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2017-12-10T20:44:48.570 | |3d-models|3d-design|software|slicing| | <p>I have created a design with fusion 360. I tried to print it with my M3D Pro printer but it seems the designs have a flaw. </p>
<p>If I try to print the bottom part, the second layer is wrong. It seems to have moved to the left by a few centimeters.</p>
<p>Here is the link to the <code>.stl</code> files and pictures of how the first few layers turned out.</p>
<p><a href="https://seafile.fmk.me/d/09e43aa7fc8e416ab187/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://seafile.fmk.me/d/09e43aa7fc8e416ab187/</a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uOtTN.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uOtTN.jpg" alt="broken print"></a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IrAGq.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IrAGq.jpg" alt="broken print 2"></a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYEfD.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KYEfD.png" alt="bottom.stl"></a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtCyf.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vtCyf.png" alt="top.stl"></a></p>
<p>The <code>bottom.stl</code> file can be loaded and viewed in the m3d software but leads to faulty print after the first layer. The <code>top.stl</code> cannot even be viewed in the M3D software.</p>
<p>Other 3D files from thingiverse etc. can be printed without a problem.
Do I need to enable any special features to be able to print those files correctly?</p>
<p>Yours, Felix</p>
| 5099 | Fusion 360 M3D Slicer | <p>Apparently my x belt and/or my x motor is broken. Getting replacement parts fixing the problem!</p>
|
2017-12-11T16:15:24.397 | |diy-3d-printer|printer-building| | <p>I am building a 3d Printer here:</p>
<ul>
<li>Build Volume: X:300mm, Y:300mm, Z:400mm</li>
<li>Mechanism: 1 motor, 2 leadscrew, 4 rod Z-axis; CoreXY head movement</li>
<li>Belt: GT2 6mm Steel Core</li>
<li>Pulley & Idler: 20T 6mm, Bore 5mm</li>
<li>Extruder: E3D Titan, Pancake NEMA 17</li>
<li>Hotend: E3D V6</li>
<li>Motors: XYZ: 0.9deg NEMA 17 34mm</li>
<li>Electronics: Mega2560 + RAMPS 1.4, TMC2100, Opto-endstops min & max</li>
<li>Electrical: SSR, Silicone Heat-mat 600W 300x300mm</li>
<li>Bed: 3-point aluminium</li>
</ul>
<p>Problem is, I can't get V-slots or T-slots easily where I live.
I can get Steel Rods or Seamless pipes, and Bearings & Drylin bushings.</p>
<p>What aluminium profiles can I use to construct a rigid frame and accurate movement?</p>
| 5103 | What else can I use for a 3D Printer frame? | <p>Were I to build a frame now, I might use 1" square steel tubing members, welded together. You could also use aluminum, but for the same cross-section, the steel will be stronger. It is also easier to weld. If welding is not available, you are limited to shapes which can be bolted together. This is not impossible, but it requires more thoughtful design.</p>
<p>For the guides for moving or sliding elements, stainless steel drill rod is good. Because it is round, it doesn't constrain rotating motion, so you might need two drill rods, spaced as far apart as your design allows. The twisting force will be harder to manage with rods than it would be with a solid element. If the parts are moving during printing, you could consider stainless steel tube or aluminum rod to keep down the weight.</p>
<p>If you have the machining ability, instead of rods you could use a T cross-section (<a href="https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?id=1803&step=2&top_cat=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">steel</a> or <a href="https://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=12974&step=4&showunits=inches&id=235&top_cat=60" rel="nofollow noreferrer">aluminum</a>) with wheels rolling on the two outside elements of the T. Machine is likely needed to adjust the profile of the edge to more closely match the wheels (which could be /V\ shaped), and to make the separation be accurate enough that you wouldn't need a spring element to clamp to the T.</p>
<p>There are many materials and forms that could work. You are limited only by your fabrication ability and access to materials.</p>
|
2017-12-12T16:40:41.067 | |3d-models|cad|freecad| | <p>I want to print worm gears for my robot arm. I would like to design it in FreeCAD. Normally, I would use <em>involute gear</em> for regular gears. However, this tool cannot be used for worm gears. I can't find any add-ons for this.</p>
<p>Is it possible to produce a worm gear automatically? If not, how can I make it manually?</p>
| 5110 | How to design a worm-gear in FreeCAD? | <p>As far as I know there is not a workbench capable of producing the design you want with a single click "new worm gear". But it is a rather simple affair to create the part you want from scratch.</p>
<p>What you want to do is to sweep a <em>sketch</em> along a <em>helix</em>. It is a very similar process to the one you would follow to create a thread documented in the <a href="https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Thread_for_Screw_Tutorial" rel="noreferrer">official tutorial</a> (it's the "method #3" on that page). This is how it should look like:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ss2fE.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ss2fE.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>Since helices are subject to a few limitation in FreeCAD, I recommend to read the section called "tricks to success" and the following tips, as it is <em>very likely</em> you will incur in problems otherwise.</p>
|
2017-12-13T22:10:49.067 | |prusa-i3|nozzle| | <p>I'm considering getting a prusa i3 after my da vinci jr. fiasco, with that said, how easily can I remove/replace the nozzle in order to clean it?</p>
| 5119 | How easily can I remove/replace the nozzle of the prusa i3? | <p>Assuming you have a typical setup: nozzle threaded into heater block, use a socket wrench on the nozzle and any wrench or vise-grip on the block, and unscrew the nozzle. Now, if your system is fully clogged, you may want to heat the head to melt all the residual gunk (which otherwise will strongly resist your unscrewing force). Obviously take care not to burn yourself if removing the nozzle while hot. </p>
<p>Alternatively, don't bother removing the nozzle. Raise the extruder as high (Z-axis) as you can, heat, and use a properly-sized stiff wire to ream out the nozzle. You can use the back end of a microdrill bit. Hot or cold, you can use the drill itself to ream, but be very cautious as you may widen the nozzle itself doing this. </p>
<p>I should add that you may well have gunk in the feeder tube, and that's considerably wider diameter. Remove the nozzle and gently drill out the feeder with a matching drill.</p>
|
2017-12-15T12:41:20.943 | |replicating-printers| | <p>I'm using PETG, the thickness of the filament is 1.75mm, in MakerBot there is a setting for "Layer Height", the default is 0.1mm, I've had lots of messed up prints with this material and I'm thinking it could be this setting that needs adjustment.</p>
<p>What layer thickness should be used?</p>
<p>Found this: <a href="http://forum.makergear.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2593" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://forum.makergear.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=2593</a></p>
| 5128 | Makerbot layer thickness | <p>Unlike PLA, PETG does not like to be "squidged" down, it likes to be <em>laid</em> down. If you use too small a layer height, there is the danger of the filament sticking to the nozzle, rather than the bed (or filament already laid down). Try using a larger layer height -- between 0.2mm and 0.3mm, if you have a 0.4mm nozzle.</p>
|
2017-12-15T20:50:23.290 | |post-processing|replicating-printers| | <p>I'm very new to 3D printing and I've had numerous failed prints. Sometimes, the print is good but while trying to get it off the base I end up bending or breaking the print.</p>
<p>My question is: How to I print and make it easier to release from the plate?</p>
<p>I'm printing with PETG, PLA and ABS. At the moment, it's PETG that is giving me trouble.</p>
<p>My printer is a QIDITECH Dual Extruder.</p>
<p>I found this:</p>
<p><a href="https://all3dp.com/1/remove-3d-print-from-bed-stuck-glass/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://all3dp.com/1/remove-3d-print-from-bed-stuck-glass/</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6fudqMEGyI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6fudqMEGyI</a></p>
<p>I haven't tried any of the proposed solutions yet.</p>
| 5131 | Tips for printing and being able to get of base easily | <p>I use multiple layers of Elmer's white glue on the glass bed (five layers I think). The glue is PVA which provides a textured surface onto which the PETG adheres. It sticks better when the bed is hot than when the bed is cold. I use a bed temp of 58 degrees on my Anet A8. I have found out that the temp reported by the Anet is lower than the temperature that I measured the surface of the glass to be with my temperature probe. The PETG removes some of the layers of PVA when it comes off. For this reason I'm constantly needing to add more glue to the area that was printed, until the surface is so uneven that I have to remove the glass plate, clean it and start over again. If you take this advice, never flip the glass plate over onto the bare aluminum with the glue on it, as it will stick very firmly! </p>
<p>My colleague in work who has the same Anet A8 uses a glue stick in place of white glue. He also has a good experience printing PETG in this manner. I have tried his glue stick method, and found it difficult to clean when it's time to clean the glass. Now I live by my white glue method.</p>
<p>To apply the glue I use a foam artist's brush to make the layer nice and even. I let each layer dry before I apply the subsequent layers. After each use I quickly wash the brush because the glue will harden in the foam and cause the brush to wear out.</p>
<p>I also use this method with PLA, and TPU.</p>
|
2017-12-17T09:01:34.023 | |software| | <p>I am writing my own slicer and wonder if there is a mathematical proof that proves that the intersection of the slicing plane with the STL file will only produce closed-loop polygons for every given slicing plane?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
| 5139 | Proof that Slicing Plane/STL intersection will only produce Closed-Loop Polygons? | <p>I am also trying to write my own slicer and so I would just like to offer some additional information. </p>
<p>What you will find is that .stl files just store triangles and don't validate that the triangles assemble to create a printable model so a lot if not most .stl files are going to have data that isn't exactly what you want it to be. So you will want to have additional steps before you get to slicing, to fix up the data you get from the stl file. </p>
<p>A lot of stl models are designed for 3d graphics where intersecting other triangles and not being manifold isn't an issue. So you will probably want to write some code to test your models before trying to slice them. </p>
<p>For example if you just sliced the layers of the <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:821" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Utah Teapot</a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/d7qm0.gif" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/d7qm0.gif" alt="Teapot"></a> and don't repair the model for 3D printing first you will get two different types of errors. The handle of the teapot does not actually attach to the teapot and is a separate model. And the spout of the teapot is a separate model that intersects the teapot. Both the handle and spout are also open at the ends and not water tight.</p>
|
2017-12-18T19:54:47.410 | |print-quality|ultimaker-cura|diy-3d-printer|extrusion| | <p>I am using Cura to slice my prints, and despite turning the flow rate to the minimum value of 5%, my prints are still hugely over-extruding.</p>
<p>I have calibrated the extruder stepper perfectly, using Pronterface, so I do not understand why this is occurring. I have also timed how long it took to extrude a certain length and compared it to the length of time it was meant to extrude and it was exactly the same. Therefore, I have concluded it is not a problem with the calibration of the stepper.</p>
<p>So, I think there is a problem with the settings on Cura. Originally, I had the flow rate at 100% and this was really, really terrible. Then I turned it down as far as possible and the print got better but there was still over-extrusion. I can't down it down any further.</p>
<p>I can not figure out what the problem could possibly be and as you would imagine it is very, very frustrating.</p>
<p>Here is the print profile:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VUpdO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VUpdO.png" alt="Screenshot of Print Profile" /></a></p>
<p>So the printer is not of any model, as it is a homemade CD drive 3D printer. It shares many similarities with the <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Curiosity-120-eWaste-Educational-3D-Printer/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Curiosity3D printer</a>, so if you want more information on how it works, then their website will be of much value.</p>
<p>The extruder is a Bowden-style one. It uses a <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Finlon-Hotend-Extruder-Printer-Filament/dp/B0734MR3JR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513678249&sr=8-1&keywords=e3d%20hotend" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cheap E3D hotend</a> and a <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaoxing-Tech-Printer-Extruder-Stepper-Bracket-Motor/dp/B06XSJ9M2T/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1513678339&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=extruder%20motor%20kit%C2%A8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRap extruder kit</a> as the motor.</p>
<p>Here are the Machine settings:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqlpf.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yqlpf.png" alt="Screenshot of Machine settings" /></a></p>
<p>This is a photo of two failed prints. On the left is a G and on the right is a heart.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIMsi.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cIMsi.jpg" alt="Photo of two failed prints" /></a></p>
<p>This is what it was the G was meant to look like:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KgHH.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3KgHH.png" alt="Pronterface G" /></a></p>
<p>So here is my <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/jdeaqu8dodjm8ln/Configuration.h?dl=0" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>configuration.h</code></a> file which I previously modified for my 3D printer. The filament I use is "Robox PLA SmartReel Cornflower Blue".</p>
| 5145 | Why is my 3D printer over extruding when I have set the flow rate very low? | <p>I've been building 3D printers for a few years and working in the computer science field for over 2 decades. Here's a simple trick I use for adjusting your extruder steps.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Tweak your flow rate till it's where it should be. Then mark down
the percentage it's at.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Go into your configuration file and use that percentage to adjust the number of steps. So if <span class="math-container">$x$</span> is the number of steps and our flowrate is at 40 % to be extruding normal then:</p>
<p><span class="math-container">$x * 0.4 =$</span> new step count</p>
</li>
<li><p>Save the file and compile.</p>
</li>
</ol>
|
2017-12-20T18:55:06.917 | |3d-models|3d-design| | <p>I want to draw a cube with cone using <a href="https://www.onshape.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Onshape</a>. </p>
<p>I need the cone to "shave" the corners of the cube, till it gets to the middle point.</p>
<p>This is diagram I made:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eNKbw.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Sketch"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eNKbw.png" alt="Sketch" title="Sketch"></a></p>
<p>What is the best way to do it?</p>
| 5157 | How to draw cube with cone (Dreidel like), using Onshape? | <p>After rejecting the intense interrogation process for signing up with Onshape, I've settled for a general description based on common practices in 3D modeling.</p>
<p>You would create the rectangular solid representing the cube, as well as another rectangular (or cylindrical) solid slightly larger than the first one.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/AhIUz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/AhIUz.png" alt="three solids stacked"></a></p>
<p>Create also a cone shape with the dimensions appropriate to the segment you wish to have remaining on the first solid.</p>
<p>Using Boolean operator or the equivalent, subtract/difference the cone shape from the second solid, resulting in a "pencil point" shape of empty space in the second solid.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LsoLr.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LsoLr.png" alt="cone subtracted from cube"></a></p>
<p>The skirt of the cone is barely visible in the image above and is transparent, the TinkerCAD™ version of subtraction. </p>
<p>Once grouped in TinkerCAD™, the entire cube becomes a subtractive body.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2UZ1r.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2UZ1r.png" alt="cutting cone shape"></a></p>
<p>Place it in the appropriate position over the first solid and perform a second subtraction/difference or Boolean equivalent.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjGS6.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/rjGS6.png" alt="adjusted and positioned shape"></a></p>
<p>As one may note, the original cube was not tall enough and had to be stretched to provide the desired result. Not visible in this image is that the subtractive shape was not centered on the cube and resulted in an off-center final solid. Easily corrected with alignment tools, but an important aspect when performing Boolean operations. Control-Z is your friend.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FtvL2.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FtvL2.png" alt="final shape"></a></p>
<p>The above steps work with OpenSCAD™ as well as Fusion360™ and even within TinkerCAD™ but the specific steps/sequence varies from one program to the other, of course. This example was performed in TinkerCAD™ because it was the fastest method. Fusion360™ would have stretched my abilities to accomplish the same result, due to my minimal experience with that platform.</p>
<p>I am not surprised to discover and easily locate <a href="https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/tech-tip-booleans-in-onshape" rel="nofollow noreferrer">an exact tutorial for OnShape™</a> that covers the boolean subtraction process. The images are complex within the tutorial, but the process and concepts are identical. The video accompanying the tutorial is also well done and explains clearly the steps involved.</p>
|
2017-12-21T12:07:04.233 | |3d-design|software| | <p>Most of time my prints fail due to lack of support and "base" for the 3D model. I'd like to know if there is any software that can automatically check my model, and add support and a "base" to it, if required.</p>
| 5160 | How to automatically add support and "base" to the model I am printing? | <p>This program type you seek for is called a slicer. However, you got to manually choose support structure and rafting - the tricky part is getting the configuration right for your build. To my knowledge there are no slicers that decide automatically to raft unless you configure to raft always and you have to enable support.</p>
|
2017-12-21T12:43:04.930 | |ultimaker-cura| | <p>I upgraded from Cura 2.7 to 3.1.0 and I'm getting horrible under extrusion, I'm sure this is the software because I rolled back to 2.7 and everything is working fine again.</p>
<p>My printing is a Robo3D R1+ using the "custom FDM printer" profile.</p>
<p>Is there any new setting or a setting that isn't migrated properly that causes this?</p>
| 5161 | Under extrusion with Cura 3.1 | <p>I hit this issue again in January 2019 with CuraEngine 3.6+git. Since support for multiple extruders was added, it now auto-loads a per-extruder settings file that overrides the main settings file <strong>and the command line</strong>, so <code>-s material_diameter=1.75</code> on the command line did not help. Given <code>$foo.def.json</code>, it seems to construct the filename <code>%$foo_extruder_0.def.json</code>, and if that does not exist, loads <code>fdmextruder.def.json</code>, which sets <code>material_width</code> to a default of <code>2.85</code>.</p>
<p>I was able to solve the problem by either patching <code>fdmextruder.def.json</code>, or making a copy of it named to match my printer's settings file, with the <code>2.85</code> changed to <code>1.75</code>.</p>
<p>Update: There should already be extruder files for supported printers, but they're in a different directory, so they won't be found when invoking <code>CuraEngine</code> from the command line unless you've set the <code>CURA_ENGINE_SEARCH_PATH</code> environment variable to include the path they're in. Alternatively you can copy them to the same directory as the main printer json files.</p>
|
2017-12-22T22:12:51.127 | |prusa-i3|diy-3d-printer|reprap|repetier|prusa-i3-rework| | <p>I have built a couple of 3d printers now and I'm having a little trouble with one I'm currently on. I frankensteined this one with two of my other printers that I had built. I took the Arduino mega and ramps 1.4 out of the older one and wired it up to the newer one. When I plug the printer in and try to move the stepper motors they will go in the positive direction and skip and make loud noises when going the other direction. I have taken and separated out all the wires to make sure it wasn't a stray signal. I have also tried turning the voltage up and down on the drivers with no luck. I also swapped cables in case one might have been broken. The next step when I get home I'm going to try is connecting the old steppers and see if they work. After that I am pretty much at a loss. I already search Google and found a couple of things I could try, but figured maybe someone here might have an answer to why this might be happening. Steppers motors from the old printer are the same as the new one the only difference is manufactures.</p>
<p>Update:
The printers are:
HE3d Prusa XI3
Max Micron Foldbot</p>
<p>I'm just using the LCD, Ramps 1.4 and Arduino Mega 2560 R2 from the He3d and putting it on the Foldbot. With some other features but those shouldn't matter as they would work on both printers. The board from the Foldbot is the Arduino Mega 2560 built into the Ramps board MXP_PRO_V3.0. I'll try and get some pictures. Also switching steppers didn't work. Going to try to get X,Y,Z axis working separately see if i can find the problem that way.</p>
<p>Update: Ok so I attached the old axis up and did a test with the endstops. Basically I think the new endstops must be the opposite of what the other printer was cause when i hold the end stop down the motor rotates in both directions and when i let go then it rotates only in a positive direction. I will see if this is part of the issue. I also believe that one of the motors is bad and that's why it wasn't making any sense when i first diagnose it.</p>
| 5170 | 3D printer stepper motors only going one direction and skipping in the other | <p>Had a similar issue with one of the stepper motors on a Flashforge Creator Pro.</p>
<p>Just finished a print as the head was returning to the home position and sounded like it was jammed up, inspected in jog mode and it would move left but not right then neither direction, disconnected, check for free movement and all was good found this thread and was thinking it might be a bad motor but turned out to be just a bad wire going to the motor.</p>
|
2017-12-24T09:42:04.190 | |heated-bed|calibration|axis| | <p>I just bought new TEVO Tarantula and tried to print xyz cube. I found that my cube's layer was shifted as showed in picture. How can I fix this ?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/u53fC.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/u53fC.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5171 | XYZ cube's layer is shifted, How can I check my TEVO Tarantula axis? | <ul>
<li><p>Do your belt goes <em>Sproing</em> when playing it with a finger (actually it doesn't really need to make a noise, but it should be somehow reasonable quite tight). If not, tighten the belt.</p></li>
<li><p>Try with lower speed, for example, it is usually hard to start off with 60mm/s or more. Try 40mm/s or 30mm/s for starters.</p></li>
<li><p>Up the current on your drivers! You do this by turning the potentiometer on the driver (here the X-motor driver):</p></li>
</ul>
<p>To adjust the current on your stepper driver, this is a classic scheme:</p>
<p>With power on:</p>
