Cura, the slicing software officially released by Ultimaker, has become the most widely used 3D printing slicing software in the world. With its richer features and automation, this article will guide you step by step on how to set up two-color printing in Cura to make it easier for everyone to use its functions!
Three key steps:
1. Select component colors and nozzles; 2. Assemble components; 3. Slice, archive, and print.
Isn't it super easy? Below is a demonstration using a two-color drill; follow along step-by-step! First, export your 3D printed object as a separate STL file in your modeling software, using the two colors you want (it's recommended to set the center point to be the same). Simply drag and drop the file into Cura slicing software. (Further reading: How to export STL/OBJ files using various 3D software )
Next, we'll set the individual material colors. Click on Nozzle 1 and Nozzle 2 at the top to open the material settings. After selecting the material and color, the nozzle color block will change to the selected color! This time, we'll use yellow PLA for Nozzle 1 and black PLA for Nozzle 2. Except for the PVA water-soluble support which uses a BB nozzle , all others will use AA nozzles .
But it doesn't look like it's turned into two colors? Don't worry, after you've set the colors for both nozzles, select the objects you want to color, and then click the nozzle icon in the lower left corner to 3D print the corresponding objects using the desired colors.
Next, after setting the desired color, hold down "Shift" and select the two objects, then right-click and select "Combined Model".
That's it! Wasn't that easy? Next, just perform the calculation as usual by clicking "Slice" in the bottom right corner. Note that in the new version of Ultimaker Cura, you cannot adjust parameters simultaneously during the slice calculation, otherwise the adjusted values will be lost. It is recommended to set all parameters before performing the slice calculation.
Finally, remember to switch to the "Preview" interface of the 3D Printing tool above to check if there are any broken surfaces in the actual print. Once you're sure there are no problems, you can save the file and proceed with the 3D Printing .
As you can see, there's an extra "feed turret" for two-color printing behind the drill, which makes 3D printed objects more perfect. The two-color printing setting is usually enabled automatically. If you want to turn it off, just uncheck the "Enable feed turret" box in the settings window on the right!
At this point, some people might notice: Teacher! Why is my color different? No problem, please click on "Color Scheme" in the upper left corner, change the display function to "Consumable Colors", and it will display the result closest to the printed result!
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