and our Fusion 360 Clay Cutter Course. 

 

 

Keep reading to get my biggest slicer time saving tip, using the "variable layer height" setting in Bambu Slicer!

I know it's kind of hard to compare when you can't zoom in, but the first picture is standard settings, second is my cutter settings, and third is my cutter settings but using the variable layer height tool. It makes the cutter faster to print because the layers are thicker on the handle but thinner on the blade which is where you need the sharpest and cleanest result possible. Fortunately this also saves a lot of time!

 

The picture below shows where this tool is in Bambu Slicer, I don't use the pop up menu much, but the bars on the right side of the screen represent the layers in your cutter. When you hold down the left button on your mouse on this bar it makes the layers smaller/thinner. If you hold down the right side button it makes the layers bigger/thicker. I make the handles and stabilizing wall thicker layers while making the blade thinner. This saves me 2 minutes of print time with this stud cutter. That's not a lot of time but when you consider doing a plate full of cutters or bigger cutters, it's definitely going to save you time. 

Let me know if any of this is new and/or helpful to you! I'd love to keep providing tips and tricks if they're useful!

Alex
February 6,2025
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