What software are you guys using for dual extrusion. So far Ive tried
Simplify3D- Leaves a ton to be desired. The inability to control print order and how it deals with separate processes is frustrating. That and the lack of purge geometry.
Slic3R 1.2.6- better to deal with from the separate filament profile/extruder settings point, but still no easy way to deal with purge geometry.
Cura 15 - Best of the three so far. I like the purge tower/wipe skirt options. The separate profiles leaves something to be desired but its damn easy and thats nice.
Im most curious if anyone has any tips and tricks for Simplify or slic3r or anything else I should go play with. I don’t see a lot of dual extrusion posts on here. For reference I’m using a Cyclops and a flexy dualy on a @LulzBot TAZ 4
I almost always use Cura for dual prints. Simplify is OK if you’re using the secondary nozzle for support/rafts.
I did contact simplify for suggestions on the purging issue, here’s there response
"I’ve set up the process to change make a purge wall every-time there’s a tool-change. Under the Tool-change scripts tab, there’s the following:
G92 E0
{IF NEWTOOL=0}T0;
{IF NEWTOOL=1}T1;
{IF NEWTOOL=0}G0 X25 Y25 F2700;
{IF NEWTOOL=1}G0 X25 Y24 F2700;
G0 X100 E15 F3000
G92 E0
15 mm of filament will be extruded minimum (more so when the skirt is also printed prior to the print) with this configuration.
http://i.imgur.com/YIs5r1o.png"
I have my reservations about this idea but haven’t tested it yet to know one way or the other.
I really wish their scripting was better documented. I wanted to do exactly this but had no clue how to look for the tools being selected and all that. Thanks for this I’ll play with it
At E3D we use Cura pretty much exclusively for dual material printing on Cyclops/Chimera. While still not 100% it is pretty damn good. I also wish that Simplify3D had better, or at least something, to address purging. I like your strategy on the post-processing script.
I have also heard good things about KISSlicer but have not tested it extensively.
You might like Kiss slicer pro.
With Simplify I do HIPS as a support material. I haven’t done any multicolor of the same material. I use a tall skirt 2 perimeters, as tall as it needs to have for support. It serves as a wipe for tool change ooze, a purge of the primary material, and heat containment because my current machine is a Mendel.
My S3D tool change script is like 10 lines or so because I do a lot of little things. Short retract to combat the little bit of ooze, move off part outside of skirt, long retract for tool idling (about 20mm total so the plastic isn’t oozing while idled, and a short pause because Marlin seems to have a tool switching bug that swallows the previous command.
New tool. Unretract long retract, pause for a few seconds to heat up material again, then it goes on it’s merry way.
I wish Cura had Kiss’ hollow prime tower. I think the foot print needs to be bigger, but I don’t want a solid chunk of a tower, and stacking HIPS with ABS makes a weak tower, Kiss put the prime perimeters adjacent and not on top of each other.
I’m not totally happy with any of the slicers for use with HIPS support, but at least with Simplify, I was able to piece together a work flow that’s consistently making nice parts.
@Jeff_DeMaagd What don’t you like about HIPS support in S3D? I’m building an MM3 that will use HIPS as support and trying to sort out the toolchange before it’s finished.
Actually, I do like it. It’s the program that I’ve managed to turn the best result, but granted, I’ve not spent as much time with KISS or Slic3r, maybe there is some room for tuning those programs.
what are the advantages of KISS Pro? Kiss is the slicer I have spent the least time with. Does Matter Control have decent dual support?
