41 posts tagged with "OctoPrint"

So, you’ve got a Bambu Lab 3D printer—maybe a fancy X1 Carbon, or maybe a more modest A1 or P1P—and you’re absolutely in love with how quickly and smoothly it prints. These machines are kind of like the Ferraris of the consumer 3D printing world, right? Super-fast, often come with neat features like built-in cameras, enclosed builds, multi-color printing capabilities, and even some AI-based magic that tries to detect when your print turns into the dreaded “spaghetti monster.” You know what I’m talking about: that moment when your once-promising print becomes a pile of tangled filament resembling something you’d serve with meatballs.

But here’s the catch: Not all Bambu Lab printers have the same level of AI detection built in. Models like the Bambu X1 Carbon are decked out with advanced AI spaghetti detection and even LiDAR to inspect that first layer. Meanwhile, other models—like the Bambu A1 series or the P1P—lack AI features altogether. Maybe you went from a Creality printer that you’d meticulously set up with OctoPrint and had all sorts of plugins running, including advanced failure detection. Then you jumped ship to a Bambu Lab machine and realized you miss that robust ecosystem. Or maybe you just love tinkering and want to integrate Obico’s AI-based spaghetti detection and remote monitoring into your Bambu workflow.

Well, good news: With a bit of creativity, a spare single-board computer (like a Raspberry Pi or Orange Pi), a camera (such as a trusty old Logitech C920), and some software tweaking, you can get AI failure detection working via Obico on your Bambu printer—no matter which model you have. This can transform your Bambu printer setup into something that feels both luxurious and smart, catching failures before they waste days of print time and tons of filament.

In this “case study” or super-long how-to, I’ll walk you through a scenario: Let’s imagine you have a Bambu A1 printer. You love it, but you want AI failure detection similar to what you might have had with other printers integrated with Obico. We’ll talk about using OctoPrint as a virtual “bridge,” installing plugins, setting up a camera, and linking everything to Obico’s cloud so you can watch your prints from anywhere, get notifications if something goes wrong, and even pause or stop the printer remotely. And if you’re on a higher-tier Bambu like the X1 Carbon, you might not need this as much—but it’s still super cool to have another layer of AI detection from Obico’s machine-learning setup.

I’ll also share some links to relevant GitHub repos, documentation pages, and other helpful guides.

Introduction​

3D printing is a fascinating technology that's changing the way we make things. It allows you to transform digital designs into real objects, and it's becoming more accessible with the help of Android apps designed for 3D printing.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll delve into the world of 3D printing and show you how Android apps can make your 3D printing journey even better. Whether you're a beginner or an expert, this article will help you understand how these apps can take your 3D printing to the next level.

We're going to explore various Android apps that cover different aspects of 3D printing. You'll discover apps for controlling your printer remotely, creating intricate designs, getting amazing STL designs, scanning real objects into digital models, and much more. By the end of this guide, you'll have a clear understanding of how these Android apps can enhance your 3D printing experience and enable you to create incredible things.

So, let's dive into the world of Android 3D printing apps and unlock the full potential of your 3D printer. Your 3D printing journey is about to get a major boost!

Introduction​

The world of 3D printing is a fascinating one, filled with endless possibilities and innovations. As 3D printing technology advances, the role of software and firmware becomes increasingly vital in achieving the best results. In this comparative analysis, we will delve into the heart of 3D printing and explore the two key players in the software and firmware arena: OctoPrint and Klipper.

Unveiling the 3D Printing Universe​

Navigating the realm of 3D printing technology In recent years, 3D printing has evolved from a niche hobby to a transformative technology with applications spanning various industries. Whether you're a hobbyist, a DIY enthusiast, or a professional, 3D printing opens doors to creating objects with unprecedented precision and customization.

The pivotal role of software and firmware Behind every successful 3D print lies a carefully orchestrated symphony of software and firmware. These digital components translate your designs into physical objects, making the choice of software and firmware critical to your 3D printing experience. They control the movement of the printer's motors, the heating of the extruder, and the deposition of material layer by layer.

Gone are the days in 3D printing where you constantly need to be tethered to a 3D printer. There are now automated software tools that allow you to monitor and control your printer without being present in the same room. Some of these applications give you unrestricted access to your machines and let you operate them from anywhere in the world.

In this article, we’ll look at eight remote 3D printing software you can use to run your 3D printers remotely. These programs are suited equally well for hobbyists and professional 3D printing farms and can be a great way to ease out the manual workload in your workflow.

Let’s power up your remote 3D printing setup!

Update on the Orange Pi Zero 2 for OctoPrint Project​

In an ongoing effort to get find an easy way for makers to install OctoPrint with the Raspberry Pi shortage ongoing, we developed an easy to install raspberry pi alternative for OctoPrint using the Orange Pi Zero 2.

Installation works similarly to installing OctoPi on a Raspberry Pi. You can get a complete OctoPrint Kit that includes a webcam and everything you need to get started, or just the Orange Pi Zero 2 Board in our online store (available for U.S and Canada only).

3D Printer Failures/Courtesy: Fabbaloo

If you are new to 3D printing, we are sure you have encountered numerous print failures. Thankfully, this is not something new or unique. It happens to even the most seasoned users. But obviously everyone wishes to improve their 3D printing skills and so knowledge of 3D printer failure detection becomes essential, and this is exactly what we will cover in this article.

3D printing and failures​

Because 3D printing is rapidly becoming popular in a variety of industries, it is critical that every student, as well as manufacturing and design professionals, understand the technology. Though you may not need to understand its complexities, having a working knowledge will help you in your career.

