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3dprinting.stackexchange.com

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2017-03-26T22:28:04.593

|marlin|ramps-1.4|arduino-mega-2650|

<p>I replaced the controller board in my Monoprice Select Mini with an Arduino/Ramps setup and compiled an uploaded Marlin 1.1.0-RC8 to run it. I've got most everything calibrated and working with one exception.</p> <p>I tell the printer to home for xyz and then level my bed with a piece of paper then start a print and the nozzle consistently drops too far down into the bed and nothing can extrude. If I adjust the bed and put 1-2mm gap between the nozzle and bed then it prints fine. </p> <p>I can't find anything in Marlin to adjust for this and I'm kind of stumped. I'm printing the original cat gcode that came with the printer that should just work fine as it always has and shouldn't have anything that a slicer would put in there to screw things up. </p> <p>Can anyone point me in the right direction?</p> <p>This is the output of M503</p> <pre><code>Send: M503 Recv: echo:Steps per unit: Recv: echo: M92 X93.00 Y93.00 Z1097.50 E99.00 Recv: echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s): Recv: echo: M203 X300.00 Y300.00 Z5.00 E25.00 Recv: echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2): Recv: echo: M201 X3000 Y3000 Z100 E10000 Recv: echo:Accelerations: P=printing, R=retract and T=travel Recv: echo: M204 P3000.00 R3000.00 T3000.00 Recv: echo:Advanced variables: S=Min feedrate (mm/s), T=Min travel feedrate (mm/s), B=minimum segment time (ms), X=maximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s) Recv: echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Y20.00 Z0.40 E5.00 Recv: echo:Home offset (mm) Recv: echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00 Recv: echo:Material heatup parameters: Recv: echo: M145 S0 H180 B70 F255 Recv: M145 S1 H240 B110 F0 Recv: echo:PID settings: Recv: echo: M301 P26.15 I2.74 D62.35 Recv: echo: M304 P231.09 I45.21 D295.34 Recv: echo:Filament settings: Disabled Recv: echo: M200 D3.00 Recv: echo: M200 D0 Recv: ok </code></pre> <p>I also wanted to test whether the nozzle is actually moving closer. I did a G28 and manually put a piece of paper's width gap between the nozzle and the bed at all points. Then I started a print with no filament but with the sheet between the nozzle and bed. When it got to temp it homed all the axis and moved the nozzle to the first position. I would expect the paper to maintain the same gap but it tightly presses into the paper. The first gcode move that includes the Z before extruding is :</p> <pre><code>G0 F3600 X42.228 Y46.985 Z0.3 </code></pre> <p>Which you would expect would put even more space between the nozzle and bed for the first .3 layer of filament but it isn't.</p> <p>I printed directly from the SD Card to hopefully rule out Octoprint running gcode before the print so I really think the culprit is Marlin at this point.</p>

3795

Z axis at print is lower than when I home

<p>I found the issue. When the hotend and bed are at temps for PLA everything works fine but at temps for ABS the Z offset would get all messed up. After a bunch of testing I was able to track it down to a single gcode statment <code>G1 Z15.0 F6000</code> At the higher temps my Z stepper skips steps at that feed rate. </p> <p>The "Custom FDM printer" machine settings I used for my printer in Cura had that statement in it and so did the cat gcode that was on the card from the factory. I changed the feed rate to 200 and was able to print in ABS.</p> <p>I was surprised Marlin didn't have a 'limit the feedrate for Z to this number' setting.</p>

2017-03-31T21:18:46.847

|build-plate|

<p>As the title suggests, I am looking to remove nylon that has adhered strongly to my build platform. Mechanical methods (ex. scraping) haven't yielded results, so I was hoping for a solvent or something that would remove the adhered nylon.</p> <p>Also, the parts themselves remove well enough, but some areas have a bit of nylon that simply persist.</p>

3809

How to remove adhered nylon from build platform?

<p>One important and missing aspect of your question is what is your build platform? Glass is likely to give you the best results, while aluminum has some risks, depending on your choice of solvents.</p> <p>My hasty research at first showed Glacial Acetic Acid to be a candidate, but as a very strong acid, it will require some care in use.</p> <p>I found a <a href="http://rfelektronik.se/manuals/Datasheets/solventguide.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">pdf document</a> with a comprehensive chart of possible solvents for nylon. The above noted solvent (100% acetic acid) lists with an Unsatisfactory result. I read this at first as being unsatisfactory for dissolving, but the correct interpretation is that nylon is unsatisfactory for being resistant to this solvent. Additional notes show nylon will dissolve in this solvent. I have a bottle of white vinegar (acetic acid) but the panel reads as five percent concentration, almost certainly ineffective for your purposes.</p> <p>There are other solvents listed as unsatisfactory, which points them in the right direction for your purposes. A couple of them are in the chlorine family and no reference is made regarding concentration. Chlorine of even weak concentration will attack aluminum very quickly.</p> <p>Despite the weak concentration of the white vinegar, I've dropped a segment of 3 mm nylon to see what happens overnight and may report via an edit here later.</p>

2017-04-01T18:54:27.047

|pla|

<p>Lately I'm having some issues with white PLA.</p> <p>It sticks nicely to the print bed, but the very last layer of the print comes out really ugly.</p> <p>I'm not a native english speaker, I don't know what is the proper term to describe what I see, so I'm attaching two pictures instead:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4A8Gn.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4A8Gn.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/76KNF.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/76KNF.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>As you can see, the surface has wrinkles. If you touch it, it feels like a <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ab7vc.jpg" rel="noreferrer">jaggled surface</a>. What is causing this? I've never had this kind of issue before with the same PLA roll, what can be the issue?</p> <p>I have a prusa-style printer, 45°C printbed, 225°C hotend, 10% hexagonal infill, 30mm/s print speed. The object stays on the surface without warping, I can tell for sure that it isn't detaching from the bed and coming up towards the extruder.</p> <p>It happens only for infill, perimeters are just perfect.</p> <p>What can be the issue here?</p>

3814

Why 3d print has an ugly surface?

<p>This looks like the air trapped inside the print is expanding, causing wavy surfaces. This can be solved by lowering nozzle temperatures, and turning on the fan.</p>

2017-04-03T14:15:28.790

|heated-bed|

<p>I'm replacing my standard MK3 Aluminium printing bed with a custom sized bed paired with a silicone heater. I came across a few on Amazon and they all have grades such as 6061, 3003, 5052 etc. I know these mean the composition of the Al alloy and their end purpose but I'm not sure what they mean in terms of being used for a 3D printer. Can anyone here advise me on this?</p>

3820

What kind of aluminium grade for a heated 3D printer bed?

<p>Various grades and alloys of aluminum will have characteristics related to ease of welding, resistance to corrosion, malleability, and other aspects. For a heated bed on a 3D printer, you'd really want to have something resistant to warping and something that can be assured to be planar across the surface, that is, flat.</p> <p>The terminology you'd want to use for your search is "MIC 6 Cast Aluminum Tooling Plate" and the results are many.</p> <p>From a rather <a href="https://www.arconic.com/global/en/products/product.asp?prod_id=619" rel="noreferrer">comprehensive web site</a>:</p> <p>Flatness tolerance is maintained within .015" on 1/4"-5/8" thickness and .005" on 3/4"- 4" thickness. Thermal Cycling can be performed up to 800° F under controlled conditions.</p> <p>You would want to confirm from the seller that the surface has been prepared, as some sites appear to sell un-finished tooling plate, but I've not been able to clarify that. Most appear to provide either no specifications regarding flatness or give a figure such as that above. </p>

2017-04-04T03:13:47.447

|print-quality|3d-models|3d-design|ultimaker-cura|101-hero|

<p>I am facing a problem with my 3D print. Whenever I am printing any object, the print from the top is shifting to the right hand side - it is symmetric at the bottom but not at the top. </p> <p>Checkout the photo below:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uocCD.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uocCD.jpg" alt="101hero print"></a></p>

3823

101Hero 3D Printer - Printed object is tilted

<p>Make sure you are using cura 15.02.1, also download the configuration file from the 101hero website, and upload it to cura using the" open profile" button. Make sure your extruder temp is set to 198. I use a 113% flow rate on my 101hero.</p>

2017-04-04T16:42:23.250

|extruder|delta|

<p>I've never gotten a 3D printer, nor do I know very much about them, but I'm thinking of buying a delta 3D printer kit for around $450. When I looked online of some disadvantages of Delta printers I found that they typically don't have Bowden extruders. I'm wondering what are the advantages of a Bowden extruder and should I spend more money in a 3D printer just to get one.</p>

3826

Delta 3D printer extruder?

<p>The only advantage of Bowden extruder is a reduced mass of moving parts attached to the effector.</p> <p>All other differences from direct extruder are to the Bowden's disadvantages. Generally speaking, Bowden-type extruder has much worse control of filament extrusion than direct one.</p> <p>Since most of the modern consumer-grade printers suffer from low rigidity, reducing mass seems as a good trade-off to the printers' manufacturers.</p> <p>Unfortunately, for the Delta printers trading speed for quality may not be so effective. Delta construction is used with the only goal to achieve highest possible speed of printing. As a contrary, Bowden extruder becomes less precise with the speed increase. This makes it unreasonable to increase print speed at some point when printing quality degrades below acceptable.</p> <p>As a result, at this moment of time, Delta printers with Bowden extruder is a clear sign of under-performing device.</p> <p>To answer your question: there is no reason to pay extra for the Delta printer with Bowden extruder, although I doubt that a printer with similar characteristics and a direct extruder would be cheaper.</p>

2017-04-10T13:07:30.243

|mechanics|

<p><em>First of all I apologize if this stack exchange site isn't the proper spot for CNC questions but I do not see any other ones that are close. If the community feels this is too far off topic then just let me know and I will remove this question. Even though this is for a CNC machine, the same issue could exist for a 3D printer. I do know this is very specific to the TAIG CNC.</em></p> <p>Currently I have the TAIG CNC machine. Recently it has been getting bound when going up in the positive Z direction. It will go down no problem but when going up, at certain points the motor will make a high pitch noise like it normally does when it hits a Z extreme. At these points if I manually try to crank (with the controller off) it is very hard to move up. This indicates that it is a mechanical problem. </p> <p>I took apart the Z axis and understand that there is a jib inside. I do understand how the jib works, tightening and loosening the top and bottom screws to move the wedge. I have tried with the wedge all the way up (biggest gap) and all the way down, along with in between in small increments. It will go up when the jib is all the way up but if I press down with my hand barely then it gets bound so I am thinking it is something other than the jib? I am not sure which other parts I can adjust or would get stuck. I did follow the directions on youtube of setting the brass insert that is attached to the threaded rod, where I tightened it to the point of where the motor couldn't move and then backed off a little bit. Has anyone had binding troubles like this?</p> <p>I am a pretty new member on this forum so I apologize if I missed anything but feel free to ask any questions too.</p>

3837

TAIG CNC - Z axis getting bound

<p>So inside the Z axis is a brass component that is connected to the threaded rod (lead screw). This brass component has 3 screws and depending how tight / loose, determines how much it will bind up. You of course don't want it too loose otherwise the enclosure will "jump" off of the track at times. In my case, the two screws were too tight. The way I determined how tight to go was taking the entire Z track off of the back, tightening both screws just to the point of binding and then backing off 1/2 turn on both.</p>

2017-04-10T19:01:24.930

|heated-bed|ultimaker-3|

<p>Why does the Ultimaker 3D Printer has a Heater + Heater transfer plate (aluminium) + Glass?</p> <p>I wonder why a glass plate, and if is possible to remove the glass and print directly in the aluminium plate adjusting the heating.</p> <p><a href="https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Link to the ultimaker</a>.</p> <p>Pictures:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hBsTd.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hBsTd.jpg" alt="Ultimaker view"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uf2vc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uf2vc.jpg" alt="PCB Heater view"></a></p>

3838

Why does the Ultimaker 3D Printer has a Heater + Heater transfer plate (aluminium) + Glass?

<p>According to <a href="http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-d_429.html" rel="noreferrer">this page</a>, heat transfers more evenly across an aluminum build plate than with just glass. But as Kevin pointed PLA adheres better to glass because it doesn't flex as much as aluminum under heat.</p> <p>The link above shows that aluminum has a much higher thermal conductivity at 205 ^{(<a href="http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/conductive-heat-transfer-d_428.html" rel="noreferrer">W/(mK)</a>)} vs glass at 105 ^(W/(mK)) at 25 &deg;C ^{(77 &deg;F)}.</p> <p>Because of this conductivity difference, you may find that it takes longer to heat the glass plate, but it should heat more evenly.</p>

2017-04-11T10:05:07.007

|extruder|fdm|extrusion|extruder-driver|

<p>I'm considering removing the driver motor from the extruder assembly, and placing it on a stationary mount point instead, and then using a flex-shaft type connector from the motor to the extruder assembly to actually drive the extruder. The motivation for this change is to reduce the overall weight of the extruder driver and hot end assembly, allowing for quicker movement of the carriage on it's associated axis(one of X,Y).</p> <p>Would it be better to run a pair of drivers (one for each direction) to manage reversing the filament pressure or would it be better to use just one driver and reverse the motor as usual?</p>

3841

Weight Reducing Design Change for Extruder Driver

<p>Very cool idea, </p> <p>One motor would definitely be more than capable of producing the required torques even through a flexshaft connector. For any normal sized 3D-printer the torques required, and the speeds you'll need for rapid response are well within the capabilities of any off-the-shelf stepper motor. </p> <p>Just a note on the idea though, with a normal, 'rigid', connection there is essentially no winding or unwinding, and only the backlash between the gears and the filament to consider, and that is effectively zero. With a flex-shaft though, the stack-up of twists and flexing will be much greater. The system will require more rotations at the source to effect the same amount of torque at the end effector as the flex shaft flexes and bends under the load. For tiny torques with short flex shafts, this wont be an issue as filament pressure is pretty minimal. But if you scale up this project or start working at much higher speeds, you may run into some issues with this design. </p> <p>I have no idea how big or fast you'd need to be working at for this to begin to become a problem. I'm imagining pretty big though. Just something you might want to keep in mind if you try turning this into a huge, super fast 3D-printer.</p>

2017-04-11T10:41:05.527

|stepper|servo|

<p>In a discussion about motors with a friend who used to work in the robotics industry, he told me that he despised stepper motor systems, as every stepper based system he had worked on required a bunch of hacky software fixes to make the system perform to the required level.</p> <p>He said that servo motor based systems had their own foibles, but at least they could generally be tuned out and you always knew that if the encoder said you were in a given place then you would be (to within the constraints of the backlash compensation).</p> <p>Because of this, I was wondering if there were any options for using brushless DC motors + encoders + drive electronics instead of steppers + drive electronics. </p>

3842

Reprap variants with servo motors rather than stepper motors?

<p>You can get "stepper replacement" servo drives that supposedly put all the needed control in the drive, and accept ordinary stepper inputs. Those should make the servo-drive a "drop-in" option on anything that uses stepper drives.</p> <p>That said, I've seen an affordable CNC router system based on steppers turned into a much more expensive system based on servos, and I still have the "obsolete" stepper version, as the servo based system is MUCH more expensive and I could not keep up with the "upgrades" and never would have bought it at the price it now goes for. I'm in fact considering changing that to a reprap control system (still as a router, not as a printer, as I currently think.)</p> <p>Given some practical limits to printhead speed in additive 3D printing based on the material solidifying, there may not be a lot of benefit in the considerable added expense of servos. They can move faster, but how much of that will translate to actually printing faster? How fast can you melt and pump plastic and have it stay where you put it?</p>

2017-04-13T14:23:07.440

|print-material|material|outdoors|

<p>The backstory: I'm installing a pigeon net in my home. Because of the shape of the opening I'm installing the net in and the material on the sides it's difficult to anchor the net using the normal means but I can print clips that will hold the net in place.</p> <p>The clips will be outside and will be exposed to the weather and direct sunlight, the weather here is relatively hot (up to 30C) with a lot of sun most of the year and rain in the winter.</p> <p>I only have PLA, ABS and PETG available, anything else will take too long to arrive.</p> <p>I don't care about the parts changing color and mostly I don't care about them deforming a little bit - only about breaking.</p> <p>If the parts have to be replaced after a year I'm ok with it, less then that will be annoying, longer will be better.</p> <p>So, under those conditions, which of the 3 materials is more durable?</p>

3853

Which is more durable to sunlight/weather - PLA, ABS or PETG

<p>I might be late to the party, but I have a suggestion. Why not use ASA filament, it's the kind of plastic used in car cup holders, lawn rakes and sprinkler heads, it is both heat and cold resistant, as well as solar stable and weatherproof. As far as printing with it it is similar to printing in ABS as far as I am aware, I might be wrong though. I personally am surprised how often this kind of question pops up and literally No One mentions ASA filament. I think I might buy some because I like the idea of printing something that can be left outside.</p>

2017-04-13T14:41:27.853

|filament|print-quality|nozzle|

<p>I know that for printing some materials like the carbon-fiber filled PLA it's recommenced to use a steel nozzle since it'll wear-out a standard brass nozzle quickly. Is there any reason to prefer using a brass nozzle for 'simple' plastic-only filaments instead of just printing everything with steel?</p>

3854

Is there any reason *not* to use a steel nozzle for printing all materials?

<p>Thermal conductivity of brass is approximately twice as better than steel (not stainless). Given that the size of nozzle is relatively small, it should be able to transfer enough heat for a medium-speed prints at least. I have printed PLA and ABS using &quot;steel&quot; nozzle (brand of steel unknown) at the speed around 80 mm/s without any visible differences compared to brass.</p> <p>However, an ideal nozzle (I see) is made of tempered bronze with polished inner channels. Bronze is known to have better friction coefficient and tempered one should be enough to resist carbon-type filaments more efficiently.</p>

2017-04-15T19:48:06.630

|3d-models|3d-design|print-strength|

<p>I'm looking for some advice, rules of thumb, or models for how to design parts for layer bonding strength.</p> <p>As an example part, lets assume a circular beam in bending (tall cylinder). Depending on how the part is setup on the build platform (tube axis aligned parallel to Z, or setup to lay in the X-Y plane) the layers and internal structure will then be different depending on the orientation chosen at the time of building. Does/has anyone done any investigation to what roles these factors will play on simple shapes like a solid cylinder?</p> <p>Ideally, with a CNC'd, injection molded part the total strength of a solid part is quite easy to model (mathematically) for strength and flexibility. However, with a 3D printed part the orientation makes the isotropic material properties effectively anisotropic, as layers don't bond perfectly, different cooling rates, and a host of other reasons. </p> <p>Ideally I'd love to find a 'simplified' model that can be applied to hand-calculations to come up with rough approximations to part strength and bending. My guess is that these parts would be modeled something similar to an ABD matrix, similar to composite materials, but that's just a guess.</p>

3861

FDM layer bonding strength

<p>I have not been able to find a simple model for FDM part strength. FDM parts are pretty complicated as they have a LOT more things that affect their strength than just layer adhesion. Since any "solid" part will have infill, the part can't really be modeled as a laminant. There are so many settings you can play with in the slicer that effects part strength, the model would have to have tens (if not hundreds) of parameters. Also, you would likely have to establish them for your own printer since lots of things can affect them (like room temp, ventilation, humidity, material, material storage, ...)</p> <p>One empirical example discussing the affects of FDM choices on part strength is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqRbSkX5IJk" rel="nofollow noreferrer">video</a> done by Angus at Marker's Muse. In the video he discussed how orientation and wall thickness affects strength. Angus is not a math/ME guy (by his own admission). FEA or other modeling would not be his approach; but, you can get some insight from his experience.</p> <p>On the modeling front, I have seen one company that did create an FEA model to test whether their product would be strong enough if they produced it using FDM. Here is the <a href="http://my3dmatter.com/fea-for-fdm-3d-printing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">publication</a> they wrote showing their analysis approach. It will give you some insight on how they approached what I think you want to do. </p> <p>Note: They do offer a <a href="http://my3dmatter.com/optimatter/fea-order/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">service</a> where you can pay to have your part analyzed for a considerable amount of money. I have no idea how much money; but, based on jobs I have quoted in the past, I would expect it would be a least a few hundreds dollars.</p> <p>As for me, I really enjoy basing my decisions on models and understanding how a part/process works. In this case; however, an empirical/experimental approach might be more cost effective. If you really want to take an analytical approach (and have the time to spend doing it), I would recommend choosing several key parameters and run an analysis using <a href="https://www.isixsigma.com/tools-templates/design-of-experiments-doe/design-experiments-%E2%90%93-primer/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DOE</a> (Design of Experiments).</p> <p>If you come up with something, I would love to see it posted here.</p> <p>Good luck and happy printing.</p>

2017-04-16T15:19:56.283

|2d|openscad|

<p>The overall goal is to create a print of the liberty bell. No clapper is needed. The support beam is not needed. I am just looking to mimic the outside shape of the bell. After an application of Google-fu I found this image. It has been cleaned up and cropped a bit.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTg2W.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/HTg2W.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>In OpenScad the surface function was applied to the png to generate a height model. I subtracted out a few cubes, and eventually got it down to a layer of about .1 height.</p> <p>My Evil (pun intended) plan is to get it down to a 2d model. Then by shifting a copy of model from itself, and subtracting the two. That should leave just the curve. Then rotate_extrude the curve to generate the actual bell at the desired thickness.</p> <p>I see the problem coming. If the model is layered down to zero height it will vanish. Leaving me nothing to rotate.</p> <p>So on to the question.</p> <p><strong>Is there any tool or technique to turn the image into a 2d openscad object or failing that is there another way to approach the problem?</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0joh6.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0joh6.jpg" alt=""></a> </p> <p>The direction that fred pointed me at is viable. I didn't use the actual image shown here, but a manually generated one from OpenScad. As a proof of concept the technique works well.</p>

3863

Is there a technique for turning an image into a 2d model?

<p>You could have done that with OpenSCAD, there are instructions for extruding. </p> <p>Personally, I'd just do a 1 altitude copy with <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1981938" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Image 2 STL 2 Heightmap Mesh Converter Generator</a>, then rotate in OpenSCAD. It's called <code>rotate_extrude()</code> and is used for seashells.</p> <p>In MeshLab you can use <em>Laplacian Smooth</em> to depixelate/antialias it.</p>

2017-04-17T15:16:58.367

|slic3r|

<p>What does the pink color in Slic3r preview mean? Yellow is my model, green is support, and pink is..?</p> <p>If the pink color is some kind of warning, how do I fix it?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2PIRU.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2PIRU.jpg" alt="Illustration from preview"></a></p>

3874

What do the pink colors in Slic3r preview signify? If it signifies a problem, how do I fix it?

