Idea: adding a “forward_only” option to extruder_stepper. that option would not execute retractions, but save them in a “buffer” and subtracts later extrusions from that buffer. That way, the filament does get less stress, the motor will produce less heat and use less power.
Use Case: i have an extruder that pulls the filament out of the dry boxes, then the filament hangs free until it feeds into the direct drive extruder. Without this setup, the print head would pull the filament out on a fast move away from the drybox, possibly causing problems up to layer shifting. See Picture Imgur: The magic of the Internet
it works well most of the time with PLA, i only need to adjust the free length sometimes. but with TPU, the free line is getting short very fast. Im not sure what the reason for this is, but i think saving the retractions may help with that.
Do you think this use case is revevant, so a PR would be accepted?
I took a half-hour dive into the code but could not really tell where the right place to add this is. Any pointer in the right direction would be appreciated.