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Posted · Material Settings question

Hi all.  Question(s) for you.  I have a profile that I have set up for my printer that I like, but every time I change filament I need to change certain settings to be filament specific.  I usually change Temp, flow, retract, retract speed depending on the filament I am using.  I wanted to change those in the material settings, but I saw that Flow was not one of the options, so I installed an extension that allowed me to add that to the list of filament specific changes.  Now here is my question.  I am being told by a FB group member that I am using it wrong and that is not what it is for......am I wrong in using the material settings in that way?  I want to keep all my wall settings, support settings, etc, just not the previous listed settings.  And, changing the settings in that window will change it for the filament I am using and I don't have to do that in the profile, correct?

 

Hope that question is understood, if not I can try to clarify.  I have attached a picture too.

cura question.png

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    Posted · Material Settings question

    I don't see any reason why you can't do it like that.

     

    The link between a profile and various materials is complicated because there can be conflicts between what is set for a material, and what the profile says.  The final (higher?) override is the "Custom Profile".

    You can look for the "circle arrow" or "fx" icons next to a setting to see if it has been un-linked from the profile default.

    It sounds like you have the "Material Settings" plugin loaded.  If you do - then for material settings (like Flow) you can right-click on a setting box and select "Use value from material" and the box will update.

     

    10 years ago when there were only a couple of materials the system probably worked quite well.  Now I just find it confusing.  I have an extensive list of blocked materials in my printer definition file and I have 4 custom materials that I use.

    That's what works for me.  I still have to make changes on a model-by-model basis.  "One-setting-fits-all" doesn't really work.

    I hate starting a print and then seeing something that I should have changed and missed.  The Z-seam location tops that list.

     

    I have this in my StartUp Gcode instead of making flow changes based on the material.  It isn't "better" but it does allow me to leave all the flows in Cura at 100% and so they are easier to maintain.

    {if 'TPU' in material_type}

    M92 E119 ; Steps/mm for TPU

    {elif 'PETG' in material_type}

    M92 E102 ; Steps/mm for PETG

    {else}

    M92 E97 ; Steps/mm for all others

    {endif}

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    Posted · Material Settings question

    I appreciate the reply, thank you.  I guess what I am going for is a "standard" profile or a profile for whatever I am printing, like "multiboard" profile.  Then in the material settings, if I am using Elegoo Black, the calibration settings I did for Elegoo black will be used and if I am using Anycubic silver, the calibration settings for Anycubic silver will be used, but the rest of the profile settings will stay the same.

     

    At least that is my goal.

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    Posted · Material Settings question

    When you switch either the Material, or the Profile, you should get the "Discard or Keep Changes" dialog box.  That always needs a close review.

    If you happened to be set up for Generic PETG with a PETG custom profile, and you want the current model printed in "Elegoo Black PLA" with a "PLA Custom Profile", whether you change the Material first, or the Profile first, the dialog will come up.  That's the point where you need to pay attention.

    If you ALWAYS change the Custom Profile first, and THEN change the Material, you will get consistent changes in the settings.  If you sometimes change the Material first, then setting changes might be unexpected.  Ya gotta have a system that works for you.

     

    I don't make any differentiation between colors in my Materials.  PLA is PLA even though I print white at 200 and silky at 215.

    One of my sayings is - "Every model deserves it's own love."

    What works for me is to go through all the settings for each project.  Maybe I want the infill at a different density, or in a different [line direction].  Maybe the Z-seam needs to move to a different side, or this model needs Tree Support but the profile has Normal Supports.  I HATE having to re-slice and restart a print because I missed a trick in the setup.  My system is tedious, but it works for me.
     

    Expecting a single profile to fit every situation isn't realistic.  Trying to cover every situation by having a million profiles and materials is just confusing.

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    Posted · Material Settings question

    Gotcha.  Thank you for the reply.  My general workflow is to go through every setting for each print and each material being used.  I write the calibrated flow and temp and retract on each spool.  I generally only do calibrations for each vendor for each pla/petg/etc and not for each color unless I am having issues.  I was just hoping that there was a way to make it easier than going through those settings each time.

     

    thank you again and I appreciate the input and help!

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    Posted · Material Settings question

    One of my other sayings is "There is no 'Easy' button".

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    Posted (edited) · Material Settings question

    Um....

    easy.thumb.jpg.e759c964aa9eb2927a4d8714ed3408df.jpg

     

    Edited by dpregs
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    Posted · Material Settings question

    So... I'm not greg, and I'm also a lot dumber than greg. in the marketplace there is a "meterial settings" plugin. It lets you change any setting for materials. I find it indespensible because I'm stupid. Let me clarify that.

     

    I'm using big nozzle (and small) and runing fast. And because small variations seem to get larger when you start playing the big/fast game, I found that having a base line for "manufacturer-material-color-noz" was critial. I still have to tweak it, but I don't have to guess if my starting point is 200, 190, 220, or 214 with this creality PLA blue on a 0.2mm noz. (214btw). I printed the bird feeder at 198 based on the file name (thank you "gcode file name format plus" plugin that tells me that the code is for crealty blue and 02mm on the e3s1p bed at 60, no 198).  The 1.0mm vrs prints at 223/65. 

     

    So you can do it. But my materials list is a mess. So it my octoprint file store. There is no easy button. 

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    Posted (edited) · Material Settings question

    @dpregs,

    You can print that...but it won't be easy.

    Easy Button.3mf

    image.thumb.png.2cc67f73df0783fe293a26892cdabab3.png

     

     

    Edited by GregValiant
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