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2019/10/20 | 261 | 1,047 | <issue_start>username_0: Recycling a Robin Nano board to build a 3D printer using an old computer PSU (300 W), it only boots on when I have no endstops pugged in at all or if I trigger all the ones I have plugged. At the moment I release them the screen goes off (but the fan of the PSU is still on). Does anyone have any clue about what's going on ?<issue_comment>username_1: It ended up I had like super cheap endstops that were actually shorting VCC to GND, as suspected by r\_ahlskog. Just bought other ones and now it's working fine.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: From your fault description of printer logic board losing power when endstops are released it sounds to me like those endstops are shorting VCC to GND when not pressed. That the fault also goes away when the endstops are unplugged reinforces this.
I guess the logic board has its own protected regulator because otherwise you would be shorting out the power supply and that would also turn itself off after likely causing a lot of damage to the logic board.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/10/21 | 382 | 1,459 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Epax X1, I have just purchased the 2nd and 3rd bottle of resin, but I don't know what are the best settings.
What is the best way to find the best settings for a new resin?
Is it possible to print a calibration object that starts with some settings and changes as it goes? For example starts with 12 seconds and decreases half second every 5 mm?
**EDIT**
The 2 resins I am dealing with right now are [Nova3D](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B0794RQPJ5) and [Elegoo](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07FCMM2S7). Any help with those two resins would help right now, but I would love to have a more generic answer that would allow me to explore and troubleshoot any resin without asking every time.<issue_comment>username_1: It ended up I had like super cheap endstops that were actually shorting VCC to GND, as suspected by r\_ahlskog. Just bought other ones and now it's working fine.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: From your fault description of printer logic board losing power when endstops are released it sounds to me like those endstops are shorting VCC to GND when not pressed. That the fault also goes away when the endstops are unplugged reinforces this.
I guess the logic board has its own protected regulator because otherwise you would be shorting out the power supply and that would also turn itself off after likely causing a lot of damage to the logic board.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/10/21 | 956 | 3,658 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 3 Pro with upgraded Bowden capricorn tube. The tube will move approximately 1-2 mm during normal operation, though it will not come out of the coupler at all. I have read that the movement if unchanging (constant movement of 1-2 mm) can be compensated for with settings adjustment to avoid retraction issues such that it will extrude or retract "that much less"... I do not understand how this is possible...
Im confused by comments that a slipping Bowden tube on the extruder side *only*, say by up to 2 mm, is "lost retraction"... I have this problem too with the Bowden tube *only* at the extruder end, not the hotend, and wonder if it is really an issue at all. Here's why...
The filament is in direct contact with the gear and wheel of the extruder. *If* the Bowden tube is *only* moving in/out of the extruder end of the coupler, there are no "gaps" being created to cause leakage of the filament, etc on the hot end...As the extruder is either pushing or retracting, the filament *inside* the tube is still moving as much as intended regardless of the amount of play of the Bowden tube... no? therefore, retracting will not be affected at all, nor would the extruding process. Am I wrong and if so, can someone explain to me how this would be?
Note, I can see that this movement may cause under-extrusion on the feeding side process, as the machine is expecting say, 0.5 mm extrusion, but then has to compensate (unknowingly) for the slipping *out* tube during the "push", so not enough gets "out", but should not affect the retraction amount as the filament is still being *pulled* directly from the gears/roller.
Am I wrong and if so, can someone explain to me how this would affect the *retraction* along with the under-extrusion?<issue_comment>username_1: The slipping does result in lost retraction distance. It does not result in underextrusion, lost material (except possibly via having insufficient retraction after the reduction), or anything like that.
If your retraction is set to 6 mm, but the bowden pulls 2 mm into the coupler when you retract, those first 2 mm of filament motion do not pull the filament out of the hotend at all. The position of the filament relative to the tube (and thus relative to the nozzle) remains constant. After the tube can be pulled back no further into the coupler, the remaining retraction pulls the filament back through the bowden tube, for 4 mm of retraction at the hotend/nozzle.
When unretracting, the reverse happens. The first 2 mm of extruder motion push the bowden tube out of the coupler, and don't move the filament relative to the tube (or the hotend). After that the next 4 mm push the filament through the tube and back to the nozzle orifice.
The result is the filament ending up back exactly where it started, but having backed out only 4 mm from the nozzle, not the requested 6 mm.
These numbers are just examples but probably about right. If you put the plastic clip on the pneumatic coupler, the slipping should stop, but you can also just increase retraction if the amount after the loss to slipping is not sufficient.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is happening to my E3 pro. When the Bowden tube slips back filament fills up the gap causing a heat creep issue. This of course causes clogged nozzle. If retracting I have had the swollen filament lodge in the tube to the point I had to remove tube and heat high enough with heat gun to soften filament for a reverse pull as there was nothing left on the hotend side to pull.
My solution after a week of frustration was to replace the coupling.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/23 | 3,652 | 13,078 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm working with an older MakerBot Replicator clone, actually a Flashforge Creator 1, with original Creator firmware.
* I'm able to design objects, using Solidworks, and exporting the file as xxx.stl (ascii)
* Then I use Slic3r to generate tool paths with output as xxx.gcode
* finally, I use [GPX UI](https://markwal.github.io/GpxUi/) to generate a xxx.x3g file.
I don't understand where on the build plate the print starts. Is that controlled by the 3d printer's firmware values, or something else in the chain from .stl --> .gcode --> x3g ?? Right now my prints start in the corner nearest 0,0.0, instead of in the middle of the build plate.
How do I control where to place the 3d print on the build plate?
edit: Apologies for the delay. As a result of the answers posted here, I did a whole bunch more testing. The initial response from @mick, seems to indicate that what you see in the Slicer preview is what you'll see on the print bed. That makes sense, but **that is definitely not what I'm seeing**. I definitely don't see anywhere anything that remotely looks like a check the box [] center. Here's what I do see:
When I drop the object into Slic3r, it goes to middle of build plate.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kNiWQ.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JFgvU.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LLqrd.jpg)
Unfortunately here's what gets printed.
Attempt #1, off in space
========================
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IkzsV.jpg)
Attempt #2, Right Hand Margin
=============================
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mJATD.jpg)
Attempt #3, Near the front.
===========================
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v3aLM.jpg)
I tried moving the print head to center of build plate, thinking that might be a logical start point. No go. Print start moves head to home (rear right corner of print bed) then after elements heat up to temp, it seems to select a random spot on the build plate to start. I never touched the .x3g file between these attempts. So I'm right back to where I started, per the title of this posting "What determines print start location on the build plate?"<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds like you have "Origin at center" checked in your slicer's printer definition. That is generally only used with delta printers. Most Cartesian printers have the origin at the front-left corner of the build plate. Uncheck "Origin at center" and re-slice.
Providing that you have set up your slicer with the build plate dimensions and origin correctly defined, your models will be printed where the slicer shows them in the preview. You can rearrange the models before you slice, of course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: STL files contain an origin. However, this is totally ignored when generating G-code, the slicer chooses the origin based on settings.
G-code itself is a string of commands. One of these `G28` calls for the origin of the machine to be found by moving mechanically to this position. Usually, it is all formatted to take this or the power-up position as 0 and then moves relative to that. It always moves in reference to the last position, or this 0 (absolute mode).
.x3d is an XML type of file that describes a 3D model. It reformats G-code to be read by different types of machines. It too only moves with reference to the last position, taking the position on powerup as 0 to move against unless homed.
Convention
----------
The convention for CNC is, that the front-top-left corner of the workpiece is to be $\{0;0;0\}$ as the origin for the [right-hand-rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-hand_rule). CNC then usually operates in a purely positive XY area and only works in negative Z, which is fitting for cutting. It doesn't preclude negative areas as to achieve cuts, going into the negative room is sometimes mandatory.
Taking this convention to 3D printing puts the front-left(-bottom) corner of the build plate (volume) to be the origin, because of the right-hand rule: The coordinate room is then strictly positive in XYZ (right as X, back for Y, up for Z), all absolute, strictly positive coordinates within the positive build volume can be moved to. However, instead of allowing negative coordinates, 3D printing does not allow any coordinates outside of the build volume that is ranged from 0 to the maxima set in the firmware.
This convention fails for Delta printers, which pretty much extrapolate the heights of the individual steppers via trigonometric calculations from cylinder coordinates $\{ r ; \phi ; z\}$ - radius, an angle of 0° to 360° and the Z-coordinate. In this coordinate room, math gets much easier putting 0 into the center of the build plate, which is circular; The transformation to cartesian coordinates is $\{ r \cos(\phi) ; r\sin(\phi) ; z\}$; the inverse transformation from cartesian to cylinder coordinates is somewhat more complex and [uses case differentiation.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_coordinate_system#Converting_between_polar_and_Cartesian_coordinates).
Error
-----
Let's say the build plate has dimensions $a$ and $b$ and the corner with the green clip is $\{0;0;0\}$. The item is sliced to the position $\{a/2 ; b/2\}$ of the bed. It appears at $\{a ; b/2\}$ and $\{a/2 ; b\}$ respectively. This hints that the center of the bed is somehow taken as one of the coordinates.
If the corner without the clip is assumed as $\{0;0;0\}$, then X should be to the right, Y to the front following the right-hand-rule. To see if the coordinates might be skewed, the following command snippet would be useful. Please execute them one by one.
```
G28 ; home
G1 Z5 ; lift off the bed 5 mm to prevent accidental collisions
G1 X50 F500 ; move 50 mm to positive X - in case of back-right corner home this is to the LEFT
G1 Y50 F500 ; move to what ends up 50 50 5 - in case of back-right corner home this is to the FRONT
```
### Fixing
The problem is *probably not* the slicer but most likely the firmware defining either the movement axis or the home wrong (either the wrong corner is chosen or the movement axis are defined incorrectly) on the printer. It seems to be totally messed up and should be reflashed with a fresh copy.
It would be a good chance to learn by taking a Blanco variant of marlin and adjusting it to the own printer by chucking in the dimensions into `configuration.h` and starting from there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: First of all, the firmware determines where your origin of the printer is. This implies that you need to properly set bed dimensions and offset values from the end stop switches in the firmware (usually not necessary out-of-the-box, but important when a newer or different firmware version is uploaded). These offsets determine where the origin of the bed plate is located. For Marlin firmware it is very common to have the origin specified at the front left corner (when facing the printer). From the [configuration of Marlin](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h#L765) we find that by definition the origin is in the front-left corner (note that this can be rotated 180 degrees in certain printers, so the aft-right):
```
* +-- BACK ---+
* | |
* L | (+) P | R
* E | | I
* F | (-) N (+) | G
* T | | H
* | (-) | T
* | |
* O-- FRONT --+
* (0,0)
```
**How do I find the physical origin of the printer?**
This can be tested by instructing the head/nozzle to go to e.g. (0, 0, 15) using a [terminal/console](/q/10573) or a simple G-code file with a move to that coordinate that you print from SD card (e.g. `G1 X0 Y0 Z15 F500`); *note a Z of 15 is chosen for safety!*. When this is performed, the nozzle should be at the (elevated, so X, Y) origin as defined by your firmware. Usually this is at the left front corner of your build plate (there may be clips there, so therefore the elevated value), but this may be different depending on the firmware settings or firmware brand.
Next step is to configure the slicer as such that this coincides with the actual origin. Incorrect slicer settings can cause the slicer to assume the origin is at a different position than your actual position. In Ultimaker Cura, the "Origin at center" is notoriously known for this when the physical origin is not in the center, but in a corner.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: So it turns out there are elements from each of the previous answers that make sense here, but its not a clear picture. I've spent a whole lot of time trying to make sense of this. I also upgraded my firmware to [Sailfish.](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32084)
For the MakerBot Replicator (or FastForge Creator) family of 3d printers, the origin of the build plate is NOT at any of the corners, its right in the center of the build plate. Reference [here.](https://www.sailfishfirmware.com/doc/parameters-home-offsets.html#x20-630004.1)
>
> 4.1 Home Offsets:
>
> By convention, **the center of the build platform** is assumed to be the point (0,0,0) in XYZ space. The X, Y, and Z **home offsets** tell the printer the location of the X, Y, and Z **endstops** in relation to the build platform’s center.
>
>
>
Looks like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c2YlJ.png)
And it would appear that most other 3D printers are not using this convention. Sigh. From my testing, the main control of print location is within the G-Code generated by the slicer. The tool I was using, Slic3r does give one a chance to correct that
adjustment. You have to go to top menu `Settings --> Printer Settings --> Size and Coordinates (Bed Shape) --> Set` to get a nice popup visual tool. See below.
Unfortunately the default setting is accurate for the overall bed size, but is a fail for the origin location on the bed. The default origin is set at 0,0, in the corner. Ouch. Big ouch. The origin needs to be located right in the center of the build plate (to be consistent with the firmware controlling the print for this family of printers). It **should** look like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXV61.png)
Note, when you tell the printer to go to 'home' it doesn't go to origin (0,0,0) it goes to the endstops.
```
G68 X0 Y0 F500 ; Perform Homing Routine
```
So as long as you understand the quirks of these printers things will work out. You have to ensure offsets are set accurately in firmware config files. (Replicator / Sailfish) And you have to indicate the correct center location to the slicer program. I will say the advice given here was of some help in understanding this. Many thanks. I'm posting here in case others using the Replicator or FastForge Creator series of printers is having troubles centering their prints on the build plate.
Additional info for anybody using a MakerBot Replicator or Flashforge Creator series printer with Slic3r. I wanted to add my custom G-code stuff. The default Slic3r stuff definitely did not work.
Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> Start G-Code
```
M103 ; Turn all extruders off, Extruder Retraction
G21 ; set units to mm
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
(**** begin homing ****)
G162 X Y F2500 ; home XY axes to maximum stops
G161 Z F1100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop
G92 Z-5 ; Set Position Z =-5mm
G1 Z0.0 ; move Z to "0"
G161 Z F100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall stored home offsets for XYZAB axis
; Loads the axis offset of the current home position from the EEPROM and waits for the buffer to empty.
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
G1 X0 Y0 Z50 F3300.0 ; move to waiting position near center of build plate
```
Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> End G-Code
```
M109 S0 T0 ; Cool down the build platform
M104 S0 T0 ; Cool down the Right Extruder
M104 S0 T1 ; Cool down the Left Extruder
M73 P100 ; End build progress
G0 Z150 ; Send Z axis to bottom of machine
M18 ; Disable steppers
G162 X Y F2500 ; Home XY endstops
M18 ; Disable stepper motors
M70 P30 ; We <3 Making Things! Yipee, you made it...
; display message above for 30 seconds
M72 P1 ; Play Ta-Da song
```
One other thing I do with Slic3r. I print a single loop of print on the periphery of a phantom skirt. I do this as a printer head clean extrude exercise.
Print Settings --> Skirt and Brim --> Skirt --> Loops (minimum): 1, Distance from object: 6mm, Skirt height: 1 This works well. I do this in lieu of the G-code startup used in ReplicatorG software (which went to the lower left hand corner, and did this odd 4mm extrude exercise, with odd timing...) The skirt thing works just fine.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/10/25 | 3,428 | 12,490 | <issue_start>username_0: My recently installed BLTouch probe regularly fails to perform ABL properly. There seem to be 3-4 failure modes:
1. Probe manages some points but fails partway through, with a "probing failed" message on the LCD screen, rendering it necessary to power-cycle the printer
2. Probe deploys on some point, then stows itself immediately, and treats that point as being a centimeter or two about where it actually is.
3. Probe completes all 9 points, then heats the nozzle in the back corner and never moves. The progress bar on the LCD counts up and eventually it claims to have finished the print, but the steppers (including the extruder) never move.
4. Probe flashes red throughout the cycle, which I believe means it failed a self-test probably because the mainboard started trying to speak to it before it was initialized, but occasionally when this occurs, it still works as expected.
For avoidance of doubt - sometimes it actually does work, and I get beautiful prints that adhere well during printing but are easily removed afterwards. And I have never had any issues with the Z homing using the probe, only the auto mesh levelling.
My setup:
* Creality Ender 3
* v1.1.4 mainboard with non-silent steppers
* genuine BLTouch v3, with official Creality pin27 kit
* Marlin 1.1.9 bugfix firmware, downloaded as hex file
* single iteration of probing
* 9 point levelling mesh
* Ultimaker Cura slicer 4.2.0
* Start G-code heats bed, homes `G28`, performs ABL `G29`, then heats nozzle (I don't have the actual G-code on my now as I'm away from my slicing computer)
[Related question: [BL Touch Probing Fails Intermittently](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10345/bl-touch-probing-fails-intermittently) but answers do not apply as I am already using bugfix firmware and have checked all the cabling and connections]<issue_comment>username_1: It sounds like you have "Origin at center" checked in your slicer's printer definition. That is generally only used with delta printers. Most Cartesian printers have the origin at the front-left corner of the build plate. Uncheck "Origin at center" and re-slice.
Providing that you have set up your slicer with the build plate dimensions and origin correctly defined, your models will be printed where the slicer shows them in the preview. You can rearrange the models before you slice, of course.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: STL files contain an origin. However, this is totally ignored when generating G-code, the slicer chooses the origin based on settings.
G-code itself is a string of commands. One of these `G28` calls for the origin of the machine to be found by moving mechanically to this position. Usually, it is all formatted to take this or the power-up position as 0 and then moves relative to that. It always moves in reference to the last position, or this 0 (absolute mode).
.x3d is an XML type of file that describes a 3D model. It reformats G-code to be read by different types of machines. It too only moves with reference to the last position, taking the position on powerup as 0 to move against unless homed.
Convention
----------
The convention for CNC is, that the front-top-left corner of the workpiece is to be $\{0;0;0\}$ as the origin for the [right-hand-rule](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-hand_rule). CNC then usually operates in a purely positive XY area and only works in negative Z, which is fitting for cutting. It doesn't preclude negative areas as to achieve cuts, going into the negative room is sometimes mandatory.
Taking this convention to 3D printing puts the front-left(-bottom) corner of the build plate (volume) to be the origin, because of the right-hand rule: The coordinate room is then strictly positive in XYZ (right as X, back for Y, up for Z), all absolute, strictly positive coordinates within the positive build volume can be moved to. However, instead of allowing negative coordinates, 3D printing does not allow any coordinates outside of the build volume that is ranged from 0 to the maxima set in the firmware.
This convention fails for Delta printers, which pretty much extrapolate the heights of the individual steppers via trigonometric calculations from cylinder coordinates $\{ r ; \phi ; z\}$ - radius, an angle of 0° to 360° and the Z-coordinate. In this coordinate room, math gets much easier putting 0 into the center of the build plate, which is circular; The transformation to cartesian coordinates is $\{ r \cos(\phi) ; r\sin(\phi) ; z\}$; the inverse transformation from cartesian to cylinder coordinates is somewhat more complex and [uses case differentiation.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_coordinate_system#Converting_between_polar_and_Cartesian_coordinates).
Error
-----
Let's say the build plate has dimensions $a$ and $b$ and the corner with the green clip is $\{0;0;0\}$. The item is sliced to the position $\{a/2 ; b/2\}$ of the bed. It appears at $\{a ; b/2\}$ and $\{a/2 ; b\}$ respectively. This hints that the center of the bed is somehow taken as one of the coordinates.
If the corner without the clip is assumed as $\{0;0;0\}$, then X should be to the right, Y to the front following the right-hand-rule. To see if the coordinates might be skewed, the following command snippet would be useful. Please execute them one by one.
```
G28 ; home
G1 Z5 ; lift off the bed 5 mm to prevent accidental collisions
G1 X50 F500 ; move 50 mm to positive X - in case of back-right corner home this is to the LEFT
G1 Y50 F500 ; move to what ends up 50 50 5 - in case of back-right corner home this is to the FRONT
```
### Fixing
The problem is *probably not* the slicer but most likely the firmware defining either the movement axis or the home wrong (either the wrong corner is chosen or the movement axis are defined incorrectly) on the printer. It seems to be totally messed up and should be reflashed with a fresh copy.
It would be a good chance to learn by taking a Blanco variant of marlin and adjusting it to the own printer by chucking in the dimensions into `configuration.h` and starting from there.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: First of all, the firmware determines where your origin of the printer is. This implies that you need to properly set bed dimensions and offset values from the end stop switches in the firmware (usually not necessary out-of-the-box, but important when a newer or different firmware version is uploaded). These offsets determine where the origin of the bed plate is located. For Marlin firmware it is very common to have the origin specified at the front left corner (when facing the printer). From the [configuration of Marlin](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h#L765) we find that by definition the origin is in the front-left corner (note that this can be rotated 180 degrees in certain printers, so the aft-right):
```
* +-- BACK ---+
* | |
* L | (+) P | R
* E | | I
* F | (-) N (+) | G
* T | | H
* | (-) | T
* | |
* O-- FRONT --+
* (0,0)
```
**How do I find the physical origin of the printer?**
This can be tested by instructing the head/nozzle to go to e.g. (0, 0, 15) using a [terminal/console](/q/10573) or a simple G-code file with a move to that coordinate that you print from SD card (e.g. `G1 X0 Y0 Z15 F500`); *note a Z of 15 is chosen for safety!*. When this is performed, the nozzle should be at the (elevated, so X, Y) origin as defined by your firmware. Usually this is at the left front corner of your build plate (there may be clips there, so therefore the elevated value), but this may be different depending on the firmware settings or firmware brand.
Next step is to configure the slicer as such that this coincides with the actual origin. Incorrect slicer settings can cause the slicer to assume the origin is at a different position than your actual position. In Ultimaker Cura, the "Origin at center" is notoriously known for this when the physical origin is not in the center, but in a corner.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: So it turns out there are elements from each of the previous answers that make sense here, but its not a clear picture. I've spent a whole lot of time trying to make sense of this. I also upgraded my firmware to [Sailfish.](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32084)
For the MakerBot Replicator (or FastForge Creator) family of 3d printers, the origin of the build plate is NOT at any of the corners, its right in the center of the build plate. Reference [here.](https://www.sailfishfirmware.com/doc/parameters-home-offsets.html#x20-630004.1)
>
> 4.1 Home Offsets:
>
> By convention, **the center of the build platform** is assumed to be the point (0,0,0) in XYZ space. The X, Y, and Z **home offsets** tell the printer the location of the X, Y, and Z **endstops** in relation to the build platform’s center.
>
>
>
Looks like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c2YlJ.png)
And it would appear that most other 3D printers are not using this convention. Sigh. From my testing, the main control of print location is within the G-Code generated by the slicer. The tool I was using, Slic3r does give one a chance to correct that
adjustment. You have to go to top menu `Settings --> Printer Settings --> Size and Coordinates (Bed Shape) --> Set` to get a nice popup visual tool. See below.
Unfortunately the default setting is accurate for the overall bed size, but is a fail for the origin location on the bed. The default origin is set at 0,0, in the corner. Ouch. Big ouch. The origin needs to be located right in the center of the build plate (to be consistent with the firmware controlling the print for this family of printers). It **should** look like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXV61.png)
Note, when you tell the printer to go to 'home' it doesn't go to origin (0,0,0) it goes to the endstops.
```
G68 X0 Y0 F500 ; Perform Homing Routine
```
So as long as you understand the quirks of these printers things will work out. You have to ensure offsets are set accurately in firmware config files. (Replicator / Sailfish) And you have to indicate the correct center location to the slicer program. I will say the advice given here was of some help in understanding this. Many thanks. I'm posting here in case others using the Replicator or FastForge Creator series of printers is having troubles centering their prints on the build plate.
Additional info for anybody using a MakerBot Replicator or Flashforge Creator series printer with Slic3r. I wanted to add my custom G-code stuff. The default Slic3r stuff definitely did not work.
Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> Start G-Code
```
M103 ; Turn all extruders off, Extruder Retraction
G21 ; set units to mm
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
(**** begin homing ****)
G162 X Y F2500 ; home XY axes to maximum stops
G161 Z F1100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop
G92 Z-5 ; Set Position Z =-5mm
G1 Z0.0 ; move Z to "0"
G161 Z F100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall stored home offsets for XYZAB axis
; Loads the axis offset of the current home position from the EEPROM and waits for the buffer to empty.
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
G1 X0 Y0 Z50 F3300.0 ; move to waiting position near center of build plate
```
Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> End G-Code
```
M109 S0 T0 ; Cool down the build platform
M104 S0 T0 ; Cool down the Right Extruder
M104 S0 T1 ; Cool down the Left Extruder
M73 P100 ; End build progress
G0 Z150 ; Send Z axis to bottom of machine
M18 ; Disable steppers
G162 X Y F2500 ; Home XY endstops
M18 ; Disable stepper motors
M70 P30 ; We <3 Making Things! Yipee, you made it...
; display message above for 30 seconds
M72 P1 ; Play Ta-Da song
```
One other thing I do with Slic3r. I print a single loop of print on the periphery of a phantom skirt. I do this as a printer head clean extrude exercise.
Print Settings --> Skirt and Brim --> Skirt --> Loops (minimum): 1, Distance from object: 6mm, Skirt height: 1 This works well. I do this in lieu of the G-code startup used in ReplicatorG software (which went to the lower left hand corner, and did this odd 4mm extrude exercise, with odd timing...) The skirt thing works just fine.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/10/29 | 1,287 | 4,376 | <issue_start>username_0: I have built a 3D printer with Marlin bugfix-2.0.x forked from github.
I am attempting to set the default value for junction deviation so that I don't have to change it through the printer's screen/interface every time I power cycle the printer, but what I thought would set it properly isn't doing the trick.
My thought was that uncommenting this in Configuration\_adv.h would work:
```
#define JUNCTION_DEVIATION_MM 0.02
```
I have tried setting this define inside of and outside of the default `if` block in which it appears, just to make sure the issue wasn't because I didn't have something else set, and I get the same behavior when this `define` statement is either protected or unprotected by an `if`
Also, the default `if` block is this:
```
#if ENABLED( JUNCTION_DEVIATION )
#define JUNCTION_DEVIATION_MM 0.02
#endif
```
Uncommenting `#define JUNCTION_DEVIATION` leaves me with a compiler error telling me that I don't need to do that, so I'm not seeing anything that I am supposed to enable to get it to use the JUNCTION\_DEVIATION\_MM setting. In other words, I can't actually enable "JUNCTION\_DEVIATION" any more, so I HAVE to break the JUNCTION\_DEVIATION\_MM setting out of the `if` but it still has no effect.
After setting this parameter, when I power cycle the printer, the junction deviation is set to 0 (although one touch of the adjustment knob makes it jump to 0.010, so I think that what is displayed as "0" may actually mean "unset"), which is causing a significant stop/start jerk on every angle change until I manually set the junction deviation.
My current [Configuration.h](https://github.com/appideasDOTcom/Marlin/blob/printerx/Marlin/Configuration.h) and [Configuration\_adv.h](https://github.com/appideasDOTcom/Marlin/blob/printerx/Marlin/Configuration_adv.h) are taken from [this Marlin fork](https://github.com/appideasDOTcom/Marlin/tree/printerx/Marlin).
In case it matters, I'm running this on an SKR V1.3 with TMC2208 drivers at 24V.
Any ideas what I'm missing? I'm sure it's something simple, I just haven't found it.
**UPDATE:** Still no solution after 10 days. Here is additional information from another forum where I posted this request:
>
> Did you run `M502` and `M500` after updating your firmware?
>
>
>
I dug into this a little more, and I am either running into a bug, or I'm simply not understanding what I'm supposed to be seeing.
I send this command:
`M205 J0.020`
Then verify that junction deviation is set correctly (it is)
Then this:
`M500`
And that responds with:
`Settings Stored (616 bytes; crc 51371)`
Then I send this:
`M503`
And the report for M205 is missing the setting I just confirmed to have changed and been working:
`...
M205 B20000.00 S0.00 T0.00
...`
And power cycling or resetting the controller leads to the same result: Junction Deviation is reset to 0.
Shouldn't I see "J0.020" in the M205 line immediately after changing the setting, and verifying that it works?<issue_comment>username_1: I've bought an SKR Pro V1.1 which is suffering from the same problem. It has actually to do with a shortcoming or design flaw (of the "HAL" or "Hardware Abstraction Layer" addressing of SPI devices) of Marlin and access to the SD card; I [quote](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/pull/16260):
>
> The problem: On board SD-Card on SKR-PRO 1.1 can't be used.
>
>
>
After the SD card has been inserted, the firmware binary is loaded into memory, and all access to the SD card is gone. The initial connection is by hardware design of the SKR boards.
Basically, there is a bug in the Marlin code/SKR boards preventing storing (to the SD card) any alterations after the firmware is loaded. There is a [PR on Marlin](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/pull/16260) that fixes it, but it has not been merged into Marlin yet.
There are 2 options,
1. Every change to the firmware has to be compiled and uploaded to the board by placing a hex (firmware.bin) on the SD card;
2. Compile a firmware version from the sources from the fore mentioned PR.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: For the SKR, to store the new Marlin definitions it is necessary to send the comand `M502` to restore to the factory settings (will use the configuration on the SD card) and send the comand `M500` to save the configurations.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/30 | 285 | 1,082 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Printrboard rev. D which includes Allegro A4982 drivers. I would like to replace them, but it appears that newer TMC drivers all require several pins for proper operation.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZnRf5.png)
How can I upgrade the drivers in the Printrboard rev. D?<issue_comment>username_1: You can't. In fact, pretty much all boards with directly soldered drivers are not upgradable.
I'd recommend to buy a proper, contemporary, customizable board like the SKR 1.3 for TMCs.
The Fysetc F6 would also work, but uses "custom" connectors and is still AVR based.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The developers from the Klipper firmware confirmed that Klipper doesn't care about the native functions of each pin, therefore it is indeed possible to use the expansion pins for controlling (including UART) TMC stepper drivers.
At this point I cannot confirm, but maybe Marlin allows the same by updating the pin assignments in the source code.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2019/10/31 | 578 | 1,956 | <issue_start>username_0: I am printing ABS in an enclosure and most of the prints have worked out well with minor tweaking. However, the top layer always seems to split or skip a step (not sure which).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZtGE7.jpg "Split top layer")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aXANy.jpg "Layer was peeled of on previous prints")
The cube is sliced in Ultimaker Cura 4.3.0 with 0.2 mm layer height, 0.4 mm nozzle, 80 °C bed on lexan and a 235 °C hotend.
The G-code to the calibration cube/chep's calibration cube is attached: [`PI3XL_CHEPCalibrationCube.gcode`](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GekxfKeUgv337_r0DeJ6_2JTWV_fT1_R/view?usp=sharing).
While I'm on the subject of slicing and calibration my calibration angle is coming out as before in Simplify3D, this time the layers look great but the onion skinning within the print itself so I could actually separate the calibration angle like an onion.<issue_comment>username_1: Personally, I have dealt with this problem myself! I messed around with the slicer a little bit, and I found that if you make the print layer height 0.15 or 0.10 mm, it will be better. The image you attached looks as though the printer was splitting a step and only printing that part. I can't think of a reason why it would do that. I also can't find anything online, so I would just play with the print settings or change the layer height until it comes out how you want it.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Since it happens in the same place each time, it's either G-code or mechanical. I've seen things like this happen with dirty gantries, or a dirty Z-axis guide.
If it's not mechanical, there may be something in the G-code that causes it, such as too many retractions in one area, or similar.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/01 | 3,307 | 11,691 | <issue_start>username_0: I know this will be a really obvious question to some people, but I have bricked about 3 boards doing this so I want to be certain before I brick a fourth. I don't have a lot of experience working with AC voltage, especially crimping / hacking it like what's going on here. Trust me it was my last resort to ask this.
Basically, as a chamber heater I'm using some 120V heat lamps (here in the U.S.). The problem seems to be that when I connect my laptop to the board (if the laptop is plugged in, which it has to be for long-term serial control), sometimes I:
1. Hear an electric shock sound -- the board is fried
2. Don't hear an electric shock sound -- the board is fried, though
What I interpret from this is that I'm stupidly wiring the 120V heat lamps incorrectly relative to my 3D printer board, such that when I connect it to my charging laptop via USB, the AC voltages are out of phase, causing my board to be fried. Alternatively, it's the 12V/24V power supply that's wired wrong relative to everything else, which also needs to be wired to the same polarity.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hPD8v.png)
I was on the understanding that when crimping a three-wire male electrical cord:
1. White = Neutral
2. Black = Hot (or Load)
3. Green = Ground
... reinforced on the left side of the below image as well:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HgeRE.png)
So, I know that much already. **The question is**, when I connect this AC outlet to a [relay](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00LW15D1M) like this, I got `NO`, `COM`, `NC` on one side and `IN`, `DC+`, `DC-` on the other. Which wire goes to `COM`, and which goes to `D-`? The board uses `COM` to denote the voltage that is switched 'on' by the relay, and `D-` to denote whatever the shared ground is among, the 3D printer, heat lamp, printer board, etc... (For more info, see link to relay)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nuc81.png)
This 5V relay says it supports AC loads being managed by an arduino / 3D printer, so I was under the impression that I could connect the white wire to its `D-` pin (which also should receive the "GND" for my 3D printer board) and the black wire to its `COM` pin. However, what do I do about the green wire? Nothing? Also, was it wrong for me to assume it would support this function when the Arduino is connected to a charging laptop via USB?
Basically, I just need to be sure that my laptop (3-prong), power supply (3-prong), heat lamps (2 or 3 prong) and relay (only 2-prong) all have matching polarities and don't cause an electric shock or fry my board. But I am getting really conflicting results and frying a lot of boards, probably by overthinking this.<issue_comment>username_1: You need to take a step back and think about what you are doing. From what I read there you are connecting the neutral to the low voltage. You should definitely not mix connections between your high and low voltage side. I think you are lucky to not have broken more things than the logic board.
I quickly drafted this to show the idea.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0UIZT.png)
The relay provides isolation so you do not want any connections crossing over that electrically connects the sides. So you keep the 120V mains stuff on one side and the other side you connect to your logic board and printer supply.
The grounds you can join to a common point or printer frame. I would never join L or N from different cables because at least here in Northern Europe our outlets are not keyed and can be rotated 180-degrees swapping L & N which would create a dead short.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: In effect, the ground (from mains) does not need to be connected to the relay, the relay interrupts the "hot" or "neutral" (preferably the "hot", but that is not possible for all plugs, e.g. some European plugs can be inserted 180° turned into the sockets). You connect one of the interrupted wires to the `COM`, the other interrupted wire (that goes to the lamps) to the `NO` (or the `NC`, depending on safety, the logic and/or preference). The ground wire from the mains power socket is not necessary at all (some lamp amratures require this to be connected though). See a schematic below, it uses an Arduino Uno, but you can think of it being the printer board. Note to never connect the ground from mains to the printer board directly!
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/oKLoi.png "Connecting lamp to relay")
[Image based on source: osoyoo.com](http://osoyoo.com/2017/08/28/arduino-lesson-1-channel-relay-module)
The logic (low voltage side of the relay) needs to be wired as follows:
* `DC+` is the voltage power supply of the relay module, this is frequently +5 V, but some modules use +3.3 V (sometimes there is a jumper cap to select the voltage)
* `DC-` is the ground from the printer board
* `IN` is the trigger that needs to be connected to the port on the printer board that electronically switches the relay
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Let's look at the notes on the relay first, as these tell us what to connect the terminals to.
Powered side
------------
* `NO`/`NC` - Normally Open/Normally Closed lead. Which you use determines the switching behavior: open line on signal (NC) or closed line on signal (NO). Connect this to the powered component.
+ For heater components **it is best to use NO**, as a failure of a signal automatically stops heating, making this a safety means! If any of the supply wires are ripped or pulled from the terminals or the board is fried, the power of the heater doesn't come through.
* `COM` - Common. This is the other lead of the switch part of the component, the line that transports the power to the switch. Connect this to the power supply.
Low Voltage signal side
-----------------------
* `IN` - Input. Here the switch signal goes in
+ This is a 5 V Signal
* `DC+`/`DC-` - This is the power supply for the switch and should be the same as the power supply for the Board. Check your Rating!
+ Red "High" on DC+
+ Black "Low" on DC-
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lzuv9.png)
Note I used European colors to differentiate the 5 V side from the mains-power side better. You have your Neutral in white, Phase in black, Ground in green on your Power Supply picture. This [color conversion](https://paladintech.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/2014-10-11-18.png) can be handy.
If the heater lamp has a connection for the ground wire, use it! This should be the same ground wire the power supply is connected to, to ensure safety.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Mains electric specialist here. When working in mains power, mechanical execution of work is *everything*.
The first rule is do not casually mess around with mains power -- it will kill you! If you've done a lot of low-voltage tinkering with jury-rigged wires splayed all over the place -- **do not do that with mains wiring. Ever**. Break that habit with mains!
The second rule is hard separation. It is absolutely forbidden, for instance, to have low voltage wires intermingled with mains in a jumble, even inside a metal box.
A "Chinese wall" between mains and low-voltage
----------------------------------------------
By which I *don't* mean low quality. Generally all wires associated with mains should be inside a grounded metal enclosure, and all low-voltage wires should be outside that enclosure, or separated by a physical divider.
Here is an ideal setup that will pass muster.
* A standard square drawn steel junction box, with knockout holes, \$1
* a #10-32 ground screw for that hole on the bump
* A cover plate, \$1, made to take ....
* ... two common receptacles, but get the higher quality [screw-and-clamp type](https://www.handymanhowto.com/electrical-outlets-side-wire-versus-back-wire/) - $2.50 each so we can use stranded wire. I'm assuming you have more than 2 lights. If not, you can wire this thing so half the sockets are always-on.
* a couple feet of #12 stranded THHN wire, each red, black and white (20 cents/foot)
* A [relay-transformer](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00D5YLY2G) that mounts to a knockout hole.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hf7tS.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bDm9j.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNSTY.png)
For now just imagine 3 mains wires coming in: black hot, white neutral and green earth. Earth goes to that #10-32 screw hole on the bump, and the metal case grounds everything else.
I [pigtail](https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/electrical/q-a-to-pigtail-or-not-to-pigtail_o) wires on receptacles because it's easier, but it's also clearer for a novice (than using a receptacle as a splice block). On the receptacles, pigtail neutral with **white**. Hot gets a **red** pigtail if switched, and **black** if always-on.
