You can get so much more out of your prints with a good slicer. Printr just launched Katana, a free slicing software that takes care of the optimal 3D printing path for you.

The software, called Katana, will be a desktop application that is available for free. It was designed by Printr, the software and hardware 3D printing startup that recently made headlines for raising $820,000 in seed funding.

Through their USB streaming device, called The Element, an online platform, called FORMIDE, and now Katana, this Dutch-based startup is attempting to create one ultimate 3D printing ecosystem.

Douwe Bart Mulder, CEO, said: “As fellow 3D printing enthusiasts, we know that the best possible print is determined by a well calibrated printer and how well 80+ parameters are adjusted within a slicing program. But we couldn’t think of a good reason as to why it has to look so complicated. Katana is a demonstration that the technical process of 3D printing can indeed be a lot cleaner than what we are experiencing today, without any compromise on print quality.”

“During the beta testing for The Element and FORMIDE with over 250 users, the moment of discovery presented itself. We were encouraged to share our take on how preparing a 3D model should feel, in the shape of a free downloadable application.”

“The goal from the very beginning was to provide 3D printing users with a fresh take on achieving impressive prints, consistently, and in significantly shorter period of time. ”

What does the Katana slicer do?

The process of slicing a 3D print can be tedious and difficult, especially for beginners. So Katana has been designed to convert your 3D model (.STL format) and determine the best tool path based on the parameters selected.

It uses the nozzle diameter, printing/movement speeds, layer height and other variables to determine the coordinates for where it needs to move and the rates at which it will do so. Then, once complete, a .gcode file will be created that can be sent to the printer via USB or through an SD card.

Some of the promising features in this release include over eighty parameters in advanced settings, over one hundred and sixty preconfigured printer profiles and over fifty preconfigured material profiles.

The application is free to download on Printr’s website and is available for Mac OSX, Linux, and coming soon for Windows.