How To: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

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Jules
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How To: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:56 am

Until I was introduced to the dual heads, I would have been the first person to say this was a very bad idea. Plugging in someone else’s settings is generally just asking for trouble and questionable results.

But the M2 dual setup is currently limited to the V4 nozzles, which makes them more uniform than the singles, so this could work, with a few precautions. And the coding for the dual prints is more difficult than that for the single by about a factor of ten. S3Dv3.02 has some quirks that have to be worked around that contribute to the issue. So it’s going to help new users to have a starting point that they can kick off from.

READ THIS FIRST

Do NOT try to use these profiles with a MakerGear M2 V4 Rev. E dual printer.

First thing you want to do in Simplify 3D is set your configuration for the new extruder arrangement:

Click on Help > Configuration Assistant, then select Printer - MakerGear M2 Dual in the dropdown.


You are going to need to change a few settings in these profiles to make them work for you.

1. Z-Offset.

This is the single most important thing that you have to get correct, in order to get good results.

Mine is not going to match yours. Make sure you change this to match your value. The Z-Offset is going to have to be the same for both nozzles, no matter what the temperature is for the filament in that nozzle. If you don’t adjust for the different temps, your prints might not work.

The way to adjust the Z-Offset gap so that it matches for filaments that print at widely different temperatures is discussed here:

How To: Correctly Set the Right Hand Nozzle Gap on the Dual
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2917

2. X-Offset.

My profiles have an embedded X-Offset of 25 mm. This is personal choice, as it forces the print closer to the center of the spider axis, not whatever shows on the screen. (One of those S3D quirks.) If it bugs you to see your centered print appear 25 mm to the right on the screen, you can remove that offset.

But your prints will no longer actually print in the center of the plate. They will be about 25 mm off of center. (No idea why it happens, or where to fix it permanently, and I’ve tried. This is a work-around.)

3. Temperatures

I run a borosilicate plate with a PEI surface. It takes lower bed temperatures. Try the profiles the way they are first, and if you have trouble with sticking you can increase the bed temps by a few degrees, to whatever you normally use. I also tend to print on the low side of temperature ranges, it cuts down on oozing. Increase the extruder temps only if you feel you need to. The defaults cause a lot of oozing issues.

4. Auto-Configuration

Do not click on the Auto-Configuration buttons. As a matter of fact, do not touch the Auto-Configuration buttons.

They are idiot buttons. I hate them. With a passion that burns white-hot. 8-)

I have taken out the option wherever possible, because pressing on the Auto-Configuration buttons will change some of the settings, but not all the settings that need to be changed, for whatever filament you want to change it to.

In these profiles, the necessary settings are coded into the profiles themselves, and appear in the Profile title. You’ll get strange/lousy/crappy results if you try to use Auto-Configure on them.

(If you want to create your own dual profiles – start with the MakerGear M2 dual profile default and adjust from there. Remember to save the results under a new name, or you will modify the original, and that way lies madness. :shock: )

5. Filament Diameter

For dual extrusion profiles, the filament diameter has to be the same value for both filaments. (Whether the actual diameter is the same or not.)

At the standard filament diameter of 1.75 mm, I actually re-tested every spool of filament that I own, to develop the corrected extrusion multiplier for each spool at that diameter. They all came out to 0.90, with a couple of minor differences for the specialty filaments. So if you really feel the need to test them, use a standard filament diameter of 1.75 mm for all the spools, and re-run your calibration squares. The extrusion multiplier can be changed for each extruder, so you’ll need to use that to fine-tune if you want to. The diameter needs to stay at 1.75 mm.

Or you can just use 0.90 for your Extrusion Multiplier and 1.75 mm as your filament diameter. It works very accurately for about 98% of the filaments, and is close enough for the other 2%.

6. Layer Height and Width

For dual extrusion profiles, you have to have the same layer height and extrusion width set up for both nozzles.

7. Labeling Bug

There is a bug in S3D concerning the labeling of the extruder that is used for the shield, when you are using a single filament for the shield, instead of both. It seems to appear randomly, I can’t find the common denominator...what it does is show you that you have specified one filament to be used for the shield, but then when it is sliced, it uses the other extruder for the shield. And it prints how it is sliced.

The main reason I put such detailed descriptions into the profile titles is – it’s going to be really confusing if you think that the shield is going to print out of PVA (as shown in the Profile setup), then it prints the shield in PETG, which is what I actually want it to do. (PVA is horribly expensive; you don’t want to waste it if you are using it in a print.)

(Unfortunately, there’s no way around the bug that I can find – it’s just going to list the wrong extruder.)
When in doubt, the slicer results should match the title of the profile.

8. Starting and Ending Scripts

If you’re switching from a single M2, I use a different startup and ending script from what you are probably used to. I like to park the print head for the dual in the center of the X axis after a print, (not over on the left), and I move the print head off the plate before homing Z on the right side of the bed.

Feel free to change those to whatever you like. (If you touch an Auto-Configuration button with one of these profiles open, you might just change them without realizing it. :shock: )

I have not yet experimented with Tool change code – these use the available S3D settings. Because of that, things like Brims and Shields are necessary – In addition to adding stability and catching drips, they correct another bug in S3D that does not reverse a retraction on the inactive tool head for the first layer.

9. Money Back Guarantee

Yeah, right…… :lol:. I can’t promise that they are going to work for you the way they do for me. (One hint: It’s all about the gap.) Having said that, if anyone else wants to share their Dual profiles, feel free to use the thread. We might as well get them all rounded up into one place. ;)

We are limited on attachments – I’ll put the actual profiles into the comments below.
Last edited by Jules on Sat Mar 26, 2016 5:17 am, edited 4 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:06 am

Single Profiles for M2 Dual Extruders

Download and unzip the profiles, then import them into S3D.

