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Brim around just one section I'm looking to print this item:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4274950
I want to lay it flat on the bed, 90° to how it's shown on Thingiverse. The problem is there's the one little corner on the end of the piece. When placed flat, this corner makes one side of arch. During the print, this section will build up to have much more material up in the air over a relatively small contact point, until the archway is connected.
I'm worried the section will shake loose from the bed. Is it possible to tell Cura to put a brim around just this section, and not the whole piece?
If I have to, I can edit the model the include 0.13 mm thick section there as part of the file. But I'd prefer to slice for this. | I don't know a way to do that with Cura without breaking it up into multiple parts with different settings for each, but what about just enabling supports? You'd only get a very small amount of support material and it would act similarly to a brim to keep the small part from detaching. |
What is the best color of PETg to use for outdoor durability? I am doing a quad-copter now.
I am not sure what color is the best to use for outdoor durability, especially in sunlight.
They say PETg is the most durable material amongst cheap ones.
But what color to choose: white or transparent? Or it does not matter? | Unless you plan to use your copter outside Earth atmosphere or expected lifetime is more than tenths of years, UV degradation should not be a problem for PETG. Some of the net sources indicate the possibility of degradation after significant time of constant exposure to outdoor conditions (mostly color change), which sounds mostly like absence of practical experience.
Yet if there are any concerns about losing mechanical properties from the sunlight, any opaque lacquer car paint can help to absorb unwanted radiation and add some nicer view to the model. Acrylic paint will also work (tried this once myself) but it may not be suitable for outdoor. |
What are some good safety tips for a 3D printing beginner? I have just bought my own 3D printer. However, I am now reading that there may be some safety risks to 3D printing. I will be taking some precautions, such as buying an enclosed 3D printer (the FlashForge Adventurer 3), using PLA instead of ABS, and putting my 3D printer in my garage. However, I am still concerned about the possible risks. What are some other good safety tips and best practices when 3D printing? Am I doing enough, or should I do more? What have other users of 3D printers done to mitigate potential safety issues? Please let me know. | Technically, you should never leave your printer running unattended. Printer fires are rare, but it can happen, especially with cheap printers with poor quality control. Personally, I would just make sure that there is a fire alarm near by, so you'd be alerted if there was a fire.
Also, the fumes concern is valid in the sense that you don't want to sleep in the same room as your 3D printer. The following article points out that if you are spending time in the same room without proper ventilation you'd benefit from potentially using an enclosure with a HEPA filter. Also, the article points out that using PLA may be a safer choice than other materials such as ABS or Polycarbonate when it comes to harmful particles: https://3dinsider.com/3d-printer-fumes/ |
Holes/ missing layers (after retraction) in 3d printed objects My printed objects have horizontal holes in them (as seen I the picture below):
This doesn't only look bad it also makes the object break at the seems.
Looking carefully at the printing process I can see that after a retraction there's a small amount of time the hotend isn't extruding plastic.
Material: PLA, Printer Robo 3D R1+, Slicer: Cura | (answering my own question)
The problem was the extrusion distance settings in Cura's advanced tab, reducing the value to 1.5mm solved the problem.
Other problems with the same symptoms:
Partially blocked hotend nozzle.
Incorrectly configured steps per mm for the extruder motor - this youtube video shows how to test and configure this. |
How to smooth PLA Prints without using sandpaper, solvents or paint I need to smooth some prints with silk PLA filament.
The silk PLA has a nice translucent effect but unfortunately if sanded results in an horrible matte finish regardless the sandpaper grade (I have tried with many grades).
Since I don't have specific solvents or special equipment, and I don't want to paint it as well, I'm wondering if there are alternative ways to smooth the surface.
(Also a my friend speculated about some heat treatment with hair dryer... never heard of something similar and I'm not sure if this could make sense, and in case how should I try). | Unfortunately, there is no way to smooth PLA without sandpaper, solvent or paint - but you can fix the finish after sanding.
If you heat the plastic after sanding to just the point the outer shell starts melting the horrible matte finish goes away and the original color of the plastic returns.
You have to heat the plastic and then remove the heat source just as it's start melting (right before the original color returns, so when you see it working it's too late) because otherwise the object will deform.
I use a heat gun set to 180C and work quickly in short bursts, an hair dryer is probably nowhere as hot, so it will take longer to heat the surface.
You have to do this after sanding, applying enough heat to smooth the layer lines will just cause the object to melt and deform.
Try on a few failed prints first, you will need to get the feel for when to stop heating and you will still probably ruin prints every once in a while.
Another option is to coat the object in an epoxy that will hide the layer lines the best known brand for this is XTC-3D.
If you do decide to paint, you get extra thick primer that's supposed to fill the gaps between the layer lines so you don't need to sand as much (sorry, can't remember the brand name) |
Laybrick - Gaps on top layer I'm trying to print with Laybrick and for the most part it is going. The problem lies with the top layer and gaps appearing. I've tried increasing the number of top layers but the gaps still appear. Any ideas what else I can try?
I'm using Simplify3d. | When using Simplify3D, you may try referring to their awesome troubleshooting guide: https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/#holes-and-gaps-in-the-top-layers
3 reasons (from the guide) for gaps in the top layers:
under-extrusion: you may try to increase extrusion multiplier to see if this helps
low infill percentage: not likely in your case if increasing number of top layers did not help
not enough top layers: you already tried increasing number of top layers.
In addition to that, you may change certain parameters (such as extrusion multiplier) for a given number of layers by using Simplify3D features. It can be helpful to avoid problems to for the rest of the model. |
How to set up Marlin to use a heated chamber? I have an infrared lamp I'd like to use to heat my chamber. Right now I don't have plans to install a cooling fan, but I will if I need to. This question pertains to Marlin (2.0, preferably) in combination with an MKS Gen L v1.0 board.
In the documentation for the thermal settings it specifies you can set a heater pin to be used to heat up the chamber. It says this variable is called the CHAMBER_HEATER_PIN but in Marlin 2.0's Configuration_adv.h file there is something called a HEATER_CHAMBER_PIN that has been commented out.
Secondly the Configuration.h file: there is something called an AUTO_POWER_CHAMBER_FAN. Is this meant for a fan used for cooling, or a fan used for cleaning out the chamber of particles? In either case, I probably don't want to have this fan always on, but only use it to cool the temperature the heater has been on too long.
So really there should be only 2-3 changes I need to make right:
I need to specify an already present digital pin for
the chamber heater
the chamber cooler (fan)
Turn thermal runway active.
It needs to use the Marlin Chamber feature so that the readout temperature appears as "C:" in the arduino logs. This allows compatibility with octoprint
Lastly I need to set an analog pin for the chamber thermistor
These are the things I can't fully figure out on my own.
A detailed set of instructions or code snippets for a similar setup would be helpful | Here is what I found to be the easiest solution. Please use this image for reference. I recommend doing these instructions once from source, since a lot of things can go wrong, then once everything works, go back and integrate them into your existing Marlin codebase.
Get some 5V relays to run the infrared lamps. These relays take in a 5V digital signal from an arduino pin. When the arduino activates these pins, the lamps will turn on. Get a cardboard box, line it with aluminum foil, and attach a lamp to the top of it using a lamp switch. One wire for the lightbulb goes to NO on the relay, the other goes to D-. One wire from 120V power goes to COM, the other also goes to D-. The yellow "jumper" on the relay boards I posted goes between HIGH and the middle pin. These are pins on the relay, not the MKS GEN board.
On the MKS GEN board, we will be using the X-MAX endstop as the digital pin to run the chamber. Wire the 5V pin on X-MAX to the D+ of the relay. Wire the GND pin to D- of the relay with the two other wires there. Wire pin D2 on the MKS GEN Board to IN on the relay. Bold means the pin is on the MKS GEN board.
Clone the Marlin-2.0 repo: git clone -b bugfix-2.0.x https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin.git
In Configuration.h, change TEMP_SENSOR_CHAMBER to 1 or 11 (depends on your thermistor, might be other values.) Since we will be using the board's second extruder thermistor as the thermistor in this example, change TEMP_SENSOR_1 to 0 for now.
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 1
#define TEMP_SENSOR_1 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_2 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_3 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_4 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_5 0
#define TEMP_SENSOR_BED 1
#define TEMP_SENSOR_CHAMBER 1
In the file src/pins/ramps/pins_RAMPS.h, add this line:
#define TEMP_CHAMBER_PIN 15. Note that this is the thermistor
slot usually used for a second extruder. If you're already using
this thermistor for the second extruder and want to use a different
analog pin, see this question. You'll need some resistors.
Also, around line 95 in pins_RAMPS.h, change X_MAX_PIN to use an unused pin. The number 4 is good. If you don't do this, your Chamber's digital Pin will be always "on" by default. You want it off by default, then activated by the Marlin code.
In Configuration_adv.h, change //#define HEATED_CHAMBER_PIN 44 to #define HEATER_CHAMBER_PIN 2 to use the X_MAX endstop's digital pin.
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Go into OctoPrint settings. Click Axes and Volume. Next to a checkbox for heated bed, there is a checkbox for heated chamber! Click that, and your chamber is active.
If some part is wrong (e.g. lamp doesn't go on because wire came loose on relay), debug that and keep working. Check the octoprint log to make sure the C value is shown.
Once everything works, generalize these solutions to your set-up (e.g. using multiple extruders). |
While heating, BLTouch mesh data gets worse and worse the more times you probe The title pretty much sums up the issue. It was happening before moving to an SKR Mini E3 V1.2 and is still happening with the new board.
If I run A G28, then a G29 - while not heated - I will get some mesh data (poor mesh data because I haven't levelled the bed but that's not the main issue).
If I then repeatedly run G29 (lets say 5 times) there will be variation between the measurement but only and expected amount and nothing more.
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.592 +0.270 +0.010
1 +0.082 +0.010 -0.062
2 +0.215 +0.078 -0.065
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.597 +0.267 +0.002
1 +0.085 +0.007 -0.065
2 +0.215 +0.078 -0.065
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.607 +0.267 -0.002
1 +0.085 +0.010 -0.065
2 +0.212 +0.075 -0.060
Although it does continue to climb a bit, it's a BLTouch they're not the most accurate things so I'm not worrying about it.
However, if I heat the nozzle (200 °C) and bed (60 °C):
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.537 +0.252 +0.022
1 +0.057 -0.002 -0.050
2 +0.200 +0.075 -0.087
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.495 +0.203 -0.030
1 +0.020 -0.027 -0.097
2 +0.150 +0.027 -0.127
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.462 +0.180 -0.067
1 -0.002 -0.072 -0.150
2 +0.122 -0.010 -0.170
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.422 +0.132 -0.105
1 -0.057 -0.140 -0.192
2 +0.075 -0.043 -0.215
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.367 +0.082 -0.165
1 -0.110 -0.155 -0.233
2 +0.030 -0.102 -0.255
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.347 +0.045 -0.190
1 -0.135 -0.180 -0.250
2 +0.002 -0.127 -0.280
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 +0.322 +0.032 -0.215
1 -0.155 -0.230 -0.280
2 -0.020 -0.142 -0.315
As you can see the variations in the measurements are very high.
This must be a known issue because Marlin does have a PROBING_HEATERS_OFF option but this would take even more time and I'm just curious if there is a reason for this or another fix to it.
I don't believe it would be a current issue since the power supply used can deliver many amps so it's probably something like electrical noise. I think it's fine to leave it because you only home and probe once during a print so the measurements would be 'accurate' but it would be reassuring to find out a reason and a possible fix.
I measured the rail with my oscilloscope and it actually isn't very noisy, whether I was heating or not. However, Vmax was 4.6 and Vmin was 4.4 and I'm wondering if that is too low. These voltages didn't change while heating so I think they are always that low.
Edit
For completeness, here an image of the printer:
and here graphs about the BLtouch data over time: | It looks like the changes are always going in the same direction for a given probe point (each point increases steadily or decreases steadily, there is no oscillation).
This means that the bed is not warm yet and you should wait longer.
In theory the heating of the BLtouch itself may affect the readings, and the air surely gets progressively warmer around it, but since some values increase and other ones decrease, that's not the cause.
The values change because the bed is still adapting to the temperature increase.
For a more systematic and scientific approach, do the following.
With the bed cold, heating off, probe a single point 10 times without any delay, then put the data in a spreadsheet and calculate the standard deviation, to know how accurate the sensor is.
After that probe the whole bed every 5 minutes during heating for half an hour and then plot the values on a graph (each point separately). At a certain point you will see that the values will oscillate about as much as they did when the bed was cold. That is the time you need to wait for proper bee heating. Different parts of the bed may reach the temperature in different times, that's why each probed point has to be graphed separately over time.
If you use an enclosure, as you do, the continuous change of BLtouch output can also be dependent on the overall heating of the printer frame and structure: instead of heating only the bed, in an environment which stays the same, you are heating the whole environment through the bed. It becomes more complex. The BLtouch may be fine, but you may need to keep heating it until the readings stabilise. |
Anet A8 board USB broken? I'm trying to connect my PC to my Anet A8 through Pronterface on Ubuntu.
But when I'm clicking on the "connect" button in Pronterface, all I see is "Connecting ...".
What I did so far
added my user to the dialout group
tried to run it as root
tried different baudrates
switch to different USB cables
tried to install and run it on a different machine and different OS (Windows) with nearly the same result (additionally I see repeated lines with M105, but no response)
The printer itself works - I want to connect to it, to "PID tune" it, because I added a different fan duct.
