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2021/07/12 | 1,131 | 4,526 | <issue_start>username_0: Some people have figured out how to take raw LiDAR data and after going through multiple steps (using LAS tools, converting to digital elevation model (DEM), converting to an STL) getting an STL file that they can then slice and print.
Could you write a program that cuts out all of those intermediate steps and converts raw LiDAR data directly to an STL that can be printed? Could you even cut out the need for slicers and just go straight to a G-code file?
Is this even possible?
From [3D Printing Models derived from Lidar Data](https://research.umn.edu/units/uspatial/news/3d-printing-models-derived-lidar-data):
>
> 1. Retrieve Lidar Data
> 2. Process Lidar Data
> 3. Create a DSM
> 4. Export the DSM into a .STL
> 5. Process for 3D Printing
> 6. 3D Print!
>
>
><issue_comment>username_1: TL;DR - The problem would *appear* to be that some of the steps require a bit of manual tinkering in order to complete them successfully - it isn't just a simple question of conversion. So, no (not currently).
*Also, whilst writing this answer, it dawned on me that unless someone has actually managed to automate the whole process already, then your question may merely invite opinions (rather than factual solutions).*
---
From the link that you provided the conversion stages seem to be:
1. Obtain the `LAZ` file from LiDAR
2. `LAZ` to `LAS`
3. `LAS` to `DSM`
4. `DSM` to `STL`
5. `STL` to G-code
These stages would need to be put into an automated pipeline.
### Step 1
This step could be automated.
### Step 2
The LAZ to LAS seems to be a straightforward conversion using command line tools `las2las`, `lasview` and `las2dem`. This step *probably* could be automated (assuming that no manual intervention of the settings is required), as command line interfaces are easy to script (when compared with a GUI).
### Step 3
This step uses one of three GUI applications and looks like some manual labour (like adjusting settings) *may* be required, it is not clear. If the applications suggested by the article have APIs then a CLI option of automating the process could be possible - again it is not clear just by reading the article.
### Step 4
This step again uses a GUI (possibly to employ the export plugin and certainly to visualise the results) and so would appear to need some settings modifications and reiteration, to quote:
>
> the conversion settings are something that will have to be explored via trial and error in order to figure out what is right for your dataset. In order to visualize the differences between the different settings you will have to open the .STL file into a software designed for 3D Printing.
>
>
>
### Step 5
While the use of a slicer *can* be automated (assuming that you have predefined (known parameters) thresholds), it usually requires some manual intervention (at least to begin with). If you google "automate slicing" then some interesting links appear, but usually they are for batch processing of similar objects/models.
### Summary
The language used in the steps above contains a lot of conditionals (may, can, could) because there are a lot of variables involved. A substantial amount of research would be required to get these elements of the pipeline to work together seamlessly. So, it is unlikely that a "point and click" solution exists where an STL file would just pop out at the end, with no manual intervention.
That said, if your LiDAR datasets were consistent (i.e. similar environments, similar objects being scanned) then you *may* be able to find a range of settings, for each stage, that work consistently well for a particular scenario. Then with these settings - in combination with some command line or Python scripting and/or an appropriate GUI scripting tool - you might be able to automate some, if not all, of the process.
Looking even further ahead, by using *Machine Learning* you may be able to train a model to learn to examine the visual feedback stages and then auto-tinker with the settings in order to get better results - however, whilst not in the realms of impossibility, it certainly is rather cutting edge (at this point in time). In a few years time though, it almost certainly will be possible.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The answer is highly depending on the programming skills of the programmer, but in theory, if all pieces of software exist, they can either be tied together in a workflow process (automated) or directly programmed into a new tool.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/07/13 | 1,229 | 4,887 | <issue_start>username_0: I am currently in the look for a 3D printer and one major issue I find it the fumes/VOCs that printing can emit. I am not planning to do ABS or similar but I've read from studies that PLA also may emit VOCs. I live in an apartment and I plan to put the printer in my office, in which I work remotely, so I spend 8+ hours per day in that room. Additionally, I'm not looking to print huge volumes, I'd rather say probably 1-2 prints per month or so.
Now, through my research I found that it's better to go with an FDM printer rather resin, as the latter not only stinks (and fumes are dangerous) but also is quite overwhelming for a beginner.
Cool, then I was looking for FDM printers with enclosure (e.g. Qidi maker or da Vinci) and others without (e.g. Creality Ender 3 V2 or Prusa).
Let's start with the enclosed printers. So, most of them advertise that they have filters on their vents but from some quick research I see lots of people complain that these are useless. In some cases some have printed an adaptor, placed it on the fan's place and use an air hose to direct the fumes outside, to a window for example. That is fine, requires some bit of work but I guess it will keep most dangerous particles away.
For enclosureless 3d printers like Ender V2, I noticed that I can buy an enclosure, like the ones that Creality advertises as fireproof. Or still I could DIY one via IKEA parts. I thought that I could enclose my printer there when I needed to print something, seal it and when done, just put it in the balcony to rest, by opening the enclosure there for the VOCs to come out and disperse in the environment. Would that work? Would that enclosure keep the VOCs from contaminating my room? Does anybody tried something similar? Would that be practical?
Would that affect the printing quality?
So in the end the question is: should I rely on an enclosure without ventilation and then put it on the balcony to rest and release the fumes?
Or should I build a DIY air filtering system to redirect the fumes outside through my window?
Which one would keep away those VOCs?<issue_comment>username_1: The VOC issue is overblown. Unless you print constantly, you don't need any air treatment. Often that kind of treatment is installed by people who like DIY for the fun of it, not because it's really needed.
[Characterization of volatile organic compound emissions from consumer level material extrusion 3D printers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319304196) shows that dangerous chemicals may, in some cases without ventilation, exceed some of the limit concentration, but not much. So, in general, nothing goes significantly above the allowed concentrations.
With less than 2-3 prints a day the natural ventilation of the room (which you need anyway if you work there) is enough to keep VOC to a safe level (unless you watch the whole print with the nose at few cm from it).
If you want to be extra safe, use one of those flexible enclosures around the printer. It won't be super good for PLA (it gets warm inside and PLA should not be printed in a hot environment) but it will contain the VOC. When the print is done, or simply when you finish work, remove the enclosure, open slightly the window and come back in an hour or so.
That's more than enough.
If you want to filter for the fun of it, buy a HEPA filter and put an activated carbon filter after it, plus the fans to push the air through these two filters. But then you won't be in the room to work due to the noise, so I'm not sure you gained anything.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For some filament materials an enclosure without ventilation is too warm. You could run a hose to the outside like a cloths dryer uses and use a fan to blow the air out through it. Then, a filtering system is unnecessary.
My understanding is a resin printing system is more complex to maintain. You probably would only want to go that direction if you needed the special characteristics of those systems.
If you expose your printer to the variations in seasonal temperatures, you may need to adjust your printer parameters based on the different temperatures during printing.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: An enclosure without ventilation would definitely not be enough to contain VOCs from my experience with ABS and HIPS (both have relatively strong smells). The fumes will simply seep out of the openings in the enclosure.
I put my 3d printer in a bathroom with an exhaust fan. The fan's outlet is IP-controllable, so I have OctoPrint run the fan every few minutes to exhaust the fumes (or constantly). It works great. When the fan is on no fumes escape. You can verify by burning some incense and seeing that the smoke flows into the bathroom from outside. Putting a facial tissue close to the door will demonstrate the suction effect also.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/07/13 | 881 | 3,392 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Prusa i3 MK3 or maybe it was upgraded to a i3 MK3S.
How can I figure out?
The [description of the upgrade kit](https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/original-prusa-i3-mk3s/1390-original-prusa-i3-mk3-to-mk3s-upgrade-kit.html) talks about
* the SuperPINDA (how is it different from the old one?)
* a number of small changes (which?)
* improved plastic parts (which parts, how are they different?)
* metal clips (where to look for them?)
* a number of minor changes to the extruder plastic parts (which ones, before and after?)
I'd like to figure that out without taking the printer apart.<issue_comment>username_1: The VOC issue is overblown. Unless you print constantly, you don't need any air treatment. Often that kind of treatment is installed by people who like DIY for the fun of it, not because it's really needed.
[Characterization of volatile organic compound emissions from consumer level material extrusion 3D printers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319304196) shows that dangerous chemicals may, in some cases without ventilation, exceed some of the limit concentration, but not much. So, in general, nothing goes significantly above the allowed concentrations.
With less than 2-3 prints a day the natural ventilation of the room (which you need anyway if you work there) is enough to keep VOC to a safe level (unless you watch the whole print with the nose at few cm from it).
If you want to be extra safe, use one of those flexible enclosures around the printer. It won't be super good for PLA (it gets warm inside and PLA should not be printed in a hot environment) but it will contain the VOC. When the print is done, or simply when you finish work, remove the enclosure, open slightly the window and come back in an hour or so.
That's more than enough.
If you want to filter for the fun of it, buy a HEPA filter and put an activated carbon filter after it, plus the fans to push the air through these two filters. But then you won't be in the room to work due to the noise, so I'm not sure you gained anything.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For some filament materials an enclosure without ventilation is too warm. You could run a hose to the outside like a cloths dryer uses and use a fan to blow the air out through it. Then, a filtering system is unnecessary.
My understanding is a resin printing system is more complex to maintain. You probably would only want to go that direction if you needed the special characteristics of those systems.
If you expose your printer to the variations in seasonal temperatures, you may need to adjust your printer parameters based on the different temperatures during printing.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: An enclosure without ventilation would definitely not be enough to contain VOCs from my experience with ABS and HIPS (both have relatively strong smells). The fumes will simply seep out of the openings in the enclosure.
I put my 3d printer in a bathroom with an exhaust fan. The fan's outlet is IP-controllable, so I have OctoPrint run the fan every few minutes to exhaust the fumes (or constantly). It works great. When the fan is on no fumes escape. You can verify by burning some incense and seeing that the smoke flows into the bathroom from outside. Putting a facial tissue close to the door will demonstrate the suction effect also.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/07/13 | 1,029 | 3,959 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a "classic" home built 3D printer, Arduino Mega, RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin 2.0.
It worked, was put in storage, and now I am trying to get it running again.
During all of the testing phases, the PID autotune, etc., the temperature of the hotend is stable.
When printing, for a few layers (4-5), the temperature is OK, despite the part fan coming on and off. However, after 3-4 mm of printing the temperature just rises and rises and rises, and after 275 °C thermal protection kicks in...
MOSFETs have additional cooling and a fan over them.
I'm out of ideas... Help!!!
My config files and G-code are [here](https://github.com/hergiz/singles)
Using PrusaSlicer.
Why do I see a temperature rise on the display? Last time I unplugged the printer and left it on USB power then gave it power again. During USB power temperature was steadily going down, as soon I plugged the main cable it resumed printing and the temperature rising again.
I did another test. 20mm above bed started printing, and got same result. I captured on video entire process [Hot end to orbit](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_1puCo07to). Around 2 min 30 sec the show begins.<issue_comment>username_1: The VOC issue is overblown. Unless you print constantly, you don't need any air treatment. Often that kind of treatment is installed by people who like DIY for the fun of it, not because it's really needed.
[Characterization of volatile organic compound emissions from consumer level material extrusion 3D printers](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132319304196) shows that dangerous chemicals may, in some cases without ventilation, exceed some of the limit concentration, but not much. So, in general, nothing goes significantly above the allowed concentrations.
With less than 2-3 prints a day the natural ventilation of the room (which you need anyway if you work there) is enough to keep VOC to a safe level (unless you watch the whole print with the nose at few cm from it).
If you want to be extra safe, use one of those flexible enclosures around the printer. It won't be super good for PLA (it gets warm inside and PLA should not be printed in a hot environment) but it will contain the VOC. When the print is done, or simply when you finish work, remove the enclosure, open slightly the window and come back in an hour or so.
That's more than enough.
If you want to filter for the fun of it, buy a HEPA filter and put an activated carbon filter after it, plus the fans to push the air through these two filters. But then you won't be in the room to work due to the noise, so I'm not sure you gained anything.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For some filament materials an enclosure without ventilation is too warm. You could run a hose to the outside like a cloths dryer uses and use a fan to blow the air out through it. Then, a filtering system is unnecessary.
My understanding is a resin printing system is more complex to maintain. You probably would only want to go that direction if you needed the special characteristics of those systems.
If you expose your printer to the variations in seasonal temperatures, you may need to adjust your printer parameters based on the different temperatures during printing.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: An enclosure without ventilation would definitely not be enough to contain VOCs from my experience with ABS and HIPS (both have relatively strong smells). The fumes will simply seep out of the openings in the enclosure.
I put my 3d printer in a bathroom with an exhaust fan. The fan's outlet is IP-controllable, so I have OctoPrint run the fan every few minutes to exhaust the fumes (or constantly). It works great. When the fan is on no fumes escape. You can verify by burning some incense and seeing that the smoke flows into the bathroom from outside. Putting a facial tissue close to the door will demonstrate the suction effect also.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/07/15 | 1,986 | 7,510 | <issue_start>username_0: I have tried to print [Baby Groot](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2014307) , but every time I print the head, there are always layer shifts like the photos below. I have printed three heads and the layer shifts happened all in the same place.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6WAAn.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/denTU.jpg)
I tried to print something else that is the (more or less) same height and the layer shifting also happened.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/W3E96.jpg)
I was thinking maybe because z-rod bent. But apparently the layer shift happened in different height.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yBkjJ.jpg)
What is my problem and how to solve this ? I am using Ender 3 with BLTouch.<issue_comment>username_1: Layer shifting has two basic causes: the partially printed part moves or flexes, or the bed or Y carriage (almost always -- they seem rather uncommon on the X axis) skips one or more steps in one direction or the other.
Permanent layer shifts -- that is, where the entire print above the shift is and remains shifted -- are more likely to be the latter; temporary shifts (where the shift creates a bulge or groove, and then layers above that section are back in line with those below) are more likely due to part movement.
In your case, you appear to have temporary shifts. Those on the Groot head seem (in the photos) to line up with heights at which some of the peaks on the head end; they might be a result of changes in the nozzle interaction with a print that's becoming tall enough to flex as the path changes due to those sections finishing. The ones on the pink block look more like temporary overextrusion, but since we can't see the opposite side of whatever that is, I can't say for certain that they aren't the same thing.
One thing you might try is reslicing both of those objects with Z-hop enabled. That will reduce nozzle dragging over earlier parts of the current layer, which can flex the part (or temporarily block the nozzle, causing pressure buildup that will lead to momentary overextrusion).
To save time, you might look for whether you have any objects that exhibit this without as many hours of printing time (and tens of grams of filament) already spent -- perhaps you can sink Groot into the virtual bed in your slicer, so as to print him only from the eyes up (or even higher) -- though that might reduce flex enough that finishing the peaks on his head won't result in a significant change.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: username_1's answer is good - but just in case that doesn't solve it, have you printed larger / longer prints before? There's a well known problem with the Ender 3's 4.2.2 motherboard that causes layer shifts as it overheats on longer prints. You can try elevating the printer and putting a fan underneath to see if that changes anything. (I had that problem and it drove me nuts until I got a 4.2.7 motherboard)
* <https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3v2/comments/lmf1v2/an_faq_on_layer_shifts_and_mainboards/>
* <https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3v2/comments/kn8u72/layer_shift_investigation_data_and_video/>
* <https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3v2/comments/kxeikz/as_promised_thermal_camera_captures_of_a_layer/>
However, I do see some other layer issues on the head further down the print. I would probably loosen and readjust all the gantries again, check all the belt tensions, do another bed level (you changed out the stock springs with the yellow ones right?). After hours of use, not uncommon for there to be a hiccup, maybe a piece of plastic / dust stuck in a track.
If you've double checked and adjusted all the gantry's and none are loose or too tight, look at your table the printer sits on. If possible, put the printer on something really heavy (slab of concrete, thick wood) with a little padding underneath that heavy surface. Put a half glass of water on the top most surface (not on the printer) to see if the table is vibrating while printing (water should be still the entire time). It could be the table is moving a little as the printer is printing - with fractions of mm's it doesn't take too much.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: These are (at least almost certainly) not layer shifts. A layer shift is when the physical toolhead position becomes inconsistent with the logical one because a stepper motor missed a step or the bed surface shifted or something else went wrong. It's possible for them to reverse if the same happens in the opposite direction at a later layer, but very unlikely.
What you have seems to be geometry-dependent inconsistent extrusion. If you look at the slicer output in an analyzer, you probably have some geometry difference in terms of number of components, travel moves needed, etc. at the affected layers, causing more or less material to be oozed/lost in the model's interior, thereby producing more of less extrusion thickness in the walls that follow, relative to other layers.
While there are probably other ways to reduce the impact, the right way to fix this is find the cause of the oozing and stop it. It's almost surely unretracted travel moves inside the model interior, which Cura calls "combing"; I don't know the Prusaslicer terminology for it. You can either turn it off (which will make your print a lot slower and might harm quality in some ways) or set "Max Comb Distance With No Retract" to something very small, like 1 mm. This will create a lot of additional retractions, and you need to make sure your retraction settings are right (in terms of distance and speed) not to make the problem worse - you can also ooze material while waiting around for a slow retraction to happen. Doing a retraction tuning tower can help you get them right if you don't have them right already. On an Ender 3 you should be able to set the retraction (and unretraction) speed to at least 100 mm/s, with distance somewhere around 4.0-6.5.
For readers using Cura, also be sure to set the "Minimum Extrusion Distance Window" option to 0. Otherwise Cura will start skipping retractions again once there are too many of them, which will bring the problem right back, possibly far worse since it might skip them even in the places they matter most. I don't think Prusaslicer has such a problem but I'm not sure.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: What I have done:
* Using lowest hotend temperature 170 °C
* Using highest hotend temperature 220 °C
* No wobble in extruder (x-axis)
* No wobble in gantry (x-axis)
* No wobble in bed (y-axis)
* No wobble in z-rod (z-axis)
* Bed levelling to my perfect
* Shorten and slower the retraction, from 8 mm and 70 mm/s to 6 mm and 50 mm/s
* Enabling and disabling retraction
* Enabling and disabling z-hop (z-lift in PrusaSlicer)
* Formatted the micro SD card
* I have tried using Cura as well. I thought maybe different slicer will result differently.
* Position the z-offset from -2.20 mm to -2.15 mm
* Position the z-offset from -2.15 mm to -2.10 mm
* Printing a bigger round, vase
All of those don't solve this issue. Then I realized that while my z motor rotates there were some occasions where the rod wasn't rotates. I changed the hex bolts and tighten them up properly to solve this issue.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2021/07/16 | 819 | 2,706 | <issue_start>username_0: I recall seeing that it's possible to "bake" or "anneal" or even "remelt" PLA prints to strengthen them. As I understand it, the main effect is improving layer adhesion, which is the main source of weakness in tension in the original Z-axis direction.
Yes, I can print with a hotter nozzle (up to a point) to increase layer adhesion, print with a larger nozzle orifice, print with increased layer height, print slower -- but at a minimum those require reslicing, and affect print appearance (hotter nozzle causes stringing, thicker layers are more visible, etc.).
Baking a print does none of that, as long as it's supported (often done by bedding it in salt).
**Question is, how hot?** I presume I don't want to go all the way to printing temperature of 180-220 °C, but the plastic transition level of roundly 50 °C isn't hot enough for this.<issue_comment>username_1: I've only annealed PEEK personally, but a quick search returns varying recommendations:
* [All3DP](https://all3dp.com/2/annealing-pla-prints-for-strength-easy-ways/)
recommends 1 hour at 70 °C.
* [X3D](https://x3d.com.au/blogs/tips-and-tricks/pla-baking-the-secret-to-a-stronger-and-more-rigid-pla)
recommends 1 hour at 110 °C.
* [Matterhackers](https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-anneal-tough-pla-and-htpla)
recommends 10 minutes at 105 °C for Tough PLA or HTPLA.
* A post on
[Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/3a1qdy/baking_filament/)
recommends "a few hours" at 110 °C.
I'd do a test suite with pieces at 70 °, 90 °, and 110 °C for an hour each and test/compare.
Be mindful of any chemicals that might be released.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [CNC Kitchen](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiczXOhGpvoQGhOL16EZiTg) has a series of videos covering research on this topic, ending up with
using salt. The oven temperature used for PLA was 200˚C reaching 190˚C at the core of the salt. Lower temperatures (especially without support) are of much more questionable value.
From my experience, I believe that similar results might be achievable just by improving the printing process, without any annealing. This is because a lot of the weakness along layer lines seems to be caused by inconsistent extrusion (largely due to oozing in the model interior) and marring of the layer by combing travel over it before the next layer can be laid. With these issues solved, my prints got a lot stronger. So if your goal is just to fix a practical part strength problem, it may be worthwhile to see if you can improve things here before trying an elaborate annealing process (which necessarily requires 100% infill as well as a lot of messy postprocessing work).
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/07/17 | 660 | 2,372 | <issue_start>username_0: I’ve been using Thingiverse pretty heavily since I started printing, and I frequently come across the same text block in unrelated models. Am I missing the joke or a hidden meaning in the frequent reuse of the following content?
>
> Designed up this dealer button to use in home games or have just as something laying around for any poker fan. It was inspired by a dealer button in Pokerstars VR.
>
>
> Printing:
>
>
> Ring - Infil to add weight, supports needed for spade inset. Letter embossing doesn't need it.
>
> Spade - Infil to add weight, no supports
>
> Letters - Print flat, already scaled to fit nicely in the embossing
>
> Star - Infil to add weight.
>
>
> Full print with 4x4x4 walls/top/bottom and 38% infil came to about 48g in weight.
>
>
> Glue in lettering and spade. Star may need minor sanding but should push fit into the space tightly and not need anything else to secure it.
>
>
>
Here is an example of what I mean: [Voronoi bear](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4887617). Just curious if anyone knows why that’s used as a pseudo default description, or if I should avoid those files for any reason I’m unaware of.
Here’s another example: [cats](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4871879)<issue_comment>username_1: Consider this example:
<https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4888256>
The text entered by the author is visible above the seemingly random text you mentioned in your question.
Seeing how Thingiverse is a Makerbot product, it's likely that they've messed up their database somehow.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The "dealer button" text is the default text that Thingiverse inserts when you create a new Thing entry. If you get in a hurry and hit "Publish Thing" before you edit that, it'll go up for everyone to see with the "dealer button" default text still in place. Many times, when you see that, you'll also see the defaults still in place for machine specs, filament type, etc.
In other words, it's just a user error, especially prevalent on "quickie" uploads that aren't intended for a wide audience or long term preservation. Based on comments, this may also be a relatively recent change at Thingiverse; I've only uploaded designs there over the past few months, and I've seen it every time over that time frame (since about April 2021).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2021/07/19 | 434 | 1,648 | <issue_start>username_0: I know that it's said the PLA becomes brittle when kept in a humid environment, but my case is slightly weirder:
I have rolls of 1.75 mm PLA that I bought years ago and they are fine. But if I leave my spool fed inside the PTFE (Teflon) tube of my 3D printer, that part that is inside the PTFE tube, and only that part, gets brittle. The filament spool is always (even when stored) in open air.
Is it still the humidity that somehow is better kept inside the tube, or is there a weird reaction of PLA with PTFE?<issue_comment>username_1: Consider this example:
<https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4888256>
The text entered by the author is visible above the seemingly random text you mentioned in your question.
Seeing how Thingiverse is a Makerbot product, it's likely that they've messed up their database somehow.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The "dealer button" text is the default text that Thingiverse inserts when you create a new Thing entry. If you get in a hurry and hit "Publish Thing" before you edit that, it'll go up for everyone to see with the "dealer button" default text still in place. Many times, when you see that, you'll also see the defaults still in place for machine specs, filament type, etc.
In other words, it's just a user error, especially prevalent on "quickie" uploads that aren't intended for a wide audience or long term preservation. Based on comments, this may also be a relatively recent change at Thingiverse; I've only uploaded designs there over the past few months, and I've seen it every time over that time frame (since about April 2021).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2021/07/23 | 741 | 3,224 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm currently printing 11 copies of the same model. I noticed as it's printing that it seems to work on one model at a time but doesn't travel to the nearest model next. I suspect it's traveling around the bed in the order that I put the models in the slicer. This is resulting in extra unnecessary travel and therefore, increasing print time. I slice in Cura 4.9.
Is there a slicer that handles this better? Or is there a way to optimize movements in Cura?<issue_comment>username_1: **Long story short:** I only know the setting "Combing Mode OFF" that improves the travel paths. In my case it did not help. In your case I suggest you should give PrusaSlicer a try. I assume that the overall print duration will be improved because of a better calculation of the travel paths. But this is only my personal opinion between these two Slicers.
**Further explanation:** I downloaded the Cura 4.9 and made an install from scratch. I tried to reproduce your issue by placing lots of copies of the same part. As printer I selected the Ultimaker S5 and used the standard configuration for slicing. I let Cura arrange the parts on the print plate.
I checked the travel paths between the parts and in most cases Cura has chosen the nearest distance to move the printhead to the next part. In my opinion, there could be a more efficient choice for the next part to print.
After this first test I experimented with the settings (e.g. "Combing Mode" OFF) but without an improvement in travel movements.
In the past I used Cura in combination with an Ultimaker S5 at work to print parts for production usecases. Over the past two years I recognized lots of parts where the travel movements have been chosen very unefficiently at the cost of high print duration.
For comparison I used my standard slicer "PrusaSlicer" and did the test under the same conditions: standard settings, auto-arrangement of the parts.
Overall the travel paths are calculated more efficiently, but there is also some room for improvement.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It's well known in mathematical circles that the "salesman problem" is what mathematicians call "hard" -- in their usage, that means a lot of extremely smart people have worked on the problem for many years (more than a century?) and still not found a robust, works-every-time solution.
What's probably happening with Cura and other slicers is that, for their version of this issue (the most efficient way to visit multiple locations) the decision was made that reducing computing time in slicing was more practical than optimizing travel time of the machine. This is a reasonable decision, from a programming standpoint, because you're likely to be sitting in front of a screen, getting more and more impatient (and thinking less and less of the software you're using) every second the slicing takes, but when the actual printing is going on, you can be doing something else (sleeping, working at your day job, etc.)
Therefor, it's likely that what you see in Cura *is* optimized -- to minimize *your* time on the way to a solution, rather than to minimize the time for a machine that simply doesn't care if a print takes five hours or nine.
Upvotes: 3 |
2021/07/25 | 1,245 | 5,083 | <issue_start>username_0: *TLDR - I’ve just driven myself insane trying to fix what I thought was a physical problem with my Z-axis, but it seems to have been solved by switching from the TH3D firmware to the Creality firmware. I’m hoping someone can help me see where I went wrong here, so I can learn from it. Have I missed something obvious?*
My printer is a Creality Ender 3 Pro. I have a BLTouch. I recently upgraded to the silent 4.2.7 board and compiled my own firmware using TH3D Unified 2 using their instructions. [This is my `configuration.h`](https://pastebin.com/MYs8sYGj).
This “worked”, but after that upgrade, I had severe print problems. (See the photos below) These are supposed to be 20x20x20 calibration cubes (the big one is 200%). They are significantly taller than they should be. It may be hard to see in the photo, but this is because the Z spacing on the bottom layers seems to be too high. But, at the same point on each print (even the bigger one), the problem seems to just stop - and layer spacing is correct again for the end of the print.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BGayd.jpg "Comparison of multiple calibration cubes")
I tried everything to figure out what this was and I was convinced it was a physical problem with my Z-axis. I read lots of questions on here but nothing quite on topic. I printed on different parts of the bed and got the same result. I re-calibrated my Z steps, but these turned out to be pretty much at the firmware default anyway. I tightened every bolt and eccentric nut I could find that related to the X-axis gantry, but nothing made any difference. Same problem, every time.
Out of desperation, I eventually switched to the official Creality firmware for the Ender 3 Pro 4.2.7 board with BLTouch - and the problem was fixed:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tXcf.jpg "Printed calibration cube after firmware change")
Does anyone have any ideas about what caused this? Have I overlooked something obvious? I’d ideally like to go back to the TH3D firmware but it’s seemingly not an option.
<https://pastebin.com/MYs8sYGj><issue_comment>username_1: **Long story short:** I only know the setting "Combing Mode OFF" that improves the travel paths. In my case it did not help. In your case I suggest you should give PrusaSlicer a try. I assume that the overall print duration will be improved because of a better calculation of the travel paths. But this is only my personal opinion between these two Slicers.
**Further explanation:** I downloaded the Cura 4.9 and made an install from scratch. I tried to reproduce your issue by placing lots of copies of the same part. As printer I selected the Ultimaker S5 and used the standard configuration for slicing. I let Cura arrange the parts on the print plate.
I checked the travel paths between the parts and in most cases Cura has chosen the nearest distance to move the printhead to the next part. In my opinion, there could be a more efficient choice for the next part to print.
After this first test I experimented with the settings (e.g. "Combing Mode" OFF) but without an improvement in travel movements.
In the past I used Cura in combination with an Ultimaker S5 at work to print parts for production usecases. Over the past two years I recognized lots of parts where the travel movements have been chosen very unefficiently at the cost of high print duration.
For comparison I used my standard slicer "PrusaSlicer" and did the test under the same conditions: standard settings, auto-arrangement of the parts.
Overall the travel paths are calculated more efficiently, but there is also some room for improvement.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It's well known in mathematical circles that the "salesman problem" is what mathematicians call "hard" -- in their usage, that means a lot of extremely smart people have worked on the problem for many years (more than a century?) and still not found a robust, works-every-time solution.
What's probably happening with Cura and other slicers is that, for their version of this issue (the most efficient way to visit multiple locations) the decision was made that reducing computing time in slicing was more practical than optimizing travel time of the machine. This is a reasonable decision, from a programming standpoint, because you're likely to be sitting in front of a screen, getting more and more impatient (and thinking less and less of the software you're using) every second the slicing takes, but when the actual printing is going on, you can be doing something else (sleeping, working at your day job, etc.)
Therefor, it's likely that what you see in Cura *is* optimized -- to minimize *your* time on the way to a solution, rather than to minimize the time for a machine that simply doesn't care if a print takes five hours or nine.
Upvotes: 3 |
2021/07/28 | 928 | 3,441 | <issue_start>username_0: I have designed a cupholder for my center console in my truck with PETG. I was hoping it wouldn't deform and it didn't for a while but we got some high temperatures the past few days (around 32-38 °C or 90-100 °F).
Kind of figured it wouldn't hold up mid-summer but I was wondering if ABS would be my next best choice or if there is something better for this. It does see some sunlight but not a lot.
I do want to start producing some to sell and don't want it deforming in high-temperature areas. Also, I have an Ender 3 Pro so I can't do super crazy filaments.<issue_comment>username_1: ABS, or preferably ASA which is "a better ABS", is probably your main option. ASA holds up better under UV/sunlight and is easier to print (less warping). Like ABS it should be printed with ventilation, and benefits some from an enclosure but can be done without it or with a primitive one (cardboard box).
Another great option would be TPU. It's not subject to a glass transition temperature above room temperature (my understanding is that technically its $T\_g$ is very very cold, but that may be a misunderstanding) and does not really warp/deform permanently until you reach temperatures near what you could print it at. I've used it as a mold for melting crayons in an oven at 175 ˚F (80 ˚C) with no problem. Depending on your perspective it could be easier or harder than ABS to print. If your extruder is bad at handling flex materials you might have to go really slow, or you might have trouble with jamming on retraction, but unlike ABS it has no heat/warping issues while printing and can be done even on a cold bed, and does not particularly need ventilation (although as always, be careful if you have pet birds around).
Note that while TPU is considered a "flex" material, it can be fairly rigid at high infill with rigid infill patterns like triangles or cubic, or printed 100% solid, especially if you go with harder variants. 95A is typically the highest you see but sometimes you can find 98A.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If you don't need it to be super precise, nothing beats annealed HTPLA. If you keep it on the bed while annealing you can minimize warping and you'll get a part that can take up to 180 °C. Fusion filaments makes a great HTPLA+ that's reasonably cheap, and you can get it without a spool. Their reusable spool is on Thingiverse. Just don't keep it on the bed if you have a magnetic bed. HTPLA needs over 80 °C which will ruin a magnetic bed.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Plastic bottles made out of PET hold up well in a hot car. Thus, I would expect PETG printed objects to hold up well in a hot car.
Is the deformation with PETG stress relief, i.e. warping like the print would have done if not sicking well to the bed? Try printing PETG with the bed at 100 °C. That's typical of ABS. Maybe that will relieve the stress during the print.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Personally, I'd get the design *just right* and then I'd use the "Get an Instant Quote" option on the "Solutions" menu at shapeways.com . It'll be expensive, but you could have it printed in sintered powdered stainless steel or aluminum. You'll want to design as many voids into it as you can, because they charge by the gram. There are cheaper vendors and you may have one locally, especially if you tell them "totally not a rush job" and they can run it with other parts.
Upvotes: -1 |
2021/07/30 | 456 | 1,865 | <issue_start>username_0: I need to print some items that will go in my car, which sits in direct sun a good portion of the day and almost certainly exceeds 50 °C inside during the summer months (I've had PLA prints sag quite visibly under their own weight and sliding parts weld together, and PETG prints show slight warpage after a couple weeks in the car).
I have the ability now to print hotter than 250 °C, with Capricorn XS tubing installed in the heat break of my Ender 3. I'm examining nylon and TPU filaments for their higher temperature tolerance, but I don't see anything on any filament that clearly gives a glass transition temperature. Is it safe to assume this will be within the recommended bed temperature range, or is there another way to determine this (important, in my use case) value for a given filament?<issue_comment>username_1: If there isn't a TDS on the manufacturer's website, you could email them and ask for it. If they won't give it to you, you could ask for the SDS to see if it has any additives. Polymaker has a TDS for every filament they make on their website, so I would recommend their filament for your purposes. I would also suggest you pay more attention to the heat deflection temperature, as it is probably more useful for functional parts.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The glass transition temperature is not always indicative of strength. Some polymers are solid well above that temperature, see <https://omnexus.specialchem.com/polymer-properties/properties/glass-transition-temperature> for all the polyethylene, for example.
What you need is the heat deflection temperature, which is very seldomly provided in the datasheets.
Luckily you can very roughly use the Tg for many polymers, but you should know that you are using a value which is only vaguely indicative of what you are looking for.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/02 | 469 | 1,726 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently building a new printer, I went with a Wambam PEX system. When I began printing ABS I found it did not stick very well and eventually purchased a new build plate and a PEI sheet since PEX isn't suited to ABS.
Not altering some of the setting while trying to get ABS to stick to the PEX I started printing on PEX which is gripping extremely well...too well. Bed temp may be a few degrees too high, nozzle was giving a little too much squish. I now have several skirts and now the base layer of a ringing tower embedded in the sheet. What is the best way to remove these? I was using acetone on the PEX sheet but I'm told not to use that on PEI.
Just looking for into to clean the PEI sheet, please do not respond on what I should have done, or how to use PEX with glue or whatnot.<issue_comment>username_1: Heat up your bed to the print temperature; maybe even as hot as 100 °C. This will soften the ABS and make it easier to scrape off. It will distort a print to remove it this way, but is good for cleaning.
