Design Nomenclature / Physical Model Making
Elephant's foot
Also called elephant foot, first-layer squish, bottom flare
This entry has not been translated yet and is shown in English.
The bulge at a print's base where the first layers, pressed into the bed and still soft under the weight above, spread wider than the model. It reads as a flare of a few tenths of a millimetre — enough to destroy a press fit and to stop a part sitting flat. Chamfer the bottom edge or compensate in the slicer.
Not to be confused with
Origin
Named for exactly what it looks like: the part stands on a splayed, wrinkled foot that belongs to a heavier animal than the one above it.