<p>1) Turn the potentiometer on the driver counter clockwise until you can move the motor by hand.</p>
<p>2) Turn clockwise until you can't turn the motor by hand</p>
<p>3) Continue clockwise until you can turn the motor again (as soon as you feel it can't hold really hard anymore, stop).</p>
<p>4) Turn 1/4 of a turn (or maybe a bit less) counter clock wise.</p>
<p>Done!</p>
<p>If the current is too low, it will skip steps, especially when traveling / accelerating fast/hard.</p>
<p>If the current is too high, the motor will be, really, hot. A bit hot is okay, like 50°C can be considered a really safe maximum (it all depends of course, some motors can run at 80+ others could bake your electronics because it's placed badly etc.).</p>
<p>If this doesn't cut it, you want to check your drivers; If you can, switch X and Y driver:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If now the Y layer doesn't work, it could be the driver.</p></li>
<li><p>If it still breaks the X axis, your motherboard might be fried.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I also encourage you to post more information about print speeds, temperature and so on. It seems like it's a Prusa i3 clone and there are a lot of people having them and they can probably help better if this didn't cut it so please post all data available!</p>
|
2017-12-26T11:29:35.203 | |rapid-prototyping| | <p>I work for a company that makes items from plastics.<br>
Many or our current runs are between 500 and 5000 copies, but knowing the company, if we find a good method to do smaller runs, they are willing to see if it is a good commercial option.</p>
<p>At the moment we do use several different methods but the technical people are not yet looking into 3D printing.</p>
<p>While I am not sure printing is the right option just yet, I would be surprised if it will not be in the future.</p>
<p>At this time I am interested in finding information to convince the tech people to look into the abilities of printers and what would impress them to look further would be printers that can produce in short times or at multiple stations so the overall run will be relatively short term.<br>
Our current items are mostly simple in shape, (disks with relief print) and small in size (no bigger than a 2 pound coin).</p>
<p>Do you know an online magazine where the tech people can look or can you suggest a (few) printer(s) to look at right now?<br>
Links to online general information or names to search for will be great.</p>
<p>Knowing our current bunch of tech people they will likely prefer commercial available printers but proven 'home build technology' might be useful as well.</p>
| 5176 | Where to find information on 'fast' or 'professional' 3D printers? | <p>3D printing may absolutely be a viable technology for what you are trying to achieve. The term you should search online is <strong>printing farm</strong> or <strong>3D printing farm</strong>. A typical farm looks <a href="https://youtu.be/6zFQi_wtBTA" rel="noreferrer">like this</a>.</p>
<p>The reason <strong>you normally want to set up a farm</strong> is that - despite 3D printing being often associated to the expression "rapid prototyping" - 3D printing is anything but fast, and operating several machines is an easy way to increase the throughput. (On a side note: the term "rapid" in "rapid prototyping" refers to the fact that there is little to no overhead between the design and production phases, as opposed to the need to create a mold, or send out technical drawings to a machining shop, for example).</p>
<p><strong>The right technology to be used</strong> (i.e.: what types of 3d printing you would need in your farm) is entirely dependent on the requirements and characteristics of the printed parts. There are so many different 3D printing technologies, and each technology has so many variables attached to it that it would be silly for me anybody else to state with certainty which one would be best for you (your "tech people" will likely spend <em>a lot</em> of time evaluating their choices), but to give you a sense of the complexity of the problem, I could mention that <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fused_filament_fabrication" rel="noreferrer">FDM/FFF</a> printers are very cost-effective, quite slow, can print in a variety of materials, have limited resolution, suffer from wear, produce anisotropic parts while <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereolithography" rel="noreferrer">SLA printers</a> have incredible resolution, can't print large parts, struggle with solid objects, emit toxic fumes, are expensive to buy and operate, etc...</p>
<p>Be advised that the list of 3D printing technologies is not limited to those two (especially when it comes to industrial settings): FDM and SLA are the most known technologies as there are several consumer-grade printers using them, but DLP (Digital Light Processing), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), SLM (Selective Laser Melting), EBM (Electronic Beam Melting), LOM (Laminated Object Manufacturing), BJ (Binder Jetting), MJ (Material Jetting) and others are also available... each with its own pros and cons.</p>
<p>When it comes to <strong>source of inspiration and information</strong>, I have to disagree with the suggestion made by another responder that Make Magazine would be a good resource for forming an opinion. Make Magazine is a magazine targeting hobbyist, and as such it pitches and explores technologies that are geared towards enabling creativity. What you should be after is information on 3D printing in a commercial setting / on an industrial scale, as the requirements of a hobbyist printing their own drone are very (very!) different from those of a company needing to meet quickly, reliably and consistently a customer's specifications.</p>
<p>3D printing technologies evolve continuously and quickly, so - if you are after printed material - it is essential for you to get hold of something published recently. Off the top of my head, <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/3D-Printing-Handbook-Technologies-applications/dp/9082748509/?tag=al065-21" rel="noreferrer">The 3D Printing Handbook: Technologies, design and applications</a> that came out a couple of months ago seems to be an excellent match for your current needs of forming an opinion / acquiring information (the link is to Amazon, and allows you to browse its index online). Keep in mind it was put together by <a href="https://www.3dhubs.com/" rel="noreferrer">3D HUBS</a> the largest network of manufacturing services in the world... so it is not some random guys' opinion!</p>
<p>A couple of <strong>additional considerations</strong> that I would also keep in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you are planning to enter the 3D printing space be ready to fight off an established but ever-growing competition. One of the cool things about 3D printing is that being highly automatised, having a low cost of entry, and not requiring access to huge amount of energy or raw material, it is often available as a service locally. There are often global networks (e.g.: 3D Hubs, mentioned above) that make easier for potential customers to find a local printing facility, and that - conversely - make difficult for an isolated manufacturer to be discovered.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are considering setting up a 3D printing farm, I would spend a lot of time also considering its operation (extraction of fumes, backup energy sources, automatic/early detection of printing failures, replenishing of the raw matearial, etc...), as it will be a seizable part of the operating costs and associated risks.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are working with extremely small batches of small parts, also consider large printers over printing farms. The risk profile is different (larger investments, single point of failure) but the economics of running a single machine may prove more efficient overall.</p></li>
<li><p>If you are producing functional parts (i.e.: parts meant to be loaded / exposed to mechanical stress) be advised that some printing technology (most notably FDM/FFF) requires designing the parts with the printing process in mind, as the mechanical properties of a FDM printed objects are not the same along all of its axis. This may require additional training of your staff.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Hope this helps! :)</p>
|
2017-12-28T09:06:54.543 | |3d-models|software|resolution| | <p>I'm trying to print a cylinder with Flashprint. Problem is, that the .stl file i created (with OpenSCAD) is totally ruined once loaded into Flashprint. With ruined I mean the round outline is now with spikes and steps everywhere. And by loaded I mean directly after loading, not even creating the .gx files. The output of OpenSCAD looks fine, also in other stl viewers I tried.</p>
<p>I figured out the problem occurs more when using certain number of fragments ($fn). If its very small, loading works better. But for numbers that make it acutally look like a round circle (eg 50), Flashprint is unable to load them correctly it seems.</p>
<p>It's obvious that its no slicing or printing problem, but simply a loading one, since the shown object (which does not look any round) also prints the way it is shown in flashprint before slicing.</p>
<p>Does someone know a way to load a cylinder with flashprint correctly, or do I have to switch to different software? I already installed some but am unfamiliar with the printer settings which I do not know in detail. I really though a cylinder should'nt be too complex for any 3D software.</p>
<p>Here is the OpenSCAD Code for Cylinder, just create .stl and load into Flashprint to reproduce the Error:</p>
<pre><code>rotate_extrude($fn=70)
translate([0, 0])
square([20,2]);
</code></pre>
<p>See also this image (tried native cylinder code, problem remains the same however):
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/v6qkG.png" alt=""></a></p>
| 5183 | OpenSCAD to Flashprint ruins model based on number of fragments | <p>While my first try with slic3r was really bad, due the required manual setup and my lacking experience (which was the reason I really wanted to stick with Flashprint), I actually found a solution to my problem. Its more a workarround but im perfectly happy with it for now.</p>
<p>I just load the OpenScad .stl with slic3r, use it's "Export STL..." feature, and load the resulting stl with Flashprint. Looks like a charm. </p>
<p>So the problem is really the OpenSCAD specific .stl files being misinterpreted by Flashprint.</p>
<p>Hopefully this helps some of you as well and save you some trouble.</p>
|
2017-12-30T22:28:28.170 | |extruder|nozzle| | <p>I'm getting a Prusa i3 with a replaceable nozzle. </p>
<p>If I have a nozzle clog, can I easily get rid of it by simply:</p>
<ul>
<li>replacing the nozzle, or;</li>
<li>removing it and submerging it in acetone, or;</li>
<li>removing it and cleaning it with a blowtorch, or;</li>
<li>removing it and cleaning it. </li>
</ul>
<p><em>Or</em> can the clog get so bad that the whole extruder has to be cleaned, and if so how could I clean it? </p>
| 5191 | If I have a nozzle clog, can I easily get rid of it by simply replacing the nozzle? | <p>The nozzle on a Prusa i3, if a genuine Prusa, would be part of the E3Dv6 assembly and is removable. It's wise to heat the nozzle to 150°C or higher, and handle with the care necessary for something that hot. When loosened, be prepared for it to fall onto the surface below. A catching tin would be a good idea, at the very least.</p>
<p>Once removed, you can test that it's the nozzle that is clogged by pushing or extruding filament via the control panel to confirm that the rest of the system is clear.</p>
<p>Consider also to perform a <a href="https://rigid.ink/blogs/news/how-to-use-3d-printer-cleaning-filament" rel="noreferrer">nylon cleaning of the nozzle</a> before you perform the above disassembly. I've performed this process more than a few times and disagree with one aspect of the process. The process describes heating the nozzle to 250°C and forcing nylon filament into the hot end. I suggest doing so manually, not via the extruder controls, as it give you better feedback and control.</p>
<p>Once you've forced as much through as you can, allow the hot end to cool. Not included in the steps reference above is a part of the process that is semi-automated on my printer. Heat the nozzle to about 140-150°C and carefully and slowly pull the filament back out of the hot end. The above link suggests yanking it sharply. The article also includes a caution that doing so is brutal and could damage your machine. Carefully and slowly will not damage your machine. I have to use pliers to get sufficient grip on the nylon but that's a trivial aspect.</p>
<p>The nylon will come out with debris and previous color filament. Clip off the debris and perform the task again. Repeat until the nylon is clean and you have good flow through the nozzle.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/NdrUy.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/NdrUy.png" alt="nylon cleaning"></a></p>
<p>Acetone will not dissolve PLA filament. Extreme heat may carbonize the material in the nozzle and render it useless. The nylon cleaning method is nearly universally successful unless you have a physically damaged nozze.</p>
<p>There are kits to be purchased which are described as nylon cleaning kits, and include a small length of nylon filament and sometimes a cleaning drill. Using such a drill may damage the nozzle and is contraindicated. If you can afford to purchase a half-kilogram or full kilogram of nylon in the diameter specific to your printer, it will last quite some time. You can share segments with friends and/or members of your local makerspace and improve circumstances for many.</p>
<p>Nylon absorbs moisture more quickly than any other filament, making storage for extended periods challenging if you intend to print with nylon, but for cleaning, it matters little that there's moisture boiling out of it as you clean your nozzle. I've found the little bubbles in the extruded nylon to be a sign that I'm getting clean nylon through the nozzle and can expect good results.</p>
<p>In the worst case I've had thus far, I've had to push nylon four times to clear a clogged nozzle. I had some overheated PVA support material jam the nozzle and once cleared, everything flowed properly.</p>
|
2018-01-01T12:48:08.313 | |hotend|ptfe-tube| | <p>So, some background. I bought a e3d Lite6. When assembling the hotend, the PTFE tube does not even go in 1/4th of the way. I found out that the issue was that the PTFE tube was too wide. It measured 4.26mm (outer diameter) and the heat break is only 4.1mm (inner diameter). How should I make my PTFE tube smaller?</p>
| 5197 | How should I make my PTFE tube smaller? | <p>I would advise buying a new tube for a few reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>PTFE tubes should be either 4 or 6 mm external diameter (for 1.75 or 3 mm filament respectively). Chances are that if your external diameter is that much off from the nominal value, the inner diameter will also be inaccurate, and this could cause a lot of problems during printing, as the filament will likely bend slightly and unpredictably within the tube and the pressure in the nozzle will be unstable, as well as retraction may work inconsistently.</p></li>
<li><p>A non all-metal extruder is designed with the assumption that the inner and external sections of the PTFE tube are concentric. This may or may not be the case for your tube, but it is likely that any hand-made modification to the tube will cause the above <em>not</em> to be true.</p></li>
<li><p>PTFE tubes are pretty cheap (around 2€ per metre or less, when bought online).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>That said, should you still want to manually modify your tube, I would proceed like this (beware: untested!):</p>
<ol>
<li>Insert the end of the tube onto a drill bit that fits snugly into it.</li>
<li>Insert the drill bit into a drill press or a drill held in a vice or otherwise immobilised.</li>
<li>Let the drill spin the bit/tube at a moderate speed</li>
<li>Move a piece of fine grit paper up and down the portion of the tube on the bit, trying to apply consistent pressure.</li>
<li>Check your progress with a caliper or a micrometer often, and reduce increase the grit while approaching the desired result.</li>
</ol>
<p>Best luck! :)</p>
|
2018-01-01T20:52:19.030 | |filament| | <p>I was thinking about what would happen when flexible filament is frozen. Would it become brittle or still be rather tough*. A situation I think of would be a ice tray in the freezer. It is nice to have some flex to get the ice out, but PLA and other filaments wouldn't work, but will flexible filament work?</p>
<p>*when I say 'tough' I mean having similar properties when unfrozen.</p>
| 5198 | Flexible filament frozen | <p>The behaviour of "frozen filament" will entirely depend from the specific formulation of it.</p>
<p>The term "flexible filament" encompasses a variety of different polymers as for example: thermoplastic elastomers like TPE and TPU (e.g.: ninjaflex), copolymers (e.g.: bendlay), copolyesters (e.g.: Ngen Flex), polycaprolactones (e.g.: PCL), etc...</p>
<p>Even in those broad classes of chemicals, the amount, type and quality of additives will affect the physical properties of the filament a lot. In fact rigid.ink even produces a <a href="https://rigid.ink/products/flexible-pla-1-75-mm-0-03-mm-tolerance-filament" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>flexible PLA</em></a> that proves the point of additives radically affecting the properties of the main material.</p>
<p>In general, all materials lose elasticity at lower temperatures (a Space Shuttle came down because <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster#Richard_Feynman" rel="nofollow noreferrer">engineers failed to account for this</a>). Polymers that do not contain water are unlikely to crystallise though, so I would expect it to become stiffer but not to fail catastrophically at 0°C.</p>
|
2018-01-01T23:09:19.817 | |extruder| | <p>I have a prusa 13 that's shipping in the mail, and I intend to make good use of it, one also own a da vinci jr. and the one time it got so clogged that the extruder itself was filled with pla, with that said I replace the extruder, for the da vinci, but besides that, as for my a prusa, what should I do if the extruder, not the nozzle gets clogged that badly?</p>
| 5200 | What do you do If the whole extruder is clogged? | <p>If you are good at being patient and extremely careful, you can clean out the feeder tube by using a small drill, manually operated. Use a bit with diameter smaller than the filament in use. </p>
<p>I recommend first removing the nozzle. Then,from the top, hold the drive gear open and gently work the drill bit down, removing often to clean off debris. If the bit is long enough, sooner or later it'll project out the hole where the nozzle fits. If not, gently work from the bottom up. </p>
<p>Since you have the nozzle out, it's easy to see if there's gunk in the upper chamber of the nozzle; either drill that out or use heat-methods to liquify, and clean out with any soft tool.</p>
<p>Usually any clog in the narrow orifice can now be removed by re-assembling, heating the extruder head to operational temps, and pushing the remaining gunk out simply by guiding fresh filament all the way in. I do not recommend trying to use a micro-drill bit as that can easily damage or open up the orifice. If you can get a piece of stiff wire (e.g. 0.375 for a 0.4 nozzle), try that once the head is at operational temperature.</p>
|
2018-01-03T18:39:38.413 | |knowledgebase|literature| | <p>I have just received a 3D printer for Christmas (Robo R2). I am confused by the sheer amount of settings that I can tweak and I'm hesitant to do so until I know more about them. I was wondering if anybody has any recommendations for literature on:</p>
<ul>
<li>3D printing in general (geared towards beginners);</li>
<li>Designing parts specifically.</li>
</ul>
<p>Books are preferred but websites are acceptable as well.</p>
| 5215 | 3D printing references for beginners | <p>I have found that "Troubleshooting and Maintaining your 3d Printer" by Charles Bell has a good overview of:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>3d Printer Assembly and parts</p></li>
<li><p>3d Printer Calibration</p></li>
<li><p>3d Printer Software</p></li>
<li><p>Filament materials</p></li>
<li><p>3d Printer Maintenance (both preventative and corrective)</p></li>
<li><p>3d Hardware Troubleshooting</p></li>
<li><p>3d Print Troubleshooting</p></li>
</ul>
|
2018-01-04T13:32:02.013 | |marlin|ramps-1.4|dual-nozzle|print-fan| | <p>I have successfully assembled my custom-built 3D printer and configured Marlin for two extruders and one heated bed. Here is a picture of the printer.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eudic.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eudic.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>My heated bed runs on a linear axis with ball bearings. When the printer has been running for an hour or so these parts get really hot and I am afraid that the plastic parts will melt if I print any longer or with higher temperatures. So I decided to add fans below the heated bed to keep them cool.</p>
<p>A known problem when using two extruders and a heated bed is that all three power outputs D8, D9, D10 are in use (in my setup D8 belongs to the first extruder, D9 to the bed, and D10 to the second extruder). If you want to have software-controlled fans on top of that, you need to use a workaround. I bought the <a href="http://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/Reprap_Ramps1.4_RRD_Fan_Extender" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RRD fan extender</a> which does exactly what I need. You plug it into the RAMPS 1.4 board and get two new outputs D6 and D11.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihNqh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ihNqh.jpg" alt="Picture of the RRD fan extender" /></a></p>
<p>Previously I had configured the firmware as follows:</p>
<pre><code>#define E0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 11
#define E1_AUTO_FAN_PIN 6
</code></pre>
<p>This automatically enabled the fan of the left extruder E0 when its hotend exceeds 50 °C. The same goes for the right extruder E1. The fans are plugged into the fan extender's outputs D6 and D11. It all worked fine.</p>
<p>Now to add fans to the heated bed, I have modified the firmware so that D11 controls both extruder fans. As long as at least one extruder is hot, both fans are running. For that purpose, I connected both extruder fans in parallel to D11 and modified the firmware as follows:</p>
<pre><code>#define E0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 11
#define E1_AUTO_FAN_PIN 11
</code></pre>
<p>This part works fine and was quite easy to achieve. What I would like to do next is connect the other pin, D6, to the temperature sensor of the heated bed so that the fans underneath it become active when the bed is at 50 °C or more.</p>
<p>I made several attempts to trick the firmware into believing that there are three hotends, registering the heated bed as E2.</p>
<pre><code>#define E2_AUTO_FAN_PIN 6
</code></pre>
<p>I manually defined the temperature sensor of the bed for E2 and commented out some sanity checks and conditionals to enable some parts of the firmware that control the auto-fans. While I get the code to compile, the printer usually halts immediately after it is turned on or as soon as an extruder or the bed is activated. The error messages are not very helpful ("killed, please restart" etc.).</p>
<p>Does anybody know a good way how to achieve my goal? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.</p>
| 5220 | How to configure Marlin to enable auto-fans with dual extruder | <p>After trying many different things, I found out that the solution is quite simple and requires only a few lines of code. I'll answer my own question in the hope that this will help someone.</p>
<p>First, I defined a few constants (macros actually). To keep my own additions separate, I created a new file for them called <em>myconfig.h</em>:</p>
<pre><code>#define MY_BED_TEMP_THRESHOLD 50
#define MY_BED_AUTO_FAN_PIN 6
#define MY_BED_AUTO_FAN_SPEED 255
</code></pre>
<p>The pin constant corresponds to D6 which is the green marked output of the RRD Fan Extender where I connected the fans under my bed.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X7gcS.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X7gcS.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>Second, in the file <em>temperature.cpp</em> of the Marlin Firmware, I included my file and added four lines of code:</p>
<pre><code>#include "myconfig.h"
...
#if HAS_AUTO_FAN
void Temperature::checkExtruderAutoFans() {
...
HOTEND_LOOP() {
if (current_temperature[e] > EXTRUDER_AUTO_FAN_TEMPERATURE)
SBI(fanState, fanBit[e]);
}
// --- start of my code ----------
if (current_temperature_bed > MY_BED_TEMP_THRESHOLD)
digitalWrite(MY_BED_AUTO_FAN_PIN, MY_BED_AUTO_FAN_SPEED);
else
digitalWrite(MY_BED_AUTO_FAN_PIN, 0);
// --- end of my code ------------
...
#endif // HAS_AUTO_FAN
...
