Introducing Cura 2.7
Since the release of the Cura 2.7 Beta, we have received a lot of useful feedback from the public.
The stable version of Cura 2.7 is now ready, bringing you new features and bug fixes!
For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please see the release notes or check Cura on Griub.
Update Cura
First time using Cura? Learn how to use it from the quick start guide.
Below you can find selected highlights of improvements and bug fixes:
Improved Features
Improved print surface quality
Top surfaces. You can now set the print of the very top layer independently. Change the top surface density and specify different layer patterns
(lines, concentric, or zigzag). Using different patterns on the top surface can achieve higher quality.
From this, you can see that the very top layer follows a different pattern compared to the other bottom layers.
Ironing (a.k.a. Neosanding). This feature reduces extrusion and presses the heated nozzle against the printed top layer
to fill any gaps on the top surface, resulting in a super smooth top surface. It can be found in the "Experimental" section.
No ironing - Note that the surface lines have a standard diagonal infill pattern. After ironing - The extruder is set on the top surface of the printed object, reducing
extrusion to produce a smoother top surface
Print object side-by-side comparison. The green object uses the ironing function - please note that compared to the blue object, the top surface has no diagonal marks.
Relative Z seam. Includes a new option to relatively position the Z-seam coordinates at the center of each model to keep them in
the same position on each layer, regardless of the object's position. This makes it easier to remove during post-processing.
In Cura, you can change the parameters in the "Shell" option. Here is an example:
Seam lines are displayed in green and are positioned relative to the center of each model on the build plate.
Print thin walls. Prints walls that are 2 times thinner than the nozzle size. Please see the example below:
The left and bottom sides of this square structure are printed with thin walls - notice the difference in line width compared to other parts.
Support and control improvements
Cura 2.7 introduces two new features in the default profile: support infill layer thickness and gradual infill.
These aim to improve print time (average 20-30% savings) and reduce PVA consumption (average 40-40% less PVA usage).
Using less PVA support material means faster dissolution times and lower material costs.
Support infill layer thickness. Use this feature to fine-tune the per-layer height of the support infill material.
Print materials like PVA at twice the normal layer height to save time, e.g., for a 0.15mm layer height print, PVA can be printed
with a thickness of 0.3mm for most support infills.
Magnified example of support infill layer thickness - note the thicker purple support layers.
Gradual support infill. Gradually increases the density of support infill at the top and edges during printing. This is particularly effective when printing with more expensive materials like PVA, as having higher density infill at the support model's edges means faster printing and dissolution times.
Gradual support infill is the default option for support material.
This scorpion model was printed with a PVA support base. PVA support becomes denser at the edges.
Case Study: Gradual Support and Support Infill Layer Thickness
The sphere consists of moving parts and has a very complex geometry, so it is important to print with supports. Printing supports with PLA can be problematic for removing active parts, so using PVA is the correct choice as it can be easily removed by dissolving.
However, using PVA support will significantly increase print time, especially if using "Extra fine" profiles.
According to Cura 2.6.2, this object could take up to three days to print (excluding dissolving time) and would use a lot of support material.
Cura 2.6.2
Printer 1: 20% infill PLA (default settings)
Printer 2: PVA (default settings)
Normal profile (0.15 mm) (default settings)
Cura 2.7
• Printer 1: 20% infill PLA (default settings)
• Printer 2: Gradual infill PVA (default settings) (support infill layer thickness 0.3 mm)
• Normal profile (0.15 mm) (default settings)
In this example, the object is sliced using a 0.4mm nozzle and a normal quality object with a 0.15mm layer height.
In Cura 2.7, it is gradually filled, and the support infill layer thickness is 0.3mm.
The sphere sliced from top to bottom in Cura 2.7. Gradual infill supports are shown in blue. Note how the support infill density gradually increases at each edge.
Most of the support infill will be printed with 12.5% PVA, increasing in two steps to 25% and 50% density near the PVA edges.
The PVA edges themselves are thinner (0.6mm instead of 0.8mm) because they have more support.
Between Cura 2.6.2 and Cura 2.7, PVA consumption changed from 182g to 123g, saving approximately 40% of the material.
If the material cost of 1g PVA is 0.11 Euros, this saves 6.49 Euros.
Between the two versions, print times were 2 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes and 1 day, 14 hours, and 12 minutes, respectively.
This represents a saving of 14 hours and 8 minutes - a 30% improvement.