Fit the relay into a knockout hole, mains wires inward.
Now you have a bunch of black, red, and white wires. Join them by color! Easy peasy! This is why I made such a fuss about getting 3 colors of THHN wire.
Button it all up, and the mains work is done.
Getting power into our box
--------------------------
I glossed over bringing mains supply into this box. Let's review that further.
That junction box is made to mount on a wall. It's a code violation to use it as a portable box (but lots of people do). However you must use **cordage** (SJOW, SJOOW etc.) not in-wall wiring (NM, THHN, UF). I just buy a 14 AWG extension cord and lop the socket off. Visit the electrical supply house (Greybar, not Mouser) and get a strain relief that'll fit that cord and a knockout hole.
If you want to mount it on the wall over another box, they make special 4" square boxes for that. If the existing box is a similar box, they make "extension boxes" with open backs. They also make ones designed to go over top of a 1-gang box that is metal or plastic.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UDuin.png)
If you need the existing outlet space on the wall, you can use surface conduit systems like Legrand Wiremold (not to be confused with cable organizers intended for low-voltage cables only). You extend off an existing outlet, leaving that with its original function, then run surface conduit to another box, where you mount these items.
Make the system talk to it
--------------------------
That was a lot of heavy lifting, but the rest is downhill.
On the above relay, you simply attach 2 wires to W and R. (in fact, common thermostat cable is "W"hite and "R"ed, coincidence: not). If you short those wires to each other, the relay operates and the lights turn on. Use an appropriate relay if needed. There is low voltage AC on these wires (24VAC between them, 34V peak, isolated from earth and mains) which means you can route these wires without mains-level protection.
They make other relay-transformers, but I really like how this one puts the low-voltage on opposite sides of the knockout from the mains. They also make cheaper relays that accept 24VDC or even 12VDC, but then you have to supply that.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/11/01 | 1,391 | 5,485 | <issue_start>username_0: I got a Wanhao Duplicator 6 printer branded as a Monoprice Ultimate about a year an and a half ago, 6 months after I got it I decided I hated the buildplate (I had to use a gluestick on every print to get it to stay down) so I removed the original fake buildtak, and got a piece of borosilicate glass and a sheet of PEI that I attached to it.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yl5Ns.jpg "Glass buildplate on top of aluminum bed, covered with PEI")
After about 8 months I started noticing issues with my bed being weird and never really being level no matter how much time I spent leveling it. (I level my buildplate by printing giant concentric circles, comparing the thickness based on the color in different portions, and turning knobs based on that.) Today after an hour of trying to level my bed I decided to just print the model I was going to print anyways (a pyramid model) and discovered why it never seemed level.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q5hTb.jpg "A single printed layer of gold silk PLA from tty3d")
It seems that different portions of my buildplate are at significantly different heights. Is there something I did wrong to cause this to happen, does it just happen over time, and is there anything I can do to fix it? My current plan is just to buy another sheet of the PEI and stick it directly to the aluminum buildplate installed on the printer. It would result in MUCH better thermal transfer between the heater and the PEI anyways, which is important because the whole point of PEI is that it sticks to PLA extremely well at high temperatures, and not very well at low temps.
If nobody knows what might cause this I'm just going to go ahead and get an new sheet of PEI and omit the glass (it was a bad idea anyways). Thanks for reading.<issue_comment>username_1: From experience, my PEI sheet did not stay flat after multiple use, this may be causing the problems you are facing. It could be the adhesive is failing on different locations.
As you mention, a new sheet of PEI may work for you; indeed the glass will not be necessary then, glueing it directly onto the aluminium bed would be enough provided that the metal bed is straight. Note that glass is straight as a result of the production process to make glass, so this can always be used. To remove the PEI sheet, a sticky glue residue is left behind on the build plate, please read ["How to clean up my build plate for a new build surface?"](/q/7960) for more information. It is probably easier to remove glue residue from the glass than from the heated bed as that is usually bolted and wired to the printer, but a wet cloth works fine. Personally, I print on glass or directly on the heated bed using an adhesion spray. You do not require the use of a PEI sheet.
---
*Note that printing PETG filament is not recommended without glue stick or any other bonding agent like hairspray. This is not to get it to stick, but to get the print loose from the build plate, PETG fuses to PEI...*
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Looking at the picture, the first thing that came to mind was, "are you sure it's the bed?".
The height variance looks very regular, and while I'm unfamiliar with this printer's specific mechanics, my thought process trended to the Ender 3 and other v-wheel extruder mounts. If the extruder and gantry carriages are mounted to the gantry spars on V-wheels instead of sleeve bushings or other linear guides, and you've spent a lot of time printing small objects where those wheels are going back and forth over a relatively small travel distance for the entire print, you have been unevenly wearing the wheels so they've become eccentric around their rotational center, and this will cause the extruder to vary its height over the glass in a very regular pattern tied to the circumference of these carriage wheels. This happens especially quickly if you over-tighten the bearings against the gantry spars in an attempt to make the printer more precise.
If the printer uses sleeve bushings, the worn sleeve won't rotate, and any wear on the spar will be very localized to the areas in which you print, but if the printer has spent most of its life printing a grid of small objects (tokens, sets of small figurines), you can still get this regular wear pattern as the printer will spend more time over those areas of the bed.
The fix is to replace the wheels or linear bearings if the printer uses them. If it uses sleeve bushings and the gantry spars themselves are worn in this pattern, you might be able to rotate the spars to put an unworn (or less worn) band of metal on the top of the spar, depending on how the spars are mounted into the endcaps of the frame and y-axis carriages.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I just placed a PEI 1 mm sheet directly on the aluminum build plate with the supplied 3M double sided tape and all is well so far. I paid a lot of attention to detail on preventing, or minimizing bubbles during the process which could impact even heating. I love the surface and ease of removal with the prints. I did not place anything between the aluminum plate and PEI material to minimize great transfer.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/11/03 | 699 | 2,649 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a basic Creality Ender-3 with a black rough bed cover. I'm printing with PLA.
After assembly, I printed 3 or 4 small toys sliced by Cura with basic settings. All were printed very well!
However, after that, extruded filament would not stick to the bed. I tried the following:
* Bed calibration with A4 paper (each corner with a tight nozzle to paper and repeated calibration again)
* Once raised up the bed temperature from stock 50 to 60 °C
* Washed the bed with a soap and water (and dried)
* Sprayed with a hair spray
* Changed the filament
Nothing helped so far.
What else can I try?<issue_comment>username_1: I think you may have used the wrong substance to clean your bed. Try using Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA). You may have left some residue behind from the soap, which is now interfering with adhesion. When that is done, ensure you've gone through the steps for bed leveling again. It's amazing how much of a difference proper bed leveling makes in adhesion. If it still doesn't work, post some pictures up of your results, which will help tremendously in getting you a better answer.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Set the bed temperature to the glass transition temperature, around 80 °C for PLA:
* Filament is slippery and non-adhesive at room temperature
* Filament becomes sticky when near its melting temperature
* Printed items can pop off of the bed by themselves when cool. This shows that they become less sticky when cool
I was told about this and have been successfully printing PLA without rafts, brims, skirts, etc.
Try a tiny print such as a small temperature tower to start.
Note: I've only been using PETG recently and continue using 80 °C; perhaps a bit of 'elephant foot' occurs. However I'm primarily doing structural prints (tools, cord hangers, etc.) and strength and print reliability (tall prints not coming loose during printing) are my highest priorities.
I appreciate the suggestion of dropping to 75 °C for later layers and will try that.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Soap and water are absolutely the wrong stuff for cleaning the print bed. It's a base, and bases are slippery. This helps things like dirt slip off when we clean, but will also make it harder for filament to adhere to the bed. Instead, use rubbing alcohol, which is slightly acidic.
Additionally, not all hairsprays are good for this. There is a certain ingredient you need, and some don't have it. Others do have it, but also have other things that interfere. AquaNet is known to be good for this. You can also buy made-for-purpose spray for 3d printing beds.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/11/04 | 1,238 | 4,671 | <issue_start>username_0: So while doing some research I stumbled upon a [wiki page on reprap](https://reprap.org/wiki/Glass_Nozzles#Step_1_Assemble_Parts_and_Tools) from a few years back where the user was creating a glass nozzle to replace the brass and PTFE assembly.[1](https://reprap.org/wiki/Glass_Nozzles#Step_1_Assemble_Parts_and_Tools)
Does anyone know the theory behind this? Glass is a great insulator so I could see how that would be beneficial for the heat break part but I can't see how it is appropriate for the nozzle as this is normally brass which is a good conductor.
Surely the glass takes much more energy to heat up?
On a side note I've seen similar projects using ceramic instead.<issue_comment>username_1: Ceramic I can understand - very strong, great thermal range capability. Glass not so much - you'd need some seriously careful annealing at least.
In either case the material is much harder than brass, or even steel, so you could presumably use tougher tools to unclog, etc. as needed. If you're using materials loaded with wood or metallic particles, the glass/ceramic tip will be less likely to degrade than brass.
BTW, glass being a thermal insulator means it may take *longer* to heat up, but the *energy* required is probably less . The specific heat of glass is on the order of .84 J/gm-K . Compare with brass at 0.38 , but keep in mind the rate at which brass will shed heat into the air vs. glass. In either case the energy is tiny compared with the thermal mass of the hotend assembly.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: The glass nozzle might be beneficial with abrasive filaments with metal particles that would wear down the brass. As glass can be reasonably easily shaped into a nozzle with standard DIY-tools it might be an interesting project.
A commercial nozzle for filaments with extreme abrasive properties is the Olsson Ruby nozzle. These are designed to hold an actual ruby in it, though ruby is probably not feasible for a DIY-nozzle.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The glass nozzle was an attempt to be able to see the plastic filament melting and to see what is happening during retraction. I also though to use a glass nozzle to heat the plastic to just under melting point then use a LED laser (10 Watts thereabout) to heat just the tip of the plastic through the nozzle to bring it to the final temp where it would melt. Turns out it is unneeded, and lasers waste a lot of energy as heat.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: First off, this is not a glass nozzle, it is a whole hotend design. A super simplistic one.
Glass is, like ceramics, not a good thermal conductor but has a quite good thermal resistance - it only melts at about 1600 °C, which means you will never have to fight melting or warping of the filament path itself at all - the heater copper wire will melt at about 1084 °C, so way before the glass, and most plastics that are printable start to decompose at less than 400°C.
Construction-wise, this design has some benefits:
* Due to the design and material properties, this hotend doesn't need cooling fins and a "coldend" is not needed at all.
* The whole hotend being one solid piece makes it pretty much a "plug and play" item and prevents leaks.
* Glass is extremely abrasive resistant. This means a glass nozzle could be used for stuff like carbon fiber filament very long.
* Glass can be molten, repaired and modified with fairly simple equipment, e.g. a burner and some skill.
* Glass could be easily cleaned up to medical and food-grade machine ratings. The simplicity of the hotend assembly could make it autoclavable as a whole piece.
It has some downsides though:
* Glass is brittle and does not take lateral forces and sharp impacts kindly. In other words: Handle with extreme care.
* Due to the glass being an insulator, the inside of the hotend will have a lower temperature than the outside.
+ A fairly thin-walled meltzone could mitigate this problem to some degree at the downside of making it even more prone to breaking
+ The insulating behavior means, that the meltzone has to directly feed into the nozzle with as little unheated area as possible to prevent the molten plastic from solidifying inside the nozzle again.
* The skill needed to create a properly sized nozzle from glass is tremendous.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: One shortcoming would be that when it comes back to lay down a new line next to an existing line, I would think that it would need to be able to melt the previously printed plastic, especially any bumps and strings.
High thermal conductivity for good heat flow seems important.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/05 | 2,387 | 9,072 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently got a Creality Ender-3, and tried printing a few things for some tests. I’ve printed a cube and just printed a cylindrical tube today, and I notice each time, it adds this random line on the left and a sort of outline around the actual print. Neither of these were there in my Cura file, but they’re always printed and I’m not sure why?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SyhGh.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: The outline around the actual print is called **Skirts**. and the random line on the left is called **intro line** it's not necessary you need both Skirt and intro line. The intro line can disable from custom starting gcode settings
A skirt is an outline that surrounds your part but does not touch the part.
The skirt is extruded on the print bed before starting to print your model. Skirts serve a useful purpose because they help **prime your extruder and establish a smooth flow of filament**. Observing the skirt also allows you to **detect and adjust any leveling or adhesion issues** before the actual model begins printing.
You can easily edit/disable(not recommended) those settings in Cura (or in any slicing software)
In you Cura navigate to **Build Plate Adhesion** settings
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4pBQd.png)
* **Skirt line count:** The number of skirt lines printed around the model.
* **Skirt distance:** The distance between the model and the skirt.
* **Skirt minimum length:** The total length of the skirt. This will
override the skirt line count when the minimum length is not reached
yet.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P8ews.png)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If the printer is printing, it is instructed to do so by the [G-code](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code) file unless you are printing through an external software program that has extra G-code to print before your print starts. E.g. in OctoPrint print server it is possible to execute G-code before the print starts.
Left line = Priming
-------------------
The **straight line on the left** is typically **used to prime the printer nozzle to get the filament flow starting**, this is typically seen in [PrusaSlicer](https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer) (Prusa's fork of Open Source toolpath generator for 3D printers [Slic3r](https://github.com/slic3r)). ***This straight line is called priming line, purge line or intro line***, and is typically (but not necessarily) printed outside or at the edge of the bed area. Furthermore, a prime line print routine will catch errant nozzle ooze, test extrusion (it is the first indication if the nozzle to bed distance is correct; if not you can abort with minimal material loss) and perform a final wipe action to avoid stringing between the prime line and start of the print. Note that this straight prime line is not a standard option in a *custom* profile of Cura, so this was part of the Ender-3 Preset you imported or possibly you have copied a starting G-code that includes this prime line.
A typical set of G-code lines to create a prime/purge/intro line is found in your start G-code and could look similar to:
```
G1 Y-3.0 F1000.0 ; go outside print area
G92 E0.0
G1 X60.0 E9.0 F1000.0 ; intro line
G1 X100.0 E12.5 F1000.0 ; intro line
G92 E0.0
```
After slicing your object, you will find such lines in the generated G-code file, but they are not displayed in the preview. Further information can be found in [Writing G-code : swiping at start of print](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6355/writing-g-code-swiping-at-start-of-print)
Equidistant line = Skirt
------------------------
The **lines at distance from the print** object **is called the "skirt"**, the skirt is an option found under the "Build Plate Adhesion" options in your slicer. The function of the skirt is similar as described for the straight prime line, but it has additional effects that can be wanted. It also shows fairly fast if the bed is unleveled as a whole or if the bed is greasy. Please look into: ["What are main differences between rafts, skirts and brims?
"](/q/20).
Note that it is usually superfluous to use both the prime/purge/intro line and the skirt, both have a similar function. The benefit of the skirt is that you can configure it within the slicer (e.g. length of the printed skirt, height to use as a shield for draft or ooze and distance to product). The downside is, that a skirt limits the useable build area by the distance and width of the skirt.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I also have the Ender 3 (pro) and have been getting annoyed by the intro line / priming line on the left of the print area, since I find it difficult to clean off the print bed. I've now found a way to disable it. In general I have found that the skirt is enough to prime the extruder, so the intro line doesn't really appear to be necessary (from what I've seen so far). Although for very small prints the skirt might not be big enough to fully prime the extruder (but this hasn't been the case for anything I've printed so far).
The intro/priming line is part of the "Start G-Code" in the Ender 3 profile in Cura (I'm using version 4.4). Here's how you can disable it:
* From the Settings menu, select "Printer" and then "Manage Printers".
* Click the "Machine Settings" button.
* Expand the window under "Start G-code".
Find the following 3 lines of G-code:
```
G1 X10.1 Y200.0 Z0.28 F1500.0 E15 ;Draw the first line
G1 X10.4 Y200.0 Z0.28 F5000.0 ;Move to side a little
G1 X10.4 Y20 Z0.28 F1500.0 E30 ;Draw the second line
```
Add a `//` to the start of each line to comment it out (so the printer will ignore it)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: These are features, not bugs.
The line off to the left is the "priming line"; the printer is extruding a bead of material to ensure that any oozing is cleaned off of the filament tip, and that the filament is properly pressed into the hotend and flowing consistently from the nozzle, before beginning your print. Notice how plastic didn't start extruding on the "backstroke" until the extruder had almost reached the back of the plate? If you didn't have that priming line, that material would have been missing from your print's first layer.
The ring around your print is the "skirt". The skirt also helps to prime the extruder, and allows you a quick look at your first layer printing behavior before the printer begins printing your actual part. Is your build plate level? Is the nozzle clearance correct? Is the filament adhering well to your bed prep? Are your build plate size and offsets set up properly in the slicer (or are you about to try to print off the edge of your plate)? A skirt can help you determine all these things very quickly, like before the printer starts working over the actual print area, giving you a chance to correct them on-the-fly or at least quickly cancel the print, and it uses a minimum of material to do so compared to a more substantial plate adhesion aid like a brim or raft.
You can disable or alter the behavior of both of these in your slicer software; exactly how depends on the slicer software.
In Ultimaker's Cura, which comes fairly highly recommended for use with Creality printers like the Ender 3, the priming line is part of the pre-print configuration script in the printer settings, and you'll need to have a working knowledge of GCode to mess with that. GCode isn't terribly difficult, but it was designed for computers to generate more than for humans to comprehend, and incorrect GCode commands in this section can cause printer firmware errors, failed prints and can even damage your printer.
The skirt settings are part of the slicer settings for your specific print, under the "Platform Adhesion" section. You can typically choose to print a skirt, a brim (similar concept but it extends all the way in to the outline of the part's first layer, and helps hold the part on the plate while it prints), a raft (a more complex adhesion aid where the printer will lay down several layers of material as a foundation for the actual print), or nothing at all. You can also customize the settings of each of these to create a larger or smaller skirt or brim.
Personally, I keep both of these print features enabled for almost all prints on my Ender 3 Pro; the only time I disable the skirt is either when I want a brim (small parts like [3DBenchies](http://www.3dbenchy.com/download/) print more reliably with a brim) or when the skirt just won't fit on the build plate (which usually means the part has a large enough footprint not to go anywhere during the print), and the only time I mess with the priming line is when I need that area of the build plate for the actual print. These features cost you maybe a penny or two in filament and can save you far more than that in frustration and wasted plastic on failed or imperfect prints.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/07 | 689 | 2,586 | <issue_start>username_0: According to the instructions I have read, you use the same output on the printers mainboard to control a 110 V heated bed with a solid state relay, as you do to power the 12/24 V heated bed that comes with the printer.
The relay's datasheet states that its max input current is 25 mA, obviously a 12/24 V heated bed would draw a lot more than that.
How does Marlin know that the heated bed pins are controlling a relay now instead of a bed directly, and therefore should limit their current output?
In other words: I am worried that if I just drop in the relay, it will burn up since the board still thinks it needs to supply high current to the bed.<issue_comment>username_1: There are two current parameters which you are looking at in your instructions for the solid state relay. The first one (the 25mA) is for the *control* circuit. This is how much amperage the device itself will draw when in operation. The second is for the *load* circuit. This is the max amperage which can pass through the device.
Your [instruction sheet](https://pickercomponents.com/pdf/Relays/PCS15.pdf) shows the device having the ability to work at 10A, 15A, 20A, 25A, or 40A. These are different ratings for the same style of device. When you purchase the device, you'd need to specify which amperage rating you'd want your device to be at. They use the same spec sheet for all five flavors, because they are basically the same thing with the one exception, which is the amp rating.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> How does Marlin know that the heated bed pins are controlling a relay now instead of a bed directly, and therefore should limit their current output?
>
>
>
Marlin does not (need to) know this. Simply put, all Marlin does is switch on/off the *voltage* at the heated bed output. The amount of current that will flow is a function of the voltage and the device connected. If you connect a heated bed to a 12 V voltage, a high current will flow. If you connect your relay to 12 V, only a small current will flow.
>
> In other words- I am worried that if I just drop in the relay, it will burn up since the board still thinks it needs to supply high current to the bed.
>
>
>
You do not need to worry about this. Your question is essentially equivalent to this: "*if I replace my 100W incandescent lightbulb with a 1W LED one, do I need to replace the light switch in the wall?*" The switch (i.e., your printer board/Marlin) does not care what load is connected to it, so long as it does not exceed the *maximum* rated current.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/08 | 708 | 2,780 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to increase the flow rate on my Ender 3 from 100 to 108 % but every time I start a new print it reverts back to the old 100 % flow rate. I have clicked through the settings and pressed the "store settings" button but it still reverts back at the start of every print. I don't want to do this in my slicer settings as I run 18 Ender 3's so I want to be able to use the same G-code for each.<issue_comment>username_1: Changing the **flow rate** during a print can **not** be saved. There simply is no way. It is usually meant to be a fix with filament inconsistencies or to look for the right extrusion factor for a new filament batch.
Slicer
------
The only way to consistently increase the flow rate would be to alter the `flow rate` in your slicer to what you have found to work best for each machine, probably using separate profiles. This will up the rate for every subsequently sliced print. Note though that this 108 % increased extrusion is converted extrusion factors that are simply numerical and 1.08 times the normal in the g-code. These numerical values will be taken as 100 % by the printer - and since it requires extra work to slice the gode for different profiles it is not the optimal solution.
As you elaborated though, this is not a doable thing, so let's look further.
Source hunt & Workaround
------------------------
Since only one printer is showing underextrusion while the others do not, it is time to check the hard- and firmware:
* underextrusion can be caused by a defective extruder assembly or a damaged or blocked nozzle.
* if a machine has consistent underextrusion, its steps/mm in the firmware might be off. This could be altered and stored in the EEPROM. Since this could be a machine unique setting, here would be your point of attack to increase the extrusion of just one machine while using the identical G-code to all other machines.
Note that the standard firmware of the Ender-3 in 2019 did not contain Thermal Runaway Protection ([What is Thermal Runaway Protection?](/q/8466/)) and should be upgraded because of this anyway. You have to flash a bootloader too, so in the process of doing the upgradeability and safety-upgrade to all the machines, you could store the altered steps/mm to each machine individually so they get consistent output.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You should be able to add a global override to the flow percentage on Marlin firmware printers.
Add this line somewhere in your start code:
`M221 S97 ; Flow Percentage hard set.`
In Cura, edit the printer's machine settings. The `S` is the percentage. In my case, 97 % works for PLA+.
Here is a link you might find useful.
[Marlin Docs](https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M221.html)
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/10 | 747 | 3,037 | <issue_start>username_0: I understand the principle of why a heater block is used. Helping to reduce temperature variation as the filament is extruded using the heat capacity of the block.
But I’m wondering why it takes the form it does? I imagine it is cuboid in shape just for convenience as it’s easy to machine?
From a surface area to volume ratio a cuboid appears to be one of the worst shapes to use.
Note:
I am currently doing a project which requires me to increase the tool clearance of the nozzle of a 3D printer. Hence why I am exploring alternative print head configurations and heater block design trying to minimise the profile of the print head as much as possible.<issue_comment>username_1: Changing the **flow rate** during a print can **not** be saved. There simply is no way. It is usually meant to be a fix with filament inconsistencies or to look for the right extrusion factor for a new filament batch.
Slicer
------
The only way to consistently increase the flow rate would be to alter the `flow rate` in your slicer to what you have found to work best for each machine, probably using separate profiles. This will up the rate for every subsequently sliced print. Note though that this 108 % increased extrusion is converted extrusion factors that are simply numerical and 1.08 times the normal in the g-code. These numerical values will be taken as 100 % by the printer - and since it requires extra work to slice the gode for different profiles it is not the optimal solution.
As you elaborated though, this is not a doable thing, so let's look further.
Source hunt & Workaround
------------------------
Since only one printer is showing underextrusion while the others do not, it is time to check the hard- and firmware:
* underextrusion can be caused by a defective extruder assembly or a damaged or blocked nozzle.
* if a machine has consistent underextrusion, its steps/mm in the firmware might be off. This could be altered and stored in the EEPROM. Since this could be a machine unique setting, here would be your point of attack to increase the extrusion of just one machine while using the identical G-code to all other machines.
Note that the standard firmware of the Ender-3 in 2019 did not contain Thermal Runaway Protection ([What is Thermal Runaway Protection?](/q/8466/)) and should be upgraded because of this anyway. You have to flash a bootloader too, so in the process of doing the upgradeability and safety-upgrade to all the machines, you could store the altered steps/mm to each machine individually so they get consistent output.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You should be able to add a global override to the flow percentage on Marlin firmware printers.
Add this line somewhere in your start code:
`M221 S97 ; Flow Percentage hard set.`
In Cura, edit the printer's machine settings. The `S` is the percentage. In my case, 97 % works for PLA+.
Here is a link you might find useful.
[Marlin Docs](https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M221.html)
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/11 | 672 | 2,401 | <issue_start>username_0: I just order myself an Ender 3 Pro which will come by the end of the week.
Before it arrives I want to be ready to flash a bootloader onto it.
I was wondering what other options there are to flashing except using an Arduino?
I have a bunch of ESP8266/ESP32 and a [USB to TTL](https://www.banggood.com/FT232RL-FTDI-USB-To-TTL-Serial-Converter-Adapter-Module-For-Arduino-p-917226.html?rmmds=myorder&cur_warehouse=CN). Would it be possible to use these somehow instead of an Arduino to flash a bootloader to the Ender 3?
Or should I just go buy an Arduino?<issue_comment>username_1: What you need to is called a ICSP or ISP: [in-circuit serial programmer or in-system programmer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-system_programming), which excludes the USB to TTL device you own.
I've never used an ESP8266 as ICSP but it seems there are [some resources out there](https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/44702/esp8266-as-isp-program-for-atmega16) reporting it is possible.
If you want to go the easiest way probably you want to buy an Arduino and follow the tons of tutorials out there, if you are looking to save some money then you might get around buying an ICSP like the very well known USBASP (just Google for that).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: You can do AVR programming using USB-TTL adapters. This relies on bit-banging, i.e. emulating the programming protocol by using the serial control lines as general purpose IO.
But this has a few caveats:
* USB-TTL adapters limit the speed of control line changes. So the programming will be very slow, taking several minutes.
* You need to have the RTS, DTR and CTS lines available on the USB-TTL adapter. Many of the cheap adapters do not have these signals available on pins, though you could solder to the chip directly.
If those two are in order, go ahead and install [avrdude](https://www.nongnu.org/avrdude/), take one of the serial port bitbang (`serbb` driver) example files and configure it with information on which serial adapter pins you've connected to the AVR chip. Then give `-i 1000` or similar delay value to `avrdude` to slow it down enough to work over the USB interface.
There is [a blog post about doing it with PL2303 based adapter](http://nerdralph.blogspot.com/2014/05/pl-2303hx-bit-bang-avr-programmer.html), but the technique should work on other USB-TTL adapters also.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/11/12 | 796 | 2,724 | <issue_start>username_0: I know that `M73 P19` means "Set completion progress to 19%", and I suspect that `M73 R42` means "Set remaining time to 42 minutes", but what is `M73 Q17 S43`? I can't find description of such syntax.
The command is seen in `.gcode` files produced by PrusaSlicer.<issue_comment>username_1: The tooltip for "Supports remaining times" under `Printer Settings -> General -> Firmware`in PrusaSlicer quotes:
```
Emit M73 P[percent printed] R[remaining time in minutes] at 1 minute intervals
into the G-code to let the firmware show accurate remaining time.
As of now only the Prusa i3 MK3 firmware recognizes M73.
Also the i3 MK3 firmware supports M73 Qxx Sxx for the silent mode.
```
Therefore:
* P = Percentage printed, normal mode
* R = Remaining time, normal mode
* Q = Percentage printed, silent mode
* S = Remaining time, silent mode
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The [`M73` Set/Get build percentage G-code](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M73:_Set.2FGet_build_percentage) is only defined for a selected few printer firmwares.
As you suspected, next to `M73 P19` (tell the firmware at what completage percentage the print is) the `M73 R42` tells the firmware the left time to completion.
If you look at the description of the [`M73` G-code](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M73:_Set.2FGet_build_percentage), the following parameters may be used:
* `P`: Percent in normal mode
* `R`: Time remaining in normal mode
* `Q`: Percent in silent mode
* `S`: Time remaining in silent mode
So, running the `Q` and `S` parameters, is similar to the `P` and `R` parameters with the exception for referring to the printer percentage/time when in stealth (quiet) mode.
These modes, normal and stealth, [refer to power modes of Prusa printers](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/8LLgVlD01q-loud-printer):
>
> **Normal vs. Stealth mode**
>
> MK3 printers offer two print modes. Normal mode is required for the detection of lost steps (shifted layers), while still being quieter than the silent mode on MK2/S. There is also the Stealth mode, which utilizes Trinamic StealthChop technology, making the printer almost inaudible with the print cooling fan being the noisiest part of the printer. However, Stealth mode does not provide lost step detection.
>
>
>
Stealth mode times can be a bit higher than normal mode estimation times. Estimation is done by the slicer. As Prusa maintains this feature, their times are accurate for their printers, but that does not have to be the case for custom printers.
To get the current progress, the `M73` command is called without parameters:
>
> Use "M73" by itself to get a report of the current print progress.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/11/13 | 995 | 3,614 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there a classification of method of control most (FDM) 3D printers fall under?
From a 1986robotics textbookref I was reading they defined three classes of control:
1) Pick and place
2) Point to point
3) Continuous path
However, both point to point and continuous path control are stated as requiring servo motors.
I know that the majority of 3D printers are actuated with stepper motors as opposed to servo. Does the continuous path classification still apply? Or is there another classification?
ref - *[<NAME>.(Ed.):Fundamentals of Robot Technology: An Introduction to Industrial Robots, Teleoperators and Robot Vehicles - Kogan Page 1986](https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789401167703)*<issue_comment>username_1: The question is if robots classification terminology the textbook sketches applies to 3D printing?
Servos (closed loop) are used in robots to guarantee position (you don't want to accumulate an error after repetitive movement), most 3D printers use open loop steppers that are instructed on a point to point basis through G-code instructions, implying that the use of servos is not a "requirement" for point to point control.
It **is** a requirement if you want to be absolutely sure that the position is reached. In 3D printing where the loads are generally low, this requirement is frequently dropped. But, there are printers that use servo control.
Note that many CNC machines (operating at much higher loads than a 3D printer) even don't use servo's but (open loop) steppers, these are generally larger and more powerful (more torque).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: 3D Printers fall under additive manufacturing and then can be classified by the material first. Usually, the material dictates entirely what the design looks like and it would be foolish to not differentiate what you look at by this first. For some materials, there are a couple of subtypes that tell us about which method for fusing the material is used, but usually, there is just one.
* light curing resin
+ projected light
+ Laser
* Paste, gel or air curing resin
+ direct deposit from syringe
* Foil
+ Laser1
* Powder
+ Laser
* Filament (FFF/FDM)
+ direct deposit
Of all these printers, only the FDM/FFF Group has a large diversity in how they are designed on the outer side, with the main 4 designs (and one example) being
* Cantilever (TronXY X1)
* Core-XY (Hypercube)
* Portal (Prusa)
* Delta (Kossel)
Now comes the kicker: Most FDM/FFF Printers do use only stepper motors and use G-Code that is derived from CNC - just like the whole idea of FDM was invented as *reverse CNC*. Only very few use an encoder at all. Marlin, the main firmware used in 3D printers, executes usually *point-to-point* instructions ([`G0 X10 Y10 Z0 E5`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G000-G001.html)), but some implementations are able to perform arcs ([`G2 E7.85 R5 X-5 Y5`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G002-G003.html)). Usually, printers run in *relative coordinates* (to the last position of the nozzle/tool), but for some operations *absolute coordinates* (mainly start or end codes) are used.
Among the printers that use servos instead of steppers are, to my knowledge, mostly laser-based systems.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Upon further research these defined classes of control (from a robotics perspective) only apply to servo motors.
At the highest level the methods of control being categorised as:
* Servo
* Non-Servo
The three categories I listed in my question are all subsets of the Servo category and rely upon feedback from the servo.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/13 | 1,084 | 3,928 | <issue_start>username_0: The extruder on my Prusa i3 MK3S keeps clogging while printing. Loading is fine, and each time it clogs, unloading and loading the filament seems to work.
The filament extruded just after resolving a clog looks like it has small bubbled on it.
The problem only seems to happen when printing certain models. Printing the Batman symbol at 0.15 mm works every time. But the model I'm trying to print always fails at most a few minutes in.
I've tried cleaning the nozzle. Cold pull twice, and taken it out and heated it with my airgun and trying to work on it with the acupuncture needle.
The print that fails is [this "Small Pill Container"](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3211975) with 0.1 mm layer height and 100 % infill, but printing a simple cylinder shape (25 mm outer diameter, 2.5 mm walls) creates the same problem. Trying to print them both at the same slicer settings with 0.15 mm layer height still fails.
The model was sliced using the newest version of PrusaSlicer 2.1.0 and printed with Prusament PLA at the factory recommended 215±10 °C, and tried 220 °C.
Any ideas what could be happening? Anybody experienced a similar issue?
Printing the bundled TreeFrog 50 μm sliced by Prusa for the Prusa I3 MK3S cased the same problem. Jam happened about 30 min in. I guess this rules out slicer problems as the root cause.
---
*After a lot of research, it seems a lot of people have problems with the MK3 clogging, especially with PLA, and especially with prints with a lot of retractions. The issue seems to be the design of the heat-break, which has a throat between 2.2 mm and 2 mm, where the PLA can get stuck. I've ordered a new heatbreak. Please read [this answer of my findings](/a/11409).*<issue_comment>username_1: The problem with low layer heights is that the filament flow is low, this means that the filament is at prolonged times at temperature, filament cooking can cause clogging. Try increasing the layer height to 0.2 mm to observe if the same clogging problems still occur, furthermore, try lowering the extrusion temperature.
Also, heat creep is a known issue (insufficient cooling of the cold end) to cause clogging. Note that this is unlikely on the Prusa MK3S, but you could check whether the fan rotates freely and that there are no additional obstructions in the flow path.
It could be that a combination of too much hotend temperature and a low filament flow is causing this issue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My problem was 2 things. The **heatbreak**, which was switched out for the MK2 version(Explantation below). And the **Teflon Tube** that runs down the heatsink.
Heatbreak
---------
Change the heat-break to a generic E3D one. You can order the heatbreak for the **MK2** from prusa, or any generic heat break for the E3D hot-end assembly.
On the Prusa i3 MK3(s), this component has been given a 45° taper in the middle, between 2.2 and 2 mm. This is done to ease filament retraction for the MMU, and will be nothing but problematic if you are not using the multi-material upgrade. Especially with higher nozzle pressures(eq. with lower layer lines), the filament may be squeezed into this taper, clogging the hot-end.
You may not experience full clogs, but partial ones that will show themselves as streaks in certain layers on the print.
Heatsink Teflon Tube
--------------------
There is a teflon tube that runs down the heatsink. It's crucial that this is mounted correctly and it is not entirely intuative how.
First, press the teflon tube into the heatsink all the way to the bottom. Then, try to pull it out slightly. You'll notice that the small plastic ring at the top of the heatsink will pull out slightly along with it. Now, hold this black plastic part at it's current position with your fingernail, and push the teflon tube in the extra amount. When done, there should be no play in the tube.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/11/13 | 914 | 3,334 | <issue_start>username_0: In the E3D Kraken cooler block, there is a big, 10 mm grub screw, along the side of the cooler block.
I watched the entire Kraken assembly video:
There was no mention of this very thick grub screw. The [E3D Kraken assembly wiki page](https://wiki.e3d-online.com/Kraken_Assembly) may refer to this part as the "stainless plug".
Does the depth of the screw inside the Kraken heatbreak affect the effectiveness of the water cooling?
Why was it included in the design at all?
I'm asking because water frequently leaks out of this pore for me, ever since I had to repair some damaged tubing. Additionally I often have to use an extra fan when printing at high temperatures. I'm wondering, before I epoxy this grub screw into place, whether the amount it is tightened into the Kraken has some advantages or disadvantages.
The video shows the part already assembled on the Kraken. This is what the part looks like - it is much larger than the screws used to secure heat throats. <issue_comment>username_1: The problem with low layer heights is that the filament flow is low, this means that the filament is at prolonged times at temperature, filament cooking can cause clogging. Try increasing the layer height to 0.2 mm to observe if the same clogging problems still occur, furthermore, try lowering the extrusion temperature.
Also, heat creep is a known issue (insufficient cooling of the cold end) to cause clogging. Note that this is unlikely on the Prusa MK3S, but you could check whether the fan rotates freely and that there are no additional obstructions in the flow path.
It could be that a combination of too much hotend temperature and a low filament flow is causing this issue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: My problem was 2 things. The **heatbreak**, which was switched out for the MK2 version(Explantation below). And the **Teflon Tube** that runs down the heatsink.
Heatbreak
---------
Change the heat-break to a generic E3D one. You can order the heatbreak for the **MK2** from prusa, or any generic heat break for the E3D hot-end assembly.
On the Prusa i3 MK3(s), this component has been given a 45° taper in the middle, between 2.2 and 2 mm. This is done to ease filament retraction for the MMU, and will be nothing but problematic if you are not using the multi-material upgrade. Especially with higher nozzle pressures(eq. with lower layer lines), the filament may be squeezed into this taper, clogging the hot-end.
You may not experience full clogs, but partial ones that will show themselves as streaks in certain layers on the print.
Heatsink Teflon Tube
--------------------
There is a teflon tube that runs down the heatsink. It's crucial that this is mounted correctly and it is not entirely intuative how.
First, press the teflon tube into the heatsink all the way to the bottom. Then, try to pull it out slightly. You'll notice that the small plastic ring at the top of the heatsink will pull out slightly along with it. Now, hold this black plastic part at it's current position with your fingernail, and push the teflon tube in the extra amount. When done, there should be no play in the tube.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/11/14 | 432 | 1,687 | <issue_start>username_0: For a model that has raised text on it, how do go about painting the very top layer of text, to make it stand out from the background? Lets say I printed the whole model the same color, what type of paint would work well, and not get on the background too?