**Less preferred method**: Acetone will dissolve ABS but may be rough on your PEI, even causing it to lose its bond. It also evaporates very quickly and is highly flammable. You don't want to breath the fumes. It is now considered a carcinogen.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Heating the bed didn't help much, but Someone suggested using the flush cutters which pryed it up just enough... to get the bigger chunk off.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Update here: even the 105 degrees of the heatbed wasn't enough. Put the PEI sheet in the oven, then the ABS wiped right off with a paper towel. I set it to 180 degrees, but I don't think it even got there.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/03 | 864 | 3,550 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm likely to need to print some parts from TPU (Shore 95A or harder) in the near future. I have everything I need to do a direct drive conversion using the original extruder on a bracket above the hot end -- but for most of my printing (PLA and PETG), this setup isn't required or even optimal, because of the extra moving mass on the X carriage.
It looks as if, once I have the bracket installed the first time, I can move the extruder (including adding/removing a wire extension and switching between full length Bowden tube and short coupler tube) in less than an hour -- in addition to the time I'd need to clear one material from the hot end before loading the other, of course. Is it practical at all to swap the extruder back and forth like this, on the assumption that I'll want/need to print TPU parts from time to time (I'll want softer material, too, since some of what I want TPU capability for is gaskets).
Obviously, if I needed to print TPU alongside PLA on a regular basis, I might be ahead to have a second printer, but space considerations, more than money, work against that.
Am I missing something on the effort needed to swap the extruder position back and forth (suggesting I should stick with direct drive and pursue firmware and tuning solutions to correct the accompanying problems with faster printing), or should I plan to do this as needed?<issue_comment>username_1: It depends on the level of automation you are willing to implement.
The Bowden extruder, including the motor, from the Ender 3 which I think you have (but in general, any Bowden extruder) does not need to be moved at all, since it's not on the printing head. You just need to disconnect the Bowden from the hot end and clip it somewhere safe.
The direct drive extruder, if you have a supporting plate which makes it as a single part, can be disconnected with a couple of screws and hanged somewhere nearby.
Depending on the knowledge of electronics you could set up a very cheap relay array (4 relays) all controlled by a single GPIO pin of your motherboard, so that you can switch the motor with a GCODE command. The relay would have the COM going to the stepper driver, the NO connected to the direct drive motor, the NC to the Bowden motor.
Write GCODE macros to change the current, linear advance, steps/mm settings depending on the activation of the relay board (or, even better, depending on the filament).
However, if money is not an issue, I would consider an Orbiter or a Sherpa mini extruder, which is direct drive but with 120 gram weight (including motor, not including hot end) can be used all the time. You are likely not going to push the X acceleration to the very very maximum you can, so you get direct drive at no performance cost.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: With some engineering, you could consider creating a tool dock version where you can easily screw off the Bowden driven hotend and screw on the direct driven hotend. You'll only need to have an extension stepper cable to connect the direct drive stepper and pluggable hotend heater and thermistor connections.
E.g. for the Ender printers, there are Voron Afterburner tool heads that are Bowden driven or direct driven (Clockwork or Galileo mods) available. These could be switched very easily, you do need to figure something out to plug the heater cartridge and thermistor.
---
*I'm doing something similar to my Hypercube Evolution where I am creating a Bowden driven 2.85 mm and a 1.75 mm direct driven tool head.*
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/03 | 2,130 | 8,611 | <issue_start>username_0: Let me preface this with me being quite a newbie to 3D printing, however, I am an engineer and coder, so tinkering with stuff like this is quite the norm for me. Don't be afraid to be too technical, knowledge is power!
I recently purchased a new Creality Ender 3 V2 based on a friend's recommendation and within a week or two, started getting terrible screeching from the print head fan. I already knew I wanted to get better PETG (and in the future, TPU) prints so I went ahead and bought a direct drive extruder (BIQU H2) to replace the Bowden setup.
I got everything tuned pretty well (or so I thought), which included tuning the E-steps (945 which is 10x the original value of 93, however normal for this BIQU H2), my home position, changing the retraction setting, setting my K-factor for linear advance, tuning PID, etc. I flashed these settings into a custom Jyers Marlin firmware. Everything was working fine, and I was starting to get some really high-quality calibration tests, so I then began tuning my slicer profile.
Then, yesterday, all of a sudden it is no longer printing correctly, even older G-code files before I messed with the slicer settings. It prints the prime line, retracts, moves, prints the brim, then retracts again, but doesn't start extruding to actually print the model. I've tried multiple G-code files that were working, and seem to get the same results, nothing prints beyond the first layer retraction or two. There is no clicking/vibrating or any attempts to move the extruder again after it stops printing.
After some more reading, it seems that maybe I should have adjusted the vRef on extruder driver pots, as the new stepper motor is 0.8a (I believe the original 4042 extruder is 2a). Is it possible I damaged my stepper driver for the extruder? From my understanding, it would be moving at 10x the speed of the old stepper attached to the Bowden tube extruder.
Some things I have done:
* Completely rebuilt the BIQU H2. There is no sign of jamming or that there has ever been a jam. The gears all move smoothly with no areas with additional resistance. The PTFE heatbreak was clear and freely allowed filament through. Once re-assembled, I can freely turn the extruder gear when heated and the stepper disabled, and I can extrude/retract using the printer GUI (even after a failed print). I also checked to make sure the gear was firmly attached to the stepper motor while apart, and it was. I also added some gear lubricant while I was in there.
* Tried a print with the BIQU H2 stepper detached and the wires attached to the old 4042 stepper (and adjusted the steps back to 93). It seems to stop moving the stepper in about the same place, so I don't believe the issue has to do with the stepper motor which has led me to believe this must be firmware or driver related.
* Tried letting the printer sit idle overnight, thinking maybe it was just an overheated driver after running calibration tests almost continuously for 2 days.
* Tried printing the same known working G-code with the speed adjusted to 25% and 50%, the same issue occurs around the same position in the print process.
For reference, I have an Ender 3 V2 with a 4.2.2 Motherboard. I'm not sure what stepper drivers it uses as there seems to be conflicting info online and I don't really want to remove the heatsinks if possible (but I will if I need to get this info and can't obtain it directly from the firmware). Unfortunately, the drivers are soldered to the motherboard so I guess I will need a new motherboard if I destroyed the extrusion driver. I do feel I probably should have made some driver adjustments given this stepper motor is 40% the amps, and runs at 10x the speed of the old stepper.
I'm sort of at a loss as to what to try next, any thoughts would be appreciated. I plan on flashing the stock firmware back later this evening to see if that helps, but I doubt it will. I have only made some small tweaks mainly related to home offset, build area, PID tune, and K-factor for linear advance (which were previously working fine).
**Edit:**
I did some further testing yesterday. Flashing back to stock firmware didn't help at all. It also seems I may have been mistaken as further testing of the old 4042 stepper was successful if I attached it to the motherboard and ran the G-code which fails on the first layer, however I attached it with a spare cable as to not have to take apart my harness going to the X carriage. Using the same spare cable with the BIQU H2 unfortunately did not help. The issue is reproducible without any filament loaded at all as well. There is an ever so slight play in the motor drive, so I am going to disassemble the extruder again tonight and see if the issue is reproducible with the motor detached from the extruder drivetrain.
Also, just an interesting point, but multiple times after the failure I quickly checked the temp of the heatsinks on the drivers. Ironically, the only "hot" ones were the X/Y/Z steppers, and the extruder driver was only warm. Also, when the issue happens, the stepper becomes completely disengaged (I can turn the wheel freely without feeling the resistance of the stepper holding the position). Not sure if this is indicative of a driver failure, or standard practice for the driver if it encounters significant resistance.
Another interesting point, the motherboard was not grounded. Although attached indirectly to the frame using screws, the panel the motherboard was attached to was not making contact with the frame. Some minor sanding resolved this issue. Once done, I notice the exterior case of my Y motor is grounded, but the X and Z as well as the extruder do not seem to be grounded. Is it typical for the exterior of the motors to be grounded? Perhaps there are some other ground faults I need to sort.<issue_comment>username_1: Okay, so after yet another frustrating night of troubleshooting. I believe I have identified the specific problem. I reduced the G-code file to about 100 lines of code, that 100% reproduced the issue on the BIQU H2 stepper. With the original 4042 stepper, the problem was intermittent, but did occur from time to time in the same part of the print.
I pulled the motor from the transmission on the BIQU H2 and observed the issue happen without it attached to the extruder and it still failed at the same place (so confirmed it wasn't an issue with the extruder/clogging/etc). This specific place in the G-code had many quick short movements of the extruder. Commenting out this block of code allowed it to get past, until it did similar movements on the next layer. This pointed me to it having to be an issue with either the stepper (which tested fine on my ohm meter, so unlikely), the controller, or the firmware.
Long story short: **It was Linear Advance being enabled in the firmware.**
I was too hasty to initially disregard the firmware being at fault. When I retested the original firmware, it was unusable as my offsets have changed with the new print head, so I rebuilt the Jyers Marlin with just a couple small changes for changing the homing as the original Jyers builds works fine. However I missed that I still had my Linear Advance settings enabled.
After doing some searching regarding Linear Advance and extruder motors, it seems this is a known issue with certain TMC drivers, and my board is one that can potentially have these drivers installed. It seems the "stealthChop" feature within the drivers causes issues with Linear Advance. It sounds like it can be disabled via UART but I do not believe there is any interface to the UART of the individual controller chips exposed to my mtherboard. I believe I will probably need to swap motherboards if I want to be able to use Linear Advance. I'm still pretty new to 3D printing, so maybe I don't need LA at all, however it did seem to make a positive impact on my prints before I ran into these issues which is why I had it enabled.
Some related references I found:
<https://github.com/KevinOConnor/klipper/issues/196#issuecomment-383122655>
<https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/bncr8w/silent_board_and_linear_advance/>
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Check your retraction and run some experiments with it. I just had a very similar problem, when I switched from 0.6 mm retraction to 0.8 mm filament tended to get stuck between rolers and the cooler on layer change.
I don't have and never had linear advance enabled, so it's not the issue.
Unless I've misunderstood and your extruder didn't move at all (mine did move properly)
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/04 | 908 | 3,142 | <issue_start>username_0: I've recently changed my Ender3's hotend to E3D v6 clone with Titan direct extruder, so I can print faster than on stock. But when I increased the speed up to 70 mm/s for walls and 80 mm/s for infill (PETG, nozzle temperature of 225 °C, bed temperature of 80 °C, 0.2 mm layer height, 0.4 mm layer width), I've faced this kind of issue:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ipyUr.jpg "3D printer printing a model with errors")
Here's how it looks in Cura:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/668ki.jpg "Screenshot of Cura's preview of model")
The printer's head goes from left to right, counter-clockwise and I get issues on both exits from curved shape.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMZUz.jpg "Another Cura preview further into the print with arrows indicating problem areas")
First of all, I thought, it is connected somehow with retraction, but according to Cura, both problem places are in the middle of the current layer. Later I thought it could be related to Linear Advance and disabled it on the next test print, but it did nothing:( Slowing the printer down to 60-65 % in mid print solved the issue, but it's not what I changed the hotend for:)
Maybe someone has any ideas, what's wrong with it?<issue_comment>username_1: In other words, your print exhibits issues when the hotend is accelerating, like if not enough filament were pushed in.
It is advised to calibrate for linear advance after replacing the extruder.
Check <https://marlinfw.org/docs/features/lin_advance.html> and
and check <https://marlinfw.org/tools/lin_advance/k-factor.html>
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: PETG can have difficulty printing at higher speeds.
See [Why does PETG require slower speed?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/13412/why-does-petg-require-slower-speed)
Also, if the speed is too slow, it tends to have heat creep.
See [What are ways to avoid heat creep?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15629/what-are-ways-to-avoid-heat-creep)
Higher nozzle temperatures should allow faster print speeds, but will also increase the chance of heat creep and increase the slowest required speed to prevent heat creep.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, 225 °C is the lower range for PETG, that combined with a higher than normal printing speed of 70 mm/s might be your issue. The lower your print temps the lower the maximum nozzle flow rate. I would recommend increasing the nozzle temperature.
For a point of reference, on my printer with an E3D v6 clone and a generic extruder I print PETG at 235 °C and 60 mm/s and 24 mm/s outer perimeter speed, with a 0.2 mm layer thickness. Though admittedly not optimized for speed.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/08/04 | 747 | 2,857 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to plug in my drivers from the printer into my Raspberry Pi. I want to control the printer's axes by sending G-code directly from the Raspberry Pi command line (if possible) to the drivers.
Is that possible and if yes does anyone know how? As I stated above without using any 3rd party program/software.<issue_comment>username_1: You can send the data to the serial port using `echo`, but you'll have to use `cat` to get the response.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: A very dumb, simple way to send GCODE to your printer from the terminal can be achieved with:
`echo "gcode here" > /dev/ttyS0`
/dev/ttyS0 can vary, It may be /dev/ttyACM0, /dev/ttyUSB0, or any similar with a different number.
You can figure out which path is correct for your printer with the command `ls /dev/tty*` and comparing the results with your printer plugged in and unplugged, Whichever device pops up new should be your printer.
As well, Some printers may appear in `/dev/serial/by-id/` instead of `/dev/tty*`, so if you can't find your printer normally, try `ls /dev/serial/by-id/` instead.
If this doesn't seem to work, you may need to change the serial settings using the command `sudo stty -f /dev/ttyS0 115200`, replacing /dev/ttyS0 and 115200 to the device path and printer baud rate respectively.
If you are looking for a more bi-directional solution, you can use the command `screen`, which is usually installed by default. You can use it like this:
`screen /dev/ttyS0 115200` and exit by Control+A, then pressing D
Another solution would be the `pronsole` utility from Printrun/Pronterface, which can be installed using `sudo apt install printrun` and invoked with `pronsole.py` and you can then connect to your printer with the syntax
`connect /dev/ttyS0 115200` or simply `connect`, as pronsole has the ability to autoconnect to your printer. Exit with the `exit` command.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Sending G-code to a printer via a serial interface is a bidirectional operation that requires waiting for acknowledgment from the printer before sending further commands. In theory, this shouldn't be needed and hardware flow control (or even XON/XOFF flow control if the hardware is not available) should be used, but that's not the way things were done. Thus, sending G-code with "dumb" commands like "cat" does not work.
If you want to send individual commands manually, you can use a program like Minicom (or screen's built-in serial terminal support) and process the acknowledgments yourself. But if you want to really stream print jobs, you need at least a minimal program for it. This can be written in a few lines of Python or Perl if you like. I know there are examples of such but I don't have the links handy and haven't tried any of them to be able to recommend one, anyway.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/04 | 1,194 | 4,458 | <issue_start>username_0: Printer: Ender 3 Pro - Direct drive, BLTouch, stock magnetic print bed surface
Material: PLA - multiple brands
Slicer Settings:
* Layer Height .2 mm
* Initial Layer Height .1 mm
* Line Width .4 mm (with .4 mm nozzle) and also tried .39 mm
* Wall thickness 1.2 mm (3 lines)
* Hot End 210 °C
* Bed 60 °C
* Print Speed tried between 40 and 100 mm/s
* Retraction Distance 6 mm speed 25 mm/s
* Print Cooling- Initial 3 layers 0 %, then 100 %, also tried 50 %
I designed this in Tinkercad and sliced it with Cura for the Ender 3 Pro. When I print this specific shape at this size the outer wall does not print properly, there are large gaps and it does not bond to the rest of the model so it just flakes off as soon as you handle it. I can print other shapes fine- see the color swap example that was printed with the same settings successfully before AND after this series of failed prints of the same design. Sometimes I get a clean first 15 layers then it goes to crap, and cleans up for the last 10% or so. If I scale it down to 50 % it prints fine, but it will NOT print properly at full scale.
The infill and inner walls seem fine, but the walls are definitely not air-tight with what is left.
Looking for more things to try and troubleshoot, so please send me your ideas!
Troubleshooting steps so far:
* Re-downloaded the files and resliced with all new settings
* Adjusted the print speed, wall line width and fan speeds
* Tried multiple PLA types and brands
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4D9iC.jpg "Printed model with printing errors")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BNu8J.jpg "Printed model without printing errors")<issue_comment>username_1: You appear to have severe underextrusion. It may be that you are trying to melt plastic faster than your printer can physically accomplish which would explain why it starts good and then the nozzle gets cold and then as the layers get small it comes good.
That doesn't explain why reducing the print speed doesn't help. Double check that it is actually slower.
I have had similar issues with cura that were fixed by altering the configuration, like tilting the model slightly or changing print orientation.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Assuming you do have a direct drive system as described.
Is this correct?
>
> Retraction Distance 6 mm speed 25 mm/s
>
>
>
A retraction distance of 6 mm for direct a drive is huge and could easily be pulling the filament out so far it might become problematic. Most of my direct drive printers are 0.4 to 1 mm. In addition the 25 mm/s appears to me to be on the low side, though it would not surprise me if it's highly extruder specific. Most of my retraction speeds are 60 to 90 mm/s.
Faster retraction speeds can actually be more effective at stringing reduction then adding distance as. Faster travel will also reduce stringing as the nozzle has less time to ooze.
Are you incorrectly a using a Bowden profile?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Promoted from comment: if you had switched from a higher temperature filament to lower temperature, you need to purge the hot end at the higher printing temperature to ensure the old filament is sufficiently fluid for the new to push out.
If you don't do this, pulling the old filament may leave a "core" passage that lets the new filament get to the nozzle, more or less, but the lining of old filament in the nozzle will both limit thermal transfer (plastics are generally poor conductors) and restrict flow even when the new filament is well melted.
This will result in a preheated nozzle printing acceptably until the filament carries away too much heat, then grossly underextruding when the flow rate rises (larger layers, print speed increasing after initial layer slowdown), and potentially partially recovering when the layers get smaller or (due to slicer settings) the print speed slows near the top of a tall part.
Solution: when switching filament, ensure that your purge cycle (whether manual or automatic) is done at the higher temperature for the two filaments involved -- if switching from PETG to PLA, for instance, you'll likely need to purge at 220 °C or higher, even though you'd print your PLA at 180-220 °C,
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/08/05 | 1,268 | 4,644 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm just learning how to use a 3D printer, I have an Anycubic Mega Zero 2.0.
When I start printing the PLA filament doesn't want to adhere very well. I have leveled it out and all of my corners on my test print adhere well. However, when I go to print anything besides the test print I get basically a small bead - it doesn't smooth flat. If I try and adjust from there it starts pushing all the material around.
This lack of adhesion and bead continue throughout the print making it flimsy. It's weird because it looks nice but it's not strong.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8CAGr.jpg "Print on bed")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XIqlp.jpg "Flimsy printed filament")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfpdH.jpg "Finished print")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/R6PeV.jpg "Base of finished print")<issue_comment>username_1: If you look at the multiple lines of the skirt, you see that none of the printed lines are touching the other laid down lines. This is an indication for under extrusion or a too large of a gap between the nozzle and the bed (or both). Considering you are talking about a bead/drop/blob of hot filament not adhering to the bed, this might be a good indication for a too large of a distance, if the gap is too large, the filament will not adhere to the bed and forms a blob. You could consider decreasing the gap by leveling with a thinner piece of paper or feeler gauge first. An alternative that might be quick to test is to re-define the bed height prior to printing using a plug-in in Ultimaker Cura or manually inserted in your G-code file. E.g. in you start code, add a move to a certain height and define that to a different height:
```
G1 Z0.2 ; move printer head to 0.2 mm height
G92 Z0.24 ; re-define 0.2 to 0.24 mm, if the first layer prints at e.g. 0.2 mm,
; the printer will move down 0.04 mm
```
The images aren't very sharp, but, from one of the top layers it looks like you are indeed suffering from under extrusion. First, check if the filament can unwind freely without too much force from the spool. Second, under extrusion should be fixed by [adjusting the steps per millimeter value](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/6484/5740). Beware, a new printer should have the correct value already inserted in the firmware, you should definitely check the filament path for obstructions first.
A glass bed should be pretty flat, but it has been reported that there are glass manufacturers that produce low quality glass beds with dents. If so, you could shim the middle of the heated bed. An alternative is to flash new firmware and mesh the glass bed and the printer will automatically adjust for the height; this is not recommended for beginners.
You could also increase the temperature of the bed, PLA can be printed on a cold prepared bed, but works very well on beds at 50-60 °C. You could consider using an adhesive on the glass as well, certain hairsprays, certain glue sticks, and special adhesive print sprays like 3DLAC work very well.
Last but not least, incorrect filament diameter can cause under extrusion, older versions of Cura are notorious for resetting the filament diameter to 2.85 mm when you need e.g. 1.75 mm.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This looks exactly like you are extruding less plastic then you should be. Gaps can be seen on the top "solid" infill layer and even more telling is the gaps from one perimeter loop to the other. Suffering from weak prints is another indication of this. (or low extruder temps)
You may find solving the under extrusion issue goes a long way to assist with the bed adhesion issues you are having. I would recommend you first solve that and then see if the bed adhesion issue is still present. At the very least it should make is easier to dial in the bed adhesion.
If any slicer changes or tuning was done a quick and easy sanity check would be to download and run a print with known good profiles for your model of printer. It's easy to chase and tune for one issue and unknowingly create another that shows up at a later time in a different print, especially if you are new to 3d printing. (ask me how I know)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If the print bed is contaminated with oil or fat, print bed adhesion may be too low. Cleaning with alcohol might help.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/06 | 1,260 | 5,273 | <issue_start>username_0: A few weeks ago I got a thermal runaway message on my modded Ender 3 during a print, and I have not been able to get it working since then! I have tried fixing and replacing everything, and I still keep getting the message!
When the printer starts/heats up, the thermistor is able to read the temperature with no problem, but when a print starts, the thermistor starts reading strangely and I get the thermal runaway message! Basically, whenever I start a print the temperature being read slowly drops until it gets to around 20 degrees below the set temperature. I then get the thermal runaway message.
So far, in an attempt to fix it, I have replaced the thermistor twice, the heating element, the wiring was replaced, the firmware and even the entire motherboard! I have no idea how/why I’m still having the message, it just doesn’t make sense.
Also, the thermistor is snuggly attached to the printer.
Please note I’ve tried another thermistor that was glass and had the exact same issues. This lead me to think that this had something to do with the heating element being overwhelmed by something. So, as a test I simply just extruded filament from my nozzle with my fan on to see if that would have the same effect and it didn’t! The temperature stayed up fine. This is leading me to believe that this is some sort of issue with starting a print. Maybe a G-code issue.<issue_comment>username_1: If the error only happens when the printer starts moving it's logical that the issue is in the wire loom that starts to bend and flex once the print starts.
As a quick test and if your comfortable with a little wiring work a temporarily line could be connected directly from the sensor to board. Skipping rewiring the loom until its confirmed to be the issue.
Same logic for the heater wires if it has a connector at the extruder.
Another potential cause for this is if the extruder is already near printing temperature and a new print is started, the printer could think that the temperature shot up way faster then expected even though in reality it was just a bit preheated. If you made any changes to your start G-code, like changing the heating command type or order in witch the extruder/bed is heated, see this stack: [Thermal runaway triggers when raising temperature amid cooldown](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/13353/thermal-runaway-triggers-when-raising-temperature-amid-cooldown?rq=1).
Edit:
[This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcG7fIcF24k&ab_channel=DaHaiZhu) demonstrates a test to show if Thermal Runaway is enabled. While this setting is not in question here it might be a way to troubleshoot the underling cause for this kind of issue. If the extruder temperatures drop rapidly the same way it does when a print is attempted it might show that the temperature sensor is reading the correct temperature. And thus may indicate a issue with the extruder heating system and not the temperature sensor itself.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I've had this problem on a Prusa MK2s. The print was always at the center of the build plate and that's the location (underneath) of the thermistor. The part was small, the cooling fan was chilling the bed at the same time it was trying to maintain temperature. Moving the part a few centimeters away from the center resolved the problem.
In the case of this PEI coated bed, always centering the print caused the PEI to wear in that area, requiring replacement. The operators were informed to place the build in random, non-centered locations in the future.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Soo I cleaned my hot end completely took it all apart cleaned it inside and out put it back together and I fix my thermal runaway e1 now my printer runs fine I'd say start there
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: if the connection to the heaters (nozzle and bed) are not broken and work during printing,
and if the thermistor is reading the correct temperature,
then maybe it is the power supply.
During printing the stepper motors are also consuming energy. If the energy output of the power supply is not enough for the stepper motors and the heaters than the temperatures could go down.
But such an undervoltage situation should also be noticeable in other parts of the printer.
Therefore to be sure that the thermistors are working, try to measure the temperatures with a thermometer. This way you can verify that the temperature change is real.
Another test would be to remove the filament before printing and print without filament. This way the nozzle heater will use much less power, with everything else being the same.
The nozzle heater is temperature controlled. When printing with filament the pushed in filament will cool the nozzle and the heater needs to heat the nozzle up again. With no filament pushed through the nozzle basically stays at the temperature, only cooled by the surrounding air. Therefore much less energy is needed to keep the nozzle at temperature.
If the issue is with the bed heater then move the bed to different positions and wait if the temperature stays the same. If the temperature goes down in a position then the cable for the heater is broken and makes no contact went bend for that position.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/08/12 | 833 | 2,971 | <issue_start>username_0: I've had my Ender 3 Pro for a few months, and it's been working great. Then, after a failed print (the STL had extra seams, causing the print to get mangled), I've started having issues that I have attributed to under-extrusion.
As evidenced by the below image, some lines in each layer are missing. The gaps align throughout the print, but not between prints (the two squares are identical G-code). This happens in every layer, with a different pattern in each. It also causes some perimeters to not adhere to the previous layer at all.
The extra strands in the right print are present because I ripped off the infill layer that printed on top before I aborted the print.
I first assumed I needed to calibrate my extruder. It turns out I did (93 had to be changed to 150 steps/mm). However, that did not fix the issue.
**Some things I've tried**:
* Calibrate the extruder
* Check nozzle size and filament size in Slic3r
* Level the bed (I had to place a post-it note under the centre of the flexible magnetic build surface to make up for a warped bed)
* Clean my nozzle and hotend (I fully dismantled the hotend)
* Replace my nozzle
* Increase printing temperature
Is there anything else I might try to get this fixed?
**Specs for Reference**:
* Ender 3 Pro
* 0.4 mm Brass Nozzle
* 205 °C Hotend
* 60 °C Bed
* Slic3r
* 150 Steps/mm for Extruder
---
If you need any more information, just comment and I'll do my best to supply it.
*Please note that I am **not** open to suggestions to replace my printer. I'd rather fix the one I have.*<issue_comment>username_1: It turns out the extruder *was* slipping, but not due to a nozzle or Bowden tube pressure issue. The extruder arm (?) that holds the passive wheel (as opposed to the drive gear) was cracked, so the pressure between the wheel and the gear was weak. A bit of glue fixed it.
These printers should ship with metal extruders, I think.
**EDIT**
The arm broke *again*, and this time I have a picture to illustrate the issue. I didn't make the printer do anything strenuous; I just printed a few small parts, causing it to break.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This is a big red flag and severely wrong:
>
> 93 had to be changed to 150 steps/mm
>
>
>
It can be reasonable to tune steps per mm by a few percent, but needing an increase of more than 50% versus the standard value for the same physical gearing indicates either you did something wrong in computing the needed value, or some other serious root problem with the printer.
You should start by fixing that (putting it back at 93) then try to figure out why it seemed to need change.
Likely your extruder isn't gripping the filament. Trying to overextrude that severely likely grinds it so bad the hob fills up with shavings then doesn't grip at all.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/13 | 331 | 1,255 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Creality Ender 3. I've unscrewed the coupler from the drive assembly, but can't get it loose from the tube. The hot end coupler came free easily.
I compress the rubber gasket, but it stays tight.
Are these manufactured to be replaced every time? My new Bowden tube didn't come with a new coupler.
I see that the couplers are sold with or without the tubing.<issue_comment>username_1: After depressing the retaining ring, try pushing the Bowden tube further in to the coupler. This should disengage the internal sprung clip, and allow removal of the Bowden tube.
Good quality pneumatic couplings should allow many insertion and removal cycles, although the couplings that Creality use have a reputation for early failure.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Success! better tools and brute force did the trick.
I threaded the tube through the hole in a steel wrench handle, then clamped the end in sturdy forceps. That gave me enough grip at each end to pull it apart.
Thanks for all the suggestions and for letting me know it IS supposed to come apart.
I also ordered Capricorn tubing, pneumatic couplers, and enough other printer toys...er, upgrades... to get free shipping. Next time should be easy!
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/15 | 1,645 | 6,373 | <issue_start>username_0: I am currently working through various different iterations ofccreating a propeller for a model ICE (nitro engine). So far I have managed to disintegrate each of them eventually. I have been experimenting mostly with PLA and PETG so far. I am currently thinking about using carbon-infused PLA or using PC (I found one that is printable on my printer). However, I am not so sure what properties I exactly have to look for when it comes to a propeller.
I am making the following assumptions:
* When rotating fast (5-6k RPM) there it probably has to create quite some centripetal force and I assume this would translate to
tensile strength
* When the engine starts or stops it gets accelerated and decelerated almost instantly which probably causes quite some jerk to the propeller. However, I do not know what property that would
translate to, also tensile strength.
So far the PLA propeller has held up the longest and I cannot rule out that it accidentally touched something when it broke. That is of
course something it does not have to be able to handle, so I am
probably going to give PLA another chance.
The PETG propellers all literally broke apart the second the engine
started, and it did not even hold up one rotation.
The design of the propeller is actually sacrificing some aerodynamic efficiency in order to make sure there are no "thin" parts. It is
typically breaking in the section I have highlighted in the
the following picture.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lttne.png "3D rendering of a propeller with a circle around a section")
I have also a picture of the "remains" of the broken PLA propeller.
It actually held up many runs before it eventually broke. It actually partially delaminated the entire wall.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/15u6P.jpg "A damaged print of a propeller")
I am looking for two recommendations/tips:
* What material properties should I look for in my use case?
* Less important, but some tips regarding print settings are also appreciated. So far I could notice that smaller layer size helps,
and thicker walls also helped.<issue_comment>username_1: You need **WAY** more infill or make it solid. Normal props like this are 100% solid for a reason.
To add to that, in my experience with 3D printing the the infill percent is only part of the story for part strength. In many cases adding perimeter loops and not infill is a better solution for part strength.
With a solid part I suspect PETG will come out ahead over PLA as PLA can be more brittle and just snap under shock or vibration.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: As username_1 noted, your part has very low infill, but infill is not what provides most of the part strength anyway. From what I can see of the broken part, it looks like you only have 1 or at most 2 walls, and these are what contribute most to part strength, especially in the orientation you're working in.
You should probably increase the number of walls to the point where the part is entirely solid, and has no infill region in any layers. This gives much better strength than selecting "100% infill", which will normally use alternating diagonal lines to fill the region; even if "concentric" is selected, which "looks like" more walls, there are subtle reasons it's not quite as good.
You may be able to get away with fewer walls, possibly just 3 or 4. If you're trying to keep total mass low, that might be worth trying first. But you definitely need more than the 1 or 2 you have now.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I'm offering a different kind of answer, please do not print your propeller blades. I've seen accidents happen (in my past international model aircraft building and flying hobby) with even the bought injection molded propellers (usually bad handling or aging).
Propeller blades can be bought online or at your local model aircraft shop against reasonable prices. You don't want to lose your eye or somebody else's.
Even if used on a car or a hovercraft, please use a bought injection molded propeller and provide proper shielding.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: A nitro engine rotates [much faster](https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?1282216-Electic-and-nitro-prop-difference#:%7E:text=slimer%20(slimey%20nitro)%20props%20are,for%20durability%2C%20but%20less%20efficient.) than an electric one, 30k rpm vs 10k rpm top.
Also, it has much more vibrations (the engine gives torque in sharp pulses, not a continuous power generation). There's a reason if the propellers for electric are not compatible with nitro engines. You will need to step up the game with fiber-infused plastics, and shock resistant plastics, so check CF-ABS, CF-ASA, CF-PC, nylon-CF, nylon-GF.
Forget PETG or PLA...
And use an infill that is equally resistant in every direction, so cubic or gyroid.
And do a simple calculation, concerning the infill: use the weight and the spinning speed to calculate the strength you need for the area where the blade attaches to the hub. I think you need an almost solid infill to hold (solid infill = as many perimeters you need to fill it), and then you can progressively decrease the perimeters closer you get to the tip, replacing them with infill.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: For safety on a project like this, it's best to have a self-contained chamber to run a life test until the propeller falls apart. Once a material and design has a reasonable lifetime, then you could use the print.
Reputable propeller manufacturers will already do this. They may even run a shorter burn-in test on product being sold to eliminate defects.
I would suspect PLA as being too brittle. Nylon carbon fiber is probably a better material, but not easy to use. Unless you're wanting to experiment with propeller design, printing propellers will cost you more then buying them.
As Brydon mentioned life testing usually does acceleration such as twice the rate. Temperature is also important. Plastic is more brittle cold and softer hot. You may even want to off balance the axis slightly to accelerate the testing.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/08/16 | 367 | 1,402 | <issue_start>username_0: In FlashPrint there is an **Extrusion Ratio** setting. It's set to 97 % for the stock PLA profile and 107 % for the stock PETG profile.
I would've thought these would be 100 % by default (and the same for all materials). Why is it that these defaults make sense and they differ? Why would you need to push more PETG for the same print than PLA if they're the same diameter filament?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fiXhW.png "FlashPrint Extrusion Ratio setting")<issue_comment>username_1: I may be entirely out of my league here, But I think it's related to Viscosity, or how thin or thick the fluid plastic is while hot and Temperature Expansion, how much larger in volume the fluid plastic will be hot compared to cold.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If your extruder uses spring tension to hold the filament against the hob, the effective diameter of the filament at the point the hob contacts, which determines the amount moved, is a function of the compressibility of the material. Thus, it makes sense to use a higher flow ratio for more compressible filaments. However, this is very much a matter of what type of extruder your machine has, and doesn't apply if you have a tension arm holding the idler bearing at fixed distance from the hob.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/08/18 | 853 | 3,342 | <issue_start>username_0: Using 3D printing I'd like to create a text oversized keycap that uses several strong LEDs to make the text light as red or green, depending on status. It's quite similar to what are called annunciators on aircraft:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6B1lY.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jce1q.jpg)
I'd like to create an MX keycap with this ability and size with the backlighting changing from green to red to indicate something is on or off. I understand including the MX connector in the center, but how would I print a black panel and leave the text transparent, or at least transluscent?<issue_comment>username_1: There are a few possible ways you could go about this:
1. If you have a multi-material printer, you may be able to print with both a transparent or translucent material for the internal structure of the print and an opaque material for the external parts of the print. PET(G) may be suitable for this purpose but is harder to print compared to standard PLA.
2. You can print the entire print in a translucent material, mask off the lettering at the front and spray paint the rest of the print.
3. You can create a multi-part print, where one outer 'shell' is printed in opaque filament, and another piece in translucent material, which will mate together after printing.
4. You can deboss the lettering of your print, and with the letters face down to the bed, print the first layers in an opaque material, and then swap filaments to a translucent material for the rest of the print, spray painting the upper parts of the print to match a uniform color, while leaving the bottom untouched.
There are several advantages and disadvantages to each method:
1. Requires that you have a (typically) expensive upgrade installed onto your machine, but would be the most straightforward way to go about this.
2. Requires precise masking of your letters to make them come out looking nice, but will give you sharper, more defined edges on the lettering.
3. Will require you to design for tolerances for the two parts, or add glue in the post-processing steps, But could be produced en masse with two printers, one for each material.
