Connectivity + Selection + PLC

[ctdl1983 0]

Hi everyone,

We are developing a Laboratory 4.0 to learn concepts of Industry 4.0 with some tendence to the control process technology (PLC, SCADA, etc.). Now, I am studying about 3D Printer to select one to buy. Our requirements place greater importance on connectivity than print quality. Looking for Ultimaker products, I think that Ultimaker S3 is good for us because it seem to be an excellent printer but in other hand it has full connection, LAN, WiFi and USB and it also give us the possibility to control it from the cloud. After my introduction I want to ask you:

• Cura is an open source software, if we modify it, does the printer let us upgrade to our version? 
• In the future we will need to control the printer, in a simple way (may be just send it some command to start a "production"), with a PLC, can we modify the software to achieve this? or modify the software in that way? Is now possible to do that?

Sorry if my english is not good is not my native language.

And sorry if the question is so basic, but i am new in this world.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Guest maht]

• Cura is an open source software, if we modify it, does the printer let us upgrade to our version?

Cura is open source software so yes you can modify it and it will still work with the printer (provided you didn't break any of the core components).

 

• In the future we will need to control the printer, in a simple way (may be just send it some command to start a "production"), with a PLC, can we modify the software to achieve this? or modify the software in that way? Is now possible to do that?

Depending on what you're trying to do, you could probably make a plugin to carry out what you need.

https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/wiki/Plugin-Directory

 

There's also an API that you can use for the printer. Documentation for this is stored in the internal system of the printer. You can access this by navigating to the printer IP on your local network.