How can I make sure the board isn't somewhat damaged, and its just my setup? | I have this printer and used this board many times over USB.
The genuine Arduino boards use the FTDI FT232RL to convert USB signals to UART signals.
The problem with these Arduino based clone boards is that they do not use the FTDI chips as these are too expensive. These boards use a CH340G chip which is a Chinese clone which requires a specific driver to be installed before you can communicate with the board:
Image shows a close-up of the CH340G chipset on the Anet A8 controller board.
When you bought the printer, the SD-card contained the driver that you need to install on your OS. I remember that this driver was for the Windows OS. However, you can download the driver for many platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux) directly from the manufacturer. |
How to ease the process of removing support for miniatures I have recently bought an Anycubic i3 Mega S 3D printer. I'm using the stock nozzle (.4 mm) and I print with the plastic it came with (ABS). I'm using Ultimaker 4.4.1.
When I print minis, I'm always having issues removing the support the slicer software adds to print the object. Most of the time, I end up breaking parts of my minis. I'm using the tools given with the box.
How do I make this process easier ? I'm mostly interested in the settings linked with the support generation, but if there are other ways, I would like to know.
Note that the minis are for DnD characters, thus printed objects are often not flat and contain multiple curves, which then creates support that are harder to remove, for example, in between the holder of the mini (the cylinder that holds the piece in a stand up position) and the legs.
I usually print models found online for free, but from time to time I buy some models which contain a lot of details than the free counter parts. I don't mind loosing some of those details, as long as the mini is well printed (in short, I don't mind if the sheath of the sword falls off, but I do care if the arm falls off) | Let's look at the factors that can help us get support parts printed and removed:
access
dimensions/size
bonding
debonding
access
Support structure has to be accessed to be removed. Tree support could help in this. An alternative would be soluable support, which is still accessible if buried deep in a part - as the solvent would be all that needs to access the part.
dimensions/size
Support structure needs to have some crossection to be printed at all. if it gets too small, it will fail to print and fail in supporting. You might alter the support angle to support even 40° or 30° surfaces to the vertical to forcefully increase the supported area and thus dimension of the support structure.
bonding (to bed)
To make sure the part and its supports don't shift from one another, it is best to print with a brim that makes sure all support trees and the base of the model all share a combined first layer.
debonding
Debonding means, we need to remove the support structure from the printed part. Ultimaker Cura allows to define a gap from support structure to the part, usually 2 layers. With these settings removing supports can be as easy as removing the brim and careful cleanup.
Other things
No support?!
Some miniatures have lots of unsupported areas. For example this knight needs support at the hilt of the sword, the arm and the helmet overhang. This dwarf might need support at his dagger in the back and on the left arm (and was resin printed).
However, with the proper design, there is sometimes no support needed. For example this pirate has no areas that need support for overhangs or free hanging areas.
Printing speed
Printing miniatures and intricate parts is hard. I have set up an older, small TronXY with a 0.2 mm nozzle just to print small and detailed items, usually engineering models. I print them slower than normal (ca 40 mm/s, 20 mm for the outer shell). |
Can I use photoelectric sensors to make auto bed leveling on a glass bed? I'm pretty much a noob to the 3D printing community. I got a Creality CR10 V2 as my first 3D printer and I know it's compatible with BLTouch but not included in the package. So I'm dying to add an ABL feature to my 3D printer but I'm on an extremely tight budget right now. However, I found some industrial IR sensors (two Omron E3Z-D82 and five Keyence PZ-M71) in my toolboxes. I know those sensors are pretty expensive and totally overkill for ABV but I want to use what I got in my hands.
So the question, can I use those sensors for auto bed leveling? I should say that my printer has a glass build plate. By the way, I'm also open to different cheap alternatives
Here are the links to the sensors for more information:
Omron: https://industrial.omron.eu/en/products/E3Z-D82-2M
Keyence:
https://www.keyence.eu/products/sensor/photoelectric/pz-v_m/models/pz-m71/ | 3D printers like the German Reprap (see image) already uses a photosensor for homing the axes. The trick will be leveling the leveling sensors.
However, if you use an optical sensor measuring distance, you could mount it on the hotend like we do digital indicators (drop gauge). See Bed leveling method?
You would want a resolution of about 0.01 mm. That method will keep you planer to the movement of the hotend. For automatic leveling the photosensor needs to input to your software.
If you want to permanently connect the photosensor to the hotend, probably the most practical communication method would be USB, which could supply power as well as communication to eliminate batteries. The USB cable could run in the path of the other hotend cables. Less weight on the hot end is if you could remote the laser and detector from the electronics.
If only attached during leveling, batteries and wireless connection is better.
I'm finding more digital drop gauges (second image below, data in cable is USB) with computer interfaces than photosensors. Many of the photosensors would need to interface with a meter first. Because a drop meter makes physical contact, it's not practical to leave on the hotend during printing. |
M4 screw and nut for 3D printing? Does anyone know where I can get a free 3D design (STEP or STL) of an M4 Screw and nut? I have found only an M3 on Thingiverse: M3 Bolt by Kaleta. | You can get a model for nearly everything McMaster-Carr sells from their website.
M4 Hex Head Screw - https://www.mcmaster.com/#91280a140/=15dmpx8
M4 Nut - https://www.mcmaster.com/#90592a090/=15dmqjy
The options to download models are to the right of the drawings.
NOTE: the site does prohibit use of these models for direct printing.
You shall not use a CAD model to engage in 3D printing or other
fabrication of the object depicted in the CAD model for any other
purpose. You shall not otherwise redistribute or make available the
CAD models (or any design drawings or prototypes that incorporate
them) to any third parties, including third parties in the business of
selling products similar to the products sold by us. |
E3D High Precision Heater difference Does anybody know an exact difference between E3D High Precision Heater vs a standard one? I mean technical characteristics not only about its naming.
Or maybe somebody has both of them and did some comparison? | E3D themselves specify this on the product page:
Our high precision heater cartridges feature a rounder cartridge with more consistent diameter and surface quality, ensuring greater surface area contact with the heater block for more reliable heat transfer. With the quick change principle in mind, the high precision heater cartridge uses a Molex Microfit 3.0 connector enabling quick HotEnd changes.
E3D also provide a datasheet on the precision heater cartridge which can be compared to that of the regular heater cartridges.
From an electrical perspective, the are identical. They will put out the exact same amount of heat. The main difference is in the dimensional specifications, which for the precision cartridge is guaranteed to be a diameter of 6.0 mm +/- 0.2 mm and a length of 20.0 mm +/- 0.5 mm, while for the regular cartridge no tolerances are specified though they have the same nominal dimensions.
Apart from this, as we can discern from the product description, the precision cartridge comes with a connector to enable swapping and a better surface finish. |
How do I set up a 2 in 1 out extruder system in Marlin Hi I recently upgraded my CR-10S motherboard to the SKR 1.3 with TMC2208 drivers, in addition, I added a 2 in 1 out extruder system, but I am unsure of how to set it up in Marlin. If anyone could provide me a list of the lines of code I need to comment / uncomment / change, or any other advice it would be greatly appreciated. | You need to change the amount of extruders in the Configuration.h:
Set 2 extruders by defining:
// @section extruder
// This defines the number of extruders
// :[0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]
#define EXTRUDERS 2
Define that you have a single nozzle:
// For Cyclops or any "multi-extruder" that shares a single nozzle.
#define SINGLENOZZLE
If you want to switch filament during a print, you need to write tool loading and unloading (tool changing) scripts for the slicer you use, also do print a filament prime/wipe tower that is large enough to purge the filament to prevent color mixing.
In case color mixing, you do not set the amount of extruders, instead you need to define that mixing is being used:
#define MIXING_EXTRUDER
furthermore, the amount of mixing stepper need to be defined:
#define MIXING_STEPPERS 2 |
How do I add an emergency stop button over Micro USB? I have an Ender 3. I want to add an emergency stop button. Ideally it’ll plug in to the printer’s micro USB port and run the M112. I use default firmware and don’t plan to change it thanks. | The most effective way to effectuate an emergency stop is to pull the plug or turn the printer off. An alternative is a software stop using a print server program like e.g. OctoPrint.
Indeed M112 is capable of stopping the printer:
M112 is the fastest way to shut down the machine using a host, but it may need to wait for a space to open up in the command queue. Enable EMERGENCY_PARSER for an instantaneous M112 command.
In order to use emergency stop functionality, you need a firmware capable of doing an emergency stop by having this enabled in the Configuration_adv.h printer configuration file, otherwise it will have to await the queue to be emptied first. I doubt if this is standard enabled in your default firmware (the Marlin default is disabled).
From Marlin's Configuration_adv.h:
/**
* Emergency Command Parser
*
* Add a low-level parser to intercept certain commands as they
* enter the serial receive buffer, so they cannot be blocked.
* Currently handles M108, M112, M410, M876
* NOTE: Not yet implemented for all platforms.
*/
//#define EMERGENCY_PARSER
Please note that this might not be implemented; it has not been implemented for all platforms.
An earlier question "Can G-code scripts be run automatically on inserting an SD card when using Marlin Firmware?" has an answer that hints to changing the sources on SD card insertion. In your case the USB needs to be monitored, and it a signal is detected the printer stopped.
So, since:
I use default firmware and don’t plan to change it
without modification of your firmware it is not possible to do what you want. But, there are perfectly viable options mentioned and available to do what you want (executing an emergency stop). Alternatively you could even use a (n Arduino powered) relay to cut the power based on the signal you want to send. |
Hold torque during pause to change filament How can I achieve keeping the motors active during pause to avoid moving their position during filament changes? I have changed the filament during some prints to change the color or to change the a newer spool, but sometimes the X axis is moved during the change. I'm now using some cloth clips to prevent moving during this change.
To pause the 3D printer I'm using the LCD menu ->pause, then I go to Move axis X, then I move close to 0. This change is manually and random since I don't know when the old filament reel is going to finish. The printer use Marlin as firmware with Ramps 1.4 | Is ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE enabled in your printers configuration_adv.h file?
There is a PAUSE_PARK_NO_STEPPER_TIMEOUT option included in there, which prevents the steppers from timing out during a pause, and may be more robust than a G-Code command if you plan to manually pause and resume the print instead of setting it up in the slicer.
Alternatively, in the same file,
#define DEFAULT_STEPPER_DEACTIVE_TIME 120
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_X true
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_Y true
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_Z true // set to false if the nozzle will fall down on your printed part when print has finished.
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_E true
can be found. You may want to increase the DEFAULT_STEPPER_DEACTIVE_TIME, or set
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_X true
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_Y true
#define DISABLE_INACTIVE_Z true // set to false if the nozzle will fall down on your printed part when print has finished.
to false to keep X, Y and Z engaged while allowing movement of the extruder stepper only. |
Nozzle jiggles when screwing into heating block I've had the Ender 5 Pro, as is, for 3 months.
After I tried a cheap PLA filament (maybe too cheap), it clogged the nozzle. I cleaned it, but any other filament I have would have similar problems from then on. After some days doing test prints, it clogged again. This time, I heated it up to 240 ºC, I unscrew the nozzle, cleaned it up, chopped the Capricorn tube (it had clear symptoms of a previous tube not reaching the bottom of the hotend and leaking material around it), perfectly aligned, cleaned the heating block with a brass brush, started screwing the nozzle… and it never reaches the end. It even jiggles a little bit (by "jiggles", I mean that when the hotend is hot, you can push the nozzle back and forth, and it does move... like it was a joint, and not a threaded bolt), like it was too small for the block. I try screwing a new nozzle. Same happens.
To me it looks like the heating block thread broke, but I can't be sure. I tried a thicker nozzle (0.8 mm, but same thread in the end) and it worked. I could feed filament and it wouldn't look like clogged (at least for 15 cm of feeding filament, when in previous cases it was almost instantaneous).
Time to get a new heating block? Any recommendation?
Would another kind of heating block be better?
Edit: Here's a picture of the bottom of the heating block. Now it's clear there's a metal chip glued with material, and almost (if any) no thread at all.
Another question. Could it have been that cheap material that caused the clogging, or was it just a lack of proper maintenance? | If the threads are damaged badly enough not to hold a nozzle rigidly, you should replace the heating block, but there might be hacks you could do to keep using it for a while until you're ready to replace. I've had luck replacing threads in completely unrelated applications with epoxy, and if you can get one that handles and transmits the heat well enough (maybe JB Weld? not sure) it might work here.
I don't think there's any indication you need to change to a different kind of heating block. That would only be indicated if there were lots of other people reporting the same problem you're having with your printer model or similar ones. It seems more likely that, if they're damaged, you just did it by over-tightening or over-vigorous cleaning with the brush. |
Y-axis slipping causing failed prints My Y-axis on my Monoprice maker select running ramps 1.4 and Marlin makes a thud noise when moving every now and then. I have noticed a 1 to 2 mm shift in the print when this occurs. I tighten the belts and alas no joy. I ordered new bearings which should be coming Monday. I also tried slowing the print down and still get the same result. Anyone have any ideas. | A thudding noise is usually a belt slipping through its end-restraints. A clicking noise is usually a stepper motor missing a step. Seized bearings could be the cause. |
Can mold release agent be used in 3D printing? Do we need mold release agent in 3D printing mold? If it is not used, what effect will it have on the product? | It seems I misread your question.
