The Spiralize Setting

standard print (L) vs. spiralized print (R)

Summary: Use the "spiralize" setting for seamless walls on hollow prints like vases and cylinders.

I saw some really nice rocket models on Thingiverse. The designer recommended printing them in "vase mode". That is a mode for printing cylinders, where the table (z axis) continuously lowers as the print progresses rather than lowering in steps. That way, the print head can just go round and round without pausing when the bed lowers. It makes for seamless prints.

location of the spiralize setting

I looked in the Cura settings and couldn't find a "vase" or "continuous Z" mode. So I asked on the UM forum and found out that there is an option to "spiralize the outer contour" in the expert configurations which does the same thing. To test it out I decided to print the twin cylinder file I have been using to test print temperature. When printing in the normal Z mode, it leaves a visible vertical seam. I split the model so I could print just one cylinder. First I printed the cylinder in the normal mode. Then I repeated the print using the spiralize setting.

note the vertical seam from a standard print

inside view, spiralized print on right

The spiralize setting made nice clean cylinders with no vertical seams on the outside or inside. The internal quality is just as important when printing something you want to shine light through. Once I tested the setting on the cylinders, I printed the rocket model at .69 scale (just to save time and material). The setting worked great. I printed a little too hot and the tip of the rocket drooped a bit and there are some blobs inside the print. But there is no vertical seam. Just another great feature of Cura that you may have missed.

spiralized rocket print

lighted print

Separating Parts in Cura

all parts are one object

Summary: Separate multi-object files into separate parts for easier printing.

I am working on a multi-part model. One of the stl files contains several parts. When the file is imported into Cura, they are seen as a single object. This was a problem because some of the pieces needed to be rotated. Luckily this is easy to fix in Cura. Simply right click on the model and select "split object into parts".

model split into 11 objects

In a matter of seconds, Cura splits the model into multiple parts. Each part can now be repositioned and rotated as needed. Or, you can save each of the parts as a separate stl file by copying the file and deleting the unwanted parts. This is just one of those handy options in Cura that is easy to miss.