Cura 2.7, a new 3D printing software, has been officially released!
Introducing Cura 2.7
Since the release of Cura 2.7 Beta, we have received a lot of helpful feedback from the public.
The stable version of Cura 2.7 is now available, offering new features and bug fixes!
For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please watch the release notes or check out Cura on Grib.
Update Cura
First time using Cura? You can learn how to use it from the quick start guide.
Below you can find the selected improvement priorities and bug fixes:
Improved functionality
Improve the quality of printed surfaces
Top Surface. You can now set the top layer for printing separately. Change the top surface density and specify different patterns for each layer (lines, concentric, or jagged). Using different patterns on the top surface can achieve higher quality. 
This shows that the top layer follows a different pattern compared to the lower layers.
Neosanding (aka Neosanding). This feature creates a super-smooth top layer surface by reducing extrusion and pressing a heated nozzle against the top layer of the print to fill any gaps in the top layer surface. It can be found in the "Experiments" section. 
Without ironing - Note that the surface lines have a standard diagonal fill pattern. With ironing - Setting the extruder on the top surface of the printed object reduces extrusion and produces a smoother top surface.
Compare the printed items side-by-side. The green item has been ironed – note that compared to the blue item, its top surface has no diagonal lines.
Relative Z-Seams. Includes a new option to relatively position the Z-seam coordinates of each model center, keeping them in the same position on every layer, regardless of the object's location. This makes them easier to remove during post-processing.
In Cura, you can change the parameters in the "Shell" options. Here is an example: 
The seam lines are shown in green and are positioned relative to the center of each model on the building slab.
Print thin walls. Print walls that are twice as thin as the nozzle size . See the example below: 
The left and bottom sides of the square structure are printed using thin-walled printing – note the difference in line width compared to the other parts.
Improvement of support and control
Cura 2.7 introduces two new features in the preset profile: support for fill layer thickness and gradient fill.
These goals aim to improve printing time (average savings of 20-30%) and reduce PVA consumption (average use of less than 40-40% of PVA).
Using less PVA support material means faster dissolution time and lower material costs.
Support filler layer thickness. Use this function to fine-tune the height of each layer of support filler material.
To save time, printing materials such as PVA can be done at twice the normal layer thickness. For example, for printing a layer height of 0.15mm, PVA can be printed.
Its thickness is 0.3 mm, and it is used in most support fillers. 
Enlarged example of a thicker support layer - note the thicker purple support layer.
Gradually increase the support density during printing. Increase the density of the support at the top and edges gradually. When printing with more expensive materials such as PVA,
It is particularly effective because supporting higher density fill at the edges of the model means faster printing and dissolving times.
Gradual support filling is the default option for the support material. 
This scorpion model is made by printing PVA supports , with the PVA supports at the edges becoming denser.
Case Study: Gradual Support and Support Filler Thickness 
The sphere is composed of a set of moving parts and has a very complex geometry, making it crucial to use a support for printing. Printing supports with PLA can cause problems when removing the moving parts, so using PVA is a better choice because it can be easily removed by dissolving.
However, using PVA support will increase printing time significantly, especially if using "Extra fine" files.
According to Cura 2.6.2, this object may take up to three days to print (excluding melting time) and will use a large amount of support material.
Cura 2.6.2
Printer 1: Fill with 20% PLA (default setting)
Printer 2: PVA (Preset Settings)
Normal profile (0.15 mm) (preset setting)
Cura 2.7
• Printer 1: Fill with 20% PLA (default setting)
• Printer 2: Progressive PVA Fill (Preset) (Supports fill layer thickness 0.3 mm)
• Normal profile (0.15 mm) (default setting)
In this example, slices were made using a normal-quality object with a nozzle of 0.4 mm and a layer thickness of 0.15 mm.
In Cura 2.7, it gradually fills, with a support filler layer thickness of 0.3mm. 
In Cura 2.7, the sphere is sliced from top to bottom. The gradually filling supports are shown in blue. Note how the support fill density gradually increases at each edge.
The support filler will be printed with 12.5% PVA, with the density split into two steps near the PVA edges at 25% and 50%.
The PVA edge itself is thinner (0.6mm instead of 0.8mm) because it has more support.
Between Cura 2.6.2 and Cura 2.7, PVA consumption decreased from 182g to 123g, saving approximately 40% of the material.
If the material cost of 1g of PVA is 0.11 euros, then 6.49 euros are saved.
Between the two versions, the printing times were 2 days, 4 hours, 20 minutes to 1 day, 14 hours and 12 minutes respectively.
This means that in 14 hours, 8 minutes will be saved - a 30% improvement.
