> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ntop.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cross Sectional Area Max-Min

> AI context for Cross Sectional Area Max-Min. Not linked in navigation.

> This page is for AI assistant context only. To use this package, visit [community.ntop.com](https://community.ntop.com/packages/ntop/cross-sectional-area-max-min).

## Summary

This block returns the largest and smallest Cross-Sectional area of an Implicit Body, as well as their Z locations in the form of a list. Max is before Min in the lists.

## Package Details

| Field            | Value                                                                    |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **ID**           | `cross-sectional-area-max-min`                                           |
| **Type**         | Block                                                                    |
| **Author**       | nTop                                                                     |
| **Version**      | 1.0.0                                                                    |
| **nTop Version** | 5.44+                                                                    |
| **Domain**       | Geometry                                                                 |
| **Complexity**   | Beginner                                                                 |
| **Tags**         | `cross-section`, `area`, `maximum`, `minimum`, `implicit`, `measurement` |
| **License**      | MIT                                                                      |
| **Verified**     | Yes                                                                      |

***

This block returns the largest and smallest cross-sectional area of an implicit body, as well as their Z locations, as a two-item list. Index 0 is the max area slice; index 1 is the min area slice.

To inspect the area value of a slice, drag and drop the cross-sectional area chip from that slice in the nTop graph.

## When to use this

In additive manufacturing, cross-sectional area directly affects print time, material consumption, and thermal behavior at each layer. Use this block to:

* **Predict thermal hot spots** — sudden jumps between max and min area indicate stress concentrations and residual heat buildup during printing
* **Validate build orientation** — compare max cross-sectional area across different orientations to find the orientation with the lowest peak area

## Installation

Clone this repo or copy the package folder into your nTop workspace:

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/nTopology/Utilities.git
```

The package lives at `packages/ntop/cross-sectional-area-max-min/`.

## Inputs

| Name                 | Type          | Description                                                                          |
| -------------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `Implicit Body`      | Implicit Body | The implicit body to evaluate                                                        |
| `Slice Layer Height` | Scalar        | The layer height at which the body is sliced to compute cross sections               |
| `Feature Size`       | Scalar        | The feature size of the slices                                                       |
| `Include Negative Z` | Bool          | Enable if the body extends into negative Z space to ensure the entire body is sliced |
| `Frame`              | Frame         | Frame to redefine the coordinate system if needed                                    |

## Outputs

| Name             | Type         | Description                                                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------- | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Combined Lists` | List\<Slice> | Two-item list of slices — index 0 is the max area slice, index 1 is the min area slice. Drag and drop the cross-sectional area chip from each slice to read its area value |

## License

MIT.

***

## Source

[https://community.ntop.com/packages/ntop/cross-sectional-area-max-min](https://community.ntop.com/packages/ntop/cross-sectional-area-max-min)