3D printing is a manufacturing process that converts a digital CAD file into a three-dimensional physical model by layering thin layers of material one on top of the other. This is also known as additive manufacturing because material is added rather than removed, as is the case with most conventional technologies.

However, 3D printing is still in its early stages and thus prone to failure. DIY and desktop 3D printing, in particular, frequently fails, and users must use a trial-and-error approach to eliminate or reduce failed prints.

What is OctoPrint and why would you want it?​

OctoPrint Bed Level Visualizer plugin display screen/Courtesy: OctoPrint

We are all aware of how critical, yet difficult, it is to level a 3D printer bed. All of your prints will fail if you don't have a level bed, wasting your time, materials, and money. Even having an auto-bed leveling feature is not always sufficient, and your prints may still fail. To solve this issue, OctoPrint's Bed Level Visualizer plugin is the only tool you need to easily level your print bed.

To help you understand this useful OctoPrint plugin, we've written a complete guide on the Bed Level Visualizer to help you set it up quickly and eliminate your bed leveling issues.

What is the OctoPrint Bed Level Visualizer Plugin?​

Bed level visualizer is a useful OctoPrint plugin that converts the bed topography report into a comprehensive 3D map to show the varying elevation (height) across a 3D printer bed, assisting users in leveling the same. This plugin also assists you in determining whether your bed is warped or simply tilted. Thus, the bed is leveled by carefully tightening or loosening the leveling screws at peaks and valleys respectively, to make it as flat as possible for a successful print.

The Bed level visualizer plugin was created by jneilliii (GitHub page). This plugin was installed on at least 35.84k instances in the previous month (August 2022), with at least 759 new installations in the previous week (at the time of writing this article).

The core of 3D printing is a 3D model. 3D modeling for 3D printing is important as all 3D prints start with a digital CAD model that is "sliced" in a slicing software which the 3D printer prints. Being an integral part of 3D printing, having a working knowledge of 3D modeling and the various tools becomes crucial.

In this article, we'll go over the fundamentals of 3D modeling for 3D printing, as well as the distinction between inorganic and organic 3D models, and the popular software for each type.

We've included 3D modeling software for beginners for those on a low budget, as well as a few high-end options for professionals.

But first, to make sure we're all on the same page, let's go through the fundamentals of 3D printing.

How does 3D Printing work?​

A CAD design (left screen), slicing software (right), and the finished print / Courtesy: Ultimaker

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a method of creating three-dimensional objects layer by layer using a computer-aided design, or CAD. 3D printing builds objects by layering materials such as polymers, composites, or biomaterials that vary in shape and size, as well as rigidity and color.

Even though 3D printing isn't new, there are some who will benefit from our guide to the most common 3D printing terms for beginners.

Regardless of the 3D printing technology being used, it all starts with a 3D CAD model. In this article, we will go through the fundamentals of 3D modeling and its different types, with a focus on 3D printing.

To further help you in selecting the best CAD software for your 3D models, we will also list out a number of 3D modeling software suitable for both beginner and advanced users.

So let's jump in!

3D printing is an evolving technology and engineers are constantly upgrading it to eliminate any primal issues in it. Till recently it was common to tether your 3D printer to your computer to run print jobs. But now, you can easily add WiFi to your 3D printer.

Adding WiFi to your 3D printer gives you an unprecedented advantage and we will be discussing the same in this article and how to set it up with ease.

The Basics of 3D Printing?​

Creality Ender 3 FDM 3D printer/Courtesy: Creality

3D printing is a manufacturing technology that creates three-dimensional objects by adding layers of material one on top of the other until the entire object is formed. Because it produces objects in an additive manner, the process is also known as additive manufacturing.

In comparison to traditional manufacturing methods, this process eliminates the need for tooling and reduces material waste.

The entire ecosystem of the 3D printing process can be used to explain how it works. Here's a quick rundown:

• Software: 3D printing begins with design software, which is used to create a 3D model. After that, the 3D model is sliced in a slicing software to generate a G-code file.
• Hardware: As the 3D printer can only read G-code files, the file is uploaded to the printer, which prints the designed object.
• Materials: Materials for 3D printing include filaments, resins, polymer or metal powders, and metal wires.
• Post-processing: After the 3D printer prints the object, the part usually needs to go through some sort of post-processing stage, such as support structure removal, sanding, acetone vaporing, UV curing, washing, coloring, dyeing, Hot Isostatic Pressing annealing, and so on.

One of the first things many makers to to improve their experience after buying a 3D printer is install Octoprint. And why not? It's one of the best upgrades you can get for your 3D printer because it lets you control and monitor everything about your 3D printer and print jobs right from your browser.

OctoPrint, however, only works on your local network by default, which could limit its use. And let's face it, sitting through hours of print time isn't something most of us look forward to. And, while life comes in the way and we have to travel, we can certainly do better than worrying about whether our print is on track or whether it has encountered any issues.

And simply being notified of an issue is frustratingly useless. You don't want to be a bystander when something goes wrong with your 3D prints. Instead, you want to be able to take the steps needed from wherever you are to make sure your 3D printing jobs stay on track.

Accessing OctoPrint Away From Home​

When you are away from home, you can access OctoPrint using a variety of methods; the easiest being with the use of OctoPrint Remote Access plugins. This method is ideal for people who aren't technical savvy and want a simple and quick setup process. However, you can also use other methods like direct access, port forwarding, or VPN and to know more about these techniques, you can read our guide.

Over the years, developers have created numerous plugins that allow OctoPrint Remote Access. This, however, makes it difficult for new users to choose the right plugin, one that is both simple to use and feature-rich.

But don't worry, we've got you covered with a list of the best OctoPrint remote access plugins so you can access OctoPrint and your 3D printer from anywhere!