Print a shape as if it were a raft

[SteveInOR]

I purchased my first printer to make some pieces I need for a custom EV battery. One of the pieces I need to make is a cover for the cells that is a shape approximately 200mm x 100mm x 1mm. In the process of learning how to print, I made a piece using a raft and the way the printer made the raft would be perfect for this cover. Is there some way to tell a printer to print a flat thin shape using layers like a raft? The raft appears to start with a bottom layer of thicker zig-zag lines with a line's-width gap between them, then a second layer of thick zig-zag lines with no gap, then a layer of thinner zig-zag lines with no gap. If all I needed was a solid flat piece, I could probably trick the printer into just printing a raft for a shape with no padding, but I also need holes in specific places. All my searching for how to print a layer with gaps only returns ways to fix gaps. Below is a photo of the prototype cover printed normally (top) and the piece I cut from a sheet of 1/16" thick ABS (bottom). It is far easier to print this than cut it out but the current print time is about 3.5 hours and I am hoping to reduce that.

I am using an Ender 3 Max Neo and Creality Print software, though I can use another slicer if that's what it takes. I've looked at Cura and Prusa and haven't found anything obvious yet.

Thanks in advance,
Steve In Oregon

[Bikeracer2020]

If it's just a flat piece you are printing then a raft seems pointless, try the print without a raft. Disable raft in the slicer first.

Draw a 200x100 shape with your holes in whatever software you use, extrude it to 1mm thick and export it as an stl, .obj or .3mf file to use in your slicer

[SteveInOR]

Sorry if I’m not making myself clear. Let me try this. If I am printing a piece that is flat, say 200 x 100, is there a way to tell the printer to print layers with zigzag lines that have a gap?

The only time I see the slicer use lines that are gapped is when it is printing a raft. What if I wanted to print a piece as if it was a raft all by itself?

[Bikeracer2020]

I think you would need to actually create a drawing for what you describe and export it as a file for the slicer to generate the G-code.

[SteveInOR]

I'm not sure where the misunderstanding is. I already have an STL file of a shape that is 200mm by 100mm and a thickness of 0.84mm. If I set a quality of 0.28mm, the slicer is going to create three layers of zigzag lines but those lines are going to print right next to each other to make a solid layer. I do not want a solid layer. I want a layer that is made up of zigzag lines with space between the lines.I think I figured this out on my own. Using PrusaSlicer, I set my bottom layers to 0 and my top layer to 1. I chose a Fill density of 60% and a Fill Pattern of Line. With the density setting, I can adjust the space between the lines. At a thickness of 0.84mm and a layer height of 0.28mm I get no bottom layer, two infill layers of zigzag lines in opposite directions with gaps in the lines and a top layer of zigzag lines with no gaps. My 60mm x 40mm test print took much less time and was more flexible than the same shape sliced with solid layers. It's not very pretty, but this piece is never seen.