4. Can be a bit fiddly, and will possibly result in an undesired look, with the lettering being debossed into the part, But would be less complex than the other options.
Pick whichever method you wish, or try all of them to see which gives you the best results.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Cut the letters out of the key, so they print as holes all the way to the light source. Print in black.
fill the holes with clear silicon caulk or leave empty.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I have a different plan. What I did was get the resin keycap molds from Adafruit.
My plan is to print out the legend using black PLA (and obeying "stencil rules" for detachable parts), just the size of the keycap. Then mold, using clear resin, the top part of the cap with the negative printout inside. Cure under UV to get a thin (1 mm? 1.5 mm?) keycap. Then mix up an opaque batch of resin, fill in the rest of the mold, and cure that under UV.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/21 | 603 | 2,394 | <issue_start>username_0: Ok I’m so new at Blender. Half the time it’s knowing what question you have to ask to get the answer you need...
I want to make a 3D printable warrior type action figure but I only have one very detailed frontal view. Can I input that image into somewhere and it gives me a 3D model to start from? Like will it generate a 360 view? I have no idea where to start.<issue_comment>username_1: In short, no. A 2D image has insufficient information to determine a 3D form.
If you want to do this yourself, what you could do is start with the 2D outline in a program like Blender (as 0scar mentioned in a comment), extrude it to make a thin "cardboard cutout", then begin shaping it into three dimensions from there. Imagine it like cutting a slab of Play-doh with a cookie cutter matching your 2D outline, then using the picture and your imagination as a guide to form it into 3D. I'm not sure whether something like that makes any more sense than just starting from scratch modeling it.
Alternatively, nowadays there *might* be some "AI" models to produce a reasonable guess at what 3D structure you want, with the knowledge that it's supposed to be a person, for a 2D image you provide. I'm not sure if there's anything yet of usable quality, but it's something you could look for.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes and no. It is sufficient for making a 3D model, but not in the way you want. Basically, you cannot turn a 2D image into a 3D model automatically, so you will have to do it manually. The image you have can be used as a reference image, and you will have to use some artistic freedom when creating the backside. It is basically the digital version of creating a clay sculpture based on an image. Perfectly possible, but it does require quite a bit of skill and patience.
If you want to learn how to do it, search for beginner tutorials on YouTube about ‘sculpting’ in Blender.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If you only have a 2D photo then as others have already said its not really possible. However if you have the action figure itself you could try a technique called Photogrammetry where you use your phone to take multiple images of the object and then use software to build up a model. Search youtube for guides on Photogrammetry or 3D scanning with your phone. I've never done it but certainly something I'd like to try!
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/21 | 755 | 2,811 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm getting zits or blobs in lithophanes while printing on my Ender 3 and 10S Pro. I tried a suggestion: change resolution in mesh fixes of Cura to 0.5 (from 0.05 default). That removed the zits.
But now there are white patches as shown in the image. I reduced the resolution to 0.2 but to no avail.
Anyone else encountered this problem?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xpqvz.jpg "Example of white patches in a lithophane print")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tKl6c.jpg "Example of zits/blobs in a lithophane print")<issue_comment>username_1: In short, no. A 2D image has insufficient information to determine a 3D form.
If you want to do this yourself, what you could do is start with the 2D outline in a program like Blender (as 0scar mentioned in a comment), extrude it to make a thin "cardboard cutout", then begin shaping it into three dimensions from there. Imagine it like cutting a slab of Play-doh with a cookie cutter matching your 2D outline, then using the picture and your imagination as a guide to form it into 3D. I'm not sure whether something like that makes any more sense than just starting from scratch modeling it.
Alternatively, nowadays there *might* be some "AI" models to produce a reasonable guess at what 3D structure you want, with the knowledge that it's supposed to be a person, for a 2D image you provide. I'm not sure if there's anything yet of usable quality, but it's something you could look for.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes and no. It is sufficient for making a 3D model, but not in the way you want. Basically, you cannot turn a 2D image into a 3D model automatically, so you will have to do it manually. The image you have can be used as a reference image, and you will have to use some artistic freedom when creating the backside. It is basically the digital version of creating a clay sculpture based on an image. Perfectly possible, but it does require quite a bit of skill and patience.
If you want to learn how to do it, search for beginner tutorials on YouTube about ‘sculpting’ in Blender.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: If you only have a 2D photo then as others have already said its not really possible. However if you have the action figure itself you could try a technique called Photogrammetry where you use your phone to take multiple images of the object and then use software to build up a model. Search youtube for guides on Photogrammetry or 3D scanning with your phone. I've never done it but certainly something I'd like to try!
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/21 | 1,021 | 3,722 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently got a Creator 3 (v2) and single-colour prints are great, but dual colour Benchies are coming out quite bad. Initially, I thought it was X/Y calibration as when I printed a dual-colour cube, I could feel a slight bump as I ran my fingernail across the joins. I tweaked that and the cube now seems good (pics attached), but the Benchy came out the same, with a lot of scruffy plastic in several places.
I had the same with some old Balco filament and now with Technology Outlet filament (all four reels have printed fine on their own, the prints are really good).
I'm using Flashprint 5.1 for slicing, with mostly default settings (though infill reduced to 10 % and temp increased from 200 °C to 210 °C for the Technology Outlet filament). I'm using an Ooze Shield and a brim. Stock 0.4 mm nozzles.
Any suggestions on what the issue might be or what I can do to improve it some? The [dual-colour pic on the Benchy website](http://www.3dbenchy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Dualprint-3DBenchy-Main-image-Dual.jpg) looks way better, so I don't think it's just that these parts of the models are difficult to print.
Thanks!
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KLOF7.jpg "Dual-colour Benchy highlighting printing errors")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtNCh.jpg "Another dual colour Benchy with printing errors")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8UjKx.jpg "A dual-colour cube showing good X/Y alignment")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2wEj3.jpg "Another side of a dual-colour cube showing good X/Y alignment")<issue_comment>username_1: You have a problem with retraction or more broadly with what happens to the material in the inactive extruder while it's waiting to be used again. I'm not sure what your printer does, but there are various strategies for how to handle this, which can possibly be mixed:
* doing nothing and letting it make a mess
* a large amount of extra retraction to get the filament entirely out of the heated zone, followed by a slow unretract into the heated zone when the extruder becomes active again
* using a priming tower (sacrificial junk part) to re-prime the inactive nozzle when it's activated again
* priming in thin air and using a wiping brush to clean the inactive nozzle when it's activated again
* maybe others
You need to figure out what options are available for your printer and how to tune them to get results you're happy with.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've tracked down the cause of this, although I don't yet know a solution. It only occurs with dual-colour prints and I noticed the stringing is coming from when the nozzle moves *away* from the print, not from the new nozzle coming towards it.
After watching some prints, I realised what it is. After finishing with a nozzle, the bed is lowered (like a z-hop), and it's thta action that is pulling filament out of the nozzle causing the string. For a standard single-nozzle print, this action does not occur, and no filament is pulled out.
The only z-hop option in Flashprint is disabled, so I'm not hopeful I can fix it here though. Perhaps other slices may do better (I'm going to try Cura next).
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/22 | 551 | 2,034 | <issue_start>username_0: Just a simple question about my FEP sheet getting dented after print.
I just bought an Elegoo Mars 2 Pro and had trouble getting it to stick to the bed, after some painful bed leveling and realizing my exposure times were too low for maroon resin, I finally got it to stick to the bed by the 4th print.
Now before I start my next print, I want to know what causes the indents in the FEP sheet below so I can prevent it from happening again.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jqxah.jpg "FEP sheet with noticeable dents")
Is it too High exposure time, bed leveled too low/tight, or both?
Now I will also note, that this print was with the standard rook test print the mars recommends you do first, also that my print was very hard to remove from the bed when finished, I had to use a lot of force to rip it off.<issue_comment>username_1: The rook is normally difficult to remove, it's designed this way.
Have you tried resetting the height of you build Plate?
If it makes a grinding sound when doing the first 2 or three layers your build plate might be traveling too low.
Also try re-leveling your build plate, e.g. I pushed so hard when I tried to take my rook off that I un-leveled it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You have not done anything wrong!
Usually, each resin type is suitable for a specific VAT floor. For example, for PDMS floor you should use very specific types of resins.
FEP is known to be very strong and difficult to ruin. But still a couple of things you need to consider:
* When the resin cures it does generate a substantial amount of heat, you definitely can decrease it by a better level (less resin) or dimming (slower chemical reaction). Some FEPs could stand 450 °C.
* Separation force, it will depend on the area being solidified and how strong the resin stick to your FEP.
* How tightened the FEP is also important. You do not want it to be very tight.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/08/26 | 1,347 | 4,413 | <issue_start>username_0: I have the FlashForge Dreamer NX which prints with good quality on small models. However, when the model is taller than 2 cm or 2.5 cm (around 0.8 or 1 inch), it really loses quality.
Here there is a picture so you can understand what I mean. Which setting do I have to change? Have a look the the base is very acceptable, but then, the printing is not acceptable.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c5gTf.jpg "Printed model losing quality the higher up it is printed")
I'm using FlashPrint 5, but I can switch to any other app if it is needed.
**UPDATE**
I'm using PLA 1.75. Here are my settings.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YVjEL.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mmYy4.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9ptVP.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b1T6J.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kq4zf.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3vgya.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5V4ZK.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AmB3T.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lJUpe.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RcWm9.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z2lVV.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EXTue.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/J16mV.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sd9bA.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sK0GL.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6jC6.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b7liI.png)<issue_comment>username_1: That looks horribly familiar; I call it meshing.
It's underextrusion, which can be caused by lots of things.
I cleaned, then replaced the hot end, Bowden tube, and both couplers trying to solve the problem, but then the Z axis was binding. Tried a couple things for that, what seems to have worked was loosening a couple of screws flanking the Z screw. Prints are still coming out a little short, so I think I'll have to shim the Z screw brace.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The cause of the meshing is under-extrusion. When under-extrusion happens, several problems can cause this. E.g. heat creep (probably not the issue here because heat creep is usually not recoverable, but not unimaginable since this is an enclosed printer, you could try printing at a lower temperature and look into less aggressive retraction settings), or an extrusion problem.
Since this is an intermittent, recurring defect, this could typically be a result of spool entanglement or any other defect in the extrusion path. Once the entanglement or friction on the spool has resolved itself, the print continues as if nothing happened.
You should print again and look at what happens. Also pay attention to the extruder, it may be skipping steps or hasn't got enough force to push the filament through.
Check the extrusion of filament also by disconnecting the extruder and manually feeding the filament through a hot nozzle. It should be easy to push the filament through the nozzle at temperature. If not, try cleaning the nozzle doing a cold/atomic pull (feed filament hot, cut the power to the hotend, wait until the temperature drops considerably and suddenly pull out the filament, preferably with nylon or cleaning filament or any other high temperature filament).
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/29 | 579 | 2,380 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an FDM printer, I printed ABS for years.
Since SLA printers became really cheap lately and are able to print finer details, are there resins out there as strong as ABS/PLA?<issue_comment>username_1: I'm an owner of both an FDM printer and a resin one:
I've long searched a resin capable of printing durable objects even in tiny details but with poor luck. I've tried ABS-Like resins, and they provide a slightly better resistance than regular resin but do not expect great improvements; I've tryed the siraya tech Blue V2 that is for sure much more durable but eventually would fail on the smaller details...
In the end i think I'll try the flexible resins like the Liquicreate flexible X or the Siraya tech Tenacious because those (similarly to TPU in FDM) can better absorb energy from impacts and having a smaller young's modulus can help when under load.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Not inherently
--------------
SLA prints are usually very glasslike in their internal structure and thus are often quite brittle: They tend to break with a very distinct, sharp failure mode. Their compression strength is often high but their tensile strength is limited, and their resistance to side loads is low.
Due to the printing method solidifying the resin layer by layer, there is an inherent stress pattern, resulting in the items having a much lower strength than monolithic casted resins that cured in shape.
Yes, as an intermediate step
----------------------------
However, their print resolution makes them an excellent solution to create a mold which then can be used to create the actual part. Due to the thermal properties, one can't *melt* SLA prints, making lost-model investment casting not available.
Greensand casting isn't available for most resin or plastic materials. However, if the part is removable from the sand shells, it is a method that could make metal copies of your SLA printed masters.
As an alternative, rotary casting might be possible if the part can be removed from halves. Also, such prints are perfectly suited to making high detail silicone molds with limited undercuts, into which high durable liquid plastics (PVC) or 2-component casting resins can be cast for curing. In contrast to SLA resins, these cure into a monolithic product, which then is often much more durable to side loads.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/08/31 | 755 | 3,172 | <issue_start>username_0: I've heard a bit about folks using air compressors with tubing to the toolhead and outlet openings there as part cooling. One example is the [Berd Air](https://the-makerhive.myshopify.com/products/berd-air-max), but from the information I can gather, it works with rather low pressures where the expansion of the compressed air is unlikely to get the air significantly below ambient temperature, so it's basically equivalent to a low-end fan. Indeed, [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65FVQ1jArME) comparing such a system against the HevACS found it rather ineffective.
If one wants to harness the cooling of compressed air to hit the part with air significantly below ambient temperature, what is the relationship between pressure needed and temperature drop? I assume one can work it out pretty closely with ideal gas law, but I don't understand how to figure in both the change in volume and pressure when the air exits the high pressure part of the system.<issue_comment>username_1: I'm an owner of both an FDM printer and a resin one:
I've long searched a resin capable of printing durable objects even in tiny details but with poor luck. I've tried ABS-Like resins, and they provide a slightly better resistance than regular resin but do not expect great improvements; I've tryed the siraya tech Blue V2 that is for sure much more durable but eventually would fail on the smaller details...
In the end i think I'll try the flexible resins like the Liquicreate flexible X or the Siraya tech Tenacious because those (similarly to TPU in FDM) can better absorb energy from impacts and having a smaller young's modulus can help when under load.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Not inherently
--------------
SLA prints are usually very glasslike in their internal structure and thus are often quite brittle: They tend to break with a very distinct, sharp failure mode. Their compression strength is often high but their tensile strength is limited, and their resistance to side loads is low.
Due to the printing method solidifying the resin layer by layer, there is an inherent stress pattern, resulting in the items having a much lower strength than monolithic casted resins that cured in shape.
Yes, as an intermediate step
----------------------------
However, their print resolution makes them an excellent solution to create a mold which then can be used to create the actual part. Due to the thermal properties, one can't *melt* SLA prints, making lost-model investment casting not available.
Greensand casting isn't available for most resin or plastic materials. However, if the part is removable from the sand shells, it is a method that could make metal copies of your SLA printed masters.
As an alternative, rotary casting might be possible if the part can be removed from halves. Also, such prints are perfectly suited to making high detail silicone molds with limited undercuts, into which high durable liquid plastics (PVC) or 2-component casting resins can be cast for curing. In contrast to SLA resins, these cure into a monolithic product, which then is often much more durable to side loads.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/06 | 859 | 3,161 | <issue_start>username_0: I am building my CoreXY 3D printer with 350x350 mm heated bed at about 4 mm thickness. I just found out that borosilicate glass is unavailable at the local glazier. He offered tempered or ceramic glass instead. Which one should I go for? I read that both are a more expensive option to borosilicate glass, but I worry about the temperature stability, warping of the glass (in case of the tempered one), and parts (not) sticking to it. Any experience is appreciated.
PS. The ceramic glass of this size would cost me about 45 USD. The glazier did not tell me the price of the tempered option, but I reckon it will be around 30 USD, which is much more acceptable if it does the same job.<issue_comment>username_1: People choose borosilicate because of its thermal properties.
Between ceramic and tempered, I would suggest tempered glass, it's not good as borosilicate when comes to adapting to rapid temperatures but better than ceramic. The other option I would suggest will be "Aluminium", which is much better.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Mirror glass is commonly used. It's flat and cheap. There isn't really a sudden thermal shock to worry about, and if you're going to be printing at temperatures that *need* borosilicate glass, you might find the aluminium parts of the bed sagging. Remember to ask for the edges to be smoothed.
Thinner glass will transmit the heat better - but you might be able to get tempered glass as thin as 1/8" thick (~3.2 mm).
---
I print with PLA and use 3 mm mirror glass secured with a bulldog clip near-ish to each corner, and Elnett "Normal Strength" hairspray for adhesion (applied holding the glass over the bath to avoid it getting everywhere) - it's easy to clean off under running water. Demounting the parts cleanly is a simple matter of popping it in the fridge for half an hour if they don't come off with a slight nudge.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: The primary advantage of borosilicate isn't that it's resistant to thermal shock -- as someone already noted, there's not much in the way of rapid heating or cooling in FDM printing (yes, the filament is hot, but its mass is low enough the glass it touches won't pick up much heat). Rather, it's the low expansion. Common soda-lime glass (window glass, mirror glass) expands several times as much as borosilicate, which means it will also shrink several times as much when it cools back down.
If you're holding constant temp throughout the print, and give adequate preheat time, that won't matter, but if (for instance) you heat the bed 10 °C hotter for the first layer, then cool it, plain glass will shrink enough to potentially cause the print to come loose, while borosilicate won't.
Ceramic glass is like borosilicate only more so (akin to Corningware) -- but again, not worth paying for unless you expect to change your bed temperature during the print.
For any kind of glass, my own preference is to use glue stick. I apply a "squiggle" (a precise metric volume), use 91% isopropyl to spread it evenly over the build area, and my prints stay stuck, but pop right off when the glass cools a little.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/09/10 | 308 | 1,241 | <issue_start>username_0: I left my printer to print a circular object and when I came back I saw it didn't print anything but left this layer of white on the surface. I can't get it off, I've tried washing it and scraping it off with the chisel, nothing works.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7zuyK.jpg "Printer bed with white circular marking")<issue_comment>username_1: My guess is it's damaged print surface from the hot extruder mashing against the print surface. Your description seems to indicate that it isn't a layer.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: If it actually is residue from the material you were trying to print, pressed against the surface so tightly and so thin that you can't separate it, the best way to remove it is printing a new object on top of it, using the same material, with the bed properly leveled (i.e. not smashing the nozzle into it again) and with the bed and nozzle temperature high. If things go well, it will then come off with the print when you're done after the bed cools. This is because printable thermoplastics tend to stick better to themselves than to the bed.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/16 | 871 | 3,343 | <issue_start>username_0: Wouldn't it be better to mount lead screws with the motor on top and the bottom end unconstrained? Compared to the conventional way (motor on the bottom) the lead screw would be under constant tension rather than compression and any misalignment would always be "pulled straight" and in this way minimize z-wobble.
Here is a image for clarification:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7hSCU.png "Illustration of wobble in both top and bottom mounted stepper motors with lead screws")
With the motor on top the load of the bed will help to move the lead screw in line with the mount. In the opposite case the load tends to further increase any misalignment.<issue_comment>username_1: The motor is mounted in a fixed position no matter if it's on top or bottom.
You can imagine the lead screw as a rod hanging down and supporting the bed in the Z direction only, because all of the XY rigidity comes from the Liner rails the bed is attached to it works just as well if the stiff rod is under compression instead of hanging from the rod.
Any forces that might "pull it straight" are the same forces that can cause Z wobble so you would not want to even try to use the misalignment to straighten a bent lead screw.
The only thing this that really changes with this orientation is if the lead screw is under tension or compression. Even a relatively thin lead screw can easy counter the forces of gravity and the forces is the same in both directions. Its easy and cheap to make a smooth rod or rail straight but not so easy to make a threaded one straight.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: No, but the answer could depends on how you set up the lead screws, what kind of lead screws are used and how they connect to the stepper. Also it is important how you transfer the linear Z motion into the X gantry.
Note that regularly used TR08 ([Trapezoid, 8 mm](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/5668/)) lead screws are stiff enough to not flex under the limited load of an X gantry. So, putting them upright or down should not make a difference. Furthermore, the whole X-gantry is usually constraint in movement by the use of linear guide rods or rails.
Note that lead screws are not perfect, certainly the cheaper versions (ball screws are better in that respect). The imperfections can cause the lead screw nut to move in the X-Y direction. If the nut is firmly attached to the X-gantry, this movement can be seen in the print like e.g. waves in Z-direction we call Z-wobble. There are designs like [these](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2588347) or [these](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2910524) to mitigate that problem. Leaving one end free (so not constraining both ends) of the lead screw is also a mitigation as with constraining both sides, you over-constrain the screw. Note that the spring couplers you see applied frequently are great for misalignment of stepper motor shaft and lead screw, but are detrimental for the Z-axis. When using such couplers for shaft misalignment, you should [constrain at least motion in Z-direction](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2121687).
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/17 | 817 | 3,127 | <issue_start>username_0: How safe do you think it is to run an SLA 3D printer in the bedroom? I am planning to run Mi Air Purifier 3H/C while the printer is running, I am also thinking about adding [this](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B086277CNQ) inside the actual printer (Elegoo Mini Air Purifier with carbon filter).
Is this safe or still too risky?<issue_comment>username_1: Danger <NAME>!
---------------------
#### Fumes
SLA/DLP printer resins contain skin irritants inside the solvent, and those create rather noxious fumes. As described in [Best way to deal with Resin Printers in your living space](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8594/best-way-to-deal-with-resin-printers-in-your-living-space) that can become a health hazard, and can result in pulmonary irritation. Those irritants are *molecule* sized organic compounds, and even the best filters require an industrial-sized filter stack to catch everything.
In industrial manufacturing, rooms with resin in them usually require PPE that includes at least basic breathing protection, so having it in your bedroom, where you spend on average 4 to 8 hours a day, does expose you to more than the maximum allowable dose for an industrial worker.
#### Spillage
Working with liquid resins is like working with 2 component glues: as careful as you are, you'll have some spillage or rests on trays. These need to be handled, and while with very high viscous epoxy one might get away without gloves and low-level PPE on a small level, the very fluid resin and the IPA used to wash your prints make spillage and droplets escaping the confinements where they belong a problem that is not just academical but bound to happen.
A dedicated wash-and-cure area for your resin 3D prints in somewhat close proximity to the printer and both outside of your sleeping environment is something that is highly advisable.
#### Conclusion
While lower irritant resins have come to the market since 2020 that have less odor and release fewer noxious solvents, the best way is still to minimize exposure and thus put the resin printer in a room that isn't your bedroom.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm running an Elegoo Saturn in a spare room, the smell is barely noticeable.
People tend to be over cautious about these things. Particularly Youtubers, because of fear of litigation, and because they tend to be at close quarters to resin for long periods of time.
It's perfectly safe to have a resin printer in a bedroom so long as you run the printer next to an open window, and keep the cover on.
My advice would be to store your resin separately (in a garage, for example) and to cover the tank with a proper snap on cover (or better yet to pour the majority of the content back into a bottle and store it outsides) over night.
Don't try to run the printer while you are sleeping. Not because of the fumes (which I would be concerned about) but because it will absolutely destroy your ability to get a good night's rest due to the repetitive noise.
For me, it's actually the IPA fumes which are the biggest problem.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/09/17 | 1,202 | 4,494 | <issue_start>username_0: I am attempting to print a model that is too tall to print up-right and it has a large flat side that would be my first layer but ultimately would be the side of the object and I'd like it to look presentable. I'm using wood PLA, so I intend to sand and stain it.
I've had no issues with adhesion when using a raft. The slicer lays down a thick first layer that sticks beautifully. Here's the first layer of a raft - nice thick lines:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2I1of.jpg "First layer of a raft")
But when I try printing without the raft (even when using a brim) that first layer is not only thin, but easily moves away. Also the lines meld together creating gaps in the layer. And that's no skirt around the outside, that's the side of the model that doesn't touch the fill. I have to imagine this would be awful rough and impossible to sand out if it finished.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tFiqL.jpg "Printing without a raft")
By the second layer, the friction is picking up the first layer and it catches the extruder and bam:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hCaCe.jpg "Destroyed second layer")
I've done some research suggesting higher temps, both of the extruder and the plate. I did see an improvement in the lines, but it still doesn't stick well. And what is considered a good temp? how do you know if you went too hot?
Any recommended settings in the slicer to make the bottom layer smoother?
The printer is a FlashForge Creator Pro.<issue_comment>username_1: Danger <NAME>!
---------------------
#### Fumes
SLA/DLP printer resins contain skin irritants inside the solvent, and those create rather noxious fumes. As described in [Best way to deal with Resin Printers in your living space](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8594/best-way-to-deal-with-resin-printers-in-your-living-space) that can become a health hazard, and can result in pulmonary irritation. Those irritants are *molecule* sized organic compounds, and even the best filters require an industrial-sized filter stack to catch everything.
In industrial manufacturing, rooms with resin in them usually require PPE that includes at least basic breathing protection, so having it in your bedroom, where you spend on average 4 to 8 hours a day, does expose you to more than the maximum allowable dose for an industrial worker.
#### Spillage
Working with liquid resins is like working with 2 component glues: as careful as you are, you'll have some spillage or rests on trays. These need to be handled, and while with very high viscous epoxy one might get away without gloves and low-level PPE on a small level, the very fluid resin and the IPA used to wash your prints make spillage and droplets escaping the confinements where they belong a problem that is not just academical but bound to happen.
A dedicated wash-and-cure area for your resin 3D prints in somewhat close proximity to the printer and both outside of your sleeping environment is something that is highly advisable.
#### Conclusion
While lower irritant resins have come to the market since 2020 that have less odor and release fewer noxious solvents, the best way is still to minimize exposure and thus put the resin printer in a room that isn't your bedroom.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm running an Elegoo Saturn in a spare room, the smell is barely noticeable.
People tend to be over cautious about these things. Particularly Youtubers, because of fear of litigation, and because they tend to be at close quarters to resin for long periods of time.
It's perfectly safe to have a resin printer in a bedroom so long as you run the printer next to an open window, and keep the cover on.
My advice would be to store your resin separately (in a garage, for example) and to cover the tank with a proper snap on cover (or better yet to pour the majority of the content back into a bottle and store it outsides) over night.
Don't try to run the printer while you are sleeping. Not because of the fumes (which I would be concerned about) but because it will absolutely destroy your ability to get a good night's rest due to the repetitive noise.
For me, it's actually the IPA fumes which are the biggest problem.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/09/18 | 956 | 4,035 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a seemingly unique problem. I'm trying to design models that print with single extrusion walls and are not closed volumes. For example, a topographical map model printed on an edge. It has height and width, but no depth. I want the model to print with a single, non-closed extrusion per layer. Printing back and forth as it moves up the model.
When slicers cut up a model, historically each plane must result in a closed shape. The slicer then determines the tool path to create that shape. But what if, instead of a closed shape, the slice results in lines. No area or volume, just lines. Couldn't the slicer then create a tool path at each line?
Is there anything like this available anywhere?
Also, to be clear, I've been doing this 3D printing thing for a long time and know pretty well how slicers work and their resulting models. I've also been 3D modelling for a long time.
The simplest solution I can think of would be to modify a slicer or find a plugin or something that already does what I'm looking for. The second possible solution would be to find 3D software that can "extrude" an arbitrarily complex surface in such a way that normal slicing software with the "detect thin walls" setting enabled would result in a single extrusion resulting in the desired outer surface. I haven't found either in my searching.
The solution should work with nearly any extrusion width or any nozzle. You have a 0.4mm nozzle, you can print the part with wall widths anywhere from ~0.4mm wide to around 1mm. Your choice when slicing. If you have a 1mm wide nozzle, you could print the part with much thicker walls. It would be configurable in the slicer because the model only defines the surfaces, no volume data.
Like I said, this is a seemingly unique problem.<issue_comment>username_1: If you are designing a model that has single extrusion walls, you are constructing a design which has volume. A single extrusion wall will be dependent on the nozzle diameter and extrusion multiplier. For the sake of discussion, consider the theoretical nozzle 0.4 mm with a true 0.4 mm extrusion and a 0.2 mm layer thickness.
Your design should reflect this fact. You can/should design your non-dimensional lines to be 0.4 mm wide and 0.2 mm thick in whatever manner you use to create models.
Slicer settings can be adjusted to permit single extrusion walls. A common example is vase mode, in which the printer is directed to construct a single extrusion wall in a specified pattern, usually with an appropriately thick base.
The caveat in this case is that the model file was created to match these requirements. It will be represented as a solid with a thickness to the wall appropriate to the nozzle size.
If you create test models representing a small sample of your overall project and slice them with your preferred slicer, you can examine the resulting g-code, or use the preview feature common in slicers to determine if your objective is accomplished.
In summary, every 3D printed model has all three dimensions. This cannot be avoided, other than in a virtual/simulated environment.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Use Cura to slice and check out the "Surface Mode" option (might be hidden by default; if so, search for and unhide it). Also known as `magic_mesh_surface_mode`. The "Surface" choice sounds close to what you want and might suffice.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: You can also have a look at [Chisel](https://github.com/username_3/chisel), it basically does what you want - creates G-code directly from parametric patches (Bezier, Nurbs), you have fine control over extrusion width in every part of your model (perimeter, infill...).
It's optimised for efficient structural panels so currently always expects 2 faces + infill configuration (could be none for hollow structure), but I will very soon add features like specifying arbitrary number patches with no infill, that way you will have full freedom to design part however you like.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/09/19 | 817 | 3,316 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been using a resin printer for some time now, and am looking for a filament printer to compliment it. It will mostly be used to print scenery or bases to match 3-6" models printer on the resin printer.
I'm aiming for an entry level printer, or possible a mid level one on black Friday sale if I can find one.
Should I limit myself to looking for one with a heated bed or auto-bed leveling, or should I mark these down as being bonus features that are nice to have but which are not essential for the kind of printing that I will be doing?
I will probably be using basic budget filament to print items under 6". Probably no more than 2 prints a week.<issue_comment>username_1: Most "auto-leveling" is not leveling but compensation for a non-flat or non-level bed surface. It's helpful to beginners who don't understand bed leveling or evaluating bed surface flatness and replacing a bad bad, for the sake of being able to get started without prints failing to adhere, but it will necessarily give you moderate to severe accuracy problems in the first cm or so of your print unless you manually level the bed right too. (This is as opposed to real three-point, three-motor leveling systems, which *do* really level and are great, but won't be found on entry-level printers.) Decide whether you want to spend money on that accordingly.
Personally, I find heated bed unnecessary unless you'll be printing ABS, ASA, or maybe PETG (it's hard but not impossible to print PETG without it). Heating the bed kinda makes PLA print worse (at least there are tradeoffs; it does help adhesion though), and flexible materials never need heat. However, pretty much all popular printers nowadays offer a heated bed anyway, so I don't think you'd be saving anything by going without it, and you're likely enough to want it at some point that you should just get it.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Both features are "nice to have" bonuses, BUT are worth it if you can afford it.
They will save you time and money from print problems and on occasion, disasters.
Both make your prints more consistent and have less issues with larger (or taller) prints by cutting a lot of prep time and also ensuring your first couple base layers are done correctly (if those first couple layers mess up, then your entire print likely will be messed up). They also help a lot with materials that have issue with warping or bed adhesion.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: FWIW, what I consider the primary entry-level filament printer, the Creality Ender 3 (under $200 any, sometimes lower depending on daily exchange rates) is sold with *heated bed included*.
Beyond that, a so-called self-leveling system is IMO overrated. For 20-25 dollars you can get a glass build surface, which eliminates non-planar build surface; combine this with proper tramming technique using a feeler gage set that costs under $10 and you can pretty easily achieve results equal to or better than what a "self-leveling" setup would give on a poorly trammed or warped bed.
Conversely, if your idea of "entry level" is the few sub-$100 printers, their tiny build volume and lack of any option to install either heated bed or upgraded extruders and hot ends takes them out of the running for anything other than toys.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/09/19 | 761 | 2,753 | <issue_start>username_0: Prints are generally successful, but I always get a herringbone pattern on the top and bottom surfaces and striations on the sides. The herringbone is finer with finer print qualities, but it is always there. Ditto the sides. See photos.
Always there, regardless of temperature (using a heat tower), speed (even very slow), quality in Cura, etc.
Perhaps this is the best an Ender 3 Pro can do? If so, that's fine. I'm only trying to determine what this printer is capable of.
(Perhaps I can improve the top surface with ironing, but that isn't my question.)
Some things I've done with no effect: Run PLA spool from a drying cabinet; replaced extruder; reset Bowden tube; replaced nozzle; leveled bed numerous times.
One thing I haven't tried yet (will soon): using a better grade of PLA.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JvYbY.jpg "Top herringbone")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SQY6r.jpg "Side")
It's a heat tower, so the top surface was 190 °C. Speed was about 50-60 mm/s (don't remember exactly). With the belt tightened, the herringbone is much finer, but still there. The walls are much smoother, by still the layers are visible. I'm just not sure what to expect from this printer. Am I supposed to get surfaces that are perfectly smooth, or is some texture to be expected?<issue_comment>username_1: With a replaced Bowden tube and better PLA, the herringbone is a little better, and the layering on the sides is more regular, but still there. So, based on this and photos from others here (especially @Oscar), I think the answer to my question is YES: These ARE normal surfaces from this printer.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The top image looks as if the (top) layer(s) are **under-extruding**, the walls don't appear to be suffering from the same problem.
The following image from a recent PETG print is typical for an FDM product. The deposited lines need to touch (actually, slightly overlapping, but the slicer will take care of that) each other:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/g83N2.jpg)
You will see texture (especially when there is a non uniform surface, e.g. with holes, and without an option as monotonic fill in Cura 4.11 or similar disabled), but the lines need to touch each other, you may not see the layer beneath.
There are various reasons for this to happen, for instance: under-extruding because of speed or temperature issues or positioning accuracy. The walls seem to closely adhere, so this may find the cause in slicing parameters for the filling in of the layer.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/20 | 562 | 2,103 | <issue_start>username_0: My OctPrint and Monoprice Maker Select IIIP (A Wanhao i3 Duplicator Plus clone) were working fine, but suddenly today the hot end won't heat up anymore. I tried disconnecting the OctoPrint USB and resetting the printer power, and it still couldn't heat up the extruder, such as through the filament menu.
But then it got weird.
I left it off for a few hours and turned it on to see if it was getting 12 V to the hot end, and it was heating up again! So I plugged in the OctopPrint and we're back to square one, the extruder has just been cooling down. I know the thermistor is working, because it's accurately following the temp, such as following the cooldown after the heating stopped working again.
Is it possibly I have a dead hot end and for some reason it temporarily started to work again? Maybe an intermittent short?
I guess the next step is to open up the base and look at the connector to the motherboard, and or measure for 12 V<issue_comment>username_1: This has nothing to do with OctoPrint itself, the cause is related to the printer itself, not the print server running the printer.
This is a pretty commonly seen issue (usually seen at heated beds), this is caused by faulty wires/cables or connectors. This usually happens after a vast period of usage. You should (periodically) check the cables and connectors. You could even test if the heater cartridge works by connecting it directly to the power supply.
Considering the limited amount of costs involved to replace the heater cartridge, it is preferred to replace the heater with a similar specification heater element (voltage and power).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Measure your heater resistance of the heater in the heater block. Approximate heater resistances are 4.8 Ω for 12 V 30 W and 3.6 Ω for 12 V 40 W. See [Proper hotend heater for Reprap x400 Pro V3](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10695/proper-hotend-heater-for-reprap-x400-pro-v3)
Note: you could have a heater measuring the correct resistance but have a poor connection in one of the connectors.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/09/22 | 951 | 3,829 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an [STL](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3723481) (Raspberry Pi 4 casing) that automatically places itself like below on the bed surface:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Xm8V.png)
Would it be a better and more efficient print if I place it like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Slno.png)
At first, I thought this is no-brainer, the bigger surface should be the bottom layer. However, the horizontal print might result a more efficient head movement.<issue_comment>username_1: The second placement is a better choice from an overall standpoint. In the vertical placement, adhesion is going to be more critical, although Prusa printers have good bonding for PLA and ABS, from my direct experience.