3D Printed Mold
You were asking about (or the question now states) use of a mold release compound to prevent a molded part from sticking to a 3d print mold.
Yes. It is always beneficial for the molded part to not stick to the mold. Easy separation and part removal is important for the life of the mold and for the surface finish of the part.
There are two molding situations that seem important.
Flexible Mold or Object
In the first, either the part of the mold is elastic, so the actual sliding of one surface on the other isn't important. Here, a mold release agent would help by preventing the cast object from binding to the mold material.
Stiff Mold and Object
The second case is where both the mold and the object are stiff, and the object must slide out of the mold. Here the layer lines should be considered, since there may, locally, be reverse draft angles where the larger part can not slip past an obstructing filament line. Using a process that doesn't leave filament lines, or using the thinnest possible filament layers, or smoothing the mold internal surfaces, or possibly filling the spaces between the ridges with another material may eliminate the problem. A "mold release agent" would still be used to reduce the attachment of the object to the mold, although one may be able to use ample release agent both to fill the groves in the mold and prevent adhesion. |
Change hotend thermistor input in Marlin I have a Marlin driven Prusa i3 clone, by accident I cut through both thermistor wires for the hotend while it was powered on. The Arduino reset and the hotend thermistor no longer work.
Since there is a spare thermistor input on the RAMPS board I was wondering if I can change the input pin assigned to the hotend thermistor in the software? I've looked around (the code and the internet) and so far have only found out how to assign the thermistor type for the spare input, not how to tell Marlin to make temp_sensor_2 be the input used for the hotend?
If anyone could help me figure out how to change the hotend thermistor input number I would be greatly appreciative! | In pins_RAMPS.h you find which pins are used for which thermistor:
//
// Temperature Sensors
//
#define TEMP_0_PIN 13 // Analog Input
#define TEMP_1_PIN 15 // Analog Input
To use the other thermistor, you would need to swap the numbers:
//
// Temperature Sensors
//
#define TEMP_0_PIN 15 // Analog Input
#define TEMP_1_PIN 13 // Analog Input |
Issues With Cura 4.6.1 Effecting Text Width On The Initial Layer I'm have an issue where Cura 4.6.1 is effecting the width of certain characters if the part is orented to print them on the the bottom. The initial layer seems to be the only layer that is effected. It is also only effects certain characters, in this case characters 4,6,8 and 9. Picture 1 shows the part oriented to print text on the bottom. Picture 2 shows the same part oriented where the text is on the top, which results in the text looking correct.
I have looked for the setting that causes this but, so far, have been unable to locate it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. | The Brim setting was causing the issue. |
Weird Movement and not homing https://photos.app.goo.gl/O6yPf3sDeV1yhS0C2
I tried to illustrate my problem in the videos above, two of them show the weird movement and the other shows me clicking on the home button repeatedly.
Some Info:
Marlin 1.1.8 or 2.0.0 (same problem in both)
Robotdyn RAMPS 1.4
0.9 angle stepper motors
DRV8825 drivers configured at 0.8V Vref
Anet A2 Plus stock for all the rest | As far as I can see on the attached videos your homing movement is reversed.
as per Marlin, the homing for X shall move towards the left side and for Y to the back of the printer.
That could occur when: cable connectors to stepper motors are reversed, or the motor is assembled the other way (you can set reverse direction in Marlin)
The other issue is steps/mm calibration need to be done see source below.
The high pitch in the video could also point that the drv8825 is shutting down the movement as it is overloaded.
please also check that for vref
Configuring Vref In order to measure Vref you first need to turn on
your printer as you normally would. If you only connecct using USB,
but not external power, you get a wrong reading.
You need to turn on your multimeter and set it at 2v. Put the red one
on the potentiometer and the Black one on the Gnd pin. Both are marked
on the images here.
Before starting this I read they come with a very high vref setting,
and it is recommended to start around 0.5v Vref. After measuring mine,
I can confirm they come with a very high initial setting. Mine both
came at 1,65v or so! - Yours might be different, which just underlines
the importance of doing this.
Contrary to normal potentiometer usage, the ones on most copies/clones
of DRV8825 are lowered by turning clock-wise, so that is what we will
do, to we hit 0,5v on each. - A quarter of a full turn lowered it to
0,7v, - after that it goes very, very rapidly down, so aim for the
quarter of a turn + a tiny tad more. If you buy your DRV8825 directly
from pololu.com the Potentiometer are dialed up by turning it
clock-wise:
source |
Prusa I3 - Burn marks on print This is an issue that's started happening recently. This is a Prusa I3 using a 1.75mm pla filament
The settings for this print are as follows
Layer height: 0.2mm
Line width: 0.4
Infill: 60%
Infill pattern: Triangles
Nozzle temp: 190C
Plate temp: 60C
Retraction distance: 8.5mm
Retraction speed: 60mm/s
Print speed: 50mm/s
Cooling fan speed: 20%
This happened on a previous print, but not as much. The only difference is the other print was printed 10mm/s faster. I'm thinking it has to do with too much time in a certain area since it seems to happen in pretty small areas that don't required infill and print as two walls back to back | I have seen this after I reassemble the extruder heat block and then leave it too loose during the print.
Is your extruder above the nozzle coated in a brown or black film?
What happens is the liquid plastic oozes through the loose connection, travels around the outside of the block, where it is heated longer and hotter than normal turning it black/brown. Then it drips, or flakes, into the print where it is spread around giving it a diffused look that you see.
The fix is to tighten the heating block. Do this while it is at operating temperature (be careful!) because it fits differently when cold.
Another cause: I made a tiny sharpie mark on my filament. I did not realize how concentrated it would come out in the print. Perhaps you have ink or adhesive or something on your filament that you can't see that turns brown when heated. |
Print paper or cellulose - any recyclable filament? I know there is a 3d printing technique, where sheet of papers are cut and glued. Like the ones Staples has in their stores. But this sort of paper isnt recyclable, because of the heavy use of glue.
Is anywhere filament available, which is made of cellulose or other recyclable and bio-degradable material? Or do you know if research is going on in this area?
edit: added bio-degradable | Filament made of Polylactic acid (PLA) is usually made of biological materials (such as corn), and can therefore be considered bio-degradable in most cases.
Whether the filament is 100% bio-degradable (and non-toxic for the surroundings) will depend on the specific formula used by each individual filament manufacturer. (Many manufacturers include various additives to achieve particular effects, such as glow-in-the-dark, metallic finish or extra strengh.)
Woodfill PLA-like filament might be of extra interest to you, not only because it typically is bio-degradable, but also because it will give you the look and feel of being bio-degradable.
Hope that helps!
PS: there are multiple other filament types that are either recyclable, bio-degradable, or both, although PLA might be the most commonly available of them all. |
How can I become a certified Fusion 360 user? I heard about the certification program from autodesk website.
How can I prepare and write this certification exam as a student? I already started using fusion 360 about a month. | Start with registering at their website and go from there. There is a PDF of a list of things you have to have mastery in:
SKETCHING
Sketch Creation
Create Dimensions
Constraint selection and creation
Edit a sketch
Project Edges
Edit a Sketch
DRAWING
Creating a Drawing View, Base, Projected, Section, Detail
Add Annotations
Editing a Created View
Edit Border and Titleblock
SCULPT
Create a Form
Edit a Form
Thicken a Form
DIRECT MODELING
Feature Deletion
Press & Pull Tool
ASSEMBLY MODELING
Create and Manage Top Level Assembly and Subassemblies
Create a Component From a Body
Align and Assembly Joints
Interference
Rigid Groups
Motion Studies
ADVANCED MODELING
Sweep and Loft
Boundary Fill
Split and Combine bodies
PART MODELING
Create extrude features
Apply Fillets and Chamfers
Create complex hole features
Create revolve features
Create a pattern of features
Create a shell feature
Create Construction Planes and Axes
Inspect command; measure, and section analysis |
Secure disposal of 3D prints The company I work for is protective of IP and has security procedures for disposing of anything that could be stolen for industrial espionage. Paper gets shredded and sent to trusted recycling center, all old data storage media gets obliterated, but what do we do with 3D prints? For any functional prototype, I have 10 or more early versions and failed prints. Is there a good way to dispose of these so that they are unrecognizable? Given the volume of prints I need to dispose of, it should be safe, cheap, and able to handle large batches. | Big batches need you to be time efficient - or use a method that uses little work. So my suggestions are mainly needing oversight. Keep a fire extinguisher and safety gear handy though!
Melting together
Most filaments are melting at or around 200 °C.
I recently got rid of my box of (PLA) waste material by putting them on a tray and melting them together in a standard kitchen oven at 200 °C for about 1-2 hours. The resulting plate of plastic destroyed all structure that could be identified. This plate can be then broken up or recycled without the risk to disclose any company secrets.
I suggest to use a baking paper under the filament to be molten or a teflon coated tray, as the filament will be REALLY sticky to a blank metal surface.
About 4 liters of broken prints resulted in approximately a 5x450x300 mm sheet. If you make sure that no filament can touch the heating elements, you can get rid of quite a lot of material in each batch.
Don't do this with ABS and don't contaminate your food trays with plastic rests - use specially marked ones that are for disposal of prints only.
Green destruction
If you want to be green when destroying prints: a box solar cooker with a glass lid easily runs at 200 °C, is decently cheap and runs all day on just a couple seconds of adjusting every hour or so. You have to set it up in an access restricted area, but as long as the sun shines, it runs pretty much for free. Just make sure to put the prints to be destroyed onto some kind of non-combustible carriers, like tinfoil or aluminium trays.
ABS in Acetone
If you use ABS, exposing it to acetone fumes for a short time (seconds to half a minute will smooth the surface. Give it some minutes can destroy the structure into a batch of plastic waste without heat that hardens as the acetone evaporates again, though complex structures might need as much as an hour. Dunking ABS into acetone results in pure chemical waste, that is just a waste of acetone.
To save acetone and a way to the chemical waste disposal, try this:
Put a batch of several prints into a large, airtight box that isn't made from ABS. Pour some acetone on a tray and add a paper towel to generate a consistent acetone atmosphere in the box. Make sure to keep the tray on the floor of the box but in a way so no print will fall into it. This should dispose of the prints by merging them into a huge lump within about an hour.
Do this outside & keep fire away. |
Finding a reputable seller for CR-10S After doing a lot of research, I've decided I want to purchase a Creality CR-10S as my first 3D printer. I'm trying to locate a reputable, local seller. Other than Amazon, which seems to have a bit of a mark-up on price, I'm finding several websites that seem to be located outside of the US. Can anyone direct me to a seller located in the US? | I’ve bought two printers (CR-10S and Ender 2)from Tiny Machines in Houston Texas. They unbox them from China and assemble them and make a test print. You get a checklist of the tests performed. They will also flash a bootloader and updated Marlin for $10.
Yeah, you’ll pay more but if you spend any time in printer forums you’ll hear lots of complaining about missing/broken parts or DOA units.
They also stock spare parts here in the US.
Good luck to you! |
Metal sintering layer-by-layer with DLP As of current technological advancements, there exists Metal 3D printers that make use of Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector to 3D print metal objects. These printers use a mixture of metal powder and binder. The mixture is placed on the build platform and a laser light beam (or UV light beam, I'm not sure) projection of the layer to be printed is projected on top of the mixture. The light causes the binder to bind the metal powders to each other creating the desired layer. Similar process is repeated for subsequent layers until the object is fully printed. Once fully printed the object is de-binded and sintered in an oven to form the final object.
Now, my question is, like in SLS 3D printing, why cant we directly shoot high-power laser beams with the help of DLP projector onto the powder (without the binder) and cause the metal powder to sinter there itself? | SLS uses a high powered laser to smelt the binder of a ceramic or the metal itself. We are talking about at least a 40 W laser which focuses its power on a circle of about 50 µm. How much power are we talking about with that lowest viable laser for plastic SLS?
$\frac{40\ \text{W}}{\pi \ 62.5\times 10^-9\ \text{m}^2}=640\times 10^6 \frac{\text{W}}{\text{m}²}$
A typical SLA/DLP machine like the Sparkmaker runs on 48 W in total. Assuming that's 40 W for their $55\text{ mm}\times98\text{ mm}=0,00539\text{ m}^2$, so the total projector power of the Sparkmaker is
$\frac{40\ \text{W}}{\pi \ 0,00539\ \text{m}^2}=7.421\times 10^3 \frac{\text{W}}{\text{m}²}$
That's about 5 orders of magnitude too little to smelt a layer in the same time. To get a DLP-like projector doing SLS work, you'd need a light source that runs at about a similar power per square meter - wich would just melt the moment it turns on. |
Is there any commercial supplier of 3D printed parts made from acrylic (PMMA)? I was surprised to learn that, AFAICT, neither Protolabs, Xometry, or Shapeways* can supply 3D printed parts from acrylic. Is anyone aware of a commercial source of 3D printed parts made from acrylic [polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)]?
*Shapeways does 3D print their "Fine Detail Plastic" which is an acrylic. However, during the printing process, the material is UV cured so, AFAIK, it is no longer a thermoplastic (as PMMA is). I need the thermoplastic property for my application. | While I don't know of PMMA as a standard offering, I do know that a lot of the smaller entities will gladly accommodate custom requirements for the right price and an understanding that results may be inferior to their tried and true.