<p>In slic3r preview, salmon (pink) represents infill, yellow represents perimeters, and green represents support material, including skirt and brim.</p>

2017-04-18T23:28:24.900

|3d-design|print-strength|

<p>I apologize if this is in the wrong section, but it seems relevant.</p> <p>I am an absolute noob at 3D printing, but recently my need for a specific, small part intersected with access to a 3D printer at work (Zortrax M200), so I figured now was a good opportunity to get into printing.</p> <p>I am designing a clamp for smaller can capacitors that will hold them upright from a mounting surface. I would like the capacitors to snap into the clamp, but I am struggling to find information on how wide the opening to the clamp should be. It clearly needs to be smaller than the diameter of the clamp, but I'm not sure how much smaller it can be without snapping the clamp arms.</p> <p>Is there a rule of thumb or general guideline for this type of geometry? I am using Z-ULTRAT, which is some proprietary filament made by Zortrax. It seems to be similar to ABS in terms of strength properties, but stiffer.</p> <p>I don't have an image at the moment, but I can provide one tomorrow when I have access to the part files. The best analog I can think of is a LEGO figure's hands.</p> <p>Thanks.</p> <p>Edit: Per requests for additional information:</p> <ul> <li><p>I am not sure what is considered a "thin" wall; currently, the clamp walls are 2mm thick at the thinnest point (where the push-in opening is).</p></li> <li><p>I would like the walls to be just flexible enough to allow the cap to be seated without breaking - it is more critical that the cap is not loose in the socket.</p></li> <li><p>The clamp is not going to be subject to repeated stress cycles - by the time the cap needs replacing, it's likely I'll need to print a new clamp as well.</p></li> <li><p>With my estimations for cooling, I do not expect the clamp to see temperatures above 100C.</p></li> </ul> <p>Edit 2:</p> <p>Based on the link in the comments below, I came up with the following design: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vJ0A.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6vJ0A.png" alt="Clamp"></a></p> <p>The little nubbins in the back fit into the "neck" at the bottom of the capacitor to provide some positive lock. 220 degrees of surround with 4mm thick arms - I think this should work.</p>

3884

Snap-in clamp geometry

<p>Based on the links and insights provided, I was able to adjust my design to that shown in Edit 2. I opted to instead have it professionally printed via Sculpteo for a very reasonable price, and can say that the design works as intended.</p>

2017-04-19T13:05:37.113

|abs|

<p>I am creating a 3D printed part which will act as an attachment between a plate (actually a strain gauge) with two M2.5 bolts and a 2kg load with a single M4 bolt. I wouldn't be happy with tapping a screw thread into the print itself so I want to try embedding the nuts into the print itself - so I'll pause the print at the right layer and then insert the nut and, hopefully, the print will resume.</p> <p>I'm wondering is it worth also including washers? It's a major pain because, while a nut can be captive in a hex space, a washer is circular. So it needs to be glued down on insertion in case it rotates while the printer is printing on top of it.</p> <p>For a 2kg load I don't believe the nut will attempt to pull through the part but there isn't a whole lot of support between the bore hole and the edge of an M2.5 nut though, only about 1mm.</p> <p>Edit: I'll add an image of my initial design. The strain gauge is one of a set pulled out of a weighing scales (from Lidl, €5.99. You can buy each separately on the internet for 20 euro, so I saved 74 euro!). The gauge itself is mounted on the narrow "neck" of the gauge. The whole block will drop into a holder that grabs the outer edge of the gauge.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bdelf.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bdelf.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

3886

Embedding nuts and washers into print

<p>I've had good luck with just leaving a hex-shaped hole in the print, and press-fitting in the nut afterwards. You'll want the axis of the bolt to be along the z-axis, and to use a fair amount of infill and shells. I usually use PLA, so YMMV slightly.</p> <p>You may also want to consider your strain gauge setup carefully. If you're doing something like making a hook out of the ABS and the plate is acting as a lever arm, you need to make sure the lever arm length is the same every time, or your calibration will be wrong.</p>

2017-04-19T13:36:54.377

|filament|quality|warping|

<p>I had this idea for bulky parts for just printing the shell (PLA) then pouring in some kind of filler in to make up the bulk/strength.</p> <p>Printing bulk .2mm at a time line by line is slow and subject to warping!</p> <p>So I though precision print a shell and fill it with 'something' - has this been done by anyone? What is a good something to use?</p> <p>Yours hopefully!</p>

3887

Printing shells and pouring filler

<p>I've looked into doing something similar to this before and love the idea, never had the chance to follow through on it yet. This is sort of a hybrid method between cast molding and 3D printing. </p> <p>The accepted answer to a question I had a while back had some very good points by fred_dot_u</p> <p><a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3720/post-processing-fdm-for-strengrh">Post processing FDM for strengrh</a></p> <p>Short version, Epoxy is a good option but you may have to consider heat generated from it. Urethane is another really good option (cast urethane is a pretty standard process). Chem-Eng isn't my area of expertise but there is a huge range of material options out there that can be mixed as two parts. I think there are enough options out there right now that you can choose your material properties you need and then select the material from there.</p> <p>You could also consider going the chopped-fiber composite route. (carbon, glass, etc) and then combine with whatever the appropriate resin is for those materials. </p> <p>I see the most difficult part of this is getting the shells to print properly. When I had looked into doing this, I considered modeling my part then hollowing it out completely. Then going back into the hollow part and designing in minimal internal structures for the purpose of supporting the thin-walled shell model. Printing that, and then drilling and filling the part after the fact. This approach I see as being a good option however the location of the drill points would be critical otherwise you could get voids as your fill material is injected in. And, the additional modeling time wouldn't be insignificant, however the saving I expected would come from having a ridiculously strong part, with complex geometry and be significantly cheaper than even a cast-urethane part.</p> <p>If you get some good results, please post a link to them! This is a huge interest of mine!</p>

2017-04-19T15:29:40.200

|filament|prusa-i3|

<p>So when my Prusa I3 is heating up, a small bit of filament is coming out of the nozzle, forming a small string at.</p> <p>When the printing starts, this results in a small plastic ball on the bed, impacting the overall printing process.</p> <p>How can I avoid this?</p>

3889

How can I avoid that a small bit of filament sticks out of the nozzle during heating?

<p>I just go and pull it off the print head with pliers when it's about to start and sometimes shortly after it starts printing, but its probably not the safest way to deal with the problem. Printing a skirt, brim, or raft should help to fix the problem.</p>

2017-04-21T14:31:08.510

|diy-3d-printer|

<p>I changed my original HICTOP controller for one which actually has some fuses.</p> <p>I tried to print a part last night - the resultant print looks significantly bigger.</p> <p>Do you need to recalibrate the stepper per unit after you've changed your controller?</p>

3900

Parts printing out bigger after changing controller

<p>A quick search for your specific controller brought up the following link: <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/HICTOP_Prusa_i3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">hictop wiki page</a> in which a reference is made that some printers were shipped with incorrect firmware, specifically in error by a factor of six. If your prints are about six times larger, this may apply to you. The same page contains a link to the firmware.</p> <p>You should also be able to "look inside" the firmware using any number of programs providing terminal access to the controller. Pronterface is one, Simplify3D (not free) is another. I'm fond of using OctoPrint, but it requires some "gymnastics" to install.</p> <p>Once you've installed your selected software, open the terminal feature and type M503 to display the current settings. You may have to turn off some automatic terminal display features, as some controllers will repeatedly send data to the screen, causing inconvenient scrolling.</p> <p>I attempted to locate the correct code sequence for your printer, with limited success. Consider to scan over the wiki page for the appropriate information and correlate it to your specific controller and printer: <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Firmware reprap codes</a></p> <p>You'd want to confirm a specific M-code to change the stepper figure to match that which is for your printer. I've done my extruder steppers recently, which is M92 for my controller. My quick scan of the codes in the above link shows M350 might be the one for you, but don't take my word on it, get a confirmation from another source specific to your printer.</p>

2017-04-21T21:01:33.690

|monoprice-select-mini|

<p>What are the "magic numbers" people refer to regarding print resolution on the Monoprice Select Mini?</p>

3904

What are the "magic numbers" on a Monoprice Select Mini?

<p>This is an issue with homing. It is not synced to the stepper motor so it may occur on something other than a full or half or even quarter step. That said, it always does this so moving up from there, the first little bit may be off but I would expect once the motor runs freely, the error will go away. Also keep in mind with microstepping, you can have 1/16 or 1/32 steps as well. Using the magic number ensures the new position you request is within the limits of the stepper/controller to reach. Its like rounding numbers. if you don't, as you increment, the numbers will always be consistant. If you round, the numbers will dither around. At least thats my $45 (inflation) and stickin to it. Good luck everyone and have fun.</p>

2017-04-23T17:10:04.950

|print-quality|file-formats|

<p>I've done <em>some</em> research on this matter however I cannot find any clear answers. </p> <p>How does a SolidWorks CAD file get 'converted' into a file format suitable for 3D printing, in detail?</p>

3909

How does a SolidWorks file get converted to be 3D printed?

<p>Any and all CAD files can be converted to STL (Standard Triangle Language). In this file format, surfaces are parsed to be combinations of triangles. For example a flat rectangular surface gets represented as two triangles in the same plane. </p> <p>As the complexity of the solid increases more triangles are required to adequately approximate the surface. Flat surfaced models are simpler to convert and will have smaller file sizes whereas curved solids will be more complex and larger file sizes (for the most part). The dimensions of your part do not translate to the STL file technically. The STL version of your part is based on unit vectors and a scaling factor is included in the file. So none of the vertices of the STL file are dimensioned, but the file is then scaled appropriately when opened.</p> <p>If you think of something as simple as a large diameter cylinder, you would need a relatively large number of triangles to approximate the curved surface. With a low number of triangles the curved surface would come out quite blocky, however increasing the resolution and the number of triangles used the blocky surfaces begin to approximate a curved surface. In theory if you had infinite resolution your curved surface would be exactly represented. The resolution of the file is something that you can choose when you save the file in STL format. The higher the resolution the more triangles will be required and the file size will also increase. </p> <p>The specific algorithm on how to complete this task will be proprietary to each CAD software, however if you're just curious on the math involved or the general process of converting them, I did a quick google search for "STL format algorithm" and found several useful links on the first page that could be useful. </p> <p>Here are a few links to a few sites with good information:</p> <ul> <li><p>The TL;DR version: <a href="https://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/academic/class/15294-s15/lectures/stl/stl.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">15-294 Rapid Prototyping Technologies: STL Files and Slicing Software</a>;</p></li> <li><p>A Published paper on the algorithm: <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Okan_Topcu2/publication/259843304_A_method_for_slicing_cad_models_in_binary_stl_format/links/0deec52fd258c68deb000000.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A method for slicing cad models in binary stl format</a>, and;</p></li> <li><p>A rehash of what I wrote above: <a href="https://all3dp.com/what-is-stl-file-format-extension-3d-printing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">STL File Format for 3D Printing – Explained in Simple Terms</a>.</p></li> </ul>

2017-04-23T17:30:35.137

|slic3r|support-structures|

<p>I'm having an issue where the first layer of my support structures isn't sticking on the edges and causing the print to (eventually) fail. Any ideas on how I can fix it?</p> <p>I'm using Slic3r.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XD4AX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Photograph of first printed layer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XD4AX.jpg" alt="Photograph of first printed layer" title="Photograph of first printed layer"></a></p>

3910

Having trouble getting first layer support to stick

<p>I had a similar issue where slic3r generated supports that attach directly to the bed, but didn't put enough material around the thin supports on the first layer, so they didn't stick to the bed.</p> <p>To solve this I added a brim, see "skirt and brim" under "print settings". This puts more material around both the part and also the supports on the first layer.</p> <p>I didn't need the brim round the whole part as it was sticking to the bed just fine anyway, but this was the only way I could find to give the thin supports the wide base they need to stick to the bed. I used a 5mm brim, but I am sure it would work with less than this.</p>

2017-04-24T07:32:44.170

|diy-3d-printer|

<p>I've been using a 3D printer - Makerbot Replicator 2, since almost a year now. I'm quite good at operating and solving somewhat difficult problems with it. However I'm looking forward to build a 3D printer of my own, during the Summer break of 40 days. Where's the best way to look for a start (except for Instructables) and build it in my given time? And how should I proceed? Also what will be its approximate cost? </p> <p>PS: I don't know coding but I'm a really proficient designer and a good knowledge of electronics too. </p>

3913

Best way to start building a 3D printer of my own

<p>Building a printer isn't that difficult due to RepRap (meant for rapid prototyping) but there are many factors that decide the price, difficulty, and abilities of a custom build.</p> <p>Using a Melzi board (a glorified Arduino Mega with motor drivers) helps a great deal and Repetier firmware is built to integrate many different types of hardware so those take a lot out of the engineering part. While you might not have to learn C++ to configure the firmware, it helps a great deal. There are plenty of sites that walk you through everything.</p> <p>After that, lead screws, GT2 belts, steppers, sensors, extruder, wires and the frame can be found very reliably from dozens of sites online.</p> <p>Cartesian style printers are much easier to build than delta type printers. There are countless numbers of custom builds that people document and put online. Check out as many as you want and draw ideas and inspiration from what they do. Listen for problems and solutions.</p> <p>And one of the most important things: there is a difference between cheap and inexpensive. Make sure you understand that. You don't want to burn your house down just to save a few pennies.</p>

2017-04-24T12:35:13.747

|e3d-v6|makerbot-mk8|

<p>I have an MK8^Makerbot(?) extruder on my HICTOP branded printer. </p> <p>The problem with the E3D hotend is that the heatbreak is shorter and doesn't protrude through the top of the heatsink. Therefore I can't mount it to the motor mount.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/E8pbo.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/E8pbo.jpg" alt="Photograph of printhead"></a></p> <p>Any ideas?</p>

3915

E3D-v6 hotend on MK8 extruder

<p>For reference, I have the same printer and am speaking from my experiences.</p> <p>You have two routes you can take with this, but both are effectively the same result - you need to replace the X carriage.</p> <p>If you want to re-use your existing extruder components you can pull the MK8 extruder off the X carriage and use it as the extruder to drive a bowden configuration, then all you need is a length of PTFE tube and the couplers between the E3d and the MK8 to hold the tube. This is probably the best solution as it takes a lot of weight off of the X-carriage resulting in significantly better print quality, the only downside is that printing with flexible filaments is a <em>lot</em> more difficult with a bowden configuration, if you intended to do a lot of that.</p> <p>The other option (and the one I took) is to print an entire new x-carriage/extruder assembly. Because the Anet A8 is based off the Prusa and the Z/X carriage assemblies are <em>basically</em> the same as the original Prusa I3 you can just take any design for the Prusa and fit it onto the Anet, I did this with a gregs wade extruder &amp; E3D hotend mount I found on thingiverse.</p> <p>I didnt look too hard, but if you are adament on wanting to keep the MK8 extruder on the X-carriage and couple it direct-driven to the V6, you can probably find some x-carriage that lines the two up for this purpose (or you could even design one yourself if you are interested in doing so). I didn't look in to this route myself, so cannot give much guidance.</p>

2017-04-27T10:03:51.680

|surface|color|graphics|

<p>I have a 3D printed object that I'd like to print on. Adhesive stickers are an option, but as the surface is rounded it's difficult to get a good film to stick well. </p> <p>Is there any system to print on a 3D object (e.g. ink jet). I need at least 300dpi. Black in the first instance, but color would be nice for future projects. </p>

3955

Is there a way to print on a 3D printed surface?

<p>One option is to hire a painter to paint the image onto the surface. With a skilled painter, you could have a very photorealistic finish. Not sure if this would cost more or less than other routes.</p>

2017-04-28T18:30:24.857

|printer-building|diy-3d-printer|wilson|

<h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>How do I upscale a <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Wilson_TS#Wilson_II" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wilson II</a>? What lengths of aluminium¹ do I need in order to achieve a particular (increased/reduced) build volume?</p> <hr /> <p>The design of the Wilson II is scalable (source: <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Wilson_TS" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRapWiki - Category:Wilson</a>):</p> <blockquote> <p>...the design has a parametric build area, meaning it is relatively easy to scale the X, Y, and Z axis within reason.</p> </blockquote> <p>What does <em>parametric</em> mean exactly, in this scenario? How does one scale up from 200x300x200¹? Also, how would that affect the Repetier/Marlin firmware?</p> <p>Is it simply a matter of maintaining the ratios of the lengths of the X, Y and Z axes constant, or can the ratios be ignored? Is there a formula, or set of formulae, for this?</p> <p>Has anyone gone beyond the 200x300x200 build volume? I have seen the <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:891409" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Scalar M and XL series printers</a> (with the XL having a print volume of 400x300x300) which, while they are not based on the Wilson, also boast of scalability:</p> <blockquote> <p>Scalar Family 3D printers are &quot;scalable&quot; printers. Reviewing the idea of a reprap printer, a printer that can auto replicate and scale, we wanted to propose a 3D printer with plastic parts for you to print, and with a way to &quot;scale&quot; easily.</p> </blockquote> <p>Can one (within reason) arbitrarily section various (supersized) length for the three axes and then modify the firmware accordingly, or is there a set of rules which govern the relationship between the lengths of the three axes?</p> <hr /> <h3>A simplistic view</h3> <p>As an example, the lengths (in mm) of the 2020 aluminium corresponding to the build volume of 200x300x200 are 330, 500, 400 for the X, Y, and Z axes, respectively.</p> <p>Obviously, there are some constants to consider for the stepper housings, and idlers, for example. So, assuming that for X, Y and Z axes respectively, the constants are:</p> <ul> <li>330 - 200 = 130 mm</li> <li>500 - 300 = 200 mm</li> <li>400 - 200 = 200 mm</li> </ul> <p>If I wanted a build volume of, let's say, 400x500x300 (XYZ), would the new XYZ lengths of 2020 aluminium simply become (by adding the respective constants):</p> <ul> <li>400 + 130 = 530 mm</li> <li>500 + 200 = 700 mm</li> <li>300 + 200 = 500 mm</li> </ul> <p>or is there more to it than that?</p> <hr /> <p>¹ I appreciate that 3030, en lieu of 2020, extruded aluminium may be required to maintain rigidity for larger print volumes</p>

3965

For a larger build volume, what lengths of 2020 aluminium do I need?

<p>Long story short: ratios can be ignored. You only need to let your firmware know actual size, if it needs so. However, using <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio" rel="nofollow noreferrer">golden ratio</a> seems quite reasonable.</p> <p>When talking about rigidity, keeping it will become a real issue at some point and may not be always effectively resolved by merely changing 2020 to 3030. Using 4020 or double 2020 could be better solution to compensate the most common forces during printing.</p>

2017-04-30T13:12:33.240

|pla|abs|printer-building|diy-3d-printer|

<h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>Is ABS a better material to use for structural parts of a 3D printer, as opposed to PLA?</p> <hr /> <p>I have been looking at various suppliers of printed parts for a <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Wilson_TS#Wilson_II" rel="noreferrer">Wilson II</a>, on eBay.</p> <p><a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/252871697915" rel="noreferrer">One supplier</a> supplies all of the parts printed in ABS, whereas <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/182099145671" rel="noreferrer">another supplier</a> provides the structural parts, which form part of the frame, in PLA, and the remaining (non-structural) parts in ABS. The second supplier states the following:</p> <blockquote> <p>This kit is printed in two materials, the structural parts are printed on high-quality PLA to provide the necessary rigidity, and the others in premium ABS.</p> </blockquote> <p>MJRice, who developed the printer, also supplies <a href="https://www.tindie.com/products/mjrice/reprap-wilson-ii-plastic-parts-kit/" rel="noreferrer">the printed parts</a>, which are made of PLA.</p> <p>Is PLA really a better choice for structural components? A quick google lead me to <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/abs-vs-pla-3d-printing-materials-comparison/" rel="noreferrer">ABS or PLA: Which 3D printing filament should you use?</a></p> <blockquote> <p><strong>ABS is going to give your projects better structural integrity and will be more suited to mechanical use</strong> given the material can better withstand the elements, but it will also require specific types of printers and printing surfaces. On the flip side, PLA will give you more precise prints and better aesthetic quality, as well as more flexibility with printing conditions if you can do without the <strong>strength and resilience of ABS</strong>.</p> </blockquote> <p>Another link, <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/makerbot/JiPjCMt0-Bc" rel="noreferrer">What's stronger? PLA or ABS?</a>, also implies that ABS is stronger than PLA:</p> <blockquote> <p>The strongest ABS is stronger than the strongest PLA</p> </blockquote> <p>and</p> <blockquote> <p>ABS is much less brittle than PLA</p> </blockquote> <p>although warpage could be an issue...</p> <blockquote> <p>I choose ABS for it's strength over PLA. <em>I would love to avoid the warpage/shrinkage problems of ABS</em>.</p> </blockquote> <p>Heat seems to affect PLA more than ABS (obviously, due to the lower melting point),</p> <blockquote> <p>FWIW, I know a guy who had a reprap using PLA-printed parts. He was taking his machine around to do demos and he left it in the car mid-day once. It melted the parts enough that prints were coming out very poorly even after his best effort at recalibrating the machine.</p> </blockquote> <p>and as I am in Thailand, my room gets up to 50°C some days (it is unbearable), I wonder if that would be cause for concern?</p> <p>So, from the above nuggets of information, wouldn't ABS be a better choice? I am surely missing something, as both the second supplier, <em>and</em> MJRice, use PLA.</p>

3968

ABS or PLA for structural printed parts?

<p>Actually, Both PLA and ABS could use for structural parts. PLA has high strength and is brittleness. ABS has better thermal resistance and durable. <a href="https://ecoreprap.com/pla-vs-abs/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PLA and ABS</a> are the main types of 3D printing material, each has cons and pros.</p> <p>If you want to choose which type, you need to know the detailed application.</p>

2017-05-01T10:57:16.473

|prusa-i3|heated-bed|marlin|

<p>After I updated the firmware on my Prusa i3, the Bed won't switch off anymore. It worked perfectly before the update, but now, the moment I power up my printer, the LED on the bed turns on and it starts heating up. The manual control in Repetier Host doesn't turn if off or on and I even tried g-codes <code>M140 S0</code> as well as <code>M0</code>, but it does not switch it off.</p> <p><strong>Edit:</strong> I have an Arduino Mega2560 with a RAMPS shield. The Marlin firmware came pre-configured from the store I bought the kit from.</p>

3972

Bed won't switch off after Marlin firmware update

<p>This was actually a coincidental situation where I somehow damaged the RAMPS board around the same time I reloaded the firmware. Replaced the board and it works correctly now</p>

2017-05-03T14:23:30.573

|delta|

<p>So here <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/322/6853">How to achieve dimensional accuracy of printed parts</a> the Cartesian printer approach to accurate sizing is covered. And deltas get a footnote of <em>being a whole other ball of wax</em> - so let's look at that wax ball.</p> <p>I'm currently resurrecting, or erecting, depending how one looks at it, a poorly documented Chinese printer (purchased in China by a Chinese student and abandoned in the US after graduation) that appears to be based off a Rostock mini. Z 204mm, X Y 100mm radius or 200 mm diameter, Bowden tube.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gt12P.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gt12P.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>It appears to be equipped with an absurdly small nozzle (lacking a good way to check that precisely yet, feeding suggests possibly 0.1mm, and no, the vertical resolution is not nearly enough to make that in any way reasonable), which is obviously fixable if the rest of it can be made to work. </p> <p>Yesterday we got it to the point of (very tediously with tiny nozzle) spitting out a test cube, which was 17 by 17 by 20 mm - undersized in XY, accurate in Z. The last bit makes me pretty sure the steps/mm are right on the steppers, but obviously something is off in the geometry (measured, no documentation for this exact printer can be found, at least by non-Chinese-speaking/reading me - it being utterly un-branded does not help.)</p> <p>A second test cube was produced with scaling set to 20/17 (1.176) in the XY directions, and that seems to be accurate at least to non-precision measurements. I'm now contemplating "what likely needs tweaked, and in what direction" for the delta geometry - I'd say the rod eye-to-eye measurement (85mm, IIRC) is fairly decent, the offset from rod mount at carriage to rod center is not too terrible, and I have low confidence in the rod mount at printhead to nozzle - so that's the one I suspect most.</p> <p>tl, dr:<strong>But I lack an intuitive understanding of how each of those parameters (offset at carriage, offset at printhead, and arm length) would affect the printed size.</strong> I'll come back and edit in what we currently think each is. Rather than depending on scaling in the slicer I'd like to seek the "right numbers" but when at the limits of available measurement precision, having an idea how and in what direction incorrect offsets or arm length affect the print size would be good, rather than just blindly changing numbers and hoping.</p> <p><em>I also have some other "print quality" issues and a bed leveling issue which will be other questions when I can sort that out.</em></p>

3983

Scaling/size issues in delta printers

<p>Issues in X-Y size on a Delta are usually the result of an incorrect diagonal rod value in the firmware. This should be easy to fix assuming the rods were built together. </p> <p>The formula for this is (20 in this case is your test print X-Y):</p> <p><code>New DELTA_DIAGONAL_ROD = 20 / measured_length * Original DELTA_DIAGONAL_ROD</code></p> <p>I found this information (<a href="http://minow.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>), this site also has more information on setting the radius and other delta specific issues.</p> <p>If you encounter issues with the size of the rods you should build new ones using a jig. There are several (<a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:617081" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here's one</a>) I found on Thingiverse but they require printed parts and they do all the rods horizontally which I think would be tough to keep equal. I would use something similar to this picture but with a longer rod/bolt so you can fit all rods on the same time. When I did my Kossel Mini I used a piece of the extrusion with bolts coming off of it to keep the rods consistent.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmcmc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zmcmc.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>For the other issues you mention you should open another question specific to each issue.</p>

2017-05-03T23:03:52.200

|hardware|replacement-parts|life-expectancy|

<p>I've been using a printer for several years now and I've never replaced any of my extruder hardware (nozzles, steppers, gears etc.). I was wondering how long you should expect your extruder hardware to last? Is it indefinite, or are there normal life expectancies on them?</p> <p>Also, what signs should you look for, in your prints, that would suggest that your nozzle is starting to wear out? </p> <p>I'm more interested in the parts that contact your filament directly - I'm painfully familiar with replacing gantry parts (X-Y belts and pulleys).</p>

3985

How long is an extruder's/nozzle's life?

