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3dprinting.stackexchange.com

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2016-08-23T08:51:20.780

|pla|food|

<p>The turntable support part in my microwave has broken. It is a three armed part, with small wheels at the end of each arm. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qza6i.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qza6i.jpg" alt="support part"></a></p> <p>I'm confident I could print a replacement, and reuse the existing wheels (since they can be removed). </p> <p>The heat of the food would be unlikely to conduct through to the PLA, but I'm concerned that it might get heated up by the microwave radiation. I can't find any clear information online about whether PLA absorbs microwaves, or if it is in any other way unsuitable for this. </p> <p>Will this be a disaster, or should I give it a go?</p>

2673

Can I repair my microwave with a PLA part?

<p>There are <strong>Food Safe PLA filaments</strong>. These PLA filaments share similar qualities with ABS, in regards to temperature extremes et al. There are several on the market. (Eg. <a href="https://shop.germanreprap.com/en/pp-plastic-600g-3mm-black" rel="nofollow">https://shop.germanreprap.com/en/pp-plastic-600g-3mm-black</a> and <a href="http://www.formfutura.com/hdglass/" rel="nofollow">http://www.formfutura.com/hdglass/</a> -- I've not used the HD glass personally but have been told it works well)</p> <p>When shopping for food safe PLA filaments check for the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that comes with the filament. It will contain all the normal chemical warnings, some composition information, etc. but will also indicate if the material is Food and Drug Administration(FDA) approved.</p> <p>PLA, food safe or not, can also have bacterialogical issues--the material is pourous enough to allow for bacterial growth. I would suggest using a polyurethane to seal the printed part to limit bacterial growth.</p> <p>You will need to check what sort of extruder you have on your pinter. Many brass extruders also contain lead which can leach into the printed product. Switch to a stainless steel print head to avoid this issue.</p> <p>General care--warm soapy water and handwashing.</p> <p>I would not, as yet, recommend any printed product as a vessel for food--cup/bowl. This element is still somewhat new and I don't personally trust the materials for extended contact with food. (Knives/spoons et al. have much shorter contact with food vs. a plastic mug of hot coffee).</p> <p>For your intended application, the piece in question would not come into direct contact with food to be consumed. As such, you should be fine with the correct filament.</p>

2016-08-23T14:44:32.567

|3d-models|quality|print-preparation|print-strength|

<p>For a while now, I have been thinking about designing things such as small bedside tables, game/dvd/bluray racks for 3d printing. I've always thought that making them modular would be a good way to go about doing this as well.</p> <p>Modular design would help to create an end result that is vastly larger than the print volume of my 3d printer. I might even be able to recycle models for use in other projects. However, I'm not sure of what I need to think about if I decide to go ahead with these ideas I have floating around in my head.</p> <p>I'm assuming that certain joints (dovetail, etc), tolerances for different types of plastic due to shrinkage, and print settings (% infill, in particular) would be important to have thought about and evaluated to some extent, but I'm not sure about what else I might be missing.</p> <p>So my question is to anyone who has designed anything to be modularly printed. Have you really had to think carefully about the engineering side of the print? Or am I simply overthinking this? Should I just design what I want and give it reasonable infill, walls and whatnot, and just go for a trial and error approach? I'm sure there is a method to this madness, but is a concrete understanding of this type of engineering absolutely paramount when it comes to this sort of stuff?</p> <hr> <p>EDIT: Although I've marked darth pixel's answer as accepted, I'm still going to follow JKEngineer's advise and check out that book as well since I feel as though proper engineering techniques alongside a good mentality towards how I would tackle the problem (as outlined in darth pixel's answer) would prove to yield better results in the long run.</p>

2676

What should I think about if I want to design something modular?

<p>A book you would benefit from reading is "Functional Design for 3D Printing...Designing 3D Printed things for everyday use - 2nd Edition" by Clifford Smyth. </p> <p>It deals with FDM printing only. It deals with considerations of orientation of the parts being printed to address required strength in the 3 directions (x, y, z), tolerances, and designing parts in such a way that they can be assembled, have the strength needed, have flexibility, etc. In some instances he shows how to split a single functional part into multiple parts so that, when assembled, it actually performs as required. </p> <p>It's available from Amazon at <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/1511572027" rel="nofollow">Book on Amazon</a>. I received it as a present and have no commercial interest in it. </p> <p>Here's a review: <a href="http://3dprintingforbeginners.com/book-review-functional-design-for-3d-printing/" rel="nofollow">Book Review on 3D Printing for Beginners</a></p>

2016-08-26T18:59:13.000

|heated-bed|glass-bed|

<p>I have printed a MPCNC machine. It has a print area of about 30" x 30" and up to 11" tall. (yes, those numbers are correct).</p> <p>I found a perfect piece of glass at a garage sale for $5.00 to use as my print bed. </p> <p>My problem now is how to heat the glass? I was wondering if there is some sort of tape that would perhaps mimic what is on the rear window of a car, but I couldn't find it anywhere.</p> <p>Any ideas or links to something that can get me some progress on my search would be greatly appreciated.</p>

2689

How do you heat a large glass print bed?

<p>I am heating my 1 meter by 1 meter plate (yes those numbers are correct) (in progress long term project) of tempered glass with a silicone heater bed I bought as overstock on ebay. Silicone Heating Mat</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CkTZc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CkTZc.jpg" alt="Silicon bed"></a></p> <p><a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Heated_Bed#Silicone_Heating_Mat" rel="nofollow noreferrer">From Reprap Wiki</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Silicone Heater Pad in sizes silicone heater pad Pros: Fast heating Reliable Most use mains voltage - DOESN'T require any amps from the 12 volt supply Very low height Easy to install (adhesive backed) Can be relatively inexpensive 12 V types can be run directly from the controller MOSFET without a relay Integrated thermistor Long life span Cons: Can be expensive - silicon mat (50€) plus solid state relay (16€). Mains voltage, but can be purchased for 12 V. Need GROUND line to aluminum bed for safety. Relatively high temperatures possible (safety problem if thermistor dies/falls off).</p> </blockquote> <p>I also talked to a few alibaba companies and they will happily make you a custom order. Just be wary working with them. You will also need to start another question about the particular parts you need. Actually I think I have a second one I bought from Aliexpress about that size. So no custom orders needed. Ran about 100 USD. I will note I used a MIC6 aluminum plate, custom cut at a local shop. That will have a more even heat profile than glass.</p> <p>I will note that I have to run mine from 220 VAC not 110 VAC power lines.. But the actual electrical costs are pretty low!</p>

2016-08-27T13:46:01.610

|filament|nozzle|

<p>I recently bought a Geeetech Prusa i3 x. After two full days assembling I can finaly try to print something. Having put in the filament into the extruder no filament actually came out of the nozzle. I opened up my extruder and the filament seems to be stuck in the nozzle.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/r5RDA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/r5RDA.jpg" alt="Filament stuck in nozzle"></a></p> <p>Note that I have tried heating the nozzle up and both pushed and pulled but no movement. Does anyone know what to do?</p> <p>Thanks, Merijn</p>

2693

Filament is stuck in nozzle

<p>There are a number of options you could try. If heating up the hotend does not work, you'll have to disassemble it. Remove the nozzle and the heatbreak (the threaded part). To disassemble the nozzle, you will need to heat it up and use pliers or wrenches to unscrew the parts.</p> <ul> <li><p>You can use a blowtorch to melt and burn out the plastic that is stuck. Make sure to do this outside.</p></li> <li><p>You can use solvents to dissolve the plastic. This works especially well with ABS, which can be dissolved in acetone. You can also try dissolving different plastics with acetone, but for example PLA does not really dissolve in acetone (it does become somewhat soft, so this can still be helpful towards getting it out). You could also try using other solvents if acetone does not work for your particular plastic, but consider these tend to be quite toxic compared to acetone so be careful. Note that in any case, the plastic will need to soak in the solvent for at least a few hours or overnight.</p></li> </ul> <p>Do not try to disassemble it while cold, the expansion and contraction of metal with heat makes this impossible. When reassembling, be sure to heat up the nozzle before giving it a final tightening (again, this is to make sure that when the nozzle expands as it is heated, it makes a tight seal).</p>

2016-08-28T00:32:36.523

|3d-design|

<p>I am an absolute beginner when it comes to 3d printing. I want to get into the hobby by designing aero automotive parts such as fender flares, custom gauge and switch pods, lips etc. I've never taken a CAD course but I would say I'm proficient enough with computers as I work as a developer. My uncle is an architect and it seems like autocad might be something good to go with. What are some other good alternatives that allow accurate modeling down to millimeters and possibly breaking larger objects into smaller 3d printable pieces to mash together? </p>

2697

What is a good software for designing car parts

<p>You've avoided a number of attributes of a poor question by specifying your objective in detail, while also providing some indication of your experience. AutoCAD is not well known as being 3d printer friendly, although a skilled AutoCAD design user may be able to create acceptable models.</p> <p>One could consider more organic modeling software such as Blender, although it works in reverse of my comment above. It's great for free-form model building but not so much for engineering type construction. Again, a competent Blender user can avail himself of the parametric aspects of the software, but it's more work than one would necessarily desire to engage.</p> <p>SolidWorks has a number of followers in the 3d modeling community. My experience with the software has shown me that it can be learned fairly quickly and is powerful enough to allow one to explode creatively over time.</p> <p>The structure of Solidworks workflow fits in directly with your description, both to the reference to accurate modeling as well as the break-apart aspect. The construction of a model in SW is done via sketches and various actions performed on resultant objects created from those sketches. It's not free software, rather pricey, but it may also save you so much work as to pay for itself over time.</p> <p>There are other options, of course, some of which are free to students and hobbyists. I did a quick Google search for "free parametric 3d modeling software" which resulted in this link:</p> <p><a href="https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/finding-the-right-3d-modeling-software-for-you" rel="nofollow">https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/finding-the-right-3d-modeling-software-for-you</a></p> <p>You will find many suitable programs in the list generated from that link, as well as many that are unsuitable for the reasons mentioned previously.</p> <p>Consider also to view YouTube videos of your candidate selections. Most of the programs referenced will have tutorial videos which can give you a clearer idea of how well it fits your needs and perhaps how easily it can be understood.</p>

2016-08-30T19:43:39.117

|print-fan|

<p><strong>SOLVED: I replaced the leads coming from the fan motor and it is working just fine. Thanks for the input. If anyone else has this model, I would suggest printing and installing a wire clip in order to prevent the issue. Here is the one that I am using now: <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:620627" rel="nofollow">http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:620627</a></strong></p> <p>I am running a Printrbot Simple Metal with a heated bed and have not been able to get my fan to run recently. The fan used to run just fine (for the past 3 months in fact--since purchase). I cannot be certain, but this may be related to the cord getting snagged by the hot-end last week (cables have begun to sag over time). Nothing melted or damaged except for the hard-plastic coil used to bundle all cables together, and that appears to just be minor, cosmetic damage. </p> <p>I have checked Cura settings, ensuring that fan operation is selected (starting at 0.6 mm) and that it is being told to run at 100%.</p> <p>I have also sent 'M106 S255' from Proterface UI (this, from what I have researched, should turn the fan on at 100%). This command had no results.</p> <p>The firmware is stock (Marlin), all exposed cables seem intact and without damage, and the plug to the control board seems to be fine. Maybe I could apply current to it directly and see if it runs?</p> <p>EDIT1: I put 2 6V lantern batteries in series (voltmeter shows 12.3V) and hooked it to the fan cable; the fan did not budge (even with encouragement in the form of a slight push from the hand). Is there a particular spot in the cable that is vulnerable to failing if pulled on? </p> <p>Any thoughts, suggestions, or things to look into? </p> <p>EDIT2: I have disassembled the cable bundle leading to the fan and hot-end. I have found a connection point where the fan plugs into an extension cable which goes to the control board. I have applied current here and the fan doesn't move. I tested the current on another 12V fan laying around and that fan runs just fine. So, it seems that the fan has gone bad...somehow. I am still quite confused on how this would happen. Is it possible for a DC fan to "overheat" due to poor airflow? I have a shroud on the fan (<a href="http://d17kynu4zpq5hy.cloudfront.net/igi/printrbot/CnoDPS5D1CZ5EgBR.standard" rel="nofollow">http://d17kynu4zpq5hy.cloudfront.net/igi/printrbot/CnoDPS5D1CZ5EgBR.standard</a>) and there has always been a little back pressure pushing wind out of the back of the fan.</p> <p><strong>EDIT3: So I have resorted to tearing into the fan and have applied 12V to the wires which are soldered directly to the fan and the fan doesn't work. I then applied the current directly to the solder points and the fan runs. Is there a reason why a set of wires, which look perfectly fine from the outside, would fail to run the fan?</strong></p>

2710

Fan Fails to Start

<blockquote> <p>Is there a reason why a set of wires, which look perfectly fine from the outside, would fail to run the fan?</p> </blockquote> <p>The internal conductor is broken. This can happen over time due to metal fatigue from the constant movement, and the cables getting snagged may indeed have something to do with it. You could try desoldering the current wires from the fan and replacing them with fresh ones, or getting a new fan altogether.</p>

2016-09-02T10:30:22.413

|3d-models|

<p>Can the flexible TPU filament be used in the case of printing a dental fixture?</p> <p>Filament - <a href="http://www.sainsmart.com/sainsmart-1-75mm-1kg-2-2lb-flexible-tpu-series-filament-for-3d-printers-reprap.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SainSmart 1.75mm 1kg/2.2lb Flexible (TPU) Series Filament for 3D Printers RepRap</a>.</p>

2723

TPU filament usage for dental application?

<p>There are a Ton of issues with using this type of material. First off there is no way anything that comes out of your FDM printer will be sanitary enough to meet the requirements for medical applications. Your nozzle might even be contain Lead. Last you would need this printer to be cleaned to clean room standards. As well as stored and operated in one..</p> <p>Second I have not heard of a flexible material that meets FDA requirements. (which is not the same as does not) You have to worry about even the additives they add for color. Or straight up contamination of the material. </p> <p>I do want to mention that there are people who use SLA printers for dental items. I cannot say how SLA would meet food or medical grade requirements. My guess is a lack of regulation. </p> <p>So a bad idea I would say...</p>

2016-09-03T08:24:23.257

|3d-design|

<p>Is there any forum where expert designers can help beginners like me?</p> <p>I am starting to design a panel for my car, and I am having some difficulties with finding a modeling program and using it.</p>

2725

3D printing forum community

<p>See DesignSpark - <a href="http://www.rs-online.com/designspark/electronics/eng/page/mechanical" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DS Mechanical</a> is good, free and fun to use. </p>

2016-09-03T09:40:16.417

|replacement-parts|

<p>I am designing an part for my car. It is a panel for the rear door. I want to add it some cases for tools, but before going on, could you tell me:</p> <p>It is a large flat panel, around 100cm by 35cm.</p> <p><strong>Is it going to be suitable for printing in that ABS material? Is it too big?</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/wqGB7.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/wqGB7.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2729

Is this very large flat panel printable in ABS?