The other aspect of more importance is that the holes are going to be distorted in the vertical arrangement. The cut-outs in the smaller portion will also "droop" unless otherwise supported. If supported, you'll have greater post-processing labor and unsightly surfaces.
The design is quite well done, as the corners have radii which allows for smoother carriage travel, rather than abrupt stops with direction changes at each end.
Importing the model and having the result appear as in the first image means that the designing software swaps the z-axis and the y-axis, which is relatively common.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You've already got the correct answer, but I want to address an additional misconception in your question: head movement efficiency. Most 3D print jobs are *acceleration-bound*, not *top-speed-bound*. Without really cranking up the acceleration limits (which requires Klipper and input shaper tuning), the head will only reach the requested speed on *long linear moves*.
The orientation lying flat has a lot of those: the 4 sides are all long, and the diagonal fill line are long.
The orientation with the part standing up on one end has very short lines, and a lot more of them.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Long story short, laying the design horizontally is a lot less problematic when compared to laying it vertically. I'll explain:
[ Vertical ]
* Bridging becomes more of an issue with the edge overhang. You'd need stilts to support the overhang which would fill the entire inside of your case.
* Wear on the printer is a concern because of the short travel distance. You'd have to print along the grain which would result in a structurally weaker design.
* Holes are very difficult to do vertically and may need to be cleaned up afterward.
* Excess heat build-up from the printer head may be an issue due to it having to stay in the same area for longer, which may cause problems like melting or sharp hooks/spurs.
* Vertical clipping is more of a concern as the printer head has more of a chance of knocking over the design (thus ruining the print and wasting time/materials). Also, less surface area for adhesion for the first layer means the design is more prone to falling over.
[ Horizontal ]
* Bridging is a lot less of an issue other than the cable/power porthole on the side of the design.
* Wear on the printer is a lot less of an issue because of the longer travel distance in either direction (printing with the grain or against)
* Holes are much easier to create when laying horizontal.
* Few changes to build up heat resulting in your print being more consistent, not warping or melting.
* Low clearance and large base level surface area make it near impossible for the printer head to clip/catch and ruin the design.
In most cases, it's best to keep your design as low and spread out as possible, though I've had some prints where that wasn't an option.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/25 | 1,972 | 7,355 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to 3D print a lattice work or truss, basically some beams forming a rectangle and additional beams forming the diagonals and where those beams cross, they should be fused. So, something like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gdKj1.jpg)
The problem is that any slicer I give a form like this to starts drawing triangles around the inner openings and in best case those triangles then touch if you use enough walls, but the pull strength you would get from beams in such a truss is lost because the opposite corners of the rectangle are not connected by a single length of filament laid down. Here as example what PrusaSlicer does for every layer:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dpkQW.jpg)
Basically this gives separate triangles at the top, bottom, left and right with some rectangular walls at the outside. Not bad, but I think that for extra strength it would be better if on even layers there would be long extrusions going all the way from the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner (and hence interrupting extrusion on the other diagonal) and on odd layers having just the opposite (so long extrusions from bottom-left to top-right).
So, my question: is there any way to tell the slicer to do something like that? So, having extra long (alternating) corner to corner extrusions next to the triangular "outer" walls that it normally puts down? Or, is there some other trick I could use to get a similar effect (while also having long extrusions between adjacent corners)?<issue_comment>username_1: If on even layers, the routing is in one direction and on odd layers, the routing is the opposite diagonal, you'll have a much weaker structure, as there will be no material after the crossing point.
Addressing that aspect, one could consider that the design is implemented in such a way that the nozzle creates the odd layer continuously from one corner to the other and then creates the "missing" segments from corner to center on the opposite diagonal.
I know of no slicer which will create such tool paths from a model imported to the workspace.
This leaves a relatively impractical option of creating the g-code manually. One of my clients is a machinist from the 50s who can look at an engineering drawing and hand-write the g-code for the machine center on which the part is to be created. Of course, that's not additive manufacture, it's the reverse and the cutting tool can remove far more material than a 3D printer can add.
It's not an impossible task, but would be quite tedious. One might create a python code to generate appropriate g-code, given layer heights and machine-appropriate data such as speeds and temperatures, etc.
Consider an [alternative post processing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRLJ4ylGTFc) specific to PETG, if PETG is an acceptable material for your project. One uses 100 percent infill in the model and then embeds the part in flour salt (finely ground salt), packing it in tightly. The salt-encased part is then re-melted. The part becomes "non-layered" removing the objections in the original reference. If you consider this method, some experimentation is indicated.
The above link is a six minute YouTube video showing the process for multiple models, one after the other. PLA is shown with possibly poor results compared to PETG, hence the reference to experimentation.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The way I get rid of voids, like your triangular shaped voids the slicing program interprets as fill area, is to increase the number of vertical/perimeter shells (the shells on the side).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bbUdP.jpg)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Yes you can!
------------
To have stronger prints you would have to choose the correct direction of filament deposition paths/traces. This answer demonstrates changing the direction of the filament path in Ultimaker Cura slicer.
To do this, it requires some tinkering of your model and choosing the correct slicer parameters (decimals aren't allowed in changing the direction in Cura, only integer or round-off degrees).
To recreate the experiment I have created a similar model in [OpenSCAD](https://openscad.org/):
```
union(){
difference(){
cube([100, 50, 1],center = true); // outer contour
cube([90, 40, 1.1],center = true); // inner contour
}
// add 2 cross beams
for (i=[-1:2:1]) {
// Note:
// 26.565051177078 would have been exactly corner to corner, but
// decimals aren't allowed in Cura, hence the choice for 26 degrees
rotate([0,0,i*26]){
cube([100, 5, 1],center = true);
}
}
}
```
Which gives you:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F527k.png "Rectangle with cross beams")
Create an STL from the code and load this into Ultimaker Cura slicer.
The trick is to direct the deposition of the top/bottom pattern [`lines`] and the infill [`lines`] in the direction you need (and for infill a high infill percentage). Remember the 26° angle of the cross beams, the definition of Cura line direction is different, so the angle of deposition needs to be ±(90 - 26) = ±64° which is denoted as [64, -64] in the slicer. Note the top and bottom contain 2 layers, the rest is infill. You can also have no infill by selecting very large top/bottom thickness, or, no top/bottom layers and only infill (this answer demonstrates **both options**, but you could choose just one).
Look at the bottom layer (see slicer settings on the right):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/72Gbu.png "Bottom layer")
The second layer looks like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XfdHA.png "Second layer")
First infill layer:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yY10h.png "First infill layer")
Second infill layer (needed to lower the top layer to a single layer to be able to display this):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RbtzN.png "Second infill layer (needed to lower the top layer to a single layer to be able to display this)")
As seen by the sliced layers, you can have an alternating pattern where the filament path is continuous for each cross-beam every other layer. This should increase the load (tension) the beam is able to support opposed to the given pattern in the question body.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Have a look at [Chisel](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/pt80ap/new_3d_printing_slicer_geared_towards_highspeed/) infills there are very strength optimised, limitation is currently that they must be single line width, but multiple-lines thick infill will be supported soon.
After that, it's very simple, basically setting double corrugated infill with corrugation size 1 for your rectangle model.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/09/26 | 676 | 2,718 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to figure out how to automatically extract the part after it was printed.
One of the ideas is to wait until the bed get cooled enough (let's say to 40-50 °C, usually the part can be just slide of at this bed temperature) and turn on the powerful fan blowing off the part to a tray or something.
Is this setup feasible?
I'm printing with ABS on an opal glass.<issue_comment>username_1: You can do this provided the part releases consistently after cooling. Your filament choice may cause problems, though. ABS is prone to warping and a fan constantly blowing on the part would make it worse. The second thing to consider would be the release agent. I assume you are using gluestick or something similar on the bed. This may be pulled off the bed after a couple prints.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In theory you could knock the item off the build plate and into a bin by positioning the print head behind the part and then pushing.
However your build plate would need to have a smooth front edge, so no clips in the way.
You'd also want to have some delay to let the bed cool down before attempting this, and have spare belts on hand for the day the installed belt breaks.
A fan may work IF you can control it to come on after the part has finished printing, AND your printer will release a finished part given time. Also, your finished part must be strong enough to survive the impact and fall without damage, else what's the point?
Also, your effective print volume would shrink - there has to be enough space at the back to drop the print head behind the part using gcode, and then slide the bed backward until the part falls off. You couldn't use the back ~75mm of the bed.
Personally I always have to use a scraper and occasionally a light hammer tap, so a fan wouldn't do anything.
---
If I were doing this, I'd either pony up and buy one of those Creality belt-fed printers that have a rolling platform, and drop parts off the front. The CR-30 <https://www.creality3dofficial.com/products/cr-30-infinite-z-belt-3d-printer> or other manufacturers would have the same.
The other more homebrew option would be to consider where the bed ends up after job is done, and then have some kind of "wiper" mechanism that comes from the side and pushes the part over and off the bed. It would have to be low enough to get any brim and priming lines out of the way too. Since the printer probably can't control this, you'd be looking at an external controller like a computer running a print server, orchestrating the wiper and then starting the next job.
You'll also want a really big roll of filament, or a filament-out sensor so you're not printing air.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/09/28 | 1,850 | 6,592 | <issue_start>username_0: I have problems with layer widths and uneven outer walls on my 3D prints. Sometimes layers are squeezed and sometimes pushed outside. I noticed that these problems happen when there are retractions on layers. I don't have problems with round and simple objects without changes on layers or where all layers are identical.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wgANn.jpg "Image showing uneven layers")
I think that this can be linked with pressure in the nozzle or retraction. It looks like sometimes the pressure is too high and it's pushing too much filament and sometimes it's too low and it's not pushing enough filament. In this picture, layers in the first circle are squished in and it looks like there is not enough filament being pushed from the nozzle. In the second circle layer is pushed out and is wider than other layers. Looks like there is not enough filament being extruded at the start of the layer and too much being extruded at the end.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eTbfq.jpg "Image showing two areas: one with layer pushed in, and one with layer pushed out")
This problem happens always on the same layers, where there are some retractions on these layers. I tried to print the same objects multiple times and it always occurs on the same layers.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UIP6a.jpg "Image showing squished in layers")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GyHLJ.jpg "Image showing squished out layers")
What have I did to fix this problem:
* calibrated e-steps and slicer flow,
* tightened belts,
* different slicers (Cura, PrusaSlicer),
* different filaments (e.g. PrusamentPLA),
* disabled combing in slicer,
* printed with and without infills,
* different retraction distance (from 3 mm to 8 mm),
* different retraction speeds (from 20 mm/s to 80 mm/s),
* different retraction accelerations (from 500 to 1500),
* different hotend temperatures (from 200 °C to 230 °C),
* slow printing speed (up to 15 mm/s),
* calibrated K-factor (also tried many values from 0.0 to 2.0),
* calibrated junction deviation (also tried many values from 0.0 to 0.3),
* printed with and without cooling.
I think, that disabling coasting and changes in retraction settings helped a little, but not too much.
My setup:
* Ender 5, SKR mini E3 V1.2
* Capricorn PTFE Bowden tube,
* printing with PLA, but this problem also occurs with PETG.
The most similar issue I've found is this question, [Inconsistent Layer Issues](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/10738/4762), but this didn't resolve my problem.
**How can I get rid of inconsistency in layers widths and get smoother outer walls?**
---
I calibrated K-factor with [K-factor Calibration Pattern](https://marlinfw.org/tools/lin_advance/k-factor.html) and discovered that lines are always thicker after retraction at the start of the line and thinner at the end of the line. Then I generated and printed test files to confirm this. My lines are always thicker at the start of the line and they get thinner later. This is the problem presented in the second picture.
I printed 3 cubes (dimensions of a cube: X=0.2 mm, Y=100 mm, Z=10 mm). This is the result.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFWb8.jpg)
This is the best representation of my problem. The order of printing was as follows: 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 5 -> 6 -> 1 -> 2 etc. There are under extrusions at the end of the second and third line (points 4 and 6) and under extrusion at the start of the first line (point 1). These under extrusions are before (points 4 and 6) and after (point 1) travel moves.
**What can cause this problem?**<issue_comment>username_1: That kind of issues can be related to multiple causes:
* Heated bed operated in "bang bang" mode (heater on until set temp reached, turned off until set temp minus threshold is reached, and so on), which causes periodic expansion and contraction. *It is solved by using PID algorithm for bed heating*
* The slicer is set with a minimum layer time and the part is not big, resulting in a lower extrusion speed for smaller layers, and higher extrusion speed for larger layers (of course up to the value set in the slicer). When you have a Bowden system with single gear (like Enders do), the extrusion is not linear: the more you ask, the bigger the gap between what you ask and what you get. See this (orange line, from [Testing bimetallic heat breaks](https://www.cnckitchen.com/blog/testing-bimetallic-heat-breaks)):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sx7pD.png "Flow rate and speed")
In other words, slower (smaller) layers extrude more plastic and look fatter. *The way to solve is to get a dual drive extruder and by improving the quality of the hotend, for example by installing a bimetallic heat break (see grey line above).*
In your case, image 1 and 2 appear to be related to variable extrusion, and image 3 to bed heating.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: >
> I noticed that these problems happen when there are retractions on layers. I don't have problems with round and simple objects without changes on layers or where all layers are identical.
>
>
>
Based on the above, this is not a heat related problem. It's likely inconsistent amounts of material lost from the nozzle just prior to the affected walls. This could be due to oozing during travel without retraction (make sure combing is either off or has a "Max Comb Distance With No Retrace" set very low, < 1 mm) or due to inconsistently unsupported infill structure. One cause for the latter is discussed on [this issue report I filed for Cura](https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine/issues/1411), though it could happen in other ways as well. This is particularly bad with bowden extruders; ever since I switched to direct drive it mostly went away. But to avoid it with bowden, I had to turn off zig-zaggify infill and use only infill patterns where each layer fully supports the one above it (e.g. triangles).
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/09/29 | 897 | 3,261 | <issue_start>username_0: I am printing Benchies at high speed, I successfully printed one at 300 mm/s. If I set the speed to 400 mm/s, the Y axis begins shifting around. This is usually accompanied by a banging sound.
In addition, the extruder motor occasionally clicks. When it clicks, the filament shoots back out a little bit.
Print settings:
* Infill: 100 %
* Hotend: 200 °C
* Bed: 60 °C
* Material: PLA
* Infill: Lines
* Walls: 2
* Top/bottom layers: 2
* Speed: 400 mm/s
* Jerk: 400 mm/s
* Acceleration: 1000000
I am running custom Marlin-based firmware on the stock mainboard.
The printer shakes my desk when printing like this.<issue_comment>username_1: TL;DR: Don't do that.
Detailed answer: You need motion limit parameters that actually make physical sense, and firmware capable of executing a motion plan according to them. Your jerk and acceleration settings absolutely don't. Marlin's whole implementation of jerk is wacky (note: modern Marlin versions don't even use it but an alternative they call "junction deviation" instead) and likely to cause problems above very low values; I never was able to take it above 25 or so on Marlin without layer shifts. Acceleration is dependent on the stepper motor torque and the mass you'll be accelerating. For the Y axis, that's the bed, and it has enough mass you won't accelerate it above 12000 mm/s² or so, much less the requested 1 km/s² plus near-infinite acceleration from the extreme near-instantaneous 400 mm/s velocity change ("jerk").
The speed of 400 mm/s is achievable if you don't do it instantaneously. Stepper motors begin to rapidly lose torque beyond a certain speed due to limits on how fast the magnetic field can build up and be reversed, which has to happen for each step. [This calculator](https://www.daycounter.com/Calculators/Stepper-Motor-Calculator.phtml) can compute the limits if you know the properties of your motor. For the Ender 3 Y axis motor, the limit is around 425 mm/s or so if I'm remembering right.
For actual print speed, though, the hotend and extruder cannot keep up with anything nearly that high. 150 mm/s is about the limit with that hotend, and it might even be lower with a stock extruder. Fortunately, Benchy is mostly acceleration-bound, not top-speed-bound, so if you can get your acceleration profile right, you can still print quite fast.
Now the next limit you'll hit is Marlin. Marlin is... not good at high speeds and accelerations. Often the layer shifts you hit with Marlin aren't even physical limits but Marlin bugs. If you want to go fast, you need Klipper, not only because it lacks these step timing bugs, but because you need its Input Shaper feature to keep the high acceleration from tearing your printer apart (literally, vibrating all the screws out!).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Ok, so you are having multiple problems, lets break it down:
At the speed you are pushing, it would not be weird to have the Y belt slipping around. Also inertia comes into play, so please, dont do that.
What you are mentioning about the filament going out a bit, also makes sense. You are exceeding the max volumetric flowrate for the ender 3. I would recommend going for a higher flow nozzle/Hotend combo.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/02 | 691 | 2,555 | <issue_start>username_0: I have used PLA and PLA+ so far and I know that it can use ABS and PETG but I'm curious what other materials could I in theory use with my Ender 3?
It is a stock configuration, for the time being at least until after Christmas, and my grandfather and I have designed an enclosure to build together.<issue_comment>username_1: Consider **Wood PLA**. It is similar to PLA but more abrasive, and with different happy-temperatures.
Especially useful if you want to paint your output, or if you have woodworking skills/tools then prints can be (somewhat) worked and incorporated into larger projects.
Imagine printing detailed **scallions** or **crenellations** or **gargoyles** for a spooky dollhouse - the main walls would use an inordinate amount of filament whereas sheet-wood is cheaper.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: A (pre-2019) stock ender3 can't print tpu because of a 3mm gap between the driver in the extruder and the bowden tube. But there are multiple adapter plates on thingiverse that close this gap, and then tpu works fine (with some tuning).
I got tpu to work for small parts even without the adapter plate.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: PLA is just about the only common material that prints *well* on the stock Ender 3. The extruder lacks proper grip and/or torque at the hob for printing PETG well, and printing TPU with a bowden tube is very slow and error-prone. All of these should work if you're willing to go very slow (20-30 mm/s top) though. ABS and ASA are probably doable, at least with a simple enclosure, but I don't have any experience with them. Most other common materials need significantly higher temperatures than the hotend's safe limit of 250 ˚C.
However there are a couple uncommon materials that should print well:
* PVB (polyvinyl butyral, probably best known as Polymaker Polysmooth). It prints at temperatures similar to PLA, but is soluble (and therefore smoothable) in isopropyl alcohol (IPA).
* PLC (polycaprolactone) is a very-low-temperature material most commonly used in "3D pens". In fact the temperatures for it are so low (70-140 ˚C) that you'll likely need to send special gcode commands to disable the "minimum extrude temperature" in the printer's firmware or flash firmware without that limitation.
Finally, I guess I should mention that POM (Acetal/Delrin) is within the range of the stock hotend and extruder's capabilities, but is utter hell to print. It doesn't adhere to anything but itself, and warps badly as it cools.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2021/10/03 | 448 | 1,979 | <issue_start>username_0: I've changed SD cards, printed from USB connection, upgraded/reloaded firmware and attempted using different software packages. Nothing has worked yet. When connected via USB, I get a "disconnected" error after a few minutes into the print. Also, the LED lights now either don't work at all or will randomly go out after a few minutes - usually indicating that the print failure is imminent. I've had the printer for about 4 years without issues. I don't want to replace the motherboard only to find out it's the power source or vice versa. Help?<issue_comment>username_1: I recently had this problem and narrowed it down to the part cooling fan (on the side of the extruder head). I diagnosed the problem by noticing that the printer would reboot shortly after the second layer started, only on PLA prints. Of course, the part cooling fan is not usually started until after the first layer. It was shorted and when the printer got to the second layer it would overload the power supply and cause a reboot. Took a while to determine this, but it is worth looking at if somebody else is having this problem.
I would guess that any shorted fan, even the extruder fans, might cause a similar issue, however, I don't know this for sure.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I had a similar problem with my Ender 3 that started after relocating the power supply to a (3D printed) bracket to give additional clearance from the edge of the bed (it was touching the magnetic build sheet, potentially causing prints to lift or warp at +X +Y corner).
What I found was that the brackets I had printed allowed enough movement of power supply to make the 24V output connection intermittent, even despite tightening the slip-on terminal. I solved the problem by printing another bracket piece that constrains the top of the power supply as well as the bottom (in the originally printed bracket); I haven't had a random restart during a print since then.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/03 | 418 | 1,454 | <issue_start>username_0: I keep looking around for 3D scanning software but can't find anything I like. Any suggestions? I'm more looking for a free app so I can use my android phone, but am open to desktop based solutions too.<issue_comment>username_1: I personally use [SCANN3D](https://scann3d.it/). It is available on Android but I don't know if it is for desktop too.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: 1. Meshroom
-----------
<https://alicevision.org/>
Meshroom can take any number of overlapping photographs and turn them into a 3D model. Those pictures can be taken from any phone, or even a drone. For best results, you will need to know the make/model and sensor size of the camera.
Works on Windows/Linux and requires a CUDA compatible video card
**Resources**
* <https://alicevision.org/#meshroom>
* [Prusa Blog on Meshroom](https://blog.prusaprinters.org/photogrammetry-2-3d-scanning-simpler-better-than-ever_29393/)
2. ADOP
-------
<https://github.com/darglein/ADOP>
ADOP is a neural network similar to Meshroom that can combine photos into a 3D model, however, it has a very impressive ability to generate highly accurate data from just a few pictures. It also provides a virtual reality viewer.
Works on Linux/Windows. Does require some familiarity compiling code
**Resources**
* ADOP featured on [2-minute papers YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZ_5TPWGPQI)
* <https://github.com/darglein/ADOP>
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/10/04 | 983 | 3,370 | <issue_start>username_0: Suppose I have the X, Y, and Z coordinates (either in a list or a function z = f(x,y)) that defines a shape as the one provided and I want to 3D print it with a solid bottom, is there an easy way to do this? If not, how can a functionally well-defined shape be put into a 3D modeling software like FreeCAD?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5bcSU.jpg "3D graph")<issue_comment>username_1: For stuff like this, OpenSCAD is your friend. There are several different approaches you could take:
1. Generate an image file with grayscale color representing the height of the function on an XY grid, and use the [`surface`](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Other_Language_Features#Surface) feature to import it as a heightmap.
2. Write the function as a mathematical expression in OpenSCAD language, and write a module to generate a [`polyhedron`](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/Primitive_Solids#polyhedron) by iterating over a sufficiently fine coordiante grid, sampling the function, and producing points and triangles.
3. Use a library someone else has already written for this purpose. I'm not aware of specific ones but pretty sure there are quite a few.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Another option is to use [Full Control Designer](https://fullcontrolgcode.com/) where you can define the path using Excel formulas and it will generate the GCode for you.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You may generate a .stl file from your mathematical definition. You may write a program using a language of your choice to compute the .stl file.
Your image shows a lot of rectangles, each rectangle may be described as two triangles. The .stl file is a (very long) list of all that triangles. Each triangle is defined by the X, Y, and Z coordinates of the three corners.
```
solid name
facet normal ni nj nk
outer loop
vertex v1x v1y v1z
vertex v2x v2y v2z
vertex v3x v3y v3z
endloop
endfacet
endsolid name
```
Each n or v is a floating-point number in sign-mantissa-"e"-sign-exponent format, e.g., "2.648000e-002". The triangle vertices should be sorted using the "right-hand rule", i.e. the vertices are listed in counter-clockwise order from outside.
The normal vector ni nj nk is set to zero.
The G-code file is generated from the .stl file using the slicing software for your 3D printer.
See <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)> for details.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Not sure what you're asking exactly, but you can use this workflow:
1. SideFX Houdini: math function + STL file generation
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/28jr1.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/E0Itn.jpg)
2. (optional) FreeCAD: Import STL as mesh, do whatever you need to do in FreeCAD, export to STL
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/txRno.png)
3. a slicer: import the STL and slice it.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ofydl.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zCxgG.jpg)
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/04 | 539 | 2,043 | <issue_start>username_0: I have been printing toy cars for about a month now and my Ender 3 has stopped extruding plastic even when I insert filament, it has been about a day since it stopped working. Is there any tips for getting it working again?
I tried manual feeding which worked.<issue_comment>username_1: You need to figure out what is not working
* Is the hotend getting hot? If not, melted filament won't come out.
* Is the nozzle clogged? In your toolkit was a bit of thin wire for poking into the nozzle - try that and see what happens.
You may need to heat the hotend, extract the filament, wait for it to cool, remove the bowden tube and push the wire up from below, if the obstruction is too big to come through the 0.4mm nozzle.
* Is the extruder pushing/feeding filament? Undo the bowden tube at the top, tell the control panel to extrude and observe if plastic moves. An Ender3 V2 has the round handle on top, you should see it slowly revolving.
If you can see the gears turning and the filament is not coming through, try snipping that piece off and inserting a fresh end. Also clean inside the pushing gears of the extruder, could be simple plastic detris laying about.
* Are you having reel problems? Can you tug on the filament and have the reel turn? If not, it might be binding on the roll, or knotted/tangled.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: My comment refuses to upload so I think it’ll be ok if I just put it here:
Thanks this fixed it I had to replace my hot end as the one had broken for some reason but now it is fully working again, thank you so much!
Sorry for all the mistakes in formatting, I am new I joined 3 days ago.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: This happened to me once - no plastic would come out, the extruder was jammed. I was stumped as to what was happening, as I couldn't put any filament through the hotend, but it was definitely still hot. The problem: don't ask me how it happened, but a small screw had somehow found its way into the hotend.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/10/05 | 895 | 3,241 | <issue_start>username_0: When I pluck the belts of my CoreXY printer, I feel significantly different tension between the two idlers on the back and the tension on the sides, between the gear on the stepper shaft and the idler on the back.
Is this normal? If not, what could be the cause?
For reference, I'm using this support for the idlers:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OMTPC.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: If you are referring to the tension in a single belt, but ar different positions, the tension is everywhere the same. It is one belt, the force/tension is the same in the belt. If the length of the belt is shorter because of a carriage to idler, the plucked sound may differ but the tension is the same.
If you are referring to different belts, e.g. the top versus the bottom belt, for CoreXY machines, the tension in the two separate belts should be equal to allow equal force pulling the carriage. If uneven, this may lead to incorrect/skew prints or binding of linear bearings (from experience). A typical layout of the mechanism is shown below. Note that there are several solutions for placing the belts; they can be in the same plane (where the belts cross in the back, as depicted below) or have the belt each in their own plane (as in the HyperCube Evolution design as depicted in the image of the question).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NmPKH.png "CoreXY reference mechanism")
Drawing published by <NAME>, taken from [http://corexy.com](http://corexy.com/theory.html).
For both options, incorrect belt tension causes for different forces onto the the printhead carriage and result in a torque on the carriage (either in X-Y or in X-Z). E.g. a tight blue belt with a less tight red belt cause a resulting counter-clockwise torque on the carriage in the image below:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lSD6w.png)
I use [a tool (gauge)](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2589577) to determine the tension to compare both belts and make sure the tension in both is the same:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TZVpg.jpg "Belt tension gauge")
Many CoreXY designs can adjust the tension of the belts at the carriage by screws. Some designs feature the stepper in the back and an adjustable pulley in the front.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The belts of a CoreXY should be identical in length and tensioned simultaneously to ensure proper operation. Any slack or springiness difference will result in prints that are askew. In that case, where the tension or springiness cannot be removed, the Marlin firmware allows for compensations for skewing as M-Code 852
<https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M852.html>
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: The tension of the belts on CoreXY printers, is always the same in both belts. Since they motion system requires coordinated movement of both belts.
You probably need to re tension them both, also check the length. It needs to be identical.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/06 | 435 | 1,646 | <issue_start>username_0: I bought an Ender 3 V2 printer and printed successfully with PLA and PLA+. Ender 3 V2 is rated at <= 250 °C but when I set temperature above 200 °C to print to PLA+, I get an error message "Nozzle is too lowperature" and the printer freezes (the term lowperature is actual and not a typo error).
I tried to raise the temperature gradually. I started at 200 °C and have gone to 205 °C and a little bit more. I started printing and I might get this message again or might not. Also, the temperature seems to change or lower while printing. It is not stable.
Any suggestions as to what causes this unstable behavior?
---
Following the above behavior, I was able to raise the temperature to 213 °C and I was printing for 10 minutes or so, then I got the message "thermal runaway".
---
I managed to capture the event [here](https://youtu.be/oo0f237iTVo)<issue_comment>username_1: This sounds like a bad thermistor. Try replacing the head thermistor, see if this fixes it.
As for the strange error message, it looks like the word Temperature is being drawn on the wrong line, and then "is too low" writes over it.
See the way the word lines up below:
```
nozzle temperature
is too lowperature
```
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The problem was solved after the supplier replaced the motherboard.
However after that I had to try various versions of firmware as different ones had different behavior to the printer.
If you face a similar situation be aware of the cabling and connections when changing the motherboard. You may have to do the plugins twice to be sure that they are correctly attached.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/07 | 1,370 | 4,874 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently got an Ender 3 Pro and had a blast with it for the first few days, but then I got greedy for a better print and threw off my calibration with some "upgrades" and ended up with some really nasty elephant's foot. The first 3 mm are all bubbly and uneven as if someone heated it up and squished it slightly.
I've read the other forums and have made sure my belts are tight, my bed is perfectly level, and my filament is just fine. I've tried using rafts to take the blow from the deformity and that usually helps but even with my initial layer horizontal expansion setting turned to -1, I'm still getting a little bit for flaring on the base layer on the raft.
The upgrades I got were an aluminum extruder housing (single drive) and Capricorn tubing.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8TQ6d.png "3D printed calibration cube with elephant's foot")
---
After addressing the comments, now my corners on bigger prints come up and commonly fail even bed level tests... and the prints that do work (that I do print on a raft) are incredibly weak and break when I pull it off.
Furthermore, I’ve been fixing several things like suggested in comments and nothings worked, now for the most part every part I’ve printed that’s longer then 2 hours has failed.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PJQul.jpg)
Yes that is brand new capricorn tubing... the old fittings dug through my old tube and caused the filament to melt in the tube and ruin it.<issue_comment>username_1: The following is from the article "[Elephant's Foot - Easy Fixes](https://all3dp.com/2/elephant-s-foot-3d-printing-problem-easy-fixes/)" on All3DP.com
>
> As we’ve explained, elephant’s foot most often occurs as the result of an uncooled first layer. If the [temperature](https://all3dp.com/2/the-best-printing-temperature-for-different-filaments/) of the print bed is too high, or if there’s insufficient [cooling](https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printer-fans-do-i-really-need-one/), the first layer may not cool properly, causing elephant’s foot.
>
>
> Here are a few things to try to reduce or even completely resolve elephant’s foot on your prints:
>
>
> * **Level the print bed and adjust your nozzle:** Before trying anything else, make sure your printing conditions are ideal. Sometimes elephant’s foot is simply the result of an unleveled build plate or an incorrect nozzle height. These issues both cause the first layer to be squished too far down, forcing it to bulge out. Fortunately, they’re easy to fix, as both [leveling the build plate](https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printer-bed-leveling-step-by-step-tutorial/) and slightly increasing the nozzle height (in your [slicer](https://all3dp.com/topic/3d-slicer/)) are simple and quick.
> * **Lower bed temperature:** Incrementally lower the temperature of your bed by 5 °C until it successfully prints without any bulging. If you lower it by more than 20 °C outside the recommended temperature and the problem isn’t getting better, the elephant’s foot is likely to be caused by something else.
> * **Print with a raft:** Because the problem exists between the first layer and the bed, a [raft](https://all3dp.com/2/3d-printing-raft-when-should-you-use-it/) can take the hit for you. This is less of a solution and more of a workaround, but it can be very helpful if, for example, you really need one piece to slot into another.
> * **Add chamfers to your model:** In some rare cases, elephant’s foot can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Instead of tweaking your printer, it may be easier to simply alter the model. By putting a small 45° chamfer on the bottom edge of the print, the effects of the elephant’s foot can be mitigated.
>
>
>
There is also a great YouTube video "Smooth Top Surface and No Elephants Foot Using Cura 4.7.1" from CHEP:
I had a similar problem on my Ender 3 V2 and followed the above information and cured my issues.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I have 2 Ender 3 Max printers. Both suffered elephant's foot after the initial setup. After trying virtually every suggestion available on the internet I eventually was able to fix them. Assuming the bed is properly leveled, I feel the most common causes are:
1. Too much tension on the X-axis guide wheels on the right side of the printer
2. Too little tension on the X-axis belt (it should be quite tight)
3. Over extrusion. If your initial layers still look rough (bumpy) along the edges it may be from the excess filament. Even after careful calibration, I had to back off the E-steps by -3 (to 95). The change was dramatic!
Both printers now print the XYZ calibration cube within 0.1 mm (0.003").
Hope this helps.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/09 | 521 | 1,970 | <issue_start>username_0: I know that you need a special nozzle to extrude abrasive filament (carbon fibre, copper, ...). I do have such a nozzle (coated steel) and am printing carbon fibre and copper filament. Last time I used it to print carbon fibre PLA. It worked well, however when I removed the nozzle from the hotend I realized that I could no longer screw the non-abrasive nozzle in (the dirt cheap 0.1$ china nozzles that work well enough for most materials) and the thread of the hotend was completely loosened up.
I had been working on a few other things with my printer, so I am not entirely sure what caused the thread to become loose, but I was wondering, are there some requirements to the hotend excluding the nozzle when printing abrasive filament?<issue_comment>username_1: Abrasive filaments require a stronger nozzle indeed. They also require an all-metal hotend. If your hotend wasn't all-metal, there's a good chance you've damaged it.
The PEEK/PTFE in your hotend doesn't like going above 240 Celsius and tends to be irreparably damaged if used too long above 250 Celsius.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The hotend itself consists of basically 3 parts:
* The filament path, aka Coolend. It consists of the heartbreak, cooling solution and anything up from it.
* The heater block, that holds everything together
* The nozzle, in which the filament melts and is pushed out.
The part of the hotend assembly that gets to be in the most contact with the particles that are inside the abrasive filament is the nozzle through which the molten polymer gets out. Unless you have heat creep and the filament melts in the heartbreak, it is the only part that ever will encounter the abrasive particles even.
Since even the most abrasive filaments come as rather smooth filaments, only the nozzle needs to be special. Hardened Steel will hold some kilos, while people printing a lot of carbonfiber filled material swear on ruby nozzles.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/10/12 | 398 | 1,562 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 3 and I'm experiencing an issue where it won't print on the edges. Near the outside of the bed plastic just peels away. Bed is level - verified multiple times.
The nozzle appears to be dragging the freshly extruded filament away before it has a chance to cool. Straight lines and wide curves print well about 30 % of the time, and sharp corners and curves won't print at all.
The printer works fine in the center, but the outer 3 cm or so are unusable. Not sure what could cause this. I leveled the bed multiple times - even told the printer to move without touching it, just to eliminate incorrect leveling by slight play in the rollers. Head is the same distance from the plate in the center as it is along the edges. No irregular high or low areas - bed is perfectly flat.
