There’s an interesting software fork of OrcaSlicer brewing, but there could be patent issues in the future.
The fork is called “Magma”, and the name is quite appropriate. That’s because the idea of the fork is to inject thermoplastic into otherwise empty infill regions inside a print job. The goal is to make the prints stronger by introducing more material that is not subject to layer line boundaries.
FFF 3D prints are almost always made layer by layer. This causes a problem: parts are always weaker along the layer line, and that’s where they inevitably break under stress.
The weakness is caused by thermal issues. After a layer is laid down, it immediately begins to cool. By the time the extruder comes around for the next layer, the temperature of the first layer has cooled, leaving less surface area able to fuse with the new layer. This makes the layer bonds weaker than the extrusion itself.
Magma’s concept changes this entirely. They explain:
“It adds a triangle-like infill type that builds sealed vertical U-shaped channels inside your part, then injects plastic into them mid-print using the printer’s nozzle. The goal is to fix FDM Z layer weakness by truly printing in 3D.”
The injection takes place vertically: material extrusions drop down into voids. The interesting part is that these drop-downs are 90 degrees to the layer lines, thus providing strength where there was little before.
Of course, this will take some additional material to complete, but if you’re looking for a stronger part, this is one way you could do it.
It’s a great idea, and I’m sure it will catch on when it is fully ready (it’s currently under development).
While this is clearly a great technical idea, there could be a major issue: patents.
This approach has already been developed by AIM3D and Create It REAL in a joint slicing project from two years ago. They call the concept “VoxelFill”. We wrote about this software back in 2024.
AIM3D has actually patented this approach under patent EP4100235B1. This was filed in 2022 and published in 2023. The patent expires in 2042.
AIM3D partnered with Create It REAL to implement the approach, since building custom slicers is Create It REAL’s core business. The feature is available in their proprietary REALvision Pro slicing software.
What could this mean for Magma? There’s nothing stopping the open-source tool from further development, but they risk a patent infringement lawsuit in the future, should AIM3D or Create It REAL feel infringed.
Indeed, they should, because features like VoxelFill are what differentiates REALvision Pro from open-source slicers. Buyers of that software would do so to gain access to the advanced features and are far less likely to buy if the same feature appears in free open-source tools. Therefore, I would expect some legal action to take place at some point.
On the other hand, this is truly a useful feature that everyone should have access to. It’s unfortunate that Magma is a few years too late to predate the VoxelFill patent.
Perhaps this is a signal to the open-source community to develop new features as fast as possible to avoid situations like this in the future.
Via GitHub and Google Patents
