gcode converter to make Cura dual extrusion work with Sailfish

thingiverse

I use Cura 15.02.1 as a slicer on my desktop computer. However, I have a dual extrusion printer running Sailfish (7.5) firmware in my workshop. They work flawlessly together, provided that only single extrusion is employed. But when moving to dual extrusion, you'll quickly realize it won't function, and might even seek alternatives to Cura. The issue arises from the fact that: Cura processes dual extrusion E-values as a combined total. Meanwhile, Sailfish handles dual extrusion E-values on a per-extruder basis. This leads to large blobs of plastic and skipping steps during each tool change. I have notified the Cura developers about this problem (which unfortunately lacks high priority for repair), but until it's fixed, I've developed a converter to address the issue. Perhaps it will be transformed into a Cura plugin; only time will tell. Now, what should you do? Firstly, save your merged dual extrusion Cura output as gcode (Cura set to GCode flavour = MakerBot). Then run the converter and load the resulting gcode. The converter produces a new gcode file, tagged with "fixed" in its filename. After that, convert this fixed gcode to g3x format using gpx (I personally use r1d settings for my gpx utility). Finally, print your dual extrusion model generated by Cura. It's worth noting that the converter should work with other slicers as well, since it specifically targets tool changes and monitors extruded material on a per-extruder basis. I have tested this converter on two STL files merged using Cura; they were then exported as gcode, processed through my converter, converted to g3x format, and finally printed without any issues. Keep in mind that running the already "fixed" gcode through the converter will mess it up entirely – one trip through is sufficient.