Is this a known issue with the Ender 3? How can it be fixed?
I am using the stock fiberglass bed with the BuildTak surface.<issue_comment>username_1: I used to have the same problem. Put masking or scotch tape on the bed, it should help with adhesion. I think the problem is that the bed is very dirty with finger grease and other things.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It sounds like it may be due to uneven heating. Check with an IR thermometer to make sure. If you're sure the bed is clean and has even heating, you may want to try a different surface. G10 is cheap and almost always perfectly flat.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Try reducing the print speed and cleaning the bed with acetone before each print.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/19 | 747 | 2,719 | <issue_start>username_0: **Backstory:** Like [quite a lot of people here](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/search?q=build+plate+sticking), I'm having problems with parts adhering to the build plate of a resin printer. I've tried everything that I can think of: cleaning & re-sanding the buildplate at 80 grit, levelling the plate with and without a sheet of paper between the plate and LCD, warm resin, and silicone spray on the FEP.
---
In [the answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/6220) to [this question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/4353), [<NAME>](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/11171/michael-wooten) says:
>
> **PRO TIP to improve bed adhesion**: apply a thin layer of resin to the build platform before you start to print. I have not any failed prints after I started coating the plate with resin.
>
>
>
I was wondering if there was any clarification on this layer of resin:
* Should it be cured, partially cured, or left alone?
* How thick should it be?
Also, is there any known methodology? If I paint some resin onto the build plate and cure with a UV lamp, I worry that the layer won't be particularly flat. I thought about using the "cleaning" function on the printer to shine UV light through, but it would also cure area between the edge of the build plate and the tank.
Any tips on this exact method of making prints stick to the plate would be greatly appreciated!
---
**Update:**
I tried again, and it still didn't work.
I left a thin film of resin on the build plate from the previous failed print, and cured it for a minute or two until it felt tacky. The resin was still warm from last print, so I ran again (after removing the failed pancakes of course) and after a few hours I could see that nothing had printed this time either. The irritating bit is that the pancakes slide off the FEP pretty easily!<issue_comment>username_1: The whole reason to pre-coat the plate with **liquid** resin is to ensure, that no air bubbles are left under it and prevent contact of the plate to the resin.
A layer of cured resin throws off your 0.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: According to Uncle Jessy ([see Youtube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SWGpY3LlX0)), you simply need to pour some liquid resin over the build plate and then leave it for a couple of minutes for the worst to drip off. No
He also recommends that the resin should be kept at a warm room temperature and that the bottle be thoroughly shaken before pouring it onto the build plate or into the resin vat.
He also recommends that resin should not be left to sit in the vat for more than a couple of days as it can settle and separate.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/10/19 | 799 | 2,832 | <issue_start>username_0: I am new to 3D printing and have an Ender 5 Pro.
I have manually leveled the bed by setting the nozzle gap to 0.1 mm (via feeler gauges) and then printing a calibration print and manually adjusting the bed height as it prints. I can get perfect calibration prints using both a glass bed and a PEI bed, printing with a bed temp of 75 °C and a nozzle temp of 210 °C:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rPi1S.jpg)
I’m now trying various other prints without success, as the print doesn’t adhere. See this example of a 1 mm thick bookmark, which I am printing with a brim to try and help :
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/G4sDz.jpg)
I’m not sure what the experts here can ascertain from this failed print without all the slicing parameters. I’m a bit suspicious that the print appears to clump and I’m wondering if the soft extruded material is sticking to the PLA already laid down and if so, if I can address that?
I actually seemed to have more success with the original flexible bed with several successful prints.
The G-code for the calibration target: <https://pastebin.com/Brc8R8Cs>
and for the bookmark: <https://pastebin.com/9AXaqiMw>
I had to remove a lot of the G-code for the bookmark due to its size, so hopefully I've left the important stuff in.
I started printing by loading the models in CURA, slicing and exporting to an SD card. I didn't;t create a new project for each print and it took me a while to realise I was losing the slicing parameters I'd used each time, making it difficult or impossible to go back and just change one set of parms. I'm now creating a separate project, so hopefully from now on I can just tweak one or 2 parms.<issue_comment>username_1: First, heat the bed to printing temperature, let it "soak" for a few minutes, and then re-do your bed levelling.
Thermal expansion can mess with the level.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Well I got a perfect print as follows:
1. Loaded the .stl file.
2. Set Cura to use the 'Good' profile downloaded from CHEPCLUB
(recommended by a friend).
3. Used Pritt-stick Scotch (glue stick) on the bed.
I was quite loath to use glue stick, as I thought heated beds etc didn't need it, but if that's what it takes then...
I even bought an enclosure a few days ago as the room the printer was in if fairly cool.
I'll try the exact same print without the glue and see if that works but at least I know know that I can get a perfect print and that a good calibration print isn't the be-all and end-all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: For a good adhesion the print bed should be free of any oil or fat. Wipe the print bed with pure alcohol just befor the start of printing.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/20 | 348 | 1,328 | <issue_start>username_0: We are in a stage of creating a prototype of some IoT device with some electric boards and sensors.
The device will be connected to the power and the boards inside might be warm a bit.
What material whould you recommended to print it? Will you recommend it to production as well?
Thanks<issue_comment>username_1: First, heat the bed to printing temperature, let it "soak" for a few minutes, and then re-do your bed levelling.
Thermal expansion can mess with the level.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Well I got a perfect print as follows:
1. Loaded the .stl file.
2. Set Cura to use the 'Good' profile downloaded from CHEPCLUB
(recommended by a friend).
3. Used Pritt-stick Scotch (glue stick) on the bed.
I was quite loath to use glue stick, as I thought heated beds etc didn't need it, but if that's what it takes then...
I even bought an enclosure a few days ago as the room the printer was in if fairly cool.
I'll try the exact same print without the glue and see if that works but at least I know know that I can get a perfect print and that a good calibration print isn't the be-all and end-all.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: For a good adhesion the print bed should be free of any oil or fat. Wipe the print bed with pure alcohol just befor the start of printing.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/10/23 | 1,645 | 6,091 | <issue_start>username_0: For some reason, my larger prints, or rather the ones that I create, have this "dotted" line in them. And, that line usually splits into two pieces.
I use Ultimaker Cura for a slicer, I use Blender for modeling, and I have an Ender 3 Pro
Let me know if anyone knows the reason for this as it's preventing me from making things on my own.
Picture:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZUi8y.jpg "Photo of print with dotted line")
Here's my [Cura file](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/610969665744666664/901290253678178364/box.3mf), if anyone needs it<issue_comment>username_1: At first glance, this looks like it could be missing layers.
There are five possible causes for missing layers.
1. **Something is off mechanically.**
Check to see if anything has slipped, shifted, moved, or popped out.
2. **Misalignment**
Check to see that all three axes are properly aligned and haven't shifted. If there is any resistance, something is misaligned, bent, or a problem with the bearings.
3. **Bad Bearings**
If a bearing is the culprit, it will make some noise. The bearing will also exhibit some uneven motion in the print head.
4. **Lack of Lubrication**
Check to see if any of the axes are binding in any way. A little, and just a little, bit of sewing machine oil can be the solution.
5. **Under-Extrusion**
This is a whole different set of problems that requires a new question to get an answer.
For more detailed information, see All3DP.com's article "[3D Printing Troubleshooting All Common Problems](https://all3dp.com/1/common-3d-printing-problems-troubleshooting-3d-printer-issues/#some-layers-are-missing)"
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If hardware failures have been excluded (and they can be as subtle as "a broken wire only loses contact at this particular Z height", so don't be too quick to assume that), then the likely reason for a problem like this is **bad geometry**.
When you move from Blender to Cura, Blender exports a triangle mesh, which defines *surfaces*. Cura then has to read that triangle mesh and figure out which *volumes* should be filled with plastic. In order to do this reliably, the triangle mesh needs to completely enclose a volume (“be watertight” in the jargon), but it's easy for 3D tools meant for graphics (such as Blender) to produce models which
* *don't* completely enclose a volume, but have small gaps,
* have triangles that intersect but not at their vertices, or
* have parts that intersect other parts.
If any of these cases occurs, then the slicer may get confused about what the interior and exterior of the model is, and produce incorrect layers.
I'm not familiar with the functionality of Cura (I use PrusaSlicer), but if I had this problem, what I would want to do is look at the *preview of the extrusions,* inspecting it layer-by-layer to see if the place where the physical error is also has missing extrusion lines in the slicer's preview. If so, then this is almost certainly due to a geometry error in the mesh.
If this is the case, then to fix it, you could:
* Go back to Blender, find the bad area and edit it to be properly closed off.
* Or, use a separate repair tool intended to fix common mesh problems.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Blender is not to blame. You're drawing a wrong conclusion here. (as stated in a comment of yours)
From your Cura file, I extacted the 3d model as a STL file, and it looks like this: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VxPD1.png)
Nothing wrong with it, it just a water tight triangulated mesh.
Cura produces a correct tool path, nothing remarkable there either.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NHhrW.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pq0aS.jpg)
The red marks on both pictures indicate where the infill lines meet the perimeter walls.
You can also see that the part is already really close to delaminating mid print on lower layers (all of the yellow marks indicate places where it looks like that layer tried to peel but eventually didn't fail to the same extent.
You should try to optimize the settings of your slicer in the (filament temperature, print speed, layer height, cooling) space.
Prusa slicer has a feature related to infill sticking to walls, called Length of the infill anchor:
<https://help.prusa3d.com/en/article/infill_42> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Jzfn.jpg)
I didn't find a similar concept in Cura; maybe it could help for your setup, if nothing else works.
Also, you have elephant feet (bootom yello square bracket)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: This looks to me just like standard poor reliability of the Ender 3's stock extruder, which is ungeared (torque too low), poorly tensioned, and insufficiently grips the filament (due to flat hob whose teeth only touch the filament in a single point).
If you've had success with other models in the past, is is possible that they were more intricate shapes with small details? My guess is that you have the print speed set higher than your extruder can reliably deliver, but due to acceleration limits, the requested top speed was rarely or never achieved for the models you printed successfully. Now that you're trying to print something with long, straight lines, the toolhead does have time to accelerate to (or closer to) the requested speed.
You didn't mention what material you're printing. If it's PETG, you're just going to have to go a lot slower with the Ender 3's stock extruder. If it's PLA, you might be able to get it to work by increasing the temperature significantly (possibly a tradeoff with other problems). If the speeds you have to drop to for reliable printing end up not being acceptable, look at getting a decent extruder.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/10/28 | 1,005 | 3,535 | <issue_start>username_0: Can you convert a 3D printer to a laser engraver?
If so is there a specific thing I have to buy?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, one can convert a 3D printer into a Laser Engraver, and it isn't even all that problematic.
* You'd need to acquire a laser diode. These are usually not available with a lot of power - certainly not the hundreds of Watts that come from a proper CO2 laser - but depending on your printer, it might be pretty much a bolt-on addon.
+ The conversion isn't *too* invasive, and takes much less time than building a printer from a set. [All3D](https://all3dp.com/2/ender-3-laser-engraver-upgrade-all-you-need-to-know/) converted an Ender-3 to have a laser within less than an hour. In their step-by-step guide, they wired it into the 5V part cooling fan port of their printer. Whatever laser diode you choose, the setup will be similar, as long as your diode works with 5 Volt power.
* Once installed on the physical side, you will need to prepare your prints with a different "Slicer" that uses the commands for the fan speed as powers for the laser:
+ [`M106 S`](https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M107.html) sets the power to S, where S is a number from 0 to 255 ; Without an S value, it turns on to the last setting (if turned off via `M107`)
+ [`M107`](https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M107.html) turns off the laser.
One such slicer would be [Creality Workshop](https://forums.creality3dofficial.com/download/software/), which would work with any Marlin-run printer, as long as you use the fan as the diode's power source.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Probably a laser... and a mount for the laser. Then connect its power supply to be switched by the extruder supply/signal. Also, there would be no need for any Z-axis movement, beyond setting the correct height of the laser device.
However, unless you are handy with DIY, messing about with microcontrollers and electronics, modifying firmware and have experience in making your own 3D printer, then it is probably easier to just buy a ready built engraver.
---
That said, and after reading username_1's (more technically detailed and accurate) answer, it probably isn't all that daunting to accomplish. In addition, if you *already* have a printer, then a modification would be cheaper than buying a whole new unit.
Here is a handy video tutorial, which shows how easy it, in fact, is: [3D printer to laser engraver for under $60](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEk3aVARSGc)
>
> This unit was tested on the Creality Ender 5, but the plug should work for any Creality printer like the Ender 3 and CR-10
>
>
>
This modification also uses the *part cooling fan* to control the laser and there is no need to remove the extruder - the laser attaches itself by the use of magnets to the extruder. So you can have a *dual-purpose printer* without that much fuss at all.
The website used to generate the G-code is <http://nebarnix.com/img2gco/>, and it takes a simple image file as input. The settings recommended by the video are as follows:
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/D72Iz.png "Generating the G-code for the laser")
>
>
>
Note: As pointed out in the video, the minimum power should **not** be zero as this turns off the laser, thereby incurring a delay upon restart. Setting the power to a sufficiently low level - so as not to burn - is preferable, i.e. 10.
Upvotes: 3 |
2021/10/29 | 1,535 | 4,904 | <issue_start>username_0: Is it possible to 3D print a QR code? or to engrave it using a 3D printer? I tried to convert it to individual boxes but that takes too long and is very inaccurate. Is there a better way?<issue_comment>username_1: From the excellent Thingiverse link, [Customizable QR Keyring or Tag](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931) by [*OutwardB*](https://www.thingiverse.com/outwardb/designs) - which was provided in the (now deleted) [link-only answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/18296/4762):
>
> 1. ### Create the QR code
>
>
> * Go to [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)
> * **Only change the Content settings**
>
>
> DO NOT change the color, logo or design settings
> * Click **Create QR Code**
> * Click **Download PNG** and wait for the file to download
> 2. ### Convert to SVG
>
>
> * Go to [PNG to SVG Converter](https://convertio.co/png-svg/) and convert the PNG image you just downloaded to a .SVG file
> 3. ### Customise in OpenSCAD
>
>
> You will need [`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157) from the [files
> repository on Thingverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931/files)
>
>
> 1. Download OpenSCAD from here and install it - <https://openscad.org/downloads.html>
> 2. Put the downloaded SVG file in the same folder as the .SCAD file from this page
> 3. Double-click the .SCAD file to open it
> 4. Click **Window**, then untick **Hide Customizer**
>
>
> *Optional*: Click **Window**, then tick **Hide Editor**
> 5. Enter the SVG file name in the basic settings tab (or rename the file to qr-code.svg before opening OpenSCAD)
> 6. Customize the settings. After changing a setting, you may need to click outside the text box to apply the change
> 7. Click **Design** > **Render** and wait for the design to render
> 8. Click **File** > **Export** > **Export to STL**
> 9. Save the file[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VyzXZ.gif "QR Customisation - optional")
>
>
> ### Notes
>
>
> * **Raised** and **Cut-Out** types are for changing filament at layer height
> * **Multi-color** and **Code** are to be used together for inlay/multi-color printers
> * You can also set *Base Height* or *Code Height* to 0 and export each part on it's own
> * If you want to print a **double sided tag**, you can set *Base Height* to 0 and export the second side. Then just flip this over in
> the slicer
> * The text options are a okay for basic text, but if you want to use another program to add some, you can add extra height to the
> top/bottom of the card under **Extra Size Setting**
>
>
> ### Advanced Notes
>
>
> * There is some logic in the script that stop you from making the size too small if you have Line Size set, you can set Line Size to 0
> or half your line size value if you really want to override this.
> * You can change the Customize Design settings before generating the QR Code (on [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)), but you'll need to set Line Size to 0
> and there are no promises that it'll print well
> * If you want to use a different site to create the QR code, resize the image to 1147x1147 pixels before converting it to an SVG. Or if
> the QR code in the image doesn't have a border, resize it to 1000x1000
> px.
> * If you want to use a different source for the SVG file, there are instructions for working out the size in the code
> ([`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157)) at line 215. You'll need to
> export it as a STL and measure it outside of OpenSCAD, then enter the
> values into the script.
>
>
>
The linked to Thingiverse page also has some extra steps for adding an icon:
>
> ### Add an icon
>
>
> You can import another SVG file as a logo or use logo fonts.
>
>
> The below example uses an [wifi SVG file](https://iconmonstr.com/?s=wifi) from IconMonstr
>
>
> * Download the wifi SVG file
> * Place it in the same folder as the .SCAD file
> * In the customizer:
> + Add some extra space to the top or bottom of the card under **Extra Size Settings**
> + Go to SVG Logo Settings
> + Tick **enable svg logo**
> + Enter the filename under **svg logo name**
> + Set the **svg y nudge** position and **svg logo scale**
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2xCK.png "Adding Wi-Fi logo")
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I used the [qrcore2stl](https://printer.tools/qrcode2stl/) website for my WiFi access point.
You can easily change the parameters of the QR code and associated .stl, as well as add custom text and keychain holes.
For my WiFi access, I inserted a pause command at 1 mm height, and changed filament from white to black at that point.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/02 | 1,901 | 6,245 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently I noticed a small issue with my Creality Ender 3, where I would come home and find one of the bed leveling wheels had fallen off. This one wheel keeps vibrating loose. It's not really affecting my prints for some reason, so I just kind of let it happen.
Yesterday I started an 8 hour print and left. When I came home, I heard a loud buzzing noise. I walk into my room and smell a burning smell. I see the printer has extruded plastic all over the place. PLA is all over the floor. The plastic its extruding is normal filament, not extruded plastic; the nozzle is gone. Not entirely sure how it came out, because it was tight.
I switch off the printer and assess the damage.
* The nozzle is on the floor, covered in a big blob of plastic.
* The stock fiberglass build plate is nowhere to be seen; I think it fell behind the desk the printer is on.
* The friction surface below the plate is covered with scratches and blobs of plastic - that needs to be replaced as well.
* Two of the bed leveling wheels are gone. One is on the floor, and the other probably fell behind the desk like the build plate.
* The hotend fan has filament going through it. It's missing three blades. Two of them fell on the floor, and one fell into the hotend and melted, making the burning smell.
* The hotend is *covered* in melted plastic.
* The heater block has lots of plastic jamming the hole where the nozzle goes.
Where do I go from here? How do I fix this?
Is this fixable?
What should I do to make sure this doesn't happen again?<issue_comment>username_1: From the excellent Thingiverse link, [Customizable QR Keyring or Tag](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931) by [*OutwardB*](https://www.thingiverse.com/outwardb/designs) - which was provided in the (now deleted) [link-only answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/18296/4762):
>
> 1. ### Create the QR code
>
>
> * Go to [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)
> * **Only change the Content settings**
>
>
> DO NOT change the color, logo or design settings
> * Click **Create QR Code**
> * Click **Download PNG** and wait for the file to download
> 2. ### Convert to SVG
>
>
> * Go to [PNG to SVG Converter](https://convertio.co/png-svg/) and convert the PNG image you just downloaded to a .SVG file
> 3. ### Customise in OpenSCAD
>
>
> You will need [`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157) from the [files
> repository on Thingverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931/files)
>
>
> 1. Download OpenSCAD from here and install it - <https://openscad.org/downloads.html>
> 2. Put the downloaded SVG file in the same folder as the .SCAD file from this page
> 3. Double-click the .SCAD file to open it
> 4. Click **Window**, then untick **Hide Customizer**
>
>
> *Optional*: Click **Window**, then tick **Hide Editor**
> 5. Enter the SVG file name in the basic settings tab (or rename the file to qr-code.svg before opening OpenSCAD)
> 6. Customize the settings. After changing a setting, you may need to click outside the text box to apply the change
> 7. Click **Design** > **Render** and wait for the design to render
> 8. Click **File** > **Export** > **Export to STL**
> 9. Save the file[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VyzXZ.gif "QR Customisation - optional")
>
>
> ### Notes
>
>
> * **Raised** and **Cut-Out** types are for changing filament at layer height
> * **Multi-color** and **Code** are to be used together for inlay/multi-color printers
> * You can also set *Base Height* or *Code Height* to 0 and export each part on it's own
> * If you want to print a **double sided tag**, you can set *Base Height* to 0 and export the second side. Then just flip this over in
> the slicer
> * The text options are a okay for basic text, but if you want to use another program to add some, you can add extra height to the
> top/bottom of the card under **Extra Size Setting**
>
>
> ### Advanced Notes
>
>
> * There is some logic in the script that stop you from making the size too small if you have Line Size set, you can set Line Size to 0
> or half your line size value if you really want to override this.
> * You can change the Customize Design settings before generating the QR Code (on [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)), but you'll need to set Line Size to 0
> and there are no promises that it'll print well
> * If you want to use a different site to create the QR code, resize the image to 1147x1147 pixels before converting it to an SVG. Or if
> the QR code in the image doesn't have a border, resize it to 1000x1000
> px.
> * If you want to use a different source for the SVG file, there are instructions for working out the size in the code
> ([`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157)) at line 215. You'll need to
> export it as a STL and measure it outside of OpenSCAD, then enter the
> values into the script.
>
>
>
The linked to Thingiverse page also has some extra steps for adding an icon:
>
> ### Add an icon
>
>
> You can import another SVG file as a logo or use logo fonts.
>
>
> The below example uses an [wifi SVG file](https://iconmonstr.com/?s=wifi) from IconMonstr
>
>
> * Download the wifi SVG file
> * Place it in the same folder as the .SCAD file
> * In the customizer:
> + Add some extra space to the top or bottom of the card under **Extra Size Settings**
> + Go to SVG Logo Settings
> + Tick **enable svg logo**
> + Enter the filename under **svg logo name**
> + Set the **svg y nudge** position and **svg logo scale**
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2xCK.png "Adding Wi-Fi logo")
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I used the [qrcore2stl](https://printer.tools/qrcode2stl/) website for my WiFi access point.
You can easily change the parameters of the QR code and associated .stl, as well as add custom text and keychain holes.
For my WiFi access, I inserted a pause command at 1 mm height, and changed filament from white to black at that point.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/04 | 1,681 | 5,471 | <issue_start>username_0: If you are printing an object that has a base (A statue or trophy, for example), and presuming that you have already optimized every other setting: which shape of base would give you the best and most consistent bed adhesion when using PLA on the widest range of printers (For example, if you're putting it up on a site for anybody to download)?
For example:
1. A square base that is thin at the edges and thick in the middle, and slopes upwards in the center, like a pyramid.
2. A circular base that is thin at the edges and thick in the middle, like a dome
3. A flat thick square.
4. A flat thick circle
Is a shape with corners better, or a shape with no corners like a disc or a fried egg?
Do sloping sides make a difference, or general thickness?<issue_comment>username_1: From the excellent Thingiverse link, [Customizable QR Keyring or Tag](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931) by [*OutwardB*](https://www.thingiverse.com/outwardb/designs) - which was provided in the (now deleted) [link-only answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/18296/4762):
>
> 1. ### Create the QR code
>
>
> * Go to [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)
> * **Only change the Content settings**
>
>
> DO NOT change the color, logo or design settings
> * Click **Create QR Code**
> * Click **Download PNG** and wait for the file to download
> 2. ### Convert to SVG
>
>
> * Go to [PNG to SVG Converter](https://convertio.co/png-svg/) and convert the PNG image you just downloaded to a .SVG file
> 3. ### Customise in OpenSCAD
>
>
> You will need [`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157) from the [files
> repository on Thingverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4967931/files)
>
>
> 1. Download OpenSCAD from here and install it - <https://openscad.org/downloads.html>
> 2. Put the downloaded SVG file in the same folder as the .SCAD file from this page
> 3. Double-click the .SCAD file to open it
> 4. Click **Window**, then untick **Hide Customizer**
>
>
> *Optional*: Click **Window**, then tick **Hide Editor**
> 5. Enter the SVG file name in the basic settings tab (or rename the file to qr-code.svg before opening OpenSCAD)
> 6. Customize the settings. After changing a setting, you may need to click outside the text box to apply the change
> 7. Click **Design** > **Render** and wait for the design to render
> 8. Click **File** > **Export** > **Export to STL**
> 9. Save the file[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VyzXZ.gif "QR Customisation - optional")
>
>
> ### Notes
>
>
> * **Raised** and **Cut-Out** types are for changing filament at layer height
> * **Multi-color** and **Code** are to be used together for inlay/multi-color printers
> * You can also set *Base Height* or *Code Height* to 0 and export each part on it's own
> * If you want to print a **double sided tag**, you can set *Base Height* to 0 and export the second side. Then just flip this over in
> the slicer
> * The text options are a okay for basic text, but if you want to use another program to add some, you can add extra height to the
> top/bottom of the card under **Extra Size Setting**
>
>
> ### Advanced Notes
>
>
> * There is some logic in the script that stop you from making the size too small if you have Line Size set, you can set Line Size to 0
> or half your line size value if you really want to override this.
> * You can change the Customize Design settings before generating the QR Code (on [QRCode Monkey](https://qrcode-monkey.com)), but you'll need to set Line Size to 0
> and there are no promises that it'll print well
> * If you want to use a different site to create the QR code, resize the image to 1147x1147 pixels before converting it to an SVG. Or if
> the QR code in the image doesn't have a border, resize it to 1000x1000
> px.
> * If you want to use a different source for the SVG file, there are instructions for working out the size in the code
> ([`QR_Code_Customizer_V01_2.scad`](https://www.thingiverse.com/download:10312157)) at line 215. You'll need to
> export it as a STL and measure it outside of OpenSCAD, then enter the
> values into the script.
>
>
>
The linked to Thingiverse page also has some extra steps for adding an icon:
>
> ### Add an icon
>
>
> You can import another SVG file as a logo or use logo fonts.
>
>
> The below example uses an [wifi SVG file](https://iconmonstr.com/?s=wifi) from IconMonstr
>
>
> * Download the wifi SVG file
> * Place it in the same folder as the .SCAD file
> * In the customizer:
> + Add some extra space to the top or bottom of the card under **Extra Size Settings**
> + Go to SVG Logo Settings
> + Tick **enable svg logo**
> + Enter the filename under **svg logo name**
> + Set the **svg y nudge** position and **svg logo scale**
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A2xCK.png "Adding Wi-Fi logo")
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I used the [qrcore2stl](https://printer.tools/qrcode2stl/) website for my WiFi access point.
You can easily change the parameters of the QR code and associated .stl, as well as add custom text and keychain holes.
For my WiFi access, I inserted a pause command at 1 mm height, and changed filament from white to black at that point.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/07 | 431 | 1,694 | <issue_start>username_0: I had problems with print bed adhesion when using white PLA (Arctic White) but no problems when using other colors. So I tried to print three bottom layers with transparent PLA and all other layers with white PLA. I did not change any setting and printed both tries one after another using the same .stl file.
There was some warping of the printed ring too. No problems when using transparent plus white PLA.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FngJU.jpg "Photo of two printed rings")
Right: white PLA only, left: transparent PLA bottom layers plus white PLA above. View of the bottom sides.
Has anyone experienced similar problems?<issue_comment>username_1: Same G-code slice? The main cause of warping is temperature. If this is kept as a control variable and you have these results, it may be because of a different temperature the filament requires. Check the filament specs and adjust the bed/nozzle temperature to make the temperature difference smaller.
Edit: Another reason it might be needing different temperatures is because of absorbing moisture.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Problem was displaced by a factory reset of the 3D printer FlashForge Adventurer 3.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxS9X.jpg)
Right: white PLA only, left: transparent PLA bottom layers plus white PLA above. View of the bottom sides. No difference of print bed adhesion now.
The reason of the problem was not found, but print bed adhesion is good after the factory reset for both white and transparent PLA.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/11/08 | 482 | 1,895 | <issue_start>username_0: This problem started technically just before a major move but I had hoped it was a "one off" issue... I started up my trusty Ender 3 today to find it may have actually gotten worse and I'm not entirely sure what the solution is. I was printing a replica of a weapon from a game and I noticed at one point through the print I had a rather extreme X layer shift now today after finally getting the printer setup I've come to find the problem may have actually gotten worse, additionally I'm having a strange gap issue on the top most layers of my prints and strange waving patterns. Now I should note my printer is printing within an enclosure and its temperatures have been adjusted for it but this is rather extreme.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SSGmx.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Ru7M.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Same G-code slice? The main cause of warping is temperature. If this is kept as a control variable and you have these results, it may be because of a different temperature the filament requires. Check the filament specs and adjust the bed/nozzle temperature to make the temperature difference smaller.
Edit: Another reason it might be needing different temperatures is because of absorbing moisture.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Problem was displaced by a factory reset of the 3D printer FlashForge Adventurer 3.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jxS9X.jpg)
Right: white PLA only, left: transparent PLA bottom layers plus white PLA above. View of the bottom sides. No difference of print bed adhesion now.
The reason of the problem was not found, but print bed adhesion is good after the factory reset for both white and transparent PLA.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/11/15 | 3,155 | 11,406 | <issue_start>username_0: I am at a school with several Makerbot Replicator+ – a total of 9 of them.
So, they seem to print fine and I can hook up to two of them to one laptop (they are some Lenovo models from a few years back) using Makerbot Print. Well and good.
But I wanted to hook them up to my MacBook Pro (2020, OS X Catalina) with the USB cables, and the MacBook doesn't seem to "read" the printers, it's like they aren't even there. Makerbot Print (latest version) doesn't seem to "see" that they are hooked up. I checked the system prefs to see if the Makerbots showed up as connected USB devices and they don't seem to be there either.
Now, I am connecting via the USB cables and then through an adapter that connects the USB-A to USB-C. If I should just use a USB-B to USB-C cable (I ordered one to test it) then fine, I'll do that. I just wanted to check that there wasn't some other problem or if anyone else had this issue.
Next up: USB hubs. Makerbot says they don't recommend it, but sometimes I have to print out lots of stuff at once for student projects and I can't tie up multiple laptops for hours-long prints. I have done the technique of leaving stuff all night but that's hit or miss – if something goes wrong I am not there to stop the print (at least once something got unstuck from the build plate and I ended up with an extruder with the end encased in hard plastic like a stalactite. Unless I basically blowtorch it off... )
So, the question(s) is/are:
Any recommendations for USB hubs? (I would do wireless but that I am less sure of, and it seems easier, faster, and more reliable to link up through USB. The wireless connection always drops).
Any recommendations for the MacBook issue? Is it just a matter of finding the right cable? (it's certainly possible my $10 USB-A to USB-C adapter plugs aren't well designed, and I should just go for direct cabling)
Any recommendations for a good USB hub to link a Mac (or anything else) to Makerbots?
Thanks for your time and help. I do hope I am not duplicating a post but I don't see anything in my searches that addresses the specific issues I have; though it's possible I didn't use the right search terms.<issue_comment>username_1: ***It would seem that the printer control board doesn't use a CH340 (see bottom of this answer) and therefore this answer should be ignored.***
---
### CH340 and OS X incompatibility
The reason your Mac might not see the printers *could* be down to the USB interface ***on the printer controller board***.
If it is implemented by a CH340 (which is probably is, in order to reduce manufacturing costs) then, historically, MacBooks have a problem with the drivers for this device and its derivatives. That is to say, the OS has a problem - more specifically the device drivers used by the OS X kernel - as opposed to the hardware. There are a number of posts dealing with this problem, it is common on Arduino clones too, see [here](https://arduino.stackexchange.com/search?q=mac+ch340).
The third party drivers for the CH340(G) written for OS X are often poorly written and/or have shoddy documentation - although this opinion may be hotly debated, and I have no wish to expand upon.
If the USB interface, on the printer controller board, is implemented with an FTDI or a ATmega 16U2 then it will work fine. Unfortunately the solution is probably not to use the Mac and stick with the Lenovos (i.e. PC clone).
See the extensive answers to [Can't connect Cura to my Anet A8 on OSX 10.11.6](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/6221/4762)
---
As an aside, I gave up trying to buy/use cheap Arduino clones with a CH340(G), on a Mac long along, as it just wasn't worth the effort in trying to get the Mac to see it. I now ensure that either:
* I purchase a slightly more expensive Arduino which uses a 16U2 (the more pricey FTDI chip is more rarely used on boards these days, but can still be found). Obviously, you don't have that sort of luxury when selecting a 3D printer.
* I will use a PC instead, if the board has a CH340(G), or similar.
### One possible solution
However, having said all of that, this issue **may** have been resolved in newer versions of OS X (post Mountain Lion, or thereabouts). This *might* provide a solution, [Connect to ch340 on MacOS Mojave](https://arduino.stackexchange.com/q/57126/6936)
>
> remove all old drivers:
>
>
>
> ```
> sudo rm -rf /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext
> sudo rm -rf /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext
>
> ```
>
> Now reboot the computer.
>
>
> And then (very important, because it took me 10 cables to find the
> right one) use a **fully connected** cable ;-)
>
>
> Now I have these ports:
>
>
>
> ```
> /dev/cu.wchusbserial1410
> /dev/cu.usbserial-1410
>
> ```
>
>
**Important note**: Clearly, deleting kernel drivers (also known as *kernel extensions*, `.kext`) shouldn't be taken lightly. If you feel uncomfortable doing it, or don't know how to revert the process, by using a saved backup of the drivers, then ***please don't attempt this***.
For completeness:
* To back up the `kext` (***before*** deleting it as shown above):
```
sudo cp /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext.bak
sudo cp /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext.bak
```
* To restore the `kext` (***after*** having deleted the kernel extension and then finding that it made no difference whatsoever):
```
sudo mv /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext.bak /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext
sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext.bak /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext
```
---
Alternatively, instead of *deleting* the kernel drivers, you could just *rename* them to hide them, by adding `.bak` to the filename, like so
```
sudo mv /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext /Library/Extensions/usbserial.kext.bak
sudo mv /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext /System/Library/Extensions/usb.kext.bak
```
Then reboot. Check the printer connects or not. If not, then just *restore* them using the same commands shown above - so you just end up removing the additional `.bak` from the filename.
---
With respect to the quoted answer, I'm not entirely sure what is meant by a **fully connected** cable... There *is* a well-known issue that some USB ***charging*** cables - that look like normal USB cables - have only the power lines connected, and omit the data lines (again for cheapness), and it can be difficult to tell the two apart (usually by thickness, the thicker cables have more lines connected). Obviously, if the data lines are missing then the cable will not transfer data.
*However*, this usually applies only to cables with mini, or micro USB connectors, and usually doesn't apply to standard peripheral cables such as a USB-A to USB-B cable:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/11mVl.png "USB connectors")
So, this issue should only arise for micro/mini USB connectors... it will depend upon your connector type.
---
We can't recommend particular makes or models of USB hubs as that is a shopping question, which is [off-topic](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic).
---
### Analysis on the printer board
Makerbot appear to use the Mightyboard for the Replicator. INterestingly from the following two photos it would appear that a CH340(G) is ***not*** used, and the IC is in fact a 16U2.
Here is a photo of the board (image from [MakerBot Replicator 2/2X Rev H Mightyboard – Official, OEM Board w/ 4 BotSteps](https://www.fargo3dprinting.com/products/makerbot-replicator-2-2x-rev-h-mightyboard-oem/)):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AcMoE.jpg "Photo of Mightboard")
The IC closest to the USB-B port would appear to be a 16U2:
* Its form is square like a 16U2 and not elongated like a CH340G
* It would appear to have an Atmel logo printed upon it.