<p>ABS would be fine, as a material, for the application.</p> <p>The problem, given the scale, would be the printing device used. I would suggest that you have the piece cut to spec for you using a polycarbonate. </p> <p>If you have access to a workshop you could do so yourself if you set up proper fencing using a larger sized bandsaw(with a very fine toothed blade), had rollers to help support the size of your piece(as it would not fit on the tool's platform) and likely need a second set of hands to help control the outfeed. You would also need to drill access for the cut out then cut the perimetre.</p> <p>You could also consider printing(ABS) in smaller sections then fusing each section together edge to edge(solvent welding of ABS is very strong and permanent), if you were really dead set on using a typical 3D printer for this. It would, in theory, be possible, but it would be very tedious. The adhesives, and cleaner, would be available from any plumbing supply and/or (home depot, lowes, walmart et al.). If you go this route be sure to have ample ventilation and plan your work space well in advance. I would not recommend this option but it is "possible".</p> <p>Given the scale of the piece though, and for sake of accuracy, going to a shop with CNC equipment and using polycarbonate would be your best bet.</p>

2016-09-05T12:08:17.990

|3d-models|file-formats|

<p>Good morning everyone,</p> <p>I am developing a consulting job in a clinic of dental CT scans.</p> <p>This work involves the development of administrative software, and preparing a routine for conversion of tomographic files in DICOM format to STL format. The files in STL format will be used for both visualization and analysis of 3D models, such as printing in 3D printers.</p> <p>Our problem is just the conversion DICOM to STL.</p> <p>Has anyone come across this kind of situation? We did not find any documentation or tool for this purpose in our searches and we are really with a gande urgency in the solution.</p> <p>Advance grateful for any assistance.</p>

2736

Conversion of DICOM files to STL files

<p>This software <em>may</em> be of some use to you.</p> <p>Whilst looking into <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/18141/4762">software/firmware for a Frankensbox FX-800</a>, I came across this document <a href="http://dedibot.com/file/download/3926bbd3566247d6a80d79dfbff45196" rel="nofollow noreferrer">For medical use - Dedicated series 3D printer</a>, on the Dedibot website, which on page 4 states the following:</p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mqkw9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="MIR - scanned text"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mqkw9.png" alt="MIR - scanned text" title="MIR - scanned text" /></a></p> </blockquote> <p>The relevant part (in text form) is this:</p> <blockquote> <p>It can be used to read DICOM format CT/MRI/Micro CT/Micro MRI/Industrial CT images and non-DICOM common image formats BMP/TIFF and so on.</p> </blockquote>

2016-09-12T08:07:07.420

|3d-models|resolution|

<p>I have a file I want to print, but the problem is that the dimensions that came with the model are just too big to print. I used the Tape Measure Tool on SketchUp, and it came in at a whooping 5.56 meters. Is there a way to split the big model into smaller, printable sized models that can be reassembled after printing?</p> <p>Thanks Again</p>

2750

How to split a model in SketchUp for printing

<p>SketchUp is likely to not work well for you if your objective is to create a printable STL file in pieces. You would want to determine initially that the un-segmented model is manifold and 3d printer ready. Once that is determined, consider using an alternate program for your chop-up actions.</p> <p>You do not specify the size of the printer you intend to use, but that is obviously a factor in the segmentation of the model.</p> <p>I have some experience with Meshmixer, which has an edit feature named "plane cut" which will do as you require. The plane is placed on the model and the options are selected to keep both pieces after the slice is performed.</p> <p>For a huge model of the type you describe, one would hope you have access to a printer with a one meter print bed or larger, although such printers are rare and of course, expensive.</p> <p>My printer has a 200 x 300 mm build plate, up to 200 mm high, which would entail substantial segmenting.</p> <p>If your model is mostly a shell, your segments would have to have wall thickness. It would be best accomplished, again in Meshmixer, by using the hollow or shell features. Those are a bit more challenging to understand, but there are plenty of videos and tutorials specific to creating hollow shells from a solid model. Once the shell is created, segments would be managed easily enough.</p> <p>I suggested that your segments would "have to have" wall thickness, but it isn't a requirement. Solid segments would be like bricks and you may have a large number of rectangular solids that compose your model. Lego models are difficult or impossible to create with only an outer shell, so the interiors are often solid bricks, but 3d printers are a bit more flexible. Not using solid interiors would save money, of course.</p> <p>I envision a jigsaw puzzle in three dimensions. Taking a nearly six meter dimension and chopping it into 20 slices multiplied by width and height means a carton of 3d puzzle pieces. </p>

2016-09-14T22:37:01.057

|3d-models|print-quality|

<p>I want to print people's bodies scanned (or get 'minimes', see the <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Figure 1</a>). And I watched that the printer 'project 660' is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MTOgCXJegw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">very good to do this</a> (<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Figure 1</a>). But, the price of that printer is really expensive, <a href="http://www.3dhubs.com/3d-printers/projet-660" rel="nofollow noreferrer">roughly $60'000</a>. And If you want to get a 'minime' printed by that printer, the cost is $230 for a model of 10cm. For me that price is expensive too. </p> <p>Does anyone know what printer I could use in order to print 'minimes' with:</p> <ul> <li>Good resolution, or details of the person's face (for a model of 10cm) and a good smooth surface of the model printed (<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Figure 1</a>).</li> <li>Ability to print complex models such as bodies (<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Figure 1</a>) without problem.</li> <li>Inexpensive: less than $150 per 'minime'.</li> <li>An option to print in color.</li> </ul> <p>Thanks.</p> <p><em>Figure 1: Models printed</em> </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uTgbX.jpg" alt="Mimes printed:"></a></p>

2774

Which is the best 3D printer to print bodies scanned?

<p>There are several options for printers that can produce high-quality 'minimes' at a lower cost. One option is the Formlabs Form 3, which has a maximum build volume of 14.5 x 14.5 x 18.5 cm and can print in color. Another option is the Prusa i3 MK3S, which has a build volume of 25 x 21 x 20 cm and can also print in color. Both of these printers have good resolution and can handle complex models. Another option is the Creality CR-10, which has a larger build volume of 30 x 30 x 40 cm and can print in color. However, it may have a slightly lower resolution compared to the other two options. These printers range in price from \$500 to \$1000, making them more affordable than the 'project 660'.</p>

2016-09-15T11:24:29.093

|prusa-i3-rework|switching-power-supply|

<p>My <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007KG0ZYI" rel="noreferrer">12V DC 30A Power Supply 360W Power Supply</a> is really cheap, and it's worked well for setting up the motors; but now that I'm on to the heated bed, which uses considerably more Ampage than that of just the motors, I'll confess, I'm getting frightened to continue using it; if the summer was a bit longer, maybe it wouldn't bother me, but we're getting into the cold months, and now I'm afraid of ending up using too much ampage just trying to heat the bed in the winter months...(and I don't mean my bed). Is there anything I should look out for in terms of using the either the cheap power supply I already have, or are there certain specs on a new not-so-cheap power supply that I ought to be using instead? </p>

2776

Frightened of Cheap Chinese Power Supply as I hook up the heated bed

<p>I've used a similar cheap psu before. It'll work without blowing up but my heatbed struggled to get up to 60c, swapped psus with one I had lying around from a desktop and there was a huge difference. </p>

2016-09-15T15:15:39.493

|heated-bed|

<p>I'm building a 3D printer from scratch (My first one, so yeah, tall order), so I'm buying all the parts separately, now one of the things I bought was a <strong>300x300 12v 25A Silicon heaterbed</strong> (Yeah, I know, should have gone for a higher voltage, but that's the only one I could get at the time)</p> <p>I have a <strong>RAMPS 1.4</strong> board in all it's crappy MOSFET glory, so I tried giving my math skills a shot in trying to find a decent MOSFET that won't explode, though I'm still having issues deciding. And due to where I live, getting anything very specific is not the easiest thing to do.</p> <p><strong>So can anyone recommend a MOSFET that I can use to switch 25A</strong> and mention if it will need a heatsink?</p> <p>I live in <strong>South Africa</strong>, So one place that I can get them from is from <a href="http://shop.rabtron.co.za/catalog/mosfet-transistors-c-35_88_265.html?sort=5d&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow">RABTRON Electronincs</a></p> <p>There are a couple other places, but I'd prefer to get them here if I can.</p>

2778

12v 25A 300x300 Heater bed Mosfet

<p>I have looked over the 20 or so most expensive MOSFETs in that shop, and none are suitable.</p> <p>It might be easier to go with a DC Solid State Relay rather than a bare MOSFET.</p> <p>If you do want to go with a bare MOSFET instead, a TO-220 package MOSFET can dissipate around 1W without a heatsink, and around 3-4W with one. For 25A of current, that means the resistance of the MOSFET can be at most 1.6mΩ (without heatsink) or 5.6mΩ (with heatsink).</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.infineon.com/dgdl/irlb3034pbf.pdf?fileId=5546d462533600a40153566027b22585" rel="nofollow">IRLB3034</a> might be suitable. It is readily available on ebay (for under $1 shipped). 195A, 40V and an Rds(on) of only 1.4mΩ. A caveat is that this resistance is specified at a gate voltage of 10V, whereas it is slightly higher at lower gate voltages (1.6mΩ-2.0mΩ at 4.5V). This is on the upper edge of what is acceptable without a heatsink, but should still work (junction to ambient resistance is 62C/W, so in the worst case of 2.0mΩ the temperature would get to 77C above ambient - the MOSFET is rated for operation up to 175C). With a heatsink it will definitely work well.</p> <p>Note that the gate charge is much higher (10x) than that of the MOSFET used on RAMPs so you should use a low switching frequency.</p>

2016-09-17T19:17:52.940

|pla|ultimaker-cura|octoprint|

<p>I have an M3D Micro 3D printer that printed fine for a couple of weeks and then was plagued with issues afterward. I've done the fixes from the forum to get proper heating and cooling of the nozzle (I've added aluminum foil around the nozzle to make sure the hotend is fit snug against the nozzle and I've added an external fan, powered externally, to compensate for heat creep).</p> <p>This works very well for short prints and it usually finishes successfully. When I do a longer print it always stops midway and usually at the same exact point. </p> <p>I tried printing at 200&nbsp;°C with black PLA and then again at 215&nbsp;°C with the same filament and it stops at the same exact point. I also tried M3D brand white filament. I am using CURA slicer with Octoprint GCODE sender and M3D Fio.</p> <p>I know it is not clogged because if I stop the print and press extrude without letting it cool down, it extrudes fine. </p> <p>What is causing my printer to stop printing?</p>

2789

M3D Micro printer stops extruding but is not clogged

<p>I'm not sure how similar the two systems are, but I use a Stratasys uPrint SE Plus and I've run into a similar problem. </p> <p>There are two rollers in the head that pull the filament through to the extruder nozzle, and in one instance they appeared to have heated up, melted the filament enough to create two "indentions" on either side of the filament, making it such that the rollers had no purchase on the filament itself. There was never any clog, no material feed error, but it was still failing to print. Wound up having to replace the head altogether.</p> <p>Again, not sure how similar the extrusion mechanics are in the M3D, but suggest checking the components that actually advance the filament, and the filament itself.</p>

2016-09-17T22:01:21.547

|printer-building|

<p>I've built the mechanics of my 3D printer myself, because I need to print parts that are really huge, (and for budget reasons). <strong>So, I already have the 3D movement functionality.</strong></p> <p>But what I need now, is the printing mechanism itself. I've been reading a lot, but it became clear to me that things are more complicated than I thought. </p> <p>Let's skip mechanics and software, I'm just interested in how the print head works. Can somebody explain me that?</p> <p>To be honest, I was so naive that I thought that I just had to buy one part with one data wire (print/noprint) and the 5&nbsp;V/GND wires. But it came to my intension that things are way more complicated. </p> <p>For example, these RepRap printers have some kind of air tube attached to the print head. I'm not sure what that's all about, is it cooling?</p> <p>Perhaps I'm always reading the wrong manuals (i.e. the more advanced ones). Can somebody enlighten me or point me to a good starting point?</p>

2790

What parts are strictly necessary for a 3D printer?

<p>You will certainly find that the print functionality of a 3d printer is a bit more complex than you suggest. The mechanical portions include a means to push the filament into a heated nozzle as well as the software portion to regulate the speed of the filament movement. You haven't referenced the heater cartridge and temperature sensor, but you will discover that aspect soon enough.</p> <p>The "air tube" you think you've seen is likely called a bowden tube. Such designs permit lighter weight print heads, which is beneficial for speed, acceleration and precision, but has complications with respect to compression of the filament as well as retraction considerations. Non-bowden print heads will have the extruder motor as part of the moving assembly, with the drive wheels very close to the nozzle opening. This allows for flexible filament and more precise control of the filament feed. </p> <p>Either design has compromises, so one must determine priorities for the design.</p> <p>Cooling is also a factor. The heater cartridge is designed to heat the nozzle to a specific temperature for the type of filament used, but also requires a means to keep the heat from traveling to the portion of filament not in the nozzle. You'll discover terms such as heat break, referring to narrow threaded portion connecting the nozzle assembly to the heat sink. There will also be a cooling fan to blow air over the heat sink and very often a cooling fan to cool the filament as it exits the nozzle and attaches to the model being printed.</p> <p>You suggest to ignore the mechanics and software, but it's important to be aware of both when considering the principles of the print head assembly.</p> <p>Simplified, filament enters bowden tube then into heat sink, pushed by extruder motor (or) filament is pushed into heat sink by extruder motor. Filament travels through heat break, gets melted in heater block and exits nozzle. Sheesh, that's way too simple.</p>

2016-09-18T23:08:15.470

|pla|

<p>I am making a part that needs to come apart, so I don't want to use glue or similar adhesives. I saw an article about printing snap-fit pieces, but it seems like you would need a lot of expertise to make it work well. Does anybody know of an easy way to non-permanently attach PLA parts, while still maintaining a sturdy connection?</p> <p>EDIT: (more detail about specific project) I need to attach plastic to plastic, in a pretty small surface area. This is a prop knife/sword in which the "blade" retracts into the handle. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/juWZF.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/juWZF.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> For the prototype I printed the handle in two halves lengthwise, which I do not want to do for the final product. I want to print as much of the handle in one piece as possible. Because I need to get the blade into the handle (and remove it for working on parts, painting, etc) I need part of the handle to detach. I am thinking that the front bit (examined more closely below) would be the best place to detach. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CeGz6.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CeGz6.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> As the wall thickness is about 1/4 in, there is not a whole lot of room to work with. However, I remain hopeful that there is a way to attach it such that it will remain securely together and retain the "blade" properly.</p> <p>Thanks for the help so far.</p>

2797

How to create attachable/detachable printed parts

<p>This question may yet fall into the too-broad category, but I'll give it a shot. </p> <p>You don't want to use glue or adhesives, but does that exclude bolted or screwed fasteners? Threaded inserts are metal "nuts" with knurled grip extrusions that enable one to use a matching bolt. The insert is heated with a soldering iron or similar source and embedded into the part. It's especially useful when the part thickness provides sufficient strength and the threaded insert is on the surface of the part opposite the bolt head.</p> <p>Another option you have is to design into the part a "conventional" joint such as a dovetail or slot with the matching dovetail or T shape on the adjoining part. This requires access to the end of the part to enable the sliding action of joining them together, of course. Some testing of prints should be performed to ensure proper mating.</p> <p>Directly related to that method is pins and holes. With suitable testing, one would create a hole on both parts and print a pin to match. If one is well versed in the software of choice, one hole with a built-in pin on the adjoining part would work too.</p> <p>Yet another extension is provided free from 3DKitbash: <a href="http://www.3dkitbash.com/free3dmodels/" rel="nofollow">http://www.3dkitbash.com/free3dmodels/</a> in the form of friction fit pins. I've constructed one of their models using this design and find the straight-line pins eventually work free. The pin model with "mouse ears" allows for a bit stronger gripping due to the compression of the shape on insertion.</p> <p>The friction fit pins would be considered to be the snap-fit parts you want to avoid, but the level of expertise should not be beyond that of a model designer. </p> <p>Trial and error works wonders when it comes to putting these things together. I printed an Overwatch logo for a fellow makerspace member. The part used a pin on the insert and a hole on the logo. I was astonished when the two different colored parts slid together quite snugly. I have not calibrated my printer and it was indeed a snap together build. On the flip side, when I pried the two pieces apart (low infill) the pin remained in the hole, snapping cleanly off the insert. Should I be asked to do this again, I would have much more infill on the pins.</p> <p>For clarification, consider also to note what software you are using for your design. Some programs lend well to creating connections, others not so much.</p>

2016-09-20T15:49:55.283

|pla|prusa-i3|hotend|

<p>I recently finished building my first printer. The only problem that I'm having is that the hotend is not getting hot enough to start printing with PLA (180 to 230 degrees celsius), the hotend getting hotter stops at 170 degrees. Please help I've been stuck on this problem for days. Thanks in advance.</p>

2805

Prusa i3 hotend not getting to the temperature that I want (180 to 230 celsius)

<p>There are software limits that might be set low by default depending on the software you are using. I know there is with Marlin.</p>

2016-09-20T20:02:48.670

|abs|print-strength|stability|

<p>I'm planning to print a certain sample holder which is going to be placed on a CD-Rom BLDC motor and spun at about 1000-1500 RPM. The holder would essentially be a 2-3 mm thick 100 mm square platform with 1-2 mm thick hooks rising up from outer edges of the platform to hold the sample. The bottom of this platform would also contain a 15 mm diameter crevice designed to latch onto the disc holder attached to the motor. How durable would this printed holder be under these conditions, if it was made of ABS plastic, for example?</p>

2807

Typical plastic strength at 1500 RPM

<p>Really the only thing that would matter for this project is the amount of torque the motor has available and subsequently how heavy your setup is that is connected to the motor. A part that size may just be too heavy for a CD-ROM motor if you intend on adding more parts.</p> <p>However, to answer your question, ABS should be able to endure the stress. I recommend paying attention to how the hooks are printed. You'll want to make sure that the hooks are printed in profile, meaning that the profile of the hooks should be printed with each layer. This will help provide structural integrity to, what sounds like, the most stressful area of the part (the outer edges of a spinning device and a clamping feature).</p> <p>Something to keep in mind for projects like this is that most of the time the design will likely be the cause of failure, not the capabilities of the material.</p>

