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BigCode 967

2016/10/07

<issue_start>username_0: On my Reprap-like 3D printer, I routed all the wires to a spot near the base; for the motors, endstops, thermistors, etc, I plugged them all into a [DB25 breakout board](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00V7S79BW), and that's working great. For my Extruder (12v), and my heat bed (16v), I'm using a 4-pin molex connector -- like we used to use for old hard drives and such, and it's working, but it gets a bit hot, and my print bed is having trouble reaching temperatures that it didn't have trouble with before. -- None of the wiring gets hot at any other point, and none of the other connectors get hot. -- The only thing that gets hot is this one molex connector. I believe the heat is caused by passing too much current through that molex connector. -- I'm curious to know what other connectors might be better suited to this task. Can you recommend something that's worked well for you, or others? I prefer not to double or triple up this connector if it can be avoided, so that I can just have one physical connector to disconnect there, and so that I don't end up mixing them up. -- also, being able to easily disconnect it is important (it's hard to work on the reprap if I can't spin it around or turn it over, etc., that's why I'm using connectors for everything).<issue_comment>username_1: You might be able to use one of the connectors (Deans Ultra, EC3, XT-60/30, Bullet) that are normally used for RC models. They're made for very high currents. The XT60 connectors depicted below are rated for 60A continuous (well above what you'd need for any heated bed); their smaller XT30 cousins are good for 30A but less commonly available. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LwWw6.png) (Photo by <NAME>) For your extruder you wouldn't need anything quite as drastic as an XT60, even a simple JST connector would suffice (though if you are going to source XT60/30's for your heated bed anyway, you might use them here as well). [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uhsNc.jpg) (Wikimedia Commons, Mike Mahoney) Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I agree with Tom's answer about RC connectors. Another good connector option worth considering is Anderson Powerpoles. * They're "modular" so you can use them to assemble connectors with multiple wires. * They crimp instead of solder (I really recommend the special crimping tool if you plan to use these regularly) * They're more expensive * No male/female, you use the same connector on both ends so you never run out of either male or female ends. * The small size is a little larger than an XT60 connector. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uSmdJ.jpg) Both good options depending on your specific needs. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I've had great luck with "G16 aviation connectors" -- easy to find with a Web search, and they come in any number of pins from 2-10 (the 10s are a little harder to find). Round (so easy to panel-mount), metal barrels, locking ring so they don't come loose. If you get ones with a couple extra pins, you can double up on pins without having to double up on actual connectors. I used a 4-pin for the hot bed (2 power, 2 thermistor); 10-pin for the extruders (4 motor, 2 heater, 2 thermistor, 2 fan), and 8-pin for each axis (4 motor, 4 limit). Upvotes: 2

2016/10/08

<issue_start>username_0: This is something I've ignored for awhile, but it keeps cropping up, and occasionally, if the filament snags real good, it can mess up a great print half way through, etc. Basically I have my filament spools hanging on a PVC pipe mounted directly above the printer, and the printer just sucks it in from the spool, but occasionally it becomes knotted at the spool, or becomes otherwise tangled. I'm thinking even if I completely unwrapped and rewrapped all of my spools so there was no trace of a tangle, what's to stop it from happening again? -- What's a good strategy for managing this kind of issue? **Edit:** From some of the answers below, it seems that maybe the travel of my X carriage back and forth could be why my spools keep getting tangled. -- It looks like many people have their spools at about 90 degrees from mine (rotated relative to the Z axis of the printer), so that the travel of the X carriage won't have that affect. -- Also guides, etc are probably a good idea. Here's my current setup for reference (filament removed): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsCOe.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Always keep track of the loose end of the filament. It's either in your extruder, or fixed to the spool (either with a clip or clothespin or just by threading it through the holes which are usually in the rim of the spool, provided for just this purpose). The only way a spool can get tangled is if you let go of the loose end of filament. Though not technically *tangled* your filament can also get stuck if the spool does not properly unwind (and the filament gets wrapped around the axle that supports your spool). Make sure your spool can rotate on its holder easily (ball bearings are not needed, a simple round axle is enough). Make sure that your printer pulls on the middle of the spool, and not sideways. If necessary, could build a guide (such as a small ring or tube for the filament to pass through) to keep it centered. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I had the same problem with my FFC dual. Consider using some kind of retaing clip to hold the spool in place, so it doesn't move back and forth on the post. This [spool holder](https://web.archive.org/web/20170127154947if_/http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:923340) worked for me: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PGssw.png) Another thing that can help is to make sure you are pulling the filament from the middle of the spool. [This](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:409297) worked for me: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pQ5aD.png) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: When I first set up my printer, the spool was able to spin freely. Filament was making loose coils on the outer layer of the spool. Snags happened frequently. I decided that not allowing the spool to spin faster than the rate draw of the filament might improve the way the filament was feeding. I put more physical distance between the spool and the machine. The filament stopped bunching up in loose coils on the surface of the spool, and the snags went away. The increased amount of slack between the machine and the spool seemed to absorb the "overshoot" of the filament draw and the spools became much better behaved. I also was able to run the spool down to the end more consistently than before. Not everyone has extra room to use, and not all extruders are conveniently oriented, so moving the spool further away from the machine won't work for everyone. I believe a guide or some sort of dampener would serve the same function, if the underlying problem is the spool loosening up enough to where loops of filament get caught under others and then snag. What worked for me was to stop the spool from "racing ahead" of the rate of draw and loosening up enough to snag. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I used this solution, it makes a lot of sense, because I store the filament back in a box and the tip endup getting knotted. Upvotes: 0

2016/10/10

<issue_start>username_0: What materials, available as filaments for use in FDM printing, are known to be the most physically and chemically inert? In particular, stability (not necessarily simultaneously) in the presence of the following should be assumed: * pH 0-14 * oxidizing agents (ozone, permanganates, dichromates, acidic hydrogen peroxide) * organic solvents (particularly acetone, methanol, toluene, formamide) * temperature up to 160 degrees Celsius * pressures between ~10^-7 torr and ~2 bar * oxygen or argon plasma<issue_comment>username_1: PEEK, a plastic known for its superior chemical and physical resilience (<http://www.zeusinc.com/materials/peek/chemical-resistance-chart-peek>), has been successfully used for filament-based printing (<https://3dprint.com/52713/indmatec-peek-fdm-printing-filament/>). However, it is unlikely to be an option on most existing printers given its high melting temperature (around 343 degrees Celsius, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEEK>). Though it does not meet all the criteria proposed (for instance, its glass transition temperature is around 143 degrees Celsius), overall it is a fairly good choice. Teflon, an obvious choice, unfortunately has a decomposition temperature very close to its melting temperature, and appears to be unsuitable for extrusion. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Tough set of requirements and definately pushing into the professional domain. I would recommend checking out **ULTEM 1010 Resin** which is similar to PEEK but has a higher glass transition temp of 215 °C. [Check out the spec sheet from Stratsys.](http://usglobalimages.stratasys.com/Main/Files/Material_Spec_Sheets/MSS_FDM_ULTEM1010.pdf) I hope this helps. :-) Upvotes: 2

2016/10/12

<issue_start>username_0: I'm looking for any idea of what could cause this problem. I'm printing (1.75mm PLA @ 220C) a 14cm x 14cm box, sliced with Simplify3D. Relevant settings are 3 bottom layers, 3 top layers, 3 outline/perimeter shells, and 15% orthagonal infill every other layer. The first 3 layers print fine. Here's the first (bottom) layer after removing the print and turning it over: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/S45eF.jpg) The infill (layers 4-10) also prints beautifully (see left side of photo below). But the moment it starts printing the next layer (layer 11, the top layer of the bottom of the box), which should be solid fill exactly like layers 1-3, it starts underextruding and generally looking like crap: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPScE.jpg) The first time this happened, I figured the nozzle got clogged or the extruder gear started slipping. This is not the freshest PLA, so maybe it was a PLA quality problem. But the same thing happened at the same layer when I tried it again. And again. And again. As soon as I cancel the print I can have it extrude 5cm of filament and it's fine, no clogs...and if I immediately start another print it again perfectly prints layers 1-10. So it doesn't seem to be the extruder, the nozzle, or PLA quality. I can't imagine the "stress" of laying 7 layers of infill could screw up the next layer... I just can't figure out how layers 2 and 3 could be basically perfect, but layer 11 is consistently a disaster, when they should be almost the exact same gcode (only a mm apart). I looked at the gcode and it's basically identical for layers 3 and 11, including same feedrate (G1 F2250). This is on a DeltaMaker printer with a new E3D Lite6 hot end. Can add more details if needed, but basically I'm just looking for an idea of what could cause this. Update: Just tried a different roll of PLA and got the same results.<issue_comment>username_1: I doubt this is a printer or filament issue. Rather, I suspect it might be related to how your slicer handles *bridging* scenarios (which basically is what laying down layers over infill is). You could try to: 1. Increase the infill percentage and/or use an infill pattern that provides better support for the top layer (so that it isn't allowed to sag as much). You will probably still se *some* sag, but that is usually covered up by the next layer. Adding print cooling might also help here. 2. Adjust the bridging settings in your slicer software. If under extrusion is the main issue, perhaps you could try to increase extrusion for bridges? I am no expert with Simplify3D, and I suspect that the default settings actually might be pretty good. I would therefore try option 1. first. Perhaps someone else here can give a better answer related to your slicer. :-) Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The infill percentage is a bit low. Even with infill percentages that are higher than 15% (I use 25%), a single layer on top of infill will not create a good top. It takes at least two and looks really good with three. The first layer is often patchy looking! If you're stopping your print after one layer, and have more layers to go, maybe let it continue and see if you are more satisfied with it after the second or third layer. If you only have one top full coverage layer in your model, then I believe you will need to configure one or two more. Sometimes too high of heat will cause the layers after the infill to looks sparse and sag, so temperature (as always) is a factor for covering infill. :+) Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Two things. First for a first layer from infill this is not unexpect. This is why you do 3-4 shells with such a sparse infill. Most of the time we also have the first layer at a slower speed. Often we will get to this point and the difference in flow can be contributed to the temp to speed ratio. Try increasing your temp, or decreasing your solid layer speeds. I recommend starting with a basic calibration STL. You can find them on thingiverse. Start with single wall, upgrade to a square, hollow square, etc. Also increasing either number of top shells and or infill percent will also help. 3D printing is all about balancing 20 settings. I think of it like a performer spinning multiple plates. That said all about baby steps. But to answer your question. Ignoring that this is exactly what I would expect even from a well calibrated printer on the first layer post infill. layer 1-3 is that the first layer is very slow. The extruder has built up a backlog of melted plastic. Assuming you are running too cold or too slow for some different types of printing (infill, solid, bridging, solid infill) you will slowly run out. Then suddenly you hit this solid layer and it needs a LOT fast. But it can only melt plastic 90% of what you need. Then less will come out. A good sign this is happening is if there is a lot of plastic shavings by the geared extruder. (if it can't melt then it stalls and the extruder shaves the plastic) Upvotes: 2

2016/10/12

<issue_start>username_0: I am new to 3D printing. I have just put together my own 3D printer with some help. I was advised I shouldn't print directly onto the aluminium plate - I assume it's aluminium. 1. The manufacturer did give me a piece of matrix board (i.e. no cooper at all) to print on. Will this work well? 2. If glass is better, does it have to cover the entire bed? My bed is 275 mm deep by 220 mm wide. I'm struggling to find glass for it that will come within the next few days. The only custom cut was on eBay and it's going to take over a week to arrive.<issue_comment>username_1: Printing on glass is very common because it is very flat and leaves a very smooth finish on the bottom of prints. The perfboard will also work fine, but is not an as common choice because prints are harder to remove from it. Printing directly onto the heater PCB is uncommon since it is usually not flat enough and you may damage it while removing the print. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Obviously being in a rush can limit your options, but here are a few thoughts: **Quick solutions:** * **Blue painters tape** (as Carl mentioned) will work directly on your heated bed...assuming it's a flat piece of aluminum with the heating element under it. Your surface does need to be flat. * **Acrylic plate** will work but is best with no heat, or low heat. PLA sticks to it. It's easy to cut and easy to find at local hardware stores. * **Scrap glass** is fairly easy to find for free and it's [not that hard](https://youtu.be/cfdrgrOH50Y) to cut...or buy some at your local hardware store and have them cut it. Just be careful, it's sharp. You can sand the sharp edges (wet sandpaper) to make it safer. **No, it doesn't have to cover the whole plate, but obviously covering the whole plate would normally be preferred.** **Better (but not as fast) solutions:** * **Buy some custom tempered glass.** I like [One Day Glass](https://www.onedayglass.com/) because they're fast and very capable. Like Tom says, many many people print on glass because it's nice and flat and stiff. It's also easy to clean and holds up well. You can print on the bare glass with many materials or use various preparations like PVA (glue stick or white glue diluted with water are popular), hairspray, or others. * **Touch Screen Glass:** Some people like replacement glass for tablets or touch screens because it has a hardened scratch-resistant surface. I've not tried it, but if you can find one that is the right size, it might be worth a shot. * **Specialty products:** There are many many print bed products out there that promise an easier/better printing experience. I've used a few that are okay...definitely better than blue painters tape, but I much prefer my current favorite... * **My current favorite is PEI.** Use a 3M 468MP adhesive sheet (it handles the heat well) to stick a thin sheet PEI (also sold under brand name Ultem) on top of your glass plate. I got this idea from Lulzbot and it's what they use on all of their printers. It works beautifully. Common filaments stick to it while it's hot and release easily while it's cool. For other filaments I just use PVA like I would over glass. For material printing tips and settings that work well on PEI beds, check out Lulzbot's site. When it starts wearing out or getting scuffed up, I just sand it with fine sandpaper and I'm good to go for another hundred prints or so. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I have been printing for over 2 years directly onto the 3 mm Aluminum heated bed platform using a touch of PVA based print adhesion spray 3DLAC or Dimafix (see e.g. [this answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/6861/) on question "[Should you use hairspray on a metal bed 3D printer?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3710/should-you-use-hairspray-on-a-metal-bed-3d-printer)"). I've obtained best results with 3DLAC. Works like a charm! Always good adhesion and a very shiny and flat surface finish. I have not found any downsides of printing directly onto the Aluminum, I find it very easy as I do not have to fight that dreadful tape (application, bubbling, tearing, etc.). Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: In Russia, a common coating for an aluminum plate is masking paper tape. Instead of ordinary glass, we often use a mirror, it is smoother. Hair spray, sugar syrup and beer are also used as adhesives. It is not joke - their residue is sticky and can be rinsed off. Upvotes: 2

2016/10/14

<issue_start>username_0: I have a QIDI Tech 1. It has a heated bed, and a cooling fan attachment. Whenever I print without a raft, the first inch or two of material laid down does not adhere to the bed, but the rest of the first layer is flawless. I have tried speeding up and slowing down the first layer walls, but the problem remains. It also seemed to get a little worse when slower. I also tried not turning on the cooling fan for a bit to see if maybe the material was cooling too quickly, but that had zero effect on it. I'd like to avoid using tape and other methods since the rest of the print is perfect, and the bed already has a material on it to aid adhesion. What else can I try to prevent the dragging for the start of the print?<issue_comment>username_1: I've had this problem in the past with a Flux Delta printer. The first attempt to resolve it was to always use a brim along with a raft. The brim will often have settings to allow number of passes as well as number of layers. If you are not using the brim to provide adhesion, you still can use it to prime the nozzle. Later versions of the software allowed for start g-code which moved the nozzle to the edge of the print area and extruded 10-40 mm of filament, also providing for priming the nozzle. You've not noted what slicer you are using. You may find there are suitable locations to position the head to an unused area, run a few mm of filament, then begin your print. Amazon Q&A says your printer accepts g-code, which implies the slicer generates same. In combination with a brim, you may have your solution. I've also found that you have a heated bed. If you have a cold spot on the bed, adhesion may be a problem, although I think that is not the case, based on your description. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **I'd recommend using the "skirt" function** if you're not already. The idea is to print a few perimeter layers around where your part will be, but not actually touching your part. Most slicers support this and you can choose how much skirt you want to print. This addresses the issue you mention, and it purges old filament that has spent too much time in the nozzle. As an added bonus, it gives you a good indication that your print location, print height, and first layer adhesion are all good. Upvotes: 2

2016/10/17

<issue_start>username_0: There is this great hotend called a [diamond hotend](http://reprap.org/wiki/Diamond_Hotend#Benefits_of_this_design), which can be used to print in 3 colors and mix them into hundreds? of colors. This can for example be used with Red, Green and Blue filament to mix a RGB palette. They don't have to be these colors, but I believe RGB would give the maximum range of colors when constrained to 3. However true RGB in physical printing would use separate colored [voxels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voxel) to create the appearance of a color, just like monitors display colors. As far as I know only HP Jet Fusion 3D printer uses this process, but it uses a process vastly different from normal diy 3D FDM printers. CMYK is mixed physically like you would mix watercolors together to make new colors. It is used for printing on paper by **all** laserjet and inkjet printers (and in printing presses). So that means even the 3 input diamond hotend is actually mixed like CMYK. Repetier firmware v92.9 has this built in with support up to 16 inputs for a nozzle, but Marlin firmware v1.0.x only supports 4 inputs per nozzle at this time. Using RGB for the 3 inputs of a hotend, means the printing color palette lacks White and also it seems that CMYK would give a bigger range of colors. That brings our tally to 4 inputs. It still needs a white filament to print white, so that means 5 inputs. And while we are at it, probably a 6th input would be useful: like for printing black infill (to save using CMYK to mix into black) or for using transparent filament or elastic filament. So why isn't there a nozzle with 5-6 inputs already? Could it be done? Are there such hotends already? P.S These are just theoretical assumptions. I just discovered 3D printing and I am in the planning phase of building my first 3D printer, so I am a total n00b in this. Please correct any assumptions I got wrong.<issue_comment>username_1: You may be a bit misled here. First of all, you do **not** want "RGB" , as those are additive colors such as used when combining light sources. You **do** want "RYB" (red-yellow-blue) or the more accurate CMY(plus K just to get a 'truer' black) for subtractive colors. Next, there's really no reason to attempt pixel-mixing. What should happen, ideally, is that pigments get fully mixed upon extrusion so that the desired color is actually in place. Pretty much any pixel-based setup will not "blend" into the desired visual perception. And as you propose, you really need a White and a Black to adjust the saturation (take a look at the Wikipedia pages on Hue and Saturation color maps). So I'm not convinced that separate extrusion heads will ever get you a decent color continuum. I don't know if anyone has, or is planning, a multi-input, single-output head but I'd sure like one. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can find a full color hot end with CMYK+White if you look here <https://www.reprap.me/diamond-fullcolor-hotend.html> Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: So whilst this is not quite what you were talking about I think this is the closest to the effect you’re looking for that I’ve seen. <https://www.xyzprinting.com/en-US/product/da-vinci-color> This da Vinci printer uses a CMYK inkjet to colour a white filament as its being extruded. This allows for very quick changes in colour as well a nearly infinite combination of colours. This means it only needs a single extruder and hotend but obviously the hotend needs to be built to allow the injection of pigment from the inkjet. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/17

<issue_start>username_0: If the hot-end is at ~0 on the Z axis and I go to level it, as it approaches X = 0 it begins scraping along the bed, then when moving back to probe the center of the bed (after homing X to 0) it will scrape the bed again. I want to add a glass plate but am worried this aggressive homing will smash the glass. How can I fix it? The printer auto-levels and runs Marlin.<issue_comment>username_1: Sounds like you need a different sensor? You have a lot of issues from the sounds of it. Also no code so cannot comment on your settings. If it always scrapes the bed (sorry but its really unclear what is going on) then lower your sensor a bit.. Best I can give you with the provided info. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Marlin has a `Z_RAISE_BETWEEN_PROBINGS` setting that allows you to, well, raise the Z-axis before it moves to the next probe point. Increasing this value may solve the issue. Auto leveling only compensates for skew of the bed, but it doesn't compensate for a non-planar bed. If your bed is bowed (apparently you're not using glass yet, so I assume you have a plain PCB which is quite susceptible to this) and due to this is higher in some spots than others, then the auto leveling may cause the hotend to scrape the high spots of the bed. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I realised the simplest fix for this shortly after posting the question. In either your slicer or your printer controller (I use octoprint, so I added this there) add to the starting G-code something to lift the head so that it is above the point it is scraping across. For example, change your starting G-code from something like: ``` G28 ;Home all axis G29 ;probe bed ``` To ``` G91 ;Set to relative positioning G0 Z10 ;move head up by 10mm G28 ;Home all axis G29 ;probe bed ``` (obviously remove G29 if you do not have a probe) 10mm should be more than enough to lift by unless you have something seriously wrong, but you can adjust the figure as needed. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: You need an offset to protect your XY movements for Z=0 even if the plate is planar or angled; for example my sensor is made for 10mm height from plate but measures 4mm due the plate is aluminum. The nozzle needs to be at least 1mm or 2mm below the sensor level. If I adjust the nozzle at 4mm or more this will be scratch the plate if any level variation on bed exist. So I set an offset and Z safe movement on Auto homming, adding 3 or 4mm. When I press AutoHome the nozzle rise up to the safety level even if the nozzle is touching the bed. You don´t need the Z=0 to start printing, when you Use the code G29 the printer will check the predefined test points to get the right Z=0 according the angled plate; if your plate is warped you will need a lot of test points but is much better to change it. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: You can always add to the starting code as told in an answer above. Also for the scrapping, you might want to set Z\_HOMING\_HEIGHT to prevent further damage to the hotend. If the Z axis is below the homing height, on homing x or y will first cause z axis to travel to the homing height and then proceed with homing of x or y axis. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/17

<issue_start>username_0: In 4D printing technology or by means usage of Shape-memory alloy (non-metal, iron based, copper based or NiTi material) for 3D printing. Is there any software simulation tool which I can use to simulate this material change behavior with respect to time? For example, when introducing a change in humidity or temperature. Note: It would be best if the simulation tools targeted automotive parts (power train, cooling system, interior & exterior etc.).<issue_comment>username_1: I am going to say that this probably is a whole dimension out of scope for this group ;-) That said this new type of 3d printing is still at the University level. Also 4d is not necessarily 3d printing related at all. All it has to be is self assembling. Like <http://www.selfassemblylab.net/4DPrinting.php> Unless you have a connect with MIT. Then you aren't going to be simulating any 4d models. But if you HAD to do this, then you should write a paper about it and become a researcher. You could get published. You might need a PHD in material science. There might be some simulation in solid works.. but I would say you are mostly on your own and have to develop the models as they simply do not exist, especially outside of academia and stratasys. That said if you take the "4d" part and use models based on the current understanding of the raw material you would have more success. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: If there is simulation software for this it is likely proprietary and not being distributed at this point. The materials themselves that are capable of self assembly (4D) are still in experimental development, and this there is not really anything to simulate. A simulation needs the properties of the materials that will be used, but these materials do not exist in mass production, they are still being custom made in labs. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: (preface : I originally intent to write this as a comment, but the volume limit reached. In that tone, I'll utilize this answer space writing it..) > > to simulate those material change behavior in respect to time? > > > COMSOL, ANSYS or equivalent ring a bell to be.. as long as you have the material properties (young's modulus, density, thermal transport & expansion properties, color?) right. Also. depending on your actual implementation resolution (nano-scale production.. macro/mini-lego sized assembly), you may want to adjust the mesh size for the finite element method solver. > > software for 4D Printing > > > If your 4th D refers to time.. then the discussion ends here. If your 4th D is a space (not time) dimension.. Then you need to convert your 4D geometric object into a 3D shadow (just like generating the normal 2D shadow from a 3D geometric object) 1st to proceed. just like an 3D object (eg cube) can have multiple equivalent 2D form (or shadow). The same applies for 4D to 3D. Once you get the 3D coordinates of the chosen 3D form, you may print it as usual. Software wise.. mathematica (are used in the some of the example I've seen, others unknown/selfcoded) or equivalent will do.. but the key here is not the software.. it's the visualization algorithm. If you can get the "shadowing" algorithm done right, any 3D/math software will do. p/s : I didn't expect the materials modelling question coming when I read the title (I really thought this question refers to extra space dimension) .. but yeah.. why not. It's a good postgraduate/research topic to take on. ( : Upvotes: -1

2016/10/18

<issue_start>username_0: I have my nozzle close to the substrate that I am printing on, so that a piece of paper can just about slide underneath it freely, without catching. Is this the right way to do it?<issue_comment>username_1: Using a piece of paper won't guarantee you get exactly the "correct" height (because different papers have different thicknesses, and it's hard to determine exactly when it no longer catches on the nozzle) but it gets the bed level and the distance will be close to correct. You can then further adjust the height by observing the first layer and making adjustments based on whether you see the first layer being squished down enough or too much. The babystepping feature (if enabled) is very useful for this. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Traditionally, using a piece of paper (about 0.004" thick) gets you close to your appropriate standoff. However, if you adjust your layer thickness, your standoff should reflect this. Ideally, you will set your standoff **roughly** with a piece of paper or other type of shim stock, then "fine-tune" the standoff during a benchmark print. If I'm remembering correctly, the ideal standoff is 1/2 to 2/3 your desired layer height. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: If I may, I'll recommend heartily joining (or peeking at) the [Reprap](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1068531466501015/?ref=bookmarks) group on Facebook. They have a bunch of 'help' files there, including one on how to level the bed. In particular, it suggests doing the final height setting and levelling at the intended operating temperature so as to avoid any thermal expansion "surprises." One inherent problem is that the stock limit switches are terrible for position repeatability. Well, not 'terrible,' but enough slop that the first layer or two may be a bit too close to the bed in some circumstances. I'd recommend at the least making sure the Z-stop is locked down good and tight once set, and then if you want to get more precise, look into other proximity or opto-sensors. I haven't done that yet so don't have any specific recommendations. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: This photo isn't exact, but may help Edit: Whoops! Forgot to include source. This is from the Wanhao User Manual/Build Guide. I can't quite find the webpage at the moment. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUC45.png) Upvotes: 3

2016/10/18

<issue_start>username_0: What are the methods to auto eject parts (into a collection area/box/basket) in order for the 3D printer to continue printing? For some reason this feature isn't common (yet?). Is there a hidden reason why? Will using the print head to ram the part off the build plate into a basket nearby cause the print head to misalign (if using belts). I am planning to use a Cartesian XY-Head type (like CoreXY) printer, where the build plate moves along the Z axis and XY axes are on the ceiling of the printer using belts to move the print head.<issue_comment>username_1: From the standpoint of a hobbyist user with a mid-range machine, my answer is based on the model release from the build plate. With a heated clean glass plate, my model will *almost* always release once the plate has cooled. The "almost" aspect means that if you want to use the print head to push the model clear, you will be confronted with a stuck model occasionally. The amount of force applied by the head may be enough to release a stuck model, but "may be" is not going to be sufficient. Especially with a core-xy system (used by my Emblaser laser engraver), you can either toss a belt or cause a stepper motor skipping. More powerful motors will reduce the skipping possibility, but not the belt jump problem. You could consider to add one additional motor with a sweep arm, geared in such a manner as to provide the necessary torque, along with a force sensor to register a model stuck so badly as to be impossible to dislodge. Your g-code would be written to lower the bed to the appropriate location to allow the sweep arm to operate, while the force sensor would be tied into the pause/stop circuit of your controller. Some controllers already have the ability to manage an additional motor, as some are manufactured to provide for dual extrusion. If such unattended operation is going to be a requirement, you'd also want some form of aborting a failing or failed print. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: While the "best" method is probably unanswerable since it would be based on very specific requirements and subject to change as soon as a better method were devised, here are some feasible methods to auto-eject 3d printed parts. Some of these are methods that I've considered for my personal use, others have been mentioned by others and added for helpful reference. Some have been done, others have not (I think), but all of them are feasible. **Scrolling Conveyor-type Bed:** * In this concept, parts become dislodged from the print surface as it is deformed around a roller in the process of scrolling to the next position. Scrolling bed designs must make allowances to prevent parts from lifting up the bed material which becomes an issue especially with warp-prone materials. Note: This is the basis of the [Automated Build Platform](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4056) (ABP) originally designed (as far as I can tell) by <NAME> and later covered in several patents by Makerbot Industries. **Deforming Bed:** * In this concept, the bed is mechanically deformed when the part removal temperature has been reached. This deformation dislodges the part which can then be easily swept off of the bed by an arm or similar mechanism. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.) **Articulated Segmented Bed:** * In this concept, the bed is comprised of several strips. Slightly lowering a portion (let's say half) of the strips would separate them from the part, then slightly raising that portion would separate the part from the remaining strips. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.) **Eject and Replace Bed:** * This method ejects the entire bed surface along with the finished parts and then receives a fresh print surface for the next print. This method would likely still require intervention to remove parts from used print surfaces and then return them to the clean stack. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.) **Plow:** * This method mentioned by Fred\_dot\_u and AllanL uses a specially designed plow arm to sweep parts off the bed between prints. This method has been effectively demonstrated in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-5-a2NN2Vk) by New Valance Robotics Corporation that was mentioned by AllanL (thanks!). **Issues using print head to eject parts:** While this method has been tried, and demonstrated (see below), it has some challenges/drawbacks. * Typical FDM/FFF 3d printers are not designed to apply significant force behind print head movements. While a printer designed specifically for this purpose could be built, using a typical printer in this way is extremely likely to cause the stepper motors to loose steps and result in loss of position accuracy unless parts separate very easily. (however, position could easily be regained by zeroing via limit switches between prints.) * In addition to skipping steps, mechanical issues such as ratcheting/skipping belts or unwanted frame movement could result from even moderately stuck prints. **Examples of pushing or ramming parts off of bed:** While using various parts of the printer to push parts off of the bed may not be an ideal solution, it may be an adequate solution for specific circumstances. Here are a few demonstrations of the "ramming" method. * Ramming parts off with frame and moving bed [like this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnme8Tx00bg) * Ramming part with robust print head [like this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LcDqVwJYvo) * Ramming easy to remove part with print head [like this.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jgEx-ICjwA) Interesting question. I hope this helps! Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Here's a wild idea. Since you're planning to have a bed which only moves in the Z-axis, build a roller system which feeds a thin, flexible layer of some material (unobtanium, I fear) to cover the build plate. The feed rollers have a weak spring to provide some tension to keep this layer flat but not overly stretched while building the part. When the part is done, lower the bed to zero while allowing the roller to retract excess parts of the sheet (rollers on both sides of the build plate will have to do this). At zero, lock down the rollers and move the bed to some negative Z position, causing the overlay sheet to pop free of the bed and ideally pop the printed parts loose as well. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XRhXu.jpg) Hey, it "could" work! Upvotes: 1

2016/10/19

<issue_start>username_0: I did calibrate the extruder to extrude exactly 50/100 mm and it is fine. I have replaced the old (prehistorical) extruder that was giving me the problem with a new one. The issue does not go away. It is severely under extruded. The nozzle is a 0.4 mm, if I extrude manually the extrusion is nice and clean but when printing its a mess. I have the following setting in Slic3: * Layer height: 0,16 * First layer height: 0,16 * Filament diameter: 2,94 * Extruder temperature: 184°C * Extrusion multiplier: 1 * Fill density: 15% In Marlin I have the following setting for the extruder: * Steps per unit: 1450 (I use micro steps) * Default acceleration: 3000 * Default retract acceleration: 3000 * Default Ejerk: 5 How can I solve this problem? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2axcC.jpg) This is a 20 mm cube I stopped after 15 layers! Here is another 20 mm cube, the dimensions are perfect but is absolutely a mess. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZTMq.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Looks to me like you have your slicer set to 3mm filament when you're using 1.75mm filament. Confirm that your slicer has its filament setting set to 1.75mm and not 3mm (this obviously assumes you are using 1.75mm filament..) Failing this: * Test extruder steps/mm * Ensure nozzle diameter is set correctly (usually doesnt make too much difference anyway...) * Ensure extrusion multiplier is set correctly. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Assuming your filament dimension settings are correct and your extruder is correctly calibrated... **Your extruder temperature may be too low.** While 184C can be hot enough, it is very near the bottom of the range for PLA and it appears your filament isn't melting quickly enough to keep up with your other settings. Your extruder may even be running slightly cooler than you think so your 184C setting may actually be printing at 180C or less. **To solve this:** * **Raise your extruder temperature.** I suggest raising your print temperature to 220 degrees and then gradually lower it until other aspects of your print quality are acceptable (bridging, oozing, etc). * **Slow down your print.** Slowing down reduces the volume of melted plastic your extruder has to deliver in a given amount of time. This allows more time for the plastic to melt and allows you to use a lower print temperature **Your filament feed mechanism may be slipping.** Even if you have adequate temperature and perfectly calibrated firmware and print settings, if your filament feed mechanism (the thing that pushes filament into your extruder) is slipping, you will have under-extruded parts. **To solve this:** * **Make sure you have adequate tension on your filament feed mechanism.** If your feed mechanism is too loose, filament may slip and cause under extrusion. The part to check is the part the pushes the filament into the rotating hobbed bolt or friction wheel...make sure it applies adequate pressure. "Adequate pressure" or "adequate tension" will vary depending you your printer's design, but it should be enough to provide a firm grip on the filament. * **Verify your feed mechanism is clean.** A hobbed bolt or similar filament drive mechanism that has become clogged or otherwise contaminated may cause filament to slip and under-extrude. * **Ensure the end of your filament is not damaged from slipping.** Once your filament has slipped, it may be damaged with a worn spot, a bulge, or some other defect that can prevent proper feeding even after you fix the root cause of your problem. So, as tbm0115 pointed out, be sure to clip off the damaged end to make sure you have good filament feeding into your extruder. I hope this helps! Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Short addition to the already great answers: Check whether the gear wheel on your extruder motor axle is spinning with the motor. It can seem to be quite fixed, but when under load the motor is turning nicely but the gear slips on its axle. Upvotes: 2

