Cura 3d print software

As you get more comfortable with 3D printing, you can learn how to edit this code by manually changing the cooling fan speeds, layer thicknesses, and hot end temperature at different points in the model. This may come in handy in order to solve some problems that may arise with 3D printing.

Since each printer has its own setup system, work area, desktop, and nozzle size, Cura 3D needs to know these hardware parameters that make up the device profile in order to calculate the exact set of instructions to print correctly on your printer.

Once these fundamental parameters have been set and the filament type has been specified, the layer thickness and filament thickness can be specified. Next, it calculates the contours and path of the nozzle to print your model and calculates a set of instructions that Cura 3D saves in a G-Code file.

G-Code can be saved to an SD card or sent to a printer, either wirelessly or via cable.

Main problems and defects in 3D printing and how to deal with them

The Basics

In the first lesson, you'll learn the basics of working with Cura 3D, from downloading and installing it, to optimizing your STL or OBJ files to prepare them for export to print-ready G-code files.

Installation

Cura 3D is a multi-platform program with installers for Linux, Mac and PC. All versions can be downloaded for free from the Ultimaker website.

Download the file for your operating system and start the installation. In this Cura 3D tutorial, we are working with version 2.3.1.

1. Launch Cura 3D.
2. Select your printer model. The first time you launch Cura 3D, you will be asked to select a printer. If you have an Ultimaker or Lulzbot, they come with a special version of Cura 3D. If not, or if you want to configure a new printer, select Settings > Printer after launching the application.

Now you have to select a printer. If you downloaded the program from the link above, then all printers offered will be Ultimaker. For any other printer, select Other, and with any luck, your machine will be listed as well.

If you're unlucky - as, for example, in the case of the Lulzbot printer, go to the printer manufacturer's website, where you can find and download a special version of the program. If it’s past here too, choose Custom and Add Printer.

You now have the Add Printer screen, and here you will need details about your specific device. These details can be found on the manufacturer's website, or if you built the printer yourself, you should know them by heart.

Simply enter these details and click Finish.

This screenshot shows the main parameters of the Cura 3D interface.

Cura 3D top navigation

1. Open file. You can open an STL or OBJ file by selecting File > Open File at the top left.
2. Edit. This is for editing models on the desktop, removing them from it, for merging models. Basic but useful commands.
3. View Mode. This menu item allows you to switch between viewing modes: Solid, X-Ray, Layers.
4. Settings. Printer settings and media settings live here.
5. Extensions. This is for advanced users who need to install Cura 3D extensions that allow manual G-code editing and more.
6. Help. Help, of course.

Cura 3D Left Toolbar

1. Open File. Loading STL or OBJ to prepare them for printing.
2. Move. If you click here, arrows will appear around the selected model, allowing you to move it around the desktop.
3. Scale. Increase or decrease the size of your 3D model.
4. Rotate. Rotation.
5. Mirror. If clicked, arrows will appear around the selected model, when clicked, the model is mirrored along the corresponding axis.
6. Select Settings. Select frequently used settings to display them in the sidebar (wall thickness, infill, speed). Tied to the loaded model.
7. View Mode: Solid, X-Ray and Layers. If you select Layers, a slider will appear that allows you to quickly scroll through the layers of the model.

Cura 3D right toolbar

It is divided into two sections, labeled at the top with the icons of material (Printing settings) and printer (Printer settings).

Printer Settings

This section provides detailed information on media and print quality settings.

Printer. This is the printer selected in the first step. If you have more than one printer, then the desired one is selected from the drop-down menu.

Material. Quick selection of media used by the printer. This option is for printers that have media linked to them and is not available if this feature is not available.

Profile. The Ultimaker comes with three print quality profiles: Low, Normal and High. They can be quickly selected from the drop-down menu. As you become more familiar with the program, printer, and printing process, you will be able to create profiles yourself that are better tailored to the type of object and model being printed.

Print Setup. Two options for setting up the print process: Simple (Recommended (Mac)) and Advanced (Custom (Mac))

Simple (Recommended)
The Simple (Recommended) mode is calculated based on the Cura 3D settings you previously entered for your printer. This is a great choice not only for beginners, but even for more advanced users who are just getting started with a new printer and want to see how software and machine interact. The number of settings here is limited: you can quickly change the infill, grip with the table and the main structures of the supports.

Advanced (Custom)
This is where the real fun begins! You can change a lot of printer settings - from print quality to speed. We will look at these possibilities a little later.

Working with the model in Cura 3D

Now that you've become familiar with the Cura 3D interface, it's time to start loading your 3D file. You can choose either a self-created model and an STL- or OBJ-file exported from it, or download it.

