Design Nomenclature / Physical Model Making
Support structure
Also called supports, scaffolding, breakaway support, tree supports
This entry has not been translated yet and is shown in English.
Sacrificial material printed under overhangs so molten or curing material has something to land on. Every support touches the part and leaves a scar, so where it lands matters far more than whether it exists. Reorienting the model to need fewer supports is nearly always cheaper than cleaning them off afterwards.
Not to be confused with
- RaftA disposable slab printed under the whole part to isolate it from the bed, giving warp-prone material a flat surface of its own to build on. It costs material and time, and its top layer becomes the part's underside — which arrives rough, slightly oversized, and needing work.
- BrimA single-layer collar fused to the part's first layer, widening its footprint to resist peeling without lifting the part off the bed. Cheaper than a raft and it leaves the underside intact — only the edge needs trimming. The right first thing to try on a tall print with a small footprint.