Creating your own printable file: from STL to gcode
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Creating your own printable file: from STL to gcode
For a simple single colour print without sup-
port, click on “add” in “processes” and select the
profile with the correct material, extruder, and
print detail (for instance, a fast print using PLA
from the right extruder). For more complicated
prints see Section 3.5.
STEP 5: Click on ‘prepare to print’. In the next
view you can see all the movements your print-
er is going to make while printing. If you are sat-
isfied, click on either ‘begin printing over USB’
(if your printer is connected to your computer
through USB) or ‘save toolpaths on disk’ (to
save your gcode to an USB stick to be printed
stand-alone).
3.5 Printing with dual extrusion and support materials
Your Creatr HS has two extruders, which means that you can print with two materials in one print.
For some users this might mean two different colours of the same material, for others this means
printing with two different types of materials. Here are some ideas on the latter option:
• Printing complex shapes with overhanging parts (angles of more than 45 degrees, which the
printer is not able to print) with one plastic such as PLA and ABS, while using a soluble material
such as PVA or HIPS as a support structure (to dissolve in water or D-Limonene after printing).
• Printing prints with flexible and solid parts (combining Flex (available from Leapfrog soon) with
PLA for example)
3.5.1 Breakaway support versus soluble support
Support material is added during the printing process in order to support the overhanging parts of
your design. Both the objects in the image are not printable without support (as some of the angles
are more than 45 degrees). If you would print these designs without support material, the print ma-
STEP 4: Select standard settings for your print
STEP 5: Prepare to print and select printing method.