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How to improve very poor quality prints on my Ender 3 I get very poor quality prints from my Ender 3: The prints are weak, brittle , stringy and contain gaps.
Please help me sort this as I'm new to 3D printing and have no idea what the problem might be!
The prints look like this: | i would suggest to start with something simpler
there are many test objects to print and see the results
please take a look here
the idea is to recognise issues (one by one or at least the most basic) and point them and eliminate them directly
looking at your printout i could of course suggest many things
but it would be better to make this process more clear... for you
so you could manage it on your own
to be somehow constructive
i would say there are 3 main issues on the picture you've presented
HE temperature
printing speed
not-so-stiff printer construction (or belt tension)
print test cube and show your results so we can go further |
Is there a technique for turning an image into a 2d model? The overall goal is to create a print of the liberty bell. No clapper is needed. The support beam is not needed. I am just looking to mimic the outside shape of the bell. After an application of Google-fu I found this image. It has been cleaned up and cropped a bit.
In OpenScad the surface function was applied to the png to generate a height model. I subtracted out a few cubes, and eventually got it down to a layer of about .1 height.
My Evil (pun intended) plan is to get it down to a 2d model. Then by shifting a copy of model from itself, and subtracting the two. That should leave just the curve. Then rotate_extrude the curve to generate the actual bell at the desired thickness.
I see the problem coming. If the model is layered down to zero height it will vanish. Leaving me nothing to rotate.
So on to the question.
Is there any tool or technique to turn the image into a 2d openscad object or failing that is there another way to approach the problem?
The direction that fred pointed me at is viable. I didn't use the actual image shown here, but a manually generated one from OpenScad. As a proof of concept the technique works well. | As you are already familiar with OpenSCAD, consider to use the projection() function to accomplish your goal.
If you allow for an interpretation that one can cast a shadow of the part on a surface below, it becomes a 2D representation of the part. This is effectively how projection works in OpenSCAD.
Note that the part image below is centered in x, y, z and the cut/projection action takes place at the z = 0 plane:
When the function is applied to this model, the result is a non-contiguous 2d image:
When the cut parameter is ignored or set to false, the image which results is effectively an orthogonal shadow of the entire object, rather than a selected slice:
It gets better, of course. In OpenSCAD, the translate, rotate and scale functions apply. One can tip a model over, resize it, spin it around, combine with the cut parameter and get any combination of 2d image from the original model:
It's important to note that OpenSCAD does provide non-zero thickness to these projections when rendered, or maybe when previewed. I always get those two swapped around. As your objective is a 2D result, you may be able to select from PNG (save as image) or Export as DXF or SVG.
Re-reading your post, I also missed part of a more useful answer. Once you have the profile you desire, you can use the rotate_extrude function on the profile you generate. Despite the non-zero thickness, it uses the zero-thickness aspect to create the model from that function.
That aspect of the answer is left as an exercise for the reader, as the options are many and results can be complex. |
Can't level CR10 as nozzle is touching the glass I have a brand new Creality CR-10 S5. I'm new to printing.
I'm trying to level the print bed, but after using the Auto-Home function the nozzle is left touching the glass. I understand that to do the leveling, I must move the head manually to the four positions for adjusting. But I really don't want to do that because I don't want to damage the glass, nozzle, or both. From the explanations of leveling I've found, I think I should expect the nozzle to be too high if anything.
Am I conceptually wrong, or have I made some rookie mistake? | If the nozzle is touching the bed, you need to further screw down the bed. If the springs under the screws are already fully compressed, you cannot lower the bed further and you will need to move the Z-endstop up. Note that there are handy fine tuning aids you can print to help you with this, see e.g. this fine tune part for your printer. Note that this issue is not uncommon, I've read that more people encountered this. |
Different infill in the same part I´ve have read an article to change different pattern depending on amount of layers, but my question is if is possible to have different infill in the same part? For example:
Base: has the infill of 25 % but the same base has some tabs for screws and mount the part for this area the infill need to be 40 % or greater.
The walls and forms: this has the same of the whole part and can be filled at 25 % but some areas need to be filled at 15 % or less.
Probably someone has seen or reviewed another software to achieve this, or I'm fooling myself. | This answer explains that you can have different infill within the same part. Firstly the implementation in Ultimaker Cura is described, secondly how you can do this in Slic3r.
Ultimaker Cura
I've used a feature in Ultimaker Cura that can be used to alter the infill density locally. What you need to do is load your model into Cura, then load other objects (models) at the size of the area/volume you want your infill differently and position those at the position you want a different infill. So basically, you use other models to intersect with your primary model to create intersections that can take a different infill percentage. This is extremely useful for lugs and brackets where you need some extra infill (e.g. extra stiffness for compression stresses) at the fastener holes. Note that this is an advanced feature which is not easy to use, but quite handy if you master it.
I could not find the video (on second thoughts, I think it was animated GIF) posted by Team Ultimaker, so I quote a section of one of their forum topics.
A short how-to: (italic font is not in the reference, but added to reflect recent version of Cura)
Unselect "keep models apart" (now called: "Ensure models are kept apart") and "drop models to build plate" (now called: "Automatically drop models to the build plate") in Cura preferences
Import a second object (for example a simple cube)
Put Cura in "custom mode"
Select the cube, and use the button "per object settings" on the left side
Select "Infill Mesh" (now called: "Modify settings for infill of other models") and enable that setting
The cube now turns transparent gray.
Position the cube to overlap part of your model. It should overlap with the section that you want to change the infill for.
Also with "per object settings" (now called: "Per model settings") select the option "infill density"
Set it to the desired value. All is more or less illustrated in the screenshot below
The picture shows a cube on the buildplate with infill 20 %. Locally, with a rotated 2nd cube, the infill % is raised to 100 %.
What happens is that the volume where the cube intersects with your object is locally sliced with different infill.
Please find below another example of a simple bracket that has extra cylindrical objects loaded to create the intersections with the bracket at the fastener holes. In the example, the infill at the fastener holes is set to 99 %.
After slicing, you will see that the infill at the intersections is adjusted accordingly.
Note: I've tested this in Ultimaker Cura 3.4.1, and confirm it works. I sliced a part with the inserts for fasteners and it actually is not very difficult, it just requires a little more work. You will have to make some STL's of cylinders and position them correctly. If you make your own 3D models it will be a very easy task to add extra components while you design, positioning will be a lot more easy then (as they align with your model). An example is the following linear Z rod bracket of a Hypercube Evolution CoreXY printer, this bracket requires local enforcements for the bolts clamping the bracket onto the aluminum extrusion profile:
Inserts are modeled together with the development of the bracket:
When combined, it looks like this:
Now the infill can be modified locally to 100 % to increase compression strength.
Note that this will also work if you want a different infill percentage at the first X layers, just use a large cube (larger than the model) and position it correctly. Note that Cura already has an option called "Gradual Infill Steps" to adjust the density at the top layers.
Slic3r
This reference describes how to do this for Slic3r in detail.
The blog describes the use of a simple volume (the green volume loaded from an STL file). After loading:
Right-clicking on the main part brought up the object settings menu.
From there, clicking "Load Modifier" and selecting the previously
saved model adds it to the part as a modifier.
The green "+" was selected and "Fill Density" was added to modifier
list and set to 100 %.
This shows that the functionality in Slic3r is very similar to the functionality in Ultimaker Cura. |
M3D filament not extruding well (anymore) I use OctoPrint on an Ubuntu system with a M3D printer.
Midway through a recent print, the filament just stopped extruding although the motor-functions of the printer were proceeding fine. Since then, every print I attempt has trouble extruding proper amounts of filament. It's always not enough. The output is stringy and not cohesive.
I'm thinking there may simply be a clog in the extruder and wondering the safest way to remove it.
The weird thing, though, is that when I use manual control and extrude at, say, 220C, the filament comes out fine.
You can see the raft definitely isn't printing right. Way too little output: | Suggested remedies for 3-D printers which are not extruding required amount of filament:
First, check the temperature of the extruder. Try 220-225C to see if that improves the problem.
The second step is to increase the flow of the filament (increase mm/sec) for extruder speed.
A final step is to increase distance between extruder and base-plate. If the extruder is too close to the baseplate, there may not be enough space for the filament to begin the printing process.
Another possible source of lack of material extrusion is a clogged extruder. To solve this problem:
Retract filament using jog control in software
Heat extruder 20-30 degrees Celsius above normal extrusion temperature
Disassemble Extruder, use small thin wire to remove blockage (guitar wire as suggested below) |
Odd dotting when printing a line I tried printing a "improved" calibration cube and noticed that the printer was laying down dots instead of a solid line. This was right after switching out my extruder motor and tweaking retraction settings. I believe my first setting was 0.3 mm, then I tried 0.1 mm. I didn't get a picture of the first setting, but shown below is when retraction was set to 0.1 mm. I think the print was at layer 3 roughly. The difference is 0.1 mm had a higher frequency of dotting, ie more dots that were closer together.
This was only present in the first couple of layers. The dots weren't occurring in the same spot so the picture shows dots overlapping each other making a sort of "twisted" or braided look. This also happened on both the x-axis movements and the right side of the y-axis movements. The rest of the cube came out relatively well.
Settings
Printer: Creality CR-10S
Temp: 205 °C at nozzle; 60 °C on bed
Retraction: 0.3 mm initially, 0.1 mm (pictured)
Bed Distance: ~0.1 mm
Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm
Layer Height: 0.2 mm. I usually do 0.4, but I was lazy with slicer presets (AstroPrint)
Hotend: e3D Hemera direct, e3D v6 heater and nozzle
Filament: Hatchbox PLA white
I never saw this issue before on my printer nor have I seen it mentioned in various articles/videos online. | I have seen this a lot of times on my tronXY-X1 with an e3d-v6 via Bowden tube. It is not related to retraction but a different settin: Your first layer is set too thin or not leveled to the right height.
Having the first layer too thin, means that with a tiny error, the calculated correct extrusion becomes either a massive overextrusion or a barely sticking underextrusion. For example, the repeatability of the probing is the biggest error source. A well calibrated probing might varry about 0.05 mm between extremes, so would be written as (layer thickness)+-0.025 mm. On a 0.1 mm layer, that is a 25 % over- or underextrusion; overextrusion of that degree is well known to create such ripples.
Setting it to 0.2 mm for the first layer in Cura, Slic3r and PrusaSlic3r (look in your advanced settings!) did eliminate such rippling for me. My understanding is, that the extra distance gives the filament better ability to flow and stick on this first layer. Also, remember to set your line width to ca. 10 % wider than the nozzle - 0.45 mm is my typical setting. |
SLA printers: safety with resin contaminated disposals I've purchased an Elegoo Mars Pro recently, and I've been watching hundreds of video of all kind of processes, and everyone tells the same: resin is toxic, so you should cure it before throwing it to the trash, otherwise it must be treated as toxic waste.
But I've not been able to find anything with "things that are contaminated with it". For example, if I touch with some paper the resin, I guess that I should let it cure in the sun (like putting it in a plastic box and let it cure, maybe?).
But how about the IPA? How do I treat the rests of IPA contaminated with uncured resin? I don't think leaving something flammable into the sunlight during some hours is the best I can do (maybe I'm wrong and it's totally safe?).
Also, are resins water-washable (like this one from Elegoo) as toxic as the rest? Can I wash them in the faucet, or should I use a plastic recipient with just water and wash them there? What do I do with it once I finish? May I throw it into the bath, or let it cure into the sunlight, or...?
Hope this helps me and some others to treat resin disposals as they should be! Thank you! | The IPA with the resin in it is a chemical waste and toxic to nature. As such, it needs to be given to a chemical waste handler. But those handlers do charge by volume, so you need to find a way to handle volumes reasonably. On the one hand, this means to not use huge volumes for washing the prints but reasonably small batches, and on the other hand to try to saturate them as much as possible before giving them to disposal.
It is not safe to leave the IPA in the sun or close to a source of flame, and it would certainly be not a good idea to try to torch the IPA to try to reduce the volume, but you might manage to try to concentrate the toxic waste if you might have access to a vacuum distillation apparatus - the IPA would be able to be distilled over to be reused while the original material would end concentrated.
At the moment I am waiting for an MSDS of eSun's Water-Washable resin, but the Eleegoo one is available, and it reads that it is classed as "Aquatic Chronic Class 2" - that's better than the Class 4 which IPA-washing resins have, but it is still not Sewer-safe: Do not allow product to reach sewage system or any water source. However, water is much less of a dangerous base for the waste than IPA, making it easier to handle. This mixture too needs to go to a chemical waste handler or be made inert but the waste also can be concentrated with less danger than IPA using a similar apparatus (cold distilling out water) or even a dedicated waste cookpot/evaporation vat that is exposed to heat - though you clearly should do this in a chemical-grade air filtration unit to mitigate the chance of resin fumes escaping into the atmosphere or your work environment if you heat it more than some. The dissolved resin might not be able to cure anymore as the photoinitiator might be used up during it evaporating. |
How to transport a 3D printer? Dismount needed? I need to transport my FDM 3D Printer because I am moving.
What are the precautions that one should take? Should I dismount the motors and axes? I would definitively unplug the electronics as far as reasonable and fix the motors to the frame so they don't slide during transport. Should I have a housing to avoid dust and other mechanical issues? | Yes, fix the motors and any other loose/movable parts. Remove the bowden tube if it's there, and any other parts that are sticking out. Put the whole thing in a a bag to protect from dust, and put the bag in a box to protect it from getting beat up. Remember to calibrate it when you're ready to set it up again. |
How may I identify the firmware in use on my 3D printer? I have a generic printer with no support documentation.
How do I determine what firmware is in use so that I can research how to make the print run? | Send M115 to the printer. This command is
Request the Firmware Version and Capabilities of the current microcontroller.
Response example:
ok PROTOCOL_VERSION:0.1 FIRMWARE_NAME:FiveD FIRMWARE_URL:http%3A//reprap.org MACHINE_TYPE:Mendel EXTRUDER_COUNT:1
For more info see here, RepRapWiki- G-code - M115: Get Firmware Version and Capabilities.
Of course, this isn't guaranteed to tell the truth, just whatever your generic clone firmware had in its source code. |
Removed Nozzle, Plastic Still Backed Up after Cold Pull on Ender 3 I am still very much a novice and learning so here is the situation:
Filament was not extruding from nozzle. Checked the filament feeder (worked fine, filament was being squeezed through) and tried to push filament through hot nozzle to see if anything came out. Nothing did.
Did a cold pull, got a little bit of gunk out. Second cold pull didn't work out like the first one, and the glob of PLA that I fed into the nozzle remained stuck there.
I heated and removed the nozzle properly. I am going to soak it in acetone to get rid of the gunk inside. However, when I tried to install my other nozzle, it would take in the threads, and I see now that a little bit of the plastic from the last cold pull melted and trickled down.
What can I do to clean this out and install the nozzle? It is on an Ender 3 Pro. | I have encountered this many times. This is how I solved it:
Sadly you have to disassemble the entire hotend. Remove the nozzle, remove the heatbreak and heatsink leaving the heater block in place, it does not need to be cleaned (unless I am mistaken). If there are any plastic pieces in those parts, remove them as well.
Now for the cleaning. Use hot air gun to heat the nozzle/heatbreak/heatsink hot enough so the filament starts to melt. Then you can use a thin screwdriver (or metal wire) to push the stuck filament out.
Alternatively, you can use blow torch (or gas soldering iron with the soldering tip removed) to melt and burn away the stuck plastic. However, when the plastic burns it transforms into a solid dirt which you have to manually remove. But it does not stick as well as the original filament.
I advise against using q-tips because they are made out of plastic which can stick to the surface as well. Instead, use a piece of old cotton cloth (old sock or t-shirt will do) to wipe the surface or threads after heating the part.
When doing so, use needle nose pliers to hold the part in one hand, with the other hand use hot air gun or blow torch to head it up. Then remove the source of heat and with the same hand use screw driver or piece of cloth to clean the part to your liking.
It is ugly and messy and you will most likely burn yourself several times. But it solves the problem quite reliably, unlike cold-pulls and other methods (at least in my experience).
Bathing the parts in acetone will most likely do nothing (unless the stuck filament is ABS) because most filaments in use are resistant against dissolving in acetone. If you need to remove filament from anywhere, use heat not chemicals. It is easier and works almost 100% time.
Good luck.
Note: The solution above for heatbreaks and heatsinks concerns only full metal hotends. Hotends with PTFE lining (such as on Ender 3 Pro - I do not own one, cannot confirm) need to wory about filament being stuck in the nozzle and/or in the PTFE tube, not in the heatbreak and/or heatsink. |
Nozzle rubs on previous layers I'm having a frustrating problem with my recent built custom 3D printer
so every single print I made, from the third layer, the nozzle is "rubbing" on the already placed filament. This results in a complete mess, melting the previous layers with the nozzle / new extrusions coming, getting malformed and out of precision forms, if I leave this happening, my Y-axis motor (bed) start to jump steps (by the force of nozzle friction to cold material). To stop that symptom, at the beginning of this, I have to raise the Z-axis by hand turning about 1/8 rotation of T8 fuse. By doing this, every rest of my printing runs peaceful, nicely, and beautiful.
I'm using Marlin firmware, the most recent version, and Ultimaker Cura. My nozzle size is 0.5 and I'm using Ultimaker Cura's Fine Preset (0.1 mm height)
My stepper motors axis are very well calibrated (X, Y, Z and Extruder). I tried:
lowering and raising the print bed to get spaced or shrunken first layers to see if something helps,
tried to change Z home offset on display,
tried the M206 command to change the print zone of the Z-axis,
tried to change the first layer height on Ultimaker Cura,
but nothing seems to solve my problems.
Due to my lack of experience, I don't know what I could try to solve this frustrating issue. I already check and rechecked my mechanical structure and everything was fine solid and very well balanced and square.
From comment:
Printing speed are 40 mm/s,
Temps:
Hotend: 220 °C;
Hot Bed: 120 °C;
I have also tried 110 °C,
My Z-axis uses 800 steps per mm (1/32 micro stepping on DRV8825 at RAMPS).
I'm thinking about over extrusion but I have fine tuned my stepper, checked and rechecked for it and seems normal | I have made some learning on mechanical setup and discovered some issues on my printer, there are few:
Bed warped, even with glass (thin thickness), making BAL confused with Z-movement over the bed.
Overextrusion making layer oversized in terms of thickness.
Some of missing mechanical fine adjustments.
The main reason for this symptom was the overextrusion (that made my X and Y axis jump some steps when hotend collapses in the already-printed materials on their movements).
I hope this helps some of those who have this similar problem! |
Is it possible in any 3D printing software to create a coiled tube? I've gone on quite a few sites (thingiverse, grabcad, etc) in search for a coiled tube, but I have yet to find anything suitable. There are a few coils ("springs") but no coiled tubes (i.e. the springs are hollow). Maybe my searching hasn't been good enough! But I was wondering if this is a limitation to 3D printing models? | I managed to do it in the end using AutoDesk 123D.
Did it by making two coils of differing radius, then subtracting the smaller from the larger. I made each coil using the instructions found here:
So there we go...
Printed it out just now without supports - in the orientation shown - and it came out fine. Used a brim, though (don't want it rolling away!) |
File size limit in 3D printing software Odd question for everyone, hope it has a distinct answer. I'm often printing bone models derived from CT scans (I work in a hospital) and they often have something on the order of 5 million faces +/-. Now, I know from experience that I can decimate them down to 10-20 % of the original faces and they still pretty much look the same, so I often do that to help my computer run faster. I also know that "GrabCad" (the software for my j750) can handle these face counts and the limiting factor is more so the actual physical print resolution. But it got me curious:
Lets say I was using other software. Lets say more universally available software such as PrusaSlicer or Cura. Now obviously if I'm printing on a Prusa I probably don't need to worry about capturing all the detail from 5 million faces because I doubt I can print that intricately, but lets take the actual printing out of it (and I guess even before it gets to the G-code stage).
Can Cura/PrusaSlicer handle that many faces? Is there a limit? Do files get "dumbed down" at all when they come in? What I'm trying to ask exactly is outside of the G-code and actual printing step, can the software side of things handle something with 10 million faces? 20 million? Is there a limit? | As a software developer and 3D printing enthousiast I can tell you that indeed, like Trish said, the limit is your memory (RAM) and loading/slicing time depends on the cpu power.
