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Preview of Hole-Profiles-Demo

Article showcase project

Hole-Profiles-Demo

About this project

One block, four horizontal holes of the same nominal size, printed with the holes running parallel to the bed. The same rod fits all four. Print it and look at the four crowns.

The four profiles

ROUND is what the CAD gives you. Its ceiling passes through every overhang angle on the way up and is horizontal at the crown, so it is neither a clean overhang nor a clean bridge. TEAR replaces the crown with two walls at about 45 degrees meeting at a point: an overhang, and no bridge at all. HEX-F is a hexagon with a flat on top, sized across flats so the same rod fits; its crown is one short bridge, the hexCrown readout, between two walls at 30 degrees from vertical. HEX-V is the same hexagon turned so a vertex is on top: no bridge, but two ceiling edges at 60 degrees from vertical.

Overhangs move with layer height; bridges do not

That is the real comparison here. TEAR and HEX-V are overhangs, so how much of each bead hangs in air depends on layer height and extrusion width: enter yours and read the two unsupported-percent readouts. HEX-V goes from 87 percent at 0.2 mm layers to 43 percent at 0.1 mm, and the validator refuses a layer height that puts it past the geometric ceiling. HEX-F's crown is a bridge, and none of that applies to it; its quality is set by cooling and flow instead. Which hexagon wins is therefore a slicing decision as much as a design one.

Sizing

Hole diameter drives everything: the pitch between holes, the block, and the extra height the teardrop apex needs. Hole length is the block depth; keep it short, the crowns are what you are looking at.

What to look for

Print it at the layer height you entered, then sight through each hole. ROUND will be rough on most machines. Compare HEX-F and HEX-V and see whether the readouts predicted the winner.

UpdatedSep 19, 2026
Version16
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  • bridging
  • overhangs
  • holes
  • teardrop
  • 3d printing
  • design rules