"print-area" selection

[jumpmobile 0]

I want to print multiple long parts ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:190386 part: A1.stl ) that have to lie diagonally on the print bed. Currently I can only print one of these at a time when it is rotated.

This is no problem for me right now, but later it could be really necessary to print multiple pieces diagonally.

 

 

Request:

Could you let Cura calculate the necessary print-area so that it takes up as little bed-area as possible?

Thanks in advance. Especially to David, for the good work so far. Keep it up!

So far for the essential information. Here is the story behind it and another question that doesn't relate to Cura.

These Things are test specimens for a tensile stress test. I have aske one of the professors at the institute for material science at my University to make some tests for me, so we could quantify the bonding strength that the printed lines have to one another when printed of a certain material at a certain temperature and a certain speed on -certainly- my printer. He said yes it would be no problem for him to run a mini-series with like four differently printed objects with five repeats each (makes 20 parts to print).

He also said that I could do a bigger series of prints (with something like 500 parts to print) with different temperature and infill-settings to determine what influence changes in these settings have.

This would lead to a better understanding of how the printing parameters affect the rigidity/strength of a printed object and could allow for more accurately engineered parts that are more likely to withstand the forces applied to them. Maybe we could one day use FEM-analysis to estimate when and how our prints will fail. cool....

Other question:

Has anyone heard of a "serious" study on that topic (influence of temperature/infill/speed/etc. -settings on printed objects strength)?

I have searched for this but no one seems to have done it. I have also read a few editions of "journal of rapid prototyping", but couldn't find anything (very interesting stuff though).

 

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

Very interesting project! Will you share the results...(now you have to after teasing everybody... :smile: )?

 

[jumpmobile 0]

I will try to make this my Bachelor-thesis (is that the right word for it?). But i am not sure if this will work because it is difficult to connect 3D-Printing to what i am studying.

But if i get to do it i will -of course- post the results.

 

[Daid 306]

Request:

Could you let Cura calculate the necessary print-area so that it takes up as little bed-area as possible?

 

Like this? You actually see 3 areas around the selected object. The object boundary (inner area), the area around that is the "print area" this includes the skirt/brim, it's the maximum where the nozzle will be during printing (so this has to fit on the platform) finally there is a largest area, which is the area the head will hit during the printing of this object.

I'm working on it right now, it's a complex problem. I've already got a convex polygon from the model, and I just managed to get the basic collision detection working a few minutes ago.

Still lots to do, but this will also solve a bunch of other issues at the same time.

Right now my code only tests the collision between the 2nd area, not between head/print collision yet, which is important for "one at a time" prints.

This change is effecting a LOT of code, so it's going to take some time.

 

[jumpmobile 0]

Thanks for the quick answer.

I am lookin forward to a new Cura Version...