Here's an example of a model that has raised text: <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3025280><issue_comment>username_1: The technique you look for is *drybrushing* and not dependant on a specific type of color, as long as it can be applied with a brush.
An alternative technique might be carefully applying glue and leaf metal.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't provide any dimensions or sizes, but...
Assuming that the text is sufficiently elevated from the rest of the model, you could use a firm solid (as opposed to soft and spongey) roller, of an appropriate width.
This should enable you to paint just the text without getting paint on the rest of the model.
* If the text is small and in a "valley" or groove, then a narrow roller would be required, in order to avoid the surface either side of the text.
* If the text is not on a flat, or smooth surface, then a small diameter roller might be required.
* If you can't find a tiny paint roller, you could *[jerry-rig](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_rigging)* one using a paper clip and a roller wheel from an old cassette tape
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I recommend to print stencil for the text. Basically flat thin plate with text holes in it. Just cover your model with it and only text will be painted through the hole. In this way you could do it rough, fast or like Mr Bean did.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/18 | 866 | 3,282 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been printing with my Ender 3 for a while now and it's been great. I've had very few problems - depending on my settings, these are my typical first layers:[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GGhr1.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/26XCJ.jpg)
However with no settings or temperature changes and attempting to print the same files, I am now getting this issue with every print - The lines lay down and adhere fine, but if I watch carefully it looks as if the nozzle is causing the previous line to lift and warp. I have checked belt tensions, calibrated all axes.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IfIUS.jpg)
The prints come out fine in terms of dimensions - all within 0.1 mm overall size on large prints - but the quality is now terrible. I'm using the same roll. Prints were back-to-back and humidity is at 20 % in the room I store and print in. I've checked the nozzle, checked the belts, tightened everything, rest the printer settings and put them back, regenerated the G-code with multiple slicers... I'm at a loss now.
Any ideas, thoughts, comments, etc would be greatly appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: I had a similar problem with my 3 week old Ender 3 Pro.
I changed the nozzle to no avail then double checked the bed gaps. Some people seem to have the paper drag quite a lot others no drag. After 3 tries to print the first couple of layers of the Harry Potter pen holder resulting in not sticking to the bed I re-sliced but used a skirt to get a better bedding, I also raised the bed temp to 65 for the first few layers and the nozzle to 205 this seems to have worked. I also wipe the bed with rubbing alcohol before most prints if they play
up. Hope it’s helps, it it doesn’t then no harm done. PLA was used.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: When my printer suddenly started to underextrude, it was the fault of the extruder lever being broken and not pushing out enough material. Replacing the extruder for a metal version did fix it.
Another common issues that can result in bad adhesion is a greasy or destroyed build surface. Such is fixed with cleaning or replacing the part.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: After watching it countless times, I found out that it was the magnetic mat on the bed that has worn out. It no longer adheres to the bed completely flat and some of the texture was worn down more than in other areas. It wasn't visually detectable - I found it by checking the nozzle height with various feeler gauges in multiple random locations.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: A few tips:
Re-tighten your belts.
Wash your printbed with soap and water and don't touch it with human skin once clean.
Ensure your filament doesn't contain moisture. Always store your filament dry as it's hydrophilic and goes bad over time.
Make sure your printbed is always as level as possible before printing.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Maybe an adhesion issue. I use 320 wet/dry paper on my mats when they fail to work.
Just circular motions.. Clean well with Windex or alcohol.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/11/19 | 899 | 3,318 | <issue_start>username_0: It's fairly common for E3D to sell silicone socks for their hot ends. There are also other companies that sell these silicone socks for their hot end cartridges.
According to a brief internet search, it seems the ignition temperature of silicone is surprisingly low - around 450 °C. This surprised me because I was under the impression silicone would just burn / evaporate if it were heated up to a much higher temperature.
If my thermistor/[heatrod](https://www.thissmarthouse.net/dont-burn-your-house-down-3d-printing-a-cautionary-tale/) slips off, my heatrod will glow into an orange temperature during thermal runway. This only happens briefly, but its color indicates it is reaching a temperature around 790 °C.
So, are silicone socks safe? Couldn't they ignite fairly easily?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XAH7r.png "Incandescence chart for iron")<issue_comment>username_1: Neither your thermistor nor your heater cartridge should ever be capable of becoming loose from your hotend, let alone the fact it's capable of reaching 800 °C before your printer even notices (This is a massive issue in itself!!!)
Silicone socks are safe, unless you're printing materials with extremely high melting points, which is *usually* never.
If you're concerned it's going to autoignite mid-print, you have much bigger issues surrounding your hotend than a silicone sock.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Silicone socks are **safe to use**, provided your **printer is safely operating** and you are **using the silicone socks in their operating temperature range**.
---
Your current setup is NOT SAFE!
===============================
---
When the heater element falls out of the heater block (that should not happen in the first place, please secure it correctly) and heats up to about 800 °C this means that the printer has no active [Thermal Runaway Protection (TRP)](/q/8466) enabled. Basically, when the thermistor doesn't measure a temperature rise while the voltage to the heater element is being scheduled, the firmware should shut down the voltage to the heater element. When this fails, the heater element can reach dangerously high temperatures to start burning anything that can catch a flame on touch. In deliberate tests, heaters have been able to melt the aluminium of the hotend:
You **should be worried at this point** as you see [from the link you provided](https://www.thissmarthouse.net/dont-burn-your-house-down-3d-printing-a-cautionary-tale/) what happens if the heater is not shut off when the heater element is disconnected from the heater block:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eJput.png "Burnt Anet A8 as a result of inactive TRP and heater cartridge falling out of the heater block")
Please **fix your printer ASAP** by uploading a proper firmware with enabled TRP protection before proceeding to print anything or at least don't let it print without supervision and proper smoke/fire detection devices.
Upvotes: 4 |
2019/11/19 | 576 | 2,050 | <issue_start>username_0: How can I correctly clean the lacquer from bed printer?
I have used some ethylic alcohol (ethanol) to help cleaning
But what is the best way to do it?
<issue_comment>username_1: The Ender 3 does not come with a lacquered surface at all.The bed should have a rough build surface that is a clone of the BuildTak build surface. It is *intended* to be rough and satin-gloss in its native state. I do not remember if there was a thin protective plastic foil on my Ender-3 bed on delivery, but if there was, it should have been removed during assembly.
A BuildTak surface can be easily cleaned with isopropyl or ethyl alcohol of grease and fingerprints. The odd discoloration at the edges seems to be a layer of grease and dust, which can be easily cleaned away by soaking it in Isopropyl alcohol and then wiped with a microfiber cloth.
If the bed surface is destroyed by chipping holes into it, sanding it or otherwise ruining it (like melting plastic rap into it), you will need to replace it. Replacement surfaces come about 5 bucks on Amazon. Doing this, you might find [How to clean up my buildpate for a new build surface?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7960/how-to-clean-up-my-buildpate-for-a-new-build-surface) helpful.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The "lacquer" you are referring to is assumed to be the discoloured parts of the heat bed, not the original surface layer of the heat bed. The discoloured parts of the heatbed are most probably caused by residue build-up.
If this residue build-up is caused by depositing a print adhesive containing PolyVinylPyrrolidone (glue stick ingredient) or PolyVinylAcetate (hairspray or 3D print spray ingredient), you can simply wash is of with water using a wet hand-warm towel or a sponge. Both constituents are dissolvable in water.
I do this frequently on non-removable aluminium heat beds (using moist kitchen towel) or removable glass bed (rinse off in the sink).
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/11/27 | 851 | 3,035 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Anet A8 with the Anet 1.7 board, Skynet3d v2.3.2, and the stock sensor. I originally had this configuration with the stock extruder, but recently purchased an E3D v6 clone with a Bowden extruder. After installing a new bracket I had printed ([TNS E3D v6 Bracket](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2099577)) with the [adjustable stock sensor mount](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2283440). I installed the extruder and sensor.
I knew I had to adjust sensor position. I went through the [3DStackExchange post on Z probe boundary limits](/q/8153/) as well, and added all of the end positions and probe to nozzle offsets (I will list below) to my `Configuration.h` file, saved, checked the changes were there in the `Configuration.h` tab in the Arduino IDE and uploaded the firmware. After this I went to hit auto leveling in the prepare menu, and the positions were different from the stock extruder and mount, but when it got to the third position, the sensor was off the bed, and the nozzle dug into the bed.
The configuration I was editing was from the Anet A8 5 button stock sensor `Configuration.h` file.
My probe is (When looking from the front of the Anet A8) forward and right of the nozzle.
* My Y-axis offset is -3 (the sensor is 3 mm in front of the nozzle when looking from the front)
* My X-axis offset is +37 (the sensor is 37 mm to the right of the nozzle when looking from the front)
The stock `min_probe_edge` is 10 mm, so with my math my Left Probe Bed Position is 47, Right is 210, Back is 207, and front is 10.
I want to get my probe settings properly set up so I get my bed leveling back and I do not want to ruin my bed while leveling.<issue_comment>username_1: If you have done major revisions to the printhead by changing to another carriage, it could be that the nozzle in the carriage is not at the exact position as in the previous carriage.
So, have you made sure that the new carriage has the appropriate values so that the nozzle is at (0, 0) when commanded to that position? Alternatively, in different wordings, this translates to: "Is the printer printing in the center?/Are the prints centered on the build plate?". See e.g. ["How to center my prints on the build platform? (Re-calibrate homing offset)"](/6375).
From the Thingiverse link van be read that this carriage requires an offset. The carriage design mentions a shift of the X axis:
```
#define X_MIN_POS -10
```
Is that working for you?
---
*General remarks regarding the firmware update:
Have you also loaded all values from firmware using `M502` and then `M500`? (if `M500` commands are enabled). Also, [Skynet3D is obsolete!](/a/6200), use Marlin instead!*
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Do you have eeprom enabled? Because if you do, you can change configuration.h all you want but it's always gonna use the values from eeprom. I advise you to install repetier and change the eeprom values with that. Or maybe you can use the display if you have one.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/11/27 | 437 | 1,743 | <issue_start>username_0: I switched my Anet A8 over to a Bowden and it's printing great. Moving that weight off has enabled me to almost double the speed and resonance problems have vanished.
My question is regarding after the print is done should I add a retraction code and back the filament out of the v6 or is it okay to leave it in there?
My concern is that if I leave it in there, will it cause a clog or anything when I warm up the printer tomorrow to print something else? If that's not a something I should be concerned about let me know.<issue_comment>username_1: It's okay to leave the filament in the hot end, as long as you let it cool down with the hot end cooling fan running.
---
*From comment:*
>
> That's not an issue, you can simply leave it in the hot end. The only "end of print" clogs usually occur when leaving the hot end hot for a while - allowing the filament to drip out - and then retract the filament without feeding it against the nozzle once more. That creates a plug that's larger than the filament diameter that might get stuck in the bowden tube
>
>
>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I agree with username_1's answer. I would leave it, retracting at most a mm or two just to avoid a mess. If you retract much at end of print, initial state for the second or later print is different from after just loading new filament, and this leads to different priming/skirt outcomes for the two cases, which can be problematic.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: After the completion of a print, remove the filament from the Bowden tube as it may break while not printing and can sometimes be difficult to remove. Basically if you aren’t going to do another print soon, remove the filament.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/11/27 | 1,683 | 5,172 | <issue_start>username_0: From the [`M502` documentation page](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M502.html) can be read that `M502`:
>
> Reset all configurable settings to their factory defaults.
>
>
>
*Please note that this phrasing from the manual has been used in the question title!*
>
> To also reset settings in EEPROM, follow with M500.
>
>
>
Note that:
>
> This command can be used even if EEPROM\_SETTINGS is disabled.
>
>
>
The question is what is the definition of *"all configurable settings"*?
Are these the settings that are displayed with [`M503`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M503.html), or are there hidden settings?<issue_comment>username_1: What Marlin does when `M502` is called is defined in the [`configuration_store.cpp`](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/bugfix-2.0.x/Marlin/src/module/configuration_store.cpp) file.
It resets:
* Max acceleration
* Steps per mm
* Max feedrate / speed
* Min segment time
* Acceleration (Normal, Retract, Travel)
* Min feedrate
* Min travel feedrate
* Jerk settings
* Junction deviation
* Home and SCARA offsets
* Hot end offsets
* Filament runout sensor distance
* Tool change parameters (Swap length, extra prime, prime speed, retract speed, Park
positions, Z raise)
* Backlash correction distances and smoothing parameters
* Extensible UI
* Magnetic parking extruder settings
* ABL (fade height, stored points, nozzle offset, servo angles
* Delta calibration data (Height, Endstop offset, radius, rod length, segments per
second, calibration radius, trim angle)
* Dual / triple endstop adjustments
* Preheat parameters
* PID parameters
* self-defined thermistors
* LCD contrast
* Power loss recovery
* Firmware retraction
* Filament diameter (for volumetric extrusion)
* Endstops (if disabled)
* Stepper drivers
* Linear advance parameters
* Motor currents (digipot)
* CNC coordinate system (if selected)
* Skew correction parameters
* Advance pause filament change lengths
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Technically, the description as "factory settings" is misguiding, as the settings called up are much better described as "firmware defined settings". But since Firmware upgrades usually are rare and far between, these settings can be considered "factory" for the usual user, even as we always urge users to test if their firmware [has TRP enabled](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8466/what-is-thermal-runaway-protection) and upgrade if not so.
Depending on the firmware, this usually means the settings described in [this answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/11439/8884), but it could also be more narrow or extend to different and custom settings inside the firmware. Marlin, when it uses [EEPROM\_SETTINGS](https://sebastian.expert/enable-disable-eeprom-commands-marlin/), uses `Configurations.h` and the additional `Configurations_adv.h` to define what the factory settings are.
For example in [this question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/11410/8884) the firmware defined the additional settings in `Configuration_adv.h`. Installing firmware does not by itself alter the EEPROM, so these settings needed to be *seeded into SRAM* via [`M502`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M500.html) and then *saved into EEPROM* via [`M500`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M500.html).
The remaining commands in the `M50X` series are obviously [`M501`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M500.html) and [`M503`](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M500.html). `M501` overwrites the SRAM settings with those from the EEPROM, useful if you toy with the SRAM settings to troubleshoot or play with offsets in a somewhat safe manner. `M503` in turn reports all settings currently in the SRAM, which can be changed during running. Most of these settings can be stored into the EEPROM, if EEPROM\_SETTINGS is enabled, but they don't necessarily have to come from the EEPROM at the moment, as they can be altered due to a lot of reasons. Your G-code to print could call for example `G20` and `M149 K` just to mess with you by swapping to Inches and Kelvin, but that would be easily fixable by recalling `M501`. This following `M503` output was given as an example by [Sebastian.expert](https://sebastian.expert/marlin-g-codes-m500-m501-m502-m503/):
```
G21 ; Units in mm
M149 C ; Units in Celsius
Filament settings: Disabled
M200 D1.75
M200 D0
Steps per unit:
M92 X100.00 Y100.00 Z398.70 E100.00
Maximum feedrates (units/s):
M203 X400.00 Y400.00 Z8.00 E50.00
Maximum Acceleration (units/s2):
M201 X1000 Y1000 Z100 E10000
Acceleration (units/s2): P R T
M204 P400.00 R1000.00 T1000.00
Advanced: S T B X Z E
M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X10.00 Y10.00 Z0.30 E5.00
Home offset:
M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00
Auto Bed Leveling:
M420 S1 Z0.00
Material heatup parameters:
M145 S0 H195 B55 F0
M145 S1 H205 B60 F0
PID settings:
M301 P52.25 I5.60 D122.00
Z-Probe Offset (mm):
M851 Z-2.41
```
Note that with a [console or terminal](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10573/what-is-a-printer-console-terminal), you could sometimes alter EEPROM settings directly via a UI. Among the terminals I know to have this ability is Repetier Host.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/11/30 | 2,245 | 8,202 | <issue_start>username_0: Update below
------------
Printed 650 of these tokens, no problem. Then all of a sudden I can't get them to stick and the first layer looks wavy and weird.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BYuDc.jpg "Closeup")
After a few tokens it knocks one loose and the whole print fails.
Did try to recalibrate the z-height. Should it be even closer? The test pattern for first layer height looks good.
Removed the nozzle to inspect if it's damaged but it looks fine to me...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jf49h.jpg "Whole bed")
Any help is much appreciated.
Update - Dec 29th 2019
======================
With the new nozzle and recalibration I managed to get one more print to stick as in my answer below. Then back to not sticking.
I did order a textured plate from Prusa. Recalibrated the XYZ. That did not help.
I have played around with the first layer calibration.
In the video below the setting of -0.900 is fixed the whole time.
The lines look good and healthy but then lifts on the right side of the bed.
[Video of first layer calibration](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xsC4sDvSuY)
I then moved the nozzle even closer and REALLY smash it into the bed @ -1.050
It still lifts on the right side and a little bit in the corners. The first purge plastic that is output to the bottom left usually does not stick at all.
[Untouched with nozzle closer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acMJT58IKgY)
Things I have done:
* Recalibrated the XY & Z axis from scratch.
* Did two cold pulls of the filament ([link](https://help.prusa3d.com/article/WWVRzOY1dX-clogged-nozzle)) to make sure the extruder is not clogged. The pulled filament looked nice and clean.
* Switched to new textured bed sheet
* Switched to a new 0.4mm nozzle (E3D V6)
* Tried different filaments (only PLA though)
* Lubricated moving parts
* Checked heat bed to make sure screws are tight and the bed sits snuggly
Two ideas now:
Can it be the mesh leveling that is acting up? How do I check that?
The heat bed feels differently warm in different places. Is the heat bed constructed with different zones where one can fail and the rest keep working? Do not have access to a heat camera to check.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
EDIT:
=====
Thanks @Paulster2! It's good to find this community!
I've been using several different PLA filaments since this started happening. Before, they all stuck to the printing bed like champions, now none of them do. Pictured is som generic white, but getting the same result with Prusament PLA. Nozzle 215°C, Bed 60°C. As I wrote above, I did check the nozzle and it *LOOKS* fine. It's very small though and I have ordered new nozzles. If no one has any other suggestions I will post more when I have tried the new nozzle.
Also thanks to @Greenonline for correcting spelling and layout. Cheers!<issue_comment>username_1: A problem I encountered a similar problem with adhesion because the nozzle was pressing straight into the bed. This made the filament squeeze out the side resulting in near zero adhesion. Check that the print bed is levelled and the nozzle isn’t obstructed by anything.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: A new day, a new nozzle, an old result!
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nGdyx.jpg)
EDIT
----
The success was a one off. The problem remains!
Heat on the heated bed seems to differ a lot in different areas. Just using my hands to feel it since I have no IR-camera.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Wait, you have your Z-height at a negative 1 mm+ offset for the first layer? *After* a build plate leveling? I'm surprised your extruder isn't gouging long trenches in your plate surface. Then again, this is a Prusa, they are actually capable of negative offsets from their "zero" unlike many other printers where "zero" is when the microswitch engages at the bottom of the lead screw travel.
From the description of your problem, and what you're printing, my diagnosis is improper bed prep, possibly coupled with some alignment issues. Prusas, unfortunately, fall out of adjustment almost constantly; in addition to usual bed alignment requirements, the dual lead rods have to be kept in perfect alignment at all times, which among other things means you have to be really careful manhandling the printer to get things off the build plate. Your first video shows a pretty decent extrusion line at first, with problems occurring as you get close to the front right corner, which tells me that corner is a bit low, and *maybe* the gantry or the entire right side of the plate is backed off too far.
Your second video has the extruder *way* too close. Even if you're printing a 0.15 mm or 0.1 mm layer height, that is far too thin a layer.
The bed prep, however, is likely the bigger issue. You're compensating for the layer not sticking by moving the extruder closer. That's a possible solution, but you've exhausted that as an option; your extruder's right down on the plate in that first print picture and it's still not sticking. That means the plate is dirty, which if you just spent several minutes prying tokens off the build surface, is only to be expected.
Plate surface preparation is something you need to at least look at between *every single print*. Some prep methods are more durable than others; I've printed dozens of prints on a single layer of kapton tape (which is good, because getting a wrinkle-free, bubble-free layer of kapton down on a non-removable print bed in an enclosed printer design like the MakerBot 2X is a real chore), meanwhile hairspray or blue painter's tape, while easy to apply, might have to be reapplied after every print.
Exactly what you do depends on the build surface and the material you're printing, but the absolute minimum you should be doing, if you print directly on your build surface with zero bed adhesive, is to clean and degrease the bed every time. A little isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) or denatured alcohol ("methylated spirits" for those speaking the King's English) is usually the thing to use, with a paper towel or microfiber cloth and a little elbow grease to really cut any grease layer on that surface.
It may well be that with this Prusa, you will have to give the plate a wipedown with denatured alcohol and then re-check the bed's calibration between every single print. Such is the nature of these RepRap-style printers, developed specifically to make 3D printing more affordable at which they succeed admirably; the tradeoff is the \$300 printers take a bit more futzing with, while the \$3000 printers are designed specifically to minimize hands-on work. But even on a \$6000 industrial printer, you have to prep the bed for each print.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Okay so I am not an expert but I think I can help.
* First off, your **nozzle is too close to your bed**. Take it up, I guess, to like between -0.75 to -0.6 mm. Play around there.
* For not sticking part, see whether it sticks with **higher bed and nozzle temperature**. Higher temperature like for Nozzle: 220-250 °C and for Bed: 65-80 °C. *(Yes its too extreme for PLA filaments but we are observing what happens)*.
* And I couldn't make out from the video, is your **print fan** on? If so, switch it off.
* I would advice to test print with a cube of dimension 200x200x0.2 mm. In your PrusaSlicer, set the *Bottom Fill Pattern* to be "Concentric" and your *First layer height* to be 0.2 mm. (I got this idea from a forum but I cannot recall its name)
* And as mentioned by @username_3, keeping your **bed clean** is important. With **isopropyl alcohol and cotton balls** wipe the surface. (Though don't this too many times. I have heard that the bed looses its adhesion if done so. After a couple of prints wipe with isopropyl alcohol and before every print wipe just with a kitchen towel).
* If your bed is clean, then use **glue sticks** (note note all glue sticks work) on the print surface right before a print. Don't worry you can take it off after the print.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/01 | 851 | 3,703 | <issue_start>username_0: To date I have used [RepG](http://replicat.org/) and [Repetier with CuraEngine](https://www.repetier.com/) to do my slicing. In various instances when printing a layer of a cylinder it will start in the middle and head out toward either side. Then it moves the nozzle back to the center and prints toward the other side.
Knowledge of [TSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travelling_salesman_problem) suggests the print would go a lot quicker if the travel operation back to the middle were omitted. Here is an [example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjGYc03HGU8&feature=youtu.be).
By that I mean that to fill the layer of a cylinder from one edge, across the middle to the edge on the right.
My question is why is this done? **What advantage does printing it in two passes have over printing it in one pass?**<issue_comment>username_1: It doesn’t really have much of effect in the actual print. I’m pretty sure the setting can be modified either in the GUI or through gcode. Usually it’s just the standard process when filling in a flat surface. There could be some minor benefits that are quality related. But my main assumption would be for ironing if you have that setting enabled. It would allow it to smooth it better starting from the middle.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I have seen this behavior a lot in CuraEngine slices. Mostly older versions of the slicer. Not sure if they actually improved it.
You could see this a lot in long and complicated forms. I also don't like this. Not only for unnecessary moves, but also for imperfections due the start in the middle. Sometimes you can tell where the filling started and which segments were printed separately.
I think it comes down to several issues here:
1.) Starting from the middle saves a move at the beginning of the fill. It probably starts the fill where is stopped printing the perimeter. If the change you want would be implemented, a move after the fill printing would become necessary to start at the right position. So therefore the benefit of faster printing might be gone already.
2.) For the sclicer implementation it is hard to do. The algorithm that computes the print moves for the fill just knows the start point (end position of last perimeter line) and the points that define the area. It does not know if the area is round or square or shaped like a "C" or like a "Y". Usually the slicers have a preferred direction that changes with every layer. This way the fill lines of different layers cross each other and that probably increases stability.
I have seen slices where the fill started several times in "C" shaped prints.
Also if you think about the "Y" shape. If you start at the bottom then you can print horizontal lines and fill the form until you reach the split. Now you have to decide which arm to print fist. And then you have to do the other arm separately.
As you can see a perfect way to fill all possible shapes in one go is impossible.
And defining an algorithm that can fill any shape with only knowing the outline is already hard. I assume the solution has to do with splitting a form into segments and to then fill each segment after the other. Even your example form has probably more sections than only the two obvious ones.
What could be done would be to "optimize" the sequence used to fill the segments. Basically adding a computing step that checks if by introducing a move to the best starting point the fill of the segments could be done in one move.
Again that is probably rather hard to do, but CuraEngine and other slicers are open source, so if you or somebody else would like to invest some time to get this feature that would be great!
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/03 | 696 | 2,671 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm new to 3D printing. I've made some projects before just fine, but this project is giving me problems.
I 3D printed a trumpet mouthpiece, and the printer made supports inside the mouthpiece funnel. I can easily remove the exterior supports, but I don't know how to get to the supports inside. Does anyone know how I would do that?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/U6ys5.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DJ9KP.jpg)
[Here is the link to the model](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1539908)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8R11d.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Based on the photo provided, there's a strong possibility that you can print that model without internal supports. The angle of the walls falls within the limits of just about any FDM/FFF printer. An exception to this would be if you had a structure internal to the cone of the mouth piece which needed support.
ERROR: I neglected to note that your print is created "laying down" rather than vertically. This certainly complicates the printing/support problem. I typically print cylinders without internal support, although it does result in a small amount of droopies within the cylinder. Those are easily cleared away as required and much more easily than a full support forest.
Is it impractical for you to consider to cut the model in half, print both segments, remove the supports more easily, then glue them together?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: That model didn’t need supports. Most of the time you can break the connections with the supports to the model by inserting a knife or flat object into the cavity. In this case you could use a probe to loosen the joins then wedge it out. If that doesn’t work you can use needle nose pliers to remove prices.
Your best and cleanest option would be to reprint the mouthpiece without supports at all. Print it so that the wide section(the section touching your mouth) is on the buildplate.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: "Don't use supports"<-- that is the best answer.
Warning
-------
Sadly, if you print vertically, you end up with an extremely fragile piece -it'll snap between layers. The OP properly printed horizontally for strength, and possibly by using a very "thin" layer height he can get by without supports. That's the only way to succeed.
I guess I should state that this answer assumes you want to use the print in a trumpet. If it's purely for decoration, then definitely print vertically.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/12/04 | 1,657 | 4,832 | <issue_start>username_0: I've had issues with my hot end and decided to replace the whole assembly with [this](https://www.amazon.ca/Ewigkeit-Extruder-Printer-Assembled-Aluminum/dp/B07Q493RYW/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=hot%20end&qid=1574768751&sr=8-4-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFYVDRSMjVZRDU3QkMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAwODExMTRZSzAwSjdZQzJJTzkmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDMxMzczNDNZWjNVUTRNNUU0MSZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=). After the replacement, my printer started reading about 135/185 °C for the hot end and bed are both at room temperature. It also gives the "Heating Failed" error message. Printer halted when I tried to heat it.
Things I've tried:
1. Checked the wiring, the thermistors are reading about 110k and 10k at end of the wires.
2. Tried updating the firmware with a few different thermistor settings. Only the static (dummy) ones worked (reading a static value of 25/100 °C)
3. Tried with old thermistor and reading stayed at 135/185 °C.
I'm suspecting something wrong with the motherboard but was hoping I could figure out what's wrong before going ahead and buying a new board. Would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.
In troubleshooting the issue, I tried disconnecting one/both of the thermistors at a time and the reading stayed unchanged. Now thinking I might've somehow broken the board when I was disassembling it.
Upon receiving a new motherboard, that fixed the bed temperature reading. The hot end is now reading -14 °C with the thermistor plugged/unplugged. Took the resistances on the old and new hot end thermistors and couldn't get reading from either. So turned out both the stock motherboard and my hot end thermistors were not working. Ordered new thermistors and that should fix the problem.<issue_comment>username_1: I got my printer fixed and am posting steps I took for people with similar problems in the future.
**Initial problem:**
After I replaced my entire heating unit and reconnected the wires, my printer started to read about 135/185 °C for the nozzle and bed at room temperature. It gives the "Heating failed, printer halted, please reset" error when I tried to heat the hot end and bed.
**Troubleshooting steps:**
1. Checked the resistance of the thermistors. Both the hot end and bed were about 100k.
2. Reflashed Marlin with different thermistor settings. Only the static (dummy) ones worked (reading a static value of 25/100 °C). All the other settings were giving very high readings at room temperature.
3. Replaced the mainboard. This fixed the bed reading but hot end was still not working. Checked the hot end thermistor again at this point and couldn't get any values, which suggests the thermistor wire was broken somewhere.
4. Replaced the hot end thermistor and that fixed all the issues.
So what I think happened was that I messed up the board when I was reconnecting the heating unit. Then at some point after I first measured the thermistor resistance, the hot end thermistor broke. Replaced the thermistor and that solved the issue.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For future readers,
On a second-hand 3D printer with unknown firmware, I compiled the Marlin 2.1.1 firmware for the Creality 4.2.7 board with the default configurations for the `BOARD_CREALITY_V427` board, and at room temperature, the hotend reads about 121 °C.
I then measured the hotend thermistor by disconnecting the JST cable and got 9.1 kΩ with the room temperature of about 30 °C. This tells me the thermistor is a 10 kΩ NTC type.
The default configuration for Marlin is 100 kΩ NTC.
So, if you have a 10 kΩ hotend thermistor, either [recompile](https://ericdraken.com/compile-marlin-firmware/) the Marlin firmware for a 10 kΩ NTC thermistor (more trouble than it is worth if you do not know the temperature curve data), or get a new thermistor specifically listed in `Configuration.h`, for example:
```
* Analog Thermistors - 4.7 kΩ pullup - Normal
* -------
* 1 : 100 kΩ EPCOS - Best choice for EPCOS thermistors
* 331 : 100 kΩ Same as #1, but 3.3V scaled for MEGA
* 332 : 100 kΩ Same as #1, but 3.3V scaled for DUE
* 2 : 200 kΩ ATC Semitec 204GT-2
* 202 : 200 kΩ Copymaster 3D
* 3 : ??? Ω Mendel-parts thermistor
* 4 : 10 kΩ Generic Thermistor !! DO NOT use for a hotend - it gives bad resolution at high temp. !!
* 5 : 100 kΩ ATC Semitec 104GT-2/104NT-4-R025H42G - Used in ParCan, J-Head, and E3D, SliceEngineering 300 °C
* 501 : 100 kΩ Zonestar - Tronxy X3A
* 502 : 100 kΩ Zonestar - used by hot bed in Zonestar Průša P802M
* 503 : 100 kΩ Zonestar (Z8XM2) Heated Bed thermistor
* 504 : 100 kΩ Zonestar P802QR2 (Part# QWG-104F-B3950) Hotend Thermistor
* 505 : 100 kΩ Zonestar P802QR2 (Part# QWG-104F-3950) Bed Thermistor
...
```
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/04 | 1,141 | 3,605 | <issue_start>username_0: The heated bed output on my printer recently stopped working. I have an output for a second hotend. How can I reprogram this output as a heated bed output? The board is a [Geeetech GT2560 rev A+](http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/GT2560).<issue_comment>username_1: If you want to use Extruder heater and thermistor 2 as a hotbed driver, then you will need to get an external mosfet, since I doubt that the extruder heater mosfet will be able to handle the required current. Then in your slicer, just remap the bed from BED to E2
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: *Although it appears to be a RAMPS compatible board as described in [this **now deleted** answer](/a/11477), **it is not using a RAMPS pin configuration**.*
---
To fix this in the firmware, this requires an upload of newly configured firmware to the board. See e.g. question: "[How to upload firmware to reprap printer?](/q/5848)". For Marlin firmware (which is also loaded at the factory) You need to assign the correct board number or constant name (amongst several other things) in the [Configuration.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) file. Note that this is "clearly" described by the manufacturer [here](http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/GT2560A/GT2560A%2B).
From factory, a version of 1.1.X is loaded note that version 1.1.9 is the last of the 1.x branch, the default is now version 2.x.
From the [manufacturer of your board](http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/GT2560) you find that:
```
#define MOTHERBOARD 7
```
needs to be set. Note that using number is old, nowadays you would use a constant. For board number `7` this is the constant defined as [`BOARD_ULTIMAKER`](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.x/Marlin/src/core/boards.h#L73). Note that in version 2.x this number is now 1117, so the preferred usage is the constant name `BOARD_ULTIMAKER`!
Specifically for your board, the Configuration.h file should contain:
```
#ifndef MOTHERBOARD
#define MOTHERBOARD BOARD_ULTIMAKER
#endif
```
The pin arrangement used by this board is found in [`pins_ULTIMAKER.h`](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.x/Marlin/src/pins/ramps/pins_ULTIMAKER.h).
In this pin file you need to swap the pin numbers that identify the bed and the second extruder (`E1`) thermistor pin. In this file change:
```
//
// Heaters / Fans
//
#define HEATER_0_PIN 2
#define HEATER_1_PIN 3
#define HEATER_BED_PIN 4
```
to:
```
//
// Heaters / Fans
//
#define HEATER_0_PIN 2
#define HEATER_1_PIN 4 // or -1
#define HEATER_BED_PIN 3
```
Note that it could be that the `E1` heater output may not be designed to take the high current load the bed requires (depends on the traces on the board and the used MOSFET; with respect to the MOSFET, [the manufacturer states](http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/GT2560A/GT2560A%2B) that:
>
> 3 55Amp MOSFET (with LED indicator, the actual output is restricted by the PCB board and the connector), all 3 MOSFET are equipped with heat sink to ensure sufficient heat dissipation and stable operation
>
>
>
, implying that the MOSFETs are identical). It is therefore advised to use an external MOSFET module. This will keep the high currents away from your printer board. Such a module looks like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aMcjA.jpg)
You need to wire the second extruder heater leads to the white cable, the power and the bed leads use screw terminals and are clearly labeled.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/06 | 398 | 1,568 | <issue_start>username_0: I've bought a new type of filament (GreenTEC Pro Natural) for my Anycubic Mega i3 to print some food-safe cookie cutters. Now I have changed the print settings to an extruder temperature of 210 °C and a heated bed temperture of 60 °C and everything works well.
But when I look at the print, I see that too little filament is extruded at the beginning of an extrusion and at the end. So every time the nozzle is lifted to move without extruding, it takes too long for the filament to correctly start extruding again (see picture).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HUztR.jpg)
What can I do? Is there a setting to print slower at these points (I'm currently using Cura)? Maybe change retraction distance? Different extrusion temp? Before I used PLA from Anycubic and everything worked fine...<issue_comment>username_1: I think there's a retraction issue(had the same issue). You need to change retraction and check whether there are any improvements. Some times different filament types need slight filament setting calibration.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Check your retraction settings.. It's either too far or one of your priming/wipe settings is off, some slicers call it priming or extra restart distance.
Your linear advance "k" might be set wrong if you're using linear advance.
I see a bit of under-extrusion on the between walls and center, your overlap % might a little short. Or you're printing too fast for the filament to melt and deposit.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/07 | 1,545 | 6,321 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm designing a mount for a cylindrical speaker to attach to my bicycle. It will mount on the bottle cages. I've printed a few iterations with various infill settings (using PLA) and the weak point is always the bolts holding the entire mount to the bike. They can't handle the compression needed to secure it properly. I had thought about using an imbedded metal part to distribute the load, but it's not easily replicable and I want to make the design public and fairly accessible to others with the same speaker. I currently have PETG and ABS, would one of those perform better or should I order a specialty high strength polymer?<issue_comment>username_1: Try heating op your PLA while mounting it. The PLA wil temporarily weaken and will become a bit moldable. PETG is a bit more brittle than PLA is my experience so I'd say stick to PLA. Otherwise you might try Arnitel ECO. I can try to find an amazon purchase link for you if you want. Anyway, it is more rubber like and stays flexible, it will never crack but depending on your design it might become a bit more wobbly. If you share a picture of your design or an STL i might be able to help you a bit better.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: 1. Infill has minimal effect on the strength of printed parts, so I would expect the part to break in the same spot regardless of what infill percentage you used.
2. PLA is especially poor in this exact application, and it undergoes significant creep/cold flow under mechanical compression over time, so even if achieved the necessary strength by changing settings (which you can), it would require that you periodically tighten the bolts more and more, as the PLA would slowly deform under the mounting pressure.
Perimeter width and number of perimeters are what primarily influence the strength of a printed object, infill has very little impact on strength in comparison, and unless you're using an exotic pattern like gyroid, what impact it does have is not even close to isotropic (will add strength in some directions while doing nothing in others). But even then, infill only really has an effect when we are talking about forces that are spread evenly over the entire object, not concentrated strength of a specific spot of the part. And that effect is always much weaker than what perimeter count or width will have.
Just **bump up your perimeters to 4** or even more and that should make a huge difference.
And also, don't use PLA. **I think PETG is a much better choice in this situation.** It is more ductile only slightly less rigid than PLA, making it much more durable overall than PLA, and less prone to cracking under compressive forces. PLA theoretically has higher tensile strength, but that often doesn't mean much.
I would not recommend ABS, it tends to have similar issues with brittleness and is one of the weaker materials one can 3D print.
It terms of ordering a special high strength polymer.... unless printer and hotend is rated for in excess of 400°C, no such 'high strength polymer' exists, at least not that you can print. PLA and PETG are close to the best you can get, with Polycarbonate inching out ahead but not by a huge amount (~20%). Despite what filament companies would like you to believe, carbon fiber ***reduces*** the strength of PLA, ABS, PETG, PC, and probably nylon, and instead simply makes those polymers more rigid and increases dimensional stability. The only filaments that would actually be made stronger with added fibers short enough for filament manufacturing processes are ones with glass fiber. But you don't want to print those filaments, trust me. They will dull the teeth on your hobbed gear(s), even if made from steel, and will just ruin all but ruby nozzles very very quickly. And they **still wear out ruby nozzles** even then.