RAM: keep an eye on the memory usage in the task manager/performance/memory tab. When it reaches the top of the graph, the application will suddenly crash and disappear.
CPU: The application (cura/slicer/prusaslicer) can become "not responsive". This does not always mean that the process hangs. It just means that the cpu is very busy and the program is not reporting the progress to windows. Most probably the application will recover from this if you just choose to wait.
Files do not get dumbed down when imported afaik in cura. They are shown exactly like in the STL. Don't know about other software though, but I doubt this happens.
Like you noted, this has nothing to do with Gcode, which is loaded serially. |
How to use E1 as E0? Like many people, I have burnt the pins in the micro-controller connected to the E0 motor - the E0 motor is not working anymore and I need to print tomorrow! I need to control the extruder motor with the working E1 pins. How do I change this in firmware?
I tried to change to the pins in `pins_RAMPS.h" but it was a complete fail, the motors that i tried to change didn't move.
I have a Arduino Mega + Ramps 1.3 in "Extruder Fan Bed" configuration, I use Repetier-Host as host and Marlin as firmware. | I would change the pin assignments by swapping E0 and E1 in pins_RAMPS.h. |
Can I replace a damaged firmware of a 3D printer based on Arduino Mega? I have acquired a second hand 3D printer, the GEEETECH I3 Pro B. The previous owner tried to change the firmware but he made a mistake and he bricked the board.
I want to substitute the firmware of the board (which is an Arduino Mega 2560 based board). Do you think is possible if the board doesn't respond to the controls?
I have inquired and found an open source software called Marlin I want to use to restore the printer.
If you have an advice or you think that I can do it in any ways tell me. | It is hard to diagnose the board without hands on experience. It is even more difficult if you get a board that has been "updated/upgraded" by a previous owner leaving it not in working condition.
But, there are at least 2 solutions.
You could buy a new printer controller board, upload new firmware and connect all connectors.
You could try to burn a new bootloader onto your current board and upload a new version of the firmware. |
My 3D printing part starts to bending after about 1 cm height and blue tape separates from bed I use a Prusa i3, and this is ABS printed part with 225/90°C. Why did this happen?
I tried to print this part again with new settings on Slic3r (I used Cura for previous print), but I got the same result. I found that the problem is because the model starts to bend after about 1 cm height. Also the blue tape starts to separate from the bed.
I don't use the fan for printing part (although the MK8 extruder's fan works all the time), and the temperature for the new part was (225/85°C first layer and 220/80°C for other layers). Also I must say that the adhesion of the model sticks to the bed is very good and strong, but it is bent! | Multiple problems here. Let's try to isolate them.
Blue tape. Good for PLA, not suitable for ABS. ABS works fine with kapton tape, glue stick, hair spray, ABS juice over glass, aluminum or PCB epoxy composite board.
Always use at least brim feature to ensure good adhesion along the edges (your last photos have none). For parts with small hotbed contact area use raft.
Hotbed temperature should be 100°C+, because at 80°C adhesion is weaker. If you can't raise hotbed temperature to 100°C, think about thermal insulation.
Layers of plastic don't stick to each other. Either plastic comes from extruder being already cold (check that there are no draughts of cold air nearby), or you're printing too fast (50 mm/s should generally work, if not try 30 mm/s).
No infill between walls. Either it is set to 0 or optimized out by some option.
Round walls aren't round. Either printing speed problem, or your belts are loose.
Underextrusion. Bottom of your first print looks like mesh rather than solid surface. Check that plastic flow is around 100%.
Also check that your thermoresistor measures the actual temperature of the extruder (i.e. is in direct contact with it). Otherwise you will get overheated plastic extrusion, which looks like your first photos.
Also, print a 1 cm cube first. Don't do anything complex, just cube. |
Should I vary the first layer height Up till now, I've tended to scale my first layer according to the print quality, so a 0.12 mm first layer for a 0.08 mm print, and 0.28 mm for a 0.2 mm print.
After changing to a PLA which isn't sticking well, I'm wondering if the first layer is best determined by the printer/tolerance/material, rather than the overall print quality settings. Am I going to get more predictable results if I stick to a 0.12 mm first layer regardless? This is with a 0.4 mm nozzle on an Anet-A8. | Default settings for first layer height in Slic3r Prusa Edition print profiles regardless layer height is 0.2 mm.
If you need to improve bed adhesion then try tips from this video 3D Prints not sticking anymore? Watch this! 3DP101 by Maker's Muse. It's about using glue stick and spreading it using paper towel and isopropyl alcohol.
There are other possibilities how to improve bed adhesion, e.g. Ultem sheet or other printing surface like BuildTak. |
Tuning line width and flow compensation in Cura I'm currently in the process of fine-tuning my cheap CTC i3 clone. I'm using Cura 3.1 for slicing.
After calibrating the extruder steps, I wanted to optimize the line width and flow compensation parameters. I am using a 0.4 mm nozzle and therefore set the line width parameter to 0.4 mm in Cura. I then printed a cube with 0% infill, 1 wall line and no top layers (basically an open cube with 4 bottom layers). The wall width I measured on the printed result is 0.52 mm. To correct for the difference I set the flow compensation to 80% and repeated the print. The wall width I got from this was 0.45 mm, which is much better than before. There is only one problem: the parallel lines in the four bottom layers do not touch, so the print is not watertight. Up to now I assumed that Cura would calculate the distance between the lines from the line width setting. So with 0.45 mm lines and line width set to 0.4 mm there should even be some overlap.
Why am I seeing this effect? Am I getting something fundamentally wrong here? | That is very bizarre. Since GCODE describe each movement of the printing head (so, the printer does not get to decide anything in terms of printing strategy, it just executes), I can only see three possibilities that would explain what's going on.
The print is being scaled up at printer level. This could for example be due to your firmware having your steppers improperly calibrated and moving them too much for a given unit of measure (say you say 1mm, they move 1.5mm instead). This is easy to check: if this is the case, your cube will be scaled up (so - using the example above - if your cube is 10x10x10 it will come out 15x15x15).
You are printing with a raft. Then there is no problem with your set-up, the first layer(s) of a raft are not solid, but intentionally "grated". Check your settings to verify.
Cura is producing the "wrong" gcode. This could be really wrong (as in "you found a bug", in which case you should report it on their github), or just look wrong (as in "you found a weird combination of setting producing that gcode", in which case you should reset the settings to their default and see the problem disappear). Either way, if the gcode is "wrong", you should notice the gaps in the gcode preview mode in Cura. |
Why do I have to lower my Z axis steps per mm? First, X and Y axis works perfectly, I measured well. I have plugged all jumpers, and use a very standard ramps 1.4 setup with standard Nema 17 200rev 1.8 motors and A4988 drivers.
For Z axis, I have leadscrew with 8mm diameter and 2mm pitch.
I calculated it should be 1600 steps per mm.
Problem is when I call G1 Z5 it goes to 2 cm. So I lowered my setting to 400 steps per mm and problem solved.
I don't understand what I'm missing here. I have used this calculator to find 1600.
Where I'm wrong on the math then? | Your leadscrew probably is a 2 mm pitch, 4-start leadscrew. This means that there are actually 4 separate grooves on the leadscrew, each with a pitch of 8 mm. Confusingly, this makes the total pitch 2 mm, since the distance from one groove to the next is 8mm divided by 4 grooves. However, one revolution of the leadscrew will still move the nut by 8 mm. Thus, in the Prusa calculator, you should enter a pitch of 8 mm/revolution. Since you entered a pitch of 2 mm, you ended up with a figure that is 4 times too large.
The reason leadscrews are made like this is that if you just had a single groove with an 8 mm pitch, the nut would need to be made very long to enable it to make contact with a sufficiently long portion of thread. By increasing the number of grooves, you can get away with a shorter nut. With lower pitch (lead-)screws you don't need multiple starts, since the lower pitch means the same length of nut is in contact with more thread.
For the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various leads (8/4/2 mm), as opposed to pitches, see also Would using a leadscrew with 1 or 2 mm lead, en lieu of 8 mm, result in a better printer? |
Can I mix TMC drivers with A4988 on the same RAMPS board? The closest thing I can find is this wiki page that state DRV8825 and A4988 can be mixed. However, the TMCs seem different, requiring more connections and offer more features, so I wonder if they can be used on the same RAMPS board with A4988, particularly for X and Y axis. | Yes you can mix different drivers, including the TMC drivers (e.g. using for X and Y only).
How you do that is described in this instructable.
Please do note that, from observations, the 8-bit based Arduino boards and shields such as the RAMPS are becoming more or less obsolete; the 32-bit based controller boards are becoming mainstream. Such boards have a lot more potential in execution speed, memory and more available options for peripherals. |
What causes "ghosting"? 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.
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. | Ghosting is an artefact in the print due to the vibrations in the printer that are induced by rapid changes of direction. It is important not to confuse them with inherent vibrations in the printer due for example to the belts being loose or the bearings not being in perfect order.
The good news is that it is relatively easy to tell them apart: ghosting (also known as "ringing" or "ripples" or "waves" or a number of other names...) is always downstream of a change of direction, and fades rapidly.
Inherent vibrations - on the other hand - tend to be consistently present when printing along a given direction, and do not fade.
Mechanically, ghosting works like this:
The moving part is travelling along - for example - the x-axis, when suddenly the direction of movement becomes the y-axis.
At that moment, the stepper motor of the x-axis stop rotating, but the momentum of the moving part stretches the belt even so slightly past the intended stop point.
At this moment the belt becomes like a rubber bend / spring, absorbs the kinetic energy of the moving mass and releases it by "throwing" it past the intended stop point in the other direction.
This keeps on repeating a number of times, but at each pass, some of the energy is dissipated, and the moving mass moves less end less away from the ideal stopping point.
While all of the above is happening, the object has also begun to move along the y-axis, so the extruded plastic looks "weavey" along the y-axis.
Understanding how this process works, makes it possible to understan why the three main factors affecting ghosting are:
The amount of mass being moved
The speed, acceleration and jerk settings
The elasticity of the mechanical components
Namely, mass and speed are important because their product is the momentum. That in turn means that diminishing either one of the two will reduce the amount of "overshooting" past the stopping point.
Elasticity of the mechanical components is important as the more flex/stretch the part can take for a given amount of force, the more overshooting a given momentum will result in.
Finally, acceleration and jerk are important because - simplifying things a bit - the faster the change of direction happens, the less time the system has to adjust without vibrating.
So, concretely... what can you do to fix/reduce ghosting? Three things, of course! :)
Reduce the mass being moved. Depending on the geometry of your printer, the mass being moved could be the bed+print, the printing head, or an entire gantry. These are normally considerations done when designing the printer itself, and engineers normally mitigate problems by using lighter materials (plastic over metal, aluminium or carbon fiber over steel, etc...), or adopting different designs (like using a Bowden extruder instead of a direct one, to save the weight of the stepper motor).
Reduce speed, acceleration and/or jerk. Speed is normally the safest bet, as - besides your prints taking longer - there is really no penalty for it. Acceleration and jerk - on the other hand - can cause overestrusion at sharp corners.
Reduce the elasticity of the system. This is commonly achieved by tightening the belts and eventually switching to more rigid rods / tracks / rails.
A couple of resources that may come in handy for you to understand and solve the problem better:
A really nice article with illustrations (two of which I "stole" for this post)
A test model specifically designed to highlight any possible ringing problem with the printer.
A video showing lots of different test prints done with various settings (very useful to understand how changing the above parameters affects the print). |
3D print a paint roller I was thinking about this question and thought of maybe printing a pattern-drawing roller painter.
The question is: is it possible to print with an ink absorbing material that could make a paint roller possible?
P.S: I don't own a 3D printer, nor have I any deep knowledge in this matter. I simply want to know if this is feasible, so I can start looking for someone to 3D print this for me. If it's not, knowing beforehand could spare me a lot of time. | While printing a roller stamp or rubber-roll from a flexible material such as [hard]TPU, [softer] TPE, or even a [super soft] foaming flexible filament is certainly possible. In any case, this would create soft, somewhat squishy prints. These prints will work quite easily as a stamp or woodblock printing stock, transferring ink from a pad to paper. The print pattern will depend a lot on how soft the stamp is: the harder, the sharper it will print. A massive roll of this material can behave akin to a rubber roll as one uses it in linoleum printing.
A foaming filament might be able to take a little paint in its airgaps, but it will never be as soft and contain as much paint as a foam lacquer roll - making it at best an improvised tool, or one that is chosen for a specific artistic purpose. It behaves more akin to closed-cell foam, while foam brushes and rolls from artist supply are typically open-cell ones. So if you go for a roller-stamp, you'll need to have an ink reservoir in the shape of a soaky-roller that isn't printed.
To top it off, it is nearly impossible to print a hairy wall painting roller: the hairs used in them can't be achieved with common print materials and slicers at the time. Even if stringing creates hair of similar dimensions, they are not affixed well enough to not get lost in the paint and can't be reliably created on demand.
Notes on pricing: One of the few options for foaming print materials is colorFabb, who was the first to offer such. Most of their foaming filaments cost around 50 €/kg, their flexible NinjaFlex costs about 80 €/kg. |
How do I know when filament is getting old, and what things can I do to correct for it? I've heard I should store filament in sealed container, preferably with a desiccant.
But let's say I let a spool get a little old on the printer, or I purchased a filament spool that was old or improperly packaged. How would I know? How would this impact prints (what kind of symptoms would I see)? What things could I do (perhaps in the slicer) to correct for this and prolong the life of marginal filament?
And the corollary... in a typical environment, how long can filament be left out without suffering from the exposure?
I'm thinking mainly about PLA, but responses for ABS and other materials are useful, too. | The primary issue with long-term exposure of filament to the environment is that it will absorb water moisture from the air. When a filament that has absorbed water is passing though the hot end of a printer, the water will turn to steam and cause problems with extrusion:
Small bubbles of steam can form, causing extrusion to sputter - you might hear a sizzling noise and have poor consistency.
Large steam bubbles can cause significant oozing followed by no extrusion.
Extreme cases can cause mysterious jams that seem to clear themselves (the extruder cannot overcome the steam pressure).
In short, this will cause terrible print quality and failed prints. As the effects are not consistent, there is nothing that can be done by slicer settings to "recalibrate" for filament that has absorbed water.
This can be avoided by storing filament in an air-tight container with desiccant to ensure low humidity. Some people use "dry boxes" that allow the spool to be mounted inside while filament can be passed to the printer, so there is minimal exposure even while the spool is in use.
If you do suspect that your filament has absorbed moisture, you can dry it out, by placing the spool in a warm oven or in a food dehydrator for a few hours. If you weight it before and after, you should find that it weighs several grams less afterwards. WARNING: It is important that the temperature does not soften the plastic at all, or it can become distorted or bind on the spool. Most ovens will peak well above the set temperature as the thermostat cycles. Of course, fully melting a roll of filament could destroy your oven or cause a fire.
It's hard to say how much environmental exposure is too much, as every filament and environment is different. When I started out, I had several spools of PLA that I stored in the open for months. I didn't think I was having any problems, but I was also learning much and improving my printer settings at the same time. After getting PETG, it became unusable with oozing and jams after about two weeks but a few hours in my oven was a miracle cure! I then dried some PLA as well, and I found that print quality did improve, but not amazingly so. I have not used ABS, but in theory it is less hygroscopic than PLA, so it is probably not very sensitive to exposure.
I set up a dry storage box, and I am careful to always store PETG or my "good" PLA when I'm not actively using it. I have a couple rolls of PLA that I don't like as much anyway and generally just use for draft prints, and I don't really worry about it that much.
Note: An object that has been printed will also absorb moisture, but in general this isn't a problem. |
Accidentally printed a chocolate mold instead of the object itself This is my first time printing 3D of any kind.
I'm not 100% sure what happened. The quality of some of these first printouts has ranged between 'not great' and 'unrecognizabe glop'.
I'm testing with a Wiiboox Sweetin.
So far the quality of the printed items, using the demo designs and the company-included sample dark an white chocolate is a little underwhelming: The details are crude (rough edges / lack of detail) and the speed is slow (about 20 minutes to print something the size of your thumb).
Also tried to print a word created Blender (MacOS), exported to STL, imported to Ultimaker Cura where it was sized and positioned, sliced and exported to a .gcode file. That printout seemed to be a mold of the object as opposed to the object itself.
Attached are two images, the 1st shows what was intended to print. The 2nd shows what actually printed.
If you can see past the globs and blobs, and look closely, you might be able to make out why it looks to me like a mold instead of the intended item.
Side note I noticed that when the printer stopped printing (to move w/o printing), the extruder screw pulled back 10 - 20 mm, which seems excessive.
So some first timer questions:
What 3D printing controls might affect rough edges?
What 3D printing controls would have an impact on a speed of completion. I know there's arm speed, but perhaps detail, maybe something else?
Is there some control -- something along the lines of 'invert' -- that would explain why I seemed to have gotten a cast instead of the printed object?
Is there a setting that controls how far back the extruder arm retracts when it moves?
Is it necessary to install a printer to compatible with Wiibox Sweetin in Cura? Wiiboox isn't an option, but perhaps there's something compatible. The printer comes with a CuraWindows.exe app (I'm on MacOS using Ultimaker Cura v4.8.0); there are two .ini files that come with that: 60ml0.6.ini & 60ml0.84.ini.
Thanks for any and all advice. | Cura contains a few different so-called "special modes" which changes what the software does with your STL. One such special mode is Mold mode which, instead of recreating the object, creates a mold for the STL. It appears you may have that setting turned on, so disabling it will cause Cura to work as intended.
To answer your other questions:
Most settings affect "rough shape", properly slicing your STLs to fit your printer and printing material is an essential skill to master in 3D printing. So there is no magic setting to get it all working, you need to tune all your settings according to what you want to print.
Your speed sounds fine, I can't speak for this printer in particular but print jobs taking hours or even days is not out of the ordinary. 3D prints in general take quite some time to complete.
Yes, usually it's called Retraction Length.
Yes it is definitely necessary to set up Cura to your printer settings because Cura needs to know the build volume of your printer and what flavor of firmware is installed on it. |
Marlin bed autoleveling confusion I've just added a Z-Probe sensor to my custom printer (Arduino - RAMPS 1.4 - Marlin 2 default disabled EEPROM) but now I'm confused. Printer seems to work but I cannot configure the right nozzle height.
I use Pronterface and before start printing I send G29 code. Printer succesfully ends bed calibration. At this point I start printing but the printer seems to ignore the calibration (no bed compensation).
Do I need to run other commands to tell printer to use the previous calibration? | When the printer ignores the scanned topology (grid) of the bed this means that the levelling is not active. G29 activates the M420 to enable the grid. A G28 after scanning the bed will reset this.
You need to make sure that the start G-code (this is an optional script that is pasted before the sliced object) contains both the G28 and the G29, where the G28 is placed above the G29 on separate lines.
For each slicer this is defined in different places, bit if you use Pronterface for slicing, a good chance is that it uses the Slic3r engine. If I open an STL for slicing in Pronterface, it starts loading Slic3r.exe; this brings up the GUI for Slic3r which has options to define/modify the start G-code. |
What do I need to do to recalibrate my printer after updating the firmware? I just updated my Maker Select Plus from the stock (I believe RepRap-based) firmware to Advi3pp, which is Marlin based. The printer starts up and everything seems okay, but I haven't actually tried a print yet and there was a message during the upgrade about deleting incompatible settings.
What do I need to do to recalibrate the printer following the firmware upgrade? | If it is Marlin based or RepRap based, many parameters are stored in EEPROM memory. A G-code command M502: Read parameters from "configuration.h" would reset all parameters that can be changed to their default value as defined in your configuration file. Don't forget to follow the M502 command with a M500 command to store the loaded parameters to EEPROM. This would overwrite all previous settings.
From the linked source, M502:
This command resets all tunable parameters to their default values, as set in the firmware. This doesn't reset any parameters stored in the EEPROM, so it must be followed with M500 if you want to do that.
You can send these commands over a terminal interface to the printer using applications such as Pronterface, OctoPrint, Repetier-Host, and probably many more, or store the commands in a G-code file (e.g. a text file with a .g extension) and print the file using an SD card. |
tips for pinching down onto an object I was wondering if anyone could give me tips for designing a 3d printable structure that can "pinch" down onto a hockey puck shaped piece and hold it tightly.
I'd like for the structure to normally want to "pinch" two edges together, but I can pry/force them open when I shove the hockey puck into it. Once I let go, the two ends are now holding the puck fairly tightly.
