Turning off Bed/Built plate Temperature after x layers?.

[WildBergh 0]

Is it possible to set temperature on Bed/Built plate for a number of layers or specific height?
I know Cura can handle a different temperature on the initial layer and normal printing on the bed/built plate.

I want 60C degress on the first 1mm or 8 layers. Then I want it to shutdown heating on the bed completely. Possible?

Have an Ender3 btw.
 

[Guest maht]

You'd probably need to manually insert some M140 commands into your gcode output. It could be achieved using a post processing script (In Cura you can turn these on or off by navigating to Extensions > Post processing > Modify GCode)

 

The source scripts are stored in your Cura installation folder, e.g. 

C:\Program Files\Ultimaker Cura 4.5\plugins\PostProcessingPlugin\scripts

 

You would need to write something similar to the 'Pause at height' script, which you could probably use as a framework for this (but instead of a pause command, it would be a bed temp command)

 

A useful resource:

https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M140:_Set_Bed_Temperature_.28Fast.29

 

Hope this helps

[WildBergh 0]

Many thanks maht!
I'm not smart enough to do programing myself, but I will try.

Edited February 26, 2020 by WildBergh

[Guest maht]

30 minutes ago, WildBergh said:

Many thanks maht!
I'm not smart enough to do programing myself, but I will try.

 

You could also just try inserting commands manually, of course. I'd recommend editing gcode using a tool such as notepad++, or atom.

 

If you plan to perform this function a lot, scripting it might be a bit more elegant. And if you do crack it, someone else might find it useful too, so it can be merged in future releases. Baby steps 😉

[DivingDuck 105]

Isn't this PI helpful?

 

[WildBergh 0]

Its perfect! thank you

[DivingDuck 105]

You're welcome.

[paddymcgowan 0]

@DivingDuck, thanks for this, really helped me out in some experimental printing we are doing.

[DivingDuck 105]

@paddymcgowan, glad to help.

[Longtoke 25]

On 2/26/2020 at 9:31 PM, WildBergh said:

....Then I want it to shutdown heating on the bed completely. 

 

Just a heads up from someone who has experimented with this - don't leave your print unmonitored. 

 

This  issue probably only applies to glass beds, but on both my ender 3 and CR10, if the the print is a long duration print, the bed cools to the extent the print WILL detach, and potentially cause a catastrophic fail and risk destroying some/all of your printer.  

[DivingDuck 105]

It's not only this. In addition you will change also the distance between nozzle and bed (misalignment of the build plate could come also in place). In the end you will see this in the print optical and dimensional.

[paddymcgowan 0]

7 hours ago, Longtoke said:

 

Just a heads up from someone who has experimented with this - don't leave your print unmonitored. 

 

This  issue probably only applies to glass beds, but on both my ender 3 and CR10, if the the print is a long duration print, the bed cools to the extent the print WILL detach, and potentially cause a catastrophic fail and risk destroying some/all of your printer.  

 

Yes you are correct this does indeed happen, when turning off the bed like this you need some additional process of keeping the print on the bed, textured surface or adhesives. We are a research group looking at the energy demand for 3d printing, all methods and its carbon footprint.

 

29 minutes ago, DivingDuck said:

It's not only this. In addition you will change also the distance between nozzle and bed (misalignment of the build plate could come also in place). In the end you will see this in the print optical and dimensional.

 

There is thermal expansion in the plate however the delta is very small and  is having little effect when compared to the thickness of extrusion. We measure this also during the testing.

 

Thanks for your help, its great to have your experience as a resource.

[Longtoke 25]

15 hours ago, paddymcgowan said:

 

Yes you are correct this does indeed happen, when turning off the bed like this you need some additional process of keeping the print on the bed, textured surface or adhesives. We are a research group looking at the energy demand for 3d printing, all methods and its carbon footprint.

 

 

Wow and interesting, I commend you/r group, this is something that I've been curious about myself. Perhaps you can post updates/results here for those that are interested or is there a link you can provide where like minded people can stay informed ? 

 

Something that may also be of note is the CR10S Pro V2, which actually has a power save feature included in its firmware. This was how I discovered the issues when switching off the bed mid print. I have a little plug in power meter I bought that lets me meter the usage from an individual socket, and I was shocked at how much of a difference it made switching the bed off. 

[GregValiant 1,354]

On 9/22/2020 at 4:22 AM, paddymcgowan said:

We are a research group looking at the energy demand for 3d printing, all methods and its carbon footprint.

 

100% of all the PLA produced on the planet will end up in landfills. - Me

[DivingDuck 105]

I still wonder why most of printers today do not have isolated heated beds. User often buy / use big printers w/o having a need for it and also waste so much energy for their hobby. Bigger is better are the argument they tell all the time and anywhere. Same people are often telling that they are "green" in mind and always take care of their environment. Well, they obviously don't.

My printers all have isolated beds. This reduce a lot of energy consumption for me.

[Smithy 1,146]

I think you can overdo it with energy saving. The printer's heating bed plays only a very minor role here. 

 

If someone is afraid of making a negative contribution to environmental protection with his 3D printer, then he should generally consider whether it makes sense to produce plastic or whether it would be better to carve the parts from wood.

 

I also find people funny who talk a lot about environmental protection and then have air conditioning at home, use a laundry dryer and go shopping in their SUV.

 

[DivingDuck 105]

Yea, some behaviors are funny.

Well, I should say I'm recording energy consumption for my printers since more than two years. I would say conservatively >30% lower energy consumption isn't really minor (well known, that this is only one part of the calculation), especially if you use to have beds with 600W (and for my big one two of them). My printing duration's are usually >20 hours and for the big one usually in a range of 48 to 80 hours for bigger prints. For me it was quite interesting to recognize how big the difference in reality is and how easy and cheap e.g. a 10mm cork plate can reduce the power waste with nearly no big effort. In addition I don't have heat under the plates, what is a huge plus too.

🙂