My recommendation is to google "3D Printing Service" and find what's local. Local will hopefully mean you don't have to wait for a shipment to review the quality. |
Meshmixer size of model I've created a model in Sketchup and exported the file as a .stl
Since the model is 80cm x 24 cm i need to cut it in meshmixer. But when i open it in meshmixer it appears tiny. Why doesn't it open as the real size? | You mention your dimensions in cm. Any chance that the STL export is also in cm where Meshmixer might expect mm?
Assuming your Sketchup template was set to cm:
To validate this guess you could measure/eyeball a known dimension and if that comes out to be 10 times too small you could scale your model by 10 times.
Alternatively you could adjust the template in Sketchup.
Additional information on STL files:
By it's very nature, the STL file format is just a bunch of unitless numbers in a well defined structure. This structure represents a set of points (vertices), lines (edges) and and triangular surfaces (facet). A few simple rules apply to exactly how all this should be defined. (See here)
But the key thing here is that an STL file is not aware of units, the program used to generate the STL file (e.g. CAD software) needs to be told what units to use, and accordingly the reading program (e.g. slicer) needs to use the same settings. Generally in mechanics applications we default to mm, at least in metric land. All this is explained a bit more verbose here. |
Can I use Bowden hotend instead of Wade for a direct extrusion? I am planning to buy 4 hotends (e3d clones I assume), but I am wondering if the Bowden (long distance) be able to be used as Wade (direct extruder)?. When the pneumatic fitting is removed there is a very similar filament drive to the throat/heat-brak and the collar size is same as wade.
As per attached pictures, I think that could be possible. | You can use any of them, however the adaptor will be different to make it fit on your printer. I´m using the J-head on direct drive by removing the pneumatic connector; the distance from top to filament hole is close to 4mm, but does not affect the feeding. If the cylinder hasn't the pneumatic connector is possible to print a cap to mount the connector and make it remote drive |
BLTouch doing poor job of levelling I'd appreciate any advice on this problem. I have and Ender 3 Pro with a glass bed. I have been using Marlin 2 with mesh bed levelling and it has been working really well. I have now installed a BLTouch version 3.1. I have used the TH3D Marlin V2.0.5.3 set to probe a 3 by 3 grid (same size I used with mesh bed levelling. My glass bed has a dip in the centre. When using mesh bed levelling this was found to be around 0.05 mm lower than the rest of the bed. However, the mesh bed levelling worked well and I got great first layers. Now with the BLTouch, I've set up my probe Z-offset, done with the bed and nozzle at full printing temperature. I've got a test print of 9 small squares and have sliced it in Cura at 0.12 mm. It's just one layer. No matter how much I fiddle/tune the Z-probe offset, I am getting poor results. The square at the front left of the bed is a complete load of spaghetti. The others are better but not perfect. It's as if the bed levelling process is not working properly. But it all looks like it's doing the right thing. Is there any way I can verify the measurements the probe has made? Is there anything else I should check? I'm really at a loss. I've also manually levelled the bed to make sure the four corners are level with each other. I'm completely stumped! | Found the cause of the gaps. it was one or both of the following:: he x-carraige belt was rather loose; I think I'd overtightened the x-carriage assembly with the print head on it and the motion had a couple of places where it was a tad tight. Adjusted both these things and all the problems went away. What's especially interesting is that I'm now getting better quality prints than I've ever had. It looks like it is worth checking the tightness of everything on a new Ender 3 Pro to ensure it is all as it should be! |
gcode commands in octoprint: Z moves ignored? A while ago, I created some simple command buttons in Octoprint to help with bed levelling, by hopping to particular points on the bed. I realised that what I actually want to do is move Z up 10mm, move, and then home Z though, to avoid ploughing the nozzle along the bed if the level is badly off.
So I did this:
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z-10
- G90
- G1 X30 Y160 F9000
- G28 Z
name: Back Left
type: command
Which should be, switch to relative move, Move -10mm Z, switch back to absolute, go to the specified point and then home Z.
Except there's no Z move. I get the feeling that something might be optimising the moves together into one, or something similar... how can I get my printer to move up, then across, then down?
(printer is an quite modified Anet A8 i3 clone - I think the board is Melzi-based?) | Thanks in part to Tom van Der Zanden, I got a working version, which I'll paste below to add some actual value to this question! The G1 XY coordinates for each position are for near the corners on a 220x220 bed, but leaving enough room to access a screw in the corner of the bed if you need to (I don't anymore, but my printer did initially) - for different bed sizes, you'll want to change them. Add to ~/.octoprint/config.yml
controls:
- children:
- commands:
- M140 S50
- M104 S190 T0
name: Preheat
type: command
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z10
- G90
- G1 X30 Y50 F9000
- G28 Z0
name: Front Left
type: command
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z10
- G90
- G1 X180 Y70 F9000
- G28 Z0
name: Front Right
type: command
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z10
- G90
- G1 X30 Y160 F9000
- G28 Z0
name: Back Left
type: command
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z10
- G90
- G1 X180 Y160 F9000
- G28 Z0
name: Back Right
type: command
- commands:
- G91
- G1 Z10
- G90
- G1 X100 Y100 F9000
- G28 Z0
name: Centre
type: command
layout: horizontal
name: Levelling |
How much insulation do I really need? I have been looking at cork sheet insulation for my 200 mm x 300 mm aluminium PCB heatbed, by I am not entirely sure how thick it should be. There seems to be a trade off between losing a few millimeters of print height, and providing adequate installation.
I have seen 10 mm thick table mats, and then 5/3/2 mm thick cork insulation tiles. On some forums people say they use two 2 mm sheets beneath the aluminium heater and then another 1.5 mm aluminium plate under those, to hold it altogether (source: Re: Is a cork board necessary under the heated bed?).
Hopefully this does not come across as a how-long-is-a-piece-of-string type question. I am just trying to get the right amount in the first place whilst spending as little as possible, and keeping the mass/volume and height down. If someone else has already gone through the empirical adjustments themselves, then it might save me the time and expense of having to test various configurations.
Would just 2 mm thick cork backing be sufficient?
Is 10 mm overkill?
Does silver foil backing help considerably, thereby enabling one to reduce the thickness of the cork? | Since 50% of the bed is uninsulated, you're definately into diminishing returns as soon as you start adding any insulation.
With that area, I think you are looking at 1.2W per kelvin for a 2mm thickness.
I'm guessing a bit with these powers, but roughly, maybe from 100 W un-insulated, 75 with 2mm, 60W with 4mm. You can get a reasonably accurate measure of the power by looking at the duty cycle of the heating element.
Actually, its not clear if your primary goal is to reduce energy/maintain a very high temperature, or speed the initial heating. You can place a temporary sheet of cork on top of the bed (preferably extending over the edges to prevent convection) and this will significantly improve heat-up times. |
Installing bowden tube into E3D V6 I'm struggling with an upgrade I made to my Creality CR-10. I upgraded the extruder to an E3D V6 hotend. The extruder mount and cooling fans are installed and working, however, I'm doing something wrong with installing the bowden tube into the hotend. Inevitably after I print a few layers, the extruder jambs and the issue is always the same: the bowden tube has backed itself out a few tenths of a millimeter, and the filament has mushroomed into the vacant space and hardened so that the filament cannot go forward or backwards.
I've tried several things to fix the issue including:
Trying various pneumatic fittings from various suppliers
Recutting the end of the bowden tube to attempt to make it more flush
Replacing the bowden tube
Three different E3D heat-breaks from different supplier
Various ways of inserting the bowden tube including: pushing it after the fitting was screwed in, pushing it into a fitting that was back out a couple turns and then screwing the fitting in
The only thing that has (partially) worked was when I would ductape and hot-glue the bowden tube into the fitting so it couldn't back out. However, since I'm still tweaking things, I inevitably have to disassemble things and I'm back to square one.
I'm trying to figure out what mistake I am making to keep causing this issue. As an example, originally I used the pneumatic fittings wrong and thought I was supposed to pull the plastic part out to release the tube, rather than simply pushing it in to release the tube. (Needless to say, I wrecked a lot of fittings that way.)
What else might I be doing wrong to keep causing this issue? What are other culprits to this issue happening repeatedly? Are there firmware settings that may help (or be aggravating the issue)? | You may need to secure the pneumatic coupling in the closed position with a small plastic clip (which should be supplied with the hot end).
You can print your own, providing that your printer will work for long enough (a paper clip might do the trick):
Thingiverse: Bowden Tube Clip v3
Addendum:
Some pneumatic couplers are sprung, so that you have to depress the coupling ring in order to release the tubing. In this case, no clip is usually required. Other pneumatic couplers (such as the one on an E3D V6) are unsprung. This makes it easier to secure and release the tube using the supplied clip. The disadvantage is that you may lose the clip. Sprung couplers sometimes lose their springiness, in which case a clip can be used to secure them in the closed position
It's "swings and roundabouts", really. You can to choose between the awkwardness of sprung couplers, or the risk of losing a clip. Either way, print some spare clips. You may need them one day. |
Does GEL-LAY needs to stay moist? POROLAY GEL-LAY is a kind of jelly-like material made by exotic filament producer Kay Parthy / CC Products.
It is a mix of TPE and PVA that is supposed to have a jelly-like feeling. Once printed, you need to let your print soak in water for several days to remove all of the PVA, then what's left should have a jelly-like feeling since the PVA will have left many micro-cavities in the object.
However, my initial tests end up producing prints that feel a bit like jelly when wet, but reverts to a sort of cardboard feeling once dry.
Does this material needs to stay moist to keep the jelly feeling or not? | No, GEL-LAY should not be kept moist to stay flexible. It is made from TPE and filled with small PVA particles. It is advised to print less than normal amount of walls and infill so that the PVA can be rinsed out more easily.
If you look at the way the manufacturer rinses the material, you frequently see ultrasonic baths that improve the dissolving of the PVA. Once the PVA is removed, TPE is all that it left, which is elastic. If your print is still hard after drying it means that not all the PVA has dissolved yet, once dry it will become gluey/sticky again like PVA, hence the cardboard structure. |
Gaps in Cura's Slicing for Monoprice Select Mini V2 Why does this happen (circled in red), and how can I fix it? It is making my prints come out horrible.
Not shown in the picture, but the option "Coasting" was Enabled:
Coasting Volume 0.064 mm3
Minimum Volume Before Coasting: 0.8
Coasting Speed 90% | If you enable the option "Coasting", the extruder will follow the extrusion path at the end of switching to the next layer or the next section, but will not deposit any material as it uses the build up pressure in the nozzle to deposit the final bits. This shows up in your G-code representation by empty (non-depositing) gaps (in reality, when fine-tuned correctly, will be filled).
E.g. sliced without "Coasting" enabled:
E.g. sliced with "Coasting" enabled: |
Why the Anet A6 can't do .05 layer height So like I sayed in the title, Why can't the Anet A6 do .05 layer height? I found that some printers can do .05 layer heights, but the Anet A6 can't? I am interested to know if it is the stepper motors or the threaded rods or something. Maybe this is something I can do a small "test print" on? | I'm not familiar with the Anet A6 specifically, but as many other things in a 3D printer, the minimum layer height is co-determined by a number of factors. For the Z-axis the factors I am aware of are:
The number of steps in the stepper motor
The geometry of the lead screw
The tolerance with which the lead screw has been machined
The microstep settings
The quality of the stepper drivers
The amount of play and flexibility of the X-axis gantry
The ration between filament and nozzle diameter
The precision of the extruder's stepper motor
...
Many printers that claim to have ridiculously low minimum Z-layer height do so by relying on the mathematical model only. It goes something like this: the lead screw has an offset of 1mm per revolution, the stepper motor makes 200 steps and is set for 32 microsteps per step so the minimum resolution should be...
1mm / (200 * 32) = 0.0002mm
The reality is however different. For example: the lead screw may have been machined with a tolerance of 0.002mm, so to make sure a layer has a thickness >0mm its heigh should be >0.004mm (20 times the theoretical limit computed with the microsteps). But to make sure layers have the same height ±10% you would need to increase the minimum layer heigh of an order of magnitude, bringing it to 0.04mm. A similar reasoning applies for the amount of play in the gantry, while the ratio between filament and nozzle influences the minimum volume of plastic that can be extruded per step (for very thin layers you want to be able to extrude a minimal amount of it).
At the end of the day this is a typical case of "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link": the minimum layer height of a printer is affected much more dramatically by the limitations of the most imprecise component in the printer than by the performance of its best one.
As for your question about breaking the printer by issuing g-code with very thin layers: should you issue gcode that requires layers below that limit, the firmware will simply print at the same z-height (see comments, credits to Tom).
I'm unaware of people having permanently damaged their machines by issuing code with too thin Z-layers. But given how the firmware operates, I'd expect the quality of the print to be negatively affected, the filament to be possibly chewed by the cobbed wheel and in extreme cases cloggig of the printer head. |
Printing problem on right half of printer I am having an issue with prints set on the right side of my printer bed. I have leveled the bed, have a BLTouch and used a bed visualizer just to try and get it manually as level as possible. You can see the problem on the right piece side of this print where the filament was not laid flat and has many "humps" unlike the left piece side of the print that printed smoothly. Any idea what could cause this on an Ender 3 Pro and how to go about fixing it? | Your bed level according to the sensor and reality is changing between the time of probing and the time of printing. There is not enough info to determine exactly where the problem is, but the possible causes and solutions are most likely:
Bed or X-carriage is mechanically loose: ensure all axis and parts of the printer are tight, including the hot-end mount
Bed temperature changes have affected the bed level: ensure the bed is at operating temperature during all manual and automated leveling
Sensor is not reading correctly across the entire bed due to the magnetic sensitivity of the bed or hot-end heating elements: either enable the PROBING_HEATERS_OFF compile-time feature in Marlin or disable the bed and hot-end heaters immediately prior to the automated bed leveling procedure using the code:
M140 S0; set bed temperature target to zero
M104 S0; set hot-end temperature target to zero
then turn them both back on to your desired temperature immediately afterward probing using the same M104 and M140 command syntax to their respective desired temperatures |
Slicer that exports vectors or pics for every slice For a large scale project, I need a slicer which gives me the slices as image (BMP or vector).