The amount of cable removed from the prime tower . This setting adjusts the amount of cable removed from the prime tower during the wiping process.
Purge can be used to compensate for filaments lost through seepage during nozzle downtime. This also reduces the likelihood of intermediate printing failures during extrusion, preventing main tower failures. The amount of material to be purged can be specified in the "Prime Tower Purge Volume" setting under "Dual Extrusion". 
A normal main tower. A cleared main tower.
Set the horizontal expansion of the initial layer. Add functionality to change the horizontal expansion of the initial layer to improve the "elephant foot" effect.
This parameter can be changed under the "Shell" option in "Print Settings". 
The "elephant foot" effect is shown below. This undesirable effect can be avoided by reducing the horizontal expansion of the first layer.
First layer line width. Sets the line width multiplier for the first layer. A lower multiplier results in a wider line width, improving adhesion to the substrate.
Pause standby and allow the temperature to return to normal. When printing is stopped for an extended period, turn off the nozzles to prevent burning of the filament and nozzle clogging.
When the pause ends, the nozzle will return to the pre-printing temperature.
The function of each printer. Assign printing functions (walls, fillers, surfaces, etc.) to specific printers.
Here are some examples: 
The printhead, which has been assigned a 0.8mm nozzle, prints filler material . Different colors can be distributed to the printer to achieve beautiful results.
Using larger nozzles for filling and inner walls can significantly reduce continuous printing. This object is printed in red PLA with a black PLA top surface.
Time. Allow the colors to change. And the inner wall, then distribute the 0.4mm nozzle to print on all other features. 
This object is printed with black PLA, while the wall is printed with silver PLA. This object uses an experimental material combination; black ABS with a blue TPU 95a outer surface.
It creates contrast and highlights details. This can be used for practical purposes, such as increasing control over the handlebars.
Improve UI
Dark theme. Cura's dark theme. Working in a dark theme reduces eye strain. Change it by selecting "Appearance > Theme > Dark". 
New Dark Theme
The top navigation bar has been redesigned . The user interface of the top bar has been improved, with "Ready" and "Print" now moved from the right side of the screen to the left.
The left side is used to select the printer . This allows for a very natural workflow from left to right .
New keyboard shortcuts . You can now use the hotkeys Q, A, Z, and W to manipulate the model on the building platform. Selecting Q is "Move," and selecting A is "Scale."
Select Z to "Rotate", and select W to "Mirror". Use the Tab key to navigate between interfaces.
Plugin Browser . Managing third-party plugins is easier than ever. Download, install, and merge the new plugin browser. Go to "Extensions > Plugin Browser > Browse Plugins"
Choose one. All available plugins are contained in the same place. Simply select "Install Plugin" to install your chosen plugin, and restart Cura to merge them.
The add-on is installed on a remote server, so it doesn't need to be reinstalled every time Cura is installed on your computer. When an update is available for the add-on, you can choose to manage the update upgrade.
Note: You can still use the same method as previous versions of Cura to install custom plugins.
Import SOLIDWORKS files as STL . This plugin can also directly import SOLIDWORKS files into Cura and automatically convert them to .STL format.
This cheat can be found in the new cheat browser.
Zoom in to the mouse position . Inspired by industry-standard CAD software, Cura now includes an option to zoom in to the mouse position.
Scrolling through the settings list is now three times faster than in previous versions, improving the user experience.
Inherit themes . Themes no longer need to be added; functionality can be easily inherited from preset themes.
Additional tooltips . Add additional tooltips to make machine settings and functions clearer.
New languages are supported . Polish and Simplified Chinese translations have been added. You can select these in the primary options under "Language".
Supports new third-party printers
Cura 2.7 adds support for third-party 3D printers:
Monopoly Moai, DiscoEasy200, Cartesio, EasyArt Ares, 3Dator, Rigid3D, Series A 1, and HelloBEEPrusa.
Bug Fixes: We've been working to resolve and fix several bugs, including those related to the Cura Project Mac extension, issues when adding printers, startup errors, error calculation fixes, and z-hop.
The problem of over-extrusion.
Special thanks to the following individuals for their contributions: Tsaaristo, Rudowinger, nalath, smartavionics, BagelOrb, fieldOfView, maukcc, nliaudat, moritzmair
, landru29, marcosfg, Rigid3D, 14bitVoid, PCDotFan, "Jaguś" Paweł Jagusiak, Andrzej "anraf1001" Rafalski, Ghostkeeper, and Neotko.
Are you ready to update? Download the latest version, Cura 2.7, now!
Original source: https://ultimaker.com/en/blog/50847-introducing-cura-27