2016-09-21T13:02:56.493

|heated-bed|

<p>I have built a RepRap Prusa i2 a while back. It worked for a while, but then I moved the printer from place to place and after a while I noticed that the printer's bed is not heating anymore. The thermistor shows the temperature (room temperature), but the bed is not heating. The wires are connected and the heated bed has a resistance. </p> <p>Did anyone else confronted with this? Thanks!</p>

2809

Heated bed is not heating anymore

<p>I have a Prusa i3 and the same case happened to me. However, only the power cable to the mainboard was bad.</p> <p>I cut it in order to solder a new one to the 4 pin connector but inside the cable sleeving, there wasn't any copper, only grey powder. With a new connector, and cables, it is working very well now.</p>

2016-09-21T14:59:53.437

|filament|

<p>So, I'm having this problem where almost anything I print with a section(s) that is not directly connected to something below it breaks when I try to pull the small filaments meant to hold it up during printing off. For example, I 3D-printed a Rayquaza(<a href="https://www.myminifactory.com/object/rayquaza-23624" rel="noreferrer">this one</a>) from Pokemon for my little brother, and as I was carefully pulling the filament from under the mouth, the whole head just snapped off. Does someone have a recommendation as to a way to get the small filament off without breaking the object? Would a solution just be to print it bigger and see if it holds up better, or is there something else I can do? Thanks.</p>

2810

How to stop objects with "floating" parts from breaking

<p>To increase the strength of small parts I do:</p> <ul> <li>Increase the nozzle size to layer height ratio. While 2 is the most popular choice (0.4 nozzle for 0.2 layer) the science behind the process really recommends around 4 (0.7 nozzle for 0.2 layer).</li> <li>Increase the number of outer shells. I made dragons with great wings with 4 shells and no infill. </li> <li>Typical things: raise temp, reduce speed. </li> </ul>

2016-09-25T15:06:21.483

|diy-3d-printer|printer-building|desktop-printer|

<p>I'm trying to find the correct way to read and understand the dimensions of a 3D printer. For example, if I read the following dimensions for the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B018E9T50Y" rel="nofollow">Robo 3D R1 Plus</a> as 10x9x8 Inch - I want to know what <strong>10</strong> stands for (does it mean print height?), <strong>9</strong> (depth?), and <strong>8</strong> (width?); etc. I'm not sure if I'm assuming correctly.</p> <p>I know this should be simple, but I'm not sure where to reference the proper ordering, respective to each aforementioned dimension.</p> <p><br><br> <strong>UPDATE</strong> <br><br></p> <p>While looking at <a href="https://www.makerbot.com/replicator/" rel="nofollow">Makerbot's Replicator</a> technical specifications, I see them listing their dimensions as follows:</p> <p><strong>Build Volume</strong></p> <pre><code>29.5 L X 19.5 W X 16.5 H CM [11.6 X 7.6 X 6.5 IN] </code></pre> <p>So, if I'm reading this correctly, can I infer that 11.6 IN is referring to the length/depth, 7.6 IN is referring to the width, and 6.5 IN is referring to the height. Would this be the universal/standard way of referring to build specifications for all 3D printers?</p>

2817

How to properly read dimensions for a 3D printer?

<p>Having the dimensions of your 3D printer ordered in Length x Width x Height is a common way, but nobody actually decided it. I think it has something to do with the 3rd dimension being the "new" dimension for printing things, that's why it's appended at the end. Additionally, the first axis on a 2D-coordinate system usually is the horizontal one, so writing Length x Width makes sense for me. If you are unsure you can always test your printer (if you have one) by writing your own G-Code that moves the printhead on a defined axis.</p>

2016-09-29T14:11:18.670

|filament|

<p>My wife wants me to use an FFM 3d printer to make custom stamps for her to use on paper (scrap books, letters, etc.). She is convinced, however, that they will be too rigid to make good stamps. A quick google search showed ones made from <a href="https://3dprint.com/110918/3d-printed-stamp-collection/" rel="noreferrer">PLA</a> and <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3669" rel="noreferrer">ABS</a>. Logically, though, a TPU or similar would address her concerns. A good quality stamp needs to hold ink and make good, even contact with the paper. It would probably need to be able to be sanded or smoothed in some way.</p> <p>I am supposed to receive my printer next week or so and am trying to get some filaments, STL files, and accessories I will need ready in advance so I can rapidly learn how to use it.</p>

2822

What type filament should I use to produce stamps?

<p>I see three options...</p> <p><strong>1. Print with a flexible filament:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Many options: TPU as you pointed out, the flexible PLA that Tom mentioned, and others. Here's an article with a few options from <a href="https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/which-flexible-3d-printing-filament-should-you-choose-61961/" rel="noreferrer">Matter Hackers</a></li> <li>I'd suggest printing the stamp side down so you get a nice flat stamp with no post processing. For any wide gaps, mind your bridging...use fillets or chamfers so the "roof" of the gap is an upside down V or U shape.</li> </ul> <p><strong>2. Print with any hard filament, but use a rubber mat under the paper.</strong></p> <ul> <li>The idea here is to use a semi-flexible surface under the paper to help get uniform contact pressure between the paper and the hard stamp. As long as your stamp holds ink, this should work okay.</li> </ul> <p><strong>3. Print your stamp shape, then use it to make a rubber stamp.</strong></p> <ul> <li>Making a model and then copying it with your desired non-printable material is a common manufacturing technique that can be used in many situations. Use of molds for casting and related processes can really expand your possibilities. Check out <a href="https://www.smooth-on.com/" rel="noreferrer">Smooth On</a>. They have several rubber and flexible compounds that you could use for stamps.</li> </ul>

2016-09-29T20:54:17.693

|nozzle|

<p>I know I should use different nozzles for filaments that use vastly different temperatures but what about filament types that use similar temperatures?</p> <p>For example, PLA and PLA composites like ColorFabb Woodfill filament. Should I use a separate nozzle for that?</p>

2823

Should I use different nozzles for different materials?

<p>It depends on the size of the nozzle you are using. If you are using a small nozzle, e.g. 0.2&nbsp;mm, normally, you should increase the nozzle diameter (filament manufacturers often refer to about 0.5&nbsp;mm nozzle diameters). Wood/cork, or whatever particle filled filament requires a somewhat larger diameter to prevent clogging.</p> <hr> <p>In addition to <a href="/a/2824/">Tom's answer</a>, note that there are stainless steel nozzles and hardened steel nozzles. The latter is harder than the prior and should be used for abrasive filaments, like filament filled with metal particles or some sort of abrasive fibres like glass or carbon fibre. Note that the addition of fibres or particles may require you to increase the nozzle diameter as fibres or particles may cause clogging. A last nozzle discussed is the nozzle with an embedded industrial Ruby, a design of Anders Olsson, a research engineer at Uppsala University, more information is found on the <a href="https://olssonruby.com/anders-olsson-olsson-ruby/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Olsson Ruby website</a>.</p> <p>From the Olsson Ruby website, the following interesting image is shown, comparing the wear resistance of the various nozzle materials up to 0.5&nbsp;mm <em>(from left to right; brass, stainless steel and hardened steel by printing respectively 0.3&nbsp;kg, 1.0&nbsp;kg and 4&nbsp;kg of carbon fibre filled filament)</em>:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/f7ckg.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Nozzle material wear resistance compared"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/f7ckg.png" alt="Nozzle material wear resistance compared" title="Nozzle material wear resistance compared"></a></p>

2016-10-03T05:21:07.127

|diy-3d-printer|

<p>I was very excited to get my 3d printer but sadly I didn't realise I'd installed the z axis upside down. There's a plastic coupler that goes into the hole for the polished rods it broke then released 1 -2mm sized ball bearing all over my floor.</p> <p>Is it possible to just replace that coupler thingy?</p> <p>Or if I 3d print a replacement will it still need that coupler thingy?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1rXUX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1rXUX.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9cbM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/H9cbM.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>The first picture is the one that spilled it's guts all over my kitchen floor. </p> <p>The last image is an example of how it used to look like but on the left hand side. I know the image looks like it's the right but you can see a bit of the horizontal rods if look closely</p>

2831

Hictop prusa I3 clone - broken z axis right bracket bearing

<p>That "plastic coupler thingy" is actually a linear bearing, and it consists of a metal shell, and the metal balls roll between the smooth rod and this shell. The plastic part has a channel that guides the balls in a circle.</p> <p>It would be best to replace the entire bearing (metal part+balls+plastic liner). It's probably either an LM8UU (most likely) or LM8LUU bearing.</p> <p>3D Printing a new part will not give good results.</p>

2016-10-03T14:11:16.033

|3d-design|filament-choice|water-resistance|

<p>I am wondering if making an hermetic box is feasible using 3D printer. The box would be a cube with a front face removable, with screw and sealing joint to close it.<br> I searched for different materials, however, none talks about hermiticity. (However, I found a product that seems to improve water resistance of 3D printed items <a href="http://www.nanovia-technologies.com/...mperm-f10-ft-tds.pdf" rel="noreferrer">here</a>, which might be a starting point) </p> <p>Does anyone have experienced to make hermetic things ? I am specially interested in carbon fiber reinforced materials.</p>

2832

Is it possible to make a hermetic sealed 3D Printed case?

<p>A few thoughts that might help...</p> <p><strong>Material:</strong></p> <ul> <li>ABS can be vapor smoothed with Acetone which results in the layers sort of "melting" together to form a smoother, and less porous surface.</li> <li>Other plastics can be smoothed with compatible solvents, but I've not tried solvent smoothing with anything other than ABS. Be careful if you try.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Print Method:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Consider slightly higher print temps to increase layer adhesion. You'll likely have to compensate with extra retraction to avoid excessive stringing.</li> <li>Consider more perimeter layers and more top/bottom layers.</li> <li>The CF materials are stiffened with chopped CF strands...I think it's a stretch to call them "reinforced" unless you happen to have a Markforged printer or similar.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Sealants:</strong> This is probably your best bet.</p> <ul> <li>Epoxy: Generally considered effective for producing hermetically sealed containers. Dip or brush on. Mind your VOC's and pay attention to working time.</li> <li>Plasti-dip or similar sealants: These may be good enough for your application and result in a rubbery coating over your part. Good for water sealing, and may be close enough to hermetically sealed for your needs.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Design:</strong></p> <ul> <li>To mechanically seal the opening, there are many options depending on your requirements. O-rings, gaskets, etc. If you use a rubberized dip, you may be able to skip the gasket. You could install a few threaded inserts around the perimeter of the opening, put in the screws, then dip. After drying, you slice around the screw and remove it (this just keeps the coating out of your threads) Dip the cover as well. Then when you screw on the cover, it will provide a water-tight seal. To help make a good seal, apply a silicone grease to the mating surface.</li> </ul> <p>I hope this helps. :-)</p>

2016-10-03T15:01:39.083

|simplify3d|

<p>I'm trying to print with Laybrick and for the most part it is going. The problem lies with the top layer and gaps appearing. I've tried increasing the number of top layers but the gaps still appear. Any ideas what else I can try? </p> <p>I'm using Simplify3d. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y05dR.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y05dR.jpg" alt="Image"></a></p>

2833

Laybrick - Gaps on top layer

<p>The solution was a combination of several items. The primary one was slowing down the top layer of the print significantly. I was using 3200 mm/min for the print and used the option 'solid fill underspeed' to slow down the top layers to 40%. I increased the top layers to 7. I also increased the infill, to ensure there was support in the tiny top pieces. I also decreased the minimum infill length to 0 to ensure the infill went in tiny places. Finally, I used the 'Concentric' external fill pattern.</p> <p>At some rotations of the model, I had slight gaps in the corners of the model, increasing the number of outline layers fixed it.</p> <p>I also decreased the temp to 160 compared to the initial print above.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ApjNq.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ApjNq.jpg" alt="Castle piece"></a></p>

2016-10-05T15:20:36.943

|print-material|filament-choice|

<p>I've a friend who is expecting. There are several adorable weapon themed rattles on thingiverse. I am, however, concerned about safety associated with such a product in the hands of a baby who will gnaw on it. To me the safety concerns here are much larger than for most food handling applications.</p> <p>What steps should be taken to ensure such a print is safe for use?</p> <p>This includes: filament selection, pea material selection, wall thickness, smoothing, construction, etc.</p> <p>My current thoughts are as follows: "food grade PLA", dried peas, sanding, and single piece construction</p>

2843

3D printing related safety precautions for a baby rattle

<p>Also consider the nozzle on your printer. Most nozzles are made of brass, which is not considered food safe due to the presence of small amounts of lead. Stainless steel nozzles are available which will not perform quite as well as brass but are food safe.</p>

2016-10-05T19:58:12.607

|filament|

<p>I 3d-printed a key. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8sfuT.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8sfuT.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoGY3.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XoGY3.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> When I put it in the lock the pins move but, when I go to turn it the key rips and the lock doesn't turn. I compared it to the real key and it's identical. Is there something I can do to make it work and not rip? Is there some filament that I can print it out of? I used ABS.</p>

2845

3d Key not strong enough

<p>I must admit, I've never printed a key...but I think I can help anyway:</p> <p><strong>Print method:</strong> Consider printing on side, solid concentric infill. Or, if you can't manipulate your infill pattern, just increase the perimeter so you get the same effect, several continuous perimeter layers around the outline of the key.</p> <p><strong>Print material:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Elongation before break is important here in addition to tensile strength...you need it to be stiff enough, but not brittle. </li> <li><strong>ABS, PLA, or HIPS:</strong> Not likely to be successful...but maybe.</li> <li><strong>PETG and PETG based filaments like T-Glase, N-Vent, nGen, INOVA-1800:</strong> A little better, but still likely to deform and/or break. <ul> <li><strong>Polycarbonate:</strong> Great for this, but is a fairly advanced material which tends to require pre-drying, enclosures, and PVA for hold down as well as a hot end that can handle at least 290C.</li> <li><strong>Nylons:</strong> Good, but most Nylons may be more "bendy" than you want for this.</li> <li><strong>Taulman's Alloy 910:</strong> Bingo. This should work nicely if you'd rather not struggle with printing polycarbonate. Alloy 910 prints near ABS settings, sticks well on a PVA-treated heated bed. (I use 85C for bed)</li> <li>I would not suggest a CF filled filament for this because they tend to be brittle. <strong>Matter Hacker's NylonX</strong> with CF is a possible exception since it's nylon based, but I haven't tested it...yet. </li> </ul></li> </ul>

2016-10-06T16:05:39.450

|3d-models|

<p>I have a model I would like to print, specifically it is a free-for-personal-use model of a car, complete with interior.</p> <p>I would like to print it, but it is unprintable. I have tried to fix it in netfabb, which works OK. But now I realised I have another problem - the inside of the car is hollow, and has a full interior. I just want the shell of the car and a solid block (complete with opaque 'windows').</p> <p>How would I take a detailed model and somehow extract a solid 3D printable model from it?</p>

2848

Take a detailed model and make it suitable for 3D printing?

<p>I would recommend "The Maker's Muse" youtube video channel.</p> <p>In particular this video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ECNP3WN_-Q" rel="noreferrer" title="Fixing impossible STL&#39;s with Meshmixer 3.1.118 BETA">Fixing impossible STL's with Meshmixer 3.1.118 BETA</a> might solve your problem.</p> <p>Few other videos which might help:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPUT_q8tcsM" rel="noreferrer">How to make Engineering Assemblies 3D Printable using Meshmixer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeuX963jpn8" rel="noreferrer">Add smoothness to your meshes using remeshing! 3D 101</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR-cToT8v-c" rel="noreferrer">A Detailed look at Processes and Profiles in Simplify3D</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwc1X6oInkc" rel="noreferrer">Tidy up your prints with the Modifi3D</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afLolx2OEKE" rel="noreferrer">How to Print Bigger Things - 3D Printing 101</a></li> </ul>

2016-10-06T18:05:35.457

|metal-parts|

<p>What is the 3D printing technology that allow to have minimal loss in precious metals when 3D printing jewels?</p>

2849

Can I print jewelry without any loss of the precious metal?

<p>The jewelry industry typically uses printers that print in wax, and transform the models into precious metal by lost wax casting. Statasys offers wax printing in their Solidscape line, 3D systems offers ProJet. With this process there is basically no waste, since you can remelt the casting sprues.</p> <p>I am not aware of printers that print directly in precious metal. It might technically be possible with DMLS but you have to fill up the entire machine with metal powder, which is cost prohibitive (and potentially more wasteful).</p>

2016-10-07T06:11:42.397

|reprap|wiring|

<p>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 <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00V7S79BW" rel="noreferrer">DB25 breakout board</a>, and that's working great.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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?</p> <p>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).</p>

2854

Connector Suggestion for Extruder and Heatbed

<p>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).</p>

2016-10-08T05:46:41.747

|filament|

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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?</p> <p><strong>Edit:</strong> 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.</p> <p>Here's my current setup for reference (filament removed): <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsCOe.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/lsCOe.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2862

Keeping my filament spools from getting knotted?

