Cura Feature Request: Elephoot compensation through chamfer setting in slicer with height & degree

[DrWoo 1]

I have to admit that I'm not a Cura user, but use CEL Robox Automaker, which uses Cura as slicer, so the following is a request without knowledge whether such a feature might already exist in Cura.

 

The common method to avoid Elephant feet in 3d prints is – other than tweaking the (first layer) settings for bed temperature, nozzle height and material flow – to model a chamfer at the bottom with e.g. 0.5 mm height at a 45° angle.

 

The problem with this chamfer is that you

• sometimes forget to add it before exporting the model as STL
• depending on the geometry and modeler, it might be problematic to add
• extrusion profiles can no longer be scaled in length (Z direction), as as chamfer does asymmetrically scale with it

 

I read that Cura does have a setting for initial layer horizontal expansion, but an Elephant foot typically stretches way beyond the first layer, depending on the layer height and number of objects placed on the build plate it easily affect 10 or 15 layers (according to my experience the warping of the bottom layers gets stronger as more objects are placed on the bed, thus as longer it takes to complete the base layers, which happens at increased bed temperature for better adhesion).

 

My suggestion/request would be to have an Elephoot compensation option right in Cura, with a height and degree setting, so the slicer adds e.g. a 0.5 mm/45° chamfer at the bottom on the fly (without altering the STL file on the disk).

Edited January 3, 2020 by DrWoo