Conical Slicing: A different angle of 3D printing

Current 3D printing slicers are dumb and only generate G-Codes on a 2-dimensional plane. We are leaving a ton of potential on the table because 3D printers are easily capable of complex 3-dimensional moves, yet we don’t have any software to take advantage of it. This video shows the Conical Slicing approach to create Non-Planar G-Code that allows printing supportless overhangs!

💚 Support me 💚
Join as a YouTube member!

📚 Further information:

⚙ My gear:
🎥 CAMERAS & LENSES
🎙AUDIO
🔴 LIVE STREAMING

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:10 Non-planar
04:15 Nozzle Clearance
05:54 Conical Slicing
08:52 Challenges
12:42 Sponsor Section

#3Dprinting #conicalSlicing #NonPlanar
DISCLAIMER: Part of this video was sponsored by Squarespace.
FTC Disclaimer: A percentage of sales is made through Affiliate links

[CNCKitchen]

Is non-planar slicing the future or just too complicated?

[deekman]

Watching FDM printers behave more like CNC routers is encouraging. Certainly there is a large body of knowledge to draw from with regards to motion systems and optimal toolpath development. I wonder if it would be easier to start with CAM software and build in the constraints of layer stacking rather than starting with a slicer and building CAM-like motion control into it.

[perakuikka]

One possible benefit of conical slicing Stefan that you did not mention is part strength to a certain directions when printing technical parts. Maybe in the future we could adjust angles of force in the slicer and slicer would count angles based on that. Right now we design parts we are just dealing with the horizontal plane when printing and print orientation. Great video!

[NathanBuildsRobots]

There needs to be an advanced slicer, more like CNC programming software, where the operator/programmer needs to understand the limitations of the machine and the objectives of a part.

[Tomaskom]

For aligning parts precisely in Cura, I use a trick with adding fake (unprintable) geometry. In Blender, I add tiny squares (like few mm wide and 0.01mm thick) in the opposing corners of the model, placed in a way that they are symmetrical compared to what i want as the part center and are the outermost parts of the model both in X and Y projections.
Any slicer will ignore these, but they typically use the outermost vertices of the model (regardless of printability) and center the entire model around the middle of the extremities in X and Y. By spoofing in fake geometry, I take control of this :)

[JoeTaber]

Applying a warping transform to your shape, then slicing, then applying the reverse-transform is a genius way to implement conical slicing. Amazing that it works with any slicing software!

[kaseyboles]

What can be added in is use of triple z axis some machines have to assist leveling. The ability to also tilt the bed, while more complex, would help solve a lot of the current limitations of this sort of thing.

[ericputney]

There's absolutely huge potential here. It seems like most of the problems can be handled with minor hardware tweaks, which is really exciting!

[marsgizmo]

excellent video! 👏
looking forward to the day when non-planar will be standard in slicers

[FluffRat]

I've used 3D toolpaths in traditional CNC plenty of times, and I'm really happy to see it one step closer to becoming a standard feature.

[williamsteele]

Wow...this is almost exactly the same process as my original belt printing code. You first skew the STL, then slice at the skewed angle... then print... the mechanical system did the last step. That's very cool! (It's also the same reason we don't need supports on the back side of a belt printer, as well!)

[ralfvandeven]

I assume that a delta printer would be most suitable because of the absence of a dedicated z axis. Small angles should be easy enough to implement from a hardware side. I thing structures could be printed that are impossible to print otherwise using variable slicing angles.

[aaron]

The cooling difficulties might not be a problem if you're mostly printing in filaments other than PLA. I mostly print in ASA, and I turn the cooling off almost all of the time.

[markus]

It would be interesting to do some stability tests. With non planar slicing there is no weak horizontal plane.

[michroz]

Even a small slope on Z-axis would enable printing across the layers (e.g. the slightly inclined or even X-crossing infill and/or secondary perimeters) and would increase the strength along the Z-axis, which today is limited by layer adhesion only. So, looking forward for this feature not only for supportless overhangs.

[conorstewart]

I think there would be a lot more people trying it if there was a GUI to handle the transformations rather than needing to modify the Python code with the file names. Just a simple GUI would be needed, a way to select the file to modify and a way to specify the maximum angle and what way they want the cone to be, and it would make it much easier for people to try out and shouldn’t be much work either.

[J.Severin]

oh man, kanns kaum erwarten, das das für jedermann einfach verfügbar wird. Danke für das Video.

[Garage]

Quick thought for you. If you can angle the print head and use conical slicing, you could even create an inner wall first, with angled layers to create a less linear planer of separation. Then you could add a second wall layer, angled in the opposite direction, with the print head angled towards the first wall so it doesn't it. You could even do 3 or 4 layers of opposite angled walls to essentially weave the shell of the object. It would have to be done a certain about of height at a time of course due to the head support and all, but this could create incredibly strong parts that do not have a single plane of separation.

[KiR_d]

Hi, Stefan! I think that the rotating print head with the conical slicing is the best option in this area for now. Not expensive and potentially very effective.

[theelmonk]

In MIG welding we have something called a 'gas lens'. This is a nozzle that ensures the welding point is surrounded by a 'focused' envelope of inert gas. Could we use this principle to provide cooling air to the print surface coaxially with the nozzle instead of the crude (and often very inefficient) blower nozzles common today ? Of course, we also have the air-assist nozzle of a laser cutter but that's made very much easier by the ability of the laser beam to shine right through the air jet. That doesn't work with an extruder!