There are exotic polymers, but none of them print at less than ~350°C, and are generally exceedingly expensive. All the polymers that can be used at normal printing temperatures are all fairly similar to each other in terms of tensile strength at least.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: For your particular application, you should be able to get something acceptably strong with PLA as long as you design it right - both the model itself, and the way you slice it (orientation, number of walls, etc.). username_2's answer covers this pretty thoroughly. Using PETG could be an improvement, if you're willing to spend time learning how to print it right (if done wrong it's super-brittle).
However, as towe suggested in a comment, I'd give TPU a try. When printed with many walls or with high infill rate, TPU can be fairly rigid, and there's no way you're going to damage it with a bolt unless you just keep going after it's already tight. It's a relatively easy material to work with, and pretty much any printer that can print PLA can print TPU (although you may have to slow it down quite a bit) so it meets your requirement of being accessible to others with the same speaker.
(Note to self and others: it'd be a neat experiment to take a torque wrench to a bolt with metal washers through a solid brick of TPU and see how much it can take before it fails, and how it fails when it does.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I realize this is an old thread but I’d still like to share some thoughts for others who may find this post.
If I understood correctly, you were printing this part in to see shape You were printing this part in a C shape. Loops horizontal, strut vertical. Yes, that will produce a very weak strut that is likely to split open when tightened.
Next option is to print it in a U shape. Now you have a rock solid strut that will sustain compressive strength from bikts much better but depending on thickness and forces, your loops at the end may be prone to fail.
You may want to consider designing this in three parts, strut plus 2 loops, that you glue together. I know glueing doesn’t sound very sexy but 1) each part is printed with optimal strength, and 2) glues like Weld-On produce incredibly strong bonds, as strong or even stronger than inter-layer printed strength.
And lastly, it may also help to use overdimensioned washers on BOTH sides the strut to spread the compressive force of bolt and bike frame and prevent splitting.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/12/09 | 960 | 3,709 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to make a project involving many small dots indents and I would like to know how I can calculate the smallest dot hole the Prusa i3 MK3S can extrude around on a layer using PLA. In other words, if I printer a mesh with circle shaped holes, how would I know the minimum diameter of the holes. Is it simply the same as the layer resolution (0.35 mm), filament size (1.75 mm), or is it something else?<issue_comment>username_1: That depends on the ability how fast you get filament to stick to the build plate and whether the filament is loaded in the extruder. It also matters which size of nozzle you are using. The filament diameter has no influence other than smaller filament width (e.g. 1.75 mm) requires more length to extrude with respect to thicker filament (e.g 2.85 or 3.0 mm), and is therefore more precise to lay down (on the other side is the deviation on the filament diameter, i.e. manufacturing tolerance, larger than for thicker filament...).
If it does not stick you need more length, also, if the filament is not preloaded enough, the nozzle chamber needs to be filled first. Note that the printing of several small circles is a challenge, see e.g. ["How do I get circles on small interior holes to adhere to the bed?"](/q/8709).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Let's look at how small we can print, shall we? Well, we have this filament, it gets pressed into the chamber, melts and then moves out a small orifice. So the first thing that limits print minimum is **nozzle diameter**, which correlates with the **extrusion width** - usually, I use a factor of 1.1 nozzles for the extrusion width.
Next factor is the bed or **surface** you're printing on which correlates with the **Print material**: some surfaces literally love to take your filament and allow your printer to extrude just a dot, then lift up like PLA onto a well-prepared surface. Others REALLY don't want to stick, demanding you to extrude more, which means you need to draw a circle (POM).
A lesser factor is the **print temperature**, which changes how vicious the filament is and how well you have dialed in your retraction, which determines how much of a "dead" move you have to have on the extruder to get the filament to extrude between dots.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There is no direct limit on the size of a hole in XY-plane (that means: oriented so that the hole is visible from above).
The movement accuracy of MK3S (and most other modern 3D printers) is about 0.01 mm. So theoretically you could move around a circle that has diameter of the (default) 0.4 mm extrusion width + 0.01 mm, and get a 0.01 mm hole in the middle of the circle.
In practice, the hole size will be limited by the repeatability of the extrusion width. If in the above example the extrusion width happens to be 0.41 mm instead, there would be no hole remaining.
On a well calibrated printer, 1/4th of the nozzle size should be manageable, i.e. for MK3S you should be able to get 0.1 mm holes quite reliably.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: The only way to know exactly what limits your model, printer, slicer, and filament operate under, is to test it. While we can provide some guidelines, actual performance varies on a complex set of inter-connected variables. Even the room temp/humidity, filament age, and even filament color, can matter at the tightest margins. You have to consider what the print direction for the holes is (z/x/y), as layering matters even more than the above. And under what print speed and layer height? There's billions of combinations just with your printer alone.
Bottom line: run some test prints and see what you're satisfied with.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/11 | 997 | 3,656 | <issue_start>username_0: I am printing minis and other very detailes stuff and I find that 0.04 mm layer height gives the best looking (smoothest) result. However it takes a long time, so I am looking for ways to speed it up. Is there any slicer which offers different layer heights for the outer perimiter? So you can print your model at 0.12 mm or so, but the outer layer gets printer first 3 times at 0.04 mm?<issue_comment>username_1: In Ultimaker Cura, unless you print a single perimeter outline and add extra wall infill support you are not going to have different outer perimeter layer heights.
However, Cura is able to reduce the printing time, E.g. you can have fine layers for the wall (all perimeters), and coarse layers for the infill. The option is called ["Infill Layer Thickness"](https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/52670-infill):
>
> Infill layer thickness
> ======================
>
>
> Since the layer height of the infill is not important for visual quality, you can use thicker layers on the infill to reduce the print time. When adjusting this setting, always make sure that it is a multiple of the layer height, otherwise Ultimaker Cura will round it up to a multiple of the layer height. This means that you can, for example, print with an infill thickness of 0.2 mm while the layer height is 0.1 mm. The printer will first print the walls for two layers, and then it will print one thicker infill layer.
>
>
>
Note that this is not a standard option, you need to put Cura in the "Custom" mode and filter/search for the option using the search bar. Below you'll find the upper right corner of the Cura Graphical User Interface where I searched for the option:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wlRev.png "Cura infill layer thickness")
Note that there are 2 options, one for regular infill of your product and one for infill of the support structures.
---
An other department at work is working together with a start-up university company to 3D print PEEK molds (from pellets) using 2 nozzles/extruders (to create resin injection parts), one has a large nozzle, the other has a fine nozzle. They use their own developed slicer software to use the fine nozzle for the outer contours and the coarse nozzle for infill and support. It could be that they developed this because it was not available in commercial slicers. For the 2 most common free slicers, Cura and Slic3r, there is no option to have just the outer perimeter of different height than the inner perimeters. If you think of it, it is also pretty difficult to execute, you either get:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/g3q3h.png)
(which does not improve the quality of the product, it will make the outside more coarse) or you'll get gaps:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nmdR8.png)
Note that both upper images do not include infill, only 1 outer and 3 inner perimeters. The image below is probably what is possible with Cura, so all perimeters the same; green is infill now:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZopKY.png)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Not what you want but may still be helpful.
PrusaSlicer allows the layer height to be varied along the Z-axis so that you can have more detail in bands where it is needed, and less where it is not.
Since infill is not your time consumer, you may not find the "combine infill every n layers" helpful.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/12 | 503 | 1,910 | <issue_start>username_0: We disassembled everything in order to unclog the filament from the tube, but now I can't seem to get the nozzle to screw back in to the hotbed with the PTFE tube in place. Is there some kind of trick? I feel like if the tube were slightly smaller in diameter it would work. I'm using the same tube, just without the filament that had clogged it. Am I just not using enough force?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/a8iq4.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: I got the same issue before. When you tried to push out the material from the tube, one end of the tube was being pressed. The tube was so soft that the diameter at that end was slightly increased. Hence it was difficult to put the tube back. When you tried to tighten the screw, more force applied and the tube end was pinched more. I got some spare tubes from the supplier. I simply replaced the tube. The PTFE tube could be pulled off from the nozzle.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I was able to fix my problem so thought I'd post how I solved it for anyone else that is looking for a possible answer:
I believe the actual problem was that there was filament hardened inside the nozzle which I couldn't see, so that prevented me from being able to push the PTFE tube into the nozzle deep enough. I reassembled the extruder and heated it up, then using needle nose pliers so I wouldn't burn myself, I held the nozzle to the end to block to heat it up, (I didn't actually screw it in) and the stuck filament melted so I could scrape it out. I also learned from Tang, the Amazon flashforge tech guy, that the tube should be 23mm above the block, so that was helpful to use as a guide. As I read in other places, I then inserted the tube into the block to heat it up, which I think made it slightly more pliable and easier to insert into the nozzle.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/13 | 2,930 | 11,226 | <issue_start>username_0: **Here is the context**
I've got an old car for which I have a small plastic piece who is broken. As it's an old car and a very specific piece, I can't find it anymore. So I was thinking about 3D printing it.
My problem is this piece is on the carburetor, so close to the engine. This means, it can heat a lot, close to 90-100 °C.
**My question**
Do the pieces created with the common 3D printing techniques melt at 100 °C? If yes, what kind of other 3D printing technique can I use?
Here is the piece I want to recreate (sorry for the bad quality), the scale is in cm.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XBZ6Q.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Depending on the exact mechanical load and material used to print, you might get away with 100 °C.
Next to the melting temperature required to print the material (which will always be substantially higher than the maximum useable temperature!), you probably also want to have a look at the glass temperature of your specific material. Around that temperature your material becomes soft (rubber like) and can deform permanently when cooling down again. Chances exist that under a considerable mechanical load, the part will deform at even lower temperatures.
Maybe it would help to post a picture or describe the exact component you're trying to replicate. It might help in finding an alternative solution. (E.g. carving out of say PEEK to say anything.)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I recommend this video by CNC Kitchen, as it shows an interesting, accurate and detailed, side-by-side comparison of heat deformation of custom 3D printed test samples, printed from various materials:
* PLA
* PETG
* ABS
* HT-PLA
* 3dkTOP
He even CNCs a custom, yet simple, test rig in order to carry out the test.
Well worth a watch.
The results for the various filaments can be seen in this graph, taken from the video:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ahj4d.png "Graphical summary of 3D heat treatment tests")
In summary, the annealed 3dkTOP filaments perform very well, without failure, and annealing PLA helps considerably (although some shrinkage is incurred)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: You might want to check out printing with nylon. It's not typical of most 3D printers but you could always have it printed with a printing service, since it's a one off part. They can withstand a good amount of heat.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Nylon is probably your best bet.
It is resistant to some chemicals as well.
Figure on printing it at around 250 °C.
It might do the job.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: I only use an ingeo 850 or 870 PLA that have different melting temp and more resistant the normal PLA. It's a lot easier to print with a normal desktop consumer printer then ABS or NYLON
Doesn't have the same characteristics as a nylon filament but it can be used inside a car, I have used to print some parts for my car.
<https://www.natureworksllc.com/~/media/Files/NatureWorks/Technical-Documents/Technical-Data-Sheets/TechnicalDataSheet_3D870_monofilament_pdf.pdf?la=en>
(sorry but it's in spanish but a termal test)
Another option is to make a mold with the 3d printer and use a high temp resin
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: The number you're looking for is the [glass transition temperature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_transition) (the lowest temperature at which the material can flow or warp), not the melting point. This depends on what material you're using; approximate temperatures for common printable materials are:
* PLA: 60˚C
* PETG, high-temperature PLA: 95 ˚C
* ABS: 105˚C
* Nylon: typically 70˚C or above ("Nylon" is a large family of similar polymers)
* Polycarbonate: 145˚C
Any plastic under your hood is probably either nylon (for its durability, impact resistance, and chemical resistance) or ABS (for its strength and heat resistance). These are both difficult materials to print: ABS emits toxic fumes while printing, and tends to warp if you're not using a heated enclosure, while nylon readily absorbs water from the air, causing the filament to bubble as it's printed. Further, many printers can't handle the high temperatures needed to work with these materials.
If you're going to print this yourself, I recommend using PETG and inspecting the part after a few days of use to see if it's warping. PETG is reasonably easy to print and comes close to your target heat resistance.
If you're going to get someone else to print it, I recommend using ABS. It's probably what the original part was made of, and anyone willing to print ABS for you will have the heated enclosure and ventilation system to deal with printing it.
I'd avoid polycarbonate unless you know the original part was made of it. Although PC is strong and heat resistant, it's also somewhat brittle and vulnerable to scratching.
High-temperature PLA is also brittle, and requires a heat-treating step that will change the dimensions of the part. It will likely take several tries to get something that comes out the right size, and even then, you risk having the part break when your car hits a bump.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_7: **Have the part commercially printed in metal.**
I haven't used a commercial 3D print service so I can't recommend one, but I know there are many out there and the prices are reasonable. For example, I found that if their terms of service did not prohibit weapons, I could have had Shapeways print magazines for my FX air rifle in *gold plated, hand polished stainless steel* for less than FX charges for one machined out of aluminum.
So, print the part yourself in whatever material you have available to ensure that it fits and operates correctly. Then upload the file to a company that can print it in metal.
A possible DIY alternative, depending on the shape and size of the part, would be **lost PLA casting**. Hobbyists usually do this with aluminum.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_8: I would take a different approach. I would use brass or copper, machine it on a lathe to get the two diameters (you need to start with a thick piece so you are left with reasonable wall thicknesses), or, alternatively, use spin-forming to enlarge it to the diameter needed (works with copper, and you can use normal thin-walled pipe because you are only re-forming it, not cutting anything away), drill a hole in the side, thread it, and use a die to create a thread on the insertion pipe. then I'd screw it it, and finally solder it into place with a high-strength (lead-free) solder. The threading helps reduce stress on the solder joint; I can imagine it would crack a straight solder-only join without much usage at all. That right-angle joint of small diameter is going to be the weak point. It is the most likely place to have it snap, or start delaminating. That part was probably injection-molded as a single piece, reducing the effects of stress and eliminating any consideration of delaminating.
Note also that some of these parts have been computer-designed to precise dimensions, and a slight change in the ID of the side-pipe, or even its OD, might make a drastic change in its behavior.
If your only tool is a hammer, all your problems look like nails.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_9: >
> Do the pieces created with the common 3D printing techniques melt at 100 °C?
>
>
>
The problem here is the "common 3d printing techniques". If you mean END USER DESKTOP - yes. PLA, ABS etc. have all glass temperatures (where they get soft) around this number. Melting is not something you care about - because it will deform WAY earlier. Melting is when it gets liquid, you care when it looses stability.
If you talk NOT about desktop, then no - common 3d printing techniques THEN include laser syntering nylon as well as FDM printing materials like PEEK which have melting temperatures WAY higher. KEEP gets soft around 143 and melts around 343 degree, though some have sueful operating temperaratures up to 250 celsius. "Common" is a very vague definition in the higher end area because there are quite a number of main market different techniques that you basically never see in the consumer market due to price.
The problem is that those are expensive, so desktop users do not use them. They also require high temperature chambers AND special 3d printers. Nothing you can not do - Slice Engineering sells a hotend that can go up to 450 degree or so - but they are NOT common on the desktop side as they are (also) quite expensive. Heck, the are just now putting that into the Marlin firmware (you also need to measure this, and the thermistor table for their sensor was just added as #67 to marlin). I am reworking a printer with this technique (just for fun) and - the extruder / hotend combo costs around the same as the whole printer originally did.
>
> If yes, what kind of other 3D printing technique can I use?
>
>
>
Basically any that works with the temperature band, which does include FDM printing. That said:
* I think you really are wrong with the temperatures. Close to the engine may be higher than 100 degree, me thinks. If I am wrong (and that really depends on how close to the engine block it is), this may be ABS. ABS or PLA variants are available with glass transition temperatures above 130 degree, so this COULD work, depending on the exact material you use.
* I would basically print it in anything common (pla) to see that it fits (NOT use it), then have a 3d printing service make it out of some engineering material. They will also be able to choose the best material for you. This is for higher temperature and possibly not FRM process. They will know what to use.
Another problem is - we do not kknow anything about this part. is it under pressure? I ask for a number of reasons.
* 3d printing may be less stable in certain directions than in others. Generally LESS stable than parts that are injection molded, unless you use some special techniques not common in consumer laser printers (i.e. plasma fusing the layers, which Essentium does, or laser syntering where there are not real layers to see). You MAY be able to work around it, by making the part larger / heavier (the walls), but this is something to consider. You can get more information on Essentium's work i.e. here: <https://3dprinting.com/news/essentiums-fusebox-plasma-3d-printing/> - they bascially can reheat the plastic to fuse way better. They also print with speeds up to 1m/second, extremely impressive to see.
* Standard 3d printing may be leaking, particularly under pressure. This is a problem as above (the layers not being perfectly bonded). Again, more layering may solve this, as would a larger nozzle.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Although metal casting has been briefly mentioned, another approach to your problem would be to create a silicone mold from your print and cast the part using epoxy or polyurethane, both of which have the desired strength and heat properties.
Here is an example of this technique
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/14 | 481 | 1,777 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm printing with a Prusa MK3, with the following settings:
* 3 perimeters
* 50 % infill
* infill overlap: 50 %
The filament is Polyalchemy emerald green (PLA). Nozzle temperature: 210 °C.
On a simple part (it's a keychain), the shell detaches if I apply a bit of force on a zone of the part that is "fragile". See picture. You might not be able to see it, but only the 2 external perimeters detach from the rest of the part. I used to print this part on another printer, and I never observed this problem.
Any idea on how to solve this problem? It seems the 3 external perimeters didn't fuse properly.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cUI0O.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: I am looking at your picture, and I realize that it is not only that the perimeter is detaching from the infill, but also that the perimeter is breaking.
Once the perimeter breaks, the weaker connection with the infill will surely break, too.
You could try:
1. Using more than two perimeter layers. Go big. Try five.
2. Add a fillet where the ring attaches so that the force is not focused on a point.
3. Choose an infill percentage and pattern that maximizes the contact between the perimeter and the body.
4. Change the angle on the bed at which the keychain is printed so that the infill maximally connects with the breaking point. That might make the ring be 45 degrees off the X and Y axes.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I ultimately concluded that the material isn't great. I printed this part with multiple other PLAs and never observed any problem. The Polyalchemy PLA looks great, but for any part that has some sort of mechanical constraint, it behaves poorly.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2019/12/16 | 733 | 2,752 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm printing a model on my Ender 3 in Mika3D Silk PLA, which (just for reference, this is not atypical) has a stated temperature of 200 °C to 235 °C. I have used this filament before and found it works best for me around 200 °C, but was not the case with this print, and I'm wondering what else I can do to fix this issue.
I have retractions enabled, have lowered the printing temperature to 180 °C and decreased the feed rate significantly, to around 75 %. Both of these adjustments happened gradually, making sure there was no change in stringing between adjustments.
I do have rafts and Z hops enabled in Cura, as previous prints of this model were knocked off the base even after leveling the bed properly, and almost every time a "hop" is performed, some stringing occurs. Is there something I can do in my settings, etc, to fix this issue?
Here is an image of the problem.
Edit: did some extra research and *increased* my print speed and switched to a better testing model - same issue.<issue_comment>username_1: It's because the nozzle has nowhere to wipe itself, like when you don't use Z hop the nozzle wipes itself off in the inside of the print. When you have Z hop enabled the nozzle has nowhere to wipe the string off, which leaves a string when it goes over to the next print. This happens to me all the time.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: What improved the stringing issue in my case was increase the amount of retraction on top of the temperature reduction.
After each change, I printed one of [these parts](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472) (see image below), designed specifically for testing stringing.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qBM4F.png)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Stringing may depend on sub-optimal retraction settings: when retraction is fast and high enough, the string may be cut and disappear.
You may want to at least try to optimise retraction, at least to exclude that parameter.
There is a tool designed to properly tune retraction:
<http://retractioncalibration.com/>
What it does is print a tower with multiple retractions with increasing retraction distance around the perimeter. Along the Z axis the retraction speed is increased.
This tool does not include Z-hopping so stringing may be less visible, but at least you can easily visualise the optimal retraction settings. At that point if the optimal settings are much different from what you had, you may want to try your model again to see if it improved.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HVbns.jpg)
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/17 | 841 | 3,241 | <issue_start>username_0: I am attempting to build a 3D printer using the [Bear Upgrade](https://github.com/gregsaun/prusa_i3_bear_upgrade) for guidance.
However, I want to modify some of the parts. I am basing the modified parts on the original designs.
I would like to understand the reason behind some design details presented on the original designs so that, if necessary, introduce them into the new designs.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XTG3N.jpg)
Item 1) The holes are not round. Why???
Item 2 ) There are some little squares inside the piece which i don't know if they are there for some structural reason
Please use [this link](https://github.com/gregsaun/prusa_i3_bear_upgrade/blob/master/full_upgrade/for_mk3/printed_parts/step/y_idler.step) to the piece depicted above.
Here is a drawing of the full assembly, showing that this piece is the y axes linear rods holder:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rOAzb.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: >
> Item 1) The holes are not round. Why???
>
>
>
Two things about this. First, the print is upside down. The holes are not round to accommodate the fact you cannot print a round hole unsupported. If you try to print the circle unsupported, when you get to the top portion, it will sag until the print catches up to it. By that time, the circle is flat at the top and you won't be able to fit whatever you were trying to fit into it (without some post processing). Printing the V-ish looking part at the top will ensure you'll be able fit things through it you meant to fit through (sorry if that's redundant). If you'd like to know more, take a look at the following Maker's Muse video:
>
> Item 2 ) There are some little squares inside the piece which i don't know if they are there for some structural reason
>
>
>
To be very honest with you, I don't know why the little squares are there either, however, I believe you can answer this part for yourself.
I think the answer lies in the part, meaning, if you can manipulate the 3d design in whatever you're using to design it, you can look into the part and see what's going on with it. It appears there are dashed lines in the center parts, which would make me believe these are *hidden lines*. There is a feature there which is *inside* of the part which you cannot see otherwise. By turning it, you should be able to decipher what these features are for and therefore should be able to discern what the small squares a for as well. If, after you've looked the part over completely you cannot discern a purpose for the squares, don't design them into your part. It may just be they are an artifact of the design itself and doesn't provide anything worth repeating in your own design. Bottom line, don't get hung up on the minute details which in the end don't mean a thing.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Teardrop shape
ere is a feature there which is inside of the part which you cannot see otherwise. By turning it, you should be able to decipher what these features are for and therefore should be able to
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/20 | 754 | 2,850 | <issue_start>username_0: My first magnetic bed mat for my Ender 3 Pro is cracking underneath. On the top side there is a bubble in the middle which prevents any viable print. The layers are probably separating.
I am new to printing but have read many articles on hiccups to expect, fixes etc. I do understand these magnetic mats can break down. They're pretty cheap on Amazon (something like \$12 for a 2-pack). Not a huge deal. I've printed only about 1100g worth of filament over 30 prints. Despite their cheap price I don't feel I got a proper amount of mileage out of the mat.
I keep my bed at 60 °C and 215 °C for the filament. I'm pretty sure 60 °C is below the maximum temperature for this kind of bed. I am struggling to find articles on this issue.
What can I do to prolong the life of these mats? I have removed the mat (with its print) while the bed was still hot to remove items just as much as removing cold items. Am I supposed to wait until it's cold? The cracks I only assume are from flexing the mat. I'm not trying to fold it here. I do pull on the item as I'm curving the mat to break it free. I can't explain the bubble.
The bed deteriorated after my first large print which took 27 hours. Prior, longest print I had was about 5 hours, most prints 1-1.5 hours. Is this a factor?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z69pA.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: My personal technique for removing prints (particularly larger prints) is not to flex the mat at all. Instead, I wait until it's cool and then work the spatula under an edge and move it under the model to basically peel it from the mat.
Smaller prints usually pop right off if I start with this technique from one end.
Surface area on the bed (for a single part) is most important to how much work is involved. For example, a raft or brim will greatly increase the surface area. The spatula is long enough that usually I can reach everywhere under the model so eventually it will pop free. I might have to work around the model a bit before it reaches this point.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I had quite a few Ender 3's with magnetic beds and I did start to notice the cracks on the underside with use. To stop the cracks from appearing so soon you should avoid excessive bending of the mat. Any time where you are bending the mat near 90°s or so is when you will start to cause those stress forces that cause the crackling you see.
However, I would like to point out that the bed is still quite usable and should not need to be replaced until it no longer adheres to the build plate firmly. I would also point out that most Ender 3's that I've dealt with needed to be upgraded to glass beds for superior flatness and consistent bed adhesion. I recommend upgrading if you do decide to spend money on ned beds.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/12/21 | 641 | 2,556 | <issue_start>username_0: I’ve just brought my printer back out after a month and it’s first print created a solid block of resin about 1.5 cm deep and the full width and length of the print bed. What could cause this?
My only thought so far is that the FEP film / vat bed is looking a little cloudy even after cleaning. I wondered if this could have caused the light to diffuse across the whole bed?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gucsU.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Is the laser (or whatever light source it uses) visible? The cloudy film sounds like a good candidate for light diffusion and thus solidifying the entire resin, but if there are visible components to the light source it may help narrow it down.
If it uses a projector ("LCD") solutions, it may also be that the display that filters the light to certain regions of the resin to selectively solidify the print may be at fault, but that's rather unlikely.
The first thing that, in my *opinion*, you should do is to check that the object you are printing does not have a corrupt model file. Assuming that you have spare, fresh resin (if your resin is old, that's actually the most likely issue...) and it wasn't too hard to pry out that block, you could try printing something else that worked in the past.
While it's doing that, you may be able to see where/how it is printing. If the beam diffuses or lights up the whole area, you can tell if it's a printer issue (the film sounds like a good first thing to try replacing in that case). On the other hand, if the resin is old, it's probably just getting oversensitive and your printer is fine.
The resin is very touchy with these things, and has a shelf life of a few weeks to a few months, and less if it's ever opened.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I had an issue with mine. I had a tiny hole that dripped some resin on the LCD screen. I scrapped it off as best I could but there were some serious printing problems on that side. I got a new LCD screen and replaced that and now print jobs that use to work are not printing solid blocks.
I have no luck trying to repair it, so I sent support a question on how to fix it and what is causing it.
I will update when I know more
Update: LCD screen was replaced upside down making the ribbon cable go in backwards. I swapped/flipped it over and it works fine now. So if you are having a solid block issue. Replace the lcd but also be cautious of what side goes up. They don’t show you in the videos.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/22 | 2,183 | 8,691 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been thinking about alternatives to support materials for FDM printers, such as multi axis printers, dual head with soluble support material or printing in a gel/liquid which traps the material in place. Then it occurred to me that it might be possible to use the surface tension of a liquid to act as support material, same way small objects an insect can float on water even though they are heavier than water. This would also work great for cooling the extruded material. NOTE, we are still using a base plate like any other FDM printer, the only difference is that we have a water surface on the build plate which act as support material for large overhangs/steep angles. Everything is still attached to the build plate itself. We are not just printing stand alone parts on the surface of the water.
After some highly scientific testing (Dropping an extruded string of PLA and placing a thin printed PLA part on the top of water) I've concluded that it is very feasible to float PLA on the surface tension of water. See picture for refence: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hikJO.jpg)
As you can see the floating structure is not at all trivial, it has both smooth round shapes and many sharp corners and holes in it, it was still extremely simple to get floating (I could drop it in from a height of 5 cm and it would still not break the surface tension).
I also tried my best to investigate the effects of having structures underneath which might mess up the surface tension by placing larger PLA parts under the floating ring and trying to sink the ring by touching the underside and corners without any success at sinking the floating part. The only way I could get this part to sink was to push it down under water. Even if the surface tension was only broken half way along the ring the ring would still float. If you are thinking that the ring acted as a boat, that is not the case. I made sure to fill the small indents with water so that there were no pockets of air keeping it afloat.
An even more encouraging result was another ring which was much thicker than it was wide. It still managed to float from the surface tension on the top side of the structure while the rest of it was submerged, accurately mimicking how the structure would actually be in the water during printing. See picture:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CPQSH.jpg)
While this ring much easier to sink it was very resistant to being moved around. Again, basically the only way to sink it was to push it down under water, though as soon as the surface tension was broken on one side the whole ring quickly sank.
All this leads me to my question: Does anyone know of a 3D printer which uses the surface tension of water as support material?
I've searched around some on the web and I have not really found anything at all on the matter. I can foresee many potential problems (such as the extruder moving unsupported lines to the side when changing direction, layer adhesion, enclosed areas not filling with water etc) but the potential to print without support and only have to worry about keeping the newly extruded material in place could open up a lot of potential.
UPDATE: I also tried 60 degree Celsius water (In case you need hot water to help with layer adhesion) and the surface tension still was able to float the thicker ring piece, though it felt like the surface tension was weaker.<issue_comment>username_1: I just had the same idea and googled it. My idea was to submerge the whole print platform in the water and lower it down so that the water level and the current layer line are always at the same height. Maybe a pump would be required to counteract the plastic displacing water. Completely floating parts of the print could have a tower with three contact points underneath to keep them in place without having to lift the whole structure.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This is exactly how the $100 [Peachy Printer](https://hackaday.com/2016/05/11/peachy-printer-collapses-investor-built-a-house-instead-of-a-printer/) was supposed to work. Unfortunately, fraud sunk the Kickstarter campaign and no-one got their printer.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: It's not feasible as described with normal FDM technology.
==========================================================
FDM bases on depositing material in a single path. This needs the deposited material to stay at the same XY coordinates for subsequent paths. And exactly here is where a floating piece fails: a free-floating piece is by its very definition unrestricted in XY, and would move to follow the nozzle.
There are is also a whole plethora of factors that make this idea not feasible with the standard technology, meaning you'll have to develop the whole process, not just recombine two ideas. This means, you need to solve the following issues:
Heatsink Water
--------------
The extruded plastic needs to stay close to the melting point for some time, so it can fuse and bond with the lines next to them. However, water is known to be a very good method to get the heat away from items, as each liter of water can take about 4.1 MJ and only heat by one Kelvin. PLA on the other hand only stores about [1.8 MJ per Kilogram and Kelvin](https://www.makeitfrom.com/material-properties/Polylactic-Acid-PLA-Polylactide).
As a back of the envelope calculation, the temperature differential between room temperature and printing temperature PLA is about 180 Kelvin. Each gram of PLA is equivalent to 319.8 mm of filament (assuming a density of 1.3 g/cm³) or an extruded line of 9.6 kilometer length of 0.4 mm width and 0.2 mm height! That one gram contains about 324 Joules of energy that will be dispersed to the room temperature as it cools down. The water vat would not even get measurably warmer from sucking those few joules from a whole print!
While this could be, in the right setup, be used to rapidly cool the print and *solidify* it in shape, the result of the rapid healing will most likely also impact print quality negatively, as cross-layer bonding is reduced.
Separator water
---------------
It is a well-known trick in creating polymer fibers to extrude underwater, as the water not only cools (see above) but also acts as a separator between the fibers, for the very short timeframe they are still malleable. This would also strike when printing into the water - there'll be a water layer in between the deposited filament, which would need to either get pressed out or cooked out before any cross-extrusion bonding can occur. As a result, just extruding into the water should result in a print that has almost no sturdiness, and might fall apart on touch.
Floating
--------
Water has a density of 1 g/cm³. PLA has a density of 1.3 g/cm³. So a solid chunk of PLA sinks. But we don't print solid, we include air. Not just a few percent but infill is usually below 20 %. I have just printed a cube. After smoothing the surface by sanding, the cube is 29,7x29.9x29.9 mm. It has 3 parameters, 20% infill, 5 top and bottom layers with 0.2 mm layer height and comes to 11 grams. 11 g/26.55 cm³=0.41 g/cm³. Or in other words: the cube would float, about 40 % under the water surface, 60 % above the surface. The print would be, as a result, quickly break the water surface and get no support from the water at all.
Submerging the bed?
-------------------
The main issue of a free-floating object (position) might be mitigated if there was a bed that would be submerged, but one would open a new can of worms, that might be even worse: the volume of the print and the accuracy of pumps.
As the print goes on - quality be dammed - the print grows in volume. However, it doesn't grow entirely linear, depending on two factors:
* Is the print happening on/below the water surface? Then we will include water in the print. The volumetric growth of the print is in this case just the deposited filament. You'll need an overflow to compensate for the print growing and keep the water level in position.
* Is the print happening *just above* the surface of the water? then the displaced volume grows according to the depth of the print in the water. This would mitigate most of the problems from water preventing cross-bonding and causing floating, and even use the heatsink properties more beneficial, as any filament starting to sag will be stopped. It also would prevent water from being encased in the print. However, it does not use surface tension. Also, you'll need an overflow system to keep the water level steady.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/12/22 | 791 | 3,159 | <issue_start>username_0: I bought an Ender 3 two days ago and assembled it today. I think I did it properly, tested the movement of all axes which works for all axes. Then I performed the calibration as described in the manual. I used a piece of paper and adjusted the bed until it barely fits underneath the nozzle for all four corners. Afterwards, I wanted to print my first model so I selected the cat from the usb stick which came with printer. And now comes my problem. I let the printer run for 15 minutes. It moved and moved and moved but there was no filament on the bed. The nozzle and bed were heated properly. The one thing which I noticed was that the stepper which feeds the filament turns for like 30° and then flips back: to me it looks like the filament can not be fed in. After canceling the print the extruder moves back to the home position which is like 5 mm off the bed and then suddenly the filament flows out of the nozzle.
What part of the configuration I'm missing?<issue_comment>username_1: I use Cura on my Anycubic Chiron which I encountered a similar problem with and I was able to resolve the issue by preheating the nozzle to a higher temp. I would test the nozzle and make sure it is feeding properly. What I mean by that is load the filament manually and make sure it comes out. Reason I say this is because the other issue you may be running into is either the nozzle is clogged or it may be too close to the bed for it to come out of the nozzle. This is all speculation but hopefully it helps.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I am a fairly new user of an Ender 3 and had similar issues on a couple of occasions.
The main reason was as @0scar suggested - the nozzle was too close to the build plate preventing the filament from exiting - and the back-pressure was causing the filament to jump back, giving the extruder a "shudder" as it slips on the filament. Lower your build plate as suggested by @0scar. The paper should only just drag.
The fact that filament oozes after the hot end/print heads moves to home suggests you don't have a blockage... but you will if you don't adjust this.
It is better to have the nozzle slightly too high, so the first level does not stick and gradually raise the bed up while you are running the test patterns. Only turn the adjustment knob about 1/8 of a turn before checking - you are dealing in tenths of a millimeter here. Also remember that changing the front setting is going to change the back settings too because the plate will tilt.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The stepper motor turning back is retraction. It is a normals process for 3D printers. I suggest you check that the filament is able to extrude at all.
1. Using the control panel, go to prep then move axis and move the nozzle up(I forget which axis)
2. Heat the nozzel up to 200 degrees.
3. Push filament through the nozzel by hand and see if it extrudes.
If not, check that the nozzel is unblocked. To unblock the nozzel get a thin needle and clear the hole while still hot. Unless u have a nozzel cleaning tool.
If it is not blocked the filament may need changing.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/28 | 909 | 3,806 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to increase adhesion of the first layer (as well as to fill gaps for a more even surface) by squeezing more material against the bed. The obvious way of doing that in Cura is by increasing the "Initial Layer Flow", i.e. to make the printer push out slightly more material than it normally would.
But then there is also a setting called "Initial Layer Width" and according to the the Cura Settings Guide (see image below), increasing line width will make the nozzle
>
> extrude more material and that material has to flow wider outward. This causes the nozzle to press the material harder on the build plate (...) Not only will the lines be wider ... but they will also be farther apart ... by the same factor, so it would not produce overextrusion
>
>
>
This seems to imply that increasing the initial layer width will automatically *also* increase initial layer flow. If this is so, the question is: which setting is applied first?
In any case, it seems that the two settings should not be applied together, if they manipulate the same variable (but I have not seen this recommendation anywhere). Which leads me to my may question: **what is the difference between the two settings?** More specifically (based on my above reasoning): **what else does "Initial Layer Width" manipulate, apart from the flow rate in the first layer?** Just the distance between the lines so that increasing the setting will lead to fewer lines?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yzyn4.png)<issue_comment>username_1: Cura option `Initial Layer Width` will cause lines to be further apart or closer together, based on the value you set with respect to the default. The required filament flow to produce these lines is calculated based on the width of the line and the overlap between lines (and layer height).
The Cura option `Initial Layer Flow` adjusts flow for the current line width with a multiplier, this means that the distance between lines stays the same. I.e. with this parameter you can overextrude to push more material to the build plate. Note that for a well calibrated machine this is not necessary. My printers use the paper method to determine the initial `Z=0` for levelling and never use a wider initial line width or overextrusion of the first layer to get perfect filled mirror finish first layers on glass. However, if (paper) tape is used, the bed may be less flat and overextrusion might be beneficial for better adhesion.
The options can be used together, the multiplier will act upon the calculated flow.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The typical consensus is that you increase the layer flow initially for better adhesion, though from my experience I **decrease** it!
My first layer is printed at between 70-75 % layer flow, this gives the best adhesion and best visuals when printing with ASA or ABS.
From layer 2 on I've 105 % layer flow.
The reason is that my first layer is printed "officially" at 0.27mm but in reality, it's more like 0.05 mm thickness. That's manually finetuned while printing after a material change, basically, the thickness is adjusted for perfect grip on the build plate.
When left at 100 % flow rate this will cause ripples or waves on the bottom, it's excess material that builds up along the printed lines.
At 70 % the wrong initial distance is compensated (visually) while maintaining perfect adhesion.
Conclusion: Fine-tune your printer and settings for each material used, a general answer is not possible. Especially true for difficult materials like ABS, ASS, or Nylon.
