Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?  

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

There's no need to go through that tortuous process, see these threads here:

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/prusaslicer/manual-multicolor/

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-how-do-i-print-this-printing-help/acting-as-my-own-mmu

Cheerio,

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

wow, this sounds like an incredible PIA for anything but the most simple simple of prints.  Though sounds like for what the OP was looking for though.  If you have the patience for getting the MMU to work, it's well worth it.  the filament changes on the MK3S+ aren't as clean and you have to be quick with a pair of tweezers to catch the extra that it squirts out after you say "yes" to the filament has been changed and is correct color.

If you use @joantabb's method this works well for limited colours on a few layers.

Cheerio,

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

Thanks for all the responses, I knew this method was a possibility but I was kind of hoping to avoid it. I think I'll go through the motions and count how many layers would be required to get the desired look and then make a decision. If it's too many I'll probably just do cut out letters and glue them in like I have in the past. 

I really do appreciate the answers and links, it answered a question that I had been wanting to ask but didn't want to create a post for, essentially "does the mmu just automate what I can do myself with a large investment of time?" And that answered that. It still sounds like a nice upgrade but now I'm curious what kind of time it adds to the printing. I hadn't done a lot of research and I thought the mmu might have been an extra extruder.

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

The amount of time added is going to depend on what you've asked it to do.   You have to figure somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-60 seconds per tool change.

A tool change includes:

Unloading the current filament
Moving the selector to the next filament
Loading the new filament
Purging the configured amount of filament so that the old filament is completely cleared from the nozzle

I've had prints with 1800 of these.   The process is wasteful in that the printer has to maintain a wipe tower from the plate up to the point of the last filament change.  Sometimes the wipetower can use more filament than the thing you print. 

Take a look at this print I did last week
https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/english-forum-awesome-prints-hall-of-fame/facepalm-picard-bust/#post-557512

look at the last picture.  the thing on the right is the wipe tower.

The wipe tower uses some space on your build plate, effectively reducing the max size of the thing you print.  The size of the wipe tower is going to depend on how many filaments are involved and how much you've configured it to purge between filaments.

For simple color changes like you're doing,  it would simplify your prints, assuming the MMU works for you of course 🙂   It's a fickle beast.
 

Posted by: @0mib

Thanks for all the responses, I knew this method was a possibility but I was kind of hoping to avoid it. I think I'll go through the motions and count how many layers would be required to get the desired look and then make a decision. If it's too many I'll probably just do cut out letters and glue them in like I have in the past. 

I really do appreciate the answers and links, it answered a question that I had been wanting to ask but didn't want to create a post for, essentially "does the mmu just automate what I can do myself with a large investment of time?" And that answered that. It still sounds like a nice upgrade but now I'm curious what kind of time it adds to the printing. I hadn't done a lot of research and I thought the mmu might have been an extra extruder.

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

This video was posted above,

Did anyone manage to do this in PrusaSlicer 2.5.0+win64

I managed to place the two parts as seperate objects on the bed, activated "complete individual objects" so the lettering will print first, then the white square around it.

But I am getting a colision warning, ok they are close becasue the text is embossed into the white surroung, then extruded again so create a new seperate body. The two are perfect fit in fusion 360.

Any help greatly appreciated

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

Little late to this thread but yes this is easy to do in Prusaslicer. See JoanTabb's explanation in this thread as mentioned above: https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-how-do-i-print-this-printing-help/acting-as-my-own-mmu

Basically you have to go into Printer Settings-General and set the number of extruders to the total colors your are using. Then in Custom Gcode tab you add the following to the Tool Change Gcode section: {if layer_num > -1}M600{endif}

Then go into Print Settings-Multiple Extruders and uncheck Prime all printing extruders. 

You can then set which extruder (color) will be applied to which model part you have imported in the right side of the main 3D view. 

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

Any idea why the printer does not pause and ask for the color change?

Everything looks fine in the GCode but once it completes the wipe layer it just keeps going. Do you have to add a pause in Prusa Slicer?
I thought this was done automatically when you have a different extruder selected then the printer moves to the wipe layer and asks for the filament change.

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

did you put M600, in the Custom Gcode, Tool change Gcode?

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

M600G1 E0.4 F1500 ; prime after color change

thats what is in that section.  It just never stopped to change the filament.

Not the Colour change G-code, the Tool change G-code.

