Printing from the dashboard¶
Besides plain print G-code, the dashboard can make and slice three kinds of print job on the Pi. They use the same flow as everything else: upload, converting (building and slicing), ready with a summary, confirm, start.
| Job type | Input | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Print design (3D) | SVG, DXF, PDF, AI, EPS, PNG, JPG | The closed outlines become a plate thickness mm thick (a sign, stamp, keychain or logo), then it is sliced |
| Print model | STL, 3MF | Sliced as it is, centred on the bed |
| Print knife mount | none: parameters | The drag-knife clamp is generated and sliced |
Options¶
| Option | Default | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Width, shrink to fit | file size | Print design (as for cut designs), within the 203 x 203 mm print area; required for PNG/JPG |
| Thickness | 3 mm | Print design |
| Layer height | 0.2 mm | All (0.05-0.32 for the 0.4 mm nozzle) |
| Infill | 20 % | All |
| Holder diameter, bolt spacing, standoff | 11.5, 30, 12 mm | Knife mount |
| Scale | 100 % | Print model |
| Keep size | off | Print model: refuse instead of shrinking to fit |
The details column shows size, print time and filament from the slicer. STL downloads the generated model (to check it in a viewer); G-code the sliced file.
Fitting the model to the printer¶
Every model is measured first (prusa-slicer --info), then:
- Scale (default 100 %) is applied. STL has no units: a model drawn in inches needs 2540 %, one in metres 100000 %. A model under 2 mm across gets a warning that its units are probably wrong.
- Fit to the printer (on unless you tick Keep size): a model larger than the usable volume is shrunk, uniformly, until it fits. It is never enlarged. The usable volume is the bed minus the margin and the skirt on each side, 203 x 203 mm, by 265 mm tall: a part fitted to the bed edge would otherwise put its skirt off the bed. With Keep size, a model that does not fit is an error instead.
- It is centred on the bed and sliced.
The details column shows the size as printed (prints 203 x 27.1 x 3.4 mm)
and an orange warning when it was scaled.
Slicing¶
Slicing runs the prusa-slicer command line on the Pi with
triaina/data/prusaslicer_neptune4.ini:
225 x 225 x 265 mm, 0.4 mm nozzle, Marlin 2 G-code flavour (Klipper runs it; the
klipper flavour needs a newer PrusaSlicer than Raspberry Pi OS may ship), PLA
215/60 C first layer,
gyroid infill, a purge line at the left edge. PrusaSlicer's own Elegoo profiles
stop at the Neptune 3, so this profile is written from the Neptune 4 specs;
check it against your printer and edit the file to taste. The start G-code does
not probe a bed mesh: it relies on the mesh saved as default, which Klipper
loads at startup. Run a bed mesh calibration from Fluidd and SAVE_CONFIG
once.
A Pi 3 slices a small part in a minute or two; a large model can take much longer (the limit is 30 minutes). Slicing runs on its own worker, so cut jobs are not held up by it.
Printer mode¶
Starting any print job while the printer is in cutter mode runs
PRINTER_MODE first, so the knife's G-code offset cannot shift the print. The
start dialog asks you to confirm the knife holder is removed.
Extruding a design¶
Only closed shapes have an inside: open lines are skipped with a warning. Holes are decided by nesting: a shape inside an odd number of others is a hole, so lettering keeps its counters whichever way it was drawn, while shapes that merely overlap (two circles in a logo) are joined rather than cut. For a stamp, mirror the design before uploading.