2016/10/21

<issue_start>username_0: I had a problem with my Z limit switch bracket falling just short of the bottom edge of the z stage. I'm trying to make the bracket thicker so it's pushed more towards the left. 1) how do I measure the thickness of the bracket in the stl 2) HOw would I make it thicker if it is indeed too thin [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/U1iy4.gif) It's might to be mounted standing up right. I want to make it thicker x axis (if it's stood up)<issue_comment>username_1: Looks to me like you have your slicer set to 3mm filament when you're using 1.75mm filament. Confirm that your slicer has its filament setting set to 1.75mm and not 3mm (this obviously assumes you are using 1.75mm filament..) Failing this: * Test extruder steps/mm * Ensure nozzle diameter is set correctly (usually doesnt make too much difference anyway...) * Ensure extrusion multiplier is set correctly. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Assuming your filament dimension settings are correct and your extruder is correctly calibrated... **Your extruder temperature may be too low.** While 184C can be hot enough, it is very near the bottom of the range for PLA and it appears your filament isn't melting quickly enough to keep up with your other settings. Your extruder may even be running slightly cooler than you think so your 184C setting may actually be printing at 180C or less. **To solve this:** * **Raise your extruder temperature.** I suggest raising your print temperature to 220 degrees and then gradually lower it until other aspects of your print quality are acceptable (bridging, oozing, etc). * **Slow down your print.** Slowing down reduces the volume of melted plastic your extruder has to deliver in a given amount of time. This allows more time for the plastic to melt and allows you to use a lower print temperature **Your filament feed mechanism may be slipping.** Even if you have adequate temperature and perfectly calibrated firmware and print settings, if your filament feed mechanism (the thing that pushes filament into your extruder) is slipping, you will have under-extruded parts. **To solve this:** * **Make sure you have adequate tension on your filament feed mechanism.** If your feed mechanism is too loose, filament may slip and cause under extrusion. The part to check is the part the pushes the filament into the rotating hobbed bolt or friction wheel...make sure it applies adequate pressure. "Adequate pressure" or "adequate tension" will vary depending you your printer's design, but it should be enough to provide a firm grip on the filament. * **Verify your feed mechanism is clean.** A hobbed bolt or similar filament drive mechanism that has become clogged or otherwise contaminated may cause filament to slip and under-extrude. * **Ensure the end of your filament is not damaged from slipping.** Once your filament has slipped, it may be damaged with a worn spot, a bulge, or some other defect that can prevent proper feeding even after you fix the root cause of your problem. So, as tbm0115 pointed out, be sure to clip off the damaged end to make sure you have good filament feeding into your extruder. I hope this helps! Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Short addition to the already great answers: Check whether the gear wheel on your extruder motor axle is spinning with the motor. It can seem to be quite fixed, but when under load the motor is turning nicely but the gear slips on its axle. Upvotes: 2

2016/10/22

<issue_start>username_0: I am new to FDM RP. I've done a lot of work on ZCorp and Connex. The question is can vectors curve drive an extrusion nozzle? Within a 3D volume I can generate curves that I want the print nozzle to follow. Is this possible or has it been done? If so, what software or is there a hack? Another question is, can you print a part with no sidewall or containment boundary?<issue_comment>username_1: Vectors do not drive the extrusion nozzles in current software. There are methods to take vectors and create a solid model with them which can be used. The standard workflow is to take a solid model, save it in the STL format, and then import the STL file into the slicing software and outputs Gcode with contain coordinates for the extrusion nozzle to move to. I have not seen any software that will create just the infill geometry without any bounding surfaces. This would be such a specific use case that it is unlikely to appear in current software. That is not to say that it couldn't be done, but you would likely have to implement such a feature yourself. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Just for the fun of it and perhaps to contribute to this question, I opened my recent task in Simplify3d slicing software. Setting the perimeter walls and top/bottom surfaces to zero did not generate an error as I expected. The print preview, essentially a g-code viewer, presented the model as only the honeycomb infill for which it was configured. Having zero layer thickness for the top/bottom also prevented features from printing that were composed of only walls without infill. Small details that otherwise print well were lost completely. I can see that properly designed models printed with certain infill patterns and percentages would be quite artistic. With respect to the first question, one could create a program to accomplish the desired result if one were an experienced programmer. It would be a matter of converting a specific set of vectors into g-code for the printer. I'm familiar enough with g-code to know that a well defined curve is easy enough to create in g-code but only if the mechanicals support arcs. If not, it's not so easy. The conversion from a vector format file to g-code would require a talented programmer indeed. I suspect there are talented programmers "out there," but one must be suitably skilled and equally suitably motivated, yes? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nH6uq.jpg) Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It's not difficult to write software that converts a curve to gcode (break the curve into small lines and emit a G1 command for each line) - however, it's way easier to work with solids since the toolchain supports solid really well and curves not at all. Just create a solid with your curve as a wall and everything works. For the second question, no top/bottom works with every slicer I tried (set the top/bottom to 0 layers/height) - Cura seems to support no walls by setting shells to 0 (but I only checked layers view, I didn't try to print). Upvotes: 1

2016/10/22

<issue_start>username_0: I have been using PLA filament for two years now and have had good prints. ABS on the other hand has not been so good, so my choice of filament is PLA. I am getting ready to do a sign for the American Legion and the colors are black, blue, and red and are 0.8 mm thin. The black letters are 4" x 2.5", blue are 3" x 2" and the red are 7.75" x 5.5". I plan to treat them with UV protection spray and attach them with clear epoxy to white back lit Plexiglass. As the letters are quite thin, my question is how well will this hold up in the weather? The sign hangs on a pole that points east & west so the letters will be facing north and south. The original was painted with spray paint and the red paint south side faded to the point you could hardly see it at all. The sign had been there for some time and was done at a professional sign company.<issue_comment>username_1: I printed a handle for a rather big rolling door in natural PLA (From Fabberparts) - no UV protection. It's on the weather side of the house and is exposed to direct sun half the day. And after three years cycling to all the German seasons it's still absolutely fine. Also, Wikipedia told me that PLA has good UV resistance - so you should be fine IMHO. Here is a good blog post about your question: [Using PLA for Long-Term Outdoor Applications](https://www.iepas.ucar.edu/using-pla-for-long-term-outdoor-applications/). Update: After ~ 8 Years the door handle ist still fine. Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: Keep in mind that PLA has a much lower temperature point, where is starts getting flexible. I once had PLA-printed parts in my car in the summer for three hours and when I came back, they where bent. I don't know about the weather conditions in your local environment, but if you experience hot temperatures and your sign is hanging in direct sunlight, I would suggest to make sure you secure the letters against bending (e.g. cover them with a coat of epoxy or something like this). Upvotes: 2

2016/10/22

<issue_start>username_0: Not quite sure what's happening here. I printed it as a single ball and had this effect. I thought it might be a cooling issue so I printed 4 at once but the issue still occurred. If I size the ball up, the problem reduces. Note that the hole is supposed to be a cylinder. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/owZtw.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like it is trying to fill in what might be small gaps and is putting blobs down because the gaps to too small of a detail to accurately fill. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: In order to exclude a cooling issue, you could try printing a larger object alongside the spheres. Something that has a constant cross-section and is at least as high as the spheres. I have had issues when printing objects with a sharp tip, even printing 8 at once the total amount printed on the top layers was not enough to let the material cool before the next layer. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It looks like possibly a combination of too high of extruder temperature and poor retraction. 1. First, try ***reducing your extruder temperature***. PLA ideal extruder temps range from about 185C to 225C; depending on purity, quality, and climate. This can help prevent additional oozing and clogging. If your extruder clogs easily, you probably have too high of temperature. 2. After you've verified you have correct extrusion temperature. Try ***finding/adjusting retraction settings*** in your preferred slicing engine. Here's a good troubleshoot page from [Simplify3D's website](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/#blobs-and-zits). Upvotes: 2

2016/10/22

<issue_start>username_0: I recently changed the printhead on my DeltaMaker from stock to an E3D Lite6, and am struggling to get back to my original quality, reliability, and repeatability. I thought I had gotten the recipe pretty close to dialed in and tried a bigger print last night. It turned out pretty good in most respects except for where vertical structures rise up from the horizontal surface (and a retraction/stringing issue that I didn't think was but perhaps could be related). The screw hole mounts seem well-designed to me: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4IgaU.png) No 90 degree transitions - I would think this would be the least of my problems. But last night they had serious problems: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZXNsE.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/USaAE.jpg) I haven't seen a problem like that before. Extrusion rate seems basically perfect - why does it look like it just stopped extruding around the perimeters? I'm using PLA filament and Simplify3D 3.1.0 slicing. Settings: * 0.35 mm nozzle, 0.40 mm extrusion width, 1.05 extrusion multiplier * 0.15 mm layer height, 3 top, 3 bottom layers, 2 perimeter shells (maybe should try 3?) * 30% infill, 60% outline overlap, 110% infill extrusion width * Temp is 220°C (thermocouple wedged between nozzle and heater block reports about 206°C when thermistor says 220°C) * Print speed is 2700 mm/min (45 mm/s) Has anyone seen this issue before? UPDATE: Increasing outline overlap from 60% to 90% *almost* fixes the problem (at least visually if not structurally) - there's just one small hole at the base of each structure. (I stopped the print a few layers after the problem layers do ignore the tops.) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YW5JW.jpg) Going to 99% (Simplify3D's max) would probably get rid of those last holes but I have to think that maxing out S3D's outline overlap setting to just barely make the print work means I haven't found or addressed the true root cause...<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like the first layers that are making the vertical transition do not have enough to stick to and are curling up. Are you using a cooling fan? Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Since you said you don't have a cooling fan, try lowering the temperature on your print head to something like 205. The strings in the first and second picture also occur more often when the print temperature is too high as well. The layer time gets really small at that transition, so make sure the print speed is slowing down while printing that part of the object and pausing in between those layers to allow for cooling. It looks like the plastic is still molten and is being dragged around too me. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/24

<issue_start>username_0: When I design parts that must fit in each other, I usually keep in mind that prints are 0.2-0.5 mm wider than expected (depending on material) and I size the parts accordingly. However, sometimes I design the whole part and then I slice it with planes or lines. In these cases I need to push/pull afterwards each contact surface manually by the same amount (0.2-0.5 mm) and that is a time consuming task. Another option is to use a cutter to remove the outer surface layer (basically I remove the rigged surface, making it smooth again) but it's not safe and even more time consuming. How can I quickly generate said controlled gaps on the contact surfaces between two objects, but not on the rest of the object? to make it everywhere I could use shells, I guess, but I don't need that on the whole object.<issue_comment>username_1: Unfortunately, 123D Design doesn't have such a feature. You could select multiple surfaces and push/pull them all at the same time though. Remember, your 3D Printer's slicer should have an option to undersize or oversize holes and walls, to help reduce/remove the effect you talk about. It's called size correction, I think? Simplify3D Has it, atleast. You might have to tweak this for every filament type, though. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: AFAICT Push/Pull faces is the closest thing to what you're looking for. eg: In OnShape there is an "offset face" command that allows applying such an offset to multiple faces at once: [How to add tolerances/gaps in OnShape?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16596/how-to-add-tolerances-gaps-in-onshape/16597#16597) Unfortunately I'm not aware of a way to do exactly the same thing in 123D Design, but I'm far less proficient with that tool (as username_1 [noted](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/3717/29031), though, it is possible to just select multiple faces at the same time and manipulate them all together, which is somewhat similar) Upvotes: 0

2016/10/24

<issue_start>username_0: A lot of consumer desktop FDM printers come with a 0.4 mm nozzle. I'm looking to print fine details objects and I was considering trying to use a smaller size nozzle. But before I do so I would like to establish a list of downsides and unwanted consequences.<issue_comment>username_1: Here are some things to look out for when switching to a smaller nozzle size: * **Curling** (out of the nozzle): Make sure the nozzle is clear of any debris to avoid the extruded filament from catching and therefore curling around the nozzle. * **Warping**: You might experience more warping on the build plate and delamination between layers as a result of the smaller surface area of the layers. * **Reduce speeds**: You should reduce your print speeds anyways when printing fine-detail objects. However, the smaller nozzle size will need a bit more time to adhere to other objects (see above). * **Standoff distance**: The distance between the nozzle and build plate, a.k.a standoff, should be a bit smaller with the nozzle size. Typically people use the paper reference (using a piece of paper to "calibrate" the standoff), which is about 0.004". * **Make sure your slicing engine knows the change!** Most slicing software will allow you to adjust the nozzle size. This can also be used to fine-tune your machine. * **Beware of clogging**: Clogging is usually a result of poor cooling between your heater block and your drive gear, poor filament quality, and/or incorrect extrusion rates. You might want to perform a benchmark print with the new nozzle to "rediscover" which temperatures work best with the new "basin" volume in the nozzle. I'm sure there are many others, but this should help get you started. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In addition to the [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/2974/5740) of [username_1](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98/username_1); special care has to be given to the strength and stiffness of the model. Lines are thinner and thus when using the same amount of walls and infill percentage, the walls will be less stiff. This requires a higher percentage of infill or more walls to counteract this phenomenon. Obviously, this will cause the print to take longer. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/25

<issue_start>username_0: Are there any 3D printing services or something similar to 3D print or injection mold light reflectors? I'm trying to find something that is similar to PCB printing that allows you to upload a 3D design of a reflector and they will produce this reflector and coat it with mirror surface.<issue_comment>username_1: I would not recommend extrusion printers for this, because they are unlikely to produce a smooth enough surface. To get a clean surface, the irregularities have to be a fraction of visible wavelengths, which is to say on the order of 0.01 micron. Without knowing what sort of reflector you're thinking of (flat? spherical? parabolic?), it's hard to recommend a specific optimal, cheap approach. All in all, you're probably best off looking in standard catalogs such as Edmund Optics. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can make flat reflectors with glass panels or acrylic panels and apply window mirror film. Ordinary window glass might be less expensive than acrylic and many places will cut to size, but unusual shapes might not be an option. The mirror film is relatively easy to apply and the packages have instructions included. For the hologram pyramid you referenced, one could 3d print the bracket at the base. If your design is different, yet similar, that's an option for relatively easy construction. 100-200 pieces is really too small of a quantity to justify expensive injection molding. If the part is not too complex, one could create the model with 3d printing, then build a silicone mold around it, followed by pouring polyester or epoxy casting resin to make larger quantities. A better idea of the shape would be useful, but the information I've provided may head you in a practical direction. Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]

2016/10/26

<issue_start>username_0: Has anyone succeeded in installing the auto bed levelling on a Rumba board with Marlin firmware? I have the last stable version [1.1.0 RC6](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases/tag/1.1.0-RC6). I would appreciate some direction especially about: * How and which pin to activate for the servo? * How to test it with G-code before I move to settings of the probe sequence? I have only installed the hardware for now (5 V servo) connected to Ext. 3 (EXP3): * Pin 2 (+5V); * Pin 4 (GND), and; * Pin 6 (PWM), [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg) but I cannot move it with the G-code command `M280 P0 S180`. I have no idea where to put my hands on firmware to get this going. However my ultimate goal is to set the ABL.<issue_comment>username_1: General note, I do not have this board so I cannot test these steps myself, read the documentation in configuration.h, it is very detailed and should guide you pretty well. I am specifically looking at Marlin 1.1 RC7 on Github, so the lines below may vary slightly from what you see. As to the pins to connect on the board for the servo, pins\_RUMBA.h is where they are defined/mapped. For other boards, there is a pins\_[your\_board\_name].h that will define the pins for any given board. The default Servo pin for Rumba is: ``` #define SERVO0_PIN 5 ``` Pin 6 appears to be used for a third extruder heater. ``` #define HEATER_2_PIN 6 // EXTRUDER 3 ``` In configuration.h you must uncomment (delete the slashes "//" at the beginning) the lines and fill in your stow and deploy angles in the second line for the servo. Find these lines under the Z probe options heading. ``` //#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0 //#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles ``` Define your probe offsets from your extruder nozzle: ``` #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] ``` Based on your comment for using two z end stop switches, there is an option you must enable to use the standard end stop switch for homing, and only use the probe end stop for mesh bed leveling type operations. The config.h file has a lot of information on this, please read it for your own and your printers safety. Uncomment this line: ``` //#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP ``` and comment this line: ``` #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN ``` Then set the carriage height to allow the z probe room to swing down and move: ``` #define Z_PROBE_DEPLOY_HEIGHT 15 // Raise to make room for the probe to deploy / stow #define Z_PROBE_TRAVEL_HEIGHT 5 // Raise between probing points. ``` For autobed leveling uncomment: ``` //#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_FEATURE // Delete the comment to enable ``` Then set probe points corners: ``` #if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID) #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 20 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170 #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // The Z probe minimum square sides can be no smaller than this. ``` Set the number of points to probe in each direction (x and y), default is 2, so it will probe 4 locations, the other common choice is 3, so it will probe a grid of 9 locations. ``` // Set the number of grid points per dimension. // You probably don't need more than 3 (squared=9). #define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID_POINTS 2 ``` That should be everything you need for a basic setup, although there are more options that I did not go through. Please look at all the documentation comments in configuration.h file as it is very comprehensive, even if it can be a bit confusing. I hope this helps! Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **For future reference.** My issue about the servo not moving was caused by a wiring mistake. The Exp. 3 has 14 pins has per this diagram. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4yyn.png) However when phisically looking at the board, what you see is this: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/51eF6.jpg) I took the first 2 pins on the right of such connector and the 3rd one of the first row thinking that I was connecting pins 2-4-5 of Exp. 3. I was wrong, because the first 2 (1-2) pins are not part of Exp. 3. The right way to connect the servo is as following: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDWcX.jpg) Then use PWM1 (pin 5 Ext.3) I decided to leave trace of this issue and the relevant solution for someone that may experience the same issue. Upvotes: 2

2016/10/28

<issue_start>username_0: I'm a novice in 3D printing. I have a [Lulzbot Kittaz 3D printer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_Objects#LulzBot) with a hexagonal hot end of 0.35 mm. I have printed a test subject, and while I was printing I encountered this extrusion problem. I'm using ABS with 230 °C hot end temperature and 85 °C bed temperature. What kind of problem is this and how should I rectify it? I took this photo when the printer printed the first layer: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HtTv4.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: It looks like you are not extruding at the correct rate. I would check your slicer settings for nozzle and filament size. Also check and calibrate for your filament diameter. It looks like you could be getting better adhesion too. Lulzbot recommends a 110C bed temperature. That might help. (lulzbot.com/store/filament/abs under specifications) These are some good resources to troubleshoot prints, [RepRap](http://reprap.org/wiki/Print_Troubleshooting_Pictorial_Guide#Insufficient_Material) [All3DP](https://all3dp.com/common-3d-printing-problems-3d-printer-troubleshooting-guide/) [Simplify3D](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/#extruding-too-much-plastic) Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: As Jmb2341 suggests, this *over extrusion* could be due to an excessive feed rate. However, I would also like to add the possibility of your Z-height during the *first layer* being too close. For instance, if your *first layer height* is set to **0.4mm**, but your print head actually moves as close as **0.2mm** from the bed, there will be twice as much filament extruded than what it is actually room for below the nozzle. This, in turn, will *appear* like over extrusion, while the issue actually is your Z-leveling/height. In general, unless you are using a *raft*, the amount of first layer over extrusion will often have to be balanced with the prints ability to stick to the bed. In other words, over extrusion during the first layer improves print stickiness, so that close bed leveling gives sticky prints but first layer over extrusion; while, distant bed leveling gives loose prints with more accurate first layer extrusion. If you are wondering whether what you are seeing is over extrusion due to excessive feed rate or too close bed levelling, then you should try to inspect the extrusion of the *top layer* of some of your prints: If the top layer looks fine, your bed is leveled too close; however, if the top layer is over extruded as well, then your feed rate is too high. Good luck! Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Two things come to mind. First it is the first few layers. You could have the head Smashing into the print bed. Causing a massive build up of plastic the first few layers. And or you have over extrusion. 1. Take a piece of paper. you want the distance from the head and the bed to be that width. Just enough friction to feel a light drag. 2. After that verify that your first layer extrusion multiplier is under 1.5. 3. Make sure you are extruding the correct amount. Take a ruler. Mark out 100mm. Have it extrude 100mm. Correct feed rates accordingly. 4. Next check plastic diameter by taking the average over 10 samples over a meter of plastic. Enter accordingly. 5. Then last you might have temp a bit high. Drop it a few degrees. Not a huge factor. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/29

<issue_start>username_0: I have an old Solidoodle 2 that I bought broken from a garage sale that I am converting to use RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin Firmware. All the motors work correctly, I am just having issues getting the endstops to work. I am using a regular limit switch with NC going to the signal pin and the other to ground. I have this switch plugged into first header column for X-min. My endstop configuration is currently: ``` //=========================================================================== //============================== Endstop Settings =========================== //=========================================================================== // @section homing // Specify here all the endstop connectors that are connected to any endstop or probe. // Almost all printers will be using one per axis. Probes will use one or more of the // extra connectors. Leave undefined any used for non-endstop and non-probe purposes. #define USE_XMIN_PLUG true #define USE_YMIN_PLUG true #define USE_ZMIN_PLUG true //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false // coarse Endstop Settings #define ENDSTOPPULLUPS // Comment this out (using // at the start of the line) to disable the endstop pullup resistors #if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS) // fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN //#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE #endif // Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup). #define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop. ``` I have X-min enabled and inverted. When I send an M119 (endstop status code) I recieve: ``` Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED ``` And then when I press down the X endstop with my hand I get: ``` Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED ``` -No change. There is no mechanical failure with the switches, I've tested it with a continuity tester. I have even shorted the signal and ground pins on the Ramps board with a jumper wire and I still haven't seen any change. Where is the fault at?<issue_comment>username_1: try uncommenting the following lines to enable endstop detection on all pins for troubleshooting. ``` //#define USE_XMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_YMAX_PLUG false //#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG false ``` This way the M119 will show any changes. The only thing I can think of is that either the switch is plugged into the wrong pin on the ramps board (Max instead of Min) or the switch doesn't require the pullup (your could try commenting that back as a second test as well) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Yesterday I has same error with board MKS Robin Nano with Marlin 2.0.6. Try to find and uncomment this definition: ``` #define ENDSTOP_INTERRUPTS_FEATURE ``` Failure was in disabled endstop interrupts and broken part of code, which going to home and unchecks endstop status between steps. But if you activated endstop before sending homing command - it will work as needed. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: After fighting with this for a while, I found out on the end stop pins, if coming from another setup like mine, you need to switch the ground pin to the center of the connector and the 5 volt pin to the pin it is reading, for example 1.29 pin on skr 1.4. Once you do that then it will read the status of the pin. Upvotes: 1

2016/10/30

<issue_start>username_0: I'm using the Marlin firmware (1.1.0-RC7 - 31 July 2016) for a 3d printer. Currently the printing is not perfect due to slight inaccuracies in movements along the x and y axis. I'm trying to change the feedrate for speed along the xy axis whilst the printer is in operation to make sure the printer stops on time and prints accurately. I have some code for controlling the feedrate but the problem is that I'm not sure where I am supposed make these adjustments. In the configuration.h file I see this code: (lines 742 and 753 ) ``` /*line 742*/ #define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (50*60) /*line 753*/ #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec) ``` I'm probably misunderstanding something but it seems like this sets the feedrate to a default value which is the same as the maximum. If the feedrate changes during printing I'm guessing it would be done in Marlin\_main.cpp but I'm not sure which part it actually changes. Can someone point me in the right direction here?<issue_comment>username_1: You have the lines to adjust the feed rate. The first one (line 742) is relevant to the maximum feed rate XY while homing (not during printing). I think this is not an issue in your particular case and you may leave it as it is. The second one (line 753) is the feed rate while printing for XY. Particularly the numbers in the brackets refers to ( X, Y, Z, E). If your printer is moving it may affect XY more than Z and E. So you may try to adjust the first two numbers. Due to the very specific situation is impossible to give you a feed rate based on calculation because you are dealing with external accelerations caused by the mobile situation. You will need to try and adjust it until you get right. Another setting that may also help you to compensate the external acceleration, if any, is the acceleration of those two axes.You should find two lines like these: ``` #define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {1500,1500,50,250} #define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 1500 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves ``` However the acceleration of the axes may impact on the quality of the printing. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You can change the *maximum* allowable feedrate in Configuration.h, but the actual feedrate that is used isn't determined by your firmware. The feedrate is specified in the G-Code file. A command like ``` G0 X10.0 Y15.0 Z3.0 F9000 ``` indicates a move to (10,15,3) at a feedrate of 9000 mm/min. If F is not specified, the last used feedrate is used. You just have to provide the appropriate G-code commands with the feedrate you want in them. There's no reason to modify the firmware to get a different feedrate. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: It seems like you might be wanting to look at the steps per mm line. ``` #define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT ``` This line is where you calibrate the number of steps per mm. To calibrate, mark a point along an axis, then move that axis something like 100 mm. If it didn't move 100 mm exactly, make a change ``` (how far it moved) (how far it should have moved) ------------------ = ------------------------------ (current steps/mm) (new steps/mm) --> find this ``` Upvotes: 2

2016/11/03

<issue_start>username_0: I have been studying the differences between version 2.x and version 4 of the [P3Steel frames](https://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel) - in particular the AC08 bracket at the top of the frame which secures the top of the smooth bars and threaded rods of the Z axis on both the left and right sides. Here is the laser cut parts, for version 1.x, showing the part labelled as AC08: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2AN9z.jpg) Version 1.x/2.x has the AC08 bracket with two holes, one for the threaded rod and one for the top of the smooth bar (from the [lasercut image](http://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel_Vitamins#Lasercut_parts)): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yZMo.jpg) However, in version 4, the corresponding top Z axis bracket only has one hole for the smooth bar and just an indentation for the bearing which holds the top of the threaded rod (from [Twitter](https://twitter.com/AlvaroReyRdz/status/738406531943763968)): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZe2i.jpg) Here is a close up of the [diagram](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxUhvFbuwEAZNjA0dUhwNmFMd2c) from the [google docs repository](https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxUhvFbuwEAZfkJDUUE0bm1pTXNfMFRKemdUUzJNZ2xIT0xybFJLdmdyQV9MZGFpcG42UlE&authuser=0), listed in the [v4 section](http://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel#Frame_versions) on the RepRap Wiki page for the P3Steel, which shows the bearing assembly just apparently "resting" against the indentation: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAVUM.png) Here is the bracket shown with the bar and threaded rod (again, from [google docs](https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxUhvFbuwEAZQjkyTDM3SndMSTA/view)): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/X0fcG.png) Does anyone know why the top of the threaded rod is not secured by a hole, as it was in version 1.x/2.x? It just does not look particularly well secured. Under the list of version 4 changes, see [2. Frame versions](https://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel#Frame_versions), it is mentioned: > > The extruder no longer hits the Z axis top bracket > > > Is this the reason why the change has been made?<issue_comment>username_1: *This is mere supposition on my part, and not a definitive answer. This was posted prior to Alvaro's answer.* --- In response, or - rather - with respect to, to the comments under the question by [tjb1](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3015/z-axis-top-brackets-of-p3steel-differ-between-v1-x-2-x-and-v4#comment3919_3015) and [Tom](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3015/z-axis-top-brackets-of-p3steel-differ-between-v1-x-2-x-and-v4#comment3916_3015), I have been reading around the topic, and found some interesting articles. The excerpt below from "[An exploration of the topic](http://www.soliforum.com/topic/2342/backlash-hysterisis-and-wobble-an-exploration-of-the-topic/)", backs up Tom's argument about constraining the rods at both ends being bad practice, and explains why it is so. Whilst acknowledging that a loose, or floating end, is still an issue that needs to be dealt with, the article also states that constraining the end is not really a solution, as it can create more problems elsewhere (I have added the bold highlighting to the relevant text): > > Wobble is pretty simple. Because the lead screw is mounted rigidly to > the motor, it needs to be perfectly straight and square to the axis > its trying to move. If it's not, as the motor rotates, that offset will > be converted into an elliptical motion instead of turning in a perfect > circle. In big CNC world, as the axis is normally bolted to a > huge/heavy table which refuses to yield to this movement, it results > in breaking your motor or motor coupling (weakest point in the > connection). This is what flex couplings are designed to fix – if you > can’t guarantee a perfectly square mating between motor and axis, you > use a coupler with flex so that any movement can be soaked up in > flexing the coupler and the lead screw/rod moves in a nice circle > without busting your motor or mounts. This is true when you have a > good solid supported connection on the lead screw like you’d see on a > ‘proper’ CNC. **However on the Solidoodle, as the top end of the Z-Axis > is ‘unsupported’ and its only connection to *anything* is to the table > via a tiny little nut, its free to ‘flop about in the breeze’ so to > speak.** Even a small 0.1mm offset from center can result in a much much > greater ‘wiggle’ at the top of the screw clearly visible to the eye. > Throw in even a 0.05mm bend in the rod, and it gets further amplified. > > > Adding better support to the axis, through a taller nut, multiple > nuts, or **supporting the end, would reduce the influence of this > wobble. You do however, risk moving it to something else entirely** – > for example, making the lead screw rigid would mean that the forces > would end up moving the motor itself, potentially causing fatigue > issues with how its bolted to the sheet metal case (mine already moves > a fair bit and its ‘stock’... making the screw rigid would see the > motor having to absorb all that movement instead of half of it > disappearing in movement of the screw...). Solving the motor movement > by securing it ‘better’ to the case would mean that the movement now > gets soaked up in the motor shaft and bearing, leading to premature > stepper motor death. > > > Thus, when first posting this question, I had originally presumed that the earlier versions of the model would be superior: Due to the fact that the earlier versions secured the top of the z-axis screw mechanism, then that would reduce the amount of "flapping about" of the loose end, which in turn would result in *less wobble*. However, I had not bargained for the negative consequences (such as the increased motor wear, mentioned above). So, is the reason that the top brackets of the z-axis, in the version 4 of the frame, lost their threaded rod/leadscrew top-end constraint, therefore to prevent premature motor wear, at the expense of exhibited wobble? Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I've just seen this right now, I'm <NAME>, the designer of the p3steel v4 mod. The change was made, because with previous versions with the extruder homed, if you go up in the Z axis, the extruder motor could hit the Z axis top plate. So, in order to avoid that, I just changed the design. The bearing in the z axis is not necessary but some people prefer to use it, in order to avoid wobble in the threaded rod. Anyways, I designed a printer part to fix the bearing in the Z top plate. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2016/11/07