</code></pre>
<p>Now my fans automatically turn on when the bed temperature is above 50 °C, and turn off again when the bed has cooled below that temperature.</p>
|
2018-01-04T23:16:56.747 | |marlin|reprap|firmware|arduino-mega-2650| | <p>I am designing my own shield for the MEGA2650 that I will use to control my printer. </p>
<p>When defining pins in the marlin firmware, the pin numbers are the pin numbers of the RAMPS shield and not the Arduino MEGA itself.</p>
<p>How can I define pins so that I could write <code>#define HEATER1PIN 5</code> and it will make heater1pin be on <em>Arduino MEGA's</em> pin 5 and <strong>NOT</strong> <em>RAMPS's</em> pin 5</p>
| 5221 | How do I use MEGA pin number designations rather than RAMPS pin numbers in marlin | <p>The pin mapping that Marlin uses is defined in the file <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/fastio_1280.h" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fastio_1280.h</a>:</p>
<pre><code>/**
* Pin mapping for the 1280 and 2560
*
* 1280 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 53 52 51 50 10 11 12 13 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 21 20 19 18 81 82 83 38 00 01 78 05 02 03 79 80 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 41 40 39 71 70 04 17 16 84 06 07 08 09 85 15 14 72 73 75 76 77 74 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42
* Port A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 B0 B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 B7 C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 E0 E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 G0 G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 H0 H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 J0 J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 L0 L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7
* Marlin 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85
*/
</code></pre>
<p>Confusingly, the line labeled "1280" refers to the pin numbers as used by Marlin. The line labeled with "port" gives the corresponding port/pin combination as it applies to the AtMega2560 chip itself. To translate between the port numbers given above, and the Arduino Mega pin numbers, you can use the following pinout diagram:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zGS6B.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zGS6B.jpg" alt="Arduino Mega Pinout"></a>
<em>Licensed under CC-BY-SA, www.bq.com</em></p>
<p>For instance, according to the pin mapping in <code>fastio_1280.h</code>, Marlin pin 34 is "port" C3. This corresponds to PC3 in the pinout diagram, which is Arduino Mega A11. Conversely, if we want to find out what PWM pin 9 is in Marlin, we can look at the diagram to find out it corresponds to PH6, which is Marlin pin 09.</p>
<p>If you want to change this numbering, then unfortunately, you have to make quite a few modifications to fastio_1280.h. For instance, the "reason" pin 5 corresponds to the pin it does, is the following set of definitions:</p>
<pre><code>#define DIO5_PIN PINE3
#define DIO5_RPORT PINE
#define DIO5_WPORT PORTE
#define DIO5_DDR DDRE
#define DIO5_PWM &OCR3AL
</code></pre>
<p>If you wanted to point pin 5 towards another pin, you'd need to change all of these lines to point to the correct registers and pin numbers.</p>
|
2018-01-05T14:54:12.177 | |extruder|anet-a6| | <p>I just finished building my Anet A6 and I was working on inserting some filament into the extruder. It was very difficult to get the filament to go in the hole (past the gears to go down to the hot-end). What can I do that will make it easier to get the filament into the hole (I tried cutting the tip at a angle)? </p>
| 5224 | Problems with feeding the filament into the bowden tube | <p>What you are after is a small common mod called... filament guide (as your question title!).</p>
<p>The first one to pop up in my google search was this one: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/make:346736" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thingiverse.com/make:346736</a> which in turn is a make of this model: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2242903" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2242903</a></p>
<p>Also, a couple of tricks that help on my printers (YMMV):</p>
<ol>
<li><p>manually straighten the first few cm filament before inserting it into the extruder (e.g.: remove the natural bend that is there because the filament came off a round spool by bending it in the opposite direction)</p></li>
<li><p>when the filament is past the gears/cogs, while still keeping the cogs "open" (i.e.: not yet clamping the filament), twist/roll the filament between your finger.</p></li>
<li><p>sharpen the tip of your filament with a pencil sharpener. This make so that the tip of it is at the very centre of the hole, rather than at its edge.</p></li>
</ol>
|
2018-01-05T20:34:40.817 | |ultimaker-cura|support-structures| | <p>Since i updated Cura from 2.7. to 3.1. I have a really hard time at configuration and especially removing the support interfaces. The update automatically uses the settings from the old version, but as I said: it doesn't work anymore.</p>
<p>I even tried to create a test print with 4 copies of a test object with different settings, but there where no differences in the slicing for them. Every copy and the support interface that belongs to it was the same. </p>
<p>Did anybody have an idea? </p>
<p>Printer Anet A8 with PLA </p>
| 5226 | Problems with support interface since cura 3.1 | <p>In Cura 3.1 to 3.2.1 (date today is 2018-Feb-24): The Support Z Distance only changes the Support Bottom Distance and NOT the Support Top Distance. By activating the two sub-options you can configure this again.</p>
|
2018-01-07T16:24:26.623 | |warping| | <p>The bottom of my prints warp/curve upwards, most often at the corners. This is a very slight curve, only about 1-2 mm.</p>
<ul>
<li>I print with a raft all the time.</li>
<li>I don't have a heated bed.</li>
<li>I print with PLA at 199 °C (390 °F) with a print speed of approximately 40 mm/s</li>
<li>I have a Sindoh 3DWOX DP201.</li>
</ul>
<p>What slicer settings might be the cause of this phenomena?
Or could it be 3D printer settings?</p>
| 5234 | Warping of bottom of print | <p><strong>The first thing to understand is what causes warping</strong>. Warping is caused by the thermal contraction of the plastic when it cools down.</p>
<p>Simplifying things a fair bit, you can visualise the process like this:</p>
<ol>
<li>hot, expanded plastic gets deposited on cooler, shrunk layers,</li>
<li>when the hot plastic cools down, it shrinks and pulls the upper part of the layer below inwards</li>
<li>at this point, the layer below has a differential in the compression between its upper and lower parts, and curls up</li>
<li>the problem is exacerbated at the very first layer (the one touching the bed) as this is "locked" to a rigid body (the bed) and cannot shrink, while subsequent layers are only attached to the somewhat flexible plastic beneath, and thus can contract.</li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/knXcU.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/knXcU.png" alt="diagram of curling plastic"></a></p>
<p>Also notice that the larger the part being printed, the stronger is the force trying to curl-up your print.</p>
<p>Once one understands all of this, then it is possible to appreciate the many ways the problem can be mitigated.</p>
<p>Here are the common ones:</p>
<p><strong>USING A MATERIAL WITH LOW SHRINKAGE COEFFICIENT</strong></p>
<p>This translates in smaller tensions and thus less force "pulling up" the corners of your print. Historically, 3D printing started with ABS because this material was one of the very few, relatively safe ones to source. Nowadays there are materials like PETG which have similar mechanical properties to ABS but are much easier and forgiving to print with, so - unless you need ABS for some very specific reason (e.g.: acetone smoothing) consider never printing with it.</p>
<p><strong>DECREASING THE THERMAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOLTEN AND SOLID STATE</strong></p>
<p>Concretely, this means lowering the "gap" between the ~200°C of the nozzle and the ~20°C of room temperature by using a heated bed and - possibly - an enclosure.</p>
<p>The heated bed not only drastically diminish the shrinkage of the first layer, but because heat radiates, and hot air goes upwards, the entire bottom of the print has shrinkage mitigated.</p>
<p>An enclosure just increase the benefit of the heating bed, by reflecting IR radiation back towards the print and preventing hot air to escape. A heated enclosure just improve things even further.</p>
<p>Some slicers offer a "shroud" option, that encloses the entire print in an enclosed, sacrificial structure, that tries to emulate the benefits of a proper printer enclosure.</p>
<p><strong>INCREASING ADHESION WITH THE PRINTING BED</strong></p>
<p>That is the "brutal force" approach: if you face a strong "curl up" force, oppose it with a strong "anchor down" one.</p>
<p>The increase in adhesion can be achieved in a number of ways:</p>
<ul>
<li>Lower print speed (more time for the molten plastic to "bond")</li>
<li>Overextrusion (more pressure, more material)</li>
<li>Disabling cooling fan (more progressive cooling, more time to "bond")</li>
<li>Using a brim (more contact surface between print and bed)</li>
<li>Using "ad hoc" material on the bed (PVA glue for PLA, ABS sludge for ABS, kapton tape, hair spray, blue tape, etc...)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>REDUCING THE CURL-UP FORCE</strong></p>
<p>This is typically achieved during design. Designing is a vast field and it would be impossible to cover all the possible mitigating strategies one could use, but here are some of the most common ones:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Prefer assembling smaller parts over printing huge ones. This is self explanatory really, as the curling force increases with the amount of material "pulling", the least material one has, the less force one gets.</p></li>
<li><p>Make relief holes above the first layers in long structures. This will essentially "break" the build-up of tension in the layer, creating many points with a little "curling up force" rather than two with a huge one. Something along the lines of this, for example:</p></li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nKSuL.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nKSuL.jpg" alt="I beam with relief holes"></a></p>
<ul>
<li>Avoid extensive overhangs close to the bottom of the print (this is because otherwise you will have considerably more material "pulling up" than you will have "anchoring down". Here is an example of what <em>not</em> to do (to be fair: this was specifically taken from a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1504207" rel="noreferrer">bed adhesion/warping test</a>).</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7IDh.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t7IDh.png" alt="warping test"></a></p>
<p>Of course all of the above strategies can/should be combined, when possible. Even if not warped, a part with a lot of internal tension will perform less predictably and possibly worse than a part where such tensions are lower.</p>
|
2018-01-07T21:54:45.857 | |prusa-i3|calibration|bed-leveling|z-probe| | <p>I'm new to 3d printing and I recently bought a Geeetech Prusa i3 Pro B along with a BL Touch (3D touch) sensor to do auto bed leveling.</p>
<p>I printed the sensor holder, mounted it and the sensor to the extruder carriage and uploaded a configured Marlin firmware to the printer. It worked great for about 6 times and now, it crashes on the bed on the two points on the right of the bed.</p>
<p>I tried manually leveling the bed thinking that the nozzle was touching the bed plate before the sensor's needle could, but that's not the case. Even with the bed manually leveled, when using <code>G29</code> (Auto Bed Leveling code), the Z-axis carriage crashes into the bed.</p>
<p>What can I do/check?</p>
| 5239 | Auto bed leveling with BL Touch sensor crashing to bed | <p>As it turns out, my Z-axis carriage mount to the X-axis was bent, causing the nozzle to touch the bed before the proble could get a chance to detect anything. Manually bending it back to the correct angle solved the problem.</p>
|
2018-01-07T22:57:58.193 | |hardware|axis|linear-motion| | <p>Whenever a 3D printer that uses linear rails is announced (case in point: the <a href="https://www.cetus3d.com/cetus-3d-printer.html" rel="noreferrer">cetus</a>), the Internet (well... at least that corner of it dealing with 3D printing) gets abuzz with excitement.</p>
<p>I researched a bit the topic myself, and while I understand that linear rails can be produced to a fantastic degree of precision for super-heavy machinery, it escapes my comprehension why they are considered superior "by default", relative to the classic linear bearings on a shaft.</p>
<p>3D printing is a lightweight application, and the motion of at least 2 axis does not happen against a solid surface (where you could bolt a linear rail every few cm) but suspended between the 2 ends of the axis. Furthermore, the internals of the bearings used on linear rails are substantially identical to those used on a shaft.</p>
<p>The cetus site says under the heading "Quality Linear Rails":</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Self-lubricated | Maintenance Free | High Precision | Long Lifespan | Quiet</p>
</blockquote>
<p>but this - in my experience - can be said of "Quality Linear Bearings on a Shaft" as well, and in some cases even bushing deliver to a high standard on 3D printers.</p>
<p>So, what am I missing?</p>
| 5241 | Why all the excitement about linear rails? | <p>Linear rails will always produce a high degree of accuracy and stability and more so than round rod with PTFE bushings and/or bearings. </p>
<p>One may argue the fact however even as a product developer and one who is involved with the mechanicals and development of machinery on a day to day basis comparing the two we see “significant” improvements using rails over rods and if properly utilized on a Z axis print bed you will have a bed free of leveling issues that can smoothly and accurately operate with one driver versus two. </p>
<p>I will further add that getting rods aligned perfectly is a difficult task for the average person and even a slight twist or angular position can affect final print quality. I’ve seen many linear rods that appear visually straight and when chucked into a lathe spindle with 0.0000 accuracy there will be 0.005 or more in runout. In fact I’ve yet to see one perfecting concentric motion that is longer than 6 inches. This tells me that they cannot plausibly be as accurate and that while they may function they will never function with a high degree of accuracy.</p>
<p>Do we need higher accuracy in 3D printer axis? Sure we can have quality control boards that compensate to some degree however the mechanics of the machine are utmost important before you choose the quality of board and software. Why install a \$300 motion control on a cheap linear rod printer if you’re not going to see the full benefits? </p>
<p>With technology further advancing into 64 bit and eventually 128 bit and higher degrees of precisional accuracy 3D printing is turning a page and will if not already be capable of micro resolutional accuracy and can only do so if all the components function properly together. </p>
<p>So sure, your rod guided printer works. However, it will never work as well as my linear rail guided printer with ballscrews and servos. You can have your layered fuzzy prints. I will keep my smooth finished injection molded looking parts that are made from materials a typical desktop cannot even print. So to argue it’s not needed is arguing that high quality isn’t accepted in a lower price point market. </p>
<p>One other addition here. Ask yourself how level and square is your printer? I’m not talking about using a carpenter's level for checking your machine they can be inaccurate up to a 1/4” per 10 feet. When you can dial your printers bed down to 0.00005 or less every direction and your structure is just as accurate than you know what a quality printer and print looks like.</p>
<p>I guarantee no printer priced \$300-\$1000 comes even close to that degree of accuracy. The average consumer is so drawn into the technology of a final print itself they overlook the precisional aspects involved and learn to settle for less. Then you wouldn’t expect your \$500 printer to compete with my \$10,000 printer either. </p>
<p>Bottom line you get what you pay for.</p>
|
2018-01-09T13:23:01.660 | |3d-models|marlin|stepper-driver| | <p>After a long time tweaking my new 3D printer I solved all the unexpected errors and I can print succesful pieces but I am facing a "problem", they are over sized, I found this problem trying to print a Raspberry Pi Case and an smartphone case, the printed pieces are bigger than the objects. </p>
<p>Here some related information</p>
<p><strong>Printer</strong>: Geeetech Prusa i3 Pro B</p>
<p><strong>Firmware</strong>: <a href="https://github.com/amendezcabrera/geeetech-prusa-i3-pro-b-firmware" rel="noreferrer">My GitHub</a> (Marlin)</p>
<p><strong>Software</strong>: Repetier Host with Slic3r</p>
<p>Does somebody know how could I solve it?
Thank you very much</p>
| 5245 | Oversized pieces | <p>I finally solved it by manually adjusting the <code>steps per unit</code> in the printer firmware. </p>
<p>The process is easy just move the extruder to one position and draw two marks, one at the extruder position and another one 10 cm in the X axis from the extruder position then with Repetier or with the the printer controls move the X axis 100 mm, if the extruder stops after the mark reduce the <code>steps per unit</code> or increase them if the extruder stops before the mark, do until the movement matches both marks. Repeat for the Y axis.</p>
<p>You can see the changes I made to the firmware in my <a href="https://github.com/amendezcabrera/geeetech-prusa-i3-pro-b-firmware/commit/f6ba29998ccfd0dc0f0e2cba2c3ef3176f6e487f" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GitHub</a></p>
|
2018-01-09T13:40:35.500 | |marlin|ultimaker-cura|z-axis|anet-a8| | <p>I got an Anet A8 for Christmas.</p>
<p>I am trying to print a calibration tower and the z axis stops lifting at approximately 100mm.</p>
<p>I checked that the gantry is able to travel along the full length of the threaded rods, and while resetting the bed height I noticed that the LCD display showed the extruder height above the bed. It reads 0 at home (good) but goes back to zero when I manually turn the rods so that the gantry goes above the heigh at which the print stopped.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on what to check? I am double checking all the mechanical bits (connection to stepper coupling, ease of turning, etc...). </p>
<p>My slicer is Cura 3.1.</p>
| 5246 | Z axis stopped part way through print | <p>I found two issues:</p>
<ul>
<li>While cutting the cables to size, I made the cable for the z-axis too short.</li>
<li>In Cura the y height reset to 100mm rather than the 240mm I had earlier specified. I assume the G-code I used was sliced with the wrong settings.</li>
</ul>
|
2018-01-09T16:21:06.117 | |firmware|hardware|monoprice-select-mini|microsd| | <p>I have a Monoprice Select Mini v2 and it came with a 256 MB SD card. I have a bunch of 16 GB cards. I have made sure that the new SD card has a FAT32 filesystem. I copy the gcode file onto this card and when I put it in the printer, it can't find any files!</p>
<p>And yes, the file is at the root level of the filesystem and it uses the proper naming convention. The file works on the old card.</p>
<p>Since the old card still works, this isn't an emergency, but I want to have a backup and I don't have any other cards that small.</p>
| 5247 | What is the largest microSD card that a Monoprice Select Mini can read? | <ol>
<li>Get a copy of Partition Wizard (Free)</li>
<li>Take your 16G or 32G or ...? SD card and delete the existing partition.</li>
<li>Create a 2G partition and format it as FAT.</li>
</ol>
<p>Yes, you are wasting a lot of the SD card space but given the price of these things these days, who cares. And it will work.</p>
|
2018-01-10T01:29:52.727 | |print-quality|reprap|extrusion|repetier|delta| | <p>I have really strange problem. Thing is that my print (first layer) started ok, not good nor perfect but ok and everything was going well but then all of a sudden, near the end of a print, quality drops drastically. I'm not really sure but I think this happened because of under extrusion. I'm not so good with English so here are pictures of finished print and some more details.</p>
<p><img src="https://imgur.com/avASUsS.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wRd9e5Y.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p>I'm using custom build Delta printer with RepRap and Repetier firmware, CURA for slicing and Repetier-host for printing.</p>
<p>Slicing parameters in CURA are:<br>
- ABS 250 °C hotend and 70 °C heatbed<br>
- Layer height 0.2 mm (initial layer 0.18)<br>
- Printing speed 50 mm/s (30 mm/s outer walls)<br>
- Infill 40 %<br>
- Extrusion multiplayer 0.96 (96 %) </p>
<p>Do anyone have any ideas? What this can be? How can I fix this?</p>
| 5251 | Under extrusion towards the end of the print | <p>I had a similar problem with PLA after upgrading to all metal hotend. My printer was in a cabinet and after some time in print had the same problem (heat creep). In the end, it was resolved by turning bed off after first 3 layers and turning on a fan to keep the cabinet cool.</p>
|
2018-01-10T16:00:19.173 | |anet-a8| | <p>I am still at calibration stage and need some info from the PCB. I connected the USB and ran Repetier. The PCB wants to talk at a higher baud rate than my serial port says it can do. I tried setting the serial port to its highest setting 125k and reduced the PCB baud in Repetier setting to 125k. No joy. PC port reverts to 9600 every time I check it. Thoughts?</p>
<p>PC running Windows 7 Home Premium 32bit.</p>
| 5257 | Connecting Anet A8 to PC issue | <p>My A8 just started doing this. </p>
<p>I shut down repetier server, and voila, all is good! Since I will go do OctoPi eventually, I just uninstalled RS.</p>
|
2018-01-11T05:47:28.070 | |3d-models|3d-design|cad|stl| | <p>I'm relatively new in the field of 3D printing and design. By now I've created and printed some technical objects with TinkerCAD, but now I've a task, which I don't know how to solve.</p>
<p>I have the following model as STL-file:
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8Bn1.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/o8Bn1.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>Now I want to "adjust" the arms of the model, as shown in the picture. I want the arms to hang besides the body. </p>
<p>I know that I could cut and rotate the arms and then merge them again with TinkerCAD but the outcome dosn't look good and the workflow feels wrong.</p>
<p>So what is the right tool/way to get this task done?</p>
<p>*Disclaimer: I'm not Denis Almaral, but he released this model unter CC license. So I kept his name on the image to credit him, as requested via CC.</p>
| 5263 | How to modify 3D model of body? | <p>The correct/good method to achieve this is called "rigging", but it is not an easy feat (as pointed out by others), as it requires plenty of knowledge about the software being used to edit the model, and a good understanding of the theory behind it.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skeletal_animation" rel="noreferrer">Skeletal animation</a> requires the designer to set up a skeleton (also called "rig", hence the slang term "rigging") for the mesh and define the variables controlling the motion range of the joints and and the geometry and deformation of the mesh.</p>
<p>It's quite some job to perform, so - unless this assignment is the first in a series of assignments having to do mesh movement for this model, or you have a keen interest in the topic - I would suggest you to take a shortcut and edit the mesh directly in a "one off" not reusable fashion.</p>
<p>(Rigging would conversely allow you to create a "rag doll" or at least a "rag arm" to freely and intuitively move around as you please).</p>
<p>The tool I would use for either task is <a href="https://www.blender.org/" rel="noreferrer">blender</a>. If you want to take the shortcut, maybe a less complex software like meshmixer could also do the job (I don't have direct experience with it, though, so I'm not 100% sure).</p>
<p>The blender foundation have a nice series of videos on the topic, called "<a href="https://store.blender.org/product/humane-rigging-download/" rel="noreferrer">humane rigging</a>".</p>
|
2018-01-11T22:11:07.633 | |slic3r| | <p>As first layer is so important, I am looking for an easy way to generate the gcode to print just the first layer.
I see that with Slic3r you can cut from a Z
But for test purposes I prefer just selecting a number of layers to be generated so I can easily generate different "first layer(s) tests" with different first layer(s) settings (width, height, speed, flow....)
The only way I achieve it is editing the gcode.
Any help?
Thanks</p>
| 5268 | How to generate gcode only for first layer? | <p>You could just insert an M30 at the end of layer 1, and the job will end there.</p>
|
2018-01-12T00:56:30.123 | |ultimaker-cura|g-code| | <p><strong>Disclaimer</strong>: I have read about this elsewhere but haven't found a solution.</p>
<p><strong>Printer</strong>: Printrbot Simple Metal with heated bed</p>
<p><strong>Slicer</strong>: Cura 15.04.6 (also tried Cura 3.1)</p>
<p><strong>Printing software</strong>: Whatever Cura 15.04.6 comes with when printing from USB</p>
<p>The print goes well for the first couple layers then just stops. It stays heated, fan keeps blowing, but print has failed. Here is the error:</p>
<p><code>...
Send: N19517G1 X47.047 Y59.035 E1574.00486*126
Recv: ok
Send: N19518G1 X68.604 Y74.097 E1574.44219*122
Serial timeout while writing to serial port, trying again.
Unexpected error while writing serial port: SerialException: 'WriteFile failed ([Error 22] The device does not recognize the command.)' @ machineCom.py:_sendCommand:565
Changing monitoring state from 'Printing' to 'Error: SerialException: 'WriteFile failed ...'