<p><em>This is highly dependent upon the type and quality of filament you use.</em></p> <p><strong><em>Exotic</em></strong> materials such as wood, metalic, or otherwise infused plastics can potentially wear out the inside of the nozzle and at the very least leave deposits of composite material in the nozzle. This can lead to more frequent or irreversible clogs. You may also notice your prints becoming "stringy-er" (sorry for lack of vocabulary at the moment) as the volume of your nozzle reduces with more deposits sitting in the basin of the nozzle, therefore leading to lighter extrusions against what your slicer is expecting.</p> <p>Lower quality materials (common ABS/PLA) can also have an effect on your nozzles life span. So can good quality filament, don't get me wrong. However, lower quality materials have a tendency to go through much more drastic material changes during the printing process than better quality filaments. For instance, a lower quality PLA may not be 100% PLA. It could have 10% Nylon, 5% ABS, 0.1% operator's BandAid, and 83% PLA. Well, the 17% of the filament that isn't PLA has the potential to clog the nozzle just as easily as the <em>exotic</em> filaments. This is why it's so important to verify the quality of your source of filaments.</p> <p>Some signs that your nozzle may be wearing:</p> <ul> <li>It simply clogs more frequently</li> <li>The printed part looks "stringy" or "bubbly". The "stringy" effect is that the extruder is not extruding at a fast enough rate for the speed of the motion, which is common if your extruder is about to clog, your filament is crappy quality, or your slicing settings are invalid for your machine. The "bubbly" effect can be from an overheated extruder or another sign that your nozzle is about clogged.</li> <li>Your filament begins curling around the nozzle as it initially comes out. Typically there is a burr or something that catches the filament on its way out that you can simply take a small file to grind it off, but sometimes it may be because there is the build-up of deposits towards one side of the basin.</li> </ul>

2017-05-03T23:59:04.813

|prusa-i3|mechanics|p3steel|

<p>I'm building a new printer after having an Anet A8 for about two months and getting a feel for what I want. I'm planning to buy a P3Steel frame; but can't decide which version to get. </p> <p>There are one or two prints I would like to make that are larger than 20&nbsp;cm in length; but I could always do these in multiple pieces. </p> <p>What I'm wondering is how serious are the trade-offs I would be making for a larger bed? I would think I would need thicker linear rods for the 510&nbsp;mm length y-axis; and the bed would also have a large amount of inertia so that could slow down printing. Does anyone have any experience with this size bed in a moving y-carriage scenario? Also how thick of rods should I get? Orballo printing is saying 8&nbsp;mm is fine but the research I've done implies that you shouldn't really go over 200-250&nbsp;mm unsupported for that width. </p>

3986

P3Steel v4 w/ 20x30 cm bed, or 2.5.1 w/ 20x20

<p>Go for the P3Steel v4 (20x30). The extra print area is worth it. There is a Polish supplier, <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/printo3d" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Printo3D</a>, on eBay that has the cheapest frame, and parts - cheaper than the Spanish supplier. That is where I got mine from. See <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frame-Prusa-I3-P3Steel-v-4-0-300mm-x-200-mm/182550025648" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Frame Prusa I3 P3Steel v 4.0, 300mm x 200 mm</a>, which costs around £80.</p> <p>This kit uses 10 mm smooth rods for the Y axis:</p> <blockquote> <p>Smooth stainless steel rods:</p> <ul> <li>2x Ø8x385 mm for X-Axis</li> <li>2x Ø8x320 mm for Z-Axis</li> <li>2x Ø10x520 mm for Y-Axis</li> </ul> <p>Threaded stainless steel rods:</p> <ul> <li>2x M5x300 mm</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>With respect to the Y-axis carriage, the steel carriage does add a lot of weight/inertia, you are correct. This may or may not be an issue, depending on your steppers motors that you choose¹, and their torque. That said, the 3 mm steel print bed/Y-axis carriage, <em>is</em> ridiculously heavy, and it would be most wise to substitute it for an aluminium, plywood, or some other lightweight solution.</p> <p>Apart from that the 3 mm steel frame is fine and as solid as a rock. There are a number of aluminium 20x30 print beds/Y-axis carriages available on eBay and Amazon. A thorough search should reveal a few. There are also composite Y-axis carriages, I found a supplier in the Ukraine, <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/tehnologika_net" rel="nofollow noreferrer">tehnologika_net</a>, who, <em>last year</em>, had a number of different types at a reasonable cost - in fact they were the cheapest that I found.</p> <p>As an aside, I built mine sourcing all of the parts separately. It was a bit of a task, but an educative one. The process certainly made me understand the ins and outs a lot better than purchasing a ready built, or complete kit, 3D printer.</p> <p>I have written up some blogs regarding the kit that I purchased, see <a href="https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/p3steel-from-poland-a-tale-of-dispair-dismay-and-woe/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3Steel from Poland – A tale of despair, dismay and woe</a>. Ignore the depressing title, it really isn't that bad.</p> <p>See also <a href="https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/heatbeds/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Heatbeds</a>. At the bottom there are some links to various alternative Y-axis carriages. However, some of the links/items may no longer be available.</p> <p>You may also find this question of mine useful, <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3015/z-axis-top-brackets-of-p3steel-differ-between-v1-x-2-x-and-v4">Z axis top brackets, of P3Steel, differ between v1.x/2.x and v4</a>.</p> <hr /> <p>There are a number of modifications to the standard P3Steel, that may well be worth considering. In particular, you should note the Toolsen Edition MK2, see <a href="http://scheuten.me/?page_id=708" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3steel toolson edition MK2</a> (in German), and <a href="http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1054909" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3steel - toolson edition</a>. I have written about these, and more, see <a href="https://wordpress.com/post/gr33nonline.wordpress.com/8336" rel="nofollow noreferrer">P3Steel version 4 modifications</a>. In summary, these are:</p> <ul> <li>Bowden extruders</li> <li>Endstops</li> <li>Endstops by Toolsen</li> <li>Optical Endstops by Toolsen</li> <li>Idlers by Toolsen</li> <li>Extruder by NWRepRap</li> <li>Lead screws</li> <li>Aluminium/Composite Y-axis carriage</li> </ul> <hr /> <p>¹ I got the Rattm 17HS8401 steppers. See RepRapWiki - <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/NEMA_17_Stepper_motor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nema17</a>. The recommended steppers are high torque:</p> <ul> <li>Kysan 1124090/42BYGH4803;</li> <li>Rattm 17HS8401, and;</li> <li>Wantai 42BYGHW609</li> </ul> <blockquote> <p>However, motors close to NEMA 17 size, with approximately the following specifications, can also work:</p> <ul> <li>1.5A to 1.8A current per phase</li> <li>1-4 volts</li> <li>3 to 8 mH inductance per phase</li> <li>44 N·cm (62oz·in, 4.5kg·cm) or more holding torque</li> <li>1.8 or 0.9 degrees per step (200/400 steps/rev respectively)</li> </ul> </blockquote>

2017-05-04T07:17:47.683

|layer-height|

<p>I recently ordered some spare E3D 0.4&nbsp;mm nozzles. However, there was a mix up at the factory and they delivered 0.2&nbsp;mm nozzles instead.</p> <p>I usually print at 0.3&nbsp;mm using a 0.4&nbsp;mm nozzle. Can I still use the 0.2&nbsp;mm nozzles to print at a resolution of 0.3&nbsp;mm? </p>

3989

Can you print at 0.3 mm with a 0.2 mm nozzle?

<p>To get the best results, the plastic coming out of the nozzle needs to be squished/ironed down by the nozzle. If you are using a higher layer height than nozzle size, this does not happen. Instead, you are taking a 0.2mm diameter string of plastic and folding it back onto itself to create a thicker 0.3mm bead.</p> <p><a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Triffid_Hunter&#39;s_Calibration_Guide" rel="noreferrer">Triffid_Hunter's calibration guide</a> recommends using a layer height that is not higher than 80% of your nozzle size, so with a 0.4mm nozzle you should not print layers thicker than 0.32mm, and with a 0.2mm nozzle you should not print layers thicker than 0.16mm.</p> <p>While it is not impossible to print thicker layers with a smaller nozzle, the results won't be as good. Moreover, if you are used to working with a 0.4mm nozzle then swapping to a 0.2mm nozzle may take some getting used to, as printing with smaller nozzles is more difficult (for example, the smaller the nozzle, the higher the likelihood of clogs).</p>

2017-05-04T18:18:25.673

|filament|anet-a8|

<p>I have recently purchased an Anet A8 but have been wondering why the prints look squished and have tiny balls on them. </p> <p>I am using 1.75&nbsp;mm cheap PLA bought from eBay and have also had problems of filament oozing out of the print block. </p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9bEPO.jpg" alt="Photos of squished prints" title="Photos of squished prints">]<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9bEPO.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Photos of squished prints">1</a></p>

3994

My Anet A8 prints have been looking squished

<p>First, I would check for bed adhesion issues. I would then check the hot-end, when it is warmed up, for any loose parts. I have fixed such issues with a piece of PTFE tape. </p> <p>I would also check the filament cooler parts, or proximity sensor (if you have one), for possible drag on the printed sections during printing.</p>

2017-05-05T01:36:50.657

|delta|

<p>As mentioned in <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/3983/6853">my previous question</a>, I have some bed-levelling issues with my printer. Following the <a href="http://minow.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">link in @tjb1's answer</a> I figured they were all about to be solved - just follow the steps and bim, bam, flat printing aligned with the plane of the bed. I was wrong. Firmware is Marlin 1.1.0-RC8</p> <p>From minow.blogspot.com:</p> <blockquote> <p>For Marlin in Marlin.ino.Marlin.pde</p> <p>DELTA_RADIUS is DELTA_SMOOTH_ROD_OFFSET - DELTA_EFFECTOR_OFFSET -DELTA_CARRIAGE_OFFSET To correct the problem, the best course is to change one of the variables set earlier to force the value of DELTA_RADIUS to increase(to lower the extruder nozzle) or to decrease (to raise the nozzle).</p> <p>To lower the extruder nozzle increase DELTA_RADIUS by increasing DELTA_SMOOTH_ROD_OFFSET(Marlin) or PRINTER_RADIUS(Repetier).</p> <p>To raise the extruder nozzle, decrease DELTA_RADIUS by decreasing DELTA_SMOOTH_ROD_OFFSET(Marlin) or PRINTER_RADIUS(Repetier). For your first cycle, if you are above the build surface, increase DELTA_RADIUS by (about) the same amount. If the extruder nozzle hits the build surface, decrease DELTA_RADIUS. </p> <p>Next, repeat the ABC tower calibration process. Changing the DELTA_RADIUS changes the tower calibrations, so you must cycle through the process of adjusting the ABC buttons/scripts again. And when the ABC towers are set, test the center D button/script.</p> <p>You may have to repeat this a few times with smaller changes to DELTA_RADIUS, but eventually, the drag on a piece of paper should be the same at all four locations. Now the printer knows how to print flat at a given Z height.</p> </blockquote> <p>So I did that. It's about 5-6mm high in the center of the bed. On point in front of the 3 towers. And it stays pretty much there (less than one 'precision' business card movement, if any) when DELTA_SMOOTH_ROD_OFFSET is increased, increased more, or decreased, for that matter - we started wondering if there was a sign error issue and tried the other way.</p> <p>There is mention on the page of "turning off EEPROM" lest values be over-ridden by those in EEPROM, but the text appears to suggest that it's a Repetier-firmware-specific problem. So I was not expecting to have it in Marlin. Does it also apply to Marlin, or:</p> <p><strong>TL;DR mode: why would changes that <em>should</em> affect the "DELTA_RADIUS" to get the printer on plane with the bed be ineffective?</strong></p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gt12P.jpg" alt="delta printer">]<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gt12P.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">3</a></p>

3996

Delta printer not responding to changes in DELTA_RADIUS

<p>OK, so a little more poking around finds that it <strong>does</strong> seem to be loading values from EEPROM and ignoring the configuration files. So that's <strong>not</strong> Repetier-firmware-specific.</p> <p>...and I found M665 in G-code which lets me just set a value for it, then M500 saves it to said EEPROM. And it's making a difference (so much of one that I may need to reset Zmax before I can actually adjust it all out as the endpoints on the bed are now off, but they are all 4 much closer to being off by the same amount!)</p>

2017-05-05T11:53:33.177

|marlin|ultimaker-cura|delta|speed|

<p>I´m currently working on a custom delta printer running Marlin 1.0.2 firmware. To control it I´m using the Repetier Host software with the onboard Cura software to slice my objects. The printing works fine but it takes the nozzle nearly 5 minutes to move from the homing position at 250&nbsp;mm to the starting position of the print near z=0. </p> <p>I already tried to increase the travel speed but nothing changed. Can you guys please tell me how to increase the speed of my nozzle to move down to my starting point of the print?</p>

4000

Nozzle moves very slowly from home to start position

<ol> <li>I would guess (without G code) to change start G code. You should find it in Cura, the feed rate should be low there. </li> <li>Try other slicer and print from SD card.</li> <li>Try using other software. Try Cura it self if SD card printing is not available.</li> </ol> <p>Picture is just an example what to look in Repertier or Cura. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4tQ7R.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4tQ7R.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2017-05-07T20:15:46.773

|reprap|repetier|

<p><strong>Background:</strong> <em>I have many years of experience with AVR and ARM Cortex PLCs and I feel very comfortable using them in projects but I am not an EE or SE. So, if I make a mistake or misunderstand something, keep that in mind. Thanks.</em></p> <p>I cracked open the case on my Maker Select v2.1 and I noticed that I have a 2x3 header that is labeled ISP. This is fairly standard for the AVR PLCs and the Melzi board that I have uses the ATMEGA1284P.</p> <p>I have asked at numerous forums and nobody seems to really know the answer (the downside to RepRap--people use but don't fully understand).</p> <p>I'm wondering if I can tweak the Repetier firmware (I'm using the stock version 0.91) to use the ISP headers as a standard SPI bus. It has the SCK, MOSI, and MISO pins but it doesn't have the SS pin.</p> <p>What I want to do is put a port expander on the SPI bus and break out additional usable GPIOs.</p> <p>So, is there a hardware limitation or any other reason why I wouldn't be able to repurpose the ISP headers into an SPI bus?</p>

4010

Can I repurpose the ISP pins in the lower right corner of the Melzi board?

<p>In theory, you can; but, you may need those pins to attach an external programmer to bring your system back to life when playing around with the code.</p> <p>Here are a couple of articles that could help if you still want to pursue that path:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/83108/can-spi-programmer-interfere-with-other-components-on-same-pins">Can SPI programmer interfere with other components on same pins?</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.avrfreaks.net/forum/can-i-reuse-isp-pins-other-taskstarget-atmega164p" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Can I reuse ISP pins for other tasks?(Target: Atmega164p)</a></li> </ul> <p>Another option (the one I chose) is to just buy a RAMPS board set. I got one on ebay for $19 and it have lots of more options for IO. That way you can play and still go back and plug in your stock Melzi and print whenever you need it.</p> <p>I got all this for $40 - boards, display, cables, power supply, and even shipping <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KKtgp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KKtgp.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Here is a really nice detailed description of <a href="http://beginner3dprinter.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">converting a Duplicator i3 from Melzi to RAMPS</a>. The process would likely be very similar for your printer.</p> <p>The biggest challenge will likely be setting up the firmware</p> <p>BTW, what printer did you get?</p>

2017-05-08T14:28:36.757

|printer-building|diy-3d-printer|kossel|

<p>TL;DR - For a given Kossel frame size (w.r.t. the vertical and horizontal frame lengths of the aluminium extrusion), what would the length of the carbon fibre rods be?</p> <hr> <p>A case in point, from <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Kossel" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRapWiki - Kossel</a>, there is an intriguing note about a scaled down Kossel:</p> <blockquote> <p>Optionally scale down to a Traveling RepRap that fits within IATA hand luggage size limit (see transportation):</p> <ul> <li>Frame height: 550&nbsp;mm.</li> <li>Footprint: triangle, 270&nbsp;mm width, 250 mm across (210&nbsp;mm 15 x 15&nbsp;mm aluminium extrusion like OpenBeam + printed corners).</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>However, there is no mention of the length of the carbon fibre rods (carbon tubes).</p> <p>Now, as per my previous question, <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3965/for-a-larger-build-volume-what-lengths-of-2020-aluminium-do-i-need">For a larger build volume, what lengths of 2020 aluminium do I need?</a>, is there a formula or ratio by which one needs to abide? Whereas in my previous question, the answer was along the lines of: <em>Not really, you can use any lengths, within reason, and account for it later in the firmware</em>, I would imagine that the Delta aspect of the printer is somewhat more exacting.</p> <p>I have tried googling for further information on this Travelling Kossel, but found nothing, except for the information of RepRapWiki.</p> <p>Looking at the corresponding lengths (vertical/horizontal) of the aluminium versus those of the carbon fibre rods for the Mini and XL:</p> <ul> <li>600/240 mm versus 180 mm</li> <li>750/360 mm versus 300 mm</li> </ul> <p>I really can not see what the (trigonometric) relationship is, and therefore can not deduce the lengths of the carbon rods for the Travelling Kossel. </p> <p>Unless it is simply that the carbon rods are 60&nbsp;mm shorter than the aluminium horizontals? Is it really as simple as that, or is this just a coincidence? In which case, would the carbon rods be (210 - 60 =) 150&nbsp;mm?</p> <p>By extension, imagine if you wanted to build a Kossel XXXL, with a horizontal aluminium extrusion length of, let's say, 1000&nbsp;mm, would the length of the carbon rods be 940&nbsp;mm?</p> <p>Any ideas?</p>

4012

How long are the carbon fibre rods for a Travelling Kossel?

<p>To compliment <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/233/tjb1">tjb1</a>'s <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4012/how-long-are-the-carbon-fibre-rods-for-a-travelling-kossel/4013#4013">answer</a>, The link seems to go to a spreadsheet that doesn't have any formulae in it. However, I managed to find a copy, from Google groups: <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/deltabot/FYRnkOQjyZA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How to calculate Delta Dimensions for new build</a>.</p> <p>However, another source of the Document is <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/deltabot/N5vW0Z5Obgw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kossel frame calculator (delt...@googlegroups.com)</a>. Right at the top is a posting of Johan's (who is the designer of the Kossel) spreadsheet, which is <em>essentially</em> the same as before, but it is contained within an interesting message thread.</p> <p>There are a few more calculators, that a quick <a href="https://www.google.co.th/search?q=kossel%20frame%20size%20calculator" rel="nofollow noreferrer">google search</a> will throw up, which I have listed in a short blog, <a href="https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2017/05/14/kossel-the-ratio/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kossel - The Ratio</a>:</p> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=4&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj1ooawwO7TAhWFto8KHWRhANMQFgg7MAM&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.openbuilds.com%2Fthreads%2Fdelta-frame-calculator.2285%2F&amp;usg=AFQjCNGxg-6ts3UDSHnL1dAu_L-nkyfygQ&amp;sig2=dihgvBSOv-u4eTpJa5GIZQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Delta Frame Calculator | OpenBuilds</a></p> </li> <li><p><a href="https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=5&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj1ooawwO7TAhWFto8KHWRhANMQFghDMAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fgithub.com%2Faleung%2FKosselPrinter%2Fblob%2Fmaster%2FKossel%2520frame%2520calculator.xlsx&amp;usg=AFQjCNH-knd_wegFpBVhws2fE15I3pGPew&amp;sig2=iBPq3ExjSh5yWv4-yosOhA" rel="nofollow noreferrer">KosselPrinter/Kossel frame calculator.xlsx at master · aleung … – GitHub</a></p> </li> <li><p><a href="https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=8&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj1ooawwO7TAhWFto8KHWRhANMQFghVMAc&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2F18264080209174115072.googlegroups.com%2Fattach%2Fe000db15be23ead9%2FKossel%2520Mini.xlsx%3Fpart%3D4%26vt%3DANaJVrE-9525HNvYyHEg1I1AQDVbsc1udBjXwSoDkROAaFal14jRWa13oLCuYHlM1ruNfRFQGvTkMFhqoO115eMkCcmaMvB68nmgVwDQ-ZF73NJh25JKorY&amp;usg=AFQjCNFgAZYxmCz1RM8uFwKL0HE5E6wUjQ&amp;sig2=_QnIEIkaP1oq4S41nI1xug" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kossel frame calculator – Google Groups</a></p> </li> <li><p><a href="https://www.google.co.th/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=9&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=0ahUKEwj1ooawwO7TAhWFto8KHWRhANMQFghbMAg&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pearltrees.com%2Fdevelopingdreams%2Fcalculations%2Fid8061294&amp;usg=AFQjCNGDvqyNnwtW1UZCjCBW_2mpPJZvdA&amp;sig2=0-A6hnzFsKvE-qv4WLxSDg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Calculations | Pearltrees</a></p> </li> </ul> <p>I have an enhanced version that allows additional parameters to be modified, see <a href="https://github.com/greenonline/Kossel/tree/master/Spreadsheets" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Github: Greenonline/Kossel/Spreadsheets</a>.</p> <hr /> <h3>Design Process by David Crocker</h3> <p>Apparently, the ratio is <em>not</em> particularly vital. I found a design process in the comments section of <a href="https://miscsolutions.wordpress.com/2015/08/22/more-upgrades-to-the-large-delta-3d-printer/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">More upgrades to the large Delta 3D printer</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>The design process goes something like this:</p> <ol> <li>Estimate the size of effector you will need.</li> <li>Given that effector size, work out how close to the towers the nozzle will be able to get. From that and the desired printing radius, work out what radius the towers are on.</li> <li>That fixes the lengths of the horizontal extrusions. Choose the diagonal rod length so that when at the edge of the bed opposite a tower, the rods to that tower are at 20 degrees or a little more to the horizontal.</li> <li>Given that diagonal rod length, choose the rod separation. I suggest about 1/6 of the rod length (this is larger than on my delta).</li> <li>If that rod separation means you need a larger effector, repeat from step 1.</li> <li>Choose the tower height to give the required print height at the edges of the bed, when one pair of rods may be more or less vertical.</li> </ol> </blockquote> <p>When I queried David about his use of the 0.8 ratio, again in the comments section, on <a href="https://miscsolutions.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/building-a-large-delta-printer/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Building a large delta 3D printer</a>, this was his reply:</p> <blockquote> <p>The notion that there is a single ratio of diagonal rod to horizontal extrusion length that is right for all delta printers is misguided. It depends on the geometry of the corners that join the horizontals to the towers, the size of the effector, and the carriage design. What matters is that the rods are at no less than 20 degrees (preferably 25 or more) to the horizontal when the nozzle is at the edge of the bed opposite a tower.</p> </blockquote>

2017-05-09T14:06:03.460

|marlin|reprap|g-code|switching-power-supply|

<p>I'm using <code>M80</code> and <code>M81</code> G-codes to power on/off power supply. </p> <p>Is there a G-code to know the actual state of the power supply?</p>

4022

Is there a G-code to get power supply state?

<p>Thanks! I confirmed that there isn't such a G-code. I sent a pull request to make this posible: <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/pull/6671" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/pull/6671</a></p> <p>Now, "M80 S" reports the current state of the power supply.</p>

2017-05-09T16:58:42.367

|heat-management|thermistor|

<p>I have had many problems with my heat shrink for the thermostat on my Anet A8 melting from the heat block. </p> <p>Is there a way I can insulate my wires from heat but still have enough room to put the thermistor into the block?</p>

4026

How can I insulate my thermistor?

<p>Ok, so I think I have found the answer. You can get cotton wraps for print heads with some Kapton tape on them, see <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10Pcs-3mm-Thickness-3D-Printer-Heating-Cotton-Hotend-Nozzle-Heat-Insulation-/391778166929" rel="nofollow noreferrer">10Pcs 3mm Thickness 3D Printer Heating Cotton Hotend Nozzle Heat Insulation</a>. I think this will work best as long as it doesn't catch on fire. </p> <p>Please let me know if there is a better alternative but for now I will use these. </p>

2017-05-10T09:31:33.463

|diy-3d-printer|printer-building|lead-screw|

<p>By &quot;better&quot; I mean &quot;more precise&quot;...</p> <p>With respect to a RepRap P3Steel or Wilson II, I am getting some 330 mm T8 leadscrews for the Z-axis movement.</p> <p>There seems to be a choice between a <em>lead</em> of 1, 2 or 8 mm - the <em>pitch</em> is 1 mm in the first case and 2 mm in the last two cases¹. However, there is precious little information about the advantages and disadvantages of each lead size in <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/Threaded_rod#Leadscrew" rel="noreferrer">RepRapWiki - Threaded Rod - Leadscrew</a>.</p> <p>It seems to me that using a leadscrew with a 1 or 2 mm lead could result in a more precise Z-axis movement, as one rotation of the stepper results in a smaller increment in height. Therefore the layer thicknesses could be smaller.</p> <p>However, is the minimum layer thickness not, also, dictated by the thickness of the filament, horizontal speed of the print head, nozzle size, etc.? Thus, at some point there would be no need for a super fine vertical resolution from the leadscrew, as it may be constrained by other limiting factors.</p> <p>Of course, conversely, the use of a 2 mm lead would mean that the stepper would need to &quot;work&quot; four times as hard, than when using 8 mm, in order to raise the print head the same distance, as well as making the movement, during a &quot;home&quot;, take four times as long (or, if you will, four times slower). In the case of a 1 mm lead that would become eight times...</p> <hr /> <h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>Is it worth getting a leadscrew with a 2 mm lead, or is 8 mm sufficient?</p> <p>By extension, would a 1 mm lead be even better, or just overkill?</p> <hr /> <h3>Footnote</h3> <p>¹ Nomenclature:</p> <ul> <li><strong>Pitch</strong> is the distance between the adjacent threads;</li> <li><strong>Lead</strong> is the distance that a nut will turn with one rotation, and;</li> <li><strong>Start</strong> is how many starting (or thread entry) points at either end.</li> </ul> <p>So, for a leadscrew, with a <em>pitch</em> of 2 mm, if there is only one <em>start</em> to the screw then the lead is the same as the pitch. However, if there are four <em>starts</em> to the screw, then the lead will be 8 mm. If there are two <em>starts</em> to the screw, then the lead will be 4 mm. And so on.</p> <p>For more information, see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_thread#Lead.2C_pitch.2C_and_starts" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia - Lead, pitch and starts</a>.</p>

4031

Would using a leadscrew with 1 or 2 mm lead, en lieu of 8 mm, result in a better printer?

