Can I print 10 items on 1 print job?

[Mac-7]

Let me explain

Suppose I want 10 copies of the same print

But instead of printing all ten at once, one layer at a time I want to each item completely, then do the next

Can it be done?

[Ender5r]

Yes, and no. Cura has an option to print complete items (look under Special Modes in the Print Settings pane). However, you have to take into account that there needs to be enough room between the other items to ensure no part of the printhead will hit the already printed copies. IIRC, Cura helps with that by showing you where the items might overlap & have a risk of getting hit. I have never used it, so I can't offer any other advice.

[Alan]

Also, Cura prints them in the order loaded.

Cheers

[Geit]

As already said space is the real show stopper. Probably you cannot print more than 5 depending on the objects size.

You also need to properly setup Cura or you get a very loud print fail. You need a perfect setup bed size, bed X/Y offset (in firmware) and mostly important the size of the print head and the nozzle offset. The entire print head becomes a moving obstacle, and starting which the second object the ground becomes lava. The print head cannot move
inside that area.

As you can imagine there is a lot that can go wrong and if you forget to modify your printers data in firmware/slicer after e.g. adding a BL-Sensor the result can already be catastrophically.

[roon4660]

Here's how Devin did it on the make anything channelhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avlengYsJdw

[Ender5r]

Clever, but you would have to be careful which models you try that with or you run the risk of damaging or destroying your printhead or axis belts or motors. I noticed his model has very little contact area on the printbed. I wouldn't want to try it with a model that has a lot of contact area.

[Geit]

On glass this would work even with bigger bottom surfaces, but at a cost of time. You would need to wait until the glass is lower than 50°C AND the printed object cooled down, so it does not keep the surface above the build plate a reheat from its core.

So you easily add around 30 minutes after each print, before kicking the object off without breaking your printer. Of course the next print gets delayed do to the reheating time, too.

If I print something over night I can blow it off the next morning. There is zero bed adhesion left. Brim or not does not matter.

[Ender5r]

With PETG I have not always found glass to be that forgiving. Twice, I've actually broken the glass bed because I could not get a completely cooled print off the glass. I've never had that happen with PLA, & I've never printed ABS. I've stopped using glass. Now, I'm using the Creality PEI coated spring steel sheet. I am using Magigoo on it. So far, so good.

[Geit]

PETG and glass is a bad idea. You need "UHU Stic" or other paper glue for it. It acts as a release agent between the glass and the print, when it comes to PETG.
PETG is known for digging into the glass surface. Even the "3D Printing Nerd", who should know better, broke his 10000$ giant printer the first day printing PETG directly on glass.

ABS does not stick to glass at all, when in filament form. You need an Aceton filament mix on the build plate. Then you can even print with lower bed temperatures. e.g. 80°C instead of the recommended 100-120°C works fine for me. I usually dump Aceton onto the build plate and use a failed ABS print to create a sticky ABS coat.

PLA, as said, sticks to glass as long as you press it firmly down and keep the bed temperature above 50°C. Glue stick helps to prevent the corners, which are sucking in the cold air like hell, from lifting up. In rare cases, when you try to hard on removing the PLA part, You can rip out chunks of glass like with PETG, but here you always can remove the glass sheet and place it on a metal cabinet. It acts as a gigantic heat sink and only take a few seconds to release the part automatically. Of course this rapid cooling requires borosilicate glass. Normal picture frame glass works, too but you need to be more patient to not shatter it and rapid cooling is a no go.

Just to complete it. TPU needs "UHU Stic" or other glue to stick on glass. A huge brim is also a good idea. A TPU object will release quite easy once the build plate is cool again, too.

[Ender5r]

Yeah. I didn't know if the type of filament would make a big difference, which is why I mentioned it.

[roon4660]

It is such a pleasure to be able to communicate with 3d people so far beyond my competence, I try to learn a lot from you. I greatly appreciate your attitude.