I would like to report/request support for an important combination that is currently missing in Snapmaker Orca 2.3.5 stable when using the Snapmaker U1.
When the U1 is configured with a 0.2 mm nozzle, PVA cannot be properly selected/managed as a support material.
For me, this is a particularly important feature. I often use the 0.2 mm nozzle for highly detailed models and figurines, and these are exactly the kinds of prints where soluble PVA supports or PVA support interfaces can be extremely useful, especially around small details and difficult-to-remove support areas.
Being forced to choose between:
the detail quality of the 0.2 mm nozzle, and
the advantages of PVA soluble supports
is therefore quite limiting.
My current configuration is:
Printer: Snapmaker U1
Firmware: 1.6.0
Snapmaker Orca: 2.3.5 stable
Nozzle: 0.2 mm
I would really appreciate it if PVA support for the 0.2 mm nozzle on the U1 could be officially enabled and fully supported in a future Snapmaker Orca update.
For users who print complex, highly detailed models, I believe this would be a very useful improvement.
PVA is highly‑viscous, very sensitive to moisture and prone to carbonization inside the hotend. With the tiny 0.2 mm orifice, intermittent support‑material movements greatly raise nozzle‑clogging risk.
It can work for advanced users with strictly dried filament and low‑volumetric‑flow settings, but it does not meet our stability requirements for official out‑of‑the‑box support.
I’ll forward your feature request to the slicer team for future evaluation.
Thank you very much for the detailed explanation and for forwarding the request to the slicer team.
I understand the reliability concerns related to PVA with a 0.2 mm nozzle, especially regarding moisture sensitivity, carbonization and clogging risk.
However, I would like to suggest two possible approaches that could make this functionality available without presenting it as a standard “out-of-the-box” option.
The first possibility would be to introduce an Advanced / Experimental PVA profile for the 0.2 mm nozzle, clearly marked with a warning about the higher clogging risk. Such a profile could use very conservative settings, including strictly dried filament and a low volumetric flow rate. This would allow experienced users to decide whether to use it while keeping the standard presets focused on maximum reliability.
The second possibility could be even more interesting on the U1 because of its independent toolheads: allow the model to be printed with a 0.2 mm nozzle while assigning PVA to another toolhead equipped with a 0.4 mm nozzle, at least for support interfaces or soluble support areas.
This would preserve the fine detail of the 0.2 mm nozzle on the model while avoiding the need to push PVA through the smaller 0.2 mm orifice.
I believe either of these solutions would be very valuable for users printing complex and highly detailed models.
Thank you again for considering it and for passing the request to the slicer team.