<issue_start>username_0: I had my printer printing fine when using the stock trigger switch as I used it to print the green bracket you see in the picture. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kxYw.jpg) My problem now is when I do a print with the sensor, it moves to 0,0 position. However in this position the sensor is hanging off the bed hence there is nothing for it detect so it crashes into the bed. As far as I can tell the nozzle is homing in the right place. How do I tell Marlin the new minimum position it needs to be in so it doesn't crash into the bed?<issue_comment>username_1: There are at least 2 options to address the problem that you have: 1. Adjust end-stops so that in 0,0 position Z-sensor would still hang above the printing table. This would reduce printing surface but allow perfect calibration 2. Mount extra metal plate at the table mount where it would not bump into printer parts and remain reachable for the sensor (perhaps with sensor relocation) when positioned at 0,0. This option requires extra space within table movement boundaries but saves printing surface. Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If using `marlin firmware` center your prints. In my case... ``` #define NOZZLE_X 8 #define NOZZLE_Y -56 ``` Then, set the Z-Probe offset from nozzle. In my case the Z-Probe is 50mm behind the hotend. ``` #define SENSOR_LEFT 0 #define SENSOR_RIGHT 0 #define SENSOR_FRONT 0 #define SENSOR_BEHIND 50 ``` Finally set the bed extra movement. As you see i added the 50mm's at the back of the bed. ``` #define XTRA_BED_LEFT 0 // Distance nozzle can move towards the left past X = 0 #define XTRA_BED_RIGHT 0 // Distance nozzle can move towards the right past X = 200 #define XTRA_BED_FRONT 0 // Distance bed can move towards the front past Y = 200 (Y=280 for large bed) #define XTRA_BED_BACK 50 // Distance bed can move towards the back past Y = 0 ``` This way once auto leveling, the probe starts with (0,0) and the hotend is 50 mm's in front and out of the bed. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: **It is not a problem** that the sensor is *not above* the build plate ***during printing*** as long as it is *above* the build plate ***during the auto bed levelling sequence***. Homing does not necessarily need to be the `(0,0)` coordinate. Usually, a printer homes on the endstop switches, from that coordinate an offset is defined in the firmware to move to the origin. This implies that (depending on the position of the sensor), the sensor may be outside the bed area when the nozzle is at the origin `(0, 0)`). Therefore, similarly, you need to tell the printer the location of the Z sensor with respect to the nozzle position in order for the printer to keep the sensor on the bed when levelling by setting boundaries for the sensor to reach. --- E.g. for [Marlin firmware](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/) the offset from homing to the bed origin is defined for an [Anet A8](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/example_configurations/Anet/A8/Configuration.h) by: ``` #define X_MIN_POS -33 #define Y_MIN_POS -10 ``` The values you should use need to correspond to the actual offset from the homing point to the origin of the bed `(0,0)`. When using an auto bed leveling sensor like you are using you should consider this remark: > > If using a Probe for Z Homing, enable Z\_SAFE\_HOMING also! > > > Un-comment the proper line in the configuration file to read: ``` #define Z_SAFE_HOMING ``` This will make the printer aware of the sensor, and home Z in the middle of the bed (default behavior, but can be changed), so that your sensor is never off the bed when probing the bed for Z homing. Furthermore, you need to set the offset values of the center of your sensor to the nozzle center: ``` * Z Probe to nozzle (X,Y) offset, relative to (0, 0). * X and Y offsets must be integers. * * In the following example the X and Y offsets are both positive: * #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 * * +-- BACK ---+ * | | * L | (+) P | R <-- probe (20,20) * E | | I * F | (-) N (+) | G <-- nozzle (10,10) * T | | H * | (-) | T * | | * O-- FRONT --+ * (0,0) */ #define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER XXX // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle] #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER YYY // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle] #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] ``` Where XXX and YYY are your actual values. And set the boundary of the probing section: ``` // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 190 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170 ``` Note that the values should match your bed size! And: ``` // The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters). #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 ``` Details on setting the boundaries of the bed to keep the sensor on the bed is described in question "[How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?](/q/8153)". Upvotes: 2

2016/11/08

<issue_start>username_0: We all know (or should!) that the repeatability of common spring-arm limit switches is crappy at best. I'm looking to build & install one of the precision height adjusters for the Z-axis limit switch, and noticed a post on some forum suggesting removing the arm and triggering the switch button directly (e.g. with a screw end). Has anyone tried this, and if so has the repeatability of Z-homing improved any? Edit ---- Sorry -- this is a stock Prusa i3, which depends on physical contact between the vertically-moving subassembly and a microswitch mounted on the frame.<issue_comment>username_1: No. Buy a better switch if it's an issue (see below). You would need to have some very tight tolerances to hit that micro button with whatever your arm is. If you had a machine with good tolerances you would not be considering this modification. That alone is why I would say this is not the greatest idea. Following it might work if your Z is connected to the hot end and smashing into the bed. But I suspect you will still have a myriad of issues, such as the switch getting out of position enough to cause the head to crash into the machine. The real question now is how many rotations of the Z axis could happen if the printer is moving at maximum speed and the button is pressed? That metal arm is your grace period. Now your printer is potentially smashing into the switch. Lastly, just get a switch with a more solid and less springy metal tab. The real question is whether there is actually a variance caused by the metal arm? I would suspect that it hits the switch very precisely, consistently and within an acceptable tolerance. Removing the arm will buy you little. Replacing it with a stiffer-arm switch might serve you better. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: While I haven't seen this on a Z axis for a printer personally, there is no reason it wouldn't work, and would improve your repeatability in theory. Removing the arm on the switch is taking away the lever. Going back to simple machine mechanics, the lever gives you a larger range of motion in which the button could be triggered, with the tradeoff that you get a larger target to hit. How much of an improvement depends on the exact switch, where the button is compared to the axis of the switch, and how long the switch is. My Shapeoko 3 CNC router has a switch for all three end stops that do not have arms, and my Original Prusa i3 mk2 has switches without lever arms on X and Y axis endstops, so there is is no reason it won't work for your i3 Z axis, you just need to make sure you can accurately hit the small button on the switch. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The answer to this question is, no, taking the lever off will not do anything improve repeatability, but it will improve accuracy of the Z Axis. I have tried both ways, actually 4 with a Duet Wifi. 2x 8mm Leadscrews, 0.9 Stepper, Calibrated at 800 Steps per MM. 1. Full lever size: After actuation I have to baby step up my Z Axis 13 x 0.05mm to let go, and then 13 of the same baby steps back down to actuate it. 2. Short lever: After actuation I have to baby step 0.05mm 10 times, 10 more times to let go. 3. Small enstop button only: 3 x 0.05mm baby steps is all that is needed. 4. Larer button from roller lever endstops: 10 x 0.05 baby steps needed both ways. The large endstop button only surprised me, thought it would be more reliable. It is a bit more difficult to make the small button approach work, and it will increase the likelihood for failure and machine damage though. Upvotes: 1

2016/11/09

<issue_start>username_0: I finally manage to setup the ABL on my Prusa. I run G28 to home all axes (for z I use the same probe used for ABL). Then I run G29 E ( I use E because otherwise for some reason I have not understood yet, Z does not lift during probings) probing 4 points on the corners of the bed. finally I get the map of the bed: ``` Bed Level Correction Matrix: +0.999999 +0.000000 +0.001233 -0.000005 +0.999992 +0.003905 -0.001233 -0.003905 +0.999992 ``` and after that, the print starts. The first layer looks perfect however I have not seen Z moving a single step along the printing. Any hint about what to check? Is the obtained map indicating that the bed is already too leveled to act on any compensation? **UPDATE** I printed a 180 mm diamater cylinder and the Z axis is not compensating the 1mm difference from edge to edge of the bed.<issue_comment>username_1: I believe that the matrix is shown transposed from how it should be, but that doesn't affect the answer. The compensated Z position is derived from the original `(X,Y,Z)` position by multiplying the corresponding vector with that matrix. This means that the new Z position would be ``` Z' = 0.999992Z - 0.001233X - 0.003905Y ``` If you have a 200 x 200 printbed, a diagonal move from one corner to the other would correspond to a 1mm change in Z-height. This should be noticeable, but if perhaps you're printing something quite small you might not notice it. Though, if your first layer is perfect, I would see no reason to mess with it. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I found the issue. As I mentioned in my question UPDATE, trying to print something that cover the full bed, the ABL was not working. The issue was the Gcode I added after the G29. In fact for some reason I added a G28 X0 after the G29 and that basically cancel the data acquired in the G29. I learned something new, do not use G28 after G29! Now it is working nicely. Upvotes: 2

2016/11/14

<issue_start>username_0: When 3D-printing on an 20\*20cm, I've heard that the quality of the printings get worse if I fill out the board... Is it true? Should I keep it to small amounts at the time or doesn't it matter?<issue_comment>username_1: No, that's not (entirely) true. There might be some loss of quality if you print multiple objects at once, because when the printhead "hops" from one object to another it might leave a mark or ooze out some material. Also, a large number of retractions in a short period of time might lead to inconsistent extrusion. However, none of this is particular to "filling out the board" as it happens even if you print only two objects at a time (or even when you're printing only one object with multiple islands). It all depends on your printer (and in particular how well it handles retractions). If you're willing to do a small amount of cleanup afterwards (to remove the strings and blobs) then printing multiple objects at a time is completely viable. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This would depend on what type of printer you have and to some extent, the design of the printer. Cartesian (i3 style) - Should not have any issues printing a full bed. I have seen designs and variants of printers where the designer did not make the belts parallel to the travel axis (placing the mounting point on the carriage higher/lower than where it come off the pulley/idler) so as you move closer to the pulley/idler the angle starts to change dramatically. While not extreme, this will introduce error in that axis. H-Bot/CoreXY - Should not have any issues with a full bed as nothing is changing depending on hotend location. I know there has been some concern about keeping the gantry square on H-Bot designs due to the way the motors pull when moving in certain directions but I believe that applies to the entire print area. Both designs will have issues if belt travel is not parallel to axis travel as stated in the cartesian section. Delta (Kossel/Rostock) - Have a varying axis resolution depending on the location of the hotend. As the hotend gets close to an individual tower, the carriage on that tower has to move very little to move the hotend which depending on your pulley selection could affect your print resolution. The sweet spot for a delta in terms of speed/resolution is the center of the bed. The center is not the highest resolution but is the largest area where the resolution is relatively stable. I've tried to summarize all that I could from [here,](http://blog.rymnd.com/delta-kinematics-1/) but I've included the link if you wanted to read more about it or see the graphs. Finally, as Tom covered. All three above will have issues with the entire bed depending on your hotend calibration and how well your printer was built. Delta's are fussy about build quality but you will solve most issues on a Delta if you level the bed before using any kind of bed leveling/probing. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Just to add to the other answers already here, I've also had problems with layer adhesion when filling up the print bed on an extrusion printer. The longer the print head spends working on details around a single layer, the more chance the layer has to cool off before the next layer gets started. I've started to suspect that layers that take longer to print end up with less adhesion to the next layer. Upvotes: 2

2016/11/15

<issue_start>username_0: I cleaned up my Flashforge Creator Dual tonight, and loaded some transparent ABS prepping for a print. The filament extruded fine, then started to wiggle, then became fine again. Hot end is 0.4 mm and was heated to 230C. What sort of steps should I take to troubleshoot the issue? Has anyone seen this before? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ffssj.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: No, that's not (entirely) true. There might be some loss of quality if you print multiple objects at once, because when the printhead "hops" from one object to another it might leave a mark or ooze out some material. Also, a large number of retractions in a short period of time might lead to inconsistent extrusion. However, none of this is particular to "filling out the board" as it happens even if you print only two objects at a time (or even when you're printing only one object with multiple islands). It all depends on your printer (and in particular how well it handles retractions). If you're willing to do a small amount of cleanup afterwards (to remove the strings and blobs) then printing multiple objects at a time is completely viable. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This would depend on what type of printer you have and to some extent, the design of the printer. Cartesian (i3 style) - Should not have any issues printing a full bed. I have seen designs and variants of printers where the designer did not make the belts parallel to the travel axis (placing the mounting point on the carriage higher/lower than where it come off the pulley/idler) so as you move closer to the pulley/idler the angle starts to change dramatically. While not extreme, this will introduce error in that axis. H-Bot/CoreXY - Should not have any issues with a full bed as nothing is changing depending on hotend location. I know there has been some concern about keeping the gantry square on H-Bot designs due to the way the motors pull when moving in certain directions but I believe that applies to the entire print area. Both designs will have issues if belt travel is not parallel to axis travel as stated in the cartesian section. Delta (Kossel/Rostock) - Have a varying axis resolution depending on the location of the hotend. As the hotend gets close to an individual tower, the carriage on that tower has to move very little to move the hotend which depending on your pulley selection could affect your print resolution. The sweet spot for a delta in terms of speed/resolution is the center of the bed. The center is not the highest resolution but is the largest area where the resolution is relatively stable. I've tried to summarize all that I could from [here,](http://blog.rymnd.com/delta-kinematics-1/) but I've included the link if you wanted to read more about it or see the graphs. Finally, as Tom covered. All three above will have issues with the entire bed depending on your hotend calibration and how well your printer was built. Delta's are fussy about build quality but you will solve most issues on a Delta if you level the bed before using any kind of bed leveling/probing. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Just to add to the other answers already here, I've also had problems with layer adhesion when filling up the print bed on an extrusion printer. The longer the print head spends working on details around a single layer, the more chance the layer has to cool off before the next layer gets started. I've started to suspect that layers that take longer to print end up with less adhesion to the next layer. Upvotes: 2

2016/11/15

<issue_start>username_0: I've recently designed a non-self-aligning caged deep-groove ball bearing. Now I'd love to get one 3D printed. However, assembling those can be tricky and I highly doubt it's even plausible to print them. All the components themselves can be printed without a problem, but I'm not sure whether I'll be able to put them all together in the end. What are my options? FDM printers are probably out, although it would be great if I can find a way to use those. Would an SLA or perhaps an SLS printer be able to pull it off? Of course the thing still has to work (move) in the end. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OuWFEm.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: No, that's not (entirely) true. There might be some loss of quality if you print multiple objects at once, because when the printhead "hops" from one object to another it might leave a mark or ooze out some material. Also, a large number of retractions in a short period of time might lead to inconsistent extrusion. However, none of this is particular to "filling out the board" as it happens even if you print only two objects at a time (or even when you're printing only one object with multiple islands). It all depends on your printer (and in particular how well it handles retractions). If you're willing to do a small amount of cleanup afterwards (to remove the strings and blobs) then printing multiple objects at a time is completely viable. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This would depend on what type of printer you have and to some extent, the design of the printer. Cartesian (i3 style) - Should not have any issues printing a full bed. I have seen designs and variants of printers where the designer did not make the belts parallel to the travel axis (placing the mounting point on the carriage higher/lower than where it come off the pulley/idler) so as you move closer to the pulley/idler the angle starts to change dramatically. While not extreme, this will introduce error in that axis. H-Bot/CoreXY - Should not have any issues with a full bed as nothing is changing depending on hotend location. I know there has been some concern about keeping the gantry square on H-Bot designs due to the way the motors pull when moving in certain directions but I believe that applies to the entire print area. Both designs will have issues if belt travel is not parallel to axis travel as stated in the cartesian section. Delta (Kossel/Rostock) - Have a varying axis resolution depending on the location of the hotend. As the hotend gets close to an individual tower, the carriage on that tower has to move very little to move the hotend which depending on your pulley selection could affect your print resolution. The sweet spot for a delta in terms of speed/resolution is the center of the bed. The center is not the highest resolution but is the largest area where the resolution is relatively stable. I've tried to summarize all that I could from [here,](http://blog.rymnd.com/delta-kinematics-1/) but I've included the link if you wanted to read more about it or see the graphs. Finally, as Tom covered. All three above will have issues with the entire bed depending on your hotend calibration and how well your printer was built. Delta's are fussy about build quality but you will solve most issues on a Delta if you level the bed before using any kind of bed leveling/probing. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Just to add to the other answers already here, I've also had problems with layer adhesion when filling up the print bed on an extrusion printer. The longer the print head spends working on details around a single layer, the more chance the layer has to cool off before the next layer gets started. I've started to suspect that layers that take longer to print end up with less adhesion to the next layer. Upvotes: 2

2016/11/21

<issue_start>username_0: I've actually solved this, but I think its still a useful question which I don't think is easy to answer with existing questions. As soon as I'd built my ANET-A8 (Prusa i3 DIY kit), I found I was having problems with the extruder crashing into the bed. Although I thought I'd adjusted the bed leveling OK, the calibration seemed to keep getting messed up. I tracked this down to two factors. First, I was winding the extruder head up some distance before loading the filament and starting a print. Second, at roughly half-way up the axis, the right-hand thread seemed to be getting stuck (more often when moving up than down). What wasn't clear (and not mentioned in the building instructions) was what might cause this problem.<issue_comment>username_1: I assume you did everything according to the instructions but here is a checklist of what could be possibly wrong: 1. Friction - check if you can rotate/move parts without lot of resistance 2. Screws - check if screws on couplings are tight and they don't slide over a shaft or thread 3. Stepsticks - check if they are cooled properly and similar (as there are two of them) 4. Carriage nuts on threads - check if they do not slide out of their nests while [the x-axis] carriage goes up 5. Filament - check if filament unrolls without resistance which can eventually cause [the x-axis] carriage to hang. IMO #2 and #3 are the most possible cause [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Hd33.png) Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: So after reading the instructions more carefully, ANET do cover this in their operating instructions under **troubleshooting**. On closer inspection, I realised that the brass nut following the right hand thread seemed to be out of alignment with the stepper at the bottom. Fiddling with the flexible coupling helped a bit, but what I needed to do was place the assembly at the tight point, slacken the 3 bolts marked `SHCS` in the diagram, then tighten them again. I was expecting I might need to open out the holes, or re-make the white (factory printed) part, but this wasn't necessary. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5k8Wh.png) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: From <http://3daddict.com/anet-3d-printer-common-mistakes-fix/> The motor shaft and the threading rod must have space between them in the flexible coupler. That means unlocking the coupler from the motor shaft and moving it up a bit, in the end the threaded rod nearly touches the printer top hole instead of having like a 1cm gap. This will allow the coupler to flex, and thus should handle small misalignments of the brass nut. That's about point 2 of @darth-pixel answer, but before locking the screws, make sure to have empty space between rod and motor shaft Upvotes: 0

2016/11/21

<issue_start>username_0: [5AxisMaker](http://www.5axismaker.com/5axis/) has a 5 axis CNC/3D printer combo machine. I understand what the benefits of 5 axis are for CNC machines, but are there any benefits for 3D printing. In this [video](https://youtu.be/w8Fl8L4yk8M) they show the printer printing on an angle, but this could have been done with just linear layers. Would there be any cases where a 5 axis printer would preform better than a 3 axis printer?<issue_comment>username_1: One aspect of having this level of control with 3d printing of a model is the removal of the need for supports and the attendant post-processing. In the case of the model shown in the video, some effects are created by printing the continents in a conformal manner that would otherwise be impossible with conventional 3d printing. Cosmetically, the results of the "5d" printer are superior in this example. There would also be some structural benefit for models with high organic content, that is curves and bulges, as opposed to orthogonal designs. Even with orthogonal designs, one can achieve stronger parts with cross-layered plastic in all directions, rather than being limited by x and y filament layers. I see on the web site that one can exchange tool heads as well. One could print a 3d model, layering the filament on all the surfaces, then use a tool head change to a milling bit and smooth the surface under CAD control. Alternatively, one could use foam or wood and mill a model shape to be covered with a 3d printed material. Considering the relative novelty of this product, it's likely that many aspects of the creative utility have yet to be discovered! Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Slicing prints for printing in 5 Axis is not going to be simple with the current software. If you look at the web site for the 5AxisMaker you can see they are using Algorithmic modeling software (Grasshopper). You would probably need to buy this as well and then spend a decent amount of time learning how to use this software as well if you were going to try and take advantage of the 5th Axis for 3D printing. I have only seen Grasshopper used for 3D printing and 5 Axis used in research papers. Upvotes: 1

2016/11/21

<issue_start>username_0: I want to skeletize the surface mesh. For that I need to export .STL from Solidworks and then convert that into .OFF file to be able to use it in CGAL library for skeletonzation. How can I do this?<issue_comment>username_1: One aspect of having this level of control with 3d printing of a model is the removal of the need for supports and the attendant post-processing. In the case of the model shown in the video, some effects are created by printing the continents in a conformal manner that would otherwise be impossible with conventional 3d printing. Cosmetically, the results of the "5d" printer are superior in this example. There would also be some structural benefit for models with high organic content, that is curves and bulges, as opposed to orthogonal designs. Even with orthogonal designs, one can achieve stronger parts with cross-layered plastic in all directions, rather than being limited by x and y filament layers. I see on the web site that one can exchange tool heads as well. One could print a 3d model, layering the filament on all the surfaces, then use a tool head change to a milling bit and smooth the surface under CAD control. Alternatively, one could use foam or wood and mill a model shape to be covered with a 3d printed material. Considering the relative novelty of this product, it's likely that many aspects of the creative utility have yet to be discovered! Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Slicing prints for printing in 5 Axis is not going to be simple with the current software. If you look at the web site for the 5AxisMaker you can see they are using Algorithmic modeling software (Grasshopper). You would probably need to buy this as well and then spend a decent amount of time learning how to use this software as well if you were going to try and take advantage of the 5th Axis for 3D printing. I have only seen Grasshopper used for 3D printing and 5 Axis used in research papers. Upvotes: 1

2016/11/21

<issue_start>username_0: We are custom building a Cartesian 3D printer to be used in a production 3D printing environment, with the following requirements: * Intended Z resolution 0.13mm; * Dual extruders (primary + support material); * Four spools (two per material with y connector, perhaps add auto switch-over functionality later); * Camera; * Onboard 11" touchscreen for control & interaction, run by a Raspberry Pi 3; * Custom board based on ATMega2560 to control the printer; * Printer should gracefully handle conditions like "out of material", etc. Question: How to select firmware? Are there notable differences between the primary firmware options (Marlin/Repetier) for this setup? From the google code groups, I understand the Repetier has a much cleaner code base, and apparently gives smoother physical performance. Yet, from what I can gather, 95% of the community uses Marlin - is that correct? Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup? Edit 12/April/2017: For others looking: After much review, Klipper was selected as the most forward firmware - all kinematic calculations are done on the host computer, instead of on the microprocessor, resulting is significantly faster/smoother stepper movement.<issue_comment>username_1: Your choice of firmware depends on a lot of factors, but to name a few important ones: features, your driver board (RAMPS vs Sanguinololu vs Gen..etc), and G-code support. Smooth/quiet operation is dependent on the motors and the driver chip's micro-stepping capabilities. The way the firmware interfaces with the driver chip plays a very minor factor in that. Check this page for a list of firmware, their capabilities and compatible electronics (driver board): <http://www.reprap.org/wiki/List_of_Firmware> Would be useful to check G-code support of various firmwares also: <http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code> Also, as a note, a lot of the community uses Marlin, but for a lot of the commercial printers, the code has been modified slightly to fit their needs. There is no perfect answer to this. Check the links and compare against your needs. Marlin is the safest bet since it has the most support, though you may need to modify or reconfigure it slightly for your custom board. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: > > Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup? > > > A few days ago I came across [klipper](https://github.com/KevinOConnor/klipper). It seems to do exactly that functionality split you mention Upvotes: 3

2016/11/21

<issue_start>username_0: I've recently bought a 3D printer and waiting for it to be delivered I've given quite a lot of time to looking things up on Thingiverse. I see people create incredible models with gears, screws, lids and a lot of very cool and functional connectors (there are some project for boxes with an iris tipe lid that can be printed already assembled as a single model). I'd like to learn to do some of that as well. At the moment I have some proficiency with Blender where I can navigate the interface and sketch up some simple shaped model without any of the functional parts described above. My question therefore is: Are there any tutorials that could help me create better models? If I need to I'm ready to learn to use a software other than Blender. I've tried searching for a similar question but found nothing.<issue_comment>username_1: The answer to your question is yes, there are tutorials to help you create better models. Unfortunately, the back-story to the answer is beyond the scope of StackExchange. Don't limit yourself to Blender, especially if you are attempting to create non-organic (engineering-type) models. Blender is great for curves and bulges and bumps (and animation, and so much else) but not so great for parametric modeling. Meshmixer is a useful program, but more organic than engineering. Consider to search for OpenSCAD, Fusion 360, TinkerCAD, but also use terms such as "parametric 3d modeling software" to find a wider range of solutions to your quest. The above programs are free, there are too many paid programs to list even a small number. Oh, yeah, stay away from SketchUp for any 3d print modeling. So many failure modes result from models created with that program. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think rather than looking for a tutorial at this stage, it might be instructive to watch some videos on tuning and calibration (since these touch on what is difficult). Also download Cura (or some other slicer of your choice) and look into how your existing models would be printed layer by layer. Cura has a layer slider so you can step through the design. So, to make an attempt at answering what I think could be a good question, things to research whilst waiting for your printer are: 1. Print failure examples and calibration; 2. `Parametric` 3D modelling packages; 3. Slicer operation (this ties in with calibration). Upvotes: 2

2016/11/23

<issue_start>username_0: I've already asked which wires I should use, and I believe I have that covered now, but I was also wondering what solder / specs on the solder are considered safe when attaching my wires to my heat bed. I have some solder here at the house, it's quite new (never been opened) it's Radio Shack `64-008 E` 60/40 Standard Rosin-Core with 0.062 diameter...<issue_comment>username_1: That solder sounds like it should be fine. Any solder should work, the only difference you might find is some of the older solder will include lead. if you were overly concerned about safety you might want to check your solder doesn't contain lead. However, for the amount you are doing, even a solder that contains lead isn't going to be an issue. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Old-style lead/tin solder has a melting range of about 180 to 250 degrees (the transition solid to liquid is spread out). This ought to be fine for the bed (even at the hottest hotspot) but wouldn't be good *in* the hotend. Modern electronics lead-free solder varies since there are several different compositions, but is typically a bit higher in melting point (by some 10s of degrees). Special high melting point solder transitions around 300C, but you would only need to use this in very specific scenarios. Upvotes: 1

2016/11/24

<issue_start>username_0: What would cause this effect, and how can it be avoided? This is a PLA print, and it should look like [this](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1560347). I tried 215 and 225°C and both had the same effect. An earlier similar print at 220°C was not as bad but it still had some catching- it seems hit and miss and not strongly related to extrusion temperature. Outside: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlRb8.jpg) Inside: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQtTj.jpg) I'm using a QIDI dual extruder printer with Makerware 2.2.2.89 software and these parameters: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6FJLL.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ge9ZK.png) Speed is 60/80mm/s.<issue_comment>username_1: As pointed out in the comments, what you are seeing could very well be related to *lack of cooling*: You may notice that the irregularity in the print become more and more pronounced the further up you see. I believe this happens because *the area that is printed is reduced gradually closer to the top*, which in turn will give each printed layer *less time to cool*. (The frequent revisits of the hot nozzle will not allow the top layer to cool naturally.) This problem is very common when printing models with small cross-sections, and are typically solved by: * Installing additional print cooling fans (cooling the actual print, not the hotend/heat sink) * Printing several items at the same time (to increase the cross-section) * Reducing print speed (gives more time to cool, but might not work for very small models) * Reduce printing temperature If you can, installing additional fans and/or printing multiple objects at the same time are probably the most efficient solutions - in my opinion. However, either method would be worth exploring. **PS:** When printing PLA, set your fans to full. ABS, on the other hand, does not like cooling. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I think that you should first verify that you have the latest firmware and a newer version of MakerWare. I experienced similar issues around that version of MakerWare and remember a lot of print errors came with it. I believe the MakerBot Dual firmware is somewhere around 7.? and is no longer in development. MakerWare is also no longer in development as a standalone application and seems to have been ported over to the MakerBot Desktop. However I've personally found v2.4.1 to be substantially more stable than v2.2. I have not tested it, but supposedly the new MakerBot Desktop (v3.10) is compatible with the Replicator Dual "Original". I had tried an earlier version of MakerBot Desktop and reverted back to MakerWare 2.4 because I ran into issues with connectivity. However, I'm not certain it was an issue with software so much as the exploding voltage regulator... It might be best to give the new software a shot and/or try v2.4 of MakerWare, if you can find it. Here's the link to the latest [MakerBot Desktop](https://www.makerbot.com/download-desktop/) Here's the release notes for [MakerWare/MakerBot Desktop](https://support.makerbot.com/learn/makerbot-desktop-software/release-notes/makerbot-desktop-release-notes_13520) v1.0-latest (v3.10+) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2016/11/24

<issue_start>username_0: I'm seeing the following pattern on my Prusa clone: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uskfa.jpg) The first layer prints OK, layer adhesion to the bed is good. The second layer shows the weird gaps. On larger pieces, or with an increased feed rate, it sometimes gets so bad that parts of the second layer detach and are dragged across the print. I get the impression that this effect is worse when printing in the "top left to bottom right" direction, but not as bad when printing in the "top right to bottom left" direction. This occurs with multiple filaments and materials. I've already tried to manipulate the flow rate, temperatures and print speed, but gotten little improvement if any. What might be causing this issue?<issue_comment>username_1: I wouldn't describe that as an "OK" first layer. The nozzle is either too far from the bed, or you're underextruding. Underextrusion also looks like the cause of your second layer problems. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Your first layer is horribly misscalibrated as well. You really should do all calibrations over. Including your firmware when your result is this bad. Following. Let's just assume your firmware is set right. And that your flow is right as well. The second layer speaks loudly of overcooked dribbling plastic. You might have a jam. Maybe the factory left some metal shavings in the hot end. I've had it happen. Try taking apart the extruded. Make sure there are no obstructions. Clean the tip with a micro hand drill bit. After that we will need more info. Post your settings. Your might have underflow (you set filiment size higher than it is) and have temperature so hot your are literally boiling the plastic and it is all dripping sparatically instead of controlled. Having temp too high can increase carbonization build ups and creats Jams. Did you ever have a good print ? My money is on a partial obstruction. Upvotes: 1

2016/11/26

<issue_start>username_0: I am completely new to 3D printing. I need to build a calibration plate, which I was told can be built using vero back plastic and a 3d printer. But I am afraid I need to know more if I give this to someone for fabrication. In particular, I am wondering how to get the white dots on the surfaces. My question is probably ill-posed, but I am trying to get as much info as I can before I consult any 3d printing vendors. Thanks [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/32GtS.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: The photo is too small to be clear about the entire objective and there are no dimensions provided. A quick google search returns nothing 3d printer related to "black vera plastics" other than a reference to vera bradley, vera wang and an obscure reference to a woven black carpet with white spots of increasing size. Even within those limitations, one can certainly print a strip of black with white dots. One method involves a dual extruder printer, enabling two colors to be printed, one layer at a time. The black layer would be extruded with suitable holes and the white layer would be place within those holes. Another method involves printing the black layer with holes, swapping out the filament with white and creating white plugs of appropriate sizes for the necessary fit. You've used the term calibration plate, which implies some level of precision. Is the precision related to spacing, dot size, dot color, or a combination of the above? Such requirements may make the cost slightly higher, but not excessively. I can print up to to 290 mm long strip, possibly longer by going diagonal on my 290 mm print bed, with or without the two colors done simultaneously. If you require crisp edges to the white/black transition, the holes-and-plugs method will give best results and require a bit of post processing. It may be necessary to ream the holes to correct diameter and sand the plugs to fit. Dual extrusion rarely provides sharp delineation from one color to the next. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: What are the characteristics of the white dots? (That is, are the dots small raised bumps, do they denote where a hole will be drilled, are they integral to a piece-to-piece connection, etc...) If these are small bumps that need to be added to the top of the black surfaces, your most time-effective solution is probably print the black component first (with placement references for where the white dots are to go), then switch materials and print the dots, and attach them to the black component. Otherwise, you'll need a machine capable of printing in two materials simultaneously(ish). See some of the newer Stratasys machines if you have a good budget ha! Upvotes: 1

2016/11/27

<issue_start>username_0: Is there actually a way to determine whether the sheet of glass that one has received from a Chinese supplier on eBay is actually a sheet of Borosilicate glass, and not just a piece of normal glass intended for glazing purposes? Are there any laminations, or markings/features, visible under a certain light or if the sheet is viewed at a particular angle? I ask because most of the 200 x 300 mm sheets on eBay are priced at around £16 - £26, but there are a few priced at just £10, which still claim to be toughened glass, although they do not mention the word Borosilicate, such as this one, [300x200x3mm 3D Printer Heated Bed Toughened Glass Clear Build Plate UK STOCK](http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300x200x3mm-3D-Printer-Heated-Bed-Toughened-Glass-Clear-Build-Plate-UK-STOCK-/302067007035). To paraphrase, "Usually if things seem to good to be true, then they are probably fake." However, I wondered whether it was worth a punt as it is only £10, and then if I would be able to verify its veracity once it was in my hands.<issue_comment>username_1: Google turned up this thread: <http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?t=96214> There don't seem to be any easy, definitive tests. You have two main options, both of which seem to require a fairly high level of laboratory skill (but nothing fancy in terms of equipment). The refractive index of Borosilicate glass is very similar to vegetable oil (implying no reflection from a boundary if you have a pool of oil on the glass). The density of the glass can be measured too, using a water bath. This should also be able to give a fairly accurate answer. Stress testing seems the most reliable way to determine if you have a 'good' sample, but may be more expensive. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: All you have to do is submerge your sample of glass into mineral oil. If it seems to disappear, it's borosilicate. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: > > "toughened" glass, > > > Lead, cadmium and barium would have that effect. It goes without saying that you wouldn't want that kind of glass anywhere near your neighborhood. Even those items that mention borosilicate glass in the product description may have never seen any boron. Some studies have found that more than 90% of items sourced from China are fraudulently labeled. There is no enforcement. While stats say nothing about any particular sample, I'd certainly keep them in mind. Upvotes: -1