Loading a 3D file into Cura 3D

1. Open the desired STL or OBJ file by selecting File > Open File at the top left. In this case, we are working with 3DBenchy - a great model for testing a new printer or program.
2. The model is loaded, and let's look at its location, if it needs to be moved. If everything is in order, the model will be highlighted in yellow. If there is a problem, the highlight will be gray and Cura 3D will tell you why the model cannot be printed.

The first thing to do is to check the printed object and make sure it fits on the desktop, ie. on the print platform. Here it will be useful to get acquainted with the model view modes and navigation in the Cura 3D window.

Moving the Cura 3D desktop. To move the desktop around the screen, hold Shift and the left mouse button. This is often useful to take a closer look at the model and check for some small details - just to make sure everything is in order and in the part of the object that, due to scaling, does not fit on the screen.

Rotation around the Cura 3D desktop. Hold down Ctrl and the left mouse button. So you can look at the model from different angles.

Enlarge or reduce the desktop. This is done with the mouse wheel. If you have a mouse without a wheel, it is highly recommended to purchase one with a wheel.

Different Model Views

Cura 3D has three main model views, each of which is useful in different situations, especially if you are having printing problems.

Solid. This is the default (solid) mode, which allows you to see the model as it will appear in the end. Here you can understand the relationship between the size and shape of the model and the desktop. Usually, if everything is fine, and you just looked at the model from all sides and perspectives, everything should print fine.

X-Ray. This option is useful when there are some problems with printing and you need to quickly look at the internal structure of the object. This mode is especially useful if your object has intersecting edges. X-Ray (i.e. "X-ray") will allow you to see problem areas.

Layers (Layers). If the print is constantly interrupted in the same place, or if you have some tricky detail and you want to make sure everything goes as it should, switch to this (layered) mode. Fine movement through the layers is carried out by arrows; you can also use the slider. As you get more comfortable with the program and printing process, this option will come in handy to accurately select layers that require a G-code change to, for example, increase fan speed, layer thickness, or filament.

Operations with the model in Cura 3D. If the model needs to be moved or rotated relative to the platform, scaled or reproduced, simply click on the object to highlight it and then select one of the functions in the left panel. So: move, rotate, scale.

When you click on any Cura 3D tool, arrows and circles appear around the model. You just need to hook one of the arrows or circles and pull in the right direction. If something went wrong, right click and click Reset.

But what if you want to print multiple copies of the model? Right clicking on the selected model offers the Duplicate option. Cura 3D will automatically redistribute the copies on your desktop. If there is enough space on the platform to print two or more objects, all models will be yellow. If there is not enough space, the emerging models will be highlighted in gray.

Print Settings Simple (Recommended)

The easiest way to print something is to set Cura 3D to Simple (Recommended). Although almost everything has already been done for you here, you can still change the quality and parameters of the props.

1. Printer. Make sure the correct printer is selected.
2. Material. If the printer has media defined for it, select.
3. Profile. Select the desired print quality.
4. Infill. Hollow mode prints fast but without internal supports. Solid (solid) will produce the most durable model, but it will also print the longest, and the material will require a lot. For starters, Light is better.
5. Helper Parts. These "Auxiliary Points" describe props and platform traction. If you are printing for the first time, enable both. If your model has a lot of touch points on the desktop, it's best to turn off Print Build Paste Adhesion. If the model does not have overhangs (like balconies), turn off Print Support Structure.

Generating the G-code file

The model is now ready to be printed and all you have to do is either export the file from Cura 3D to an SD card or send it directly to the printer. Cura 3D will automatically convert STL or OBJ files into printer-friendly G-code.

1. Save the 3D print file. Select Save to file or Save to SD or Send to Printer.
2. Estimate of time for 3D print. Cura 3D will give you an estimate of how long it will take to print your object.
3. Start the 3D print. If enabled, sit back and wait for the printer to warm up and start printing. If you saved the file to SD, remove the SD from the computer and insert it into the printer. Click Print, select a file and go ahead.

Cura settings

Using Cura 3D's Simple (Recommended) profile is just the beginning, but you can still get great prints. Over time, you will need a little more flexibility in the settings. The most advanced options are under the Advanced (Custom) tab. Here is a brief overview of what you can see there.

In the right settings panel, select Advanced (Custom).

