Experimentation: Print Pausing, Part Insertion, Techniques.

[RobH2]

Excellent. Thanks. I'm glad to see things like "plugins" being offered. I didn't realize those options were available. The best part about all of this is you can learn something new every day.

Edit: There is still one issue I'd like to experiment with and solve. This warning was attached to the Cura plugin: "Always make sure the object is not sticking out above the plane print head moves in, otherwise it may cause damage to your product. ."

I'd like to find a way to stop the print, insert something that does stick up, and then encapsulate it. I wonder of GCode is robust enough to allow you to stay away from an area or to build around an area if you have very, very good measurements? I guess that would not work unless the object that protruded had a lot of curvature, like a marble. Otherwise, the tip of the hotend would bump the object. You'd always have to stay as far away as the physical extrusion tip diameter, at least till you got high enough to bridge and fill over. Then you have a potential non-sticking problem and other issues arise. This is going to be a tricky task for a 3d printer in it's current configuration to perform. I haven't dived in and written much GCode yet. I've inserted a command here and there but have not created any truly custom code to do a lengthy task.

So for now, for RepRappers anyway, pausing is good if you bury the insert and or just want to swap colors.

[3dkarma]

If you plan on inserting something into your print, you'll need to build a cavity for it into your design. You'll only be able to insert something once the print head has reached a point at least as high as the highest point of the inserted part, once it's been inserted. You won't be able to insert something that ends up sitting higher than the layer you're currently printing at or the chances are very high your print head will collide with it.