2016/12/01

<issue_start>username_0: Should it be possible to directly send G-code to the printer serial connection using pipes under Linux? Example: ``` echo M106 > /dev/ttyUSB0 ``` My controller runs at 250000 baud, I have tried setting the TTY baud rate to 250 kBd with: ``` stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 250000 ``` But, unfortunately, this particular baud rate appears to be unsupported under Ubuntu, giving the error: ``` stty: invalid argument ‘250000’ ```<issue_comment>username_1: [This forum page](https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1609727) strongly suggests you should be using `setserial` for a port, not `stty` , which is for terminals. I'd give the code snippets there a try. Alternatively, [stackoverflow](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12646324/how-to-set-a-custom-baud-rate-on-linux) has a similar discussion, with somewhat more complicated modifications. Are you sure you can't talk with your printer at a lower baud rate than the maximum capability of the printer-end? Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: For direct low-level printer control from a terminal, without specific software, I found the following solution with full credit thanks to user: <http://stackexchange.com/users/6463673/meuh> Sharing here as may be of use to other users in the 3d Printing community, and I was unable to source a "complete" solution to this elsewhere. --- Step 1) Create a custom python script that allows you to set arbitrary baud rates (make executable with `chmod u+x`). ``` #!/usr/bin/python # set nonstandard baudrate. Original Question: http://unix.stackexchange.com/a/327366/119298 import sys,array,fcntl # from /usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/serial/serialposix.py # /usr/include/asm-generic/termbits.h for struct termios2 # [2]c_cflag [9]c_ispeed [10]c_ospeed def set_special_baudrate(fd, baudrate): TCGETS2 = 0x802C542A TCSETS2 = 0x402C542B BOTHER = 0o010000 CBAUD = 0o010017 buf = array.array('i', [0] * 64) # is 44 really fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf) buf[2] &= ~CBAUD buf[2] |= BOTHER buf[9] = buf[10] = baudrate assert(fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, buf)==0) fcntl.ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, buf) if buf[9]!=baudrate or buf[10]!=baudrate: print("failed. speed is %d %d" % (buf[9],buf[10])) sys.exit(1) set_special_baudrate(0, int(sys.argv[1])) ``` --- Step 2) Run the script to set your baud rate. `./set_custom_baud_rate.py <> /dev/ttyUSB0 250000` --- Step 3) You can now monitor your printer output in a terminal window simply with: `tail -f /dev/ttyUSB0` --- Step 4) And finally, open up a new terminal window, and you can directly send M or Gcode to your printer; example: `echo "M115" >> /dev/ttyUSB0` Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: you can use screen for that. Open a terminal window and type `screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200` The general form is `screen serialdevice baudrate` You will then see everything that the printer sends. Everything you type will be send to the printer. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: That's work solution: you need 2 terminal, one for in and another for out flows Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: I spent a number of hours trying to work out why my Creality Ender Pro was ignoring me when I sent it serial data over USB from a Python app. Google searches trying to find a solution that were not talking about `encode()` and `decode()` all seemed to lead me to this thread. I installed Minicom as per the video link, and all worked as it should, but I still failed to receive a reply in my Python implementation, I could connect and read the serial sent from the printer but nothing append when sending back to it. After a few hours scratching my head I realised that the printer reacted to input as it received each new line `\n` character that I was failing to add to the end of each command sent so the printer was just sitting waiting for me to finish transmitting my line end that never came. ``` self.serialPort = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyUSB0', 115200, exclusive = True) lines = self.serialPort.read(self.serialPort.in_waiting).decode().splitlines(False) line = line + "\n" self.serialPort.write(line.encode()) ``` Hopefully no one else is as stupid but to save anyone else like me time, I would like to point this out here. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: The accepted answer didn't work for me. Everything received on the serial port was repeated back to the serial port, sending the printer into a confusing loop. There is more information about that in this answer: <https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42964/unexpected-results-testing-serial-loopback-using-echo-and-cat> The key is to use a command like this to prevent certain line termination characters from repeating themselves: `stty 115200 -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -echo -onlcr` , where 115200 is your baud rate. Here is what I did: ``` # 1. plug in printer sudo chmod +777 /dev/ttyUSB0 # 2. allow access to printer USB permissions, add user to dialout or tty is better stty 115200 -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -echo -onlcr # 3. set serial port baud rate, might be 250000 for you cat -v < /dev/ttyUSB0 # 4. get printer output ``` Then in a new terminal: ``` echo "M119" >> /dev/ttyUSB0 ``` This will give you a real console. Upvotes: 2

2016/12/01

<issue_start>username_0: I have a large resistor that goes in my J-Head extruder. It's grey, and it came with the extruder. I'm uncertain as to what grade of wire I need to solder to it. It being one of the elements of the system that heats the hottest, I would think that it would be important to find out what sort of wire is the correct kind to use on it, since heating elements require a lot of electricity. Also does the solder type I use matter?<issue_comment>username_1: The physical size of the resistor is irrelevant. What matters is the total power (and in particular, current) the head will draw. Once you know that, there are plenty of tables on the web that'll list max amperage vs. wire gauge. When in doubt, use a larger wire :-) since we're only talking about a couple of feet length; cost is minimal. As to solder: so long as you're not selling the printer, you don't need to meet any RoHs requirements. Use whatever you want. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a number of things to consider: * Wire Gauge: a typical 40W, 12V heater draws around 3A. 24 AWG or lower would be appropriate (copper wire, CCA will require thicker gauge). * Insulation: the part of the wire close to the resistor leads might get too hot for conventional PVC installation. Consider using silicone, teflon or glass fiber insulation instead, especially near the heating element. If the resistor's leads are long enough they might stay cool enough for regular PVC insulation, but make sure you insulate the part of the leads closer to the resistor appropriately. * Solder: if close to the heater itself, the solder might melt. Consider using silver solder, or using a mechanical connection (ferrule/crimp) instead. Again, this might not be a concern if the leads of the resistor are long enough. * Flexibility: given that the extruder (probably) moves a lot, use flexible wire (stranded, not solid core) and provide strain relief (especially near the connections, and avoid creating too sharp bends). Finally, resistors have fallen out of favor compared to ceramic heating elements. Since they are inexpensive and solve all of the above problems (the leads are already attached and appropriately insulated) consider using a ceramic heater instead. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2016/12/02

<issue_start>username_0: Is it possible to 3D print an axial turbine 2 - 4 inches (50 - 100 mm) in radius, capable withstanding temperatures about 800 - 1000°C and rotation speeds of 100 - 120 x 103 rpm? How expensive is that? Is it cheaper to mill such a turbine from a whole piece of alloy? What technologies and materials should be used? Are Inconel alloys suitable for 3D printing? Are there any titanium alloys suitable for this task? I've read titanium is rarely used in rapidly rotating parts due to its ability to ignite if mechanical failure occurs and rotating blades touch the casing. Do titanium alloys still have this drawback? Is it possible to make disk of titanium and blades of Inconel, and have them welded (considering heat expansion)? How blades or blisks can be ceramically coated? Thank you!<issue_comment>username_1: This depends primarily on economics and on desired lifetime. Rather obviously you need a material whose strengths and melting points exceed the operational specs. Determining the various break strengths (shear, bending, etc) is an engineering problem, not a manufacturing problem per se. Next, consider the production time and cost of 3D-printing vs. some typical assembly line process. Nearly always the 3D approach loses for large quantity builds. Designing and operating devices like this can be extremely dangerous. Very tight tolerances are required. [This site](http://www.powermems.be/gasturbine.html) describes the difficulties, starting with material choice, moving on to tolerances, and so on. I don't think you want to go at this in your basement. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I would think it's definitely possible, steel 3D printers are most likely capable of printing with the kind of precision you need (I've had experience designing and printing barrels for handguns as part of a forensic science research project), but be aware that with most processes I'm aware of, you'll need to go in post-production and do some polishing or surface refinement, specially for a turbine application where those temperatures are already high and any surface flaws won't help durability. Otherwise, I would just make sure you use a material with a track record of meeting your specifications. Likely easier finding extremely reliable and robust materials to mill but 3D printing would be possible in theory. Financially speaking, though I don't have any experience comparing the costs on that specific kind of a component, milling is likely going to be cheaper as long as you can find someone who will do single unit production runs. Personal opinion: I would go with milling. I've had a lot of experience with 3D printing and am a die-hard proponent of its merits, but given the lack of personal knowledge about how a 3D printed turbine would perform long-run, and the consequences of failure of something rotating at those speeds, I would be inclined to go the traditional manufacturing route. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Some companies are already on the move with this idea. I think I remember hearing that [Pratt and Whitney](http://optics.org/news/6/4/7) and Boeing are 3D printing some of the smaller air foils. The advantages being that they can achieve manufacturing of more complex, more efficient parts without the hassle of quality control, expensive fixturing/maintenance, and less hands on their proprietary parts and processes. Most often, a metal alloy part is "printed" using SLA or SLS (commonly), but it's more or less just bonded. Bonding is either done via laser sintering or some form of epoxy for these types of printing processes. The part is pretty much useless for aerospace purposes at this point because you can just break it apart with your hands, as it is very brittle. Once the metal is bonded in the desired shape, it goes in a furnace to either solidify the sintered material or the epoxy is replaced with another metal such as bronze or nickel. Also during this operation, the part is heat treated to receive the desired material structure. The changes to the material during this process can help set its strength and heat resistance. A quick Google search on "[Inconel 3D Printing](https://www.google.com/#q=inconel+3d+printing)" yields a couple companies that can 3D print "exotic" metals such as titanium and inconel. Chances are if a 3D printer can process inconel, it can print most other aerospace materials. 3D printing exotic materials, at this point, is really just gluing sand and baking it in the oven. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You ask some very interesting questions! Firstly, when researching topics such as this, you will have far more luck using 'additive manufacturing' as a search term rather than '3D printing'. In the professional industrial environment, '3D printing' is not a term that is really used to describe the manufacturing you are talking about. Selective laser melting is the additive manufacturing process most suited to metallic aerospace parts. Inconel alloys can be processed (e.g. IN718 being one of the easiest) along with titanium (almost exclusively Ti6Al4V). As for manufacturing turbine blades and similar parts, you might find this interesting: [Additive Manufacturing - Breakthrough with 3D printed Gas Turbine Blades](https://www.siemens.com/innovation/en/home/pictures-of-the-future/industry-and-automation/additive-manufacturing-3d-printed-gas-turbine-blades.html). Titanium is not typically used in high-temperature sections of gas turbines, but will be used in larger, cooler components such as fan blades, where it's strength to weigh ratio is a benefit (less mass to rotate = better fuel efficiency). Coating of high-temperature nickel superalloy components is usually performed with electron beam physical vapor deposition (EBPVD) or thermal spray such as high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF); each process has certain characteristics that dictate when/where is it used. This is only really a surface depth answer to your questions, but it would be impossible to answer fully here! (My experience: PhD student using selective laser melting with aerospace alloys) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2016/12/02

<issue_start>username_0: I've just tried to make some small labels with embossed lettering. Base is 1.5 mm, with letters and a perimeter protruding by another 1 mm. After printing, I realised that Cura is not giving me a top layer, all I get is an inner and outer wall for the perimeter and the lettering: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hri17.png) The base is OK, with 4 layers, but there is no infill at the top. Presumably there is a setting that I've missed (I can appreciate that maybe this is a detail to the slicing which is model dependant). Layers are 0.2 mm, top and bottom set to 4 layers. I had walls set to 1.6 mm, (4 layers) and the wall features here are 1 mm (i.e. 2.5x the nozzle). The features are solid so far as I know, not drawn as a hollow. I found a relevant bug for Cura: <https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/issues/1303> (and I also understand a workaround now, just need to write up an answer).<issue_comment>username_1: What is your source model? Typically this "missing layer" effect happens if the source has a wall thickness less than the size of the extruder nozzle selected. Cura will view that part of the model as non-printable. Meshmixer and TinkerCad (among many others) will allow you to set and change thicknesses in the model. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: What is happening here is that Cura is struggling with the quantised extrusion width. This behaviour can be improved in the slicer, they have a issue tracked here <https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/issues/1303> and 2.4 beta has improved it. There are some pictures in this [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/3581/4927) which show how Cura 2.3 slices a rectangle of increasing width. I got nothing at the nozzle width, then a pair of overlapping lines up to twice the width (which I assume will be over-extruded due to the overlap). For anything wider than simply two sides, the result depends on the number of walls requested. * One wall results in 100% infill for small regions (regardless of the infill setting). This is good, but maybe 1 wall is not apropriate for the whole model. * Multiple walls seem to prevent the infill untill there is space for pairs of walls. So width of 3x nozzle has a gap. Small tweeks to the nozzle size can maybe push this quantisation point about, if 1 wall is not a good workaround. For rectangular geometry, it's worth trying to quantize small parts in 0.8mm increments. For curves, setting 1 wall shell might be better. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Try Cura 2.4.0-beta2: there is option named "Fill Gaps Between Walls" under "Shell" settings, set it to "everywhere". In stable Cura 2.3.1 this option is missing. Upvotes: 1

2016/12/02

<issue_start>username_0: I'm considering using [CAT6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category_6_cable) cables to connect my printer's extruder assembly to the control board. They seem like an elegant solution, but I've read conflicting opinions online on whether or not this would be feasible. I would like to know if CAT6 cables can handle the required current, whether I should be worried about electromagnetic interference or other problems, and how I should pair up the wires. Cable length would be 30cm max. Here are the relevant parts: 1. [E3D heater cartridge](http://e3d-online.com/Heater-Cartridge-12v-40w) (2 wires) 2. [E3D thermistor cartridge](http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/Thermistor-Cartridge) (2 wires) 3. [30mm hotend fan](http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/30x30x10mm-12v-DC-Fan) (2 wires) 4. [Z-axis auto-leveling probe](https://printrbot.com/shop/auto-leveling-probe-2) (3 wires) 5. [NEMA 17 extruder motor](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q6nW_lToPZe6Kou6VbDMoQ3sFleCJ02XV0y4piXL_Fg/pubhtml) (4 wires) 6. [50mm part cooling fan](https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00MJUD1DW) (2 wires) **[cable A]** I imagine I would use one CAT6 cable for parts 1-4, which form a logical unit (and in the future I might combine them into a removable module). I've been given to understand that power for the fan can be spliced from the z-probe or heater cartridge, so 8 wires should be enough. **[cable B]** I would use a second CAT6 cable for parts 5 and 6. There will be two spare wires, so I could potentially double the bandwidth for the motor.<issue_comment>username_1: The ampacity question is not completely answerable because CAT6 does not specify wire gauge, so the current limit will depend on the specific gauge you get. CAT6 can be anywhere from 22 AWG to 24 AWG, and depending on who you ask this can be good for as much as 7A or as little as 0.5A. Given that you will have a bunch of wires in a bundle, this may cause them to heat up more than if they were in free air. For the steppers (1-2A) a single wire should suffice, but for the heater (around 3-4A) you might want to double up. EMI will likely not cause any problems regardless of how you wire things up. CAT6 cables have the wires twisted in pairs of 2. Some people recommend to take advantage of these pairs: the +12V and GND of the heater should use a pair, each of the two coils of the steppers should have their own separate pairs. The reasoning behind this is that with equal current flowing in opposite directions in each wire of the pair, the generated electromagnetic fields will cancel out. Twisted pairs are usually used when dealing with multiple pairs of wires that are carrying high frequency signals that might affect each other. The main concern for crosstalk in this application is if the stepper motor might cause the endstop to be erroneously triggered, but this is only a concern during homing when the feedrate (and thus frequency of the signal) is low anyways. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I did this for some of the wiring on my printer, and it's working fine so far. The two cautions are: * At @tom pointed out, the heater is the high current item, so be careful of the wire gauge, and avoid running the wire where air can't circulate well to cool it. Wire ratings differ greatly depending on whether they're in a bundle (poor air circulation) or free. * For the most part I agree that EMI shouldn't be a problem -- but if you switch to thermocouples it might become a problem -- they're much more sensitive, and this might have been part of the problem I described at [How to get consistent and accurate readings from thermocouples?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/204/how-to-get-consistent-and-accurate-readings-from-thermocouples) (though alternate wiring didn't completely solve the problem in that case). Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: CAT6 cable by itself is not a problem, it is typically 23 AWG solid core wire which can take you to 4A just fine. The real problem comes from the connectors you use. CAT6 usually goes hand in hand with 8p8c ethernet connectors which only have contacts rated to 500mA. Also typically CAT6 cable is meant to be stationary (hence the solid core wires), so I'd go for something stranded. [McMaster sells some nice cheap cabling](https://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-electrical-wire/=15d9c3w) that fits your needs, and it's actually meant for moving platforms like a CNC machine. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I've used some cat 6 in one of my printers and just to be safe I used 4 wires for the extruder heat block, 2+, 2- On the thermistors 1 is more than enough for each +/-. I also stripped the thick shielding off and used some 'curly' cable organizer in it's place, not the shielding on the wires but the cord. So i could fit 2 cables in slightly more than the same space as one. You are probably doing this to keep it organized too but this is an option if you run out of space in your wire runs. Upvotes: 2

2016/12/04

<issue_start>username_0: I bought a self-made Reprap Prusa Mendel 3 printer, modified to be built from cheaper materials, and immediately after the deal I got various problems. I fixed the majority of them, but don't know what the reason of the strange extruder behavior is: The stepper motor is not rotating while extruding filament, it's moving back and forth with small steps instead. I made some footage, [Reprap Prusa Mendel 3d printer extruder problem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcF9qxtxIO0), hoping that someone has met a similar problem before. If so, please tell me what to do to make it work as it should. The obvious option while encountering this problem was to slacken the bolt which holds this parts together (in the left bottom corner of the video), but that did not help. Any ideas are very welcomed. Thanks for your time. I hope this is an appropriate kind of question here.<issue_comment>username_1: Your controller board probably requires calibration. It sounds like, maybe, the extruder's stepper motor is *not receiving sufficient* current, to make it turn. **Or**, somewhat confusingly, maybe the stepper is *receiving too much current*, and overheating. You don't say which controller board you are using, but regardless, there should be an adjustable potentiometer on the board, next to each of the stepper drivers, or on the stepper driver daughter boards. Like so, [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xBF9V.png) This potentiomenter adjusts the *reference voltage* used to control the stepper motor. From this *reference voltage*, and the resistance of the stepper coils, one can determine the current, which is used to drive the stepper motor. For the stepper driver of the extruder, you could try turning this adjustable potentiometer slightly, in order to provide more current to the stepper, in turn to provide *sufficient torque* such that the motor is able to turn. **Or**, less current to stop the stepper from overheating. The adjustments *can* be made whilst the power is on, but a **non-ferrous** (i..e. plastic) screw driver should be used, so as to avoid short circuits. Also care needs to be taken, when turning the potentiometer, as they have been known to just fall apart whilst being turned. If you are paranoid, then make micro adjustments with the power turned off, and then turn back on to check the behaviour. **Note**: it should go without saying that one should **never disconnect a stepper whilst the power is on**, as both the driver and the stepper motor may be irrevocably damaged. --- The photo above is taken from [POTs Calibration – RAMPS 1.4](https://bootsindustries.com/pots-calibration-ramps-1-4/). > > If a POT is set too high then the associated stepper driver will tend to overheat and go into over-temperature thermal shutdown (to prevent damage to its components). The first sign of overheating is erratic stepper motor behavior. Typically, this can be recognized by the sounds of the stepper motor suddenly losing power (thermal shutdown). If no load or movement is required of the motor, it is hard to detect whether it is over-powered as the driver is barely producing any heat. > > > and > > Conversely, if the POT is set too low, the stepper motor can enter an underpowered state. This can be recognized by a lack of holding torque and a stepper motor that is skipping steps because the necessary movement requires a higher power demand than the POT setting allows for. > > > --- ### Driver cooling In addition to the possibility of the stepper motor over heating, it could be possible that the stepper driver is overheating, although the symptoms may be different, to those that you are experiencing. Regardless, you may still find it advantageous to cooler the controller/driver board with a fan that is always on (not temperature controlled). ### Additional reading * RigidWiki - [Stepper Driver Adjustment](http://rigidtalk.com/wiki/index.php?title=Stepper_Driver_Adjustment), which goes into further detail about the adjustment of the potentiometers, that I outlined above, as well as the *reference voltage* and the adjustment thereof. * RepRap Wiki - [RepRapPro Setting Motor Currents](http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapPro_Setting_Motor_Currents) describes a different controller to yours, but goes into the process of adjustment, and description of the *reference voltage* (which is applicable to all boards): > > The wiper on each potentiometer generates a DC voltage that is sent to the chip. This is the reference voltage; it defines how much current the stepping motor driver chip supplies to the motor. The bigger the reference voltage (VREF), the higher the current (A) that the chip will send to the motor. For most NEMA14 motors, the current maximum is 1A, but this will generally cause it to get warm, so a setting of 750mA is recommended. For NEMA17 motors, depending on size, the limit on current is generally between 1.3A and 1.7A. If you drive stepper motors with more current than they were designed for, the motor will get hot, and may be damaged. > > > * Pololu - [A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier with Voltage Regulators](https://www.pololu.com/product/1183) - this is a very common stepper driver. * MyHomeFab - [DRV8825 Adjust Stepper Current](http://www.my-home-fab.de/epages/64756193.mobile/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64756193/Categories/Dokumentationen/Technische_Beschreibungen/DRV8825_Schrittmotor_Strom_einstellen&Locale=en_GB) goes into the adjustment of the reference voltage, for the commonly used DRV8825, which is an alternative to the popular A4988. * This thread, about non-actuating steppers, may also be useful, [Motors](http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?41,219920), which mentions [setting the trimpots](http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?41,219920,222621#msg-222621) and points the OP to RepRap Wiki - [Pololu stepper driver board](http://reprap.org/wiki/Pololu_stepper_driver_board), which, in turn, refers to this thread, [Strange stepper behavior](http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?4,116813,116832,quote=1) and this video, [video-2012-02-02-16-37-26.mp4](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MsOBW3lnjnI), which describes a jitter in the stepper behaviour. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I also faced similar problem. Mine was a self-made marlin/repetier. The problem was that the motor current was much less than the motor requirement and the axis were not calibrated properly. Giving recommended current according to your motor ratings and limiting your feedrate according to your calibration should work. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: If the stepper **never** turns, even with no filament loaded, it is more likely to be a bad connection to one of the two coils or a bad stepper driver, or a bad motor. Seems to be a frequent enough problem that they supplied a spare driver with my machine. Perhaps you can try swapping drivers to see if the problem follows the driver. You can disconnect the motor with power off and measure the coil resistances with a multimeter to see if they are sensible, which will weed out a bad harness, connector or motor. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: in my case there were random shifting and I found the motor is getting very warm .. so when I lowered the driver voltage it didn't get as warm and the skipping and shifting just stopped. Upvotes: 2

2016/12/04

<issue_start>username_0: I am using an M3D printer and loaded an STL design with holes in the middle: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMD0V.jpg) However, the output is an object without holes (so I stopped the printing): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrlBC.jpg) What can be done to be able to print with holes?<issue_comment>username_1: **Case 1:** There may be an issue with the precision of the print nozzle, not being able to fully articulate the hole. That is to say, the printer is trying to print it with holes, but the material is filling in that area. Try increasing the size of the hole. Granted, it is not an exact process but there may be an inner hole diameter that winds up mimicking the diameter you're looking for after the material extrudes. This case could be rejected by nature of the printer depositing straight lines through the center diameter of the cylinder's base. **Case 2:** There may be some discrepancy between the file's appearance and the file's information. If you downloaded the file from somewhere like ThingiVerse, try designing the part yourself if possible. If you designed it yourself, overwrite the file with a second version. **Case 3:** If downloaded, verify that the center hole is extruded though the entire thickness of the part. It may be that it's extruded most of the way through and there is a sealed bottom layer. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Have you tried letting it print a few more layers? It is very common that printers use the first few layers to create a **raft**, which will make the model adhere better to the bed. I believe this illustration from Simplify3D [displays this well](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/articles/rafts-skirts-and-brims/): [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4xaFS.png) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2016/12/08

<issue_start>username_0: Does anyone know where I can get a free 3D design (STEP or STL) of an M4 Screw and nut? I have found only an M3 on Thingiverse: [M3 Bolt](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:729842) by [Kaleta](http://www.thingiverse.com/Kaleta).<issue_comment>username_1: The thing you linked to describes itself as being generated from a parametric model: <http://www.thingiverse.com/apps/customizer/run?thing_id=193647> To generate any different bolt or nut, you will need to identify the correct dimensions for not only the thread (where hints exist in the customiser), but also for the hex head. These are obviously less critical to define than the thread. Once you have generated a custom model, you can share it and answer your own question. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You can get a model for nearly everything McMaster-Carr sells from their website. M4 Hex Head Screw - <https://www.mcmaster.com/#91280a140/=15dmpx8> M4 Nut - <https://www.mcmaster.com/#90592a090/=15dmqjy> The options to download models are to the right of the drawings. --- [NOTE: the site does prohibit use of these models for direct printing.](https://www.mcmaster.com/help/drawingsandmodels.asp?sesnextrep=301313211397959#disclaimer) > > You shall not use a CAD model to engage in 3D printing or other > fabrication of the object depicted in the CAD model for any other > purpose. You shall not otherwise redistribute or make available the > CAD models (or any design drawings or prototypes that incorporate > them) to any third parties, including third parties in the business of > selling products similar to the products sold by us. > > > Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: A 3D printer does not have the necessary resolution to create a functioning screw thread. I suggest you print the hole (for the nut) and the shaft (for the screw) in oversize and use a tap and die set to make the threads. You must print them out of PA12 nylon obviously. Due to the size, warping will not be an issue. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: You could also apply a scaling factor in your slicer to make a downloaded object larger or smaller. An M3 model scaled at +1.333 would produce a working thread with a nominal 4 mm OD. As noted in the comments below, a different scale factor might be needed in the axial direction if exactly matching the pitch of an M4 thread is required. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/09

<issue_start>username_0: I just want to ask if anyone has successfully printed a screw (M3 or M4). Is the printed output usable as a screw? What printer is capable of printing screws? I am using an M3D printer - is there a configuration to successfully print a screw that is usable? Can anyone share a picture of the best 3D printed screw?<issue_comment>username_1: well... it's hard to imagine printing M3 or even M4 I haven't try but I haven't because I'm pretty sure it's not possible (on my printer of course) but some time ago I've tried M8 which is of course way from your needs it was printed on 0.1mm layer height it went ok into the nut without any problems but the strength is not very high I suppose I know the quality is poor but even such bad photo shows issues [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRoxw.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QFKKI.jpg) Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I've had success printing pins at that size, but not screws. At that size the pins were also exciedingly suceptible to stress, ie easy to break. At that scale the tolerances are a bit tight when printing that small and there will be small variances in precision with most printers. The best example of this is to try to print a lego piece, they dont snap together, some are slightly to big, and some are slightly to small and sometimes they will break. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Its just not possible on a FDM machine. for example using a layer thickness of 0.1 which is standard there would only be 5 layers of material between each peak (the pitch) for a coarse M3 and a fine M3 would not even have four layers ([wikipedia on ISO thread](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_metric_screw_thread)) which is just not enough layers to resolve the required shape. The tensile strength of such a bolt even if you could print it would be abysmal. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Not very likely unfortunately. M3D nozzle diameter is too wide to be able to print something that would print reliably, not to mention any FDM machine won't have the precision to build good threads. even 0.05mm layer heights won't run very well. I've tried on a Form1 (SLA style printer) and even that set at it's max resolution wasn't able to print clean threads. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: I just did. I printed a 4 screws at .2mm and 20% infill. surprisingly, all screws worked with a plastic m4 nut I had from china (not 3d printed). The project itself [1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YarUK.jpg) tells to print at 100% and 0.1. When I started screwing the 4th one, I pushed the tool badly, and the screw head popped off. After reading this thread, and experiencing what I just said above about the screw's head, I'm printing one more, this time at the maximum resolution and maximum infill. I'm also printing a nut to compare to this. Even the ones with plastic flying around them worked well (see picture). [1](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YarUK.jpg) <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2591857> Ps: apparently the person can't make hexagons. I will redo the heads in proper hexagons, as well as the little wrench when I have time. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YarUK.jpg) Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: Yes. This question and most of the answers are old, and 3D printing has come a long way in the past 4 years or so. username_5's bumping with one up-to-date answer inspired me to take another try at it, and my first attempt was an overwhelming success. * Bolt printed in horizontal orientation (with support), nut vertical. * Wall line width reduced from 0.4 mm to 0.3 mm (still 0.4 mm nozzle) - most important for the bolt or the thread profile is not achievable. * Layer height 0.12 for bolt, 0.08 for nut (to give nearly 10 layer per revolution) * Both offset 0.045 mm from ideal thread profile (at M6-M8 this is about the maximum allowable by ISO standard; at M4 it's surely excess but extrusion roundness of FDM probably compensates entirely anyway). * 100% infill, achieved with high wall line count rather than zigzag fill The nut and bolt fit tightly but can be turned by hand (if your fingers are small enough) with some force.   These were printed in cheap PLA on an Ender 3 with entirely stock hardware, but upgraded controller board (SKR mini E3 V2.0) and firmware (presently using [Klipper](https://www.klipper3d.org/)). As for whether they're usable, My Tech Fun has [a video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiQek0wei1g) testing the strength of 3D-printed bolts in different orientations. His tests were of M10, but the horizontally-printed one was able to hold over 140 kg in a pulling test, making it (especially with multiple bolts) suitable for serious applications. Since the question mentioned M3, I went back later and figured I'd go even smaller and give M2.5 a try... and it worked! This is pretty surprising considering the pitch is just over the nozzle size, but with 0.2 mm extrusion widths and 0.08 mm layers it came out usable:  Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_7: Vertically printed threaded bolts generally work better than you might expect, because (1) the layers are nearly parallel to the direction in which they have to slide, so the bolt can turn smoothly, and (2) when a typical bolt is sliced, the resulting layers are just circles, which are about the least problematic shape you could print. Also note that, especially if you're printing a bolt to use with a metal nut (or vice versa), then as long as the thread is close enough, it will end up being crushed / sheared into the right profile; it's a bit like how you can drive a screw into timber without having to tap a thread. In principle, the pitch of a printed bolt could be very fine; as long as the layer height is less than half the pitch (i.e. the Nyquist limit), and the spacing is correct, then the threads will engage. So if you can print 0.1mm layers, you have enough detail for M1 or smaller. Of course you're not going to print a bolt that small, but the point is, the limit is not resolution, it's the strength of the print. The horizontally-printed bolt in `@username_6`'s answer is impressive – if you can print that, then that's the answer. But even if you can't, you could definitely print a horizontal 3mm diameter cylinder, and then use a die to cut the thread on the finished part. It's not a "pure" printed solution, but you can get a cheap tap-and-die set from any auto parts store for less than the cost of a spool of filament. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/11

<issue_start>username_0: I am planning a mechanical 40% keyboard build and are coincidentally on the home stretch of a homemade CNC project. The only thing the CNC needs to do for the keyboard project is to drill 7\*48 holes. So what I need to do now is layout those holes in SVG. Therein lies the question. What resolution should I use for the SVG? I want to space the center of the keyboard switches 19 mm apart. An online pixel to mm converter suggested that 72 pixels is exactly 19.05 mm (which actually is what Cherry MX says should be their spacing). Now, I do understand that this really doesn't matter, but I am curious as I am new on CNCs and was suspecting that there is a number that will "just work". EDIT: For example, if I where to print the template (SVG) on a regular printer, what pixel to mm ratio should I use so that it would come out the size I want?<issue_comment>username_1: SVG is a vector-graphics format, there's no particular reason it can't scale arbitrarily. Presumably the CNC software will allow you to select the scale of a pixel? If so, pick a scale that makes the math work out easily (so some integer number of pixels per millimeter). If not, it's probably documented somewhere for the specific tool you're using. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I found one of those printer things that puts ink on dead trees and tested to print a simple SVG file. ``` ``` As I suspected 72 pixels came out pretty much exactly 19mm. (72/19.05)\*100~=378 came out 100mm. Given this I am going to assume that 72/19.05 is the de facto best pixel to mm ratio to use for CNC projects. EDIT: Found this documentation: <http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units> ``` ``` Much simpler to use mm as units right away Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2016/12/11

<issue_start>username_0: Like many people, I have burnt the pins in the micro-controller connected to the E0 motor - the E0 motor is not working anymore and I need to print tomorrow! I need to control the extruder motor with the working E1 pins. How do I change this in firmware? I tried to change to the pins in `pins\_RAMPS.h" but it was a complete fail, the motors that i tried to change didn't move. I have a Arduino Mega + Ramps 1.3 in "Extruder Fan Bed" configuration, I use Repetier-Host as host and Marlin as firmware.<issue_comment>username_1: As a quick and dirty solution you may try to enable two extruders in configuration file, re-upload firmware, and then edit your GCODE file to replace all E0 references with E1. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I would change the pin assignments by swapping E0 and E1 in `pins_RAMPS.h`. Upvotes: 3

2016/12/12

<issue_start>username_0: I have generated a few 3D prints in G-code using KISSlicer and Slic3r, but when I load them into Ultimaker Cura I'm unable to get anything. The number of layers says one but I cannot see anything and print option is not working. I have viewed these G-codes online and they are fine. I'm using a Lulzbot KITTAZ with v2 toolhead (hexagon) and I can print only using Ultimaker Cura. Please tell me what the reason for this is.<issue_comment>username_1: Cura prior to version 2.5 does not take G-code as an input. I'm not sure what you mean by "print only using Cura." Don't you have a SD slot on your control board? For that matter, why can't you drive the USB port from Slic3r? Remember: G-code is the equivalent of "compiled code," the raw commands which drive the printer, while STL or OBJ, etc., are the "source code," which you edit to get the shape you want. I've looked at a few apps which will render a 3D image on your computer from G-code, but I don't know off-hand of one which will "decompile" into a STL or mesh file. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Update: **Cura 2.5, and higher, *does* load and print G-code**. (The support was added April 19, 2017.) Upvotes: 2