My first thought was something like a potato chip bag clip, but that would require a couple pieces and a spring.
Is there a way to do something like this with one solid piece? | Here are first 3 the most simplified and generalized options you have:
All you need now is to give use more details about your needs. If you reveal more details we could help you to apply (and modify) one of these options.
Each of above has its own pros and cons of course. You said you don't want to have spring... so maybe a rubber ;)
But in fact whole-red is one-piece-clip in which the force comes from material elesticity or stiffness.
Please tell me what is the application of such clip. |
Resin burns to transparent sheet I recently bought a Kelant s400 LCD DLP 3D printer. I am using Wanhao resin (green) to print, using the recommended settings from Wanhao. I was printing a hollowed out cube as a test and it printed fairly ok, except one corner didn't print. Please see the attached photo. Turns out the corner stuck to the transparent sheet and not the rest of the print (base layers printed fine). Why would this happen and what can I do to prevent it?
Thanks | The first thing to check is the transparent sheet itself - are there any defects (rough patches, creases, grazes) in the area in which the print was stuck to the "transparent sheet"[1]. This will cause the newly cured layers to cling better to that sheet than they should in that area, and likely caused the failure. If the sheet is marked in any way in that area, you likely need to replace it.
This kind of failure happens when the forces holding the newly cured layer to the transparent sheet are weaker than the forces holding the part together/to the build platform. These issues are usually to do with exposure settings - underexposed layers are less likely to bind together well and more likely to fail.
Since the majority of your part printed correctly, it looks as though your exposure settings are probably about right. If there are no defects in your transparent film though, there may be unevenness to the spread of light across your LCD that means some areas on the build area cure less well than others. You don't mention what slicing software you are using, but many slicers allow for a 'greyscale mask' that can compensate for this by making the image displayed on the LCD screen less transparent in the areas that the UV output is stronger so that the weaker areas can catch up. Note that after applying such a mask, you may need to alter your layer cure times to compensate.
[1] This transparent sheet is likely FEP film - essentially transparent flexible teflon, though I can't actually find that specified in the product details for this model of printer |
Has anyone applied four 200 x 200 mm PEI sheets to a 400 x 400 mm bed? Of course I'm referring to side by side and not stacking or overlapping. 200 x 200 mm PEI and Kapton sheets are more readily available than 400 x 400 sheets. I'm wondering if anyone has tried this and if the edges of the sheets cause a problem. | I haven't tried such a thing, but a speculative answer covering the constraints and expected failure modes may suffice here.
Unless the sheets have squared (rather than rounded) corners, the corners will almost certainly be a problem. In particular you'd end up with a hole right at the middle of the bed.
If the sides aren't entirely square (perpendicular) with each other then you'll have large gaps at one end or another.
As Trish noted in a comment, it's also possible that you may hit problems due to mismatch in thickness between the different sheets, although I'd expect these are fairly well-controlled in the manufacturing process; otherwise I'd expect bed leveling issues even with just a single sheet. If you do hit this kind of issue, it may be possible to avoid it with shimming of some sort.
Assuming you can avoid all of the above potential problems, I would expect what you've proposed to work reasonably well, especially if you're ok with very minor surface defects at the seams. |
How to test Arduino Mega, RAMPS 1.4 and Full Graphic Smart Controller LCD? Unfortunately, my extruder 8825 driver ended up fried. I guess this might have damaged the Arduino Mega and RAMPS Board.
I tested the Arduino Mega and I'm pretty sure that it is fried too, so I bought a new one. I thought the MOSFETs on the RAMPS are damaged, so I removed them and tested them. One of them was not working, so I bought a new RAMPS Board too
Now I have a new 8825 driver, a new Arduino Mega and a new RAMPS 1.4 but the LCD still doesn't show anything and it just lights up on power up. | So basically you just replaced everything except for the LCD (the LCD testing is described a little further). If the LCD is not working then, this could imply that either your LCD is broken, or one of the new parts is not functioning as expected, or you have not connected things correctly.
Are you sure the firmware flash went okay? You could test the Arduino Mega 2560 by connecting it over USB to e.g. Pronterface, you do not need the LCD for testing the Arduino Mega and the RAMPS.
The LCD could be tested separately by creating a sketch in Arduino IDE and connect the correct pins of the LCD cable to some pins of an Arduino device, e.g. load the the U8Glib example sketch "GraphicsTest" and add the following constructor:
U8GLIB_ST7920_128X64_1X u8g(6, 5, 4); // SPI Com: SCK = en = 6, MOSI = rw = 5, CS = di = 4
This implies that you need to attach the correct pins on the Arduino (in my case to digital pins 6, 5 and 4 for respectively SCK, MOSI and CS to the respective EXP1 pins 5, 3 and 4):
Note that you see 5 pins attached, as the LCD needs to be powered (pin 10 on the EXP1 header) and grounded (pin 9 on the EXP1 header).
I wired this on an Arduino Uno clone and confirmed that 2 of the spare RepRapDiscount Full Graphic Smart Controller clones showed the test program.
PS, this is a simple wiring of the LCD, it displays the test in fade blue-ish, so not the bright colored white pixels, but that is normal! |
What are the pros and cons of collecting parts yourself, versus getting a DIY kit and then modifying it? I'm thinking about buliding my own 3D printer from scratch.
Is it better to buy a starter DIY kit and try to build your printer around it, or to order separate parts for printer, and then to combine a printer? | From a general point of view, there are a few things to consider.
If you buy a kit:
Pros:
You get some insurance that you have all the parts that you need to get a functional printer - all the electronics, structure, bolts, nuts, screws, washers, wires and so on.
Most likely, all the parts you get are made to fit together.
You will (usually) get a manual, often a community that can help you out, and sometimes even technical support.
Sometimes, it can be cheaper than buying each part separately (but it can also be more expensive)
Cons:
You have limited/no options to customize your printer to your own preferences without purchasing additional parts.
Some kits can be difficult to upgrade later or may be locked to some configuration or software.
My opinion:
The way I look at it, the better option for you depends on how you want to spend your time. That is:
If you get a kit, you can spend more time building.
If you collect all the parts yourself, you will have to spend time planning, ordering parts (possibly multiple times) in addition to actually building the printer. A possible lack of manuals could also increase the building difficulty.
If you don't already own a 3D printer, I would recommend getting a kit, simply because struggling with trivial things like parts not fitting together can take away the fun for many people. |
Why are skirts designed the way they are? I understand the purpose of printing with a skirt (or at least, I think I do): it gets the filament warmed up and flowing properly, in order to avoid extrusion problems while starting to print the first layer. (Perhaps it has other benefits as well? If so, I'd be interested to know what they are.)
However, what's not clear to me is why skirts are set up in exactly the way they are. In particular:
Why is the skirt drawn around the whole of the outside of the print, at a roughly constant distance from it, instead of (for example) just going round in a small circle in one corner of the print bed?
Why does a print with a larger first layer need a skirt that uses more material?
I ask partly out of curiosity, but also partly because I'm printing several small but awkwardly shaped parts, and using a skirt reduces the usable area of the build plate. If the skirt could just be put in one corner instead of going all the way around the edge I would be able to fit more parts on the build plate. This leads me to my final question:
In Cura, can I change the layout of the skirt, so that it gets drawn in a convenient part of the build platform, instead of going all the way around the edge of the print? | Skirt and Brim are not only nozzle prime operations. While Brim is intended to help in adhesion by increasing the area, Skirt is a method to test some things about the bed and positioning:
If the bed is unlevel, you can see this in the skirt before the print starts. This demands to go around all of the print.
If the bed is greasy, you'll see also before the actual print starts, as the extrusion does not stick well.
It provides a visual check if the slicing is positioned well on the printer. If you for example run printers of different dimensions, the skirt shows instantly, if you loaded G-code that is too large for the bed.
The effect to reduce airdraft to the first layer is sometimes brought up, but I don't think it is relevant. However, if one would pause between skirt and print, one could use the outline to put down glue or ABS-slurry for materials that need extra adhesion.
The use of the material in a skirt is directly proportial to the width (1 or 2 lines) and the area included (as circumference is proportional to area).
In Cura, can I change the layout of the skirt, so that it gets drawn in a convenient part of the build platform, instead of going all the way around the edge of the print?
No. Skirt is, by definition always around the whole set of parts. Just turn off Skirt and use an alternate priming, if you don't think you'll need it or find it cumbersome. Instructions for example priming operations can be found in Writing G-code : swiping at start of print |
Marlin Minimum X/Y Feedrate I'm in a situation where I'd like to move the XY axes on my printer extremely slowly (down to 0.05 mm/s = 3 mm/min). [I'm okay with 'smooth' motion not being possible].
First off, here's the (somewhat Frankensteined) setup I'm using:
I'm basically using the LulzBot TAZ 6 for motion control (XYZ, bed temp) with a custom extruder mounted in the place of the printhead. I've got a computer running a Perl script on Debian which sends synchronized commands to my extruder hardware and the board on the TAZ 6. So far I've only slightly modified the Marlin firmware to match the baud rate on my computer and shrink the motion command buffer.
Motion control for the TAZ 6 is accomplished by directly sending G-code line by line either from a terminal or from that Perl script.
What I've found is that while I can set arbitrarily slow speeds for the Z axis (lead screw), the X and Y (belts) won't go slower than about 15 mm/min. The printer will accept the e.g., G1 F0.1 X1 input, but will just move at the 15 mm/min.
Unfortunately, the experiment I'm trying is giving me good results at ~5 mm/min (on a commercial linear stage), so I'd like to resolve this.
I've tried setting the jerk to 0/low values via M205 S0 T0 X0 Y0, and the maximum acceleration lower as well (M203? I recall), but without resolution.
Is movement limited just by the type of actuator? It seems to work for the Z-axis but not the X/Y-axes, I think it might be some firmware setting.
Edit: I've attached an image of the default settings from an M503 call (acceleration, jerk, steps/unit, etc). | What I could suggest here is:
set the acceleration to 1 instead 0 so we have M201 X1 Y1
use G1 Xdest Ydest F3 - feed rate is given as an integer |
What's the difference between "Initial Layer Width" and "Initial Layer Flow" in Cura? I'm trying to increase adhesion of the first layer (as well as to fill gaps for a more even surface) by squeezing more material against the bed. The obvious way of doing that in Cura is by increasing the "Initial Layer Flow", i.e. to make the printer push out slightly more material than it normally would.
But then there is also a setting called "Initial Layer Width" and according to the the Cura Settings Guide (see image below), increasing line width will make the nozzle
extrude more material and that material has to flow wider outward. This causes the nozzle to press the material harder on the build plate (...) Not only will the lines be wider ... but they will also be farther apart ... by the same factor, so it would not produce overextrusion
This seems to imply that increasing the initial layer width will automatically also increase initial layer flow. If this is so, the question is: which setting is applied first?
In any case, it seems that the two settings should not be applied together, if they manipulate the same variable (but I have not seen this recommendation anywhere). Which leads me to my may question: what is the difference between the two settings? More specifically (based on my above reasoning): what else does "Initial Layer Width" manipulate, apart from the flow rate in the first layer? Just the distance between the lines so that increasing the setting will lead to fewer lines? | Cura option Initial Layer Width will cause lines to be further apart or closer together, based on the value you set with respect to the default. The required filament flow to produce these lines is calculated based on the width of the line and the overlap between lines (and layer height).
The Cura option Initial Layer Flow adjusts flow for the current line width with a multiplier, this means that the distance between lines stays the same. I.e. with this parameter you can overextrude to push more material to the build plate. Note that for a well calibrated machine this is not necessary. My printers use the paper method to determine the initial Z=0 for levelling and never use a wider initial line width or overextrusion of the first layer to get perfect filled mirror finish first layers on glass. However, if (paper) tape is used, the bed may be less flat and overextrusion might be beneficial for better adhesion.
The options can be used together, the multiplier will act upon the calculated flow. |
What type is that glass? I own a Magic Build 3D Printer. I found out, that the glass is scratched like in the picture.
So, I'm looking for a replacement glass plane to put in front of the projector. Is this a special glass? What are the properties? Where can I find it? | This is a sheet of glass you'd most likely need to acquire as a replacement part for your printer's manufacturer:
The dimensions of the glass, especially with the rounded corners, are usually very odd and make buying a spare from a glassmaker really expensive.
Some printers like the Elegoo Mars have an LCD mounted as part of this sheet.
Printers also might have this plate coated for different properties, for example, to reduce reflectivity and refraction inside the printer.
In this case, we have a DLP setup that uses a projector. You best inquire at the manufacturer itself using their website, E-Mail or facebook about a few spare pieces - that will get you the same quality as the bed you already had (save for the scratches) and they usually have such items in stock. |
Z-Axis does not appear to be working on Ender-3 Pro So, the wife got me a Creality Ender-3 Pro 3d Printer for Christmas.
Assembly was easy, axis movements are all solid... when I go to print the test-dog.gcode file provided with the machine, it comes out looking... flat.
Not kind of flat. TOTALLY flat.
The Z-Axis motor works - I can move it with the machine's control panel - and it moves on it's own for repositioning of the head for printing purposes, but it doesn't seem to be moving 'up' for each new layer. Layer height is set for 0.1 mm, nozzle is .4 mm. No settings changed in the G-code, or on the machine (and I did a "reset to failsafe" before attempting to print anything).
I'm relatively new to additive manufacturing, can someone help out here? | It turned out that there's something wrong with the G-code file that came with my printer.
I downloaded a calibration cube from Thingiverse and printed it - while it wasn't 100%, it did print viable. Now I need to get into details as to quality, and I suspect that too will be a factor for the G-code used in the printer. I'm looking at "Ultimaker Cura" to figure out the changes in G-code based on option changes. |
Thermal runaway triggers when raising temperature amid cooldown I've noticed an interesting behavior on my Ender 3 with SKR Mini E3 mainboard and Marlin 2.0.x bugfix firmware. (otherwise, all other hardware is entirely stock) After the hotend/bed are commanded to cool down, e.g. after a print completes, I have to wait until after they both cool down to ambient before commanding another temperature setpoint.
If I don't do this, the printer most often triggers thermal runaway protection. (usually citing the extruder, but also sometimes the bed) I think this might be due to the thermal inertia in the material between the heater and thermistors, causing a 5-10 second delay in sensed temperature rise. I don't see any reason why thermal runaway should trigger; the Octoprint temperature graph looks completely normal, with no perceptible anomalies.
Is there some way to tune parameters for thermal runaway protection to alleviate this false-positive situation? | Yes there are ways to tune false positives. For Marlin firmware you can find these option in the Configuration_adv.h file.
From the file itself you can read what you need to do:
* If you get false positives for "Thermal Runaway", increase
* THERMAL_PROTECTION_HYSTERESIS and/or THERMAL_PROTECTION_PERIOD
*/ |
How do the MAX endstops work? I’m building my new 3D printer and I have a doubt. I’m using limit switches on the 3 axes, but only the MIN switches. I also have another three switches which I want to use as MAX switches. How can I do that? I mean, if I insert a specific measure of the plate in Marlin and than the extruded stops before of the limit of the plate due to the MAX endstop what will happen? What should I do, upgrade to MIN and MAX endstops or only keep the MIN ones? | You should see MAX endstops similarly as MIN endstops, or as an additional option to protect the printer:
Similarly seen as MIN endstops, you would define in the firmware that you are using them to set a reference point at maximum values, your offsets and bed dimensions would be calculated from the MAX positions;
You can configure the MIN endstops and have additional MAX endstops set beyond the bed size dimensions. If the printer would encounter a layer shift causing the nozzle to go beyond the printer (MAX) boundaries, the printer shuts down when the MAX endstop is triggered. |
Any experience with nylon drying on heated build platform and printing on paper? A while a go I thought that I could try printing in Nylon on my Wanhao Duplicator i3 with full metal hotend. Boy, was I wrong: The filament was not dry and popped like foam. The platform (Buildtak) was not sticking at all (at any temperature), I had the cooling fan at 100 %, so the bits that stuck to the platform warped like the Enterprise.
I learned that a filament dryer, an enclosure, Gaolite and PVA glue will be my friends, but I am determined to not spend a lot of money to printing something that I don't need often. (PLA works fine for me)
I am now at the point that I dry my filament by leaving a roll of nylon on the heated buildplatform at 90 °C. It stopped popping and hissing, so I guess that works. I learned that nylon sticks to cellulose, so without needing to recalibrate I can tape a piece of printer paper to the build platform and it sticks like crazy! Extra bonus is that if it warps, the paper curls up slightly and keeps the print from falling off. I have only printed a single test piece until now, so I can't really say if it's to be recommended.
Has anybody used these methods (drying nylon on heated build surface and printing nylon on paper) too and have you found any downsides?
To make this a worthy stackoverflow question: "Can I dry nylon on my heated build platform and print nylon on paper?" | Heating spools on the bed can be an option, but it seems inefficient to me: you lose a lot of heat and an oven would save quite some energy. Also, I wonder whether the open air will reduce the effectiveness even more, since the outer parts and the top of the spool will be colder. |
What causes these round corners Nozzle diameter = .4
Extrusion multiplier = 1
Extrusion Width = .45 <-- I feel like this could be reduced to fix it?
Layer Height = .3
I'm using Simplify3D. | If it's on each corner, and not the layer change corner, it's a combination of overshoot and the short "pause" of the printer when it changes direction.
You can minimize it, but it won't go away 100% (due to overshoot from direction changes), usually models with a slight rounded corners work great. If you, say, increase the jerk as an experiment and they get sharper (but you obviously have to deal with potential ringing artifacts) then it's due to that pause and acceleration after a direction change.
I would try lowering the temperature a bit to slow the flow/oozing of the nozzle and calibrate extrusion - just to keep the settings tight as possible to keep dimensional accuracy, but not under extrude obviously.
If it's where a layer change occurs, tweak and play with retraction settings - such as coasting and extra distance on restart (you can put negative values here). Once those are set, as an advanced tweak, try to max the z speed... Obviously this involves motor current, testing for skipped steps etc... but this would make the layer change a bit quicker, to further reduce oozing, due to the delay in layer changes if retraction settings don't fix it.
Usually, you can fix the corners with retraction settings but then it can mess up other parts of a model, since those settings are global... I wish slicers were more intelligent. |
Safety precautions when using acetone Acetone can be used to smooth ABS prints. What safety precautions should be taken during its use? | There are a few main safety precautions you should consider.
Make sure the area is well-ventilated. Acetone is flammable. A buildup of acetone gas could quickly get concentrated, meaning that a single spark could lead to disaster. Using a fan is good; angle it towards an open window. This is also to prevent exposure to acetone because of its toxicity.
Be prepared to fight a fire. Should vapor ignite, you may need to fight the fire. If it is large enough, then you should clearly evacuate the area. If it appears to be small, use dry chemical powder to snuff out the fire. Alcohol foam, water spray, and/or fog may be used on slightly larger fires. Acetone is not likely to cause a large inferno to rip through the building. But there's always the chance of a small fire. Be careful.
Create a vapor chamber. This is another way to stop a potential fire from spreading. It can also reduce contamination.
Wear gloves. This can minimize any potential transfer toxic effects. However, skin exposure is unlikely to cause major issues.
Acetone is toxic, as I mentioned before, but it is not highly toxic. Exposure via the eyes and nose/mouth is the main risk. Skin effects may occur (e.g. mild irritation), but they are minor and generally arise only after long-term exposure (hence the recommendation of gloves in some cases).
Acetone exposure is only a serious problem when a person is repeatedly exposed to levels greater than 1,000 ppm (severe effects only arise at much higher levels). It seems unlikely, given a proper ventilation system, that this will be an issue
In addition to all this, basic safety precautions such as wearing a ventilator mask and goggles should definitely be taken. When working with any such chemicals with the potential for bodily harm, these should absolutely be used. |
Sliced object losing all detail in Cura I'm pretty new to 3D printing. I am using Repetier Host 2.6 with Slic3r (printer Geeetech i3 Pro B).
When I slice detailed models I get issues like this as the slice result:
This is the model in the example, Army Men flames of war single version.
I can slice simple objects fine, walls, cubes 2D logos etc.
Why is this doing this?
When I used Cura the slice is fine. | This is not "loosing details". What is is is this:
You can not print on air. So, certain things (like the backpack) require SUPPORTS that are removed after printing. Another example is the gun.
