Erik_Es

I'll run a few tests to sort things out. It IS a very useful plug-in...

I use a value of -0.2 to -0.3, depending on how close I'm printing the initial layer. For a "tight" initial layer (so the actual nozzle to plate distance being slightly less then the initial layer height set in Cura) use -0.3 or even -0.4 (with a 0.4 nozzle), for a "looser"initial layer -0.2 appears to be enough.

I used to do that too. Using that negative horizontal expansion means you don't have to bother with that anymore for most prints, so it saves a lot of time.

To finish on a happy note: I LOVE the option in the latest Cura's to use a bit of negative horizontal expansion on the initial layer to prevent even the slightest traces of elephant's foot. VERY happy with that !

Thought about it a bit longer. The more the end bits of the infill lines get entwined between the wall layers (improving wall to infill connection), the more the wall lines will actually be interrupted by hitting these overlap bits, which then decreases the strength of the wall itself. I guess. I would like to see some proper strength tests to see which is better. If anybody reads this and has done such tests, please leave a message. Or else I will do it myself - SOME day, because I have a million other things I want to test as well, and only so much time in one day...

Yes, now you mention it, I heard that argument or a similar one before. I guess that by printing infill before walls, with plenty of overlap, the ends of the infill walls will sort of get entwined between the wall layers. I can see how that might improve the connection of the infill to the walls, as with normal "walls before infill" the infill only gets squashed against the inside of the wall, not crossing it - although you can get a similar effect by using a high value for infill overlap, which then actually has the same effect with a much less detrimental effect to the surface quality. So maybe the builders of Cura assume that most users need strength above quality, which I don't think is the case. One way or the other, the fact that this parameter has so much effect on print quality while being hidden from view by default seems like a big mistake to me.

By the way, you said "most prints". Does this mean you actually found a proper use for printing infill before walls ? I haven't...

And so you should, well done. 🙂 👍 But how many people are using the latest Cura, unaware of this hidden parameter (in my book "hidden" should mean "de-activated"...) and wondering why they keep seeing those awful infill lines on the outside of their prints, I wonder...

Yes, it did make a lot of sense. No clue why they dropped that. I've tried all versions for the last 7 years, and I still find that 14.07 is like the VW Beetle of Cura's. OK it might not be as fancy as the latest one. That has 300+ parameters you can control, which is very nice on one hand, but good luck testing them all properly to see what works and what doesn't for each type of print... 14.07 has no airconditiong, no GPS, no ABS, etc etc but at least everything WORKS, ALWAYS, exactly how you want it to, which I can't say for any Cura after that one. Progress is not always just improvement, it seems. Very weird about the later versions is that although most of these 300+ settings are hidden by default, they are still doing stuff behind the curtains that can really f**k things up. For instance, it took me ages to figure out that there is a "infill before walls" checkbox (in the hidden parameters for infill) that is set to ON by default. Digging out that parameter and unchecking that box DRASTICALLY improves the print quality for most prints that use infill >0 and <100 (so that's about 90% of prints...). If you haven't yet, try it out. No more infill visible through the shell. Gone as if by magic. A silly parameter, AND set to the wrong default, AND extremely well hidden in the Forest Of Parameters...

14.07 has none of these problems. All the newer versions (Cura 2 and up) do. Also: setting up multiple prints (by using Multiply Object) worked like a charm in 14.07 and has been COMPLETELY f***ed up since then. Placement and print order are a mess. I have to manually make objects switch places to get the right printing order. WHY ????

Nice to see this topic is not just bothering me but at least one other person... 🙂 Once you figure out how to use the plug-in, it's not a real problem. But the approach is very counter-intuitive, so I guess most people who use this plug-in never notice the changes occur one layer later than they should, and in most cases that doesn't really matter much for the print that comes out in the end. But in some cases it does... @randyinla: I don't think you can blame Ultimaker for any errors or unclarities in this plug-in, because (if I understand correctly) these plug-ins were/are built and shared by users, not the company. However, a much bigger problem is the fact that in the newer versions of Cura there is no way to save a print profile that holds the settings for the plug-ins you use. Instead, the plug-ins are now completely separated from the profiles, which means that if you need a plug-in for a certain print which you want to print again and again later (as I often do for my shop). that each time I want to print that thing I need to activate the plug-in and set the settings, which I apparently need to write down in a little black book now because there is no way of saving them. Such a pity. One of the reasons I still keep using 14.07 for a lot of prints. Very silly that that is necessary. So easy to fix... And to make matters worse: if you use a plug-in for a print, and then go on with another print, you might find that sadly the old plug-in still kicks in and ruins your print, because once you set one it will stay active until you switch it off yourself. Recipe for disaster...

@tinkergnome: thanks a million !! @nallath: got it from the first link in the previous post by tinkergnome. Perhaps you could put it back on the download page now ?

Haha, big OOPS... I meant 2013. Early dementia ?? So no need to dive into my box of old floppy discs. But I'll have a proper dig through my archive. Lots of hard discs to check... Hopefully it's there somewhere. If I find it I'll let you know.