<p>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.</p> <p><div class="youtube-embed"><div> <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lE9LchCtKL4?start=0"></iframe> </div></div></p>

2016-10-08T10:04:48.197

|prusa-i3|z-probe|

<p>Repetier host 1.6.2. Used Slic3r and CuraEngine in RH1.6.2 to slice my prints.</p> <p>OK, I have a problem. Z offset does not work. Well...</p> <ol> <li>Flashed EEPROM clear.</li> <li>Enabled EEPROM and CHIT CHAT within the firmware.</li> <li>I've set -0.4 in Marlin firmware 1.0.2-1 stable and flashed it.</li> </ol> <p>results in</p> <pre><code> G28; home axis = works G29; auto level = works G28; it goes to home and then sets Z to 0.4 G1 Z0; brings nozzle down from 0.4 to 0, so this works also. </code></pre> <p>But when I slice with Repetier host 1.6.2 with the latest slicer/curaengine, it does not go down 0.4 mm before starting to print. I've set the first layer to 0.2 mm, but when it starts printing the first layer, it goes from 0.4 mm (after home Z is on 0.4 mm) to 0.6 mm instead of 0.2 mm! ...</p> <p>How do I fix this?</p> <p>Gcode start:</p> <pre><code> ;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 15.01 ; Default start code G28 ; Home extruder G29 ; Auto level G1 Z15 F100 M107 ; Turn off fan G90 ; Absolute positioning M82 ; Extruder in absolute mode M190 S35 ; Activate all used extruder M104 T0 S230 G92 E0 ; Reset extruder position ; Wait for all used extruders to reach temperature M109 T0 S230 ;Layer count: 226 </code></pre> <p>It's definitely Repetier or its slicers. I'm using Cura 15.04.6 and it also calculates the offset set in Marlin when printing! I'm trying to use Cura 2.1 because it's newer, but I do not get the print USB option in Cura 2.1 :/</p> <p>I just don't get it, it was printing very nice the first 4 layers, and suddenly it moved up more than 0.5 mm and continued printing there, in the air.</p> <p>Yesterday's print:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0D3MH.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Photo of a number of 3D printed models that printed well"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0D3MH.jpg" alt="Photo of a number of 3D printed models that printed well" title="Photo of a number of 3D printed models that printed well" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyqr1.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Photo of the side of the same set of models"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dyqr1.jpg" alt="Photo of the side of the same set of models" title="Photo of the side of the same set of models" /></a></p> <p>Today's print:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncQJW.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Photo of a 3D printed Eiffel Tower showing very bad print quality"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ncQJW.jpg" alt="Photo of a 3D printed Eiffel Tower showing very bad print quality" title="Photo of a 3D printed Eiffel Tower showing very bad print quality" /></a></p>

2864

Z offset incorrect

<p>Your question is a little hard to pin down, but I'll try to help anyway. :-)</p> <p><strong>Z-Offset:</strong></p> <ul> <li>It appears you may be misunderstanding the way z-offset is supposed to work especially when it comes to Marlin setup and routine bed leveling and printing. </li> <li><a href="http://clough42.com/instructions/marlin-firmware-setup/" rel="nofollow">This may help.</a></li> <li><a href="http://airtripper.com/1799/marlin-firmware-home-offset-guide-using-g-code-m206/" rel="nofollow">And this</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Print Quality and Skipped layer issues:</strong></p> <p>From your pictures, you do have some loose or wobbly belts, pulleys, rails, or other mechanical components causing excessive play in your x and y axis...very apparent with the way your layers don't align well resulting in the very visible lines. You can address this in two ways:</p> <ul> <li>Make sure your physical components are tight and rigid enough to handle the print speed you're using.</li> <li>Slow down your print speed to something that your machine can handle with reasonable quality...whatever reasonable is for you.</li> </ul> <p>You mentioned skipped layers. I see that in your tower. This is most likely caused by: </p> <ul> <li>Tower legs too thin so Cura skips it because it can't fit there. I'd suggest using the layer preview in Cura, if the layer doesn't show in the preview, it won't print. If this is because the leg is too thin for your nozzle diameter, you could increase the scale of the tower, edit the model to have thicker legs, or install a finer nozzle. </li> <li>Issues with your mesh so Cura skips it. Also use Cura's x-ray view. If there are red areas, you have issues with your mesh. Search for ways to fix your mesh and make sure your model is good to print.</li> </ul> <p>However, it could also be caused by issues with your filament feeding or your hot end. Clogs, snags, etc. If this were the case, your previews in Cura would all be fine. To solve this you could:</p> <ul> <li>Increase your print temperature slightly to ensure you're filament is melting quickly enough to support your print speed.</li> <li>Slow down to allow the filament plenty of time to melt.</li> <li>Make sure your feed system is snag-free.</li> <li>Make sure your feed system is clean and adequately gripping the filament so it can push the filament into your hot end reliably.</li> </ul> <p>I hope this helps. :-)</p>

2016-10-09T05:01:43.607

|heated-bed|makerbot|

<p>I've recently upgraded my Replicator 2 with a heatbed and the more powerful power brick (9.2A). The problem I'm having right now is that the Replicator restarts right after the preheat of the bedplate finishes. It does not matter which temperature I set as threshold - it restarts either way.</p> <p>So it restarts even in very low temperatures on the HBP. Tried upgrading the firmware and even switch firmware to Sailfish, but it's still the same issue. I would really love if someone could help me with this.</p> <p>Edit: I've checked my cables and it seems okay. Themistor is connected via pin 1 and 3 and the power should be fine.</p> <p><strong>Edit2</strong>: Found the problem. It was a faulty hotend that caused all of this. It works to print with , but togheter with the heated bed it makes the Replicator to restart.</p>

2867

Makerbot Replicator 2 restarts after preheating the hbp

<p><strong>Clues so far:</strong></p> <ul> <li>You changed your hardware to add a heated bed.</li> <li>You've had the same symptoms with three different firmware versions.</li> <li>Your Replicator 2 reboots right after preheat, regardless of temp set. </li> </ul> <p><strong>My Assumptions</strong></p> <ul> <li>You have not tweaked firmware or other settings that could cause both the heated bed and hot end to draw high loads simultaneously. (By default Makerbot handles this in firmware, avoiding situations that could over-tax the 9.2A power supply which isn't really enough to handle preheating both at the same time.)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Potential Problems:</strong> Listed starting with the easiest to fix...</p> <ul> <li><strong>No problem, carry on:</strong> If you are printing from the USB cable, a restart after preheat could be a normal condition. The Replicator 2 reboots to reset inputs when you start a print over USB...this is normal. So, if you're preheating with the buttons and then you start a print, this would be expected behavior. Try printing from SD card and it shouldn't reboot.</li> <li><strong>Power Supply voltage switch:</strong> Make sure your power supply voltage input switch is on the correct voltage, either 110 or 220. Having it set to 220 when you're using 110 can cause reboots due to insufficient power. (brown-out)</li> <li><strong>Wrong heated bed:</strong> If your heated bed draws too much power (it is higher power than the Replicator 2 can support with that power supply), you may get reboots due to insufficient power. (brown-out)</li> <li><strong>Short somewhere:</strong> A short somewhere in your system could cause too much power draw. This could be somewhere in your heated bed, your hot end, or other. Inspect carefully around the areas where you moved wires. You could have a frayed wire contacting the frame, a screw shorting between two wires, or a little stray "hair" of copper wire sticking somewhere it shouldn't. This too will cause a reboot due to insufficient power. (brown-out)</li> </ul> <p>I hope this helps. For further reference, read <a href="http://shop.prusa3d.com/forum/prusa-i3-kit-building-calibrating-first-print-main-f6/printer-reboots-when-initating-pre-heat-t362.html" rel="nofollow">this thread</a> as I believe it has some relevant info. :-)</p>

2016-10-12T06:31:51.507

|print-quality|simplify3d|deltamaker|

<p>I'm looking for any idea of what could cause this problem. I'm printing (1.75 mm PLA @ 220 °C) a 14 x 14 cm box, sliced with Simplify3D. Relevant settings are 3 bottom layers, 3 top layers, 3 outline/perimeter shells, and 15 % orthogonal infill every other layer.</p> <p>The first 3 layers print fine. Here's the first (bottom) layer after removing the print and turning it over: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/S45eF.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/S45eF.jpg" alt="bottom layer" /></a></p> <p>The infill (layers 4-10) also prints beautifully (see left side of photo below).</p> <p>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:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPScE.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bPScE.jpg" alt="Not Good" /></a></p> <p>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 5 cm 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 &quot;stress&quot; of laying 7 layers of infill could screw up the next layer...</p> <p>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 G-code (only a milimeter apart). I looked at the G-code and it's basically identical for layers 3 and 11, including same feedrate (<code>G1 F2250</code>).</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Update: Just tried a different roll of PLA and got the same results.</p>

2880

Why does print fall apart at beginning of top layer?

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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. </p> <p>Also increasing either number of top shells and or infill percent will also help.</p> <p>3D printing is all about balancing 20 settings. I think of it like a performer spinning multiple plates. That said all about baby steps.</p> <p>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)</p>

2016-10-14T00:54:25.423

|pla|adhesion|

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>What else can I try to prevent the dragging for the start of the print?</p>

2892

Poor adhesion only for first couple of inches

<p><strong>I'd recommend using the "skirt" function</strong> if you're not already. </p> <p>The idea is to print a few perimeter layers around where your part will be, but not actually touching your part. </p> <p>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.</p>

2016-10-16T19:29:07.013

|pla|abs|print-material|

<p>can PLA be used to print out containers or other parts that are in direct contact with gasoline, diesel or other hard chemical substances? Will it start degrading when in contact with said chemicals? Should I use ABS for this?</p>

2900

is PLA gasoline, diesel or chemical resistant?

<p>I have used both ABS and PLA for diesel gas caps and oil plugs. As well have made a gasoline funnel out of both. Both have done well for me.<br> I have attach a link to a plastics resistance chart if it is any help. Unfortunately it does not show testing for ABS for all. </p> <p>I prefer the ABS only do to the fact some items I have made sit in the desert sun. </p> <p><a href="http://www.plasticsintl.com/plastics_chemical_resistence_chart.html" rel="nofollow">Plastic resistance chart</a></p>

2016-10-17T05:36:23.760

|pla|build-plate|heated-bed|enclosure|

<p>I am planning on building a large enclosed (Cartesian XY-Head) 3d printer. I want to keep the inital build time minimal and it is very likely I would need to build the ~50x50cm heatbed from scratch, because it doesn't exist in ebay. The enclosure itself is not separately heated, but depends on waste heat from the printing process. The enclosure will eventually be vented outdoors with a 12V CPU vent via ducting (air flow unknown).</p> <p>Do I even need a heated print bed, when I am planning to only print PLA? </p>

2903

Do I need a heated bed for printing PLA in an enclosed printer?

<p>The answer is "No" you don't <em>need</em> a heated bed for PLA but it does make the base layer a little easier to lay down and also helps with print removal post print. </p> <p>PLA is a very easy filament to work with and the majority of PLA printers don't come with heated beds and suggest blue tape and/or elmers glue. </p> <p>You may find that if you are purchasing very cheap/poorly extruded PLA, that things don't stick as well and a heated bed can alleviate some of these issues. </p>

2016-10-17T06:18:24.220

|printer-building|hotend|nozzle|extrusion|color|

<p>There is this great hotend called a <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Diamond_Hotend#Benefits_of_this_design" rel="noreferrer">diamond hotend</a>, 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.</p> <p>However true RGB in physical printing would use separate colored <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voxel" rel="noreferrer">voxels</a> 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.</p> <p>CMYK is mixed physically like you would mix watercolors together to make new colors. It is used for printing on paper by <strong>all</strong> 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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>So why isn't there a nozzle with 5-6 inputs already? Could it be done? Are there such hotends already?</p> <p>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.</p>

2904

true color printing with CMYK+White (not 3-in-1 diamond head RGB)

<p>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.</p> <p><a href="https://www.xyzprinting.com/en-US/product/da-vinci-color" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.xyzprinting.com/en-US/product/da-vinci-color</a></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

2016-10-17T09:15:49.573

|marlin|cooling|fans|

<p>I have wired in a new extruder with its own cooling fan and I tried to change the Marlin firmware to switch it on automatically above a specific temperature (50&nbsp;°C). I did noting in the Configuration.h I changed a line in the Configuration_adv.h</p> <p>from</p> <pre><code>#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN -1 </code></pre> <p>to</p> <pre><code>#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 8 </code></pre> <p>as described in this <a href="http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.php?10981-Some-useful-info-about-the-Hotend-cooling-fan-and-RUMBA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">article</a>. But the fan is not starting when I bring the temperature above 50&nbsp;°C (manually). However it starts if I switch the fan on manually from Repetier. Am I missing something? How do I control the fan automatically on <code>FAN0</code> output when the temperature reached the set limit?</p>

2905

Marlin (on RUMBA board) switch extruder fan automatically

<p>The RUMBA board has two fan outputs. The primary fan output is switched by pin 7, the secondary one by pin 8. The reason your fan is not working when you set <code>#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 8</code> is because it's switching the secondary fan. If you switch the wires over to the secondary fan output it will work correctly.</p> <p>If you do want to use the primary fan output then you can achieve this by setting <code>#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 7</code> but you will need to search for the <code>#define FAN 8</code> in the appropriate pins.h file and change <code>8</code> to something else (-1 or 7, for example).</p> <p>I would recommend the first solution, because you should have a controllable print cooling fan, and an automatic extruder cooling fan.</p>

2016-10-17T15:24:18.113

|marlin|

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

2909

When leveling hotend always slams into bed?

<p>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.</p>

2016-10-17T20:24:48.030

|marlin|g-code|

<p>I'm working on designing a 3d printer with a team. The team is using marlin open source software and I started half way into project trying to make sense of things. </p> <p>Apparently there is an issue with the wheels moving the print head and it always moves a few mm short in the of the desired position. Can some one tell me which part of the marlin code interprets the G-code file and controls movement? I'm thinking of increasing the distance in the x and y axis to correct this (seemingly) minor problem.</p>

2913

Editing arc in Marlin for 3d printing

<p>Since your team is designing a printer, you'll have to do some basic calculations to figure out your x and y axis <strong>steps per millimeter</strong> and then set them in your firmware.</p> <p>For a decent primer in the basic idea, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIHgDiCCY0Y" rel="nofollow">this video</a> is a good start. For another decent getting started summary check <a href="http://solidutopia.com/marlin-firmware-user-guide-basic/" rel="nofollow">this blog post</a></p> <p>Also, since you're using Marlin, become very familiar with the Marlin Firmware and how to configure it. <strong>The setting you want to change exists in the configuration.h file.</strong> Documentation is included in the file, but you can find good information <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/wiki/Marlin-Configuration" rel="nofollow">here</a> in the Marlin Configuration instructions within the Marlin Firmware Github repo.</p> <p>I hope this helps! :-)</p>

2016-10-18T11:21:17.437

|nozzle|

<p>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.</p> <p>Is this the right way to do it?</p>

2916

How close should the nozzle be to the substrate?

<p>This photo isn't exact, but may help</p> <p>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.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUC45.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/YUC45.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2016-10-18T22:32:58.637

|printer-building|build-plate|

<p>What are the methods to auto eject parts (into a collection area/box/basket) in order for the 3D printer to continue printing?</p> <p>For some reason this feature isn't common (yet?). Is there a hidden reason why?</p> <p>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).</p> <p>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.</p>

2921

Printed part auto-eject (automatic part removal)

<p>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. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XRhXu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XRhXu.jpg" alt="demo concept"></a></p> <p>Hey, it "could" work!</p>

2016-10-19T07:51:10.950

|sls|color|

<p>With FFF printers able to manage only a small handful different colours (by using different filaments &amp; extruders), how is it some SLS prints are able to be produced in such a broad range of colours?</p> <p>Are they sprayed post-production?</p>

2929

How are SLS printers able to print multiple colours?

