<blockquote>
<p>I have 12 parts for a model I want to print but I would like to know if I can put all of them in a single G-code file and print that on its own.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You certainly can. The printer doesn't care how many parts there are. Many single parts, like those with holes, will have layers that have areas that aren't contiguous. To the printer, multiple parts look just like a single part that happens not to be connected.</p>
<p>That said, printing multiple parts at once means that the job will be larger and take longer, and a problem printing any of those parts can force you to stop the whole job. Because small parts have less area in contact with the bed, small parts are more likely to come loose from the bed during  the print, so running a job with many small parts can be risky -- if any one part comes loose, you might lose all the time and material you put into the whole job.</p>
<p>One tool that can help mitigate that risk is the <a href="https://plugins.octoprint.org/plugins/cancelobject/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cancel Objects plugin</a> for <a href="https://octoprint.org" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OctoPrint</a>. If you use OctoPrint to manage your printer, you can use the plugin to stop further work on any objects that have problems during the print and continue with the rest. <a href="https://youtu.be/ANfOr2F79LQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here's a video</a> about using Cancel Objects.</p>
<p>Also, when printing multiple parts, be sure to check that you have enough material (filament, resin, etc) available to complete the whole job.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-19T16:00:44.523Z
2022-08-21T02:01:24.403Z
2022-08-21T02:01:24.403Z
Caleb
<p>This answer assumes FDM printing -- for resin printers, as I understand it, as long as there's flow space between parts, if they fit on the build plate, they'll print.</p>
<p>For FDM, generally, you'll get better print quality printing a single part, because layers don't cool while you print the same layer for each of the other parts (meaning layer adhesion will be better).  That said, if the parts are very small, this additional cooling may be an improvement vs. having to set your slicer to provide a pause between layers to avoid slumps and layer spreading.</p>
<p>A compromise, if the parts are low enough, is that most slicers can be instructed to print the parts sequentially -- that is, print all of part A, then all of part B, and so forth.  This has some limitation in that all parts already printed must clear parts of the machine, and may also require larger clearance between parts for items like fan shrouds.</p>
<p>But printing a bunch of parts at one time does work, if the compromises in layer adhesion and other quality issues related to traveling between parts are acceptable.  The only way to be sure is to print the whole lot (perhaps with a large nozzle and thick layers, low infill, etc. to minimize filament consumption and print time) and see if they're good enough.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-19T15:05:38.517Z
How much layers cool from one to the next has nothing to do with how many parts you're printing; it's really a function of how much there is to print in each layer. If you're printing a single large part with infill, you're going to get much more cooling between layers than you will if you're printing half a dozen small parts. IOW, the printer doesn't know or care whether the area it's printing is contiguous or not.
Caleb
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-15T12:01:10.370Z
2022-08-15T12:01:10.370Z
Zeiss Ikon
<blockquote>
<p>Would this affect the model in any way?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Resin would be fine.</p>
<p>Filament is more problematic. Printing multiple items increases the chance of a problem with one eg. a failed support, impacting on the others.</p>
<p>You also increase the chance of stringing between items and can have problems with layer adhesion higher up the print.</p>
<p>Having said that.... I do it all the time, because it's just easier. The only real concession I make is that I check periodically that the first couple of layers are fine, after that I just let it do it's thing.</p>
<p>The only filament I do it differently is TPU because I turn off retraction, without retraction it's guaranteed stringing between parts, so when I do multiple ones I always join them into one with a couple of lines then cut the joins off afterwards.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-15T13:02:05.053Z
2022-08-15T13:02:05.053Z
Kilisi
<p>With a printer that has all the physical/mechanical problems worked out, and with slicing configuration tuned to make sure the slicer isn't doing anything stupid to introduce problems, printing a whole plate of parts at a time should be no problem. This is how folks use high-end CoreXY and Cross-XY printers printing more printer parts (to sell, etc.) all the time.</p>
<p>But if your printer sometimes has problems, doing multiple parts at a time drastically increases your risk that something will fail and mess up all the parts on the plate. And unless your printer is really fast, there's not a whole lot of benefit to plating a large number of parts together. Having to manually start a new job after a 6-hour job finishes is usually not a big deal unless you're trying to take advantage of overnights, which are an even worse idea if your printer isn't reliable. But on a fast printing setup, having to start a new job every 20 minutes rather than a plate after 3 hours is a big productivity killer, making large plates more attractive.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-15T22:34:35.977Z
2022-08-15T22:34:35.977Z
R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE
<p>I have 12 parts for a model I want to print but I would like to know if I can put all of them in a single G-code file and print that on its own. Would this affect the model in any way?</p>
<p>I’m using PLA on my Ender 3 Pro</p>

<g-code>
Can I print multiple parts in a single G-code file?
desperrrr
# Can I print multiple parts in a single G-code file?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-08-15)

I have 12 parts for a model I want to print but I would like to know if I can put all of them in a single G-code file and print that on its own. Would this affect the model in any way?

