3d-printing

3D Print Automation with Dreamer-based Printers

I recently created a network proxy for the FlashPrint software, which makes remote printing via Wi-Fi possible with the PowerSpec printer. While debugging that setup, I was able to observe the exact protocol and undocumented gcode commands used to send a file to the printer for printing. FlashForge doesn’t “stream” a print like many support with a tool like Octopi. Instead, a set of gcode commands are sent to the printer and then saved to the printer’s memory. Finally, then print begins. Since I can’t use Octopi with the FlashForge proprietary gcode, I needed something else.

Automation Option

The first goal was to enable automation for using another slicer. I created a set of Python functions to send a file to the printer. From there, I had what I needed to setup an Automater script on my Mac. This script monitors files in a directory and when one appears, it invokes the script with the filename. The trigger is files or folders added to /documents/start3dprint. The action is to run the shell script, passing my printer’s IP, port, and filename. This has worked well to start printing directly from Simplify3D

Print Monitoring

I also wanted an easy way to keep a window up in the corner of screen with print status. For this I created a simple Python GUI to connect to printer for monitoring and/or send a file. This can be used in conjunction with the automation to monitor print progress. I was able to compile it into a windows executable and Mac .dmg file. I was surprised how well the UI toolkit and compilation worked.

I hope after some more testing I’ll feel comfortable releasing it to others to try.

PowerSpec 3D Printer with FlashPrint over Wi-Fi!

No Wi-Fi for you!

If you’ve purchased a PowerSpec “ultra” printer from Microcenter (or bought one of the other rebranded models), you’re probably disappointed in the slicer options. It comes with an old version of FlashPrint, PowerPrint, that is no longer updated. Hopefully, you’ve figured out that the latest versions of FlashPrint from FlashForge work perfectly fine with your PowerSpec printer by creating great gcode files you can print from your SD card. But what about Wi-Fi?

Unfortunately, all of the network printing features are broken as the software is looking for a hard-coded string in the firmware at connection time. In the spirit of “right to repair,” I’ve created a simple network proxy that sits between the FlashPrint software and your PowerSpec printer to fix that problem and let you monitor and print from the software just like you could in PowerPrint.

Using the Script

To use this, you’ll need to install Python on your computer. If you have a Mac, it’s probably already installed. Just download the file below and run it from a command prompt/terminal like:

python flashprintproxy.py <PRINTERIP>

If you don’t know what your printer’s IP address is, just go to your printer, make sure it’s turned on, and go to Tools/Settings/Wifi to get your IP address. You can also hard code it in the python file if you prefer.

IP Address on Printer Setup

Once you’ve done this, you can go to the printer settings in FlashPrint and put in 127.0.0.1 with port 8899. That’s the address where the Python script is working to connect to your printer and handle things. You can easily stop the script after your print is sent to the printer, or keep it running to see the status of your print.

FlashPrint running with PowerSpec printer over Wi-Fi

Next up, I plan to create some scripts for sending prints to the printer without FlashPrint for easy automation from any slicer.

Your mileage may vary. I offer the below with no warranty! The code is yours to try and change as you desire.

flashprintproxy.py_Download Script