dibble
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:54 pm

Using 2nd extruder for support material??

Just purchased S3D. The wizards are great, except when they won't work. So, I'm completely lost.

I have a DaVinci 2.0 Duo (dual head printer). I have PLA in the right extruder and water soluble PVA in the left. When I open the dual extruder wizard it tells me I need two models. But, I only want to use the PVA extruder for rafts/brims/support.

I messed around for (wasted) 45 minutes trying to configure things in the FFF settings window. But, for every inch of progress I made on one extruder, the other one seemed to just follow those settings. I can't seem to get the horse before the cart.

Is there a youtube video anywhere walking you how to set up dual extruder process files manually (without the wizard)?
rrdavis
Posts: 421
Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 4:52 am

Re: Using 2nd extruder for support material??

You don't need to use the dual extrusion wizard if you just want to change the extruder used for supports. To set everything up, follow this:

1) first, make sure you are using the stock S3D profile (Help > Configuration Assistant)
2) then set the extruder configuration to "Both Extruders"
3) go to the Supports tab and change the support extruder and dense support extruder (if using dense supports) to whatever you want

That's it! You don't need multiple processes for this simple setup.
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youngObi-Wan
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:34 pm
Location: The High Ground, Mustafar
Contact: Website

Re: Using 2nd extruder for support material??

Most all of the dual extruder machine profiles I've used should feature a PLA and PVA combination material setting just for helping get those temperatures aligned with this tricky-ish combination of materials.

Also PVA has multiple printing tips on S3D's site. https://www.simplify3d.com/support/mat ... guide/pva/
“I have the high ground.” - my printer when auto-leveling decides the bed is 10mm above where it actually sits
dibble
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2018 2:54 pm

Re: Using 2nd extruder for support material??

Thanks for the advice. I am just getting confused with the software layout. There’s no tutorial or walkthrough for setting up dual extruders, and this is my first time using the software.

The confusing part was (is) the difference between printer profiles and process files. I’m still not sure I understand the need for both.

So, when I imported the S3D profile for my printer and made changes, the profile indicates (modified). Then if I made changes to the process those are updated elsewhere???

Not to mention the pulldown menus. They’re a hot mess from a UI standpoint. 1/2 the time I still can’t tell if I’m changing a profile or a process, and whether I’m preloading profile settings to one extruder or both, and whether that affects the profile or the process.

Ya, I’m struggling with it. I still have a few days left before I have to decide if I want a refund or not.
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youngObi-Wan
Posts: 13
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2018 1:34 pm
Location: The High Ground, Mustafar
Contact: Website

Re: Using 2nd extruder for support material??

Profiles are entire sets of settings meant for a printer. A process is an application of those settings to your model(s)/regions or your model(s) if utilizing the variable settings wizard.

For the most part you're always editing a process. This means your stock profile is saved safely for you.

If you click update profile, that is you saying "update the profile I used to create this process to now use these settings by default." Save as new profile does the same but adds it as a new profile in your drop down list instead of overwriting anything.

We were all new once. This forum is a great place for questions. No matter if they're big or small. =D
“I have the high ground.” - my printer when auto-leveling decides the bed is 10mm above where it actually sits

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