Purge lines can be implemented in a slicer (see: skirts), your printer’s firmware, or macro if your running klipper. Slicer based purge lines are optional in Slic3r and its derivatives (PrusaSlicer, etc) as well as Cura.
Why are they there? When your hot end sits hot, filament in the melt zone will slowly ooze out. This happens to me while my printer waits for the bed to heat up. If your printer does this and you were to print without a purge line or skirt your printer wouldn’t actually extrude any plastic until it the nozzle is filled again.
There’s also the matter of the filament in your nozzle getting kind of scorched if it sits in there for a while.
With klipper I have the purge as part of the print start macro. So much easier since I’m using KAMP and this way the purge is right there by the print for easy removal.
Purge lines can be implemented in a slicer (see: skirts), your printer’s firmware, or macro if your running klipper. Slicer based purge lines are optional in Slic3r and its derivatives (PrusaSlicer, etc) as well as Cura.
Why are they there? When your hot end sits hot, filament in the melt zone will slowly ooze out. This happens to me while my printer waits for the bed to heat up. If your printer does this and you were to print without a purge line or skirt your printer wouldn’t actually extrude any plastic until it the nozzle is filled again.
There’s also the matter of the filament in your nozzle getting kind of scorched if it sits in there for a while.
With klipper I have the purge as part of the print start macro. So much easier since I’m using KAMP and this way the purge is right there by the print for easy removal.