The best is to watch the printer while it is printing and adapt the mechanical properties first, then fine tuning the flow rates.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/12/29 | 444 | 1,707 | <issue_start>username_0: I printed a model and now I can't remove it.
I have been chiselling away with a putty knife and made little or no progress. I even heated the bed up to 70 °C. That really didn't seem to help.
Last time, I put it in vice, and tried to free it that way, but instead I broke the glass.
Suggestion?<issue_comment>username_1: It's useful to know what material you used for the print. Also, you've referenced the glass that broke in the vise, which implies a glass bed, but did you use any adhesive spray or other application?
Allowing for all of this unknown information, there may be a solution for your release. Our library makerspace has a small bottle of 50-50 water/denatured alcohol, although isopropyl alcohol should also work if your glass is not coated with a special film such as PEI. Heat up the surface of the glass to your usual temperature (50-60°C) and apply a few drops of the mixture to the edge of the print.
It will evaporate pretty quickly, but some of it will work under the glass/model interface. Apply a bit more while the glass is still warm. Continue to apply until the the evaporation is no longer accelerated.
Considering the difficulty you are experiencing, it may be necessary to repeat the heating sequence multiple times in order to get enough wicking of the liquid to effect a release.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I don't have a glass bed, but I've had a lot of luck with using dental floss to get stuck prints loose.
If you can get the floss under the edge of the print, then you just pull it through to the other side.
This technique takes some practice but works really well once you get the hang of it.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/12/31 | 627 | 2,606 | <issue_start>username_0: I have seen several postings in forums about the power connector on some ender 3's being bad and causing issues or just burning out, potentially causing a fire.
How can I tell if I have the bad power connector?<issue_comment>username_1: If you can measure the voltage at the main board where the bed power line is attached, or at the last point in the wiring prior to the connector, then measure the voltage at the bed, you can compare the difference to determine if there is loss related to a failing connector.
One certain indication of a failing connector is to separate the components of the connector and see corrosion, discoloration or any sign of burning. The Robo3d R1+ used 10 ampere connectors and the bed draws 14 amperes, according to the research I've done. When I discovered that information and separated the connector, it was an easy answer, as one side was scorched and the pins on the other were corroded and discolored.
Another method, not for everyone, is to use an IR camera and examine the leads carrying the power to the bed. The failing portion will be absorbing some of the power and heating itself, which will show up as a bright portion in the power path.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Unless the connector has already started failing - by getting warm, creating a voltage drop, eventually melting away -, you will have to remove the shrink tubing near it.
Earlier batches had the connection crimped by the supplier of the cables, which is **wrong**. XT60 connectors should always be soldered to.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If the connector or the wires are hot, you have a severe problem. The heat of a high-resistance connection encourages additional oxidation and corrosion, which escalates the problem.
If the wires do not get warmer as they approach the connector, you don't have a problem, at least not yet. If the wires get warmer as you approach the connector, you probably have a budding problem.
Soldered connectors are not generally used, with crimped connections preferred. The copper-to-copper connection is lower resistance than copper-tin-copper. Also if something happens to the connector pins which cause them to heat (such as corroded surfaces), solder can melt.
Another answer suggests that the XT60 connector should be soldered. A quick look at some spec sheets show solder-cup connections which should be soldered and aren't suitable for crimping. I have not seen that there are **no** XT60 style connectors with crimp connections, so I can not rule out the appropriateness of a crimp connection.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/01 | 608 | 2,265 | <issue_start>username_0: Why does my 3 mm PLA filament always snap near the spool some time (usually a few hours) after a print has finished?
I have had it snap mid print but this is quite rare.
I have 3 rolls of 3 mm PLA filament from Velleman and 3DPrima. They all exhibit this behavior. They are between 2 and 3 years old. Each roll is stored in a foil bag with some desiccant, although this was not the case in the first year. The temperature in the room ranges between 14 °C and 18 °C in winter and rarely up to 30 °C in summer. Current relative humidity is 49 %. In summer I think I have seen it as high as 70 %. I baked one spool in the oven at about 50 °C for a few hours but this does not seam to have helped. When I remove the loose end of filament from the extruder after it has broken, some length of it seams to snap easily and some of it will just bend.
The printer has a direct extruder so there is no bowden tube.<issue_comment>username_1: PLA seems to become brittle with age. Micro-fractures develop on the surface, and they will grow if filament is taken off the spool and held straight. This behaviour does not seem to be linked to moisture content. The best course of action is probably to use PLA quickly. Don't give it time to age.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: When water gets absorbed into the filament, it causes some of the long chain polymers to break. This is a permanent reaction that cannot be fixed by baking the filament, which typically results in the embrittlement of the material. This is true for both the filament and the printed part.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: PLA snapping is pretty universal. The best countermeasure is to always remove the filament from the printer after a print and place it in a low-humidity chamber. Other answers speak of moisture-induced micro-cracks, for which I have no evidence for or against.
This has occurred for me when I've been lazy about putting filament away after a print.
I've seen it with several brands of PLA, perhaps more often with filament with a glassy surface finish.
My filament is 1.75 mm. 3 mm filament may be more susceptible because of higher stresses on the surface for the same radius bend, or straightening from the same radius spool.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/02 | 2,189 | 8,600 | <issue_start>username_0: I've just built my first 3D printer. It uses a Bowden setup.
When I try to print the extruder starts fine, but after a few seconds the extruder motor start skipping and the nozzle is jammed.
I tried a cold pull, but it didn't help. I removed the PTFE tube and tried to push the filament with my hand, it works but at the start I need the push harder but after it flows fine. But if I reinstall the Bowden setup, it works fine for a few minutes, but after a few seconds it starts again.
---
Note I am using silver PLA at 200-205 °C. I tried to raise the temperature to 215 °C, but it also jammed, and the filament what after I pushed out was black (it is a new hotend and I never used black filament before), like it was burned (if it is possible).<issue_comment>username_1: It is useful to diagnose your problem if you provide more information, specifically what material you are using and what temperature you are using on your hot end.
Even without the above information, it is likely that the hot end temperature is too low. At a low setting, the filament in the nozzle will soften, perhaps even melt as deeply as needed to be extruded, but as new filament is provided by the extruder motor, it also cools the heater block.
By increasing the temperature, you're ensuring there is sufficient thermal energy to handle the incoming cold material.
It would be useful to increase your nozzle temperature by 5°C for each test. Despite matching your controller's temperature to the manufacturer's specification, you can not be certain that the temperature at the nozzle and heat block are what you have programmed.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Extruder clogging is, at its root, a matter of too much backpressure at the hotend. There are a number of more specific causes, but it very simply comes down to the fact that the printer cannot feed the filament through the hotend as fast as the extruder is pushing it in.
Things to check, pretty much in the order they should be checked/performed for a brand-new printer:
* **Extruder stepper calibration.** With new printers based on RepRap firmware (Enders, Prusas, pretty much any printer in the \$200-\$400 range these days), one of the first things you have to do after assembly is to calibrate your E-stepper (the motor that drives filament through the extruder). The printer is given commands based on millimeters of movement, including the feeding of filament, and it has to translate those into finite steps of the motors. If those steps don't actually move the extruder or the filament as much as expected, the printer will behave poorly, including clogging. E-stepper calibration is pretty easy, especially on Bowden extruders; you basically disconnect the Bowden tube at either end, load filament through the stepper, cut it off flush with the end of the tube or the coupling, then tell the printer to extrude 100 mm of filament. Cut it off flush again and measure, and if it's not 100 mm, look for a command beginning with `M92` in your printer configuration (it can be in the settings of your actual printer or a configuration script in your slicer software that gets tacked on to the front of the G-code files generated for use with that printer), and adjust the value you see after the `E` in that command by multiplying it by 100, then dividing by the millimeters of filament actually extruded in the test. Rinse and repeat until the printer is feeding the amount of fil you tell it to.
* **Bed height/leveling.** This may not sound like it has anything to do with extruder clogs, but in truth, if your extruder is too close to the print bed at any point during the first layer, it can very easily clog the extruder by not allowing enough material to flow out the nozzle to keep up with what's being fed in. Bed leveling is a key step in print prep, and every printer behaves best with subtle changes to the bed leveling procedure. My guess is that you need to re-level for a slightly higher "zero-Z" above the build plate. If you're using the sheet-of-paper method, either use a thicker piece of paper, or go for less friction as you pass the paper between the nozzle and build plate.
* **Nozzle diameter settings.** The standard nozzle tip diameter is 0.4 mm, however there are others. Your slicer probably expects the standard diameter as a default, so if you're running a 0.3, 0.2 or 0.1 mm nozzle for finer detail, the slicer has to be told that so it can adjust the filament feed rate. Otherwise it'll be jamming up to 16 times as much filament into that hotend as it should be. This isn't likely to be your problem but it's something to check; most extruder nozzles these days have the tip diameter engraved or pressed into the side of the nozzle, and if yours is unlabeled, try heading to the local music store and buying a single 0.013" guitar string (typically sold as a high E for acoustics). If that wire end easily fits through the extruder nozzle, you have a 0.4 mm, if it does not, it's something smaller.
* **Extruder clog/obstruction.** That guitar string I mentioned makes a really good extruder cleaner. Just feed it through the extruder tip and gently push it up through the hotend till it pops out the top of the extruder, then feed it back and forth a bit to "floss" the extruder tip, cleaning out any minor carbon buildup. If you can't feed the wire completely through the extruder body from either direction, that's probably your problem, and fixes range anywhere from a little more pressure with the wire, to a narrow drill bit carving out the obstruction, up to removing the entire heat block from the printer, putting it on or in something that won't burn, and blasting it with a soldering torch to burn out the obstruction, followed (after letting it cool) by a bath in some acetone to dissolve any remaining gunk.
* **Gunked-up extruder hobb.** The toothed wheel attached to the extruder stepper is called the "hobb" (you may hear it called a gear, but it's really not one as it doesn't mesh with another gear). As the printer feeds filament, especially if you've had jamming problems, the hobb's teeth will fill with shavings from the filament it feeds through. This can cause the hobb to slip against the filament, which not only reduces the pressure of the filament being pushed through the extruder, it accelerates the accumulation of gunk on the hobb. A short blast of canned air is usually all you need to clean the hobb; if it still looks pretty caked up, a toothbrush will sort it out. While you're at it, check the idler to be sure it's still spinning freely.
* **Filament type/brand/age.** You mentioned it's "silver PLA"; the silver stuff I have is actually a "silk PLA" product, that sheathes the PLA in a jacket of another plastic (often PET) for that high-gloss appearance. These kinds of filaments can be very temperamental, as can filaments with glitter or fiber aggregate in them (also common in metallic fil colors). You have to have the printer settings dialed in just right, and some of these products just don't work well at all in some printers. Try getting some very basic, brand-name PLA filament like Hatchbox, ColorFabb, MatterHackers, MakerBot, etc, in a good primary color (avoid black or white; the color saturation affects how easily the stuff extrudes at a given temp), no silk finish or other modification. If that prints well, the suspect becomes the silver fil.
* **Extruder temperature.** You're printing at 200-205 °C, which is usually good, but if you're getting problems, the first thing to do with PLA is to try printing *cooler*, not hotter. Case in point, getting PLA too hot can cause it to fully melt and drizzle out (vacating the extruder and causing it to overheat the fil further up, jamming the melt tube), it can gum up (directly clogging the extruder nozzle), and it can carbonize (as you see it doing at 215). If you're already flirting with burning your PLA at 10 degrees hotter, you are probably running too hot. Try backing off to 195 or 190 and see if that helps any.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I had a very similar problem with my printer, and it turned out that the bowden tube was not fully inserted into the hotend. The hotend is bored out to a very close fit to the tube. I had inserted it about a half inch, until it stopped, but it had only gone in to the top of the hotend.
After I inserted the bowden tube fully, my clogging issue stopped.
You can insert a toothpick or something and measure the depth, then mark the tube at the same measurement to ensure it gets fully inserted.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/03 | 1,350 | 4,756 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm using a Prusa i3 MK3S printer. After ~8 months of printing PLA, PET-G, ABS I decided to buy some HIPS and print something with it. I cannot print >1 filaments at once, so I'm not using it as a support for ABS, **I want to create some high durability working models, like gears, robot parts etc.**
While the quality of my models is perfect, unfortunately their **strength is disappointingly low. They easily undergo plastic deformation or break.** I've tried lots of settings, some yielding better or worse results, but the problem is present regardless.
My settings:
* Printer: Prusa i3 MK3S
* Nozzle: Default 0.4 mm nozzle for Prusa
* Layer Height: 0.2-0.3 mm
* Temperature: 230-240 °C nozzle, 100-110 °C bed
* Slicer: PrusaSlicer 2.0.0
I've read lots of tutorials regarding HIPS printing and they did not give me the answer to my question...
Am I doing something wrong or is it normal for High Impact PolyStyrene? At this point, the *High Impact* Polystyrene seems less *High Impact* than generic PLA.<issue_comment>username_1: The primary use of HIPS in 3D printing is to create sacrificial supports, which you're aware of. The material dissolves in lemon oil, making it popular for printing dense supports within complex shapes that can then be easily removed just by spraying the part down with Orange Clean.
I would not expect HIPS material sold for 3D printing use to have much if any strength, especially for moving parts. Outside 3D printing, most uses of the material are in expanded foam products like bike helmets, flotation products etc, and these applications require pressure-molding, which creates a higher-density object and hardens the foam's outer layer to make it tough enough for everyday use. Just extruding the stuff out into the open air gives you the same density (and strength) as a packing peanut.
If you want a styrene-type material that's strong, tough and relatively light, I'd stick with ABS. If you're looking for a challenge in a similar material, try nylon; it creates a lower-friction surface, is very tough but pliable, and its hygroscopy requires very careful handling of the filament (in some more humid climates, you have to feed it from a dry box through PTFE tubing straight into the printer; even the time out in the air between the box and the extruder is enough to get hydrolysis-related issues).
If you really want to print HIPS foam gears, the only thing I can suggest you try is an epoxy coating to give the object a harder shell while retaining the light weight. My wife does custom-applique vacuum tumblers (but who doesn't nowadays; my wife's making more money selling other people the supplies and equipment to do it), and her favorite stuff to use is [Faux Rizzle](https://artresinfauxrizzle.com/faux-rizzle-art-resin/); very durable, odorless, easy to mix and apply, and relatively inexpensive (many other art resins sell for about double what you can get FR for). Good luck to you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It might. If HIPS is a single material with consistent properties, it might have a narrower temperature range. Online references suggest up to 240 °C. Try that, then 245 and 250 °C. Maybe higher.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: You might try upgrading your PrusaSlicer to 2.1.1. I don't know if the "Prusa HIPS" setting got updated since your 2.0.0 but it's worth checking.
For comparison, PrusaSlicer 2.1.1 uses these settings for HIPS:
Filament:
* First layer temp: 220
* Other layer temp: 220
* Bed temp, first layer: 100
* Bed temp, other layers: 110
Cooling:
* Fan speed: min 20%, max 20%
* Bridges fan speed: 50%
* Disable fan for first 3 layers
* Enable fan if layer print time is below 10 sec
* Other cooling settings same as for PLA
Advanced:
* Max volumetric speed: 11
There's also custom G-code for HIPS setting M900 K10.
I, too, want to print actual parts with HIPS. For me, it's because HIPS the lowest density of all the commonly-available stiff-plastic filaments, which is great for printing lightweight model aircraft parts where every gram matters.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I've been using HIPS for nearly 2 years now to print the housings of EDF units for RC planes. They come out light and strong but have poor layer adhesion, especially on thin-wall parts.
Normally I print at with a 260 °C nozzle and 100 °C bed but will try higher temperature when I upgrade my Ender 5 to a 32-bit board. Thin cyanoacrylate painted on the surface solves most issues. Sometimes I use a solution of ASA dissolved in acetone to paint the surface and bind layers together.
The EDF rotors I print from Apollo X which is a modified ASA that is easy to print but not soluble in acetone.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/04 | 1,581 | 5,411 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm having a problem getting a clean first layer on an Ender 3 with BLTouch auto bed leveling. Thickness seems to fluctuate all over the bed, but in a consistent (repeatable) way. Here's my attempt to print a [single layer 5 square bed calibration test](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2187071):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bKYFc.jpg)
I stopped the print midway through filling the first square, but you get the idea. Lines go from too low so no filament comes out to too high.
I printed this several (many) times with slight settings tweaks and it looks pretty much the same every time; the ups and downs aren't random. For example, the center square always is always too low on the left and too high on the right:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2wI8h.jpg)
The printer is a SainSmart Ender 3 Pro with a BLTouch V3.1 and Creality glass bed, otherwise stock. I flashed a bootloader and Marlin 2.0 using the [instructions and pre-compiled firmware](https://github.com/3d-printing-canada/Ender-3-BL-Touch-Installation) from 3D Printing Canada. I'm using the glass bed upside-down on the plain glass side (no coating).
I pre-heated and leveled the four corners manually using the paper method. I auto-homed and then lowered the hot end until it would just catch a piece of paper and used that height to set the Z offset using M851 and saved it with M500. It's currently set at -2.80.
I added `G29` to GCode start in Cura, and it does a 3x3 probe before the print starts. Here's the output when I run `M420 V`:
```
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 -0.207 +0.172 +0.162
1 -0.100 -0.160 +0.220
2 -0.118 +0.215 +0.295
```
Here's what it looks like in the Bed Visualizer plug-in in Octoprint:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Vy4YI.png)
If I understand this right (dubious) it's showing that the glass is lower toward the front and left, highest at back-right. But it's only 0.4mm from the lowest to highest points. And the whole point of mesh leveling is to compensate for this anyway.
At Paulster's suggestion I turned off mesh leveling using `M420 S0`, leveled manually, and printed again. The result is pretty similar (note that this time I let it run all the way through):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hwWJ1.jpg)
Where should I start looking to diagnose this problem?
**Update**
I noticed my X-axis belt was a bit loose, so I tightened it up. It seems to have helped with the odd Z slanting. My test print is still not great though, so this may not be the whole problem. Also I've never seen this effect listed as one caused by loose belts, so it's dubious as the cause. Here's the current test print after tightening the belt:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RWlJd.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1deao.jpg)
It's flatter, but I'm still getting (I think) under-extrusion and some odd wobbles at the corners.<issue_comment>username_1: Two things:
1. Did you bring the bed up to operating temperature to do the levelling (manual or automatic). The metal & glass will expand/warp at different levels depending on temp.
2. Check your G-code to make sure it is not doing a `G28` (auto home). That turns off auto-levelling. If it is there you can add:
```
G28 ;Home
M420 S1 ; turn levelling on
M501 ; reload your last-saved bed levelling from EEPROM
```
This assumes you saved the results from your auto-levelling with `M500`:
```
G29 ; Automatic Bed Levelling
M500 ; save the bed levelling data to EEPROM
```
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: This turned out to be a problem with the tightness of the rollers at the left and right sides of the X-axis gantry (that roll up and down the Z rails).
Z-axis motion is driven by a single stepper motor on the left side, so the rollers have to be just the right amount of tight to keep the right side in sync. If the right side is tighter or looser than the left then it lags behind, which gives the gantry a slight slant which changes as it goes up and down.
If the gantry is changing pitch throughout the print, no amount of bed leveling will help. Even auto-leveling is worthless, because the readings the BLTouch takes become immediately out of sync with the gantry as soon as it moves again.
The solution is to adjust the eccentric nuts in the rollers on the left and right. The best description I could find is that they need to be just tight enough that there's some resistance if you roll the top wheel with your finger, but loose enough that you can roll it without forcing the gantry up and down.
I ended up putting a magnetic digital level on top of the gantry rail so I could see exactly how much its incline changed. Send gcode to slide it up and down, then adjust the eccentric nuts a little bit, then repeat. Once I got it so the level didn't change, I re-leveled the bed and printed a beautiful first layer.
That was almost a year ago and it's been working ever since. I've had to re-adjust the eccentric nuts periodically when things start to get off, probably due to thermal expansion when the weather changes.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/05 | 686 | 2,275 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm getting wavy lines on the first layer only in both the x and y direction identically. The first layer is 0.4 mm with a 0.4 mm tip. The other layers are 0.2 mm. I've tried changing the Z offset all the way from -1.2 to 0.5 mm. I've tried changing the hot end leveling the heated bed. None of these changes affected the wavy lines. The waves have about a 1 mm period. The printer is a German RipRap. The material is ABS. The heated bed is 110 °C. I've tried the hot end at 220 °C and 240 °C. So far, nothing has changed the waves.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e74SF.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: The general recommendation for layer height is to go no thicker than 75% of the nozzle diameter. Your post states 0.4 mm layer height with a 0.4 nozzle, exceeding the recommendation.
If your first layer is dropped to 0.3 mm, you'll fall into the recommendation, but the thickness is a reference for ALL layers.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You have a too thick layer: to get straight lines, the plastic has to be squished together to some degree as it is pushed out of the nozzle. The result is a shape similar to a circle with the top and bottom cut. This works well until your layer thickness is more than 3 quarters of the nozzle diameter - above the "squishing" is practically nonexistent, and if you go above the nozzle diameter, there is almost no way to get the desired thickness out of the nozzle at all.
To aid in depositing the layers, it is *also* advised to demand a line width that is about 10 % larger than the nozzle diameter. As illustration, this is roughly what 0.4 mm extrusion width with 0.4 mm layer height (blue) and 0.45 mm extrusion width with 0.3 mm extrusion height (yellow) look like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BzIa5.png)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yZqG8.png)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ElU6V.png)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GPRyP.png)
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/05 | 2,667 | 8,297 | <issue_start>username_0: I have just upgraded my board to TH3D's [EZBoard Lite](https://www.th3dstudio.com/product/ezboard-lite/) with their [Unified Firmware (U2.R1.15)](https://www.th3dstudio.com/knowledgebase/ezboard-installation-guide/) and whilst dialling in all the setting I have found that using the BlTouch each time to be frustrating because of the time it takes to complete the Auto Bed Leveling, however, I cannot find the settings to increase the speed as shown in [Teaching Tech's video](https://youtu.be/BV11-VOQjMc?t=134):
```
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 500, 500, 5, 25 }
```
is changed to
```
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 500, 500, 20, 25 }
```
and
```
#define BLTOUCH_DELAY 375 // (ms) Enable and increase if needed
```
is changed to
```
#define BLTOUCH_DELAY 100 // (ms) Enable and increase if needed
```
and
```
// X and Y axis travel speed (mm/m) between probes
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
```
is changed to
```
// X and Y axis travel speed (mm/m) between probes
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 10000
```
I am not quite sure which parts to change as the two builds are organised and worded differently.
In the online firmware configurator, it does list an option to speed up the probing of their own EZABL but says not to do so for the BLTouch in the [manual configuration editor](https://ezfirmware.th3dstudio.com/editor/)
```
// Super fast probing - VERY EXPERIMENTAL AND ONLY TESTED WITH EZABL PRO SENSORS
// Do NOT use with EZABL_FASTPROBE (comment out above) or BL Touch Sensors
//#define EZABL_SUPERFASTPROBE
```
Would enabling this be the same as making the changes listed in Teaching Tech's video?
Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: I dont know if you managed to solve this but if not I was facing the same issue and managed to do it just by searching all sketches for those parameters in Arduino IDE. They are not all in configuration.h like shown in the Teaching Tech video. Most of them are in configuration\_backend.h and some in conditionals\_LCD.h I used the values suggested in TT's video and it has speeded up levelling vastly.
p.s. I am using the most recent version of the TH3D unified firmware on a Creality CR-10 mini
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: There are multiple ways to achieve this:
In G-code
---------
You don't necessarily need to do that in firmware, TH3D is based on Marlin firmware and is just a monolithic implementation for most popular printers and boards that helps novice users to easily configure their printer, but in the meantime it hides other options from plain sight.
Being a derivative fro Marlin firmware, the bed leveling speed in between probes can also be easily set in G-code. G-code [`G29`](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G29:_Detailed_Z-Probe) has a speed parameter:
`S` : *Set the XY travel speed between probe points (in units/min)*
From below (TH3D firmware) can be seen that a value of 12000 mm/min will speed up and is generally safe to use.
In Marlin firmware
------------------
In Marlin firmware, the speed setting in between probes is found in [Configuration.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.x/Marlin/Configuration.h):
```
// X and Y axis travel speed (mm/min) between probes
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
```
In TH3D firmware
----------------
In TH3D firmware this speed is buried in the [Configuration\_backend.h](https://github.com/houseofbugs/TH3D-Unified-U1.R2/blob/master/TH3DUF_R2/Configuration_backend.h):
```
#if ENABLED(PROBING_MOTORS_OFF)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
#else
#if ENABLED(SLOWER_PROBE_MOVES) || ENABLED(TH3D_EZ300) || ENABLED(TIM_AM8)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
#else
#if ENABLED(EZABL_SUPERFASTPROBE)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 16000
#else
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 12000
#endif
#endif
#endif
```
The speed is depending on setting of the `PROBING_MOTORS_OFF` in [Configuration.h](https://github.com/houseofbugs/TH3D-Unified-U1.R2/blob/master/TH3DUF_R2/Configuration.h):
```
// This will disable the XYE motors during probing. Can be useful if you have stepper motors causing interference issues with the EZABL sensor.
#define PROBING_MOTORS_OFF
```
or depending on the speed settings for specific setting/sensors `(ENABLED(SLOWER_PROBE_MOVES) || ENABLED(TH3D_EZ300) || ENABLED(TIM_AM8)`:
```
// If you have issues with your machine running the faster probe setting disable the #define EZABL_FASTPROBE below.
// DO NOTE: Most machines will work with the fast probe enabled. Use M48 to verify accuracy.
#define EZABL_FASTPROBE
// Superfast probing - Only works with the EZABL Pro Sensors
// DO NOTE: Not all machines will work with the fast probe enabled. Use M48 to verify accuracy and make sure the Z isn't binding with the high speeds.
//#define EZABL_SUPERFASTPROBE
```
Basically, if you have not defined one of the following: `PROBING_MOTORS_OFF`, `SLOWER_PROBE_MOVES`, `TH3D_EZ300` or `TIM_AM8`, the `XY_PROBE_SPEED` will default to a value of 4000 (depending of the definition of `HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY`) since the constant is not defined, see [Conditionals\_post.h)](https://github.com/houseofbugs/TH3D-Unified-U1.R2/blob/master/TH3DUF_R2/Conditionals_post.h):
```
#ifndef XY_PROBE_SPEED
#ifdef HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY
#else
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 4000
#endif
#endif
```
In Marlin you would simply change the value of the travel between probing speed whilst in TH3D you need to sort out if one of all those conditions are met. For advanced users with a slightly different printer setup, the TH3D software might be less optimal. Do note that forks of the Marlin firmware that are heavily modified always (like TH3D) lack behind the original sources; you are dependent on the implementation schedule of the fork maintainer. But, for people that have not modified their printer, have a limited knowledge of software (C/C++ development) and firmware flashing, or their modification falls in the supported options of TH3D, the monolithic TH3D might be very helpful!
Most probably, your setting is overruled later.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I was successfull in getting my ender 5 pro bltouch to work faster. I still have some tweaking to do, and I'm a noob. I did the following in configuration\_backend.h:
**I changed #define HOMING\_FEEDRATE\_Z 4 times 60 to 20 times 60:**
```
#if ENABLED(EZABL_SUPERFASTPROBE) && DISABLED(BLTOUCH)
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z (15*60)
#elif ENABLED(EZABL_FASTPROBE) && DISABLED(BLTOUCH)
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z (8*60)
#else
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z (20*60)
#endif
```
**XY probe speed looks good, didn't have to change:**
```
#if ENABLED(PROBING_MOTORS_OFF)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
#else
#if ENABLED(SLOWER_PROBE_MOVES) || ENABLED(TH3D_EZ300) || ENABLED(TIM_AM8)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
#else
#if ENABLED(EZABL_SUPERFASTPROBE)
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 16000
#else
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 12000
#endif
#endif
#endif
```
**I commented (deactivated) this, so it probes only one time:**
```
//#define MULTIPLE_PROBING 2
```
**I changed the folowing from 15, 10, 10**:
```
#if ENABLED(BLTOUCH)
#define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10
#define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5
#define Z_CLEARANCE_MULTI_PROBE 5
```
Hope this helps. Work in progress.
Andy
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: There's also the option to save the mesh so that you don't have to level each time you print.
First of all, using Cura or whatever you use to send commands, send:
```
M502; Reset to factory settings
M500; Saves (so that you may start with a clean slate)
G28; Home All
G29; Autolevel
```
After running your auto bed leveling, add
`M500`
And you're done.
P.S. don't forget to do this after bringing both extruder and bed up to temperature
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: This has been changed in newer builds of Marlin.
Previous code:
```
// X and Y axis travel speed (mm/m) between probes
#define XY_PROBE_SPEED 8000
```
Current code:
```
// X and Y axis travel speed (mm/min) between probes
#define XY_PROBE_FEEDRATE (200*60) //define feedrate as a multiple of 60.
```
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/06 | 996 | 3,998 | <issue_start>username_0: I am designing a part with a material which can bear up to a certain stress.
To keep the stress within the design limits, I need to ensure a certain surface of solid material per layer, in other words a minimum amount of extruded filament per layer and a smoothly changing infill ratio so that the infill can transmit the load efficiently to the neighbouring layers.
The part has an irregular shape and I cannot simply increase the infill ratio for the whole object because the part is big and it would cost more time and filament. I also cannot build straight pillars of solid material inside the part because there are no regions which are suitable for a continuous pillar.
How can I calculate and apply a smoothly changing infill ratio or in general how to ensure that each layer is made of at least a certain amount of material?
I use Prusa Slicer for slicing and Fusion 360 for the design.
Related questions about variable infill, which however don't answer my question because I need to specify the amount of material and because I need a smoothly changing infill ratio:
[Different infill in the same part](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6522/different-infill-in-the-same-part)
[slic3r: Can I vary the infill percentage for different heights of my model?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7025/slic3r-can-i-vary-the-infill-percentage-for-different-heights-of-my-model)<issue_comment>username_1: Very interesting idea!
There may be a way to do this semi-automatically, but I believe it's not yet a part of any slicer.
My suggestion would be:
* Export file as .stl (Fusion 360)
* Use a DLP slicer to create images of the layers (CHITUBox)
* Calculate the area of each of the images (Matlab - I think?)
* Calculate the required infill percentages for having the same mass on each layer (Excel)
* Open the model in PrusaSlicer, create a single "height range modifier" (PrusaSlicer)
* Save the project as .3mf (PrusaSlicer)
* Extract the .3mf file (7 Zip)
* Create the neccessary "layer config ranges" texts for PrusaSlicer (Excel)
* Inject that text into an extrated .3mf file (Notepad++)
* Pack the .3mf file again (7 Zip)
* Slice the resulting file (PrusaSlicer)
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I think you have a major XY problem. The amount of material per layer is not what determines the part strength. Unless additional material is placed in a manner that reinforces against the stress you're designing for, it's just wasted. Moreover, infill in particular is not terribly useful this way, as infill has to rest upon the support of existing infill below it. If you suddenly increase infill density at a particular layer, it will not provide any significant additional strength because the added lines will be unsupported and will not bond strongly to anything. Even the next layer above them, and the next after that for quite a few layers, will not bond well because the unsupported lines can just bend downward when the nozzle goes over them, rather than providing a surface for the newly deposited material to press firmly against and bond to.
Generally, infill is not your main source of part strength anyway. I would start out (especially if you can test; if this is a one-off thing, the material cost is not going to be an issue anyway and just go with overkill) by increasing the number of wall lines (wall thickness). Walls generally provide the most strength, and the amount of material used will be proportional to cross-sectional perimeter rather than area, which typically will vary "linearly" rather than "quadratically" (I use these terms loosely since I don't know right off how to make it rigorous - what the independent variable should be thought of as being). My usual default (and I believe Cura's) is 2 walls; I would expect 4-5 to be very strong, and as long as you keep at least 15-20% infill, probably stronger than what you'd get by any increase in infill percent.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/07 | 301 | 1,161 | <issue_start>username_0: I have printed two objects with my new 3D printer (Anycubic Mega S) and everytime, my prints are stuck to my bed (sort of glued to it). I cannot remove them by hand. I have tried waiting until it cools off, but the only thing that works is scraping really hard the bed with the spatula.
I'm scared that if I have to do that for my next prints, I will break the bed (maybe peel off the element that keeps the plastic and the bed glued together while printing).
What is the safest way to remove a print from the bed ?<issue_comment>username_1: One method that works at our makerspace and also has worked for a user on another 3d printing forum is to use a 50:50 mix of water and denatured alcohol. While the print bed is warm, apply some to the perimeter of the print at the bed surface. Allow it to cool, try to remove the print. If it does not work, reheat the bed and repeat until you are able to release it.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I have had good luck using dental floss. If you can get it under the edge of the print, then you can pull it all the way through and prints come off easily.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/07 | 1,229 | 4,687 | <issue_start>username_0: I am using Cura for slicing, and OctoPrint for the actual printing.
On small pieces with roughly one square cm of surface area prints over about 6 mm have a risk of coming off at 60 °C.
In fact, I have had to use 71 °C so it stick properly. However, I don't want the print bed that hot all the time. I would like to try a different number of layers at different bed temperatures till I get it right.
Gradually, over the course of 1-3 mm, for the bed temperature to decrease back to 60 °C to save on electricity. Possibly even 50 °C as the layers get higher.
Cura only support the initial layer having a different temperature and that isn't enough.
Apparently you can have custom user events with [OctoPrint](https://docs.octoprint.org/en/latest/events/index.html), one of them being **ZChange** which is great.
```
{__currentZ}: the current Z position of the head if known, -1 if not available
```
I need on the ZChange event to check the `__currentZ` and execute an`M140` with a temperature varying with layer height. Normally I would use a simple `if` command or etc., but how do I implement this here.
However, its seems you can execute a command or a G-code.
I can't seem to find any examples where I can test the Z height in layers or mm and execute a different temperature for different layers.
An additional problem is the increased temps cause the model to melt so that the opening is smaller nearest to the glass than most of the rest of the model.
I am height of the raft, which helps, but I am hoping for a compromise.
The print bed shouldn't need to be 70 °C for the whole vertical height of the model.
Any suggestions?<issue_comment>username_1: **The actual problem you are facing is bed adhesion**, the proposed solution (in your question) shouldn't be the preferred solution to get your parts to stick to the plate/glass as plastic shrinks as it cools down. Note that a 5 °C temperature drop after the first layer usually isn't a problem, but larger temperature differences or shutting off the heat completely will cause your parts to come off the glass.
Note that PLA requires a temperature of about 60 °C (for adhesion as this is close to the glass temperature where the plastic is soft; however, note that PLA can be printed on cold bed surfaces on suitable bed surfaces). The slate of glass is an insulator, so it is perfectly possible that you need to set the bed at a higher temperature to get 60 °C at the surface of the glass plate. When the lower layer deforms the bed temperature is too high.
As you are using Cura, there is a plugin available called TweakAtZ, nowadays this is a default plugin. How to use this is described in [this anser](/a/7346/) (on question ["How does one use a heat tower?"](/q/7345)); instead of changing the hotend temperature you will need to modify the bed temperature instead (using `M140`).
**To solve the actual problem**, you need to prepare the glass by cleaning it properly, use a level bed with a correct initial nozzle to bed distance for `Z=0` (usually thickness of a plain paper sheet A4/Letter) and an adhesive like hairspray, glue stick or a dedicated adhesion spray like 3DLAC or Dimafix. I'm using 3DLAC for several years (for PLA and PETG; Dimafix is supposed to be more sticky at higher temperatures, so for ABS for instance) and never had any problems with adhesion on properly levelled beds. See [this answer](/a/4045) for another user's experience.
An OctoPrint solution using event as you suggest is not recommended. This is the config.yaml, e.i. the configuration of the print server, not a print instance option file. Furthermore, there are yet no plugins that can handle additional code when the head reaches a certain (layer)height. This is pretty tricky if you use Z position detection when the head also can hop, such code should be inserted by the slicer instead.
---
*Related to your question are the answers on question: ["Why keep the bed heated after initial layer(s) with PLA (or PETG)?"](/q/10683).*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: * You can manually edit the file. Look for the line that has the Z height of your choice, and insert the temp change g-code right above it.
* Upgrade to a real slicer like Simplify3D with has an options to set a heater temp at different layers.
* Preheat the bed before you print, then print with a bed temp set lower than the temp you preheated at. This will give the illusion of a temp change.
*(I for one turn off my bed after the first layer, when I'm printing PLA. I also don't have proper cooling (at this time), my environment is humid (59.9%) and the ambient air temp is 31C.) - just for context*
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/07 | 1,581 | 6,171 | <issue_start>username_0: For some reason the only the top layers keep failing or underextruding on my prints, for no clear reason. Here are my settings:
* Slicer: Simplify3D
* Filament: 1.75 mm Black PLA from Filamentive
* Resolution: 0.1 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle
* Temperature: 200 °C nozzle and 50 °C bed
* Speed: 45 mm/s and 50% outline speed
* Infill: 15%
The prints were going perfectly fine on a 0.2 mm resolution and only seemed to fail when I changed to 0.1 mm; which is strange considering the rest of the print goes fine, apart from the top layers (which I have 3 of).
My only thought is that it could be a bridging issue and is somehow underextruding, and getting caught on the infill as that it where it is centred around. I wouldn't know how to fix this.
If anyone could give me any information or tips I would be very appreciative, thanks.
The pictures are taken after some light sanding.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wnhbn.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PyVoc.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: If you decrease layer thickness, you should increase bottom and top layer amount, or set it to a fixed shell thickness. The thinner the layers the more difficult to span over the infill (there is much less filament extruded).
You could try extra part cooling, higher percentage infill, reduced hotend temperature and slower top layer printing. But, best results are reached with more top layers and higher infill percentage.
