Simplify3D User Forum

I like most people end up clicking the skirt option when printing most things, just as a way to make sure that my extruder is primed properly. But sometimes the skirt is waaaay more than is really needed. Either it's a huge part, or a bunch of parts that all get outlined, etc.

It would be nice to have a 4th option to the raft/skirt/brim ... some kind of 'prime spot', or 'partial skirt'.

Basically an option that says "Hey, make a pattern somewhere, whether around the object(s) or just a small circle of material over in the corner" ... that lets you specify 'how much material / how much distance' you want to push out to prime.

So if you want to extrude 50mm in order to make sure it's primed. It does, well, just 50mm ... Perhaps as a small concentric circle in the corner.

Or it just goes ahead to make a skirt, but after 50mm of material goes 'that's enough' and starts printing the part.

Theoretically, I could work around this by NOT doing a skirt, and just having a small 10mm round 1-layer high disc that I put on my prints and tell it to print it first. But that's a pain. Would be awesome to have a setting to do this. Either a separate one, or a "Stop the skirt after X extrusion" on the skirt.

Thanks for your interest in this feature. I'll be monitoring this thread for user interest.

Also, you can specify an amout to prime by adding manual priming to your starting script. More on manual g-code here: https://www.simplify3d.com/support/arti ... torial/#G1

Thanks Jake, and yeah, sure, could totally do a manual gcode prime I guess.

Just seems a bit overkill where a checkbox would suffice

EliW wrote: ↑Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:09 pm Thanks Jake, and yeah, sure, could totally do a manual gcode prime I guess.

Just seems a bit overkill where a checkbox would suffice

I agree. I'm just trying to give you an immediate solution you can use.

I've not changed the default start code (Flashforge Finder config) and for me this is happening already. Just a single line on the front of the build plate.

@S3D-Jake, as a thought, take a look at how Flashprint does a "prime". Might be a good option.

It does an outline of up to 200mm around or offset from the part. You can adjust the distance from the part etc. It is a pretty good option especially if a skirt is really not needed.

wirlybird wrote: ↑Fri Nov 09, 2018 8:33 am @S3D-Jake, as a thought, take a look at how Flashprint does a "prime". Might be a good option.

It does an outline of up to 200mm around or offset from the part. You can adjust the distance from the part etc. It is a pretty good option especially if a skirt is really not needed.

That is what is implemented already, OP is requesting an easy way to make a small prime point. For an object of a size of 20cmx20cm there is no need to prime it by going around the whole part.

Codex404 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:31 am

wirlybird wrote: ↑Fri Nov 09, 2018 8:33 am @S3D-Jake, as a thought, take a look at how Flashprint does a "prime". Might be a good option.

It does an outline of up to 200mm around or offset from the part. You can adjust the distance from the part etc. It is a pretty good option especially if a skirt is really not needed.

That is what is implemented already, OP is requesting an easy way to make a small prime point. For an object of a size of 20cmx20cm there is no need to prime it by going around the whole part.

It is not implemented already. This is a prime line that follows the outline of the model. You set the distance from the model like you would a skirt and you set how long the line should be up to 200mm. In other words it could be looked at like a single line skirt but you control how long the line is.
If you only want a 20mm line then that is what you set and it runs a line of that length next to the model following the outline then goes directly to printing the model.
This approach generally works quite well in Flashprint but on occasion the point where it finishes the prime line may not be in the same location as the start point for the print so it moves across the bed potentially leaving a trail of plastic.

I like this idea.

In order to prime the nozzle I always use a brim when I don't need a raft. But I always have to adjust the number of outlines depending on the size of the object, so that just the right amount of filament is printed before the actual print itself starts.
It would be great if there was an option for parametric priming, perhaps as a brim, where the number of outlines are automatically adjusted depending on the size of the object and the layer height, so that every time the same volume is primed.