This image (from [MightyBoard Motherboard 3D Printer Dashboard](https://www.teknistore.com/en/3d-printer-module-board/19403-mightyboard-motherboard-3d-printer-dashboard.html?mobile_theme_ok)), also suggests the a 16U2 is used:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DoO9c.jpg "Annotated photo of MightBoard")
All of which means that, if your printer(s) have this board, then your Mac *should* indeed connect to the printer.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> what do you mean by SD card approach? The Makerbots take flash drives, but my attempts to print off of one were unsuccessful (it seems to be rather hard to make the right kind of file, it won't work with STLs and I gave up figuring out how to make them .makerbot files)
>
>
>
This sounds like you need a better basic understanding of the printing process.
An STL file describes a shape you want to print, but it does not have all the information needed to actually print the object. In order to actually print the file, you need to know things like what material you will use (which will determine temperatures), what the capabilities of the machine are (how fast you can go), how much vertical detail is important to retain (layer thickness vs print time trade-off), and how strong the piece needs to be (trade-off between infill + wall thickness vs print time + material costs). You also need to specify things like how to orient the shape for best print results and what to do when there are steep overhangs or bridges.
To get this information, you must **slice** the STL (or OBJ or 3DS) file.
There are a number of different software packages available to do slicing, many of them freely available: Cura and slic3r come to mind. Makerbot also has their own slicer. I know you can download and install Cura on a Mac.
The output of the slicer is usually a **.gcode** file, and I would expect your Makerbots to be able to handle gcode files that were produced with the appropriate options. In fact, I strongly suspect the ".makerbot" file mentioned in your comment is actually a gcode file in disguise.
Why does this matter?
Print jobs can take hours and even days, and they tend to completely take over the computer while printing. No one wants to leave their laptop sitting next to a printer overnight, not able to do anything else. Newer printers will also have features like automatic resume from power loss, filament out detection, are more, that a are less likely to function properly when printing from a computer.
There's just too much that can go wrong while printing via computer, such that *you're pretty much always better off going with the SD card or USB option.*\*
In other words, printing directly from your main computer is **waaaaay** down the list. It's not the first, second, or even third of fourth option as the best way to do this.
---
\* A *dedicated* print station can work well, when setup properly, and people often use OctoPrint installed on a Raspberri Pi in this way. However, this also implies a high-end laptop is complete overkill for the task.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: You can use Simplify3D to slice your .STL files into .X3G needed for the Makerbot. You can either connect to the printer via USB or export the .X3G file to an SD card for use in the printer. Hope this helps!
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/11/15 | 840 | 3,125 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Chiron from Anycubic and I have had some leveling issues in the last few weeks, however, I believe that I have sorted that. The layers attached to the base plate or the raft now come out very weird and I am uncertain why. I heard that this is caused by the extruder being too cold but I have turned up the temperature and nothing has changed. Could someone please help with this because I have a feeling this is the reason the prints are being warped slightly but enough to not fit together?
I am very new to all this and I have no one to help me with this, if you could help I would be very grateful.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZfWri.jpg "3D printed model with badly extruded layer")
My bed temperature is set to 70 °C and the speed is 50 mm/s. I manually leveled it afer the self leveling didn't work, the image shows the top layer of a very bad failed print that had the same settings as my other ones but this one specifically was worse. I use PLA and have the extruder set to a temp of 210 °C most of the time. I now have the base set to 80 °C due to when its lower, adhesion doesn't take place for some reason. There are no large overhangs on my models but it can comfortably do a 70ish degree angle with no major flaw. The extruder height is set to 2 mm due to some massive leveling issues I had before.<issue_comment>username_1: What software do you use? Your nozzle diameter seems to be selected incorrectly or you have a slightly enlarged nozzle. Buy an unused nozzle and make your bed adjustments again.
Select correct a nozzle diameter (such as 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm) and slice your print again. For PLA, I suggest using 200-215 °C for better layer adhesion and using the fan to make prints look better.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: That is an over extrusion and temp related issue, based on your picture. But to answer your question, make your layer height less and slow down your speed in the first 10 layers.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Not sure what the other answers are talking about. From the picture, your nozzle is just way too far from the bed and the extruded material is just barely making contact. Adjust it so that, when moved to position Z=0.2, there is exactly 0.2 mm between the nozzle tip and the bed. Then fine-tune with single-layer test prints.
Having the nozzle way too far from the bed is probably why you've found a need to jack your bed temperature up so high. Don't do that! 80 °C bed is not usable at all for PLA; it will keep the first 5-10 mm of the print above its glass transition temperature permanently (for the duration of the print), precluding any hope of it holding a proper shape. 60 °C is the absolute max you should ever use for PLA, and even that's too high to avoid warping. If your nozzle distance is right and you're using a textured (e.g. Buildtak or generic clone) build surface, PLA should adhere to a *cold* bed (not heated at all). Without that you probably need 45-55 °C.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/11/17 | 1,929 | 6,365 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm struggling to find the name of a connector I just broke, so I can order a new one.
It's a six pin nylon terminal, that plugs into a set of header pins on a stepper motor.
What do I search for to find these?! Also, how would I go about finding something like this in the future? I seem to struggle to find connectors.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ejbJR.jpg "Connector")<issue_comment>username_1: In an attempt to salvage my (sadly) previously incorrect answer (at the bottom), *and* to add to [username_2's superlative answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/18388/4762), here is a quote from [Stepper cable for MKS Boards pinout](https://gulfcoast-robotics.com/pages/stepper-cable-for-mks-boards-pinout), which clearly shows the difference - locking and non-locking, and pitch difference (note the thickness of the plastic between each individual pin socket) - in the two plugs:
>
> This pinout information will help you to use our 1 meter stepper
> cables correctly. Cable was made to be compatible with 6-pin JST
> connectors on NEMA 17 stepper on one side and 4-pin JST connector on
> other side. These cables are compatible with MKS BASE and MKS Gen
> boards that we sell in our store.
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BozTI.jpg "Female JST connectors for the control board (4 pin XH) and stepper motors (6 pin PH)")
>
>
> For compatibility with Anet board you will need to swap 2 wires - RED
> and BLUE on the 4 pin board side connector.
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rF57Q.jpg "Reconfiguration for Anet board")
>
>
>
Whilst they aren't labeled *PH* and *XH*, it is pretty safe to assume that:
* For the control board, the ***4 pin** female connector* on the **left** is the **XH**, and;
* For the stepper motor, the ***6 pin** female connector* on the **right** is **PH**.
The [mattmillan.com](http://www.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/common-jst-connector-types/) link in username_2's answer, whilst informative, unfortunately doesn't show both sides of the 4 or 6 pin connector.
---
For the sake of completeness, but at the risk of going *off-topic*, the connector to the printer controller board is often a DuPont, and not a JST, *particularly in*, but not limited to, Arduino (Atmel/AVR based) boards.
From the same website, this page [Stepper cable for RAMPS pinout](https://gulfcoast-robotics.com/pages/stepper-cable-for-ramps-pinout), shows the DuPont connector to the control board and the JST-PH-6P connector to the stepper motor (I've not fixed the typos in the quoted text):
>
> This pinout information will help you to use our 1 meter stepper
> cables correctly. Cable was made to be compatible with 6-pin JST
> connectors on NEMA 17 stepper on one side and RAMPS board connector
> (also called dupont connector) on other side. Main feature of RAMPS
> stepper header and this cable is that you can reverse stepper
> direction by turning connector on RAMPS 180 degree.
>
>
> This cable is aslo compatible with CNC V3 shields for Arduino UNO and
> other electronic boards for 3D Printers and CNC control. Please
> observe the following piut diagram to make sure that your particular
> electronic board is compatible.
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HQsxu.jpg "Female DuPont connectors for the control board (4 pin) and JST for the stepper motors (6 pin PH)")
>
>
>
**Note**: I'm not promoting this particular website, it just so happens that they have the best comparison photos.
---
Maybe It is most likely ***not***... JST XH 2.54 6 pin female
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ECbqm.png "JST XH 2.54 6 pin female")
and the reverse side, showing the locking, with the male PCB connector
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vSZYE.jpg "JST XH 2.54 6 pin female - reverse side with locking mechanism")
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Short answer: It's probably 6 pin JST PH
Long answer:
Without seeing the socket, it's hard to say for sure, however most Nema 17 stepper motors use 6 pin JST PH connectors with 2.0mm pitch on the motor side. Many control boards use JST XH connectors with 2.5mm pitch on the board side. The two are not compatible with each other due to a difference in pitch and the locking mechanism.
Looking at the sockets there is a clear visual difference: PH has a wide cutout while XH has two slots.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rrxs3.png)
PH vs XH
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/szUJt.png)
The difference on the plug side is more subtle. XH has small hooks that grab onto the slots while PH has not.
There's a good reference at [mattmillan.com](http://www.mattmillman.com/info/crimpconnectors/common-jst-connector-types/) which helps to identify different types of JST connectors.
EDIT: Usually the easiest and the cheapest option is to buy a pre-made stepper motor cable that fits your control board. However if it's not available in a length you need or re-wiring is hard, you will need connectors and a crimp tool with jaws specifically made for these types of connectors. The cheapest option is probably to borrow one if you can, these can cost a pretty penny.
Answering the second part of your question is tricky. Searching through parts catalogs is too time consuming. Using google image search or google lens to search with images taken from multiple angles is a good start to narrow it down but does not guarantee success.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/20 | 1,112 | 4,514 | <issue_start>username_0: I own an Ender 3, it's about 3 years old and the issues I have with extrusion, leaking and filament blockage are monstrous.
Examples of problems like this are filament flow issues, filament blockage, and filament leaking out of the sides.
Problems like this take all day to fix, and in the end, they are never really fixed. Everything is so overbearingly finicky.
Not only that, but it seems one of its parts breaks down about every week (this may just be due to its age but I thought I would note it.)
It seems I run into the exact same problems every single time I 3D print. Nothing ever seems to go right. I am getting really tired of it, and I'm wondering if these kinds of problems aren't so frequent/ as big of a deal with more expensive (better) 3D printers, or if this is just normal.<issue_comment>username_1: I use a [German RepRap printer](https://www.germanreprap.com/printer/x400EN.aspx), which is very expensive compared to many of the printers in the questions on this list. I still see similar printing issues on a RepRap to other printers. The settings often control the issues. The RepRap however has a much larger print area than most of the printers referred to on this list.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Get a real E3D nozzle/extruder and 90 % of the problems disappear. The problem with cheap printers is that they use copies that are poorly build and low quality materials. After that if you want to improve even more you got to get a dual gear system for your extruder motor or a good gear and a body that you can adjust the tension in small steps.
Besides that, just check if your steppers are well calibrated and do a proper extrusion test
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: No not at all. The only way to eliminate issues is to practice and break things and learning how to fix it. I have 2 CR-10s, 1 CR-10S5, 1 CR-10 MINI, and 2 Anycubic Photons. They are all heavily modified, and the one thing i learned is that modifications only add to the problems
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I got solved the most problems with my Prusa Mini after a better extruder from Bondtech (Extruder for Prusa Mini or Mini+). Because it has double gear it has enough power to press the filament through the nozzle. Another problem was the filament I ordered. It always got stuck in the Bowden tube because it got too thick. For just one dollar more I got filament that is much more accurate in the diameter and so it never got stuck.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: More expensive printers from reputable brands generally go hand in hand with better quality, but, there are exceptions. Some more expensive printers are just more expensive and do not offer a higher quality. I'm not going into the details of which brands these are.
I have experience with cheap, self-built and high-end printers and experience that even the higher end machines can have problems. Although the high-end printers generally have better engineered parts and better quality parts (e.g. like branded bearings, good steel, better hot ends) it is unlikely you run into failures more often, but failures do happen. E.g. recently I had a fine thread of filament wedged into the hot end cooling fan of an Ultimaker to fail printing PLA as the hot end becomes too hot and waisted a core on a PETG print that wrapped around the core.
One thing is for sure, when you do run into problems on expensive printers, it is generally also more expensive to fix it.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: It would be highly dependant on the printer itself. For example, the Ender 5 is technically a more expensive printer than the Ender 3, but its hot end etc are functionally equivalent for the most part as the price difference is largely due to the large build volume and the Z axis being on the bed rather than the extruder.
Other higher grade printers, such as the Bambu range are significantly more expensive and have higher grade extruders and hot ends, but they can push the hardware much closer to its physical limitations, and so can create more problems.
Unless you are comparing differences between high and low end in the hundreds of dollars with very low end units and mid range units, the biggest single factor is likely to be how the printer is used and how it is maintained.
In some instances, problems may be more likely down to cheap filament, or filament with a high moisture content. Lower end printers may be more susceptible to these kind of issues.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/11/21 | 2,195 | 8,013 | <issue_start>username_0: Alright, long story but I want to provide as much detail as possible:
I have a heavily modded Ender 3 Pro. Mods include:
* Metal Extruder
* Capricorn PTFE tube
* Glass bed with improved leveling nuts
* BLTouch
* LED strip
* Dual Z-axis motors with the recent addition of BTT E3 RRF control board (and IDEX module so that it could do `G34` auto-align) (most recent additions)
I'm using Overture Brand white PLA and for the first print that messed up (pic below), I was using the default "generic PLA" Cura settings for an Ender 3 pro.
**The problem:**
Anyhow, it caused this kind of print:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/46TAX.jpg "3D benchy with printing errors")
There are a few angles where it actually looks pretty good. The hull is fairly smooth, the first layer went down well, the roofs and bridging look tolerable, but as you can see, especially around the "pillars" it looks I don't know... under-extruded? Like the lines don't connect very strongly. In fact, it might be hard to tell from this photo but the bottom actually ripped off when I took it off the plate, mostly due to weak connections between each layer.
**What I've tried:**
I pretty much went step by step through Teaching Tech's [calibration guide](https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#intro).
* I started by getting out my bubble level and 90-degree gauge and just making sure the frame/bed/everything was level and perpendicular to each other and everything.
* I did the E-steps calibration until I reliably got 100 mm when I asked for 100 mm
* My first layer had never been a problem (especially with BLTouch and glass bed), so I skipped that step.
* I did the baseline print. My first one looked like the top of the cube had some under extrusion (you can see through it if you look closely in this photo
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YnEzD.jpg)
* I did the slicer flow calibration and actually it came out a little tiny bit too big (which would indicate I need to turn down the flow), but as Teaching Tech mentioned at the bottom of the page, you can't always trust that so I didn't end up making any changes to flow.
+ Worth pointing out, in this photo of the Slicer Flow calibration cube, you can see some weird holes where the nozzle would be kinda late starting a line.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xyq9.png)
* The stepper motor driver current thing confuses me but I had previously set the current of both Z-axis' to the values I've seen in several YouTube videos, including Aurora.tech's channel where she covered the same BTT IDEX board and dual Z's.
* I did the temperature tuning and it seems like for this PLA 210 °C seems to work well.
* At this point I felt like retraction tuning was the problem and would fix everything, but with the default speeds in Teaching Tech's sample print, distances from 0-8 mm didn't seem to do anything differently in this print:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uUyXL.jpg)
* I never ended up doing the acceleration tuning
* For the linear advance, I changed the k value to 0.4
* I don't have a dial gauge to do the XYZ steps calibration
Long story short, with those few changes I redid the calibration cube and the benchy and they look maybe 5% better but still weird.
My Z-axis squeaks sometimes when moving through a spot 5-10 mm off the bed, so I lubricated them according to the [guide here](https://letsprint3d.net/how-to-lubricate-z-axis-lead-screw-3d-printers/), but I did that prior to that second benchy so it didn't seem to solve it.
After I first posted this, I decided to dive deeper into that squeaky Z-axis. I triple, super-duper checked that both Z threaded rods were parallel to each other and neither was warped/curved/etc... They seem fine. I lubricated them both a bit more and using G-code told the printer to jog the Z-axis up and down the length of the rods about 20ish times. The squeak did eventually go away so I printed another benchy. No dice. Still looks bad.
Per Criggie's answer, I disabled the steppers and moved the axes around to see if they moved smoothly. Both X and Y move great with steppers disabled and then are pretty firm normally. Z is pretty stiff no matter what but that may be intentional. I previously had problems with my Z-axis falling down when prints were over so I [installed anti-backlash nuts](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpc1bTsSpRA) and with two anti-backlash nuts (one on each rod) I'm not surprised it doesn't want to fall. But again, when I just tell it to move, it moves very smoothly.
For instance, I just got out my micrometer and measured the Z movement. I told it to move 100 mm up using OctoPrint and measured the actual movement. Seemed to be 100 on the dot.
I have a BTT filament sensor in the filament path prior to the extruder. I noticed it provided a little friction and I was concerned it was making it hard for the extruder to pull the filament. I removed it, but no improvement in print quality.
One other strange thing I've noticed is the benchy always looks bad in the same spot (the pillars). Makes me wonder WHY it's always that exact spot, not randomly all over.
It's got to have something to do with under-extrusion or flow. I think I ruled out the Z-axis. I made a "tall" benchy by modifying the benchy file to have a platform underneath it. This bumped it up a few cm and the problem still happened in the same spot on the pillars of the benchy (which is now in a completely different spot on the Z.
Also, given the "flow" preview in Cura:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TNvq4.png)
That circled low flow area is where it always messes up.
So now to figure out why it's got low flow. Again, I calibrated the E-steps and it seems to be accurate. I've also printed benchy's where I told Cura to have 110% flow just to check. The last one I attempted didn't just fail, it failed big time and became a blob at that same spot.
I wonder if the extruder gear is worn and slipping and/or the Capricorn PTFE tube is too restrictive for the "budget" filament brand I'm using that might have trouble sliding through it. I have replacement steel extruder gears showing up Tuesday, will update my question then.<issue_comment>username_1: I see positional errors in X and Y, but Z looks okay.
That suggests one or both of your belts is stretched, perhaps damaged, or maybe just loose.
Try engaging the stepper motors in the device's panel and push the head left/right or pull the bed toward/away from you. They should both resist handforce, and you then feel like it needs to be pushed with full arm/shoulder force to move it (but don't actually force anything with that level !!)
There should be none/almost no play in X or Y with the steppers locked/engaged.
Then disable the stepper motors in the same menu, and both bed and head should slide with one finger's push.
This test does not work for Z but that axis seems fine in your benchy print.
Also check the condition of the drive/tension pulleys at either end of the belts. There should be no powdered plastic from the cogs, nor rubbery bits from the belt.
I cannot see any over/under extrusion, so the extruder/drive is probably okay.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: 
It was a worn extruder gear. I didn’t think it was THAT worn, and when I loosened it a bit and slid it a few mm so that the gear hit the filament in a fresh spot it didn’t improve. But new stainless steel gears showed up today and when I installed one it worked perfect. Same file/settings/gcode that had failed several times previously when testing other things
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/22 | 621 | 2,377 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there such thing as a 3D printer with a very large diameter nozzle, that can make low fidelity, large and fast prints? I'm picturing a soft serve ice-cream machine on a gantry, with a hopper. You feed it shredded plastic, and it prints bricks, or boards.<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly get large nozzles, but the material for extrusion still needs to be consistent. So any chunked plastic would have to be melted and that will produce an erratic flow at the extruder.
By reforming your shredded plastic into a consistent string of filament, then the printer has a steady supply of material to use. There are already filament extruders for the small shop, but they're still expensive for the home user. The main problems are getting consistent thickness of filament, and minimising contaminants. Also colours tend to be lost and muddied. These might be economical if you have a print farm and are consuming a spool a day on average.
On a large scale, there are "3d printers" that can place a special quick-drying concrete and produce small buildings as homes in a matter of days. However they're fed a special mixture of smooth cement and accelerators to set the concrete ready for the next layer.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1vWs.jpg)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes these exist. 3D printers using pellets is not uncommon for industry, but for the user at home this might be a different question. Pellets are the pre-fabricate before it is extruded into filament (small balls/cylinders of plastic).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0RIoy.png)
*Random image showing a variety of pellets in different colors*
There are even processes to turn used plastic into pellets, so if you combine it all this should be very doable. The problem is to get a consistent type of waste plastic to feed your machine. The size of the nozzle doesn't matter, as long as your shredding, compressing and heating process can keep up with the flow you need. It would be an excellent idea to get rid of plastic waste and turning these into building bricks e.g. for insulation of heat.
---
*I've seen prototype printers printing PEEK from pallets having a nozzle (slot) diameter of several millimeters.*
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/11/22 | 663 | 2,542 | <issue_start>username_0: Will a 3D scanner capture internal details within an enclosure?
I'm contemplating buying a 3D scanner, but they're pretty expensive so I'm looking for advice on whether they will actually be useful for the projects I have in mind. So with the picture below as an example, could I expect to generate a usable STL file by scanning this?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iYiDz.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: You can certainly get large nozzles, but the material for extrusion still needs to be consistent. So any chunked plastic would have to be melted and that will produce an erratic flow at the extruder.
By reforming your shredded plastic into a consistent string of filament, then the printer has a steady supply of material to use. There are already filament extruders for the small shop, but they're still expensive for the home user. The main problems are getting consistent thickness of filament, and minimising contaminants. Also colours tend to be lost and muddied. These might be economical if you have a print farm and are consuming a spool a day on average.
On a large scale, there are "3d printers" that can place a special quick-drying concrete and produce small buildings as homes in a matter of days. However they're fed a special mixture of smooth cement and accelerators to set the concrete ready for the next layer.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/y1vWs.jpg)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes these exist. 3D printers using pellets is not uncommon for industry, but for the user at home this might be a different question. Pellets are the pre-fabricate before it is extruded into filament (small balls/cylinders of plastic).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0RIoy.png)
*Random image showing a variety of pellets in different colors*
There are even processes to turn used plastic into pellets, so if you combine it all this should be very doable. The problem is to get a consistent type of waste plastic to feed your machine. The size of the nozzle doesn't matter, as long as your shredding, compressing and heating process can keep up with the flow you need. It would be an excellent idea to get rid of plastic waste and turning these into building bricks e.g. for insulation of heat.
---
*I've seen prototype printers printing PEEK from pallets having a nozzle (slot) diameter of several millimeters.*
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/11/23 | 350 | 1,229 | <issue_start>username_0: I thought I am not bad at Google, but simply I am unable to find a G-code for doing circular motion for nozzle cleaning. It is possible to write a simple circular motion in G-code?<issue_comment>username_1: To draw a circle, you need to approximate the circle as a sufficient number of line segments. This requires computing or using a table of sine and cosine values for each angle step. Then you just emit a sequence of `G1` commands.
Some printer firmware also supports arc drawing commands you could use instead in principle, but support is not widespread, and the quality of the results varies enough that I would not recommend trying to do it this way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: While many 3D printers support using G2 and G3 for circles and arcs, most people are not used to them because the STL files consist entirely of flat triangles (straight lines).
If you want a simple 2D circle, see the following for help:
<https://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G002-G003.html>
<https://makezine.com/2016/10/24/get-to-know-your-cnc-how-to-read-g-code/>
<https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G2_.26_G3:_Controlled_Arc_Move>
Note: it can take a while to get used to the I and J parameters.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/11/24 | 692 | 2,573 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to print large objects (around 1 meter squared) with polycarbonate pellets. The problem is sometimes the print cracks. It is not due to delamination as it is a shear crack across multiple layers. I know the ideal scenario is to have a heated enclosure but I cannot do that due to the size. Any suggestions?
I am using a robotic arm (KUKA KR360) with a custom extruder. That is why I can't build the enclosure. As for the temperature, they are 230 to 260 °C. Nozzle is 10 mm.
---
*I like the idea of directed heat. I might try that.*<issue_comment>username_1: Printing polycarbonate requires a high end 3D printer that is suitable for the task.
From [Simplify3d support](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/materials-guide/polycarbonate/) we learn that:
>
> ... requires very high temperatures for printing and will **exhibit layer separation if printed at too low of a temperature or with excessive cooling enabled**. Polycarbonate is frequently **best printed on a machine that has an enclosed build volume** and is capable of handling high bed and extruder temperatures.
>
>
>
High temperatures and enclosed build volume are key to print polycarbonate without cracking or delamination.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
>
>
Note that NASA has successfully printed ULTEM (even higher temperatures needed) [using open source hardware](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20170000214). They have used infrared lamps directed at the build plate, this may be an option if a full enclosure is not possible. Also people seem to get good results with draft shields for printing ABS on non enclosed printers. Key is that a constant elevated temperature is created near the print, whether that works for such a large size remains to be seen. Best solution would be enclosing the printer.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Sounds like your problem is cooling, which would be mitigated by an enclosure to eliminate draughts and hold a higher air temperature.
I made an enclosure using parts-on-hand and some printed PLA joiners. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive to work well.
Details are at <https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/18406/12956>
Next step is to sew some thermal "curtains" as sides and top. As it is I simply hang some coats around the frame in the short term, and use a Pi camera inside to monitor the progress from remote.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Get a tent for growing smokey plants :)
Think about it, they can be of big sizes and maintain heat inside, reflective material on the inside.
Upvotes: -1 |
2021/11/24 | 623 | 2,694 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to put in a date and serial number that would be difficult to erase or change. Is it better to print in the number or engrave it in with a laser engraver.
Material will be anti-bacterial PLA.
It will be on free masks donated to schools, I want to make sure we can identify them when they show up at the market or in shops.<issue_comment>username_1: It's plastic. Nothing is difficult to remove, but it could be difficult to remove without damaging the functionality of visual quality of the part. If you want to be really devious, you could embed the serial number in an inaccessible cavity *inside the print* that's not visible without breaking it open.
However, I wonder if it would make more sense to drop this. If you're worried about students (?) or educators (?) stealing and reselling these items, does having a way to trace and punish them really benefit anyone? Even before you consider the harms from doing so, isn't the effort spent tracing (and even the effort automating generation of STLs with each serial number and slicing each one to print individually, rather than using a single gcode job) greater than the value of the item you're worried about losing?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For this specific application, it may be better to think in terms of a **Lot Number** for each batch instead of individual serial numbers. This will still let you trace back an item for where it was originally allocated, and greatly simplify your processing.
Under this plan, you create the STL file for the basic part and before each printing batch open the base file in even a simple tool like MS 3D Builder or TinkerCAD to emboss your number and the date, re-slice, and print.
I actually recommend a **deboss** here, where the text is recessed into the piece instead of extended outward. In this way it will be more difficult to file away without damaging the part, and again, even the basic modelling tools can quickly customize an STL file in this way.
If you really need individual serial numbers, design the part with a basic recessed rectangular cutout and print these in bulk. Then print individual plates the exact size (very slightly smaller) than the cutout with the serial number and date debossed, and superglue the plates down.
Finally, be aware there's a limit to how small the text can be, based on the size of the nozzle and the capabilities of the printer, and you may find it difficult to print very small text.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Have you considered using a barcode rather than text. It would be easier to print clearly as there are no curves, and would be machine readable.
Upvotes: -1 |
2021/11/26 | 1,065 | 4,394 | <issue_start>username_0: A 3D printer needs to be homed (homing) before the print starts.
* What is homing?
* What is the purpose of homing?
* Is it necessary?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> * What is homing?
>
>
>
From the [tag wiki](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tags/homing/info) [homing](/questions/tagged/homing "show questions tagged 'homing'") we can read:
>
> The process of determining the location of a 3D printer nozzle in
> three dimension using a reference point (home location) is referred to
> as "homing". Homing should occur before every print and involves
> bringing the X, Y and Z-Axis motors to pre-defined limit locations
> (usually these are endstops). Pre-recorded homing data offset values
> determine the position of the build plate origin with respect to the
> endstop locations.
>
>
>
>
> * What is the purpose of homing?
>
>
>
So, homing is defining the printer coordinate system location with respect to a reference location we call "home". Why? The controller board or steppers have no memory for storing their position and could have been manually moved. Once the axes have "seen" there reference location, the printer will remember to refer all movements in respect to this point (this may include offset values to get to the origin of the printer (see [How to center my prints on the build platform? (Re-calibrate homing offset)](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6375/how-to-center-my-prints-on-the-build-platform-re-calibrate-homing-offset)). Note, if a problem occurs where e.g. the nozzle hits the bed or print object, the nozzle may be out of sync with the reference point. Such an anomaly is e.g. layer shifting which occurs on open-loop stepper movement (servo steppers have feedback to prevent this from happening, but these are more expensive). The purpose of homing is to set a reference so that your sliced objects can be printed at the correct location within the printer print volume. If correctly configured, and no problems like layer shifting occur, the benefit is that proper homing prevent the machine to print within the limits of the printer.
>
> * Is it necessary?
>
>
>
Strictly speaking, no, it is not necessary. But if you do not automatically set a reference for each axis, you would need to manually provide a position to start from. This can work just as well, but the use of end stops automate the procedure so that it is very easy for the printer operator. Some (of the cheaper) CNC machines do not have end stops, the operator needs to be aware to position the tool head of the CNC machine at the proper starting position.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Most 3d printers control head position using stepper motors and end stops with no position feedback. The stepper motor does not actually know its location.
The printer's control system can only know the location of the head by keeping track of the relative number of steps the head has been moved by the stepper motors.
Homing moves all the axes in one direction until it hits the end stops for each axis. Once that has been done, then the control system knows exactly where the head is and future relative motions can be offset from there.
Some control systems will move the axis at a relatively high speed (so you don't get bored, but not fast enough to cause damage) and then overshoot the end stop's activation point and stop. Then they will back off to release the end stop and then move towards it more slowly to get a more exact reading of the activation point.
When the printer is idle, frequently the stepper motors are unpowered to save energy and keep the motors cool. When the motors are unpowered, they can free spin (you can push the axis with your hand or the vertical axis might even slip a bit with gravity), so the position would be uncertain, and it would be necessary to re-home. Once it has rehomed, the control system will keep the motors powered to prevent slipping.
It is only necessary to home if you care about where the printer starts printing. In theory, you could get away with only homing the vertical axis (so the print starts on a surface and the first layer is the correct thickness), and manually set the horizontal start position. However, this might make using the full horizontal limits of the build area difficult if you didn't start it in the right place.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/11/26 | 818 | 3,419 | <issue_start>username_0: When choosing which filament to use for a particular print does the color of the filament have any impact on it's performance, or is it purely a cosmetic choice?
For example, are there any side-by-side comparisons available that demonstrate that differences do\don't exist between different color filaments from the same company\range, such as a particular filament needing a hotter bed because the pigment changes it's properties?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes in some cases it does.
It is widely known in communities which are pickier about properties that white filament requires a percentage of pigments much higher than other colours, therefore white filaments are typically weaker (or significantly weaker) than most other colours.
Another exception is black: ABS is not UV resistant, but if you use black ABS, the UV will not penetrate and, unless the surface is continuously scraped away, the UV resistance of black ABS is better than other colours.
I remember some mentions in the Voron discord chats that red (at least from some manufacturers) is better than some other colours from the same manufacturer, but I don't remember the details. You can [join](https://discord.com/invite/voron) the chat yourself and search (before asking!) in the #filament chat.
I remember reading that pure ("natural") filaments are however not always better than filaments with colours added, but I cannot remember the source. It could be that some little amount of extra additives (the colour pigments) offer the polymer something to "grab", so better than nothing. My guess, but I have no support for it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Depending on the pigment size and other additions, the melting temperature and crystalline/amorphous structure of prints vary vastly.
Titanium white, the most common white pigment in the industry, needs to be applied in large doses to get a good coloration. This means that the brighter the white, the larger the percentage volume of the item is made up of the *pockets* in the polymer structure that contains the pigment, resulting in a more brittle structure.
Carbon black on the other hand is one of the most effective black pigments known to man and can be used very sparingly. It also is an almost perfect UV-absorber, making such prints heat up much more than those of other colors. It also can protect the polymer itself from aging if the polymer chains degrade under UV light. ABS for example does undergo degradation in UV light.
Some polymers also contain some kind of filler to adjust melting temperatures:
I have encountered PLA spools from two different manufacturers in the almost exact same color before printing. However, the one brand printed well already at 190 °C, the other required 200 °C to print decently. The two filaments *also* looked vastly different after printing: the hotter printing one showed a much higher gloss after printing, which hints that they had a quite different makeup besides the PLA - either something in the one was making melting easier but reduced gloss or something that increased gloss also rose the melting point.
Another thing I found was, that the clear PLA I got from china once printed best at 110 % flow of other PLAs in combination with only 185 °C, making me believe that something in the treatment to achieve the translucent filament also results in altering the flow behavior.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/11/27 | 1,476 | 5,413 | <issue_start>username_0: This has me stumped. I had been printing normally until this happened. Below is an expurgated version of my headache over two days. Some help would be appreciated.
Printer is Hypercube Evolution (CoreXY) using Bowden tube and eSun PLA+ filament. Bowden tube goes from inside the feed cone in the extruder straight through the heatsink and into the feed throat of the heatbreak. Genuine Titan Extruder. Extruder stepper has no label.
Started a new print. Printer was at ambient temperature of about 18 degrees. Printer brought up to temperature, 60° bed and 200° hotend. Bed homed and levelled in gcode. Print speed 60mm/s. Hotend moved to centre of bed and print started. No filament extruded and extruder stepper was making a grinding noise. Normally expect this to be hotend not hot enough. Altered pressure adjustment on the extruder. Made no difference. Cancelled print.
Lowered bed out of the way. Hotend to 225°. Attempted to extrude filament. Nothing other than extruder stepper grinding. Tried to retract filament, no motion and extruder stepper still grinding.
Disassembled hotend. No problem removing nozzle. The heatbreak and the heatsink Bowden connections would not give. There was filament between the Bowden connector and the heatbreak. When this snapped, I could get the parts free. The heatbreak had stretched filament stuck in the feed throat. There was thickened filament in the Bowden tube preventing retraction. It is still in there and stuck. Extruder stepper replaced and VREF adjusted. New all metal 1.75mm heatbreak. Bowden tube replaced. Hotend reassembled.
Hotend to 200° and extruded 200mm of filament. There was some smoke from the hot end at first and the initial filament was burnt. Everything seemed to be working, hotend turned off and Z-offset calculated and stored.
Lowered the bed, hotend back to 200°. The problem was back, could not extrude nor retract, extruder stepper grinding. I was able to withdraw the filament manually. The end was slightly thickened with a whispy "tail". Cut the filament, hotend to 225° and re-fed filament. Acrid smoke initially from the hotend and filament extruded. Hotend allowed to cool to room temperature. Hotend to 225°. Filament would not extrude nor retract. Hotend turned off and left.
Disassembled hotend. Again, heatbreak and Bowden connections to heatsink would not give. Managed to manually feed filament whilst unscrewing heatbreak. The filament found is shown in the attached picture. The small thick bulge would seem to have occurred in the tiny area where the Bowden tube enters the feed throat of the heatbreak. The thin filament is stretching whilst trying to retract. After that can be seen where the filament has thickened again. Mangled filament trimmed and hotend reassembled making sure that the Bowden tube was seated in the heatbreak feed throat. Hotend to 200° and extruded 200mm filament. Tried a test print, not very good, but worked. Tried a second print, the problem was back again.
Has anybody any ideas how to solve this? I have also checked that the thermistor is reading correctly, changed the roll of filament (just in case I had a bad roll) and have replaced the extruder stepper driver.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iOIoz.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: The lump at the top of the heatbreak is because there is a gap between your bowden tube and the heatbreak. Liquid filament is leaking out of the heatbreak and solidifying there. When you reassemble, you need to close this gap.