I’m using PLA on my Ender 3 Pro

**Tags:** g-code

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## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2022-08-19. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

> I have 12 parts for a model I want to print but I would like to know if I can put all of them in a single G-code file and print that on its own.

You certainly can. The printer doesn't care how many parts there are. Many single parts, like those with holes, will have layers that have areas that aren't contiguous. To the printer, multiple parts look just like a single part that happens not to be connected.

That said, printing multiple parts at once means that the job will be larger and take longer, and a problem printing any of those parts can force you to stop the whole job. Because small parts have less area in contact with the bed, small parts are more likely to come loose from the bed during the print, so running a job with many small parts can be risky -- if any one part comes loose, you might lose all the time and material you put into the whole job.

One tool that can help mitigate that risk is the [Cancel Objects plugin](https://plugins.octoprint.org/plugins/cancelobject/) for [OctoPrint](https://octoprint.org). If you use OctoPrint to manage your printer, you can use the plugin to stop further work on any objects that have problems during the print and continue with the rest. [Here's a video](https://youtu.be/ANfOr2F79LQ) about using Cancel Objects.

Also, when printing multiple parts, be sure to check that you have enough material (filament, resin, etc) available to complete the whole job.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2022-08-15. Score: 3

This answer assumes FDM printing -- for resin printers, as I understand it, as long as there's flow space between parts, if they fit on the build plate, they'll print.

For FDM, generally, you'll get better print quality printing a single part, because layers don't cool while you print the same layer for each of the other parts (meaning layer adhesion will be better). That said, if the parts are very small, this additional cooling may be an improvement vs. having to set your slicer to provide a pause between layers to avoid slumps and layer spreading.

A compromise, if the parts are low enough, is that most slicers can be instructed to print the parts sequentially -- that is, print all of part A, then all of part B, and so forth. This has some limitation in that all parts already printed must clear parts of the machine, and may also require larger clearance between parts for items like fan shrouds.

But printing a bunch of parts at one time does work, if the compromises in layer adhesion and other quality issues related to traveling between parts are acceptable. The only way to be sure is to print the whole lot (perhaps with a large nozzle and thick layers, low infill, etc. to minimize filament consumption and print time) and see if they're good enough.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: How much layers cool from one to the next has nothing to do with how many parts you're printing; it's really a function of how much there is to print in each layer. If you're printing a single large part with infill, you're going to get much more cooling between layers than you will if you're printing half a dozen small parts. IOW, the printer doesn't know or care whether the area it's printing is contiguous or not.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2022-08-15. Score: 2

> Would this affect the model in any way?

Resin would be fine.

Filament is more problematic. Printing multiple items increases the chance of a problem with one eg. a failed support, impacting on the others.

You also increase the chance of stringing between items and can have problems with layer adhesion higher up the print.

Having said that.... I do it all the time, because it's just easier. The only real concession I make is that I check periodically that the first couple of layers are fine, after that I just let it do it's thing.

The only filament I do it differently is TPU because I turn off retraction, without retraction it's guaranteed stringing between parts, so when I do multiple ones I always join them into one with a couple of lines then cut the joins off afterwards.


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### Answer by username_4 on 2022-08-15. Score: 2

With a printer that has all the physical/mechanical problems worked out, and with slicing configuration tuned to make sure the slicer isn't doing anything stupid to introduce problems, printing a whole plate of parts at a time should be no problem. This is how folks use high-end CoreXY and Cross-XY printers printing more printer parts (to sell, etc.) all the time.

But if your printer sometimes has problems, doing multiple parts at a time drastically increases your risk that something will fail and mess up all the parts on the plate. And unless your printer is really fast, there's not a whole lot of benefit to plating a large number of parts together. Having to manually start a new job after a 6-hour job finishes is usually not a big deal unless you're trying to take advantage of overnights, which are an even worse idea if your printer isn't reliable. But on a fast printing setup, having to start a new job every 20 minutes rather than a plate after 3 hours is a big productivity killer, making large plates more attractive.


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