Connection closed, closing down monitor</code></p>
<p>I have gotten this using Cura 3.1 to slice as well as Cura 15.04.6 (though the error above was using the Cura 15.04.6). I've tried using a different interface for printing, but nothing helps.</p>
<p>Any ideas on solving this? I feel like I am missing a small but simple detail here to making it work.</p>
<p>[Edit] Added printing info at top to make it a little more clear what I was using.</p>
| 5270 | SerialException: 'WriteFile failed ([Error 22]...' Printrbot Simple Metal using Cura 15.04.6 | <p>From the look of it, and given that you already two different slicers, it look like this may be a hardware issue. I have had very similar error messages with my cheap Chinese printer and this is ultimately why <strong>I ended up always printing via the SD card and stop worrying</strong>.</p>
<p>That said, the error is about the serial connection over your USB cable. I was about to write a list of suggestions, but I found out that your manufacturer already has a troubleshooting guide for your printer <a href="https://printrbot.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204376564" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>.</p>
<p>Adding my own suggestions to those of Printrbot, this is the final troubleshooting guide (the linked page has detailed instructions for each step but 6 and 7):</p>
<ol>
<li>Cycle power</li>
<li>Update your Operating System.</li>
<li>[Windows users only] run a VCP (Virtual Com Port) driver wizard</li>
<li>Check physical connections and swap power and usb cables.</li>
<li>Use a standard 2.0 USB input rather than USB 3.0, if applicable</li>
<li>Make sure that your printer is away from any potential source of EMI (Electro-Magnetic Interference). Microwaves ovens, many types of energy-saving lamps and power bricks/adapters are known offenders.</li>
<li>If possible, reduce the serial speed of your connection (revert if this does not solve the issue, as it may effect print speed and quality).</li>
<li>Flash your Printrboard</li>
</ol>
<p>To clarify what these tips are all about:</p>
<ul>
<li>Step 1 is about making sure you don't have your computer and printer in "dirty states" (as in: with their serial buffer corrupted or stuck).</li>
<li>Step 2-3 are about making sure you have as many known software bugs and problems patched as you can, as well as all the latest features. This is especially important if you are asking for help, as nobody is going to downgrade their own machines just to replicate a user' unique state.</li>
<li>Step 4-7 are about diminishing the possibility that the signal in your cables gets disrupted and mangled along the way between the computer and the printer.</li>
<li>Step 8 is like 2-3 but for your printer firmware, rather than your computer software.</li>
</ul>
|
2018-01-13T02:59:25.773 | |slicing| | <p>Here is my understanding of Coasting: Coasting stops extruding early in a move so that the string itself will finish the layer.</p>
<p>Here is my understanding of Combing: Combing reduces the need to retract during travel moves by making sure that the nozzle oozes where you want it to on the way to the next point.</p>
<p>I'm curious as to what types of prints these are good for, and also what types of prints these would be bad for.</p>
<p>So for instance, Coasting is good for prints that have a high propensity to exhibit stringing, but what types of prints would I want coasting to be deselected for?</p>
<p>Similarly for combing, although I know neither the pros nor cons other than it reduces the number of retractions (decreases wear on extruder?)</p>
<p>In short, basically I'm looking for the pros and cons of both of these settings. Also if my understanding of the settings themselves is incorrect please let me know. Any advice would be much appreciated.</p>
| 5276 | Combing and Coasting | <p>Coasting is good for filaments that ooze. The stop/up/start time at the end of a layer can be long enough that a visible seam appears if the layer starts in the same place. Transparent filaments also suffer from the velocity effect at layer shifts (more transparent when extruded slower).
The disadvantage is that it becomes another parameter to tune per filament.</p>
<p>Combing is most useful where a part has internal spaces, but might result in longer travel.</p>
|
2018-01-13T17:16:51.197 | |z-probe|wiring| | <p>So I have an MKS Sbase v1.3 that I am trying to use in a delta printer. I am trying to use a PNP inductive sensor with it and it doesn't work. I have tried using a voltage divider with it already (10k ohm and 15k ohm) but it doesn't give any signal when the probe is triggered. Can anyone help me? </p>
<p>P.S Yes, I do know that the board has physical pullups. I am thinking of using NPN MOSFETS but I don't know how I should wire them.</p>
| 5279 | MKS Sbase Probing | <p>After testing my z-min endstop pins, I found out that I could trigger the probe manually by using a jumper wire between Signal and Ground. I then used a NPN MOSFET to connect the sensor to the endstop by connecting the black wire of the probe to the base, the signal wire of the endstop pins to the collector, and the blue wire from the probe and the ground pin of the endstop connector to the emitter of my MOSFET. Note that my mosfet is a TIP120.</p>
|
2018-01-15T05:50:11.280 | |pla|abs| | <p>I'm attempting to model and print a globe. The semi-circular arm that holds the globe has an outer diameter of 98mm and inner diameter of 92mm, so the arm is fairly thin. The arm has a small hole on either end that fits around a protrusion at each pole of the globe to hold it in place. The hole extends into the arm only a few millimeters, so it doesn't go all the way through.</p>
<p>I printed the arm in ABS and it ended up being a bit too flexible to hold the globe securely. Obviously I could do things like making the arm thicker or extending the globe's protrusions all the way through the arm, but I'd prefer not to if I don't have to (you know, artistic integrity or whatever).</p>
<p>Would printing in PLA result in a more rigid part? I've tried to do some googling on this, but couldn't really find a definitive answer. Most comparisons focus on strength which I assume doesn't necessarily correlate to flexibility.</p>
<p>I'd also welcome any other suggestions for making the part more rigid.</p>
| 5285 | Increasing rigidity of curved, long, thin parts | <p>Print thinner layers. Also, you did not mention the other dimension of your arm. If you view the globe with the arm to the left, then you have said the thickness in the X direction (left to right) is 6mm. But what about in the Z axis (away from you)? You could make it thicker in that direction to improve its rigidity.</p>
|
2018-01-16T14:39:45.943 | |delta|kossel| | <p>At first few layers, each layer has offset to -X/-Y direction base on previous layer. But above ~2mm, it is vertical.</p>
<p>I've checked the printer build that there is no noticeable error in towers. Tried both manual calibration and Marlin auto calibration <code>G33</code> with z probe.</p>
<p>No idea what's the cause and don't know which part I need to check with.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8HBm.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/X8HBm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/neigB.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/neigB.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5292 | Delta printer misalignment at first few layers | <p>Finally I found out that it was caused by not enough torque output by B tower stepper motor. Increasing current didn't work. I replaced the stepper motor and it prints perfectly.</p>
|
2018-01-17T07:15:53.417 | |3d-models| | <p>So I am trying to get the XSD-Schema from this object. When I open the File I just get something like this code (snippet):</p>
<pre><code>¸†2¡Q·2ºyƒeCã2ï…w ïÀ|¼ðAøä[0Ÿ |>‚|ó‘å2²ºFƒ¼Æò1ùàåcj@Þ`ùиÌ{áÈ;0/|¾
ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á|d½¬¬¯Õ ¯±|l¾…Œo@Þ`ùиÌ{áÈ;0/|¾ùÌ'Ÿ„ Á|d½œ¬¯Ó ¯±|h\æŒo@Þ`ù¸|
ßBs¦5–Œ~ô軣(™c´“Ç£[yp1:æ'Éc4Jó Uâ˜ÍÇ<h—8^'ЯÉ
</code></pre>
<p>What is this? How can I convert it back? I need to edit the structure manually.
<br>Thank you in advance.</p>
| 5294 | How can I read this 3mf-File | <p>Three likely culprit:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The file is compressed but your machine can't detect it</strong>. So for example the 3MF model has been zipped, and what you are trying to do is opening the zip archive in the text editor, rather than the file that is in the zip archive. Solution: try to see if common decompress utilities like zip, gzip, 7z can open the file.</li>
<li><strong>The file is a 3MF model but the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Character_encoding" rel="nofollow noreferrer">character encoding</a> in the file being different than the one your editor is expecting</strong> (typically <code>Unicode/UTF-8</code>, these days). Solution: read on the rest of this answer.</li>
<li><strong>The file is a binary one that is totally unrelated to 3MF</strong>. So in essence: an error, you are trying to open maybe an MP3 or a JPG file believing it to be a 3MF instead.</li>
</ul>
<p>As for the "wrong encoding" option... Oversimplifying a bit, the story goes like this:</p>
<ul>
<li>computers write data to files in bytes,</li>
<li>a byte can only be set to one of its 256 possible values,</li>
<li>in the early days of computing, when computers were just glorified calculators, it was enough to have a 1:1 ratio between the byte possible values and the symbols one wanted to use, so <a href="http://www.asciitable.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ASCII</a> was born (actually ASCII only "mapped" the first 127 values of the byte, but that is a detail). So: value #49 would represent a <code>1</code>, value #90 a <code>Z</code> and so on...</li>
<li>shortly afterwards, computers became powerful enough that people wanted to use them to process human languages, so the need for more characters (like accented ones <code>åáä</code> or the ones from non-latin alphabets like Cyrillic <code>язы́к</code> or arabic <code>عَرَبِيّ</code>, or...) came to be and engineers speaking different languages had the "brilliant" idea to each use the other 127 "free slots" in a byte for their favourite languages, thus a plethora of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_ASCII" rel="nofollow noreferrer">extended ASCII</a> encodings was born, <strong>each using the same byte value, but each mapping to a different symbol</strong>.</li>
<li>later on, people began to realise the need to combine the use of say Gaelic, English, Japanese and Farsi with mathematical symbols, and thus they came up to way to map symbols to values expressed as the product of more bytes (so for example: 2 bytes encoding could map 256x256=65536 symbols). Again: each system using the same values but different symbols.</li>
<li>finally after decades of frustrated users and expensive bugs, engineers around the world settled for a multi-byte <strong>standard that has 1,114,112 possible values that could contain all characters one can possibly need</strong>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Unicode</a> was born.</li>
</ul>
<p>Back to your question: despite unicode having been around for a few decades now, legacy software and sloppy programming are a thing, and there are still systems that do not use unicode internally but some legacy "special purpose" encoding.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it is <a href="https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/a/187174/29074">impossible to say with certainty how a file was encoded</a>, so <strong>occasionally you may find yourself opening a file and starting decoding it according to a "conversion table" that is not the one used by the author of the file itself</strong>. This is what it looks like is happening to you.</p>
<p>Onward to what you can try to do to fix this...</p>
<p>First of all: as attentive readers may have already inferred, <strong>you will need the actual file</strong> for this. In fact if you cut-and-paste its "content" from an editor what you are really doing is cutting-and-pasting the <em>decoding</em> your computer did of the byte values, and not the byte values themselves.</p>
<p>Then your best bets are:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Try one of the online detectors</strong> like <a href="https://nlp.fi.muni.cz/projects/chared/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a>, using "English" as a language. These detectors work by trying all the decoders they know of until the decoded file will have English (or another language of your choice) words in it. This may not work for you as a 3MF file is mostly numbers, not text, but it is worth a shot.</li>
<li><strong>Guesstimate what encoder may have been used</strong>. For example: if you got the file from an old windowsXP machine from Eastern Europe, chances are it may have been encoded with "windows-1251". Use an <a href="http://www.motobit.com/util/charset-codepage-conversion.asp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">online converter</a> to see if you were right about it.</li>
<li><strong>Use brute force</strong>. For this you will require to write a simple programme or ask somebody to do it for you, but the key idea here is to have a script taking your original file and decoding it using all encoders in that programming language knows of. Then it will be up to you to open each decoded file individually and verify if it worked or not.</li>
</ul>
|
2018-01-17T16:30:23.570 | |3d-design| | <p>I have an odd-shaped object (I'll call it "A") that I have imported into a TinkerCAD drawing. Its dimensions do not align to any specific size, and therefore I can't really use the grid lock to help.</p>
<p>However, I need to get some other objects (called "B+") a specific and precise distance from the outside edge of "A". I was trying to get the ruler to lock to the edge of "A", but I can only get close.</p>
<p>Is there a way to do this so that I can get "B" perfectly positioned from the edge of "A"?</p>
| 5297 | TinkerCAD Align to Odd Shaped Object | <p>Consider to construct an object of any suitable shape that will properly align with the edge of "A."</p>
<p>The attached image is certainly an odd-shaped object (from a previous test project).</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xx97O.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xx97O.png" alt="odd shaped object"></a></p>
<p>Add a regular/symmetrical object such as a cube and size it appropriately for your purpose. It would not have to be a cube, although such a shape provides for convenient alignment in this case:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eZhfH.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eZhfH.png" alt="convenient symmetrical object added"></a></p>
<p>Use the alignment tools feature in Tinkercad to align the desired edge(s). In this case, alignment is common right side, centered top to bottom.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bY1D2.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bY1D2.png" alt="unaligned image"></a></p>
<p>After clicking on the alignment button, lower right corner:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYNs9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hYNs9.png" alt="aligned image"></a></p>
<p>Group the two objects using the Group feature.</p>
<p>I created a sample alignment reference in this image and placed it in contact with the group.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WMdPJ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WMdPJ.png" alt="second alignment item"></a></p>
<p>Move the group or reference item the desired distance:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hZH2c.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hZH2c.png" alt="moved object"></a></p>
<p>Select the group and ungroup it.
Select the initial alignment item and delete it.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1llT.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/x1llT.png" alt="delete this object"></a></p>
<p>Objective completed.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EbYZH.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EbYZH.png" alt="exercise completed"></a></p>
|
2018-01-18T17:34:36.383 | |heated-bed|switching-power-supply| | <p>As long as there's a MOSFET in between, can I supply 24 V bed/extruder heat from an ATX power supply using -12 V and +12 V and ignoring the common rail?</p>
<p>I assume so, I can't think of a reason why not, but want to check.</p>
| 5304 | 24 V heated bed from -12 V and +12 V ATX power supply? | <p>No, this is not possible with most ATX power supplies. While in principle you can get a 24V supply by combining the +12V and -12V supplies, the rails are not symmetric, and the negative 12V supply is usually designed for a much lower load than the positive supply. In the example in the following picture, there are two positive 12V rails, capable of sourcing respectively 12A and 15A each, but the -12V rail is only good for sinking 0.5A. If you tried doing what you're proposing, using this supply, you'd be limited to only 0.5A from your "24V" supply.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CkRKr.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/CkRKr.jpg" alt="ATX Power Supply Label, with 15+12=27A rating for the 12V rails, but only a 0.5A rating for the -12V rail"></a></p>
<p>It is very unlikely that you'll find an ATX power supply with a negative 12V rail capable of sinking significant current since computers don't need such large amounts of current from their negative supplies.</p>
<p>There are also issues with using a MOSFET as you describe. I assume that by MOSFET you are referring to a complete board with various support components, and not just a bare MOSFET by itself. Usually these boards have optocouplers and thus they will probably work correctly, but using just a MOSFET by itself this would not work, as the gate needs to be driven below GND (namely: to below -12V plus the gate threshold) to turn the MOSFET off.</p>
|
2018-01-20T06:40:23.790 | |diy-3d-printer|reprap|ramps-1.4|z-axis| | <p>I have been searching around the internet for the last 3 days trying to figure this out. My Z axis motors for a pursa-i3 3d printer are not working correctly. I have marlin firmware and using repetier host. I send a command to move the z axis and I get it to move, however I if I send the same command again the motors will sometimes spin the other way. feel like They almost randomly choose which direction they turn.</p>
<p>As I said I have been trouble shooting this for a while now. What I am suspecting is the firmware feedrates and acceleration or some setting is not correct. </p>
<p>Here is my code:</p>
<pre><code>//// MOVEMENT SETTINGS
#define NUM_AXIS 4 // The axis order in all axis related arrays is X, Y, Z, E
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE {50*60, 50*60, 2*60, 0} // set the homing speeds (mm/min)
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {80,80,4000,590}
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 3, 45} // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {1000,1000,50,500} // X, Y, Z, E maximum start speed for accelerated moves. E default values are good for Skeinforge 40+, for older versions raise them a lot.
#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 1000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 1000 // X, Y, Z and E max acceleration in mm/s^2 for retracts
#define DEFAULT_XYJERK 10 // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_ZJERK 0.3 // (mm/sec)
#define DEFAULT_EJERK 5.0 // (mm/sec)
</code></pre>
<p>I tried swapping the drivers around and the motors will work perfectly on another axis so I don't suspect it to be a driver issue. I have been turning the pots ontop of the drivers to make them work but can't make them to go the same direction i want them to.</p>
<p>I've checked the wires and I almost sure they are wired up correctly. (could be wrong but have checked it over with a multimeter.)</p>
<p>I am new to this and it's my first time building one of these would appreciate any help I can get and and maybe I have over looked something I have tested.
Just really want the axis to move in the direction That I say it to move in.</p>
<hr>
<p>More details about my setup is: A Robocraze 3D Printer Controller Board RAMPS 1.4 using A4988 stepper motors drivers and my motors are the nema 17 stepper motors. I currently have the two z axis motors wired in parallel but have tried before using series, however the problem of being unable to control the direction of the Z motors still arises (can easily switch back to series). </p>
<p>currently trying with no load just to get the motors turn in the correct direction when I send a G-code command. I am using Repetier host on ubuntu 14.04.5.</p>
<p>I have also check the endstops and they are working perfectly, so they ain't a problem (I don't think :p)</p>
<p>Thank you,
Bobby</p>
| 5308 | Z axis Stepper motors not working correctly | <p>So after 5 days of trouble shooting, Bob-the-Kuhn over on the marlin github forum solved it for, anyone else who faces the same issue can head over to github for my solutions.</p>
<p><a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/9287#issuecomment-359428147" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/9287#issuecomment-359428147</a></p>
<p>Conversation from link:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong>Bob-the-Kun:</strong>
Problem does not follow the driver. Problem does not follow the
steppers.</p>
<p>I'm thinking that the Z socket has a problem. Sounds like an open/poor
contact.</p>
<p>Try bending the DIRECTION lead on the Z driver a little and see if the
problem disappears. It's one of the corner pins. Sometimes it's called
DIR. If your driver's pins aren't labeled then bend all four corner
pins a little.</p>
<p>Another option is to move the Z function to the E1 socket. Replace
your pins_RAMPS.h file with this one. pins_RAMPS.zip</p>
<p>FYI - if this really is a hardware problem then it's the second RAMPS
hardware problem within a week. Most unusual.</p>
<p><strong>Post reply:</strong></p>
<p>Yes the socket I am now assuming is just broken (not sure what exactly
but possibly one of the connections), After using for pins_RAMPS file
and changed the motors back to series and connected to the E1 slot I
successful got the printer to work!!! Thank you very much Z axis is
working as I would expect! I am now calibrating the printer as it
definitely needs it.</p>
</blockquote>
|
2018-01-20T13:16:53.573 | |print-quality|marlin|slic3r|pet| | <p>I've have observed that when the printer is finishing a layer, the flow of plastic through the nozzle starts fading out as it comes closer to the point of layer change.</p>
<p>As an example, let's say that I'm printing the first layer of a cube. The nozzle first prints the perimeters ok. Then it begins to print the inner part, beginning from one corner and finishing on the opposite one. As the nozzle comes closer to the finishing corner, the flow of plastic diminishes, resulting in the lines of the filament to touching each other. </p>
<p>Maybe it's not a big deal, but it's annoying because it's stopping the part of having a very nice first layer and finish.</p>
<p>My setup is:</p>
<ul>
<li>Anet A6 running Marlin 1.1.8</li>
<li>Bed auto leveling before each print</li>
<li>Slic3r Prusa Edition, latest release (as of 20 January 2018)</li>
<li>PETG from Das Filament</li>
</ul>
<p>I tried disabling all "retract" settings but the issue persists.</p>
<p>I'm beginning to think that this could be a software bug (Slic3r), but before I submit it to GitHub, I'd like to be sure.</p>
<p>Any opinion is welcome!</p>
| 5312 | Nozzle reducing flow as it comes close to finish layer | <p>As mac's answer says, this is <strong>coasting</strong>, but contrary to that answer, <strong>coasting is not good</strong>. At one time (that answer was written way back in 2018 when the state of software was much worse than it is now), it was an idea a number of people accepted as reasonable, but it was operating at the wrong layer, and was a very bad hack, necessarily extruding less material than needed to accurately construct the part being printed. Leading to exactly what OP saw.</p>
<p>Nowadays, printer firmware has a feature called Linear Advance (Marlin) or Pressure Advance (Klipper) that can be calibrated with test prints and compensates for the increased backpressure when extruding fast - or more importantly, seen from the other direction, the reduced backpressure when slowing down at the end of an extrusion path, that results in continued oozing after the extrusion was supposed to end. This feature eliminates the need for hacks that underextrude and produces very accurate extrusion regardless of changes in speed or flow.</p>
<p>Anyone experiencing problems like OP hit should check that their profile does not have coasting (and hacks meant to compensate in the other direction for problems it causes, like "extra prime") enabled in the slicer.</p>
|
2018-01-21T03:42:15.537 | |slicing|support-structures| | <p>I have printed 1 voronoi piece before. I was able to get the supports that were inside the structure out with tweezers because the holes were big enough. This one (pic below) I do not think I can do that with. I looked at the proposed support structure preview in my slicer (I use Cura) and it wants to print them inside the torso here as well. Is there a way to force the slicer to not print supports within a hollow piece? I use cura but I can use another slicer if need be. Or any other recommendations for a successful print here would be fine as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxgVM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxgVM.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5317 | Supports for dense Voronoi pieces | <p>One feature of Cura is the ability to set supports to build plate only. This would remove any supports internal to the model, as your model has a base that is not considered the build plate or raft. In the image provided, you would have some complications, I believe, as there would be no supports on the outside of the model if it was directly over the base.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3zzV.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q3zzV.png" alt="cura support settings"></a></p>
<p>As you are not eliminating other options, you can also turn off supports in Cura, load your model into Meshmixer and make use of their support feature, which allows you to adjust placement, size and other parameters in order to get a good result.</p>
<p>The flexibility is limited only by your imagination:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAxw2.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tAxw2.png" alt="meshmixer supports"></a></p>
|
2018-01-21T06:25:47.097 | |adhesion|support-structures| | <p>I am trying to print a model that requires support material to be on the first layer, what is the best way to accomplish this? I am currently using Cura. It seems that the support material is too flaky. I have the infill for the support at around 8%</p>
| 5318 | What is the best way to print a model with support material in first layer? | <p>I had the same problem printing a miniature just recently. As always, settings are somewhat dependent from the object you want to print, but here are some suggestions:</p>
<ul>
<li>Increase the support density: 15% (8% is very low!)</li>
<li>Support pattern: zig-zag with "connect zig-zag" option enabled (add stiffness to the "column" of support)</li>
<li>Enable support interface (increase adhesion to the plate, and provide a more "beefy" base for the support material)</li>
</ul>
<p>For reference, here's a screenshot of my settings as I tweaked them for that miniature (printed a 0.1mm layer height).</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WNjki.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/WNjki.png" alt="complete support settings"></a></p>
<p>("Support line distance 1mm" is the same as "Support density 15%", or at least it is the same with my nozzle size)</p>
<p>If your problem was not only with the "flakiness" of the material, but also with it adhesion to the bed, then prepping your printing bed somehow (with a bit of painter tape, glue, etc... can help. Alternatively using a brim or a raft (as also suggested by another responder) could also help.</p>
<p><strong>EDIT</strong>: all the above still standing true, it turns out the OP had a hardware problem as well, his timing belt being loose (see comments).</p>
|
2018-01-24T16:43:57.137 | |adhesion|masking-tape| | <p>I have been playing around with the bed for a while and I still can't get the first layer to stick properly. I think I am getting the bed leveled good, I use the paper method. But yet I find myself with the filament lifting off and getting pulled away with the nozzle or some balling in rare situations. </p>
<p>I use masking tape, which I found for $3 at Dollar general. I heard something about shine being a factor, but why is that important? And is more expensive masking tape worth it? I don't want to buy it because I would hate for it to tear when I take off a print. </p>
<p>I also use some glue stick, which seems to sometimes not help, almost like it doesn't allow the filament to stick. I don't think I was adding too much, maybe I was. But is glue stick needed? Does it really make that much of a difference?</p>
<p>So other than that I don't know what to try. I can't get the first layer to work properly. Maybe it is my speed, what is a good speed to print at for the first layer, I am doing 60 mm/s, just like the rest of my print. </p>
<p>Any advice from there with first layers would be great. I am tired of wasting time and filament over failed first layers. But when I do get the first layer done, the second+ layers all work fine, no issues. </p>
<p>Here are the specs of my printer, that should be helpful for people:</p>
<ul>
<li>Printer --> Anet A6</li>
<li>Print area --> 220 x 220 mm</li>
<li>Heated bed? --> Yes</li>
<li>Bed temp --> 50°C</li>
<li>I use masking tape on bed</li>
<li>nozzle dia. --> 0.4mm</li>
<li>Nozzle temp --> 210°C</li>
<li>Print speed --> 60 mm</li>
<li>Material of choice --> PLA</li>
<li>Fan is on after 3 layers</li>
</ul>
<p>I think that covers everything, Let me know if I need to add anything else.</p>
| 5338 | Adhesion problems with masking tape | <p>I'm Using Masking tape with no problems, your parameters are OK and just need to sand the surface before sending to print, use sand paper #120 or #150. The first layer height is 0.18 mm to 0.25 mm. The masking tape can be used for a lot of prints, you can change it every week to keep a good adhesion.</p>
<p>I found that not all brands works fine, for example <strong>TUK</strong> has a good adhesion and can be used for several prints. <strong>3M</strong> has an stronger adhesion but is needed to sand on 100 % area and can be used only for one printing. <strong>Jevelin</strong> has a good adhesion but, if the heat bed is above 40 °C this masking tape starts to peel off. and the other ones might have the same issue near to 50 °C or more.</p>
|
2018-01-25T04:12:41.133 | |extruder|stepper|anet-a8| | <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/xE1dA.gif" alt="enter image description here"></p>
<p>This is what is happening to my motor. Any suggestions would help.
