Printing Multiple Files at Once

5 files printed at same time

Summary: Print multiple files at once for ease and better quality.

I have always wanted to get an old Spirograph set for my kids. But then I discovered this 41 piece Spirograph set on Thingiverse. Why buy when you can print? Looks like a nice Christmas present I can make for the kids. There are a lot of parts to this set, so I decided to print several gears at once. Printing multiple parts at once is not only easier, it can also result in nicer prints because each layer has plenty of time to cool before the next layer is printed.

To print multiple parts you just keep loading model files. Cura will automatically space the parts out for you. Select the "print all at once" option under the tools tab to for better print quality. Otherwise you will just be printing one model at a time and you won't get the benefit of letting each layer cool. Then just save the file to the SD card and print as you normally would.

I printed these at 220°C with the normal quality defaults and they came out great. The teeth mesh perfectly. The one downside to printing multiple parts is you can get stringing between the parts. There was no stringing on this print. I'm going to wait until I have some more colors of PLA before I finish the set to make it a little more colorful. Six parts of the Spirograph done, 35 more to go!