In 3D printing wall thickness refers to the distance between one surface of your part and its opposite sheer surface. The minimum wall thickness is the value that we recommend in order to assure a reliable printing result and stable model. Please note that the appropriate wall thickness of a part will not only depend on the chosen 3D printing material but also on the part's geometry, its dimensions as well as the desired application of the parts.
1. Minimum wall thicknesses for orders on Materialise Manufacturing
| Technology | Material | Recommended minimum wall thickness |
| Fused Deposition Modeling | ABS | 1.0 mm |
| 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) |
| PolyJet | Vero, VeroClear, Agilus, DM_ShoreA40, DM_ShoreA50, DM_ShoreA60, DM_ShoreA70, DM_ShoreA85, DM_ShoreA95 | 1 mm |
You can find more material and design information on the material pages or design guidelines of our website.
2. Printing lower wall thicknesses
In many cases printing wall thicknesses which are lower than the recommended values above is technically possible. When choosing the correct material, low wall thicknesses 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.