Sometimes it is enough to print at a lower layer height to get better 3D printing quality surfaces over supports, increasing cooling or lower printing temps. Anything that increases bridging performance will help here as well, as bridging is what we’re in fact doing.

However, if this doesn’t work or you repeatedly experience this issue, keep reading to learn what else you can do to stop poor surface quality above supports.

We’re looking at the bottom of an object that was printed above a slicer generated support structure. It looks rough, even a bit droopy.

The slicer generated support structure is not suitable for your set up and some adjustments are needed.

As previously mentioned, sometimes adjusting your temperatures or layer height can help get better 3D print quality surfaces but here’s some other things to consider:

Normal support structures for single extruder systems are designed in such a way so they are easy to break away from the finished print. Therefore, they intentionally leave a small gap between the support structure and the actual model that sits on top of it. The height of this gap is usually adjustable in your slicer settings. Less gap means better quality but also harder to remove.

If the gap is too close, breaking off the supports will damage the surface of your actual object.

If you find yourself suffering from this problem a lot, you might want to think about getting a dual extrusion system. Printing with water soluble rigid.ink PVA or the easy to remove rigid.ink Break-Away will allow you to transition seamlessly from support to the actual model completely eliminating the gap and the problems it entails.

Support structures are usually not printed solid, but rather, like infill, use a percentage, often called support density. Increase this density to improve the surface quality of the part printed above the support.

Often, the object to be printed can be rotated on the bed so less supports are needed. Or you could split the model in half using a plane cut tool and avoid the supports entirely.

If you designed the model yourself, read up on design guidelines to reduce the need for supports in the first place, or how to place your own supports at design time.