Dual extruder with Cura?

[Antonino Nicoletti]

Hi everyone,

Can you launch a dual extruder 3D printing with Cura (and the lorei profile from XMachine)? The Dual extruder option is not available for me?...

Thanks

[Robert Keifer]

read the cura guide on the XMachines website (under downloads).  It explains how to configure Cura and get a dual print ready.  If you still have trouble, let me know and I'll write up a guide of how I have it set up.

[Antonino Nicoletti]

@Robert Keifer: Thank you. Indeed, I am currently struggling in following the instructions posted here:

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/22409-setup-custom-dual-extrusion-machine-in-cura-23-beta

No success so far, the new profile would not appear when adding a printer...I continue to search...

[Antonino Nicoletti]

I tried to follow the cura guide from the Xmachines website. However, I'm using the MacOS version of the cura soft and the guide is not adapted for it. There are options that are not accessible. I am now installing it on a parallel desktop Windows 7 virtual PC...

[Robert Keifer]

I'm using Cura on a Mac too.

I posted some screenshots of my settings here:

http://imgur.com/a/0g6Pz

[Antonino Nicoletti]

Thank you so much. The problem is that I have not the option concerning the 'Extruder Count' (your first screen shot)...??? How do you activate the expert functions? I am using the Cura v2.3.

[Robert Keifer]

ahh. I'm using v15.04.6.  Haven't made the jump to 2 yet.

[Antonino Nicoletti]

OK! that might be the trick! I give a try immediately!!

[Antonino Nicoletti]

@gengardrago: thank you but I could finally proceed with Cura as explained below.

So my issue was related to the fact I was using the 'wrong' version of Cura. I don't remember to have read that we should use the v15 instead of the new v2. And I guess that the beta status of the v2 explains why some options are still missing.
I have been able to successfully align the two extruders by following the procedure described on the xMachines web site.
Now, I still have a question: how to you ascribe an object to each extruder in Cura v 15.04.6?

[Robert Keifer]

you just load both models into Cura, then select one of them and right-click -> select "dual extrusion merge".  The models will join together and be 2 different colors (yellow/red by default) signifying the different extruders that will used for each model.  Make sure you have the temp settings and filament diameter set right for each nozzle, and you're good to go!

[Antonino Nicoletti]

@Robert Keizer: yes, I have found this way of doing but how do you choose which part of the model will be printed with the left or the right extruder? Also, once you have used the 'dual extrusion merge' command, you do not have the control over the relative position of each part of the model. I have downloaded models from thingiverse prepared for dual extrusion and coming in 2 files. Once opened in Cura, each part of the model appear separated. The merge command changes the position of each part and reconstituted the full object. How this is achieved is mysterious for me and the fact that you have no control at all on the way this is performed is really strange...

[Antonino Nicoletti]

Here a picture of my first successful printing of a dual extruder model : http://d.pr/i/uSVj+
Note that I used medium quality settings and there is still room for a better setting of x and y shift for the second extruder. But, that's a start...

[Robert Keifer]

the way the models are merged is actually determined by the way the models were created.  If you open both models in a 3D editing program (I use Blender, it's free), you'll see how they are positioned in relation to each other.  You wouldn't really want to have to control that in the slicer, it would be a pain to have to align models every time you go to print.

There's a nice explanation with some screenshots here:

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/10133-how-to-design-part-for-two-extruders

[Robert Keifer]

As for which model is printed with which extruder, if you haven't changed the default colors, yellow is nozzle 1, red is nozzle 2.  I've found that whichever model you have selected when you do the merge becomes model 1, but it seems inconsistent.  If the models are switched from what you want, just clear the bed and put the models back on in reverse order and try the merge again.

[arg2761]

Robert:

Thanks for the "Blender" tip. I'm looking into it.

Regards,

Al