Printing a file to multiple printers at once? Possible?

[TeddyYan]

Does anyone know if it is possible to print a 3D design to more than one 3d printer at once? I have 2 printers and I would like to print the same object on both of them, and compare the process. Is this possible? If so, how would I go about doing it?

[3dkarma]

None of the printer control software I'm aware of is capable of controlling more than one printer at any one time. If your intention is to get them both to start the print at the same time, I'd be looking at two laptops and practicing clicking the "Go" button on each at the same time.

[MysteryAlabaster]

If you use Makerware, you can simply open two instances of the program, open the file on both, and tell each to connect to a different printer.


I've done that before, but I don't think that's the answer you're looking for. I don't think there's any way to have more than one printer connected to the same instance of the printing program at once and push a print to each one at the same time.

[crowbar]

Shouldn't you be able to since they run on different coms? Maybe with different software?

[Roxy]

Shouldn't you be able to since they run on different coms? Maybe with different software?

That's the great thing about Open Source! If you care enough, you can make the change you want. You could take PronterFace, and have it send the lines of the GCode file to each printer at the same time. There is a communication protocol between the computer and the printer to acknowledge each line that is sent. So you would just wait until both printers have successfully received a line before sending them the next line.

But unless there is a real reason to do this... Opening two copies of PronterFace and telling one copy to deal with one printer and the other copy to work with the other printer makes more sense.