<p>The Z-corp/3D systems printers lay down what is essentially ink in each layer (only around the perimeters) much like an inkjet printer, dying the powder as the parts are made. This means they can make almost any color at any point in the model. The down size is these models are pretty fragile, at least the last ones that I have handled. This can be helped by dipping them in cyanoacrylate and letting them dry. </p> <p>As pointed out in the comments, this is not an SLS process, but looks very similar. The printer lays down a binder (clear or colored) on each layer, and is why these models are much more fragile than SLS models, which are very strong.</p> <p>Here is an example of some prints: <a href="http://mcad3dprintingandprototyping.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">http://mcad3dprintingandprototyping.blogspot.com/</a></p>

2016-10-19T09:02:57.463

|print-quality|extrusion|

<p>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:</p> <ul> <li>Layer height: 0,16</li> <li>First layer height: 0,16</li> <li>Filament diameter: 2,94</li> <li>Extruder temperature: 184°C</li> <li>Extrusion multiplier: 1</li> <li>Fill density: 15%</li> </ul> <p>In Marlin I have the following setting for the extruder:</p> <ul> <li>Steps per unit: 1450 (I use micro steps)</li> <li>Default acceleration: 3000</li> <li>Default retract acceleration: 3000</li> <li>Default Ejerk: 5</li> </ul> <p>How can I solve this problem?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2axcC.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2axcC.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>This is a 20 mm cube I stopped after 15 layers!</p> <p>Here is another 20 mm cube, the dimensions are perfect but is absolutely a mess. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZTMq.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zZTMq.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2931

I am experiencing some severe under extrusion

<p>Short addition to the already great answers:</p> <p>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.</p>

2016-10-19T18:31:17.103

|filament|

<p>The local stores have started to stop selling filaments in the smaller 0.5 kg spools, and it's getting harder to maintain an assortment without buying lots of big spools.</p> <p>I mainly just want a bunch of different colors (red, black, blue, green, etc.), ideally as a bunch of small spool "samples" or like a "sampler pack". -- Even if they're at .25 kg spool sizes... -- I don't want to spend a ton of money on buying and storing a ton of 1.0kg - 2.0kg spools.</p> <p>I prefer to print in PLA, but ABS is fine. I can only print 1.75mm filament.</p> <p>The seller should to be able to ship to western US, and have filament of decent quality that's not going to ruin my printer.</p> <p>What do you recommend?</p>

2935

Good sources of filament "sampler" pack?

<p><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B019PGZQO4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a>, of course. I found a pack of 20 colors, maybe 50g each or so, 1.75 PLA. (that link is direct to this product).</p> <h3>edit:</h3> <p>Well, dang, I blinked at that particular item is off the list. Here are two other multicolor packages currently available (2PM EDT 20 Oct 2016)</p> <p><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Ladior-3D-Pen-Filament-Refills/dp/B01I40VQXW/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1476986079&amp;sr=1-3&amp;keywords=1.75%20PLA%20multicolor" rel="nofollow">one</a> , and ... <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Tictop-Printer-Filament-Refills-Environmentally/dp/B00ZTXWLP0/ref=sr_1_15?s=industrial&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1476986079&amp;sr=1-15&amp;keywords=1.75%20PLA%20multicolor" rel="nofollow">two</a> </p>

2016-10-20T22:15:52.923

|print-quality|slic3r|

<p>First off - I'm rather new to this and I might be on the wrong track altogether...</p> <p>I'm printing PLA using a simple DIY XYZ printer with a direct-driven extruder, 0.3 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layer heights, using Slic3r. I've tried to calibrate the bed as level as I can. I believe the distance to be OK because the skirt prints in straight lines with no wobble.</p> <p>While the overall results aren't that bad, I'm trying to improve the quality. I'm not happy with the first layer: While it sticks to the bed nicely, the printed strands are too far apart - there's a very noticeable gap between them that I can actually see the second layer through. There appears to be a problem with the second layer as well which always ends up too small (recessed). That's only the second layer, though - from the third layer on, that problem disappears. </p> <p>What I've tried so far:</p> <ul> <li>change the nozzle and/or bed temperature by 10-20 degrees up or down - no visible change</li> <li>change the print speed (using the dial on the printer) - no noticeable change, especially when going slower</li> <li>change the first layer extrusion width from 200% to 250% or 300% - that made the strands "flatter", but also made Slic3r space out the strands so that I ended up with gaps again</li> <li>increase the extrusion multiplier - that seemed to help the first layer, but lead to over extrusion further up, so I didn't pursue that any further</li> <li>manually increased the flow setting for the first layer in the printer menu to 135 - that seems to do the trick, but I have to turn the setting back again on the second layer</li> </ul> <p>Now - is this the right way to fix this or am I just patching over an entirely different problem that I just failed to diagnose properly? If it is the right way, how can I tell Slic3r to either change the flow rate / extrusion multiplier just for the first layer or increase the extrusion width without spacing the strands further apart?</p>

2943

First (bottom) layer has gaps

<p>You can, in most slicers, set a separate extrusion multiplier for the first layer. This doesn't appear to be possible in slic3r, but there are a couple of ways to work around this:</p> <ul> <li><p>Change the Z offset (either in software or by adjusting the endstop). Bring the nozzle closer to the bed for the first layer. You can combine this with an increased first layer height. This is the most appropriate fix for your issue.</p></li> <li><p>Use <code>M92 EX.XXX</code> to increase the extruder steps/mm in the start G-code, then set it back to normal in the layer change code. This emulates increasing the extrusion multiplier for the first layer.</p></li> </ul>

2016-10-21T07:13:56.203

|3d-models|

<p>I had a problem with my Z limit switch bracket falling just short of the bottom edge of the z stage. </p> <p>I'm trying to make the bracket thicker so it's pushed more towards the left. </p> <p>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</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U1iy4.gif" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U1iy4.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>It's might to be mounted standing up right. </p> <p>I want to make it thicker x axis (if it's stood up)</p>

2945

stl files -measuring stl files

<p>If you have the original CAD file this would be far easier to modify and maintain then an STL.</p> <p><a href="http://meshlab.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow">MeshLab</a> also has the capability to measure the view on the screen as well as bounding box measurements. Bounding box measurements should be possible in any pre-processor you use for slicing STL files though.</p> <p>MeshLab can also be used to scale, merge or translate your STL if desired. however I would also recommend mesh mixer as it is more user-friendly.</p> <p>The last option if you have any coding experience, an STL file can be easily read and then you could select the desired vertices and measure/move them and then rewrite out the STL file. There are libraries for most major coding languages for dealing with STL files.</p>

2016-10-22T09:17:56.033

|octoprint|raspberry-pi|

<p>I am trying to use my M3D printer that doesn't work with my Linux computer. I have been told that OctoPi would make it work.</p> <p>My current setup is:</p> <ul> <li>Raspberry 2 <strong>without WiFi</strong>, with OctoPi running</li> <li>Keyboard and touchscreen connected to the Raspberry</li> <li>A <code>.obj</code> file located in <code>/home/pi/</code> on the Raspberry</li> </ul> <p>I don't know anything about OctoPi, but it seems to be created to use as a print server connected by WiFi.</p> <p>My question is: how can I use it locally, directly on my Raspberry?</p> <p><em>NOTE:</em> I can only use my Raspberry in command line for the moment, but if required I can install lightdm to display stuff.</p>

2951

Can I use OctoPi locally?

<p>To use it locally you need to be able to view the desktop. <br> <br><code>sudo raspi-config</code> to pull up the config menu and enable boot to desktop.<br><br> If there is no browser installed already you'll need to install one. <br><br><code>sudo apt-get update</code><br> <code>sudo apt-get install epiphany-browser</code><br></p> <p>Open the browser and navigate to <a href="http://localhost/" rel="noreferrer">http://localhost/</a></p> <p>I recommend configuring access control when it prompts you. After you configure it, click login in the top right and login to use octopi. <br><br> <strong>ALTERNATIVE</strong> <br> <a href="http://octocmd.readthedocs.io/en/latest/" rel="noreferrer">octocmd</a> is a command line interface for octoprint. If you would rather not boot into the desktop then this is the way to go.</p>

2016-10-22T11:58:29.533

|metal-printing|

<p>I have a question. Home printers are controlled via open-source software such as Pronterface. These printers print mostly in plastic, but how to control the "metal" printer. The principle of the printing here is a little different. Is it possible to use, for example, Pronterface for this task or the completely different software is needed?</p>

2953

How to control 3d printer printing in metal?

<p>Pronterface would control the printer, but you would need a slicer that could give you g-code that works with said metal printer. Being it would be using metal, most of those are powder based, using a laser to sinter. The slicers for FDM based machines would not create the correct g-code for the application. I know there has been some effort around powder based printers (both metal and plastic) but I do not know of any software that has resulted from these efforts.</p> <p>This wiki index for powder printers may be of some help to find out what software they are working on, most likely a custom solution. <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Powder" rel="nofollow">http://reprap.org/wiki/Powder</a></p>

2016-10-23T08:16:41.523

|stepper|stepper-driver|

<p>I am rebuilding my printer, a hold Prusa/Mendel that has been boxed for years. I have changed the board ( I am using a Rumba) and the drivers (I am using <a href="https://www.pololu.com/product/2133" rel="noreferrer">Pololu 8225</a>) with heatsinks and 1/16 microsteps.</p> <p>5 motors type <a href="https://www.openimpulse.com/blog/products-page/product-category/42byghw811-stepper-motor-2-5-4-8-kg%E2%8B%85cm/" rel="noreferrer">42BYGHW811</a>, rated: 2,5 A, R 1,25 Ohm. I have set the stepper voltage at 0,8 V for XYE which gives a current of 0,64 A and they seems to work without problems.</p> <p>To get the same current on Z, where I have 2 motors in parallel, I should set it at 0,4 V but the motors do not turn at such low voltage. They just make noise, no turn. I have M8 rods nicely lubricated on such axis and I can turn them easily by fingers. If I go up to 1 V the motors turns but then the driver gets very hot and I loose steps. May be I should play with the acceleration too?</p> <p>I am not sure if the above settings are correct. Your hints from your actual settings and experiences will be appreciated.</p>

2964

How should I power these stepper motors

<p>If the motors are in parallel, then setting it at 0.4V means each motor will only get <em>a quarter of</em> the current a single motor would get at 0.8V. If you set it to 0.8V each motor will get half. I think 0.8V (same as for the other motors) would be an appropriate setting. Stepper drivers are constant-current, not constant-voltage.</p> <p>Are the steps/mm for your Z-axis correct? Perhaps it's just trying to move too quickly.</p>

2016-10-23T22:20:26.973

|prusa-i3|ultimaker-cura|axis|

<p>I seem to be observing a couple problems w/ Cura2.3 OSX . It seems to be placing the sliced data (gcode) over to negative X by a cm or so. Further, the X- and Y-axes displayed in Cura definitely map to Y and X when the printer starts up. I've verified that I have the printer's X and Y end stops and motors connected to the correct outputs. Now, I can just rotate my parts before slicing, but I'd rather have things be "correct" to begin with. I've read the relevant info at <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1323/how-to-line-up-x-y-print-area-between-hardware-and-software">question 1323</a>, but I'd rather if possible adjust the Printer Settings for my defined printer in the Cura Preferences sub-menu. I couldn't find any description of what the "printer head" X and Y offset values mean there, nor what the "Z-gantry" value does either. I'm running from the SD card; no USB connection. </p>

2969

How to map Cura printspace to Prusa I3 printspace

<p>Well, in my particular case, it helps to have the X and Y control (motor and endstop switch) plugged in to the correct ports :-( . That took care of the X vs. Y orientation problem.</p> <p>If you command "Home All" either via the LCD panel or over USB, the nozzle should sit in the front left corner of the bed as you face the machine ("stage right" for you thespians). The link Chris T provided, <a href="https://ultimaker.com/en/community/21180-cura-211-print-bed-size-offset" rel="nofollow">ultimaker</a>, provides helpful background information as well.</p> <p>Next, if there are small offsets, find control can be set with a script similar to the following (leave out the auto-levelling command if you don't have that), from <a href="http://www.printrbottalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&amp;t=9883" rel="nofollow">printerbot talk forum</a> .</p> <pre><code>M104 S{print_temperature} G21 ;metric values G90 ;absolute positioning M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode M107 ;start with the fan off G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops M109 S{print_temperature} ;wait on temperature line G29 ; Auto bed levelling ;G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops G92 X132.4 Y20; Reset actual position after G29 bug G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F{travel_speed} </code></pre> <p>And finally, there's a calibration file at <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:13053" rel="nofollow">thingiverse</a> which prints large squares so you can see the exact offset. I hope to get that file modded with a couple markers (indents, e.g.) to verify orientation as well as location.</p>

2016-10-24T13:59:18.637

|3d-design|print-preparation|autodesk|

<p>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 the material), and I size the parts accordingly.</p> <p>However, sometimes, I design the whole part and then slice it with planes or lines. In these cases, I need to push/pull each contact surface manually by the same amount (0.2-0.5 mm), which 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). Still, it's unsafe and even more time-consuming.</p> <p>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.</p>

2970

How to add tolerances/gaps in Autodesk 123D Design?

<p>AFAICT Push/Pull faces is the closest thing to what you're looking for. eg: <div class="youtube-embed"><div> <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oSkTxuCRLMg?start=38"></iframe> </div></div></p> <p>In OnShape there is an &quot;offset face&quot; command that allows applying such an offset to multiple faces at once: <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16596/how-to-add-tolerances-gaps-in-onshape/16597#16597">How to add tolerances/gaps in OnShape?</a></p> <p>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 Alucard Pawpad <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/3717/29031">noted</a>, though, it is possible to just select multiple faces at the same time and manipulate them all together, which is somewhat similar)</p>

2016-10-24T19:55:19.650

|fdm|desktop-printer|nozzle|

<p>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.</p>

2972

What are the downsides and aftereffects of using a smaller nozzle?

<p>In addition to the <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/2974/5740">answer</a> of <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/98/tbm0115">tbm0115</a>; 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.</p>

2016-10-25T05:59:09.757

|material|services|

<p>Are there any 3D printing services or something similar to 3D print or injection mold light reflectors? </p> <p>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.</p>

2979

Affordable 3D printing of reflector

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>

2016-10-25T17:14:38.847

|filament|pla|

<p>The quality of the filament is frequently mentioned either as the source of an issue but also as the solution to a problem. </p> <p>I know that the way you use,store and protect your filament will greatly impact it's quality, especially overtime, but here I'm interested to understand what makes a brand new, out of the air-tight package, good or bad? What to look for when you buy filament (specs,chemical,weight,...)? <strike>What are some brands that are notoriously know to make "high quality" filament?</strike></p>

2983

What makes a good PLA filament?

<p><strong>General characteristics of a "quality" filament:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Manufactured to a "high" dimensional tolerance.</strong> Measure the filament in several places along it's length and check for consistency. I'm pretty happy with filament that has less than 0.05mm difference between its thickest and thinnest diameter.</li> <li><strong>Lack of impurities.</strong> I've never had a problem with impurities (that I know of) but I've heard and read about it. Finer nozzle diameters will be more susceptible to clogs caused by foreign matter in the filament.</li> <li><strong>Good packaging.</strong> You already mentioned it, but good packaging is a sign of a reputable filament supplier. It should be sealed in a fairly "air-tight" bag with a desiccant to keep it dry.</li> <li><strong>Technical information available from manufacturer.</strong> Quality filament manufactures tend to provide information about their filament's characteristics and other information such as optimal settings, etc.</li> <li><strong>Good reputation.</strong> This one isn't necessarily fair to newcomers, but there is lots of information online about the reliability and quality of various filaments. In this case, google is your friend. (Keep in mind that there will be plenty of complaints that result from poor settings/skill and have nothing to do with the quality of the filament.)</li> </ul> <p>I hope this helps! :-)</p>

2016-10-26T19:04:33.863

|calibration|z-probe|

<p>Has anyone succeeded in installing the auto bed levelling on a Rumba board with Marlin firmware?</p> <p>I have the last stable version <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/releases/tag/1.1.0-RC6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">1.1.0 RC6</a>.</p> <p>I would appreciate some direction especially about:</p> <ul> <li>How and which pin to activate for the servo?</li> <li>How to test it with G-code before I move to settings of the probe sequence?</li> </ul> <p>I have only installed the hardware for now (5 V servo) connected to Ext. 3 (EXP3):</p> <ul> <li>Pin 2 (+5V);</li> <li>Pin 4 (GND), and;</li> <li>Pin 6 (PWM),</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ETHOL.png" alt="Servo and RAMPS 1.4 and RUMBA connections"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZGvw0.jpg" alt="RUMBA EXP3 pinout"></a></p> <p>but I cannot move it with the G-code command <code>M280 P0 S180</code>. I have no idea where to put my hands on firmware to get this going. However my ultimate goal is to set the ABL.</p>

2986

Auto bed levelling with Rumba board - Servo not deploying

<p><strong>For future reference.</strong></p> <p>My issue about the servo not moving was caused by a wiring mistake. The Exp. 3 has 14 pins has per this diagram.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4yyn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/g4yyn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>However when phisically looking at the board, what you see is this: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/51eF6.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/51eF6.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>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.</p> <p>The right way to connect the servo is as following: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDWcX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nDWcX.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>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.</p>

2016-10-29T17:26:57.503

|marlin|ramps-1.4|endstop|

<p>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.<br><br> </p> <p>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:<br></p> <pre><code>//=========================================================================== //============================== 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. </code></pre> <p>I have X-min enabled and inverted. When I send an M119 (endstop status code) I recieve:</p> <pre><code>Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED </code></pre> <p>And then when I press down the X endstop with my hand I get:</p> <pre><code>Send: M119 Recv: Reporting endstop status Recv: x_min: open Recv: y_min: TRIGGERED Recv: z_min: TRIGGERED </code></pre> <p>-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.</p> <p>Where is the fault at?</p>

2996

Endstops will not trigger using Marlin Firmware

<p>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.</p> <p>Once you do that then it will read the status of the pin.</p>

2016-10-30T06:40:38.223

|marlin|speed|

<p>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.</p> <p>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 )</p> <pre><code>/*line 742*/ #define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (50*60) /*line 753*/ #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec) </code></pre> <p>I'm probably misunderstanding something but it seems like this sets the feedrate to a default value which is the same as the maximum. </p> <p>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? </p>

2999

Marlin Adjusting feedrate

<p>It seems like you might be wanting to look at the steps per mm line.</p> <pre><code>#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT </code></pre> <p>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&nbsp;mm. If it didn't move 100&nbsp;mm exactly, make a change</p> <pre><code>(how far it moved) (how far it should have moved) ------------------ = ------------------------------ (current steps/mm) (new steps/mm) --&gt; find this </code></pre>

2016-11-02T16:52:21.587

|marlin|

<p>I've posted an issue on GitHub and I have been advised to load RCBugFix. I have never used it and I do not know what is about.</p> <p>What is it? How does it work?</p>

3012

RCBugFix what is it?