I have a 3d model and want to assemble it manually using large printouts on cardboard. For this I need my 3d model somehow sliced into 2mm layers, get a silhouette of the outline for every layer and print it in cardboard. Later all cardboard layer will be cutted manually and glued in the right order.
Does somebody know a slicer, which gives me as output images for every slice?
Or any different idea how to geht my large cardboard 3d model? | Your approach is one of many and you may find that Slic3r will do as you require.
There's a direct reference to generating SVG files (vector) at this link:
http://manual.slic3r.org/advanced/svg-output
You may have to create a printer profile based on irrational figures when compared to conventional 3d printers. Your 2mm "layer height" should be matched in the printer settings to an appropriate nozzle diameter for the desired result.
You may find also that Simplify3d will create such files, but it's not a free program.
An alternative to 3d printer slicing software would be to use OpenSCAD to import your model (or create it directly in code) and use the Projection command to generate the individual layers. I've done this and found it works well, but the process to learning the necessary code was time consuming, as I'm not a programmer.
You would also want to incorporate some form of registration in your model, cylindrical holes or external tabs to enable you to properly align each cardboard layer.
If you have a makerspace nearby or know someone with a suitably sized laser cutter, you may also save some labor cutting each panel, as the laser will accept the vector files easily. |
Is "CoreXE" a thing, or is there a reason it's not? Thinking about different types of extruder designs, and especially remote direct drive, I wondered if anyone's ever made a cartesian bed slinger printer (Ender 3 style) where a direct drive extruder on top of the X carriage is driven by a stationary E motor at the end of the gantry via a belt. This would of course turn the extruder hob whenever there's motion along the X axis, so the X and E motors would have to be synchronized, with effective extrusion being the difference of the X and E motor motions (thus my allusion to CoreXY in the name). Are there reasons not to do this, aside from needing an over-engineered belt assembly with closed loop belt? It seems like you could get whatever reduction you need just with an appropriate belt pulley, and no need for a gearbox on top of the hotend to get the necessary torque to the extruder hob.
Of course as described this only makes sense for bed slinger printers, since if you have to move the gantry in the Y direction, you have the motor mass moving just like a normal direct drive. Of course it might be extensible to "CoreXYE" with an appropriate belt layout. | Wow, Kevin O'Connor (of Klipper) just pointed me to a real CoreXYE design by Vlad Strateniuk called REXY, with video available:
There's an open Klipper issue about supporting it and apparently Marlin was already adapted to run on it. |
Brass rails, bunting bearings ok for x,y axes? new to 3D printers and to this community :)
Would a 1/4" brass rod with bronze bunting bearings for sliders and SAE 30 oil suffice for X and Y axes with moving extruder instead of print surface?
I'm gathering cheap/scavenged materials for a first time build, as a learning experience, and it doesn't need to work very long.
I just have no idea yet how heavy the extruders are, generally. I'm thinking of threading the rod so I can pull it tight for straightness under load. | Extruders tend to be quite light. An E3Dv6 complete with fan, shroud and wires is under 100g. Unless you use a Bowden extruder, you also have to add ~300g for a stepper motor. In any case, it will be quite light.
Sintered bronze bushings can definitely be used in a 3D printer; they're used in the (quite popular) Ultimaker 3D printers. I can't tell whether your particular bushings will work well, but I think the most important consideration is that there isn't too much play between the rod and bushing (but I'm assuming you took care of that). 3D printers don't place high loads onto the motion system.
"Proper" LMxUU bearings aren't very expensive either (reasonable ones can be had for less than $2) so if the bushings don't work out, you could always try those. |
Creality Ender 3 X axis homing issue I bought an Ender 3 recently. Auto-home is on the right front moving away from the end stop. I did reverse the wiring of the X axis motor, it did not work. I had Marlin 2.x uploaded, it didn't work too.
Marlin 2.x:
Configuration.h
Configuration_adv.h
The print starts off with a boundary line in the middle and goes off the bed on the right corner to print. Y and Z axes are fine. X axis seems to be bumping into the right front, every time while homing. I had tweaked little bit of Marlin, but I'm a beginner and I don't understand it completely.
I'm using Cura, printer settings, max X=235, max Y=235, max Z=250, origin at the center: unchecked.
This might help...
// The size of the print bed
#define X_BED_SIZE 235
#define Y_BED_SIZE 235
#define X_MIN_POS 0
#define Y_MIN_POS 0
#define Z_MIN_POS 0
#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE
#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE
#define Z_MAX_POS 250
#define MANUAL_X_HOME_POS 0
#define MANUAL_Y_HOME_POS 0
#define MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS 0
(left this after so many trails)
In Pronterface the mid point X117.5 is at the middle right corner.
I'm thinking the printer is behaving like the origin(0,0) is on the right front, for X at least and it has nothing to do with the slicer.
It's about centering the prints, but it doesn't print on the bed mostly.
Start G-code:
; Ender 3 Custom Start G-code G92 E0
; Reset Extruder G28
; Home all axes G1 Z2.0 F3000
; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X0.1 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to start position
G1 X0.1 Y200.0 Z0.3 F1500.0 E15 ; Draw the first line
G1 X0.4 Y200.0 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to side a little
G1 X0.4 Y20 Z0.3 F1500.0 E30 ; Draw the second line
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X5 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move over to prevent blob squish
End G-code:
G91 ;Relative positioning
G1 E-2 F2700 ;Retract a bit
G1 E-2 Z0.2 F2400 ;Retract and raise Z
G1 X5 Y5 F3000 ;Wipe out
G1 Z10 ;Raise Z more
G90 ;Absolute positionning
G1 X0 Y{machine_depth} ;Present print
M106 S0 ;Turn-off fan
M104 S0 ;Turn-off hotend
M140 S0 ;Turn-off bed
M84 X Y E ;Disable all steppers but Z | The issues you are facing can be caused typically by a defective X-axis endstop, an inverted logic of the X-axis endstop or a defective printer controller board.
When the X-axis endstop is reporting being triggered, it will not move. After "homing" it will only go to the right of the "home position".
There a couple of things to troubleshoot the X-axis endstop working:
Command an M119 command over a printer console or connect your printer over USB to a printer software application like PronterFace, OctoPrint, Repetier-Host, etc. and look at the reported endstop triggers; these should be triggered when the endstops are pressed. Issue the M119 when you press the X endstop manually, if it reports "open" for X you need to invert the logic. If still triggered, the endstop is broken.
Swap the X-endstop for a any other endstop (Y or Z); then you can also check if the printer board is broken!
If it is the case to invert the polarity of the endstop, in the Marlin firmware Configuration.h, look up:
// Mechanical endstop with COM to ground and NC to Signal uses "false" here (most common setup).
#define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
Change the boolean value of the endstop you'd like to invert. |
Ender 3 needs Power Supply AND USB to work I installed a BLTouch on my Ender 3 following this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUlqrSq6LeY.
What I noticed too late was that when installing the BLTouch, I swapped the brown and red wires followed by connecting it to the mainboard.
Then I realized that the printer wouldn't turn on. After reading some of the comments, I swapped back the wire and I could see the BLTouch do its self-test.
However, it seems that I need to plug into the USB before the LCD + motors can work.
So is my mainboard fried? Or how should I fix it? | It seems like I blew the regulator based on the comment in the Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/ender3/comments/ao5m5b/ender_3_can_only_be_powered_on_by_psu_and_usb/ |
First layer eventually sticks to the hotend and tears I am at my wits end with this problem. I start a print and the skirt goes down fine, then the outline of the parts go down fine (usually) and then when it goes to fill in the first layer, it will always get stuck to the hotend at some point and rip apart the layer.
Any ideas on how to solve this?
Printing PLA at 210°C;
First layer temp is 225°C;
Bed temp at 60°C;
1.75 mm filament, and;
0.4 mm nozzle.
Maker Select V2.1, using Cura to slice. | Step Zero: is always to check/adjust the bed level - if the height over the bed varies while putting down the first layer, it's hard to ever get first layer settings that work.
Step One: is to adjust your first layer settings - height, temperature, extrusion width until you find a set that work for your setup (knowing that they may change somewhat when you change filament.) Some folks find more success with thin first layers, others with a thicker first layer to pump more plastic, still others use the same layer height but increase the width to pump more plastic, and others combine these approaches. Increasing the temperature is common, though in my case I found that the "usual" +5°C was not enough for the present setup.
You can change one setting at a time and have an idea of what works better or worse in each case, or you can change lots of settings and hope you get lucky. I prefer the tedious approach, it's less maddening.
Are you using any surface treatment on the bed? A bit of gluestick or hairspray may help you stick. |
I can set the voltage and current of the TMC2130 driver manually. But, in which cases some of the components could burn up? I need to know if something will burn up beforehand I plug all the circuits:
Ramps 1.6+
Arduino Mega 2560
PSU 12 V, 15 A
2 TMC2130 V3.0 Stepper motor driver
2 Stepper motors 17hs3401
Driver Potentiometer
The driver has a potentiometer to change the voltage that is giving to the motors. Range of Vref values:
Default: 1 V (±0.2)
MAX: 2.4 V
MIN: 0 V
As one person answered me in another question, I would need 3.2 V to make the motor work well (2. Ω * 1.3 A = 3.2 V). As the driver just can offer 2 A I assume that the speed will be lower and the driver will be warmer because the motor will drain more current.
Marlin Current Configuration
There is a file in the Marlin firmware (Configuration_adv.h) where I can set the current that the driver is going to give to the motors. I do this to calculate the current in the motor XCURRENT = 1300 mA x sqrt(2) = 1838.5 mA and set the value in the file
#if AXIS_IS_TMC(X)
#define X_CURRENT 1838.5 // (mA) RMS current. Multiply by 1.414 for peak current. Default 800
#define X_CURRENT_HOME X_CURRENT // (mA) RMS current for sensorless homing
#define X_MICROSTEPS 16 // 0..256
#define X_RSENSE 0.11
#define X_CHAIN_POS -1 // <=0 : Not chained. 1 : MCU MOSI connected. 2 : Next in chain, ...
#endif
Possible problems
What I am going to do is to set the drivers potentiometer to the maximum and check what happens. And I will also set the current in the Marlin to 1838.5mA
As the drivers have less voltage to give to the motors, are my drivers going to burn because they will have to give more current for a long period of time? Or will the stepper motors burn because they won't get enough current or voltage?
I also found some other possible problems in this other answer
If the current is too high, you lose the linearity of micro-stepping. If the highest current exceeds the maximum, then the highest current micro-stepping positions will collapse on each other.
If you are within the specs of the motors, there are no motor-related problems caused by higher currents.
But other problems can be caused by increasing the current. The current must be within the capacity of the motor drivers and their heat sink. If the drivers overheat, many will simply shut off, causing the motors to not move when they should, which will appear as misalignment on X, Y, or Y.
This other person also told me
you set the power level for the TCM2130 to more than 50 % then it will overheat. However, it may only do so when running at low speed. I doubt it will overheat if running at a high speed
The TMC2130 drivers can tolerate a motor operating current 1.2 A (peak 2 A). I am setting the maximum to 1838.5 mA (that's Okay) and the motor RMS is 1.3 A (more than 1.2 A). Will these settings overheat the driver?
Question
Will I have any of these problems with the configuration I have set above? Will the TMC2130 overheat?
Update 22 April
My chip is the TMC2130-LA. Then, to calculate the X_CURRENT value:
Imax = 1.2 A # max current available in the controller
Irms = Imax / 1.41 = 0.851
X_CURRENT = 90% Irms = 0.851 * 0.9 = 0.766 = 766 mA # 90% for safety | The driver has a potentiometer to change the voltage that is giving to the motors.
[...]
As one person answered me in another question, I would need 3.2 V to make the motor work well (2. Ω * 1.3 A = 3.2 V).
You are misunderstanding that answer and what the potentiometer does. The potentiometer does not control the voltage going to the motors. It makes no sense to compare this voltage to the rated voltage of the motor. The potentiometer controls the current going to the motor, with a potentiometer voltage of 0V corresponding to 0% of the driver's current, and a potentiometer voltage of 2.5V corresponding to 100%. The documentation of your driver is a bit unclear but it looks like the maximum peak current is 1A per phase or 0.7A RMS (per phase).
There is a file in the Marlin firmware (Configuration_adv.h) where I can set the current that the driver is going to give to the motors.
This only works if the driver is set to SPI mode, otherwise the setting is ignored. To enable SPI mode you need to remove the jumper resistor labeled "SPI" mode and make connections to the long pins sticking out the top of the driver. This configuration option overrides the current setting set by the potentiometer.
What I am going to do is to set the drivers potentiometer to the maximum and check what happens. And I will also set the current in the Marlin to 1838.5mA
That's not such a good idea. It would be wiser to set the potentiometer relatively low, and increase it just enough so that the motors do not skip steps.
