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Cura Type A | Version 1.5
Cura Type A Quick Start Guide
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
About Cura Type A Cura Type A is a slicing software package optimized to support the Series 1 and Series 1 Pro 3D printers. It contains the settings and components necessary to get the highest print quality from your Type A Machines 3D printer. Slicing software prepares 3D models for a 3D printer. Models in the industry standard STL file format are converted into a file containing that same model "sliced" into thousands of layers. This file is then interpreted by the 3D printer which then prints it from filament, one layer at a time, ultimately creating the model as a 3D object. Cura Type A is a branch of Cura v15.02, an open source project by Daid/Ultimaker.
Cura Type A Setup Visit www.typeamachines.com/downloads to get the latest version.
macOS X 10.9
Windows 8, 10
NOTE: mac OS First Launch If, on first launch, you encounter a dialog indicating Cura Type A cannot launch, control-click on the Cura Type A application icon within the Applications folder, then select "open" from the contextual pop-up menu. In your initial run of Cura Type A, the configuration wizard will prompt you to select a printer. If you have a Series 1 Pro, enter the printer serial number and API Key directly.
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
If you have a Series 1, confirm it is equipped with a G2 extruder before entering the serial number and API Key.
Expert Mode Cura Type A presents Expert Mode on first launch. This mode includes all the settings for controlling your Series 1 Pro and allows direct modifications of print parameters.
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
Load a 3D Model To load a 3D model to prepare it for printing, click the “Load” button in the upper left corner of the window. Cura Type A accepts models in the STL file format, the industry standard file format for 3D models, as well as OBJ, DAE, and AMF. The first time you open Cura Type A, a test 3D model named “FirstPrintCone” will be loaded automatically for you to test print.
Adjust Scale and Orientation After loading a model, inspect it to make sure it has the correct size and orientation. Models should sit as flat on the bed as possible. Cura Type A comes with a set of basic tools for 3D model manipulation. Click on the image of the loaded model and a row of icons will appear in the lower left corner of the window. The leftmost icon allows you to rotate a model in three dimensions. You can use this to orient a model to be placed as flat as possible on the build platform. The middle icon allows you to scale a model. You can automatically scale a model to the maximum size of the build volume here. The rightmost button allows you to mirror a model.
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
View Mode Click the “View” button in the upper right corner of the window to choose between viewing modes: Normal, Overhang, Transparent, X Ray, and Layers.
Adjust Print Settings In the left sidebar of the program window, you will find tabs containing different print settings: Basic, Advanced, Plugins, Start/End GCode.
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
The Basic tab includes settings for the following: Quality: Controls for attributes which contribute to a print’s appearance, including layer height, shell thickness, and retraction. Fill: Controls for Infill type, distance, and top and bottom layer thickness. Speed and Temperature: Controls for bed temperature and printing temperature and speed. Support: Controls for exterior support structures and platform types. The Advanced tab controls advanced options for the slicer such as nozzle size, speed and distance of the retraction, layer thickness and linewidth, travel speed, and filament flow. The Plugins is for user-created content that enables direct post-processing of Gcode files. Finally, the Start/End GCode tab controls the prefix and postfix for a sliced Gcode file in Cura Type A.
Simple Mode Simple Mode limits the number of printing options to make it easier to quickly create 3D prints. It uses optimized print resolution and material settings to produce high-quality results for general printing needs.
Cura Type A | Version 1.5
Slicing and Saving After every change, you will notice a progress bar in the upper left corner. This is the slice progress. When it’s done, your model is ready to be sent to the printer. A slice may take a few minutes to complete for large and complicated models. When a slice is completed, it will tell you the estimated print time, as well as the amount of material the print will consume. If you are happy with the selected settings, click the “Save” icon to save the Gcode. The file will be saved as a Gcode file, with a name ending “.gcode”. Upload the file to your Series 1 or Series 1 Pro 3D printer.
Direct Printing
You can send the Gcode file directly to your Series 1 Pro from within Cura Type A, without having to handle the file at all. For more information on how to configure this feature, visit our Direct to Series 1 Guide.