Hollow prime tower purge volume. Fine-tune the amount of filament purged on the prime tower when wiping on it.
Purging can be used to compensate for filament lost through oozing during non-operation. This also reduces the possibility of prime tower failure in the middle of printing when extruding.
The amount of material to be purged can be specified in the "Prime Tower Purge Volume" setting under "Dual Extrusion."
A normal prime tower. A purged prime tower.
Initial layer setting horizontal expansion. Added the ability to change the horizontal expansion of the initial layer, improving the "elephant's foot" effect.
This parameter can be changed in the "Shell" option under "Print Settings."
The "elephant's foot" effect is shown below. By reducing the horizontal expansion of the first layer, this undesirable effect can be avoided.
First layer line width. Sets the multiplier for the line width of the first layer. A smaller line width multiplier means a larger line width, which improves build plate adhesion.
Pause standby and resume temperature. Turns off the nozzle when pausing printing for extended periods to prevent filament burning and nozzle clogging.
At the end of the pause, the nozzle will resume printing temperature before printing.
Per printer functionality. Assign print functions (walls, infill, top/bottom layers, etc.) to specific printers.
Here are some examples:
Here, the 0.8mm nozzle print head is assigned to print infill. Assigning different colors to the printer can achieve beautiful effects.
Using larger nozzles for infill and inner walls can significantly reduce continuous printing time. This object is printed in red PLA, with the top surface in black PLA,
time. creating a color variation.And inner walls, then assign a 0.4mm nozzle to print for
all other features.
This object is printed with black PLA, and the walls are printed with silver PLA, This object uses an experimental material combination; black ABS with a blue TPU 95a outer surface.
creating contrast and highlighting details. This can be used for practical purposes, such as improving grip on handles.
Improved UI
Dark theme.A dark theme for Cura.Ideal for reducing eyestrain when working in dark environments.Activate it by selecting "Preferences > Themes > Dark".
New dark theme.
Top navigation bar redesign.The top bar user interface has been improved so that "Prepare" and "Print" have moved from the right side of the interface to the left side.
The left side is used to select a printer.This gives the workflow a natural flow from left to right.
New keyboard shortcuts. You can now operate models on the build plate using hotkeys Q, A, Z, W. Q is for "move," A is for "scale,"
Z is for "rotate," and W is for "mirror." Use the Tab key to navigate between interfaces.
Plugin browser. Managing third-party plugins is easier than before. Download and install new plugins with the integrated plugin browser. Go to "Extensions > Plugin Browser > Browse Plugins"
to select. All available plugins are contained in one place. Simply select "Install Plugin" to install your chosen plugin, restart Cura, and it will be integrated.
Plugins are installed on a remote server, so you don't need to reinstall them every time you install Cura on a new computer. When updates are available for a plugin, you can choose to manage
and upgrade the updates.
Note: Custom plugins can still be installed using the same method as previous versions of Cura.
Import SOLIDWORKS files as STL. This plugin can directly import SOLIDWORKS files into Cura and automatically convert them to .STL format.
This plugin can be found in the new plugin browser.
Zoom to mouse position. Inspired by industry-standard CAD software, Cura now includes the option to zoom to the mouse position.
Faster scrolling in the settings list. Scrolling speed in the settings list is now three times faster than in previous versions, improving the user experience.
Inherited themes. Themes no longer need to be re-added; functionalities can simply be inherited from default themes.
Additional tooltips. Added additional tooltips to make machine settings and functions clearer.
Support for new languages. Polish and Simplified Chinese translations have been added. These can be selected in the main options under "Language."
Supports new third-party printers
Cura 2.7 adds support for third-party 3D printers:
Monoprice Moai, DiscoEasy200, Cartesio, EasyArt Ares, 3Dator, Rigid3D, A series 1, and HelloBEEPrusa.
Bug fixes
We have been continuously working to fix several bugs, including the Cura project Mac extension, failures when adding printers, startup failures, incorrect calculation fixes, and z-hop
over-extrusion issues.
Special thanks to the following contributors: Tsaaristo, Rudowinger, nallath, smartavionics, BagelOrb, fieldOfView, maukcc, nliaudat, moritzmair
, landru29, marcosfg, Rigid3D, 14bitVoid, PCDotFan, "Jaguś" PawełJagusiak, Andrzej "anraf1001" Rafalski, Ghostkeeper, and Neotko.
Are you ready to update? Download the latest version of Cura 2.7 now.
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/50847-introducing-cura-27