2016/12/12

<issue_start>username_0: What resources or methods would OpenSCAD users suggest to piece together disparate STL files? I'd like to take an existing STL model-library of STL parts (head, torso, arms, legs) and make it a Thingiverse OpenSTL maker, similar to the castle generator and/or the puzzle generators available. This way, users can generate a custom model using the designated parameters and download the model for printing.<issue_comment>username_1: Cura prior to version 2.5 does not take G-code as an input. I'm not sure what you mean by "print only using Cura." Don't you have a SD slot on your control board? For that matter, why can't you drive the USB port from Slic3r? Remember: G-code is the equivalent of "compiled code," the raw commands which drive the printer, while STL or OBJ, etc., are the "source code," which you edit to get the shape you want. I've looked at a few apps which will render a 3D image on your computer from G-code, but I don't know off-hand of one which will "decompile" into a STL or mesh file. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Update: **Cura 2.5, and higher, *does* load and print G-code**. (The support was added April 19, 2017.) Upvotes: 2

2016/12/12

<issue_start>username_0: 3D printing can be used to make injection molds of unimaginable complexity but which kind of 3D printing process is suitable when? Suppose that a part is to be made using injection molding in large quantity for an extended period of time, what Additive Manufacturing (AM) process will be the best, such that the mold does not give way too soon? Also, suppose that the part to be made is custom and only has to be made in small quantities - that is to say that the injection mold will be used limited number of items and then thrown away - which is the best AM technique then? Best in the sense of economic feasibility, lower cost, lower capital investment etc.?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, this is very broad. That said... For high detail you want SLA. i.e. jewelry. If you just want a prototype of a mold, you can do a standard FDM style printer (95% of printers are FDM, and that number is a guess) Really, you should be asking what material you need for your mold, but you can open a second question for that. Do more research on injection molding. There is a great deal of information on how molds are made, i.e. [How It's Made Plastic injection molds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seZqq1qxW30). You will see there is a vast difference between a plastic, or silicon, mold and an injection molding machine. You are thinking that injection molding as a single mold, when it is really it is a system composing of several pieces of heavy duty machinery that can pump out hundreds of items a day automatically. However, it usually starts at 20k USD for the tooling for injection molding. Your costs could be a fraction of that or could be several times that. This is just a generality. So, if you are making 100 units you won't want to go down that route. For 10,000 units, on the other hand, it would be acceptable. Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Stratasys offers a 3D printing system specifically for producing injection molds. They claim their [Polyjet/Digital ABS](http://www.stratasys.com/solutions/additive-manufacturing/injection-molding) line of printers can produce prototype injection molds good for 10-100 shots of the same mold and that the material can be used with regular injection molding machines. Of course, the molds still wear out quickly and are only suitable for prototyping and/or extremely small production runs. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Injection molds generally require tooling and are not usually cast from 3D prints. Depending on the size of your part - costs can easily skyrocket to over $60,000. The price per part is sometimes lower than other methods. Other possible methods (depending on the part) are Thermo-Forming, Vacu-Forming, and different Casting methods - sandcasting (investment casting), flexible casting (rubber, urethane, and alginate), and hard casting (printing mold negative). Some have immediate use of 3D Printed parts...others have work flows in place to convert your files for use. You can print a mold negative, prep it, use mold release, and cast shapes from that mold... certainly the casting material would be flexible or the mold would need the proper relief- But it is certainly possible. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/13

<issue_start>username_0: Are there any extruders and printers that do a good job with ceramic clay? I assume the clay has to be fine grained and with enough water added to be able to be pushed out through the extruder's nozzle. I also assume the print speed would have to be arther low for the already printed layers to gain stability before printing the next layer. Perhaps some extra equipment on the printer to spped up this drying process? At the same time, the print speed can't be too low: if the bottom starts to dry enough to start shrinking, the object will crack. Also, some solutions I've seen tend to result in rather low resolution/thick layers, which is negative. So, what equipment is "out there"?<issue_comment>username_1: I cant speak for the quality or type of clay, but there are several designs out there that print in clay. Here is the first one that popped up on my google search. <http://www.wasproject.it/w/en/wasp-launches-the-new-professional-clay-extruder/> Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: What you are looking for is the Frostruder style extruders. Here is a link to a [thingiverse file for it](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1143). You honestly cannot expect fantastic results but it will get the job done! There are many other types. Quality will depend on the size of the point. However with something as high viscosity as clay I would not expect you to be able to push the quality very high. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Here is an open source clay extruder from standard parts, that i designed <https://www.stoneflower3d.com/projects/clay-extruder-prototype/> Different designs of 3D printers, pumps, extruders etc. for clay are posted and discussed in the Google Community "Make Your Own Ceramic 3D Printer", driven by <NAME> (<https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109375785524125994679>). Upvotes: 2

2016/12/13

<issue_start>username_0: I have Prusa i3 derivative with MK8 extruder and Marlin 1.1RC8 as firmware. I already reduced the default speeds as well as the accelerations. But sometimes when trying to print with BQ PLA filament (220°C), mostly during filling areas, my extruder clicks. The below screenshot of Slic3rs Layers view shows the clicking "lines". [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rzmxn.png) What settings I need to change to avoid the overextrusion in this case?<issue_comment>username_1: The only time that I've observed clicking from the extruder on my Anet-A8 is on the first layers when I have the head height set too low - the nozzle is unable to extrude at a high enough rate to allow the filament to progress as requested. If you have a somewhat repeatable scenario, you could try reducing the filament feed rate to 90% or so, and see what effect that has. I have already observed with one of my reels of filament that 90% feed rate gives me a less over-filled solid area, so maybe the default feed rates are a little on the high side (or this filament is of excessive diameter). Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Extruder 'clicking' is an audible indicator that the teeth on the hobbed gear are slipping... determining if this is a symptom or a problem is where things get tricky. Not so sure about adjusting feed rate - as this will impact the entire print and may introduce other problems. Measuring the dimensions of a sample print with a set of calipers is a good way of identifying over/under extrusion. General maintenance items perhaps? * Thermistor: Nozzle temperature measurement is dependent upon the precision of the thermistor and how well it is attached... 5% drift at 220 degrees may be as low as 210 degrees or as high as 230 degrees. Use a thermocouple on a multimeter, non-contact probe, etc. to verify your nozzle temperature. * Temperature: Nozzle temperature 'sag' of +/- 5 degrees is normal. Monitor nozzle temperature during a print to see if it stays within this range (see: Speed below). * Speed: Printing fast is awesome... when you have a hotend that can keep-up with the demands of melting incoming filament. Too fast, and the filament may not be properly melted; increasing the pressure needed to force it through the nozzle. Support material and infill typically print faster than the rest of the model - you mentioned hearing clicks "...mostly during filling areas." * Alignment: Make sure the hobbed gear, idler bearing, and filament are properly aligned. Filament that wanders around in the feed path is much more likely to slip and/or buckle. * Teeth: Make sure that the teeth of the hobbed gear are clean and clear of debris. 'Gunk' in hobbed gear teeth reduce grip on the filament. * Tension: Increase the tension between the hobbed gear and idler bearing if possible; worn hobbed gears may need a little extra help holding-on to the filament. * Stepper: Heat generated by the stepper motor can be passed down to the hobbed gear... softening the filament and causing it to slip. Stepper quality, capacity, and duty cycle can greatly effect how much heat is generated; 200+ degrees is entirely possible. Passive cooling (heatsink) is a good idea, active cooling (fan) is better. A loose heat-break, nicks in the filament path, variations in filament width, etc. are all possibilities as well. Also, Simplify3D created a great reference for solutions to common 3D printing problems (if you haven't seen it already). <https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/> Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I've tried to reduce the "Extrusion multiplier" from 1 to 0.95, but that caused gaps. Now I've minimized the clicking by setting the Slic3r option "Infill before perimeters" on the "Print Settings > Infill" page. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Try reducing to just two perimeters, and let that blue area be calculated as infill. This may give you a zig-zag infill instead of a straight, oversized bead. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One trap I've seen that causes the extruder to click, and over or underextrude is that the extruder control is in the wrong mode. The extruder can be set into relative or absolute mode. If absolute extrusion values are sent while in relative mode, then the system will be trying to push more through than the nozzle or hot end can handle. You'll get blobs, clicking, ooze and it will damage the extruder and hot end. Have a look at the G-code - and see what the "E" numbers look like - it they look relative (the same or close numbers repeatedly) or absolute (numbers slowly incrementing). Cura defaults to absolute - but initially was NOT sending the G-code to put my controller into absolute extruder positioning. Note also - this is separate from the XYZ absolute/relative positioning modes. * `M82` will put the extruder in absolute mode. * `M83` will put it back into relative mode. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I had this issue and it turned out to be the extruder cog rubbing on the inside of the hole in the heatsink, causing the stepper to slip. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/13

<issue_start>username_0: I'm looking to buy my first 3D Printer, on a tight budget of $250. Unfortunately, this printer that I found on Amazon comes with all the bells and whistles, *except* for a heated bed. I want to know if this would affect printing severely, as I have read that the plastic/ filament cools down rather quickly, and that it results in Printer "fails". I'm actually a bit nervous with this buy, as I don't want to spend $250 on a printer that produces 90% print fails. An example of the printer I'm referring to is the [Cube 3 Printer, Grey by 3D Systems](http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B015FXQZ6O).<issue_comment>username_1: The only time that I've observed clicking from the extruder on my Anet-A8 is on the first layers when I have the head height set too low - the nozzle is unable to extrude at a high enough rate to allow the filament to progress as requested. If you have a somewhat repeatable scenario, you could try reducing the filament feed rate to 90% or so, and see what effect that has. I have already observed with one of my reels of filament that 90% feed rate gives me a less over-filled solid area, so maybe the default feed rates are a little on the high side (or this filament is of excessive diameter). Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Extruder 'clicking' is an audible indicator that the teeth on the hobbed gear are slipping... determining if this is a symptom or a problem is where things get tricky. Not so sure about adjusting feed rate - as this will impact the entire print and may introduce other problems. Measuring the dimensions of a sample print with a set of calipers is a good way of identifying over/under extrusion. General maintenance items perhaps? * Thermistor: Nozzle temperature measurement is dependent upon the precision of the thermistor and how well it is attached... 5% drift at 220 degrees may be as low as 210 degrees or as high as 230 degrees. Use a thermocouple on a multimeter, non-contact probe, etc. to verify your nozzle temperature. * Temperature: Nozzle temperature 'sag' of +/- 5 degrees is normal. Monitor nozzle temperature during a print to see if it stays within this range (see: Speed below). * Speed: Printing fast is awesome... when you have a hotend that can keep-up with the demands of melting incoming filament. Too fast, and the filament may not be properly melted; increasing the pressure needed to force it through the nozzle. Support material and infill typically print faster than the rest of the model - you mentioned hearing clicks "...mostly during filling areas." * Alignment: Make sure the hobbed gear, idler bearing, and filament are properly aligned. Filament that wanders around in the feed path is much more likely to slip and/or buckle. * Teeth: Make sure that the teeth of the hobbed gear are clean and clear of debris. 'Gunk' in hobbed gear teeth reduce grip on the filament. * Tension: Increase the tension between the hobbed gear and idler bearing if possible; worn hobbed gears may need a little extra help holding-on to the filament. * Stepper: Heat generated by the stepper motor can be passed down to the hobbed gear... softening the filament and causing it to slip. Stepper quality, capacity, and duty cycle can greatly effect how much heat is generated; 200+ degrees is entirely possible. Passive cooling (heatsink) is a good idea, active cooling (fan) is better. A loose heat-break, nicks in the filament path, variations in filament width, etc. are all possibilities as well. Also, Simplify3D created a great reference for solutions to common 3D printing problems (if you haven't seen it already). <https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/> Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I've tried to reduce the "Extrusion multiplier" from 1 to 0.95, but that caused gaps. Now I've minimized the clicking by setting the Slic3r option "Infill before perimeters" on the "Print Settings > Infill" page. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: Try reducing to just two perimeters, and let that blue area be calculated as infill. This may give you a zig-zag infill instead of a straight, oversized bead. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: One trap I've seen that causes the extruder to click, and over or underextrude is that the extruder control is in the wrong mode. The extruder can be set into relative or absolute mode. If absolute extrusion values are sent while in relative mode, then the system will be trying to push more through than the nozzle or hot end can handle. You'll get blobs, clicking, ooze and it will damage the extruder and hot end. Have a look at the G-code - and see what the "E" numbers look like - it they look relative (the same or close numbers repeatedly) or absolute (numbers slowly incrementing). Cura defaults to absolute - but initially was NOT sending the G-code to put my controller into absolute extruder positioning. Note also - this is separate from the XYZ absolute/relative positioning modes. * `M82` will put the extruder in absolute mode. * `M83` will put it back into relative mode. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I had this issue and it turned out to be the extruder cog rubbing on the inside of the hole in the heatsink, causing the stepper to slip. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/14

<issue_start>username_0: Just started doing some design. First project was a replacement handle for my angle grinder, so basically a hollow cylinder. I want to reduce the amount of material used in the print. I could sit here and punch holes through the handle with a smaller cylinder, or some other shape etc., but is there an easier way to do this? It must be a pretty common requirement, just like in the movies where the spies look at a photo and tell the tech to 'enhance ... enhance'. Ideally you could select a surface and overlay some sort of pattern to remove material.<issue_comment>username_1: Updated to match the improved question format. There are a few ways to reduce material usage. First is what you have touched on. Which is to reduce the design by punching out holes, and removing all material that does not add anything to the structure. Even better is what you touched on, reducing it to the point where your print is more like a suspension bridge, where it is a the bare minimum scaffolding in a geometric pattern. Most tools you will find for reduction are like [this tutorial from Shapeways on Meshlab](http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/polygon_reduction_with_meshlab) where you reduce the surface detail. It might be worth exploring these a bet, however probably not what you really need. Next the more hard core cad tools such as solid works will allow you to preform [Parametric optimizations and Topology Optimization.](http://feaforall.com/reduce-cad-design-cost-using-simulation/#) Topology Optimization. seems to be your real winner [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Vmod.png) Now from the 3d printer standpoint we just simply tweak our slicer settings. There are entries for Infill. I usually print with 7% infill. AKA my print is 93% hollow inside. I then set a few solid shell layers. Think of solid shells as the skin. Usually that is enough to reduce my plastic usage. The only reason I don't make a part 100% hollow and a few solid skin / shell layers is that I need something to print on top of or if I need the part to be strong . Even low percent infill can be very strong if the correct geometric pattern is used (I.E. triangles). Generally the reduced infill will be enough, unless you are making thousands of this item, though in that case you are probably not going to 3d print it anyways. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SHLTZ.jpg) [3dprintingforbeginners](http://3dprintingforbeginners.com/infill-strength/) has a nice article on the relationship between infill, number of shells and part strength. A bit more information about the terminology (infill/shells/etc...) can be found on [3D printing blog](http://3dprinting-blog.com/tag/what-is-infill/). Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: "*Just like the movies*"-type tech typically means ***$$$***. For those who do not own (legally or otherwise) expensive CAD software, it may be difficult to find an out-of-the-box solution. That's not to say that it can't be done. A close, readily available, solution would be to use a series of common CAD tools such as Shell and Scale. Between these functions, you should be able to scale a copy of your main solid object, then shell the new inner object. When sliced, the object should have a smaller "inner wall" and a hollow center. I would recommend this over 0% infill as a shell will not provide enough strength for the intended use you mentioned. There is a [great article on My3DMatter.com](http://my3dmatter.com/influence-infill-layer-height-pattern/) that provides details and a very interesting set of charts, outlining cost, speed, strength, and quality distributions at varying layer heights and infills. ***Please Note:*** These results are going to ***differ* between different material types, vendors, part shape, and infill pattern**. These results were found printing from a MakerBot Replicator and presumably MakerBot-branded filament. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zpBXa.png) Upvotes: 3

2016/12/14

<issue_start>username_0: I've read different things about PLA and heat-bed. Some say it is not needed, others recommend 60-70°C, but not for the first layers. For larger objects I often have the problem that the object does not stick to the blue-painters-tape-covered aluminium print plate. Instead the print "curls" up on one or more corners. To reduce this effect, I'm using a brim between 5 and 10mm. Depending on the size of the object the brim works quite well. Will heating the bed also improve the print quality by reducing the amount of heat warping / curling?<issue_comment>username_1: It really depends on your formulation. 70 °C would be on the higher end. I think I do between 70 °C - 75 °C. Not any higher. Add a glue from a glue stick to help with keeping it on the bed. Use a raft to reduce the issue as well. A fan is the number one thing you can do. The last solution is to build a heat enclosure. They are not on every 3D printer because of patents blocking them. You can easily make your own. Technically it is not 100 % needed, i.e. the MakerBot does not use it, but the guys at MakerBot have PLA down to a science. Also I thought Kapton is not for PLA usually... see these [MatterHackers](http://www.matterhackers.com) articles: * [How to succeed when printing with ABS](https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-succeed-when-printing-with-abs); * [How to succeed when printing with PLA](http://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-succeed-when-printing-in-pla). From [RepRap Wiki - Glossary](http://www.reprap.org/wiki/Glossary): > > **Raft** > > > A technique used to prevent warping. Parts are built on top > of a 'raft' of disposable material instead of directly on the build > surface. The raft is larger than the part and so has more adhesion. > Rarely used with heated build surfaces. For the small area models, it > is very useful to prevent warping via adding a raft for the model > before slicing it. It can also help with with precision parts by > removing the slight first few layer distortion caused by the heated > bed. > > > Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Heating the bed helps me, even with PLA. I print with a 60 °C bed. The bed is 3/8" 6061 alloy aluminum, sanded with 600 grit sandpaper, coated with Elmer's purple glue stick, and dried. The brim will help. You might make the brim thicker than one layer (like 2-3 layers). If you look at the bottom of your print, are there large gaps where the PLA doesn't touch the bed? If so, you could zero the head closer to the bed, or increase the flow for the first layer. I haven't set up a cooling fan, although many praise the results. It is an experiment for a future day. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: For printing PLA you can manage to succeed without a heated bed. You can use blue painting tape on any platform. It will help a lot. But sometimes the tape itself curls up and you end up with a bad print. Heated bed helps here for better adhesion of the blue tape to the bed. You can also use hair sprey to ensure that the blue tape sticks to the bed. Hair sprey is pretty effective on ABS. If you use a heated bed + glass + hair sprey ( Akat Gardi is the best brand) you will never have any problem with your prints. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I actually find it's not needed for PLA. I generally have it heated to 40 °C and use blue painters tape along with some hairspray (I prefer Tresemme as it smells gorgeous). I've experimented with a glass bed, and Buildtak but I find blue painters tape is the key. I overlap the blue tape ends to the bed so it sticks, then spray the hairspray onto the tape. Also bed leveling is super important as are your print settings. What you want for the first layer is to have it essentially "pushing" into the bed. That way it gets good contact and wont curl up during the print, though it can be a challenge to get off later. **TL;DR** for PLA you dont need a heated bed, its more about the surface and 1st layer height. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: I can only go with my own experiences; a Printrbot simple metal originally with no heated bed and blue tape was fine for small parts if printed with a reasonable brim and rafts when needed (Slic3r does that) but larger prints tended to warp and curl. I upgraded to a heated bed, which I run at 55 - 60 °C for every print. Additionally, I now use Kapton tape on the bed and glue stick. I have recently reprinted a part for my printer, an LCD housing, to replace the badly warped original, which is my benchmark print. I have no warping/curling problems to the point that I have reduced the standard brim from 5 mm to 2 mm to save some material. Some additional detail - only PLA at present from a 0.4 mm extruder at 205 °C in 0.2 or 0.3 mm layer height for the finer detail. Takes longer but the results are worth it. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: The answer depends a bit on the type of PLA (supplier of specific filament), type of machine, type of build platform, size of model and ambient temperature. PLA has less issues with warping compared to ABS or Nylon, but *can* still warp depending on everything mentioned. My usual first try to minimize warping is to heat the bed. 60 - 70 °C works well but I'll also go up to 100 depending on a variety of factors. If still not having any luck, generally on larger parts I try adding a raft. If I STILL have issues after that I'll add 'helper disks' (small quarter dollar sized disks) around the part to increase the surface area of the raft. The disks will add more material but I have about a 99 % success rate using these. If a part is going to take more than about 3 hours and I can't have any warping at all, I always use a heated build plate and place the discs all the way around the part. Generally will add about a hour or more, but well worth the extra time. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_7: Heated bed definitely helps with PLA adhesion, it also helps depending the surface, for example PEI offers better adhesion than glass. Another option is to try to overextrude the first layer (125 %) and make sure it is squeezed out, so basically you get a wavy effect on the first layer. This should help a bit even in the curly corners. Another thing I have noticed from experience is the PLA itself, not all PLAs are the same so you could try another manufacturer or try your PLA in a friend's printer to see if you get the same effect. Generally on PLA we do not expect any warping, but the reality is that some do have. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_8: A lot depends on exactly which PLA you use and the build surface. I'm using one of those new-fangled high-temperature PLA's (MakerGeek's Raptor PLA, black) and a BuildTac surface on a MonoPrice Select Mini v2. From my experiments, I believe that the biggest influence in preventing warping is the BuildTac. My slicer is Simplify3d, so the settings may be in a different format than yours. I use a hot-end temperature of 240 °C, a bed temperature of 40 °C, layer height of 0.0875 mm, a first-layer modifier of 1.5, an extrusion modifier of 0.95, and a retraction distance of 3 mm. I've never had a problem with warping, but these settings prevent stringing and allow me to more easily remove parts after printing. And yes, I wait until the bed gets to room temperature before removing the part. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_9: This is fundamentally a heat transfer problem. As a large print is being made, it is very thin. Thin things cool off quickly, especially when no new hot material is being placed on top in the meantime. A heated bed will only help for a time, depending on the print size, before it starts to actually contribute to warping due to rapidly cooling upper layers and still- heated lower layers. A hack can be found by improving bed adhesion, but this leaves the underlying problem of thermal stresses intact. Only through better 3D printing thermal properties design or through better object design will the warping problem be solved rather than mitigated. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_10: Heated beds can help, but you have to be careful using too much heat. If you go above the glass transition temperature (about 60 °C for PLA), the stresses of the upper layers cooling will warp the bottom, because above the glass transition temperature, the PLA can deform. For example, I was making very tall and skinny parts, a recipe for warping. At 65 °C, I had a bit of the bottom corners curling, but the part finished. I turned the heat up to 80 °C, and the parts warped so much they came off the build plate. I ran the exact same parts at 58 °C, and they came out beautifully every time. A higher bed temperature can aid adhesion, (see [Effect of the printing bed temperature on the adhesion of parts produced by fused filament fabrication](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14658011.2017.1399531)), but if the temperature is above the glass transition, the parts can and will deform much more easily. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_11: Heating the bed helps with adhesion to the bed, but can seriously interfere with cooling of the layers just above the bed that are in contact with large amounts of material touching the bed. I've found that, if I have a model with a flat region touching the bed and walls leaning outward from it (overhangs) as they go up, any corners will curl upwards before they can cool if the bed is 60 °C or above - it's effectively a heat bath at the glass transition temperature that's going to be hard for a fan to overcome. At 50 °C the effect is almost gone, and at 40 °C and below it seems entirely gone, but the exact temperature that's safe is going to depend on ambient room temperature, cooling fan power, and effectiveness of the fan duct. I've just found this as a solution to my curling-corner problems, so I might end up tweaking things more, but I think I'm going to try printing PLA without heating the bed at all unless I have trouble with adhesion. An example showing slightly warped vertex/edge from curling corners at 50 °C vs good ones at lower temperatures:  Upvotes: 0

2016/12/15

<issue_start>username_0: I'm in the process of building the [D-Bot core XY](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1001065) printer, and I was hoping to know if the Z-axis 'zero' is near the hot end or near the bottom of the printer furthest away from the hotend? In this printer the Z-platform moves up and down and the nozzle stays at the same height.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, Z-Zero is typically at the "top" of the printer, closest to the nozzle(s). X and Y zeros are also typically in the lower-left corner of the buildplate. However, the XY zeros are re-interpreted in slicing software to produce cleaner G-Code as it's sometimes difficult to read G-Code in negative coordinates. For this functionality, slicing engines utilize the machine build space length and width. So if you encounter a situation where your machine "over travels" in either -X or -Y direction during startup, verify that the length and width of your build space is correct in your slicing engine. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Generally, Z-axis zero is when the hot end and the build plate are close to each other. Some printers keep the hot end up at the top, and bring the build plate up to reach it. Other printers keep the build plate at the bottom, and lower the hot end down to reach it. As such, "Z axis zero" doesn't specify top or bottom of the physical printer, it just specifies that the hot end is right up against the build plate, ready to print its first layer. In the printer you describe, where the hot end remains at the top, that's where Z zero is. In terms of the model being printed, Z axis zero is always the bottom of the model, the first layer to be deposited on the build plate. The numbers increase from there, either lifting the hot end up, or pushing the build plate down, depending on the design of the printer. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2016/12/16

<issue_start>username_0: When printing the first layer, the infill overlaps on just one side of my print. Thereupon there's a rough, and a lot higher, surface on the first few millimeters after the wall. * Printer: Arduino Materia 101 * Filament: Rec Pla * Temp: 210 degrees I have tried to troubleshoot it, but I just found information about a problem when the infill isn't close enough to the wall everywhere. However, for me, the problem is the contrary and just on one side. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SFYAqm.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Yes. That happens. I personally prefer this to the alternative which is it does not go far enough and curls back. That said depending on your slicer you will have a line overlap tolerance. But what's really happening is you are smooching your first layer. Aka your hot end is too high in relation to your first layer multiplier. Failing that and if you see it later in the print. Again I don't think you really can fix it but you should recalibrate your printers firmware, steps per mm and your slicers filament size. Looking at it I again it is a bit much. Maybe the plate is not flat. Does it happen on any other sides? After that we have the unlikely case your hotend is too hot. Which the slow down of the printer could cause too much material to ooze out. But I'm going to say plate level as number one suspicion. 3D printing is a lot like trying to spin 3-4 plates at once.. if you still have issues I can expand more on calibration steps you need to do. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This may be a result of an unlevel build plate (OP did not specify if calibration was done at time of writing). If the area that is overlapping is higher (closer to the nozzle), the filament will be pushed down and around the nozzle as it extrudes in that area. This will result in excess filament overlapping unto other strands on the layer. Please excuse my lack of artistic skills in paint, but the image below should illustrate what can happen when your build plate is unlevel: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IHElo.png) Basically what it's trying to illustrate is that if the nozzle is closer than the expected layer height, the machine will continue to flow as if the nozzle is *layer height* away. This typically results in a larger *layer width* because **the nozzle is essentially pushing material out of the way**. You will notice that as you go further to the right in the drawing, that your layer may begin to "thin out" because if the nozzle more than a layer height away, the filament "stretches" until it settles on the build plate, resulting in a thinner layer width. Ideally, your nozzle will be parallel to your build plate at all points along the build space and the "***Standoff Distance***" will be equal to your layer height. So, you should see the top of your bead of filament at the same height as the bottom of your nozzle. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2016/12/17

<issue_start>username_0: When trying to print parts that should contain certain sized holes, e.g. for screws, how to achieve that they are sized correctly? Is it possible to calibrate the printer perfectly, so it prints holes correctly sizes in all common sizes (e.g. starting at 2mm diameter)? Or is it better to design the holes larger or print prototypes and increase the sizes according to the real prints?<issue_comment>username_1: [The reason holes come out undersized is generally the slicer](http://hydraraptor.blogspot.nl/2014/06/why-slicers-get-dimensions-wrong.html), so calibrating the printer itself cannot solve the issue (without making other things worse). The output of the printer is exactly what it should be, given the G-code provided to it. It's just that the G-code does not represent the hole diameter correctly. It would be best to simply account for the deviation in your design, or simply drill out undersized holes to the correct diameter. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Even in traditional manufacturing (milling, lathe, router, etc.) dimensions are often times offset to accommodate unforeseen variables such as cutting tool wear, material hardness, and especially operator/engineering error. As *username_1* stated, it is common for holes to come out undersized. This is not a conscious action, but a result of uncompensated variables in the material. When you phase the material by heating it to near or at melting point, the material technically begins changing. With that can come varying changes in melting and *cooling rates*. Your slicing engine will not understand what should be compensated and what shouldn't. So, I would suggest: * Aiming for the lower tolerance for your hole size. If you don't have a tolerance, just make one up and aim for about 0.5mm-1mm below your target hole size. * *Ream* the hole using a reamer or drill, utilizing the 3D printed hole as a pilot. * Be wary of 3D hole positions. If a hole is oriented in compound angles, meaning that it is not directly in-line with an axis plane such as XY, XZ, or YZ, then you may also have misshapen holes. **These may result in positional errors if you decide to ream them out.** Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Make sure you know what purpose the holes are to serve. If they are *clearance* holes , i.e. designed so that the screw or bolt slides thru easily, then there's nothing wrong with a slight oversize. If you want a *tappable* hole, i.e. either drive threads for a machine screw or self-tap with wood/drywall screws, then you want to go undersized. If you want the hole to be a close-fit with a non-threaded rod, as is done for maintaining alignment for moving parts, then almost certainly start undersized and clear the hole just enough to fit the desired rod. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: I've had this issue too and I've pretty much solved it by making all holes polygons instead of round. The general rule of thumb I follow is to use a polygon with 4 times as many sides as the hole diameter in millimeters, e.g. for a hole with a 3 mm diameter I'd use a 12 sided polygon. Then it's a matter of choosing between a circumscribed (circle fits inside polygon) or an inscribed (polygon fits inside circle) polygon depending on what you're using the hole for. Upvotes: 1

2016/12/20

<issue_start>username_0: I started to write an application that calculates the estimated total print time from the G-code file for an already sliced model. The program works and it's pretty accurate. It works as follows: 1. It scans the entire G-code file to identify all of the movements 2. It calculates the time for each move by dividing segment distance by the speed in mm/s. Let's assume this is the G-code: ``` G28 ; home all axes G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 ``` This is the calculation it does: ``` totalTime = 0 # G28 ; home all axes currentX = 0 mm currentY = 0 mm currentZ = 0 mm # G1 Z0.200 F5400.000 newZ = 0.2 mm mmPerSecond = 5400 / 60 = 90 mm/s deltaZ = newZ - currentZ = 0.2 - 0 = 0.2 mm segmentLength = deltaZ = 0.2 mm moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond = 0.2 / 90 = 0.002 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0 + 0.002 = 0.002 s # G1 X158.878 Y27.769 E6.65594 F900.000 newX = 158.878 mm newY = 27.769 mm mmPerSecond = 900 / 60 = 15 mm/s deltaX = newX - currentX = 158.878 - 0 = 158.878 mm deltaY = newY - currentY = 27.769 - 0 = 27.769 mm segmentLength = square_root(deltaX² + deltaY²) = 161.287 mm moveTime = deltaZ / mmPerSecond = 161.287 / 15 = 10.755 s totalTime = totalTime + moveTime = 0.002 + 10.755 = 10.757 s ``` In this example, the print will take approximately 10.7 seconds. More generally, the formula used is, for each movement: ``` moveTime = segmentLength / mmPerSecond ``` By summing up all the move times, we have the total estimated print time. I've seen that some forums state that the 3D print time also depends on some settings on the 3D printer, especially Acceleration X, Acceleration Y, Acceleration Z, Jerk, and Z-Jerk. I'd like to make it possible to use those values to more accurately calculate print time; however, I don't understand how those values affect the move time: 1. How should Acceleration and Jerk be considered; and, how do they speed up or slow down the print time? 2. How should I edit my formula in order to include Acceleration and Jerk in the print time calculation?<issue_comment>username_1: I have tried looking into the printer firmware to see how the *Acceleration* setting affects the machine movement. From what I could tell, *Acceleration* seemed to be implemented differently depending on what firmware I looked at and was also affected by what the settings used on the printer were. I didn't look any further because writing different rules for every different firmware seemed like too much trouble. Maybe someone that knows more about this would know if most firmware uses the same calculations. I suspect that the acceleration setting will not make a lot of difference to the time that the print takes. They haven't seemed to make a difference on the small prints that I have done printing with slow speeds. If you were printing larger prints at faster speeds that had long paths where the nozzle had time to accelerate and decelerate then I suspect you would notice a bigger difference with the time. I have found that the biggest error between the predicted time and the actual time has been the time the machine spends processing the instructions. When printing a model that has a lot of short movements that need to be sent to the printer and they need to be processed and calculated by the printer, I have noticed the printer will pause for a fraction of a second. It is not long enough to see a difference in the printers movements, but it is noticeable enough to hear. I suspect that on cheaper printers this would cause a bigger error than the acceleration. If someone can find out how the acceleration settings are calculated by the printer and what G-code command can be used to get the acceleration settings out of the printer, I would be really interested in knowing more about this. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: First of all, there are some nice open source analyzers written in JavaScript that you can use online, or read the source to, at <https://www.gcodeanalyser.com/> and <http://gcode.ws/>. Their predictions don't fully match actual printer firmware, but they do a reasonably close job, and reading them would be informative. Basically, the story behind acceleration and jerk is that you can't change the velocity (speed or direction) of the print head instantaneously. It takes time to speed up and slow down. Acceleration is the max rate at which the velocity of the print head can change. Jerk is something of a misnomer/hack, and is the max fake-instantaneous change in velocity allowed at the junction of two segments/curves. The point of jerk is to avoid choppy motion when moving along a curve made up of many segments by accelerating/decelerating at each tiny corner. Note that there are two sets of settings for both acceleration and jerk: * a maximum absolute value (3D vector length) that frequently changed as part of the gcode in order to use different acceleration profiles for print moves vs travel moves, walls vs infill, etc. * per-axis absolute values (standard 1D absolute value) for the limitations of the machine, that are usually set in the printer's settings or the start gcode profile for your printer and never changed. Movement is constrained to always respect both sets of settings. Printer firmware uses acceleration and jerk settings along with *lookahead* at upcoming motion commands to decide how to actually operate the motors. When it starts a motion, it has to accelerate up to the configured max velocity within the acceleration constraints. It also has to start slowing back down midway through unless it knows the next motion is going to continue in the exact same direction; how much it has to slow down depends on the difference in the vectors of motion. If the next motion is going to be in approximately the same direction, it may be able to avoid slowing down by using the jerk allowance to make an "instantaneous" change of velocity at the corner. Only if you have long (relative to speed) linear or approximately linear motions will you ever actually reach the requested speed. So, to estimate print time, you need to *model* this. Keep track of print head velocity while processing/simulating the gcode, and for each motion command, compute velocity as a function of time using the acceleration limits (accelerating at the max rate they allow). You also need to figure out the final velocity you want to end the motion with in order to be able to start the next motion command, and a point to start decelerating if necessary to reach that. Upvotes: 3