<p><strong>Longer lead</strong></p> <p>Pros:</p> <ol> <li>Faster movement (mostly benefits homing)</li> <li>More standard</li> <li>Weak motor friendly</li> <li>Might be slightly more stable (sideways) than shorter leads because of more starts creating more contact with nut (?)</li> </ol> <p>Cons</p> <ol> <li>Backlash</li> <li>Less resolution (unless using 0.9 degree motor but see note¹) although this is ignorable since it's still very high. It's already around 5x higher than xy axes using the longest leads².</li> </ol> <p><strong>Shorter leads</strong></p> <p>Pros</p> <ol> <li>More accuracy if you turn off microstepping. it can give you more resolution, but it's useless resolution unless you print with &lt; 0.01&nbsp;mm layer heights³. Turning off microstepping trades away this useless resolution for increased accuracy. But this comes at the cost of (much) louder drivers.</li> <li>Less backlash</li> </ol> <p>Cons</p> <ol> <li>Stronger motors maybe needed</li> <li>Slower homing</li> </ol> <p>The reason why companies prefer longer leads is because shorter leads simply add useless resolution and slows down movement.</p> <p><strong>Footnotes</strong></p> <p>¹ It makes more sense to use higher degree motors to drive shorter leads than vice versa because of higher torque.</p> <p>² 0.0025&nbsp;mm vs 0.0125&nbsp;mm</p> <p>³ or using a probe to autolevel, which causes the z axis to go up and down in very small increments </p>

2017-05-13T01:29:36.787

|slicing|slic3r|

<p>I have an STL file that, when I load it in Slic3r, looks fine, but somewhere in the actual slicing process, something goes wrong and parts of the model disappear.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fghM8.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fghM8.png" alt="Render and slicing preview"></a></p> <p>That's the render on the left, and the slicing preview on the right. That big hole is the most obvious fault, but there are more little notches elsewhere on the model; you can see a couple on the bottom edge there. It looks like the program is ignoring some of the model's faces entirely. What's all that about?</p> <p>The model passes every manifoldiness test I've thrown at it: Slic3r's, Meshmixer's, Blender's, and a couple of online services I've forgotten.The walls that go missing are pretty thin, but they're at least a millimeter at their narrowest point, so I think it should be thick enough for the printer to handle.</p> <p>Here's a link to the STL file in question, on FileHosting.org, <a href="http://www.filehosting.org/file/details/664957/FlashHovering.stl" rel="noreferrer">FlashHovering.stl</a>.</p>

4051

Parts of my (apparently manifold) model aren't appearing in my Slic3r preview

<p>I fixed it!</p> <p>I had my extruder diameter set to 0.5 mm, and the narrowest point of the model was just a hair under a full millimeter, so I guess the program took it to mean that it should only put down one line of material. I made the walls a little thicker and now it looks fine.</p>

2017-05-16T04:02:28.803

|3d-models|

<p>I have a solid of revolution defined by two equations, and I want to generate a STL file for printing from the <a href="https://www.desmos.com/calculator/eh18uwasw9" rel="nofollow noreferrer">difference of the two equations</a>, revolved around x=0. I can get a good visualization when I <a href="https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=rotate%20the%20region%20between%20x%3Dsqrt(129%2B12y-y%5E2)-15.858%20and%20x%3Dsqrt(129%2B12y-y%5E2)-16.358%20around%20x%3D0%20from%20y%3D0%20to%20y%3D4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">query this on Wolfram Alpha</a>, but I cannot figure out how to download an STL of this. I know there is a way to do this via Wolfram's Development Program but I'm not sure how or if that is the best way to do this. Solutions do not have to involve WA.</p>

4071

How to generate a STL from a rotational solid of two equations?

<p>The best free solution I could find was to graph this (in Desmos), screenshot it, and convert it into a SVG, convert that into an OpenSCAD file, and then use that to make the STL. A similar process is shown on someone's blog <a href="https://johnchapin.com/2015/08/05/desmos-to-3d-printout-in-30-minutes/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>

2017-05-16T14:39:16.857

|3d-models|filament|metal-parts|

<p>I'm trying to connect two 3D printed parts (ABS) together with a threaded connection. Thus, I need to fix a threaded metal nut (M4) inside a corresponding slot which I've implemented in the design.</p> <p>Right now I apply a conventional super glue on the nut and press it inside the print, wait for a couple of hours and then use it.</p> <p>Problem is that the nut keeps falling out of the print when I apply a more tension to the bolt. Can you please advise me on how to make this method work. Maybe some of you aware of special glue for that purposes?</p>

4076

Best practices to fix a threaded nut inside a print

<p>Instead of super glue, you could try a two part epoxy resin (any brand should do, i.e. <a href="https://www.bison.nl/nl/product.1259" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bison Kombi Power</a> or <a href="https://www.jbweld.com/products/j-b-weld-twin-tube" rel="nofollow noreferrer">JB Weld</a>). This may take longer to dry, than the super glue, but <em>should</em> be much stronger, and deal with torsion forces better¹.</p> <p>Or, you could try red (not blue) Loctite. However, the epoxy resin would probably be stronger.</p> <hr> <p>¹ This is admittedly an opinionated reference, but from <a href="https://forums.anandtech.com/threads/epoxy-or-super-glue-which-is-stronger.1201543/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Epoxy or super glue, which is stronger?</a></p> <blockquote> <p>depending on the surface, [epoxy] can be superior. Epoxies are generally a must if the surfaces are porous</p> </blockquote> <p>and </p> <blockquote> <p>Epoxy is superior to CA. CA is nearly always misapplied. Epoxy has a higher tolerance to misapplication thus is much less likely to fail under such circumstances. I've used Belzona epoxies to repair parts on various aircraft and spacecraft where welding would be inappropriate! Belzona epoxy is without a doubt the best there is. Too bad you cannot purchase it in Home Depot.</p> <p>The closest thing you can get though is PC-7.</p> </blockquote>

2017-05-16T14:54:42.140

|heated-bed|hardware|

<p>I'm now currently looking at getting my next 3D printer, after my success with the Prusa i3 Reprap Build, and I have had my eyes on the Da Vinci line of printers for some time now. </p> <p>What I want to know is, does this line of 3D printers include a heated bed? Or does it come with a stock aluminum bed?</p>

4078

Does the Da Vinci line of 3D printers come with a heated bed?

<p>Yes. The Da Vinci Duo 2 (most common one) has a heated bed.</p>

2017-05-17T05:54:56.123

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

<p>3D printing should be relatively safe, however, the inherent nature of 3D printers, with all of the heated parts, constitutes a fire risk. A well designed 3D printer should be designed to be as safe as possible, especially one used in the home... Yes, the recommendation is, when printing, to watch the 3D printer at all times and never leave a print unattended. However, with some print times lasting hours and days, this is not always feasible, nor practical. So, some inbuilt safety features should be included, to at least mitigate the risk of fire, to some extent.</p> <ul> <li><p>Is the use of thermal fuses^1,2 a good idea³? </p></li> <li><p>Would you use more than one?</p></li> <li><p>Where should one place a thermal fuse? Next to a particular component, or <em>free standing</em>, in the air, to get an average, rather than <em>highly localised</em> temperature? </p></li> <li><p>Against which components should a thermal fuse be placed? There are a number of places to choose from, such as next to:</p> <ul> <li>The hotend? </li> <li>The heated bed? </li> <li>The extruder? </li> <li>Each of the stepper motors? </li> <li>The power supply? </li> <li>The RAMPS stepper motor drivers?</li> </ul></li> <li><p>Of lesser import, which type should one use⁴, radial or axial?</p></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDeIh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDeIh.jpg" alt="Common thermal fuses"></a></p> <p>Has anyone added thermal fuses to their 3D printers? Or has anyone examined where the thermal fuses are placed in commercial 3D printer designs, if used at all?</p> <hr> <h3>Background</h3> <p>I have recently found myself having to repair rice cookers and fans in Thailand. In those, it is very often the thermal fuse (axial thermal fuses for the rice cookers and the square "radial" types for fans) that requires replacing, as they have <em>blown</em> before the device got hot enough to start a fire. This got me thinking about their use in a 3D printer. </p> <hr> <h3>Footnotes</h3> <p>¹ We are <em>not</em> talking about the standard, replaceable, thermo-fuse,or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_(electrical)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fuse</a>, which blow upon a current surge, short-circuit, etc. These are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_cutoff#Thermal_fuse" rel="nofollow noreferrer">thermal fuses</a> that contain metal connector within them that melts (permanently) at a specific temperature (typically ~135°C), thereby breaking the circuit.</p> <p>² Nor am I referring to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resettable_fuse" rel="nofollow noreferrer">resettable fuses</a> (AKA PPTC, multifuse, polyfuse or polyswitch)</p> <p>³ Would a thermal fuse be preferable to thermal cut offs, in the case of fire?</p> <p>⁴ The thermal fuses used in rice cookers are the <em>axial</em> type, and in the motors of fans are the <em>radial</em> type.</p>

4084

Is it a good idea to include thermal fuses in a DIY 3D printer design?

<p>I'm going to set this up for my printer: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2148191" rel="nofollow noreferrer">3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector</a></p> <blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8uhbM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector- Photo"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8uhbM.jpg" alt="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector - Photo" title="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector- Photo"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nk1BG.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector - Diagram"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nk1BG.jpg" alt="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector - Diagram" title="3D Printer Safety Shutdown - Smoke Detector - Diagram"></a></p> </blockquote> <p>Looks like a great solution for preventing fires.</p>

2017-05-19T14:16:04.457

|abs|post-processing|surface|

<p>The surfaces of my printed parts using ABS plastic look rough and uneven.</p> <p>What methods can I use to achieve a smoother finish for my for 3D-printed objects?</p>

4106

How do I give 3D-printed parts in ABS a shiny smooth finish?

<p>Acetone can be used to smooth ABS.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIxOP.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sIxOP.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> The left has been smoothed by an acetone bath and the right is the original model. (Image credit: <a href="http://sinkhacks.com/building-acetone-vapor-bath-smoothing-3d-printed-parts/" rel="noreferrer">Andrew Sink</a>)</p> <p><strong>Take note</strong>: acetone is dangerous to breathe in, so work in a well ventilated area. It is also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJWhfpWlGFg" rel="noreferrer">flammable</a>.</p> <h1>Warm acetone vapour bath using stove</h1> <p>This method involves suspending the model in a glass jar of boiling acetone that is heated up by a pot of boiling water.</p> <ul> <li>Attach the model to the lid of the jar with some string, keep the string short, so the model is close to the lid.</li> <li>Put a few centimetres of water in a pot</li> <li>Place a rag at the bottom of the pot (to keep the jar stable).</li> <li>Place the glass jar in the pot, on top of the rag.</li> <li>Place the pot on the stove and heat to 110°C.</li> <li>When the acetone is boiling place the dangling model into the jar.</li> <li>After a few seconds, remove the model.</li> </ul> <p>See <a href="http://sinkhacks.com/building-acetone-vapor-bath-smoothing-3d-printed-parts/" rel="noreferrer">here</a> for a step-by-step guide with pictures.</p> <h1>Warm acetone vapour bath using printer bed</h1> <p>This method elevating the model in a glass jar of acetone that is heated up by the printer's heatbed.</p> <ul> <li>Find a non-soluble object that the 3D model can stand on.</li> <li>Put a teaspoon of acetone in jar.</li> <li>Place the jar on the heatbed and heat to 110°C.</li> <li>Place the stand into the jar.</li> <li>Place the model on the stand, the stand should not let the acetone touch the model.</li> <li>After a few minutes, remove the model.</li> </ul> <p>See <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj53P2YzYGM" rel="noreferrer">here</a> for an example.</p>

2017-05-20T20:46:47.597

|filament|prusa-i3|abs|quality|acetone|

<p>Acetone is banned in my country, and I cannot get it.</p> <p>What substitute could I use?</p>

4117

I need an acetone substitute

<p>I have used DCM (dichloromethane, or ethylene dichloride) to dissolve ABS (or cold-weld/glue parts together).</p> <p>From <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ABS wikipedia page</a>: </p> <blockquote> <p><strong>ABS polymers</strong> are resistant to aqueous acids, alkalis, concentrated hydrochloric and phosphoric acids, alcohols and animal, vegetable and mineral oils, but they are swollen by glacial acetic acid, carbon tetrachloride and aromatic hydrocarbons and <strong>are attacked by concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. They are soluble in esters, ketones, ethylene dichloride and acetone</strong>.</p> </blockquote>

2017-05-21T05:21:40.173

|filament|pla|abs|support-structures|support-material|

<p>Sometimes supports are very difficult to remove (physically) when I print with ABS. The image below, from <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1613957" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Thingiverse - MOF-5 unit cell</a>, is after significant effort to remove the yellow ABS supports from a black ABS model.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Ze3e.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Ze3e.png" alt="Yellow ABS supports removed from black ABS model"></a></p> <p>I've learned about polyvinylalcohol (PVA) as a 3D-printing filament which is soluble in water. It seems like a great option for dual-extruder printers, where you can print the model with ABS or PLA and the supports with PVA, then throw the whole thing in water and let the supports dissolve.</p> <p>I've considered other options since PVA is ~4x more expensive than ABS.</p> <p>Doing a PLA print with ABS supports, followed by dissolution of ABS with acetone, is my best idea currently.</p> <p>Has anyone found success with another option? </p>

4120

Best method to make dissolvable supports?

<p>Not sure if frame challenge is on-topic here, but have you tried using different support options in your slicer? In Cura, I've found the experimental support tree mode both reduces the material usage a lot and gives supports that are easier to remove, at least for geometric (vs "organic", where it's sometimes good and sometimes bad) models. Turning off walls for normal (non-tree) support (infill and roofing only) and/or using a thinner line width than your nozzle can also help with removal but whether it provides sufficient support depends a lot on your model's geometry.</p>

2017-05-23T09:11:51.743

|3d-models|

<p>The organization I am working for plans to pull down and rebuild our office building. As some people are a bit sentimental about the old building, we think about making a 3D model of the old building.</p> <p>The old house was built in the 60s or 70s, when everything was done by hand. So we have some really detailed hand-drawn plans of the building. We also have a nice and detailed (physical) 3D model of the house. However, what we don't have yet is any material that can be processed in modern 3D modeling software.</p> <p>So this is what my question is about: <strong>What is the best (easiest, with reasonable degree of details) way to make a 3D model of the old building?</strong></p> <p>At the moment I think of two different paths:</p> <ol> <li>Transferring the hand drawn plans to a 3D modeling software. I think, Sketchup might be suitable, but I am open for suggestions. It should be something easy to start with as I would like to motivate some colleagues to join the project.</li> <li>Using some kind of photogrammetry software to transfer the (hand crafted) 3D model of the building to an "electronic" 3D model. I have no experience with this method, however if it works it might be much easier to do.</li> </ol> <p>Can you help me to decide which path to choose and give me some tips on how to do it exactly?</p>

4127

Best practise of re-modeling a building

<p>That are certainly trade-offs between the two options.</p> <p>I think main trade-off between the two options you described would be visual details vs. configurability. </p> <p>With a scanned design you have the ability to capture all the visual details that are in your hand crafted model. Those same details might require more effort than you are willing to put into a CAD design (like window and door detail and other architectural accents).</p> <p>The big disadvantage of a scanned model it that it would not be parametric so you can't fiddle with design details - like adjusting the width or spacing of the windows, the position of a door or external approach (stairs, etc). Also you could play with the external skins/finishes and play with how wood looked as compared to concrete of brick. </p> <p>Another advantage of a CAD model would be that you would not be able to break out components and print them separately because of print volume issues or to be able to print in different colors. </p> <p>My personal preference would be to create a 3D Model using a CAD package. The limitation on this would be that it might not have the same level of detail; but it would be much more flexible. You could probably create the base design pretty easily either from the architectural drawings or by deconstructing the hand crafted model. The model was probably built from pieces much the same way a 3D CAD model is created.</p> <p>Here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFPM2mgkbYM" rel="nofollow noreferrer">good example</a> of how to do that. In the example, they create a pretty detailed house design in Sketchup in 35 min by starting with scans of the architectural drawings.<br> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7WVJX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7WVJX.jpg" alt="house model from tutorial"></a></p> <p>There are quite a few other similar videos so you should look for the one that fits you best.</p>

2017-05-24T04:29:47.617

|g-code|extrusion|simplify3d|wanhao|monoprice-maker-ultimate|

<p>Today I received my Monoprice Maker Ultimate 3D Printer. It is a rebranded Wanhao Duplicator 6 for reference. I am using the default settings for a Wanhao Duplicator 6 in Simplify3D.</p> <p>Here is the Start G-Code that Simplify3D has setup for me via the Configuration Assistant:</p> <pre><code>G28 ; home all axes G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length G1 Z10 ; lower G1 E20 F200 ; purge nozzle quickly G1 E10 F60 ; purge nozzle slowly G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length again G1 E-1.5 F400 ; retract G1 X170 Z0 F9000 ; pull away filament G1 X180 F9000 ; wipe G1 Y20 F9000 ; wipe G1 E0 ; feed filament back </code></pre> <p>The problem is that right before a print, the extruder squeezes out a bunch of filament making a nice little spiral tower. It is a waste of filament. I suspect it is all the purging in the Start Code that is doing it, but I don't know what I should change because I don't know what is necessary, so I am coming here to ask the question before I start experimenting. Has anyone had this problem? Does anyone know the solution?</p> <p>Update: I tried printing one of the models that came on the SD card with the printer (I think it was created with Cura) and the Start G-code is different.</p> <pre><code>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 G1 Z15.0 F4800 ;move the platform down 15mm G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length G1 F200 E3 ;extrude 3mm of feed stock G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length again G1 F4800 ;Put printing message on LCD screen M117 Printing... </code></pre> <p>It also uses absolute positioning. It got going without purging a bunch of unnecessary filament on that print. Now I am not sure how to combine these two to get the good working starting G-code. Any ideas?</p>

4131

Monoprice Maker Ultimate Extrudes Too Much Filament At Start

<p>Changing the Simplify3D start script to this will change the nozzle purge to the same length as what was on your SD card.</p> <pre><code> G28 ; home all axes G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length G1 Z10 ; lower G1 E20 F200 ; purge nozzle quickly&lt;---------Change E20 to E3, E is the extrusion length G1 E10 F60 ; purge nozzle slowly &lt;----------Remove this line G92 E0 ; zero the extruded length again G1 E-1.5 F400 ; retract G1 X170 Z0 F9000 ; pull away filament G1 X180 F9000 ; wipe G1 Y20 F9000 ; wipe G1 E0 ; feed filament back </code></pre> <p>The rest of it is just moves to try to clean the nozzle.</p>

2017-05-24T13:52:19.213

|slic3r|slicing|ultimaker-cura|

<p>I am having trouble printing a hollow object using Slic3r. On flat slopes on top, there are gaps that I cannot get fixed. The perimeters of successive layers just don't cover each other.</p> <p>Cura however adds filament to cover the gaps.</p> <p>The bottom left bunny is sliced with Slic3r 1.2.9.99. The top right bunny is sliced with Cura 2.5. Take a closer look at the forehead and the back of the bottom left bunny.</p> <p>I have "extra perimeters if needed" turned on. But turning it off makes no difference. What am I missing?</p> <p>So far only adding infill and increase the solid top layer count helps to get a closed surface. But then everything gets stiffer. The bunnies are printed with nylon so they are a bit squishy.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTkjA.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kTkjA.jpg" alt="Cura and Slic3r Bunnies"></a></p> <p>The printer settings in both Cura and Slic3r are:</p> <ul> <li>0.4 mm nozzel;</li> <li>0.2 mm layer height;</li> <li>No infill;</li> <li>2 perimeter walls, and;</li> <li>3 solid top/bottom layers.</li> </ul>

4133

Slic3r settings for flat slopes on top

<p>This seems to be a recurring problem with Slic3r.</p> <p>Slic3r appears to have problems with perimeters that are not attached to infill. I suspect that it is getting confused on what is the inside and what is the outside. I know that seems a bit silly; but as you slice an object with indentations (like the bunny's face) then the perimeter can cease to be a simple closed shape and it gets confused. If you use a viewer to step through the gcode layers around the place it starts having problems you may be able to see what is going wrong.</p> <p>Here are a couple of examples of why I say this is a recurring problem with slic3r. I also recall seeing a video that showed the problem but I can't remember where. That was one of the reasons I don't use slic3r.</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/alexrj/Slic3r/issues/748" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reported on Sic3r Git in 2012</a> - Can't tell for sure if this was ever fixed</li> <li><a href="http://forums.reprap.org/read.php?340,512947" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Infill Perimeter issue in 2015</a></li> </ul> <p>Here are three options that may work</p> <ol> <li>Use a different slicer for this specific condition. Every product is going to have vulnerabilities - this may be one of slic3r's.</li> <li>Increase the perimeter and top and bottom layer thicknesses. Making them thick enough it will bridge the problem areas. Use a gcode viewer to inspect that area to see if it fixed the problem. That way you don't waste material on another fail. It sounds like you may have already tried this but you didn't like that it made the model stiffer.</li> <li>Repair the STL file using an application like <a href="http://www.meshmixer.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Meshmixer</a>. Maybe you will have to get the file close then tweak it where it doesn't. Here is good article from <a href="https://pinshape.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">PinShape</a> <a href="https://pinshape.com/blog/how-to-repair-your-stl-files/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">repairing and STL file</a>.</li> </ol> <p>Good luck, hope this helps.</p>

2017-05-24T16:37:21.587

|g-code|

<p>What would be the end g-code so that I can get my Monoprice Ultimate (Wanhao D6) to lower the bed to midway on the frame or something easier to remove the print? The default end position is very high up at the top.</p>

4135

How do I get my Wanhao Duplicator 6 / Maker Ultimate to lower bed at end of print?

<p>In your ending script add the line below and change Z200.0 to your max Z height. This will rapid to the given value using absolute coordinates. I added G90 in case G91 was previously set so it did not do a relative move. I'm not positive if G91 is modal in printer firmwares or not but the G90 should not hurt anything.</p> <pre><code>G90 G0 Z200.0 </code></pre>

2017-05-27T15:59:45.830

|filament|ultimaker-2|

<p>I've got the following PLA filament that is not feeding correctly into our Ultimaker 2+</p> <p>It starts to feed and then all of the sudden, the wire 'eats' (read <em>breaks, but not entirely</em>) the plastic filament as you can see on the picture below:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnQy7.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OnQy7.jpg" alt="Photo of damaged filament"></a></p> <p>Any hints are more than welcomed.</p>

4144

PLA filament not feeding correctly with Ultimaker 2+

<p>It looks like your nozzle is jammed, since the filament is being chewed. You can fix this by heating the extruder up to around 220 C ( or just about 15 degrees above the recommended printing temp for your filament), then attempting to push some filament through the extruder. If this doesn't work, use a small wire and push it through the nozzle a few times, then run some filament through it.</p>

2017-05-28T14:05:55.497

|delta|repetier|

<p>I had to pause an ongoing print (because of complicated reasons) and that caused the printer to reboot (I don't know why).</p> <p>When it rebooted, the Z extents were screwed up. I know this because when I gave the print again, the nozzle hit the print bed and started grinding.</p> <p>The printer has an auto bed levelling function that runs before every print.</p> <p>It takes three points on the bed where the sensor needle comes down to contact in a vertical to-and-fro motion. When that runs now, the head starts its vertical to-and-fro motion from a point considerably higher than where it used to start from earlier. The sensor needle does come down to touch the bed but it takes a longer time per point since the distance travelled is more now. (Hope this is clear)</p> <p>To print again, I compensated for the Z-direction by giving a global offset (2.65&nbsp;mm) while generating G-code. But I realised later that X and Y dimensions were incorrect (larger by 4.6% to be precise). I tested this by printing cubes of 10, 20, 30 and 100&nbsp;mm. The Z dimensions are perfect though.</p> <p>Also, there have been weird "lags" while printing larger objects. The print head stutters and this is causing sharp vertexes in between curves and some little blotching of material.</p> <p>The printer runs on Repetier 0.92.6 and I've been reading about it but its honestly intimidating to me. Please let me know how to figure out what to change and by how much.</p> <p><strong>Edit</strong>: I agree this is quite similar to scaling issues thread here: <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3983/scaling-size-issues-in-delta-printers">Scaling/size issues in delta printers</a></p> <p>I just want to know what could've caused this problem, whether there are any other possible solutions, and how to get started with Repetier framework.</p> <p><strong>Edit2</strong>: Attached image is the bottom surface of the 100&nbsp;mm cube. You might notice slight charring on the bottom right corner. The masking sheet I pasted on the print bed was charred underneath. Also, it's evident that the bottom surface is not as compact at the corners as it is in the center.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yk3IA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yk3IA.jpg" alt="100mm cube bottom surface"></a></p> <p>What could be the possible reasons for that?</p>

4150

Delta printer printing incorrect dimensions in X and Y directions. Z dimensions are correct

<p>As detailed at minow.blogspot.com (which I found very helpful for the most part - it was the first link in the answer to my related question) you need to <strong>check/adjust the zero in front of each tower</strong>, <strong>check the zero in the center</strong>, tweak the radius, and repeat (checking the zeros at the edge of the bed in front of each tower again) until it's correct. </p> <p><strong>After</strong> that you <strong>adjust the rod length</strong> to correct XY size (and recheck all 4 zeros, thus the radius - it makes for a less than exciting day, but is worth it in the long run.) </p> <p>You either need to turn off EEPROM until you have the right settings, or save the setting to EEPROM each time - depends how worried you are about using up EEPROM write cycles, I guess.</p> <p>You should also turn off auto-bed-levelling while getting the basic calibration correct, per the same blog instructions.</p> <p>My fun with figuring out what my EEPROM was doing behind my back is here: <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/3996/6853">Delta printer not responding to changes in DELTA_RADIUS</a></p>

