Top shell layers
In Bambu Studio, the profile 0.20mm Standard @BBL A1 sets it to5
How many solid layers close off the top of the part. With too few, the top sags and you can see the infill pattern through it.
How it works
The top of the part rests on the infill, which is hollow. The first solid layer has to stretch across the air between the infill lines and ends up with pits; each layer after that fills them in until the surface is smooth. That's why you need several.
This setting counts layers, not millimeters: with 0.12 mm layers you need more than with 0.28 mm layers to get the same thickness. Bambu Studio also has “Top shell thickness”, a minimum in millimeters that wins if it asks for more.
When to change it
- The lid of a box comes out with a grille-like texture or small dips: add 1 or 2 layers, or raise the infill.
- A miniature printed with very thin layers (0.08–0.12 mm): 6 to 8.
- A bracket screwed to the wall that nobody will see from above: 3, and you save time.
Typical values
| Value | What for |
|---|---|
| 3 | 0.28 mm layers; surface that won't be seen |
| 4–5 | 0.2 mm layers; standard (5 by default)default |
| 6–8 | 0.12 mm layers or very low infill |
Watch out for
- A good-looking top depends more on this and on infill density than on layer height.
- Ironing smooths the top, but it won't fix dips caused by too few layers.
- Only the last layer is the “top surface”; the ones below are internal solid infill, and the one just below it has its own pattern (“Sub-top surface pattern”).
Goes well with
What Bambu Studio says
This is the number of solid layers of top shell, including the top surface layer. When the thickness calculated by this value is thinner than top shell thickness, the top shell layers will be increased
Bambu Studio tooltip for this setting · AGPL-3.0