2016/12/20

<issue_start>username_0: I run a high school 3D printer lab and we have several 5th generation MakerBot printers. On one of them I have considerable trouble with "thin" prints and filament slip warnings. So far I've tried changing extruders and using different filament rolls with no luck. But, if I move the job and the extruder to a different printer it works. I'd appreciate suggestions for how to sort this out. I would have expected the slipping problems to follow the extruder.<issue_comment>username_1: Oh interesting. By slips, I take it you mean that the raw filament slips, not the print slips. This will happen for a few reasons. First the tooth gear that grabs the plastic is either: * Worn out * Out of place * Not the correct distance from the guide wheel. This is all part of the mechanism that the Smart Extruder attaches TO. Not the Smart Extruder itself. You might be able to fix this yourself, worst case you will need a replacement assembly from MakerBot. *I would look into online auction sites for the part* Another option is to try thicker filament. Which you might be able to custom order. So instead of 1.5, maybe get 1.8. I am not sure where you can buy off sizes. From there this machine might just be getting jammed. It happens to some machines. This again points to the base of the X axis assembly. Last which I would say is not likely as you have tried multiple extruders, you might have the nozzle becoming clogged. I often pop open my extruders *voids warranty* and clean them out. Also micro hand drills are a good option here. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Okay, the original Smart Extruder has **many** issues. I've clocked about 60 hours on a new Replicator+ w/ Smart Extruder+ and haven't encountered any of the issues I heard about with the original extruder. So, I might begin by re-recommending what MakerBot Industries has *recommended* to their customers which is *upgrade your Smart Extruder to the new Smart Extruder+*. ***However***, the extruder may not be completely at fault. A picture says a thousand words, so if you have one, please add one. Based on your description of the part's layers "thinning out", double check your [extrusion settings in MakerBot Desktop](https://support.makerbot.com/learn/makerbot-desktop-software/print-settings/custom-settings_11912). Another potential issue is too much tension on the filament as it is being fed into the extruder. Here are **some things that can lead to too much tension**: * Filament wound around spool/spool holder * Filament kinked * Too much friction between the spool and spool holder * Too much friction between the filament and the filament guide (the plastic tube) Finally, and my reason for bringing up the Smart Extruder, is that your extruder may be clogged or "gumming up". In the past, if there was too much tension on the filament and the drive gear was not adjusted correctly, the drive gear would grind the filament. This would lead to small deposits of filament gumming up the drive gear, eventually leading to the filament slipping. Once the filament began slipping, it would slowly no longer extrude and heat up further up the extruder assembly. This inevitably leads to the extruder becoming clogged. In short: > > {Too much filament tension} + {Too tight drive gear} = Gumming > > > {Too much gumming} + Time = Slipping/"Thinning" > > > {Too much slipping} + time + heat = Clogging > > > Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: We had a similar issue with our Makerbot printer here in the username_3 lab. We would have slip, after slip and tried oiling, hand feeding, and roughing up the filament none of it worked. But we found an answer!!! With the smart extruder, it's as simple as inserting a flathead screwdriver between the filament wheel and the housing, and prying the wheel towards the pin-side of the print head. Solved all our problems! Seriously, not a slip since and perfect prints. I've a short solution video for YouTube, [Fixing filament slip on your 3D printer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEVKBtNdK04). Check out the makerbot trouble shooting page for reference: [MakerBot Support > Troubleshooting > MakerBot Replicator > Error Codes ERROR 81](https://support.makerbot.com/troubleshooting/makerbot-replicator/error-codes/error-81_10422/2192) Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: You could also try printing at a higher temperature. Slips can happen when the filament is not melting and thus not pushing through the extruder consistently. E.g. I had a spool of PLA filament that would slip constantly at 190°C. I tried 220°C and then it printed smoothly after that. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: *I posted an edit to the [top answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3234/troubleshooting-filament-slip-on-makerbot-5#answer-3237) in hopes that it will get changed for anyone looking at this post in the future but in case it gets rejected here is the actual issue and fix.* **If you just want the solution skip down to the bolded text.** I came across this post while browsing for resources to document my own experiences with "filament slip" in Makerbots and every suggested solution was wrong and potentially malicious to the machine. I'm an expert in the field and have taken apart and fixed dozens of machines. First a bit about the anatomy of the extruder so you can understand better. The way that the toolhead detects slips is with an encoder wheel placed above the actual drive mechanism, not attached to it or the idler whatsoever. It's also not even tensioned against the filament at all. The filament is "held" in place with an injection molded piece of plastic that attaches to the rest of the extruder body just by the pin connectors on the internal PCB and a small positioning groove on both sides of the case. The encoder wheel and its sensor are very unlikely to wear but what happens to every older head is that either the casing or the injection molded part that holds the filament wears and the encoder wheel no longer presses firmly against the filament which causes the filament to move without turning the encoder. The encoder then not moving while the drive gear is, reads a filament slip and sends an error message even though nothing is mechanically or functionally wrong. The wear is also not clearly visible even on close inspection. This problem seems to arise in every Smart Extruder+ once it reaches 150-200 printing hours. **Actual Fix** As a temporary fix you can jam a piece of foam inside the right side of the extruder to push the poorly secured injection molded part against the encoder wheel. This will make the filament slip error much less frequent but won't completely solve the issue. I'm working on a 3D printed insert that should hold the part more securely, at least until the printed part wears after an additional 100 or so printing hours. I'm also working on a 3D printed replacement for the extruder body and some of the injection molded interior parts. It aims to be a drop in replacement which should greatly improve both reliability and functionality. If I can remember once I'm finished I'll come back and post a link here. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: I had the same issue, but my solution was a little different. Following along with what the others posted about the wheel, I had a jam inside the extruder around that wheel. I missed it the first time I tore it open so no matter how many times I tried the screwdriver trick it didn't work for me. I figured I'd post so if anyone is coming along trying to find the solution, they can see that it might be a jam on the filament wheel and not just to check the nozzle area. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_7: So I had this issue for months, was about to either give up and call my printer a paper weight, but I figured it out. And it doesn't cost anything. I literally reprinted the same hose adapter 6 times (every time the filament slipped about 20 times and it was unusable). I changed 4 settings and since then I've printed the same print twice in a row without a single filament slip. In "Device Settings" in Makerbot application: Extruder Temp: 220 °C Travel Speed (I think this is what is actually causing the slip): 115 mm/s Then in the "Infill" section: Infill Density: 30 % Lastly in "Model Properties": Shell Starting Point: 220 °C Please let me know if this works for you as well. (I should point out I just have the regular smart extruder, and I was planning on dumping the $350 for the top of the line model) Upvotes: 0

2016/12/20

<issue_start>username_0: I am planning on buying a cheap 3D printer to get into 3D printing, but the printer I'm planning to buy only takes 1.75 mm filament, I was wondering if it might be possible to change the hotend of that printer or something to take in 3.0 mm filament, the reason I want to use 3.0 mm filament is because it is cheaper than 1.75 mm filament.<issue_comment>username_1: First it really depends on your printer / extruder. That said generally 1.75 mm is cheaper and much more common. If one were to change the hotend, likely you will need to replace most or all of the hot end. In the case of my personal hot ends, when I did this conversion I had to replace both the tube and the PETF lined mouth. I did not have to replace the tip, core, or the thermsister. My advice is to pick a different printer. You see 3 mm on older extruders like J Head direct gear from around 2012-2013 and Bowden style (like the Ultimaker) use 3 mm (actually 2.85 mm). Possible yes, advised, no. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I had my printer Anycubic-Chiron converted from 1.75 mm filament to 3.00 mm, as it is big enough to handle bigger filament and the printer itself came with two sizes of the heatsink - the other fit to 3.00 mm filament. In addition, I changed my extruder to a "Bulldog" extruder kit for 1.75 and 3 mm filament plus the PTFE tube and had to change the metal tube (heat break) between the heatsink and the hotend. However, the conversion failed, the filament gets stuck on multiple points. I found many blogs describing this similar issue. The only possible solution is to increase the heat up to 270 °C at which my printer also fails. As the thickness of 3.00 mm filament prevents the heat to reach the middle of it. That's why it spools on the beginning only of printing then stop. There is no way to continue. So, the problem is with the hotend, being mostly designed to suit 1.75 mm filament, not the printer itself. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: It can be quite straightforward to convert from 1.75 mm to 2.85 or 3.0 mm, but it requires to buy hardware specifically for larger diameter filament. Nowadays, in 2020, Ultimaker is still using 2.85 mm filament which is not more expensive than the smaller diameter (at least not for the premium brands I'm using). I converted to the larger diameter filament years ago to be able to exchange filament with an Ultimaker 3E I maintain and manage. To convert to a larger diameter, you need to be aware of * the [pros and cons](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/264) of the various diameters * increasing the stepper motor torque to be able to extrude the filament; larger diameter filament [requires much more pressure](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/7998) than smaller diameter filament; the easiest way to do that is reducing the speed (and as such increasing the torque) of the extruder using a belt drive or gear reduction * buying specific parts for your hotend, e.g. heat sink, heat break, etc. * modify the steps per mm for the extruder Thingiverse has always been a great starting point for me for larger diameter filament extruders; my own custom extruders are based on such designs. It is perfectly possible to convert to a different filament diameter, but, it requires some money, time, elbow grease and engineering from your side. Upvotes: 2

2016/12/21

<issue_start>username_0: I would really like to be able to print moving parts that fit well enough to move without excessive friction, but also aren't excessively loose. Using an Ultimaker 2, what should be my expectations be, and how would I go about produce well fitting parts? Using a tool like Openscad to generate parametric parts is really useful because it facilitates the creation of geometrically precise parts such as cogs and drive shafts, which also have precise dimensions. The problem arises when the parts are printed and joined together. I recently printed some cogs that were supposed to be able to rotate freely around a shaft, which was also printed. I made the shaft about 0.1 mm smaller than the center hole of the cog expecting it to be able to rotate freely, however I found that I had to bore out the center hole slightly and sand down the shaft. I then found that the boring was imprecise and the center of rotation was off center.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that you've got the right idea in concept, but benchmarking is typically the best way to prove this out. **You should get in the habit of designing with assembly in mind.** This means: * Hole sizes should be larger than intended and/or shafts should be smaller than intended * Scaling does not always solve the issue! Avoid relying on scale tools as it can result in reducing/enlarging features you did not intend to scale * My own experience has shown that a *clearance* of about **0.005" to 0.010"** (~125μm to ~250μm) should be enough. However it may be different for your situation with a different printer, filament, climate, etc. * Also consider material shrinkage from the printing process! Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a lot of factors to 3D printing parts that work and fit together. A lot of it will be discovered by trial and error, but let's try to put you on the right path. First your material is what matters the most. Specifically their coefficient of thermal expansion, i.e. how much can the plastic change when heat is applied. PLA's coefficient is low compared to ABS, for example. Which is why the MakerBot can print without a heated bed, but it cannot print ABS with any success. Here is a [list of coefficient of thermal expansions](http://omnexus.specialchem.com/polymer-properties/properties/coefficient-of-linear-thermal-expansion) by material. What you want to do next is to print out a few test items and see for yourself. Below is an example of reality vs. expectation. As you can see the circle shrinks. It will never expand. So you will always make it bigger than you need. It is also good to note in this example below that the block itself is Larger than expected. The best solution is to not expect high tolerances and build a lot of flex into your designs. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0e4Q.png) Generally you want the hole size larger. If I wanted a 4 mm minimum hole, then I would likely make it 5+ mm. The best thing you can do is print out a tray and document how different the sizes are. Also, do the same with a print of various peg sizes. Below is an example of such a tray. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jmQn.png) * Also, you might want to look into other materials such as Nylon and Carbon fiber. * A great source of more tips. Here is a great tutorial, [Designing Mechanical Parts - The Whoosh Machine by shapeways](http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/designing_mechanical_parts_3d_printing_the_whoosh), on designing parts. * A [RepRap Wiki article](http://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication) on different lubricants in regards to 3D printers. Most people use silicon lube for parts to my knowledge. Again, it depends on your material. Images taken from this link, [The Innovation Station - Tips for Designing 3D Printed Parts](https://innovationstation.utexas.edu/tip-design/). Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I can't attest to the empirical data laid out in the first answer, but I've had to deal with a lot of components printed in two parts to be connected via design-incorporated channels. I always found that, as a reference, a box of width and length 0.98" will slide securely, but freely, into a square channel of width and length 1". Upvotes: 1

2016/12/23

<issue_start>username_0: tried searching but couldn't find anything. I do not have a 3d printer so can't really experiment on my own, which means that when I am going to order a 3d print I want to get it as good as possible. So, my question: Do quality of geometry matters when 3d printing? Will 3d printer only print quads, or ngons are fine? Are there shapes to avoid? Cheers :) M.<issue_comment>username_1: I think that you've got the right idea in concept, but benchmarking is typically the best way to prove this out. **You should get in the habit of designing with assembly in mind.** This means: * Hole sizes should be larger than intended and/or shafts should be smaller than intended * Scaling does not always solve the issue! Avoid relying on scale tools as it can result in reducing/enlarging features you did not intend to scale * My own experience has shown that a *clearance* of about **0.005" to 0.010"** (~125μm to ~250μm) should be enough. However it may be different for your situation with a different printer, filament, climate, etc. * Also consider material shrinkage from the printing process! Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are a lot of factors to 3D printing parts that work and fit together. A lot of it will be discovered by trial and error, but let's try to put you on the right path. First your material is what matters the most. Specifically their coefficient of thermal expansion, i.e. how much can the plastic change when heat is applied. PLA's coefficient is low compared to ABS, for example. Which is why the MakerBot can print without a heated bed, but it cannot print ABS with any success. Here is a [list of coefficient of thermal expansions](http://omnexus.specialchem.com/polymer-properties/properties/coefficient-of-linear-thermal-expansion) by material. What you want to do next is to print out a few test items and see for yourself. Below is an example of reality vs. expectation. As you can see the circle shrinks. It will never expand. So you will always make it bigger than you need. It is also good to note in this example below that the block itself is Larger than expected. The best solution is to not expect high tolerances and build a lot of flex into your designs. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v0e4Q.png) Generally you want the hole size larger. If I wanted a 4 mm minimum hole, then I would likely make it 5+ mm. The best thing you can do is print out a tray and document how different the sizes are. Also, do the same with a print of various peg sizes. Below is an example of such a tray. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1jmQn.png) * Also, you might want to look into other materials such as Nylon and Carbon fiber. * A great source of more tips. Here is a great tutorial, [Designing Mechanical Parts - The Whoosh Machine by shapeways](http://www.shapeways.com/tutorials/designing_mechanical_parts_3d_printing_the_whoosh), on designing parts. * A [RepRap Wiki article](http://reprap.org/wiki/Lubrication) on different lubricants in regards to 3D printers. Most people use silicon lube for parts to my knowledge. Again, it depends on your material. Images taken from this link, [The Innovation Station - Tips for Designing 3D Printed Parts](https://innovationstation.utexas.edu/tip-design/). Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I can't attest to the empirical data laid out in the first answer, but I've had to deal with a lot of components printed in two parts to be connected via design-incorporated channels. I always found that, as a reference, a box of width and length 0.98" will slide securely, but freely, into a square channel of width and length 1". Upvotes: 1

2016/12/24

<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to design a camera handle, which will be around 8" long and will have a brass camera thread insert in the end, where the camera will be mounted. (That way, I don't have to screw the camera thread into plastic which will wear out faster.) If I print the handle normally, the end of the handle won't be solid so I can't solidly put that brass fitting in. If I set the fill in Cura to 100%, the print will take a very long time and will be unnecessarily solid. I only need a centimeter or two at the end to be solid. Is there a way to get one particular wall in Cura to be very thick (1-2cm) without affecting the other walls? Is there some other way to get a solid chunk in the end of the part?<issue_comment>username_1: I think you are approaching this wrong. Sounds like you need to design it to have a hollow wall. That said to answer your question no you cannot have your slicer modify prints like that. But it bears mentioning you can set all shells to what ever you want have have a very sparse infill. To you can set vertical shells to 3 or so. Top to 3 bottom to 2 and infill to 7-15% so it will be 93% hollow not counting the 3 layers of solid skin. Post pics of your design. Or let me know what else I can add. Check out my answer to this [other stack overflow question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3198/reducing-amount-of-material/3206#3206) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I'd suggest creating a hollow tube with ~1 to 1.5 mm walls. Then to increase the strength design your own internal structure rather than relying on the slicer to fill the part. This takes longer to model but you can design the strength of your part much better. Something like this [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/guuNV.jpg) If you were to then print this with 60 % infill you'll have the strength and also use less material. If you happen to know specifically how your part would be loaded, you could then change the dimensions on that internal cross structure to take the loads better. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: There *is* a way to do this in Cura 2: 1. Load in a cube. 2. Place it over the location where you need 100% infill. 3. In the per-object settings (tool on the left of the screen): * enable **Infill Mesh**, and; * set **Infill density** to 100 %, and; * **Wall Thickness** to 0 mm. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I believe the solution is to use more walls in Cura. Here is a 50mm cylinder with a 20mm hole. I specified 10 walls in Cura. This should give extra plastic for the screw to bit into, but not take all day to print! [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cItxw.png) Upvotes: 1

2016/12/25

<issue_start>username_0: I have just got a Monoprice Maker Select 3d printer (which is really just a Wanhao Duplicator i3). I want to print a model that came on the included SD card (`1.gcode`) with ABS filament. I first press "`Preheat ABS`" and wait for the display to show the correct temperatures, 245°C for the extruder and 90°C for the print bed. Then, I mount the SD card and select the file to print. However, once I do that, the "goal" temperatures change to 195°C for the extruder and 50°C for the print bed, and the temperatures reported by the printer gradually go down as the printer waits for it to match the "goal" temperature. This results in a failed print, with the filament sticking to the extruder in a clump. What is going on here? I am trying PLA with the same file, and it seems to work fine, although the temperature change still occurs.<issue_comment>username_1: The demo files are gcode files generated for use with the sample PLA that comes with the printer. If you want to print it with ABS select the file and set the temperature manually afterwards. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you want to use the demo files, you can probably pause the print as soon as it starts, and manually set the extruder temperatures before resuming the print. Easier to generate new g-code though. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: If you want to print the demo files with ABS rather than PLA, as the files are designed to do, I recommend loading the file into CURA and saving out a new gcode file with the adjusted temperatures. You can load the file from gcode, which will give you the basic settings that are included in the PLA file. I would also recommend slowing down the first layer a bit as adhesion of the initial layer is much more important for ABS than PLA, as ABS tends to warp more. Also you should reduce, if not turn off your cooling fans. Then once all the settings are where you need them to be for ABS, just export out a new file and probably change the name to include \_ABS so you know the difference when you're mounting the card. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/26

<issue_start>username_0: This is my problem: I'm assembling a 3D printer with the RAMPS 1.4 board and Arduino Mega. I have assembled the structure and the electronics (set drivers, placed the jumpers, connected stepper motors...) and have uploaded Marlin firmware (configuring: thermistor, endstops...) on the Arduino Mega. I've tried to connect, via USB, to the computer and using the Repetier software I have commanded the printer which did do some movement. The printer worked perfectly. After a few tests, however, I've noticed that the Arduino was restarting several times and at one point I saw a component on the Arduino board burning. Searching the internet I saw that the burned component was the voltage regulator. I heard also about unplugging the screen because it consumes a lot of current, that passes through the voltage regulator, thereby heating it up. I then proceeded to buy another Arduino Mega. I also checked the voltage of my 12V 360W power supply and it is correct. I always powered the Arduino with USB and RAMPS 1.4 was connected to the power supply from the two terminals. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFSWR.png) When the new Arduino arrived, I connected the whole (without connecting the screen) and tried. The printer worked very well until it started giving the same problem as the first Arduino board. Someone can tell me if I have done something wrong, or is it the RAMPS board that does not work properly? ### EDIT: I read that the endstops can cause this problem. I have these endstops: [1 PZ di Alta Qualità Finecorsa Meccanico Per rampe Reprap 1.4 stampante 3D Con imballaggio indipendente kit fai da te](https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1PCS-High-Quality-Mechanical-Endstop-For-Reprap-ramps-1-4-3D-printer-With-independent-packing-diy/32454910275.html) and I connected the black wire to GND, red wire to 5V and the green wire to SIGNAL.<issue_comment>username_1: The demo files are gcode files generated for use with the sample PLA that comes with the printer. If you want to print it with ABS select the file and set the temperature manually afterwards. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you want to use the demo files, you can probably pause the print as soon as it starts, and manually set the extruder temperatures before resuming the print. Easier to generate new g-code though. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: If you want to print the demo files with ABS rather than PLA, as the files are designed to do, I recommend loading the file into CURA and saving out a new gcode file with the adjusted temperatures. You can load the file from gcode, which will give you the basic settings that are included in the PLA file. I would also recommend slowing down the first layer a bit as adhesion of the initial layer is much more important for ABS than PLA, as ABS tends to warp more. Also you should reduce, if not turn off your cooling fans. Then once all the settings are where you need them to be for ABS, just export out a new file and probably change the name to include \_ABS so you know the difference when you're mounting the card. Upvotes: 0

2016/12/27

<issue_start>username_0: I have never much cared about self intersecting meshes when slicing with Cura. Geometry like the one below are often practical. I for instance add lots of rivets that self intersect with the base geometry: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cRZqk.png) Now I have switched printer, and am using Simplify3D instead. All of a sudden, I get lots of problems with these models. The intersection of the objects become hollow. Simplify3D has a setting to join the outer solid shell but it also fills holes (such as the center hole of a gear). I make models to sell so this is a big deal for me. EDIT: Also, they printed perfectly fine in formlabs "slicer".<issue_comment>username_1: Self intersecting meshes are considered dirty, yes. The reason you haven't had trouble before is probably that the software you were using was cleaning your mesh for you, behind the scenes. Generally speaking, these meshes can be cleaned without too much trouble by software like netfabb (<https://www.netfabb.com/>) which has a nice free version that I use for basic cleaning of some of my meshes. A quick google on "netfabb free fix mesh" should turn up a tutorial or two. If you're interested in learning more about an operation you can use to make this a *single unified mesh*, it's called a Boolean Union, and the blender project has a nice (open source, I think?) implementation of such: (<https://www.blender.org/manual/modeling/modifiers/generate/booleans.html>) Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can download MeshLab from <https://sourceforge.net/projects/meshlab/> and use it to head stls. This video has healing instructions: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLGIRAgLz4w> Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You definitely need to get rid of the self-intersecting meshes in order to be able to 3D print your object. I would personally recommend you try [MakePrintable](https://makeprintable.com/): automatically clean these type of meshes. Makeprintable is a cloud service (your model is uploaded to their servers and processed there) currently in beta. You need to sign up but it is free (and they state that they will keep it free). Upvotes: 2

2016/12/28

<issue_start>username_0: I'm new with my 3D printer, I just print two different pawn pieces from thingverse. I just used Cura to convert the files to be readable for the printer. Is my problem with the pieces has to do with the configuration from the Cura software? or with my printer itself? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xh3Bi.jpg "Print showing issue") Update: I just printed a baymax that came with the SD printer. And it looks awesome. I think the problem is with the configuration from Cura. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXMhm.png "Print of acceptable quality")<issue_comment>username_1: That looks like horrible underextrusion. Either the extruder steps/mm are way off, but more likely is that your nozzle is clogged (because I wouldn't expect the steps/mm to be this far off). It's also possible that the temperature you're printing at is inappropriate for the filament you're using. Also, make sure that the fan that is cooling the heatsink of the extruder is always on. If not, filament may soften in places it's not supposed to and jam. Try heating the extruder up and pushing the filament through by hand. You'll probably feel a lot of resistance and the filament won't come out smoothly. You could try doing a couple of [cold pulls](http://bukobot.com/nozzle-cleaning), that is, put a piece of filament in while the hotend is hot, then let it cool down and attempt to extract the filament at the lowest possible temperature. This may pull debris or particles blocking the nozzle out. If this doesn't help, there are various other ways of clearing a clog from the nozzle. One popular technique is disassembling the entire hotend and burning out all the debris from the nozzle with a blowtorch. Another is using a special drill bit to clear out the nozzle but this has a high risk of damaging it. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Underextrusion (as this looks like) could be a extruder problem. The extruders main part is the small gear that pushes the filament through the hotend. There could be lots of reasons for it to fail: * The motor driving it isn't strong enough. Poorly designed printer (yeah, ultimaker, I'm looking at you). Not very likely. But a geared extruder or motor can improve extrusion. * You print at to low hotend temp. If you increase the temperature the filament will become more fluid and easier to push out. Increasing the temperature will unfortunately increase risk for clogging and stringing. * The filament has absorbed moisture. Try drying it. * You print to fast. Lowering the speed may do the trick. You also have to wait longer (dhu). * The acutal gear in the extruder is full of filament bits, clean it. * You don't put enough force on the filament against the gear. Can you tighten it? * The gear is not hobbed. A hobbed gear will grip the filament better. You might not be able to switch it. * The filament has become tangled on the spool. Be careful when you handle it to not unroll it. This usually results in that the filament becomes entirely stuck though. * The nozzle is clogged. See answer from @username_1. If you don't have a geared extruder you can print one. There are plenty of them on thingiverse. Increase the temp and lower the speed to get this vital part in good quality. Or you can buy a geared extruder. (I use the titan extruder from e3d) Or you can buy a geared motor. **How to detect an extrusion problem:** It is quite easy to hear if you have extrusion problems (at least some of them). The Extruder will make a sound like "drrrr" with regular intervalls as it tries to push through the filament. Almost like a clock ticking but slower. This is the gear slipping against the filament. **If you don't have an extrusion problem:** Experiment with upping the Material flow rate in your slicer (in your case Cura). Try something like 300%. Stand watch and see what happens. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lyqyf.png) If this almost fixes the problem, you must calibrate the printers extrusion. It is possible that the already generated Gcode (found on the sd-card) compensates for this. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2016/12/28

<issue_start>username_0: Hello is there a way to prevent bend on print with M3D printer? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/j2IRe.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: You can to print a brim, a thin layer on the bottom connected to the model. This will help hold it in place. Since it is thin (one or two layers) it will not warp itself. The brim is not the same thing as a raft. A raft is under the model. The brim is on the same layer as the models bottom layer but outside the model. It looks something like this: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0PvWl.png) I assume that you use a heated bed if you have one? Also, it is imperative that you get a good first layer. Calibrate your machine carefully. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Going to also say you need to provide us with a ton more information. What settings, what temps, what plastic. That said the best thing I can recommend is doing a Raft for your print. Adding a Fan to your printer. Making sure your heated bed is on. I also like to use gluesticks for PLA, hairspray or Kapton for ABS. [Here is Ultimakers guide to Gluesticks](https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/16968-using-glue) [Here is a guide on rafts and Brims from simplify 3d](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/articles/rafts-skirts-and-brims/) Comment on my answer once you provide more information and I will improve my answer. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Try using an adhesive before you print. This could be <http://airwolf3d.com/shop/wolfbite-prevents-3d-printed-parts-from-warping> ... What is the temperature of the room you are printing in like? Upvotes: -1

2016/12/28

<issue_start>username_0: I recently had a problem with the z-axis of my printer. To resolve the issue with the Z axis not moving I remove the left polished rod. Am I able to use the printer with just one smooth rod?<issue_comment>username_1: First a resounding no. Not a good idea. Are you saying it works now that you have removed the smooth rod? That tells me for sure your issue was Binding. Which is a tricky problem to solve. Binding usually happens when your carriage is not level. Take a bubble leveler and verify. Another time it happens is when your Acceleration / Jerk settings are too high. Try reducing the Acceleration for Z in the firmware. Another possibility is your rod is Bent. Take the rod on a flat surface. Inspect it as you roll it around. Do the same with the other rod. If it bows and is not completely flat, then you will need to replace it. Last is make sure your printers frame is put together. If it is causing the rod to bend as it is not aligned right then you should try to see if you can fix it and contact the seller. Technically you can run without the second rod. Maybe. I do not advise. It is sort of like cutting off a leg because you have a cramp. It will hurt your overall quality and it is better to just resolve the issue. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: No, this is not a good idea. Your X axis is now free to rotate by a few degrees around the remaining Z rod. Parts may appear to print OK, but depending on the dynamics of a print, you will see offsets between layers. You need to resolve the issues with your Z-axis. These questions, [z-axis hard to move in some areas - what could be faults, how to improve?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/729/z-axis-hard-to-move-in-some-areas-what-could-be-faults-how-to-improve) and [Z-axis steppers and bed alignment problems](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3065/z-axis-steppers-and-bed-alignment-problems) have some answers that are probably relevant. Obviously, you can use this limited setup to print new parts if you need them, but you'll be lucky to make anything accurate enough. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: It may help someone I am just noting that all your comments are valid. I was reading through forums to find a solution to the binding problem. After calibrating, levelling, and adjusting, what I found out was rather simple. The two motors came out of phase (not sure how). Here are the steps I took. 1. I unplugged the motor on the left and the other motor was driving the Z axis just fine. 2. I unplugged the motor on the right and the other motor was driving the Z axis just fine. I started thinking in terms of my power supply providing enough current to drive both motors and then I rebooted the controller. When the system came back both motors were driving in synch. Upvotes: 2

2016/12/30

<issue_start>username_0: I've tried using a throat with a PTFE tube, but encountered the problem described in this [question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/904/teflon-tubing-in-nozzle-throat-coming-out). It seems only a small amount of excess pressure in the extruder is enough to force out the inner tube. This makes me worry that with this particular part, I won't achieve a reliable configuration (and I'm experiencing some binding with the original plain steel throat, so a PTFE liner seems worth exploring). I was wondering about the advisability of using a retainer to apply some pressure at the cold end - a nut with a washer soldered on maybe. My goal is to prevent the teflon tube from rising up, so I can use this part and retain some resilience against excess extrusion pressure. I was assuming I had a slightly sub-standard throat part (in a pack of 6). However, I now wonder if the problem was caused by too high a temperature (this is ABS filament) and maybe the teflon will be too soft to function as designed, so if I go back to PLA filament, maybe it is more likely to work without modification.  [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zj61nm.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: In this case I would like to first recommend replacing your PTFE tube with a better quality product. Unfortunately, the quality:price ratio is as to be expected here. My reasoning: PTFE has great thermal properties for a polymer, just like ABS. In fact, the [glass-transition state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_transition) begins at relatively the same temperature between the two materials. ABS starts transitioning at [about 105°C](https://www.matbase.com/material-categories/natural-and-synthetic-polymers/commodity-polymers/material-properties-of-acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene-general-purpose-gp-abs.html#properties) and [about 127°C](https://www.matbase.com/material-categories/natural-and-synthetic-polymers/engineering-polymers/material-properties-of-polytetrafluoroethylene-ptfe.html#properties) for PTFE. However PTFE, traditionally, has a much higher [melting point](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melting_point) at about 327°C as opposed to the usual 125° we use in 3D printing. **My Point**: I think the hardware you currently have has low-quality PTFE. PTFE can be recycled for re-use in other PTFE products. In recycled PTFE, you can lose a lot of the desired properties in the material (true for any material). This includes both the ideal "friction-less" and thermal resistance we need in 3D Printing. **What I think happened:** The higher print temperatures of ABS transitioned the PTFE into its glass-state. As the throat expands, the path of least resistance in the assembly is towards the extruder motor since the nozzle holds more pressure. **I would not recommend "fixing" this problem with a retainer!** By forcing the PTFE throat to stay in position, you could potentially force the PTFE to expand in other ways. Most likely resulting in constricting the filament, leading to grinding of filament on the drive gear and clogging of the nozzle. Worst case, you end up with gooey PTFE in your nozzle and/or around your retainer. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I see, you want to Block the tefflon tube from going Up and Out of the extruder. Yes I see no reason why you would not fid a nut cap. Drill a hole and have it work. There is likely a special nut cap with a pre existing hole in it already but I decided the keywords was asking for bad results on a work computer. The only thing I can see happening is you will 1) possibly not have the clearance. 2) have a larger thermal mass. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UG4iP.jpg) Upvotes: 0