1. Quality. This is about the layer thickness. The value depends on your printer, but thinner layers provide better quality, larger layers provide faster speed. Layer Height (height, it is the same layer thickness) for the Ultimaker 2 Extended is set to 0. 1 mm by default.
2. Shell. This refers to the thickness of any of the walls in your model, as well as the thickness of the bottom and top layers. The Shell value is a multiple of the nozzle diameter. A thickness of 0.8mm means the walls will be two lines wide (because our Ultimaker 2 printer has a 0.4mm nozzle).
3. Infill. Infill - the force structure of your model. The higher the density, the stronger, the more will be printed inside.
4. Material. Not all materials are the same, sometimes a little tweaking is required, which is exactly what happens here. As a rule, the only thing that needs to be changed is Retraction (retraction) in order to avoid excessive tension on the plastic thread. To avoid the most common problems, it is recommended to use a proprietary filament.
5. Speed. This is about the speed of the print head. Generally, the slower the better the print.
6. Cooling. Cooling is an important thing for any printer, it must be turned on. Fans are usually fully turned on from the 5th layer.
7. Support. If your model has overhanging elements, this option should be active, and then with a simple click you can choose where to put the support.
8. Build plate Adhesion. Not all models have a footprint large enough to securely grip the desktop surface. In this case, this setting will help the adhesion of the model to the substrate.
9. Special Modes. If you are printing more than one model, this option lets the printer know whether to print them at the same time or whether they will be installed one after the other.

Quality settings

1. Quality. Each printer has its own minimum and maximum layer thickness. Enter the desired layer thickness here. 0.02 mm is high quality, but also a long print; 0.6 mm - the quality is low, but the process is relatively fast.
2. Shell. Wall thickness selection. Thicker walls are a stronger object that can usually be machined well. With a nozzle thickness of 0.4 mm, the proposed wall thickness will be a multiple of: 0.4 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.2 mm, etc.
3. Top/Bottom Thickness. The thickness of the upper and lower layers is also a multiple of the nozzle diameter. For starters, you can choose a double diameter. This will help to avoid the most common problems - like "bloat".

Material settings

1. Material. Each material has its own specifications and requirements, which, as a rule, are associated with the hardware of the printer, and not with the program. The only situation where you might need to change something here is if the print is underextruded.
2. Enable Retraction. In Cura 3D, this option should almost always be enabled. It is about drawing the filament back into the nozzle so that when the print head moves, no webs appear.

Speed ​​settings

1. Print Speed. This is the overall print speed as the filament is extruded. The slower, the usually better quality. The speed can be increased (recommended value is 60 mm/s). If you increase the speed, it is useful to increase the print temperature as well.
2. Travel Speed. This is the print head movement speed. On the Ultimaker 2 it is set to 120mm/s. The movement speed is related to the previous parameter and must be a multiple of it. In such a case, accelerations and decelerations occur more smoothly, for example when changing from infill printing to wall printing.

Infill settings

Infill Density. The infill density is the amount of material that is consumed by the support structure within the model. The higher the density, the higher the strength. Usually 20% is set here.

Cooling

Enable fan Cooling. It is not recommended to turn off cooling, as this will lead to distortion of the part and other unpleasant effects.

Support settings

1. It's generally useful to enable supports (Enable Support) unless you're sure nothing is hanging or floating anywhere.
2. The Placement option determines the location of the supports: Touching Build plate means that the supports have only a build plate base; Everywhere means that they can be anywhere, incl. on the model and inside it.

Plate Adhesion Settings

The situation where the printed object does not adhere enough to the substrate is very common, and the Build Plate Adhesion option is just provided in order to increase this adhesion by adding skirts, edges and rafts ".

Skirt. It's good to have at least a "skirt" - a line around the first layer of the object, which simply helps to position the extruder.

Brim. "Edge" is just an edge, a couple of extra lines directly on the bottom of the object to increase its area, as well as to minimize distortions.

Raft. The small "raft" is under the printout and must be deleted later. This is such a thick grille to maximize grip on the print platform.

Each of the options in Cura 3D has a different kind of advanced options that allow you to further fine-tune how your model is printed.

Generating the G-code file

Once you've finished with the settings, the model is ready to be printed. All that's left now is to either export the file from Cura 3D to the card, or send it directly to the printer. Cura 3D will then automatically convert STL or OBJ files into printer-friendly G-code, just as it does with the Simple (Recommended) settings.

1. Select Save to file or Save to SD or Send to Printer.
2. Cura 3D will give you an estimate of how long it will take to print your object.
3. If enabled, sit back and wait for the printer to warm up and start printing. If you saved the file to SD, remove the SD from the computer and insert it into the printer. Click Print, select a file and go ahead.

Cura 3D tutorial for beginners

3DPrintStory     3D printing process    Cura 3D tutorial for beginners

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