<p>It refers to a specific branch of the current project, named <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/tree/RCBugFix" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RCBugFix</a>. It's basically the most up-to-date, bleeding edge version of Marlin that contains all of the most recent fixes (it is more up-to-date than RC). However, as it's so up-to-date, it's also not thoroughly tested and possibly quite unstable.</p> <blockquote> <p>The latest Release Candidate lives in the "RC" branch. Bugs that we find in the current Release Candidate are patched in the "RCBugFix" branch, so during beta testing this is where you can always find the latest code on its way towards release.</p> </blockquote> <p>Use with caution.</p>

2016-11-03T21:36:24.987

|prusa-i3|p3steel|

<p>I have been studying the differences between version 2.x and version 4 of the <a href="https://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3Steel frames</a> - 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:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2AN9z.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2AN9z.jpg" alt="Laser cut parts for P3Steel v1"></a></p> <p>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 <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel_Vitamins#Lasercut_parts" rel="nofollow noreferrer">lasercut image</a>):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yZMo.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6yZMo.jpg" alt="P3Steel v2 Z axis top bracket"></a></p> <p>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 <a href="https://twitter.com/AlvaroReyRdz/status/738406531943763968" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Twitter</a>):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZe2i.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZe2i.jpg" alt="P3Steel v4 Z axis top bracket"></a></p> <p>Here is a close up of the <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxUhvFbuwEAZNjA0dUhwNmFMd2c" rel="nofollow noreferrer">diagram</a> from the <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BxUhvFbuwEAZfkJDUUE0bm1pTXNfMFRKemdUUzJNZ2xIT0xybFJLdmdyQV9MZGFpcG42UlE&amp;authuser=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">google docs repository</a>, listed in the <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel#Frame_versions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">v4 section</a> on the RepRap Wiki page for the P3Steel, which shows the bearing assembly just apparently "resting" against the indentation:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAVUM.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dAVUM.png" alt="Close up of P3Steel Z axis top bracket"></a></p> <p>Here is the bracket shown with the bar and threaded rod (again, from <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxUhvFbuwEAZQjkyTDM3SndMSTA/view" rel="nofollow noreferrer">google docs</a>):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X0fcG.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X0fcG.png" alt="P3Steel v4 z axis top bracket"></a></p> <p>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.</p> <p>Under the list of version 4 changes, see <a href="https://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel#Frame_versions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">2. Frame versions</a>, it is mentioned:</p> <blockquote> <p>The extruder no longer hits the Z axis top bracket</p> </blockquote> <p>Is this the reason why the change has been made?</p>

3015

Z axis top brackets, of P3Steel, differ between v1.x/2.x and v4

<p>I've just seen this right now, I'm Alvaro Rey, 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.</p> <p>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. </p> <p>Anyways, I designed a printer part to fix the bearing in the Z top plate.</p>

2016-11-07T20:37:56.777

|diy-3d-printer|

<p>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. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kxYw.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6kxYw.jpg" alt="Photo of probe atached to hotend"></a></p> <p>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.</p> <p>As far as I can tell the nozzle is homing in the right place.</p> <p>How do I tell Marlin the new minimum position it needs to be in so it doesn't crash into the bed?</p>

3023

How to offset my probe so it's not hanging off the bed at 0, 0 position when printing

<p><strong>It is not a problem</strong> that the sensor is <em>not above</em> the build plate <strong><em>during printing</em></strong> as long as it is <em>above</em> the build plate <strong><em>during the auto bed levelling sequence</em></strong>.</p> <p>Homing does not necessarily need to be the <code>(0,0)</code> 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 <code>(0, 0)</code>). 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.</p> <hr> <p>E.g. for <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Marlin firmware</a> the offset from homing to the bed origin is defined for an <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/example_configurations/Anet/A8/Configuration.h" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Anet A8</a> by:</p> <pre><code>#define X_MIN_POS -33 #define Y_MIN_POS -10 </code></pre> <p>The values you should use need to correspond to the actual offset from the homing point to the origin of the bed <code>(0,0)</code>.</p> <p>When using an auto bed leveling sensor like you are using you should consider this remark:</p> <blockquote> <p>If using a Probe for Z Homing, enable Z_SAFE_HOMING also!</p> </blockquote> <p>Un-comment the proper line in the configuration file to read:</p> <pre><code>#define Z_SAFE_HOMING </code></pre> <p>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.</p> <p>Furthermore, you need to set the offset values of the center of your sensor to the nozzle center:</p> <pre><code> * 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 &lt;-- probe (20,20) * E | | I * F | (-) N (+) | G &lt;-- 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] </code></pre> <p>Where XXX and YYY are your actual values.</p> <p>And set the boundary of the probing section:</p> <pre><code>// 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 </code></pre> <p>Note that the values should match your bed size!</p> <p>And:</p> <pre><code>// The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters). #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 </code></pre> <p>Details on setting the boundaries of the bed to keep the sensor on the bed is described in question "<a href="/q/8153">How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?</a>".</p>

2016-11-07T22:46:36.773

|raspberry-pi|

<p>I'm looking to make 20-30 IoT devices, with the pi zero. The price point is perfect, the only downside is that it doesn't have an Ethernet jack and the power adapter is not included.</p> <p>I found a mod that deals with both of these issues, however it would involve a lot of soldering. The mod takes a USB to Ethernet adapter and 48 to 5 volt converter and allows the device to be both powered and connected to the internet with just an Ethernet cable.</p> <p>With 3D printing or Milling is it possible to make something that snap fits the components together and mitigate a lot of soldering? Is it possible to print or mill something that will do the 48 to 5 volt conversion?</p> <p>Components:</p> <ol> <li>Two male micro USB heads</li> <li>48 to 5 volt converter</li> <li>Ethernet adapter board</li> <li>Pi zero</li> </ol> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqgyX.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xqgyX.gif" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

3024

Power Over Ethernet (Pi Zero Mod)

<p><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printing-3D-Print-A-Solderless-Circuit-Board/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">3D Print A Solderless Circuit Board</a></p> <p>I think this was the solution I was looking for, unless someone else knows a method that's cheaper, faster, safer, etc.</p>

2016-11-08T22:00:24.473

|g-code|

<p>I've tried looking online but haven't quite found the answer to what I'm confused about, exactly. Consider the following 3 lines of G-code:</p> <pre><code>G1 X129.000 Y126.322 E7.90758 G1 X128.349 Y125.707 F7800.000 G1 X128.476 Y125.548 E7.92045 F1800.000 </code></pre> <p>Does the absence of an E command in the second line mean that no material is to be extruded from line 1 to line 2? As I understand it, the E parameter controls how much material has been extruded up to that line.</p> <p>The reason why I am asking is because I'm trying to understand on the code level how to identify when a printer will travel without extruding any material, in the case of moving in the Z direction, or if you are printing multiple disconnected parts in one print. Since none of the Z lines seem to have any E commands, I'm inclined to believe that the absence of an E command means that when moving to the given position from the previous line, no material will be extruded. I've tried quite a few different queries online to try to discover if this is the case, but haven't found a simple answer, so I was hoping someone on this board could enlighten me.</p>

3028

How do the E commands in G-code work, exactly?

<p>Yes, the absense of an EX.XXX (or an EX.XXX with the same value as the previous one) means nothing will be extruded during the move. The extruder is treated as an imaginary fourth axis and works exactly the same as any other axis: if in a G1/G0 no new coordinate for it is specified, it retains its original position.</p>

2016-11-14T07:45:04.707

|print-quality|

<p>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?</p>

3043

Does the amount of figures on the board matter?

<p>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.</p>

2016-11-15T01:33:13.743

|filament|troubleshooting|

<p>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?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ffssj.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ffssj.jpg" alt="Photo of extruded filament exhibiting wiggles"></a></p>

3047

While filament loading extruded filament wiggles

<p>It might be similar <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1085/why-does-my-pla-filament-form-a-spiral-shape-and-clog-my-extruder">to this issue</a> (where teflon tube wasn't installed what caused softening filament inside heatsink)</p> <p>Please check if your extruder is equipped with proper pipe inside (inner pipe diameter).</p> <p>But the most probable cause is that a pipe had slide out so filament has enough room to get soft and to form such shape going out. <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/904/teflon-tubing-in-nozzle-throat-coming-out">Please take a look also here.</a></p> <p>Here is a situation and its evolution. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8u96H.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8u96H.png" alt="enter image description here"></a> <strong>fig. A:</strong> 1. filament 2. teflon tube (well positioned) 3. heatsink 4. nozzle 5. extruded filament</p> <p><strong>fig. B:</strong> 6. slided out teflon tube 7. empty space (heat)</p> <p><strong>fig. C:</strong> 8. bent filament</p> <p><strong>fig. D:</strong> 9. teflon tube 10. no extrusion</p> <p><strong>How it happens?</strong></p> <p>Teflon tube is usually well positioned so everything is fine in most cases. Sometimes because of poor filament (not-constant diameter) or because of bends on filament, teflon tube is slided out os its place while retraction. It goes on and on, up and up (fig.B)</p> <p>Once tube is extended that much so filament starts to bend in empty (heat) space (fig.C) It increases the effect of sliding out teflon tube just because of bend (it works as a hook). But it can still work. Teflon tube can even be pressed back inside the nest.</p> <p>Now because the empty space is heat then filament starts to melt (for example when there is no extrusion for a second) it becomes soft. When filament is soft enough it doesn't extrude as the force to press it throught the nozzle is too high for such soft material so filement definitely stops extruding itself. (fig.D) This situation cannot be fixed automatically. There is a need of user intervention.</p> <p>Now you know why some extruders has a rim (or collar) on the top of heat barier tube. It secures a teflon tube from sliding out.</p>

2016-11-15T12:51:23.607

|3d-models|3d-design|mechanics|sls|

<p>I've recently designed a non-self-aligning caged deep-groove ball bearing. Now I'd love to get one 3D printed.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>What are my options?</p> <p>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?</p> <p>Of course the thing still has to work (move) in the end.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OuWFEm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OuWFEm.jpg" alt="Caged deep-grooved ball bearing - MatVis"></a></p>

3050

Printing a non-self-aligning caged deep-groove ball bearing

<p>How about using a dual nozzle FDM printer with ABS and HIPS?</p> <p>You can use HIPS to print any support materials or any spacers that you need. The HIPS can then be dissolved using Limonene. Limonene will not do much of anything to ABS.</p> <p>Similar ball bearings have been printed like this before. I am not aware of any reason this would not work for you. Other types of ball bearings have been printed in FDM with no support material.</p>

2016-11-18T15:22:54.970

|prusa-i3|z-axis|

<p>My newly built ANET A8 has dual Z-axis steppers (and two threaded rods), but only an end-stop on one side. Am I missing some detail for ensuring proper alignment of Z as the extruder moves along the Z-axis? I notice there are mountings for a 2nd end-stop, but nowhere to attach this on the MCU board.</p> <p>It seems that even after I check the leveling, there is scope for the two steppers to get out-of sync once the servos are turned off - is this something to worry about? I realise that during a print run, if I start with good alignment this should stay good.</p> <p>I've only managed about 10 minutes of printing so far, and everything seems to work, but this is my first printer, so obviously I might have missed a vital step in the instructions quite easily.</p>

3059

Alignment of dual Z-axis steppers

<p>All the Prusa-based designs I've seen have only one end stop. While you are correct that it's theoretically possible for the two Z-drives to get out of sync, it's very unlikely in practice (barring serious friction, binding, etc.). </p> <p>But even if it happens, remember that the endstop microswitch is only used to keep the extruder assembly from crashing into the print bed. The stepper motors do not have shaft encoders, or any other position sensing mech, so if they were to get out of sync, there'd be no way to know this. </p> <p>The reason there's provision for a stop mount, on both sides, is simply to make the physical parts of the frame the same. </p> <p>That said, it is important to check the extruder support assembly to verify it's level as you build the printer - "level" meaning both supports are the same distance from the screw-drive shaft couplers.</p>

2016-11-21T10:47:13.383

|prusa-i3|z-axis|

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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).</p> <p>What wasn't clear (and not mentioned in the building instructions) was what might cause this problem.</p>

3065

Z-axis steppers and bed alignment problems

<p>From <a href="http://3daddict.com/anet-3d-printer-common-mistakes-fix/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://3daddict.com/anet-3d-printer-common-mistakes-fix/</a></p> <p>The motor shaft and the threading rod must have space between them in the flexible coupler.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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</p>

2016-11-21T15:14:08.900

|axis|

<p><a href="http://www.5axismaker.com/5axis/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">5AxisMaker</a> 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 <a href="https://youtu.be/w8Fl8L4yk8M" rel="nofollow noreferrer">video</a> they show the printer printing on an angle, but this could have been done with just linear layers.</p> <p>Would there be any cases where a 5 axis printer would preform better than a 3 axis printer?</p>

3068

Does a 5 axis 3D printer have any benefits over a regular 3 axis printer?

<p>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. </p> <p>I have only seen Grasshopper used for 3D printing and 5 Axis used in research papers. </p>

2016-11-21T17:56:01.737

|firmware|

<p>We are custom building a Cartesian 3D printer to be used in a production 3D printing environment, with the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Intended Z resolution 0.13mm;</li> <li>Dual extruders (primary + support material);</li> <li>Four spools (two per material with y connector, perhaps add auto switch-over functionality later);</li> <li>Camera;</li> <li>Onboard 11" touchscreen for control &amp; interaction, run by a Raspberry Pi 3;</li> <li>Custom board based on ATMega2560 to control the printer; </li> <li>Printer should gracefully handle conditions like "out of material", etc.</li> </ul> <p>Question: How to select firmware? </p> <p>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?</p> <p>Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup?</p> <p>Edit 12/April/2017:</p> <p>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.</p>

3073

Firmware Choice: Marlin vs Repetier vs Other

<blockquote> <p>Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup?</p> </blockquote> <p>A few days ago I came across <a href="https://github.com/KevinOConnor/klipper" rel="noreferrer">klipper</a>.</p> <p>It seems to do exactly that functionality split you mention</p>

2016-11-24T07:15:49.703

|fdm|reprap|

<p>What would cause this effect, and how can it be avoided? </p> <p>This is a PLA print, and it should look like <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1560347" rel="noreferrer">this</a>. 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. </p> <p>Outside: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlRb8.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nlRb8.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Inside: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQtTj.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PQtTj.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>I'm using a QIDI dual extruder printer with Makerware 2.2.2.89 software and these parameters: </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6FJLL.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6FJLL.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ge9ZK.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ge9ZK.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Speed is 60/80mm/s. </p>

3084

What causes the print heat to 'catch' on the part?

