Printing miniatures on FDM printers can be challenging due to thin geometry, overhangs, and delicate surface details. Orca Slicer offers more support control compared to traditional slicers, making it a very capable tool for miniature printing. However, achieving clean surfaces and reliable support removal requires tuning several parameters, especially when using PLA. Below are the best support settings and recommended values to help you get cleaner prints and reduce failure rates.
Recommended Support Style
For most PLA miniatures, using Normal Supports + Tree Supports works exceptionally well. Tree supports minimize contact area and reduce surface scarring, especially around faces, weapons, or thin limbs. Normal supports can be selectively added under flat overhangs or large bases.
Best Support Contact Settings
- Contact Z Distance: 0.15 mm – 0.20 mm
This distance helps the support detach without tearing details. Too small causes fusion; too large leads to drooping. - XY Separation: 0.20 mm – 0.30 mm
Helps prevent supports from scratching surface edges. - Contact Leaf Density (Tree): 80% – 100%
Higher density is beneficial for fragile parts such as tips, fingers, and ornaments.
Overhang Threshold and Angles
PLA miniatures often include sharp overhangs and cloaks. Recommended values:
- Overhang Threshold: 45° – 50°
- Max Overhang Angle: 60° (for organic shapes)
These values prevent sagging without overusing supports.
Support Density and Pattern
Support density has a huge impact on removal difficulty and detail preservation.
- Density: 10% – 18%
- Pattern: Lines or Snug
Higher density improves bridging but becomes harder to remove. For extremely fine detail, stay under 15%.
Support Interface Layers
Enable Support Interface to protect miniature surfaces:
- Interface Layers: 2 – 3 layers
- Interface Density: 60% – 80%
This creates a cleaner barrier and reduces surface scarring around faces and armor.
Cooling and Material Considerations
PLA benefits from strong active cooling for thin details:
- Fan Speed: 80% – 100%
- Layer Height: 0.08 – 0.12 mm
Thinner layers help supports detach cleaner and reveal sharper geometry.
Conclusion
For miniature printing in Orca Slicer using PLA, the best results come from combining Tree + Normal Supports, keeping separation distances modest, enabling interface layers, and controlling density. With proper tuning, FDM miniatures can achieve surprisingly clean surfaces without heavy post-processing.
If you’re also interested in optimizing your PLA prints for structural strength, check out our guide on choosing the right wall thickness for 3D printable boxes here:
👉 https://corb3d.com/wall-thickness-3d-printable-boxes-pla/