Your support setting force the slicer to set up quite a lot of supports and that is what you see - start removing them.
There ALSO is a problem with possibly you using too large a nozzle. Depending on that one you may loose details, but there is not even the basic form visible on your picuture because all I see are supports.
https://all3dp.com/1/3d-printing-support-structures/#:~:text=3D%20printing%20support%20structures%20are,added%20cost%20to%20the%20model. exokauns supports. |
What effects does the non-carthesian coordinate system have on the Part-design process for printing with a belt printer? Background: What's a Belt Printer's Coordinate system?
For "normal" Cartesian (Portal, Cube) or Cylindrical (Delta) coordinate printers, the same Design Consideratons are to be kept in mind. But on a Belt Printer aka Printer Mill, the conversion from cartesian design space to cartesian or cylindrical printer coordinates is not applied in the same fashion, and as such some considerations based on subsequent laying down of full levels do not apply the same: While there is a common alignment of two axis, the third axis is tilted forward and the printhead does move in the angled X'Y'-Plane. While the Belt moves only in one direction, never backwards, there is a component of negative movement in that direction by lifting the printhead...
The formula for how the new coordinate system is translated to is thus as follows $$X'=-X$$ $$Y'=\cos(\alpha)Z$$ $$Z'=Y-\sin(\alpha)Z$$ To Illustrate this: The Red-Green-Blue is the orthonormal cartesian coordinate system. and the Magenta-Yellow-Cyan is the coordinate system the printer moves in:
The most common angle for currently available designs is 45° as in the Blackbelt or the coming Creality Belt Printer (pre-production in December 2020), making the math for the slicer somewhat easier as $\sin(45°)=\cos(45°)$. As a result of all the math, there is a Cura Derivate, the BB Cura 3.6.2.
Question
What impact does this movement pattern of laying down in an angle upwards have on considerations that have to be taken in the design stage of a model for 3D printing? | The first and most important design consideration is the overhang. Normally, when designing a part, you would make considerations based on the fact that gravity will act on the part from the "bottom" towards the top. As a result, when I am designing a part, I am always mindful of the fact that anything which protrudes outside of the intended printing base will be subject to "overhang" forces. Therefore, based on the layer height and nozzle diameter, there is a limit to the maximum overhang angle that can be serviced by the printer. Just as a side note, printers that co-extrude dissolvable supports, do not have overhang problems.
Additionally there are structural considerations with the laminations being at an angle, especially with holes that are intended to have heat-set inserts. Normally, when applying an insert the pressure is perpendicular to the layers. However, depending on where the hole is needed and how the part was printed, the inserting process could promote delamination of the layers and early part failure. It could be even worse with holes that are being threaded subsequent to printing.
Because the first few layers are going down at an angle, the layer adhesion will be unknown.
At design time, all you would need to do is keep an eye on those overhangs. I'd start all models on a plane that was at a 45degree angle. That way I can see the effect of having it being printed on its side rather than perpendicular to the bed.
"The first 3D-printed boat, 'built' by the world's largest 3D printer" was also printed with the nozzle at an angle to the bed; and that seems to have worked out well. |
Vary line with Z-axis for imported SVG file I have an SVG file of a line drawing. When I import it into Tinkercad it generates a 3D version with the width of the lines remaining constant along the Z-axis (as expected). I would like to generate a similar STL but with the line width narrowing for increasing values of Z. (Similar to the Bevel option in some of the Tinkercad Text shapes).
Can anyone point me at a tutorial on how to do this in Tinkercad, Blender, Meshmixer or Open SCAD? | In OpenSCAD you could create a bevel using the minkowski transformation by transforming the curve using tapered shape such as a pyramid or as I do below a tapered cylinder:
minkowski() {
linear_extrude(1)
import("drawing.svg");
cylinder(h = 20, r1 = 10, r2 = 1);
} |
Issue with weird heated bed temperature fluctuations I have a strange issue with my heated bed. It has been working well for a long time, but recently it has developed an issue where the temperature reported by the thermistor will occasionally jump by around 10 degrees.
My setup is a 600W, 240V silicone heater mat, with integrated 100k thermistor, that is switched with a solid state relay. The mat is fixed to a 4mm thick aluminium plate. It seems unlikely that these fluctuations are due to bad PID tuning since the reported temperature changes much more quickly than is physically possible.
I've checked the wiring, tried using a different thermistor port and making sure the connector was properly plugged in, but to no avail. The fluctuations are brief enough that they don't cause any problems when printing, but I'm worried about the issue getting worse.
I have a RAMBo board 1.1b, and I've tried using both the integrated 5V SMPS supply and an external USB supply.
The issue is not limited to the start of printing, the temperature reported can be stable for a long time before the issue pops up. The issue also occurs during cooldown (further confirming that PID has nothing to do with it):
In fact, the issue seems slightly more common during heat up and cool down, but is not limited to these times.
I would like to know what might be causing this issue, and if there's a way to solve it without replacing the thermistor (which would be a pain, since it's integrated into the heater mat). | It really looks like either a bad thermistor or bad electrical joints. Are the connections to the thermistor itself crimped, or soldered? Are there connectors near the thermistor that can get heated up by the bed?
Electrical connections that are mechanical in nature (such as crimped, or using a connector) can degrade quickly in heated situations, particularly when the heating is intermittent. Consider replacing crimped connections with soldered joints where possible, and where not possible use gold plated connectors and crimps to avoid oxidation issues. Oxidation and poor mechanical connections will change resistance based on movement, giving you apparent increases or decreases in sensor readings even when the sensor output is unchanged.
Chances are good that the thermistor itself is fine, but that the connection nearest the thermistor, between the wires and the thermistor, is faulty. If it's crimped, you may be able to simply add flux, then solder it to increase the bonding between the wires and the thermistor and decrease future issues with oxidation.
Note that soldering is really only useful for the thermistor on the bed. The head thermistor must be crimped, as the head temperatures can exceed solder temperatures depending on the target temperature and the solder alloy. |
Correct amount of force on piece of paper when leveling bed I am having some problems with bed adhesion and curling of the edges. Also my printer causes alot of stringing when creating the first layer, this can cause the print to let go of the bed and then it just drags around with the nozzle.
I have a Anet A8 and i tried multiple different amount of force pressing down on the paper. But what is the desired amount of force pushing down on the paper? Is it supposed to move freely? Or is it supposed to be quite hard to move around under the nozzle?
Im using basic filament from Gearbest. Gearbest Filament. | Actual task in your case is to find correct nozzle height for the first layer, so the force for pulling out the paper is not important. It just has to be the same every time you make calibration. Because of the different force you apply, different paper thickness and other factors, found position can only be treated as 'relative'.
To complete the calibration you will have to make several test prints with different initial heights, starting from the lowest, adding 0.1-0.2mm (depending on the nozzle diameter) before you find the right value.
Please note that 1) initial layer height is not the only factor, affecting adhesion 2) some slicer programs may add not the same amount of height that you specify |
Printer head too low when printing Problem
My CR-10 printer seems to be trying to print the model 4 or 5 layers too low. This means that for the first few layers, the printing nozzle is forced against the bed, preventing extrusion until the print reaches higher layers.
Outcome
This results in the bottom part of the print having the internal structure visible and the printing head deteriorating. I had to remove the old nozzle because it was clogged up with what I believe to be some residue that was picked up during preceding prints.
note: On this print, the top part is almost-well printed. It cannot be seen in pictures, but I say "almost" because the well-printed part is still much thinner than expected. This is the result of my purposeful mis-leveling the bed so that the part where the printer "homes" is higher than the lower part. I did this to see if there was any obvious bending of the printing bed. Doesn't look like there is.
Fix attempts
I have tried to re-level the bed multiple times, but it doesn't matter as the "too low" effect is independent from the location on the bed.
I have tried using the printer's built-in Z-offset but to no avail. This might be due to the fact that I control the print through Ultimaker Cura 4, so I tried looking for the Z-offset property in Ultimaker Cura and even though internet says it exists, I failed to find it.
History
The printer used to work perfectly well and I do not remember having changed anything before the problem arose. I recently changed the nozzle and made sure to tighten it as high as possible but the Z-offset problem still persists. | Did you verify the Cura z-offset actually changed the corresponding G-Codes?
I had the opposite problem on my RF1000. To fix the problem I added the following 2 lines to my start G-Codes:
M3001 ; Activate Z-Compensation
M206 Z-0.3 ; Set z offset 0.3mm closer to the nozzle
The first line was default in some example prints and is (as far as I know) only used by Renkforce printers. The second line moves the nozzle closer to the bed. In your case you'd have to move it further away and would need a positive Z value. |
Why am I getting Z banding/shifted layer on a single layer? While I was calibrating my flow rate/extrusion multiplier, I noticed that one layer is shifted slightly. I wanted to re-print the cube in-case it was a fluke, but after two more prints, I saw that the same layer was being shifted in the same way. Also, that is the only layer that is shifted, every other layer is perfect/almost perfect.
I'm using Cura 4.3.0, on an Ender 3 which I purchased about a month ago. The extruder is upgraded to a Trianglelabs Bondtech BMG clone. The E, X, Y, and Z steps have all been calibrated. The bed is level (I'm using a Creality ultrabase glass bed). I have upgraded the stock PTFE tubing to Capricorn, upgraded the PTFE coupler fittings (they have plastic tab inserts to keep the tube in place). The X gantry is level. I've also re-lubed the z-rod with super lube, made sure the lead screw nut is loose and printed out a z-spacer for the z stepper motor. That's about it, I'm still using the stock board but my SKR mini is in transit right now. Finally, the filament I'm using is the filament that Creality bundled in with the printer when I purchased it off their official website so I don't know how quality their filament is.
Below is a picture of what I'm talking about, I've highlighted in the area with a sharpie. Sorry for the bad image quality my phone is on its last legs at the moment haha:
This is the guide I was using to calibrate the flow rate and also where I got the STL | I started this as a comment but it couldn't fit. If it isn't a true answer and should be removed, I understand.
You suggest in your question that perhaps the defect could be caused by a problem in the Z-axis lead screw. Indeed, that is possible. If so, it would probably introduce a defect at that position across the entire print bed. If you print a test object and the defect is on all faces at the same height, check your Z-axis. With the power removed, try slowly moving the bed up and down through the region where the defect occurs, feeling for any hangup, hesitation, looseness, or any other non-uniformity.
If the defect is along a particular line, check the complementary axis. If the glitch is a X-axis line, check the Y-axis. If a Y-axis line, check the X-axis. Slid the axis back a forth slowly, feeling for any non-uniformity in the motion. It could be a scratch on the linear bearing, or a ding from dropping something. Any discontinuity can cause a linear Z-axis defect, up or down.
It could even be cause by the printer not being firmly sitting on the table at an angle, so that after a particular point the balance point changes and the printer rocks, introducing a glitch.
3D printers, and many other motion control systems, relay on flat, smooth, uniform bearing surfaces connected to smooth, continuous drive systems.
If you attach photos of all four surfaces, we might have a better idea of how to look for the problem.
It wouldn't hurt at this point to wipe and clean all sliding surfaces, and then re-lubricate them. |
Why won't my filament feed through the extruder anymore? Printer: Monoprice Select V2.
I've done several prints already and swapped out filaments many times but in my most recent swap, I can't feed my PLA through any more.
I first preheat my extruder for PLA temps (185 °C). Then I press the plastic thingy to allow me to push as much of the filament into the hole as possible. Then I adjust my extruder position to try to suck it in. Usually after a few mm, I start to see the filament come out of the extruder and I also feel a pull on the filament from the top. But nothing is happening now.
However, if I adjust the extruder position in the opposite direction, it eventually pushes the filament back up and out, so I guess the "stepper motor" (is that what it's called?) is working (at least in one direction).
I'm getting ready to open the extruder module up to see what's going on, but wanted to see if anyone had any simple ideas for me to try before I unscrew anything. | I figured out the issue. I think I was shoving it in the wrong hole.
I took apart my extruder component. There's a good video on it here.
But basically, you just have to loosen the two bottom screws on the side fan like this:
I checked everything out first. I cleaned the extruder head with the included pin. I also shoved the filament through the heated area and filament came out ok.
But then I discovered the filament could go in the wrong way sometimes through the extruder.
This is the correct way for the filament to go through. It should come out of that plastic hole.
But once in awhile, I accidentally pushed the filament through this way.
If the filament was bent and I pushed the lever too hard, it would often find its way down the wrong path.
So I played around with how much force I should be holding down the lever and how hard I should be pushing the filament through.
I don't know if other 3D printer extruder feeders are designed this way, but seems error prone. Or maybe it's just me. |
Ender 3 V2 Extruder getting hot I'm still fairly new to 3D printing; got my Ender 3 V2 for Christmas last year. Recently the tension arm in the stock extruder snapped, so I bought and installed an all-aluminum replacement. My first successful(ish) print since installing it lasted two to three hours before I noticed the filament wasn't feeding. It had softened and clogged the lead-in to the Bowden tube just past the tooth gear. I figure the problem comes from (and what probably broke the original plastic) heat buildup; the new aluminum frame was VERY hot to the touch. I also noticed that the extruder motor was rather hot as well.
So you all know where I am: all I've printed with is PLA at 195 °C. Since changing extruders, I was getting over extrusion and dropped it to 185 °C and increased the retraction from 5 mm to 6.5 mm. The new one doesn't have (easily) adjustable tension, but the tension felt as strong as I had it on my old one, so I left it alone. I currently print within an enclosure, one of Creality's foil-lined ones since my printer is located in the garage (this is more for dust, but for longer prints I felt it was good to have since at the time it was getting very cold at night in the garage).
I don't think it's heat creep, since that meant it went all the way up the Bowden tube. My first guess is the ambient heat inside the enclosure. I am currently trying a new print with the top and side openings folded up to allow airflow. But I welcome more experienced suggestions and input.
Additional info
I think I was getting away with the low temperature (185 °C) because my printing enclosure held heat so well. I'm attempting to print outside the enclosure today to start removing variables to my problem, if it under-extrudes, I'll bump the temperature up again.
Please note that I replaced just the frame.
I wouldn't know how to adjust the voltage [of the Z-stepper] if indeed the [pre-set factory calibration is incorrect and causing the stepper to heat up]. The new tension arm is a bit tighter than I had it set on my old, but I can't imagine it's making enough resistance to overwork the motor without seeing other issues first.
I didn't see any signs of Heat Creep when I pulled out the filament. The only softening I saw was in the direct drive; it had been pushed into a conical shape that plugged the port into the Bowden just past the gears. I'm still leaning towards an issue with the direct drive (is that what it's called? still learning the terms). the aluminum was too hot to touch and I had to wait 10 minutes before I could safely depress the tensioner and pull the filament out. That or the motor is overheating trying to pull Filament through.
The motor driving the filament is on the opposite side of the Teflon tube, mounted to the vertical frame - it is not on the nozzle side of the Teflon tube. | You could still get heat creep with a Bowden tube. It has different characteristics. Instead of jamming up in the direct drive, the filament can melt too far upwards into the heat break where it can refreeze and jam. The characteristic, if you can pull out the filament, is widened filament extending into the heat break.
See Air printing/jamming midway through raft creation
and
What are ways to avoid heat creep?
Adding fans to an enclosure improves the temperature control in the enclosure. |
Printing with White pla, problems while printing a benchy boat So I am having trouble with this white pla, I am currently printing with a tempature of 225 degrees and going lower worsen the printing, but what I find strange is that it is always the same area that screws up.
I am using a Prusa MK3S, and printing with this fillament: https://shop.prusa3d.com/en/filament/39-white-pla-filament-1kg.html
EDIT:
NEW INFORMATION, this only happens with my white pla. I have a Silver one, and it prints it perfectly.
Secound white print, see that silver pla is totally fine. | Even from the same manufacturer different colors of filament have (slightly) different properties requiring different settings of your slicer.
But here it seems you have some underextrusion at this hight. Have you tried again the same file with the same filament and the same settings? It could be a fault in the white filament at that spot that (temporarily) clogged your nozzle. |
School grant proposal I've been asked to come up with a grant proposal for a new 3D printer. My question is:
What supporting components and training would be most beneficial to support educational use in a K-8 school? In other words what things am I missing in my list below?
Specific suggestions for things on my list that I may not have thought of are welcome too. A specific tool, etc.
The suggestion was to include a base proposal with stretch goals that include everything needed.
My current ideas are:
3D Printer - option of a Prusa Mk3 or a Railcore 300ZLT. Possibly add another Prusa Mk3 kit as a stretch goal for students to assemble.
Replacement and optional parts such as a hardened nozzle.
Training and professional development
Filament - a variety of kinds such as PLA, ABS, flexible, conductive, etc.
Dry box or supplies to make one.
HEPA filter.
Enclosure - heated and/or soundproofed.
Maintenance tools or supplies. Lubricant, etc. | The question changed after I answered, so I'll answer the new question.
My answers are based on seeing the results of 3D printing deployed in a nearby school system, and my own experience as a FIRST Robotics mentor in my son's school system.
Current question's answer
K-8
You are ambitious. At the K level, I can see a group project to change a design (such as bracelets), and print the result. This would be done by an adult operating the design software and managing the printer.
At some point, maybe G4-G5, the students would be in more control, with assistance at hand to help jump past barriers that appear (software bugs, clogged nozzles, ...). By G8 the students should be able to handle the whole workflow if they have come up through the program.
It would be great if there were a version of Logo for 3D printing. Maybe there is.
CAD
You will need some form of CAD software to make 3D printing useful. Depending on the students, and assuming a small budget, you could look at OpenSCAD (or SolidPython) and OnShape.
OpenSCAD uses a simple language to specify and transform geometric shapes and to perform union, intersection, and subtraction functions. SolidPython is built atop OpenSCAD works with Python IDEs. With the Python language, loops and conditionals are more natural. OpenSCAD is pretty simple, but some people prefer Python. Designs are not "drawn", but are programmed.
OnShape is a cloud-based, traditional 3D design and modeling tool. Free user licenses are available with the caveat that all designs are publicly accessible and copiable, but others may not change your copy. It will be familiar to users of AutoDesk and SolidWorks systems, although the dialect will be strange.
Both produce STL files for 3D printing the designs.
What is the purpose of 3D printing at the school?
Other training really depends on how 3D printing is integrated into the core curriculum. If 3D printing is part of a class in the static analysis of structures, then the class would be providing the training about strength.
IMO, the best training is accomplished by giving students access to the equipment with a mentor available to answer questions. Each student comes to 3D modeling and printing with their own curiosity and motivation, and those are best served by smoothing their chosen path with information and advise.
What can go wrong?
The worst outcome is where money is raised, equipment is purchased, and no one is available to make it work. Or, it works great until the inevitable problem arises, and no one can resolve it. I've seen this happen in a large, well-funded school system. The students get frustrated, and the program loses credibility. The well-off students buy their own equipment and carry on, while those who can't dismiss 3D printing. 3D printing becomes another failed adventure.
Typical Problems
Working in any school system is complicated. CORI checks are required. Special certifications and permissions are needed to work on school property. Insurance and liability are raised as problems which block progress. Often nothing is possible without a teacher-on-staff taking personal responsibility and directly supervising activities.
Scheduling prints which take over a few hours may be impossible.
Most problems can be overcome with strong support from teachers and administration.
Training Required
The most important persons to be trained are the teachers and/or mentors. They will train the students, and the students will train themselves and each other.
The teachers/mentors should be familiar with the general operation of the CAD software, know how to operate the 3D printing devices, and be able to resolve all common problems. Keeping the equipment available is important. Going down for a month is a long time in a school semester.
If 3D printing is integrated into a specific part of the curriculum, the teacher of that curriculum will provide the subject matter training that is being demonstrated through printing. The physics teacher, the math teacher, or the art teacher will use the 3D printing to teach their domain.
Supporting Components
Look to the chemistry department for a fume hood to use for ventilation and a fire-proof enclosure.
Consult with the responsible authorities in the school to determine if special ventilation is required for occasional classroom use. Whatever they say, it may not be enough because of parents' fear of plastics.
Have spare parts on hand to quickly bring a printer back online. The ideal spare part is an extra printer -- plus other parts to restore the broken one when it fails. Consider the latency in the supply chain for replacement parts.
Have a purchasing flow authorized that allows spare parts and operating supplies to be purchased quickly. In some school systems, it can take months to purchase materials because such purchases are handled on a semester-by-semester basis. That won't work when you really need a spool of a special color by yesterday. If necessary, look to PTA-like organizations because they may be able to operate more quickly.
