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Paint-On Fan Speed #11537

Description

@imartin-esc

Is there an existing issue for this feature request?

  • I have searched the existing issues

Is your feature request related to a problem?

When printing tougher filaments such as abs, pc, or pa, the ability to precisely control fan speed becomes a large influence on the dimensional accuracy (warp/droop control) and strength, both of which impact the functionality of a part. The problem is that there is currently no good way to control the fan speed for a specific feature/area of a model.

Which printers will be beneficial to this feature?

All

Describe the solution you'd like

It should either be done though the top tool bar by the other painting options or through modifiers.

Exploring the first idea, it should pop up a painting panel similar to that of the support or color painting options. Instead of color, it could be fan intensity (%) with a slider that can adjust the fan percent. The user should also be able to section the model to paint any hard to reach or interior geometry.

In the second idea, this feature could be built off of a new type of modifier, a painting modifier. Using a panel similar to that of color or support painting, a user could paint a modifier over the model. Then, all that needs to be done would be to add a fan speed option under the modifier print settings. This could be much more versatile than the first option since it allows height range modifiers and mesh modifiers as well.

In both of these ideas, the fan speed should only be applied to walls and not infill as this may reduce strength with no positives.

Describe alternatives you've considered

  1. Adding a custom gcode command (M106) at certain layers is not a very good solution since it doesn't allow for much flexibility in the placement of fan commands. The slicer also frequently overrides these if another part of the model has overhangs or bridges.
  2. Using a python program to apply M106 commands in the exported gcode is also not great since it is finicky and is custom to the type of firmware is on the printer. It is also limited since the fan command is applied to the whole layer, not a specific part of it.

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