The new UltiMaker Cura 5.8 beta enables better Z seams and more

Another Cura release has arrived and in this 5.8 beta release, the focus is on improving Z seams, as well as completing support for the full Method series of printers by introducing a profile for the UltiMaker Method.

Z seams look better than ever thanks to new settings

New settings have been added that let you tweak how and where the Z seam is placed. The settings are:

• Z Seam On Vertex
• Seam Overhang Angle
• Support Z Seam Away From Model

When “User Selected” or “Shortest” is selected as your Z seam location option, the Z seam will follow the selected (or shortest) position exactly. However, when the new “Z Seam On Vertex” option is selected, the Z seam will instead be placed on the nearest vertices (usually a corner). This allows you to hide your Z seam on areas of your model where it will not be so noticeable. You can see this behavior in the following image:

The new “Seam Overhang Angle” allows you to choose an angle after which seams will not be printed on overhangs (including when “Z Seam On Vertex” is selected). This improves print quality as seams placed on steep overhangs can cause ugly print defects.

Finally, the “Support Z Seam Away From Model” setting when selected will ensure that the seam on your support structures is placed away from the model itself so that the bulge caused by the seam will not intersect with your model and cause scarring or make removing supports more difficult.

The full Method series range is now supported in Cura

The UltiMaker Method X and Method XL printers were added to Cura in the 5.6 release and, in this release, we have also added the original Method printer so that the full range of Method series printers is now supported in Cura!

The Method will have a material profile for Nylon12 Carbon Fiber as well as profiles for PLA and PVA which have also been added to the Method X and Method XL. In addition, many of the existing material profiles have been tweaked and improved. With this release, we are making it easier than ever to leverage the power and flexibility of Cura when using your Method series printer!

Note: There is a minor known issue in this beta that should be resolved before the full release. When using a Method series machine, some raft-related values might initially appear incorrect in the printer settings list; but rest assured, they are correct and you can see them show up correctly when you refresh the fields by choosing the Collapse All Categories option from the hamburger menu next to the search bar, then using the search bar to search for your setting again.

You can now search when adding a new printer

A search bar has been added that lets you search for the print profile you need when adding a printer. Making it quicker than ever to get up and running, whether you’re using an UltiMaker printer or one of the hundreds of 3rd party printers that are natively supported within Cura.

Additional improvements

The following improvements have also been implemented in the Cura 5.8 beta release:

• Updated Insert at Layer Change Post Processing Script so layers can be skipped. Contributed by @tastyratz
• Updated the Interleaved Prime Tower with Prime Tower Minimum Shell Thickness so it uses less filament
• Dual Extrusion improvements (Updated retracts and cooling behavior during nozzle switching to reduce oozing)
• Various bug fixes

Check out the full release notes on GitHub for a complete list of changes. Also, we made a new 3D model for this release that was used to show off the Z seam changes above. It's a fun toast-themed post-it holder. If you want to try it out for yourself, you can download it from Thingiverse!