These work with only one nozzle at a time.
Remember to adjust your Z-Offset.
(It’s okay to fine-tune the individual filament diameters and extrusion multipliers in these if you desire, but 1.75mm and 0.90 is very accurate.)

Each Zip File holds two profiles for the filament listed, depending on whether you are extruding it from the left or the right nozzle.
PLA Single Extruder Profiles.zip
(6.46 KiB) Downloaded 1419 times
PETG Single Extruder Profiles.zip
(6.32 KiB) Downloaded 1141 times
Wood Single Extruder Profiles.zip
(6.54 KiB) Downloaded 979 times
Last edited by Jules on Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:10 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:20 am

Support Profiles for the M2

Download and unzip the profiles, then import them into S3D.
These work with both nozzles, but have different kinds of filaments used for support.
(Remember to adjust your Z-Offset based on temperature if there is a large differential.)

These need a 1.75 mm filament diameter for both extruders.

PVA is a dissolving support filament. It is very expensive, so these profiles minimize its use, by limiting the shield to the non-PVA filament, and using the PVA only for support structures. (These support profiles are also the profiles where the labeling bug appears, so don’t get confused.)

It is easily picked up by the hot nozzles, has trouble sticking to other filaments, and it drools like wood filament, so it’s very difficult to use. My recommendation would be to use it only if you absolutely have to dissolve something to get it out of your print.

To my great surprise, an excellent support filament for PETG is PLA. The filaments do not bond to each other at all, you can literally peel away the PLA supports with very little effort and a small pair of needle nose pliers. But the PLA is much firmer where the support is needed, and the PETG nozzle doesn’t pick up as much, making a huge mess everywhere the way the PVA does. So I’m including a PETG with PLA support profile.

Each Zip File holds two profiles for the filament pairs listed, depending on how you have them set up, left or right.
Dual Support Profiles PLA and PVA.zip
(7.14 KiB) Downloaded 1506 times
(PLA with PVA support)
Dual Support Profiles PETG and PVA.zip
(6 KiB) Downloaded 1121 times
(PETG with PVA support)
Dual Support Profiles PETG and PLA.zip
(5.98 KiB) Downloaded 1172 times
(PETG with PLA support)

Note: When you send a "non-dual" model to be sliced with one of these Support profiles, S3D might give you the error message below. Just ignore it and continue, the profile will still slice correctly.
Error message.JPG
Just click YES and get on down the road.
Once it's sliced, click on the box next to Coloring, and choose Active Toolhead. That should show the left nozzle part of the print in blue, and the right nozzle (PVA) part of the print in green. The supporting filament should only be the Support part of the print, (and a bit of the Brim), if it sliced correctly. The shield is going to be all blue, which is your main print filament.
Check Slice Job.jpg
Last edited by Jules on Sun Feb 07, 2016 4:11 am, edited 5 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:36 am

Dual Color Profiles for the M2

Download the profiles and unzip.
To use the Dual color Profiles, import the unzipped FFF file.

Import the two separate parts of the bi-color file that you want to print:
Example:
Traffic Cone http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21773

Click on Tools > Dual Extrusion Wizard.
Select the Dual Color Profile in the drop-down for the Base Profile.
Dual Color 1.jpg
Choose the Dual Color Profile you wish to use.
Choose which color you wish to assign to each extruder.
Dual Wizard 2.JPG
Decide which color for each extruder.
When you get ready to Prepare to Print, choose both the color profiles shown.

Slice the print by selecting both Color Profiles.
Prepare to Print 1.JPG
Select All.
These profiles print with both a brim and a shield.
Dual Color PLA.zip
(3.48 KiB) Downloaded 1378 times
Dual Color PETG.zip
(3.49 KiB) Downloaded 1060 times

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PcS
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by PcS » Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:36 pm

Thanks for all your hard work Jules !!! :-)

thunderbt3
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by thunderbt3 » Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:04 pm

Awesome! Thanks!

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Jules
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Re: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:20 pm

My pleasure, gentlefolk. :D

Let me know if you hit any problems with one of them - like i said, you have to be reaaaaallly careful not to touch the Auto-Configure buttons while setting one of these things up. :|

chuck
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Re: How To: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by chuck » Sun Dec 06, 2015 8:49 pm

Hi Jules,
do you have a profile for

ABS (left extruder)
PVA (right (support) extruder)

?

if not, would be enough to know which basic profile to start with and what to change. i don't think i ever worked with PETG but if it is quite close to ABS, please let me know if that would be the one....! thanks

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Jules
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Re: How To: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by Jules » Sun Dec 06, 2015 8:56 pm

chuck wrote:Hi Jules,
do you have a profile for

ABS (left extruder)
PVA (right (support) extruder)

?

if not, would be enough to know which basic profile to start with and what to change. i don't think i ever worked with PETG but if it is quite close to ABS, please let me know if that would be the one....! thanks
Oooh, sorry! Don't have one for ABS, I've never printed it. :roll: (Don't know if it's close enough to PETG to use those settings for retraction and whatnot. I know the temps will be too high if you use the PETG profile.)

The one for PVA as support on the right appears in either of the PVA profiles listed. (Each of those zipped files contains two profiles, one with PVA on the left, and one with PVA on the right.)

Update: If you know what the general settings are for retraction, extruder temp and bed temp for ABS, you can try taking the left PLA/right PVA (support) profile from the zipped file and change the PLA values to match whatever works for you for ABS. (Don't forget to set your relative nozzle height, PVA prints at a low temp.)

searcoid
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Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 5:13 pm

Re: How To: Simplify3D Dual FFF Profiles for the M2

Post by searcoid » Wed May 22, 2019 5:54 pm

Does anyone have fff profiles for PLA with HIPS as support?

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