As the drivers have less voltage to give to the motors, are my drivers going to burn because they will have to give more current for a long period of time?
No, because the drivers do not have "less voltage to give to the motors". They don't work that way. They are constant current drivers.
Or will the stepper motors burn because they won't get enough current or voltage?
No. The only thing that could cause the motors to burn is (far) too much current or voltage. This will never happen because your drivers will burn up before the motors ever would.
Keep in mind that in the question you linked to, one answer is more detailed than you can reasonably understand with your level of electronics knowledge, and the other answer is completely wrong.
Summary
The current setting in configuration_adv.h is irrelevant unless you have enabled SPI (but I doubt that you have)
Do not start out with the potentiometer set to maximum
Everything will be fine. The motor can handle more current than the driver can ever deliver. The driver you have is configured so that it can never exceed its rated current.
Regarding your update
Yes, if you are using SPI current control then the potentiometer is ignored.
The TMC2130 can handle 1.2A RMS per coil, though the datasheet notes that more than 1A RMS per coil requires special attention to heat dissipation (the small breakout PCB probably does not have great thermal properties).
Your calculation is overly conservative because it treats the 1.2A figure as peak current when RMS current is meant. You do not need to divide by $\sqrt{2}$ to convert to RMS because the figure already is RMS. |
When to use 1.75 mm vs 3 mm filament? Why do we have two standard filament sizes, 1.75 mm and 3 mm? Does it really make a difference when printing? Or is the 1.75 mm just for smaller printers?
In what situations should I be using 1.75 mm?
When should I be using 3 mm? | There's no appreciable difference. Just use the filament that fits your particular printer.
If you don't yet have a printer, then I'd get one that uses 1.75 mm filament:
1.75 mm is increasingly becoming the "standard", thus being easier to get. Some filaments are not available as 3 mm.
1.75 mm filament allows for finer control, because feeding in 1 mm of filament corresponds to less plastic extruded.
1.75 mm filament requires less force to extrude. Compressing 1.75 mm down to 0.3 mm takes less force than doing the same to 3 mm filament.
However, the advantages are fairly minor. I don't see any reason to replace a functioning 3 mm extruder with a 1.75 mm one (yet). |
Print "hairs" without support in GrabCAD Print I have a part with hair strands, such as the Hairy Lion on Thingiverse, and I want to print it on a Stratasys F370. The thin strands are intended to print without support, bridging to the exterior wall. Although the bridges are quite long, it doesn't matter if they sag, because they will be heat-treated afterwards.
But when I open the STL file in GrabCAD Print, the slicer gets over-protective of those long bridges, and inserts soluble support for every one. As well as being a huge waste of support material, it would take ages to dissolve out all of that support, and it's completely unnecessary. However, there are other parts of the model that overhang and do need support, so I can't just disable support completely.
How can I avoid supporting these bridges? | There's no way to do this in GrabCAD Print alone, but you can achieve it using Insight, which you can reach from the Apps menu in Print. The steps are as follows:
Open your STL file in Insight.
Go to Modelers → Setup… and set the printer, layer height, and material to the same as in Print. If you get these wrong, you won't find out until you get to the end and Print refuses to print the part.
Use one of the red icons to slice your print, with or without the wall thickness filter.
Use the red and green icon to generate support. You'll notice all of your hairs are now supported.
Go to View → Display options…. Set View only to Group curves, and then Group to view to All support. This filters out the (red) model curves, showing only the (green) support curves.
Go to Edit → Delete…. Then left-click and drag a box around the unnecessary supports. For my part, dragging the 3D view to be top-down made it easy to drag a box around just the hair supports while leaving the other supports untouched, but it'll depend on the shape of your part.
In the right panel, make sure the delete mode is set to Curves, and click OK. Now all your supports should be gone. At this stage you can set the display options back how they were if you want to inspect your model further.
Use the green circle icon to create toolpaths
File → Save As… → Toolpath to save as a .cmb or .cmb.gz file.
Go back to GrabCAD Print. (You can close Insight now if you want.)
File → Import CMB and choose the file you just saved.
CMB files show up very boxy on the tray view (and Print will display a warning about that), but if you go into slice preview mode, you should see it as it was in Insight, with just the right supports.
There's one caveat with this method. The slicer generates the base as a single contour, so deleting the supports under the hairs doesn't remove that section of base, and AFAIK you can't make the slicer recompute just the base (so generating support again would put the original supports back). You could edit the base contour before step 8, or disable the base completely in the support options before step 4, but the amount of support material saved probably isn't worth the effort. |
Extruder Motor Not working during Printing I am a newbie trying to setup and configure a 3D printer following online YouTube videos and tutorials. I am trying to configure a Hypercube Evolution 3D printer.
I followed Tech2C videos (on YouTube) and was able to configure Marlin firmware to some extent. I am using Pronterface to send test codes and taking files from thingiverse.com for testing.
Configuration :
CoreXY
Board : Ramps 1.4
Extruder Setup Type : Direct drive using Titan e3D
All end stops, temperature sensors, heaters configured and verified.
What is working :
X,Y,Z axis movement directly from panel.
Homing is ok.
Temperature sensors, heating bed and hot end as expected.
Extruder motor working with direct on panel command.
What is not working :
When I send a print file (taken from thingiverse.com), the X,Y,Z axis work but there is no extrusion what so ever. I have tried a lot of things but using files from thingiverse, the extrusion of filament is not there whatsoever. It's been 2 months trying to figure out whether the issue is in firmware or the file, however to no use.
Can anyone help me get out of this or point out where I can be going wrong? | If the extruder extrudes fine from the control panel, chances are there's a configuration problem somewhere. For example, check your extruder steps/mm in the firmware to make sure it's not a nonsensical value; check the slicer settings to make sure that the filament diameter, line width, and layer height are all correct; make sure you're not trying to extrude in volumetric mode without having configured volumetric printing in your firmware and slicer correctly; and finally check your temperature control settings. When I first set up my fleabay 3d printer, I couldn't get my printer to work because the hotend minimum shutoff temp (thermistor disconnect protection basically) was set to something like 195C and the print temperature was 180C. I had an almost identical issue when I changed my fan assembly and it started blowing on the wrong part of the hotend, causing the firmware to register that entirely too much energy was being put into the extruder. Check the minimum temps for both hotend and heated bed and see if one of them is tripping your failsafes and stopping the extruder before printing even begins. |
Cura acting REALLY sluggish all of a sudden I've been using Cura on my computer for a while now, (at least a month) but all of a sudden the entire interface has become noticeably sluggish. Whenever I scroll through the profile parameters list or the settings visibility dialog, the list lags and doesn't fully appear.
I'm at a loss to explain why this is happening. | Cura has and/or had a memory leak (or some other similar phenomenon) that occurs if you leave it running for a long time. I have left Cura running for days or a week or three and eventually ran into a similar problem. One could infer that you've left Cura running for a month, though it's not clear in your question.
I update Cura a few weeks ago (maybe a couple months) and noticed that it had a substantially smaller memory footprint, so that tells me they are working on memory management.
Looking in the release notes, you can see that 2 versions ago they implemented analytics, which is possibly a reason for the poor performance. You'll also notice a lot of new features and bugs fixed int hat version. That means a lot of work went into it. Coupled with the short time to another release, and I think they're working on fixing things.
For a more precise answer, include details and specs about your PC, internet connection, mother's maiden name, SSN, etc. I'm kidding about the last 2, but it is probably a PC or software problem that you're running into. |
Ball screw: Maintaining Z axis position when motor is OFF I'm building a 3d printer of size 500 x 500 x 500 build area. For the Z axis, I'm planning to use this Linear actuator.
The maximum weight Z axis might encounter is 15 Kg due to it being a clay printer. A single linear actuator can, according to the specs, lift 10 Kg. So I'm planning to use two of this.
My question is a ball screw of pitch 4mm or 5mm, will it be able to Maintain it's position when the motor is de-energized under a load of 15 kg shared by two systems.
What effect the diameter of rod has on it??
Is there any way to find that?? | My question is a ball screw of pitch 4mm or 5mm, will it be able to Maintain it's position when motor is deenergized under a load of 15 kg shared by two systems.
The detent torque of a typical NEMA 23 stepper varies between around 3 and 7 N·cm. This is the torque produced when the windings are not energized.
Using this leadscrew torque calculator, you can find that the torque required for a 12 mm diameter, 4 mm pitch leadscrew to hold up a 75 N load, is around 5 N·cm - assuming there is no friction. If there is friction, then the required torque will be lower.
So, the torque required is almost equal to or possibly even higher than the detent torque. Therefore, you should not count on a de-energized motor holding up the build platform. In practice, you might see that friction is enough to hold up the build platform, but that any disturbance (such as somebody bumping into the printer) is enough to get the leadscrews to start spinning and have the platform drop like a rock.
What effect the diameter of rod has on it?
Increasing the pitch also increases the torque required (so, go with a lower pitch leadscrew). The diameter does not affect the torque directly, but having a larger diameter increases the friction and so is beneficial. |
Has anyone experienced scorching or burning of cork heatbed insulation? A comment to my question How much insulation do I really need? has made me paranoid about using cork as a heatbed insulator:
Why worry -- other than the fact that it's flammable. All that's needed to start a fire is having the thermistor fail or come loose. I'd use a flameproof material if you're going to insulate.
The flash point (ignition temperature) of cork is, apparently, 300 - 320°C1, which is not, as far as I can tell, a temperature that the heatbed reaches, so, in theory, cork should be safe to use as an insulator. In fact temperatures of around 300C are used in the manufacturing process of some cork products2:
For insulation applications, agglomerates of granules of
cork, known as black agglomerates, are employed. They
are manufactured in a closed autoclave at high
temperature (approximately 300uC) and pressure
(around 40 kPa) without the use of adhesive
In addtion, according to Why should we use cork?
Does cork burn?
Cork is a slow combustion material. That is to say, yes it burns but very slowly and it doesn't produce flame so it doesn't spread. Also, when burning, the smoke that it releases is not toxic.
However, I am not sure if all cork is equal, or whether the thickness of the cork can affect the safety. To give a definite figure, I was thinking of using 2 mm - 5 mm thick cork sheeting.
Has anyone experienced, or know of, any burning (or scorching) of cork, when used as a backing insulator to a heatbed, in particular, an aluminium PCB MK3 heatbed?
1 Source: What is the the ignition temperature of cork? | ChaCha
2 Source: Cork: properties, capabilities and applications | The real fire risks with 3d printers are electrical in nature. Lets say your wires come undone and happen to come next to the other lead. If it archs and happened to be in just the right position. Pretty unlikely. Once I did a bad solder job and when I was working on my printer. The wires literally burst into flame in my lap. No damage done (other than needing a new board). That said we often see people who have their boards catch fire in the flashforge owner groups. Weak solder joints, and over all bad quality.
Do you really have something to worry about with Cork? No. A series of unfortunate events would have to happen, and more likely your board will cause a fire. That said I would look into adding a layer of aluminum and reflect some of that heat back up.
If you are that worried I would just remove the sheet. Unless you are having issues calibrating you heated build plate / PIDs there is no reason to use insulation. I only use it on printers that have a hard time hitting ABS temps of 100c. Even then I only use tin foil and try to trap the air underneath.
Just a side note. If you are having heated build plate issues maybe what you really need is a heat chamber. |
How do I calibrate temperature control in a Repetier firmware? I have built a 3D printer using RAMPS 1.4. I am trying to raise the hotend temperature over 180 °C. But I can hardly get to 100 °C in 60 minutes. I applied power directly to the heater and I was able to get to 220 °C in about 15 minutes. What am I not doing right? Currently I think the PID isn't correctly calibrated. How do I do that with the Repetier firmware?
P.S. I tried PID tuning but end with an error on timeout. | When applying a voltage directly to the heater element, it should heat up very fast. You could measure the resistance of the heater element. A 12 V heater element of 40 Watt should have a resistance of about 3.6 Ω; you could test that with a multitester. If the resistance is a lot higher, the heater cartridge could be a 24 V heater element. Operating such element on 12 V would imply that the power output would only be 10 W. Heating of the hotend is much slower at low power output.
Incorrect PID settings can indeed prevent the heater to heat up fast enough to trigger errors during tuning. The trick is to heat up the element a little prior to performing the tuning, or upload new PID settings to the firmware prior to tuning.
PID settings can be set not only by uploading a modified firmware version (configuration file), but also by sending commands to the printer over serial terminal connection (e.g. Repetier host, OctoPrint, Pronterface, etc.) or stored in a G-code file and executing it ("printing"). The G-code command to set the PID values is M301. The relevant parameters are:
Hnnn heater number Pnnn proportional (Kp) Innn integral (Ki) Dnnn
derivative (Kd) |
What kind of filter do I need for the enclosure of a 3d printer? I've heard alot about the need for ventilation when using 3D Printers lately. Is there any special sort of filter that would prevent the toxic gases from leaking out of the printer while it's printing it's filament? Is printing outside a solution while I build an enclosure? | For the most part, a consumer 3D Printer will only need proper ventilation when using potentially harmful materials such as ABS. (See duplicate question). If you're printing with primarily PLA, then you don't need to worry. I print mostly with ABS and keep my machine close to a window and I haven't experienced any issues. |
Does the Inverse-Square law apply with SLA Printing? I was adjusting the position of our projector to allow for bigger prints to be generated. I encountered a problem that at larger distances, our prints are not seeming to adhere as desired.