2017-05-29T17:40:26.627

|stepper|servo|

<p>I'm a new one for this community. This also not directly related with 3D printing. I searched about this and I couldn't find good answer.</p> <p>One of my friends told me CNC machining centers (Milling) mostly use servo motors and CNC laser cutter and plasma cutters use stepper motors mostly.</p> <p>Position controlling is more accurate in servo motors than steppers.</p> <p>I think position controlling is more important in laser and plasma cutters than CNC machining centers, but laser and plasma cutters use stepper motors.</p> <p>Why do laser and plasma cutters use steppers without using servo motors?</p> <p><strong>P.S.</strong> This question has more area than 3D printing and CNC routing.And also, This question asked for more reason for why use steppers in laser cutters,plasma cutters and CNC router.SO, this is not a duplicate of <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3842/reprap-variants-with-servo-motors-rather-than-stepper-motors">this </a> one.</p>

4154

Servo vs Stepper

<p>The basic difference between a traditional stepper and a servo-based system is the type of motor and how it is controlled. Steppers typically use 50 to 100 pole brushless motors while typical servo motors have only 4 to 12 poles.</p>

2017-05-30T10:43:50.183

|fdm|repetier|

<p>I'm in the process of tweaking the firmware (Repetier 0.92.6) because of some problems mentioned here: <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4150/delta-printer-printing-incorrect-dimensions-in-x-and-y-directions-z-dimensions">Delta printer printing incorrect dimensions in X and Y directions. Z dimensions are correct</a></p> <p>But I found out that the printer manufacturer has locked the firmware (probably) and I cannot edit it. So I have to burn a new one (I guess? Correct me if I'm wrong)</p> <p>Printer name: Dimension Dual Delta</p> <p>Manufacturer: J Group Robotics</p> <p>Website: <a href="http://www.jgrouprobotics.com/dimension-dual-delta" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.jgrouprobotics.com/dimension-dual-delta</a></p> <p>I have the slicer (Simplify3D) configured with the FFF profile as my printer was working completely fine up until a few weeks ago. I just want to know that if I change the firmware, would I have to change/update the profile as well? If yes, how do I do that?</p> <hr> <p>Here is a screenshot of Repetier host. The "JGR" continues indefinitely:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ifZWx.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ifZWx.png" alt="Screenshot of log"></a></p> <p>Here is the actual log text</p> <pre><code>22:56:00.216 : OpenGL version:4.2.0 22:56:00.218 : OpenGL renderer:GeForce GT 540M/PCIe/SSE2 22:56:00.218 : Using fast VBOs for rendering is possible 22:56:06.634 : Printer reset detected - initalizing 22:56:06.661 : start 22:56:06.662 : Info:External Reset 22:56:06.662 : Info:Autoleveling enabled 22:56:06.662 : Transformation matrix: 0.999994 0.000010 0.003587 0.000000 0.999996 -0.002727 -0.003587 0.002727 0.999990 22:56:06.865 : N1 M110*34 22:56:06.865 : N2 M115*36 22:56:06.865 : N3 M105*36 22:56:06.865 : N4 M114*35 22:56:06.865 : N5 M111 S6*98 22:56:06.869 : N6 T0*60 22:56:06.870 : N7 M20*22 22:56:06.871 : N8 M80*19 22:56:06.872 : N9 M105*46 22:56:08.706 : Free RAM:1002 22:56:08.706 : Autoretract:0 22:56:08.706 : X:0.00 Y:0.00 Z:0.000 E:0.0000 22:56:08.713 : N10 M220 S100*80 22:56:08.713 : N11 M221 S100*80 22:56:08.714 : N12 M111 S6*84 22:56:08.714 : FIRMWARE_NAME:Repetier_0.92.6 FIRMWARE_URL:https://github.com/repetier/Repetier-Firmware/ PROTOCOL_VERSION:1.0 MACHINE_TYPE:Delta EXTRUDER_COUNT:2 REPETIER_PROTOCOL:3 22:56:08.714 : Printed filament:32.75m Printing time:0 days 6 hours 0 min 22:56:08.714 : PrinterMode:FFF 22:56:08.714 : N13 T0*8 22:56:08.745 : X:0.00 Y:0.00 Z:0.000 E:0.0000 22:56:08.745 : Begin file list 22:56:08.746 : End file list 22:56:09.726 : JGR 22:56:09.960 : N14 M105*18 22:56:10.972 : JGR 22:56:11.979 : JGR 22:56:12.969 : JGR 22:56:13.016 : N15 M105*19 22:56:14.028 : JGR 22:56:15.035 : JGR 22:56:16.025 : JGR 22:56:16.072 : N16 M105*16 22:56:17.085 : JGR 22:56:18.091 : JGR 22:56:19.081 : JGR 22:56:19.134 : N17 M105*17 22:56:20.157 : JGR 22:56:21.163 : JGR 22:56:22.154 : JGR 22:56:22.189 : N18 M105*30 22:56:23.202 : JGR 22:56:24.208 : JGR 22:56:25.199 : JGR 22:56:25.245 : N19 M105*31 22:56:26.253 : JGR 22:56:27.261 : JGR 22:56:28.267 : JGR 22:56:28.307 : N20 M105*21 22:56:29.319 : JGR 22:56:30.326 : JGR 22:56:31.316 : JGR 22:56:31.363 : N21 M105*20 22:56:32.376 : JGR 22:56:33.382 : JGR 22:56:34.372 : JGR </code></pre> <hr> <p><strong>Edit</strong>: Since it is advisable to get a new controller board and keep the current one as it is, I'm attaching a picture of what my printer is controlled by.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8k3r.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y8k3r.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>The black box on the green board reads <strong>HRD 12008</strong>. Google says its a DC-DC SMPS module but mine has some extra connectors than what I could find online.</p> <p>The black board is a <strong>MKS Base v1.3</strong></p> <p>The other box is a solid state relay.</p> <p>This is more intimidating than I thought it would be. How do I proceed now? If I get a brand new controller board to play with, which should it be? Also, I can't seem to locate any RAMPS shield.</p>

4161

Help with Repetier firmware (probably locked and licensed)

<p>The firmware is not really locked by the OEM¹, you just need to upload (or, as you say <em>burn</em>) a new version. This is not unusual².</p> <p>Repetier is just like any other firmware that uses Arduino boards. While it may seem intimidating at first, it really is quite easy to regularly upload new firmware to the Arduino Mega 2560 board³. If you are not familiar with Arduino programming at all, then there are a good number of <em>Repetier oriented</em> guides out there, for example, from Repetier's own web site, <a href="https://www.repetier.com/documentation/repetier-firmware/rf-installation/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier-Firmware Documentation</a>.</p> <p>If are you familiar with Arduino programming, then it really is the same as uploading the <code>Blink</code> sketches, but the base code is just bigger, that is all.</p> <p>There is too much to detail in a simple answer here and, as I stated above, there are a lot of online guides. However, <em>en bref</em>:</p> <ol> <li>Download and install the Arduino IDE to your Mac/Wintel/Linux PC;</li> <li>Download the <em>latest</em> <a href="https://www.repetier.com/downloads/#f" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier firmware</a> to your Mac/Wintel/Linux PC⁴;</li> <li>Connect the Arduino Mega 2560 to your PC using a USB cable;</li> <li>Change the settings, i.e. Boards and Port settings, in the Arduino IDE, so that your PC can &quot;see&quot; the Arduino Mega 2560;</li> <li>Open the Reptier firmware, that you have just downloaded, in the Arduino IDE;</li> <li>Configure the Repetier firmware source code, i.e. make some edits in the <code>Configuration.h</code> file⁵, with the tweaks that you require (which you mention in your question)⁶;</li> <li>Compile the firmware using the Arduino IDE. and (finally);</li> <li>Upload the firmware to the Arduino Mega 2560.</li> </ol> <p>That is it. Once you have done it a few times, it will become second nature.</p> <p>Watch a few online youtube videos, as well, before you start, so that you have a better idea of what to do. For example:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4v7QvT36gc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier 0 92 8 Firmware Configration</a>. or;</li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nexaf7XOoPg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kossel Mini 3D Printer Repetier Firmware and Calibration</a>.</li> <li>As an aside, for gaining a basic understanding of the configuration file of <em>Marlin</em>, <strong>not</strong> Repetier, I found this video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuEhQU8vGZk" rel="nofollow noreferrer">#18: Calibration</a> <em>extremely</em> useful. If you feel like changing the firmware completely, this may come in handy.</li> </ul> <p>With respect to the Slicer's profile settings... I am not sure about that at all.</p> <p>The reason that you have no RAMPS board is that, on your MKS board, the RAMPS and the Arduino are merged into one. Any new controller would work, as they all run the same firmware. There are many to choose from. As you are just experimenting (and reverse engineering) at this stage, I personally would buy a cheap Chinese Arduino Mega 2560 (€6) and RAMPS (€4) board on eBay, for a total of only €10 (if you buy them separately - don't get a combination &quot;deal&quot; as they are generally more expensive - although compare the prices first, you may find a bargain), to test your settings. Once you are happy with those settings, <em>then</em> you can spend more money on a better board, should you feel that you need it.</p> <hr /> <h3>Footnotes</h3> <p>¹ If you have to get around the licensing, then it sounds like you could/should recompile the firmware, or use some other firmware, i.e. Marlin. However, wait to see what other people suggest.</p> <p>² There really isn't much risk in uploading new firmware. The only risk, which I guess <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4161/help-with-repetier-firmware-probably-locked-and-licensed/4163?noredirect=1#comment5759_4163">Mark is referring to</a>, is that you may/will not have the correct firmware settings for your make of printer, and therefore the printer may not work correctly, until you get the firmware settings correct. So, in that respect, it is a good idea to buy a secondary Arduino Mega and RAMPS1.4 board to play with, for just $10 (Chinese clones work just fine). But, as you say that your board already has bad settings, and you do not wish to pay for more licensing, then you haven't much to lose by uploading new firmware to it, except the warranty. So, if I were in your position, and I did not want to pay the licensing, I would set aside the supplied controller (for possible future use/reference), and use a Arduino Mega 2560/RAMPS 1.4 combination to control the printer. That said, if your printer is still under warranty, can't you ask the manufacturer to supply you a new controller with the correct settings?</p> <p>³ There is no way of extracting the code from an Arduino and then modifying it. You need the <em>original source code files</em>. See <a href="https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/179/is-there-any-way-to-download-a-sketch-from-an-arduino">Is there any way to download a sketch from an Arduino?</a> OK, you can obtain the machine code, but unless you are an expert, or guru, modifying it is impossible.</p> <p>⁴ The installation order, of the Arduino IDE and Repetier, will not matter. You probably need to rebuild the firmware, I would guess, but I am not 100% sure. It might be a good idea to contact the vendor to see what they recommend, before overwriting their code (assuming that the control board came pre-programmed)</p> <p>⁵ I found this video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuEhQU8vGZk" rel="nofollow noreferrer">#18: Calibration</a> extremely useful, for configuring Marlin, and understanding the firmware settings in the <code>Configuration.h</code> file.</p> <p>⁶ You may find this link useful for your &quot;tweaks&quot;: <a href="https://www.repetier.com/firmware/v092/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier-Firmware configuration tool for version 0.92.9 version</a></p>

2017-05-30T21:21:01.550

|prusa-i3|ultimaker-cura|

<p>I can't seem to understand the margins that Cura uses or how to fix them for my machine. Look at this:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5oD0d.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5oD0d.png" alt="Screenshot of Cura, depicting large grey area"></a></p> <p>I can't seem to tweak the stuff under machine settings to anything that does this better:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FEd5k.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FEd5k.png" alt="Screenshot of settings"></a></p> <p>Maybe a bit of dup of <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/645/cura-not-allowing-full-print-area-to-used">Cura not allowing full print area to used</a>, but I think my case is a lot worse and can't be explained by skirts.</p>

4164

Cura grey large grey area, almost nothing fits…

<p>I had mistakenly left the setting "one at a time" in print sequence. This meaning the printhead needs a lot of room since it will go back and forth in z.</p> <p>Cura allocates this extra space even if there's only one object.</p>

2017-05-31T18:49:09.567

|printer-building|diy-3d-printer|kossel|

<h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>I need a complete list of fasteners (bolts, nuts and washers) for the <em>Sintron Kossel</em>.</p> <hr /> <p>Has anyone bought this kit, and knows the answer, or knows where this is documented?</p> <p>A complete list would be great, but in particular, I need the dimensions (M2.5/3/4/5? and length) and quantity of the bolts (and nuts) which:</p> <ul> <li>fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches to the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders, and;</li> <li>fasten the PCB mounted mechanical switches and the PLA rectangular end stop spacers/holders to the extruded 2020 aluminium.</li> </ul> <p>I have:</p> <ul> <li>Searched the web, but to no avail;</li> <li>Read the <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sintron-3D-Printer-Kossel-Mini-Full-Set-w-Auto-level-for-RepRap-Rostock-Delta-/181845082062" rel="nofollow noreferrer">product page</a>, which states only &quot;screws and nuts provided&quot;;</li> <li>Contacted <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/sintron_tech_usa" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sintron</a>, but not had an answer;</li> <li>Obtained the <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/iifhhmistuwfja1/Kossel%20mini%20instrution%20by%20sintron%20technology_v2.pdf?dl=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sintron build manual</a> but there is no list contained therein, nor contains details about the fasteners relating to the endstops, and;</li> <li>Obtained the <a href="http://www.robotdigg.com/upload/pdf/2a823cc8a8dcff9da99cce92710cc745.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blomker manual</a>, from which the Sintron manual is copied, but that also has no list (as well as not being relevant with respect to the endstops).</li> </ul> <p><strong>Note that I am only interested in the fasteners <em>specifically for the Sintron Kossel</em> and not the Kossel in general.</strong> The Sintron uses the PCB mounted mechanical switches (with four holes), and not the simple barebones mechanical switches (with two holes), and uses 2020 aluminium¹, not 1515 OpenBeam:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lr1BU.png" alt="Endstops and PCB mounted mechanical switches for the Sintron Kossel" /></a></p> <p>Why? Because I purchased only the 3D printed parts from Sintron, and I am sourcing the rest of the parts cheaply, either locally or from Chinese suppliers on eBay.</p> <hr /> <p>¹ In my particular case, there is an additional complication. The profile of the non-standard/non-&quot;European&quot; 2020 extrusion that I am using, does <em>not</em> take T-Nuts, only M5 hexagonal nuts (it is unbelievably difficult to find the standard 2020 extrusion in Bangkok). Combine that with the fact that the Sintron kit uses only M3 nuts and <em>not</em> M5 (I only discovered this <em>after</em> purchasing the printed parts kit (see the email from Sintron, in my answer below) - not through lack of research, but because there <em>is</em> no available list of fasteners), then I have the problem of finding a nut to use (see <a href="https://engineering.stackexchange.com/questions/15628/fat-hexagonal-m3-nuts-with-outer-diameter-greater-than-6-mm">Fat hexagonal M3 nuts, with outer diameter greater than 6 mm</a>).</p> <p>Here is a photo</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UgSHu.jpg" alt="Four pieces of 2020 Aluminium extrusion" /></a></p>

4173

Complete list of fasteners for the Sintron Kossel

<p>For the M3 t-nuts, could you use this <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1573410" rel="nofollow noreferrer">printed solution</a>. You are just attaching a PCB; so, it you wouldn't need that much strength.</p> <p>Another excuse to use your 3D printer. ;)</p>

2017-06-03T04:59:14.227

|3d-models|3d-design|software|slic3r|slicing|

<p>I'm very new to 3D printing, I purchased a Monoprice Maker Select Plus last week and I'm just getting started with printing my own models. </p> <p>I can create fairly simple models in Sketchup without a problem, export in <code>.obj</code>, then using Slic3r, covert the STL into G-code. This method worked fairly well for some simple cubic bearing holders I was printing, however when I tried to slice a complex shape (a wheel), the slicer shows an incomplete version of the <code>.obj</code> file, missing faces and transparent from some angles. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OlXqP.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/OlXqP.jpg" alt="the sketchup model"></a></p> <p>Here is now what the wheel looked like on the slicer</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7j1Iv.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7j1Iv.jpg" alt="preview mode"></a></p> <p>There is obviously something I'm doing wrong in Sketchup, maybe I have to put it through some filters in MeshLab? Or I'm not constructing the model properly?</p>

4182

Slic3r not interpreting STL correctly

<p>Sketchup is notorious for creating non-manifold models for 3D printing. The first recommendation would be to consider using a different resource for your models. I'm not a big fan of <a href="https://www.tinkercad.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">TinkerCAD</a>, but it is similar in operation to many features of Sketchup. I've used it on a couple occasions where it was the fastest simplest way to create a particular model.</p> <p>There are other programs that are more complex in the learning curve. <a href="http://meshmixer.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Meshmixer</a> is good for more organic shapes, although it will perform reasonably well for engineering-type models such as yours.</p> <p><a href="https://www.blender.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Blender</a> is a great piece of free software with an extremely steep learning curve, but again, better suited to organics.</p> <p>I'm quite a fan of <a href="http://www.openscad.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OpenSCAD</a> which is script/text based and quite well suited to creating engineering-type models, especially if you need parametric modeling. The model you have in your pictures would be an easy build, perhaps twenty minutes creation time, a few dozen lines of text. I see two cylinders, some boolean subtraction and some radial primitives. If the code is clean (easy to do), the result is a manifold object.</p> <p>On the even more challenging level, there are programs such as <a href="http://www.solidworks.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SolidWorks</a> but the learning curve there is steep too. In the same ballpark would be <a href="https://www.autodesk.com/products/fusion-360/overview" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Autodesk Fusion 360</a>, for which a free hobbyist version exists.</p> <p>Of course, with all of the above, there are YouTube tutorials to assist your learning process.</p> <p>More to the point, one can use an <a href="http://online%203d%20model%20repair%20service" rel="nofollow noreferrer">online 3D model repair service</a>. I've attempted to use a couple with mixed results.</p> <p><a href="https://service.netfabb.com/login.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Netfabb</a> is a commonly recommended online repair service. I've not used that one, or if I have, the results were poor. A bad model (your example) will likely fail with most services.</p> <p>I've used <a href="https://makeprintable.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MakePrintable</a> in the past as well. Again, a bad model will fail and Sketchup is the culprit here.</p> <p>You can use Meshmixer in Analysis mode to find the errors and use Auto Repair All, but the results aren't going to be pretty!</p>

2017-06-03T22:13:06.413

|slicing|infill|

<p>I have this wing design that I want to print:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EF87K.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EF87K.png" alt="wing"></a></p> <p>You can notice that its walls have a thickness, which is 1.0&nbsp;mm. I want to print it so that the perimeters are inside that thickness. Here is the wing sliced with 1 perimeter and 0% infill:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvFDx.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MvFDx.png" alt="wing detail"></a></p> <p>You can notice a gap between the perimeters. That gap is what I want filled and not the perimeters in the image. With 0 perimeters and 100% infill I got this zig-zagged line:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U048S.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U048S.png" alt="Zigzag filled gap between perimeters"></a></p> <p>I want the gap to be filled; but, I don't want it to be zig-zagged like in the image. I want it to be smooth like the perimeters in the other image.</p> <p>Basically I want a smooth infill that goes around the curves just like the perimeters. The reason why I don't want to print both the perimeters and the infill is because I want to save as much weight a possible as this is a wing of a model plane that must fly, so the lighter it is the more efficient it will be.</p> <p>Any ideas how I can slice this?</p> <p>The images are screenshots in Slic3r, but I can use Cura as well. This is just a test slice. The wing model is not finished yet.</p>

4185

How to slice this wing so it has a smooth infill like perimeters

<p>I found a great solution!</p> <p>In Cura, there is a setting under <strong>Shell</strong> called <strong>Horizontal Expansion</strong>. What this does is it controls the distance between the two perimeters. A negative value in this field will make them come closer together, thus removing the gap between them.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRWQU.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tRWQU.png" alt="Horizontal Expansion settings dialog"></a></p> <p>I found that -0.1 is the perfect value for 1 mm thick walls like the ones in my design. So I set it to -0.1, then set the infill to 100% because in some spots the thickness is a little bit more than 1 mm, so the infill closes the gaps in those places. Here is the result:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZ7fD.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nZ7fD.png" alt="Image of Solid perimeters"></a></p> <p>You can see the perimeters are now sticking to each other and there is no gap between them. The result estimated weight is 71 g, which is a quite good reduction from the estimated 92 g when not using horizontal expansion.</p>

2017-06-08T15:04:33.720

|hotend|delta|fans|

<p>Has anyone used one of these aluminium cubes?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IyXtG.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IyXtG.png" alt="Aluminium cube"></a></p> <p>It is used to mount the fan for the hotend, when used on a delta effector, like so:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EikQC.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EikQC.jpg" alt="Aluminium cube and hotend"></a></p> <p>Are they a good idea? </p> <p>Without actually buying one and trying it, compared to the <em>traditional</em> fan mount, I imagine the pros are </p> <ul> <li>Additional heatsink surface area</li> </ul> <p>and that is it, I could think of only <strong>one</strong> tenuous advantage...</p> <p>However, I would imagine that the cons are:</p> <ul> <li>Additional weight on the effector¹, for the push rods to move around, i.e. slightly higher inertia;</li> <li>Probably restricted air flow, and;</li> <li>Unnecessary additional cost</li> </ul> <p>Therefore, as the cons appears to outweigh the pros, are they worth upgrading to from, say, a typical plastic fan mount:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Apj6V.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Apj6V.png" alt="Plastic fan mount"></a></p> <p>Does anyone have first hand experience? Are there any other additional benefits, and/or is heat dissipation <em>that much</em> better? </p> <hr> <p>¹ Of course, the lightest solution is with the fan mounted, such that it hangs off the top of the effector, but with no air flow guide and hence less effective heat dissipation.</p>

4203

Aluminium cube - fan and hotend mount - is it worth it?

<p>I think its only advantage is that it serves to move money from the folks who buy it to the folks that sell it, and that's an advantage purely for the folks that sell it.</p> <p>"Additional heatsink surface area" is quite doubtful - it would have poor coupling to the actual heatsink. If the actual heatsink is correctly designed, there's no need for additional area, anyway. This design clearly does limit airflow to the top and bottom fins - the bottom one, in particular, is not a good place to limit airflow for best function, and yet it's severely occluded by the design of this block.</p> <p>Save your money.</p> <p>Edit - I think the plastic one shown is also less than ideal - the close coupling to the edges of the heatsink reduces the effectiveness of the heatsink, which would otherwise be dumping heat into the airflow past those edges. A better design (IMHO, gut engineering) would be spaced off the ends/edges of the fins about as much as the space between fins, not touching them. Axial fans perform poorly with backpressure, and that would also reduce backpressure.</p>

2017-06-09T05:33:24.357

|filament|

<p>I just printed my first thing, now there's very little filament left in my Monoprice Select Mini v2. </p> <p>What do I do about it? Yank it out? Try to print out what's left of it and hope it all extrudes safely? </p> <p>I'm not sure what my next move here is. Is doing either, dangerous to the safety of my machine? I haven't seen any guides or information on this and I'm afraid I'm going to break something.</p>

4205

What do I do when I have a little filament left?

