Android Apps To Control 3D Printers Via Mobile Phone

3D printers occupy a very important place in the virtual world industry. Their impressive functions and the opportunities they offer to the industry and customer use make these peripherals very suited for those people who aim to bring virtual sketches to life by turning them into solid objects. 3D printers are usually controlled by personal computers and laptops through specifically-designed software, but given that technology has evolved at a great deal and Android devices are constantly used by people around the world, app developers were inspired enough to create Android applications whose primary purpose is controlling the 3D printers.

GCode Simulator & Printer Controls Your 3D Printers Efficiently

Mathias Dietz’s GCode Simulator & Printer is probably the most appropriate Android application you can use in this regard, because it allows you to control different 3D printers and visualize the 3D print directly from the Android devices. The GCode Simulator & Printer allows you to visualize Gcodes and simulate the real 3D printing. What is most impressive about this Android application is that it can recognize the print speeds and movements, simulating the printing in real time. The layers used are printed in a distinctive colors and the interface of the application will allow you to see how a layer overlaps with the one below it.

GCode Simulator & Printer will allow you to see how your print will look in 3D.

You should know that the printing process cannot be completed entirely with the Android device and you will need to do the slicer process on the PC. After that, you can transfer the gcodes easily through third-party applications such as Dropbox. The GCode Simulator & Printer supervises all the state parameters of your 3D printing, controlling its every aspect without wasting the material. However, you will need a while in order to become knowledgeable enough about this Android application and, unless you have the necessary experience with using 3D printers, this process can extend to weeks or even months.

3D Printing ALPHA is another Android App to Control Your 3D Printers

MakerDroid 3D Printing ALPHA is the second most popular Android application used in order to control 3D printers and the printing process. This app is very similar to Simulator & Printer, because it allows you to preview the 3D printing in real time, make necessary adjustments and control the printing. It will basically help you draw a 2D image, then transform it into a 3D drawing that will be then processed by the printers. However, given that this application is an acknowledged alpha version, there are several bugs that should be expected, such as inappropriate 3D preview if the lines are crossed.

After you create the 3D drawing, you can save it to the “MakerDroid” folder you will create on the SD card, then insert it to your 3D printer and turn your drawing into a solid object.

There are no other known Android applications that can control 3D printers properly or, if they are, they include too many bugs that make this process extremely complicated.

If your Android device supports these applications, then you will be able to control your 3D printers and simplify the printing process at a great deal. All of them are available in the Google Play store for free, so you can install and run them on your device fast.