See e.g. [this answer](https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/wanhao-printer-3d/tulE2ATbClA) by user "dnewman":
>
> That said, with very low layer heights (e.g., 0.1 mm), there's a tendency to use very sparse infill to speed up printing time. However, very low layer heights bridge over voids very, very poorly. So poorly that you can have the print nearly finished only to find that the top won't close up. Thus, don't make the infill too sparse when doing low layer heights. MOREVER, you definitely need more top layers to get the final finished top to look acceptable. The thin layer heights will take many more layers (many more in physical height, not just layer count) to give a nice top. At issue (again) is how poorly low layer heights will bridge voids. With 0.2 mm on up, you generally get a nice, thin strand extruded which can stretch across voids. But at 0.1 mm layer heights the printer is just doing tiny, discrete squirts of plastic which it spreads like cake icing across the lower layer. There's not a single, fine strand extruded and instead tiny little beads. When there's a solid layer below, these squirts have something to be spread against by the extruder nozzle. But when there's a void, the squirts just build up on the nozzle and then come off in a big blob when the nozzle next brushes over a non-void space.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The holes in your part tops are the result of a combination of poor bridging and too few top layers.
What's happening is that when the printer tries to lay down the first layer of the top/roof, it has to "bridge" over the top layer of the infill. If you are trying to lay down that layer too quickly, with too hot a filament temperature, over too sparse an infill, the lines won't go down properly, and then the next layer over that has to try to bridge this same gap with very little support (and very often with up-curled broken strands of filament in the way).
The printer can *eventually* lay down a smooth layer, if you give it enough tries to smooth over the rougher, broken layers underneath. How many you need depends on how badly the first one failed to bridge the infill gaps. If you're only printing 2 layers, try 4. If you're printing 4, try 6.
Also, look at your infill percentage and pattern. The top lines have to be drawn over the top of whatever the layer of infill looks like as of when the slicer calculates that the first layer of top needs to go down. Virtually all slicers provide a "preview" of the sliced layers, with some like Cura allowing you to trace through the extruder's "tool path" over each layer. This can be a very useful tool to diagnose potential issues with what the slicer will expect the printer to do.
As for how to change it, it really depends on what you need out of the part in terms of material strength (different patterns have advantages and disadvantages in how much force can be applied in what directions), weight (more infill means heavier), and print time (higher percentages and more complex infill patterns increase print time). Cubic infill has the best overall strength-for-weight, and it slices and prints pretty fast as each layer is just straight lines. However, it's among the worst in terms of the grid it provides under the top layer. Isolinear/Triangle fill provides one of the better support structures, and is near the top in Z-axis compressive strength, but compressive strength other than in the Z-axis tends to be low. Gyroid infill has among the best combinations of strength, weight and required bridging distances, but slicing and printing the complex curved structure takes more time, and some slicers don't offer it (I'm still kicking around with an old MakerBot that's only fully supported by MakerBot Desktop, which doesn't offer any "fully 3D" fills like cubic or gyroid at all).
Lastly, if you absolutely need the model at a light weight or fast print time that precludes increasing the infill or slowing print head speed, try printing a bridging test, especially something like a "temperature tower" that allows you to see the effects of varying extrusion temperature all in one model, and make sure you're printing at the exact temperature giving you the best results for the other configuration settings you're using. Your model may not require externally-visible bridging or overhangs, but the ability to draw a long line of filament literally into thin air without sagging or snapping is a useful trick even in "solid" object prints, because as you've found out, these solid shapes are up to 90% air inside.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/08 | 2,131 | 8,312 | <issue_start>username_0: I understand that this is probably more of an electronics question, but was hoping that someone with experience of using an Anet A6 in the UK (or a country outside of the US/China) may be able to help... or alternatively, someone knowledgeable in electronics!
I recently bought and assembled an Anet A6. I am based in the UK. On the power supply transformer of the Anet A6, there is a switch that allows you to select the input voltage from the mains. There are two options, 100 V or 220 V.
When I turn my Anet A6 printer on, nothing happens... I have triple checked all connections and there doesn't seem to be anything wrongly connected or loose.
I am wondering if the reason it is not working is because in the UK we use a different mains voltage 230 V (I think) and a different frequency 50 Hz (I think) to the US and China (which I assume the printer was built to accommodate)?... I am not 100 % sure on this, just a guess, I am far from an electronics expert.
I don't have a multimeter to test if there is voltage flowing (not that I would even know how to test it lol).
Is it likely that this difference between voltage/freq is the reason that it is not working? If so, is there anyway to fix this? I would prefer to buy something (some sort of converter) than tinker with the electronics, as I have no experience in electronics and live in a rented flat, which I really don't want to burn down (not that I would if i owned it).
Any help is massively appreciated, thanks in advance!
---
**Update**
I have done what @Oscar suggested and also bought a multimeter to test the circuitry. I plugged my Anet A6 into the mains power supply and turned it on, but still nothing happens... the LED doesn't light up, not does the LCD screen turn on.
I tested the voltage of the power supply whilst it was turned on across connections 6 and 8 in the video below (taken from the assembly instructions video, 12 mins 46 seconds):
[Assembly Instructions Video, 12:46](https://youtu.be/mQzOHL_89nc?t=766)
The 6 and 8 connections correspond to the output from the transformer (ie the connections that would be connected to the mainboard). There was no voltage reading at all when I measured it here with the multimeter. Does this indicate that there is a problem with the transformer/power supply, or is this expected? Or am I testing in the wrong place and there is a better place to test when the printer is on to determine what the problem might be?<issue_comment>username_1: The UK uses 230 V mains voltage. The 220 V designation is from the past, Europe is now using 230 V. You do not have to worry about the frequency.
You should place the switch to 220 V and plug the cord into the socket. The printer should start immediately booting (cycling) the printer firmware, the LCD should light up and the cold end cooling fan will spin (annoyingly).
If nothing happens, you need to check the Power Supply Unit (PSU) and all cables for proper connection (does the fan of the PSU spin if it has one, you should at least see a led light up). A multimeter is not expensive and generally very valuable to test if it outputs 12 V. That way you know the PSU is working or not, if it works the problem is at the main printer board.
As these PSU's are pretty cheap and faulty, you could well have received a broken one.
---
***How to measure the voltage?***
*If you look at the connection terminals you will find labels above them. Measuring position 6 and 8 might be the incorrect ones, this depends on your PSU. If you have exactly the same PSU as from the linked video, measuring between 6 and 8 would be correct:*
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z39Wq.png)
*From the image above the connections from left to right (for other PSU units, the order may be different, I have units where the connection to the mains is on the right):*
* *`L`, `N` and `ground` are used for connection to the mains,*
* *`COM` (stands for common or 0 V) or sometimes denoted as `-V` is the output ground (negative, connection for the black wires) and*
* *`+V` is positive, connection for the red wires.*
*You need to measure the voltage difference over `COM` and `+V`, this should be the voltage of the power supply. Ideally you measure the voltage when the power supply is delivering a load (e.g. directly connected to a strip of LEDs or directly connected to the heated bed; some faulty PSU crash in under load, this can be seen by a lower voltage than the rated voltage).*
*If the PSU is correctly wired, your fuse is not broken, does not have a LED lighted and the voltage is zero the unit is defective.*
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: @Oscar was correct, so long as the switch is set at 220 V, the printer will turn on. I am adding this answer to help anyone else who has a similar problem.
I strongly recommend that you buy a multimeter if you have any power supply issues, as this helped me to figure out what was wrong.
There were three issues that needed to be rectified before my printer would turn on. The first was that I had bought a fairly cheap EU to UK plug converter from my local supermarket. This was mistake number one, as the quality was low and there was no ground pin for the power supply (which is dangerous). I plugged the EU plug into my converter, and then the converter into the UK mains socket, and it would not turn on. By using my multimeter I was able to figure out that the converter was a piece of rubbish. With the plug still plugged into the converter, but the converter removed from the mains, I touched my multimeter cable, whilst in continuity mode, on one of the three pins on the UK side of the converter (the bit that goes into the wall), and the other cable onto one of the terminals that I had connected the power cable to the power supply with. I touched each terminal in sequence to see if it was electrically connected to the pin on the converter. I repeated this in sequence and identified that the live pin on the converter was not connected, and so no current could flow when plugged into mains. I immediately defenestrated the converter. Here is the replacement that I bought:
[EU to UK converter](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QGYY5DC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
The next issue was that the power supply cable was wired up incorrectly (or at least unintuitively). In continuity mode again, I touched one multimeter cable to one pin on the EU plug of my power supply, and the other to one of the terminals (which were connected to the wiring of my power cable.) I discovered that the live and neutral wires of the power cable were wired the wrong way round on the plug (in order for it to be used in a UK converter, not sure what the wiring convention is on mainland EU). In the UK, the right hole in the mains socket is live, the left is neutral, and the top one is ground. On the EU plug I had been provided with, the left pin was live and the right pin was neutral. If I were to plug this in to the new converter in the normal orientation (cable coming out the bottom side), the live and neutral would have been connected incorrectly (plug-live -> converter-neutral, plug-neutral -> converter-live). Hence, in order for the pins to be situated correctly in the converter, and subsequently in the mains socket, the EU plug had to be plugged into the converter upside down (plug-live -> converter-live, plug-neutral -> converter-neutral).
**Finally, the official instructions for the wiring of the Anet A6 are wrong.** If you follow the youtube video that they provide, you will see that the positive terminal is closest to the bottom of the diagram (on the thermistor/endstop side of the board). [Mainboard wiring instructions](https://youtu.be/mQzOHL_89nc?t=1530). THIS IS INCORRECT. Check your board, as the polarity will be printed onto the board. If you wire up the mainboard according to the instructions, your V+ wire will go to the negative terminal of the mainboard and, your positive terminal will go to the COM wire of the power supply. This is wrong, as the positive terminal should be connected to the V+ wire, and the negative to COM.
Hopefully this helps save someone some frustration and time!
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/08 | 1,302 | 5,019 | <issue_start>username_0: Long story short, my wife and I are now the proud owners of an AnyCubic D, also known as the Predator. This is not our first 3D printer, but it is our first "delta" design, with the circular build plate and the extruder suspended by stepper-controlled tie rods (as opposed to the IMO more intuitive Cartesian designs like the MakerBot R2X and Ender 3 Pro we already have).
Got it all put together last night and ran all the basic setups including an auto bed leveling. This feature is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because the actual leveling is a matter of fitting the probe, hitting a button and walking away as it maps the build plate, and the results in terms of a consistent extrusion thickness around the plate are excellent each and every time.
It's a curse because the printer *depends* on auto-leveling due to the build plate being bolted directly to the base; with no manual adjustment possible, probing is the only form of leveling you can do, and that leveling is dependent on an accurate "zeroing" of the extruder above the center of the plate, which has to be done using the steppers to bring the extruder down from "home" to the typical paper-thin clearance over the plate surface.
Thus the problem; the zeroing procedure has a minimum adjustment of 0.1mm. Getting the clearance *just right* for a solid first layer requires at least another order of magnitude finer adjustment. For now, I have it "good enough" to stick the first layer onto the plate, but the resulting prints show pretty classic plate clearance issues:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iOVKz.jpg)
You can see the lines of the bottom layer aren't connecting horizontally, and the extrusions are thin and tubular, which are the textbook symptoms of excessive build plate clearance (not enough "squish" of the filament between extruder and plate). It's close, but this is a game of just tens of microns, and the printer simply does not give me that level of control; one more step down at 0.1mm and I hit the plate. The manual says you can babystep the Z offset at 0.04mm while actually running a print, but I have run several (including the leveling test GCode included on the printer's SD card) and have never seen that option enabled in the leveling menu.
I was wondering if there were any AnyCubic D/Predator owners with insight into how they really dial in the proper zero height on these printers. I do have Cura's features to work with; theoretically I could send a relative-positioned `G0 Z-0.04 F100` command from its remote control panel as the last step down in zero height adjustment (assuming the printer is listening to USB input while running the leveling procedure), or I could put a similar command in the start Gcode followed by a `G92 Z0` which will re-zero the extruder height at the new level (assuming the printer accepts a relative move below its known zero; Marlin 1.1.0 actively prevents that, but indications are the AnyCubic firmware is proprietary, so who knows). I could also leave the extruder height as-is and bump Cura's first layer flow rate setting in the material profile, to push more filament into the taller space on the first layer and so get more squish.
However, none of these strike me as something I should *have* to do to dial in a printer, given that extruder clearance is a problem trivially solved on either of the other printers, and these fairly kludgy fixes would have to be repeated every time the bed was re-leveled (such as after any disassembly for maintenance or any move to a new location, including one beyond USB cable distance of the slicing computer).<issue_comment>username_1: I recently corrected a similar problem on a Robo3D R1+ printer. It is described as the z-offset setting.
An entry in the [Thingiverse forum](https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/anycubic-predator/forums/bigtreetech-skr-v13-tmc2280-swap/topic:41518) appears to reference this problem as well. The sensor provides reference information to the board, but the compensation is not always as it should be.
For the Robo, the command sequence was M565 Z0.7 in this specific instance, followed by M500 to store the value.
I'm not certain this is the answer for the Predator as the above is specific to the Robo3d.
An [answer in this SE](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7264/how-to-set-the-z-home-offset) suggests that one can use M206 Zxx followed by the M500 storage command.
Further research regarding the z-offset for your particular board is warranted.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The owners manual tells how to micro adjust the z while it is printing the 1st layer. See page 23. I did this and it works perfectly.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: May I suggest as far as pushing the Z below 0 on a printer that won't allow it, just reset the Z a second time? In other words to set it 0.1mm lower when it's already at Z=0:
G92 Z5
G0 Z4.9
G92 Z0
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/11 | 849 | 3,216 | <issue_start>username_0: My printer came with a knock off BuildTak like build surface. What can I use to clean it? I don't want to damage it.<issue_comment>username_1: Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is the general recommendation I've heard and it works well for me.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Besides IPA (80 %), which is one of the best cleaners for general pourpose, 99 % ethanol ("Spiritus") can work as a good substitute.
Acetone too can be used on BuildTak and its clones in a pitch without damaging it, as long as it is kept away from the edges, where it could weaken the bond to the aluminium. Using it repeatedly could however smooth the surface over some.
Mineral Spirits might be useful to prepare the aluminium for a new bed, but sould **not** be used on the BuildTak or its clones, as it could harm the surface and leave residue.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: For BuildTak, my first recommendation is isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or isopropanol). Readily available just about anywhere basic medical supplies are sold, it cuts though light oils and greases, and dissolves most common build surface adhesives like hairspray or Elmer's glue stick. In fact I often give my Ender's bed a light spray of isopropyl after an initial layer of hairspray, as the alcohol thins the hairspray a bit so I can take a plastic scraper and spread it around a little more evenly, before it sets to a very tacky initial surface that holds well.
Depending on where you live, denatured alcohol aka methyated spirits might be easier to get, and this stuff also works well as a cleaner and degreaser. The methanol does a little better job at actually removing old build adhesive instead of just "reactivating" it, and it also seems to do a little better than isopropyl at releasing and capturing old print residues that didn't make it off the surface with the rest of the print.
Be aware that both the liquid and the vapors of both of these are toxic, denatured alcohol a little more so than isopropanol. You should have plenty of ventilation through your workspace while using either one.
For a deep clean, especially with a removable build surface, it's hard to beat a mild dish detergent and water, and a scrub with a Teflon-safe Scotch-Brite sponge (they're usually blue). A clean rinse, pat dry with a towel, then give it a spray of isopropanol to finish drying it and it's ready to go. This is more of a hassle and I don't recommend it as a quick between-prints cleaning, but it can bring a well-used bed surface right back to life when more volatile cleaning agents won't do it.
Whether it's worth the frustration getting the plate properly rinsed (soap, being slippery, is not going to aid adhesion), versus just scraping the surface back off and putting a new one on, depends on how easy it is to bring the bed surface to the sink. My Ender's magnetic surface makes this much easier than a simple adhesive-backed surface right on the aluminum. By the same token it also makes the surface easier to replace, and they're not that expensive (so I highly recommend them if you like BuildTak), but \$12 is \$12, compared to 5 minutes in the sink with some Palmolive.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/12 | 670 | 2,747 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to create two piece labels for storage containers. The main piece would be the “badge” which would have text cut out of it (e.g. “Paint”, “Electrical” etc.). The second piece would be a positive of the text which is would be in a different colour, and would fit inside the cut out on the badge. Because of the tolerance of 3D printers, I need to make the insert slightly smaller than the cut out. Initially, I thought I could just scale the insert but that would affect the letter spacing. Then I thought it would work if I could somehow taper the letters so they are slightly smaller at the top than the bottom. So my question is, how I do that. I did the original in OpenScad but I would try Fusion360 if that’s a better solution. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.<issue_comment>username_1: In OpenSCAD, apply the `offset` transformation to inset the letter outlines before extruding them. However you may find it works better to fill the sunken letter shapes with nail polish then remove the overflow with acetone; see my question & answer <https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10872/11157>.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Fusion 360 can be easily used to **alter the design**. It has a button under `Construction > Edit > Push/Pull` [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/51SAC.png). Using this tool allows to select one or more surfaces and shift them all outside or inside as needed.
An alternative would be to include the **size difference in design**. By selecting a line or loop and then pressing `O` opens a menu that easily creates an outline shifted by a specified ammount.
**Tapering** the extrusion is also easy: When extruding, one can choose to extrude with a -1°, resulting in a smaller size on the far side from the extrusion. positive angles make the far side larger.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You will need to run test prints to see how your printer behaves with your choice of filaments. Then you'll know how much narrower the letter-lines (not the letter dimensions) need to be to fit.
The problem with that is one of making letters with narrow solid parts but without "shrinking" the open parts so that they fit into the badge receptacle regions. You can't just reduce the dimensions of the letters themselves.
Other than what username_2's answer suggests, I'd recommend either using a very small nozzle diameter and setting a narrow linewidth to reduce the "over-dimensioning" effects. Even better would be to identify the letters separately from the badge but keep them as a single STL and use a two-color printer (twin extruders, etc) to make the badge in one run.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/12 | 874 | 2,803 | <issue_start>username_0: I currently only have access to an old, 32 bit OS and need to slice a couple things. While there are a lot of slicers around, most popular ones, for example Ultimaker Cura 4, need to run on a 64 bit operation system.
What somewhat recent (late 2018, 2019) options offering common abilities are there that run on older computers?<issue_comment>username_1: The last version of Ultimaker Cura that supported 32-bit Operation Systems was [Cura 2.3.1](https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/releases/tag/2.3.1) of 2016, which of course has a lot of items not yet in it and doesn't fit the demand of offering some update at worst from 2018.
32-bit support is starting to fade from the support of projects, as 64-bit makes a lot of things much easier and faster and 32 Bit Windows likewise is pretty much a dead-end branch with Windows 7 Support being discontinued on January 14th, 2020. For example, the [Slicer](https://www.slicer.org/wiki/Documentation/4.10/SlicerApplication/HardwareConfiguration#32_bit_versus_64_bit) project says on their documentation of the May 2019 4.10 version: "We do not make 32 bit builds available."
Yet there is rescue with the Slic3r-Family!
-------------------------------------------
[Slic3r](https://slic3r.org) 1.3.0 is open source, available as 32 and 64-bit versions, and was released in November 2018, making it somewhat up to date. You need to customize a lot of settings in it, but it is after all quite a powerful slicer - for which you have to [write your own Start Code](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6355/writing-g-code-swiping-at-start-of-print), define your filament settings and machine.
[Repetier Host 2.1.6](https://www.repetier.com) is likewise a 32-bit application. It's technically a console with slicing features and uses one of several engines to slice - including the Slic3r and Slic3r Prusa Edition engines, which run on 32-bit. In comparison to Slic3r, I find its UI for placing items a little more user-friendly. It does pull the settings from Slic3r, if you have that installed.
[Slic3r Prusa Edition/PrusaSlicer](https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/) is a derivate of the Slic3r project. 2.2.9 was released in December 2019. It too runs on 32 bit systems. Even [2.4.2](https://github.com/prusa3d/PrusaSlicer/releases/download/version_2.4.2/PrusaSlicer-2.4.2+win32-202204251123.zip) of the end of 2022 has 32 bit support. It is, UI-wise, even more comfortable than Repetier Host and is somewhat similar to Ultimaker Cura 4.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can try using [C6 Slicer software](https://www.c6.fabheads.com/), which is a Cloud-based one, no need of an application version. I think they are still in development phase, but still does give some good prints.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/12 | 1,020 | 4,045 | <issue_start>username_0: I've tried to apply a sharp blade (the one that came witht he printer) to scrape the model off like I usually do but this model seems overly robust. What method can I do to take this off safely?
See image [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c9nIu.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, you may have to destroy this part, or the build surface, just to get it off the plate. It looks really on there, and if you can't get under it even with a razor that further supports my gut instinct. It's happened to me before, just part of learning how to print with a particular material on a particular printer and build surface.
One thing to try before just hacking away at the part or replacing the build surface (which you may have to do anyway) would be to heat the plate back up to maybe 60-70\*C, then hit the part with some freeze spray (or the poor man's version, turning a can of air duster upside-down). The rapid expansion-contraction may pop the part free. How effective this is depends on the plastic you used. PLA doesn't stretch and shrink much, but by the same token it's also very inflexible, so the stretching and shrinking it does do can stil pop the part off. This method's *really* effective for plastics like ABS that stretch/shrink a lot with heat. Remember to ventilate well; the principal component of these sprays is difluoroethane, which isn't great stuff to breathe in any significant concentration, and when spraying the liquid the resulting "steam" state of boiling liquid is much more flammable (so after the bed comes up to proper heat, I'd turn off the printer just in case).
EDIT: Per the comment to this answer, an alternate method would be to heat the plate even further, to about 80-90\*C, which would heat the PLA beyond its glass transition temperature, softening it and reducing its adhesion. You would destroy the part, but parts can be reprinted, that's the beauty of owning a general-purpose computer-controlled additive plastic forming machine.
Your first layer including the brim looks a little close to the plate, which is part of the problem; you *really* squished that first layer down onto the bed. I would relevel the bed a bit further away, or (if you're happy with how actually level the bed is) set a Z-offset to increase first layer width. There's a very fine balance to be struck here; once you find it, printing (and removing said prints) becomes a lot easier.
In future, a build adhesive like Elmer's glue stick or hairspray (or a dedicated adhesive like 3DLAC or Bed Weld) also doubles as a release agent; the adhesive grabs the extruded plastic to keep it on the plate, but also prevents direct contact between two plastics and thus avoids any chemical bonding between the part and plate. Also consider upgrading to a flexible removable surface, like a magnetic BuildTak surface. Being able to take the bed off the printer and then flex the surface to help pull a corner free (at which point you can slip a scraper in to lift the rest of it off) is a real boon to these types of situations.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Some comments assume that this is a PLA print. IS it PLA, or something more exotic?
If PLA, then try softening the object by heating the print with a heat gun or hair drier.
I assume that the bed is not easily removed and that you can not flex the bed. If you can remove the bed by unscrewing it, it might flex enough to break away the print. It doesn't take a lot of flex to remove a part. The smallest opening concentrates force on the edge.
I have had some success using a wood chisel "upside down". Don't try to get the edge under the part, but instead embed the pointy edge into the object and then use the angle behind the edge as a fulcrum to focus upward force on the object. That might work better while the object is hot.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Try something simple first: spread 97+ isopropyl around the edges, and see if that will help loosen the bond.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/13 | 851 | 3,242 | <issue_start>username_0: Are there any statistics regarding how many units each manufacturer has sold, e.g. in 2019?
[An article](https://3dprinterchat.com/top-selling-3d-printers/) from 2016 claims Monoprice to have led the market back then - but all of the printers in that article have become obsolete since then.
Some manufacturers also claim theirs to be "one of the most popular" - but that likely doesn't translate to sales, at least for the more overpriced ones.<issue_comment>username_1: Getting this data is not easy. Many companies that make 3D printers are either private companies that do not report results or are larger companies where 3D printers are one of many products they manufacture. Some companies study this information through mining public sources and surveying users for their opinions and experience. The result of some of these studies are available for a fee.
Occasionally, a trade publication will survey data sources and produce an article. In other cases, a trade pub will publish an article generously offered by a commercial contributor.
It is always difficult to know what is true when abstracting information from obscured, noisy, and biased information sources.
Your question itself includes a bias. You use a words that include a value judgement: "but that likely doesn't translate to sales, at least for the more overpriced ones."
The article you reference is not a deeply researched investigative piece. It is simply some product details for the five printers in 2016 which sold the most on Amazon.com. It doesn't include printers which were not sold on Amazon, so it leaves out any printers which use a different distribution channel. Also, the article include an link, probably which generate revenue back to the magazine, to each of the five printers sold through Amazon.
To summarize, it is very difficult to aggregate this kind of information. Those who try to do so like to be compensated. A list of the top five devices on Amazon is a biased list.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: For sales figures of the smaller companies; it is very difficult because they don't publish (esp the Chinese brands). For the larger organizations there is
The Wholler's Report <https://wohlersassociates.com/2019report.htm>
An article on [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2018/06/04/wohlers-report-2018-3d-printer-industry-rises-21-percent-to-over-7-billion/#af651352d1a4) gave a quote about the 2018 Wholers Report:
>
> The 2018 report has the estimated number of desktop systems sold at nearly double the 2015 data (reported in the 2016 report). In just over two years, an astonishing **528,952** desktop 3D printers (or systems) are believed to have been sold.
>
>
>
For 24 Years (basically the start) they have been tracking the 3D printing industry, providing the most reliable source of market share and growth. It costs a bit to purchase and you can't share the contents with anyone else, but if you're really interested then; grab a copy.
Further, there are the statistics of 3DHubs.com. They used to be a distributed 3d printing service (I guess they still are). They keep track of the most popular printers of all types:
<https://www.3dhubs.com/get/trends/>
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/16 | 950 | 3,550 | <issue_start>username_0: Say I wanted to print a plastic credit card like shape (like [these](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07193KG7G)), but with a QR code engraved. How could I do that for cheap? You can buy an "ID card printer" for $1,000-1,500 on Amazon, but that's way too much for printing one or two cards. Maybe down the road this would be a good option, but I kind of like the option of 3D printing the card from scratch, so the QR code bleeds halfway or all the way through the card, rather than just being printed on the surface. Is this possible for cheap? Maybe like [this](https://www.library.ucsf.edu/news/3d-print-the-ultimate-business-card/) but not as fancy. Mainly (I'm new to all this) I am wondering what machine would accomplish this for low price yet good quality, and what other equipment I would need.
Basically, what printer is best for this type of task?<issue_comment>username_1: **FDM printer?**
If you want to print one, maybe you should outsource it (let it print the tag on both sides), even the most affordable printers are in the \$100 - \$150 price range. If you want a printer and use it also to create ID tags, you could go for an FDM printer. Considering your request of having the tag inside (and through) the ID-card you need a dual filament option (one or two nozzle arrangement). If the tag can sit on top you can print it with a filament change with a single filament single nozzle printer. But, don't expect to get crystal clear prints (see experience printing signs below)!
**Alternatives**
As an alternative, you could print a blank PLA ID-card and laser mark the tag onto both sides, see e.g. [this video](https://cdn.colorfabb.com/media/wysiwyg/colorfabb_video/moving%20banner%20lasermarking_1.webm).
If it is a small batch you can also consider printing/lasering stickers and stick these onto blank ID cards.
---
**From experience**
I've done some signs with black letters on a white background for "on-lay", inlay and through arrangements using a more expensive (for home use) dual extruder 3D printer (Ultimaker 3 Extended about \$5000,-) with PETG, but the results were not very satisfying. Usually the black smears out on or in the white no matter tweaking the options. Considering the size of an ID-card, the amount of tag squares, this is even more likely to happen when you print at that small size (the signs I printed were sized similar to the "A5" paper standard).
From my experience I would say that a 3D printer may not be the best solution for your task.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: One option to create the tag you require can be accomplished with a single extruder and a bit of manual intervention.
I've performed the sequence of steps from a [Thingiverse creation](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1973570) that resulted in a box lid for a gift card box. It's a single layer of multiple colors placed on the print bed, then consolidated with a backing layer.
For your card objective, the single layer provides the contrast and you can determine easily how thick you wish the remaining portion to print.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XhBlN.jpg)
The detail level is reasonably good, limited to the printer nozzle and specifications. A glass bed or similarly smooth surface bed will provide optimum results. As username_1 suggests, a 3D printer in the US$100-150 will likely suffice, but check reviews and forums for troublesome products of such a low price.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/17 | 1,160 | 4,484 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been trying to print anything for the past few days. Every time I go to print something the printer stops pushing plastic out and usually the motor makes a knocking sound.
My original thought was that my E-steps were off (because they were) but I solved that and I still have a problem. Then I noticed that I was struggling with getting the PLA filament to feed into the nozzle. I assumed it was a clogged nozzle and possibly heat creep (because I was a dummy and used my old, bowden retraction settings on my new, direct extruder). I cleared out the clog and I'm able to feed plastic through after disengaging the idler arm. Though, I do struggle getting the filament into the nozzle. Maybe it's due to the Hemera's tight tolerances or due to a misalignment in the hot end, I'm not sure yet. Once I do get the plastic in, it quickly and easily pushes through and spits out of the nozzle so I think that my nozzle isn't clogged. I did do a cold pull the other day.
But I've noticed that my extruder is making a knocking sound, as if someone was gently rapping on my chamber door. I also see that the gears move one step back and forth. It looks to me that the motor is stuck or frozen. I'm pretty sure that it's not skipping steps. The sound happens at varying heights and not just the first layer. The first time I noticed it, it was printing the cabin of Benchy. Z > 1 mm when I finally decided to ask this question. The sound is kind of loud, but that's most likely the resonance in the machine than a symptom, stating it nonetheless.
My setup:
---------
* **Printer:** Creality CR-10S
* **Extruder:** E3D Hemera
* **Nozzle temp:** 205-220 °C
* **Retraction:** Initially 5 mm at 40 mm/s, then 0.3 mm, then most recently none
* **Motor Vref:** just north of 800 mA. (I've read somewhere that the Hemera motor wants 800 to 1000 mA)
I'm just not sure what could be wrong here. I feel like I checked all the steps and I'm just missing something.<issue_comment>username_1: A knocking or clicking sound does not imply you **have a problem**, it implies that you **could have a problem**; it can be the characteristic of the extruder.
---
*My own designed 2.85 mm filament, 1:4 speed reducing [belt driven extruders](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2897762) make clicking sounds while extruding (independent of the layer height), I have verified that no steps are lost and the printer extrudes exactly the requested amount of filament (2.85 mm filament requires a lot more pressure for the same nozzle size, the noise is coming from inside of the metal Bulldog housing, not the stepper adjacent, it is not stepper nor filament skipping noise).*
---
A clicking sound in combination with gears losing position as you describe (or filament skipping back) does mean that the pressure in the nozzle is too big for the extruder to push it through. If the gears loose position, this means that the stepper is not powerful enough to push it through, this means that more current or a more powerful stepper is required (the latter option is due to the design of the extruder not possible). If the filament skips back while the gears are in place the tension/grip to the filament needs to be increased.
In troubleshooting this problem it is best to increase the current to the stepper close to the upper side of the specifications of the stepper and see if the knocking sounds disappear. This should not be a problem for such a priced and tested extruder system, i.e. considering the reputation and quality of E3D this extruder must work out of the box unless you have received damaged components.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm still not sure what happened but here's what I did.
I ended up buying a replacement since I thought the motor was seized up somehow. (I had some other issues too that required a replacement anyway.) Removing the heat sink and gear assembly from the old motor was extremely difficult so I assume that the gears somehow didn't link up.
After switching out motors, I was able to print a cube mostly successful.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I had a bad connection at my motor that was causing the problem. I soldered direct to the motor and no more problems.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I have had the exact same problem on my Ender 3 Pro. I fixed it by adjusting the amount of pressure on the filament by the motor. I did replace the motor too for other problems.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/19 | 937 | 3,531 | <issue_start>username_0: I got an Anycubic Predator last month, and after resolving a few mechanical problems, I was able to get it printing decently well. The only significant modification I've made so far is a set of 8-diode TL Smoothers, and I'm now mostly operating it via Octoprint.
However, during the last few prints, I've noticed the temperature dropping midway through the print. It warms up and cools down fine, but for some reason it's not able to sustain the temperature throughout the print.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HoRn1.png)
In this case, the print started out at the correct temperature (200 °C), held that temp for around 2 hours, then it dropped to a lower temp (174 °C). It eventually went back up to the target temp, then dropped again 5 minutes later. I tried manually adjusting it to see if that could fix it, but no luck.
After this print completed, I restarted it to show how it is easily able to reach the target temp and hold it at the *start* of the print:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cmQlC.png)
Any tips on diagnosing and resolving this issue?<issue_comment>username_1: Safety First
------------
Let's look at the graphs. First: you should swap firmware for one that has [Thermal Runaway](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8466/what-is-thermal-runaway-protection), as, as it is, running about 15 minutes with 28 K less than the printer is ordered to work at is a clear indication that there is no Thermal runaway protection in place - it should have tripped over that long ago! But there is more!
Problem
-------
But this graph and the lack of Thermal Runaway Protection also are typical for printers that have a design flaw: If the airflow from the part cooling fans or the coldend-cooling fan (that's the fan that always runs) brushes over the heater block, it cools it. This limits the achievable temperature.
Luckily, such is easily remedied in one of several ways:
* Changing the airducts for ones that does not hit the heater block
* Adding a silicone sock around the heater block
* Kapton-tape and ceramic wool can be used to make a heater-sock too
* Adding an air-shield in the shape of a bit of tinfoil can redirect the airflow away from the heater block, but make positively sure it is mounted Fire-Safe and can't be lost into the print!
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The rise times are quicker than the fall times, which is not what I expected. Maybe a fan is turning on and off, but I'd expect to see the heater struggling to heat up. On both graphs, the rise times look like good heating and not much interference.
It seems to me that power to the hotend is the problem, but what can cause a drop in power but not to zero (as in the first graph)? Assuming that the file and the software are OK, then it's hardware: the MOSFET and the subsequent tracks and connections become the most likely suspects. So, I'd check all the connections between hotend and control board, even undoing and reconnecting. If you have a logging voltmeter, you could try that to see if the heater voltage changes when it shouldn't. If you have an oscilloscope, see the input pulses into the MOSFET to see if changes happen at the same time you see something weird with temperatures. MOSFETs can fail in peculiar ways, so consider replacement - it's not the cost of the MOSFET that's the issue; it's all the fiddling around to actually do it.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/21 | 881 | 3,038 | <issue_start>username_0: I tried printing a ["improved" calibration cube](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2939079) and noticed that the printer was laying down dots instead of a solid line. This was right after switching out my extruder motor and tweaking retraction settings. I believe my first setting was 0.3 mm, then I tried 0.1 mm. I didn't get a picture of the first setting, but shown below is when retraction was set to 0.1 mm. I think the print was at layer 3 roughly. The difference is 0.1 mm had a higher frequency of dotting, ie more dots that were closer together.
This was only present in the first couple of layers. The dots weren't occurring in the same spot so the picture shows dots overlapping each other making a sort of "twisted" or braided look. This also happened on both the x-axis movements and the right side of the y-axis movements. The rest of the cube came out relatively well.
Settings
--------
* **Printer:** Creality CR-10S
* **Temp:** 205 °C at nozzle; 60 °C on bed
* **Retraction:** 0.3 mm initially, 0.1 mm (pictured)
* **Bed Distance:** ~0.1 mm
* **Nozzle Diameter:** 0.4 mm
* **Layer Height:** 0.2 mm. I usually do 0.4, but I was lazy with slicer presets (AstroPrint)
* **Hotend:** e3D Hemera direct, e3D v6 heater and nozzle
* **Filament:** Hatchbox PLA white
I never saw this issue before on my printer nor have I seen it mentioned in various articles/videos online.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/usdSs.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: I have seen this a lot of times on my tronXY-X1 with an e3d-v6 via Bowden tube. It is *not* related to retraction but a different settin: Your first layer is set too thin or not leveled to the right height.
Having the first layer too thin, means that with a tiny error, the calculated correct extrusion becomes either a massive overextrusion or a barely sticking underextrusion. For example, the repeatability of the probing is the biggest error source. A well calibrated probing might varry about 0.05 mm between extremes, so would be written as (layer thickness)+-0.025 mm. On a 0.1 mm layer, that is a 25 % over- or underextrusion; overextrusion of that degree is well known to create such ripples.
Setting it to 0.2 mm for the first layer in Cura, Slic3r and PrusaSlic3r (look in your advanced settings!) did eliminate such rippling for me. My understanding is, that the extra distance gives the filament better ability to flow and stick on this first layer. Also, remember to set your line width to ca. 10 % wider than the nozzle - 0.45 mm is my typical setting.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It's not about printing settings but only about the bed: the bed is too close to the nozzle.
Maybe you adjusted it when it was cold, instead of doing it when it's already heated to the desired temperature and the nozzle is heated at about 180°C to get close to operating temperature without oozing.
Or maybe you used a too thin paper sheet.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/21 | 995 | 3,598 | <issue_start>username_0: Which type of filament material(s) is safe to use as an in-wall box for regular, 120v wiring? For instance, an electrical outlet box.
In case it matters, location is the state of Washington, USA.<issue_comment>username_1: I haven't tested the commercial "blue boxes" used to hold 120/240 V electrical outlets, switches, and splices to see how they behave when heated. As such, this argument is based on intuition, which is intrinsically flawed as a logic device. Never-the-less, I think the no extruded molten plastic (FFF) 3D printing filament will work.
The purpose of the junction box is to contain an overheating connection or switch and prevent it from causing a fire in the wall. Any FFF filament will have a melting point below the ignition point of wood, and would therefore flow away from the overheating point. It seems that any thermoplastic with a "normal" melting point would have this problem.
You might look at UV polymerized printing resins, such as are used in the Stratasys Objet, Form Labs, and Prusa SL1. These printing processes aren't constrained to use plastics that can be melted or heat softened. Because the polymerization can involve more aggressive crosslinking (polymerization) that FFF materials, they have the potential to be good for a higher temperature.