<p>Heat the extruder up first, then remove the filament. You can remove the filament either by reversing the extruder using a command such as <code>G1 E-100 F200</code>, by using your printer's controls/LCD (if it has one) or simply pull the filament out by hand. To this end, most extruders have a lever that you can push to disengage the drive gear to make it easier to pull the filament out.</p> <p>You can just heat the extruder up to printing temperature, but a perhaps better approach is a cold-pull, where you heat the extruder up just barely enough to be able to remove the filament (to, say, 120-180°C) and then pull the filament out. This has the advantage of removing more of the old filament and perhaps also taking some debris that may be stuck in the nozzle with it.</p> <p>Trying to print it all out won't work because once the last bit of filament goes past the drive gear, you won't be able to extrude the rest of it. Feeding in a new bit of filament might push the old filament out, but it could just as easily get jammed.</p>

2017-06-09T16:12:34.507

|ramps-1.4|arduino-mega-2650|pronterface|grounding|

<p>I'm able to connect to Arduino+RAMPS through USB. I can even check end stops with <code>M119</code>. However, if I plug it to the power supply, my MacBook goes crazy and restart itself! Things I have tried:</p> <ul> <li>Uninstalled OSX, installed Ubuntu, I get readiness error when PSU is connected.</li> <li>Bought a new pair of RAMPS + Arduino.</li> <li>Run RAMPS all naked without anything on it.</li> <li>Measured PSU output, 12.2&nbsp;V is stable.</li> </ul> <p>I'm at a point I started to think my MacBook's USB ports are messed up. It is a 2008 model, do you think that would be right to blame?</p> <p><strong>Update</strong></p> <p>Tried a new and a very short USB cable: It worked for the first time and I'm able to home all axes, but laptop's trackpad gets very hard to control for some reason. I can only use an external mouse.</p>

4208

Printrun doesn't connect when 12 V is on

<p>It sounds a bit like you are having (additional) grounding issues¹. Are your MacBook and the RAMPS using the same ground, i.e. are they using the same mains circuit?</p> <p><em>If</em> you are using the same power strip, then the next thing to check would be that the PSU on the printer correctly grounded (at the bottom of the unit).</p> <p>From David Crocker's superlative blog, see <a href="https://miscsolutions.wordpress.com/2015/08/01/upgrading-the-large-delta-printer/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Upgrading the large delta printer - Power supply output grounding</a>:</p> <blockquote> <h3>Power supply output grounding</h3> <p>While taking some measurements on my machine, I discovered that the negative side of the output of the 12V LED power supply I am using was not connected to ground inside the power supply as I expected. This presents a safety hazard. So I added an additional wire from ground to the spare negative output terminal of the power supply.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8pxQ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/g8pxQ.jpg" alt="Correctly grounded power supply" /></a></p> <hr /> <p>¹ Why do I think this? Three reasons:</p> <ol> <li>Because grounding issues is one of the most common, and over-looked, problems, in circuit design;</li> <li>I have often had peripheral devices, that use a separate <em>additional</em> power supply, cause a PC laptop to go &quot;haywire&quot; (or worse, die) once connected via RS232/USB (especially charge sensitive devices on the laptop, such as the track pad), due to different, or <em>floating</em>, grounds, and;</li> <li>I had recently read the blog and made special note to check all of my power supplies as they are <em>all</em> terrible, cheap, Chinese knockoffs, and grounding circuits in Thailand are usually <em>non-existant</em>, or, at best, <em>poorly wired up</em>.</li> </ol>

2017-06-10T01:56:58.333

|printer-building|hotend|diy-3d-printer|

<h3>TL;DR</h3> <p>Is it possible to build a hotend, using separate parts, sourced on eBay, from China, and still achieve a high quality print?</p> <hr /> <p>In my opinion, the E3D V6 hotend is rather expensive, at $/£70, especially to those building to a tight budget. Now, obviously/presumably, there is some quite rigorous QA and testing of the build, and they have to pay for their research costs and initial machining set ups and this is reflected in the high cost. Also, the expression, <em>you get what you pay for</em>, springs to mind.</p> <p>However, I wondered if I sourced the individual parts from China, for a dollar apiece, that is to say the:</p> <ul> <li>Throat (with Teflon lining)</li> <li>Heating block</li> <li>Heatsink</li> <li>Nozzle</li> <li>Pneumatic connector (PC4-05/PC4-M06)</li> <li>Heater</li> <li>Thermistor</li> </ul> <p>could I too, end up with a hotend, that performs as well as, or even out performs, an E3D hotend, or am I living in cloud cuckoo land?</p> <p>After all, let's not forget that most, if not, all of the parts used in a E3D hotend probably come from China anyway, these days, as most production facilites have moved from the US/EU to the cheaper manufacturing bases and machining shops, in SE Asia.</p> <p>I have read <em>so many times</em> that people were experiencing extrusion problems, shoddy prints, etc, from their cheap printer, until they finally shelled out the cash and upgraded to a genuine E3D hotend. After that the prints were much improved. I have read this <em>countless</em> times, in blogs, threads, etc., so I presume that it is not possible.</p> <p>I realise that if the parts are not finished correctly, and end up with burring on the inside of the throat, nozzle, etc., then the filament will not extrude correctly. See <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-long-is-an-extruders-nozzles-life/3988#3988">tbm0115's answer</a> to <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3985/how-long-is-an-extruders-nozzles-life/">How long is an extruder&#39;s/nozzle&#39;s life?</a> However, assuming that the parts that I receive are machined, and finished, correctly then there should not be a problem, right?</p> <p>Has anyone actually done this? Is tinkering with hotends a done thing? Does anyone have any good pointers and/or tips?</p> <p>NOTE: This question is not really after opinionated answers, in order to stay within SE rules - although opinions are always welcome - but I just want to know if anyone has first hand (positive or negative) experience of this.</p>

4209

Can cheap hotend parts sourced from China actually produce good prints?

<p><em>Sorry for digging up the topic, but I'd like to share my experience with cheap Chinese parts obtained from those obvious auction sites.</em></p> <hr> <p>For my <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2254103" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Hypercube Evolution</a> I have ordered all parts from Chinese suppliers except for the Aluminium extrusion profiles. This includes belts, screws, nuts, electric cables, printer board, steppers and drivers, hotend parts, you name it. </p> <p>I do not own, or have ever owned, an official E3D hotend, so I cannot compare the clone E3D hotends to the official directly. However, I do own an Ultimaker 3 Extended (UM3E) that I manage for a group of printing enthusiasts to promote building your own printer and produce spare parts that are not sold commercially or sold at ridiculous prices. The quality of the products produced by the UM3E are very good, as expected from this quality brand, so I can compare the products from my own printer with the ones from the UM3E. </p> <p>It is often said <strong>by others</strong> that the prints I have created with my HyperCube Evolution are at least as good as the products produced on the UM3E, or sometimes even better. In that respect, it is very hard to see any differences in the products. The UM3E is known for the simplicity of use and it's relative low need to tinker to get or keep it working, but my own creation does not require a lot of tinkering either. E.g. I have never had any clogs (several kilometers of 2.85 mm filament printed) while I use a relative high retraction length (the same as on the UM3E as default in Cura). In this respect I have never had the need to upgrade to an official E3D hotend, and most likely will never do need to.</p> <p>So <strong>to answer your question</strong> if it is possible to build a hotend, using separate parts, sourced from China, to achieve a high quality print (while maintaining a low need for tinkering), I can vouch <strong>that it is indeed possible</strong>.</p> <hr> <p><em>Sidemark: Note that if you source your materials locally, e.g. local webshops, you probably also end up with imported Chinese parts! (usually <strong>at much higher costs</strong>; but at least they <strong>arrive sooner</strong>!)</em></p>

2017-06-10T08:49:15.687

|delta|repetier|

<p>So my printer's calibration got screwed after a sudden reboot and since the current firmware (0.92.6) is licensed, I cannot edit it. So I'm building a new one.</p> <p>These are the controller boards of my printer:</p> <p><strong>1. Main controller board:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yKmZT.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yKmZT.jpg" alt="Main controller board"></a></p> <p>The black board is a MKS Base v1.3</p> <p>The other green board beside it has a DC to DC SMPS (HRD12008) on it, along with Z-min, X-min, T0, Fan-, D11 and a flat ribbon wire connector (can be seen in the picture).</p> <p>The other box with an acrylic top is a solid state relay.</p> <hr> <p><strong>2. Cooling fan and Z-probe PCB:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/locuk.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/locuk.jpg" alt="Hot-end PCB"></a></p> <hr> <p>The brand on all these boards is "D-force". I've traced the printer down to a Taiwanese manufacturer: <a href="http://d-force.tw/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">D-FORCE.TW - 3D Printer</a>.</p> <p>There are a few parts available: </p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.icshop.com.tw/product_info.php/products_id/23999" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fan &amp; Z-probe PCB</a>;</li> <li><a href="http://3dprinter.expresstobuy.com/products/d-force-control-board-3d-printer-dforce/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Main controller board</a>, and;</li> <li><a href="http://www.icshop.com.tw/product_info.php/products_id/22546" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Servo motor for calibration (Z-probe)</a>.</li> </ul> <p>I haven't been able to find the other green board (with the HRD12008 SMPS on it), yet.</p> <p>I've downloaded a new firmware from Repetier website. It can be found here, <a href="https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bwypz0ZN4X9RUXBhcjBRVUVDTWM" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier-Firmware-2017-06-09</a>.</p> <p>Now, while compiling the firmware, I need to specify the Z-probe pin. I'm unable to do so because it's not plugged into the main board.</p> <p>Here is a close-up of the Z-probe &amp; the servo motor that pins it down.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kZPm7.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kZPm7.jpg" alt="Z-probe close-up"></a></p> <p>Any help would be appreciated here. On the web these printers are known as "D-force printers".</p> <p><strong>Edit1</strong>: I found this on the manufacturer's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1587302991497916/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Facebook group</a>:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTP3a.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GTP3a.jpg" alt="MKS Base 1.3 schema"></a></p> <p>Please note that this is v1.1 and my printer has v1.3 although I haven't found any difference between the two, yet. I'll update on that if I find any. Hope this helps.</p> <p><strong>Edit2</strong>: The Y-min pin on the main controller board is empty. The X-min and Z-min are connected to the X-min and Z-min on the additional green board respectively. Also, there is a T0 on the additional board which is connected to A13 of the main controller.</p>

4213

Building new Repetier firmware for a delta printer (D-force)

<p>You, obviously, do actually have a Z-probe, but in case another user does not, or you decide not to use yours, I will cover both cases (with and without a Z-probe).</p> <h3>Z-probe not present</h3> <p>If not, then in <code>configuration.h</code> set the <code>FEATURE_Z_PROBE</code> to <code>false</code>, like this: </p> <pre><code>#define FEATURE_Z_PROBE false </code></pre> <p>or </p> <pre><code>#define FEATURE_Z_PROBE 0. </code></pre> <p>Then you also need to set </p> <pre><code>#define DISTORTION_CORRECTION 0 </code></pre> <p>as this requires the <code>FEATURE_Z_PROBE</code> if otherwise set to <code>1</code> or <code>true</code>. <em>However</em>, thereafter, upon recompilation, I then get a lot of other errors... but these seem to be more to do with selecting the correct board, <code>#define MOTHERBOARD</code>, in <code>pins.h</code>, than the disabling of the Z-probe. This error:</p> <pre><code>fastio.h:29: error: 'DIOORIG_FAN2_PIN_WPORT' was not declared in this scope </code></pre> <p>is due to, from <a href="http://forum.repetier.com/discussion/2444/cant-compile-firmware" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Can't compile firmware</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>You are using <code>ORIG_FAN2_PIN</code> in your configuration but apparently your boards pin definition does not define that pin. In that case check board description and use the digital pin number instead for that function.</p> </blockquote> <p><em>Actually that is not entirely true</em>¹.</p> <p><strong>NOTE</strong>: It might be easier to just define <code>Z_PROBE_PIN</code> to something other than <code>-1</code>, which is what it is defaulting to, as set in <code>configuration.h</code>:</p> <pre><code>#define Z_PROBE_PIN -1 </code></pre> <h3>Z-probe present</h3> <p>If you do have a Z-probe, then trace the wires to see where they go on the controller board, determine that pin number on the board and then enter that pin number into <code>configuration.h</code>. For example, <em>if</em> it is connected to pin 63, then:</p> <pre><code>#define Z_PROBE_PIN 63 </code></pre> <p>and <code>leave DISTORTION_CORRECTION</code> untouched.</p> <h3>Where to plug the Z-probe in</h3> <p>If your Z-probe has become unplugged, then you need to choose a pin to connect it to. This is easy... you simply connect it to any free pin. Now, you probably only have three end stops, at the top of the delta frame. These are the MAX end stops. So, you can simply connect the Z-probe to any of the three MIN end stop pins, on the board. Obviously, you will leave the three <code>#define</code>s for the MIN end stop, in <code>Configuration.h</code>, un-configured, and then specify the pin, that you did use, in </p> <pre><code>#define Z_PROBE_PIN &lt;your pin&gt; </code></pre> <p>See <a href="https://forum.repetier.com/discussion/comment/1950/#Comment_1950" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Is there a complete step by step manual for building Z probe - comment 1950</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Put the zprobe on any free pin you have but do NOT set it in endstops. It is not a endstop it is a zprobe.</p> <p>Then set it in zprobe section with pullup enabled so it is drawn to high internally until you connect the pin with gnd. Then G31 should also be consistent. I guess you missed the pullup part making it a random result.</p> </blockquote> <p>and <a href="https://forum.repetier.com/discussion/comment/1952/#Comment_1952" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Is there a complete step by step manual for building Z probe - Comment_1952</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Not sure why this is a problem. You have 6 endstop pins and need 3 for endstops + 1 for zprobe = 4 pins. Still 2 endstop pins free.</p> <p>When I said not in endstops I meant not in the endstop configuration. There you only put switches that work as endstop.</p> </blockquote> <h3>Highlighting the connections</h3> <p>The green PCB, for the fan and Z-probe, does not appear to have any logic on it (I can't see any), so it is just a collection of tracks (i.e. wires). As there are no logic chips on it, you can trace the circuit from the Z-probe to the controller (either visually, or using a multimeter set on continuity check). I assume that the PCB is connected to the controller board somewhere/somehow... Via the 10 wire grey ribbon cable that goes to the second green PCB next to the main board, next to LED3, as shown in the first photo? This ribbon cable transfers signals to/from the Z-probe/fan PCB to the secondary PCB, which appears to be a power related PCB (i.e. heaters). Somehow the secondary, power, PCB then connects to the main controller board.</p> <p>One of the three unused MINIMUM end stop pins <em>should</em> be used for the Z-probe. This is assuming that:</p> <ul> <li>you only have three physical end stops (at the top of the three axes) <em>and</em>;</li> <li>they are connected to the MAXIMUM end stop pins. </li> </ul> <p>If you have six end stops, (one at the top and one at the bottom), then that changes things drastically. Assuming that you only have three, then the three unused MINIMUM pins will be used for some other purposes (Z-probe, servo arm, something else?).</p> <p>You need to confirm that you only have end stops at the <em>top</em> of the printer and not the bottom, i.e. only <code>MAX_ENDSTOP</code> (or <code>X+</code>, <code>Y+</code> and <code>Z+</code>) pins. If so, then you should have three (sets of) (<code>MIN_ENDSTOP</code>) pins with nothing connected to them (in theory). So, one of those three <code>MIN_ENDSTOP</code> pins will have the Z-probe connected to it. If you are having trouble locating the <code>MIN_ENDSTOP</code> pins, trace where the 3 physical (MAX) end stops are connected to, those will be the <code>MAX_ENDSTOP</code> pins. Then from that, the <code>MIN_ENDSTOP</code> pins should be relatively easy to identify. Hopefully that makes sense.</p> <p>Looking at the schema then it becomes obvious. You see <code>X+</code>, <code>X-</code>, <code>Y+</code>, <code>Y-</code>, <code>Z+</code> and <code>Z-</code>. The physical endstops should be connected to the three <code>+</code> connectors. The three <code>-</code> connectors: two of them are hopefully not connected. The one that is should be the Z-probe. Looking at the photo, unfortunately, it seems as if all six (or just five?) are populated. </p> <p>Personally, to save time, I would get a multimeter, unplug the <code>X</code>, <code>Y</code>, <code>Z</code> <code>+</code>/<code>-</code> connectors (actually only the <code>-</code> connectors) in turn and test each one, to see which is connected to the Z-probe.</p> <p>To check the correct pin is used, you really only have two (sensible) options: either visually, or; multimeter. Multimeter would be best, and the most certain. However, there are two other options open to you (one risky, and one laborious):</p> <ul> <li><p>As we have whittled it down to two connectors (<code>X-min</code> and <code>Z-min</code>, there are only two pins (for the Z-probe and servo) to worry about, you only have a 50-50 chance of getting it wrong, so you could guess, code it up and see if it works - if it doesn't, then change the pin defined, and recompile...</p> <p><strong>IMPORTANT</strong>: After a rethink, it is best not to just take the 50-50 chance, as the servo pin is probably configured as an <em>output</em> and the Z-probe pin will be an <em>input</em>. You could end up <em>damaging the control board</em>.</p></li> <li><p>Finally, you could, in theory, test it programmatically, but that would require writing some test code for the controller, which (as we are having enough trouble as it is with the configuration.h file) would be a nightmare, to put it bluntly.</p></li> </ul> <p><strong>Schema</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6a6lS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6a6lS.jpg" alt="Schema highlighting the endstop connectors"></a></p> <p><strong>Photo of control board</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qVYK.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4qVYK.jpg" alt="Photo of control board highlighting the endstop connectors"></a></p> <hr> <p>It is probably a good idea to read this, lengthly, article: <a href="https://www.repetier.com/documentation/repetier-firmware/z-probing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Repetier - Z-probing</a>.</p> <hr> <h3>Footnotes</h3> <p>¹ I have finally managed to get <code>Repetier.ino</code> to compile. The problem lay with the <code>Configuration.h</code> file that came with the googledrive download, that you provided. Trying to either manually configure <code>Configuration.h</code>, or pre-loading it into Repetier's configuration tool, always resulted in the same compilation error, see <a href="https://gr33nonline.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/dioorig_fan2_pin_wport-error/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DIOORIG_FAN2_PIN_WPORT error</a>. The simplest solution is to create a <code>Configuration.h</code> file from <em>new</em>, using the Configuration tool. When you do that, it will compile ok. </p> <p>Or, if you really want to do it manually, either:</p> <ol> <li>Set <code>NUM_EXTRUDER</code> to <code>1</code> and not <code>2</code> as the <code>FAN2</code> compile error comes from the second extruder's set of <code>#define</code>s, or;</li> <li>More precisely, if you <em>do</em> have two extruders, then change the line <code>#define EXT1_EXTRUDER_COOLER_PIN ORIG_FAN2_PIN</code> and specify a pin, i.e. <code>65</code>, en lieu of using <code>ORIG_FAN2_PIN</code>.</li> </ol>

2017-06-13T07:24:13.320

|software|reprap|tronxy-x3|

<p>I have a Tronxy X3 (i3 Clone) running Repetier firmware on a Melzi board.</p> <p>I would like to share the printer over my home network so that:</p> <ol> <li>Both my boys and I can use the printer. (We have separate Windows 10 PCs)</li> <li>I can initiate a print from my computer upstairs</li> <li>I can monitor the print progress remotely</li> </ol> <p>I have (and could use)</p> <ul> <li>A RAMPS board set that I could use to run Marlin.</li> <li>A Raspberrry Pi 1B </li> <li>An idle laptop I (might) be willing to use</li> </ul> <p>What I want to know:</p> <ul> <li>Are you sharing your printer on a network, and if so, how long</li> <li>What Hardware and Software are you using</li> <li>What do you like most</li> <li>What do you find most annoying</li> <li>What do you want to change</li> <li>What is the interface (web interface, print driver, etc.)</li> <li>What services are provided (printing, slicing, monitoring, etc.)</li> <li>Can two computers access it at the same time Ex: To monitor, or still print if my sons forgot to disconnect</li> <li>What sort of monitoring is supported? Ex: camera?</li> <li>What runs the print job (G-code)</li> </ul>

4224

Sharing a printer over a network

<p>If you set up <a href="https://octoprint.org/download/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OctoPrint</a> or <a href="https://all3dp.com/2/klipper-install-simply-explained/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Klipper,</a> you can then use a tool like <a href="https://octoeverywhere.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OctoEverywhere</a> to get remote access and share it. OctoEverywhere has a feature called <a href="https://octoeverywhere.com/sharedconnections" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Shared Connections</a> that lets you share printer access with anyone over the internet.</p>

2017-06-13T08:11:08.787

|software|

<p>Sometimes I notice that if I manually command a single axis movement (typically Z, when I want better access to the extruder), I observe that several channels move together (and they maybe move slower than I expect). After one 'coupled' movement, subsequent commands have the result I'm expecting.</p> <p>What happens is as well as the Z-axis moving up, the bed moves forward, and the extruder moves to the right. I have no auto-leveling or anything else non-standard on this printer (dual Z steppers, X, Y, extruder, bed, extruder heat).</p> <p>It even happens if I simply extrude some of the time (e.g. changing filament after warming up, retract gave me some X movement)</p> <p>Printer is an ANET-A8, I'm using mainly OctoPrint, but I think I've also observed this with other PC software manual controls.</p> <p>It doesn't happen often enough for me to have identified any pattern - maybe it only happens if I've not homed first after turning the printer on, but I suspect not.</p> <p>It's not so much of a problem, as just a question for interest. Also not sure how to tag.</p>

4225

Lack of isolation between axes

<p>My best guess based on the answers and comments so far is that there is a minor firmware bug and some poorly initialised state. This occurs at start-up, or after a print has finished, but only once (till presumably the idle state is reached again).</p> <p>See the image below, captured after the power went off during a print. Heated the extruder, and did Z -10, got this. Both x and Y moved, but in about a 10:1 ratio. The length of the track is about 10mm. Interestingly, during this movement, there was no Z movement.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2L8d3.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2L8d3.jpg" alt="Movement frozen into print"></a></p>

2017-06-13T15:46:32.617

|g-code|

<p>I am writing a G-code sender for Android, but I have hit a snag. How can I prevent the phone from discharging while it sending G-code to the printer?</p> <p>I have several Android phones and tablets and they have a micro USB OTG connector, which I can connect to my 3D printer using an adapter. But it looks like OTG has this limitation - it can either accept power when in <em>Device</em> mode, or it can provide power in <em>Host</em> mode. So, while in <em>Host</em> mode the phone can't be charged, so I can't do long prints, which seems like an unreasonable limitation. </p> <p>Any ideas on how to solve this?</p>

4228

How can I charge an Android phone while it's controlling my 3D printer?

<p>See <em>elsewhere</em> on StackExchange:</p> <ul> <li><p>Electronics:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/34741/can-an-android-tablet-serve-as-usb-host-and-be-charged-simultaneously-through-a">Can an Android tablet serve as USB Host and be charged simultaneously through a single port?</a></li> </ul></li> <li><p>Android Enthusiasts</p> <ul> <li><p><a href="https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/34227/using-an-otg-cable-while-charging">Using an OTG cable while charging</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/28745/usb-charging-in-host-mode">USB charging in host mode [duplicate]</a></p></li> </ul></li> </ul> <p>You certainly can charge whilst in host mode, but some re-wiring will be required.</p> <p>From the SE.Electronics <a href="https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/34741/can-an-android-tablet-serve-as-usb-host-and-be-charged-simultaneously-through-a">link</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Apparently it is possible to charge the Host-Device! --> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_On-The-Go" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_On-The-Go</a></p> <p>Under "OTG Micro Plugs" it says that a USB OTG cable with a 36.5 kΩ resistor between Pin 4 (I suppose its pin 4) and Pin 5 allows you to connect a B-Device (Slave) and (!) a Charger to the Smartphone/Tablet. The Phone and the B-Device can be supplied by the external power source.</p> <p>USB-Power Specifications: <a href="http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/batt_charging_1_1.zip" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.usb.org/developers/devclass_docs/batt_charging_1_1.zip</a></p> </blockquote> <p>and </p> <blockquote> <p>I just sifted through the docs because I didn't trust Wikipedia's implicit data on which of the three resistances I should use. Here you can find the official <code>Battery Charging v1.2 Spec and Adopters Agreement</code>: <a href="http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">usb.org/developers/docs/devclass_docs</a> In this case you want 124kΩ, because you want the OTG device (=tablet) to be the A device (=host). </p> </blockquote> <p>Here are the schematics:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uty2y.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Uty2y.jpg" alt="Post schema"></a></p>

2017-06-14T15:56:58.717

|pla|abs|smoothing|vapor-smoothing|

<p>From my understanding, both PLA and ABS can be treated with acetone to make them smoother. So when they are treated with acetone, which is smother PLA or ABS or are they about the same? </p> <p>When I search online, all I find is how to treat the objects. </p>

4235

What's smoother? Acetone treated PLA or ABS

<p>ABS filaments will smooth well with using acetone, it's been used for a while now.</p> <p>For PLA filaments it's a different story, pure PLA will not smooth out in acetone and it will likely only cause structural failure of the product.</p> <p>However most PLA filaments aren't pure PLA, they contain additives including ABS that react differently when exposed to acetone and the reaction will really depend on the manufacturer of the filament, only a few PLA filaments are known to smooth like ABS when in an acetone vapor bath, it is the case for ColorFabb PLA filaments and it is absolutely not the case for bq PLA filaments that only soften and break when exposed to acetone.</p> <p>You'll have to make small tests with different brands of filament to see which smooth well and which don't but if you want to go fast either go with ABS or use other smoothing techniques such as sanding + 3D print Smooth On epoxy.</p>

2017-06-14T22:23:42.443

|ultimaker-cura|

<p>I am at my wits end with this problem. I start a print and the skirt goes down fine, then the outline of the parts go down fine (usually) and then when it goes to fill in the first layer, it will always get stuck to the hotend at some point and rip apart the layer. </p> <p>Any ideas on how to solve this?</p> <ul> <li>Printing PLA at 210°C;</li> <li>First layer temp is 225°C;</li> <li>Bed temp at 60°C;</li> <li>1.75&nbsp;mm filament, and;</li> <li>0.4&nbsp;mm nozzle. </li> </ul> <p>Maker Select V2.1, using Cura to slice.</p>

4236

First layer eventually sticks to the hotend and tears

<p>Check if you have fan turned on for 1st layers. <strong>Cooling fan must be turned off for initial layers</strong>. That's a mistake I've made.</p>

2017-06-17T14:25:58.920

|reprap|diy-3d-printer|

<p>I've been 3D printing for almost 4 years. Now that I have an M180, my RepRapPro Huxley is collecting dust as I only use it for flexible prints and ABS prints as it handles them better than the M180 does.</p> <p>I was wondering, since everything is open source in it and hardware-wise most open style Y carriage bed 3D printers are the same, would it be possible to make a 500 * 500 * 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?</p> <p>Since the carriage system isn't that good, I would replace it with solid machined aluminium rails and the heat bed would be made out of four Prusa I3 HB, which would only require me to add a PC PSU to power the whole thing and some MOSFETs to handle the load. I would be salvaging the board, the steppers, the endstops and extruder assembly basically. </p> <p>Would such a setup be worth it?</p> <p>Would the steppers have to handle more load?</p>

4247

Upscaling a reprap

<p><strong>To your three questions:</strong></p> <ol> <li>".. would it be possible to make a 500 * 500 * 300 printer using the hardware from this printer?" - YES</li> <li>"Would such a setup be worth it?" - Only you could determine that. It would quite a bit of work; but, if you enjoy making things it would likely be a fun accomplishment.</li> <li>"Would the steppers have to handle more load?" - X and Y axis don't fight gravity so the the only force you fight is friction and accel/decel. If you keep with a low friction design then you will just need to limit the accel and decel to what the motors can handle. Regarding Z, this depends on your design, if you stick with the standard lead screw approach then the motor power required really isn't affected by the height. </li> </ol> <p>Two thing to note about larger printers:</p> <ol> <li>It takes a LONG time to make a large object. Make sure you consider this in the design as you probably won't be able to be there the whole time. Design with fire prevention in mind.</li> <li>Tall lead screws increase the risk of Z-axis wobble. Make sure your consider this. You will need VERY strait lead screws. If you are going to capture both ends of the lead screw, use flex couplings.</li> </ol>

2017-06-17T19:03:46.070

|prusa-i3|marlin|z-axis|

<p>First, X and Y axis works perfectly, I measured well. I have plugged all jumpers, and use a very standard ramps 1.4 setup with standard Nema 17 200rev 1.8 motors and A4988 drivers.</p> <p>For Z axis, I have leadscrew with 8mm diameter and 2mm pitch.</p> <p>I calculated it should be <code>1600</code> steps per mm. Problem is when I call <code>G1 Z5</code> it goes to 2 cm. So I lowered my setting to <code>400</code> steps per mm and problem solved.</p> <p>I don't understand what I'm missing here. I have used <a href="http://www.prusaprinters.org/calculator/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this</a> calculator to find <code>1600</code>.</p> <p>Where I'm wrong on the math then?</p>

4248

Why do I have to lower my Z axis steps per mm?

