Can you print over a print

Hi All. Great board.

I got a FFF as a gift and i am loving it. unfortunately it is only one color extruder. my question is can you or is there a trick to print in two colors with the unit? can i print over a red print with blue in certain spots? or better yet whats the best way to print in two colors with a one color printer?

also i found tinkercad to DL things but what software do you use to design things?

thanks!

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Originally Posted by threedee4me

I got a FFF as a gift and i am loving it. unfortunately it is only one color extruder. my question is can you or is there a trick to print in two colors with the unit? can i print over a red print with blue in certain spots? or better yet whats the best way to print in two colors with a one color printer?

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Yes. You can (should be able to) pause the printer at the end of a layer, change filament and continue the printer. I know some the Makerbot guys used to do it that way.

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Originally Posted by threedee4me

also i found tinkercad to DL things but what software do you use to design things?

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Lots of stuff out there from free (DesignSpark, Onshape, 123D Design, Fusion, etc) to cheap proprietry (Moi3D, Cubify, etc) to mid-range (Solidworks, Rhino, Geomagic Design, etc) to high end (Catia, NX, etc). For the hobbyist I personally recommend the cheap proprietry range. Moi3D costs $295 and Cubify either $50 or $100, depending on which package you choose.

and openscad - hands down the easiest and best :-)
Tinkercad is aactually cad as well :-)
Start here: http://www.123dapp.com/

And here: http://www.openscad.org/

Bear in mind sebastien is a professional cad person and his idea of an adequate cad package tends towards the ludricrously powerful :-)

Another free one is blender: https://www.blender.org/

Geoffs favourite tool :-)

Thank you both for the awesome information, I really appreciate it! Excited to jump right into all of this : )

You can also cut the gcode at the correct layer, delete everything below it, and then run it. when the printer starts it will just go to that layer height and begin printing.

The previously mentioned methods are superior for color changes, but you can use the gcode thing to save a print that failed due to a clog or power outage.

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Originally Posted by Ama-fessional Molder

You can also cut the gcode at the correct layer, delete everything below it, and then run it. when the printer starts it will just go to that layer height and begin printing.

The previously mentioned methods are superior for color changes, but you can use the gcode thing to save a print that failed due to a clog or power outage.

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Provided you know where it stopped.

If your printer has a control panel - then it will have a pause and resume function.

But the simplest option is to just print the thing in multiple parts and colours and just glue it together :-)

Or paint it.

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Originally Posted by Ama-fessional Molder

You can also cut the gcode at the correct layer, delete everything below it, and then run it. when the printer starts it will just go to that layer height and begin printing.

The previously mentioned methods are superior for color changes, but you can use the gcode thing to save a print that failed due to a clog or power outage.

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

If your printer has a control panel - then it will have a pause and resume function.

But the simplest option is to just print the thing in multiple parts and colours and just glue it together :-)

Or paint it.

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Thanks again for all the good advice. A couple of new questions now:

[1] how do you cut the gCode?
[2] is it best to print in white and then paint models? also what paint works best with PLA?

thanks!

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Originally Posted by Sebastian Finke

Provided you know where it stopped.

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You should be able to just measure the model, do a little bit of math, and start within a layer or two. It's not going to be ideal, but it's better than a totally failed print. And, you can just put some superglue on the top before you start it back up.

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Originally Posted by threedee4me

[2] is it best to print in white and then paint models? also what paint works best with PLA?

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Any colour can be painted but, as you suggest, starting with white is a good idea. However, if you painted part might be used a lot then be prepared for the paint to wear off. This might impact upon what colour printer filament you want to use as it will be exposed under the worn off paint.

We have found that most paints are fine on PLA. We use spray paints a lot for finishing.

You may find that the layer "effect" that all 3D printed models have will show up clearly when you paint your print. For that reason I would recommend using a high build primer as an undercoat before painting. Such primers are available from automotive paint shops.

I hope this helps