Learning Vase Mode

At this point you have probably printed a few items on your own. If you have not, I’d highly recommend searching:

There are hundreds of files you can download for free and print. I would recommend getting comfortable printing items with supports, and adjusting the setting in your slicer. In this tutorial, we’re going to expand on a popular feature called ‘Vase Mode’.

Finding a vase to print

The first step will be to head over to thingiverse and search the word ‘Vase’. There will be many to choose from, so find the one you like best.

Once you have open the STL file in Cura.

Adjusting your settings to print in ‘Vase Mode’

Vase mode is a special feature that will only the walls of the object, and continue to do that all the way up the model with one line of print. In Cura Ultimaker the setting is called Spiralized Outer Contour.

Settings to adjust

  1. Under Special Modes, select “Spiralized Outer Contour”. If you do not see it, you may need to adjust your setting options to Advanced. (Also Select Smooth Spiral Contour”
  2. Layer Height to .12
  3. Number of bottom layers to 6. (I like to go a little higher, and adjust the bottom thickness to 1mm. It gives the base a little more support and weight.)
  4. Build plate adhesion to Brim

The other item he mentions in the video is to adjust the print speed. I prefer to keep the default settings when I slice the object. Then I’ll adjust the print speed manually on my Ender 3. I usually will reduce it to 80%.