There should not be smoke coming out of your nozzle. Maybe when it is new, there might be a bit of oil that would smoke, but it should only do that once. If you are getting burned filament, your nozzle temperature is too high. Either the control system is overshooting and the temperature spikes, or your temperature sensor has a problem.
The thickened filament is worrisome. With the filament jammed at the heatbreak, if the filament is soft, it might be getting compressed. But PLA should not do this unless there is enough heat leaking into the bowden tube to soften it.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Worked out the reason for the thickening filament. A number of sites refer to heat creep and suggest that you check that the heatsink is clear and the heatsink fan is working properly. In my case, they were. However, the fan outlet (where it blows on the heat sink) was full of garbage. Cleaned that out things improved. Also replacing a dodgy thermistor cleared up the residual problem.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I too have been plagued with stuck filament in my hotend. First, I am using a ~300 mm long Bowden tube on a delta-type 3D printer. Every time it jams, I can pull the filament back out, I find the end having a slightly larger diameter that is ~2-3 mm in length. I cut this off and feed it back and I am good to go.
A couple of observations:
* I replaced my Bowden tube and heatbreak, but I may need to taper the end of the Bowden tube so there will be 0 gaps with heatbreak. My Bowden tube I.D. may be too large and during retraction, it expands in the Bowden tube.
* Next, the filament tolerance is +/-.03 mm. This may not be tight enough to cause it to get stuck.
* Last, the temperature should be reduced to the lowest possible to prevent any heat to migrate up the heatbreak.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/11/28 | 3,799 | 12,680 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to print this really cool [flying toy model](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4551901/comments) on my [ToyBox](https://toybox.com/) 3D printer, but when I try to print the "copter\_key-175.stl" file it complains it is a "non-manifold shape". How can I fix this .stl file?
---
[update START]
*Update for future readers:*
I haven't tried it yet, but the Free and Open Source slicer software, [Slic3r](https://github.com/slic3r/Slic3r), boasts this feature worth trying:
>
> **auto-repair** of non-manifold meshes (and ability to re-export them);
>
>
>
Update again: the **best slicers**, it seems, based on my research, are:
1. **Cura** (FOSS and professionally supported),
2. **PrusaSlicer** (FOSS, forked from Slic3r, and also professionally supported now).
Articles to look at:
1. [Google search for "slic3r vs cura"](https://www.google.com/search?q=slic3r%20vs%20cura&oq=slic3r%20vs%20cura&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i65.2775j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
1. Slic3r vs Cura (Cura wins; Slic3r lags due to no full-time company-sponsored development): <https://all3dp.com/2/slic3r-vs-cura-3d-printer-slicer-software-shootout/>
2. [Google search for "prusaslicer vs cura"](https://www.google.com/search?q=prusaslicer%20vs%20cura&oq=prusaslicer%20vs%20cura&aqs=chrome..69i57.10468j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)
1. PrusaSlicer vs Cura (Cura wins, but just barely, since both are professionally supported with full-time developers): <https://all3dp.com/2/prusaslicer-vs-cura-differences/>
[update END]
---
Note that I have printed many ToyBox-designed models perfectly with this printer over the last 24 hrs.
I have also split the model (to cut the last few cm off the end and shorten it) using this technique here in TinkerCad, then exported the part as a shorter part so I could print on the smaller bed of the ToyBox printer.
Here is what the "key" is supposed to look like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hTkbn.jpg "3D rendering of 'key'")
And here is how it comes out instead. Notice the misaligned teeth and layers about halfway through. Once I saw it was botched, I stopped the print early.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9BQTr.jpg "Side view of 3D printed 'key'")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1gm0T.jpg "Top view of 3D printed 'key'")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GqYyf.jpg "Angled view of 3D printed 'key'")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RE9sB.jpg "Back view of 3D printed 'key'")
**How can I make it print properly and/or how can I fix the .stl file?**
Notes:
------
* My operating system is Linux Ubuntu 20.04
* I have Windows 10 running in the VirtualBox virtual machine in case I need to run Fusion 360 or something in Windows
* I tried installing Meshmixer inside Windows 10 and it won't open. I had read online it can be used to fix .stl files, so I was going to look into that.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfPSh.png "Screenshot of Meshmixer Error Report dialog box")
Related:
--------
* my comment on [Thingiverse](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4551901/comments#comment-6238246)
* my help request on [Toybox](https://maketoys.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/4411413024916-Cannot-split-part-in-editor-Something-went-wrong-please-try-again-)
* Another person seeking help for this: [tinkercad.zendesk.com: Non-Manifold Model](https://tinkercad.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/360038762593-Non-Manifold-Model)<issue_comment>username_1: I have printed at least 5 of them (Cura Slicer, Creality CR10s) and there have been no problems. So I can't understand your problems. I would suggest to use another slicer (Cura). I have now repaired the file with Meshmixer and added it (copter\_key-175\_meshmixer-repair.stl). Maybe this solves your problem.
<https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4551901>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Non-manifold objects are only accidentally solid, as sometimes it becomes unclear what is the inside and what is the outside. Some slicers attempt to fix this and do a good job of guessing how to correct it. Also, some non-manifold errors are easier to fix than others.
If your slicer is complaining about a part file being non-manifold or you suspect that this is causing a problem, you should bring it into a surface mesh editor like meshlab or blender and try to fix it with the manifold test and repair tools in either of these programs.
Typical ways an STL file could be non-manifold include:
* cracks between faces caused by round off error
* missing faces
* flipped faces
* interior faces
* faces that intersect somewhere other than an edge
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Update 24 Mar. 2023: the maximum *usable* print volume of the ToyBox 3D printer is approximately *74 x 79 x 100 mm (width x length x height)*, *and* you must add supports to keep tall objects from tipping over and catching
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st, you must add supports to keep tall objects from bending over and catching the nozzle, like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5GKP4.png)
Notice the side supports. Without them, this ball will not print properly. Between 60% and 80% done, it's so tall that the nozzle will eventually catch on the ball edge, tip it over, and then get jammed against it, causing it to think it hit the edge of the print volume, and forcing the center point to shift several mm in the opposite direction. This results in print sheering and possibly damage to the stepper motors or gears.
2nd, the digital bed size of the ToyBox 3D printer (when you go to load an object to print) is **75 x 80 x 100 mm** (7.5 x 8.0 x 10.0 cm).
When printing large objects up to 100mm in height, it seems to work fine. So, that limit is ok. But, when printing large objects which are the full width, ex: a 75mmx75mm circle, the object will get destroyed once the max diameter portion of the circle is reached. This is because the hard mechanical stops (screws, and metal edges of the print space) and/or limit switches of the printer will be hit, causing the print head firmware to adjust the center print point by several mm in the opposite direction. The object will then print with misaligned layers from that point forward. Since the center point just jumped several mm, the end point will be hit again on a future pass on the opposite side, causing it to jump again. It will jump like this repeatedly until the print is complete. You end up with shifted layers as shown in the photo below. This is a 75x75x75mm ball, which printed fine until the max diameter center portion was reached, at which point the mechanical edge stops were hit, the center point was (presumably) readjusted by the firmware, and the layers sheered:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ndQW2.jpg)
So, when printing, shrink the object 1 or 2 mm (5%, or 3.75mm of 75mm is plenty, and 1%~2%, or 0.75mm~1.5mm of 75mm is probably enough) and be sure to add an outer ring as wide as or just wider than the max diameter of the object. Ex: here is a manually-added outer ring to ensure the print head starts and stays centered at the beginning:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KcRht.png)
In conclusion, the **maximum *usable* print volume** of the ToyBox 3D printer is approximately *74 x 79 x 100 mm*.
---
Back to my original answer:
ToyBox 3D printer true print dimensions and limit switch problems
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So I figured out that the problem is my print area is so small the printer was occasionally fully pressing and triggering the end-point limit switches! This apparently causes it to stop slightly early, shifting the next layer as it prints.
[The printer specs](https://www.toyboxuae.com/blogs/news/what-are-toybox-specifications) state that it has a print volume of **9 x 8 x 10 cm**. However, the print design area and viewer at <https://www.make.toys/> shows the design volume like this
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zouQc.png "Screenshot of ToyBox viewer")
In the square grid shown on the base plate there is 1 cm per square, except that as you can see, the far left and far-right columns are < 1 square. Therefore, looking at this image, the usable bed area appears to be about **7.25 cm x 8 cm** (the grid size shown in the images), NOT 8 cm x 9 cm.
Furthermore, if you do NOT have the "Skip First Ring" option checked on the "Build" tab in the image below, the printer does a "wipe clean" maneuver in the shape of a spiral, circle, or ring around the object to be printed just before beginning the print. This wipes off any dangling stray print material before beginning the print. If your object fully covers the print bed dimensions, however, that ring will be even wider, causing the printer to hit its limit switches.
(**The model in this image is 10.4 cm long, which is too long, causing my printer to hit its limit switches, skewing the layers while printing.**)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HAZQ7.png "Screenshot of ToyBox viewer with the 'Skip First Ring' option highlighted")
So, the problem is that my part is too big. WithOUT that "Skip First Ring" box checked, the dimensions are probably further reduced by another 5 mm or so on X and Y dimensions, bringing it down to about **6.75 cm x 7.5 cm** *usable print area.* My part was 10.4 cm long. The Pythagorean Theorem says that $A^2 + B^2 = C^2$, so $C = \sqrt(A^2 + B^2)$ = $\sqrt(6.75cm^2 + 7.5cm^2)$ = **10.09 cm max** on the diagonal. **My 10.4 cm long part was too long. The printer hit the limit switches, botching the layers.**
Had I checked that box *maybe* I could have gotten away with a part closer to $\sqrt(7.25^2 + 8^2)$ = **10.8 cm long**, but that's really pushing the limits of this printer. **In the end, shrinking the part a bit more to be about 10 cm or less was all I needed to do!**
UPDATE: I've also proven conclusively by designing in [www.TinkerCad.com](http://www.TinkerCad.com) and printing on the ToyBox that the max allowed print height is exactly **9 cm**, and it will indeed print properly all the way up to that height.
---
I'd still like a flying propeller
---------------------------------
That being said, even though [the "key" of the model in my question](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4551901) printed pretty well in the end, the helicopter blade (propeller) printed horribly because the design is flawed and has a bunch of missing material and air gaps around the hub, making the propeller completely unusable!
Instead, I [switched to this thing shown below](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1885007), shrunk it down to 0.6x to fit my printer, set my printer settings from medium to fine resolution, and got pretty good results! I still need to further tweak and edit the design on <https://www.tinkercad.com> to give the pull key better clearance, and better connection with the hub gear, and I think I'll be able to get a great result! I got it to fly a few times up to 8 ft high or so, but the pull is very rough and inconsistent, so the model needs further tweaking.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/g6G53.png "Screenshot of the Thingiverse page for the helicopter model")
Keywords: ToyBox 3D printer helicopter and toybox printer clearances, print dimensions, print volume, specs, print settings
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2021/11/29 | 1,284 | 5,285 | <issue_start>username_0: Forgive this long-winded post, but I thought it would be helpful to include the back story leading up to a very scary situation on my Ender 3.
I was printing a job and everything started out fine just like it normally does. I'm not sure if it is related, but partway through the job, there was a power dip severe enough to trip the alarm on the UPS my computer is attached to. It didn't seem to affect the job on the printer though. (the printer is not on a UPS)
A little while later I noticed the extruder clicking like there was a jam, and the print had started severely under extruding. The hot end temp was showing around 209 °C, which is about what it was supposed to be, so I figured the nozzle was getting old and had probably gotten something stuck in it. I canceled the job, did a cold pull, then went ahead and replaced the nozzle and restarted the job.
The second run started off looking ok, but the clicking and under extruding soon came back. I stopped the job and was standing there next to the printer trying to figure out what was going on when I noticed it reboot itself. Octoprint showed a message (I can't recall the exact wording) of something to the effect of "your printer reset and the job is probably failed".
Weird. It's never done that before. I hadn't restarted since the power dip, so I thought maybe it was just in a bad state and physically powered everything down to start fresh. But as soon as it powered back up, the heater went active and the hot end started warming up. The status display said the temp was set at 0 °C, but the "current temp" reading was rising. I quickly went into the menus to select "cool down" and couldn't find it. There was no cool-down option on the menu!
By this time the hot end was up to around 270 °C and starting to smoke, so I shut the whole thing down again. I let it sit for a little while and powered up again. Immediately upon receiving power, the heater went active and started heating up again! I'm pretty sure had I not been standing there it would have eventually caught fire and possibly burned down my house!
This is the original Creality board, but I did flash it with Marlin U1.R2.7 maybe a year ago. It has been completely stable since. Thermal runaway protection is enabled (and tested), but I don't think it would have done anything in this scenario since the printer thinks the heater is off (hence the missing cooldown option). Even if it did detect an issue, I'm not sure it would have been able to do anything since it seems to be permanently shorted "on".
Has anyone heard of something like this before? Any idea what might have caused it?
I opened the case and inspected the board for signs of something shorting out or a smoked component, but everything appears normal. I disconnected the heater so I could power up and everything seems to work other than the heater terminals always having power.
Obviously, my trust in this machine has been severely diminished. I already ordered an SKR Mini E3 V2 to replace the Creality board since I had been thinking of upgrading anyway. But I would really like to know what happened so I can assess the probability of it happening again.
Ideally, I would also like to figure out some way of protecting against this happening again in the future and causing a fire when I might not be standing next to the printer next time.
My first thought is some sort of thermal fuse (like the ones in hairdryers) in line with the heater that would "blow" if it gets past a certain temperature. A typical consumer printer should never have a reason to get above 260-270 °C, so it seems appropriate to kill the circuit if it goes beyond that regardless of what the board is telling it to do.
Has anyone tried retrofitting something like that? Are you aware of any printers on the market that include such a feature?
Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot the board to figure out what happened?<issue_comment>username_1: My understanding is that the hot end heats until the thermistor signals to the board that it is near/at temperature.
On an Ender V2 with the Meanwell power supply, the unit has thermal runaway protection so if the thermistor fails the board will shut down.
In your case, the failed thermistor never alerts by changing resistance, the board will keep heating the block. So I think you need to pull the thermistor and test its resistance as the temperature changes. Connect it to a multimeter with the Resistance setting, then heat it with a hairdryer.
Another possibility is if a failed print has clogged the nozzle area, and the resulting blob of plastic has broken a wire to the thermister. This might be repairable by soldering.
Thermistors are available as replacement items too, may pay to simply get one along with a spare belt and nozzles.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Your onboard MOSFET has failed, you need to replace the component, yet better the board. It seems the MOSFET isn’t reacting to the signal from the microprocessor, instead it is “always on”.
Note that a MOSFET usually fails short, but can fail open in certain circumstances. See [Do MOSFETs usually burn open or closed?](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/27124/do-mosfets-usually-burn-open-or-closed).
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/01 | 612 | 2,344 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to make an anime-style figurine in Blender with long strands of wavy hair coming down from pigtails, similar to sailor moon, but more so.
They are going to be extremely challenging to print in place as they will be very thin and difficult to support.
Would it be possible simply to print long flat strips of PLA straight onto my bed 5 mm wide, 200 mm long, and a couple of mm thick, and then to heat them up after printing with a heat gun or some other means, and reshape them to make them wavy, then attach them to my model with glue before painting?
I haven't started on the model yet so I have no pictures to provide.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, printing a flat strand structure and then shaping it using heat to form hair is something people already do, for example with the [Hairy Lion model](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2007221).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: For extrusion printing you may want to add the hair with a 3d printing pen rather than trying to shape the print with heat. The print will tend to stick to anything that touches it when hot enough to reshape it. I've tried to smooth surfaces this way (heating the completed print) and it only makes them worse. Otherwise, you can try using supports as Paul point out.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: YES you can reshape printed PLA with heat.
I have a bin for all my brim/cleanup offcuts, stored at the printer. When it gets a bit full I simply blast it with my hot-air gun normally used for finishing prints. This shrinks the wispy bits, and thicker parts soften and droop down under their own weight.
Downside, I think hair that is printed flat, and then softened with hot air runs the risk of looking like "just got out of a swimming pool" hair instead of anything styled or realistic.
Definitely worth a try though!
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Yes you can reshape a print with heat. Do note that PLA filament starts to melt at about 60 degrees. There are actually models designed to be printed and then shaped with a hairdryer/heat gun. You can also smooth out prints but that is very tricky and I don't recommend it. If you want to smooth a print you are better off printing ABS and using acetone vapour.
Here is a print that has reshaping hair:
<https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2007221>
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/12/04 | 660 | 2,302 | <issue_start>username_0: I am looking to buy an Ender-3 Pro, but the place I'm looking to buy from has this picture:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RY2ds.jpg "Confusing 3D printer publicity photo")
My question is, what is meant by "Junior" in the name?
I'm just wondering if this means it's an alternative kind of version for kids or something, or if it's just the name of that type of 3D Printer (e.g. in the way you might have a Junior Hacksaw or something)? I.e. is this the normal Ender V3 Pro?<issue_comment>username_1: There is no such thing as a *Junior*1, you can see the official Creality range of FDM printers on the [FDM 3D PRINTER](https://www.creality.com/product/fdm-3d-printer) page, on their web site.
Upon a cursory comparison of the photo it is one of these:
* Ender-3 Max 3D Printer
* Ender-3 Pro 3D Printer
* Ender-3 3D Printer
However, the first one can be discounted as the spool holder is missing. So this leaves the last two.
Finally, the biggest clue is in the photo itself, as the name is written in the last line: [***Ender-3 Pro***](https://www.creality.com/goods-detail/ender-3-pro-3d-printer).
Nevertheless, given the seller's random "junior" labelling, it is not entirely guaranteed that the printer is, in fact, a Pro.
Unless they are super cheap or a renowned seller, then it is probably best to avoid purchasing anything from them. Or contact the seller to see if they would clarify their misleading advert.
---
1 The term *junior* could be an indication of the base level entry of the printer, or a reference to its build size, which, while not small and is pretty standard, it is not as large as some of the more pricey Creality models.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: That is an Ender 3, with the vertical PSU, the older interface, and many tweaks like the drawer and filament loading knob isn't present.
Consider the Ender 3 V2 instead, which is an iteration on the same basic design and is newer.
Personally I found it cheaper to buy the V2 direct from Creality's website than to buy the older model from a local or other online seller, and it had free freight from China, and arrived in about 3 weeks.
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/05 | 481 | 1,855 | <issue_start>username_0: My new Ender 5 Plus' Bowden tube keeps popping out of its socket on the extruder mid-print, I've tried several times and it keeps doing it even though it's locked into place securely at the start every time. Is this a known issue? And how do I resolve it?
I just got it so I doubt it's the coupler, I replaced it with a spare as my first solution, I did notice that it got almost stringy plastic around it whenever it gets popped out.... could that be indicative of what the problem is?<issue_comment>username_1: The coupler for the Bowden tube is probably worn out or the tube end has been scraped so that the coupler can't grab it or you have left out the clamp on the coupler.
The coupler has a sleeve that when pressed down releases the Bowden tube. There is a C-shaped clip that should go between the top lip of the sleeve and the body of the coupler that prevents the sleeve from moving and should help hold the tube more firmly. Make sure this is installed.
If the tube outside is visibly worn with scrape marks (this is rare), it might help to cut a few cm off the end so that a fresh section is gripped by the coupler. Be sure to cut the end flush so that there is no gap between the heat break and the Bowden tube or you will have other problems.
Alternately (and this is more likely), the coupler itself is worn out, possibly with bent or broken-off teeth. If this is the case, you will need to replace the coupler.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: OK well I feel silly, it turns out it wasn't fully pushed into place, I pushed it in feeling it lock and thought it was secure, when it actually wasn't, pushing it in till it feels locked up twice resulted in it being properly secured. (sorry if my description doesn't make a lot of sense, I'm not good at that kind of thing, so I'm trying my best.)
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/09 | 1,075 | 4,463 | <issue_start>username_0: I have been trying to make some small signs, and to highlight the text by changing between black and white filament at a layer just above where the text comes out of the back plate.
I've used Cura 4.12 and the "change filament" script to make the printer pause at the right layer. The change and purge process works fine, no issue there.
However the second colour adheres poorly to the first. Doesn't matter if I print Black then White, or White then Black. Both filaments are the same brand.
* Should I dab gluestick into the print at the same time as changing colour? (read on)
* Is there some way to re-preheat the object and get a better adhesion?
To save the print I've used superglue to stick the letters back on that have fallen off, but is definitely not ideal.
---
Here's an example:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RgUOS.jpg)
The loose letters are held on well enough for printing, but only barely. They can knock loose at a touch of a finger afterward.
I have tried changing filament on the first layer that is not the back board, and one or two layers up the letters. One print I even changed filament a layer too low, and surprisingly that did not have adhesion problems. Perhaps it is merely a function of surface contact area ?
Gluestick on the exposed surface while changing filament was useless - the whole thing simply didn't stick and the second colour never got any adhesion at all, merely wiping off.
As for timing, it seems to make little difference if I'm there waiting for the last layer to print, or if I let the printer sit for half an hour before noticing and changing colour. The bed stays hot at 50 degrees, and the hot end is permitted to cool off.
There is a heating cycle, and then a purge/discharge-into-air that shows the transition between colours, so its not that the filament has lost a prime.
At the moment, a much more effective solution is to use a paint marker and colour-in the top layer with a contrasting colour.<issue_comment>username_1: Most of your settings will not change with changing filament, if the new filament is the same material and OEM as the old. The main settings to check after changing the filament are the initial z-height and planarization of the bed. If the z-height is too high the first few layers may not stick together well.
If you change filament materials or OEM, change the settings to match the new material. The layers may have trouble sticking together if the extrusion temperature is too low.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I never had layer separation when changing filament to a different color. Even with three different colors within the same print. Or five layers of two different layers.
Both filaments should be made of the same material, for instance PLA. The filaments should be printable with the same settings. A test print should work well with both filaments.
Try a print with a pause and a simulated filament change. Printing with the same filament before and after the pause. You may try different durations of the pause. Is there layer separation even with a very short pause?
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It might be worth a try to manually kick the flow rate setting up 5-10 % and temperature about 5 °C for the first layer after the filament change, then returning to the original settings. Consider too killing or reducing the cooling fan speed for the first layer only. The benefit of a skirt to get things flowing is not available when starting on the second color.
Another approach would be to make the letter-layer a negative image so it would be more of a flat, contiguous piece with letter shaped holes in it. Printing time and filament usage would both be somewhat higher, however, unless the thickness of the letter-layer was reduced. It would only need to be a few layers thick.
Color order could be changed with this method too if black letters on a white field is the desired scheme.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: After much fiddling about, the only positive conclusion I could come up with was to not make the letters too thin. A chunky thick letter has more surface area to adhere, whereas a thin spidery letter is too fragile.
So print fewer words on each label, make the words more-bold, and if they still fall off after printing then CA glue/superglue is good enough to hold them together.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/12/09 | 1,053 | 3,683 | <issue_start>username_0: I am having two separate issues. One is specific to this particular model, the other is on all my prints, but more pronounced on 90° vertical walls.
The first issue is a localized area of under extrusion only in one area of the print. This issue is specific to this model. The second issue is evenly spaced horizontal bulges that appear approximately every 5mm during the first 30-35 mm of the print. This is a two-piece Christmas tree I designed for my wife and I have been printing both pieces together on the build plate.
I am printing on a mostly stock Voxelab Aquila with Voxelab Gold 1.75 mm PLA. I have changed the stock extruder to the aluminum extruder after the plastic one cracked, and am running a Satsana style shroud with stock fans. I am using CHEP's Cura 4.11 Ender 3 profile for .2 mm (good) - [CHEP Cura Profiles](https://www.chepclub.com/cura-profiles.html), printing at 200 °C and 40 °C bed temp. I have lubed my Z screw with white lithium grease, checked that belts are tight and no screws or physical connection points are loose. I checked to make sure that the eccentric nuts are snug but not binding the gantry. I have calibrated my extruder E-steps and changed the value to 96.
Can someone offer me some guidance on where to go from here?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ga1uq.jpg "Photo of a 3D printed two-piece Christmas tree")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hOFLf.jpg "Photo of the inside of the top part of Christmas tree")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5nSL.jpg "Photo showing the printing errors inside the top of the Christmas tree")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BC8q4.jpg "Photo of horizontal bulges on the base of Christmas tree")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lXNb3.jpg "Photo of ruler measuring the evenly spaced horizontal bulges on the base of Christmas tree")<issue_comment>username_1: Try setting the z-seam to *random* in your slicer. In Slic3r it is *Seam position* under *Advanced* near the bottom of the *Layer and perimeters* page of the *Print Settings*.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The horizontal bands are 5mm apart, which is a common pitch for the screws often used for the Z axis.
I would look for something that binds, moves, slips, or touches once per screw revolution. The movement repeats along the screw, so if it is a screw defect I would look for a scratch or bump that affects the screw along its axis.
If you don't see that, check for how the screw is constrained at both ends. If they are loose constraints, does the screw wiggle while it is turning?
Move the nut to one extreme and rotate the screw. Does it appear to have any bend? Even a small degree of bending that doesn't bind the axis can add a small load to the drive.
The Z-azis error you are looking for is subtle. It is probably 10% (or less) of the layer height.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/12 | 363 | 1,361 | <issue_start>username_0: I literally just started OpenSCAD today, so please take it easy on me, but is shell scripting possible with OpenSCAD? as in, to write a script in the OpenSCAD syntax, and have it output images, or animations? with or without having to render the image.
I've been reading the man pages, and I'm not sure if that can be done.<issue_comment>username_1: Try setting the z-seam to *random* in your slicer. In Slic3r it is *Seam position* under *Advanced* near the bottom of the *Layer and perimeters* page of the *Print Settings*.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The horizontal bands are 5mm apart, which is a common pitch for the screws often used for the Z axis.
I would look for something that binds, moves, slips, or touches once per screw revolution. The movement repeats along the screw, so if it is a screw defect I would look for a scratch or bump that affects the screw along its axis.
If you don't see that, check for how the screw is constrained at both ends. If they are loose constraints, does the screw wiggle while it is turning?
Move the nut to one extreme and rotate the screw. Does it appear to have any bend? Even a small degree of bending that doesn't bind the axis can add a small load to the drive.
The Z-azis error you are looking for is subtle. It is probably 10% (or less) of the layer height.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/12 | 1,348 | 5,427 | <issue_start>username_0: Most people, articles, videos, etc. refer to printing speed by linear speed (mm/s), but a lot of YouTubers prefer to talk about volumetric flow (mm3/s) (mm cubed per second). I suspect that at some point in the past year or three, some of the more engineer-y types switched to this new measurement standard, but I'm not entirely sure what happened. What is the practical difference between using linear speed vs flow rate to determine print speed?
For a follow-up, how can you go about changing your print speed as a flow rate in a slicer? It's easy to find the linear speed, but I have not found the flow rate speed. I use Cura and will start using Prusa Slic3r soon.<issue_comment>username_1: Flow rate adds a dimension to the regularly used printing speed. Note that maximum volumetric flow is determined by the hotend (unless your extruder is under dimensioned or highly geared) as it cannot supply more molten filament than it can melt in a certain time.
So, instead of specifying the print speed, you should include the amount of material it can process. Volumetric flow includes nozzle diameter, layer thickness and hotend type.
E.g. a 60 mm/s of a 0.4 mm nozzle at a 0.2 mm layer height has a very different volumetric flow (4.8 mm³/s) from a 60 mm/s 0.8 mm nozzle at a 0.4 mm layer height (19.2 mm³/s). The latter may require a different hotend to get that flow, but usually it is advised to print slower with a larger nozzle.
Most practical is to use the linear printing speed. This is the value you find in the slicers. But, for a given hotend design it is good to keep the maximum volumetric flow into account to determine whether you are within the specifications of the hotend when you change certain printing/slicing parameters.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Linear print speed is widely written in marketing material and in filament manufacturers' official print setting recommendations, and is the value talked about by naive users, including a number of popular YouTube personalities. **However, in most contexts it's at best the wrong number, and more often, meaingless.**
For example, you will see printer manufacturers bragging that they can print at "250 mm/s", and it turns out what they mean is that, when you set the print speed in the slicer to "250 mm/s", it works. However, their profile has the acceleration set to 500 mm/s², and you need a straight line all the way across the bed to accelerate up to that speed momentarily before starting to slow down again, and overall average prints come out 5% faster than when you set it to "90 mm/s".
If you set this kind of lying (or incompetence, if you accept Hanlon's Razor) aside, and only talk about the actual *velocity achieved* under an acceleration profile, linear speed becomes meaningful, but probably not the right number, because it's missing any information about the actual limiting factors. Provided the speed isn't beyond the max RPM of your stepper motors (around 650 RPM for typical motors on 24V printers), **any printer** can print at that speed as long as your layer height is thin enough or your lines are narrow enough. In fact if you go look at a few of the top "1000 mm/s" YouTube videos, they're using 0.1 mm layer height or thinner - which is easy to do, but not interesting to most people. It's not helping you print *faster* because now you have twice as many (or more) layers to print.
Volumetric flow rate takes all of that into account. If you print at 20 mm³/s and I print at 10 mm³/s (and if these are actual average flow over the whole print, not just a speed limit that's rarely achieved due to acceleration profile limits), your print will finish in half the time of mine. That is a meaningful speed - one that can't be used to lie/mislead by printing thin layers or whatever. Moreover, it's the limit you need to know, for your particular hotend, extruder, and filament type, in order to be able to decide what speed to print at (whether you control this via volumetric flow limits or computing the corresponding linear speed limits yourself). If you're reading the filament manufacturer's recommendations, they didn't say it but they probably wrote those for 0.4 mm line width and 0.2 mm layer height, so you should multiply by 0.08 mm² to get the volumetric rate they intended.
This gets more important with slicers, particularly the upcoming Cura 5, which use varying line width (and thus varying relationship between the linear speed and volumetric speed) to extrude your layers. Now a single linear speed doesn't suffice to give you max performance while also staying within the physical limits of what you can extrude. Cura 5 has "Flow Equalization" to speed up or slow down to keep the volumetric rate matching what it would be at the nominal line width and speed.
Now, linear speed in mm/s is meaningful *sometimes* - particularly, if you're showcasing the printer's motion system. High voltage steppers, larger pulleys, servo motors, etc. all can achieve some very high linear speeds (over 1000 mm/s) that ordinary 24V steppers (much less 12V ones on older printers) with normal size pulleys simply cannot do. Even if these speeds are not usable for print moves (because the volumetric flow rate becomes the limiting factor for what you can do), they're always usable for travel moves, which can easily be 25% or more of the time spent in complex prints.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/12 | 1,391 | 5,065 | <issue_start>username_0: I've heard that PETG, what we print with, is slightly different than PET or PETE, which is commercially available. Yet, PET bottles seem easy enough to recycle into prints according to these videos:
#1 Multicolor printing-Details of free filament production from recycled bottle (PET)for 3D printer
Precious Plastic channel
<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqA-SppbeUi5ou0isB27mgg>
What properties change between PET and PETG? Obviously, the additives will change, but what are the properties and parameters that change that make PETG more suited to 3D printing? Especially given the fact that PETG is fairly hygroscopic, which I believe took a while for the community to uncover.
While more science is better as far as an answer, please keep it relevant to practical 3D printing as well.<issue_comment>username_1: I use PETG when I want the object to be somewhat rigid, but flexible enough not to break, especially object having thin parts. PETG is strong enough to print two layer 0.5 mm thick and be very flexible in the z direction, such as printing straps.
Basically PETG is amorphous while PET/PETE is crystalline. Amorphous gives a slightly lower melting point and less out-gassing, characteristics better for 3D printing. PETs crystal structure makes it more rigid than PETG, but leaves PETG more impact resistant and easier to print. The more rigid PET translates to more dimensional accuracy as with PLA.
From <https://www.oberk.com/packaging-crash-course/differences-in-pet>
>
> PETE (or PET)
>
>
>
>
> PETE is the most common variation of the thermoplastic polymer resin. The clarity of PET is considered to be the best of all plastics with very good chemical resistance. PETE is formed into containers via 1-Step or 2-Step Injection Blow Molding.
>
>
>
>
> PETG
>
>
>
>
> Polyethylene Terephthalate Glycol (PETG) is an amorphous variation of PET. PETG cannot be oriented and therefore you will not find pre-forms of this type of resin. Extrusion, Injection Blow Moulding and 1-Step Injection Stretch Blow Moulding are all possible for PETG, it is also used frequently for 3D printing. Clarity and chemical resistance are considered good when compared to the previous three variations, however PETG has poor impact resistance.
>
>
>
Why is PETG used for 3D printing?
Quote from <https://www.3dnatives.com/en/petg-3d-printing-guide-181220194/#>!
>
> The characteristics of PETG
>
>
>
>
> PETG is therefore a copolymer, combining the properties of PET and glycol. The addition of the latter reduces the overheating issues of PET and therefore its brittle appearance. Among the main characteristics of PETG are its hardness, impact and chemical resistance, transparency and ductility. It is an easily extruded material with good thermal stability. It is particularly appreciated for its food compatibility. On the downside, note that it requires a heating plate to avoid the warping effects found in ABS 3D printing – even if the warping rate is low, it is better to use a BuildTak sheet to make sure the material grips. It is also more prone to scratches than PLA. Finally, it can quickly take moisture and will keep better in a cool and dry environment.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: To add to Perry's answer, which is already very informative:
PETG is subject to creep (permanent deformation under continuous mechanical load), especially at temperatures above room temperature. As a result, many 3D printer designs utilizing printed parts caution against using PETG. PET is generally regarded as not subject to creep below around 80°C.
Unlike PETG, which is amorphous and does not crystallize, PET can be annealed (made to crystallize intentionally after printing is complete) at temperatures between 80 and 100 °C, after which it can handle loads at higher temperatures, reportedly up to 100 °C. However, annealing produces some dimensional changes, which may make it difficult to utilize this property.
PETG has considerably lower glass transition temperature, melting point, and heat deflection temperature than PET.
While this varies by PETG formulation, generally PET can (and often must, due to crystallization concerns when printing slow) be printed at much higher speeds than PETG.
PETG gunks up and sticks badly to most nozzle materials when printing. Certain coated nozzles, and tungsten carbide nozzles, can significantly reduce but not eliminate this effect. PET does not gunk up or stick to the nozzle.
PET is less sensitive to buildplate temperature, and can even be printed on an unheated bed, although this may lead to corners lifting without sufficient adhesion. PETG is very hard to print well without high bed temperature; layer delamination and failure of first or second layer to adhere are common issues with insufficient heat.
PET has extreme layer bonding, giving near or fully isotropic part strength. PETG generally has issues with delamination/separation at layer lines. In my experience, it is far worse than PLA in this regard.
Upvotes: 0 |
2021/12/15 | 1,243 | 3,137 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a new Creality Ender 2 Pro with a Creality 4.2.3 mainboard. I'm attempting to compile Marlin to fix a bug. How can I tell what driver chips I have on this board?
I've narrowed it down to likely `A4988` or `TMC2208_STANDALONE` or possibly the `TMC2225`. Strangely Creality only has documentation for the 4.2.2 and the 4.2.7 boards (not 4.2.3)
4.2.2 => TMC2208
4.2.3 => ?