<p>Your leadscrew probably is a 2&nbsp;mm pitch, <strong>4-start</strong> leadscrew. This means that there are actually 4 separate grooves on the leadscrew, each with a pitch of 8&nbsp;mm. Confusingly, this makes the total pitch 2&nbsp;mm, since the distance from one groove to the next is 8mm divided by 4 grooves. However, one revolution of the leadscrew will still move the nut by 8&nbsp;mm. Thus, in the Prusa calculator, you should enter a pitch of 8&nbsp;mm/revolution. Since you entered a pitch of 2&nbsp;mm, you ended up with a figure that is 4 times too large.</p> <p>The reason leadscrews are made like this is that if you just had a single groove with an 8&nbsp;mm pitch, the nut would need to be made very long to enable it to make contact with a sufficiently long portion of thread. By increasing the number of grooves, you can get away with a shorter nut. With lower pitch (lead-)screws you don't need multiple starts, since the lower pitch means the same length of nut is in contact with more thread.</p> <hr> <p>For the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various <em>leads</em> (8/4/2&nbsp;mm), as opposed to <em>pitches</em>, see also <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4031/would-using-a-leadscrew-with-1-or-2-mm-lead-en-lieu-of-8-mm-result-in-a-better/">Would using a leadscrew with 1 or 2 mm lead, en lieu of 8 mm, result in a better printer?</a></p>

2017-06-19T16:24:45.330

|marlin|bed-leveling|

<p>I configured Marlin 1.1.3 for auto-leveling with a fix mounted sensor connected to the Z end-stop pin.</p> <p>I have the following settings in my config:</p> <pre><code>#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 25 #define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 20 #define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle] #define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 10 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow #define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 5 // Z Clearance between probe points #define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 7 #define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y GRID_MAX_POINTS_X // The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters). #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). #define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 25 #define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 150 #define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 30 #define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 180 </code></pre> <p>I enter <code>M111 S38</code> to enable LEVELING+INFO+ERROR debugging. Then I enter <code>G28</code> to home all axes and then enter <code>G29</code> to start auto-leveling.</p> <p>The auto-leveling starts successfully and after finishing I see the scan grid in console:</p> <pre><code>12:41:35.983 : Bilinear Leveling Grid: 12:41:35.983 : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 12:41:35.983 : 0 -3.127 -3.405 -3.405 -3.292 -3.595 -3.487 -3.537 12:41:35.983 : 1 -3.110 -3.367 -3.337 -3.220 -3.470 -3.350 -3.365 12:41:35.983 : 2 -3.138 -3.367 -3.330 -3.215 -3.442 -3.345 -3.385 12:41:35.984 : 3 -3.013 -3.225 -3.182 -3.047 -3.225 -3.132 -3.150 12:41:35.984 : 4 -2.970 -3.165 -3.097 -2.972 -3.160 -3.045 -3.065 12:41:35.984 : 5 -2.875 -3.075 -3.005 -2.847 -2.990 -2.872 -2.875 12:41:35.984 : 6 -2.680 -2.845 -2.755 -2.615 -2.753 -2.617 -2.622 12:41:35.985 : G29 uncorrected Z:10.00 12:41:35.985 : corrected Z:12.85 12:41:35.985 : &lt;&lt;&lt; gcode_G29 12:41:35.985 : X:120.00 Y:160.00 Z:12.85 E:0.00 Count X:9600 Y:12800 Z:4000 12:41:35.985 : current_position=(120.00, 160.00, 12.85) : sync_plan_position </code></pre> <p>So the auto-leveling scanning seems to be successful.</p> <p>Here is a visual of the leveling grid (but upside down to make it easier to view):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg" rel="noreferrer" title="Inverted visual of the leveling grid"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOas7.jpg" alt="Inverted visual of the leveling grid" title="Inverted visual of the leveling grid"></a></p> <p>Naturally I <strong>DO NOT</strong> enter <code>G28</code> after the scanning. </p> <p>I enter <code>G0 Z1</code> to down nozzle almost to table. But when I enter for example <code>G0 X25 Y30</code> and look at level and then I enter <code>G0 X150 Y150</code> I see the big difference between nozzle levels relatively to table. So it seems that height compensation does not work. I expect that Z axis would lift up or down depending on auto-leveling results but Z motor do not work when I move X/Y. </p> <p>By the way I tried 3 point autoleveling. It was pretty rough but Z axis corrected it's level when I moved axes using <code>G0</code> commands. And to avoid questions "why my table is inclined so much?" I deliberately inclined the table to be sure that auto leveling works. By the way, I tried different <code>Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER</code> so the current 0 setting is not actual but situation is the same with any value of this option.</p> <p>What I am doing wrong?</p>

4263

Auto leveling with Marlin and RAMPS 1.4 does not work

<p>In additional to Sergey's answer <code>M420 S1</code> should be put into custom start G-code. By default Marlin disables autobed after <code>G28</code> unless specifically configured otherwise</p> <pre><code>/** * Normally G28 leaves leveling disabled on completion. Enable * this option to have G28 restore the prior leveling state. */ #define RESTORE_LEVELING_AFTER_G28 </code></pre>

2017-06-21T06:21:13.097

|software|makerbot|ultimaker-cura|g-code|replicator-dual|

<p>I have a Monoprice architect which is a barebones clone of the FlashForge Creator Pro, or Replicator 1 Dual. I have upgraded the power supply and added a heated bed and, after getting fed up with MakerBot software, I've started using Cura to slice then post process with GPX.</p> <p>I did a lot of searching and finally found someone who posted their start and end G-code for this particular printer. The only catch is that his code only works on version 15.04.</p> <p>Don't get me wrong, 15.04 is a huge upgrade compared to MakerWare. But, I would really like to start using a newer version like 2.5 or anything relatively new.</p> <p>Here is the start code I found. I have tried it in 2.5 with error in post processing. Any help is appreciated!!</p> <pre><code>; -- START GCODE -- M136 ; start build M73 P0 G90 ; absolute coordinates ; ; set temperatures and assert Vref M140 S{print_bed_temperature} M104 S{print_temperature} T0 G130 X118 Y118 A118 B118 ; set stepper motor Vref to defaults ; let the Z stepper vref stay at eeprom level (probably 40) ; ; home and recall eeprom home position T0 ; home on the right nozzle G28 X Y Z ; home all axes at homing speed G92 X0 Y0 Z0 A0 B0 ; set all coords to 0 for now G1 Z5 F500 ; move Z 5mm away so we can carefully hit the limit switch G161 Z F100 ; home Z slowly M132 X Y Z ; recall stored home offsets for XYZ axes ; ; wait for heat up G1 X110 Y-72 Z30 F3300 ; move to waiting position M116 ; wait for temps ; ; purge and wipe G92 E0 ; set current extruder position as 0 so that E15 below makes sense G1 X110 Y-70 Z0.2 F2400.0 ; move to just on the bed G1 X110 Y70 E15 F1200.000 ; extrude a line of filament along the right edge of the bed G92 E0 ; set E to 0 again because the slicer's next extrusion is relative to this 0 ; ; Sliced at: {day} {date} {time} ; Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density} ; Print time: {print_time} ; Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g ; Filament cost: {filament_cost} ; -- end of START GCODE -- </code></pre>

4267

Using a MakerBot Replicator 1 dual (or clone like FlashForge Creator) with Cura

<p>Thanks for everyone's help. So after playing around with the G-Code and trying to set the temperatures manually, I came across a post by a user who said that Cura will automatically include code for the temperatures regardless of your g-code. So I deleted the m140 and m104 lines and now it works great!</p> <p>I am also going to take a second to rant about how difficult it is to find information on this g-code business. It seems that the language, which should be standardized, is different depending on the slicer that you use. What is the deal?</p>

2017-06-23T20:17:19.010

|print-quality|abs|post-processing|

<p>I would also be curious on how I could get the best results with these printers. I am in a situation where I have cheap access to a:</p> <p><strong><a href="http://proto3000.com/fortus-250mc.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fortus 250mc</a></strong>, which prints in ABS and has a minimum resolution of 0.007mm (but that can be raised as high as 0.013mm to print faster), and has a "Soluble Support System" which enables printing overhangs. </p> <p><strong><a href="https://formlabs.com/3d-printers/form-2/?utm_content=main-nav" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Form 2</a></strong>, which prints with Photosensitive Resin, has a resolution of .05mm, and can also print overhangs. </p> <p><strong>Stratasys Dimension SST1200es</strong>, prints in "ABSplus" (whatever that is), has a resolution of .254 mm, and can indeed print overhangs. As far as I can tell the main advantage of this one over the Fortus is that the supports can be immediately removed after printing and don't need to be dissolved first.</p> <p>I am okay with processing or finishing the miniatures later so long as it's not <em>too</em> time consuming (such as by running an acetone vapor bath), but I'm curious when I would use each printer and how I could get the most out of both. </p> <p>P.S. Also the Stratasys is more expensive for me to print on than any of the others so please keep that in mind when answering :)</p>

4280

Which 3D printer should I use to make custom miniatures for a tabletop game?

<p>The Form 2 will definitely give the best results for your application.</p> <p>Both the Fortus and the Dimension use <em>FDM</em>, which builds the model up using a bead of molten plastic. Because this bead is typically 0.5mm in diameter, this strongly limits the details you can print.</p> <p>The Form 2 uses liquid resin, that is cured by scanning it with a laser. This process is called <em>SLA</em>. The laser produces a 0.14mm dot, and so you can produce much finer details. The Form 2 can also use much thinner layers (down to 0.025mm v.s. the 0.178mm of the Fortus) so the models will be much smoother.</p> <p>To make small miniatures SLA is much more suitable than FDM.</p>

2017-06-24T17:49:55.637

|diy-3d-printer|

<p>I was thinking of getting the MonoPrice Mini 3D v2 printer. I know the bed is kind of small. </p> <p>How would I know what I could print from Thingiverse? They don't really state what the bed size should be. </p> <p>Does the software fix this for you? Do you scale it? </p>

4283

3D printing bed size and selecting models

<ol> <li>Yes, objects in thingiverse usually doesn't include their size and this can require extra effort to obtain.</li> <li>There are several options to scale objects to fit your printer. You can often do that in the slicer or using a separate program like meshmixer.</li> <li>The bed size is not the only (or maybe even primary) limitation you will need to consider when printing an object. You also need to think of your max height, nozzle size and for your choice of material your will need to consider things like you max extruder and bed temperatures (or even have a heated bed), nozzle type, etc.</li> <li>You should be able to print just about anything on thingiverse; but, the limitations of your printer will affect HOW you will have to print it and whether you will be happy with the final product.</li> </ol> <p>I have heard of plenty of people the have smaller printers and it was the right place for them to start. Having a smaller printer that performs well for you will be a much better experience than a larger printer that performs poorly.</p> <p>Whether the Monoprice Mini 3D v2 printer is the best printer is something only you can decide. Read and watch the reviews, they can be a great source of "perspective". I know we all have limited budgets and there are certainly way more things you can print with a printer than you can without one.</p>

2017-06-25T02:40:20.267

|hotend|nozzle|ptfe-tube|

<p>I have been getting clogs and believe that it may be due to a damaged PTFE tube inside my hot end. I have a replacement (it came with my printer), but I can't seem to fit the tube into the nozzle.</p> <p>I also tried to turn the original PTFE tube around, and I can't get the other end to fit into the nozzle either.</p> <p>Is there a trick to it?</p>

4286

How do I get a replacement PTFE tube to fit inside my nozzle?

<p>For the sake of the few pennies, I'd buy the threaded tube with the PTFE already in from any internet auction site.</p>

2017-06-26T05:21:55.250

|print-quality|ultimaker-cura|slicing|tronxy-x3|

<p>I printed <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:53451" rel="noreferrer">Planetary Gears</a> and the top looks great<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oq5DB.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Oq5DB.jpg" alt="top"></a> but the bottom doesn't<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MKMDQ.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/MKMDQ.jpg" alt="bottom"></a></p> <p>I am printing on a TronXY X3 (Prusa i3 metal frame clone) using eSun PLA+ and sliced using Cura 2.4. I print on glass and do manual leveling (sheet of paper to set gap).</p> <p>What could be causing this?</p> <p>It almost looks like a raft; but, I selected to print with a Brim not a Raft.</p> <p>I have seen this on some other prints so I suspect it is a slicer setting. Note: Bed adhesion seemed great. First adhered well and part popped off with very little effort.</p>

4288

Why is the bottom of my part not smooth

<p>In my case, the build plate adhesion type was set to raft in the cura software settings which is why a base will be printed first before printing the object on it. Hence, the bottom of the printed object will look rough because it needs to be easily separable from the initially printed base. Build plate adhesion type should be set to brim, skirt or none, the bottom print should be smooth. That was what worked for me.</p>

2017-06-27T08:46:16.010

|3d-models|

<p>I have an STL file from thingiverse. The model is of a rectangular lid with an engraving. I would like to print it using two different colors, so that the engraving would be in a different color than the lid base. In the model description, the creator explained that he simply switched the material mid printing.</p> <p>However, I have a two-extruder printer, and I'd like to utilize it for this printing. What's the easiest way (tool) to select a part of the model and define that it should be printed using a different color?</p>

4291

Convert an STL model to a two-extruder model

<p>After a bit tinkering, I finally managed to split the model to two STL files, then used Cura to print them each in its own color. I decided to post here the steps I followed, as simply as I could, hoping that it would help other beginners.</p> <p>The procedure was quite simple, even though it took a while for me to figure it out:</p> <p>Following the advice of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSCr0SnwA-Q" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this video</a>, I used MeshMixer to edit the STL file I downloaded from thingiverse. I:</p> <ol> <li>Selected the areas I wanted to separate using the select tool (I had to change the tool "radius" so that it won't keep selecting unwanted faces of the model).</li> <li>In the same tool, I used the "Separate" command to create two objects from the one I had before. This showed the "object explorer" window.</li> <li>I clicked each of the parts in the object explorer window and exported them separately to STL files.</li> </ol> <p>Then, using Cura, I followed <a href="https://fbrc8.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000062763-Slicing-for-Dual-Extrusion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this site</a>, and performed the following:</p> <ol> <li>Loaded both models to Cura (order doesn't matter).</li> <li>Picked Print Core 1 for the first part and Core 2 for the second part.</li> <li>Selected both models (using the Shift key), then right-clicked and chose "Merge Models"</li> <li>Profit!</li> </ol>

2017-06-29T13:09:18.130

|ultimaker-cura|

<p>I made a pressing stamp in AutoCAD 2013 for stamping letters, but I'm having difficulties to save the file. I can save it anyhow in any format, but when it comes to .STL, some parts just doesn't show.</p> <p>I made a platform on bottom (25x25x3 mm cuboid) on which I put solids as they represent my logo. But when I export, I select all, but it saves me just 3 or 4 parts from 7 total. On many occasions I get saved different parts, but never all of them or more than 4.</p> <p>I am also getting the error while saving, which says: "the boolean operation on solids failed" and "Failure in face-face intersection merging algorithm."</p> <p>Anything I try to do (even copy to another file and do there, doesn't help at all. But the irony is, that I just created a simple text stamp, for which I had no difficulties at all to save to .STL.</p>

4305

Unable to export all objects to a STL in AutoCAD

<p>Based on your error messages, it's likely you have created a non-manifold 3D object. As a simple example, let's start with a cube as suggested in your question. To keep things simple, you want to add a cylinder to the cube. </p> <p>In other programs, one would create a sketch on the surface of that cube and extrude the circle into a cylinder. Because the circle is constructed on the surface, it become an integrated part of the model.</p> <p>If you had created the cylinder independently, which can be done in AutoCAD and placed it on the surface of the cube, the resulting model would appear to be the same as the one created above.</p> <p>The placement method may have resulted in the end of the cylinder "penetrating" the surface of the cube. Such a model may generate the face-face error you've received.</p> <p>The quantity reference you've provided in your question indicates that the problem is contained in more than one intersection.</p> <p>If you have patience, you can return to the original model and attempt to locate piercings or penetrations and adjust the locations to be joined properly. Selecting a wireframe view may assist you in those efforts.</p> <p>Another option would be to import your .STL file into a program such as Meshmixer to attempt an automatic repair. Under Analysis/Inspector, errors will appear with flags which can be clicked to perform a repair.</p> <p>Severe errors in construction, such as the one you describe, are more likely to destroy the model when using this method, however.</p>

2017-06-29T20:10:08.590

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

<p>Building a 3-D printer is obviously a huge undertaking.</p> <p>Does anyone know of any reasonably cheap guides to build my own 3-D printer?</p>

4307

Building a 3-D printer

<p>Have you built a 3D printer before, or have much experience in electronics? Building your own printer is <em>usually</em> more expensive than purchasing a higher end low-grade consumer printer. </p> <p>There are a few routes you can go.</p> <p><strong>Creality Ender 3</strong> It's a good starting 3D printer around 200ish. Just going to throw that out there first - as that is probably a far better route to think about when thinking about cost. It's decent out of the box. Mix it with Amazon Basics filament (roughly 20 a roll), cheap chinese filament (roughly 10-15 a roll), or if you live near a microcenter - Inland Filament (roughly 15 a roll) and you're set with minimal effort.</p> <p>Now... to answer your question - what TYPE of printer?</p> <p>FDM: That the plastic in the rolls - and by far the cheapest type of 3D printer (and the most common)</p> <p>SLA: That's the Resin Printers. This is far better quality (normally), but much harder to use, not really for those just getting into 3D printing. They are also far more costly. If you have the ability - this is the ones that start getting cheaper to make - but making a large resin printer is not easy at all. </p> <p>Bio Printers: I do not suggest making this. In fact, you probably can't even easily buy them. From your scope of what you are looking for - doesn't seem much like what you want either. This is the type to make molds for cataracts, organs, other medical needs.</p> <p>There are other various types of 3D printers, a lot of them actually, but these are three big ones. As I said, I'm going into a general overlook - if you want more info, I'd be glad to give you more in any of the topics.</p> <hr> <h2>SLA / DLP (both very similar)</h2> <p>I'm going to assume you want to look between either SLA or FDM. SLA (Resin) can be extremely pricey, and the resin even moreso. They work by curing Resin via light. </p> <p>The -cheapest- way to build an SLA printer is by a projector! If you happen to have one already, then this route can cost you 20ish +-, not including Resin.</p> <p>What you need: Projector(50-100+ or free), old DVD drive/ cd drive from a pc (5 from goodwill, free for most people who have old systems laying around), Nema 17 Motor(brand new 15ish - shopping around ebay I have gotten 5 for 15 before), Threaded rod (home depot - 3-5), Arduino (10ish), a glass vat (dollar store), and some form of a base - either a cleaned off blank circuit board - pegboard, or a few various other things that can be used, various screws, mounts, belts ect. You also need resin. Monoprice has some of the better priced resins at like 40-50 per vile. Amazon has some cheaper ones too. As you can see, the price is already starting to go up. </p> <p>Making a SLA printer, the basic idea is that you are hooking up the projector to be controlled by the Arduino. The Arduino you are loading open source (freely available code online) for SLA printers. The Arduino will control the projector itself, using the light to cure the resin as the build plate moves. The threaded rod you attach to the Nema 17 motor to move the build plate up and down. The plate will need to dunk the bottom side into the glass vat - the projector actually cures your print upside down - connecting to the build plate! As the build plate moves up, it will pull your print up with it to. After building, you will need to finish curing your print - you take it and cure it in UV light, or just set it outside in sunlight for a few hours. SLA can get some super high quality prints. </p> <p>Check out this tutorial. <a href="http://www.buildyourownsla.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&amp;t=2768" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.buildyourownsla.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&amp;t=2768</a></p> <hr> <h2>FDM</h2> <p>This is the type I'm assuming you are thinking about - the type where the extruder (print head) moves, and the build plate sometimes moves, and is sometimes heated. You print with rolls of plastic. </p> <p>There are a lot of open source designs out there, one of the most popular designs is the i3 style. This is the style of the Ender 3 that I recommended above. It might not be the -best- design, but it is certainly popular! The "best" is highly subjective though. </p> <p>For this, you need to have some sort of building material. You can use anything from Legos, plywood, plexiglass, metal, ect. Although you can use just about anything to build with, metal via 2020 rods (50ish+) are going to be some of your better, more stable options. You need a build plate. You can go cheap and use an unheated metal plate, mirror, glass, table... really anything flat - plus the addition of some blue painters tape for adhesion. You need some way to have endstops - either endstop switches - which cost a few bucks a piece (let's say 10 for 4 switches), you will need a good handful of screws, bolts, nuts, t-slot nuts, brackets - you get the picture. This can be cheap to pricey quick. (let's say 20ish for random number). You will need (if building i3 style) two threaded rods (10) or if you are going xyz style 4 (20). You will need Nema 17 motors - i3 style 3-4 motors(15-80) - xyz 2-5 motors (10-100), an arduino board (can go cheap from 20 all the way to amazing boards such as the duet wifi 2 which is around 200), a PSU (get a good one here 12v at least 40amps - switchable psu), you need some mosfet boards 1 for your extruder and one for your bed if you are using a heated buildplate. Speaking of heated buildplates, if you use one don't make your own. It's safer to buy one and they can run cheap. You will also need a lot of wire, solder, shrink wrap... I'm sure you're getting the picture on that there. Basic microcontroller and electronics work tools and accessory parts there including various sensors and whatnot of the like. Extruder gear, you can build your own - but until you are really familiar with it, just go buy one. You can pick up an entire extruder assembly, off brand knock off for around 20.</p> <p>The probably hands down best way to learn to build your own 3D printer is to get your hands dirty with a pre-built or a kit, start taking it apart, and really learning how they work rather than just following a guide to build your own. There is so many resources out there that are only 'half complete' or 'half correct' that without foundation knowledge - it becomes pretty easy to burn your house down. Not to mention, building your own is almost always more expensive than a kit.</p>

2017-06-29T20:54:06.170

|print-quality|sla|

<p>I was adjusting the position of our projector to allow for bigger prints to be generated. I encountered a problem that at larger distances, our prints are not seeming to adhere as desired. </p> <p>Does the inverse square law of light apply to DLP projectors? </p> <p>I am aware that the inverse-square law only is 100% applicable when you have a point as your light source. But I assume close to the same holds constant for other real world light sources. </p> <p>Unless DLP projectors compensate for distance with their power output. Is this the case?</p> <hr> <p>Cross-Post: @ <a href="https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/342153/inverse-square-law-and-how-it-applies-to-projectors">Physics.SE</a></p>

4308

Does the Inverse-Square law apply with SLA Printing?

<p>Yes, of course it does. The same amount of light is being spread across a wider area, so there's less light per area. Once you're past a few 10's of filament diameters, a point source is a highly accurate representation of most light bulbs. Even more so when there's a lens setup that causes the light to go through a point focus.</p>

2017-06-29T22:37:19.573

|rapid-prototyping|

<p>I know nothing about 3D printing and I was wondering if it is a good candidate for what I want to make.</p> <p>I want to make a custom game cartridge which looks like this: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/k0RpQ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/k0RpQ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> </p> <p>Basically it's like a SD card in a custom shell. Now I can produce the inside as a thin PCB (0.6mm-1mm). But I was wondering what the best (and cheapest) way to prototype (and maybe make a small run production) the outer shell would be. The entire cart is about 2mm thick, so each half of the shell would be at most ~0.6mm thick.</p> <p>Is this something I can do with a typical 3D printer? How would I "attach" the two halves together?</p>

4310

3D printing for storage card shell?

