Feature request: Prime tower for IDEX printers
Hi guys,
among some Prusas I also own a Tenlog TL-D3 Pro IDEX printer.
Since I would like to use only one Slicer - PrusaSlicer - I played around and was able to configure a profile for the Tenlog.
To get clean prints, I have to enable the wind shield with two loops, just as a primer object, so that, on a tool change, the priming takes place on the wind shield rather than on the print object itself.
That's okay for smaller models but a waste of filament for bigger ones.
So I would like to have a prime tower - similar to the windshield, one perimeter per tool (so two perimeters in my case), might be a cylinder, hollow (but with some bottom layers for good print bed adhesien) of approx. 10-15mm diameter and at least high enough to cover the last tool change in the print.
Placement and diameter of the prime tower should be configurable.
This would also greatly improve manual color changes on my Minis. While the actual purging is done manually while changing the filament, it would be great if the print after filament change would resume at the prime tower, not at the print object itself.
Any chance on getting a feature like this in future?
Thank you, kind regards and may everyone have a pleasant, peaceful holiday season!
Peter
RE:
Hi, this is a user to user forum. All feature requests need to be posted on the PRUSA slicer GitHub project. https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/issues
PRUSA slicer already has a wipe/prime tower function, it’s used on the mmu system. You might want to check out those settings or ask about configuring that area. Unfortunately I dont have an mmu or dual extruder setup so can’t advise on the specifics for that.
RE: Feature request: Prime tower for IDEX printers
For multiple extruder printers like Toolchangers and IDEXs...
There is NO NEED FOR PRIME TOWERS!!! There's no need to prime at all!!
Prime towers are as bad a thing for 3D Printing as Rafts!
All you need to do is retract on tool change all the way out of the melt zone. SLOWLY... like 20mm/s. The TL-D3 needs to retract 20mm on a tool change. Look at each extruder setting in the printer settings tab.
However, there are other things we need to do proper multi extruder printing that PS lacks... we need to do a skirt for each extruder to prime on the 1st layer. S3D does that. We need to lift on a tool change. S3D can do that on the Pre Tool change script. We need retraction speed on retract on tool change otherwise all retraction has to be slow.
RE: Feature request: Prime tower for IDEX printers
Guys,
Thanks for your replies.
I will try the retracts next. Meanwhile, and I apologize for my inital request, after three years of using PrusaSlicer and never reading manuals, I found the purge volume settings which I overlooked so far.
Reducing the purge volume the wipe tower size decreases to a point where it's absolutely feasible and I'm running a test print which will take another hour or so but looks excellent so far.
Again, the issue is located in front of the computer screen....
Thanks again and have a nice holiday season!
Peter
RE: Feature request: Prime tower for IDEX printers
...All you need to do is retract on tool change all the way out of the melt zone. SLOWLY... like 20mm/s. The TL-D3 needs to retract 20mm on a tool change. Look at each extruder setting in the printer settings tab.
However, there are other things we need to do proper multi extruder printing that PS lacks... we need to do a skirt for each extruder to prime on the 1st layer. S3D does that. We need to lift on a tool change. S3D can do that on the Pre Tool change script. We need retraction speed on retract on tool change otherwise all retraction has to be slow.
Can't the slow retraction for tool change be realized via custom GCode for tool change?
Kind regards
Peter
RE: Feature request: Prime tower for IDEX printers
You want the slicer to manage all retraction and detraction. You can write a G1 that will retract on the tool change, but then it has to know to detract the exact same amount on the other side of the change. S3D v5 added the retraction speed for the tool change in the process settings and it works correctly. Thanks to S3D V5 I'm able to finally get my TC and my TL-D3 to print perfectly with absolutely NO priming needed at all.
There's other things needed (I already posted on the GITHUB, but in my experience with Prusa I'm always ignored. I guess you have to be a buddy of Joseph). A lift on retraction for the tool change is needed. Unnecessary for RRF, but all the other systems need it. S3D V5 allowed it to be possible for the TL-D3 thanks to their making a Pre tool change and a Post tool change script. You put the "G1 E2" into the Pre(along with the code to go to Relative then back to absolute). PS will only invoke the script after the tool change so you can't script it yourself.