Menissalt
Posts: 36
Joined: Fri Jul 03, 2015 5:39 am

Flow based printing over speed based

The request

I would love to have the option to set the desired flow for each feature instead of speed.


Background

I've been waiting for a simple way to control the flow of material for a while. Slicers have introduced some flow-based settings, but they aren't enough to achieve what flow-based printing is capable of.

It's obvious why mm/s is the go to, it's easy to understand and visualize. However, having the option to use flow to determine speed would be amazing. As is, flow is just a byproduct of 3 variables, speed, layer height, and nozzle/hotend. Currently, I use S3D’s multiple processes to manually set the speed for each feature based on my desired flow for those features. This works well and the results are what I expect, but it is very time-consuming and tedious so I tend to only use it for specific projects.


Why?

Flow is more predictable and consistent than speed when it comes to thermoplastics. This is important for prints where accuracy and specific properties are more important than aesthetics.

Using flow in lieu of speed could also simplify using different layer heights and nozzle diameters.

This could be a unique and powerful tool for advanced users.


Possible way to integrate

I already manage different nozzle sizes using profiles. Since we also now have the option to define max volumetric flow, a possible implementation could be to call on that value and allow us to choose a percentage of that instead of mm/s.

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