PETG on UM3, not in cura?

[ninjapigeon 0]

So, i've never done any modding via 'developer' mode on my UM3, nor have i done much more than 'look around' at the Cura online settings... and tried a few times (with mixed results) in making my own material settings for Cura.

Lately however, i've noticed this oddity: When changing filament spools on my UM3, it asks for the new type (after the RFID fails to detect the spool), and i can choose "PETG".  However, no where in Cura that i can find, does it have an option to select "PETG", unless i load the esun profile from the marketplace.

What's up Ultimaker? Couldn't be bothered to copy/paste a few lines of code?

Or is there some secret magic that lets Cura force-send that profile to the ultimaker?

It's been years, this is getting tiresome...

[Ishy 8]

Just use CPE and adjust temps to your filament.

[ninjapigeon 0]

That's a solution, not an answer. But thanks, already figured a solution out.

[Ishy 8]

So what you are saying is the Esun profile doesn't work for your particular filament?

[ninjapigeon 0]

No, what i'm trying to figure out is why the same company that makes my 3d printer, and the recommended slicer, seems to have firmware for PETG in the printer, but not their software.

[Smithy 1,144]

There is no PETG material in the printer, only CPE which is very similar to PETG. So if you have PETG in the material list on your printer you or someone else has installed a custom or 3rd party material profile in the past via Cura.

[ninjapigeon 0]

If that's true, how would i have sent the material profile to my printer, so that i can repeat the instance?

[Carla_Birch 116]

I see PETG Generic in both my s5 and my s3, The s5 i might have once added a PETG profile from the market place to Cura, but that's not something i have done in the limited time i have had the s3 and the only profiles from market place i have added to cura now days are ColorFabb wood fill, color on demand pla and XT-CF20

[Smithy 1,144]

Strange, I don't have PETG, not on the S5, the S3 or the UM3. I am on the latest firmware wit all printers.

That you have the material on the S3 is ok, as soon as you connect it with Cura the "missing" profiles are transferred. So in your case there must be a custom material with the material type PETG in Cura.

 

[randyinla 14]

For anyone running Cura on a Mac wanting to add PETG inside CURA so your custom profiles display for PETG materials and the PETG custom material doesn't display in orange, I am now able to see and use any custom PETG materials by creating custom config files matched to printcore & PETG material type.

• I updated my Ultimaker 3 Extended firmware to 5.2.16.20200331
• I noticed a popup inside Cura 4.8 when I opened it for the first time saying it was transmitting missing materials to the U3Ext, so that must be how they are on the printer now.
  • I may have signed into my Ultimaker account in Cura AND connected Cura to my U3Ext under the "Network enabled printers" section of the Settings -> Printer menu first
• PETG is listed on the printer when loading a new material
  • In Cura 4.8, however, any custom material I select that has its Material Type set to "PETG" displays with an orange background and the Profile drop down displays, "Not Supported"

 

I found a post by @nyxaria Here where he figured out he had to manually add a file for each material type that does exist on the printer but doesn't exist in Cura to a directory INSIDE the downloaded Cura app. Read through his post as he's included a script to auto copy/edit files for you.

 

Right-click the Cura 4.8 app and choose "Show Package Contents". Then go into /Contents/Resources/resources/quality/ultimaker3

 

That directory contains config files for combinations of printcore + material type. Any missing printcore & material type config files will cause that missing material to display in orange and hide all of your custom profiles. So, to add Cura support for PETG on an U3 printer, copy a CPE config file (there are 4 per printcore: Draft_Print, Fast_Print, High_Quality, Normal_Quality) and edit it, replacing the, "material = generic_cpe" with, "material = generic_petg" inside the file and change the name of the new file, replacing "CPE" with "PETG". 

 

Example:

Open the file named: um3_aa0.4_CPE_Normal_Quality.inst.cfg in a basic text editor (NOT a rich text editor or something like MS Word) and change the 11th line to read, material = generic_petg, like so:

[general]
version = 4
name = Fine
definition = ultimaker3

[metadata]
setting_version = 16
type = quality
quality_type = normal
weight = 0l
material = generic_petg
variant = AA 0.4

[values]
machine_nozzle_cool_down_speed = 0.85
machine_nozzle_heat_up_speed = 1.5
material_initial_print_temperature = =material_print_temperature - 5
material_final_print_temperature = =material_print_temperature - 10
material_standby_temperature = 100
speed_print = 55
speed_layer_0 = =math.ceil(speed_print * 20 / 55)
speed_topbottom = =math.ceil(speed_print * 30 / 55)
speed_wall = =math.ceil(speed_print * 30 / 55)

 

SAVE THE FILE IN THE SAME DIRECTORY AS: um3_aa0.4_PETG_Normal_Quality.inst.cfg

• Quit/restart Cura
• Choose some previously supported material type, like any Ultimaker PLA
• Choose your custom material that has Material Type: PETG
  • The Profile drop down should've auto-selected the, "Fine" Default Profile if you copied from the, "Normal_Quality" file
• Opening the Profile drop down should now display all of your custom profiles
• Repeat for any printcore & material type combination you want to add PETG support for (like for aa08 or aa025 printcores)

 

 

 

How Cura looked before I added my custom printcore & PETG config file:

 

 

 

*"Fine - HT.1mm, Solid, 3Walls #2" was selected for the last material, which was PLA, and so displays in the drop down when I change to a PETG material... though, in the "Custom profiles" list, it says it is "Not Supported"

 

 

 

 

 

How Cura looks after I copied the Normal CPE config file for aa0.4 print core & made the changes noted above:

(The "Normal" config file displays as "Fine" under the Default materials section in the Profile drop down)

 

And when I open the Profile drop down, I see all of my custom profiles

Edited December 5, 2020 by randyinla