Anyone printing multi-colour with a Printrbot?

[jweaver 2]

After discovering 'plugins', I figured I would be able to print 2 colour models on my Printrbot Simple Metal.

But the plugins dont work as there is no way to 'resume' a print.

DOes anyone have a Printrbot and know of a way to do 2 colour prints? Other than changing the filamnet mid print, I don't have a clue.

I am pretty sure that its possible using RepetierHost/Slic3r, but I LOVE CURA and want to stick with it.

Jon

 

[jweaver 2]

There is hope.. I found this

http://meow.noopkat.com/3d-printing-in-multiple-colours-with-one-extruder/

Cleary she has a Printrbot and is using CURA, so there MUST be a way to do this.. She provides a modified Plugin whihc might help.. But it still comes back to the question.. "How to resume". There is no button to do this in the Pronterface UI...

 

[jweaver 2]

I have been talking to Suz (the author of the Blog) and there is a surprisingly simply solution to this.

Basically use CURA and the Plugin to create teh G-Gode and then "print" it using Repetier or other software.

She suggested that Pronterface would work.. And I will test this tonight..

But I am intreagued.. Would it be possible to integrate the latest version of Pronterface into CURA? Which has the Pause button?

http://koti.kapsi.fi/~kliment/printrun/

I was thinking that it could be set in the Preferences.. So you have the option of the current Pronterface UI, and also the 'full' one.. Even if it was done as an experimental unsupported feature? I just don't understand why the "full" version of Pronterface isn't an option... (That said, I am not a developer so don't have a clue what I am talking about really)..

 

[nallath 1,104]

Cura used to have the prontoface interface, but due to architecture reasons it was removed. Daid can probably give a better explanation as to why it was removed.

 

[jweaver 2]

Cura used to have the prontoface interface, but due to architecture reasons it was removed. Daid can probably give a better explanation as to why it was removed.

Shame.. But if I can use it "stand alone" to print the GCODE generated by CURA, I have little to complain about...

 

[MrMaint 1]

I have a Printrbot Simple with the add on board for two additional extruders, an all metal hotend as my second extruder, with a half-watt laser powered by the third extruder hotend connector. In Repetier, you can specify that your printer has multiple heads. Then in Cura, you can specify details about each of the hotends and what use it will have (printing a certain color or type of material, Printing fill, or printing support material. In the generated g-code, the active head is specified with the T0, T1, & T2 commands. I use M104 S0 T2 to turn my laser off and M104 S50 T2 to turn it on again. I have found than I have to put G4 P0050 commands before the M104 commands to keep the laser from turning on/off before the prior move has completed. The G10 command allows the setting of all the initial details for each tool (retract,temp setbacks, operating temps, and head offsets.

I am looking for a way to have this special code be inserted by cura for each non-print move.

[MrMaint 1]

It is easy to add a wait

G4 Pnnn ;(milliseconds) or

G4 Snnn ;(seconds)

at the point in the code where you want to change colors. Then it will stop for a color change and automatically continue when the time expires.