Easy removal of support structures

I bumped into this video [www.youtube.com] and I am shocked as to how easy the removal of support structures seems to be.

I have done a couple of attempts with PLA and Slic3r at 0.2mm layer thickness and I was quite disappointed with the results. Mostly, the support was bonded very firmly to the rest of the printed part, leaving a very ugly surface once removed.

But apparently there are other ways.

Do you guys can provide me any guidance? Should I use Skeinforge instead? ABS?

Thanks.

Getting support to release is an art. I cannot imagine that Slic3r has enough low level controls to make this easy. Skeinforge has lots, but they move around, depending on the version.

Temperature and flow rate ratios are what you want to look at. I have always found ABS to be easier to peel off. PLA is just too sticky.

Depending on the object you are going to print, you can opt for using well placed columns for support as part of the model, instead of using the support feature of the slicer.

if you have your steps/mm for your extruder and your pid working slic3r will generate support that works many times better than the up! but it's the kind of thing that only really works well for abs

Skeinforge allows you to set the extruder flow rate for support seperate from the printing flow rate as well as feedrate, which helps in easy removal.

KISSlicer support is not too bad but the flow rate is the same as the print, but you can set feedrate for support seperately.

I first did tests with a simple sphere to work out the setting like support angle, and support gap from object. I've been printing fairly complex parts with little issue from support material.

My initial trials with slic3r and support, yielded results in which the support itself was replacing some of the outer perimeters which of course ruins any chance of a clean surface.

So not good. But I haven't played with it much yet.

I am going to try Slic3r with ABS and I will repeat PLA tests with Skeinforge. I am glad to know that getting it right is not a straightforward thing but that it can work.

Dual extrusion with PVA as support material was my other choice but I was worried about hotends ooze and cost.

Thank you guys.

I've had fantastic results with kisslicer support, I always use the coarsest option and it does a transition to finer support where needed. The peels right off with fingers.

There is a huge difference in removing support from ABS and removing it from PLA.
The former is MUCH easier, I have yet to see a slicer produce support for the latter that is in anyway easy to remove.