Does the inverse square law of light apply to DLP projectors?
I am aware that the inverse-square law only is 100% applicable when you have a point as your light source. But I assume close to the same holds constant for other real world light sources.
Unless DLP projectors compensate for distance with their power output. Is this the case?
Cross-Post: @ Physics.SE | Yes, of course it does. The same amount of light is being spread across a wider area, so there's less light per area. Once you're past a few 10's of filament diameters, a point source is a highly accurate representation of most light bulbs. Even more so when there's a lens setup that causes the light to go through a point focus. |
Using hardboard for 3D printer enclosure; what is the temperature rating of hardboard? I am looking for the temperature rating for hardboard. I want to use that as the base for my printer enclosure.
It has proven incredible hard get a ball-park figure from Google.
So, what is the maximum safe temperature for a hardboard panel at long term? (considering a print job can easily take 6 hours).
PS: if you have used a hardboard to build your enclosure, your experience might be helpful. | Hardboard is called Masonite here in the States because that is the trade name of the product. If you look up the Material Safety Data Sheet you will see Masonite it states the following (Section 5):
Auto-ignition Temperature (°C): >200 degrees Celsius
In Section 7, it states:
These boards are flammable but difficult to ignite.
Furthermore in Section 10, it states:
Conditions to avoid: Avoid sources of radiant heat and flame; and avoid sparks and sources of ignition in all electrical equipment, including dust extraction equipment.
Avoid excessive build up of dust from boards.
The hot end works of printers are neither radiant heat, nor flames, nor sparks. Yes, you'll have a buildup of heat within the working confines of an enclosure, but if you are only using it for a base there should be absolutely no issues. If you were to build an entire enclosure from hardboard, you could put a thermal probe inside with the printer to ensure it doesn't get too hot, but realistically, it will never get hot enough within the enclosure to light the hardboard on fire. |
Print not coming out good I just designed a robot in blender, and whenever I print it, it goes horribly wrong. The first print was laying down, I had supports on, Then it started to print the arm, starting with the bottom of a sphere, and the supports caused it to fly off. The second time, I printed it standing up, with supports, and the arm didn't even print, PLA got all over my build plate. How would I print this successfully? Sideways like this?
I uploaded the model to Thingiverse last night, Here's the link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2417504 | Based on your description of the print failures, it appears that the problem is not specific to the model. If printing supports is causing parts of the model to "fly off," there may be a temperature problem or a speed problem or a combination of the two. If you have a new filament type, it may be necessary to perform test model prints to ensure you are using good settings for the filament. If you are using old filament, it may be necessary to print test models with no complex shapes to ensure that your filament will still function properly.
You say that "PLA got all over your build plate." This is another indication of a problem not related to the model position or model design or orientation. |
Issues with Auto Bed Leveling I have enabled auto bed leveling on my 3D printer. I have used a 6-36 V inductive sensor with a 7805 voltage regulator running the sensor at 10.78 V.
I am using Marlin 1.1.9. This is my configuration file for Marlin firmware. I used this video for marlin setup.
I have done a voltage regulator setup by using this video.
I have place an Aluminium plate with insulated copper wire. (I also tried an Iron plate). After Setting this I use Pronterface to control the printer. While homing command is given the XY axis gets home and Z axis moves downwards and doesn't stops even the Light in the sensor gets ON. This video I made shows that it does not stop.
And also once the Zmin gets TRIGGERED, it is always TRIGGERED.
After I enabled SAFE_HOMING, the XY axis comes to the centre of the printer. And Z axis goes down again without stopping.
Please help me in this. | Your problem is that the hotend carriage does not stop when the sensor triggers. I assume you mean "on homing", not "while printing" (UPDATE: after watching the video it is confirmed that it is "on homing"). First, the working and this difference is explained. Thereafter your configuration file is assessed and typical errors or inconsistencies are reported. Note that assassing an existing configuration file is more work than for you to start over taking the consideration below into account. Also look into this answer which describes what you need to do starting from a clean configuration file.
Note:
Why not test if the sensor works at higher Z values by using a metal screwdriver to test if the head stops, then you do not run into the bed (with way less chance to damage your printer). From the video you can see that the sensor triggers, does the signal also gets registered by the printer board? With M119 you test the endstop status of all endstops.
Auto bed leveling theory
An auto level sensor does not trigger exactly when the nozzle hits the bed like in normal leveling using switches. The sensor is meant to detect the bed before the nozzle touches the bed. It is the offset that you define with command M851 e.g. M851 Z-1.85 that determines the correct offset between sensor trigger point and the nozzle. After homing G28 and auto bed leveling G29, the nozzle needs to get under the sensor trigger point (e.g. in the example above it is then still 1.85 mm away from the platform) so while printing it is perfectly fine that the sensor stays triggered until printing height gets above 1.85 mm. This gives an answer why you see the head go past the trigger point when printing, when homing or leveling that should not happen.
Configuration file observations
From your configuration can be seen that
//#define Z_SAFE_HOMING
is not enabled, this is advised to enable. This is important, but not the complete solution.
Also, you have not defined the auto leveling area by setting the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach). In your config you will find disabled constants for (see also this answer or question: "How to set Z-probe boundary limits in firmware when using automatic bed leveling?"):
//#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION MIN_PROBE_EDGE
//#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (X_BED_SIZE - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
//#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION MIN_PROBE_EDGE
//#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION (Y_BED_SIZE - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
You only have defined a Y sensor offset in your configuration :
#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 43
but the video and the comments say otherwise, you should therefore should have set:
#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 43
so e.g. the following could work (depending on the offset from limit switch position to printer origin):
#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION MIN_PROBE_EDGE
#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION (X_BED_SIZE - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION MIN_PROBE_EDGE + Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER
#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION (Y_BED_SIZE - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
Another part in your configuration that need further inspection is your offset from limit switch position (when homing) to printer origin; you have:
#define X_MIN_POS 0
#define Y_MIN_POS 0
This is very unlikely, but possible, it means as is that the X=0 and Y=0 is exactly on the limit switches for X and Y. Usually this is not the case and you see negative values for these constants.
All-in-all, your configuration file has a lot of problems which need to be fixed. To solve your problem you need to read into configuring Marlin. Once you got the printer working fine you progress to an ABL sensor and make the correct settings in the configuration by using the hints above. |
Possible 3D printer nozzle jam? Is this a jam? How do it fix it? There is a piece of filament stuck in the metal block (I have no idea what it is used for(other than mounting). When I heat up the extruder and try to extrude nothing happens.
Printer: Maker Select v2 (Wanhao Duplicator I3 Plus)
Image above is the hot-end with the filament feeding stepper motor removed. | What you are looking at is the top of a Makerbot MK10-style hotend. It appears that the filament has snapped off at the entry of the heat break at the top of the cold end. The image below shows how the hotend is constructed, from top to bottom, brasss nozzle, heater element block, heat break (with PTFE liner, or not if it is an all metal hotend) and the cold end cooling block.
You indeed have a jam if an increased temperature cannot push the filament out. What you can try is to heat up the hotend (above the normal filament printing temperature, e.g. 10-20 °C higher; a too high temperature can cause filament to carbonize) with the feeder stepper removed pushing a 1.5 mm drill bit from the top of the heat break and see if you can push the obstruction out. If you have a fine needle or a specific nozzle cleaning tool, you could try from the nozzle opening. If not, you need to take the hotend apart and need to consider to buy some spare parts (at least a new PTFE liner if present), this is usually more simple than cleaning the small parts. If it is ABS filament you can use acetone to dissolve the filament, but for PLA/PETG there are no simple solvents.
The image below shows an exploded view of the assembly. |
How to tell machine how far travel limits without switches I have a 3d printer that is homebuilt with salvaged parts. Occasionally there is some kind of error and when i start my code the minute it starts it max out on x and y axis and continues to do it until i kill the connection and reset everything. I have found that when i put G21 G90 into the first line of the file it doesnt do this anymore. But I'm wondering if i can "teach" my machine how far it can go before it stops? I am using "grbl controller" to send g-code to my arduino uno woth grbl loaded onto it. | Since 3D printers works with coodinates and the gcode generator requires the origin point and bed shape and bed size. knowing this your programs never will be out of the printing area.
My printer has a printing area of 16.5 x 16.5 cm, so I set this parameter to CURA, Slic3r and 3dsimplify and I can't generate the gcode if the part does not fit on the bed. So I print parts with 15cm maximum
Also the firmware has this limits to 16cm, the 0.5 cm is just for safety
Of course if I send a command with pronterface or any other gbrl controler I can go over the limits due the X0Y0 could be out of position (offset), but if you respect the origin point and don't try to go over the limits by yourself the machine will be ok. |
How to slice this wing so it has a smooth infill like perimeters I have this wing design that I want to print:
You can notice that its walls have a thickness, which is 1.0 mm.
I want to print it so that the perimeters are inside that thickness.
Here is the wing sliced with 1 perimeter and 0% infill:
You can notice a gap between the perimeters. That gap is what I want filled and not the perimeters in the image. With 0 perimeters and 100% infill I got this zig-zagged line:
I want the gap to be filled; but, I don't want it to be zig-zagged like in the image. I want it to be smooth like the perimeters in the other image.
Basically I want a smooth infill that goes around the curves just like the perimeters. The reason why I don't want to print both the perimeters and the infill is because I want to save as much weight a possible as this is a wing of a model plane that must fly, so the lighter it is the more efficient it will be.
Any ideas how I can slice this?
The images are screenshots in Slic3r, but I can use Cura as well.
This is just a test slice. The wing model is not finished yet. | I found a great solution!
In Cura, there is a setting under Shell called Horizontal Expansion. What this does is it controls the distance between the two perimeters. A negative value in this field will make them come closer together, thus removing the gap between them.
I found that -0.1 is the perfect value for 1 mm thick walls like the ones in my design. So I set it to -0.1, then set the infill to 100% because in some spots the thickness is a little bit more than 1 mm, so the infill closes the gaps in those places. Here is the result:
You can see the perimeters are now sticking to each other and there is no gap between them. The result estimated weight is 71 g, which is a quite good reduction from the estimated 92 g when not using horizontal expansion. |
Any code to move up Z axis after finishing the printing? Is the firts time that I saw this movement after the printing has finishig and causes the nozzle crashes to the printed part and I noticed due the part is 14x8 and the nozzle is to near and below to the border of the shape. I supposed that some scripts has changed but, seems to be everything ok.
this is the end script:
G92 E0
G1 E-1.5000 F1800
; layer end
M104 S0 ; turn off extruder
M140 S0 ; turn off bed
G28 X0 ; home X axis
M84 ; disable motors
; Build Summary
; Build time: 3 hours 9 minutes
; Filament length: 12689.1 mm (12.69 m)
; Plastic volume: 30520.78 mm^3 (30.52 cc)
; Plastic weight: 38.15 g (0.08 lb)
Z axis moves down 4mm after finishing going to X0, why? I don't want the nozzle crashes the part on going to zero. | You can use:
G91
G1 Z10
G91 make the printer use ralative positioning, while G1 Z10 would move the gantry up of 10mm, reagrdless of its actual position.
In order to understand what's going on, you could experiment with the position of those lines in the script.
The safest bet it to insert them at the very top, but you could insert them straight after the homing of the X axis to understand if the drop you are seeing is caused by the homing command itself or by the ´M84´ one.
My guess is that the drop is actually caused by the latter. M84 doesn't really "disable motors", rather it stops using energy to keep them still (i.e.: it stops the idle hold). What I believe is happening in your case is that when you stop the idle hold, the weight and mechanical play of the X gantry causes it to move slightly (a bit like when you relax your body on the sofa and you "sink" in it a bit more). |
Bed heating stops when paused by filament runout sensor My CR-10 S5 has a feature, that stops the print, when the filament runs out.
However, when the printer pauses, the bed cools down and the print plops if the bed. Is there a way to tell the printer to keep the bed heated, when paused (by the runout detector)? | There is no easy way to keep the bed heated during pause
Looking at the sourcecode, I am pretty sure that the current version (10/29/2019) keeps the heated bed at the right temperature.
Features are built into the firmware. You need an Arduino and some wires to write new firmware to the built-in SOC. Adjusting the code should be as simple as commenting a single line.
That is some serious shortcoming of the CR-10 S5! I can't imagine a reason why not to leave the heated bed on.
The command that keeps the heated bed at temperature is in Marlin_main.cpp:5664:
Source code link |
Can I print and sell 3D models licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Can I Print models from Sources like Thingiverse and sell them ?
I will be only charging the print costs and will provide full credits and attributes to the original creator of the model (with links to their profiles) in my web-page.
There are websites like 3dhubs where the seller will print any file the user uploads. Similarly I want to charge only for the printing services. | I am not an attorney, so this isn't legal advice. Like any legal question, you should consult with an actual attorney, who can consider all the gory details.
That said, it seems like you've got the BY and SA parts covered. "Non-commercial" is more difficult: does a sale that's not for profit count as "commercial"?
The Creative Commons site (https://creativecommons.org/faq/#does-my-use-violate-the-noncommercial-clause-of-the-licenses) explains it a bit more, as pasted below. But perhaps the best thing is to just drop an email to the originator and ask. Probably you'll get an email back saying it's fine; and who knows, maybe you'll make a new friend, too. I've been on both ends of exchanges like that, and it's generally worked just fine.