1. I have tried adjusting the trimpot.
2. Rewire the connector to match the one on the motherboard.
3. Anything else I found on the internet.</p>
| 5346 | Anet A8 extruder motor moves back and forth | <p>The Anet A8 stepper motor 4 lead cable need to be correct in colour arrangement:</p>
<ul>
<li>mother board end: black-green-blue-red and extrauder</li>
<li>stepper motor end: black-red-green-blue.</li>
</ul>
<p>I bought DIY RepRap Anet A8 3d printer which came with one of the red lead end not attached, so in order to complete the build I used another lead from the Kossel delta 3D printer which has a different colour arrangement from the Anet A8 and made the motor rock back and forth as in your video.</p>
<p>It seems each colour lead carries a specific current and there are many different 4 colour cables out there.</p>
|
2018-01-26T20:34:01.747 | |slicing|support-structures| | <p>I would like to ask this in more of a general sense than anything, just for people to make note.</p>
<p>I am printing out things for people and some files have some edges hanging out the side. I always worry, since it is printing in mid air, that it would screw up the print. But I was able to go, maybe 1mm(I am not to good with metric when it comes to guessing). My question is, how far at 90* from a wall can a printer pull off before it is necessary to have support? This would help me when slicing up files. </p>
| 5351 | Over-hangs in prints | <p>To add to what mac described, there are small detail effects which sometimes change the behaviour of an overhang (and not necessarily in a predictable manner).</p>
<p>Concave overhangs might sag (rather than turn out like a bridge).
Convex overhangs might pull tight.
Cooling plastic tends to shrink,so might sag less.</p>
<p>I'm often surprised how well overhangs turn out, but equally often see failures which I don't anticipate.</p>
|
2018-01-27T14:19:34.450 | |calibration|z-axis|axis| | <p>I tried to print 30mm calibration cube with my TEVO Tarantula. I found that a few bottom layers was missing as shown in picture. I noticed that a few bottom layers looks thin during printing. Anyone know how can I solve this ? </p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/15pP5.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/15pP5.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hrXOg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/hrXOg.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5355 | Z height incorrect on calibration cube | <blockquote>
<p>Anyone know how can I solve this ? </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In order to know how to fix it, you must first diagnose what the problem is.</p>
<p>Two things you should verify in Slic3r:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Check that under "printer settings" the Z offset is really what you want it to be</strong> (if you don't know what that is, you want it at zero).</li>
<li><strong>Check that in the preview</strong> (Plater plane, the "preview" tab is on the bottom), <strong>you can actually see the bottom layers being generated</strong> by the slicer (you can verify this by moving up and down the slider on the right of the main window).</li>
</ol>
<p>If both of these checks are positive, then the problem is probably not with the slicer but with the printer or printer setup. The ultimate proof of this would be to try another slicer like for example <a href="https://ultimaker.com/en/products/ultimaker-cura-software" rel="nofollow noreferrer">cura</a>.</p>
<p>If the problem is with the printer, the only obvious one I can think of, is that <strong>the bed is too high, the nozzle touches is, and the plastic cannot be extruded for the first few layers</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>You can confirm or refuse this hypothesis by simply observing the printer while in operation</strong>. If it is the case:</p>
<ul>
<li>you should observe the nozzle moving "as if" it was extruding the first layers</li>
<li>the nozzle should be touching the bed</li>
<li>very little plastic should remain onto the bed</li>
<li>you should hear some grinding or clicking noise from the stepper motor of the extruder (as the printer will try to push the filament, but the filament will have nowhere to go)</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>If you realise this is the problem, stop the print immediately</strong>: this is the typical situation in which you could generate a clog in the cold end of your extruder, which is not a permanent damage, but fixing it is a somewhat complex and tedious procedure.</p>
<p><strong>The good news is that if this is the problem, the solution is trivial</strong>: you should simply set the nozzle height correctly. How to do this changes from printer to printer and you should refer to the user manual of your printer. Here is <a href="https://youtu.be/_BuuGswqWWE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">a video</a> showing a few of the most common method to achieve that.</p>
|
2018-01-27T21:48:56.823 | |slic3r|repetier-host| | <p>I am using Repetier Host and Slic3r Prusa 1.36.2 - (the website says 1.2.9 is the latest version - however I don't believe this is the problem) . The printer is a Anet A3</p>
<p>With my current setup I am printing mirrored - I can mirror the objects in Repetier before slicing , however then the preview picture is wrong, and worse I have to remember.</p>
<p>I have a Anet A3, the connectors for the motors are polarized and if I swap the X and Y cables when I home the X and Y motors move in the wrong direction.</p>
<p>I believe the problem is the coordinates and I don't fully understand the Repetier coordinates. This is how I believe it is setup (these are Slic3r screen shots )
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ces2q.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ces2q.png" alt="Current Settings"></a> </p>
<p>Which I will call "Front Left" however my home position is Front Right - ie I believe it should look like this</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dxsox.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Dxsox.png" alt="correct Slicer Setup"></a></p>
<p>However these two screen shots are from the slicer - and these settings do not get used. In the Repetier they use a different system for setup. I tried these settings shown in Repetier</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XWNpn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XWNpn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>Then everything printed in a line along the left most edge. That is the head was moved to the very right , never moved again then the platform just moved </p>
<p>Can someone explain what settings I should be using for Repetier for a platform setup as I have. </p>
<p>If I've misunderstood the Slic3r/Repetier interface then you can point that out as well. </p>
| 5357 | How do Repetier coordinates setup work | <p>I'm not sure exactly sure if you have one problem or two distinctive ones. However a few notes:</p>
<p>The <strong>latest version of Slic3r PE</strong> can always be fetched on their <a href="https://github.com/prusa3d/Slic3r/releases" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GitHub release page</a>. At the time of writing that would be version 1.38.5, but I concur with you that that is unlikely to be the problem.</p>
<p><strong>Mirrored objects are a clear indication that one of the Cartesian axis is swapped</strong> (not that it is translated). Any of the axis can be swapped, but since the peculiarity of your printer is that the homing point is at the front RIGHT, I would guess the axis that got messed up is the X one.</p>
<p>I have no way to test the following, but if I got the meaning of your first two pictures, then I guess the correct settings in Repetier may probably be these:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDcD9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RDcD9.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>If even that fail, <strong>check the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chirality_(mathematics)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">handedness</a> of the coordinate system of the software generating the model</strong> you are trying to slice. Modelling software like Blender and others are typically right-handed, but many tools for processing those model for on-screen application (movies, videogames) are left-handed. That means that even if the model display correctly in the native editor, it may be rendered mirrored in another software.</p>
|
2018-01-29T03:03:15.337 | |anet-a6| | <p>I just noticed, and I KNOW it was not a problem before. But recently the fan that blows over the nozzle has been acting funny. I have it set to start blowing after 3 layers, and then turn on at 100%. I decided to watch so I can give more information and what I found...</p>
<p>After 3 layers, it does seem to start, very slow, barely moves. After a little bit it stops moving all together. After a short amount of time (I was elsewhere for a min) it got really warm. So I think it is putting current through the fan. I gave it a small turn and it started to speed up like it should have. And this is every time.</p>
<p>Do I need to replace the fan or something else wrong with this? What kind of fan do I replace this with?</p>
| 5366 | Anet A6 fan issues | <p>It is impossible to say with certainty without a tester, but <strong>my educated guess is that some of the induction coils in the motor are broken</strong>.</p>
<p>Electrical motors that need to spin in a defined direction have multiple sets of coils (thing "magnets"), so that at any given moment the rotor will be pulled (more strongly) in one direction than the opposite one, thus determining the direction the motor will spin.</p>
<p>From the description of your symptoms, it seems that one or more of these coils have broken, and now the fan can stall in one specific point, as it misses the "pulling" force that should move the motor past that point.</p>
<p>If you spin the fan manually, the momentum of the fan will allow the blades to move past that static equilibrium point and reach the next position where the working set(s) of coils will begin to pull it again.</p>
<p>While theoretically it is possible to open the motor, do some testing and fixing this, to all practical effects is much more effective to just replace the part (which is a regular fan for computer CPUs).</p>
<p>I don't own an Anet A6, but from a quick googling it seems the correct one would be a <strong>40mm one rated for 5v</strong> (albeit I found a link suggesting a 12v instead). My suggestion is to simply <strong>look at the specifications of the fan you have now</strong>. The specifications are normally on a sticker at the very centre of it (the side with the sticker may be facing the extruder, so you may need to unscrew the fan first).</p>
|
2018-01-30T19:38:08.313 | |print-quality|filament-quality| | <p>I recently changed filament and for starters it worked perfectly well, but quickly I got some problems with my first layer. It's like droplets are forming on the surface (finished item + 3 undersides):</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qgPyl.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qgPyl.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>The final part is (for me) okay but I'd like to get rid of those pesky 'drops'.</p>
<p><strong>As the defect is quite stable and quite recognizable and it happens all the time, I bet somebody more experienced than me knows what's going on!</strong></p>
<p>Info:</p>
<p>I'm using a 1 week old eSun filament, a E3D V6 Hotend 1.75mm on my scratch CoreXY printer, short Bowden direct drive, Repetier, Marlin, Linear advance (M900 K60 so quite low).</p>
<p>The print is done using a 0.4mm diameter nozzle at 0.2mm height at:</p>
<p>50°C(122°F) heat-bed and 214°C(417°C) hot-end for first layer, then lower a bit to</p>
<p>40°C(104°F) heat-bed and 211°C(412°F) hot-end.</p>
<p>I use Blue-painter tape.</p>
<p>Worked perfectly well with my black eSun and my white eSun.</p>
<p><strong>What's my problem?</strong></p>
<p>Thank you all!</p>
<p>[Edit]</p>
<p>Tried about everything (more temp, less temp, fan on item, more / less bed temp, underextrude, moving around z delta, removing linear advance, radically lowering speed) but the only thing that worked about okay (problem was quite reduced but didn't go away totally) was to bump up the layer thickness to 0.3mm</p>
<p>[Edit 2] Finally it seems it was, as it usually is, a conjuncture of several problems that I will list here:</p>
<ul>
<li>The bed was not perfectly flat</li>
<li>The heatbed moved/bended when going from a hot first layer to a colder second (and on) layer</li>
<li>Maybe the speed was a bit high for the first layer (25mm/s)</li>
</ul>
<p>I fixed this by installing a borosilicate glass bed on top of the heat bed which ensures a perfect flatness.</p>
<p>I had to change my inductive sensor to an 8mm one (insteéad of the 4mm I had previously added) to make this function. I think it is not as good as it can be as it detects the heatbed under the glass (which is not perfectly flat), but it's enough for now. I'm thinking about how to make the glass conductive, like aluminium or something, but that's for another day/post.</p>
<p>I also put blue tape on the glass because the first layer was tricky. This might be because the inductive sensor doesn't do its job that well (see above).</p>
<p>Heatbed temperature for first layer: 70°C</p>
<p>Extruder temperature anywhere from 190°C to 220°C works fine, that was not the problem, or it is no longer a problem.</p>
<p>I also lowered the first layer speed to 20mm/s because the first layer didn't stick easily directly onto the glass, with blue painters tape it sticks even too much so I'll try higher speeds. It did mitigate problems though so it might be a path to try if you run into similar problems.</p>
<p>And now it seems that it works even amazingly well, I just have to print something really big to see!</p>
<p>---------------Old:</p>
<p>Moving z up made spaghetti :-) and different temperatures made quite extreme warping:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eV7UJ.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eV7UJ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7VeCT.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7VeCT.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5372 | What is causing 'droplets' on first layer? | <p>First of all, thanks for all the help, it really is a nice community!</p>
<p>But none of them actually helped and I finally find out what to actually do to fix the problem so here it goes:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Extruder temperature didn't change anything (made it worse under 190°C/374°F)</p></li>
<li><p>Speed didn't change anything (tried as low as 10mm/s)</p></li>
<li><p>Z tuning didn't change anything</p></li>
<li><p>Using 0.3mm layers instead of 0.2mm made it slightly better but still completely unusable</p></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>So, what did the trick?</strong></p>
<p>I figured that it was extreme warping, so heating up the heatbed to 80°C/176°F and the first layer comes down really good, for the rest of the print I use normal temperatures and it works okay. For overhangs I bump some degrees and point a small squirrel cage fan on the overhang.</p>
<p>I think the filament is damaged or that this particular color might be a bit different than other colors, but well, now it works!</p>
<p>[Edit] From a recent firmware upgrade the heatbed PID was disabled, re-enabling it really made it simpler too.</p>
|
2018-02-02T19:45:53.627 | |marlin|g-code| | <p>Model of the printer is unknown, got it as present, probably something generic cartesian on arduino mega and ramps boards stitched together and with marlin firmware.</p>
<p>I've used accepted answer from here to try moving this thing from terminal.
<a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3112/how-to-directly-send-g-code-to-printer-from-a-linux-terminal">How to directly send G-code to printer from a Linux terminal?</a></p>
<p>My first attempt to get access to low-level printer interface looked like that: </p>
<pre><code>./baud.py <> /dev/ttyACM0 250000
tail -f /dev/ttyACM0 &
cat > /dev/ttyACM0
</code></pre>
<p>First it was fine: i've entered g-code, printer executed it and returned an ok message into my terminal.</p>
<p>Then i've turned the printer off and on again and repeated the whole process, but now <code>tail -f</code> didn't output anything and printer LCD displayed garbage in the status line after I ran the command.</p>
<p>I've also noticed that printer controller reboots every time the serial port is accessed, not sure if it happened in the first time when everything worked well.</p>
<p>The output of <code>cat /dev/ttyACM0</code> after baud setting is a bit weird too - and there's garbage in the status line instead of standard "%printername% ready" as well:</p>
<pre><code>start
echo:Marlin1.0.0
echo: Last Updated: May 20 2017 18:12:04 | Author: (none, default config)
Compiled: May 20 2017
echo: Free Memory: 3763 PlannerBufferBytes: 1232
echo:Hardcoded Default Settings Loaded
echo:Steps per unit:
echo: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z3200.00 E97.94
echo:Maximum feedrates (mm/s):
echo: M203 X50.00 Y50.00 Z2.50 E25.00
echo:Maximum Acceleration (mm/s2):
echo: M201 X750 Y750 Z100 E10000
echo:Acceleration: S=acceleration, T=retract acceleration
echo: M204 S500.00 T500.00
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)
echo: M205 S0.00 T0.00 B20000 X20.00 Z1.00 E5.00
echo:Home offset (mm):
echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00
echo:PID settings:
echo: M301 P22.20 I1.08 D114.00
echo:SD init fail
echo:Unknown command: "starto"
ok
echo:Unknown command: "SD init failstartuthor"
ok
echo:Unknown command: " (none, default config)50.00 Z2.50 E2rBy00.00 Y0.00 Z0.00echo"
ok
echo:Unknown command: "Unknown command"
ok
echo:Unknown command: " "starto"own comm"
ok
echo:Unknown command: "aximum XY jerk (mm/s), Z=maximum Z jerk (mm/s), E=maximum E jerk (mm/s)echo"
ok
echo:Unknown command: "PID settings"
ok
echo:Unknown command: "okechecho"
ok
</code></pre>
<p>The "SD init fail" line and everything after it appears when sensor data appears on the LCD, there's a delay before that during which the LCD is empty.</p>
<p>If you send commands to printer using something like <code>echo "G0 X10" > /dev/ttyACM0</code>, it executes them only on next serial port accessing (and therefore reboot) - or doesn't execute at all.</p>
<p>The interesting part is that Cura "Monitor" tab can actually manipulate the caret and the Cura itself can print things in general - but i want to be able to do it manually.</p>
| 5382 | Issues with direct g-code transmission via serial port | <p>That's weird but i've got some code from here: <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6947413/how-to-open-read-and-write-from-serial-port-in-c">https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6947413/how-to-open-read-and-write-from-serial-port-in-c</a> , changed it a little, removed few lines, ran it - and my port started working just fine. Here's the complete code (for Linux of course).</p>
<p>I guess that was the c_lflag line that solved the problem.</p>
<pre><code>#include <asm/termios.h>
#include <stropts.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <string.h>
int set_interface_attribs (int fd) {
struct termios2 tty;
memset (&tty, 0, sizeof tty);
ioctl(fd, TCGETS2, &tty);
tty.c_cflag&=~CBAUD;
tty.c_cflag|=BOTHER;
tty.c_ispeed=tty.c_ospeed=250000;
tty.c_cflag = (tty.c_cflag & ~CSIZE) | CS8;
tty.c_iflag &= ~IGNBRK;
tty.c_lflag = 0;
tty.c_oflag = 0;
tty.c_cc[VMIN] = 0;
tty.c_cc[VTIME] = 5;
tty.c_iflag &= ~(IXON | IXOFF | IXANY);
tty.c_cflag |= (CLOCAL | CREAD);
tty.c_cflag &= ~(PARENB | PARODD);
tty.c_cflag &= ~CSTOPB;
tty.c_cflag &= ~CRTSCTS;
ioctl(fd, TCSETS2, &tty);
return 0;
}
int main() {
int fd=open("/dev/ttyACM0",O_RDWR|O_NOCTTY|O_SYNC);
set_interface_attribs(fd);
close(fd);
return 0;
}
</code></pre>
|
2018-02-03T16:28:11.317 | |extruder| | <p>Firstly, I just bought a G2S mini pro <a href="https://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/Geeetech_G2_%26_G2s_pro" rel="nofollow noreferrer">from Geeetech</a> and it is my first 3D printer (therefore I'm 100% newbie in this area).</p>
<p>The first extruder seems to be ok, the temperature varies from 23°C to 201°C and if you touch it you can see that it is hot. However, for the second extruder, the temperature is shown with more than 400°C:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHMZX.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Second extruder at 400°C"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/aHMZX.jpg" alt="Second extruder at 400°C" title="Second extruder at 400°C"></a></p>
<p>The cables are connected correctly and the firmware is updated. </p>
<p>Do I have to return the printer? Or is there another solution?</p>
| 5387 | Wrong temperature on extruder 2 | <p>If you have access to an <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infrared_thermometer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">IR thermometer</a>, it would be interesting to verify what the actual temperature is. I doubt the hot end actually reaches that temperature, but:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>if it actually does</strong>, then it could actually be dangerous, as most extruders are designed for temperatures well below 300°C. The problem would likely be in the firmware in this case.</li>
<li><strong>if it stays cold</strong>, then probably is a problem with the temperature probe or its cables/connectors being broken. Most printers use thermistors as temperature probes, and thermistors let less and less current pass through the higher the temperature is, so: no current would be interpreted as the hot end being "extremely hot" and the firmware would not heat the hot end further.</li>
<li><strong>if it is hot but at another temperature</strong> than the one displayed, then it could either be a problem with the probe over-reading or a firmware bug (e.g.: the temperature is shown in Fahrenheit, or the firmware mis-process the signal from the probe).</li>
</ul>
<p>Either way: thermistors and cables are cheap to replace, while problems with the firmware may be fixed only if you have access to the code.</p>
<p>If you just bought the printer in a physical store, I would simply swap it with another unit, rather than fiddling with it, though.</p>
|
2018-02-03T19:58:11.527 | |print-quality|ghosting|knowledgebase| | <p>I am printing some minion chess pieces for my teacher at school and on every model I have found something called "ghosting", or at least I heard that is what it is called. For example there is a strap on the model for the pants. And going left and right there is very shallow "straps" or something happening. </p>
<p>I am interested to know what causes this to happen and how to fix it. It is not super bad, but would be nice to fix.</p>
| 5389 | What causes "ghosting"? | <p>To expand on the #3 solution: reducing the elasticity of the system, if you have your filament mounted on the top of your printer, placing the filament elsewhere on a separate spool holder can also reduce ghosting. Tightening the belts and moving my filament got rid of ghosting for me on my MP Maker Select.</p>
|
2018-02-03T20:04:02.017 | |motor|extruder-driver| | <p>I have a <a href="https://www.geeetech.com/wiki/index.php/Geeetech_G2_%26_G2s_pro" rel="nofollow noreferrer">geeetech g2s pro</a> and when I request to print something, the extruder motor doesn't move (it is connected on the board), therefore, the printer prints some kind of imaginary object. I cannot ask Repetir host to extrude it as prevents moving when the extruder is cold, and when it is hot all the repetier host does is moving the header up. Is there a way a could test these motors without needing a hot extruder?</p>
<p>Here you have a picture of it, maybe it is upside down.<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TFWe5.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TFWe5.jpg" alt="motor"></a></p>
| 5390 | Extruder driver not working | <p>Found the solution, I had to swap the cables on the board, now they are working.</p>
|
2018-02-04T03:42:27.450 | |dual-nozzle|lulzbot| | <p>I'm new to 3D printing and I recently got a LulzBot Taz 6 printer.</p>
<p>I'm interested in doing dual extrusion printing (especially with dissolvable supports), but I'm also interested in doing single extrusion prints. In particular, I would like to experiment with printing flexible filament.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.lulzbot.com/store/tool-heads/lulzbot-taz-dual-extruder-v3-tool-head" rel="noreferrer">LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder v3 Tool Head</a> says that it can handle all the filament types that I am interested in.</p>
<p>Here is the question: can I use a dual extruder (in particular, the LulzBot TAZ Dual Extruder v3 Tool Head) for general purpose printing (read single extrusion) or do I need to use a single extrusion head for single extrusion print jobs.</p>
<p>If you can use a dual for single use, why buy single extruders (I've been looking at <a href="https://www.lulzbot.com/store/tool-heads/lulzbot-taz-aerostruder-tool-head" rel="noreferrer">LulzBot TAZ Aerostruder Tool Head</a> for flexy prints) if you can get the same performance out of a dual head?</p>
<p>If you should use a single extruder for non-dual prints, please explain the shortcomings of using a dual print head for general purpose use.</p>
| 5395 | Is a dual extruder a reasonable choice for all-purpose printing | <p>This may be too late to help, but I wanted to describe my own experience with the Lulzbot Taz Dual Extruder v3. It was...<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R259P3UB6DJYQ3?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp" rel="nofollow noreferrer">not good</a>.</p>
<p>In terms of your question, I spent a fair amount of time trying to do exactly this. It is possible, but there are some major caveats:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you are not printing with both extruders, you need to leave the one not in use unloaded. The reason for this is that, at least with PLA, the extruder not in use will get hot enough to drip.</p></li>
<li><p>The Cura-Lulzbot software, at least when I used it last year, doesn't deal well with this. It tends to default to printing with both extruders, and it made slicing much more complicated than it was with a single extruder.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>As such, I personally gave up and swapped my old single extruder back in.</p>
<p>This isn't meant to contradict the other answer. In theory it should be workable. But in practice, with the device you mention, it's not.</p>
|
2018-02-05T12:13:25.300 | |extruder|anet-a8|ptfe-tube| | <p>I saw an extruder mod on Amazon <em>"EAONE 2 Pcs PTFE Teflon Tube (2 Meters) with 4 Pcs PC4-M6 Fittings for 3D Printer 1.75mm Filament (2.0mm ID/4.0mm OD)"</em>
Anybody know how this is fitted? Is it simply tapping the feed hole on the top?</p>
| 5402 | Anet A8 Hot End Spares Quey | <p>that item is for a bowden setup. (the a8 does not come with a bowden setup, but can be modded to have one.)
