Jump to content
UltiMaker Community of 3D Printing Experts

CuraEngine/Slicer Questions - Multiple Independent Print Heads


EEKizzle

Recommended Posts

Posted · CuraEngine/Slicer Questions - Multiple Independent Print Heads

Does anybody know much about the inner workings of a slicer? Where is a good place to start? Are there good resources to read? I am familiar with programming but not at all familiar with the operations a slicer must perform to go from model to G-code.

 

I came across Project Escher and that has gotten me very interested in researching multiple and independent print heads for 3D Printing. I think this would require changes to the slicer so it can figure out what print head should print what part of the model as well changes to Marlin to support a substantial amount of additional motors and also custom hardware.

 

Hardware isn't a problem for me, but I understand very little about how a slicer does what it does. So does anybody have a good idea and interested in this as well? Or could anyone point me toward good resources to learn from?

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · CuraEngine/Slicer Questions - Multiple Independent Print Heads

    I have written pages about this all around the forum. Use google to look for posts about this although I don't know what to search for.

    Quotes from my earlier posts:

     

    The way cura works is it intersects a plane with all the millions of triangles in the STL. The triangles are in no particular order so the lines are also in no order. So then Cura goes about hooking up those lines into closed loops. There's a little bit of rounding error in the points so Cura allows a little leeway or slop when deciding if two points are the same.

    Also read this and many other topics - Daid has some great explanations too - he wrote Cura although there are more authors now:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/17986-path-planning-algorithm-used-in-cura

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · CuraEngine/Slicer Questions - Multiple Independent Print Heads

    Thanks for the reply.

    My google skills were weak.  I never found anything on this or any other 3D printing forum (I did search for a few days before asking) but there is a lot written about CNC machines for "tool path generation algorithms".  I think that will get me in the right direction.  "Slicer" is apparently a bad search term when you want to dive into the technical details.

    I do appreciate your time though!

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · CuraEngine/Slicer Questions - Multiple Independent Print Heads

    Well don't forget to adad "site:ultimaker.com" when doing a google search - that will restrict results to be only from the forum.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • UltiMaker Cura 5.3 stable released
        In this stable release, Cura 5.3 achieves yet another huge leap forward in 3D printing thanks to material interlocking! As well as introducing an expanded recommended print settings menu and lots of print quality improvements. Not to mention, a whole bunch of new printer profiles for non-UltiMaker printers!
          • Thanks
          • Like
        • 21 replies
      • Here it is. The new UltiMaker S7
        The UltiMaker S7 is built on the success of the UltiMaker S5 and its design decisions were heavily based on feedback from customers.
         
         
        So what’s new?
        The obvious change is the S7’s height. It now includes an integrated Air Manager. This filters the exhaust air of every print and also improves build temperature stability. To further enclose the build chamber the S7 only has one magnetically latched door.
         
        The build stack has also been completely redesigned. A PEI-coated flexible steel build plate makes a big difference to productivity. Not only do you not need tools to pop a printed part off. But we also don’t recommend using or adhesion structures for UltiMaker materials (except PC, because...it’s PC). Along with that, 4 pins and 25 magnets make it easy to replace the flex plate perfectly – even with one hand.
         
        The re-engineered print head has an inductive sensor which reduces noise when probing the build plate. This effectively makes it much harder to not achieve a perfect first layer, improving overall print success. We also reversed the front fan direction (fewer plastic hairs, less maintenance), made the print core door magnets stronger, and add a sensor that helps avoid flooding.
         

         
        The UltiMaker S7 also includes quality of life improvements:
        Reliable bed tilt compensation (no more thumbscrews) 2.4 and 5 GHz Wi-Fi A 1080p camera (mounted higher for a better view) Compatibility with 280+ Marketplace materials Compatibility with S5 project files (no reslicing needed) And a whole lot more  
        Curious to see the S7 in action?
        We’re hosting a free tech demo on February 7.
        It will be live and you can ask any questions to our CTO, Miguel Calvo.
        Register here for the Webinar
          • Like
        • 18 replies
      • UltiMaker Cura Alpha 🎄 Tree Support Spotlight 🎄
        Are you a fan of tree support, but dislike the removal process and the amount of filament it uses? Then we would like to invite you to try this special release of UltiMaker Cura. Brought to you by our special community contributor @thomasrahm
         
        We generated a special version of Cura 5.2 called 5.3.0 Alpha + Xmas. The only changes we introduced compared to UltiMaker Cura 5.2.1 are those which are needed for the new supports. So keep in mind, this is not a sneak peek for Cura 5.3 (there are some really cool new features coming up) but a spotlight release highlighting this new version of tree supports.  
          • Like
        • 22 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...