As an example of a high-temperature, non-melting plastic which could perhaps have an analogue in SLS resin, polyester "casting compound" is cross linked by a methyl-ethyl-ketone-peroxide catalyst to form clear solid. 24 hours after the polymerization starts, the solid does not melt under the influence of a hot air gun. I tried to melt it and it would not melt. It slightly softened, but the plastic cup I had cast it in was dripping away -- but the polyester was not melting.
I looked through the Stratasys materials and Form Labs materials and did not see a much higher temperature material.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Safety is not the same as legality
==================================
Something might be perfectly safe, but it doesn't make it legal to do or allowed to use. Parking your car over double-yellow lines is one example that is perfectly safe but violates the traffic codes.
Any 3D printed box would violate for example [WAC 296-46B-300](https://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=296-46B-300), as it isn't in compliance with NEC Class 3 Standard.
>
> (1) Cables and raceways for power limited, NEC Class 2 and Class 3 conductors must be installed in compliance with Chapter 3 NEC unless other methods are specifically required elsewhere in the NEC, chapter 19.28 RCW, or this chapter.
>
>
>
The NEC is also known as NFPA 70, and availeable at the Website of the [National Fire Protection Agency](https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards?mode=code&code=70&tab=editions). You will need to look in Article 725.3 for the exact, current specifications that a cable box would need to follow.
>
> **725.3 Other Articles.** Circuits and equipment shall comply with the articles or sections listed in 725.3(A) through (N). Only those sections of Article 300 referenced in this article shall apply to Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 circuits.
>
>
>
*Also* note, that mains wire work is usually regulated in how it has to be done and you might (in some areas) not even be allowed to do it yourself! Even if you may do it, it might be inadvisable to do so due to insurance reasons: non-professional wiring or non-standard parts can be usually excluded from coverage.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/22 | 325 | 1,345 | <issue_start>username_0: I got a new CR-10S 3D printer (I received it at Christmas). It has been printing just fine until yesterday, I was doing a print and it randomly paused, it did not restart on its own, I had to restart the print, then the item finished just fine. I am printing today, a very small item, the printer now stopped 3 times. How can I fix this, or do I need to return it?<issue_comment>username_1: It would be great if you can write what the printer says when it stops.
I suggest you try printing other small objects. If that also stops then the printer itself has a problem. But if the printer prints other objects without stopping, then the one you want to print has bad gcode files. You also need to make sure to keep it up-to-date Cura. It would also be great if you can update your printer firmware. But other than that, problems could be heat problem, power problem, and other stuff; it would be great again if you can write the problem that says on the printer as it stops...
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Just an off chance: you might somehow have pause instructions being set into the G-code without your being aware.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: The cr10s has a filament run-out sensor. If the microswitch doesn't function properly, or you have issues with the wiring, the print pauses.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/23 | 740 | 2,866 | <issue_start>username_0: I could have sworn I read somewhere that when printing with TPU to make sure the part cooling fan is blowing. But I just did a quick Googling and couldn't find anything stating such on Matter Hackers or All3dp.
I currently don't have a part cooling fan attached (waiting for square nuts to come in). I've been able to get by printing PLA without the fan. I'm curious if this is going to be a major obstacle with TPU.<issue_comment>username_1: You'll probably be fine printing TPU with no fan. I just started printing with TPU, and did a lot of test prints to find out what settings work. Fan made little difference. With hotend at 230 °C, which I started out with, 0-20% fan was fine. I eventually increased temperature to 250 °C, which made extrusion more consistent and allowed me to reduce linear advance K-factor somewhat, and at that temperature having a bit more fan (I'm using 40% now) seems to help the material hold its shape, but it mainly made a difference at higher print speeds (over 35 mm/s) where the motion of the nozzle was "pulling on" the still-very-soft material just extruded. At 30 mm/s and below, fan still doesn't seem very important.
All of this is likely to vary somewhat with the properties of your machine. However I think it's safe to say you should be able to find a combination of print speed and temperature that make it possible to get by with no fan.
**Follow-up:** Upon further experimentation with TPU, I would say you really **don't want any fan at all**, except possibly for bridges. I've found significant distortion to shape just from air pressure from the fan, and at higher speeds the fan makes the print brittle just like what happens with PETG. Layers of TPU really seem to want time to melt together to bond, and without a fan blowing on them they don't seem to lose their shape during that time.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Sharing fan percentages like in [this answer](/a/11852/) is only helpful if you use the same printer model, cooling fan and cooling duct. As there are many 3D printers and many cooling fans, ducts and solutions, this cannot be readily adopted to every 3D printer.
So, in such a case I would rely on the manufacturers of the filament e.g. the flexible filament I use has settings for different printers listed [here](http://ngen-flex.colorfabb.com/how/). TPU is not very prone to warping. The general rule for cooling of TPU is found to not use it for the first 2 layers and after that proceed with a moderate cooling flow. What that value is for your printer is left as an experiment. Several test/calibration print designs exist (e.g. for bridging) to test this out. It is said that a little cooling aids in better aesthetic prints (finer details) while less cooling results in stronger layer adhesion and thus stronger prints.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/24 | 1,199 | 4,313 | <issue_start>username_0: I just bought new eSUN PETg filament. When I started to extrude it, I heard popping sound same as moisture boiling out of it. I don't expect new eSUN vaccum sealed filament having moisture content. Is there any problem with my e3d v6? Is it possible that due to old filament, moisture is residing inside my extruder assembly and new filament is carrying it while extruding?
My settings :
* print temperature: 250 °C,
* bed temperature: 80 °C,
* retraction length: 6.5 mm,
* retraction speed: 25 mm/s,
* print speed: 10 mm/s,
* layer height: 25 micron
What do I do in this case? Should I clean the extruder assembly?<issue_comment>username_1: The extruder can't hold much water and transport it to the melt zone. Filament can. The printer behaves like the filament is wet, so try drying it.
Try putting the filament in your electric oven at the lowest temperature (often 170 °F to 180 °F) for an hour and see if the behavior improves.
Keep the filament at a distance from (or shield it from) the heating elements.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It really isn't reasonable to expect moisture to be inside of the extruder assembly; it would be the filament. Assuming there was moisture somewhere, the filament would not have time to absorb it in the short time it is inside of the extruder. Once it got to the hot block, any moisture would steam away and shouldn't give you that snapping sound; the moisture needs to be inside of the filament for that.
Because the filament is inside of a vacuum packed bag with a desiccant doesn't really mean anything if you think about it. The desiccants are typically inside of the spool hole and the plastic bag seals that chamber where the desiccant resides. The filament is on the other side of the spool and the desiccant can't really do anything beyond dry out that pocket of air that it is inside; the filament itself isn't really exposed to the desiccant.
If you can also imagine a balloon, do you know how the air/helium slowly leaks out of it after a few days until you're left with a sad pocket of air loosely contained in a bag of wrinkly rubber? You can imagine your bag that the filament came in as a balloon too, but instead of leaking air out, it is leaching moisture in. This of course takes a really long time and depends on the quality of plastic the bag is made of, its thickness, and the quality and properties of the material the filament is composed of. Because the desiccant isn't between the bag and the filament, as soon as moisture gets in the bag, it's likely it'll be immediately exposed to the filament.
When I first started 3D printing, I opened up a fresh spool of black ABS from ColorCubed. It was nicely vacuum packed and with a silica-gel packet, but after immediately opening it and putting it in my new printer and then printing with it, you could tell it was so saturated with moisture that you'd swear you could wring it out.
It is possible you got a shoddy spool, it is possible that you got a really old spool. I'd advise looking into some techniques to dry out the filament and going from there.
Welcome to the community, by the way!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: 250 °C is a bit hot for PETG - It's in the range, but on the hot side. Popping is usually due to moisture. I've had many new, vacuum sealed spools of filament have moisture in them. Try drying it.
I'd recommend a dehydrator rather than an oven; with PETG I wouldn't go over 150 °F.
The problem with an oven is the extreme radiant heat from the elements can (not always) melt or deform the spool or even fuse parts of the filament in the spool together.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: eSun has had quality problems recently (mid 2020), when they switched from the screw together clear reels to the molded black reels. I got an unprintable roll of PLA that was wet and brittle, others reported similar issues. This is theorized to have coincided with them moving production to Vietnam.
Try to dry it, but if that doesn’t help, try a different brand. As far as your settings, I’ve printed a couple reels of the eSun PETG successfully at 235 °C, with 75 °C bed (though bed would have nothing to do with moisture). Agree 10 mm/s print speed is excruciatingly slow. 50 mm/s is typical for a Bowden setup.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/24 | 346 | 1,273 | <issue_start>username_0: I am an absolute beginner having issues with my Monoprice Maker select v2 printer.
The left half of my prints look fine but the right half always gets messed up. When I watch it print the right half of an object it seems that the PLA isn't sticking even though I level the bed thoroughly beforehand. I don't think the problem is that the right half of my board is not sticky enough, because when I move the print so that the whole thing prints on the left half of the bed the problem persists.
I have attatched a photo to show what I am talking about. Any help is appreciated
Edit: I'm using inland pla. The extruder is at 220° and the bed temp is 60°
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PpBtK.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: * Try cleaning bed with isopropyl alcohol to remove grease from the bed. (increases stickyness)
* Try increasing bed temp to 70°C (increases stickyness)
* If this is not enough, do a fresh bed leveling.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I found the problem. This model of printer Monoprice Select v2 has bed warping issues so when the bed heated up it would warp severely. I bought a glass bed and all my problems were solved.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/26 | 453 | 1,755 | <issue_start>username_0: Looking for something to smooth out a PLA print. Would Mod Podge be a good solution? Will it stick?<issue_comment>username_1: From what I've read about Mod Podge, it is an adhesive with a vinyl acetate base. As such it is similar to both PVA (used for wash-away support) and ordinary white glue. One of the more common references to the product refers to it not being water proof, although the outdoor version of the product presents as being water-resistant.
As part of the research for this answer, I found references to overly-thick coats becoming milky. This follows a reference to applying thin multiple coats and allowing proper cure time between coats. That proper cure time is listed as 28 days.
Another set of posts suggest to cure the MP more rapidly than 28 days, one can heat the item in an oven to 175°F (80°C) which should not cause the PLA to melt, but may allow for sagging of unsupported parts. Testing is recommended.
MP is an adhesive, is known to stick to non-porous surfaces and would be no more harmful than glue stick for a PLA (or ABS) model.
Durability is uncertain. If you intend to paint the item after sealing/smoothing, you'll gain durability and water resistance.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have used Ponal Express, a woodglue, as a smoothing layer inbetween a somewhat sanded PLA and an acrylic paint. It had a good result to get it almost perfectly smooth. It stuck quite well, no problem with it getting off under painting. DO note though, that sanding the glue layer can tear of larger pieces of the film, so do only apply the glue as the last layer.
Now, ModPodge is pretty much made from PVA or wood glue. The same thing I used, pretty much. So yes, it will work.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/01/26 | 856 | 3,425 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm printing flat objects (like rectangular) with PLA on a glass bed and 70 celcius degrees (also tried 75 celcius too, 65 celcius and lower ends with adhesion problem in general). Also I use brims too. Most of the time, after a while it shrinks and warps (when print continues).
Room temperature is steady, there is no airflow to cool down things..
I tried to slow down to 20mm/sec. I tried to increase heat for first layer... Nothing helps.
I am suspicious about moisture of the filaments. Can it be related?<issue_comment>username_1: PLA doesn't usually have water absorption issues. It usually prints just fine ... Maker's Muse did a video using 7yo PLA filament (IIRC) which had been stored in the open. Printed without issues. Not saying all PLA's are going to work as well, but I don't think it's a place I'd be looking first for an issue. Moisture in the filaments usually exhibits itself as popping and spitting as the filament is extruded leaving blank spaces in your print.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Warping is caused by the plastic shrinking as it cools and inadequate bed adhesion is usually the what lets it warp. Either cleaning your print surface very thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or using something like a glue stick on your print bed will mitigate that warping enough that you won't suffer problems with your print. Printing too hot can also be a problem because the plastic will need to even cool more after it is extruded and could possibly lead to more stresses buildup in the plastic.
The dimensional stability of PLA really depends on the quality of the plastic. Storage conditions come into play as well, but it is mostly the quality of the material you need to worry about; I have some cheaper PLA that has gotten brittle due to having absorbed moisture despite being in a (albeit somewhat loosely closed) package with desiccants, and I also have a different brand of PLA that is of much higher quality that I just leave out in the open; this PLA doesn't exibit signs of moisture damage. Higher quality filaments are designed to resist moisture better and be more stable in terms of dimensions. With the cheaper brand of PLA, I have also experienced warping, but that is not due to moisture in the filament; that was actually from a new roll.
When a filament absorbs too much moisture, it can become brittle but still print. Excessive moisture will cause any water in the filament to vaporize when passing through the hotend and form bubbles that will ruin the finish quality of a print. You'll know if filament is excessively wet because you will hear quiet and sharp snapping sounds as the result of the bubbles that are formed in the plastic popping. You will also be able to see steam if you examine your hotend with a bright light as it is extruding.
I'd suggest trying a different brand of filament if possible, cleaning the print surface / adding glue, or at the very least, a new roll of filament.
*(When using a glue stick to increase first layer adhesion, it could be worth noting something unusual I found; adding glue to the build plate of a Prusa i3 MK3S actually reduces bed adhesion in my experience. It might be worth playing around to see if super clean works for you, or if super sticky does. The build plate is coated in a very finely textured PEI if that is some information that could help your case.)*
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/26 | 1,341 | 4,004 | <issue_start>username_0: This is my first time asking for some help on here and I have Googled, but only found a few reference to this issue. I know I am doing something dumb but I have no clue what it is.
I get an unknown motherboard error every time I try to setup my MKS GEN L. At first I found that in the `boards.h` file there was no reference to this board and the `pins.h` file was not there either. I have added both of these in and still nothing. I have checked the `configuration.h` and as far as I can tell I cannot find the error.
I have tried this in 1.1.9 and 2.x of marlin and get the same error.
The message is:
```
Arduino: 1.8.9 (Windows 10), Board: "Arduino Mega or Mega 2560, ATmega2560 (Mega 2560)"
In file included from sketch\MarlinConfig.h:33:0,
from C:\Users\name\OneDrive\Desktop\Ender 5 1.1.61 version (1)\Ender 5 1.1.61 version\Marlin\Marlin.ino:31:
pins.h:235:4: error: #error "Unknown MOTHERBOARD value set in Configuration.h"
#error "Unknown MOTHERBOARD value set in Configuration.h"
^~~~~
In file included from sketch\MarlinConfig.h:39:0,
from C:\Users\jcgra\OneDrive\Desktop\Ender 5 1.1.61 version (1)\Ender 5 1.1.61 version\Marlin\Marlin.ino:31:
SanityCheck.h:311:6: error: #error "BABYSTEP_ZPROBE_OFFSET requires a probe."
#error "BABYSTEP_ZPROBE_OFFSET requires a probe."
^~~~~
SanityCheck.h:624:8: error: #error "Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN requires the Z_MIN_PIN to be defined."
#error "Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN requires the Z_MIN_PIN to be defined."
^~~~~
SanityCheck.h:909:4: error: #error "HEATER_0_PIN not defined for this board."
#error "HEATER_0_PIN not defined for this board."
^~~~~
exit status 1
#error "Unknown MOTHERBOARD value set in Configuration.h"
This report would have more information with
"Show verbose output during compilation"
option enabled in File -> Preferences.
```
My config file is as follows [Config.h](https://gist.github.com/cripto101/9e9e36f509352ab19033beb189e166d7).
Please let me know if there is anything else you might need to help with this matter and thank you for your time and attention.<issue_comment>username_1: The MKS GEN L board was added in Marlin release 1.1.7 .
According to the configuration file you've linked and [previous Marlin releases](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases), your copy of Marlin is release 1.1.6. While all Marlin releases before 1.1.7 had "010100" as "CONFIGURATION\_H\_VERSION", earlier versions had less features than listed in your configuration file.
In Marlin 2.0.x, the MKS GEN L is [also](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.1/Marlin/src/core/boards.h#L66) [available](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.1/Marlin/src/pins/ramps/pins_MKS_GEN_L.h).
Since you said it was also unavailable in 2.0.x, please provide a copy of your entire 2.0.x setup.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As explained in the [answer by @username_1](/a/11866/), you are using an older version of the configuration file, it appears that you aren't using the latest sources from the 1.1.x and the 2.0.x trees.
In addition to the answer, the MKS GEN L is basically a RAMPS board with RAMPS pin layout except for a few pins. The board is defined in both [1.1.9](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/pins_MKS_GEN_L.h) and [2.0.x](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/2.0.x/Marlin/src/pins/ramps/pins_MKS_GEN_L.h) (if you scroll down you see that it includes the pin definition for a RAMPS layout: #include "pins\_RAMPS.h"). This being said, you could get it to work in pre 1.1.7 release of Marlin if you must. Choosing a RAMPS board for `MOTHERBOARD` constant and overriding/defining `MOSFET_D_PIN` to 7, `X_CS_PIN` to 59 and `X_CS_PIN` to 63 will make the firmware work. But, it is advised to get the latest version, even Marlin 2.0.x will run fine on Arduino Mega 2560 based boards.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2020/01/27 | 828 | 2,919 | <issue_start>username_0: What is the thread pitch of the Ender 3's bed leveling screws? The diameter measures about 4mm. Are they M4 0.7 (coarse) pitch or 0.5 (fine) pitch? I'd like to develop rigorous formulas for the amount to turn the knobs by after measuring (or visually inspecting, since I can see an accurate 0.2 mm first layer decently well) leveling-test patterns in the corners rather than using a closed-loop tune-and-retry approach.<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know what the value is, but there are a few ways to find out. It is very hard to measure this with a caliper, but it can be done, mark the upper and bottom of e.g. 10 windings and measure this with a caliper. Alternatively measure how much the screw drops after 10 full turns.
There are special tools that give you the answer directly, they cost a few Euros/bucks but can be very handy; a thread gauge, just place the 0.5 mm and the 0.7 mm beside the screw and you will instantly see which is the correct one.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYqFm.jpg)
*I bought mine at a typical Chinese vendor site.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Possibly tongue in cheek here, but if you can detect a 0.2 mm change, you may be able to determine visually the thread pitch, although it means de-tuning your bed for the experiment. Keeping close count is part of the experiment and you can reverse the count easily enough.
Make contact with the nozzle at the location of one screw. Count the turns in order to set the screw back to original location (or don't worry, re-tune later).
If the pitch is 0.5 mm, two complete turns would give you a millimeter, while the 0.7 mm pitch will give you 1.4 mm. Make it four turns and the difference is more apparent. That would present a 2.0 mm compared to 2.8 mm for the two types of threads.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I measured mine with a thread gauge and it says the pitch is **0.7 mm**.
So, as the stock adjustment wheels have 14 bumps around their circumference, turning by one of those is an adjustment of exactly 0.05 mm (assuming no backlash).
I can't speak for anyone else's, but due to the availability of replacement height adjustment wheels which don't specify alternative thread pitches, I *guess* that's the only one in use. I encourage you to verify my finding before relying on it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Just as Andrew, I did run a quick test to measure it: on my corner closest to <0,0,0>, a little stud is poking out. *Just* enough to screw on a threadcutter I know without any cutting happening:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4fWc.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7jWyf.jpg)
Indeed, it is **M4x0.7**, aka coarse thread.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/28 | 842 | 3,038 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 3 with a removeable build surface. The build surface backing has become warped - the center is at least 0.3 mm higher than the corners. I'm not sure what the material of this plate is - it's the part behind the BuildTak-clone surface that sits on the aluminum heat bed and is clipped to it. This makes it impossible to level the entire bed, and annoyingly tedious to level it enough just to use the center, since the paper method doesn't work at the corners. Can this be fixed, or do I need to source a replacement for it?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know what the value is, but there are a few ways to find out. It is very hard to measure this with a caliper, but it can be done, mark the upper and bottom of e.g. 10 windings and measure this with a caliper. Alternatively measure how much the screw drops after 10 full turns.
There are special tools that give you the answer directly, they cost a few Euros/bucks but can be very handy; a thread gauge, just place the 0.5 mm and the 0.7 mm beside the screw and you will instantly see which is the correct one.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYqFm.jpg)
*I bought mine at a typical Chinese vendor site.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Possibly tongue in cheek here, but if you can detect a 0.2 mm change, you may be able to determine visually the thread pitch, although it means de-tuning your bed for the experiment. Keeping close count is part of the experiment and you can reverse the count easily enough.
Make contact with the nozzle at the location of one screw. Count the turns in order to set the screw back to original location (or don't worry, re-tune later).
If the pitch is 0.5 mm, two complete turns would give you a millimeter, while the 0.7 mm pitch will give you 1.4 mm. Make it four turns and the difference is more apparent. That would present a 2.0 mm compared to 2.8 mm for the two types of threads.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I measured mine with a thread gauge and it says the pitch is **0.7 mm**.
So, as the stock adjustment wheels have 14 bumps around their circumference, turning by one of those is an adjustment of exactly 0.05 mm (assuming no backlash).
I can't speak for anyone else's, but due to the availability of replacement height adjustment wheels which don't specify alternative thread pitches, I *guess* that's the only one in use. I encourage you to verify my finding before relying on it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Just as Andrew, I did run a quick test to measure it: on my corner closest to <0,0,0>, a little stud is poking out. *Just* enough to screw on a threadcutter I know without any cutting happening:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4fWc.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7jWyf.jpg)
Indeed, it is **M4x0.7**, aka coarse thread.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/28 | 863 | 3,098 | <issue_start>username_0: Marlin has a [Linear Advance calibration pattern generator](http://marlinfw.org/tools/lin_advance/k-factor.html), but I find it's hard to use because:
* It only prints the initial layer on the bed, where bed irregularities interfere with accurate reading of it.
* It doesn't do proper retraction and priming, so a mess of strings and underextruded initial segments/non-adhesion mess up the results.
* It's hard to visually evaluate.
* Getting a very wide range of K values involves multiple runs.
* It's hard to clean up.
Is there a better procedure for calibration of K value for linear advance?<issue_comment>username_1: I don't know what the value is, but there are a few ways to find out. It is very hard to measure this with a caliper, but it can be done, mark the upper and bottom of e.g. 10 windings and measure this with a caliper. Alternatively measure how much the screw drops after 10 full turns.
There are special tools that give you the answer directly, they cost a few Euros/bucks but can be very handy; a thread gauge, just place the 0.5 mm and the 0.7 mm beside the screw and you will instantly see which is the correct one.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UYqFm.jpg)
*I bought mine at a typical Chinese vendor site.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Possibly tongue in cheek here, but if you can detect a 0.2 mm change, you may be able to determine visually the thread pitch, although it means de-tuning your bed for the experiment. Keeping close count is part of the experiment and you can reverse the count easily enough.
Make contact with the nozzle at the location of one screw. Count the turns in order to set the screw back to original location (or don't worry, re-tune later).
If the pitch is 0.5 mm, two complete turns would give you a millimeter, while the 0.7 mm pitch will give you 1.4 mm. Make it four turns and the difference is more apparent. That would present a 2.0 mm compared to 2.8 mm for the two types of threads.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I measured mine with a thread gauge and it says the pitch is **0.7 mm**.
So, as the stock adjustment wheels have 14 bumps around their circumference, turning by one of those is an adjustment of exactly 0.05 mm (assuming no backlash).
I can't speak for anyone else's, but due to the availability of replacement height adjustment wheels which don't specify alternative thread pitches, I *guess* that's the only one in use. I encourage you to verify my finding before relying on it.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Just as Andrew, I did run a quick test to measure it: on my corner closest to <0,0,0>, a little stud is poking out. *Just* enough to screw on a threadcutter I know without any cutting happening:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/W4fWc.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7jWyf.jpg)
Indeed, it is **M4x0.7**, aka coarse thread.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/30 | 385 | 1,473 | <issue_start>username_0: I faced some problem with my 3D printer device. It seems the bed warms up without any problem, however, the hotend does not warm up!
Could you please help me identify what the problem is?<issue_comment>username_1: I really hope the extruder doesn't warm up as this would be a problem with your stepper motor :)
I'm sure you mean the hotend doesn't heat up. This could be a number of things but i would start to double check the pinout in your code vs the pins on your mainboard and measure if it gives 12v/24v (depending on your PSU) output.
There's a lot more info required to properly help you.
What board are you using?
What OS are you using? Marlin or something else?
Share the relevant code of the OS for the hotend config/pinout
potentially share pictures of your wiring
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: First, I want to make sure if your hotend is really not heating up. If you are saying the numbers are not showing (like when it is heating, the number on display or octoprint says 0/180) this could be a Thermistor problem. Check to make sure if your hot end is heating up by putting a paper or filament under it. DO NOT touch with your hand.
Second, If your hotend is truly not heating up, then several things can be happening.
1. Your hotend is wired wrong. Make sure your board is correctly wired.
2. Your hotend is dead. Change to different hotend and see if it works.
3. Your hotend is not getting enough power.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/01/30 | 432 | 1,592 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a problem with some models like this (trim\_tabs version) : <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3401852>
When I import the model on simplify, the tabs are sticky to the model (see pic3.png) but when I slice it, on the preview, tabs are not sticky to the model (see pic1.png).
I tried to do it on Cura and it works ; tabs stay stiky to the model (see pics2.png).
What's wrong ?
I attach my Simplify and Cura profile to help.
To get pics and profiles :
<https://drive.google.com/open?id=1NkMBosI-xalRGjTSua1xDejZ2MKWZcV9><issue_comment>username_1: It's not uncommon that different slicers have different effects on different models.
The techniques used to slice the models differs. If the model you slice works fine in one and not in the other it's sometimes a setting but sometimes just the slicer.
Just use the slicer that works :)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I've tried that item as well. In fact, other than the heart, I built a [remix](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3825323) which works better but is still difficult to free up after printing. Those tabs you're concerned about will print better at a very low (thin) layer setting.
I am pretty sure that the original design is faulty. All the "leaves" have gears which cause them to rotate when the threaded ring is turned. But the designer made all leaves identical! Each one needs its gear's null-position set differently so that it properly meshes with the thread positions of the outer ring at that leaf's placement. Some day I may remix to adjust those gear positions....
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/01/30 | 671 | 2,633 | <issue_start>username_0: I have two printers, one is an Anet A8 and the other one is a CreatBot DX plus. On both of them I installed a BLTouch, firstly on the DX and today on the A8. I have never had a problem with the probe, but today I am experiencing some problems. I just set the offset, by doing the procedure, and I found to that the Z0 is -0.8 mm.
Problem is, when I start to print (I use Cura as a Slicer and OctoPrint), I run `G28` and `G29`, everything is fine and the bed gets mapped. When the print starts, something weird occurs: the nozzle goes down for the regions where the bed is higher! So, the layer that is put down, is very thin and the nozzle actually dives into the bed! It is like a `Z0` too low, so the nozzle crashes into the bed, but it is not because in `X100` `Y100` it is perfectly fine! Could you have any idea why this occurs?
### What have I tried?
**Changing bed springs**
Because I was curious, and impatient I changed the springs with the Ender ones I bought online. The problem is still here! I can see the bed closer to the nozzle during bed leveling, compared to the left side. So I screwed the right side, to see any difference. However, the nozzle seems to be always closer on the right side! I checked the X rods, they are leveled.
**Searched online**
I checked almost everywhere online and I found out that it could be a problem related to the bilinear bed leveling. So I changed to linear, and apparently now I can print! I believe it is something related to the mesh the firmware creates after the leveling, which is avoided for the linear.<issue_comment>username_1: It's not uncommon that different slicers have different effects on different models.
The techniques used to slice the models differs. If the model you slice works fine in one and not in the other it's sometimes a setting but sometimes just the slicer.
Just use the slicer that works :)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I've tried that item as well. In fact, other than the heart, I built a [remix](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3825323) which works better but is still difficult to free up after printing. Those tabs you're concerned about will print better at a very low (thin) layer setting.
I am pretty sure that the original design is faulty. All the "leaves" have gears which cause them to rotate when the threaded ring is turned. But the designer made all leaves identical! Each one needs its gear's null-position set differently so that it properly meshes with the thread positions of the outer ring at that leaf's placement. Some day I may remix to adjust those gear positions....
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/02/01 | 598 | 2,206 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to troubleshoot an issue with my 3D printer (Robo 3D R1+). It cannot print vertical walls well any more. Here is a picture of what it looks like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Y4PE.jpg)
The walls are very inconsistent. To correct this issue, I've tried:
* Changing the nozzle
* Tightening the hotend (to remove wobble)
* Dehydrating the filament
* Using brand new (good quality) filament
* Printing faster & slower
* Printing hotter & cooler
* Trying different slicers (Ultimaker Cura & Simplify3D)
* Putting on a belt tightener
The 5 motor drivers are all new as well, but this was already happening before I changed them.<issue_comment>username_1: Mmm... you've tried lots of obvious things. I don't have a printer the same as yours, so my help is generic.
How about a thorough check of extruder and filament path, since it may be just inconsistent filament feed? I've seen something similar happen when the filament reel was not rolling freely. Less likely, but also check that the frame is still solid and nothing has come loose.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Despite the picture being a bit small and blurry, it is quite obvious that something is off. A better picture might help closing in on the problem with more precision.
From what I can see it could be wrong extrusion settings. I'm making a wild guess based on personal experience that the printer is over extruding way too much. I had similar looking parts a few years back after a firmware update. I simply forgot to update the steps/mm for the extruder.
Any recent firmware or hardware updates?
From your explanation I understand you changed the drivers. Maybe an issue based on microstepping? (The corner looks like the nozzle was realy in the material while printing.)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: It looks to me like you might be over-extruding. Have you calibrated the extruder?
How-To: [MatterHackers Extruder Calibration Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3A9Ir2SreI)
More Info: [all3Dp Over-Extrusion Page](https://all3dp.com/2/over-extrusion-3d-printing-tips-and-tricks-to-solve-it/)
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/02/03 | 728 | 2,692 | <issue_start>username_0: Lately I noticed that there is a new type of nozzles (called airbrush nozzles?!?) available; typically found on those online overseas vendor sites. The nozzles are advertised for usage in E3D hardware, but are not found amongst the [E3D genuine nozzles](https://e3d-online.com/nozzles-for-3d-printer).
These nozzles look like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OH4O2.png)
What are the basic physics principles or what is the engineering relevance for application of airbrush nozzles? (Gimmick or actual product improvement?)<issue_comment>username_1: They are used for nonplaner 3d printing.
<https://all3dp.com/4/nonplanar-3d-printing-gives-the-smoothest-top-layers/>
The gist of it is, that You can achieve smoother, curvy top layers that are more true to form, buy using a nozzle like the one you mentioned. Also, they can be used to print multiple objects at the same time, where is faster to print 10 to 20 layers of one object then switch to the next object on the build plate, rather than having to print each layer of each object sequentially. This reduces build time, stringing, voids and the potential knocking off the part by the nozzle (as it moves to print the next object, since that object may have shrunk/expanded since the nozzle last visited it).
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: An obvious drawback is the lack of a flat surface around the opening, resulting in a severe limitation of the extrusion width to exactly the nozzle width (plus some percent). This nozzle cannot efficiently push the filament against the nearby perimeters because it cannot constrain its height and it cannot flatten the top of the already extruded one. So layer adhesion may not be a big problem, but perimeter-to-perimeter likely is.
Also, the thinner wall and extended length will reduce the filament temperature, however I don't know whether a simple compensation would do, since cooling will depend on filament speed and travel speed.
Regarding the cooling, you can check also the original designer's [goal](https://well-engineered.net/index.php/en/46-small-smaller-airbrush-nozzle):
>
> A big problem with small. hot and slow prints is the heat radiation of
> the hotend and nozzle itself. To get as little as possible heat into
> the print, the nozzle needs to be as long and pointy as possible. The
> longer the nozzle, the bigger the distance between heater block and the
> print. And the more pointy it is, the less heat radiation can affect
> the print. A nice side benefit: the cooling fan can blow better onto
> the print and "around" the nozzle.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2020/02/05 | 573 | 1,816 | <issue_start>username_0: In analogy to: [What glues for bonding printed PLA to injection-molded plastic?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/6723/4762), what are the best glues to use for PETG?
I mostly print in PETG and have occasional failed prints which I usually reprint. But what if I'd like to repair a print e.g. a split between layers or a part broken off?
Knowing that PETG is more "greasy" than PLA, what typical glues can you use to create a good bond; this question excludes using heat to (re-)bond.<issue_comment>username_1: From [forum](https://forum.simplify3d.com/viewtopic.php?t=9281)
>
> Bison plastic - works great for me, only it's not "quick dry" but it's very strong, not brittle, holds PETG and PLA very strongly.
> Buy paint stripper that is/contains methylene chloride (dichloromethane). It will solvent weld both PLA and PETG.
>
>
>
Or see [other forum](https://all3dp.com/2/best-glue-for-plastic-pla-abs-petg-nylon/) which recommends Eastman-910 (original brand of cyanoacrylate) or any equivalent, polyurethane glue, or even epoxy.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If Carl's answer that cyanoacrylate glue works is accurate, I would suggest Loctite 420 or equivalent. It's diluted with solvents sufficiently to behave as a liquid rather than a gel, and in my experience on PLA it not only bonds the joint, but wicks between the extrusions and bonds walls/layers together much more strongly and waterproofs the part. As long as it bonds to PETG it should do the same for PETG.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: A strong epoxy like BSI 5-15 min works great for me. I use it to bond high power rocket fin halves printed from PETG:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cMUsv.png)
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/02/05 | 2,003 | 8,345 | <issue_start>username_0: I am developing an [image to gcode program](https://github.com/Stypox/image-to-gcode), that would recognize edges and generate corresponding G-code to be sent to a plotter. I was able to detect edges using the [Sobel operator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sobel_operator); then the edges are converted to an [undirected graph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graph) using a search heuristic of my creation. Converting a graph to functional gcode is not difficult: [depth first search](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth-first_search) does the job. The issue is that using this method the generated paths for the plotter are far from optimal, since they contain many movements that could be removed or shortened just by printing paths in a different order. This can be seen clearly in the images below.
Is there an **algorithm that can convert an undirected graph to optimal G-code paths**? Otherwise, if there are none or the problem is NP complete, what heuristics can be used to generate almost-optimal gcode (e.g. the ones used in programs such as Inkscape)?
The graph on the left is converted to the gcode on the right using depth first search on the connected component of the graph. The white and red lines represent, respectively, the visible writes and the invisible movements of the plotter. The G-code can be found [here](https://github.com/Stypox/image-to-gcode/blob/master/graph.nc).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWVqxm.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qLFq3m.png)<issue_comment>username_1: If you can save your plot as a dxf, you can use Repetrel to generate gcode with our "find nearest neighbor" optimizing. You can download it from <http://hyrel3d.net> - the full install instructions start at <http://hyrel3d.net/wiki/index.php/Installation_Overview>
See the process in this video:
Disclaimer: I work for Hyrel 3D. Licensing only required on the actual printer, not the software install.
Note: This will generate gcode paths, but every printing move will have an E value of 1, so it's fine for lasering or ink-jetting, or running with the Hyrel native E calculations, but probably not useful for other 3d printers.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Quote of comment of [R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11956/converting-an-undirected-graph-to-optimal-g-code-paths#comment21885_11956) on question reads:
>
> Pretty sure it is NP-complete (equivalent to travelling salesman problem), no? –
>
>
>
This is correct; this is route optimization at its purest, and is by no means a new problem. You want to travel the shortest total distance between all vertices of what's essentially a totally-interconnected graph; there are no inherent limitations on going from anywhere, to anywhere. The TSP is the general-case statement of this problem, which your problem specializes only slightly by predefining certain movements along edges as being required in the final path (but those edges can be traversed in either direction and in any order.
What makes this complex on its face is the sheer number of possibilities that an exhaustive solution to the TSP like Held-Karp has to evaluate. You have no real constraints regarding which points to travel between; you can go from anywhere, to anywhere. Only a relatively small number of edges (your extrusion lines) are known requisites, and those can theoretically be traced in any order.
If I'm reading your graph right, you start near the top center, then go to the top left, then to the s-curve, then you jump to the main shape and start traversing it from the "right arm", turning downward through the "body" and "left foot" of the central shape, then up to the "right hip", through that leg to the foot, then back up to the "left shoulder", through that "arm", etc.
If I have that right, then you definitely have "endpoint detection", where you are identifying points in the graph that are part of only one line segment (and therefore will require a travel move to get to or from them), and are planning travel moves to and from those points. Very smart. I would be interested in knowing exactly how you choose the next one to travel to. Obviously the closest endpoint of an undrawn line is a natural choice, but your algorithm doesn't seem to be doing that. Right from the off it chooses a relatively further point to extrude and then comes back to the rest of the shape. That actually seems to be the most efficient move in the overall graph, because if you don't get it early you will very likely make a big move to get back to it later, but making that decision in a non-exhaustive way doesn't seem intuitive.
Anyway, your algorithm was doing pretty well at path choice, up until it finished drawing the "right leg". The most efficient move from there would be to go to the bottom of the "Y" looking shape to the right of the main figure and trace through that. When that's done, the closest undrawn line segment will be back at the left shoulder of the main figure, which will lead you to the small dots, and you'll end in this region with relatively small travel moves. Overall, I think that a "closest remaining endpoint" strategy would be near-optimal at every turn; when you reach the end of a drawn line, look for the endpoint that is closest to your current location. It would make most of the decisions your existing algorithm does, and a few better ones. It's not *always* the best choice (case in point, the dot at the upper left, which is never closest to the end of any other move and so will be ignored until it's the last one left) but more often than not it is.
My programmer savvy says you also have some recursive intersection tracing ("tree-walking"); the algorithm sees that there are multiple paths to draw from a single point, remembers that point and then picks a path. When it reaches an end of a chain of extruded lines, it goes back to the most recently-encountered intersection, re-evaluates available paths, and picks the next one until all paths from that intersection are drawn. Then you skip back to the previous intersection, and so on in a recursive LIFO fashion.