when installing the bowden setup on a a8, the first thing you will need to do is move the motor to somewhere else, there are tons of choices on thingiverse.
then the PC4-M6 fitting will screw into the black aluminum piece that the throat used to screw into.
and the other end will go into a customised hot end. again tons of choices</p>
<p>now this is oversimplified, because installing a bowden extruder on a anet a8 is a lot more complicated than explained above due to the sheer number of options.
just search anet a8 bowden and you will have lots of choices.</p>
<p>but it works as mac said, the PTFE tube slides into self locking fittings, the PC4-M6.
to release simply push the top of the fitting down and pull out the tube.</p>
<p>source, my own anet a8 modded to have a bowden setup.</p>
|
2018-02-05T17:38:06.503 | |prusa-i3|marlin|calibration|z-probe|bed-leveling| | <p>I'm using a Prusa clone with Ramps 1.4, Marlin 1.1.5 and an inductive proximity sensor Z-probe. Due to the design of the printer, the X and Y end-stops and the Z-probe are not exactly aligned with the heated bed, so I must use Marlin's <a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M206.html" rel="noreferrer">Home Offset</a> feature to align the coordinate space to the print area, using the G-code command <code>M206 X-18.5 Y-2.5 Z1.1</code>.</p>
<p>I am now attempting to use Marlin's <a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/features/unified_bed_leveling.html" rel="noreferrer">Unified Bed Leveling</a> feature to compensate for a slight but significant curvature of the bed.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it appears that the <a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G026.html" rel="noreferrer">Mesh Validation Pattern command (G26)</a> is not taking the Home Offset into account when printing a test pattern. The printed pattern hangs off the left side of the bed and the center printed circle is clearly misaligned with the center of the print bed by the bed offset amount.</p>
<p>Does this suggest that my firmware is misconfigured? Or is there an alternative method for aligning the mesh validation test pattern with an offset print bed?</p>
| 5405 | Marlin's bed leveling Mesh Validation Pattern ignoring home offset | <p>A Marlin developer confirmed that <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/9507#issuecomment-363423032" rel="noreferrer">bed-leveling and probing are now performed entirely in the machine coordinate space</a>.</p>
<p>To clarify further, if one has a non-zero home offset enabled, the following commands refer to different physical locations despite the supplied parameters being the same:</p>
<pre><code>M206 X10 Y10 ; Set a home offset in X and Y
G30 X100 Y100 ; Probe (100, 100) in machine space
G0 X100 Y100 ; Move to (100, 100) in print space, ie. (90, 90) in machine coordinate space
</code></pre>
<p>I was able to correctly align the bed-leveling grid by altering header files in the source code. I defined the XY offset using two new macros <code>BED_OFFSET_X</code> and <code>BED_OFFSET_Y</code> in <code>Configuraion.h</code> and altered the following lines in <code>Conditionals_post.h</code>.</p>
<pre><code>#define X_CENTER ((X_BED_SIZE) / 2) + BED_OFFSET_X
#define Y_CENTER ((Y_BED_SIZE) / 2) + BED_OFFSET_Y
</code></pre>
<p>The mesh is now physically aligned with the bed and I have not observed any adverse effects.</p>
|
2018-02-06T04:36:59.403 | |3d-models|software|file-formats|analysis|stl| | <p>I have an STL that has a flat surface which should contact the build place when 3D printing. The model has an unknown rotation. How can I rotate the 3D model to be flush with the build plate?</p>
<p>I am very comfortable with OpenSCAD, and I can use it to rotate the STL if I know the correct angle. Is there a tool that will let me analyze a single face (triangle) of a model to determine it's normal? If I can even get the coordinates from 3 points from the desired face I can calculate the normal and use that to calculate the rotation vector.</p>
| 5409 | How can I rotate a 3D model to be parallel with the build plate? | <p>Some tools like Cura or Repetier Host have slicers that analyses and tell you if it is ok to print or not. Both of them allow rotations.</p>
|
2018-02-06T12:59:13.713 | |pla|extruder|anet-a8| | <p>I had been printing with ABS and took the advice to alter the fan so I can see the filament when I am loading it into the cold end. It was tricky but doable. I am now trying with PLA and getting it to line up with the whole is a nightmare. Can the driving cog and guide wheel be moved? A couple of mm would stop the driving cog pushing the filament off line.</p>
| 5413 | Anet A8 hard to insert filament | <p>A lot of people complain on the filament insertion of the Anet A8. Personally, I have no problems at all. I cut the filament under a sharp angle and pre-bend the filament (not completely straight) and push it in the hole, it works every time without having to disassemble the extruder fan. Note that if you have the throat screwed in too much that it sticks out of the aluminum throat holder of the extruder (so not the part where the brass nozzle screws in) it is way more difficult to insert. I kept the top of the throat more or less flush with the block.</p>
<p>Other techniques to insert filament include:</p>
<ul>
<li>cutting the old filament (straight cut) and let the extruder feed while you press the new filament on top of the old filament stump, if done correctly the friction will feed the new filament right after the old,</li>
<li>print <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2366523" rel="nofollow noreferrer">filament guides</a> for inside the extruder gear cavity,</li>
<li>removable or magnetic fan brackets.</li>
</ul>
|
2018-02-06T13:48:19.880 | |pla|ramps-1.4|extrusion|simplify3d| | <p>I have a homemade 3D printer running on ramps 1.4
When i start a new print and the hotend reaches melting point of PLA, the PLA start coming out of the hotend.<br>
This goes on for as long as the temperature is kept above melting point, without moving the extrusion gear. </p>
<p>The extruder is a bowden type.<br>
Hotend is a J-head.<br>
I am currently using simplify if that makes any difference regarding configuration.</p>
<p>Any ideas what to do to prevent this from happening?</p>
| 5414 | Filament starts extruding as soon as hotend reaches melting point | <blockquote>
<p>Any ideas what to do to prevent this from happening?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>You cannot prevent it entirely, but <strong>you can probably mitigate the problem by depressing the lever that squashes the filament against the hobbed gear of the extruder</strong> before starting to heat the nozzle.</p>
<p>In bowden extruders, the long portion of filament between the stepper motor and the nozzle is subject to compression during the print. Because of the hysteresis in the filament, and of the slack between filament and PTFE tube, this filament acts like a slow-releasing compression spring. When the nozzle cools down, the potential energy stored in the filament is "frozen" in place.</p>
<p>By depressing the lever, you allow the spring to extend "backward" towards the spool, rather than "forward" through the nozzle.</p>
<p>Some oozing is still bound to happen because of gravity and - as highlighted by others - thermal expansion, but it should be significantly less.</p>
<p><strong>If you adopt the lever trick, remember to print with a skirt</strong>, as you will want the printer to recreate that "compression" in the filament before the model proper begins.</p>
<p><strong>Another way to address the issue would be to add a little bit of retraction</strong> in the closing stanza of your GCODE (the part where you also tell the printer to unpower the steppers and stop heating). This will prevent any "compression" to be "frozen" in the first place.</p>
<p>This anwer is based on the assumption that the stepper motor is not actively spinning (i.e.: yours is not a hardware/firmware issue).</p>
|
2018-02-07T23:27:02.397 | |pla|extruder|anet-a8| | <p>I read that the best way of removing ABS was to let the temperature at the hot end to drop to around 190deg c then a sharp pull. This worked really well. I am trying to print with PLA but no matter what temperature I drop the hot end to I get left with a length of PLA in the feeder tube. OK I can heat the hot end and poke the excess down with a wire but that is a pain. I think the technique is right but the temperature is wrong. Any help great fully appreciated.</p>
| 5430 | Removing pla from extruder | <p>Looks like I had a gap between the hot end and the screwed rod. A gap filled with cool pla. A sort of washer for want of a better description. Will let you know if heating above temp is the answer </p>
|
2018-02-08T03:09:25.973 | |print-quality| | <p>Some filaments suggest "reducing cross-sectional area" of the print. Is this referring to the vertical plane or horizontal plane? In other words, if I were to print a rectangular prism, would I want the long side of it printed in the vertical direction or parallel to the print bed?</p>
| 5432 | reducing cross-sectional area | <p>My guess is, based on the fact that this is ABS and the same paragraph recommends an heated bed, that they mean you should avoid layers with large continuous areas because those can be problematic with ABS if your heat is not very well controlled.</p>
<p>Basically while you are printing the upper part the lower part is cooling, and ABS shrinks as it cools, short strands shrink by a little and apply little force to the print while long strands shrink by a lot (same percentage, but more length - because they are longer to begin with) apply a lot of force and pull the edges of the print of the bed</p>
<p>so they suggest the shorter sides be on the X and Y and the longer side be on the Z axis.</p>
<p>Note that this will make materials with high shrinkage and low bed adhesion like ABS easier to print - this will not make the resulting part stronger or in any way better</p>
|
2018-02-08T06:55:21.307 | |extruder|hotend|nozzle| | <p>I made and assembled my own 3D printer two years ago and I notice that some extruders are MK6 and MK(*whatever). Some of them has the block fuser horizontal and others vertical, then uses a nozzle longer.</p>
<p>The block heater that I made was an aluminum block 20x20x10 mm using the M6 short nozzle. Then adapted the radiator to upgrade to Jhead heater.</p>
<p>So I wanted to know to which group belongs my printer, as base is a prusa clone with direct extrusion.</p>
| 5434 | Which is the difference between MK6 and MK8 and even MK10? | <p>All credits for the following go to user "vermon" who posted in <a href="https://groups.google.com/forum/m/#!topic/wanhao-printer-3d/TEdslEknny4" rel="noreferrer">this thread</a>.</p>
<p>The following is a <strong>heavily amended</strong> version from his longer answer there.</p>
<hr>
<p>Makerbot did start its hotend series using MK as iteration designator (for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(designation)" rel="noreferrer">Mark</a>). The first commercially available version was the [Makerbot] MK4 on the <em>Cupcake</em> circa 2009. MK4 was hand built with nichrome wire heaters and prone to all kinds of failures. They only worked with ABS and 3 mm filament.</p>
<p><sup>Following here, Makerbot was skipped as a manufacturer and that it is the hotend we talk about. The correct nomenclature would be <em>Makerbot Hotend MK#</em></sup></p>
<p>MK5 was a complete redesign and had huge nozzles and a thick PTFE liner. It used 2 large power resistors in parallel for heating and was also prone to failure.</p>
<p>MK6 was the first hotend sold as a kit that I know of (however Repraps had also started using them probably before).</p>
<p>Mk6+ was the first cartridge heater hotend sold in kit form. The MK5/MK6 heater block was stainless steel, where MK6+ upgrade kit was an aluminum block that was slightly smaller, a lot lighter, and had the now standard 1/4 inch heater cartridge.</p>
<p>MK7 was the first hotend you folks would think looks familiar. It was the first move to 1.75 mm filament dedicated extruders. While a MK6+kit had parts to adapt to 1.75 mm filament, it never worked well at all and was really a failure.</p>
<p>Again, this is all Thing-O-Matic and Cupcake era. Other than a few clones, there really was no third party market in the US at this time. You either had a MakerBot or some other Reprap based kit. Wanhao, FlashForge- they didn't even exist and if they did, weren't talked about like now.</p>
<p>MK8 was the all new dual extruder hotend setup on the MakerBot Replicator. The cooling bar was thicker than the MK7 but the same all metal thermal barrier and supposedly, the MK8 has slightly different nozzle geometry internally and externally.</p>
<p>MK9 was a MK8 hotend, cooling bar, thermal barrier, and nozzle, but the new feeder with spring lever we know on all current models. This is why it's confusing, MK9 was a feeder upgrade, not a hotend change.</p>
<p>MK10 was a complete change of the hotend. MK10 uses smooth OD thermal barriers with a larger 4 mm OD 2 mm ID PTFE liner. MK10 also uses M7 threads, vs the M6 of all previous models. This is because a 4 mm PTFE liner is barely enough metal to make the outer tube with M6 threads. MK10 is completely incompatible with all previous hotend parts. Every part is different. MK10 still uses MK9 feeder parts.</p>
<p>MK11 on the D6 is just an MK10 nozzle and thermal barrier, but a different heater block and the cooling bar is part of the D6 central cross. Again, the only real difference is MK11 is a different heater block, and that's to adapt a different and longer heater cartridge and slide in the thermocouple. MK11 still uses MK9 plastic feeder parts.</p>
<hr>
<blockquote>
<p>I wanted to know to which group belongs my printer, as base is a Prusa clone with direct extrusion.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>This question seem difficult to answer concretely</strong>, as the number in the series seem to be assigned based on a combination of heating block technology and format, the feeder geometry and the nozzle shape and thread that was adopted on the MakerBot printers. <strong>Your actual combination of those three may not exist in the MakerBot universe.</strong></p>
<p>I suggest you read the full, unabridged version of the post linked above though, as more details relevant to your inquiry may be disclosed there.</p>
|
2018-02-09T07:18:03.403 | |software|cad|fusion360| | <p>I'd like to mirror a triangular prism I made. However, whenever I select it I am only able to select the faces or sides.</p>
<p>Is there a way to select the whole 3D object to move or mirror it?</p>
| 5445 | In Fusion 360 how do I select an entire 3D object, not just its sides or faces? | <p>In the top left of your workspace (still inside the editor) you will have a dropdown, in that dropdown there is a folder called bodies, open that and select the body you want. You can then move the selected body.</p>
|
2018-02-09T10:44:18.653 | |g-code| | <p>When using <code>G1</code> command in G-code, what is the difference between <code>Z</code>- axis and <code>E</code>- axis?</p>
<p>I see all <code>E</code>, <code>F</code> and <code>Z</code> in</p>
<pre><code>G1 Z0.350 F7800.000
G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000
G92 E0
G1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000
G1 E2.00000 F2400.00000
</code></pre>
| 5447 | E axis vs Z axis | <p>G-CODE can be confusing as historically it was <a href="http://ws680.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=823374" rel="noreferrer">developed for machining tools</a> rather than FDM printers, and thus:</p>
<ul>
<li>not all available commands make sense for a 3D printer</li>
<li>some of the command do slightly different things than those one may intuitively think they do.</li>
</ul>
<p>Typically, Cartesian printers use 4 "axis": <code>X</code>, <code>Y</code> and <code>Z</code> for moving the printhead in space and <code>E</code> for "extruder". The "extruder axis" is not in fact at all an axis in the geometrical sense of the word: it refers to the amount of filament to be moved into (extruded) or out of (retracted) the printing head. The reason why it is considered an "axis" is that it is used in conjunction with the codes <code>G0</code> and <code>G1</code> which are for movement.</p>
<p>Confusingly, the letter <code>E</code> is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code#Letter_addresses" rel="noreferrer">used for the precision feedrate of lathes</a> but in the 3D printing world we rather use <code>F</code> to that purpose. As a non-native English speaker, I was further confused, because for the longest time I thought "feedrate" was referring to the amount of filament <em>fed</em> to the printing head, while in fact it is the speed at which the printing head moves (in mm/minute).</p>
<p>So to summarise, your example code "translated" would look like this:</p>
<pre><code>G1 Z0.350 F7800.000 ; move up 350 microns at 7.8 m/min
G1 E-2.00000 F2400.00000 ; retract 2mm of filament at 2.4 m/min
G92 E0 ; reset the extruder position
G1 X96.753 Y95.367 F7800.000 ; move to X,Y (without changing Z) at 7.8 m/min
</code></pre>
<p>Should you wish to dig deeper into the topic, the <a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code" rel="noreferrer">RepRap wiki page on gcode</a> is rather comprehensive. Mind that several manufacturers add their own "special codes" to the common ones....</p>
|
2018-02-10T00:17:25.573 | |warping| | <p>I realize this issue (warping) has been repeatedly addressed on this site. I've just graduated to high-temp filaments (PC in particular). I don't know much of the physics of this. I'm wondering whether the degree to which the filament contracts is proportional to the amount that it cools. If the answer is yes, then wouldn't it suggest that a lower printing temperature might reduce warping-as the temperature interval over which the filament cools is smaller? Or perhaps the difference is negligible?</p>
<p>Also, I see a lot of emphasis placed on good first layer adhesion. Is this still an issue if you are printing on a raft?</p>
| 5451 | Will lowering print temperature help warping? | <p>The answer already provided by @fred_dot_u at the time of writing is good, so I won't rehash what they already said, but will try to answer your questions from another angle:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I'm wondering whether the degree to which the filament contracts is proportional to the amount that it cools.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Yes. This is generally true for any solid material.</strong> This <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_expansion" rel="nofollow noreferrer">property</a> is linked to the fundamental nature of matter in the way we understand it today.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If the answer is yes, then wouldn't it suggest that a lower printing temperature might reduce warping-as the temperature interval over which the filament cools is smaller?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Shrinkage is the <em>root</em> cause of 3D prints warping, however <strong>warping itself happens because of the differential in temperature <em>between layers</em></strong>: when a hot layer is extruded on top of a cold one and begins to contract, it will apply a compressing force on the layer underneath, bending it.</p>
<p>In fact - if warping were a function of shrinkage - an enclosure would do no good: sooner or later the print would cool down to room temperature, and would warp. The reason why - contrarily - an enclosure works, is that it limits the differential in temperature between layers (which causes warping) and lets the entire print too cool uniformly and slowly afterwards.</p>
<p>So, would...</p>
<blockquote>
<p>...a lower printing temperature reduce warping? [...] Or perhaps the difference is negligible?</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Nothing beats real world data, especially when the issue has so many variables that are difficult to account for, as in 3D printing, so I would invite you to simply try</strong> to print the same model twice, only changing the printing temperature (and of course making sure the environmental temperature is the same), and see if it does.</p>
<p><strong>From a theoretical standpoint, I could argue both ways</strong>.</p>
<p>On one end, I could argue that this is nothing different than using an enclosure set at a slightly warmer temperature than the environmental one, so it will reduce warping (even if by not much).</p>
<p>On the other hand, I could argue that until the filament is solid enough, it won't be able to "pull" the layer below, so it doesn't matter if the extrusion temperature (fluid state) is 230°C or 210°C, if until 190°C the filament won't begin to "pull". So warping will be identical.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Also, I see a lot of emphasis placed on good first layer adhesion. Is this still an issue if you are printing on a raft?</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>Yes, as also the raft has a first layer that needs to adhere to the build plate</strong>. Rafts typically have a discontinuous and over-extruded first layer over a large area, which definitively helps with adhesion, but you still have to make sure the raft sticks well. In my experience it is <strong>far easier for a raft to come off the build-plate than for the model to come off the raft</strong>. YMMV though, as the material of the build-plate, and the slicer can dramatically affect this.</p>
|
2018-02-10T07:55:45.890 | |printer-building|cnc| | <p>I was wondering if is possible to send printing using the software MACH3 for CNC since this software can handle up to 3 axes: X,Y,Z,A,B and C.
