Initial Layer Print Speed also for the last Top Layer?

[shoe 1]

Hi,

 

I love setting a different print speed for the first (initial) layer. I can even restrict this setting to just the first layer via "Number of Slower Layers" = 1

 

Now I want to do the SAME for just the visible Top layers. If I choose the setting "Top/Bottom Speed" to my preferred speed value it changes the speed of ALL the Top Layer (in my case 6 layers).

 

1. I only want to set the speed of the VERY TOP layer.

2. I also want to set the Wall speed of that TOP layer. "Top/Bottom Speed" only affects the area within the walls and not the walls itself.

 

Similar to "initial layer speed" can I somehow set the "final layer speed"?

 

[rburema 26]

Not as such no. There are the 'Top Surface Skin ___' settings (which are a bit separate of the `Top/Bottom` settings) but I don't think those affect speed or walls (as opposed to skin).

 

I suppose what you could do is make a modifier mesh that only intersects the very top layer, and set those settings in the 'modify settings for overlap' side menu, but that can get tedious, especially if the model doesn't have all of its top on the same layer.

 

If you're just after a better quality finish top-layer though, you could also look into ironing & iron only top layer.

[shoe 1]

Thanks! I wonder how difficult and powerful the Add-On/Plug-In API of Cura is. Could one easily modify such things via this extension mechanism?

[rburema 26]

That depends, altering the output of the engine on the spot where gcode is generated in the first place isn't possible at the moment via plugins, as the plugin system doesn't cover the engine (yet, and even then, it would probably lack the capability to go 'per layer').

 

A way to post-process gcode is way easier to add. You don't even have to write a full plugin for that, but 'just' have to add a python script to the already existing (bundled) post-processing plugin. That might get messy in it's own way (especially since a model might've different top-layers) but since we output when layers start, you mostly just want to alter the speeds, it should be possible. It would depend on the precise application how easy that would be.