wetsparks
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:07 pm

[SOLVED] Dual Colour Printing toolhead offsets

Just finishing the build of me new, own design, dual extruder printer. Based on Reprap, Ramps 1.4, Marlin and of course using Simplify3D.

So far I've managed to get some very good prints off just one extruder and managed to set up my profile to allow me to use the Dual wizard. Now comes the problem.

The dual head nozzels are 54mm appart on the X plane, 0,0 on the Y plane. The Left one is T0 and the Right one T1. The X axis 0,0 is to the Right but home (and the limit switch) is to the Left 240,0. In Marlin I have identified the second extruder as -54mm from the '0' extruder. I have also told Simplify that T1 is -54mm.

So, I set up to print a test cube with the external perimeter at 2 layers and using T0, then I set the infill up but with it using the T1 extruder. What I am expecting is a cube where the outside is one colour and the inner infill another one. What I am getting is that the printer starts to print the base layers in the middle of the bed, but when it comes to changing to the T1 extruder the print head does not shift over, so the infill is printed -54mm away from the base.

What am I doing wrong here ???
JoeJ
Posts: 1435
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:52 am

Re: Dual Colour Printing

Well just to clarify, here's what you SHOULD be doing:

1) Edit the firmware configuration file to include the toolhead offset for T1. The firmware will then automatically take these offsets into account when making a move to make sure that the active tool is always at the location you specify. You can test this by going to the machine control panel, clicking on the Communication tab, and sending "T0", then "G1 X50 Y50 F3000", then "T1", then "G1 X50 Y50 F3000". The T1 toolhead should move to the location where the T0 toolhead used to be when you send that last command. If it moves 54mm in the wrong direction, the swap the sign of the toolhead offset in the firmware configuration file (i.e. make it +54 instead of -54).

2) Once your firmware toolhead offsets are working properly, go into Simplify3D and enter the same values there. However, be sure that the option labeled "apply toolhead offsets to gcode coordinates" is DISABLED, as the firmware is already handling the offsets for you. You still want to enter these offsets into S3D though, since it uses them for optimization planning.

So basically, the firmware will handle everything, but you still want to let S3D know what offsets you are using so it can be smarter about how it plans your movements
wetsparks
Posts: 8
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2015 2:07 pm

Re: Dual Colour Printing

Many thanks for the quick reply. Got it sorted now. Got Simplify to do what it should and checked it with a Play run. Then set to reading through the Marlin config. Turns out although I'd set the X offset I hadnt set anything for the Y, but you need too. All working great now :D

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