well i would put this under software but i cant do it yet so its goin here.
check this slicer out that is being developed. pretty cool. watch the video
http://3dprint.com/2140/topolabs-fdm-3d-print-method/
very interesting new slicer
Re: very interesting new slicer
That step of adding Kapton tape to the surface would seem to limit applications. I wonder if there's a support material you could print with, then change to your surface material and have that not stick to the support but just rest on it.
Re: very interesting new slicer
Totally new to all of this, but I wonder if a delta printer would work better with this slicer, than a cartesian one. All three motors on the delta are exactly the same whereas the M2 has two rails and screw.
Re: very interesting new slicer
Bryan, That occurred to me also. A delta printer can move fast in all three directions at once, whereas the z-screw seems relatively slow. So maybe with a delta there is a possibility of building the final surface by bridging a 3D mesh across "support pillars", and then printing detail on top of that.
Re: very interesting new slicer
Toby,
I don't think the application of the kapton tape is limiting. I think they showed it as an alternative (and very clever) way of doing support. If you add support material in slic3r (and I assume S3D is basically the same), you specify an "interface layer" (or layers) between the support and the rest of the printed part. This is just a manually inserted interface layer. But the point is that you're unlikely to have a perfectly flat interface layer, so using kapton tape or hairspray or whatever would not be feasible without the 3-dimensional paths.
What I find limiting is that this method only really works for shallow, smooth curved surfaces. If the surface is too steep, the Z-axis motor won't be able to keep up and the speed of the print will have to be slowed way down (unless it's a Rostock-type printer). If the surface has any vertical edges, you would lose much of the advantage of the printing method.
I don't think the application of the kapton tape is limiting. I think they showed it as an alternative (and very clever) way of doing support. If you add support material in slic3r (and I assume S3D is basically the same), you specify an "interface layer" (or layers) between the support and the rest of the printed part. This is just a manually inserted interface layer. But the point is that you're unlikely to have a perfectly flat interface layer, so using kapton tape or hairspray or whatever would not be feasible without the 3-dimensional paths.
What I find limiting is that this method only really works for shallow, smooth curved surfaces. If the surface is too steep, the Z-axis motor won't be able to keep up and the speed of the print will have to be slowed way down (unless it's a Rostock-type printer). If the surface has any vertical edges, you would lose much of the advantage of the printing method.
Re: very interesting new slicer
Very cool idea, and definitely worth playing with.
The support material could no doubt easily be replaced with dissolvable support material and achieve the same end result.
I would worry about the poor little Z axis motor on the m2 though - it gets very hot as it is, seems like this sort of path would give it an even harder life.
edit - actually I guess you can't use dual extrusion with this of course as the second head would of course get plowed into the part... okay, so forget the dissolvable support material, wouldn't work.
The support material could no doubt easily be replaced with dissolvable support material and achieve the same end result.
I would worry about the poor little Z axis motor on the m2 though - it gets very hot as it is, seems like this sort of path would give it an even harder life.
edit - actually I guess you can't use dual extrusion with this of course as the second head would of course get plowed into the part... okay, so forget the dissolvable support material, wouldn't work.