In 3D printing, wall thickness refers to the distance between one surface of your part and its opposite sheer surface. In a 3D design program it is possible to design surfaces without a thickness whatsoever. However in order to successfully 3D print a part, make sure that every surface of your 3D file has been designed as a wall with a minimum thickness:
The minimum wall thickness that we recommend for each material is designed to assure a reliable and stable printing result. Please note that depending on the material, the part's geometry, dimensions as well as its desired application it can be necessary to use higher wall thicknesses. For printing lower values, please see section below.
You can find our recommended minimum wall thickness on the material pages or design guidelines of our website and summarized in the table below:
1. Recommended wall thicknesses per material (for online orders)
| Technology | Material | Recommended minimum wall thickness |
| Fused Deposition Modeling | ABS-M30, ABS-ESD7, PC-ABS, Polycarbonate, Ultem 9085 |
1.2 mm |
| Selective Laser Sintering | PA12, PA-AF, PA-GF, PP, PA 2210 FR | 1 mm |
| Bluesint PA12 |
1.5 mm |
|
| Multi Jet Fusion | PA 12, Ultrasint TPU 90A-01 |
1 mm |
| Metal 3D Printing | Performance Aluminum (AlSi10Mg), Performance Titanium (TiAl6V4), Performance Stainless Steel (316L), Performance Inconel (IN718) | 0.5 mm |
| Standard Aluminum (AlSi10Mg), Standard Titanium (TiAl6V4), Standard Stainless Steel (SS316L), Standard Inconel (IN718) | 1 mm | |
| Stereolithography | Poly1500, ProtoGen White, TuskXC2700T, TuskXC2700W, Taurus, Xtreme, Tusk Somos SolidGrey 3000 | 1–3 mm depending on part dimensions (see design guidelines of each material) |
| PolyJet | Vero, VeroClear, Agilus, DM_ShoreA40, DM_ShoreA50, DM_ShoreA60, DM_ShoreA70, DM_ShoreA85, DM_ShoreA95 | 1 mm |
2. Printing lower wall thicknesses
Of course in many cases printing wall thicknesses lower than the recommended values above is technically possible. In the correct material it can be used to produce interesting features such as hinges, for more information please see the article: What are living hinges?
However please note that if you order a part with lower wall thicknesses than our recommended values, you acknowledge the involved risks and we cannot offer remakes or refunds for the part.