Consider using PLA in the classrooms. There is friendly web content about PLA being sustainable, "natural", and biodegradable, rather than the ABS stigma of being petrochemical.
If the upper grades have a community service requirement, allow the 3D savvy students to volunteer as 3D printing mentors to the younger grades.
Previous answer
If your question is about what equipment to buy, it would be off topic as being a question of opinion and recommending specific vendor's equipment. I am answering the question about determining what should be in a proposal.
Like any consideration of acquiring a 3d printing capability, there is some data that must be known before you can determine such a list of equipment.
First, what will the capability be used for? In a school context, it could be used as part of a curriculum, probably not on the topic of 3d printing, but perhaps something else. Or, it could be part of a school machine shop or hobby shop. It could be used by a robotics club, a rocket club, or a theater club. Based on how it will be used at the school, you can determine the next data.
Second, what will be capability be used to print? Based on that, you can judge which devices meet the need.
Third, based on the "what", and a sense of "how much", you can judge the type and quantity of supplies you will need. Supplies for the first two or three years should be included in the proposal.
Fourth, estimate the amount of special staff time that should be needed, find a sponsor within the school who will commit to that time, and estimate the funds required to compensate them.
Finally, roll up a sales document, ideally based on a rubric from the granting agency, which included the benefits, allignment with the grant guidelines, and the costs. Validate the proposal, especially the cost and the staff requirements, with whoever invited you to submit a proposal.
... and remember to actually submit the proposal by the deadline.
Bringing 3d printing into school is a great addition to other educational and engineering tools. With the right support from the existing school staff and a clear vision of how it will fit into the school activities and existing culture, 3d printing succeed in a school setting. |
Any family of plastics / filaments that bend and keep their shape? Not asking for a product recommendation, unless there's only one product out there like this...
I have a need for a flexible filament that retains its deformation, kind of like silly putty. Are there any filaments out there that, after you bend or stretch them, they keep their shape?
I'm sure to some degree flexible filaments do this -- Which filament might be best? Commenters -- what's the scientific term for this?
Actually, metals exhibit this type of flexibility. Do any of the 3D printable metal filaments flex, bend, and keep their shape? | To have a material be "flexible" and retain the shape after the "flexing", you need to apply a stress in excess of the elastic deformation stress. You will want a material that has the elastic deformation limit that is much lower than the ultimate tensile strength. Unfortunately, for plastics, this is difficult to find.
Most plastics are made up of tightly bound, long-chain molecules. Flexing beyond the elastic limit requires breaking these bonds, which introduces weak points in the plastic. You can see this by bending almost any plastic. Either it will snap in two, or you will see a light or white colored line along the fold. The lighter color comes from light scattering from the broken bonds.
"Flexible" structural plastics such as ABS are a copolymer (more than one type of molecule) in which one of the polymers is rubbery. The rubbery bits provide places within the bulk material where the stress can create strain that doesn't require breaking bonds.
I doubt that any 3D-printer FDM compatible filaments will satisfy your needs. A filament must keep its shape during printing, if for no other reason than to permit the extruder drive mechanism to apply pressure to the filament. There are 3D-printable filaments, but they are very elastic and return to their shape when the stress is released.
Some metals can respond to stress with by flowing rather than by elastic strain. Lead comes to mind. Someone suggested copper. There are several degrees of hardness of copper depending on the alloy and the annealing schedule after it was formed. Copper also work-hardens, becoming harder and more likely break under stress the more the copper flows under stress. |
How to draw kossel delta corner in fusion 360? I want to draw kossel delta corner in fusion 360 for 2040 aluminium extrusion like on picture below, but cant find a way to actualy start, I draw 3 side polygon and 20x40mm rectangle but cant go from there, so do you have any suggestion? | I attempted to create your drawing but discovered that an important set of parameters is missing. You have to have either the intersection point of the legs (73.34) from each side or the angle between the legs (73.34) and the base (106.41) to create construction lines. Once you have either of those items, you can construct the remainder of the design using offsets, radii, etc.
More accurately, one other missing item that would be required to complete this design is the placement of the holes at the top (12) relative to some other feature of the design.
Having taken on the challenge of your drawing, I've found that it is necessary to surrender. The angles or the intersection point are critical and without them, no solution comes to my alleged mind.
I have also discovered one additional datum missing. The distance of the bottom truss and the thickness of this truss would be required to provide a more certain solution.
One the flip side, I've found alpha-tech3d.com which appears to include similar parts, rotated 180° with what appears to have all of the necessary data. |
Anet A8 filament not coming out Our Anet A8 seems to be working but the filament won't come out of the extruder. We can manually push it through though. The gears seem to be working fine and it's warming up. I have read the other answers on this site but none seem to fix our problem. | From the comments/answers to your main question, the likely culprit is the hobbed wheel not catching the filament firmly enough.
The hobbed wheel I am referring to is the yellowish one at the centre of the picture. The problem could be due to:
the wheel being of poor quality, with blunt teeth
the wheel being of the wrong diameter (too small)
the spring squeezing the wheel against the filament being too weak
[judging from the picture, I don't own the A8] it could even be that the nut on the lever that is pushed by the spring (top right of the picture) is too far down on the threaded rod, and prevents the lever to move far enough to push effectively. |
print quality: z wobble issue Yesterday i replaced the z axis of my diy printer. Now i have some strange waves on the side of my prints. Are the threaded rods bent or could that be a vibration issue? Or is the coupler too stiff? | This looks as if there is a side-to-side force being generated as Z is changed. Ideally, the X or Y position is determined by the smooth rods, which should bear any force, not the threaded rod. The threaded rod should cause no motion except upward and downward.
If the rod is bent, but the rod is lightly constrained, then the top, being the free end, will draw a circle. The bottom is constrained by the motor. The middle is constrained by the nut, so the top would wander. If the threaded rod is perfectly straight, and the stepper motor axis and the nut are perfectly aligned, the top would spin without movement.
If the rod is bent and the nut is very tight, there may be a twisting force exerted by the nut, which could cause movement.
Everything is a tradeoff between tightness and looseness, between precision components and the reality of alignment errors.
You asked if the shaft coupling is too tight. Maybe. Try removing everything except the motor, coupling, and the threaded rod. Does the rod fall exactly where the nut would be? If not, it isn't aligned correctly. Incorrect alignment can be mitigated by a flexible coupling. It looks like you are using a Lovejoy coupling with a plaster spider. Depending on how tightly the spider fits, a Lovejoy coupling can be tight or loose. I see a lot of machines with the one-piece coupling and a spiral-cut joining region. THis might be a good alternative, but they tend to take up more space than a lovejoy coupling.
Because Z-axis motion is pretty slow, it is unlikely to be a z-axis vibration issue. You may have changed the resonant frequencies enough to cause some other problem, but I don't think it is related to the problem in the photograph. |
Can I use Araldite to stick PLA to metal frame? I have a PLA base, that the MOSFETs are sitting on. I don't want to drill through the base of the printer, I was thinking of using Araldite to stick the PLA base to the metal frame. The PLA base will be stuck to the base of the 3D printer upside down.
Do you think this will work long term? I don't want the plastic falling off and the MOSFETs hitting the metal base. | Araldite is a brand that refers to a range of structural epoxy, acrylic and polyurethane adhesives. Among the vast number of products marketed under the name are also "metal repair" paste and what seems to be silicone based glues. Depending on what Araldite you have on hand, all of these types can be useful for PLA and any other 3D-printing material, as I had elaborated here. I suggest grabbing either an epoxy or PU variant or some kind of silicone for this use. You should make sure several things though if you go with epoxy or PU:
make a small sample print and clamp down one side, then put a small weight on the other side. Apply the glue in the center of it. If it sags considerably during the bonding, the heat of the glue curing is warm enough to soften the print. If this happens, you should take precautions to prevent it from deforming during the bonding, e.g. not apply too much pressure onto the bond.
The MOSFET can get rather hot. Make sure that the clamp holding the MOSFET still holds the item as it gets hot, as PLA starts to get malleable enough to deform under stress at 50 °C and usually fails quickly at about 100 °C.
Silicone-based glues depend on an area to force ratio to stick but offer a flexible bond that is somewhat thermal resistant and very gap filling. |
Best filament to use in high humidity environment? I'm working on a project to design some custom 3D printed parts for an indoor urban farm where the environment has a very high humidity of above 80%. What would be the best filament to use that will be able to handle this conditions. Are there any coatings that I can use to protect the parts from absorbing moisture? | You don't provide information about the part, but in general PETG, ABS, ABS plus/Pro and ASA are not going to have any issue with humidity for a long time. If it's outdoor, avoid ABS and use PETG or ASA.
What is important is to keep the filament dry BEFORE printing. After printing, no problem. In fact, nylon after printing can be wet on purpose to significantly increase impact strength (and reduce tensile strength).
PLA in high humidity environment may lose some of its strength, but there are PLA parts under the rain which hold perfectly for long time, if they are not loaded significantly. |
Is it advisable to use additional external fan(s) for printing PLA? 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? | The printer already has a built in fan with a fan shroud that directs air to the hotend
Unless your printer is defective, it may look like so, but the airflow should really be directed towards the print, not the hot-end. Cooling the hot-end will at best just waste energy, requiring extra heat to keep it hot, at worst affect your print quality negatively.
is it beneficial to add an extra fan in order to get better results on overhangs?
The issue with external fans, not connected to the printer, is that you can't properly direct their ariflow, so:
you will direct some of it on the hot-end itself (see above on why that's not good)
you will potentially cool your print unevenly, which - depending from how much, how fast, and what type of filament you are using - may warp your prints
That said, depending from a number of factors, including your ability to position the fans appropriately, you may gain some benefit from them (I saw people doing this to help with PETG stringing), but I would recommend instead to upgrade the part fan of your printer (e.g.: larger diameter, higher RPM) and your duct (better focus on the extruded filament), as these upgrades will have no drawbacks and will perform consistently on each part of the print.
For most common printer, there are printable mods that allow to do both, often available off thingiverse or on dedicated user community forums. |
What can cause the build plate to slip? 2 days into a 5-day build, I came home from work and found the build ruined because the build plate had slipped.
I'm using a Raise 3D N2 Plus printer, with the standard glass build plate that comes with it, attached via 4 clips: two stationary ones at the back, and two standard binder clips at the front, which shipped with the printer, which hold the glass build plate plate to the heated surface beneath.
The left-side clip had come off of the heated surface, remaining clipped to the top and bottom of the glass plate, and the whole thing slipped an inch or so. I immediately canceled the build, and I can start another one, but before I do I'd like to know how this happened and what I can do to prevent it from happening again.
What typically causes the plate clips to come free? Is there anything I can do about it? Will adding more clips around the edges help? I'd really prefer not to ruin more builds if I can help it... | Before two month ago I tested double-sided tape between bed and glass plate. It's awesome and really works perfectly. No more clips, so I'm able to print to the complete area. And no more slipping. Don't use that much tape, just a little bit at the edges should be totally fine. |
Why does my PLA filament form a spiral shape and clog my extruder? I'm using brand new PLA filament and am getting frequent clogs in my extruder.
I've had this problem with 2 different filaments from 2 different vendors.
It will be print just fine, then clog up. It doesn't ever seem to go more than 5 minutes before clogging. When it clogs, and I pull out the filament, it is always twisted in a spiral (helix) shape like a corkscrew. I have put a picture of 2 clogs below.
I have tried using temperature of 220 all the way down to 180 in increments of 5 degrees and seem to get the same result. it prints the base layer GREAT on the 70 degree heated bed. No warping or peeling off. However, after a few layers, it clogs up and stops extruding.
I am using an HIC PRUSA I3 printer with a single extruder head. I've only had the printer for a couple weeks. It had been printing fine with ABS, but the ABS would peel up from the heated bed, so somebody suggested that I use PLA and hairspray. Hairspray is AWESOME !! It sticks really well and removes easily as well (once the bed cools a bit).
Please let me know if you've had the same problem with the extruder just clogging up and twisting the filament into a corkscrew shape.
By the way, pay no attention to the black marks on the green filament below. That's just me marking every half inch or so with a sharpie marker to see if it's still being extruded.
I think I figured out the problem. Now, to figure out a solution...
Take a look at the image below. There is a 1 inch tube that goes from the heat element to the heat sink. This 1 inch of tubing is REALLY hot and larger than 1.75mm. So, the filament goes through that tube on its way to the head and gets soft in the tube because the tube is so hot all the way down to the head. When the filament gets hot, it melts and bends and curls which makes it NOT push itself into the heated tip and out onto whatever I'm printing.
The solution would be to find some way to cool this 1 inch shaft between the heat sink and the heated head so that the filament inside of it won't melt.
Any ideas???
Here is a picture of my heat tip. Note the shaft has about 1 inch sticking out of the heater. The top of that (above the white arrow) is inside the heat sink. But 3/4 inches of it are bare and uncovered. There is also no teflon tube inside the metal throat. | The shape you get is quite easy to explain. It's the shape of the lowest energy possible in your situation. Simple but it doesn't explain the issue... or does it?
It does. The filament cannot be put into the extruder as it becomes plugged. This leads us to some obvious explanations. You can read this post.
So how is that possible that there is enough room to form such corkscrew? My bet is you don't have teflon pipe inside the extruder heatsink. So filament goes into the heatsink and everything is ok until the heatsink itself warms up to the temperature when filament becomes soft, then there is no enough force to push the filament out of the nozzle so above the nozzle filament bends and forms the shape of the lowest energy as said.
Options to check:
Take your extruder apart. See if there is a teflon pipe. If its length is proper.
Check if cooling fan is working well, if it's pushing air to the heatsing but not sucks from the heatsink.
[edit]
Looking closer to your photos I'm pretty sure you don't have such teflon pipe. Your spiral has flat external (virtual) surface... it looks exactly as it would be pushed into hot pipe with diameter of 4mm.
[edit2]
please take a look on the picture |
How can I fix First Layer Adhesion with BL Touch - Tevo Tarantula Hope someone might have a view on where to go with this. My prints were coming out pretty good, but since installing a BL Touch to the printer I've been unable to get consistent first layer adhesion.
Printer: Tevo Tarantula
Firmware: Jim Brown Marlin
Settings:
Speed: initial layer 30 mm/s others 60 mm/s
Layer height: tried everything from 0.1 to 0.3 mm
Temperatures
Nozzle temperature: 204 °C (stock hot end and nozzle)
Bed temperature: 60 °C
Printing Sunlu PLA+ filament onto Printbrite on the stock bed using bilinear Leveling (tried both 3 points and 5)
Z homes with the probe in the centre of the bed and the G29 command takes the readings ok.
I've configured Z offset so that you can barely move a sheet of paper between the bed and nozzle when you send G1 Z0. But it still looks like the nozzle is too far away from the bed when printing first layer.
I've managed to get a 20 mm calibration cube out of it, but that is inconsistent (the two cubes in the pictures were printed one after the other with no changes).
Anything bigger than that doesn't stick at the corners and ends up as a ball of spaghetti. | I have the same kind of issues I'm also using Sunlu white filament 210 °C and bed at 60 °C on a CR-10S also original BLtouch v3.1
On some parts of the bed it's okay but in the middle and some corners it's too high and doesn't stick (really annoying). I bought the BLtouch to avoid this kind of issues.
I have printed many things with no issues and with this filament It's making some trouble.
Ok I have solved the issue, the problem is Sunlu pla+ filament.
It seems that their filament is really hard to adhere to bed.
I found on another forum that you need to increase bed temperature up to 70° and head to 220 °c at least for the few first layers and don't go under 215°.
also moving the head a bit lower to skish the filament on bed.
I tried and got much better adhesion.
Hope it will help other people |
What is the correct process to make a correct resin casting for jewelry? I have a 3D printer and I have printed some models with castable resin. When I burn one of these models in the oven and then do the metal casting, the surface of the metal piece is not smooth.
I did a test with a pan. I put a model of wax and a model of castable resin to heat in a pan, and the wax model melts, but the resin model don't.
The resin I have is the following:
What is the correct process to make a correct resin casting?
Thanks for your help. | Factually, the correct process is to heat up the mold hot enough to evaporate the positive.
In investment casting the process to remove the wax or plastic positive is called the "Dewax" and "Burnout preheating".
The answer to your question depends on the material you use to generate a negative mold of the positive product. E.g. many silicate based materials require up to about 1100 °C to fully burnout all residue before pouring in the liquid metal. |
Marlin Adjusting feedrate I'm using the Marlin firmware (1.1.0-RC7 - 31 July 2016) for a 3d printer. Currently the printing is not perfect due to slight inaccuracies in movements along the x and y axis. I'm trying to change the feedrate for speed along the xy axis whilst the printer is in operation to make sure the printer stops on time and prints accurately.
I have some code for controlling the feedrate but the problem is that I'm not sure where I am supposed make these adjustments. In the configuration.h file I see this code: (lines 742 and 753 )
/*line 742*/ #define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (50*60)
/*line 753*/ #define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec)
I'm probably misunderstanding something but it seems like this sets the feedrate to a default value which is the same as the maximum.
If the feedrate changes during printing I'm guessing it would be done in Marlin_main.cpp but I'm not sure which part it actually changes. Can someone point me in the right direction here? | You can change the maximum allowable feedrate in Configuration.h, but the actual feedrate that is used isn't determined by your firmware. The feedrate is specified in the G-Code file. A command like
G0 X10.0 Y15.0 Z3.0 F9000
indicates a move to (10,15,3) at a feedrate of 9000 mm/min. If F is not specified, the last used feedrate is used.
You just have to provide the appropriate G-code commands with the feedrate you want in them. There's no reason to modify the firmware to get a different feedrate. |
How do I upgrade (copy settings) from Cura 2.5 to Cura 2.6? On my Mac I've got two versions of Cura installed, in /Applications/Cura250 and /Applications/Cura262.
How can I copy my printer and profile settings from Cura 2.5 to Cura 2.6? | Hope this is all you need.
From the release notes page
Cura 2.6 - June 20, 2017 Local version folders. When installing a new
version of Cura, a new local directory will be created to make it easy
to access old configuration folders and return to old settings if
necessary.
So if you know where your current 2.5 config directory is, you should be all set. |
Heatbed PID vs Bang-Bang - which one is more stressing on components? I recently switched from Bang-Bang to PID controlled bed heating. The stock firmware pulsed On/Off with about 5 seconds each cycle. Now with PID, my bed keeps its temperature much more stable, the frequency is around 7Hz.
Although the total amount of energy used for heating should be less now since the heating is more efficient and doesn't waste energy by cooling down, I am a bit concerned of the fast pulsing of the rather high amperage (around 13 Amps in my case).
So I was wondering, do the faster cycles cause more stress on the components (I am thinking MOSFET on the board and components inside the PSU) or is this negligible? I am particularly curious since this is a rather low budget printer (Anycubic i3 Mega, $350 printer with a generic unbranded PSU) and I don't want to push its limits too much.
The only thing I can observe is a very faint noise with the same frequency as the pulses. Might have been the same on 5 second cycles, I was just not paying attention to it back then.
I'd be very glad if somebody could chime in on this.
Thanks in advance. | The frequency of the cycle shouldn't affect the efficiency as such, however more might be lost due to physical properties. Fast should cause less stress on the printed part, unless it hits a resonance frequency, which it unlikely. |
Anet A8 won't print properly I recently bought the Anet A8 from Gearbest. Everything so far seems in order, but one big problem.
No matter which filament I used (PLA and ABS), the result is always like this:
In the picture there are the PLA and ABS I've been trying to print. What I tried to actually print is a simple arrow.
One of the things that caused it was manually trying to push the filament, because the extruder gear doesn't really push it. It doesn't seem like it's stuck, but it just won't move. Then I move it manually, it does this.
I have tried different methods for the gear to push it and different printing temperatures (first the presets, then PLA 190°C / ABS 240°C) but it does the same thing. | because the extruder gear doesn't really push it. It doesn't seem like it's stuck, but it just won't move.
It looks like stepper issue.
Did you check stepper connections? Maybe there is a loose wire?
Maybe your extruder is assembled incorrectly? Please check google images to see how extruder should be assembled and/or give us some photos of your extruder.