4.2.7 => TMC2225
Some say you can tell the driver just by listening to the noise it makes. [Here is a video of the printer running](https://youtu.be/4hL-r02w6rM). The motors are nearly silent to my ear.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ALHyb.jpg "Photo of Ender 2 Pro motherboard version 4.2.3")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xUdVU.jpg)
Resources
* <https://github.com/Creality3DPrinting/Ender-3/issues/58#issuecomment-842935869>
* 4.2.2 [schematic](https://github-repository-files.githubusercontent.com/139231738/7626788?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=<KEY>%2F20211215%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20211215T153407Z&X-Amz-Expires=300&X-Amz-Signature=43dfe1ff5518c5003cf55ade1554caeb5953c733a599db07fb153cc976cebb45&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&actor_id=0&key_id=0&repo_id=139231738&response-content-disposition=attachment%3Bfilename%3D1623133432-Creality422-Schematic-2.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf)
* [Marlin Config pull request](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995206382)<issue_comment>username_1: According to ['The-EG' comment](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995206382) in this GitHub issue, [Add Creality Ender 2 Pro config #633](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633), you can often determine the stepper drivers by one of a few ways:
1. Listen to the sound. The 'TMC22\*\*' will sound much quieter
2. Look for a marking in Sharpie on the SD Card reader
```
C = HR4998
E = A4988
A = TMC2208
B = TMC2209
H = TMC2225
```
3. Remove the heat sync
<https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995480295>
After removing the heat sync, it appears that the Chip is actually a `MS35775`
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0o5mK.jpg "Closeup of MS35775 on board")
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: MS35775 appears to be TMC208 compatible. You can find the data sheet on relmon.com here is the overview:
* 2-Phase stepping motor peak current of 2A
* Step / dir interface 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 microstep
* Internal 256 micro steps
* Quiet mode
* Fast mode
* HS Rdson 0.29 Ω ,LS Rdson 0.28 Ω
* Voltage range 4.75 ~ 36V
* When the motor is still, it will enter into the power saving mode automatically
* Internal resistor mode is optional (no need for external sense resistor)
* Single wire UART bus and OTP control
* QFN28 package
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/15 | 592 | 1,710 | <issue_start>username_0: Why do concrete 3D printers lay the concrete in a zigzag shape? I know pouring it in a straight line makes it unstable, but the zigzag shape reduces the contact of the top layer to the layer below. What is the advantage?<issue_comment>username_1: According to ['The-EG' comment](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995206382) in this GitHub issue, [Add Creality Ender 2 Pro config #633](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633), you can often determine the stepper drivers by one of a few ways:
1. Listen to the sound. The 'TMC22\*\*' will sound much quieter
2. Look for a marking in Sharpie on the SD Card reader
```
C = HR4998
E = A4988
A = TMC2208
B = TMC2209
H = TMC2225
```
3. Remove the heat sync
<https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995480295>
After removing the heat sync, it appears that the Chip is actually a `MS35775`
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0o5mK.jpg "Closeup of MS35775 on board")
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: MS35775 appears to be TMC208 compatible. You can find the data sheet on relmon.com here is the overview:
* 2-Phase stepping motor peak current of 2A
* Step / dir interface 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 microstep
* Internal 256 micro steps
* Quiet mode
* Fast mode
* HS Rdson 0.29 Ω ,LS Rdson 0.28 Ω
* Voltage range 4.75 ~ 36V
* When the motor is still, it will enter into the power saving mode automatically
* Internal resistor mode is optional (no need for external sense resistor)
* Single wire UART bus and OTP control
* QFN28 package
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/16 | 769 | 2,211 | <issue_start>username_0: It seems there are some missing lines on the outer wall on the Z-axis with my prints. I'm not able to pinpoint the problem. Does anyone have ideas about what might be wrong with my setup/settings?
Example:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3q1k3.jpg "Printed model with printing errors highlighted")
Here are some settings that I think are relevant:
Printer: Ender 3 v1
Filament: Das Filament
Slicer: Cura
* Hotend temp: 215 °C
* Layer height: 0.2 mm
* Wall speed: 30 mm/s
* Travel speed: 200 mm/s
* Retraction distance: 6.5 mm
* Combing mode: not in skin (Max comb: 30)
Cheers<issue_comment>username_1: According to ['The-EG' comment](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995206382) in this GitHub issue, [Add Creality Ender 2 Pro config #633](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633), you can often determine the stepper drivers by one of a few ways:
1. Listen to the sound. The 'TMC22\*\*' will sound much quieter
2. Look for a marking in Sharpie on the SD Card reader
```
C = HR4998
E = A4988
A = TMC2208
B = TMC2209
H = TMC2225
```
3. Remove the heat sync
<https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995480295>
After removing the heat sync, it appears that the Chip is actually a `MS35775`
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0o5mK.jpg "Closeup of MS35775 on board")
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: MS35775 appears to be TMC208 compatible. You can find the data sheet on relmon.com here is the overview:
* 2-Phase stepping motor peak current of 2A
* Step / dir interface 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 microstep
* Internal 256 micro steps
* Quiet mode
* Fast mode
* HS Rdson 0.29 Ω ,LS Rdson 0.28 Ω
* Voltage range 4.75 ~ 36V
* When the motor is still, it will enter into the power saving mode automatically
* Internal resistor mode is optional (no need for external sense resistor)
* Single wire UART bus and OTP control
* QFN28 package
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/18 | 4,008 | 12,360 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 3 V1 with a glass Creality plate. I was having difficulty using manual levelling and my prints were struggling, so I ordered a 3DTouch. I have installed the 3DTouch and used Creality's BLTouch firmware. But my bed is still not level.
So my build is an Ender 3 V1 with:
* Extruder upgraded to all-metal extruder
* Glass bed upgrade
* 3DTouch Upgrade
* Capricorn Tubing
* Yellow bed springs
I manually levelled my bed using my 3DTouch. I used the `G30` command in `Pronterface` to probe each corner of the plate. At each corner, I would adjust the knob until the 3DTouch read 0.0. I did this iteratively multiple times until I thought it was reasonably level. The four corner values were something like 0.1, 0.0, -0.2, and 0.3 mm.
I have also put a straight edge with an Angle Finder Phone App. The bed is quite level. It reads 0, 1, or 2°
depending on how I place the level. X-axis gantry has a 1° tilt.
Here is my current bed levelling mesh:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kepvq.png)
After doing this, I added `G29` after `G28` in my starting G-Code in Cura. I sliced a model from Thingiverse that had 5 squares and some lines. Here are the results:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/we8Sk.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XWZZB.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ONbBq.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/h3aib.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YBnku.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/O7gkY.jpg)
I am using:
* Filament : PLA
* Bed Temp : 60 °C
* Nozzle Temp : 200 °C
Some miscellaneous notes:
* The bed was cleaned thoroughly prior to use
* I rotated the bed 90° and the print looked the exact same way
* I ensured that the bed soaked in some heat for some time prior to printing
* I have set my Z offset to -1.800 mm
* The frame and components seem to be square and tightened down. Nothing is shaking around and seems to be in order.
I would really appreciate help on this. I'm really not sure what to do next. I've been really excited about 3D printing and I hope I can find a solution to this.
**Leveling using CHEP's video**
So I have rebuilt my 3D printer using CHEP's video. I noticed that one or two things were off compared to how it was supposed to be. I will be doing some test prints to see if that actually fixed things. I am hopeful.
I did a mesh before any other changes, and the slant is very clear now. See below. I believe one of the plates on the gantry wasn't completely straight.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XjTYg.png)
**Leveling after rebuilding printer**
Here is my latest mesh, after rebuilding the printer and then re-levelling its bed manually.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fn3G9.png)
These are the results of the print. I had to change my Z offset to -1.60 mm. The broken line is my fault. It was caused by my finger. The focus is the corners. As I mentioned, this is after rebuilding my printer.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JFJ6U.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xyD3N.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/P3fjP.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b6IWZ.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2oNF7.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MR0WM.jpg)
**Edit**
I would like to have more probing points than Creality's 3x3 grid. To my understanding, Creality's source code is not available, and so I will be rolling my own with Marlin 2.0. I downloaded the latest Marlin from <https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases>, and copied the 4.2.2 Creality configuration from the default Configurations. I then changed the following:
1. I ensured `#define PDITEMP` is not commented so that I can do PID tuning of the nozzle.
2. Similar to 1., I ensured that `#define PIDTEMPBED` is not commented so that I can do PID tuning of the bed.
3. I commented `#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN` since I will be using the 5-pin BLTouch port that is on my 4.2.2. board.
4. I uncommented `#define USE_PROBE_FOR_Z_HOMING` since I removed my z-axis endstop and want to use my 3DTouch as the z endstop.
5. Uncommented `#define BLTOUCH` since the 3DTouch is a BLTouch clone.
6. Changed my x and y offsets in the setting `#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { -42, -8, 0 }`. I left the z-offset 0, since I will be using the tuning tool to adjust that and observe the squish. For the x and y, I measured the distance between my probe and the nozzle using a digital caliper.
7. I adjusted the probe margin from 10 to 15, since I have clips that previously would interfere with the 3DTouch. 15 should give more distance. `#define PROBING_MARGIN 15`
8. I enabled and set MULTIPLE\_PROBING to 3. I'm paranoid about the current accuracy, and am willing to see if that improves anything at the expense of a few additional minutes. `#define MULTIPLE_PROBING 3`. I think 2 should be fine for general use.
9. Uncommented `#define Z_MIN_PROBE_REPEATABILITY_TEST`. I want to test my 3DTouch and uncommenting allows the use of M48 to test it.
10. Uncommented `#define PROBING_FANS_OFF`, `#define PROBING_ESTEPPERS_OFF`, `#define PROBING_STEPPERS_OFF`, `#define DELAY_BEFORE_PROBING 200`. The documentation this may improve probing results. I'm all in.
11. Uncommented `#define NO_MOTION_BEFORE_HOMING` and `#define HOME_AFTER_DEACTIVATE`.
12. Uncommented `#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR`
13. Uncommented `#define RESTORE_LEVELING_AFTER_G28`. This is to ensure the mesh is applied even after G28, which disables the mesh otherwise.
14. Ensures that this setting was 10. `#define DEFAULT_LEVELING_FADE_HEIGHT 10.0`
15. I set the following : `#define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 7`. Ensures a 7x7 mesh grid is created. This could be more or less. 49 points is an improvement over Creality's 9, although a bit much. Worthwhile in my case.
16. Uncommented `#define EXTRAPOLATE_BEYOND_GRID`. I was actually wondering if this was causing some of the inconsistent prints near the edge.
17. Uncommented `#define LCD_BED_LEVELING`. This is to unlock more options for ABL in the menu.
18. Uncommented `#define LEVEL_BED_CORNERS`. This should make moving between corners for manual levelling easier.
19. Uncommented `#define LEVEL_CORNERS_USE_PROBE`. This is to achieve exactly what I was doing with G30 in Pronterface. I changed to tolerance with `#define LEVEL_CORNERS_PROBE_TOLERANCE 0.03`
20. Uncommented `#define Z_SAFE_HOMING`, which is important for the BLTouch.
21. Changed my PLA profile according to what I have determined to be best with `#define PREHEAT_1_TEMP_HOTEND 200` and `#define PREHEAT_1_TEMP_BED 60`
I had to comment `#define BLTOUCH_SET_5V_MODE` for things to compile. I also had to modify `#define LEVEL_CORNERS_INSET_LFRB { 30, 30, 45, 45 }`, due to the margin I set as well as the offset of my touch. Otherwise, the above configuration was fine, in terms of compilation.
I'll post back with the results.
Here are the results for the M48 3DTouch test. Are these values good?
| Measurement | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Mean | 0.063667 |
| Min | 0.061 |
| Max | 0.068 |
| Range | 0.007 |
| STD | 0.002478 |
I reduced the speed of the probing in half in order to make the probing more accurate. This was done by changing from `#define Z_PROBE_FEEDRATE_FAST (4*60)` to `#define Z_PROBE_FEEDRATE_FAST (2*60)`. I also made the mesh grid 8x8 because might as well.
These are my M48 repeatability results. Interesting to compare to the above table which probed at double the speed.
| Measurement | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Mean | 0.005500 |
| Min | 0.002 |
| Max | 0.010 |
| Range | 0.008 |
| STD | 0.001908 |
I also changed the filament (brand new). Just as another variable to modify.
The following prints are the result.
The mesh before this print is as follows:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tk0TQ.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MJAWB.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v9LPr.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JVV4Y.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MndtV.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IE4eq.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LY47R.jpg)
**Levelling the X-Axis Gantry**
As Oscar in the comments has mentioned, I have read some other forum posts that described the cause of uneven lines and similar inconsistencies as what I am noticing, as being due to the X-axis Gantry that moves up and down as not being level.
I used a digital caliper and measured the x axis gantry relative to the frame of the 3D printer. So for example, I put my caliper against the base metal extrusion and then against the x-axis gantry. I did this on both sides.
The side without the Z-Axis lead screw (right side) was above the side with the Z-Axis lead screw (left side) by about 1.7mm. I'm surprised that CHEP and some other build videos never mentioned to check this, but it does seem logical to consider. Making the brackets flush is NOT adequate. When I do make it flush, then one side is higher than the other. The build videos say to make it flush. This will make things OFF.
To adjust this, I took off the gantry, slightly loosened the bolts on both side plates, so that it was stiff enough that it wouldn't move easily, but could make subtle adjustments by twisting it hard enough. I then put the gantry back on the printer, did some measurements and corresponding adjustments. I then carefully threaded the gantry off and tightened the plates.
Currently, my left and right side have a difference of .17mm. I figured I won't get anything better by hand. I'll do another test print tonight. 1.7mm vs .17mm is a reasonable difference.<issue_comment>username_1: According to ['The-EG' comment](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995206382) in this GitHub issue, [Add Creality Ender 2 Pro config #633](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633), you can often determine the stepper drivers by one of a few ways:
1. Listen to the sound. The 'TMC22\*\*' will sound much quieter
2. Look for a marking in Sharpie on the SD Card reader
```
C = HR4998
E = A4988
A = TMC2208
B = TMC2209
H = TMC2225
```
3. Remove the heat sync
<https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Configurations/pull/633#issuecomment-995480295>
After removing the heat sync, it appears that the Chip is actually a `MS35775`
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0o5mK.jpg "Closeup of MS35775 on board")
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: MS35775 appears to be TMC208 compatible. You can find the data sheet on relmon.com here is the overview:
* 2-Phase stepping motor peak current of 2A
* Step / dir interface 2, 4, 8, 16, or 32 microstep
* Internal 256 micro steps
* Quiet mode
* Fast mode
* HS Rdson 0.29 Ω ,LS Rdson 0.28 Ω
* Voltage range 4.75 ~ 36V
* When the motor is still, it will enter into the power saving mode automatically
* Internal resistor mode is optional (no need for external sense resistor)
* Single wire UART bus and OTP control
* QFN28 package
Upvotes: 1 |
2021/12/18 | 745 | 2,844 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently, my Ender 3D Pro has been unable to print any large models successfully with PLA as the filament starts to expand inside the Teflon tube, causing a clog after about an hour of printing. I am starting to suspect that the problem is heat creep.
* This occurs with the two brands of PLA filament that I use (3D Fila and Voolt 3D).
* The hotend that I am using is the one that comes with the printer, I don't know what it is made out of.
I have tried many things to patch this problem:
* Try to unclog it with the needle
* Replace nozzle (three times)
* Check if the Teflon tube is touching the nozzle
* Increase temperature from 200 to 220 °C
* Increase temperature from 200 to 215 °C
If the problem is indeed heat creep, I have plans to control the heat sink temperature with a Peltier and an extra thermometer. Any other ideas are appreciated.<issue_comment>username_1: This sounds like heat creep may be the problem. For preventing heat creep to occur you should do the opposite, print at lower temperature, tweak retraction length and increase cooling of the cold end.
A Peltier element is not very effective cooler, use a bigger fan, or a fan with a higher flow rate. Note that the Peltier element required a large cooling body and a fan as well, so this adds a lot of weight to and limits space of the hotend. You should not go there, it has been tried before.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you mentioned "Check if the Teflon tube is touching the nozzle", it sounds like you've disassembled the tube from the couplings and put it back together. This is error-prone and in my experience the main/only likely cause of clogging in Creality hotends. Heat creep is unlikely unless you're operating in a very high ambient temperature or have a failing/failed fan.
The tube can't just be "touching" the nozzle. It needs to be compressed against it. There are various ways to do this, but what usually worked best for me (before I moved to a different setup) was to back the coupler out of the heat sink by at least 1-2 full turns, press the tube all the way in against the nozzle, then tighten the coupler back down to compress the end of the tube against the nozzle mating surface.
The end of the tube also needs to be clean cut, straight, and undamaged. If it's charred, bent, gnarled, whatever, cut it straight with a razor blade while holding it in a jig to make sure the cut is perpendicular. You can find several such jigs (PTFE tube cutting tools) on Thingiverse or make your own or buy one. I like to also take the razor blade and chamfer the outside of the tube end ever so slightly before inserting it. I do this by hand, but I've seen videos of it being done with a jig that looks something like a pencil sharpener, which would probably be the best way.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2021/12/19 | 575 | 2,227 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Prusa MK2.5 which runs at 12 V, the Prusa MK3 runs at 24 V.
I noticed that on [Prusa's webpage](https://www.prusa3d.com/product/stepper-motors-set/), they list the stepper motors as being compatible with both the MK2 *and* the MK3 even though they run at different voltages.
My question is: are stepper motors typically tuned for specific voltages (like most fans are), or are these stepper motors compatible with *both* 12 and 24 V systems?<issue_comment>username_1: Without having the exact model number of the motor to check the data sheet, this can't be answered. Glancing at the link you supplied, I didn't see either a data sheet or a model number I could use to get a data sheet.
Typically stepper motors overheat when they are run at too high of a voltage. However, the advertised voltage for the motor could be the lowest voltage at which it works.
For a real answer, you'd have to look at the manufacturer's datasheet for the motor, which should include minimum and maximum voltages and graphs showing current vs. voltage vs. force graphs, and possibly duty cycle graphs.
Also, in some cases, if you run a motor at a higher voltage than it is rated for, it may produce back EMF that is larger than the motor controller is prepared for, and it could burn out the controller. However, if the controller is designed for 24v, this is less likely of a problem.
Note also that there are conversion kits, where you place a small board between the controller and the motor that fixes the voltage for the motor.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: The steppers have two voltages in the specifications: nominal voltage and maximum voltage for the electrical insulation between windings.
The nominal voltage is basically never that high. The motors from Prusa are likely rated at 4-5 V operating voltage: the voltage you apply from the control board is higher, but as soon as the current reaches the value you set, the chip starts cutting intermittently the voltage, so 12-0-12-0-12... and the average value never goes above those 4-5 V.
The second value, the insulation, is the one you must NEVER exceed, even when operating intermittently, but it is likely 30 V or more.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/20 | 1,343 | 4,771 | <issue_start>username_0: I'd like to print a cylinder, 50 mm diameter, 200 mm long, with 1.5 mm diameter holes tightly fit like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/i11dN.png "3D rendering of a cylinder with holes")
The holes go all the way through from top to bottom.
I am using a Prusa i3 MK3S. With 0.1 mm detail and 20 % infill, printing one cylinder is going to take 5 days and 5 hours. I need at least five cylinders.
* Is the above setting appropriate for this job?
* Is there any way I can reduce the printing time?<issue_comment>username_1: That's a hell of a print!
=========================
You are printing a model that has a highly complex structure there, with about 650ish holes, assuming there is space for about 2 perimeters between each hole.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gcrSm.png)
Taking my standard 0.3 mm layer height and 0.4 mm nozzle using a 0.45 mm wide line, I sliced a 10mm high slice of the model for a first estimate of the expected print time - and came out with 2:21 hours. That means the expected print time with 0.3 mm layer height is in the area of 47 hours - or just about 2 days.
As a result, 5 days and 5 hours are in the order I'd expect from a 0.1 mm layer height print for the same nozzle, in fact, your settings seem to have a faster print speed than I do work with.
In general, I don't think this model is good for FDM printing at all, due to many non-fully formed lines inside the model (yellow) and the red perimeters being a very dense pattern.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l0oH6.png)
Solutions?
----------
### Print faster
You might get a faster speed with a high-flow solution, for example, using a long melt zone (volcano-style) or an even higher flow core-heating 3DSolex nozzle. The latter originally only comes in 0.6 mm and up, also mandating fewer holes, but in late 2021 CHT nozzles in 0.4 mm came to the market. This could drop print time some, but it'd still be a several days print job.
### Reduced pattern
Besides increasing layer height to drop printing time by the same factor, reducing the number of holes and as a result, spacing them further apart not only can increase the print speed but also make the print form more reliable.
Another alternative would be to alter the pattern from a circle to a hexagonal pattern: by using hexagons, the resulting pattern does not contain thin walls and might print much faster - depending on hole size, you might experience a drop by a factor of 2!
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bk583.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jjr3P.png)
### Printed differently
Going from FDM printing to a system such as SLS might be faster and more reliable while SLA/DLP would make this print not only fast and reliable but also trivial - if one can get a 200 mm high SLA/DLP printer, all three models should be able to be printed in one go at the same time!
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Holes, circles, and curves are slow to print, and get slower as the number of wall segments increase.
Ideally you'd use square holes, but hexagonal-sided ones would be a fair compromise too.
Your slicer should be able to give a breakdown on the times for each kind of line in the part. Check and see how much of the time is spent on "moves".
Is there a reason for using all these little holes? Fewer, larger holes will provide better airflow and require less printing, up to the ultimate of one single large hole, where you're essentially printing a pipe/tube.
Do you need the holes to go right-through? Printing a big "cup" with holes across the floor, and separately a "lid" then gluing them together would be quicker and you have one large hole in the middle. If this idea works, you might prefer to just buy plastic pipe of a suitable size, and print only endcaps.
Additionally, if you're printing 5 cylinders because you need a metre total length, then printing two endcaps for a 1 metre piece of plastic PVC pipe should take a couple of hours at most. And it will save you a lot of filament.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Late to the party, but for other people that stumble here with a similar problem i've seen a lot of people use a 0 top layers, 0 bottom layers settings to expose infill structure. That with a suitable infill pattern might give you a different slicing that might be faster to print.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/20 | 698 | 2,822 | <issue_start>username_0: the [3D Benchy](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622) is everywhere. It is one of **the** top test prints if you look away from a simple cube.
But what makes the Benchy a good test print at all? It does have almost no critical dimensions that would be measurable to see if the printer is calibrated correctly!<issue_comment>username_1: the 3D Benchy isn't a specific calibration test
-----------------------------------------------
With the Benchy you don't see if your printer is calibrated in any axis, but it is a general use-case test for a model that can show you many of the issues you might face in a normal print. For all intents and purposes, it is more a general Benchmark item than a specific calibration test like a cube, stringing test, or temperature tower, where you go through iterations of a profile to dial in settings and printer properties.
the 3D Benchy is a Benchmark for printer and settings
-----------------------------------------------------
Most of the printing issues that can be seen on a Benchy are related to the print settings, though some are also related to the physical properties.
### Overhangs
The bow of the Benchy has a shape that is very conducive to seeing how much the printer can handle overhangs due to proper cooling and settings.
The arches in the sides of the cabin, as well as the back window, have a rather challenging overhang pattern (the extension needs to be larger and larger), and the front of the Benchy has a short bridge, which shows if cooling is happening properly.
The upper edge of the hull also is a little overhang, which shows how well small oversteps can be printed.
### Small Diameter
The funnel of the Benchy is of sufficient small crossection, that with bad settings it can result in printing layers upon one another too fast, which can result in bulging, misinformation, or totally blobing that area.
### Sharp corners
The front and back corners are rather sharp and can show the effects of ringing on the area next to them due to bad acceleration settings
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Benchy is cute. That goes a long way in attracting attention.
The benchy is one of the earlier STLs that was freely available to download, dating from April 2015, and was released under the Creative Commons Sharealike licence, which clearly states the requirements and limitations/requirements.
Curiously, a printed Benchy can float in still water, provided no print problems crop up. It will also sit nicely on a shelf, with no risk of rolling off and makes a nice ornament.
Links:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DBenchy> and one of the earliest download sites <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622>
---
I've had my printer for a year now, and have never printed a benchy.
Upvotes: 3 |
2021/12/22 | 629 | 2,545 | <issue_start>username_0: It seems that a Bowden extruder is the most used in all cheap 3D printers by far compared to Direct Drive that is very rare under 500 USD machines. But I haven't understood the reason, since in terms of hardware a direct drive doesn't seem to have any impact on price more than Bowden (correct me if I'm wrong).
Why?<issue_comment>username_1: As I understand it, there's really no good reason for this except "momentum". At some point in the not too distant past, a Bowden extruder was seen as an "upgrade" over direct drive, which required a bulky toolhead that was seen as limiting speeds.
(This perception was at best accurate only for delta and CoreXY machines at the time even, I think. As it turned out, Bowden doesn't let you print faster, at least not at any quality, because the nonlinear/hysteresis effects of the Bowden tube on the actual amount of material extruded can't fully be compensated with linear advance/pressure advance once you reach moderately high speeds. You can overcome this with the [Nitram Bowden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cF33iXlFqVs) but good luck finding a cheap 3D printer manufacturer willing to put in that kind of custom part!)
Anyway, all the cheap printer manufacturers jumped on Bowden as a feature, and they're slow to develop any new designs rather than just making incremental improvements and production cost optimizations to existing ones.
Since then, direct drive designs have improved greatly, and the mass of the good ones has gotten so low that it's hardly a consideration anymore except on the most extreme agility-seeking printers (designs attempting 50k-300k acceleration). Everything should be direct drive, especially since it makes things so much easier for beginners (no difficult-to-load tube, broken filament in tube, loose fittings messing up retraction, etc.)
Teaching Tech has a video, oddly named [Why direct drive is not automatically better than bowden tube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybTbuUBy2-s), where he basically concludes that it is actually better, and goes over some of the history I've touched on.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Using a bowden extruder allows the manufacturer to place heavy components lower down on the printer frame. This lowers the center of gravity and reduces the amount of movement that the hot end creates when it tracks across the bed.
This allows the hot end to move\print faster without having to reinforce the printer's frame or to include higher quality belts\motors or dampeners.
Upvotes: 2 |
2021/12/24 | 3,190 | 7,655 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a 3018 Pro CNC and being trying cutting a contour of a simple circular part:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/w3mDe.png "Screenshot of Fusion 360 model and route")
G-code:
```
(TestKnobContour)
(T1 D=1 CR=0 - ZMIN=-3 - flat end mill)
G90 G94
G17
G21
G90
(2D Contour1)
Z15
S5000 M3
G54
G0 X10.8 Y0.1
Z15
G1 Z5 F10.0
Z1 F10.0
Z-2.9
X10.792 Z-2.938 F10.0
X10.771 Z-2.971
X10.738 Z-2.992
X10.7 Z-3
X10.6
X10.562 Y0.092
X10.529 Y0.071
X10.508 Y0.038
X10.5 Y0
G2 X9.851 Y-3.634 I-10.5 J0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X8.983 Y-5.436 I-9.851 J3.634
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X3.301 Y-9.968 I-8.983 J5.436 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X1.351 Y-10.413 I-3.301 J9.968
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X-5.735 Y-8.795 I-1.351 J10.413 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X-7.299 Y-7.548 I5.735 J8.795
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X-10.452 Y-1 I7.299 J7.548 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X-10.452 Y1 I10.452 J1
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X-7.299 Y7.548 I10.452 J-1 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X-5.735 Y8.795 I7.299 J-7.548
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X1.351 Y10.413 I5.735 J-8.795 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X3.301 Y9.968 I-1.351 J-10.413
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X8.983 Y5.436 I-3.301 J-9.968 F10.0
G1 Z-2.75
G2 X9.851 Y3.634 I-8.983 J-5.436
G1 Z-3 F10.0
G2 X10.5 Y0 I-9.851 J-3.634 F10.0
G1 X10.508 Y-0.038
X10.529 Y-0.071
X10.562 Y-0.092
X10.6 Y-0.1
X10.7
X10.738 Z-2.992
X10.771 Z-2.971
X10.792 Z-2.938
X10.8 Z-2.9
G0 Z15
M5
X0 Y0 Z0
M30
```
Candle shows that everything is fine for this G-code:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jZ4p3.png "Screenshot of Candle software")
However, I am getting weird results (see top right):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/76m5S.jpg "Photo of milled circles with irregularities")
What can I do for troubleshooting?<issue_comment>username_1: It is hard to be sure from the picture. When I wrote this answer, material you were cutting looked like clear plastic. When I reviewed it now, the material looks more like aluminum. It doesn't really matter, since the melting point of aluminum is well within the range of both high speed steel (HSS) and carbide.
What follows is a list of possibilities and things to check.
1. check the mounting of the spindle. Does it hang rigidly as you push the tooltip in x, y, and any point in the circle, or does it tip more in one direction than another? This could be caused by a loose mounting screw.
2. Are you actually cutting, or are you melting the material? It is very easy for a tool, especially a tight spiral 4-flute tool, to heat above the melting/softening point, and to then push through the material rather than removing it as chips. Using a tool with fewer flutes at a slower speed can sometimes help. You may also want to cool it with some water -- not enough to make a mess of the machine, but enough to help cool the tool. This happens easily with plastic, and also with aluminum. I have several times had to peel bits of solidified aluminum from inside the flutes of a carbide cutter.
3. It doesn't look like backlash. The 45-degree angle is curious. To see if it varies with or without load, try putting a marking pen in the collet and draw similar circles. It doesn't look like a primary software or hardware problem, since the inner circles were round. Only the outermost circle has the flat spot.
4. If the departure from a circle is only under load, reduce the load. Step the tool into the work by 1/2 of what you are doing now. How does that change the result?
5. Chips remaining near the cut can join in the melt. Try blowing compressed air on the cut while it is cutting, both for cooling, and to remove chips.
Some things it is unlikely to be, if the shape was intended to be a complete circle, and if the outer pass is the last pass performed:
* Skipping steps due to insufficient stepper motor torque
* Belt slipping (or lead screws skipping)
* Loose belts or backlash in mechanical shaft connections.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Parts of the circle are at different heights. When I rendered your 30 or so actual G1 and G2 lines, here's what I got. It looks like a circle from above, but form the sde you can see depth changes. What are those coordinate lines with no G0 ot G1 or G2 or G3 command for?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fbVWo.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EctYT.png)
=============================
Okay, here's a simple gcode I just made by hand do to something similar. Granted, I used all nice round numbers, but this is an example of what I think you're looking for. You'll have to change it as needed; perhaps more paths if your tool is less wide; more iterations at deeper depths, or even different coordinates. Enjoy.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZT0gD.png)
```
G0 X30 Y30 ; move to start XY
M3 T12 S50 ; spindle on 50%
G1 Z-0.5 E1 ; down to depth1
G2 X50 Y50 J20.0 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y30 E1 ; corner
G1 X30 Y35 E1 ; move inward
G2 X45 Y50 J15 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y35 E1 ; corner
G1 X30 Y40 E1 ; move inward
G2 X40 Y50 J10 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y40 ; corner
G1 X30 Y45 ; move inward
G2 X35 Y50 J5 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y45 E1 ; corner
G1 X30 Y50 E1 ; move inward
G0 Z 10 ; move up to clear
M3 T12 S0 ; spindle off
```
=================================
Or, if I've made a mistake and you want simple circles:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pPuvg.png)
```
G0 X30 Y30 ; move to start XY
M3 T12 S50 ; spindle on 50%
G1 Z-0.5 E1 ; down to depth1
G2 X30 Y30 J20.0 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y35 E1 ; move inward
G2 X30 Y35 J15 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y40 E1 ; move inward
G2 X30 Y40 J10 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y45 ; move inward
G2 X30 Y45 J5 E1 ; arc
G1 X30 Y50 E1 ; move inward
G0 Z 10 ; move up to clear
M3 T12 S0 ; spindle off
```
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I've ran the code on my own CNC machine. I slightly adapted the code as my machine doesn't understand the movement without the instruction code:
```
Z1 F10.0
Z-2.9
X10.792 Z-2.938 F10.0
X10.771 Z-2.971
X10.738 Z-2.992
X10.7 Z-3
X10.6
X10.562 Y0.092
X10.529 Y0.071
X10.508 Y0.038
X10.5 Y0
```
is changed to
```
G1 Z1 F10.0
G1 Z-2.9
G1 X10.792 Z-2.938 F10.0
G1 X10.771 Z-2.971
G1 X10.738 Z-2.992
G1 X10.7 Z-3
G1 X10.6
G1 X10.562 Y0.092
G1 X10.529 Y0.071
G1 X10.508 Y0.038
G1 X10.5 Y0
etc...
```
As I used an engraver bit, I made sure the depth was touching the wood (engraving) when running at the lowest depth. The contour it drew was a perfect circle.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aYvdw.jpg)
The code is therefor working as it should (carve a circle, in the photo above, the circle started at the hole in the top left and followed a clockwise path), the result from your milling exercise shows that the final segment of the circle is not giving you a circle segment, instead the milling path is sort of straight. I've seen such paths where the steppers are not powerful enough to mill through the material. As a result they skip steps, and in this case it results in a sort of straight path. You should try running a dry run (in air), or in softer material (this will determine if the code is producing a cirlce in your machine as well), and add more passes to milling the knob (for the final product).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2021/12/25 | 803 | 2,787 | <issue_start>username_0: Every time I try melting a scrap piece of plastic it ends up turning brown, smelling, and smoking before even melting down completely. My entire home ends up filled with cancerous fumes and there's no way I'm baking any food in my oven ever again. I've tried different types of Nylon, ASA, and PLA and all of them turned brown before properly melting. I placed the scraps inside a glass jar inside an oven and tried both slowly increasing the temperature, and placing it into the preheated oven.
Absolutely disgusting.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TaFHz.jpg "Glass jar with burnt melted plastic")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0QNUQ.jpg "Baking pan with burnt melted plastic")
I would like to melt it into blocks or cylinders or planes and further process it with my lathe, my CNC mill, bandsaw... whatever, like this guy:<issue_comment>username_1: Plastic in general and 3d printer plastic specifically doesn't really melt so much as get softer in a range of temperatures (in a state refered to as "plastic" rather than liquid). Below that range, it is a solid. Above that range, it decomposes and ultimately burns.
If you want to make a solid block, you need to not only heat it to a specific temperature (which varies by plastic formulation), but also press it into a new shape.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Your kitchen oven is for food. I'd strongly recommend using a different heating device for this. Your oven probably has oils in it that are contaminating the plastic, and the plastic will make your later cooked-food contaminated. I suggest cleaning your oven before cooking food, too.
Personally I've had good luck **softening** PLA with a hot air gun, essentially a workshop version of a hairdryer. I've not tried forming it into shapes though.
I've been putting all my offcuts, bad prints, brims etc into a 2L icecream tub, and when its full of spidery bits, a 20 second heat with hot air shrivels it all down to 1/4 of the volume.
However I've not tried to make use of the resulting lump for anything.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: PLA starts to char at about 220 °C. However, it also starts to soft at about 100 °C and becomes sloopy (and printable!) at 180 °C. Putting the oven to anything above 180 °C will, with the heating cycle an oven undergoes, result in air that is above the temperature it degrades into burning plastic.
keeping the temperature at or below 180 °C should prevent charring - you will have to take time though, as the plastic will flow only slowly on its own.
Upvotes: 2 |
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