<p>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.</p> <p>I believe the MakerBot Dual firmware is somewhere around 7.? and is no longer in development.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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...</p> <p>It might be best to give the new software a shot and/or try v2.4 of MakerWare, if you can find it.</p> <p>Here's the link to the latest <a href="https://www.makerbot.com/download-desktop/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MakerBot Desktop</a></p> <p>Here's the release notes for <a href="https://support.makerbot.com/learn/makerbot-desktop-software/release-notes/makerbot-desktop-release-notes_13520" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MakerWare/MakerBot Desktop</a> v1.0-latest (v3.10+)</p>

2016-11-24T17:07:25.063

|print-quality|adhesion|

<p>I'm seeing the following pattern on my Prusa clone:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uskfa.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uskfa.jpg" alt="Photo of low quality second layer print"></a></p> <p>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. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>What might be causing this issue?</p>

3089

Second layer: gaps, poor adhesion - why?

<p>Your first layer is horribly misscalibrated as well. </p> <p>You really should do all calibrations over. Including your firmware when your result is this bad. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>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. </p> <p>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. </p>

2016-11-24T20:48:30.587

|printer-building|metal-printing|

<p>I have a hypothetical question. From which parts can I build a metal-based 3D printer and can I buy those parts somewhere?</p>

3091

How to build a metal-based 3D printer?

<p>I think this depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the 3D printer.</p> <p>I have seen people online build metal 3D printers from a robot arm and a welder this would probably be the simplest design and build but robot arms that can weld are expensive.</p> <p>I have also seen that someone at MIT build a glass 3D printer by building a small kiln with a hole at the bottom and moving it around like a normal extrusion printer. This method might work for a metal printer as well if you could get the temperatures right. This might be cheap enough a hobbyist could do it as well because you just need the same parts as a normal FDM 3d printer just able to more more weight. But with the same parts you could also do lost pla casting and that would be a simpler approach with a better end product. </p> <p>But probably what you would be really interested in building would be a laser sintering 3D printer. Where a layer of powder is put down and then a laser melts part of the powered to join it to the model. For this the main thing you need would be the laser. I don't know a lot about how these printer work but the laser would need to be able to melt metal so I would think it would need to be very powerful and that would make it very expensive.</p>

2016-11-26T16:55:09.137

|3d-models|

<p>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</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/32GtS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/32GtS.jpg" alt="Calibration plate"></a></p>

3094

How to build this part using 3d printing

<p>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...) </p> <p>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.</p> <p>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!</p>

2016-11-27T13:57:52.213

|heated-bed|y-axis|

<p>I have purchased a <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182324809387" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3Steel v.4 kit</a> that, rather unfortunately, comes with a <em>steel</em> Y plate.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmLpO.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jmLpO.jpg" alt="P3Steel v.4 kit - assembled" /></a></p> <p>I understand that there may be interia, as well as stepper motor wear, issues related to the weight of the steel plate. Therefore I would like to substitute the steel plate for another material. I had considered aluminium, as recommended by the <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/P3Steel#Frame_versions" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRap wiki - P3Steel/Frame Versions/ Version 4.0</a> :</p> <blockquote> <p>We recomended use aluminum beds for y axis.</p> </blockquote> <p>However, it was suggested, by a vendor, that I use laser cut 6 mm thick MDF, principally for reasons of economics and availablity, over aluminium.</p> <p>I have subsequently found a supplier of 3 mm thick aluminium 200 mm x 300 mm Y axis plates, so availability is no longer an issue, and the slightly higher cost is not really an issue for me. However, I was wondering whether there would be <em>significantly</em> less interia if using an MDF Y axis plate, than with an aluminium plate.</p> <p>I assume that the masses/densities of aluminium and MDF are comparable, and a magnitude less than that of steel.</p> <p>I have found the densities of aluminium and steel:</p> <blockquote> <p>Aluminium 2.7x10³ kg/m³ (167 lb/ft³)</p> <p>Steel 7.82x10³ kg/m³ (488 lb/ft³)</p> </blockquote> <p>[Source: <a href="http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/density-solids-d_1265.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Densities of Solids - Engineering ToolBox</a>]</p> <p>The density of MDF is given as 700–720 kg/m³ (43.7-44.95 lb/ft³), which is a magnitude less than that of aluminium. [Source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medium-density_fibreboard" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Medium-density fibreboard</a>]</p> <p>There is the issue that MDF can eventually warp, whereas aluminium supposedly does not, although the OP of <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2990/wanhao-duplicator-i3-print-bed-support-warped#comment-4069">Wanhao duplicator i3 print bed support warped</a> shows that warpage <em>is</em> possible with aluminium plate - see <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/22/is-the-weather-a-problem-for-mdf-frames">Is the weather a problem for MDF frames?</a> and <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1156/would-a-steel-instead-of-a-aluminum-plate-be-reasonable">Would a steel, instead of an aluminium, plate be reasonable?</a>¹.</p> <hr /> <h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>Considering the benefits of weight/inertia, stiffness and lack of deformation/warping:</p> <ul> <li>Is the difference in density between steel versus aluminium and/or MDF, make it worth switching from steel to aluminium or MDF?</li> <li>Is the additional weight loss of MDF over aluminium worth the risk of deformation of the MDF due to humidity/temperature?</li> </ul> <hr /> <p><strong>Notes</strong></p> <p>¹ I found <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1156/would-a-steel-instead-of-a-aluminum-plate-be-reasonable">this question</a> <em>after</em> having written up my question, so I admit that there is a risk of duplicity of the answers. However, I am concentrating more of the comparison of aluminium and MDF in this post, rather than just steel versus aluminium. Also, my question deals with the Y axis heatbed <em>support</em>, rather than the heatbed itself.</p>

3097

Steel versus MDF/Aluminium Y axis plate?

<p>I have not used MDF for building a printer before; but, I have used it for other projects. It has the advantage of being very flat (initially); but, it has a LOT of issues with moisture. It is basically just a compressed slurry or water-based glue and sawdust. If you expose it to humidity or water it will swell like a sponge. I would not consider it for anything that requires a dimensional stability. For that, Aluminum is your better bet.</p> <p>Regarding the material properties of AL vs MDF, here is a good comparison: <a href="http://www.makeitfrom.com/compare/1060-Al99.6-A91060-Aluminum/Medium-Density-Fiberboard-MDF" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1E03Z.jpg" alt="AL vs. MDF"></a></p> <p>Note that while MDF has about 1/4 the density of AL, it has a MUCH lower Elastic Modulus (1/17 of AL) For the same thickness, it MDF is MUCH easier to bend than AL. Also note the strength to weight ratio of AL is also better.</p> <p>Even at twice the thickness, my calculations indicate that, for the same load, 6mm MDF would deflect about twice as far as 3mm AL. Also when AL exists its elastic region it becomes plastic (bends) where MDF breaks.</p> <p>Another aspect to consider is flammability. There a lot of heat sources around an FDM printer and if you are planning on a heated bed, there is one right there under the bed. Where MDF is hard to ignite, it is flammable and does not respond to heat well. On the other hand, AL can handle temperatures over 1000 degC and is a great thermal conductor for a bed heater.</p> <p>I would definitely choose AL over MDF for you printer bed. </p> <p>Another option to consider it is using a bare PCB (like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FR-4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FR4</a>). The material is really strong (it is fiberglass), is relatively inexpensive, and is fire resistant (hence the"FR" in the name). Some commercial printers use FR4 for their print bed. One disadvantage is that is can sometimes develop a curl and there is really no way to get it flat again.</p>

2016-11-27T21:38:22.680

|build-plate|

<p>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?</p> <p>Are there any laminations, or markings/features, visible under a certain light or if the sheet is viewed at a particular angle?</p> <p>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, <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300x200x3mm-3D-Printer-Heated-Bed-Toughened-Glass-Clear-Build-Plate-UK-STOCK-/302067007035" rel="nofollow noreferrer">300x200x3mm 3D Printer Heated Bed Toughened Glass Clear Build Plate UK STOCK</a>. </p> <p>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.</p>

3098

How can I determine whether my borosilicate glass is fake or not?

<p>Some more details about <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3098/how-can-i-determine-whether-my-borosilicate-glass-is-fake-or-not#comment11269_7157">a suggestion</a> made to the answer on <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3098/how-can-i-determine-whether-my-borosilicate-glass-is-fake-or-not/7157#7157">How can I determine whether my borosilicate glass is fake or not?</a>.</p> <p>Submerging the glass in mineral oil should make it disappear if it is borosilicate glass, as demonstrated below. This phenomenon is known as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Index-matching_material" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the &quot;index matching&quot; effect</a>. The index of refraction of borosilicate glass is n=1.47, and that of mineral oil is also around n=1.47, depending on the type of mineral oil used. However, as mentioned in <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3098/how-can-i-determine-whether-my-borosilicate-glass-is-fake-or-not/21693#comment40845_21693">this comment</a>, other types of glass might have a similar or close refraction index, making it hard to distinguish borosilicate from non-borosilicate using this test alone.</p> <blockquote> <p>The borosilicate glass and the oil have roughly the same index of refraction. When this beaker is immersed into a container of oil, the beaker becomes invisible.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ol9f3.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="An animated GIF of a small beaker inside of a larger beaker and cooking oil being poured into the smaller beaker overflowing into the larger"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ol9f3.gif" alt="An animated GIF of a small beaker inside of a larger beaker and cooking oil being poured into the smaller beaker overflowing into the larger" title="An animated GIF of a small beaker inside of a larger beaker and cooking oil being poured into the smaller beaker overflowing into the larger" /></a></p> <p>^{Source: <a href="https://www.teachersource.com/product/the-disappearing-beaker" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Disappearing Beaker Experiment</a>}</p>

2016-11-29T01:19:32.740

|pla|ultimaker-2|filled-pla|

<p>I switched out my 0.4 mm Ultimaker 2+ Nozzle the other day for the 0.25 mm and started using a ColorFabb Copperfill 2.85 mm filament. I am having some issues with it clogging and sticking to the bed for larger prints:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWxvi.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iWxvi.jpg" alt="Snapshot of 1st Layer"></a></p> <p>Current settings are:</p> <ul> <li>Extruder Temp: 230°C</li> <li>Flow Rate: 110% (increased it from 108% get more consistent output)</li> <li>Bed Temperature: 70°C</li> </ul> <p>I thought it might be a calibration issue since I could see it skipping certain sections and slowly collecting excess material on the outer nozzle, so I recalibrated the bed but I still ended up with a blocked nozzle after about two hours of running. Not too sure if there are other settings I need to take care of. Any suggestions would be great!</p>

3101

Recommended settings for ColorFabb Copperfill Filaments on a 0.25 mm Nozzle?

<p>It looks like a problem with feeding filament. It could be good to know if you did try such big printouts before but even if - from your picture it looks like on far end there is too less filament but on near end it's too much of it (because of 110%). And near the big circle it looks better even on far end. And there are "waves" close to big circle.<br></p> <p><strong>How is that possible?<br></strong> Assuming that your extruder works well it might be caused by bending bowden tube. If your filament is not slick enough - in some settings (positions/arrangements) of bowden it might create enough friction so it doesn't flow with proper rate. It might be also caused if your bowden tube was bent too much (broken).</p> <p>To be sure please try to print 4 smaller (5 cm in diam) circles on bed's corners and the one in the center. Just one layer of course.</p> <p><strong>How to fix the issue?<br></strong> In my opinion you could try to slow down whole printout. Try to print such big circle with 30% of regular speed. I'm pretty sure you'll get proper results.</p> <p>Try to check if filament goes smoothly thought the tube. Check if it has proper inner diameter. You can try to clean up a tube inside if it's not perfect clean or change a tube to new one. I know it was probably ok for recent filaments but maybe this one is more "demanding" ;)</p>

2016-11-29T13:20:34.850

|heated-bed|

<h3>TL;DR</h3> <ul> <li><p>Do aluminium PCB heatbeds suffer from hotspots as much as standard PCB heatbeds, or is the presence of hot spots smoothed over by the fact that the PCB "substrate" is aluminium, and so its thermal conductivity helps spread the heat more evenly? </p></li> <li><p>Or, conversely, could the effect of the hotspots be magnified, and actually made worse?</p></li> <li><p>Which has fewer hotspots, MK2A, MK2B, or MK3? (I'm not sure if this should be a separate question)</p></li> </ul> <p>I would have also asked whether aluminium PCB heatbeds are worth the additional cost, over standard PCB heatbeds, but for the slightly less common dimensions of 200 mm x 300 mm, the costs, of an aluminium PCB heat bed, are roughly the same as standard PCB.</p> <p>Some thermal imaging pictures, comparing standard PCBs with aluminium PCBs, would be appreciated.</p> <hr> <p>I am keen to buy an aluminium PCB heatbed for my P3Steel v.4 printer, which has a larger build area of 200 mm x 300 mm. So, after some searching, I found this MK2A: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B019C9NH4U" rel="noreferrer">MK2A 300x200mm Aluminum Heated Bed Hot Bed for RepRap 3D Printer 12V + Wiring + NTC 3950 Thermistor - Upgrade you Prusa i3 for LARGE Printsize</a>, or this cheaper MK3, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anycubic-Heatbed-Aluminum-Perfect-Printer/dp/B01IV312UO" rel="noreferrer">Anycubic Dual Power MK3 Heatbed 300*200*3mm Aluminum Heat Bed 12V/24V Perfect for Prusa i3 3D Printer</a>. </p> <p><strong>Note: this is not a shopping question</strong>, I am merely providing a background to my questions.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Urjp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5Urjp.jpg" alt="Mk3 aluminium PCB heatbed"></a></p> <p>While the RepRap wiki is full of information, the information can be rather piecemeal and incomplete. Cases in point being the two pages on heatbeds:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Heated_Bed" rel="noreferrer">Heated Bed</a>, and;</li> <li><a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_Heatbed" rel="noreferrer">PCB_Heatbed</a>. </li> </ul> <p>As stated in the former link, on the section on <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Heated_Bed#Metal" rel="noreferrer">Metal print beds</a>, PCB based heatbeds <em>can</em> suffer from hotspots, and that is why, apparently, it is sometimes preferrable to use a subsequent aluminium build/print bed <em>on top</em> of that, en lieu of glass plate, in order to even out the hotspots, as the aluminium's greater thermal conductivity helps <em>smooth out</em> the hotspots, by distributing the heat more efficiently than a glass plate can. However, it doesn't describe the heating effect of just a <em>single</em> aluminium PCB heatbed.</p> <p>The section, in the latter link, on <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/PCB_Heatbed#MK3_ALU-Heatbed_Dual_Power" rel="noreferrer">Aluminium heatbeds</a>, where the heating circuit is printed directly onto the aluminium, rather than a standard PCB (on a non-conductive substrate), makes mention that the print can be made directly on to the aluminium, without the need of an additional glass plate, resulting in a lighter print plate, and hence faster print speed. However, yet again, it is not particularly clear, or explicit, when it comes to heat distribution.</p>

3103

Do aluminium PCB heatbeds reduce hotspots?

<p>A thermal image of my aluminum heated bed does not show hotspots, although the edges are cooler than the majority of the center.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nh3Uu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Nh3Uu.jpg" alt="Hyrel Hotbed Thermal Image"></a> </p>

2016-11-30T17:51:16.927

|adhesion|

<p>I am new to 3D printing. I thought that the black surface of my print bed was supposed to keep things stuck without additional tape, spray, etc. However, every time I print something, this same corner, and only this corner, detaches. </p> <p>Any advice on how to fix this?</p> <ul> <li>Monoprice Makerselect V2</li> <li>Hatchbox PLA </li> <li>Temp 195/50</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yXD4.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8yXD4.jpg" alt="Photo of print warping in corner"></a></p>

3107

One corner never sticks

<p>This is very likely caused by an uneven bed. It's probably lower in that particular corner: the nozzle is further from the bed, so the filament isn't squished down as much and therefore releases more easily from the bed.</p> <p>Your bed should have 3 or 4 screws that you can adjust, you should loosen the screw in the corner that is giving you trouble.</p>

2016-12-01T11:53:29.057

|heated-bed|heat-management|

<p>I have been looking at cork sheet insulation for my 200 mm x 300 mm aluminium PCB heatbed, by I am not entirely sure how thick it should be. There seems to be a trade off between losing a few millimeters of print height, and providing adequate installation.</p> <p>I have seen 10 mm thick table mats, and then 5/3/2 mm thick cork insulation tiles. On some forums people say they use two 2 mm sheets beneath the aluminium heater and then another 1.5 mm aluminium plate under those, to hold it altogether (source: <a href="http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?4,584582,587506#msg-587506" rel="noreferrer">Re: Is a cork board necessary under the heated bed?</a>).</p> <p>Hopefully this does not come across as a <em>how-long-is-a-piece-of-string</em> type question. I am just trying to get the right amount in the first place whilst spending as little as possible, and keeping the mass/volume and height down. If someone else has already gone through the empirical adjustments themselves, then it might save me the time and expense of having to test various configurations. </p> <ul> <li>Would just 2 mm thick cork backing be sufficient?</li> <li>Is 10 mm overkill?</li> <li>Does silver foil backing help considerably, thereby enabling one to reduce the thickness of the cork?</li> </ul>

3111

How much insulation do I really need?

