Glossary · Setting

3D printing

Support tips (contact points)

The thin upper end of a support in resin printing, that is, the spot where the support touches the model. Its size decides how firmly the part is held and how visible the marks are afterwards.

Explained in more detail

Resin supports consist of a base on the build plate, a trunk and a cone-shaped tip that touches the model at a small point. In the slicer you set the diameter of the tip, and often also how deep it penetrates the model. Small tips break off easily and leave smaller marks, but hold less. Formlabs writes that parts with contact points that are too small can fail during printing, and then recommends a higher support density. Phrozen names contact tips that are too small as one cause of supports tearing off. In PreForm they are called touchpoints, and the Adaptive Touchtip Diameter function adjusts their size to the model automatically.

Where does the term come from?

Support tip and contact point mean the same thing. In PreForm, Formlabs calls the contact points touchpoints.

In practice

• If supports tear off in rows, enlarge the tips or add more supports, as Phrozen advises.
• With Supports V2 in PreForm, Formlabs advises against reducing tip size, density or number by hand.
• Formlabs recommends removing supports only after post-curing, because soft parts can warp without supports.
• Place supports on surfaces that will not be visible later where possible. Sand the remains of the tips smooth after removal.

Not to be confused

The support tip is not the whole support, only its upper end. In FDM printing, supports touch the model differently: there a small gap in the Z direction usually separates support and model.

Frequently asked questions

Where do the small pimples on my resin print come from?

These are usually remnants of the support tips. Smaller tips leave smaller marks but hold less. Sanding them off or placing supports on less visible surfaces helps.

Why do my resin supports break off?

According to Phrozen, the most common causes are too few or too thin supports, supports in the wrong place and contact points that are too small. Cold resin also worsens adhesion.