Minimum wall width (min_bead_width)

Minimum wall width is a number in mm. PrusaSlicer accepts 0 to 150 mm; Bambu Studio accepts 0 mm or more; OrcaSlicer, Cura and Creality Print declare no range.

What does each slicer call it?

Five slicers, five spellings of one setting. The scope column is which preset the key belongs to, which is what decides whether changing it follows the printer, the filament, or the print profile.

Slicer Key Scope
PrusaSlicer min_bead_width process
Bambu Studio min_bead_width process
OrcaSlicer min_bead_width process
Cura min_bead_width process
Creality Print min_bead_width process

What does each slicer say about it?

Each slicer offers its own values, so each gets its own line.

  • PrusaSlicer: Width of the wall that replaces thin features, in mm or percent of nozzle diameter.
  • Bambu Studio: Width, as percent of nozzle diameter, of the wall that replaces features thinner than the minimum feature size.
  • OrcaSlicer: Width of the wall that replaces thin features, as a % of nozzle diameter. Affects thin walls near the minimum feature size.
  • Cura: Width of the single wall that replaces features thinner than the minimum feature size, in mm. Raise it to print thin parts thicker.
  • Creality Print: Width of the wall that replaces a thin feature, as a % of nozzle diameter. Affects thin walls only.

Where does it live in the file?

All five slicers file this under the process preset, so its value follows the print profile rather than the model. A .3mf is a zip, so unzip it and search for min_bead_width, or open the file in preslice and read the Raw tab, which searches every member at once.

Four of the five slicers write their settings into a sidecar part beside the geometry. Cura writes them into the model XML itself, so there is no config part to open.

Slicer Part Format
PrusaSlicer Metadata/Slic3r_PE.config INI, one key = value per line
Bambu Studio Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object
OrcaSlicer Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object
Cura 3D/3dmodel.model XML metadata inside the model part, under a cura namespace
Creality Print Metadata/project_settings.config JSON, one flat object

What values are valid?

Each slicer declares its own type, default, and bounds for its key. They do not always agree, and where they disagree the file is still valid in both: the slicer that wrote it is the one that enforced its own rule.

Slicer Type Unit Default Range
PrusaSlicer floatOrPercent mm or % 85 0 to 150
Bambu Studio percent % not declared 0 or more
OrcaSlicer percent % 85 not declared
Cura float mm 0.2 not declared
Creality Print percent % 85 not declared

OrcaSlicer, Cura and Creality Print declare no range for this key, so nothing in the file bounds it.

The slicers disagree on the type: Cura as float, PrusaSlicer as floatOrPercent, Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and Creality Print as percent. preslice reads all of them.

Every type, default, and bound above is read from the slicer's own field definitions rather than from measurement: PrusaSlicer's PrintConfig.cpp, Bambu Studio's PrintConfig.cpp, OrcaSlicer's PrintConfig.cpp, Cura's fdmprinter.def.json and Creality Print's PrintConfig.cpp.

Can I read it from my own file?

Yes, without installing a slicer. Open preslice and drop a .3mf on the page. It unzips and parses the file in your browser, and shows minimum wall width under its own name alongside the rest of the print settings. The file stays in your browser; see what leaves it.