Slicing

Slicing is the step that converts a solid three-dimensional model into a stack of layers and the machine instructions needed to print each of them. A slicer intersects the geometry at successive heights, generates contours and infill for every layer, and writes out a motion program, usually G-code. Layer height, extrusion width, print speed and travel moves are all decided at this stage.

In practice

In 3D concrete printing, slicing is only one of two routes and often not the one used. Because printed walls are usually a few continuous contours rather than a dense solid, many teams generate the toolpath directly from curves in a parametric definition, which gives explicit control over start points, seams and corner speeds. Where a slicer is used, the settings that matter most are layer height relative to nozzle diameter, the handling of overhangs, and how the tool changes speed at corners, since a printer that slows without reducing flow deposits excess material. Generic polymer slicers rarely model pump lag, so their output normally needs adaptation.

Related terms

• Toolpath — the path the nozzle follows, whether sliced or generated directly.
• G-code — the instruction format a slicer typically outputs.
• Layer height — the vertical step between layers, set during slicing.