In at present’s FDM 3D printing panorama, Bambu Lab is a serious participant. On social media, in printing boards and at worldwide commerce gala’s comparable to Formnext, the Chinese language producer is on everybody’s lips and in excessive demand. However 3D printing can’t be performed with printers alone. In additive manufacturing, slicers are wanted to generate the so-called G-Code, a language that may be understood by the 3D printer. Though Bambu Lab has already excelled on this space with the Bambu Studio, their Orca Slicer software program is one other spotlight from the Bambu Lab sphere. However what’s all of the hype about this software program, does Orca Slicer ship what it guarantees, and is the uproar from the 3D printing group justified?
Orca Slicer was first launched in July 2022 and was initially often known as Bambu Studio SoftFever. This is because of the truth that it’s based mostly on a fork of Bambu Studio and PrusaSlicer and was developed by Bambu Lab person SoftFever. Orca Slicer additionally has most of the capabilities of the aforementioned slicing fashions and likewise comprises SuperSlicer choices, particularly calibration capabilities. It was developed to increase the bounds of Bambu Studio.
Orca Slicer takes benefit of Bambu Studio’s ease-of-use (Credit: Bambu Lab)
As Orca Slicer additionally makes use of the capabilities of different slicers, it provides essential benefits for the person. On the one hand, the instrument portfolio is way more fascinating and expanded. On the opposite, this system is an open supply slicer for FDM 3D printers. It is because Orca Slicer has advanced from Bambu Studio, which is predicated on the open supply PrusaSlicer, which in flip is predicated on Slic3r, which can also be open supply. Though Bambu Lab tries to maintain its atmosphere as closed supply as doable, this isn’t doable if the ultimate merchandise are based mostly on open supply fashions. Subsequently, Orca Slicer is a free and open supply answer.
At first look, Orca Slicer just isn’t so totally different from Bambu Studio. The variations solely develop into obvious with superior use. This system has a wider vary of instruments and extra capabilities, that are fascinating for higher and extra detailed print outcomes. Regardless of its ease of use, Orca Slicer can be utilized to supply high-quality prints.
As well as, bigger tasks with a number of print jobs might be realized, and AI print fault detection ensures that manufacturing errors are prevented. The cutter routinely checks for updates in order that the most recent model can all the time be retrieved. Ideas for every instrument make utilizing the varied capabilities to regulate prints much more intuitive and sooner. It is a appropriate possibility for all those that wish to mess around, attempt issues out and have the entire printing course of from A to Z within the palm of their hand. For easy issues, Bambu Studio is sufficient, however for superior prints, Orca Slicer is good because it unleashes the complete manufacturing potential.
Compatibility and Set up
Orca Slicer is appropriate with Home windows, Linux and Mac. You may all the time discover the most recent model of Orca Slicer on GitHub, the place you possibly can obtain it totally free. After set up, you possibly can configure the 3D printer. Solely 4 or 5 steps are essential to set it up:
- Choose area: Right here you possibly can select between China, Europe, North America, Asia and Others. The localization is just related for Bambu Lab 3D printers.
- Choosing the 3D printer: Orca Slicer already has many printer profiles configured. Subsequently, you should utilize a preset profile or create your individual.
- Choose filaments: Supported supplies embrace PLA, ABS, TPU, PC, PETG, ASA, PA, PA-CF, PLA-CF and PVA. Print settings for the respective filaments are additionally preset.
- Set up the Bambu Community plug-in: This plug-in permits print job submission by way of WLAN, distant entry, dwell transmission of print jobs and synchronization of person information. That is particularly essential with a Bambu Lab printer. If this isn’t the case, customers can arrange Octoprint or different distant print administration providers.
- Create Bambu Lab account: This step is optionally available however fascinating for individuals who have a Bambu Lab 3D printer. This fashion they’ll be capable to management the printing jobs by the cell app.
As soon as these settings are accomplished, you’ll straight entry the slicer display and may take a look at the precise workflow and Orca Slicer capabilities. Below “New undertaking”, you possibly can load a 3D mannequin and outline the print, materials and slicer settings. This isn’t crucial in case you are utilizing a preset printer profile the place the layer peak settings are already included.
In any other case, you possibly can select from 4 presets to outline the nozzle parameters, with the choices High quality, Thickness, Pace, Help and Different. The peak and width of the traces might be set in High quality. Partitions and fills might be set underneath Thickness. Pace is devoted to acceleration and retraction values and print pace. The Help space is used to regulate the mandatory assist constructions. There’s additionally an space with combined settings, which seems underneath Different. Right here you possibly can optimize, for instance, the G-Code output.
Photograph Credit: Orca Slicer
The predefined print profiles and the chance to arrange new profiles by the person in a handy and straightforward means are definitely a few of the benefits of Orca Slicer. Customers additionally recognize that the software program provides the user-friendly Bambu Studio platform and may now be used with different printers. They’ll additionally carry out multi-plate lamination. Let’s take a better take a look at Orca Slicer’s many options.
Orca Slicer Options
As talked about, Orca Slicer impresses with a variety of instruments for superior 3D printing. One instance is Multi Plate, the multi-plate possibility that means that you can add a number of construct plates. This enables a number of components to be loaded and lower for a print undertaking. Particular person values might be set for every half when it comes to temperature, fill, assist constructions and adhesion to the print mattress.
Though different slicers can even do that, Orca Slicer builds on the convenience of use of Bambu Studio to make the capabilities less complicated. Orca Slicer makes use of AI to routinely detect the required substrates and it’s doable to print them at a special pace. Additionally it is doable to outline the printing pace of the primary layer, which might be helpful in multi-part jobs to keep away from injury to this layer. Pace and acceleration might be outlined individually for fillers and internal partitions. The principle benefit of Orca Slicer is that it makes the optimistic person expertise of Bambu Studio accessible to non-Bambu Lab customers and provides superior calibration settings.
Another capabilities are explicitly meant to extend the print high quality, such because the sandwich mode. This inside-outside-inside mode is an enhanced model of the Exterior Limits First mode. The Exact Partitions operate additionally makes it doable to fine-tune print jobs. This makes it doable to manage the circulate charge throughout the manufacturing of each partitions, which ends up in greater accuracy. That is particularly fascinating when utilizing supplies comparable to ABS, that are liable to warping.
To keep away from imperfections, there’s the Seam Hole characteristic, which slows and stops the circulate of fabric simply earlier than the top of a layer to keep away from Z-seams, an issue in FDM printing brought on by extra materials being extruded from the nozzle throughout layer change. One other characteristic that evens out seam traces is loop cleansing. This setting is routinely activated and ensures that the nozzle strikes barely inward when a layer loop has been accomplished. Along with these capabilities, it must also be famous that Orca Slicer provides clipper assist and that distant management of the printer can also be doable.
Photograph Credit: Orca Slicer
Relying on the complexity, lamination might take a while. Even so, it may be considered and checked earlier than printing. There are additionally a number of choices for sending the print job to the machine. The file might be exported and transferred to a reminiscence card. If the printer makes use of Octoprint or Klipper, it’s doable to ship the file straight from the Orca Slicer to the machine. Merely enter the IP deal with of the printer beforehand. This fashion nothing stands in the way in which of manufacturing.
No slicing software program is ideal, and Orca Slicer additionally has some limitations. In keeping with person suggestions, there are frequent bugs and issues. Nonetheless, they’re continually working to repair them as quickly as doable and supply customers with a brand new replace. The newest model V2.0.0 was launched in March 2024. You may obtain the most recent model of the software program right here.
Photograph Credit: Orca Slicer
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*Cowl Photograph Credit: GitHub