While that's also generally a smart way to approach it, it makes a couple obviously inefficient moves, such as from the "right foot" of the main figure back to the "shoulder" (which is the most recent intersection visited but not fully drawn by that point). The more efficient move is simply the closest remaining endpoint, the bottom of the wonky-looking Y to the right of the main figure.
How you choose intersection paths to prioritize is also key. In general, taking the route that will lead you to the closest intersection or endpoint will reduce the possible backtracking you have to do. However your algorithm seems to prefer the longest path from a fork (or the one with the most forks along it) and that turns out not to be a terrible way to do it in this particular graph.
Now, having drawn the "left arm" of the main figure, it is totally beyond me why your algorithm chose to cross the graph to draw the wonky Y, then cross back over to the left side. That is by far the least efficient move it makes and the one you're probably pointing to yourself. The most efficient path from the end of the left arm of the main figure given what's left to draw is straight-up closest-endpoint, filling in dots and lines on the left side, then making one move across the graph to the wonky Y. Closest-endpoint would actually have already filled in that Y as covered earlier, and you'd end your graph traversal in the left region of dots and small lines. You may have one or maybe two relatively inefficient moves between corners of this region on the left of the graph depending on the closest point calculation, but those are minor compared to the moves made across the graph. If your algorithm is producing deterministic results for this graph, I'd debug it and step through to that point, and figure out why on Earth it thought that sequence was preferable. Optimizing that decision may very well be the key to a near-optimal overall graph-walking strategy.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2020/02/06 | 1,065 | 3,883 | <issue_start>username_0: All of a sudden I seem to be having a lot of issues with under extruding on my Ender 3. The bottom layer (of height 0.1 mm) prints perfectly fine. This is done at 15 mm/s speed. However, The moment the print moves to layer 2 and above (at the default speed of 60 mm/s), I start hearing a lot of clicking noise on the extruder.
So far I have tried the following
* Replace nozzle to eliminate clogs
* Cleaned the inside of the hot end assembly
* Calibrated extruder steps/mm
* Reduced the layer height from 0.3 mm to 0.2 mm
* Reduced feed rate to as low at 50 %
* Cleaned the filament feeder assembly and verified that it is able to push the filament properly (Extruding when the print is not happening works just fine with no clicking)
Even with all the above, the issue is still persisting. I am not what else could be causing this.
I am printing with PLA at 200 C<issue_comment>username_1: Not allowed to comment, so have to answer:
1. The temperature sensor is a thermally sensitive resistor. Unfortunately, the temperature is near the high limit of that sensor, and the manufacturing tolerances are very significant. That is why a temperature tower is important for each printer, as well as each filament. (I have 4 printers and each requires a different temperature for the same filament. My worst-case is out by 25 degrees! - it's the one I bought second-hand because the original purchaser couldn't get it to work. I could replace the NTC, but it is easier just to have settings to suit that printer.)
2. Filament does change over time. Lots of theories about why, but the practical response is to tune settings to suit the filament. The alternative is to modify the filament (eg drying, adding oil to surface, etc.), but even with really old filament, I've found adjusting settings (in the slicer, like Cura) to be the most generally workable solution.
Bottom line is to test, adjust settings and repeat until the system achieves the result you need. Treat most recommendations as serving suggestions, so use them as clues (but not rules) for the puzzles presented as 3D printing.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: A temperature of 200 °C is fine. You probably have heat creep from a Bowden style extruder. The filament starts getting softer due to heat creeping up from the hot nozzle. Filament expands and clogs the tube causing gear clicking. Usually there is a heat sink at the the Bowden tube connection. You need to cool that immediately. Which is, to set your fan to 100 % speed at layer height = 0. That should do the trick!
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: I too had this problem recently. I followed all the many hundreds of steps people suggested and nothing helped. I unistalled Cura 4.4 restarted my computer, installed Cura 4.1 problem fixed. Cura was the problem in my case.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: I bought an Ender 3 and I had the same problem.
I was changing few things and finally got success when I changed the nozzle to the second one (I had two in the set).
At the end changing the nozzle was the primary step, but in my opinion more important was reduce speed printing, from 100 % to 80 %.
Since this simple modification (till now) all prints are fine now.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: I also had the extruder drive slipping backwards (clicking sound) as well and narrowed it down to a Cura update that had changed my Ender 3 machine settings from Marlin to Marlin (volume metric).
Once changed back to Marlin, all is well now. No over extruding. Before reversing the change, I had to reduce the flow rate to 53 %. Now, I’m back to 100 % and very good prints.
Printing with eSun PETG, with the following settings:
* temperature: 235 °C,
* retraction 6 mm @ 25 mm/sec,
* initial height 2 mm,
* all others 1.8 mm,
* speed 30 mm/sec,
* fan on 50 % at layer 3 - no stringing.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/02/06 | 1,004 | 4,221 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm printing with opaque grey PETG on glass. The intention is to produce a house number plate, so a shiny, production quality finish on the bottom. For this reason, extruding at 245 °C with a bed at 95 °C, to give a perfect glass finish with no filament lines showing. Smaller test versions have been very promising; this seems to be the maximum temperatures before warping or a severe elephant's foot arises.
However when printing the full-scale version, areas of the first layer of filament seem to go completely "transparent"; there seems to be filament there - you can feel the filament "comb" when you run your finger over it, and it feels a similar thickness to its neighbours.
On the attached photo you might think that those gaps are simply not printed yet, however you can see on the top right corner that it's actually started on the next layer.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JYOVA.jpg)
What could be causing this? Is it a blockage which is interrupting flow, and maybe insufficient filament is being "stretched out"? Or maybe it could be something to do with temperature? Could it be insufficient layer height (I'm using 0.2 mm, but 0.24 mm on first layer, increasing further reveals filament lines, but tested higher and lower on smaller scale with success).
I've tested a range of extrude and temperatures and chosen the temps with the best results; but when I "go large" this always seems to happen. I've also calibrated the bed height using the 3 point adjustment screws on this printer (Qidi X-Plus). (The transparent areas are actually occuring in the center where the smaller test prints where working perfectly, so don't know how it could be to do with this).<issue_comment>username_1: PETG becomes transparent when the layers completely fuse. Translucency is from incomplete adhesion or voids left. Try small increases to flow or print width to get slightly better fill - or slow the speed (but speed might not affect how much material is output).
Also, I see the top surface has a pattern on it. My FDM printer always does a similar thing and it will take tuning to get it smooth. If you see the pattern repeating consistently, it is possible the extruder stepper (or its driver) is starting to fail. I've had that too.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Are you using Z-hop? Is there any play in the Z-axis direction? It appears that parts of the first layer are printed much thinner than other parts.
What can happen if there is a little play in the Z-axis direction that the nozzle doesn't return to the same level after a Z-hop movement (e.g. backlash in the leadscrew nuts).
The "transparent" printed part appears thinner, this must indicate that the Z positioning is not up to par.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: there are a lot of variable at play here, when are there not in the 3D printing world. Given that I don’t know the answer to your question although very interested to learn how you solve it eventually I will mention the things you can do ,maybe you have to eliminate or identify what parameter is the fault cause.
Things I would eliminate -
1 bed temperature discrepancies - move the origin cycle of the print or rotate it to see that the problems are physical rather than software. If the faults occur at the same place on a reoriented print then I would say you can eliminate nozzle and bed temps as well as material inconsistency.
May also be worth trying the print from a different complier I often find a piece prints differently and there fore better from this or that printer app.
2 could cooling be the issue? What if you hold a heat gun on the extruded parts to slow down cooling I have done this on tricky parts to get better binding, could be similar issue.
3 print a raft or test piece and see what happens to transparency with heat - if the material properties change as a result of temperature you could investigate why the temp is changing at the points in the print that are relevant -
Not sure that these ideas are that original but the fewer variable you need to consider the faster you will work out what to do about the rouge one
Regards
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/07 | 819 | 3,023 | <issue_start>username_0: The e3D volcano features an extended heater block of length 20 mm with the cartridge heater running parallel to the filament.
The purpose of this is to increase the speeds at which filament can be printed (of course the extruder and other factors may still be limiting factors).
My question is how capable would this heat block be of printing at slow speeds with a 0.4 mm nozzle?
Is printing still possible at lower speeds or is the filament heated too much that jams occur? Is the retraction performance okay?<issue_comment>username_1: Speaking from first hand experience running a Volcano hotend, mostly using a 0.6 mm nozzle, but I have used 0.4 mm as well. I can't really complain about any lower printing speed limit (low speeds are usually a solution to high speeds problems for me).
Just for completeness: I am using a DaVinci 1.1 Plus with custom firmware (modified Marlin) and an E3D Volcano hotend. No problems with the nozzle, clean prints! Note: I am using the Titan Aero as extruder but not using the included pancake motor! Went with the original motor of the DaVinci.
And as always: the parameters are key! Given a bit of tuning you can get amazing results! For PLA and ABS I can work without stringing. Although ABS seems to be prone to pitting (slight underextrusion at start of path). TPU and other flex are sometimes a bit of a challenge, but that's mainly due to my own lack of experience there.
The one important caveat here would be to also reduce the nozzle temperature. A possible theory here might be that the filament has more time and surface to heat up.
*(Sometimes I go as much as 15 °C lower as compared to normal/high speeds! Usually lower speeds means small pieces for me and in term means a limit to the layer cooling time.)*
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The worry must be about oozing and stringing. In general, no worries! Nothing a bit of tuning would not fix.
I have experience printing with Volcano with 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0 mm diameter.
PLA, PETG, Nylon, TPE, and TPU. (Volcano nozzles have been my default style for several years now. I don't even own a 10 mm heat block anymore (ok, maybe one)).
And yes, speaking of the classic 0.4 mm nozzle, you get higher stringing and oozing compared to 10 mm meltzone. You'll need to tune your retraction - it will be significatnly higher than 10 mm meltzone (I'm not giving numbers because it depends on printer style, material, nozzle diameter, temperature, and even slicer and slicer settings...).
I do like to print quite hot though with lots of cooling (PLA 220 °C for example) to increase layer adhesion and strength - so I experience this more.
For oozing, you may need to experiment with XY travel speeds, wiping settings, coasting settings, and similar (this also will help with stringing).
Also, keep in mind that the bigger the nozzle diameter, the more cooling you'll need (coupled with slower print) just to solidify that massive extrusion flow/mass.
Upvotes: 2 |
2020/02/07 | 604 | 2,409 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 5 printer, which is a frame-based printer with no enclosure. However, I want to print ABS. Some experiments with a massive cardboard box have shown me I need an enclosure.
Because the printer has a box frame, fitting some perspex sheets will be easy. The bit that won't be easy is the top - the filament tube projects fairly high.
Will I need to cover the top for ABS though? I read somewhere that drafts are a killer for ABS, which perspex around the sides should prevent. I guess most of the heat from the heat bed will be lost out of the top, so will this be a problem for layer adhesion?<issue_comment>username_1: Sides without a top will help.
Sides with a top will help more.
Do you need either? That depends. How warm, how dry, how drafty is your printing room?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: From experience I can tell you that boxing it up completely is not always a good thing to do. I have covered the front and top of an Ultimaker 3E printer to find out after some printing time that the cold ends weren't getting enough cooling, so I ended up clogging the nozzle assembly, preventing finishing the print. If you need to box it up to create a higher enclosure temperature, you better be sure the electronics, steppers and nozzles (that are in the enclosure) are cooled properly or do not get too hot, or alternatively you need to regulate the enclosure temperature.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If ambient temp gets under 70°F, layer adhesion becomes a real problem. I have found that enclosing the space and adding heat makes the printing more reliable.
This answer is based on a few years of solely printing ABS. I've got my printer on a tool cart and the spool holder is above on a post. The first time winter ruined a print, I threw a pallet covering plastic bag over all of it and put a small, low powered, forced air heater more or less pointing at the printing area. It wasn't air tight, but I made effort to close it up pretty well.
The current location of the 3D printer is on the bottom tier of the cart with a temperature controlled heater pointing at it. I opened up a large amazon box and set it against the cart, forming walls on 3 sides. There is poor sealing but the print quality stayed good.
Oh and obviously it is very dangerous and have burned down my workplace and home several times, so don't do it.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/08 | 578 | 2,014 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm new to 3D printing and have bought a resin printer.
Cleaning with **Isopropol Alcohol** seems to be the rage, however I think this is unaware of cost savings. It appears **methylated spirits** is ok and is 25% the cost of Isopropol Alcohol.
I'm now down to wondering if I should buy methylated spirits or **turpentine** (I ruled out **kerosene** as too flammable)?
I'm leaning towards methylated spirits, however would like input.
**Factors** I'm curious about:
1. Cost: same for methylated spirits and turpentine.
2. Evaporation/solvency: ?
3. Flammability: ?
4. Poisonous levels: ?
5. Resin object cleaning effect: ?
6. Skin effects: ?
7. Smell: ?
I checked a few [sources](https://www.sydneysolvents.com.au/mineral-turpentine).<issue_comment>username_1: I would personally stick to isopropanol. Be aware that 3D printing is a very expensive hobby, but health wise this is a better option. Methylated spirits can quickly become dangerous, and often can burn with a close to invisible flame, meaning that you may not even see if it is burning. Also, the fumes can quickly become dangerous, whereas after years of dealing with isopropanol I have noticed no ill effects. Cost should not be your primary concern, health of you and your printer should be.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Are you for real?
Isopropyl alcohol is less dangerous to your health than ethanol with a touch of denaturant?
Seriously read the MSDS sheets for the products and know what's in them before you say stuff.
The amount of MEK or MIBK is so small.
Some and not many methylated spirits have a small fraction of methanol but so little that it is safe to work with.
Why would they sell methylated spirits in the supermarket and not IPA if it was more dangerous?
Personally, I would read the SDS/MSDS sheet for the metho if you are worried and find one that is only denatured with Bitrex but to be honest I doubt there will be a health issue any more so than IPA with any of them.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/09 | 1,133 | 4,094 | <issue_start>username_0: I'd like to prefix this question with the fact that I know virtually nothing about 3D printers, aside from the general principles of how they work.
I've recently seen that SLS printers have become more affordable, to the point where in a few years they might be a compelling investment. I'm mainly interested in 3D printing miniatures for painting, and as such this one:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tQUMO.jpg)
For scale, the miniature is about 150 mm long. I'm mainly worried about smaller details, such as the faces of the Gunner or Driver. Will a consumer-grade SLS printer be able to print to such level of detail?<issue_comment>username_1: It's difficult to tell from your photo the level of detail required. A scale reference in the form of a metric ruler would be valuable. If, for example, the metallic eye on the gunner is 2 mm diameter, that would be 40 layers of 50 micron grains, allowing for substantial detail.
Consumer level SLS printers, such as the Sinterit Kit, use fifty micron nylon powder and is subject to some shrinking. This implies one can expect slightly smaller than fifty micron detail to appear.
One of our makerspace members purchased an SLS model from Shapeways. The surface is layer-free and one can see the individual granules under magnification. If you required a level of certainty of this detail, consider that you can create a model containing various levels of detail, then commission Shapeways to create it.
It's certain that they use a production level system, but one can inquire of Shapeways of the size of the powder that is used.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Consumer Market?
----------------
While there are no "consumer level" SLS printers on the market currently, the question in itself is very interesting on a scientific level. The pricing edges for the consumer market for 3D printers can be somewhat estimated from the consumer electronics segment. This puts a maximum price tag of about 2000-2500 \$ onto it, comparable to a high-end PC.
CurrentlyFeb. 2020, most SLS machines come with 'inquire for price' or with prices of [5000 \$](https://sintratec.com/product/sintratec-kit/) or larger price tags, which indicates they are intended for professional or industrial use. Most SLS printers in consumer hands seem to be phased out older systems from second hand. So while there are for sure tries to get SLS more affordable, it is not there yet.
Resolution of SLS
-----------------
SLS printers have resolutions based on two factors[1](https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/60707.pdf):
* grain size
* laser diameter
Generally speaking, the finer the grain and more focussed the laser, the better the resolution. Current industrial machines - even cheap ones - work with particle sizes between 20 and 80 µm, with the bulk being around 40 to 60 µm[2](https://aip.scitation.org/doi/pdf/10.1063/1.4918516).
The laser focus point ranges generally in the "tens of µm"[1](https://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs/60707.pdf), and is listed with values between 50 and 300 µm for most ceramic powders in that paper.
Conclusion
----------
As a rule of thumb, 50 µm seems to be the average nylon spot size, which is very much comparable with resin printers using SLA/mSLA/DLP technology. Details on miniatures are usually in the area of 100-200 µm, so are well achieveable with either.
### Comparison SLS to SLA/mSLA/DLP
Resin technology has the benefit of being easier accessible with some entry level printes between 200 and 500 \$. Nylon SLS prints do demand a sealant but prints without any supports, Resin does at times need support.
Printing times for DLP/mSLA is not dependant on the ammount of space used, making packing the build surface with as many models as possible benefitial, while SLS, like FDM, works with a moving spot, so the ammount of models increases print time.
Both Technologies work with hazardous material - resin and very fine powders respecively - and demand proper PPE to handle them.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2020/02/09 | 1,972 | 6,223 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm using firmware Marlin 2.0.3 on an Anet A8 printer. I'm using a Roko SN04-N NPN bed leveller. I've managed to set up 3 points bed levelling but I wanted to try the bilinear levelling.
Issue is, the sensor goes out of the aluminum bed ever so slightly during levelling, resulting in the printing head crashing on the bed.
Where can I set the grid for the bilinear levelling in the config file? I didn't find the option in the file and Google wasn't of any help this time.<issue_comment>username_1: If you have managed to setup 3-point levelling, you should be able to enable bi-linear levelling in the firmware.
From the [configuration.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/blob/master/config/default/Configuration.h) file for Marlin firmware you can find the following options:
```
/**
* Choose one of the options below to enable G29 Bed Leveling. The parameters
* and behavior of G29 will change depending on your selection.
*
* If using a Probe for Z Homing, enable Z_SAFE_HOMING also!
*
* - AUTO_BED_LEVELING_3POINT
* Probe 3 arbitrary points on the bed (that aren't collinear)
* You specify the XY coordinates of all 3 points.
* The result is a single tilted plane. Best for a flat bed.
*
* - AUTO_BED_LEVELING_LINEAR
* Probe several points in a grid.
* You specify the rectangle and the density of sample points.
* The result is a single tilted plane. Best for a flat bed.
*
* - AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR
* Probe several points in a grid.
* You specify the rectangle and the density of sample points.
* The result is a mesh, best for large or uneven beds.
*
* - AUTO_BED_LEVELING_UBL (Unified Bed Leveling)
* A comprehensive bed leveling system combining the features and benefits
* of other systems. UBL also includes integrated Mesh Generation, Mesh
* Validation and Mesh Editing systems.
*
* - MESH_BED_LEVELING
* Probe a grid manually
* The result is a mesh, suitable for large or uneven beds. (See BILINEAR.)
* For machines without a probe, Mesh Bed Leveling provides a method to perform
* leveling in steps so you can manually adjust the Z height at each grid-point.
* With an LCD controller the process is guided step-by-step.
*/
//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_3POINT
//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_LINEAR
//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR
//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_UBL
//#define MESH_BED_LEVELING
```
If you are using 3-point levelling you enabled constant `AUTO_BED_LEVELING_3POINT` by removing the comment characters (`//`):
```
#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_3POINT
```
to enable bi-linear levelling, you should remove the comment characters before constant `#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR`:
```
#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR
```
Definition of the grid is done by specifying how many point you want to have using constants `GRID_MAX_POINTS_X` and `GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y`:
```
#if EITHER(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_LINEAR, AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR)
// Set the number of grid points per dimension.
#define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 3
#define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y GRID_MAX_POINTS_X
```
The code above shows the default definition of a 9 point (3 x 3) grid.
Note that this will only work well if the area for the sensor to reach safely is correctly defined. If the sensor is missing the build plate, you have not correctly defined the limits for the sensor. Question ["How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?"](/q/8153) has an [accepted answer](/a/8154) that describes how to define an area on the plate that the sensor may reach (the answer on this question also discusses Marlin 2.x).
---
In the specific case of the OP (after posting the config files)
---------------------------------------------------------------
---
From the posted configuration files your probe position can be obtained:
```
#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { 25, 55, 0 }
```
So your probe is at the right-back when facing the printer. Also your bed area attempt (commented) and the current active bed area can be obtained:
```
#if PROBE_SELECTED && !IS_KINEMATIC
//#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT 5
//#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT 200
//#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT 55
//#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK 200
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT MIN_PROBE_EDGE
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT MIN_PROBE_EDGE
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT MIN_PROBE_EDGE
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK MIN_PROBE_EDGE
#endif
```
From these excerpts it is clear that the bed limits are incorrectly defined.
Following the theory from [this answer](/a/8154/) the probe is only allowed to visit the following (dark red) area:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gpeCz.png)
This area is defined as:
```
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT (PROBE_OFFSET_X_FROM_EXTRUDER + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT (PROBE_OFFSET_Y_FROM_EXTRUDER + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
```
which translates to:
```
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT (25 + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT (55 + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
```
As seen in the commented `//#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT 5` and uncommented `#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT MIN_PROBE_EDGE` (equals 10) left probe limits, you are at least respectively 20 or 15 mm short, hence the sensor is not on the plate on the left.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Note for anyone looking at the answer above, but in 2.1.x:
The `#define` lines have been renamed:
```
#if PROBE_SELECTED && !IS_KINEMATIC
#define PROBING_MARGIN_LEFT PROBING_MARGIN
#define PROBING_MARGIN_RIGHT PROBING_MARGIN
#define PROBING_MARGIN_FRONT PROBING_MARGIN
#define PROBING_MARGIN_BACK PROBING_MARGIN
#endif
```
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Currently on 2.1.1 it is just
```
#define PROBING_MARGIN
```
On [line 1500](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/blob/import-2.1.x/config/default/Configuration.h#L1500) of `Configuration.h`
For example,
```
#define PROBING_MARGIN 10
```
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/10 | 1,126 | 3,878 | <issue_start>username_0: I purchased a (very) low tier printer a while back, and now I am looking to start upgrading. First on my list is to upgrade the controller1).
My initial plan was to upgrade to an Arduino Mega with a RAMPS 1.4 running Marlin, but as I started to try to find a RAMPS 1.4 board I started questioning my plan. Almost every source I could find for the board was either out of stock or very sketchy. Then I discovered that RAMPS 1.6 exists, but I can find even fewer places with it in stock.
Is the Mega + RAMPS combo still what people are using? I made a printer 4 years ago and that was what I used, but due to the scarcity of RAMPS boards for sale I am now unsure if it is still being used by the community.
If RAMPS still is the recommendation, what brands are reputable? (I'm trying to figure out if using RAMPS 1.4 with a Mega is an outdated solution and if there are better solutions these days.)
---
*1) Upgrading is necessary for:
Temperature/humidity sensors for monitoring/feedback; enclosure heaters (plan on having enclosed build space, work in a relative cold space); larger display with plenty of tactile switches; light sensor so the LEDs illuminating the enclosure can be modulated to provide more constant light levels for a webcam; possibly some joy sticks to manually maneuver the extruder and bed; etc. Basically I want something that can feasibly handle any unnecessary sensor/input I may eventually want to add. I'm familiar with Arduino and know it has those capabilities, but have no clue about other controllers.*<issue_comment>username_1: As per <https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.6>,
>
> The RAMPS 1.6 is the second RAMPS iteration released by BIQU/BIGTREETECH. It replaces the original green power connector with a pair of screw terminals, adds a larger heatsink over the MOSFETS, and has a larger bed MOSFET. It maintains the surface-mounted fuses and flush MOSFETS of the RAMPS 1.5.
>
>
> Also, the positions of the D1 and D2 diodes have been swapped from the positions in RAMPS 1.4, the D1 diode is now the diode closest to fuse F2. The same is true for RAMPS 1.5, also manufactured by BIQU/BIGTREETECH.
>
>
>
In other words, RAMPS 1.6 is pretty much the same as the 1.4 board. It just has some minor changes.
As for availability, I have found numerous listings for RAMPS 1.4 and RAMPS 1.6 on Amazon (US) and Ebay (US) for under $10.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If you own a Raspberry Pi , you may first want to try Klipper firmware. This firmware does the heavy lifting on the RPi itself and sends commands to the printer board via USB.
My Ender 3 pro works much better with this firmware.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: RAMPS boards aren't really "state-of-the-art" anymore.
The newest version, the Ramps 1.6 Plus, at least supports drivers with UART / SPI communication though, which is required for most "silent" TMC drivers. [BigTreeTech's GitHub](https://github.com/bigtreetech?utf8=%E2%9C%93&tab=repositories&q=ramps&type=&language=) still seems to miss schematics for it though.
Marlin supports both modern 32-bit boards (SKR 1.3, SKR Pro, MKS SGEN L, Fysetc S6 etc.) as well as the older Arduino / AVR based boards (RAMPS, Fysetc F6, MKS GEN L etc.).
Out of those, I'd currently recommend the Fysetc S6 with TMC2209 or TMC5160 drivers.
You may also want to take a look at the Klipper firmware ([as mentioned in username_2's answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/12018/13171)).
It supports lots of such small features ([as mentioned in your comment](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11988/upgrading-printer-controller?noredirect=1#comment21981_11988)), and you could also use multiple boards working together as one system, all controlled with a single Raspberry Pi.
It's based on Python modules, so it should be relatively easy to add features to.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/11 | 1,405 | 5,666 | <issue_start>username_0: For practicality sake, I need to print a design such that there will be weight hanging parellel to the layer lines. Is there an infill pattern that would be better than others at handling this?
I realize that all kinds of infill will still have the same layer boundaries. Just wondering if choosing any given infill might provide better results.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, some infill patterns are better than others for preventing separation of layers. Basically (modulo some assumptions about uniformity of distribution of force), the shearing strength of the part in the Z direction at a particular layer is going to be proportional to the *surface area* of bonding between successive layers. So infill patterns that stack identical infill extrusions on top of each other at each layer should be expected to be much stronger than patterns where successive layers make only partial contact. In other words, "2D infill patterns" - grid, lines, triangles, tri-hexagon - should be a lot stronger than "3D infill patterns" - cubic, octet, gyroid, ... This matches my experience printing bolts oriented along the Z-axis - ones printed with gyroid snap easily unless other measures are taken to strengthen them, while ones printed with triangles are fairly strong (though nowhere near as strong as ones printed oriented in the XY plane.
If you have other reason to prefer a "3D infill pattern", its weakness can be mitigated mostly by increasing the infill line width, so that the lines of successive layers which don't entirely overlap still touch on more surface area. (Just increasing the infill line width also works to make "2D infill patterns" even stronger.) However, be aware that with high print speed typically used for infill, increasing infill line width can easily exceed the capability of your hotend, resulting in underextrusion, extruder skipping, and stringing all over the place.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The shearing strength characteristics, or better known as interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) characteristics, describe the shear strength between the layers. This is also known as flexural or bending strength characteristics. These are best obtained by performing a 3- or 4-point bending test; these tests are standardized by the American Society for Testing and Materials, ASTM International (e.g. ASTM D 7264).
The bending test will cause internal compression (concave side during testing) and internal tension stresses (convex side during testing). The figure below shows the general setup of a 3-point bending test and below that magnification of the stresses inside the test specimen.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GFMB5.png)
The tests concern the interlaminar shearing of layers, so, the much more material a layer consists of (e.g. infill percentage) the higher the resistance against shearing off. Also, how the infill is internally supported by its form helps, if it buckles easily on the compression side, the buckling occurs before shear off.
Not only the type and percentage of infill is important for the flexural strength, but also the layer height, nozzle diameter print temperature as found in [this research paper](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323878149_Strength_of_PLA_Components_Fabricated_with_Fused_Deposition_Technology_using_a_Desktop_3D_Printer_as_a_Function_of_Geometrical_Parameters_of_the_Process/link/5b9becf0299bf13e60316784/download). Another paper, ["Effect of infill on tensile and flexural strength of 3D printed PLA parts"](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328848028_Effect_of_infill_on_tensile_and_flexural_strength_of_3D_printed_PLA_parts) directly answers your question, quoting the figure from the paper:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/euoYn.png)
You should choose an infill that has the most support. Since year and day, in creating composite sandwich panels (often used in aerospace applications where high stiffness and low weight are essential) [honeycomb core structures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeycomb_structure) are used as these honeycomb structures allow minimization of the amount of weight and used material. From the figure above you see that rectangular infill is best suited for FFF products. Honeycomb is the second best, but significantly lower. Note that orientation is key! E.g. [this test conducted by Martin](https://www.cartesiancreations.com.au/gyroid-infill-tests/) shows that Gyroid and honeycomb infill performs better than rectilinear:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OVdMG.png)
To answer your question, not only infill pattern, but also infill density, nozzle diameter, layer height and orientation play an important role in the shearing strength. This is why ASTM has defined a standard so that we can compare results amongst different materials or different lay- or set-ups. These tests are typically performed dynamically (alternating load), statically with increasing load (increasing load with time) or statically fixed load (constant load to determine the creep properties, these test typically take a long time when the load is low).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: username_2's answer is the "solution" or true answer to the question.
Watching youtube the last few days, cubic needs to be considered. I was surprised at what I saw. More to consider is adding design elements:
* The concept of flutes along the perimeter.
* Adding through holes increases strength incredibly.
Upvotes: 0 |
2020/02/12 | 1,540 | 6,284 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been fighting on and off with issues with my build plate seemingly not being perfectly flat. I've ordered a machined straight-edge and some new feeler gauges to diagnose the problem (and test any potential replacement) better, but I'd like to get an idea of what options are available for obtaining a flatter build surface. I'm not really interested in approaches like BLTouch since I want accurate flat bottoms on my prints, not just consistent adhesion.
My printer is an Ender 3 and I believe my problem is a mix of wear to the Buildtak clone surface and warping in its backing plate. Mine is the newer model with removable buildplate and clips, and the backing is [reportedly](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/9quifs/having_trouble_finding_ender_3_replacement/) a "glass fiber" (FR-4) material that's hard to find genuine replacements for.
Glass seems like an obvious option - I might even put a buildtak clone on one side of it and use that most of the time - but I'm somewhat concerned about weight and whether having glass moved by the Y axis is going to limit acceleration. I've had (seemingly unrelated) problems on and off with layer shifts, which seem to be mostly Marlin's fault not mechanical, but I'm scared to introduce another factor that might encourage them.
Are there other non-glass options I should consider that would provide a rigid, flat backing? I'm very happy with the buildtak clones and their adhesion properties, so my leaning it to look for something that makes a good backing for them rather than a material that's intended to be built directly upon.
**Measurement results:** Using a machined straightedge and feeler gauges, the surface seems to be at least 0.10 mm but less than 0.15 mm lower within a couple inches of the bed center. This is plausibly just wear on the buildtak-clone surface, so I think I'll try to see if I can get by with just replacing that for now. But I'm still interested in the general topic of the question.<issue_comment>username_1: You are almost certainly attempting to optimize a component rather than optimize the **system.** The quality of the final produced prints depends on the combination of error sources. In brief, this means there's no point in getting a bed whose flatness is, say less than 50% of the variation in Z-axis positioning, in extrusion flow rate, and so on.
It is true that it's nice to have a material which won't warp over time so recalibration isn't necessary. Variation with temperature is unlikely to matter unless you anticipate making prints with a large difference in the temperature setpoint (maybe for radically different materials), and even then you should be able to calibrate for a couple different setpoints.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It all depends on what you mean by "flat".
------------------------------------------
Is the problem that the build plate isn't flat (perfectly planar), or is the problem that the distance to the build plate varies based on X and Y coordinates? They are very different problems.
"Bed Leveling" is the process of allowing the firmware to know the Z position of the build plate for every (X,Y) location. Some printers support measuring a mesh of points and interpolating the mesh. This compensates quite well both for warped build plate, and for bad positioning mechanisms which add some position dependent Z-axis offset.
If you really need a flat, planar, build surface, perhaps because you are printing mirrors or precision parts, glass should work well. It is still, and will not brook any inelastic bending. It will shatter before it takes on a curve. If possible, you could consider a Pyrex® bed, since it has a lower coefficient of thermal expansion and won't warp as much with a temperature gradient through the glass.
I tried to find a spec on how flat your glass might be. I'm assuming it is "float glass", which is made by floating molten glass on a pool of molten tin. I didn't find a spec, but I found this answer to a similar question:
>
> I doubt you will find such a spec- float glass isn't manufactured for
> that purpose and it isn't really in the manufacturer's interests to
> maintain such a spec. that said, the stuff is surprisingly flat, just
> as a side effect of how it's made. you don't say what your needs are
> other than *near optical tolerances* . might just be good enough for
> you. consider though that granite surface plates of certified flatness
> can be had fairly inexpensively these days.
>
>
>
So, it is clearly flat. I can't tell you how flat. And the flatness depends on not applying stress to the glass that causes it to bed. Thicker is stiffer (probably at the third power of the thickness ratio).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: For evaluating the extent of a surface flatness problem and success of a solution, a real machined straightedge and decent feeler gauges are a huge help.
Using them to measure where the problem was, I found that a not-perfectly-flat but non-rigid build surface like the one I have can be corrected with shims, at least as long as the underlying bed is not warped. I measured the error in the center of the build surface as very close to 0.1 mm, and placed a 24x24 mm square of 0.1 mm thickness blue tape on the aluminum bed under the removable build plate, then clipped it back on. Measuring again with the straightedge showed no significant inconsistencies.
As a bonus, the feeler gauges are wonderful for height adjustment. After confirming flatness, I needed to re-level the build, and got it perfect on the first try with no trial-and-error feedback loop by homing the nozzle, then moving it to Z=0.1, and then at each adjustment point, adjusting until:
1. the 0.1 mm feeler gauge could slip under the nozzle with some pressure, but without compressing the spring, and
2. the 0.15 mm feeler gauge could not slip under the nozzle without visibly lowering the bed and compressing the spring
I'm still interested in other options that might be lower-maintenance.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Even with glass, some warping may still remain.
One option is to use this procedure:
Basically you first measure the flatness, then you add material below the bed to compensate.
Upvotes: 1 |
2020/02/14 | 792 | 3,080 | <issue_start>username_0: Is it possible to convert an image image to STL file format?
E.g. I don't need the coloring, I need the lines.<issue_comment>username_1: PNGs are 2-dimensional picture data files. STL however is a 3-dimensinal surface data files. The two are not inherently transformable into one another, as there simply is no 3rd dimension encoded in the PNG.
However, there are ways to generate a 3rd dimension from a color picture:
* [Lithophanes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithophane) take color information and use that as a degree of deviation from a base plane.
* Using 3D design software that supports importing image data, one can trace the areas in 2D and *extrude* them to different heights or *emboss* the patterns into a block, even with different depths for each color.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I suggest your objective can best be accomplished by converting the image to a single color vector file. You can do this with Inkscape (free, Linux, Windows, Mac) by combining the built-in bitmap tracing feature with some manual editing. I attempted to do so, but the coarseness of the image would result in excessive manual edit time. It may even be faster to reduce the opacity of the image and create a manual tracing on a second layer.
Once you have a vector file, you can use any number of 3D modeling programs to convert the file to a 3D STL. Fusion 360, Tinkercad and OpenSCAD allow import of SVG files to be extruded to user-specified thickness.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: First you need a single color png image, you can do this by opening the file in any image editor (even Paint included with Windows) and painting white over all the colored pixels (more advanced image editors maybe able to do this automatically).
Then you can use OpenSCAD (free download from openscad.org), enter the following code: (obviously, replace the file path with your own)
```
surface("C:\\Users\\Nir\\Documents\\test.png",center=true);
```
Now press F5 (at this point you'll see a low quality preview), then F6 (to do a full render and view an high quality preview), then F7 to save the STL
The resulting model will be higher then you want but you can scale the result STL in your slicer (or use the OpenSCAD scale command if you prefer code)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: For things like a coat of arms, you do not require a full 3D conversion, essentially all you need is a lithograph-like effect. The best program I've found for such conversions is 3D Builder which is a free Microsoft download for windows users (yes, I was surprised too). It can use either color or degrees of greyscale shading to determine the z-axis depth of each region in the picture. Makes the cleanest conversion I've found so far. Exports as a .3mf file but can be readily converted to an .stl for 3D printing (using something like [SwiftConverter](https://www.swiftconverter.com/convert_3d) for example). Also has an option to invert the conversion which I've found quite useful.
Upvotes: -1 |
2020/02/17 | 673 | 2,168 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm facing weird "pillars" of underextrusion on outer walls of my XYZ test cube.
On the pictures below I`ve printed PLA test cubes with a 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm height and 210/50 °C hotends/bed temperature.
Gaps are appearing in walls parallel to both X and Y sides. The pictured side is parallel to Y face.
I'm slicing with Cura, my printer is a homebuilt around Anycubic Kossel with Marlin 2.0 onboard.
What have I tried already:
1. Temperature from 190 to 210 °C
2. Retraction from none to 6 mm 60 mm/sec
3. Tuning down Jerk in Marlin from [10,10,0.3] to [5,5,0.3]
4. Tuning down acceleration from 3000 to 1000
5. Tuning print speed from 60 to 30 mm/sec
6. Checking belts, nozzle and extruder.
Now I just ran out of ideas. Delta is calibrated by `G33` autotune. Mechanics looks just fine. What am I missing?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EUYpL.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hJxp4.jpg)
**UPD1**: tried removing combing - it did not help. But I noticed that my printer accelerates strangely at this parts
**UPD2**: could it be stuttering? I have 320 segments per second with block buffer size of 8 bytes(?)
**UPD3**: lowering segments count to 120 and raising block size to 32<issue_comment>username_1: Localized underextrusion usually means you're oozing material somewhere it wasn't supposed to go. Since you have Marlin 2.0, linear advance might help solve that, and in general right retraction amount is important and turning off combing may be needed (combing over infill allows material to ooze).
Also there are reported bugs in Marlin 2.0 such as <https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/15473> that might be related, though I would think you'd not be using junction deviation since it's supposedly incompatible with deltas.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Well, I could not track the problem and it lasted till two major updates:
1. I have changed rods for ones with proper lenght
2. I have reset all Cura settings to default
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
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