<p>I print such parts by embedding the PCB directly in the print during the printing process: after the bottom part has been printed, there's a print pause gcode, the printer stops and beeps, I insert the PCB into a recess in the print, then the printer resumes when I press a button. I attach the bottom of the PCB to the print with a drop of a quick setting superglue so that it won't have a chance of getting loose and crashing into the nozzle as the next layer is printed. I use a 0.2mm nozzle to print SD card shells directly over PCB without any issue.</p>

2017-06-30T06:35:09.927

|maintenance|sla|

<p>As far as I know resin trays have a Teflon coat that allows prints to stick to the build plate easier than the resin tray but this Teflon coat wears over time. </p> <p>I am new to the SLA scene and am currently troubleshooting a Draken Facture and trying to hone in my setting but my print keep sticking to the bottom of the resin vat. </p> <p>How often should these trays be swapped out to allow for smooth printing?</p>

4315

What is the lifespan of a SLA Resin Tray?

<p>It depends on tray and resin type you are using.</p> <p><strong>PDMS</strong></p> <p>If you are using PDMS (eg. sylgard 184) coating for your tray. (B9 and similar printers using this type of tray). </p> <p>Life of tray PDMS coating depends mainly on:</p> <ul> <li>How long you print without breathing floor.</li> <li>How reactive is your resin.</li> </ul> <p>You could get 2 3 prints up to 15 20 prints.</p> <p>It is suitable for printing delicate pieces.</p> <p><strong>FEP</strong></p> <p>Large number of manufacturers using FEP.</p> <p>Life of tray largely depends on.</p> <ul> <li>Thickness of FEP</li> <li>Piece sizes and movement speed during early layers.</li> </ul> <p>Usually you could use same tray for couple of hundreds of prints. Optical quality is not comparable to other alternatives but without human error factor you could get almost unlimited prints. Delicate pieces require tough resin.</p> <p><strong>Teflon</strong></p> <p>It is halfway between PDMS and FEP.</p> <p>There are other tray alternatives:</p> <ul> <li>Envision uses special glass you could print on average 50 prints.</li> <li>Carbon 3D uses super expensive oxygen-permeable window.</li> </ul>

2017-07-02T20:18:50.810

|diy-3d-printer|anet-a8|hardware|

<p>My Anet A8 frame are broken. I find frame project <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2263216" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AM8 - Metal Frame for Anet A8</a>. I like it but I can't find aluminum extrusion needed, like this: <a href="https://us.misumi-ec.com/vona2/detail/110302684350/?Inch=0&amp;CategorySpec=00000042730%3A%3A20x40" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MiSUMi - Aluminum Extrusion - 5 series, Base 20, 20mm x 40mm</a>.</p> <p>Maybe somebody knows where I can buy it in Ukraine? Or maybe another frame options?</p>

4330

Anet A8 frame replacement

<p>Not precisely cheap, but if you look on aliExpress for <em>AM8 3D Printer Extrusion Metal Frame</em> you will find kits build precisely for moving Anet A8 to aluminium frame</p>

2017-07-03T15:49:00.163

|3d-design|

<p>I've gone on quite a few sites (thingiverse, grabcad, etc) in search for a coiled tube, but I have yet to find anything suitable. There are a few coils ("springs") but no coiled tubes (i.e. the springs are hollow). Maybe my searching hasn't been good enough! But I was wondering if this is a limitation to 3D printing models? </p>

4332

Is it possible in any 3D printing software to create a coiled tube?

<p>I managed to do it in the end using AutoDesk 123D.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/izeeR.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/izeeR.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Did it by making two coils of differing radius, then subtracting the smaller from the larger. I made each coil using the instructions found here:</p> <p><div class="youtube-embed"><div> <iframe width="640px" height="395px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KfXV0mfy7XY?start=0"></iframe> </div></div></p> <p>So there we go...</p> <p>Printed it out just now without supports - in the orientation shown - and it came out fine. Used a brim, though (don't want it rolling away!) </p>

2017-07-04T16:20:08.520

|3d-models|ultimaker-cura|

<p>I just designed a robot in blender, and whenever I print it, it goes horribly wrong. The first print was laying down, I had supports on, Then it started to print the arm, starting with the bottom of a sphere, and the supports caused it to fly off. The second time, I printed it standing up, with supports, and the arm didn't even print, PLA got all over my build plate. How would I print this successfully? Sideways like this? <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvn4j.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvn4j.png" alt="maybe?"></a></p> <p>I uploaded the model to Thingiverse last night, Here's the link: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2417504" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2417504</a></p>

4337

Print not coming out good

<p>Based on your description of the print failures, it appears that the problem is not specific to the model. If printing supports is causing parts of the model to "fly off," there may be a temperature problem or a speed problem or a combination of the two. If you have a new filament type, it may be necessary to perform test model prints to ensure you are using good settings for the filament. If you are using old filament, it may be necessary to print test models with no complex shapes to ensure that your filament will still function properly.</p> <p>You say that "PLA got all over your build plate." This is another indication of a problem not related to the model position or model design or orientation.</p>

2017-07-06T05:48:16.157

|pla|support-material|

<p>I have a question. I have a dual extruder printer and I want to try using HIPS for printing. Can I use PLA as my main material and HIPS for supports?</p> <p>Searching online I found combinations of ABS + HIPS mentioned. No where is it mentioned that It can be used. </p>

4345

Using HIPS as support for PLA printing?

<p>You can as PLA is not affected by Limonene (the chemical used to dissolve the HIPS) but it is not recommended as the print temperatures for each material (~180C for PLA and ~230C for HIPS) are quite far apart and the PLA may not stick to the HIPS.</p> <p>A better choice would be PVA which prints ~185C and dissolves in water but this material has its own set of fun issues.</p> <p>*Temperatures are estimates, different vendors may have different temperatures.</p>

2017-07-11T01:08:27.473

|build-plate|sla|troubleshooting|

<p>I have been working with our SLA printer (Facture Draken) for a couple weeks now printing in makerjuice waxcast. . I have had some successful prints, but the majority (80%) end up as pancakes stuck to the bottom of the resin tray. Some others break in half mid print. </p> <p>I have experimented with laying my models (round circular diks) flat on the build plate, but most of the times I place them on supports which stem from a square baseplate. </p> <p>It seems clear to me that there is allot of force being put on the models while curing on the bottom of the resin tray. I have noticed that printing objects with a larger projection area are more likely to stick in the vat. I assume this is because of the increased contact with the tray. Usually it seems ~10 layers are built before my baseplate breaks away. </p> <p>Things I have tried</p> <ul> <li>Pulling out the build plate, cleaning it with Acetone. Sanding it with 80 grit sandpaper. </li> <li>Emptying the resin tray and replacing with new resin. </li> <li><p>Upping base-layer cure-time from from 30seconds up to 3 minutes, and variations between.</p></li> <li><p>Upping base-layer count from 2 to 4.</p></li> <li>Rotating model base 45% to start the tray peel process from a corner rather than from a long edge to reduce initial tear force. </li> </ul> <p>Anyone with experience got more suggestions on how to continue troubleshooting?</p>

4353

SLA prints not sticking to build plate

<p>I have a plain smooth aluminium build plate and it seemed that nearly all problems with adhesion which I had were caused by the <strong>plate not being cleaned well enough with IPA and a paper towel</strong>, after removing (allegedly) the rests of the previous model with a metal scraper. The new model was peeling off only in places where the old model was previously attached. Now I clean the plate thoroughly, tightly pressing the towel, and there are no more peel-off problems with any typical resin. I have even reduced the typical exposure times of bottom layers because otherwise the model might be attached too strongly.</p> <p>Then, there are <strong>special resins</strong> which can be more difficult to work with. I have one resin for ultra-resistant prints which seems very sensitive to the plate alignment or other inaccuracies at lower temperatures. If I use that resin, I <strong>warm the build plate up to about 35 °C (95 °F)</strong> with a hairdryer and unless there is not a large alignment problem, the printouts stick very well. The built plate is, however, trapezoidal and rather massive, so that it keeps the temperature for a necessary period of time.</p> <p>The sensitivity to plate alignment leads to another subject: <strong>check the plate angles</strong> if you didn't do so. The angles should be well adjusted by allowing the plate to rest slightly pressed to the calibration pad with the plate's screw loose before tightening it again and adjusting the height.</p>

2017-07-12T19:45:26.720

|pla|print-quality|troubleshooting|

<p>So I was trying to print 3DBenchy on my new Wanhao i3+. PLA plastic, basic high quality settings in Cura (I guess 0.06 mm layer, 40 mm/s speed, 50c bed temp, 195c extruder temp). I didn't use any tape, just regular wanhao printer mat, which was installed on printer bed from the box.</p> <p>At some moment when I looked I found things fouled up: object came off from the mat and sticked to the extruder and was moving with it. It printed like 3-4 mm of the object (about 50 layers) before this happened.</p> <p>I would like to know what are the main reasons this can happen? And what can I do to prevent this? I think it's very sad when you lose many hour of work.</p>

4365

Object got unstuck from printing mat

<p>You have to secure your print to the build plate. </p> <p>One thing that I always do is to use a brim in cura. prints a single layer which extends in all direction away from your object, adding extra adhesion between your object and the print bed.</p> <p>You can also use a slower extrusion speed for your initial layer but I would use this after trouble shooting everything else since you will be adding time to each print.</p> <p>If you are using a heated bed make sure that the temperature is set for the correct material. For PLA i think that is 40C-60C.</p> <p>We put down a layer of craft/school elmers stick glue before most prints. This helps a bit with adhering to the build plate, and also seems to allow the prints to pop off a bit easier. </p> <p>Also be sure to double check you Z calibration and your bed level. If there are inconsistencies and your nozzel moves to far away from you bed, you will be extruding in air and not getting and stickage at all.</p>

2017-07-16T02:05:36.300

|heated-bed|tronxy-x3|

<p>I have a TronXY printer (i3 Clone). It has a 220x220&nbsp;mm heated aluminum bed and I print with a Borosilicate glass plate.</p> <p>I have a slightly longer print (245&nbsp;mm) I would like to do and I think I could adjust to settings and end stop to stretch the y-dimension travel and I have found a 229x257&nbsp;mm plate. This would extend over the edge of the aluminum bed.</p> <p>Will the thermal conduction and mass of the glass plate be sufficient to still keep the bed warm enough?</p>

4380

Extending TronXY print bed

<p>After Fred's answer, I realized there was a way to test out how much the temperature would drop by offsetting my current glass base to extend past the exge then using a <a href="http://www.flir.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FLIR</a> IR Camera to see what the effect would be.</p> <p>Here are the results:</p> <p>The the glass plate does seem act a bit as an insulator causing the print surface to be about 1°C cooler. Here are two photos showing that.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCCQZ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KCCQZ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pINUZ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pINUZ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>As Fred proposed, where the glass extends past the base, the temperature drops pretty quickly. It is still warmer than ambient; but is definitely not "Hot".</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4j7Cs.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4j7Cs.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

2017-07-17T00:55:10.760

|octoprint|

<p>I've got a webcam (Logitech ProductID_2470, according to my Mac) attached to my Octopi running on a RPi 3B.</p> <p>I am able to get the video on the Octoprint display page, but the lag is huge: over 50 seconds.</p> <p>How can I diagnose the problem and reduce this lag time?</p>

4389

Octoprint: Reducing Camera Lag Time?

<p>This was due to a slow Wifi connection. It was fast enough for the low bandwidth of printer commands and status reports, but the video feed was overwhelming the connection.</p> <p>Adding a Wifi repeater increased the bandwidth and fixed the issue.</p>

2017-07-22T18:26:18.357

|ultimaker-cura|speed|

<p>How do I speed up prints for the Monoprice Select IIIP Plus printer?</p> <p>The manual shows [Cura] examples of:</p> <ul> <li>Print speed: 50mm/s</li> <li>Travel Speed: 80mm/s</li> <li>Bottom Layer Speed: 20mm/s</li> <li>Infill Speed: 50mm/s</li> <li>Outer shell speed: 15mm/s</li> <li>Inner shell speed: 30mm/s</li> </ul> <p>However, this doesn’t line up with their advertisements online of a 150mm/s printing speed.</p> <p>Are there better settings to use, especially ones which can speed up printing time? Or are there any other measures which I can take in order to reduce printing time in general? </p>

4411

Monoprice Select IIIP Plus - Best speed settings and speeding up prints

<p>I was using Cura's default settings for a Prusa I3 on my MonoPrice Select V2 (model #13860), and got horrible results frequently. Then I used the settings you list, and got very nice results. Compare the below images for the bottom layer of 4 benchys, with adhesion brim.</p> <p>I'm using PLA, 0.4mm nozzle, 60C for bed, 200C for extruder, 1.75mm filament from Hatchbox.</p> <p><strong>Default Cura Settings</strong> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/akAJu.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/akAJu.jpg" alt="Using default Cura settings"></a></p> <p><strong>Listed Settings</strong> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zg76A.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zg76A.jpg" alt="Using recommended settings"></a></p> <p><strong>Settings breakdown</strong></p> <pre><code>Setting Cura default Recommended Print Speed 60 50 Outer Wall Speed 30 15 Inner Wall Speed 60 30 Top/Bottom Speed 30 20 Travel Speed 120 80 </code></pre> <p><strong>Symptoms of my printer being told to print too fast:</strong></p> <p>Material would not adhere properly to the print bed, and would start making clumps. These would rest either on the bed, or on the nozzle itself. The ones on the bed would grow taller than layer height, making the next pass of the nozzle bump against it, further depositing material on it. The clumps on the nozzle would drop at other points, leaving stringing filament all over, and further compromising the next pass of the head.</p> <p>This might seem like a bed adhesion problem, but the prints were <em>very</em> well attached to the bed; I had to apply a lot of force to remove a 15*15cm square from the bed.</p> <p>Increasing the hot-end temperature seemed to help; at some point we were printing at 230C, well beyond Hatchbox' extrusion temperature range (range is listed as 180C-210C for this PLA batch).</p> <p>Ultimately, reducing print speed to the settings listed helped us increase print quality back to acceptable levels.</p>

2017-07-24T00:42:20.090

|sla|uv-printer|

<p>I have some older resin that got a bit thick. I was thinking I could use some paint thinner to thin it a bit and restore it. My thoughts are the paint thinner is made of terpene oils so should be compatible with the resin.</p> <p>To test, I went ahead and mixed a half capful of paint thinner with about a cup of resin. I mixed it thoroughly and it seemed to mix well and restored proper viscosity. I then filtered it through a paper coffee filter twice. The results were very nice and smooth resin. I did a UV hardening test with a few drops on a strip and into the UV lamp. It still hardens. </p> <p>Any thoughts, suggestions or OMGs! before I try this in my printer? It's a Pegasus Touch SLA.</p>

4414

How to thin UV sensitive resin

<p>You've covered a couple of concerns "outside the box," but the real tests will come when you pour some of the resin into the vat. </p> <p>If you don't get a reaction with the release layer, score one for your side. The release layer is a silicone kind of compound, which typically is un-reactive to most substances, but that's not to say the thinner qualifies in that respect.</p> <p>To be cautious, you could dab a bit on the corner of the vat, especially out of the usual scan area or off the build plate contact surface. If it sits without clouding the release layer, the next test would be a layer test.</p> <p>You could even remove the build plate, pour the modified resin in the vat and run a model comprised of only one layer, perhaps two. You'd be able to carefully pull the cured resin off the release layer and make a preliminary determination.</p> <p>If all is well by this point, it's time to create a model, yes?</p> <p>I hope you'll report back on your results. My Pegasus is still in the box from Kickstarter days. I'm sure my resin is well beyond the "sell-by" date!</p>

2017-07-25T02:53:01.673

|ultimaker-cura|g-code|

<p>Cura is generating temperature commands in the wrong order. I need to swap lines 6 and 7 below so that both the printhead and bed can begin to heat at the same time.</p> <p>Is this code generation configurable in Cura?</p> <pre><code>5 ;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 2.5.0 6 M190 S60 ; set bed and block 7 M104 S215 ; set printhead, don't block 8 M109 S215 ; set printhead, block </code></pre>

4416

How do I modify Cura's code generation?

<p>You can do so by placing this at the top of the start code under machine settings (tested on 2.6.1).</p> <pre><code>M104 S{material_print_temperature} M190 S{material_bed_temperature} </code></pre>

2017-07-26T21:56:24.457

|3d-models|filament|software|slicing|multi-material|

<p>I'm planning my first project. I want to print an iPhone case with a flush letter on the back, but I want the letter in a different color (single extruder printer). The thing is the two colors will be on the same level. Do I create two separate models, import them to a single model, mesh the parts and somehow specify which one to start on, then just change the filament when it's done with the first section? Will the letter be loose fitting in the cut out? Or will I need to print them separately and glue them together?</p> <p>What is a good slicing software to accomplish this?</p>

4427

How to print a two color part with only one extruder

<p>What you ask may be easier than you think. The slicing software is unimportant, generally speaking. Consider especially that your requirements fit the solution spot on.</p> <p>Take a look at this <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1973570" rel="noreferrer">thingiverse snowman.</a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sGo1d.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sGo1d.jpg" alt="colorful Snowman"></a></p> <p>Each of the colors is a separate model. Each of the colors is only one layer thick (0.200 mm). Each of the colors is placed with zero overlap to the adjacent colors, as the extrusion multiplier will allow enough "squish" to cause a bond to its neighbor.</p> <p>You would create a model with the necessary shape for your lettering and insert the appropriate color for them. Print that model but leave it on the bed. If the bed is heated, all the better, but don't let it cool to the point of release. If it's not heated, the adhesive should hold it until project completion.</p> <p>For the main background color, your model would be normal but with a single layer subtracted at the base. The subtraction would have to be the shape of the lettering. Consider that you're creating indented or recessed lettering. Use appropriate modeling techniques to perform this action.</p> <p>Keep in mind that you'll want the lettering to be mirrored, as you're printing it "upside down" on the build plate.</p> <p>Swap out the filament to the main color and print.</p> <p>You are color limited only by your determination and patience, as you have to swap out filament and also have to create appropriate models with recesses to take the first layer, of which you'll also have to create models.</p> <p>I've created at least one of the snowman pictured and it came out quite good. The layman will not be as astonished as someone familiar with 3D modeling and printing, however. You get a better appreciation when you know what goes into the project to get this result.</p> <p>EDIT to add more info, rather than fill the comments:</p> <p>The above method works only because the inlay is a single layer deep. If your slicer supports changing layer thickness during a print, you could print the first layer at the max for your nozzle, say 0.3 mm then set layer 2 and upwards to the resolution you desire for the majority of your print. I use Simplify3D which supports such actions. I'm not sure of the others.</p> <p>Relevant to the questions posed in the comments, your modeling software may be a factor in this process. The modeling software will create/assign a pivot point or some other name to a location of reference in the model. The slicer will use that to position the model on the bed.</p> <p>Here's a concept I would use to perform this task. Start with your single layer lettering, ensuring that the thickness of the letters will match your first layer height. Save the model as an STL file. Leave the lettering on the screen in your modeling software.</p> <p>Create or import the case file. Position it as you wish relative to the letters. Of course, both models will be flat on the build plane or all bets are off. Use the lettering in a boolean subtraction to remove the shapes from the phone case model.</p> <p>If the above does not remove the lettering model, delete that and you have the recess. Save this model in STL.</p> <p>When you load the models in the slicer, they should drop into the same location relative to each other.</p> <p>When you print the letters, they will be on layer one. When you print the remaining model, the cut-out portion will be on layer one, while the rest is placed atop the two color portion. The print head will move up one layer to adjust for the extra depth.</p> <p>If you require the letters to be thicker than a single layer, one of the options you have is also in your question. Create the letters in the thickness you wish, use them to create the recess in the case and print separately. In so doing, you will be counting on the printer's ability to make clean bridges. The letters may fit cleanly, may have some play or slop, or be too large to fit easily. It would behoove you to make a test piece or two, perhaps a simple slab with one or two letters to see how that concept works in the real world. I was pleasantly surprised to see how well the public library's genuine Prusa i3 MK2S performed a challenging bridging operation.</p> <p>I apologize for overlooking the reference to first project. With that in mind, I would consider that this is a slightly advanced project. Your modeling software and modeling software skills will obviously come into play here and is a separate subject/question/topic for discussion.</p>

2017-07-27T18:52:11.410

|diy-3d-printer|printer-building|creality-ender-4|

<p>This is my first time building a 3D printer (a "<a href="https://www.3dprintersonlinestore.com/creality-ender4-3d-printer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Creality Ender-4</a>").</p> <p>Everything is going fine except the "extruder kit" part that does not have enough space to attach on the frame. Should I drill it to have a longer hole so it can be attached to the frame? I just want another set of eyes to look at it to make sure I'm not crazy.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kw3kh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/kw3khm.jpg" alt="Extruder - image#1" title="Extruder - image#1"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCDP6.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VCDP6m.jpg" alt="Extruder - image#2" title="Extruder - image#2"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Z8C2.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1Z8C2m.jpg" alt="Extruder - image#3" title="Extruder - image#3"></a></p>

4429

Creality 3D Ender-4, a "extruder kit" does not fit the frame

<p>Dude, you're absolutely not crazy, I almost put the entire thing back in the box when I realized I'd have to void the warranty just to finish putting together my printer but I wound up boring out the holes a bit closer to the edges of the extruder and assembling it all the same, it works wonderfully now that I have it attached.</p>

2017-07-28T09:23:58.777

|diy-3d-printer|sla|

<p>I'm planning to make an LCD Resin printer. I'm still learning and I found out that I need daylight resin (which hardens when white light comes from the LCD).</p> <p>If I search for "Daylight resin" on Google, the only "useful" result I find is for <a href="https://photocentric3d.com/daylightresins/?v=9b6a28c805e0" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Photocentric</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWTR9m.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WWTR9m.jpg" alt="Photocentric Resin"></a></p> <p>Photocentric sells Daylight resins and the prices seem to be good too; however, I'm trying to search for alternatives. I'm not interested in something cheaper, I'd like to choose a resin which has more colors. Photocentric's hard resin only comes in cream/green/gray colors. I would need at least white/black/transparent resin.</p> <p>Is it the only option we have? Are there any other manufacturer out there which produces Daylight resin/LCD-hardening resin with a variety of colors?</p>

4432

Which choices do we have on Daylight Resins?

<p>Daylight resin choice is extremely limited. And would not get much better at-least in short term. Majority of new LCD based 3D printers are using UV LED.</p> <p>Checkout Wanhao D7, Phrozen3d and other newly released 3D printers.</p> <p>I strongly advice you to checkout Ionel Ciobanuc progress on his printer.</p> <p>He starts by making <a href="https://hackaday.com/2016/11/18/3d-printering-smartphone-resin-printers-actually-work/" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="LCD 3D Printer">the first LCD based 3D printer</a> actually works! to modify his printer to make it another <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt1ysqoTTus&amp;t=21s" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UV LCD 3D Printer</a>. </p> <p>From the progress it is very clear why everyone adding UV LED to their LCD 3D printers.</p>

2017-08-02T00:26:23.020

|3d-design|software|

<p>I have almost 0 experience in 3d modeling and I'm looking for a simple way to color a model. </p> <p><a href="https://youtu.be/u0WLkJsGPw8?t=139" rel="noreferrer">I want to replicate this paint job of a model.</a></p> <p>I've tried Blender, tried Mudbox and I don't have the money for Mari which is the software being used in the video.</p> <p>The issue with both is that it seems to take forever to try and paint them. It's a high-poly model with a bunch of vertices. Both programs seize up and hang and I'm forced to quit them.</p> <p>How can I simply and efficiently color the model to get it ready for sandstone color printing?</p>

4449

How to "paint" a mesh on a stl/obj

<p>If you've looked into using Blender, you would have discovered that that program is free. It is also one of the better suited programs available for the task you've selected. </p> <p>It's possible that your search terms may not have provided the best results for your objective. The task you describe is known as UV mapping, also known as adding texture to mesh, adding texture to a model. The generic term "texture" can be confused, as many people would consider texture to be the feel of a surface. Rough, smooth, slippery, etc., do not apply here.</p> <p>Texture in the 3D modeling world applies to a surface description specific to visibility. In your task, texture refers directly to color.</p> <p>Consider to search using the above terms or follow this lead: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?site=&amp;source=hp&amp;q=add%20texture%20to%20model%20blender&amp;oq=add%20texture%20to%20model%20blender" rel="noreferrer">Add texture to model Blender</a></p> <p>Doing so provided a few quite well written links. One of the first to appear is an <a href="https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-add-a-texture-in-Blender/" rel="noreferrer">Instructable</a>.</p> <p>The above Instructable also links to a video, which is also a good location for learning basics for Blender and texturing models.</p> <p>The above search also results in finding an SE entry directly related to Blender: <a href="https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/23437/add-an-image-to-an-object">StackExchange Blender texture Q/A</a></p> <p>Consider that you can create a flat image using your preferred graphics editor, placing shapes and colors as needed and then "project" or paste or plaster or project that image on the surface of the model in a controlled manner. This would be easier and faster than attempting to color manually individual triangles of the model's mesh. The SE link summarizes this process, although additional research is indicated.</p> <p>Practice with Blender on simplified models and you should be able to grasp the necessary skills in short order.</p>