2017/01/01

<issue_start>username_0: I want to create parts for a 3D printer using OpenSCAD. Having some STL files from the vendor, but nothing else (no technical drawing, no CAD files). Does anybody knows a free tool, that allows me to * measure distances between 2 selected vertices, * measure distances between a selected vertex and a plane defined by 3 vertices, * measure the radio of a circle defined by 3 selected vertices? I very much like the way Blender allows to work with meshes, especially select vertices or planes, but unfortunately haven't found a way to measure with Blender.<issue_comment>username_1: I suggest Blender. It's not the simplest of tools but it is free and learning it will improve your 3D printing skills. :-) (I write this answer also for future viewers of this question so I start basic). Another answer can be found here, [How do I measure a distance between two points?](https://blender.stackexchange.com/q/19772/14005) 1. Import your STL file. 2. Press the Home key to view everything. 3. Select the model by clicking on it with your left mouse button. (Blender changed to left-click-select as of version 2.80) 4. Hit tab to enter edit-mode. 5. Press N (or use View | Properties) until the Properties panel shows up. 6. Select the "Length" checkbox in the "Edge Info" section of the Properties panel (see image below). 7. Select "Edge Select" mode (see image below) 8. Select the edge to measure by clicking on it with your right mouse button. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9Oi1c.png "Edge length") [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ouw0q.png "Screenshot of toolbar") If you need to measure the distance between to vertices with no edge. Create the edge by selecting them and pressing `F`. If you need to measure the distance between a vertex and any other point, select it and press `E` to extrude. Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you're running Windows, MS 3D Builder has a measuring tool and may already be installed on your machine. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: [Meshmixer](https://www.meshmixer.com/) has various measuring tools for STLs as well Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: As @username_1 suggested, I would also recommend Blender for these tasks. Blender comes with the Add-on "MeasureIt", which has to be activated manually in **Edit ► Preferences ► Add-ons ► Official/Community ►** search for MeasureIt, check the checkbox: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qoy5y.png "Blender preferences") Import your STL file via **File ► Import ► STL ►** ... Select your object and hit `TAB` to enter Edit Mode and then follow the tips in this screenshot: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JmKQz.png "Screenshot") Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: Use Meshy "...a WebGL-based tool that does measurements and simple transformations on STL and OBJ files.": <https://0x00019913.github.io/meshy/> Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: That is great. You can also do the 3D model measurements using SelfCAD software. I can confidently recommend to all users because it is suitable for both 3D artists and beginners. The software has a built-in Measurement Tool that allows users to accurately measure the size of 3D models. The tool can be used to measure the length, width, height, and angle of a 3D model. To use the Measurement Tool, users simply select the part of the model that they want to measure and then move the pointer to the desired measurement point. The Measurement Tool will then display the measurements in the software’s measurement panel. Check this video on how to do the measurements of 3D models using SelfCAD Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_7: I recommend [Ultimaker Cura 4.3](https://ultimaker.com/learn/ultimaker-cura-4-3-available-now) for dimensioning. You can access it here. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Sui5j.png "Screenshot of Cura") As can be seen, detailed measurements can be made over the specified coordinates. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CNQ8X.png "Screenshot of Print Size Wizard") However, you can make an accurate dimensioning by using the Render program. I recommend doing this before working on the STL file. I wish you good work. Upvotes: -1

2017/01/01

<issue_start>username_0: ``` Nozzle diameter = .4 Extrusion multiplier = 1 Extrusion Width = .45 <-- I feel like this could be reduced to fix it? Layer Height = .3 ``` I'm using Simplify3D. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SsiMS.jpg) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1tTZ5.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Oh thats simple. First you will see the "elephants foot" on first layers if you have the extruder over-extruding or do not have enough distance between the bed and nozzle. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OHguv.jpg) > > It's very common that the first couple of layers of a print is wider than you expected them to be. This is because you will generally want to make sure the first layer is nicely squished into the build platform so that it sticks properly. By doing this the plastic gets squished out into a thicker line than normal and thus the bottom of the print will bulge out a bit like an elephant's foot. You can decrease this effect by leveling your bed so that the nozzle is slightly further away from the bed and lowering the bed temperature a bit. It's hard to get rid of this effect entirely without sacrificing bottom layer quality and bed adhesion. It will be easier on small prints as they are less likely to warp and detach from the platform and you can therefore get away with not squishing the first layer as hard. > > > [See this visual guide on more information](http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23-a-visual-ultimaker-troubleshooting-guide) If you are seeing this on all layers. That means you have oozing. When your printer hits the end of the line. It has to slow down, stop and start the next vector. During this time if your printing very hot, you will ooze material at this intersection. Also the extra time over that spot mayhaps also warm the corner, causing more disruption. Best thing in this situation is to verify you cannot lower temps more. Add a fan. Also double check that you are extruding the exact amount you think you are. (distance of material and the material size average) [Here is another visual trouble shooting guide](https://all3dp.com/common-3d-printing-problems-3d-printer-troubleshooting-guide/) I will note, I don't think thats too bad. If it needs to fit into something, just clip it. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: If it's on each corner, and not the layer change corner, it's a combination of overshoot and the short "pause" of the printer when it changes direction. You can minimize it, but it won't go away 100% (due to overshoot from direction changes), usually models with a slight rounded corners work great. If you, say, increase the jerk as an experiment and they get sharper (but you obviously have to deal with potential ringing artifacts) then it's due to that pause and acceleration after a direction change. I would try lowering the temperature a bit to slow the flow/oozing of the nozzle and calibrate extrusion - just to keep the settings tight as possible to keep dimensional accuracy, but not under extrude obviously. If it's where a layer change occurs, tweak and play with retraction settings - such as coasting and extra distance on restart (you can put negative values here). Once those are set, as an advanced tweak, try to max the z speed... Obviously this involves motor current, testing for skipped steps etc... but this would make the layer change a bit quicker, to further reduce oozing, due to the delay in layer changes if retraction settings don't fix it. Usually, you can fix the corners with retraction settings but then it can mess up other parts of a model, since those settings are global... I wish slicers were more intelligent. Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: Three factors that will impact the 'sharpness' of corners, first is your extruder speed, second is retraction rate and third is nozzle diameter. By slowing down your extruder will be able to track the features of your model better. I generally try to print with extruder speeds of ~10mm/s which gives fairly good results. The nozzle diameter will be the most extreme limiting condition on how sharp you can get your corners. This I think is likely your issue. Retraction rate *could* have an effect on the corner sharpness. I don't think that's the problem you're experiencing but worth mentioning. Depending on the specific geometry if your nozzle stops at a corner while it raises in Z if your retraction is too low additional filament can ooze out making the corners appear more rounded. Typically a nozzle diameters are about 0.4mm which is pretty sharp, however if you have something larger that could effect it as well. Again, not your specific issue but something to keep in mind for future builds. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Your printer is over extruding. It looks like PLA on the photo, the preset multiplier in S3D is 0.90 (not 1.0!) The nozzle diameter should be the same as the extrusion width (both 0.40). When you set the width to auto you get a bigger width. I don't really know why, but it was told me so. If you print 1.75 mm you have to measure it and (the actual diameter is often around 1.78 mm, maybe less too). The multiplier of 0.9 is because PLA is softer then ABS for example. Maybe you should try other multipliers as well, maybe down to 0.85 in 0.01 steps. I hope you can figure this problem out. I am experimenting by myself for days now to get it as sharp as possible. The goal is to get an edge with the diameter of the nozzle - not a bit more. Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_5: Enable "classic jerk" in the firmware and put it to 12 on both X and Y. That helped me get perfect prints. Upvotes: 0

2017/01/03

<issue_start>username_0: I am running a MakerBot Replicator 2. During the print, the printer just stops executing and I am running out of ways to troubleshoot. After restarting, I can load and extrude filament. I have replaced the SD card, and even borrowed one from another working replicator, and the freeze still occurs. Likewise, I've regenerated the x3g file, and that did not work. The panel does not freeze, I can cancel the print during the freeze. I've made sure Z pause is off. It tends freezes randomly on the first layer. In general, it looks as though the print is "in progress" but not making progress (Timer ticks up, % completed does not) Does anyone have any idea as to what could be causing the problem?<issue_comment>username_1: Seems like others have had similar issues: <https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/engineering/topic:3849>. Their issue was a bit more mechanical than firmware, though. I hope this helps! You might also want to check the software you're using to slice the file. Sometimes the software doesn't slice the file properly, which causes problems mid-print. Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: After removing the front panel and the bottom protector plate (the one that protects the controller board) and firmly pressing every connector, the issue corrected itself. It seems that something was loose, and that causes the freeze behavior. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: There are a few options. First your board could be overheating etc. That is harder to verify without some overpriced replacements. So to start lets take everything apart (photo and labeling is Strongly recommended). Then simply put it back together. Hopefully it is just a loose connection. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: By "stops executing" do you mean that the extruder stops extruding but continues to run through the motions? or does the entire machine lock up? If your extruder stops depositing plastic, then I would suggest checking your settings. Specifically retraction distance, filament diameter (compered with your actual filament diameter) and temperatures. Sometimes bumping up the extruder temp 5 degrees can fix this issue. If all that's ok, then I'd suggest possibly swapping your extruder nozzle, if it has a bur inside from manufacturing then this could be causing too much pressure and the nozzle gets clogged. IF however the extruder gantry freezes up and the z-axis keeps pulling away, I'd suggest calling maker bot directly as this would be more of a serious hardware issue, likely covered under warranty. Good luck! Upvotes: 1

2017/01/04

<issue_start>username_0: Another thing I'm seeing with my new build. Late in a small print, the unit appears to perform operations "out of order" occasionally. Here's a picture where it's running a layer across the model. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hGIJk.jpg) These "skips" can start in the middle of a line. It always comes back and fills them in before starting the next layer - more or less accurately. But from my very limited understanding of gcode, it doesn't seem like this should happen. When watching the print closely, I'll occasionally see small glitches, where the head jogs very slightly as it runs a line across. This was sliced with Cura - I'm going to try a different slicer and see if I get anything similar. Thanks!<issue_comment>username_1: This is just your slicer doing this. If you inspect the G-code file, you will see that the printer is faithfully doing what the slicer told it to. Most slicers use a fairly simple heuristic for determining the order in which lines are processed, which sometimes comes up with sub-optimal solutions like these. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have seen this in Cura 2.5 when selecting different printers, then altering the specifications to suit. Changing the printer seems to change the slicing behavior. As yet there is no specific printer set up in Cura for the MEGA so you will probably have to find something that fits your needs, unless someone has the full settings. For example, is the Machine Center at Zero? Maybe try the Prusa Mk2? Upvotes: 0

2017/01/05

<issue_start>username_0: I'm new to 3d printing, so I might be missing something obvious. If so, please let me know. I printed my model successfully yesterday, but today I'm trying to print the same model and the first layer refuses to adhere, which means at best several layers after that are messed up if it manages to recover, but usually it just means I have to cancel and start again. It will print one horizontal line (across the x axis), then when it tries to vertical line (across the y axis) the horizontal line doesn't adhere and gets dragged along with the print head and everything is screwed up. I've tried leveling the bed over and over again. (I use a sheet of paper and try to slip it between the bed and printhead. I adjust the bed so that I feel a bit of resistance as I push and pull the paper under the printhead.) I've tried increasing the preheat on the printhead and on the bed. I'm using black PLA 1.75mm that says it has a print temp of 205-225. I've tried printing at 205, 210, 215, 220, and 225. I've tried a bed temp of 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70. I've tried setting the print speed multiplier to 0.5 to give it time to adhere, but no changes. I'm trying to print something a wireframe cube that is at the extent of my printable size, so I don't know of a way to use a raft or a brim to help adhesion. This is what my model looks like: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AkcFA.png) When I printed a good one yesterday, here is what the first two lines looked like: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ET1Is.jpg) When I print today, even after multiple attempts to level the bed, this is what the first layer tends to look like: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e7mcL.jpg) I'm using a Monoprice 15365. I created my model in SketchUp, then exported as STL, which I imported into Cura 2.3.1. Then I used Cura to export a gcode file to an SD card. I put the SD card into my 3d printer and printed from there. Any advice is welcome. I don't know if the problems I'm having are because the bed is too low or too high or too hot or too cold or if the printhead is too hot or too cold... nothing I've tried seems to change the results.<issue_comment>username_1: Your nozzle is clearly too far from the bed. The plastic should be squashed down slightly. Some firmwares have an option where you can adjust the height of the nozzle "live" during the first layer, in Marlin this is called "babystepping". This can be very useful because you can get the height correct without having to mess with the physical leveling of the bed. Upvotes: 4 <issue_comment>username_2: I find 60-65 for bed. You are COOKING your pla. 175-200 unless you are a fast / expert. That said get rid of the tap. Use a Elmer's glue stick. Also set first layer speed to 30% and do like 130% material for layer 1. Let us know what happens! Agree with Tom. Likely your too high up. I take a piece of paper and try to get the distance just so when moving the paper between the nozzles and the bed it has some resistance but not too much. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Your photo has shadows which seem to suggest that your tape layer has some wrinkles. That won't help. Try removing that tape and laying down the fabulous blue painter's tape. If you read any dedicated forum for plastic extruder printers, you'll find plenty of claims that X or Y is the best way to guarantee adhesion. Some folks swear by glass+gluestick, others by PEI sheet, and so on. The only general consensus is that use of a brim or a raft is highly recommended so as to increase the total contact area. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: I've been struggling to work out what is wrong with the process where you claim to be leveling the bed OK (and the print is starting in mid air). Now I remember I had exactly the same problem with my first prints. I think you are leveling OK, but getting some binding in the Z-axis. As the head jumps to start printing, it goes up, then down (but not as far due to some mechanical problem). So although your Z-endstop is aligned with the bed, after finding the zero, the head is not reliably able to move and return to zero. Check these questions for more detailed ideas about how to fix this: [Z-axis steppers and bed alignment problems](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3065) [z-axis hard to move in some areas - what could be faults, how to improve?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/729) You can try and confirm my diagnosis by zeroing, them moving Z-position up 2/3 of the full travel, and back down. See if it is still at the position where you leveled it to. If it is not this, I suspect your Z-endstop may be giving unreliable results. Check the microswitch is securely mounted. I ended up replacing mine with an optical sensor, and have seen huge improvements in repetability (<0.1mm rather than around rms 0.3mm from zero to zero) Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_5: You can use the masking tape as base, however the height of nozzle is higher than required. Check that your fist layer height is 70% lower than your nozzle size. In my opinion this can be the step layer minus 0.05, for example layer height is 0.2, then my first layer is 0.15, this makes that the material squizes a little more. If this is not possible you might change the offset of printing level until you reach the height required. Manually you can add some layers of masking tape to minimize the overgap within the nozzle and bed. (some times I do this, due mi home 3D printer gets out of calibration on changing nozzles) For PLA i´m using 210°C because using 190 and 200 makes some balls like your photo. also try to use a lower speed like 90 or 80 % to allow a good melting inside the heater. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: Eureka! All of the other answers and suggestions on this post were all very helpful, and would likely be the right answers 90+% of the time, but they didn't give me any relief. I spent a bunch of time watching YouTube videos about 3D printing and I started to notice a difference in size of the lines of plastic being laid down on the build plate. In the videos, the lines of plastic looked bigger. Mine were very fine lines. That lead me down a series of different search terms until I found some other videos that talked about nozzle cleaning. I noticed that one of the symptoms they mentioned was that when the plastic would come out of the nozzle that it would curve around. That's a sign that it's partially blocked and causing it to bend and curve. After the people in the YouTube videos cleaned their nozzle, the plastic would then extrude and drop straight down. If my nozzle was partially blocked and only about half the right amount of plastic was coming out that would make sense since there wouldn't be enough surface area of the plastic to make a good connection to the build surface. I acquired some [0.4mm drill bits from Amazon](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CCF46EQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1) and followed the instructions on [this YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doqlEsssz1g). Sure enough, when using the 0.4mm drill bits, I could tell the nozzle was clogged. After clearing it out, the plastic started extruding in a straight line down, just like the video. I was stoked! I tried another print and it was NIGHT AND DAY. I was finally getting nice plump lines that stuck to the build plate. I still had an issue or two on certain parts of my build plate, but I think that's because in all of my tries I had damaged the masking tape. I put down new blue tape and started up my print and it's BEAUTIFUL. Thank you all very much for your help. Hopefully, this will be helpful to someone else as well. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2017/01/05

<issue_start>username_0: Here is the X-axis of the P3Steel: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xuYOq.jpg) The X-axis idler end of a P3Steel printer, employs an 8 mm diameter rod for the axle on which a 608zz bearing is mounted for the GT2 belt. This 8 mm rod is approximately 20 - 24 mm in length, with grooves at either end, for circlips. A photo of the assembled idler, with the rod and circlips highlighted: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1qJ06.jpg) My question is: Does this part need to be custom made? The short rod didn't come with the frame kit that I purchased (nor was it listed in the parts list, or shown in the photo of the parts - so it not as if it was omitted with my order). I have searched on eBay for it, using various search terms, and I am unable to find one. As I was not trained in mechanical engineering, I am not sure if this part has a special name, or is it just called a "smooth rod, with grooved ends"? I have also done a fair amount of googling, and although I have found some people who have constructed this particular frame, no one makes mention of this axle, nor any difficulties in sourcing it. I have contacted the supplier of the frame, [Frame Prusa I3 P3Steel v4.0 +RODS](http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frame-Prusa-I3-P3Steel-v4-0-RODS-/182361720200?), and I am awaiting a reply. This missing part is holding up my build progress - I already have the 608zz bearing and circlips. --- ### Additional images This image shows the "exploded view" and the 8mm rod can be clearly seen: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPjQR.jpg) Here are images of the assembled idler, showing the bearing inside - Front view: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c63fV.jpg) Side view: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Nggu.jpg) This images are a little blurry, as they are screen shots taken from the video, [I3 Steel CORDOBESA con extrusor/with extruder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDtDiW0kTSc).<issue_comment>username_1: Oh fascinating. It took me a while to figure out what exactly that is. It is a smooth rod used as the idler for the X belt. What I would do is get a bearing / wheel. Take a thicker screw, nut and washer. Put the idler / bearing / wheel into the slot, then fit the screw / nut. Should work without any issue! That said they likely had some sort of special fitting etc. Doesn't matter so long as the belt can move without wearing. [This Thingiverse](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:157303) does exactly what I am thinking. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/x7BkI.jpg) As you have a low profile need due to the interesting design I came across [this](https://www.belmetric.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=4030&cPath=3_569_718&gclid=CM6Pifm5rtECFVK5wAodMq8HLg&zenid=9o5khnodisqvndhvoejl6b6t40). a TNF8 - Nut Sert - Flanged/Ribbed. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z4gAg.jpg) Or you may just need a standard low profile nut. Not like you need it to do more than hold it in.. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/szyvM.jpg) Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: I have finally received a reply from my supplier, which backs up StarWind's answer: > > I did not use a rod with grooves for retaining rings. > > > I used bolts and nuts with a thin head. > > > Doesn't really answer my question though, as I really rather hanker after the 8 mm smooth rod with the circlip grooves. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You could look up a [Clevis pin](https://www.pivotpins.com/products/bc-clevis-pins-with-grooves.html) with one groove. You could look up a [Clevis pin](http://technifast.co.uk/clevis-pins) with a hole for a split pin. Perhaps a [Shoulder screw](https://www.ondrives.com/303-stainless-steel-shoulder-screws#/pageSize=25&orderBy=5&pageNumber=3) with a ground shank and a low profile head. Use a plain rod with [Dome caps](http://www.bakfin.com/starlock/metric-capped-roundshaft.html) if you will not need to remove often. If available an internal threaded [Standoff](https://www.unicorpinc.com/metric-standoffs.htm) would work. A [Slotted spring pin](https://www.ondrives.com/carbon-steel-slotted-spring-pins) may work if the hole dimensions are suitable. **EDIT:** You could also cut the grooves yourself pretty easily. Cut a section of 8mm rod to length and mount it into a drill chuck so it stick out 2-3mm 1/8". Hold a hacksaw at the edge of the chuck and run the drill for a minute with gentle pressure, try hacksaw on other side or reverse direction if nothing is happening. A hardened rod will cut better with a Dremel type cut-off disk [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fzlGw.jpg) Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2017/01/06

<issue_start>username_0: Does anybody have an overview of what things should be calibrated (and in what order) for a certain 3d printer or after changing the printing material? I only know about: * calibrating the extruder steps per mm, e.g. [Tom's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUPfBJz3I6Y) * determining the print temperature, e.g. [RepRap Neo's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSOPsRiiOZk) * calibrating the extrusion multiplier (for each different filament), e.g. [RepRap 101's youtube tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnjE5udkNEA) How to calibrate/determine the maximum speeds or accelerations?<issue_comment>username_1: Recalibrating your machine for the new filament diameter is a good idea. Filament diameters vary slightly between manufacturers. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: How to Calibrate. Oh man that is a good 2-3 page long blog post.. So I will try to give you the bullet point section. High level * Mechanical * Firmware * Software * repeat Mechanical Level everything. Bed. The X axis. Make sure there is no binding, etc. Also make sure the surface you are on is flat before leveling the printer by it. Firmware Get that printer moving. This is where you do you Steps per MM. I like [Triffids guide](http://reprap.org/wiki/Triffid_Hunter's_Calibration_Guide). Now is when you go into the software and start setting your slicer settings. This includes your filament measurements etc. You should go back 2-3 times between this step and the previous to make sure your extruding EXACTLY what you think you are. As mentioned by others filament calculation is hard. You need to measure across a lot of material. Take the averages. You will never get it perfect as the plastic is never perfect. Picking a solid supplier is a factor here too. Once you think you have that all working. Repeat. Start at step one. After your done looping though you will start with the slicer calibrations. Which is the meat of your question. You will take collections like [this one](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:533472) or [this one](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:52946) and tweak settings until you can pass each test. Do your tests in this order 1. [single wall test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1637) 2. [hollow cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:271736) 3. [solid cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2064) Here is a [Bonus solid cube](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:24238) 4. [bridging test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:12925) (honestly I rarely do this one..) 5. [part fitting test](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:342198) Now for testing when switching material. Honestly its best to start with their settings, and tweak them. I like to have a spread sheet of xy speed, Z lift, temps. Massage it till you are happy. The firmware settings like jerk and acceleration will be less of a factor between materials. Get it perfect once and don't touch it (till you decide it is not perfect). You will be testing the new material with the same STLs as I mentioned in the precious section. You also might want to look into Simplify 3d (no affiliation) if you get really into it. Also SAVE THE SETTINGS. Nothing sucks more then losing all this work and having to recreate these profiles for materials. Do not trust slic3r to back them up, or to not randomly delete them. Hard lesson there. Far as max speeds and accelleration.. Max speed will really be a function of how fast can you hear up plastic. If you have a e3d with Volcano mod you can really crank the speed up. So you go to the point where your extruder just cannot hit target temps AND you are unable to print solid infill. Far as acceleration and jerk. When you knock your extruder causing your print to shift, then you know it is accelerating / jerking too hard. Best of luck! Let me know if I can clear up a section for you. Upvotes: 1

2017/01/07

<issue_start>username_0: It seems that when filament throughput is increased (by increasing movement speed or extrusion width/height), printing temperature also has to be increased to compensate, because the filament will have less time to spend in the melting zone. That much seems clear from practical experience. But I have two questions (or to be more precise, one question on two levels): 1. Is there a good rule of thumb for this, to help people calibrate their settings? 2. How much do we know about the formula governing this behavior? Can we calculate the required hotend temperature *precisely* based on the increased throughput? For anyone who has studied physics / thermodynamics, this is probably simple stuff. But has the work been done for 3D printing specifically, in a way that is practically applicable? I share the following train of thought to start off with. Let me know if I make any errors in reasoning. * Presumably, every material has an optimal printing temperature just above its melting point. * But the thermistor doesn't read filament temperature. It reads the heat block temperature. * Below a certain throughput, the temperature of the filament will have time to equalize with the temperature of the heat block before it leaves the nozzle. + For those slow speeds, heat block temperature should be set exactly to the material's optimal printing temperature. * For greater speeds, however, heat block temperature will always have to be higher than the mark, because the filament doesn't have time to equalize. + At that point, it becomes a balancing act. Find the best heat block temperature (°C) given a rate of throughput (mm³/s), the optimal printing temperature for a given material (°C), the volume of the melting zone (mm³) and *< some other property of the material >*, which determines how fast it heats up. I don't know what that last property is, nor can I come up with the proper unit. The material probably approaches the temperature of the environment asymptotically. This is where thermodynamics comes in, I guess. * Theoretically, running filament also cools down the heat block, but we can ignore this. If this effect is significant at all (is it?), this is already compensated for by the PID controller. I'm almost certainly missing some key insights. I'm curious to know what work has been done.<issue_comment>username_1: I see an answer not a question. It's a balancing act and there is no predefined formula. Trial and error. Keep a spread sheet. I'll dwell on this a bit.. but as someone who did speed sprinting there's really nothing else to be said other than buy an e3d and the volcano upgrade. You will calibrate one at a time. Thin wall. Then find solid infill is the true thermal barrier. Then sparse. You will tweak with layerheights. Get thicker nozzles 0.8+. It's a game of spinning plates. Each change will wack out another. Last you will get to where I did. You move so fast 5 layers down your print is still molten and moving. Especially on small parts. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I think I see what you're asking, but I think you may be thinking about it incorrectly. It's really all about heat being added to the system at the same rate that it's leaving. The heat block is there as a heat reservoir from which the filament draws heat for the glass transition. The heat in that reservoir is maintained by cycling the heating coil to add energy (more heat) to the systems as it's lost. In the very local vicinity of the nozzle, the temperature will decrease slightly as it's being transferred to the filament, but because the heat block is massive in comparison to that drain, and because the heat block is a good thermal conductor that temperature reduction is very small. I do not know what tolerance and hysteresis are built into the temp controller, but think the variation is likely small. The difference in additional heat required (more energy into the system) for any practical difference in feed rates (40 instead of 60) is thus likely to be very small compared to the filament cooling experienced immediately after it leaves the nozzle. Bottom line: the adjustment you would want to make is not to increase the temp, but increase the duty cycle of the heating element to maintain the desired temperature. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: No there is no rule of thumb as far as I know and no, it's not obvious for someone with skills in thermodynamics. I know that if you want extreme speeds you need extreme overtemperatures, for example Annex Engineering uses ABS at 290 °C (about 50-60 °C overtemperature) with a Mosquito Magnum (rated at about 40 mm^3/s) to reach 60 mm^3/s: Still, you need to find the optimal value based on your hotend, your extruder, your nozzle size and target flow rate. You may do static tests as explained here: There cannot be a rule for such a complex behaviour. Also, be aware that Annex Engineering uses 23 000 mm/s^2 (not a typo, really 23 thousand) as acceleration, therefore their printing head moves at basically constant speed. Also, they set the slicer with the same speed for inner/outer perimeters, infill, and so on. If you have more common accelerations like 1500-2000 mm/s^2 and different printing speeds for different features, somewhere the filament will be pushed super fast through the nozzle and everything is good, somewhere else it will slow down and it will overcook. Upvotes: 1

2017/01/07

<issue_start>username_0: I bought an Anet A8 over christmas. When I bought my printer from Gearbest, I also bought the inductive sensor that they [sell](http://www.gearbest.com/3d-printer-parts/pp_591321.html). It doesn't seem to work, and I think it might be broken. However, I have no idea how I can test if it is broken. This is what the wiring [looks](http://rotjes.bangblog.eu/reddit/DSC_0112.JPG) like and how it's connected to the [board](http://rotjes.bangblog.eu/reddit/DSC_0113.JPG) I'm not sure if I need to modify the wiring in order to hook it up to the A8's motherboard. I have no idea what the pinout is on the A8's mobo, and it's not indicated either. Most guides deal with using RAMPS when it comes to installing such a sensor. I'd like to know how to connect this to my board, if possible. The printer works fine otherwise, so I don't think the board is broken or anything. For now I've resumed using the normal endstop, but I would like to enable bed levelling by installing this sensor. (or a different one if necessary) How do I get this working?<issue_comment>username_1: I am not entirely familiar with the ANET A8 electronics, but it's very unlikely it's any different from how any other mainboard works, so any instructions that work for RAMPS should work for your board as well. The sensor you linked to has an operating voltage range of "6V to 36V". However, the endstop connectors (on any mainboard I've come across) only provide 5V - not enough for the sensor to work. You could verify that this is also the case for your ANET board with a multimeter. (Assuming the colour coding is standard) you'll need to connect the black wire to GND, the red wire to 12V, and the yellow wire **through a diode** to the signal pin of the endstop connector. The anode of the diode should connect to the signal pin and the cathode to the wire coming from the sensor. The diode is required, because otherwise the 12V signal from the sensor will damage your electronics, which can only accept 5V. Any ordinary diode will do (for instance 1N4148). You should enable endstop pullups in your firmware when using this method (though if your board already has physical pullups this is not necessary but won't hurt either). Note that if the sensor is inductive, it will also need an appropriate (metal) surface to trigger off. Unfortunately, it is not clear from the product description what type of sensor you have bought, and (amusingly) gearbest doesn't know either: > > Question: > > > Hello, is this Sensor capazitiv or induktiv? Thank you verry much. > > > Reply: > > > It is an auto leveling sensor for 3D printers > > > Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You will have to: 1. Find and print something on Thingiverse to mount sensor; 2. Change firmware to Skynet and change the offset values accordingly, in order for the new sensor to recognize the bed. There is official Facebook page of Anet A8 printers as well as Skynet firmware. You can ask there if you need further help. Though the above steps are easy. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I'm guessing you have the Anet sensor? If so and you are using the stock firmware that came with your A8 - it's not going to recognise the sensor but you can download and flash the Anet A8L firmware that is designed to run with the sensor from the Anet site - I stumbled on this while searching for stock firmware. I hope this helps you out. Upvotes: 0

2017/01/09

<issue_start>username_0: I've build a 3D printer from sourced parts and mounted the hotend cooler to blow air over the heatsink. Talking to a friend, he said it's better to reverse the airflow over the heatsink, but couldn't give me an argument other than everywhere he saw it was like this: all coolers are mount to suck the hot air away from the heatsink. Is it one way better than the other way ? And if so, why ?<issue_comment>username_1: In the case of 3D Printing, it's going to be faster to cool the radiator by blowing out the heat from the source. The idea is that you're trying to get rid of as much heat as possible in the quickest means possible. By blowing away from the radiator, you're allowing the ambient temperature to cool the hot air being blown out. If you were to blow the ambient air towards the radiator, the blown air will warm slightly as it is overwhelmed by the heat of the radiator. Even though the ambient air may be cooler, it will take more time to cool off the radiator. Example of bad airflow, which will take much longer to cool the radiator: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/N6U9u.png) Example of good airflow, allowing the hot air to be quickly cooled by the ambient temperature of the build space: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RRqeg.png) Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Getting hot air from the radiator is definitely wrong idea because of few reasons: 1. hot air can damage your fan (as they are usually not heatproof). Cold air cools the fan 2. cold air is denser so fan can suck more cold air than hot air so cooling is more efficient (fig A) 3. in terms of plug of radiator (with dust) it's much better to try to push cold air into plugged fan (fig C) than to suck the air from it (fig B). When flow is decreased there is higher possibility to damage the fan as it doesn't cool itself Of course we are talking about 3D printers with small plastic fans. Please notice (almost) all fans construction: they are designed to get air from the top of the fan and push it to the bottom (this construction prevents damaging/plugging fan motor by dust)... and their mounting wholes (or clips) are usually... naturally suggesting to direct air to the heatsink) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DMoSn.png) Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]

