Hey gang! Tim here from Core Electronics, today we're checking out some hidden features in Ultimaker Cura and I'll be making sure to inspire your creativity!

For those who have first stumbled across Cura, Cura is a software to turn your computer CAD file into a recipe for your 3D printer to follow, I’ve crawled through all the hidden features in Cura and found the ones that have inspired me. So, this will be a multi-part series just because there's over 400 unique settings within Cura and quite a number of them have actually got my creative juices going, so I'm going to talk about each feature, demonstrate examples of the prints using these features, explain how to set up Cura and your 3D printer to get the best possible results and some of the ideas that it has inspired me to create.

So as a quick preliminary to unlock these features let's jump into Ultimaker Cura. So, if any of the following features excite you and you want to make them visible in your software go to the top toolbar, go down to configure setting visibility, then find the particular setting in the list down here, once you've clicked its check box you'll then be able to find them in the Cura custom settings, to get into Cura custom settings click over here and then click on custom and then your particular mode will be under one of these headings.

So, let's start with wireframe printing which is an amazing feature which prints interesting and intricate three-dimensional wireframe objects, these wireframe objects will be one layer thick to produce highly complex designs from even the most simple CAD models. This method will let you test ergonomics and to see how a component will fit into existing other products faster than any other method in all the 3D printing spectrum. So on the desk right now I have the rocket that I printed using this wireframe feature, this model took less than 3 hours to print which is extraordinary fast for model of the size, if you look closely you can see that the vertical triangles that the 3D printer produces using this method.

Now naturally components printed using this method are very fragile as they are a single layer with the entire inside of the model hollow, extra care is particularly important when you take it off the build plate. Printing in this method I would recommend using a larger nozzle diameter, I use 0.8 for this model, increasing the flow percentage I used 400% maxing the line width, increasing the temperature, increasing cooling and not using ABS like I did initially. This model is made from Ultimaker tough PLA and I took the bigger the glob, the better the job mentality. 

There are also heaps of parameters in Cura solely focused on Wire Printing, so jumping into Cura the settings that I changed were as followed specifically for Wire Printing. I made this 2mm, the wire printer connection height, I also made the roof insert distance 2mm and Wire Printing flow I increased and once I did all of this, I was able to print this model with the NS5, now you can see the rocket CAD file which is completely solid model but unfortunately at the moment Cura doesn't let you see previews of this.

So, an idea I had bouncing around in my noggin is combining a Wireframe model with paper mâché to create some really neat custom lamps. So the next feature that is more commonly known is Spiral mode also known as Bars mode, for those not in the know this method throws the whole traditional layer by layer method out the window, spiral mode known as spiralized outer contours instead chooses to print solely the edges of a pot while smoothly and continuously raising the height axis as it spirals upwards, the final component would then be made of a long unbroken string of filament laid on top of itself. There are some limitations using this feature as you can only load a single model at a time as the filament will never be retracted and supports will not be possible. I brought a vase that I printed using this spiral feature it took less than 4 hours to print which is extraordinary fast to get such a cool print. This method does not use supports but you can clearly see it still allows for interesting overhangs and dimensions it has made the perfect place to store my pens and is significantly stronger than a wireframe model.

To remove the layer lines, a vapour bath would enable the gorgeous final finish on these models jumping into Cura you can see that it previews correctly, showing you actually what the nozzle will do, you'll find it under special modes heading, in the custom settings option I used a 0.8mm diameter nozzle and because of this model circumference being quite small I slowed the printhead movement by 20% just to ensure that each layer correctly bonded to one another. I can see great pots, and if translucent filament is used a great way to produce unique custom Lamps.

So the next feature that really got me thinking was moulds in Cura, the ability to quickly and easily make negatives of CAD designs is really an excellent hidden feature in Ultimaker Cura, this feature will print the selected model in a negative with a wall surrounding it, this negative can then be used as a mould to produce casts from it, so on the desk is a mould I created using this feature for a gear. This in combination with lubricant clamps and a casting material has the capacity to produce many casts of this gear, I produced this using a fast setting with a 0.4mm diameter nozzle and tough PLA. So jumping into Cura for this model it is very easy to implement this feature, so you'll find it over here under special notes once you've unhidden it and it will preview like it should and over here you can see exactly what the nozzle will do, exactly how it will print for each and every layer and this feature is very easy to implement on your design and it shows the results in the preview so important features associated with mould features are the minimal mould width, which determines the minimum width of the mould, we have the mould roof height which determines the height of the mould above the horizontal parts of your model and finally the mould angle which determines the maximum angle the mould may make outside of the mould, which if done correctly can be implemented in such a way that no supports are needed on the outside of the mould.

When crafting moulds it is crucial to spend some time considering whether the printed mould part will be a single-use mould after which it will be destroyed once the cast is solidified or a clam shell type mould which will have multi-use as you can see on the bench, it is then worth thinking about overflow channels, locating pins and pouring basin locations. Particularly if it's a reusable mould, silicone rubber and plaster of Paris are both excellent materials that can be used to filter plastic mould and produce very pleasing final components so a world of opportunity opens up using mould features allowing small-scale production as well as a large potential for material selection.

The final and last interesting hidden feature we'll talk about in Cura is fuzzy skin this setting will turn the surfaces of your model knurled and bumpy giving it a pleasing furry looking appearance like a shag carpet or in this case the coat of a Mini Schnauzer puppy, as you can see right here by this model. So, this model was printed using fast settings in Kiera with a 0.4mm diameter nozzle using tough PLA, so this setting is perfect for creating models with hairy-looking skin or creating designs with improved ergonomics at locations where there is grit so it is an immensely easy feature to implement on your CAD models so by default this setting will be applied to all the outside surfaces but the exact location of the fuzzy skin can be adjusted in settings all by overlaying models and I found it immensely easy to implement and use.

Jumping into Cura, there are parameters to adjust both the density and thickness of the textured appearance which you can see over here, under the experimental setting this is a really neat feature which effects can be in the preview view before printing giving you a better idea of how your component will turn out. Now there are a number of hidden features in Cura that I couldn't fit into this video, a new video will be on the way talking about more of these but if you can't wait there is a write-up of this topic on our Core Electronics website, hopefully this has been helpful and inspired your creative juices, until next time stay cosy!