Maybe your printer is setup wrong, there is small potentiometer on mainboard which sets stepper current, I had problems when it was rotated slightly too far. Try commanding your printer to extrude slowly for several seconds and in this time turn pot at least one time (it wraps around) until it starts to extrude (do not move printhead during this, turning this pot WILL make motors skip and crash into home/end). If you don't have problems with other motors, this may not be your issue but is worth checking.
Try homing your axes first, sometimes after startup motors won't work correctly until homing axes.
Try pressing reset once after starting printer.
How to find that pot? It's just to the side of capacitor which is near "Z-Motor2" connector. |
CTC i3 Y-axis thin / no filament deposition I have this CTC i3 printer; when I print square test prints, as it moves along the Y-axis back to zero (front). It extrudes lines but very thin or none at all.
But opposite direction along the Y axis is 100 % | I can see a couple of problems in your images:
Your bed is clearly and awfully unleveled. Check on Youtube some manual leveling using a paper.
Though I think your problems will be solved by correct leveling, if not, check this thread where I explain a little bit about E-step and flow rate calibration. Having these parameters right is crucial for a good first layer.
I don't know what you are using for layer adhesion but if after doing steps 1 and 2 the problem persists I would heat up a little bit the bed and change the adhesion material (glue, hairspray). |
Fixing Z-Hop Stringing I'm printing a model on my Ender 3 in Mika3D Silk PLA, which (just for reference, this is not atypical) has a stated temperature of 200 °C to 235 °C. I have used this filament before and found it works best for me around 200 °C, but was not the case with this print, and I'm wondering what else I can do to fix this issue.
I have retractions enabled, have lowered the printing temperature to 180 °C and decreased the feed rate significantly, to around 75 %. Both of these adjustments happened gradually, making sure there was no change in stringing between adjustments.
I do have rafts and Z hops enabled in Cura, as previous prints of this model were knocked off the base even after leveling the bed properly, and almost every time a "hop" is performed, some stringing occurs. Is there something I can do in my settings, etc, to fix this issue?
Here is an image of the problem.
Edit: did some extra research and increased my print speed and switched to a better testing model - same issue. | Stringing may depend on sub-optimal retraction settings: when retraction is fast and high enough, the string may be cut and disappear.
You may want to at least try to optimise retraction, at least to exclude that parameter.
There is a tool designed to properly tune retraction:
http://retractioncalibration.com/
What it does is print a tower with multiple retractions with increasing retraction distance around the perimeter. Along the Z axis the retraction speed is increased.
This tool does not include Z-hopping so stringing may be less visible, but at least you can easily visualise the optimal retraction settings. At that point if the optimal settings are much different from what you had, you may want to try your model again to see if it improved. |
How to split a model in SketchUp for printing I have a file I want to print, but the problem is that the dimensions that came with the model are just too big to print. I used the Tape Measure Tool on SketchUp, and it came in at a whooping 5.56 meters. Is there a way to split the big model into smaller, printable sized models that can be reassembled after printing?
Thanks Again | SketchUp is likely to not work well for you if your objective is to create a printable STL file in pieces. You would want to determine initially that the un-segmented model is manifold and 3d printer ready. Once that is determined, consider using an alternate program for your chop-up actions.
You do not specify the size of the printer you intend to use, but that is obviously a factor in the segmentation of the model.
I have some experience with Meshmixer, which has an edit feature named "plane cut" which will do as you require. The plane is placed on the model and the options are selected to keep both pieces after the slice is performed.
For a huge model of the type you describe, one would hope you have access to a printer with a one meter print bed or larger, although such printers are rare and of course, expensive.
My printer has a 200 x 300 mm build plate, up to 200 mm high, which would entail substantial segmenting.
If your model is mostly a shell, your segments would have to have wall thickness. It would be best accomplished, again in Meshmixer, by using the hollow or shell features. Those are a bit more challenging to understand, but there are plenty of videos and tutorials specific to creating hollow shells from a solid model. Once the shell is created, segments would be managed easily enough.
I suggested that your segments would "have to have" wall thickness, but it isn't a requirement. Solid segments would be like bricks and you may have a large number of rectangular solids that compose your model. Lego models are difficult or impossible to create with only an outer shell, so the interiors are often solid bricks, but 3d printers are a bit more flexible. Not using solid interiors would save money, of course.
I envision a jigsaw puzzle in three dimensions. Taking a nearly six meter dimension and chopping it into 20 slices multiplied by width and height means a carton of 3d puzzle pieces. |
Free UARTs TX and RX pins on CR-10S motherboard I have a WiFi module that only needs two wires connection to work. These are RX and TX pins connected to Arduino or the CR-10S printer board but I don't know if there is any physical or software UARTs TX and RX pins. My goal is to add a Wifi support to the CR-10S printer. Since this is not Arduino and the pins are not labeled, it's hard to tell which TX and RX pins are not being used.
In the image of my motherboard below, any port or pin with line pointing to is considered as being used by the printing software so I can't used them.
There are still ports or pins that are not used. Can any one tell if there is a TX and RX pin that is not being used from the image above? I need them to communicate with the printer wirelessly. | Not answering the question directly which pins you can use I would like to propose an alternative solution for your problem, to explain why you should not use RX/TX pins.
An alternative solution includes the use of a small single board computer like the Raspberry Pi (RPi) which is connected over USB with the printer board. E.g. the latest range of RPi (Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and B+) have onboard WiFi, or alternatively an older RPi (Raspberry Pi 2) could be used in conjunction with a USB Wifi dongle. On the RPi you could install a print server that talks directly with your printer over USB. One such an application that is frequently used is OctoPprint (the complete installation/image is referred to as OctoPi).
You can then interface with the print server application using a web browser on any mobile device in your network, and if configured as such you could do that potentially from over everywhere over the world. The major advantage is that you then are not communicating G-code over WiFi as you would if you used RX/TX pins. Knowing that WiFi connection adds issues with latency and the possibility of a disconnection during the print, your fail rate would increase over a single board computer approach.
With an RPi the print will continue regardless of the Wifi connection. |
Problem with Creality v1.1.4 (Ender 3 Pro) and BLTOUCH v3.0 (removed C7 capacitor) I followed this tutorial on how to set up BLTOUCH v3.0 with my Ender 3 Pro. (v1.1.4 motherboard)
I even removed C7 capacitor on Z axes. And no luck. My BLTouch probe is working, it turns on with the Ender and testing is fine. But it doesn't stop the printer on Z axis while auto homing.
Firmware is from firmware.th3dstudio.com
Any ideas? Any advice is highly appreciated.
My configuration.h file: https://paste.ofcode.org/Z4kKiGwYXC6yQ698t9uaeY
My configuration_backend.h file: https://paste.ofcode.org/34tuX4mG3Ph57jSnT8YByi3 | If the probe works, but not on auto homing, it could be that the Z endstop/probe wires are incorrectly wired.
From "The complete BLTouch/3DTouch guide for Creality printers (CR-10/s,Ender 2,Ender 3) for Auto Bed Leveling UPDATED" can be read:
If you connect your bltouch and when auto homing the sensor doesn’t register
& the z axis keeps dropping pressing into your bed, turn your printer off,
disconnect the power and invert the black and white connectors in the z limit
switch header (put black where white was, put white where black was).
This can also be found in this Marlin issue tracker:
The Problem was the polarity of the sensor wires was reversed.
If reversing the polarity does not work, move to the original Marlin firmware. |
First layer overlap on one side When printing the first layer, the infill overlaps on just one side of my print. Thereupon there's a rough, and a lot higher, surface on the first few millimeters after the wall.
Printer: Arduino Materia 101
Filament: Rec Pla
Temp: 210 degrees
I have tried to troubleshoot it, but I just found information about a problem when the infill isn't close enough to the wall everywhere.
However, for me, the problem is the contrary and just on one side. | This may be a result of an unlevel build plate (OP did not specify if calibration was done at time of writing).
If the area that is overlapping is higher (closer to the nozzle), the filament will be pushed down and around the nozzle as it extrudes in that area. This will result in excess filament overlapping unto other strands on the layer.
Please excuse my lack of artistic skills in paint, but the image below should illustrate what can happen when your build plate is unlevel:
Basically what it's trying to illustrate is that if the nozzle is closer than the expected layer height, the machine will continue to flow as if the nozzle is layer height away. This typically results in a larger layer width because the nozzle is essentially pushing material out of the way.
You will notice that as you go further to the right in the drawing, that your layer may begin to "thin out" because if the nozzle more than a layer height away, the filament "stretches" until it settles on the build plate, resulting in a thinner layer width.
Ideally, your nozzle will be parallel to your build plate at all points along the build space and the "Standoff Distance" will be equal to your layer height. So, you should see the top of your bead of filament at the same height as the bottom of your nozzle. |
Apply / find / create a stainless steel coating to apply to a PETG or PLA part to make it react to a magnet Apply / find / create a stainless steel coating to apply to a PETG or PLA part to make it react to a magnet.
My goal is to make a small tubular and conical shapes that can be painted with a stainless steel coating and will react with a magnet.
I know I can buy iron filled PLA but these rust which I want to avoid. I'm trying to get the magnetic properties of stainless steel (no rusting / reacts to magnets)
I have found videos on how to coat with copper / silver / carbon but I'm looking for stainless steel no rust / magnetic properties.
I'm looking for a "low-cost" solution just for testing. | The surface won't work
The only true-metallic surface treatments I know to be actual metal in large enough amounts to conduct electricity would be leafmetal, akin to leaf gold, and electroplating. However, you can't use the procedures for stainless steels, and even then, the thickness is in the tenth of a µm area and lower. Not only would that be far too thin to adhere a magnet to, it also would be super easy to damage with rubbing.
Filling?
PLA itself does not block magnetism - I have printed a PLA holder for a magnetic GPS device, into which I inserted a simple 0.5 mm steel plate for a magnetic surface with 0.5 mm of PLA acting as the container and seal against water.
If the prints can be done with one end open and no infill or have a dedicated area that a cheap piece of steel can be inserted into, this method can be used too. The only requirement is that there is a cavity on the inside that at some point is accessible. This also can be during the print.
This cavity could either take a piece of shaped steel sheet or be filled with a different magnetic filler, for example, simple iron powder. The powder could be bound in a non-oxidizing polymer, for example, epoxy resin. This method has been used to create cast stators for electro motors. It's not the most efficient, but might work in your application - if your walls are thin enough.
With the correct mixture, such a material can be used to coat or fill the inside with enough magnetic material to give the magnets something to stick to and not rust away - the shell and the resin together would shield the iron from any air that could rust it. Indeed, a quite stuffed Resin-Iron-mix and a strong magnet have been used in 2012 to create furniture by the name of "Gravity Stools" or other art pieces like in this video |
Why is the printed object smaller than original model? I am printing a small cylinder, but when the object is finished, it's smaller than the measures I used when create the model.
I used thincerkad to make a simple model, the measures are:
width: 90 mm
height: 2 mm
After the print was done, the actual dimensions were:
width: 70 mm
height: 2 mm
Pictures
First attempt
The smaller object that's in the drawn circle was the first one printed, the dimensions I used were:
width: 110 mm
height: 2 mm
Then I printed it again, and the result was: | Are you using the stock firmware of your printer? Sounds like to me that you have 16 tooth pulleys and your firmware is set to 20 tooth i.e. 80 steps per mm
The calculation behind the steps per mm is $\frac{\text{Steps per Revolution} \times Microsteps}{Teeth \times Pitch}$. The reason for this is that one revolution of the pulley will move the belt the number of teeth times the pitch of the belt. Now take the total number of steps, Steps per Revolution times microsteps, and divide by the distance moved giving the steps per mm.
In $\underline{most}$ hobby 3D printers you have:
1.8 degrees steppers which equals $\frac{360}{1.8}=200$ steps per revolution , Less common is 0.9 degrees steppers $\frac{360}{0.9}=400$
GT2 is the most common belts now which have a pitch of 2mm
The two most common pulleys are 16 tooth and 20 tooth,
Depending on what stepper drivers and or configuration you have
A4988 $\to$ 16 microsteps
DRV8825 $\to$ 32 microsteps
Trinamic $\to$ 16-256 mircosteps
In your situation I believe you have a 1.8 degree stepper with 16 microsteps, a gt2 belt, and a 16 tooth pulley. Which means your XY steps per mm should be $\frac{200 \times 16}{16 \times 2} = 100$. While your firmware is expecting 20 tooth pulleys, yielding $\frac{200 \times 16}{20 \times 2} = 80$. This would result in your prints being $\frac{100-80}{100} = 20\%$ smaller, which explains your results with the circles.
Generalizing, the steppers, microsteps, and pitch don't matter. To go between 16 tooth pulleys to 20 tooth, multiply by $0.8=\frac{16}{20}$. From 20 tooth to 16 tooth, multiply by $1.25=\frac{20}{16}$. |
Project help, printing a Neopixel enclosure to secure to a car rear windscreen I haven't purchased a 3D printer yet, I've been working on the software and electronics for my project and now I'm about ready to get a printer, haven't decide on which yet.
Recommendations welcome.
My project will put 3 rows of Neopixels on the windscreen of my car, attached to the top inside. I intend to print the container in sections that will slow together.
I want to allow for the curvature of the windscreen in the design of the container and this is my question, I want to design a container that will hold 3 rows of Neopixel strips, thats the easy part, I want the container to fit neatly against the windscreen with no gaps, how do I work out the curve of the windscreen so I can put this onto the enclosure ready for printing?
The enclose will be as wide as the read windscreen and split into printable sections that will slot together for installation.
The car this is going into is an Audi A5 2012. | There's a handy tool for replicating curves that use a series of plastic or metal fingers in a sliding mount. One presses all the fingers to one side, then presses the bracket to the desired surface until all fingers are in contact. The opposite side now represents the measured curve and can be traced into a modeling program.
For your purposes, that is unlikely to work, as the tool is perhaps six inches long, far too short to span your windscreen.
Consider the following:
Attach a string to each edge of the windscreen or wedge a thin rod from one side to the other. This provides you with a straight line reference. Measure as nearly as possible to perpendicular from the reference string to the windscreen surface. I have a laser measuring device that has 1/16" or 1 mm accuracy above certain distance, which would not work well in this case as you approach zero at the edges.
Start in the center, record your measurement, and move an appropriate distance outward. I suggest you need only approximately 20-30 mm spacing as you are collecting points on a curve, which are likely to be relatively uniform and easily reproduced in software.
Your graph now has zero, zero on the left, and say 750 mm, 40 mm on the right, with matching numbers in the middle. On real paper, turn it into a graph, or use a suitable vector editing software such as Inkscape and duplicate it there.
Depending on the shape of your window, you may have to replicate the process at different heights in order to get a proper representation of the curve of the glass.
Once you have the dots, run a Bezier curve through the dots. The resulting like can be extruded or otherwise converted into the segments necessary for your 3D printing project. |
What is the influence of a lower BAUDrate? I am using a BAUDrate of 115200 since I cannot make a connection to my printer with the advised 250000 rate. Are there any downsides or limits I reach earlier given by the lower BAUDrate? | Baud rate is the rate at which information is transferred in a communication channel, given as a number of bits per second (bps). So a baud rate of 250000 is capable of transferring a maximum of 250000 bits per second (31250 bytes/s). When working with serial ports, both ends of the communication line will have to "talk" with the same speed - the same baud rate - to understand each other.
So when using a baud rate of 11520 you will theoretically be limited to transfer data with about half the speed of 25000. If you are transferring large amounts of data, this might be a limiting factor for your application, but if you are not pushing the limits of your serial port, it probably won't matter at all. |
Ender 3 V2 USB connection powers screen, but isn't detected by PC or Pi I am trying to add an Octopi to my Ender 3 V2 but the Pi cannot detect the printer at all. So I try to connect to Windows and same result. The display turns on and is functional, but when checking device manager there is nothing to be found. I am using the 2.0.7 Marlin firmware on the machine and have tried about 6 different USB cables/other ports. | After trying about 10 USB cables I finally found one that would work with the Ender and Pi. Specifically, it was my Logitech MX Ergo USB cable. |
First layer - not even infill I'm using Repetier and Slic3r and it is printing a gap between the perimeter and infill on the first layer.
Also, the infill is lifting (as in photo).
Any advise? | You're not sticking to your bed. Adjust your bed height. You are too far.
Otherwise you are going too fast and or too hot.
Calibrate the bed. Reduce speed. Then adjust temps.
Also could be material contamination
See this link for a visual troubleshooting.
http://reprap.org/wiki/Print_Troubleshooting_Pictorial_Guide
http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23-a-visual-ultimaker-troubleshooting-guide
In addition use some gluestick. That will often solve these issues. Last but not least add a raft if it continues. Or just ignore it. My bet is temp is too hot. I also like to smash my first layer, but not everyone likes that technique as it causes elephant footing. |
What should I pay attention to after taking a 3d printer from extended storage So I have a self build Mendel Reprap style 3d printer.
I've not used it in sometime after moving house but I'm looking to use it again. What should I pay attention to before calibrating and running it again? | The main thing that might have changed is the bed level, so you should level the bed again. If your printer is sufficiently sturdy, this may not even be necessary (but this should become apparent during your first print). The remaining calibration parameters (steps per mm for all axes, PID tuning, etc...) should not have changed.
You should perhaps also check for any bolts/nuts/cables that might have come loose during transport. This is not particularly likely to have happened, unless something was loose to begin with. |
Smooth finish on large parts I would like to print a vase that has a width/length/height footprint of 100x100x200 mm, and the surface finish is of particular interest to me. Ideally, I would like to do a minimum of sanding/XTC-3D coating after printing, if any.
What would be the best material to work with? | From the printer...
Non-post-processed surface smoothness of a print is mainly a function of the Layer height during print: it is smoother if one reduces the height of the steps taken between the layers. A very good FDM machine can achieve down to 0.05 mm layer height, but 0.1 mm is what most hobbyist machines can achieve if well dialed in. SLA printers cure resin in layers down to 25 micron reliably and some can get down to 12.5 micron - a quarter of the best achievable FDM.
Reducing the layer height in FDM comes at the cost of mainly three factors:
Print time increases roughly antiproportional to the layer height. 0.1 mm is about double the print time of 0.2 mm and so on.
The prints tensile strength gets reduced by increasing the number of layers increases, creating additional possible weakpoints.
The thinner the layer, the more susceptible the print is to errors like clogged nozzles or variations of the filament thickness.
SLA printers are not affected by the print strength loss and the errors from clogged nozzles and can print entirely clear material without air inclusions. They are affected by the print time increase though. Usually, SLA prints come out of the vat covered in residual resin and curing them in the proper post-processing method results in this resin smoothing over the surface perfectly.
Simple Postprocessing...
Many prints can easily be post-processed.
Sanding
PLA and ABS can be easily sanded down to somewhat smooth, but you'll need to spend time and muscle grease or go electric. A sander with 300+ grit can help a lot. If you have a rotational body, you could sand the vase on a lathe.
Putty
A plastic putty could be smeared over the stepped surface to smooth it and then sanded smooth. I personally like Valejo plastic putty, as it doesn't shrink, but Tamya putty also is a good alternative, bonding strong.
Primer-Filler
Independent of the base material, using a spray coating can easily fill in the notches and crannies left behind during printing. Printing in 0.15 mm and giving it a short spray coat of primer-filler twice, sanding over rough spots between did a good job of smoothing prints for me.
Vapor Smoothing
If you chose ABS, you could use Acetone vapor to smooth over the surface of a print in almost an instant. This can achieve Super smooth results with tall layer heights, as you practically melt the plastic over, but it comes at the loss of small surface details.
Exposure time is the limiting factor here: the longer the exposure to the acetone vapor, the more the surface is smoothed and the less details remain. Think of exposure time like running the smooth filter in blender once or twice each second.
Similarly, ethylacetate or propylene carbonate could be used for PLA prints, though timing might differ from the well established "a couple of seconds" for acetone vapor. Note that these two chemicals are much more expensive.
Costs
Checking prices, I was quoted about 90 €/l for (chemical grade) Ethyl Acetate and 130 €/l for (chemical grade) Propylene Carbonate via a laboratory supply. Useable Acetone (not chemical grade) comes about 3.70 €/l in home depot. For comparison: chemical-grade Acetone comes with a price tag of about 50 €/l.
Considering that ABS filaments and PLA filaments typically price similarily, ABS+Acetone Vapor is the least costly chemical Vapor smoothing. |
Low Filament Sensor for Creality CR-10? I have been playing with my CR-10 for about a month now and I was wondering if there is a low filament sensor available for the CR10.