Cheerio,

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

Hi,

Yes.  Thank you for the response. I compared your picture and mine and realized it was another GCode field. It worked great.  I wish my MMU2s worked that well.  LOL

The only thing is the Prusa MK3s+ does not show which extruder to load. If I had not counted the layers in Slicer it would have printed black over the second red layer.
I thought that was odd. Do you know a line code that tells the printer what extruder you are loading? ie 1 = Black 2 = Red and so on.

Thanks again.

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

I have never set up colour notification on Manual MMU, 

Rainer has a different way of working, maybe he has sorted the colour notification, on the LCD

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/original-prusa-i3-mk3s-mk3-user-mods-octoprint-enclosures-nozzles/simple-way-to-print-in-real-multi-color-without-mmu-or-layer-height-based-changes/

regards Joan

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

I use a post processing script, it's in Perl.  Copy this to somewhere suitable, call it postMMMUslice.pl and make it executable:

#!/usr/bin/perl

# Prusa slicer manual MMU postprocess
# Remove first 'tool change' and
#    report all changes after that
#       - with times.
#
# Version 0.05

use strict;
my ($count,$done,$lctime,$ltime)=(0,0,0,0);

if(open my $OUT,">".%ENV{SLIC3R_PP_OUTPUT_NAME}.".changes.txt"){
  if(open my $OUTFIL,">",@ARGV[0].".tmp"){
	  
    print $OUT "Manual Multi Material Printing assistance:  post MMUslice.pl\n\n";
    print $OUT "Filament changes; expressed as extruder selection, "
                        ."from gcode created for manual multicolour printing.\n\n";

    if(open( my $IN, @ARGV[0])){
      while (<$IN>){
		  if(/^M73 P(\d+) R(\d+)/){
			  $ltime=$2;
			  unless($lctime){
				  $lctime=$ltime;
			  }
			  print $OUTFIL  $_;
		  } elsif(/^M600/){
	        if ($done){
			 my $m=$lctime-$ltime;
			$lctime=$ltime;
            print $OUT "$m minutes  Change -> ";
            $count++;
            print $OUTFIL  $_;
          } else {
		    print $OUTFIL  ';',$_;
            $done++;
	      }
        } else {
	      print $OUTFIL  $_;
	   }
    
        if(/^T(\d)/){
          print $OUT "Extruder  ".($1+1)."\n";
        }
      }
      unless($count){
	    print $OUT "\nNo 'M600' filament changes detected.\n";
     } else{
       print  $OUT "\n$count 'M600' filament changes.\n";
     } 
 
    } else {
       print $OUT "Unable to open ".@ARGV[0]."\n";
    }
    rename @ARGV[0].".tmp",@ARGV[0];
  } else {
     print $OUT "Unable to change ".@ARGV[0]." InInitial unnecessary change still in place.";
  }
 # Come here if fail to open changes file - no point in doing anything.
}

...and create a Print Setting for manual MMU purposes - even if it is nothing but a straight copy just for this script.

In Print Settings > Output options there is a field for Post processing scripts - enter the location of your copy of this file.  In my case (your path will be different) I use:

/root/3d/ManualMultiTools/postMMMUslice.pl;

[This assumes you have a copy of perl on your machine, practically everything except Windows does; If you are using Windows you will have to download Perl from somewhere]

The script will create a second file in the same directory as the gcode with the same root name as the gcode but with a .changes.txt extension this is a text file similar to the following:

Manual Multi Material Printing assistance:  post MMUslice.pl

Filament changes; expressed as extruder selection, from gcode created for manual multicolour printing.

Extruder  1
5 minutes  Change -> Extruder  3
2 minutes  Change -> Extruder  1
17 minutes  Change -> Extruder  2
1 minutes  Change -> Extruder  1

4 'M600' filament changes.

Use this as a prompt list, it's up to you to keep track of which filament corresponds to which (virtual) extruder.

Cheerio,

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

As a brand new user I really appreciate this thread! I have been trying to figure out how to make a flat coaster with a design on the face and this has helped get me 95% there. I have 2 related issues left to solve to get it working just how I want it. After color changes, the head goes back to the last spot on the print from the previous color which winds up putting a small glob of the new color on the print, then heads directly to the wipe tower without Z'ing up very much and sometimes damages the part a bit on it's way over. Is there a way to get it to head to the wipe tower directly after the color change?

RE: Can I print multiple colors at the same layer?

I realize that this is an old post however Make Anything's method does have the advantage of only one colour change per colour. With the multi extruder method you have one colour change per  colour per layer which would take substantially longer. I've done his method on an Ender and it works well. With the Prusa you'd have to turn off mesh leveling for the second and subsequent colours