Printing terrain pieces and game inserts on the Bambu A1 printer (or the A1 Mini, with its smaller build volume) can significantly elevate your tabletop gaming experience. Here’s a guide to help you optimize your prints and achieve consistent results for these larger, functional models, assuming you are using Bambu Studio – their excellent slicer tool.
It will also help you avoid the frustration of globby, inconsistent first layers, poor bed adhesion, and tragic destruction of your precious hours of printing, leading to greater satisfaction and probably world peace.
1. Adjusting Temperature Settings
Getting the temperature settings right is crucial for successful prints, especially with the increased surface area of terrain and game inserts. If the nozzle is too hot (like the default 220), it can glob up and deposit little nodules that can catch and pull the model off the bed.
Here’s what works well:
- First Layer Temperature: Set to 215°C for strong initial adhesion.
- Subsequent Layers Temperature: Reduce to 210°C for the rest of the print.
You can configure these settings in the filament’s Edit Preset section of the Bambu Slicer software under your filament profile.
How you would know this is under this part of the UI is anybody’s guess, but, now you know.
1. Enable Adaptive Layer Height
Terrain and inserts don’t always need uniform detail across every surface. The Adaptive Layer Height setting dynamically adjusts layer thickness, saving time while maintaining detail where it matters.
Use Case: Fine details like brick patterns on terrain will have thinner layers, while flat surfaces, like game insert walls, will print faster with thicker layers.
This setting improves print quality and efficiency, balancing detail and print speed. In the Prepare tab, click your model, then click this Adaptive icon, then the Adaptive button, and boom—you’re done. Click the icon again to release the screen lock.
3. Optimize Support Structures
Supports are essential for models with overhangs or intricate geometries (like arches, bridges, or storage dividers). Here’s how to optimize them:
- Overhang Angle: Set at 45°. (it won’t add support under this threshold value).
- Support Type: Use Tree Slim Supports for sturdy but minimally invasive supports.
- Support Infill Type: Select Concentric and Hollow Support Infills for easy removal and lightweight structures.
These settings make removing supports from your terrain and inserts quick and clean, avoiding damage to functional parts or detailed surfaces.
4. Infill Settings for Strength and Efficiency
For terrain and game inserts, infill balance is critical. You want enough strength for durability without wasting filament.
- Infill Percentage: Use 10–15% for terrain (depending on the model’s function) and 20–30% for game inserts that will bear weight, like token holders or card dividers.
- Infill Type: Choose Adaptive Cubic for more efficient and dynamic use of structural integrity.
Note the 4mm brim around the base of these future cardholders.
5. Adding an Outer Brim
This one took a lot of work to find. After you slice, go to the Preview tab and look down at the Brim setting. This is important because if your model comes unstuck, it will either slide around and mess everything else up or get gummed up and melted into your hot end, which will cause you all kinds of headaches. So, for safety’s sake alone, consider this important move.
When printing spindly, or oddly shaped pieces, be they terrain or game inserts, adding a 4–5mm Outer-Only Brim to the first layer helps keep the print secure, especially if the model has wide bases or narrow connections. You may be able to skip this for some terrain, but its good to know for when its not sticking like you want it to.
How to Add a Brim:
- Slice your model in the Bambu Slicer software.
- Go to the Preview Tab.
- Set the brim size to 4–5mm.
This brim stabilizes the print and minimizes the risk of detachment or warping, which is especially important for the longer print times often required for terrain and inserts.
And that’s all for now, hopefully these up your game!