Support settings for Cura with UM 3 Extended

[RenoE 0]

Hi all.

I have some experience from printing with Stratasys (yPrint SE +).

On this printer with the Catalyst Software the support builds upwards in an angle for overhang, in about 60'degrees from the print surface below. On my newly investment of UM3 Extended, the supports builds 90'degrees upwards, and I feel there is built a lot of un-necessary support.

Is there a way to change the settings for this? Of course the build structure for support can be reduced, but I guess there should be an option in Cura to let the supports to build in another way, like the way it's built in Catalyst for Stratasys....

Hope someone understand the issue

[forkosh 0]

+1

I got the same problem here

[3dcase 37]

Hi,

in custom support settings a lot of nice looking settings available, Tower and such.

But I don't see a difference in layer view, too experimental I guess :(

As a UM3 user myself, I use a 10% support with a solid interface were the support touches your print. If you like you could even use your normal PLA for support and use PVA for the interface. Cheaper and less messy when cleaning with water.

No answer to your question, but it could speed up the printing

Kees

[gr5 2,178]

It might be cheaper to have most of the support be pla with just a layer of pva where support ends and part starts. But in practice it doesn't work well because pva really doesn't stick very well on top of pla.

@RenoE could you make a hand drawing or something that shows what you are talking about with this 60 degree angled support? I don't quite understand.

[RenoE 0]

Just an example of the difference between Cura and Catalyst

I will make a sketch of other issue

[Schoepsi 1]

Hi,

in custom support settings a lot of nice looking settings available, Tower and such.

But I don't see a difference in layer view, too experimental I guess :(

As a UM3 user myself, I use a 10% support with a solid interface were the support touches your print. If you like you could even use your normal PLA for support and use PVA for the interface. Cheaper and less messy when cleaning with water.

No answer to your question, but it could speed up the printing

Kees

How do you print the support interface with a different material than the rest of the support?

edit: Just recognised, you were probably not talking bout cura. nvm.

Edited May 3, 2017 by Guest

[geert_2 557]

Or you could design the supports yourself, in whatever material you wish. The disadvantage is that it may take more time to design the supports than to design the model.

An example of a custom support: at the bottom a thin (0.5mm) flat plate in PLA with large area for good adhesion to the bed. Then a tree-like support structure, also in PLA. Then a roof, still in PLA, with interlocking features on top of it. Then a layer in water-soluble PVA which mechanically locks into these features, so the PVA has good mechanical grip to the rest of the support structure in PLA. And finally the real model.

In this way you could absolutely minimise the use of support material, and still get good stiff supports with good adhesion.

Also remember to design-in features to make support removal easier: holes where you can get in with pliers, cutters; or thin parts where you can easily break off the supports, etc...

All this would be very hard to generate with automatic methods.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

If you are using Cura 2.5, it can be done. I have been experimenting with it. Sometimes too little on my experiments, but usually not.

Scroll about midway through this thread and you will see a pic of toward supports in action.

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/42478-learning-from-the-noobverse-for-all-the-noobs-having-fun-with-the-um3

That is, if I am reading what you want right. But it does save on filament and time.