Of course the CNC needs an extra control for temperature which I already have it; My CNC handle a Z axis with 150mm height, so I could print higher parts than normal CNC.</p>
| 5454 | is possible to send printing with mach3? | <p>Well, few years ago I could set the software Mach3 for printing doing the next:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Set a profile for 3D printing</strong> for the faster movements that your CNC can support; for example some CNC uses standard threads, others ACME threads and other GT2 belts like the 3D printers. If we try to use a feed rate too high the motors will shake. For this profile is not needed the torque for machining or routing, so we will sacrifice force to gain speed.</li>
<li><strong>Create the proper gcode</strong>. Mostly Gcode maker generate the code to send pulses to Extruder E but Mach3 takes as invalid E instructions, so the extruder will never move. To avoid this there are 2 modes:</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>a)</strong> Find and replace all E instruction with A to enable Motor A or</p>
<p><strong>b)</strong> Create the Gcode with an interpreter to output A instead E
like Slicer 0.71 as you can see in the image below. I haven't tried with other software</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2S8h.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/I2S8h.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>3.<strong>For controlling the extruder temperature</strong> is possible with any other controller like REX-C100/C400 any PIC or Arduino. The accuracy will depend on your design.</p>
|
2018-02-10T17:14:35.423 | |troubleshooting| | <p>That's my first 3d printer. I'm using Repetier Host as the brand recomends, and set all the configuration as the recommended one. I decided to print one STL file but the result is not the best one.
That's what I was trying to print:
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1V22.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/f1V22.jpg" alt="handle"></a>
and that's what I've got.
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPEfT.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iPEfT.jpg" alt="cr*p print"></a>
Here you have a video of the impression. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDdBQL44R3M" rel="nofollow noreferrer">it is a G2S pro rostock mini</a></p>
| 5461 | Filament is not stuck | <p>I would suggest buying Buildtak, which is a high-quality adhesion surface. This surface is almost guaranteed to make your prints stick to your bed. If Buildtak is outside of your budget, I would suggest using a relatively high grade painters tape combined with either purple gluestick or hairspray applied to your bed before each print.</p>
|
2018-02-11T19:38:49.110 | |pla|quality|cooling|print-fan| | <p>I was wondering if adding (an) extra fan(s) (not connected to the printer, but blowing on the print area) could improve the quality of PLA based prints(printing at 210 C). The printer already has a built in fan with a fan shroud that directs air to the hotend, but is it beneficial to add an extra fan in order to get better results on overhangs, fine details, etc, or does extra cooling negatively/not affect print quality? </p>
| 5465 | Is it advisable to use additional external fan(s) for printing PLA? | <p>Fan blow at hot end is necessary because hotend needs cooling.</p>
<p>For PLA it will yield better result with a seperate controllable fan direct airflow across the print head, but just like everything with 3D printing, you will need to test out every possible configuration to get the best for your setup.</p>
|
2018-02-12T02:44:38.083 | |g-code|cad| | <p>I am getting started with GCode, and I don't know all the commands. Is there a way to smooth a path between two points? I wrote a program which makes GCode from a silhouette. Problem is, when it looks at the individual pixels, its path becomes a bit choppy. Is there a command that will make a more natural path. Attached is a close up picture of the path simulation.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/I9tyP.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/I9tyP.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
| 5468 | Make smooth curves in GCode | <p>Curves are normally approximated with straight-line segments. However, some firmwares (e.g. Marlin) support arc commands. See:</p>
<p><a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G002-G003.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Marlin: Controlled Arc Move</a><br>
<a href="http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G2_.26_G3:_Controlled_Arc_Move" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RepRap: Controlled Arc Move</a></p>
<p>Note that the RepRap Wiki is not always accurate in its list of supported commands.</p>
|
2018-02-12T09:25:07.363 | |print-quality|nozzle| | <p>I had a problem with my nozzle on my homemade printer. The problem was that the nozzle with a 0.4 mm diameter wasn't putting out any plastic. I replaced the nozzle with a 0.2 mm one and now the bottom of my model is looking like this: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFSHV.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UFSHV.jpg" alt="waves" /></a>
I tried to change flow,temperatures and speed.
But nothing helped it keeps making this waves. At the old 0.4 mm nozzle there everything was okay.</p>
| 5474 | The bottom of the printed objects has waves after replacing the nozzle | <p>The layer thickness should not be more that 75% of your nozzle diameter: <a href="https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11679/wavy-lines-on-1st-layer-only">Wavy lines on 1st layer only</a></p>
|
2018-02-12T16:36:20.597 | |ultimaker-cura|anet-a8| | <p>I printed thingiverse minion Dave and after 2 failed attempts (1st tore of from bed, 2nd had jitter at about 50%) I slowed the print speed down. The final result was amazing. However the reported print time, 3hrs, was in reality 7hrs. The speed reduction was small and I would not have expected such a dramatic change in time. Did I miss a step somewhere? </p>
| 5479 | Cura 3 speed selection | <p>No you didn't do anything wrong.</p>
<p><strong>The problem with time estimates in slicers is that they don't know anything about the printer's firmware and physical limitations</strong>, so they estimate time based on the (whoefully wrong) assumption that the printer will do only and exactly what told to.</p>
<p>So, if the gcode says "move 100mm at 1m/s" the slicer will assume your printer will take 100ms to perform that action. In reality though, your printer will take some time to accelerate, and it may actually be unable to reach the target speed of 1m/s altoghether, taking a lot longer to perform the full action.</p>
<p>Typically, Cura estimates are OK for makerbots, and Slic3r PE for Prusa printers, as the software is mainly developed towards those machines, but for most other printers the estimates will be sensibly off.</p>
<p>You may also be interested in trying to use <a href="https://octoprint.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">octoprint</a> to feed the GCODE to the printer: <strong>octoprint monitors the actual elapsed time against the gcode and try to adjust the estimate of the remaining time accordingly</strong>, also telling the operator how reliable that estimate is.</p>
|
2018-02-12T20:21:28.503 | |makerbot|warping|rafts| | <p>Quick thing: Please tell me if I misuse any of the terminology</p>
<p>On a replicator+, I have been printing successfully for a while, when suddenly the raft started to warp. I was doing a bunch of models that covered the whole tray, so I shrunk to just a small area, but It still warped I read up on how to fix, but most covered how to fix warping in the model itself, not the rafting. Some said to lower the temp, would that work? smart extruder at default settings, 215 C. The printer does not have a heated base, nor have I treated it with anything, and I am using it with the stock program (makerbot print). Otherwise, I am using it as it came out of the box.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1k0PE.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1k0PE.jpg" alt="bad"></a></p>
| 5481 | Raft warping (Makerbot Replicator+) | <p>I'm not sure I am reading your post correctly, but if you are doing a batch of small prints, I would recommend to <strong>space them enough so as each of them has its own mini-raft, rather than all of them sharing the same large one</strong>.</p>
<p>If you are using cura, you can tweak how much the raft goes past the footprint of the part. Unless you are printing <em>very</em> small parts, you don't need that to be a lot.</p>
<p>In general, <strong>you should think to a raft as a print in and by itself: the larger it is, the more prone to warping,</strong> although the way filament is layered with gaps makes the raft bend and warp a lot less than a regular print of the same size.</p>
|
2018-02-13T11:28:51.037 | |anet-a8| | <p>I'm trying to get a clean set of measurements of the Anet A8 mainboard and determine the exact positioning of the holes in both the board and frame.</p>
<p>The frame and the board are cut to accommodate an M3 bolt.</p>
<p>Here are the measurements I have currently:</p>
<p><strong>Mainboard</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Overall Width 100 mm</li>
<li>Overall Height 95 mm</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Frame (main board holes)</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Lateral (measured with calipers)
<ul>
<li>Hole (3.4 mm) Distance +</li>
<li>Inner edge hole to hole (83.07 mm)</li>
<li>= ~86.4 mm</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Vertical ~90 mm (not measured 100 % correctly)</li>
</ul>
<p>I was hoping to just find a PCB layout for this board with the measurements and offsets but have found nothing.</p>
<p>I am attempting to provide a mount adapter frame for a PSU with a 50 mm x 150 mm mounting footprint.</p>
| 5483 | Anet A8 mainboard dimensions and hole offsets | <p>Why don't you download one of the many casings that are found on Thingiverse that house the Anet electronics board and take measurements from those cases.</p>
<p>I measured it from my own casing I designed a while ago:
Hole distances are 86.3 mm and 91.3 mm (center to center)
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvxzu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gvxzu.png" alt="Anet Board Dimensions"></a></p>
|
2018-02-13T14:34:39.763 | |anet-a6|belt| | <p>I have printed off some upgrades for my Anet A6 for tensioning the belt on the Y and X axis. I was wondering how much deflection the belt should have. I would think being to tight will stress the machine. </p>
| 5487 | Belt Tensioning | <p>I wanted to know the proper deflection I should have on the belt. What I have read is for every inch of belt (25.4mm) it should deflect 1/64 of a inch (.4mm).</p>
<p>I found this information on this <a href="https://best3dprinter.stan-tech.com/3d-printer-belt-tension-is-it-important" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Website</a>. </p>
|
2018-02-13T23:09:20.920 | |hotend| | <p>I recently rebuilt my A8 printer to have a metal frame and replaced the board with a GT2560 reva+. I'm having problems with the temp readings from both my hotend and hotbed. Using marlin 1.1x and Its possible I have something configured incorrectly. I can get successful prints with good quality but sometimes I get thermal runaway during a print.</p>
<p>Both cold and at temp (200c) have fairly large temp spikes. I didn't have this problem with my old board. I had much smoother temp curves. I'm using the default PID values for Ultimaker Kp 22.2, Ki 1.08, Kd 144.</p>
<p>I have tried to use PID autotune but get drastically different values every time I run it and using the results gave worse results (sometimes giving a heating error during the autotune). I checked all the wiring and nothing looks frayed or damaged. </p>
<p>First pic is cold temps. Second is trying to do a PID tune. Third and fourth are during a print.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7H8KC.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7H8KC.png" alt="Temps cold"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpW8E.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/EpW8E.png" alt="PID tune"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9bU0.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9bU0.png" alt="During a print"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwyP4.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GwyP4.png" alt="During a print 2"></a></p>
| 5490 | Spiky hotend and bed temps | <p>This really looks like a bad connection, so try with your old board to see if the broken connection is on the board, or it's the temp sensor or the wires.</p>
<p>I had exactly this problem with a bad connection from the temp sensor.</p>
<p>If you didn't break anything, it's the board that's fried / badly connected.</p>
|
2018-02-14T18:34:08.173 | |marlin|extrusion|wanhao| | <p>Can anyone explain to me why I'm getting regular over-extrusion patterns on this extrusion calibration cube?</p>
<p>Just upgraded the extruder from stock to Flexion HT on my Balco Touch (Wanhao i3 plus) and now I'm getting a strange pattern on my prints.</p>
<p>The photos below show me trying to calibrate the extrusion multiplier after completing the extruder install. The first is with a factor of 1 and the second with an adjusted factor of 0.86 (which I suspect is the reason for the change in pattern?).</p>
<p>I guess this is some kind of mechanical issue causing the over-extrusion? Any ideas?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/DDgNO.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/DDgNO.jpg" alt="first attempt - extrusion multiplier - 1"></a></p>
<p>Note: during the second print (below) I was playing with the Flexion extruder's Cam set screw hence why it stopped extruding all together. I tried it set tight and loose and other than when really tight and stopping the extrusion there was no real difference in the pattern when extruding.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GVOYp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GVOYp.jpg" alt="second attempt - extrusion multiplier - 0.87"></a></p>
<p>Help..!</p>
| 5495 | Regular over-extrusion..? | <p>Mine is a shot in the dark, but <strong>the fact the overextrusion is so regular let me think it is due to something rotating going around in cycles</strong>.</p>
<p><strong>The fact that the pattern changes with the flow parameter make me think the culprit is the stepper motor pushing the filament</strong> (as different flow means different number of rotations for the same lenght of printed wall).</p>
<p><strong>A possibility could be an irregularity in the cobbed wheel</strong> biting it the filament: a longer tooth would push more filament into the hot end, for example.</p>
<p><strong>Another cause could be a problem in the actual stepper motor</strong>, in which a failure in the coils causes it to move to steps instead of one, at some point.</p>
<p>There are possibly other suspects in firmware settings and stepper dirivers, but that's not the area of 3D printing I am most expert in.</p>
<p><strong>Much more unlikely, it could be a defect in the filament</strong>, but that's easy to test: just swap it for another one!</p>
|
2018-02-18T19:08:54.457 | |prusa-i3|pla|extruder|calibration|hotend| | <p>I have a problem with my 3d printer. When I am printing, the printer seems to drip.
I am very confused because I never saw this before and I do not know what to do.</p>
<p>I attach a picture of it.</p>
<p>Why does this happen?</p>
<p>Thank you very much for yours ideas.</p>
<p>DATA: </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Printer: Anet A8</p></li>
<li><p>Material: PLA</p></li>
<li><p>Temperature: 200ºC</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I Have enable retraction and I tried to disable it without changes...</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWzzi.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sWzzi.jpg" alt="Image Drip"></a></p>
| 5511 | 3d printer drip problem | <p>I have two theories to offer.</p>
<p><strong>It is really dripping</strong>. If this is the case, the likely culprit is a loose part in the hot-end, namely the nozzle/heating block coupling, or the heating block/heat break one. If this is the case, you should be able to see it by visually inspecting the part. The solution in this case is to fully disassemble the parts, clean them thoroughly of any remaining plastic, and reassembling them <em>while hot</em>. This is essential, as parts that are assembled cold have the tendency to come loose when heated (due to thermal expansion).</p>
<p><strong>It is overextruding</strong>, and the nozzle collect and drag around the excessive plastic, until the blob is big enogh to detach and remain on the bed. If this is the case, then you should <a href="https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/how-to-calibrate-your-extruder" rel="nofollow noreferrer">calibrate your extruder</a>, and the <a href="https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=L6GJWHwrTmY" rel="nofollow noreferrer">nozzle height</a>.</p>
|
2018-02-21T12:15:51.290 | |filament|pla|nozzle| | <p>I am trying to use a 3D850 PLA filament which is supposed to work without any issues with any PLA printer. As a printer, I use Dagoma NEVA which is supposed to work with any PLA filament. I can print with the filament without any issue, but I encounter a problem when I need to swap the filament. Somehow 3D850 sticks within the nozzle and even when it's heated I have to push really hard with another filament to push the current filament out (usually when the nozzle is heated up I can just easily push a filament inside for it to come out of the nozzle).</p>
<p>Is there any special behavior of 3D850 that may cause it to stick inside of the nozzle?</p>
| 5524 | 3D850 stuck in the nozzle | <p>My guess is that particular brand of PLA is changing state inside the nozzle as it cools. Quoting from the manufacturer's page, </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Materio3D PLA uses the NatureWorks Ingeo 3D850 polymer, specially
engineered for 3D printing. It is tougher and stronger than standard
PLA and can be annealed for improved heat resistance and toughness! </p>
</blockquote>
<p>If the residual material in the nozzle cools slowly enough (at the end of a print) to anneal, then by design it won't re-melt at the same temperature as the raw filament material. I would recommend changing your gcode so that the extruder hotend is held at temperature after a print completes, and making sure to clear the nozzle with an alternate type of filament before allowing the nozzle to cool. </p>
<p>quoting from <a href="https://www.pushplastic.com/products/premium-pla" rel="nofollow noreferrer">another page</a>,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>To achieve a heat treat on a printed part, submerge in water (or bake
in oven) at 200F for up to 30 minutes.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>notice that's Fahrenheit, well below extruder temperatures. </p>
|
2018-02-21T23:02:18.833 | |g-code|z-axis| | <p>Is the firts time that I saw this movement after the printing has finishig and causes the nozzle crashes to the printed part and I noticed due the part is 14x8 and the nozzle is to near and below to the border of the shape. I supposed that some scripts has changed but, seems to be everything ok.</p>
<p>this is the end script:</p>
<pre><code>G92 E0
G1 E-1.5000 F1800
; layer end
M104 S0 ; turn off extruder
M140 S0 ; turn off bed
G28 X0 ; home X axis
M84 ; disable motors
; Build Summary
; Build time: 3 hours 9 minutes
; Filament length: 12689.1 mm (12.69 m)
; Plastic volume: 30520.78 mm^3 (30.52 cc)
; Plastic weight: 38.15 g (0.08 lb)
</code></pre>
<p>Z axis moves down 4mm after finishing going to X0, why? I don't want the nozzle crashes the part on going to zero.</p>
| 5527 | Any code to move up Z axis after finishing the printing? | <p>There is something fundamentally wrong with your z-motor drive if both screws are dropping the gantry at all.</p>
<p>Try a couple experiments.<br>
Write a quick script to move the head somewhere up high, then terminate without the X-homing command. See if the z-axis moves. Ditto for X-home but not motor disable. </p>
<p>Write any script, and while the gantry is up high, pull power and see what happens.</p>
<p>That will at least help narrow down the list of possible problems. In the meantime, please post your printer, the motors, and the driver board/firmware in use.</p>
|
2018-02-22T11:20:33.190 | |print-quality|support-structures| | <p>I've been asked to print a set of this:
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYHjL.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/VYHjL.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2200026" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2200026</a></p>
<p>I used Slicer with my default settings for my FLSun printer which includes support and 0.2mm layer height and that rail was printed as whole block with some excess which would allow me to remove the support, but that didn't work because the support simply melted with the top part of the rail. </p>
<p>Tried again with no support and the first layer of the top part of the rail simply felt because there was nothing there to support it.</p>
<p>Is there any configuration that would allow me to print this <s>bridge</s> overhang correctly? Maybe printing the rail diagonally?!</p>
<p>Any help will be appreciated.</p>
| 5529 | Is there any setting that could allow me to print this overhang without support? | <p>First of all a minor correction: the feature you are trying to print is not a <em>bridge</em> (which is an unsupported length of filament between two parts of the print) but rather a <em>overhang</em> (which is an unsupported length of filament supported only at one end).</p>
<p>The reason why your overhang is impossible to print without support is that slicers create a <em>shell</em> first or - in other words - trace the perimeter of the layer you are printing. This feature, combined with the fact that your overhang is perpendicular to the part it originates from, causes the printer to try to extrude into thin air the perimeter of your rail, like this (the yellow lines are the shell, the red ones the infill):</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmHKn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LmHKn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>In the image above, also the infill is extruded into thin air, but this is actually something that you can change in most slicers (look for "infill pattern orientation" or something similar).</p>
<p>One option you have is to tweak the support parameters to make it unobtrusive and easy to remove, like for example this:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePRB4.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ePRB4.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>(The above was done in Cura, with infill pattern "lines", spaced 5mm apart and no support interface or other additional structures).</p>
<p>Since your parts won't be subject to a great deal of mechanical stress another solution could be to change their printing orientation. In the following example, the <em>overhangs</em> do actually become <em>bridges</em> and as such should print without problems:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zLeek.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zLeek.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>Just consider it will take considerably longer to print.</p>
|
2018-02-23T04:57:20.143 | |cooling|heat-management| | <p>I just got my first 3D printer today, QIDI X-ONE[2], and so far so good with the setup and getting my 1<sup>st</sup> print. I wanted to power off the printer, but I don't see any instructions on how to properly power off the machine.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how long I should wait, or what the minimum temperature would be safe to power down the machine? </p>
| 5535 | Proper way to power down a FDM printer | <p>According to the <a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M109.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>M109</code> G-code the documentation</a>, the printer will wait to reach temperature given with <code>S</code> only when heating. With <code>R</code>, the printer will wait also when cooling down.</p>
<p>So if the <a href="/a/5536">answer of mac</a> fails to work, try:</p>
<pre><code>M109 R60 ; wait for nozzle temp to drop to 60 °C
</code></pre>
|
2018-02-23T11:09:20.070 | |heated-bed|hotend|switching-power-supply| | <p>What is the power consumption of your heatbed (size) and hotend (model)?</p>
<p>I want to verify that it is possible to use a battery to power them.</p>
| 5537 | What is the power consumption of the heatbed and hotend? | <p>To answer the underlying (X-Y) question, yes it is possible to power a small 3D printer from a battery pack. <a href="https://www.3ders.org/articles/20171005-naomi-sexycyborg-wu-3d-prints-on-the-go-with-awesome-wearable-3d-printer.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This Article</a> describes a printer built by Naomi Wu, mounted on a frame to carry around whilst printing, as a 'novel' style of sponsored video. The printer here is a BIQU Delta printer, and the power supply is 2x 3Ah batteries (guessing this is @12V, but it's not clear). Presumably there is no heated bed, but still the run-time will be quite limited.</p>
<p>The important part for working out battery life is the duty cycle of the hot-end, not the load required to get it up to temperature. This probably comes to something like 15-30 watts on average, provided you can live without a heated bed.</p>
<p>Of course, if you have 10-15v batteries, the printer will probably run off these directly, no need to waste energy converting up to 110/220V and back again.</p>
|
2018-02-25T03:00:46.800 | |infill| | <p>I don't know how to word this right now but I am going to try my best... moving on!</p>
<p>So I was playing with my slicing software (Craftware) and I was looking at two infill patterns, Square and Parallel. When looking at strength, print quality, and time does Square really benefit a whole lot over parallel? I ask because Parallel does not use near the filament and has less contact points on the model. I provided pictures of both to give a visual. Can I use parallel and still get super strong and good looking parts?</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3gZ0f.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3gZ0f.jpg" alt="Parallel"></a>
Parallel infill pattern</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/QJfUd.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/QJfUd.jpg" alt="Square"></a>
Square infill pattern</p>
<p>If I didn't include something or not making sense ask in the comments and I will answer/edit as needed. Thank you!</p>
| 5552 | Square and parallel infill patterns | <blockquote>
<p>... does Square really benefit a whole lot over parallel?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That would depend by the definition of "a whole lot", of course! :)</p>
<h1>Strength</h1>
<p>Generally speaking, <strong>the variable you want to operate to tweak the overall sturdiness of your part is not the <em>type</em> of infill, but rather its <em>density</em></strong>. According to the literature I have access to, sturdiness grow fast until about 60 % infill, then the gains become progressively more marginal.</p>
<p>Different <em>types</em> of infill modify the way the part reacts to stresses. The two you showcased, for example, are strongly <em>anisotropic</em>: a part with those infill will resist a lot more to stresses along the Z axis than along either the X or Y ones.</p>
<p>Also, relative to the <em>squared</em> infill pattern, my experience is that parts with a <em>parallel</em> infill pattern typically have a bit more give when squashed.</p>
<p>In case you wonder: <em>cubic</em>, <em>cubic subdivision</em> (and solid) infills are those regarded as offering the most equal resistance along all axis.</p>
<p>However, <strong>the way the infill will affect rigidity and sturdiness of a part is as much dependent from the <em>type of filament</em> and the <em>shape of the part</em> as much as from the infill settings</strong>, so - if you are after precise numbers - you should most definitely run some tests.</p>
<h1>Time</h1>
<p>That depends entirely from the part shape and size.</p>
<p>Typically, <strong>a printer will spend most of its time printing the shell</strong>. This is due both to the settings (you want to go slow on the shell to increase quality) and to physics, the shell typically requiring many more changes of direction (and thus accelerations and decelerations) than the infill.</p>
<p>So, even if the parallel infill requires about half the work of the squared one (50 % faster), in a small print with a sparse infill, the total time spent doing infill may be 10 %, thus the net gain would be only 5 % of the total printing time.</p>
<h1>Quality</h1>
<p><strong>This is very printer-dependent</strong>. For me, when printing with two shells, I can't tell the difference on any infill. For the top layer, the quality is affected more by infill density than type (with the filament sagging slightly between walls if the infill is very sparse).</p>
|
2018-02-25T08:58:58.680 | |electronics|switching-power-supply|safety| | <p>When going through printer reviews, I often see the presence of a MOSFET listed as an important safety feature.</p>
<p>I understand the MOSFET to be a transistor, but I haven't understood <strong>how it is used in the circuitry of a printer</strong>, and - above all - <strong>why it increases the overall operating safety of the printer</strong> (nor what the less safe option would be).</p>
| 5554 | MOSFET as a safety feature | <p>In the world of (cheap) printers, "MOSFET" has taken on a meaning of its own.</p>
<p>For a long time, 3D printers have had MOSFETs on board of their motherboards to switch the heated bed. In the past two years or so, we've seen a surge of (mainly) Chinese printers where the on-board MOSFETs (or, more often, the terminal blocks) weren't rated for the high current for the heated bed and would melt down or catch fire.</p>
<p>People then started recommending fixes to these issues, such as using a relay, soldering wires directly to the board (to bypass the terminal blocks) or using an external (better) MOSFET. Eventually, manufacturers caught on and started offering "MOSFET boards" which basically consist of a high-power MOSFET, high-current rated terminal blocks and (often) an optocoupler to isolate the drive signal from the bed power (but this doesn't really do anything; there's no need for this isolation). These boards are meant to be used to switch the high current to the bed directly, without it passing through the main board (and instead, the bed output of the main board is used as a control signal for the MOSFET board).</p>
<p>People often refer to these pre-made "MOSFET boards" simply as "MOSFETs" but there is more to them than just a single transistor.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>why it increases the overall operating safety of the printer</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Using an external MOSFET board <strong>does not increase the safety of the printer at all, unless the main board of the printer is badly designed</strong>. There's no reason the MOSFET needs to be external and can't be integrated on the main board. Essentially, any company that is offering a printer "with a MOSFET (board)" is saying that their main board is poorly designed and that they've included a band-aid fix. Or, perhaps, because installing an external MOSFET is such a common "mod" nowadays, they're advertising an external MOSFET because it is what people want to see (even if the main board might have a perfectly capable MOSFET already...).</p>
|
2018-02-26T10:12:59.667 | |heated-bed| | <p>I am having problems with my tevo tarantula large bed 12Volt power supply, I am getting the thermal protection message when heating my bed with target temperature set to 115 degrees.
