Description:
The following instructions guide you through the settings for Astroprint.com. To see full details on astro's cloud based slicing, please see the Astroprint Workflow. We recommend using the default Astroprint settings, however here are the settings if you wish to change them. All mentioned settings can be used and implemented into Cura.
Process:
You will need a user account on www.Astroprint.com, it is free to create one. Log into your Astroprint.com account. Click on "Design Uploader" and upload an .stl file. Once uploaded, Astroprint.com will take you the page shown in the image below. Once you are on the page shown below, click on "Advanced Settings". This will bring up a page with settings which can be edited:
1) Click on the "Advanced Settings" link.
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2) The advanced settings windows will pop up. The settings are organized into sections listed on the left of this window, and settings to change on the right of this window, as shown in the images below.
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3) Layers and Perimeters:
- Layer Height - This is the height of each layer that is laid down during the print process, measured in mm.
- First Layer Height - This is the height of the very first layer that is laid down during the print process, measured in mm.
- Shell Thickness - The entire outer layer of a printed object is called the shell. This section allows you to input the shell thickness, in mm.
- Solid Top - Check this box to indicate that you want a solid top layer on your part.
- Solid Bottom - Check this box to indicate that you want a solid bottom layer on your part.
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4) Infill:
- Fill Density - Infill is the material that is on the inside of the object you are printing. The Fill Density setting determines how much infill your part will have, measured in percentage (%). Generally the infill will print in a grid of lines, with more or less empty space in the grid depending on the Fill Density setting.
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5) Speed:
- Print Speed - The printing speed for printing all the normal parts of the print (i.e. - all the parts that are not the following: infill, top and bottom layers, inner and outer shells, travel, first layer, or the bottom layer)
- Infill Speed - The printing speed for printing the infill. The infill is the inside of the part that you cannot see, because it is covered by the inner and outer shell.
- Top/Bottom Speed - The printing speed for the top and bottom layers of the part. The bottom layer is the first layer that is put down, and the top layer is the last layer that is put down.
- Inner Shell Speed - The printing speed for the inner shell. The inner shell is the layer outside of the infill, but on the inside of the part. The inner shell cannot be seen once the part has finished printing
- Outer Shell Speed - The printing speed for the outer shell. The outer shell is the outside layer around the entire part.
- Travel Speed - The speed at which the hot end moves when it is covering gaps in the part, or when moving between two separate parts that are being printed. Generally this setting can be much fast than the Print Speed setting.
- First Layer Speed - The printing speed for the very first layer that is put down. This is the same as the bottom layer.
6) Skirt and Brim
A skirt is a line of filament that is drawn on the bed surface all the way around the circumference of the part. A skirt is useful for making sure that the nozzle is clear.
A brim is a stage that is printed beneath the part to help the part balance during print time. This is useful for top heavy objects, such as a football printed with the tip facing down.
- Number of Skirt Lines - The number of skirts to print.
- Skirt Gap - The amount of space between the part and the skirt.
- Skirt Minimal Length - The minimal length of skirt to print.
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7) Support Material
- Support - There are 3 support options:
- None - When this option is selected, the part will be printed without any support material whatsoever.
- Touching Build Plate - When this option is selected, the part will be printed with support material for the locations that require support and are also directly above the build plate. This option will not provide support for open spaces in the part that are not directly above the build plate. An example to help illustrate this is a model house. If you are printing a model house on your 3D printer and select "Touching Build Plate", then only the door will have support because the door is directly over the building plate. The windows will not have support if you select "Touching Build Plate".
- Everywhere - When this option is selected, the part will be printed with support material for all locations that require support material.
- Support Type
- Grid - Choose grid support if you want the support to be permanent.
- Line - Choose line support if you want to remove the support material after you are done printing.
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9) Filament:
- Filament Diameter - The diameter of the filament you are using. 2.85 mm is the standard diameter.
- Filament Flow - The rate at which the filament flows out of the nozzle, 100% is the maximum.
- Print Temperature - The temperature for the hot end. This temperature will depend on the material you are printing with.
- Print Bed Temperature - The temperature of the heat bed. This will also depend on the material you are printing with.
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10) Cooling:
- Enable Fan - When checked, this will enable the fan on the hot end.
- Minimum Fan Speed - The minimum speed for the fan on the hot end.
- Maximum Fan Speed - The maximum speed for the fan on the hot end.
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11) Retraction:
Retraction is the ability of the printer to pull the filament back out of the hot end. This is useful for travel time over gaps in the print or between multiple parts on the print bed.
- Enable Retraction - Check this box to enable retraction.
- Retraction Amount - The amount, in mm, of filament to retract from the hot end.
- Retraction Speed - How fast to retract the filament from the hot end during retraction.