Same problem for me. @tinkergnome: if you go to the cura download page you can click "find previous versions", but all that is there is the Cura 14.07 source code. No exe or installation file there... I have worked (a LOT!!) with all cura versions since 1993. The newest versions are quite good in some respects, but in other respects they are actually TERRIBLE compared to 14.07, which I still prefer for most prints. PLEASE ADD THE 14.07 WINDOWS INSTALLATION FILES TO THE DOWNLOAD PAGE ! or if someone has archived this, please send it to me : es@printedinspace.nl. Thanks !!!

OK thanks gr5. I was expecting it to be like that. So I will use layer number (which is much easier in most cases) and keep in mind to subtract 1 from the layer shown in the layer view. Thought it would be good to get this clear, as it will be helpful as well to other people using this plugin and not getting why changes happen one layer later than expected. BTW: I understand gcode reasonably well, but I try to avoid fiddling around in it myself. I'm quite wary of introducing errors that might cause damage to my printers... If you would be so kind to check another topic I started, called "plugins not saved", that would be most helpful. Although I like 3.6 very much so far, it seems such a pity that these useful plugins can not be saved/loaded as part of the profile anymore. Hopefully this can be put right in Cura 4 ?

In the ChangeAtZ plugin you enter the height at which you want the change to happen, either by height or by layer number. For a test print (I'm new to Cura 3, have been using 14.7 for years now...) I set the plugin to start the fan at layer 8 (so no fan for the first 7 layers). However, the fan then starts AFTER printing 8 layers, so at the start of the 9th layer. This seems wrong, unless perhaps the layer numbers are the same as in the gcode, where the first layer (layer 1 in my book) is actually called layer 0. To avoid this numbering confusion, it is perhaps better to use height instead of layer number. But that is also a bit confusing. For instance, let's say I want to print a bottom of 1 mm thickness without fan, then start the fan the moment it starts printing the next layer above that, which would be at height 1,2 mm (using layer height 0.2 mm). Which value for height should I then enter in the plugin ? And do I have to take into account that the first layer is thicker ? So if initial layer is 0.3 mm and layer height is 0.2 mm, should I enter 1,3 mm in the plugin if I want to start the fan immediately after printing a "1 mm" bottom (which is actually 1,1 mm because of the thicker first layer) ? (I have found (with Cura 14.7) that you don't have to account for this extra thickness (unless using layer height < 0.1 mm), because the action set in the plugin will happen in the first layer that reaches the set height OR goes a bit PAST the set height. But I am curious to know if it works like that in Cura 3.6 as well.) So to condense this in 3 simple questions: - does the plugin change the value at the start or at the end of the set layer number or height ? - in the plugin, is the first layer called layer 1 or layer 0 ? - when using height instead of layer number, do I have to adjust the value for the extra thickness in the first layer ?

Example: Flow is set to 107% in the profile. So flow will be 107% during printing, even though the controller (UMO) says it is 100%. Then I use the ChangeAtZ plugin to change the flow to 102% at a certain height. So I enter a value of 102% in the plugin. The controller now says flow is 102% (after reaching the height set in the plugin - at least this was the case in Cura 14.7, haven't checked this for 3.6 yet). I am assuming that means that the flow is then actually 102% X 107% = 109.14%. So to actually get the flow to change from 107 to 102, I should enter a value of 102/1,07 = 95,3% in the plugin. So to keep things more transparent, it is probably best to leave the flow setting at 100% in the profile, then use the plugin to change it to 107% in the first layer, and another plugin to change it to 102% at the desired height. This way the controller will always show the actual flow value during printing. Am I right here ? Also: if I use several instances of the plugin to change the flow a couple of times, do the subsequent changes replace the value of the plugin that came before, or is it incremental every time ?

I have been using Cura 14.7 for years now. Does almost everything I want... Now I have started to give Cura 3.6 a try. Quite like it, but there is one major bummer: the plug-ins are not saved together with the profiles (as is the case in 14.7) and neither are they saved in the 3mf project files. I use ChangeAtZ a lot, for instance to change print temp at specific places during printing. So that has to be different for each model. Is it really so that the inclusion of plug-ins in the saved profiles has disappeared ? And if so, can this PLEASE be reinstated ?

If your printer is suddenly making strange x-y jumps that are causing misalignment of the layers, the problem is USUALLY either very loose belts or one or more loose pulleys that need tightening. BUT there is something else that can cause this (at least with Ultimaker Original, don't know about UM2): if the cooling fan on the motherboard is not functioning properly (or not at all) then some parts on the motherboard get overheated which causes extremely nasty jumps (accompanied by horrible banging sounds). Solution: turn off the printer and either replace the fan if it is broken, or if it is dirty and/or running too slow or irregularly, then clean out all the dust and push some bearing grease in the hole under the round sticker. Before reassembling, connect the fan to the motherboard and switch on the printer (not too long, as there's no cooling on the board now) to check that is running and blowing smoothly. It also helps to switch it on shortly while you put the grease in, that way the fan sucks the grease inside a bit more.

Cables & connectors are OK, don't see any problems during printing, even when fiddling with the wires quite shamelessly. Power supply might be the problem, I'll check that. Thanks

An UM1 which has been working fine for over 2 years recently developed a problem: after preheating until temperature is stable, the temp measurement suddenly drops by about 6 degrees the moment the printer starts moving towards the home position. The fan is off, so that's not it. It causes terrible temp swings in the bottom layer, as you would expect. After a while the temp balances out again, but I'm not sure whether the temperature is actually right then... Any ideas ?