The process slows down after reaching 90.
I changed merlin settings to trigger thermal shutdown after 5minutes/2degrees and added a cover to the printer, so getting now 103 degrees (usually shutdown was at 100/101).</p>
<p>link to a video showing panel: <a href="https://photos.app.goo.gl/jiW9NE7wEB4H0mOy1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://photos.app.goo.gl/jiW9NE7wEB4H0mOy1</a>
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3D0P.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/l3D0P.jpg" alt="printer under the polystyrene cover"></a></p>
| 5558 | How to increase bed temperature over 103 degrees | <p>Some simple steps that may help to reach higher temperature:</p>
<ol>
<li>Check if you can use heated bed insulation of any kind - the most common approach is to use cork sheet</li>
<li>Protect heated bed and printer from any possible air movements - arrange a set of walls around printer or just simply put it in the cardboard box large enough</li>
<li>Cover heated bed with cloth or cork sheet until it reaches desired temperature</li>
<li>Replace wires from heated bed to the power supply with thicker ones (2.mm<sup>2</sup> / AWG14 should be fine)</li>
</ol>
|
2018-02-27T18:25:22.440 | |3d-design|hardware|metal-parts| | <p>I'd like to secure bushings in 3D printed parts. They would be used for a drilling jig. I've seen heat-set inserts, but they've all had threaded interiors. The best idea I can come up with is printing the plastic hole several thousandths of an inch larger than the bushing and applying a lot of epoxy to the OD of the bearing and inserting it. Is there a better way?</p>
<p>As an aside, I had a hard time finding proper tags.</p>
| 5571 | What's a good way to secure bushings in a 3D printed part? | <p>If the outside of the bushing will bond well to the epoxy, your method is simple and likely to be effective.</p>
<p>You could use the same method used for threaded inserts by roughing the exterior of the bushing, heating it and forcing it into a correctly sized hole printed in the model.</p>
<p>The threaded inserts are knurled or otherwise textured to provide stronger bond with the melted plastic. Knurling your bushing is more complex than a good epoxy bond.</p>
<p>I've discovered a product called "<a href="https://www.carrlane.com/en-us/product/drill-jig-bushings/castable-bushings" rel="noreferrer">castable bushings</a>" which would appear to meet the above requirements for heated inserts:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uZ7VQ.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uZ7VQ.jpg" alt="knurled bushing"></a></p>
<p>The product listing indicates that these are used for drilling jigs.</p>
<p>It might be less messy but more expensive to purchase and use these as opposed to epoxy and a bit of sanding.</p>
|
2018-03-03T12:16:30.540 | |print-quality|extruder| | <p>This print failed a couple of hours in. I was wondering if the nature of the print surface, with lots of retracts (similarly the previous print which was OK) might have contributed to the clog, or if it's just bad luck? To be clear, the surface has lots of short dead-end, not just a wiggly perimeter.
<a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iymMN.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iymMN.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a>
The filament seemed to have stopped moving, and was cut through by the drive gear.</p>
<p>This was a genuine Titan Aero extruder, 0.4mm nozzle, 215C (on an Anet a8 printer)</p>
| 5582 | Do more retracts lead to extruder jams | <p>In addition to the retraction distance, in the case of this model, I was seeing some places where there were a lot of very close retractions. I think these were increasing the risk of damaged filament, so I reduced the 'maximum retraction count' which at 50 over a 5mm length seemed fairly high.</p>
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2018-03-04T19:36:09.447 | |prusa-i3|pla|nozzle| | <p>This is an issue that's started happening recently. This is a Prusa I3 using a <code>1.75mm</code> pla filament</p>
<p>The settings for this print are as follows</p>
<pre><code>Layer height: 0.2mm
Line width: 0.4
Infill: 60%
Infill pattern: Triangles
Nozzle temp: 190C
Plate temp: 60C
Retraction distance: 8.5mm
Retraction speed: 60mm/s
Print speed: 50mm/s
Cooling fan speed: 20%
</code></pre>
<p>This happened on a previous print, but not as much. The only difference is the other print was printed 10mm/s faster. I'm thinking it has to do with too much time in a certain area since it seems to happen in pretty small areas that don't required infill and print as two walls back to back </p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gr4lG.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gr4lG.jpg" alt="Sample"></a></p>
| 5588 | Prusa I3 - Burn marks on print | <p>I have seen this after I reassemble the extruder heat block and then leave it too loose during the print.</p>
<p>Is your extruder above the nozzle coated in a brown or black film?</p>
<p>What happens is the liquid plastic oozes through the loose connection, travels around the outside of the block, where it is heated longer and hotter than normal turning it black/brown. Then it drips, or flakes, into the print where it is spread around giving it a diffused look that you see.</p>
<p>The fix is to tighten the heating block. Do this while it is at operating temperature (be careful!) because it fits differently when cold.</p>
<p>Another cause: I made a tiny sharpie mark on my filament. I did not realize how concentrated it would come out in the print. Perhaps you have ink or adhesive or something on your filament that you can't see that turns brown when heated. </p>
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2018-03-05T12:49:58.393 | |prusa-i3|diy-3d-printer|z-axis|printer-building|lead-screw| | <p>I am building a Prusa i3 MK2S (<a href="https://toms3d.org/2017/02/23/building-cheapest-possible-prusa-i3-mk2/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dolly</a>). I find it very difficult to find M5 rods for the Z axis, I have an M8 lead screw with 8 mm lead, So I thought since M8 is widely available online I could just use them instead of M5. What do you think about it? What should I keep in mind?</p>
| 5589 | Lead screws - M8 instead of M5? | <p>You can use the screws and rods you can find easily, of course some dimensions will change and is needed to adjust parameters. </p>
<p>I used in my first 3D printer and standard screw of 9.5mm (3/8) the main problem was the coupling available in Mexico that werer none on that time.</p>
<p>You can buy the bearings on Ali Express, they can send from there to Mexico, I guess they can deliver on your country. </p>
<p><strong>The bearings has these sizes:</strong><br>
where is Number ID, inner diameter, outter diameter, width.</p>
<pre><code>608ZZ 8x22x7
607ZZ 7x19x6
6000 10x26x8
</code></pre>
<p>Don't try to use 6000 :D is a little complicated to reduce the size for a proper coupling if you don't have a lathe. My 3rd Printer will use this kind of thread because is easily to find with no warpage and now I will use a lathe to reduce the coupling area to 8mm or 5mm since I have on hand the couplers.</p>
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2018-03-06T20:12:39.740 | |ultimaker-cura| | <p>I'm getting seemingly random lines scattered across the top surface of my prints:</p>
<p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UdXPx.jpg" alt="lines1">
<img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gf0OH.jpg" alt="lines2"></p>
<p>Printer: Anycubic i3 mega<br>
Slicer: Cura 3.2.1<br>
Printer chosen in Cura: Prusa i3, <em>Gcode flavor</em> changed to <em>RepRap</em><br>
Cura Profile: <em>Fine</em>, "Outer before inner walls" enabled</p>
<p>What might be the reason?</p>
| 5596 | Seemingly random lines on the surface | <p>It seems like the issue may only be that your nozzle has developed a bit of oozing. The g code likes to repeat the same patterns for at least a few layers every time it changes patterns and if it does the same pattern on the top 3-4 layers than by the time it reaches the last layer on the top that pattern will actually be the slightest bit raised above the rest of the layers because of the ooze building up along the same pattern for how many ever layers it followed the same pattern. Your nozzle is than rubbing on that raised pattern when it completes the last layer. This explains the randomness like OP said because the g code may not repeat the same pattern for 3 or more layers at the surface but without reading the gcode it would seemingly be random when and where they occurred. And truthfully if its a small oozing you could reprint this and it could be gone if you changed almost any setting in cura because the g code would be recalculated differently and new patterns would be chosen but so long as the new gcode did not have the same pattern repeat itself on the top 3 or so layers you would not have these raised patterns for the nozzle to rub on when finishing the top last layer. </p>
|
2018-03-07T19:55:51.927 | |anet-a6| | <p>I have the Anet A6 and I was wondering if it is possible to add a filament run-out sensor. I would feel better having something to stop the filament before it runs through and I have to take apart the extruder. </p>
| 5602 | Adding a filament sensor | <p>With marlin firmware:</p>
<p>source here: <a href="http://marlinfw.org/docs/configuration/configuration.html#filament-runout-sensor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">filiament sensor config</a></p>
<pre><code>//#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR
#if ENABLED(FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR)
#define FIL_RUNOUT_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the sensor.
#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_FIL_RUNOUT // Uncomment to use internal pullup for filament runout pins if the sensor is defined.
#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SCRIPT "M600"
#endif
</code></pre>
<blockquote>
<p>With this feature, a mechanical or opto endstop switch is used to
check for the presence of filament in the feeder (usually the switch
is closed when filament is present). If the filament runs out, Marlin
will run the specified GCode script (by default “M600”). RAMPS-based
boards use SERVO3_PIN. For other boards you may need to define
FIL_RUNOUT_PIN.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and this is a nice piece of hardware: <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2147179" rel="nofollow noreferrer">run out sensor</a></p>
|
2018-03-08T02:16:02.417 | |cad|stl|obj| | <p>One of the CAD programs I use is called <a href="http://www.tinkercad.com" rel="noreferrer">TinkerCAD</a>, which lets you export your design in either STL or OBJ form. What is the difference between these two file types? And which one is better to use?</p>
| 5603 | What is the difference between STL and OBJ files and which one should I use? | <p>While the STL-format can only describe your object aproximatively by those well known triangles, OBJ-files can describe parts of your object parametrically by curves. This can lead to a higher precision and be a huge advance with regard to scalability.
Which data format to choose depends, as always, on the application and the processes it contains. E.g. if you want to print large objects, you might consider the OBJ-format if your slicer can translate it to usable g-code.</p>
<p>You might want to read this <a href="https://all3dp.com/3d-file-format-3d-files-3d-printer-3d-cad-vrml-stl-obj/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">article on All3DP</a> to get a brief overview.</p>
|
2018-03-08T04:29:31.003 | |calibration|firmware|axis| | <p>Machine specs: Prusa MK3, firmware version 3.1.2.</p>
<p>Facts: I have designed a new Z-axis frame for my printer, so I can print models up to 360mm high in stead of the standard 210mm. The plan has worked and the printer is functioning normally with a new, taller z frame. </p>
<p>However... To calibrate, the Z lead screws carry the X carriage all the way up and bump it against the top frame mounts, to make sure the X carriage is level. On the taller frame, the X carriage stops its ascent at 220mm and descends back toward the bed. Because the X carriage goes up farther than it was 'supposed to' and didn't bump into anything, the calibration fails. When the X carriage bumps into something at 210mm (like my fingers) and descends from the 'normal' frame height, the printer calibrates the bed levelling normally. </p>
<p>The Prusa MK3 is so 'smart', it still thinks the frame will only ever be 210mm high. How do I tell it that when calibrating, the X axis must rise to 360mm instead of 210mm? The calibration is an integral part of the firmware... is there any way I can edit it?<br>
I've looked at the .hex firmware file, this is the first line of a huge text file -> :100000000C947D320C94AE320C94AE320C94AE3221 It means nothing to me, but I'm guessing there's a way. After all, a cap height of 210mm had to be written in there somewhere to begin with... </p>
<p>Any suggestions would be appreciated,
fairfarren.</p>
| 5604 | How to re-program Prusa firmware to accept a taller Z axis? | <p>A .hex file is of no use to you, because it consists of <em>compiled</em> firmware which is very difficult to edit. You need to go to <a href="https://github.com/prusa3d/Prusa-Firmware" rel="noreferrer">Prusa's GitHub</a> and download the <em>source code</em>. Then, find the header file for your model of printer, and change <code>Z_max_pos</code> to the correct value. Finally, you need to compile and upload the firmware to your printer following the build instructions (see README.md). You will need to have the <a href="https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software" rel="noreferrer">Arduino IDE</a> installed to do this.</p>
|
2018-03-08T14:13:23.063 | |extruder|g-code| | <p>When printing from Cura on my laptop via USB, my extruder motor does not turn to extrude filament. However, when I use the "move axis" command in the firmware (on the little screen on the printer), it seems to work fine, extruding plastic smoothly. The nozzle temperature is where it should be (230 degrees or so for ABS) while printing and I get no error messages in Cura.</p>
<p>What would cause the extruder to not function when printing even though it seems to be fine electrically, mechanically, and in firmware? Is there g-code from Cura that could be incorrect?</p>
<p>I'm not sure where to look for problems.</p>
<p>This is my first 3D printer. It is a Alunar M508 (a Prusa clone) that I got for free in a partially disassembled state. The firmware seemed to be screwed up when I first started using it. The firmware that came on the SD card with the printer would not compile in my Arduino software, so I used a Marlin firmware from here:
<a href="https://github.com/camalot/alunar-prusa-i3-marlin-i3-firmware" rel="noreferrer">https://github.com/camalot/alunar-prusa-i3-marlin-i3-firmware</a></p>
<p>I had to make one change to the configuration file to reverse the X home direction, but otherwise I have not changed the firmware settings or anything. The new firmware does not recognize the SD card slot at all, but that's a different story.</p>
<p>I'm using Cura to print via USB. The printer is set up as a Prusa I3, using the "Marlin" GCode flavor. Nozzle size: .4mm, Compatible Material diameter: 1.75mm.</p>
<p>Start Gcode:</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 F9000 ;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 F9000
;Put printing message on LCD screen
M117 Printing...
</code></pre>
<p>End Gcode:</p>
<pre><code>M104 S0 ;extruder heater off
M140 S0 ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
G91 ;relative positioning
G1 E-1 F300 ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F9000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way
M84 ;steppers off
G90 ;absolute positioning
</code></pre>
<p>Edit to Add some Gcode from the beginning of the test print:</p>
<pre><code>;LAYER_COUNT:127
;LAYER:0
M107
G0 F3600 X86.923 Y86.649 Z0.3
;TYPE:SKIRT
G1 F1800 X87.522 Y86.134 E0.03941
G1 X88.17 Y85.683 E0.0788
G1 X88.861 Y85.299 E0.11824
G1 X89.586 Y84.987 E0.15762
G1 X90.339 Y84.75 E0.197
G1 X91.113 Y84.591 E0.23642
G1 X91.898 Y84.51 E0.27579
G1 X92.3 Y84.5 E0.29586
G1 X117.7 Y84.5 E1.56307
G1 X118.489 Y84.54 E1.60248
G1 X119.269 Y84.659 E1.64185
G1 X120.034 Y84.857 E1.68127
G1 X120.774 Y85.131 E1.72064
G1 X121.483 Y85.479 E1.76004
G1 X122.154 Y85.897 E1.79948
G1 X122.778 Y86.38 E1.83885
</code></pre>
| 5609 | Extruder motor does not turn | <p>It turns out the problem was a firmware issue. Using the gcode below (from David Lotts in the comments), I was able to determine that the extruder was running backwards. A flag in the firmware reversed it, solving the problem.</p>
<pre><code>M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode
G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length
G1 F200 E20 ;extrude 20mm of feed stock
</code></pre>
|
2018-03-08T14:56:52.343 | |marlin|firmware| | <p>I am experiencing communication drops when printing from mp raspberryPI (using octoprint, repetitier server). Moreover when printing from Cura (on Windows), the programs freeze (have to kill the window) and sometimes stops the print job.
I was changing the serial0 speed in Marlin from 225k to 9600 and still no luck.
Mainboard MKS 1.4 all in one.</p>
<p>please let me know if you need any more details</p>
| 5610 | Communication is dropping when printing on my Tevo Tarantula | <p>As per long article <a href="https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/382" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Marlin firmware </a> it looks like my system is a victim of closed ground loop via USB connection. It is now clear to me that printing from laptop (connected to different socket) was a ground loop separated case and therefore the connection was stable. Connecting my raspberryPi from same socket using long unshielded cable is the main reason of connection drops. </p>
<p>Will try to run raspberryPi with short shielded cable and also will test raspberryPi powered from power bank. </p>
|
2018-03-10T19:05:08.900 | |cooling|print-fan|fans| | <p>I am designing a fan mount for the CR-10S printer to hold the E3D All-metal v6 HotEnd and BLTouch sensor. </p>
<p>The CR-10S printer has two fans. </p>
<p>One on the front:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/R05Dp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/R05Dp.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>and another one on the right:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXbHI.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iXbHI.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>I need to know what the two fans are actually cooling in order to make a perfect mount. </p>
<p>When powered on, the front fan seems to be on 100 percent of the time. The right fan can only be on via <em>gcode</em> when printing. </p>
<p>I removed the fan mount to study it and it looks like the front fan is cooling the <em>hotend heat sink</em>. </p>
<p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/AuguZ.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/AuguZ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
<p>The right fan is attached to the mount and there no hole there to let the air from the fan go through. It seems to be cooling the metal it is bolted to and that doesn't make sense.</p>
<p>Am I correct about the front fan? What's the right fan cooling? </p>
| 5614 | Understand what CR-10S fans are cooling | <p><strong>The function of the front fan is keeping the cold end well... cold</strong>. :) It should be spinning as long as the printer is turned on.</p>
<p><strong>The right fan is known as "part fan" and its function is to cool down the plastic that has been just extruded</strong>, the idea being to solidify it as soon as possible. As you noticed it is controlled by the gcode and it can be turned on, off and even made spin at any speed in-between still and full throttle. It normally stops spinning at the end of the print (with some plastic like ABS it may be set not to spin at all even during the print).</p>
<p>If you take a closer look at your CR-10, you will see that the receptacle the air is blown into by the part fan has no bottom: that slit is where the air passes through, before being deflected 90° towards the nozzle.</p>
<p>On the CR-10 the standard deflector for the part fan does not do a good job (the air is not blown where it should) and replacing it with a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2221647" rel="noreferrer">custom part</a> is one of the most common upgrades performed on the printer.</p>
<p>Personally on my CR-10 I used a <a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2544186" rel="noreferrer">custom mount</a> with an integrated "fang" that blew the air from both sides and worked really well. It also had the advantage of reusing the hardware from the original assembly (= you don't need to buy anything, just print the part).</p>
|