Dutch 3D printing startup and developer of the FORMIDE platform, Printr, has released a free slicing application for desktop 3D printers.
Dezember 22nd 2015 – Katana comes with over 160 preconfigured printer settings and 50+ material profiles. But with all the free and premium slicers available today, why even bother with Katana?
Douwe Bart Mulder, CEO of Printr explains:
“As fellow 3D printing enthusiasts, we know that the best possible print is determined by a well calibrated printer and how well 80+ parameters are adjusted within a slicing program. But we couldn’t think of a good reason as to why it has to look so complicated. Katana is a demonstration that the technical process of 3D printing can indeed be a lot cleaner than what we are experiencing today, without any compromise on print quality.”
What does Katana do?
It is no secret that preparing a model for 3D printing, a process called slicing, happens to be one of the most tedious stages of the 3D printing process. Katana converts your 3D model (.STL format) and determines the best tool path based on the parameters selected. It uses the nozzle diameter, printing/movement speeds, layer height and other variables to determine the coordinates for where it needs to move and the rates at which it will do so. Once complete, a .gcode file will be created that can be sent to the printer via USB or through an SD card.
For newbies to 3D printing, Katana is userfriendly and straightforward. They can take advantage of Katana’s predefined database of 160+ printer settings and 50+ material profiles, all of which can be accessed and adjusted if required.
For the experts, it is refreshingly productive with a clean look. All the time and effort devoted to perfecting slice profiles won’t go to waste since they can be imported directly into Katana with just one click.
Features in this release:
80+ parameters in advanced settings- Fast reliable slicing
- Import slice profile from Cura
- Print via USB or SD card
- Quick print option
- 160+ preconfigured printer profiles
- 50+ preconfigured material profiles
New features and functionalities will be released as the software evolves. 2016 will see Printr’s Katana slicing engine, USB streaming device The Element and online platform FORMIDE come together in one ultimate 3D printing ecosystem.
The application is free to download on Printr’s website and is available for Mac OSX, Linux, coming soon for Windows.
March 10th 2016 – Update: Version 2.0 brings Katana to Windows devices
With the version 2.0, Katana comes to Windows for the first time and also brings more and more presets for 3D printers and materials. Now, the slicer offers preset configurations for over 160 3D printers and more than 50 filaments.
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