You can trick the slicer into producing a vase-mode print. Hereâs how:
First, itâs important to understand what vase mode is. Essentially, it takes the STL model and prints a continuous ribbon of single-layer filament without stopping until it reaches the top. To see this in action, try the following:
- Right-click and select the Sphere Primitive.
- Scale it to 200mm.
- Check the Spiral Vase option.
Youâll get a slice that looks like this (shown in the image below). It will obviously fail when it reaches the top, but it looks cool and doesnât take long to printâso why not?
If you peel back the layers, youâll notice that vase mode simply creates a single wall of filament. This is why itâs ideal for printing items like lampshades or quick decorative vases.
Now I havenât used vase mode since v1.8 of Bambu Slicer so it may have changed but if it still works the way it did six months ago, if you try to print a complex object(Non-symmetrical) it should create a faulty geometry. Hereâs an example.
The full model
Notice the ghosted areas that the slicer simply wonât render. This will create a spaghetti mess.
Trick the slicer into creating the equivalent thickness of a single wall.
If you go into the slicer and change these settings, it will create a similar function as vase mode albeit not as a single ribbon of filament. This will mean that while you wonât get the advantage of the speed of vase mode, you will get near the âthinnessâ of vase mode.
Here is the 200mm sphere example from before. Turn off Infill and make wall loops 1. Note that your model will need supports so this isnât a free trade-off, youâll have to compensate, possibly by painting in manual interior supports.
Then if you want to really be daring, change the wall thickness. This will get tricky and be prepared for some trial and error until you find the right combo for your filament. You may have to go into cooling settings and increase fan speeds. This may make the model more solid at the expense of being more brittle. Again, nothing is free, itâs a ânegotiationâ between, you, the slicer, the filament and the laws of physics.
If you look closely or zoom in on the image, you can see that the outer wall is two layers but it is much thinner than the standard width.
While this last trick is only âpretendingâ to act like vase mode, it is very temperamental.