morganfeldon
New Member
Sorry if this is deemed off-topic, but considering this will be 3D printed, any advice on good prints may be useful?
Cura has so many great settings which are hidden by default. Tree Supports, Support Interface, Ironing, Coasting are all what I consider mandatory for good prints, yet they've been in Cura -- hidden -- for years in some cases. I was glad to see that in the last update they finally moved some of these out of the "Experimental" state.
Tree Supports -- rather than the Standard corrugated/zigzag supports which are almost impossible to remove from prints and incur hours of sanding, Tree Supports generate a super lightweight fractal tree which grows from a large base to the smallest possible branches that will support each part of your print. Fantastic for curved shapes especially figurines/miniatures.
Support Interface -- If you are doing a large flat unsupported area and must use the Standard zig-zag supports, Support Interface will draw a thin scaffold (roof) on top of the supports before doing your print. The support interface is usually so thin that it just peels off and leaves a smooth surface.
Ironing -- The hot nozzle is passed over the highest point of each of your prints one more time to melt/smooth over the tops.
Coasting -- Rather than getting to the end of a "travel" and dribbling a little bit of molten plastic down the side of your print, Coasting turns off the extruder a few mm prior so that the printer will use up the last bit of molten filament in the nozzle to fill in the end of each line.
Cura has so many great settings which are hidden by default. Tree Supports, Support Interface, Ironing, Coasting are all what I consider mandatory for good prints, yet they've been in Cura -- hidden -- for years in some cases. I was glad to see that in the last update they finally moved some of these out of the "Experimental" state.
Tree Supports -- rather than the Standard corrugated/zigzag supports which are almost impossible to remove from prints and incur hours of sanding, Tree Supports generate a super lightweight fractal tree which grows from a large base to the smallest possible branches that will support each part of your print. Fantastic for curved shapes especially figurines/miniatures.
Support Interface -- If you are doing a large flat unsupported area and must use the Standard zig-zag supports, Support Interface will draw a thin scaffold (roof) on top of the supports before doing your print. The support interface is usually so thin that it just peels off and leaves a smooth surface.
Ironing -- The hot nozzle is passed over the highest point of each of your prints one more time to melt/smooth over the tops.
Coasting -- Rather than getting to the end of a "travel" and dribbling a little bit of molten plastic down the side of your print, Coasting turns off the extruder a few mm prior so that the printer will use up the last bit of molten filament in the nozzle to fill in the end of each line.
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