I found this listing on Amazon, Creality 3D Printer CR-10 S4 with Filament Monitor Dual Z Rod Screws 400x400x400mm, which is for the larger model which has a built in low filament sensor, and I was wondering if the sensor could be bought separately and installed on my CR-10.
Alternatively, I have had a look around and only found this, XCSOURCE 1.75mm 3D Printer Filament Detection Sensor Module Filament Run Out Pause Monitor for 3D Printer DIY Kit TE720. By looks of it, it needs to be attached to the main board in the control box.
Can anyone tell me if this would be compatible? | TL;DR
You need to have the version 2.x controller board (and the associated CR-10S firmware) to use the filament sensor. If you do not then you will need to upgrade your controller board.
Board Comparison
For an excellent breakdown of the boards, read Creality CR-10 and CR-10S Models – What Printer do you have.
There appear to be two basic model versions of controller board, which use different firmware:
Controller board v1.1.2 (or v1.1.3 with additional filter capacitor) which uses CR-10 firmware. These have a small Atmel ATmega1284P chip, and one Z-axis stepper connector;
Controller board v2.0 (or v2.1 with extra fan ports) which uses CR-10S firmware. These have a large Atmel ATmega2560 chip, and two Z-axis stepper connectors.
See the section Board examples at the bottom of this answer for a visual comparison of the two boards.
It is the v2.x (CR-10S) board that has the filament detector, which uses the X+ endstop connector:
To quote part of the page:
Please make sure you know what printer you have. There are 8 DIFFERENT models from Creality. There are 2 different boards across these models. The easiest way to identify what one you have is if it has a filament sensor or not. If it does then you have a CR-10S machine. If it does not then it is a CR-10.
Just because you have a CR-10 S4 or CR-10 S5 that does NOT make it a CR-10S.
The S4 and S5 sizes come available with either board versions. Again the main way to tell is if you have a filament sensor from Creality or not. Whether you have Dual Z or not does NOT matter. What matters is what board is in the enclosure.
Typically every CR-10S board came with a filament sensor. So if you don’t have a filament sensor then it is the CR-10 and you need use the CR-10 firmware. However we have seen some CR-10 Mini machines ship with CR-10S boards. Use the below pictures of the boards that are in the wild to identify what model you have. The important thing is to use the correct firmware for the board that is in your machine.
Separate upgrade
With respect to the first question, you would be best off contacting Creality directly, via their customer support, to see if the sensor is available separately. This would probably make for the least painful method of implementing the filament sensor.
Alternatively, there is this kit, Creality CR-10S Upgrade Kit, for $120:
Best Upgrade Kit for your Creality CR-10 3D Printer contains Dual Z axis for Stability in 3D Prints & Filament Monitoring Alarm Protection (Sensor) which alerts you when the filament has ran out or broken for Smart 3D Printing
There seems to be a dual-Z option, for an extra $80
Hacked solution
For the second question, the XCSOURCE 1.75mm 3D Printer Filament Detection Sensor Module Filament Run Out Pause Monitor for 3D Printer DIY Kit TE720,
the instructions state that it is designed principally for Lerdge control boards:
Instruction:
When you are using a Lerdge brand motherboard: The green light on the motherboard will turn off when the filament runs out, the
motherboard will stop printing until you supplement the filament and
continue printing. (Please connect to the M-sensor Interface)
When you are using other brand motherboard: The Detection Module uses the level transition detection method. While there still have
filament in the module, the detection port shows as high level; when
there is no filament in the module, the detection port will transform
to low level as "Filament Run Out Command" which will stop the
printing, so you will have time to supplement the filament and
continue printing.
So, it is not particularly clear as to whether it will work with your board - for it to do so, your board would need to have:
A compatible input (i.e. X+ endstop);
The compatible firmware (CR-10S), and;
Use compatible logic levels (i.e. active LOW to shutdown printing).
If not, then given point #2, it would appear to require additional external logic, or microcontroller, to sense the transition to LOW and then shutdown the printer.
For example, this chap on Thingiverse, Cr-10 Filament Sensor Bracket & Tutorial, states that they bought a sensor off eBay, that looks similar, and they provide a printable mount and instructions on how to use it with a CR-10. However, it is not a standalone affair as shown in the CR-10 S4 - because an additional Raspberry Pi and OctoPrint is required.
To use this particular sensor with your board, you would need to:
See if which controller board you have - either the CR-10 or the CR-10S compatible board (see Board Comparison above). If it is the CR-10S therefore it has the compatible input (X+ endstop), and firmware, needed for the filament sensor,
Enable the use of the sensor, if necessary, in the firmware (either by the UI if possible or uploading new firmware) and;
Check whether the CR-10 controller board uses active LOW to detect a lack of filament (or again, this may be a UI, or firmware, setting)
You could test this last point yourself, by applying a LOW level voltage (i.e. grounding) to X+ endstop input on the control board (after checking the UI/firmware for appropriate settings), and see if that halts/pauses the print. If not, try a HIGH level (5 V). If it is active HIGH then you simply need to use an inverter (i.e. 4069), between the sensor and the X+ endstop connector.
Board examples
There are two principle board options, v1.x and v2.x, the latter has dual Z stepper motor connectors and the former does not .For example:
Version 1.x, for CR-10 firmware - Motherboard Controller DIY Creality 3D® CR-10 / CR-10S 3D Printer CR-10 Upgrade Control Board12V (CR-10S Mainboard)
Version 2.x (2.1 in this case) with Dual Z stepper connectors, for CR-10S firmware - Luxnwatts CR-10S Mainboard Replacement Controller Board Upgrade V2.1 Motherboard For Creality S4 S5 3D Printer |
Is possible print this level of detail? I'm new at 3D Printing. I made a model of what I want to print using blender, but it's really small with a little system that must be very precise to work.
What I have is like a hollow cylinder with a diameter of 11mm, and a thickness of 1mm. This goes inside a counter part, that is carve with the cylinder shape, but with a little extra gap so it can rotate like an axis. Maybe this picture explains better:
And this should be the front view of the counter part:
So, I need to know if it's possible to print that cylinder hard enough to work as an axis. And what should be the gap size between the cylinder and the counter part's hole to rotate properly? If it's is like 0.05mm, can I print that level of detail with a 3D printer too?
What hardware and material should I use to do this?
Thanks in advance.
Sorry for bad english, I hope you understand!
EDIT:
(6mm is the depth of the hole) | It is definitively possible to do what you want, but your questions are samewhat problematic:
So, I need to know if it's possible to print that cylinder hard enough to work as an axis.
"hard enough" is a mysterious quantity. What is the intended application? The load of the axis, the rotation speed, the medium in which the part will be in, its operating temperature... they all affect the answer.
And what should be the gap size between the cylinder and the counter part's hole to rotate properly?
Reading at the question and the comments, I think you may have the wrong representation model in your mind. There are four different concepts at work here:
Accuracy is the maximum dimensional variation between parts.
Tolerance is the amount of random deviation or variation permitted for a given dimension.
Allowance is a planned difference between a nominal or reference value and an exact value.
Clearance is the intentional space between two parts.
So: what you want to achieve for the object to rotate is to have at least some clearance once you have the parts printed. Therefore, you want to design your part with an allowance which is at least as much as the accuracy.
Note that a machine cannot produce parts with a tighter tolerance than its accuracy. So you must design your part with a tolerance equal or greater than your printer accuracy.
The correct number will therefore be entirely dependant from the specific printer you will be using. You can find out the specific accuracy of a printer by printing a tolerance test (I know, I know... why isn't it called "accuracy test"?)
See this unrelated answer - from wich I took the above definitions - for learning more about the above and a concrete example.
If it's is like 0.05mm, can I print that level of detail with a 3D printer too?
I hope it is now clear why this question makes no sense: clearance is a variable which depends from accuracy (and the application), not the other way around.
I can't add so much gap because I have really limited space
This comment too is incorrect: the "gap" (clearance) can be very very small. You have to have the correct allowance in your design, and allowance will not intrinsically make a part larger.
What hardware and material should I use to do this?
Again: this is entirely dependent from your application (load, operating temperature, orientation, speed...)
A consumer-grade FDM printer (easy accessible, cheap and cheap to operate) will allow you to print a rotating part, a SLA/DLP printer (less common, toxic resins, more expensive to operate) will allow to print the same part with different materials and tighter tolerances...
I don't worry about breaking, but it cannot be flexible
Again: without an explanaton of the intended use (or the numbers associated to it) it's impossible to answer this comment conclusively. Resins tend to harden to more rigid solids, but you have thrown around tolerances as small as 0.05mm in your writing, and over 12mm of axis, that is a deviation of less than 0.5% from "perfectly straight". I'm hard pressed to think you will find a printable material with such a rigidity. |
Replacing RAMPS 1.4 for 1.6 During the assembly of my printer, I accidentally shorted the RAMPS 1.4 board, looking for a replacement I found the RAMPS 1.6 which would eliminate the need for a MOSFET power module.
My question is, could I simply replace the RAMPS 1.4 for the 1.6 or should I make any other modification?
My printer is a Prusa i3 Graber Clone running Marlin | RAMPS 1.6 is very similar to RAMPS 1.4. Most, if not all, of the changes are hardware improvements, without making the core functionality different. Looking at the incremental changes between versions:
To quote from RepRapWiki: RAMPS 1.5
The RAMPS 1.5 is a variation of the popular RAMPS boards that, like
all other RAMPS boards, is plugged into an Arduino Mega for operation.
The layout of the RAMPS 1.5 is virtually identical to that of the
RAMPS 1.4. The only real difference between the two are the MOSFETs
and the fuses.
To quote from RepRapWiki: RAMPS 1.6
The RAMPS 1.6 is the second RAMPS iteration released by
BIQU/BIGTREETECH. It replaces the original green power connector with
a pair of screw terminals, adds a larger heatsink over the MOSFETS,
and has a larger bed MOSFET. It maintains the surface-mounted fuses
and flush MOSFETS of the RAMPS 1.5.
Also, the positions of the D1 and D2 diodes have been swapped from the
positions in RAMPS 1.4, the D1 diode is now the diode closest to fuse
F2. The same is true for RAMPS 1.5, also manufactured by
BIQU/BIGTREETECH.
So, in short, yes, the RAMPS 1.6 should be a direct plug in replacement for the RAMPS 1.4.
That said, you may be able to salvage your RAMPS 1.4, if you can locate the part that has given up the "magic smoke". It could just be a blown capacitor, or diode. There have been a number of questions relating to that, so it might be worth searching for answers here, on SE.3DP1.
It is probably also worth reading RAMPS 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6?
Additional links
An interesting video, where a variety of RAMPS 1.4 boards are compared, is the first of a series, RAMPS series 1 of 5 - Intro and board comparisons - although beware the loud music...
There is also a RAMPS 1.6 Plus, and a RAMPS 1.4.2 which might be worth considering. I wrote up about these, briefly, (disclosure) in my personal blog, a couple of years ago: 3D Printer control boards.
Footnote
1 Such as How drastic is reversing the polarity of the power supply to a RAMPS board?, which might be relevant in your case. |
Ender 3 displaying wrong temperatures for hotend and bed I've had issues with my hot end and decided to replace the whole assembly with this. After the replacement, my printer started reading about 135/185 °C for the hot end and bed are both at room temperature. It also gives the "Heating Failed" error message. Printer halted when I tried to heat it.
Things I've tried:
Checked the wiring, the thermistors are reading about 110k and 10k at end of the wires.
Tried updating the firmware with a few different thermistor settings. Only the static (dummy) ones worked (reading a static value of 25/100 °C)
Tried with old thermistor and reading stayed at 135/185 °C.
I'm suspecting something wrong with the motherboard but was hoping I could figure out what's wrong before going ahead and buying a new board. Would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions.
In troubleshooting the issue, I tried disconnecting one/both of the thermistors at a time and the reading stayed unchanged. Now thinking I might've somehow broken the board when I was disassembling it.
Upon receiving a new motherboard, that fixed the bed temperature reading. The hot end is now reading -14 °C with the thermistor plugged/unplugged. Took the resistances on the old and new hot end thermistors and couldn't get reading from either. So turned out both the stock motherboard and my hot end thermistors were not working. Ordered new thermistors and that should fix the problem. | I got my printer fixed and am posting steps I took for people with similar problems in the future.
Initial problem:
After I replaced my entire heating unit and reconnected the wires, my printer started to read about 135/185 °C for the nozzle and bed at room temperature. It gives the "Heating failed, printer halted, please reset" error when I tried to heat the hot end and bed.
Troubleshooting steps:
Checked the resistance of the thermistors. Both the hot end and bed were about 100k.
Reflashed Marlin with different thermistor settings. Only the static (dummy) ones worked (reading a static value of 25/100 °C). All the other settings were giving very high readings at room temperature.
Replaced the mainboard. This fixed the bed reading but hot end was still not working. Checked the hot end thermistor again at this point and couldn't get any values, which suggests the thermistor wire was broken somewhere.
Replaced the hot end thermistor and that fixed all the issues.
So what I think happened was that I messed up the board when I was reconnecting the heating unit. Then at some point after I first measured the thermistor resistance, the hot end thermistor broke. Replaced the thermistor and that solved the issue. |
How to fill these squares easily I have an array with holes that I have to fill with different materials. My question is there is an easy way to fill them directly? I tried array, array draft and it is annoying to adjust them. In Blender, it easy to select the vertices and fill. Maybe it is a stupid question, but I am not really an expert. | If you are asking for print then it is yes with FDM (fused deposition modeling) with multiple extrusion you can fill with different material easily. But if you are trying to change the material in your digital design then you need to work on every hole in the array, especially with FreeCAD. If you find any, please update here. |
Photon S DLP first layers adhere but support will not Recently I changed the FEP bottom of my Anycubic Photon S and I'm having problems with prints now. The bottom layer sticks super well, but none of the supports or the prints do.
I've tried tensioning the vat, releveling, and changed supports of the structure. Nothing works and I don't know how to proceed.
I also tried tightening all of the screws on the build plate, but still errors.
I'm using Anycubic black resin, 8 bottom layers at 90 seconds, 7 second exposure with 2 seconds off.
The image shows a failed print example: | I finally reached out to anycubic and their tech support answered and was awesome!
They had me update the firmware, tighten the fep film more ( instead of using the small lever I used the big lever this time), then level the bed again. I printed their test print and it worked!
After that I looked at their parameters and I saw that mine were very different. The main differences was in the lift distance, speed and retract speed. I only had 1 mm lift distance and much slower.
Here are the correct ones in the end |
How to print an overhanging arc I am designing a part that has to clamp around a 11mm bushing, and due to other design constraints, it has to be printed with a semicircle-shaped overhang:
This is proving very challenging to print. Two copies of this part have to clamp tightly around the bushing in all directions. Support material is rather hard to remove from the very top of the arc (where the overhang angle is the highest) and I often end up removing just too little of the support material (so the part doesn't fit around the bushing) or too much (and the bushing can wobble around).
Is there any way I can modify the design of this part (bearing in mind that it absolutely has to be printed in this orientation) to make it more tolerant of my inaccuracy when removing supports, or is there perhaps some way to manually design supports that are easier to remove (Simplify3D and Cura both don't quite cut it)? | You could modify it as shown in my picture. I added lines tangent to the 11mm circle and in this example I set them to a 40 degree overhang which should be fine, the top line is also tangent to the circle and in my experience it's easier to bridge a small section rather than do a bunch of small overhangs like an arc would do. You still end up with quite a bit of contact but also easy to print.
I did something similar to this on my printer where the smooth rods enter horizontal holes. |
BLTouch missing build plate on levelling I have finally sorted the problems out with the frozen screen, but inevitably there's always more to take there place.
I have installed the latest version of the 'Tiny Machines' Firmware but on trying to do a 'Level' on the bed the nozzle/BLTouch sensor moves to the front left corner and tries to take a 'level' reading whilst the BLTouch sensor is 20 mm off the build surface, so the nozzles hits the build surface.
Can anyone point me in the right direction to where the settings are to correct this?
I have an E3D v6 HotEnd and to the left of that is the BLTouch Sensor (60 mm to the left and 6 mm forward). | Tiny Machines firmware is based on Marlin firmware. Note that I personally am more comfortable using the original sources than a fork or copy from another derivative source. Using a derivative means that you will have to wait a second development commitment to post new features and bug fixes.
A similar reasoning is applicable using premade hex files opposed to compiling the sources yourself.
There are 2 things (related to the bed X, Y positioning) you need to be aware of when using a Z probe. When using the probe you must ensure that the probe deploys on the bed during probing.
First, define in your firmware that the probe can only deploy in the center of the build plate. In e.g. Marlin firmware this is described in the configuration.h; you need to enable Z_SAFE_HOMING:
// Use "Z Safe Homing" to avoid homing with a Z probe outside the bed area.
//
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING
Second, you need to define a confined bed area for the sensor to deploy, this is described in question: "How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?".
Note that flashing an existing firmware does not guarantee anything, the used firmware from Tiny Machines (or e.g. from TH3D) try to simplify the firmware configuration for you by adding additional specific settings/constants (#defines), underneath the waterline all sorts of things are then handled for you. Personally I'd like to be in control and do the modifications myself. If the probe position you use is different from the probe position used in the pre-build firmware you will not be able to use this firmware safely. We can check this: e.g. in the Tiny Machines firmware there are 3 predefined positions for the sensor, in the sources itself none is active (see below), so it is not known which option is used for compiling the hex files they made available:
//#define CREALITY_ABL_MOUNT //Using creality ABL mount
//#define E3D_DUALFAN_MOUNT // Using HD Modular mount as above with 2 5015 blowers and sensor on the right
//#define E3D_PROBEMOUNT_LEFT // Default is probe mounted to the right for E3D. Set this to invert.
When you define one of these options above, the probe position can be read from:
#if (ANY(ABL_BLTOUCH, ABL_EZABL,ABL_NCSW) && ANY(HotendE3D, HotendMosquito))
#if ENABLED(E3D_DUALFAN_MOUNT)
#if ENABLED(E3D_PROBEMOUNT_LEFT)
#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { -63, 5, 0 }
#else
#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { 63, 5, 0 }
#endif
#else
#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { 32, 5, 0 }
#endif
#endif
You will see that the E3D_PROBEMOUNT_LEFT and E3D_DUALFAN_MOUNT need to be active (you see that E3D_PROBEMOUNT_LEFT is embedded in the E3D_DUALFAN_MOUNT option, this cannot be correct...) to get a probe offset of (-63, +5) which is close to your probe (60 mm to the left and 6 mm forward translates to (-60, +6)). This is exactly why I use the Marlin firmware from the main source code, not a simplified derivative (which in this case is not accurate and unknown what options are used in the pre-build hex files).
Please note that the original Marlin sources also maintain configuration files for many printer types, e.g. the CR-10S is also listed in this overview. |
Part cooling fan on when printing TPU? I could have sworn I read somewhere that when printing with TPU to make sure the part cooling fan is blowing. But I just did a quick Googling and couldn't find anything stating such on Matter Hackers or All3dp.
I currently don't have a part cooling fan attached (waiting for square nuts to come in). I've been able to get by printing PLA without the fan. I'm curious if this is going to be a major obstacle with TPU. | You'll probably be fine printing TPU with no fan. I just started printing with TPU, and did a lot of test prints to find out what settings work. Fan made little difference. With hotend at 230 °C, which I started out with, 0-20% fan was fine. I eventually increased temperature to 250 °C, which made extrusion more consistent and allowed me to reduce linear advance K-factor somewhat, and at that temperature having a bit more fan (I'm using 40% now) seems to help the material hold its shape, but it mainly made a difference at higher print speeds (over 35 mm/s) where the motion of the nozzle was "pulling on" the still-very-soft material just extruded. At 30 mm/s and below, fan still doesn't seem very important.
All of this is likely to vary somewhat with the properties of your machine. However I think it's safe to say you should be able to find a combination of print speed and temperature that make it possible to get by with no fan.
Follow-up: Upon further experimentation with TPU, I would say you really don't want any fan at all, except possibly for bridges. I've found significant distortion to shape just from air pressure from the fan, and at higher speeds the fan makes the print brittle just like what happens with PETG. Layers of TPU really seem to want time to melt together to bond, and without a fan blowing on them they don't seem to lose their shape during that time. |
Levelling heads for dual extruder I upgraded to a dual Mk9 extruder, and quickly discovered how critical it is to get the ends of both nozzles exactly level with each other -- that is, equally distant from the build plate at all times. Otherwise the lower one will crash against the plastic just extruded by the higher one.
