Most of my projects require some form of printing one object and then printing something on top of it in another color. Sure, this can be done in Bambu Studio by merging the objects and then adding a pause to switch filament at some point but this doesn’t allow me to use different settings for each filament. This is necessary when using filaments with different specifications requiring different settings. An alternative would be the ability to choose a different filament profile at a pause but that would be a long shot because pauses are set at the slicing phase, not at the preparation phase. Lastly, being able to print at a specific layer would mean I don’t have the printer paused and maintaining temp until I get around to printing the next part. Any thoughts?
I think I understand what you are trying to get at. It seems like there is more than one thought here though. It might help to use the bullet feature to enumerate them.
Here’s how ChatGPT broke down your post and I’m including it so that I can maybe respond to each of the thoughts you bring up.
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Merging objects: I think you’re actually referring to using the “Assembly” feature. Have you explored the Boolean function which becomes available after Assembly?
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Invoking individual filament settings after a pause is indeed a nice idea and has been suggested before. I’m thinking that we won’t see this as pause feature because those of us without an AMS use the pause feature as a poor-man’s multicolor when changing filament colors. No doubt Bambu knows this AMS workaround and therefore would have little incentive to include a feature that may cannibalize AMS sales. However, do suggest it on the Orca Slicer Github Feature Request Page. They would be the guys who would more likely bite on this great idea.
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See reference to my bullet 2. It’s a great “ask” but works cross-purposes to Bambu selling more AMS units.
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Setting pauses during slice? What would be gained by that? I ask because pauses are also saved with the model. I can’t see where the use-case would be to do so before hand. Please expand on this.
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Printing at a different layer raises some technical considerations. If the intention is to start printing Model (1) and then load Model (2) on top of where Model (1) ended, with the slicer remembering the X, Y, and Z positions of the nozzle, this presents a challenge. The process described would likely require merging the G-Code, which is essentially what assembly and Boolean operations already accomplish in the slicing software.
- It’s also important to note that it is indeed possible to lower a model below the print plate in the slicer. Then when you slice, the print starts at the desired layer. This method is often preferred as a more reliable way of printing two sections of a tall model that exceeds the 250mm height of the enclosure. If I understand your suggestion, this may already be addressed by this feature.
Hey Olias! Thanks for taking the time to discuss this with me. Maybe we can convince them to add this feature. Let me go through your points.
No, I know about the Assembly feature and I do use it. What I meant was that’s how it would be possible to print one object on top of another.
I failed to mention that the prints I would like to use the print at specific layer feature for are TPU and other flexible filaments, although this feature would not be confined to that application. As we all know, the AMS as it is now, will not work on flexibles no matter what workarounds others advertise. (I’m thinking a possible solution is to have another “filament pusher” like the ones for each of the AMS filaments situated at the “entrance” to the printer at the end of the AMS output PTFE tube. It would take filament coming from the AMS and push or pull it out of the printer.) Yes, the feature could be used as a kind of poor-man’s multi-color system but it just can’t compete with what the AMS can do because all you can really do is multi-layer and not true multi-color.
Great idea bringing this up with the Orca Slicer group. I should create a similar request on their github.
That’s actually how you set pauses. You can’t set them at the preparation phase. You slice the model and in the preview, you use the layer slider to go to the layer you want to set a pause, right click on the plus sign on the slider, and select Add pause. You then need to reslice so it becomes part of the gcode. And yes, you’re right, thankfully, pauses are saved with the project. I do see where you’re coming from though. It would make sense to add pauses during the preparation phase. It would be similar to the “start printing at height” and “stop printing at height” in Simplify3D’s process settings.
I’m trying to replicate on my X1C what I already do on an Artillery Sidewinder X1 print farm. If an old-style printer like the Sidewinder can precisely print at a specific x,y coordinate and at a specific 0.2 layer, I’m positive the X1C can do it. It’s all a matter of homing precisely before starting the print. And I have more confidence in the X1C. Not to mention I print 20 models, each with 5 different layers, on each run. Oh and of course you need to setup your print so that when homing, the hotend doesn’t crash into parts that have already been printed.
I don’t understand. Let’s say I have a 10mm tall model. If I lower it so that only the top 3mm are above the bed, will the printer attempt to print the top 3mm 7mm above the bed? If that’s the case then this is exactly the effect I want. But if it prints the top 3mm on the bed then this doesn’t help me at all. I can’t glue TPU parts together and maintain flexibility or quality. Not to mention how tedious that would be for the kind and volume of work I do.
So, I hope you understand where I’m coming from and why this feature would help a lot of people tremendously.
Measuring works, and then subtracting the printed amount from the Z axis. If you had to stop a print at layer 455, and being able to use the same existing sliced object, being able to click on layer 456 and have it snap to the bed from the preview screen, and start the print from there could be useful.
Sorry for the confusion. I changed the topic title to more accurately describe what this post is about.
I see what you’re saying, however, that’s already possible and it’s not what we need. Let’s say you have a 50 layer print and you want to embed something in the print. Maybe a nut, or some weight. What I want to do is print layers 1 to 20 of multiple copies of the object and instead of pausing, I want the print to end until I can come back and add the nuts or weights. Before I get comments about the print coming off of the bed because it has cooled down, I’m printing TPU which will not come off of the bed even when it has cooled down. So, after adding the nuts or weights, I want to start the second part of the print from layer 21 at the height the previous print stopped at. Of course I would make sure that there’s a “landing zone” for homing where the hotend will not crash into the parts already printed and I leave bed levelling and flow calibration turned off.
Any updates on this? I have an AMS, but still would like this feature. I have a few situations where this would be really useful.
eg. I want to print a filament from the external spool on top of filament used in the AMS. Haven’t figured out how/if this is possible to date, as it seems like it’s all or nothing with AMS. I can get around this by taking out the filament from the AMS and manually swapping them using layer pauses but that’s painful.
I know AMS is not cheap so I don’t say this flippantly, but the AMS is incredible and solves so many of these headaches. Even when printing single color models, AMS is a lifesaver to provide you access to 4 filaments all at once.