<p>Since 50% of the bed is uninsulated, you're definately into diminishing returns as soon as you start adding any insulation.<br> With that area, I think you are looking at 1.2W per kelvin for a 2mm thickness. </p> <p>I'm guessing a bit with these powers, but roughly, maybe from 100 W un-insulated, 75 with 2mm, 60W with 4mm. You can get a reasonably accurate measure of the power by looking at the duty cycle of the heating element.</p> <p>Actually, its not clear if your primary goal is to reduce energy/maintain a very high temperature, or speed the initial heating. You can place a temporary sheet of cork on top of the bed (preferably extending over the edges to prevent convection) and this will significantly improve heat-up times.</p>

2016-12-01T14:32:21.223

|firmware|arduino-mega-2650|

<p>Should it be possible to directly send G-code to the printer serial connection using pipes under Linux?</p> <p>Example:</p> <pre><code>echo M106 &gt; /dev/ttyUSB0 </code></pre> <p>My controller runs at 250000 baud, I have tried setting the TTY baud rate to 250 kBd with: </p> <pre><code>stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 250000 </code></pre> <p>But, unfortunately, this particular baud rate appears to be unsupported under Ubuntu, giving the error: </p> <pre><code>stty: invalid argument ‘250000’ </code></pre>

3112

How to directly send G-code to printer from a Linux terminal?

<p>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: <a href="https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42964/unexpected-results-testing-serial-loopback-using-echo-and-cat">https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42964/unexpected-results-testing-serial-loopback-using-echo-and-cat</a></p> <p>The key is to use a command like this to prevent certain line termination characters from repeating themselves: <code>stty 115200 -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -echo -onlcr </code>, where 115200 is your baud rate.</p> <p>Here is what I did:</p> <pre><code># 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 &lt; /dev/ttyUSB0 # 4. get printer output </code></pre> <p>Then in a new terminal:</p> <pre><code> echo &quot;M119&quot; &gt;&gt; /dev/ttyUSB0 </code></pre> <p>This will give you a real console.</p>

2016-12-01T14:50:28.943

|extruder|prusa-i3-rework|

<p>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.</p> <p>Also does the solder type I use matter? </p>

3113

What grade of wire is required for the heating element on a J-Head extruder?

<p>There are a number of things to consider:</p> <ul> <li><p>Wire Gauge: a typical 40W, 12V heater draws around 3A. 24 AWG or lower would be appropriate (copper wire, CCA will require thicker gauge).</p></li> <li><p>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.</p></li> <li><p>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.</p></li> <li><p>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).</p></li> </ul> <p>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.</p>

2016-12-01T20:38:41.543

|g-code|

<p>Doing some low level monitoring, the following sequence is sent to the printer:</p> <pre><code>N0 M106*36 N1 G28*18 N2 M107*39 </code></pre> <p>This sequence just turns the fan on, homes the printer, then turns the fan off.</p> <p>Question: What is the purpose of the asterix/star/(*) and the two succeeding digits on each line?</p>

3118

What is the purpose of asterix (*) in Gcode?

<p>That is a checksum. It's added by the host software to the G-code, to allow some basic verification by the firmware that the G-code was transmitted unchanged. It doesn't change the meaning of the G-code, and what your sequence actually represents is just <code>M106, G28, M107</code>. The <code>N0,N1,N2,...</code> are line numbers, and the combination of line numbers and checksums is used to request a re-send of any lines that were corrupted during transmission.</p>

2016-12-02T03:32:53.420

|material|metal-printing|applications|

<p>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?</p> <p>How expensive is that? Is it cheaper to mill such a turbine from a whole piece of alloy?</p> <p>What technologies and materials should be used?</p> <p>Are Inconel alloys suitable for 3D printing?</p> <p>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? </p> <p>Is it possible to make disk of titanium and blades of Inconel, and have them welded (considering heat expansion)?</p> <p>How blades or blisks can be ceramically coated?</p> <p>Thank you!</p>

3119

3D printing and coating of heat-resistant objects, such as a turbine blisks or blades

<p>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.</p> <p>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: <a href="https://www.siemens.com/innovation/en/home/pictures-of-the-future/industry-and-automation/additive-manufacturing-3d-printed-gas-turbine-blades.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Additive Manufacturing - Breakthrough with 3D printed Gas Turbine Blades</a>.</p> <p>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).</p> <p>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. </p> <p>This is only really a surface depth answer to your questions, but it would be impossible to answer fully here!</p> <p>(My experience: PhD student using selective laser melting with aerospace alloys)</p>

2016-12-02T10:17:43.533

|slicing|ultimaker-cura|

<p>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:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hri17.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hri17.png" alt="Screenshot showing missing infill in top layer"></a></p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>I found a relevant bug for Cura: <a href="https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/issues/1303" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura/issues/1303</a> (and I also understand a workaround now, just need to write up an answer).</p>

3121

Missing top layers in Cura

<p>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.</p>

2016-12-02T11:05:10.800

|heated-bed|

<p>A <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3111/how-much-insulation-do-i-really-need#comment-4113">comment</a> to my question <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3111/how-much-insulation-do-i-really-need">How much insulation do I really need?</a> has made me paranoid about using cork as a heatbed insulator:</p> <blockquote> <p>Why worry -- other than the fact that it's flammable. All that's needed to start a fire is having the thermistor fail or come loose. I'd use a flameproof material if you're going to insulate. </p> </blockquote> <p>The flash point (ignition temperature) of cork is, apparently, 300 - 320°C¹, which is not, as far as I can tell, a temperature that the heatbed reaches, so, in theory, cork should be safe to use as an insulator. In fact temperatures of around 300C are used in the manufacturing process of some cork products²:</p> <blockquote> <p>For insulation applications, agglomerates of granules of cork, known as black agglomerates, are employed. They are manufactured in a closed autoclave at high temperature (approximately 300uC) and pressure (around 40 kPa) without the use of adhesive</p> </blockquote> <p>In addtion, according to <a href="https://www.corkor.com/blogs/wikicork/72704325-why-should-we-use-cork" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Why should we use cork?</a></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>Does cork burn?</strong></p> <p>Cork is a slow combustion material. That is to say, yes it burns but very slowly and it doesn't produce flame so it doesn't spread. Also, when burning, the smoke that it releases is not toxic.</p> </blockquote> <p>However, I am not sure if all cork is equal, or whether the thickness of the cork can affect the safety. To give a definite figure, I was thinking of using 2 mm - 5 mm thick cork sheeting.</p> <p>Has anyone experienced, or know of, any burning (or scorching) of cork, when used as a backing insulator to a heatbed, in particular, an aluminium PCB MK3 heatbed?</p> <hr> <p>¹ Source: <a href="http://www.chacha.com/question/what-is-the-the-ignition-temperature-of-cork" rel="nofollow noreferrer">What is the the ignition temperature of cork? | ChaCha</a></p> <p>² Source: <a href="https://thematking.com/business_industry/we-aint-just-mats/cork-products/int-materials-review-2005.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cork: properties, capabilities and applications</a></p>

3122

Has anyone experienced scorching or burning of cork heatbed insulation?

<p>The real fire risks with 3d printers are electrical in nature. Lets say your wires come undone and happen to come next to the other lead. If it archs and happened to be in just the right position. Pretty unlikely. Once I did a bad solder job and when I was working on my printer. The wires literally burst into flame in my lap. No damage done (other than needing a new board). That said we often see people who have their boards catch fire in the flashforge owner groups. Weak solder joints, and over all bad quality.</p> <p>Do you really have something to worry about with Cork? No. A series of unfortunate events would have to happen, and more likely your board will cause a fire. That said I would look into adding a layer of aluminum and reflect some of that heat back up. </p> <p>If you are that worried I would just remove the sheet. Unless you are having issues calibrating you heated build plate / PIDs there is no reason to use insulation. I only use it on printers that have a hard time hitting ABS temps of 100c. Even then I only use tin foil and try to trap the air underneath. </p> <p>Just a side note. If you are having heated build plate issues maybe what you really need is a heat chamber.</p>

2016-12-04T00:02:37.340

|extruder|stepper|

<p>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, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcF9qxtxIO0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reprap Prusa Mendel 3d printer extruder problem</a>, hoping that someone has met a similar problem before.</p> <p>If so, please tell me what to do to make it work as it should.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>Any ideas are very welcomed. Thanks for your time. I hope this is an appropriate kind of question here.</p>

3134

Extruder stepper motor problem, what can be wrong?

<p>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. </p>

2016-12-04T21:19:34.110

|slicing|

<p>I am using an M3D printer and loaded an STL design with holes in the middle:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMD0V.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UMD0V.jpg" alt="Screenshot of STL design with holes in the middle"></a></p> <p>However, the output is an object without holes (so I stopped the printing): </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrlBC.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RrlBC.jpg" alt="Photo of the first few layers of actual print, without holes"></a></p> <p>What can be done to be able to print with holes?</p>

3137

Printing objects with holes using M3D Printer

<p>Have you tried letting it print a few more layers? It is very common that printers use the first few layers to create a <strong>raft</strong>, which will make the model adhere better to the bed.</p> <p>I believe this illustration from Simplify3D <a href="https://www.simplify3d.com/support/articles/rafts-skirts-and-brims/" rel="noreferrer">displays this well</a>:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4xaFS.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4xaFS.png" alt="raft vs skirt vs brim"></a></p>

2016-12-08T09:14:27.373

|3d-models|

<p>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: <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:729842" rel="nofollow noreferrer">M3 Bolt</a> by <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/Kaleta" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kaleta</a>.</p>

3151

M4 screw and nut for 3D printing?

<p>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.</p>

2016-12-08T20:56:15.760

|reprap|hotend|thermistor|

<p>I just got my HICTOP Prusa i3 Aluminium frame printer and finished putting it together. After setting it to preheat, I realized the bed was not level - I adjusted it and accidentally caused the head to crash into the bed.</p> <p>It sounded like something popped, and the printer restarted. It is now showing a <code>MINTEMP</code> error message, and both bed and hotend temperatures read 0°C.</p> <p>The only visible damage is that a thin layer came off the printbed - After testing with a multimeter, I realized that the metal under this layer is connected to power. As both the bed and hotend were heating, I believe I may have caused a short.</p> <p>Replacing the thermistor on the hotend with a spare did not solve the issue. I tested the thermistor on the printbed with a multimeter, and it seems to be working correctly (resistance value around ~200 k&Omega; at room temperature).</p> <p>Which leads me to believe that I may have damaged the control board. What do I do?</p> <p>Note: This is not a firmware problem as the printer was getting correct temperature readings before that. Also, I have a second extruder thermistor port that is unused. If I did damage my board, could I edit <code>pins.h</code> and <code>configuration.h</code> to use this port instead, and completely disconnect the heated printbed?</p>

3159

MINTEMP error after crash

<p>After replacing the control board, it now prints flawlessly. Apparently,I really did damage the control board...</p>

2016-12-09T00:31:53.750

|fdm|quality|

<p>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?</p> <p>Can anyone share a picture of the best 3D printed screw?</p>

3160

Printing screws - is the output usable? (M3 or M4)

<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>The horizontally-printed bolt in <code>@R.. GitHub STOP HELPING ICE</code>'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 &quot;pure&quot; 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.</p>

2016-12-11T18:41:40.657

|resolution|

<p>I am planning a mechanical 40% keyboard build and are coincidentally on the home stretch of a homemade CNC project.</p> <p>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).</p> <p>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". </p> <p>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?</p>

3165

What resolution (pixels/mm) should I use in SVG for CNC?

<p><strike>I found one of those printer things that puts ink on dead trees and tested to print a simple SVG file.</p> <pre><code>&lt;svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="400px" height="800px"&gt; &lt;rect x="10" y="10" width="72" height="72" fill="#999999" /&gt; &lt;rect x="10" y="100" width="378" height="378" fill="#999999" /&gt; &lt;/svg&gt; </code></pre> <p>As I suspected 72 pixels came out pretty much exactly 19mm. (72/19.05)*100~=378 came out 100mm.</p> <p>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.</strike></p> <p>EDIT:</p> <p>Found this documentation: <a href="http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units" rel="noreferrer">http://w3.org/TR/SVG/coords.html#Units</a></p> <pre><code>&lt;svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="400px" height="800px"&gt; &lt;rect x="10" y="10" width="19.05mm" height="19.05mm" fill="#999999" /&gt; &lt;rect x="10" y="100" width="100mm" height="100mm" fill="#999999" /&gt; &lt;/svg&gt; </code></pre> <p>Much simpler to use mm as units right away </p>

2016-12-12T22:13:03.630

|print-quality|print-material|molds|

<p>3D printing can be used to make injection molds of unimaginable complexity but which kind of 3D printing process is suitable when? </p> <p>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? </p> <p>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.?</p>

3178

3D printed mold techniques for long and short term usage

<p>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.</p>

2016-12-13T10:36:31.993

|extruder|

<p>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".</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rzmxn.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rzmxn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>What settings I need to change to avoid the overextrusion in this case?</p>

3185

Extruder clicks

<p>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. </p>

2016-12-13T16:10:42.753

|heated-bed|

<p>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, <em>except</em> for a heated bed. </p> <p>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". </p> <p>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.</p> <p>An example of the printer I'm referring to is the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B015FXQZ6O" rel="noreferrer">Cube 3 Printer, Grey by 3D Systems</a>.</p>

3189

Non-Heated Beds affect on 3D Prints

<p>At the risk of an opinionated answer...</p> <p>I would say that if money is tight, then get the correct printer in the first instance, en lieu of purchasing one that ends up giving you unsatisfactory prints, and that you then have to spend even more money on, in order to get prints of an acceptable quality. </p> <p>A heatbed, while not essential, is, IMHO, certainly desirable.</p> <p>Just a thought - Instead of purchasing a ready built printer on Amazon, have you considered building your own RepRap? If you look at a Bill Of Materials (BOM), and then purchase the parts individually from China, then not only will you end up with a good/better spec printer, for the same price, but you would also understand the mechanics a lot better. A good, and thorough, understanding the printer is essential for repairs, when (not <em>if</em>) the printer goes wrong (and believe me, it <em>will</em>). For a little over £200 I have managed to source all of the parts separately for a P3Steel v4 printer, with Kysan stepper motors, and an aluminium 200 mm x 300 mm heatbed. </p> <p>Note that I knew nothing about 3D printing, three months ago, so you do not need to be an expert, just do plenty of research beforehand.</p> <p>FWIW, my aluminium MK3 heatbed was £19.99.</p>

2016-12-13T17:08:38.697

|hotend|

<p>I wanted to extend the E3D V6's extruder heater and the thermistor wires. Is it ok to solder extension wires or does it have to be crimp only! Also are regular wires ok or does it have to be some special cable?</p>

3190

Extending extruder heater and thermistor wires

<p>Soldering is fine, both for the thermistor wires as for the heater.</p> <p>The wires don't need to be particularly special, though there are some things you should keep in mind:</p> <ul> <li><p>Current. The heater can draw up to 3-4A, the wires need to be able to handle this. The wires for the thermistor can be thinner.</p></li> <li><p>Flexibility. The hotend (presumably) moves, so the wires should be able to withstand frequent movement. Use stranded (rather than solid) wire.</p></li> </ul>

2016-12-14T07:37:37.493

|print-material|

<p>Are there commercially available molecular 3D printers that can create catalytic structures like Zeolites, if not are there any research efforts underway in such field? </p>

3197

3D Molecular Printers

<p><a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a14528/the-chemistry-3d-printer-can-craft-rare-medicinal-molecules-from-scratch/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The link I mentioned</a> from popular mechanics is the state of molecular 3d printing. So yes the printer does exist and can do some really impressive things. However as the article states it is limited to what it can create right now. The technology sounds really interesting. However it might be a bit out of our knowledge as it doesn't seem to be widely available passed the scientific academia world.</p> <p><a href="https://www.sculpteo.com/blog/2015/10/28/3d-printing-for-the-chemical-industry/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This link here</a> talks about reactionware for Chemical Syntheses as well as a TED talk about it</p>