So, what's a good procedure for getting the nozzles accurately level? About all I've figure out is to move the heads down close to Z=0, and then run X and Y back and forth and eyeball and adjust; then move even closer to Z=0 and repeat. Is there a better / more efficient way? | Make sure that the bed is level. As the saying goes, a level bed is next to godliness or something like that. Pay extra attention to the direction the nozzles are offset by (if one nozzle is offset on the X-axis, pay extra attention to the bed leveling along the X-axis). This can be done with just one nozzle and a business card or piece of paper.
Use a bubble level to get the nozzles about right. Move your z-axis up a bit and put a bubble level against the nozzles. Adjust as necessary so it's exactly level. The nozzles should be level enough that the bubble stays in the middle.
Fine-tune it with a business card. When you home the z- axis, you should be able to just fit a business card under both nozzles with a moderate amount of resistance. Don't force the card. If sliding the business card under produces a different amount of resistance for one nozzle than for another, adjust the nozzle a tiny amount. You can also use an index card or playing card.
Once it passes the card test, try a test print. If it doesn't work, make sure your bed is level, your nozzle offset is correct in the slicing software, and try calibrating with an index card again. If the nozzles become way off, try the bubble level again.
As for physically adjusting the level, another answer suggests shims made from aluminum foil, which work well. Personally, my extruder was off-level by almost exactly 1mm, so a pair of washers worked nicely for that.
Happy printing!
Leveling with a bubble: |
What are the most common 3D printing file formats? What are the most common 3D printing file formats, and which one is more effective or used more than others? | 3D-Model Exchange Files
The most common file formats to exchange models for 3D printing are STL, OBJ, FBX, COLLADA, 3DS, IGES, STEP, and VRML/X3D.
Of these, STL, OBJ, AMF, and 3MF are the most popular formats according to All3DP. Pointing out which is the best is a subjective interpretation and not fit for SE sites. However, for many of the model sharing sites, like e.g. Thingiverse.com, many people share the STL file format.
STL file format is short for “stereolithography” and is a 3D rendering that is containing a single color.
OBJ file format, this format stores information about your 3D model. It encodes surface geometry of your 3D model and is also able to store color and even texture information.
AMF file format stands for Additive Manufacturing File Format, this is a relative new format for 3D printing based on an XML open standard. Like OBJ it can store color information. When compressed, the size can be reduced significantly to about half the size of STL files.
3MF file format stands for 3D Manufacturing Format. It is also a relatively new file format that aims to be a new standard for additive manufacturing. According to the 3MF consortium, it allows higher inter-operability between 3D modeling software and other applications, services, platforms, and printers.
Actual Printing Files
In the end, all these formats store the models of your products which eventually need to be transformed into 3D printer understandable instructions. These instructions are called G-code commands.
Lately I also noted that Ultimaker Cura stores sliced models in GZ file format for my Ultimaker 3 Extended, which is a compressed archive from the GZIP compression utility containing the actual G-code file. |
Inconsistent inner/outer dimensions Using CuraEngine with my Ender 3, I'm getting what I'd call inconsistent inner and outer dimensions - for example, a nominally 3 mm peg is significantly larger than a 3 mm hole, and it takes dimensions something like 2.9 mm for the peg and 3.1 mm for the hole to get them to fit. Is this level of error normal? Is it caused by overextrusion, or does CuraEngine run its paths along the curve of the slice rather than offset by approximately half the nozzle width inside the sliced region? The magnitude of the error being almost exactly 0.2 mm, which is half of the 0.4 mm nozzle diameter, makes me wonder if it's the latter. | Filament expands slightly as it is extruded. Also, the width of the extrusion depends on the volume of plastic extruded (not the nozzle size), as well as the amount that it is "squidged" down. Some slicers (e.g. Simplify3D) allow you to specify the width of the extrusion that you desire, but I'm not sure if Cura does this. You can fine tune the width of extrusions by adjusting the flow rate. Note that apertures get larger as nozzles wear out, but this should not affect the width of the extrusion very much since the determining factor is volumetric flow rate.
I would say that if you are getting a dimensional accuracy of +/- 0.1mm, you are doing pretty well. If you want to improve on this, you will need to calibrate your extruder and also monitor closely the average diameter of the filament that you are using. I have included a link to an external article, since doing this is beyond the scope of my answer. However, I doubt if it is possible to get push-fit accuracy with FDM printing without fudging the dimensions of the objects that you want to print.
3D Hubs: How to calibrate, tune and fine tune your printer and filament |
How do I set the G-code buffer size on Marlin? I am reconfiguring a Printrbot Simple Metal that has been retrofitted with a RAMPS+Arduino Mega running Marlin, with a fairly slow feedrate due to mechanical and quality limitations.
I am finding that upon cancelling a print where something goes wrong, I have a long period of time in which the printer is continuing to print from the G-code and movement buffer, although the host software (Octoprint) has long stopped sending G-code.
Is there a way I can either a) configure Marlin to have a smaller print buffer (since Octoprint has no trouble keeping up with the printer as it stands) or b) send a particular signal or G-code to the printer that stops it without continuing to read buffer contents? | Marlin does allow one to change the size of the buffers, in Configuration_adv.h. In the current version there's an ifdef that switches between two cases, one with SD support, and the other without. Both have a movement planner of size 16, which can be adjusted.
Additionally, in the same file, BUFSIZE can be changed to modify the size of the buffer storing unparsed commands before they are parsed and enter the movement planner buffer.
Additionally, for some firmwares, M112 will immediately shut down the printer, no matter what is in the buffer, but the reset button will need to be used, and the axes will not be homed afterward. In Marlin, it's hardcoded to call kill(). |
Why some corners aren't sticked well? Is this a leveling problem? or it's because the bed temperature isn't equal in everywhere?
If it's because of leveling, it means the distance between nozzle and bed in this not-sticked corners are lot and should be decrease?
EDIT: material is ABS, and it's recommended temp is 190-230/80-100. But I use Cura high quality ABS default settings with 225/80. (But I had this problem with PLA with 190/60 degrees too)
EDIT2: I have a cooling fan for my Arduino/ramps board. But there was a wire between it's blades and it didn't work. today I saw it and tried to fix but it's plastic duct broke. So I tried to put it by hand as how it's air can cool both the Electronics boars and the bed(you can see my fan in one of the pics in left side). And I got a nice printing results for the same part printing:
So the cooling fan for printing part is very important to stick print to bed and I will print a duct for extra fan very soon! | You can clearly print but there are also some problems it seems.
To see if you're about okay when it comes to leveling, I recommend to activate the 'skirt' in your slicer soft. Slic3r has it and I think most others too, it just makes the printer do a big one-layer all-around 'perimeter' around what is going to be printed before starting. You'll see quickly if there is not enough or too much space between the bed and the nozzle. You might catch other problems too (I love it because when the hotend drips a bit when leveling it get's smeared out far away from where the print is going to happen).
Your print looks like it is not optimal (overextrusion? no print-cooling? ...) so start with slowing down, first layer 20-25mm/s (Look at it when it's printed, it's very telling!). Then for the following ones, don't go over 40-50mm/s for starters.
Last but not least, you are printing ABS (but you said you had the problem with PLA too, hence my post), I have never printed ABS but for what I have read, you'll need a heatbed and a heated chamber(enclosed printer) to not have this kind of problems.
But for PLA especially; If you have a heat bed, don't put on too much heat when printing, I went from 60°C to 50°C, first layer, 30° then, and my prints now stick like they are melded onto my plate instead of skidding around. |
My 3D printer hotend always jams I've just built my first 3D printer. It uses a Bowden setup.
When I try to print the extruder starts fine, but after a few seconds the extruder motor start skipping and the nozzle is jammed.
I tried a cold pull, but it didn't help. I removed the PTFE tube and tried to push the filament with my hand, it works but at the start I need the push harder but after it flows fine. But if I reinstall the Bowden setup, it works fine for a few minutes, but after a few seconds it starts again.
Note I am using silver PLA at 200-205 °C. I tried to raise the temperature to 215 °C, but it also jammed, and the filament what after I pushed out was black (it is a new hotend and I never used black filament before), like it was burned (if it is possible). | Extruder clogging is, at its root, a matter of too much backpressure at the hotend. There are a number of more specific causes, but it very simply comes down to the fact that the printer cannot feed the filament through the hotend as fast as the extruder is pushing it in.
Things to check, pretty much in the order they should be checked/performed for a brand-new printer:
Extruder stepper calibration. With new printers based on RepRap firmware (Enders, Prusas, pretty much any printer in the \$200-\$400 range these days), one of the first things you have to do after assembly is to calibrate your E-stepper (the motor that drives filament through the extruder). The printer is given commands based on millimeters of movement, including the feeding of filament, and it has to translate those into finite steps of the motors. If those steps don't actually move the extruder or the filament as much as expected, the printer will behave poorly, including clogging. E-stepper calibration is pretty easy, especially on Bowden extruders; you basically disconnect the Bowden tube at either end, load filament through the stepper, cut it off flush with the end of the tube or the coupling, then tell the printer to extrude 100 mm of filament. Cut it off flush again and measure, and if it's not 100 mm, look for a command beginning with M92 in your printer configuration (it can be in the settings of your actual printer or a configuration script in your slicer software that gets tacked on to the front of the G-code files generated for use with that printer), and adjust the value you see after the E in that command by multiplying it by 100, then dividing by the millimeters of filament actually extruded in the test. Rinse and repeat until the printer is feeding the amount of fil you tell it to.
Bed height/leveling. This may not sound like it has anything to do with extruder clogs, but in truth, if your extruder is too close to the print bed at any point during the first layer, it can very easily clog the extruder by not allowing enough material to flow out the nozzle to keep up with what's being fed in. Bed leveling is a key step in print prep, and every printer behaves best with subtle changes to the bed leveling procedure. My guess is that you need to re-level for a slightly higher "zero-Z" above the build plate. If you're using the sheet-of-paper method, either use a thicker piece of paper, or go for less friction as you pass the paper between the nozzle and build plate.
Nozzle diameter settings. The standard nozzle tip diameter is 0.4 mm, however there are others. Your slicer probably expects the standard diameter as a default, so if you're running a 0.3, 0.2 or 0.1 mm nozzle for finer detail, the slicer has to be told that so it can adjust the filament feed rate. Otherwise it'll be jamming up to 16 times as much filament into that hotend as it should be. This isn't likely to be your problem but it's something to check; most extruder nozzles these days have the tip diameter engraved or pressed into the side of the nozzle, and if yours is unlabeled, try heading to the local music store and buying a single 0.013" guitar string (typically sold as a high E for acoustics). If that wire end easily fits through the extruder nozzle, you have a 0.4 mm, if it does not, it's something smaller.
Extruder clog/obstruction. That guitar string I mentioned makes a really good extruder cleaner. Just feed it through the extruder tip and gently push it up through the hotend till it pops out the top of the extruder, then feed it back and forth a bit to "floss" the extruder tip, cleaning out any minor carbon buildup. If you can't feed the wire completely through the extruder body from either direction, that's probably your problem, and fixes range anywhere from a little more pressure with the wire, to a narrow drill bit carving out the obstruction, up to removing the entire heat block from the printer, putting it on or in something that won't burn, and blasting it with a soldering torch to burn out the obstruction, followed (after letting it cool) by a bath in some acetone to dissolve any remaining gunk.
Gunked-up extruder hobb. The toothed wheel attached to the extruder stepper is called the "hobb" (you may hear it called a gear, but it's really not one as it doesn't mesh with another gear). As the printer feeds filament, especially if you've had jamming problems, the hobb's teeth will fill with shavings from the filament it feeds through. This can cause the hobb to slip against the filament, which not only reduces the pressure of the filament being pushed through the extruder, it accelerates the accumulation of gunk on the hobb. A short blast of canned air is usually all you need to clean the hobb; if it still looks pretty caked up, a toothbrush will sort it out. While you're at it, check the idler to be sure it's still spinning freely.
Filament type/brand/age. You mentioned it's "silver PLA"; the silver stuff I have is actually a "silk PLA" product, that sheathes the PLA in a jacket of another plastic (often PET) for that high-gloss appearance. These kinds of filaments can be very temperamental, as can filaments with glitter or fiber aggregate in them (also common in metallic fil colors). You have to have the printer settings dialed in just right, and some of these products just don't work well at all in some printers. Try getting some very basic, brand-name PLA filament like Hatchbox, ColorFabb, MatterHackers, MakerBot, etc, in a good primary color (avoid black or white; the color saturation affects how easily the stuff extrudes at a given temp), no silk finish or other modification. If that prints well, the suspect becomes the silver fil.
Extruder temperature. You're printing at 200-205 °C, which is usually good, but if you're getting problems, the first thing to do with PLA is to try printing cooler, not hotter. Case in point, getting PLA too hot can cause it to fully melt and drizzle out (vacating the extruder and causing it to overheat the fil further up, jamming the melt tube), it can gum up (directly clogging the extruder nozzle), and it can carbonize (as you see it doing at 215). If you're already flirting with burning your PLA at 10 degrees hotter, you are probably running too hot. Try backing off to 195 or 190 and see if that helps any. |
Cura Parameter Confusion: Initial Layer Flow Rate I have a LultzBot TAZ 6 3D printer and the software I use for my prints is "Cura LulzBot Edition - 3.6.3". Recently, I have begun to play around with the parameters in Cura relating to initial layer adhesion. One such parameter is the Initial Layer Flow Rate.
Now, after manipulating this parameter several times and evaluating the pieces that have been printed subsequently, it seems quite apparent to me that a manipulation in this parameter is affecting all subsequent layers that are printed.
For example, if I increase the Initial Layer Flow Rate from the default setting of 100 % to 130 %, layer 2, layer 3,...layer n all appear to be printed at at a flow rate of 130 % resulting in prints that are clearly "overextruded" (e.g. the finished surfaces are incredibly uneven, bumpy, etc).
Similarly, if I decrease the Initial Layer Flow Rate from the default setting 100 % to 70 %...all subsequent layers are clearly underextruded (e.g. walls are not connected at all and floor/ceiling have visible gaps).
Why is this happening? Directly above the Initial Layer Flow Rate parameter is a parent setting that is simply named "Flow". (refer to below picture)
Do I need to manipulate flow in order to avoid this from happening?
All I want to do is change exclusively the initial layer's flow rate (for better adhesion on larger pieces)...but my current method is not accomplishing this. Any suggestions?
$\color{red}{\text{EDIT}}$ - After reading the comments, I just wanted to clarify that I have let my parts "be printed to completion". The obersvations that I am making about underextrusion or overextrusion are in reference to the total structure (not just the first several layers). These are large structures (~12 hour prints). | If you're over- or under-extruding by a 30% margin, there is going to be so much excess or deficiency of material in the first layer that it will take a few layers to "catch up". Normally you would only adjust the flow by 5% or at most 10% unless you're using it to correct for compression of the filament in the extruder gear (for flexible filaments), but adjusting first layer flow only is always a hack to work around incorrect bed height or adhesion problems. You'd do much better to figure out the right solution to whatever problem you're trying to solve with flow. |
3D print retouch with soldering iron Does anyone have any information about using a soldering iron to fix and retouch 3D prints?
On the market, for example, we can find Modifi3D pen. Why has nobody created a simple soldering tip for this use?
I have a TS100 soldering iron which has great temperature control and I think it would be perfect for this use.
Does anyone think it's a bad idea? | I have used a standard soldering iron to modify and fix 3D prints in the past. You have to keep some things in mind when doing so:
Don't overheat your material. PLA can take a soldering iron of about 230 °C before charring.
Don't use a tip with solder, or you will get grey deposits in the plastic.
Round tips or flat tips both work fine, but you want to not dump too much heat into the model or you start to deform the print as it needs to cool again.
Using snippets from the end of the spool for soldering is a good way to recycle the "waste". |
Has anyone used a Shield Buddy (en lieu of a Arduino Mega2560) as the RAMPS 1.4 host board? I have read a few times1 that the Arduino Mega can struggle to perform the tasks required for 3D printer control, as the AVR chip is working at its limits, and this is why some manufacturers have moved away from the ATmega2560, to make custom (and integrated) controller boards using ARM processors.
Having just seen the latest answer to this question, Multithreading with the Arduino, on the Arduino SE site, I wondered if anyone had used a Shield Buddy in conjunction with the standard RAMPS 1.4 board?
It is pin for pin compatible with the Arduino Mega (and Arduino IDE compatible - once the appropriate add-ons have been installed), but it has a much faster three core processor. Obviously only one core would be used, leaving the other two idling, but even so the performance is apparently much better.
See Bringing Multicore To The Arduino World With ShieldBuddy TC275.
If anyone has experience of using this board, I would like to know whether it was successful or not? I don't see why it should not, although the Marlin firmware would need recompiling, for the Aurix TC275 processor. Would any improvement be seen? Is it worth paying the high price tag of £89?
1 One of the places was 3D Printering: Electronics boards:
While they work for what they’re intended to do, there are a few
limitations. Arcs and circles are a little weird to program, and using
these boards for something other than a cartesian 3D printer – a CNC
machine, or a laser cutter, for example – is a bit out of the
ordinary. | It's not quite as simple as you would suggest.
You can't just recompile Marlin for another device. You'd need to rewrite large parts of it. It may be compatible with the Arduino IDE, but that doesn't mean you can just run firmware intended for the AtMega2560 on it. All the timings (e.g. those of the pulses sent to the stepper motors) would be off, if you managed to get it to compile at all.
As some examples, here are some pieces of code from Marlin that would be broken, as they're written directly in AVR assembly:
#define DELAY_1_NOP __asm__("nop\n\t")
#define DELAY_2_NOP __asm__("nop\n\t" "nop\n\t")
[...]
// ensure 100ns delay - a bit extra is fine
asm("nop");//50ns on 20Mhz, 62.5ns on 16Mhz
asm("nop");//50ns on 20Mhz, 62.5ns on 16Mhz
[...]
#define MultiU24X32toH16(intRes, longIn1, longIn2) \
asm volatile ( \
"clr r26 \n\t" \
"mul %A1, %B2 \n\t" \
"mov r27, r1 \n\t" \
"mul %B1, %C2 \n\t" \
"movw %A0, r0 \n\t" \
"mul %C1, %C2 \n\t" \
"add %B0, r0 \n\t" \
"mul %C1, %B2 \n\t" \
"add %A0, r0 \n\t" \
"adc %B0, r1 \n\t" \ |
Missing print steps in e-waste 3d printer I'm trying to create a 3D printer based on this instructable, EWaste 60$ 3DPrinter.
I have followed the steps provided there, and I'm facing the problem that the x-axis isn't able to move, i.e. the motor works fine but the z-axis part which is connected to x-axis doesn't move left and right. I have tried the following already:
Changed the design of 3d printer by attaching x-axis with y-axis and leaving z-axis separately
I gave a little force to the z-axis part and it starts to move left and right.
Any help on this would be appreciated! | Firstly, the X-axis should not be attached to the Y-axis.
Secondly, with respect to the Z-axis not being moved by the X-axis, it sounds like the X-axis stepper either:
is dead, or;
does not have sufficient power to move.
I would suggest removing the Z-axis from the X-axis CD carriage, in order to reduce the mass and therefore the power required to move it, and test the X-axis in isolation. If it moves left and right correctly, then it is not dead (obviously). If it does not move, then try adjusting (increasing) the current to the stepper motor, by adjusting the EasyDriver (assuming that you are using an EasyDriver stepper motor controller):
If it still does not move, then replace the stepper (or the whole X-axis CD-ROM drive, which is probably easier).
Then replace the Z-axis and test the X-axis movement again. If it does not move then the stepper does not have sufficient power, or strength, to move the mass of the Z-axis and, again, will probably require increasing the current to it, by adjusting the EasyDriver (as above):
If that does not help, then it will probably need need replacing.
If it does move, then you've fixed it.
Addendum
Having re-read your question, you state that the X-axis stepper motor works fine. So, it could be that the mechanism to which the stepper motor is attached is broken (teeth, gears, etc.) and not moving the CD carriage correctly. Again, remove the Z-axis and check the mechanics of the X-axis.
If they are damaged, then you will probably need to replace the CD-ROM drive that was used for the X-axis. |