Shell

Outer hull of a part. The shell is defined as the region from the outer edge of a part, stretching inwards up to a pre-defined distance from the outer edge (i.e. the thickness of the shell). The thickness of the shell is usually set to a certain number of mm, but can be increased/decreased in function of the part specifications. Larger parts, for example, may require a thicker shell.

In the shell zone of a part, binder is deposited at 100%, or at a defined maximum binder quantity rate (which may be lower than the maximum deposition by the nozzles).

Usually the shell is created in order to guarantee a sufficiently strong green part. Whereas the shell zone could theoretically cover the entire part, this is usually avoided in order to save binder (by not spraying 100% binder on the inside, or "Core").

Defining Shell, Grid and Core is done through the Shell-Grid-Core feature, explained in detail in chapter 6. Features and Functionality