2017/01/09

<issue_start>username_0: In [this question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/3116/37) I was told that I should use silver solder to connect the heating element to the power supply. (I was also told that a ceramic extruder head was the way to go, but I'm working with what I have) I bought two types of silver solider from Radio Shack: * 96/4 Silver-Bearing Solder, Lead-Free 0.62" diameter. * 62/36/2 Silver-Bearing Solder, 0.15" diameter. Is there any reason I should use one of these over the other to power the heading element of the J-Head extruder?<issue_comment>username_1: The first is not suitable. ASTM96TS Sn96Ag4 has a melting point of 221–229 °C according to [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder). Pb96Ag4 would be OK, but that is not lead free so doesn't seem to match your description. *Update from comment to explain the letters and numbers: the data comes from wikipedia, the numbers are Tin(Sn) 62%, Pb(Lead) 36%, Ag(Silver) 2%, for example, see below for an electronics solder compound*. Sn62Pb36Ag2 is an ordinary expensive electronics solder (but not lead free), with an even lower melting point. You need to find a high temperature silver solder, with a melting point of about 305 °C (which confusingly might be a soft silver solder), for example one of [these](http://www.cupalloys.co.uk/soft-solders/). Hard silver solders melt at 600 °C, that would be excessive in this application. The nomenclature 'silver solder' came about before lead-free electronics solder was introduced, since when more alloys containing silver have become popular as general purpose solders. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Use ferrules to join wires, and on your board either solder directly (it doesn't matter what solder you use because it's not going to get hot if your wires are gauged properly). Or use soft copper wires and clamping terminals without the wires being tinned or risk a fire hazard. Tinning makes the surface harder which makes for less contact area. If it deforms from heat , it can come loose and cause arcs, which is where the fire hazard comes from. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: I can't comment yet, but for those wondering, the issue with tinning the wires is when you are clamping them. Tinning them actually increases the resistance between the wires and terminal, due to making them harder and not getting squished out to make more contact with the terminal. This increased resistance means increased heat, and enough heat means fire. > > The reason for the prohibition is that when you fully tin a multistrand wire fully, the solder wicks between the strands of copper and forms a solid block, part of whose volume is metallic solder. When you clamp the solder and copper bundle you tighten the screw or clamp against the solder block, and in time the solder metal "creeps" under the compressive forces and the join loses tension. The wire can then either pull out or cause a high resistance connection with heating. > > > [Source](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/29861/tinning-wires-that-will-be-screwed-in-to-a-chocolate-block-terminal-strip) Upvotes: 2

2017/01/10

<issue_start>username_0: Under FreeCAD, I sketched on the face of a solid as follows : [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe4nu.png) My problem is, when I use "Pad a selected sketch", the solid created comprises also the original solid. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pHI59.png) It prevents me, for instance, to get the difference with the first one. Any idea what may be causing this? How to prevent it? MyFreeCAD config: ``` OS: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS Word size of OS: 64-bit Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit Version: 0.15.4671 (Git) Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-15 Hash: 244b3aef360841646cbfe80a1b225c8b39c8380c Python version: 2.7.11 Qt version: 4.8.7 Coin version: 4.0.0a OCC version: 6.8.0.oce-0.17 ```<issue_comment>username_1: If you just select the face, and pad the face (versus padding the solid), you should not have this problem. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Ok, I got help on [this forum thread](http://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19756) Using `Part Extrude` instead of `Pad a selected sketch` on the sketch will create an independent solid. It also turns out that, instead of creating the second solid to do a boolean difference, the good way to "cut" my solid is using the `PartDesign Pocket` tool. Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]

2017/01/11

<issue_start>username_0: I'm using a Flashforge Pro and attempting to print a wheel about 6mm thick to serve as a platform. In other words, the wheel doesn't have to be solid, but spokes won't do the job. I've experimented with different temperatures, but, because of ABS' thermal expansion, I don't think that will solve the problem. Also tried putting lots of 2mm holes in the wheel. I've considered other designs for the interior, but doubt that would be a solution. Has anyone tried using different print paths, i.e. actually altering the path that the slicer suggests? (grasping at straws) Thanks for your suggestions.<issue_comment>username_1: If you can, set your slicer to do honeycomb fill. Depending on the weight requirement choose maybe 10% - 20% fill. That ought to do the trick. It won't be solid, but it should be strong enough. What are you going to put on the platform? Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: So you just want a short, wide cylinder? Just print that, with low density infill (20-30%) and 6-8 solid top layers, three bottom, and three perimeters, and you'll be fine. For bed adhesion with something this wide, use a 10mm brim, one layer thick. And a heated chamber will help a lot. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I had pretty much this exact situation when printing a disk for a rocket avionics bay. It seemed to come down to getting the basics of bed adhesion: Heat bed, ABS temp, bed composition, and a "primer" layer. I found the FF Creator Pro to work well with a bed at 110, filament at 230, printing on a glass plate with ABS slurry. Then adding the brim 6 orbits wide held it down very well. I found that printing on the stock FF blue plastic was inconsistent with adhesion. Also, keep the door closed while printing and for something this size don't run the cooling fan (if you're printing on the left nozzle). And, of course, the right infill helps with the thermal contraction and strength. I found through testing that the rectilinear patter in S3D gave the best structural support in multiple dimensions. I also end up typically printing infill at about 15% to ensure a good surface on the upper face. Any lower and I found a lot of sagging in the top finish. If you're using this as a platform, then the layer size matters a lot also. You don't need .10mm layers, as .25mm or .20mm layers would probably work better. Then make sure you print enough top layers to get a good finish. At .20mm I usually print 4 top layers with a 15% infill. Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]

2017/01/12

<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to use one of the RAMPS GPIOs to control an external device that requires a 5V low-current logic level signal from Marlin. In order to do this programmatically, my host software (Octoprint) is sending an M42 command. I am using the following syntax: ``` M42 P4 S255 ``` according to the pinout in the following image: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TRInv.png) However, the pin appears to not be driven to a logic HIGH level. Is there firmware-level configuration I need to do as well, or is my syntax/pin number incorrect?<issue_comment>username_1: I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the "SENSITIVE\_PINS" list: ``` #define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \ X_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \ Y_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \ Z_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \ PS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \ _E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \ _H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \ _X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \ X_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \ } ``` These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Might be because servo pins are not connected to 5V. use Jumper as shown [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png) Upvotes: 0

2017/01/13

<issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to gear down a servo even further. I notice that the majority of the gears are made of nylon, and I want to create new gears that come close to the resolution and strength of the existing gears. I have a Replicator 2, but the resolution does not seem to come close to what I need. Any suggestions on how I can create nylon or other hard material parts that might work?<issue_comment>username_1: I looked at the current Marlin code and the P24 command should work as you expect it unless the pin you are trying to use in listed as the "SENSITIVE\_PINS" list: ``` #define SENSITIVE_PINS { 0, 1, \ X_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN, X_ENABLE_PIN, X_MIN_PIN, X_MAX_PIN, \ Y_STEP_PIN, Y_DIR_PIN, Y_ENABLE_PIN, Y_MIN_PIN, Y_MAX_PIN, \ Z_STEP_PIN, Z_DIR_PIN, Z_ENABLE_PIN, Z_MIN_PIN, Z_MAX_PIN, Z_MIN_PROBE_PIN, \ PS_ON_PIN, HEATER_BED_PIN, FAN_PIN, FAN1_PIN, FAN2_PIN, CONTROLLER_FAN_PIN, \ _E0_PINS _E1_PINS _E2_PINS _E3_PINS _E4_PINS BED_PINS \ _H0_PINS _H1_PINS _H2_PINS _H3_PINS _H4_PINS \ _X2_PINS _Y2_PINS _Z2_PINS \ X_MS1_PIN, X_MS2_PIN, Y_MS1_PIN, Y_MS2_PIN, Z_MS1_PIN, Z_MS2_PIN \ } ``` These pins are printer specific; so, without access to your Marlin build, I can't see if pin 4 corresponds to one of these. If this is the problem, the command should be returning an error. If there is no error, I would look closely at the hardware. Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: Might be because servo pins are not connected to 5V. use Jumper as shown [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ycegg.png) Upvotes: 0

2017/01/13

<issue_start>username_0: PTFE tubes are typically delivered coiled up. And because they are quite stiff, they always want to spring back to their original curvy shape, making them harder to route properly. Is there a way to straighten them out?<issue_comment>username_1: I just plugged the ends of tube and soaked it in real warm water for 5 minutes then stretched it out on a table. That helped then the hard part I spooling it up against the arch and soaked it again. This seem to work the best. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: You could use a hairdryer to introduce a spot-bend where you need it. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: A colleague of me puts spring steel wires in the tubes and leaves the tubes on the central heating for a certain amount of time (probably hotter than 60 °C). Upvotes: 2

2017/01/14

<issue_start>username_0: I just got a GeeeTech Rostock 301 mixer head delta printer and am having trouble honing in on why the extruder is struggling with my first spool of ABS. Being the main parts of the printer came assembled I am unsure of where to start taking things apart. I have a read a multitude of possible causes and am hoping for some direction on which is most likely so I can start there. Symptoms: --------- Extruder clicking. The extruder makes a low grinding noise every time it tries to extrude more than 1mm of filament using the manual controls. Again I am working with ABS so I have the hotend heated to 250 degrees C. The extruder had no trouble when I was first putting the filament in and using the extruder to push it thorough the Bowden tube. But when I tried using the manual controls to extrude a small amount of filament it seems to be fine, just a small time delay between the extruder moving and the plastic coming out of the hotend. Things I have read to try ------------------------- Again this a kit printer and the involved components came assembled (see below) so I am not sure what I should look at first. I assume that if it came pre-assembled then it is most likely done correctly. 1. Clean out the hotend, do a cold pull 2. Take apart the extruder and realign the driving cog, check for shaft slippage 3. Replace your Bowden Tubes 4. Tweak slicer settings For the first 3 I think its new so it should be clean, in working order. And for number 4 I put what was in the manual except for the temperatures (because the settings shown in the manual were for PLA but it is a PLA or ABS printer) Assembly: --------- The printer being a kit came with the print head completely assembled as shown in the picture. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NCO1Y.png) Not shown in the picture it also had the Bowden tubes in place. It also came with the extruder assembled as shown in the picture. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VJV5E.png) So aside from wiring and mounting these pieces the only thing I did was cut a clean edge on the Bowden tube and connect that to the extruder.<issue_comment>username_1: First you have to see if nothing jams the filament (blocked nozzle or anything in its path, PTFE tube not good, etc). Second, the temp for ABS is about 225°C to 230°C. At least that worked for me. If none of the above, then go for the motor. The problem could be from bad settings, low power or a motor malfunction. Maybe the motor is no good to begin with. Good luck !!! Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This is worth pointing out as it hasn't been said yet, make sure your stepper driver isn't overheating. If it overheats, it will cause the stepper to temporarily shut down, and it will click when it happens. This could be caused by inadequate power or by insufficient cooling. Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I've had the same problem, nozzle was just too close to the bed and motor required a little bit mode power so I turned a little bit a pot on stepper controller. Since then no problem, also is good to rise a bit a temperature ;) Upvotes: 1

2017/01/15

<issue_start>username_0: We are trying to repair an Ultimaker Original+. One problem is a missing resistor isolation. The Ultimaker Original+ prints with up to 260 Degree Celcius. **Which kind of isolation products are suitable to resist the heat and are fitting on the thin wires of the thermistor?**<issue_comment>username_1: I used Kapton tape to insulate mine. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I'm not sure if it fits the use you're describing, but Kapton (polyimide) tape is stable to about 400 degrees C. It can also be used as a build surface, so generally useful to have some. --- *Kapton tape is used all the time for electronic work, both to secure fine wires (for example patch wires on a PCB) and for insulation. It's not so great for thermal insulation since it is thin, but I have my hot-end wrapped in it, and that has saved some burnt fingers.* Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: The most common choice for insulating thermistors is glass fiber sleeving. It tolerates very high temperatures, and is commonly rated for up to 600 °C. Teflon is also used but has a rather low upper limit on its working temperature; it shouldn't be used at temperatures exceeding 260 °C - which rules it out for your purpose. Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_4: There are many materials you can use one that came to my mind is this High Temperature & Pressure Sealant and also the best way to apply it so it can be removed easy is this . take a kitchen food very thing nylon cover you know the very thin elastic one or cover the parts with some type of release agent (dont use something that inhibit silicone like sulfur or sulfur containing staff) and apply it over it then when is solid cut it and release it it would be like a glove i hope ;)There are silicone that are really high temp 1000 f to 2000 f good luck :) Upvotes: 0

2017/01/15

<issue_start>username_0: I'm creating a reverse Bowden setup to guide my filament from spool to extruder, through a path which contains two [couplers](http://amzn.eu/almYaNi) in the middle as follows: `[spool] --- |#= --- =#| --- [extruder]` So I have to connect a tube to the *back* of a coupler (`---=#|`) and not just to the front (`---|#=`). That's the end that contains the screw thread, and it's not designed to take a tube. I can't manage to make it a smooth transition. When I try to push my 1.75 mm filament through, it will often get stuck there. After it's through, the extruder seems to have no problem with it anymore. Is there a trick to making this a smooth transition?<issue_comment>username_1: The solution might be to countersink the opening at the threaded portion within the tube. There are various angles available for countersinks, although the more common angles are 82 degrees and 90 degrees. Drive the countersink to the point where the wall thickness is zero, unlike the drawing below showing some material outside the beveled area. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WCXhM.png "Cross section of center bit drilled holes") For your purposes, you'd want the steepest angle possible, the 60 degree tool. If you decided to purchase a countersink, pick a diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the wall thickness of the coupler. You could use a countersink of the same diameter as the outside diameter of the threads. Center drills are available with 60 degree angles as well: [Amazon specific item](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00M54BPRQ) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6edXI.jpg "Center drill bits") The second smallest center drill listed here has a 1.5 mm center point with a 4 mm drill point. If your coupling is larger than 4 mm, the next size up will not work as well, as the center point is 2.5 mm. You'd have to resort to a countersink only. If you are near a machine shop or have a friend with a mill or even a decent drill press, those resources may be able to perform the countersink for a minimal (or possibly zero) fee. I have a mini-mill and a collection of countersinks as well as center drills. I found my bag of unused couplers. They are for 5 mm tubing and were flat on the threaded end. This is the result after a quick trip to the mill. It appears in the close up that I could have driven the center drill deeper into the fitting, and also cleaned off the swarf a bit as well. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/t6WTO.jpg "Chamfered inner hole backside of the pneumatic coupler") Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: An alternative to chamfering the connector is buying a different type of connectors with a larger bore hole all the way through the connector and let the tube pass all the way through. These are used in my similar spool to extruder setup (reversed Bowden setup in OP's terminology). [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cZi6Z.png "Large hole pneumatic tube connector") Upvotes: 0

2017/01/17

<issue_start>username_0: If a part is wanted to be made the strongest possible, what slicer settings should be used? * 3-5 shells vs all shells, no infill? * 100% infill vs some other % infill? * Thin layer height vs thick layer height? * Any other relevant settings?<issue_comment>username_1: If your real question is what would be the strongest then I say - the solid would be the strongest - no doubt. But if the question is: * what be the strongest in comparison to weight or * what is the strongest in comparison to the cost (amount of material) then these are good questions! You can of course find many tutorials and comparisons on the net and there will be many answers - which all of them could be good/bad ;) If these are your questions then instead of simple answer you can ask more questions like: * in which orientation or * for what purpose or * for continues stress or maybe for variable stress or * for bending forces / shearing forces or maybe tearing forces all these forces and circumstances could require other answer... which could also lead to other questions :) But according to my experience, the strongest settings (for general purpose) is 3 outlines (and the same number of first/last layers) and triangle infill 20-25 % Why I think this is the strongest, 3 layers gives good chance to have well stickiness even if there are geometric/design issues and triangle infill gives good (and common) way to carry and spread forces. But as I said it depends on many input data. Let's look at these figures: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/q6OeG.png) in figure A we have the strongest composition for compression; this is because all working forces try to damage material particles which is of course hard to do (depending on material density and length of polymers and the way they are tangled and so on - in general - material strength only). If we consider figure B where forces try to tear apart layers then we know that we base on stickiness between layers which can vary on printing parameters (as is temperature and speed). Finally, figure C shows shearing forces - in terms of layered structure it doesn't really differ from tearing apart but the results (the resistance of and object) is even weaker - it's because we base on stickiness and we additionally have less effective field of working stickiness) which reduces endurance of an object. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This question is practically unanswerable without the load case or the part being known. Input for the "strongest" part is depending on: * Load case (compression, tension, shear) * Part design * # of perimeters * Filament type * Infill percentage (incl. local increased infill for e.g. fasteners; see e.g. ["Different infill in the same part"](/q/6522)) * Part orientation when slicing * etc. Do note that 100 % infill does not guarantee the strongest solution, from [ahoeben](https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/19727-100-infill-settings/): > > Final note: 100% infill is not always the strongest or best quality. If you overextrude by just a little bit, that will quickly add up with 100% infill. With a lower % of infill, the overextruded material has somewhere to go. > > There can also be issues with cooling with high amounts of infill; you are not only putting more material on the print, but also more heat. On the other hand printing a layer is going to take a long time, so there should be time to cool. But shrinking/warping while cooling is also something that is affected by the amount of material. > > > Upvotes: 0

2017/01/17

<issue_start>username_0: If I *accidentally* reverse the polarity of my power supply to the RAMPS board, what *exactly* will be damaged? Will it harm my: * RAMPS; * Arduino Mega; * Stepper motor and/or drivers, or; * Any other electronic part(s)? Will all or some of them be permanently damaged?<issue_comment>username_1: ### Polyfuses on the RAMPS Fire appears to be the immediate issue, in the poly fuses. From [Reddit: reversed polarity, RAMPS on fire](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reprap/comments/2gpih3/reversed_polarity_ramps_on_fire/) > > Sooo I made the dumb mistake of reversing the polarity from my psu into the RAMPS 1.4. As warned the ramps did not like this and smoke began to rise from the board. I am pretty sure I saw smoke only coming from the two ptc fuses (big flat yellow ones). > > > ### Replacing poly fuses Note: Older RAMPS 1.4 have easily replaceable large poly fuses, whereas the RAMPS 1.5/1.6 use SMD poly fuses, see 0scar's answer to [RAMPS 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5623/ramps-1-4-1-5-or-1-6) --- ### Arduino According to [this user](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reprap/comments/2gpih3/reversed_polarity_ramps_on_fire/ckln3ix/), the MOSFETs *and* the Arduino Mega's regulator can be fried as well: > > it most likely fried the mosfets next to the fuses and probably the voltage regulator on your arduino. > > > However, the fried regulator would only affect the Arduino's operation if powered through the power socket, or VIN (which the RAMPS board uses to power the Arduino Mega). However, via the USB it should still work. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reprap/comments/2gpih3/reversed_polarity_ramps_on_fire/ckm2rlc/), on the same thread: > > The voltage regulator is only needed if you supply power to the arduino via the Vin pin or with a separate power adapter. The RAMPS board does supply the Vin pin with 12V. > > > So, you would probably have to rely on powering the Arduino via the USB and not the RAMPS Regarding the Arduino, on Arduino.SE there are a number of users who have fried their Arduino in this manner, and many of them suffer slightly different failures, although most are centered around the regulator. One case I remember was that of a capacitor burnout, see [Is my Arduino dead?](https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/54006/is-my-arduino-dead) - although the use case was different. There are many other cases on the Arduino.SE. --- ### Protection Diode According to [this post](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?13,600886,600893#msg-600893) on [RepRap - Reverse Polarity](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?13,600886,600893), there *should* be a **reverse polarity protection diode** (although it appears not to have work in the above example): > > If it was a ramps, those have a reverse protection diode across the input that normally needs replaced after such an incident > > > --- ### Stepper drivers/motors The stepper motors themselves should survive, as should the stepper drivers. ***However***, each case can be different and it would depend upon the quality of the board (is it a cheap clone or branded?), and the quality/tolerance of the components used - these factors would determine where in the chain of modules the failure occurs. Obviously, the earlier the failure's location in the chain the better. --- ### MKS Base v1.2 As an aside, this user fried their regulator (the fuses were fine) on a MKS Base v1.2 (not RAMPS), by reversing the polarity, which caused the stepper drivers to fail. However, replacing the regulator fixed it, see [this post](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?13,600886,602910#msg-602910): > > Replacing the regulator chip did fix the board. > > > Rather helpfully the self same user has posted an Instructables of the repair: [MKS Base reverse polarity repair](https://www.instructables.com/id/MKS-Base-Reverse-Polarity-Repair/). --- ### RAMPSXB There is no protection diode on the RAMPXB. From [RAMPSXB](https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPSXB): > > Do NOT reverse polarity on the input pins, as there is NO PROTECTION DIODE. Reversing polarity will not only fry your steppers and FETs, but may even damage your Arduino and possibly even your computer. Triple check to make sure the polarity on your power input is 100% correct! > > > --- ### See also * [Arduino Forum: Checking the RAMPS 1.4](http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=265478.0) for some handy troubleshooting tips for the Arduino and the Stepper. This user on [post #5](http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=265478.msg1872694#msg1872694) of [Arduino Forum: Checking the RAMPS 1.4](http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=265478.0) did manage to fry their stepper drivers, but not due to reverse polarity, by from a loose wire: > > I didnt connect the power backwards, but either I had a defective Mega2560 clone, or some stray bit of wire somehow shorted something out, and the Mega2560 literally went up in smoke (almost caught on fire !) > > > Every stepper driver was destroyed, but the power FET's and other components survived > > > Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Assuming the (most common and standard) RAMPS 1.4 board, the power input section looks like this: [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e9s0G.png) There are two 12V input sections: one for the heated bed (with an 11A fuse) and one for the rest (with a 5A fuse). If only one of the sections has reversed polarity (and the other one is connected correctly) the power supply (assuming a single supply is used) is shorted out directly through the board (without any fuses or any other protection). This will in principle not damage any components *on the board*, but it might damage the power supply or melt the wires. In the following, I assume both sections have polarity reversed consistently (or one of the sections is not connected at all). The bed input section basically has no protection. If polarity to the bed is reversed, the bed MOSFET's body diode will conduct - basically shorting out the input through the fuse. The current that will flow will initially only be limited by the power supply's ability to supply current. Eventually the fuse will trip, but these poly fuses are quite slow and in the meantime it is possible the bed MOSFET will be damaged (which might cause it to permanently conduct, i.e. the bed might always be on, or the MOSFET might become a short circuit and short out the power supply even if the polarity is corrected). The 5A section has a bit more in terms of protection. After the fuse there is a diode (D2) that shorts out the power supply if polarity is reversed. This is similar to how the diode in the bed MOSFET shorts out, but in this case the diode is dedicated for just this function. The diode has a relatively low forward voltage, lower than that of the MOSFETs for the heaters, so in principle these components will be protected. However, the diode is not really rated for the kind of current that would flow in this scenario, so components such as the heater/fan MOSFETs and stepper drivers might be exposed to a reverse voltage (albeit around -2V at most). They would probably survive. As in the heated bed scenario, the diode D2 would probably be damaged - it would likely end up short circuited and thus needs to be replaced (or at least removed, but this is not advisable since it's required for polarity protection) before the board will function again. The Arduino Mega 12V input is protected through a blocking diode (D1) which will fully protect it. This diode will not be damaged, because it won't conduct any current in a short-circuit scenario. It might seem kind of strange a diode is used to deliberately short out the input in case of reverse polarity, and you might ask why the design doesn't simply use a diode to block the reverse flow of current (like is done for the Arduino). The reason for this is that all diodes have an associated voltage drop, which would cause a lot of power loss (especially for the heated bed), requiring a large diode with heat sink. The way the diodes are placed (i.e., shorting out the power rails in the event of reverse polarity) avoids this loss and still somewhat protects the electronics down the stream (even if the fuses/diodes are blown). Note that this is still a less than ideal solution, if you're trying to design your own reverse polarity protection solution then I would recommend to go with a [MOSFET-based solution](http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slva139/slva139.pdf). Upvotes: 2

2017/01/18

<issue_start>username_0: I'm (surprisingly) having a problem getting my PEI substrate to stick to the heated bed surface. The ABS item being printed stuck great to the PEI surface. I've not seen anyone else post on this problem, but perhaps someone has seen it. Note, this is the PRINT SURFACE warping, not the item being printed. That part went great with no delamination even on a large flat bottom. I'm using 3M 468 adhesive to attach a PEI plastic sheet directly to the heated surface of my Flashforge Creator Pro printer. The heated bed is anodized black and the adhesive is a sheet cut to the requisite 6" X 9". It seemed fine and looked pretty good with few air bubbles when first attached, but the first print caused the edges of the PEI plastic to warp up from the corners of the bed. It appears that the weak link is that the PEI detached from the adhesive. While this was not uniform, removal of the PEI sheet showed that 95% of the adhesive was still attached to the print bed. The PEI has one glossy side and one matte side, and I chose to apply the adhesive to the matte side to get the glossy surface. Does this make a difference? I applied the adhesive to the PEI surface just as it was after removing the protective plastic coating. I figured this was a clean as it was ever going to get. I'd definitely appreciate some ideas on this.<issue_comment>username_1: I never used one, but the thing that makes two parts stick together is the atmospheric pressure. The glue is just a thing that, even if it does not make any chemical bond, is keeping the air out. A pure example of that is if you put water in a glass and then put another one on it. Although the water is not glue you can't easily pull it up and if the surface is big you can't at all. It is the atmospheric pressure that keeps them together and the water keeps the air out ;). I suggest try the other side and see I'm just guessing . Good luck!!! Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps this is due to the aluminum build plate warping/crowning as it heats? I use a PEI print surface on my Monoprice Maker Select (Wanhao Di3), which has an 8.5"x8.5" build plate, and I've had no issues with the PEI coming unstuck. However, instead of attaching mine directly to the aluminum heated build plate, I attached it (using 3M 468) to a piece of Borosilicate glass, which is then attached to my aluminum build plate using silicone thermal heatsink pads. The rational for using a Borosilicate glass print surface is that a heated metal build surface is going to warp or move some, as the heat is coming from one side; the glass will not warp and so you have a completely flat surface on which to print (and the heatsink pads help make up the difference in surface geometry). I used [this 3dprinterwiki article](http://3dprinterwiki.info/wiki/wanhao-duplicator-i3/duplicator-i3-basic-mods/adding-a-glass-bed/) as the basis for my glass bed mod, and applied the PEI/adhesive using another source (which I've forgotten, possibly [the RepRap wiki](http://reprap.org/wiki/PEI_build_surface)). While the first link is Wanhao Di3 specific, it covers the idea. Make sure you tweak your z-endstops if needed on your particular machine, as adding the glass plat raises the bed height by several mm. Please note that I'm theorizing - I did not ever try applying my PEI directly to my aluminum build plate, so I have no direct comparison. But the use of glass to eliminate build plate warping/crowning is fairly well documented. See also [this 3DPSE Answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/506/2541). Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]

2017/01/18

<issue_start>username_0: I've got a Monoprice Mini Select (15365) and it takes FOREVER for me to manually spin the dial to get the printhead to raise all the way up so that I can perform maintenance (clear blockages in the nozzle or apply new tape to the bed, etc). So, I was thinking about writing a snippet of gcode that I could just run which would contain the commands necessary to do that for me. I'm a n00b to 3D printing, but I'm an old programmer so I figured it would be too hard. However, before running this code on my printer, I wanted to get some experts to double check me to make sure I'm not going to hurt anything. :) Here is what I have, please let me know if I've done anything wrong or if you have any suggestions. ``` ; Move print head to center and top to prepare for cleaning/maintenance M107 ; fan off G28 ; home all axes G21 ; set units to millimeters G90 ; use absolute coordinates ; full dimensions of the print area are 120mm x 120mm x 120mm G0 X60 Y60 Z119 ; move to center X,Y and just below the max height M84 ; disable motors ``` I grabbed a few lines from gcode generated by Slic3r and used the gcode wiki entry to understand each of the commands and fill in the extra ones I needed.<issue_comment>username_1: Yes, on machines which will execute "standard" gcode, this will do what you request. Some good resources are <http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code> and <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code> Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It really depends on whether you currently have something half printed on the bed when you need to do maintenance. For example, you may have a blockage mid-print or need to reprime the nozzle. So with that in mind, personally I would separate the line that does the move into two different lines. Move vertically first, then in X Y. Otherwise, the print head may move diagonally and hit your object. This is because the head will move all three axes at once. Otherwise looks good. Edit: Another suggestion is that if you use repetier host to control the printer it will be easier to return to the print in-progress automatically. Also take a look at the S parameter, for moves it can control how fast the move is. Upvotes: 2

2017/01/19

<issue_start>username_0: I've noticed this on almost ever print I've ever had. On the initial first line that clears the extruder nozzle tiny little bubbles/craters seem to form on the line. While I don't think these are causing any issue with my prints I'm curious to know the reason why they form at all. Is this due to water absorption in my filament that turns to steam, which then bursts through the molten plastic? Is it due to air bubbles in the filament that are cause by the manufacturing process of the filament? Or is this more an indication that my nozzle is damaged or clogged in some way? [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2we0A.jpg) This image was made using ABS plastic and a heated build plate. I've noticed these same 'bubbles' appearing using PLA, and Nylon. Edit: Nozzle temperature 240°C, build plate temperature 150°C, Nozzle diameter 0.4 mm, filament diameter (measured 1.75 mm) retraction distance 1.7 mm. Using the Makerbot Desktop Slicer. The first line that my printer extrudes, where I'm seeing these 'bubbles' is a nearly full line. Makerbot starts from the right side of the image, extruding to the left. [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3sf99.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: There is only one way to find out, which is by isolating any reasons, starting from the simplest one: * Firstly, clean and check, or change, your nozzle; * Secondly, if that does not work, then change the filament, or find a way to get it dry (some people, with some filaments, use an oven to get moisture out - careful, don't burn it); * Finally, change filament brand and get a better quality filament or another type of filament. Another reason that it does not extrude consistently, is that what you mention as [appearing to be] bubbles maybe [intentional] gaps [in the print]. Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I had a similar issue with my Prusa i3 mk2. In researching what could cause extrusion to be nonuniform, I found that it could be due to a number of things: * Nozzle height * Flow rate * Bed/Nozzle/Ambient Temperature * Improper bed leveling * Dirty reservoir or filament * Low quality filament * Hardware failure * etc... For me, the problem happened to be a hardware failure where the screw that held the pulley in place on the extruder motor had stripped somehow and the pulley was slipping as the printer was trying to extrude. I temporarily fixed this by using a slightly bigger screw, but was able to get a new pulley/screw piece from Prusa Research to replace the part. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: In my experience, bubbles like this are caused by the filament absorbing moisture, which then cooks out at the high printing temperatures. See: <http://reprap.org/wiki/Print_Troubleshooting_Pictorial_Guide#Material_Handling.2C_Material_Contamination_01> Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_4: Oh yeah, that's simple. You are printing too hot and are literally boiling the plastic. Else you have water. However if it was water you would hear Crackling as it printed. If it is too hot you will not hear nearly as much. I am 87.341% sure you are printing too hot. Looking at your printing temps you are without a doubt printing too hot. From [this link](https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/thread/best-printing-practices-makerbot-replicator-2-and-2x) on 3d hubs. > > PLA (Only on Replicator 2) Print temp: 210°C (at 100m/s) Notes: heated > bed optional between 40 and 60°C > > > ABS (Only on Replicator 2X) Print > temp: 230°C (at 100m/s) Notes: heated bed at 110°C > > > Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: I have spent many hours testing my Anet A8 to resolve the popping issue. The symptoms are similar to yours, Diesel. Both ABS and PLA, different manufactures, good packaging, as well as various sizes of nozzle, are producing bubbles. I was experimenting mainly with two variables: nozzle temperature and retraction length. Other related parameters I kept fixed: * Material: ABS * Nozzle size: 0.5 mm * Retraction speed: 45 mm/s * Travel speed: 50 mm/s * Print speed: 40 mm/s ### Retraction length Originally it was set to 4.5 mm. I found it to be impacting the amount of popping significantly, especially in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. The optimal value appeared to be in my case 0.8 mm. A lower value would produce even better results in terms of surface quality, but would also start producing oozing. One important side note is that at the retraction length of 4.5 mm, leaking of the material during idle moves was significant and was becoming even a bigger contributor into gaps in the print strikes (immediately following the idle moves), than popping. This observation is kind of contradictory, but I am making no mistake here. Too large of a retraction apparently may have the inverse effect on leaking/oozing. ### Nozzle temperature Originally was set to 250°C. 260°C produced significantly worse results. 240°C is where I stopped. Based on some other research, including talking to my friend who successfully uses the same plastic at 260°C, I made the conclusion that the quality of my print head assembly is not perfect, and that it is the main cause of the problem. By finding the perfect retraction/temperature combination I simply mitigated the air sucking in the head, which could be not happening at all if I had used a better quality extruder and nozzle in the first place. Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_6: The temperature is too high or your keep your filament in open for days. So that filament observe water from air do the following steps: 1. pla 190-220 abs 220-240 2. If temperature in range then bake your filament at 50-60 temp. Upvotes: 1