Does my use violate the NonCommercial clause of the licenses?
CC's NonCommercial (NC) licenses prohibit uses that are "primarily
intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary
compensation." This is intended to capture the intention of the
NC-using community without placing detailed restrictions that are
either too broad or too narrow. Please note that CC's definition does
not turn on the type of user: if you are a nonprofit or charitable
organization, your use of an NC-licensed work could still run afoul of
the NC restriction, and if you are a for-profit entity, your use of an
NC-licensed work does not necessarily mean you have violated the term.
Whether a use is commercial will depend on the specifics of the
situation and the intentions of the user.
In CC's experience, it is usually relatively easy to determine whether
a use is permitted, and known conflicts are relatively few considering
the popularity of the NC licenses. However, there will always be uses
that are challenging to categorize as commercial or noncommercial. CC
cannot advise you on what is and is not commercial use. If you are
unsure, you should either contact the rights holder for clarification,
or search for works that permit commercial uses.
CC has a brief guide to interpretation of the NC license that goes
into more detail about the meaning of the NC license and some key
points to pay attention to. Additionally, in 2008, Creative Commons
published results from a survey on meanings of commercial and
noncommercial use generally. Note that the results of the study are
not intended to serve as CC's official interpretation of what is and
is not commercial use under our licenses, and the results should not
be relied upon as such. |
Anet A6 Z-axis min endstop not triggering I had a Z probe installed but the wires came out of the header so I am trying to use software endstops, but any time I G28 the nozzle will always ram into the bed. I am using Marlin Firmware. Which I am relatively new with. I'm used to having hardware endstops, but,
I don't have a hardware endstop currently (no probe/no switch).
Is it possible to do this with software?
I took out G28/G29 in my G-code and it shows that it is going to z0.2 and working upward (but it still hits the bed). If the bed is level do I need a G28?
Should Z probe offset be 0?
#define USE_XMIN_PLUG
#define USE_YMIN_PLUG
#define USE_ZMIN_PLUG
//#define USE_XMAX_PLUG
//#define USE_YMAX_PLUG
//#define USE_ZMAX_PLUG
#if DISABLED(ENDSTOPPULLUPS)
// fine endstop settings: Individual pullups. will be ignored if ENDSTOPPULLUPS is defined
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMAX
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMAX
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMAX
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_XMIN
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_YMIN
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN
//#define ENDSTOPPULLUP_ZMIN_PROBE
#endif
#define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // set to true to invert the logic of the probe.
// Enable this feature if all enabled endstop pins are interrupt-capable.
// This will remove the need to poll the interrupt pins, saving many CPU cycles.
#define ENDSTOP_INTERRUPTS_FEATURE
#define PROBE_MANUALLY
#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 1 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle]
#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -55 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle]
#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER -3.4
#define MULTIPLE_PROBING 2
#define Z_CLEARANCE_DEPLOY_PROBE 0 // Z Clearance for Deploy/Stow
#define Z_CLEARANCE_BETWEEN_PROBES 3 // Z Clearance between probe points
// For M851 give a range for adjusting the Z probe offset
#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MIN -20
#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_RANGE_MAX 20
#define INVERT_Z_DIR true
#define Z_MIN_POS 0
#if ENABLED(MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS)
//#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_X
//#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Y
#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Z
#endif
#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR
#define MANUAL_Z_HOME_POS 0
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING
#if ENABLED(Z_SAFE_HOMING)
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_X_POINT ((X_BED_SIZE) / 2) // X point for Z homing when homing all axes (G28).
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_Y_POINT ((Y_BED_SIZE) / 2) // Y point for Z homing when homing all axes (G28).
#endif | There is no such thing as a software endstop for the 3D printer. When you power a printer the print head can be located at every X, Y, Z position (usually, Z is at the print height of your last print, X is at the minimum X, and Y is at an arbitrary location determined by the last print).
This is exactly why we need endstops, either mechanical, optical or electronic (inductive or capacitive) end stop switches or sensors. You instruct the printer to home by using a known fixed location of the printer; this is the hitting of all endstops. The origin of the printer may have offsets, as the origin of the printer may not coincide with the endstop location. For the Anet A6 this is a few millimeters, e.g. for Marlin firmware this is defined in the configuration by:
#define X_MIN_POS -3
#define Y_MIN_POS -5
The answer to your question: "Is it possible to do this with software?" is therefore, no, you cannot do this solely with software. |
Technique for removing support from Ultimaker 2+? I have made some prints with the Ultimaker 2+ and Ultimaker 2 Extended+. The prints are in PLA. For slicing, I use Cura and I check the support checkbox (haven't gone to advanced settings to adjust support yet). I can clearly see that there is a little space between the support and the print. The supports often look like long pillars and such.
My question then is: "What is the best technique for removing the support?". Is it to use a knife, pliers or perhaps PLA-water? Is it possible to use PLA-water to remove support when printed with Ulitmaker 2+ or is that just the Ultimaker 3? What type of technique would give a good looking print?
Ultimaker 3 has support filament that's water-soluble. Is there something similar for Ultimaker 2+? | The Ultimaker 2+ is a single extruder 3D printer. Without changing the PLA spool and PVA spool continuously during the print you practically cannot make water soluble supports on the Ultimaker 2+ which can be done on the Ultimaker 3. Note that PVA (from experience) is strange material to print, the filament is very hygroscopic and will form bubbles during printing when moist. Also, PVA is prone to clog the nozzle (it cooks easily) it therefore has its own printer core (nozzle assembly) on the Ultimaker 3 (still it clogs easily). Furthermore, it takes a while to dissolve in water.
If you have a single extruder and nozzle, your best option is to use the same material for support, but modify the support settings as such that it can be easily removed. E.g. on thin layer heights (0.1 mm) I usually increase the gap between support and product over the default value, see this answer.
On dual extruder printers, e.g. on the Ultimaker 3 and S5, my colleagues have better experience using Ultimaker Breakaway filament rather than using PVA. As with the PLA supports, you need to "break them away" from the actual product; I use a Leatherman Charge or FREE P4 as these tools have fine pointed pliers. Note that there are removal tools available that are best described as soldering irons that can aid in the removal of support structures:
Note that I have mixed feelings about this product; it is hard to neatly remove supports using these small soldering irons, but it sometimes works. |
Positioning Extruders after Tool change : Marlin 1.1.6 I'm currently working on a project which uses two extruders. One for making an impression in a powder and other one to dispose a liquid in to the impression made by the first extruder.
I'm currently manually writing gcode for the purpose, and have some doubts about gcodes and setting up a second extruder. I've once configured a dual extruder system, but it uses old marlin and current one has a variety of dual extruder system, so confused about which one to choose.
Firmware : Marlin 1.1.6
Machine : custom made
Board : Ramps 1.4
configuration file : Configuarion
Dual extruder setup: two nozzles with separate stepper motor for each nozzle. For the sake of simplicity let's say something like this
Which category does this one go?? By reading marlin documentation it doesn't belong to any special category (???)
I only changed following in FW,
#define EXTRUDERS 2
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 5
#define TEMP_SENSOR_1 5
I tested by sending T0 and T1 to select extruders and extruding them
Do I have to change anything else??
This is the test gcode:
G28 ;home
T0 ;select extruder 1
G0 X20 ;move to X 20
G92 E0 ;set current position of extruder as 0
G1 E10 ;extrude 10 mm
G92 E0 ;set current position of extruder as 0
G1 E-10 ;retract 10 mm
T1 ;select extruder 2
G92 E0 ;set current position of extruder as 0
G1 E5 ;extrude 5 mm
G4 P500 ;give a delay of 500 ms before next move
T0
G0 X 30
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X 40
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X 50
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X 60
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X70
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X70
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X80
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
What it does is:
After homing, move to given position
Activate extruder 1 and extrude some(make impression)
then activating extruder 2 and extrude
move to next position and repeate
What I actually want is:
After homing, move to given position
Activate extruder 1 and extrude some (make impression)
then activating extruder 2
move extruder 2 to the position where extruder 1 extruded material
Extrude material (by extruder 2)
Move to next position and repeat
one way to achieve this is add an additional code after enabling extruder 2
eg:
T0
G0 X 20
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G0 X15 ; if X offset of E2 from E1 is 5mm, assuming no Y offset
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
T0
G0 X 30
G92 E0
G1 E10
G92 E0
G1 E-10
T1
G0 X25
G92 E0
G1 E5
G4 P500
In plastic extrusion this is normally done by setting offset in Slic3r.
Is there any other way to do this, position E22 to the position of E1.
Is there any specific G/Mcode for it??
There's a provision to set offset in Marlin. But this is what it says in marlin documentation
"Z hotend offset only available with DUAL_X_CARRIAGE or SWITCHING_NOZZLE."
Does it work with normal dual extruders.?(Does mine come under any two system mentioned above?) | Interesting project your are working on.
Does it work with normal dual extruders.?(Does mine come under any two
system mentioned above?)
The hotend/extruder you mentioned above is a E3D Chimera like system. And it is not suited for your application because you cannot lower/lift the hotends independently from each other.
examples of these configurations
DUAL_X_CARRIAGE:
look at BCN3D sigmax dual extruder
SWITCHING_NOZZLE:
look at ultimaker 3 mechanism for lowering/switching the active hotend.
The above systems aren't well documentend and will be hard to make.
I advice you to look into an interesting blog post from E3D about a tool changer. It is opensource, well documented so you're be able to create one yourself with tool heads for your application. A spade to create patterns in the powder. And a liquid tool to fill the patterns. |
Slicing directly from non-mesh data? This is a bit of a weird question, and I imagine the answer might simply be "no." But here goes anyway:
I'm writing some code that generates shapes for 3D printing via "implicit surfaces," i.e. a mathematical function f(x,y,z) that is positive inside the shape and negative outside it. This works pretty well for designing the kind of shapes I want to print, but the problem is, turning the implicit surface into a good mesh is hard - there are some libraries that can do it, but they're kind of finnicky and you have to play with parameters a lot to get it to work well.
But I was thinking: the only reason I need a mesh in the first place is to send it to a slicer, which will ultimately throw away the mesh and turn it into gcode instead. My plan was to do
implicit function --> STL file --> gcode
but I'm wondering if there are any slicers that will let me skip the intermediate step and let me just do
implicit function --> gcode
instead. That is, my code would supply a 3D grid of voxels, containing the value of the function at each 3D point, and the slicer would create the gcode from that instead of from an STL file.
It seems that Shapeways have a nice and simple format called SVX that is exactly this, but as far as I can tell, this is only supported by Shapeways and not by any FDM slicing software.
Another option would be for my code to supply a sequence of 2D polygons, one for each layer of the printed model, so the sequence would be
implicit function --> big list of slices --> gcode
This would be both easier and more accurate than first converting it into a mesh, and I assume the slicer must generate this kind of representation anyway, before it calculates the path for the print head to take.
I suppose the question is, is there an existing CAD format that supports either of these options, that is also supported by existing slicer software? If so then I can just write my code to output in that format and it should just work. | No, not natively
To the current point, all slicers in frequent use do use some kind of 3D model with explicit surfaces to cut up into slices and then solve the path functions to create the G-code. The model can be in STL or OBJ or some other format, depending on the slicer, but at this point (November 2019), no slicing program I know about supports direct math as input.
Probably make it yourself?
However, you have a way to design the models by solving a mathematical formula. You could probably use the program that solves the formulae to also act as a slicer of some sorts.
One software that might form a base could be Cura, which allows writing plugins, so there might be a way to have Cura automatically solve the surface formula and then plug that into the slicing without storing the intermediate data as an STL.
Slic3r might also work as a base since the whole source code is open. It would be a similar endeavor as modifying Cura. |
Marlin firmware function call location for menu commands? I found the pause_print() function in Marlin_main.cpp but when I search the rest of the files I cannot find the file that calls this function. I expected to find it somewhere in the file that controls the LCD menu but it only exists in main.
What file has the function calls that happen when I select a menu option from the LCD?
And why isn't pause_print() showing up elsewhere as a function call? | This function is called by the g-codes M125 and M600
I could find ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE defined in configuration_adv.h and called in Conditionals_post.h, trice in Marlin.h, referenced as needed for M600 in Marlin_Main.ccp and mentioned 2 times.
In Marlin_Main.ccp it also declares the function pause_print in line 6482 to 6571. Its start and end are these:
static bool pause_print(const float &retract, const point_t &park_point, const float &unload_length = 0,
const int8_t max_beep_count = 0, const bool show_lcd = false
) {
if (move_away_flag) return false; // already paused
#ifdef ACTION_ON_PAUSE
SERIAL_ECHOLNPGM("//action:" ACTION_ON_PAUSE);
#endif
[...]
HOTEND_LOOP()
thermalManager.start_heater_idle_timer(e, nozzle_timeout);
return true;
}
This function does define the pause state, and relies on the ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE in some cases. But what calls it? Simple enough, both calls are in the same Marlin_Main.ccp that defines it. The calls are in the functions that are used for filament change:
gcode_M125line 8534 (Save current position and move to filament change position)
gcode_M600line 9939 (Pause for filament change: "M600 X Y Z E L") |
Printing Object in multiple parts Is there any software/methods to automatically splice objects into multiple pieces sort of like a jig saw puzzle so that I can combine them together and bypass the build plate size limit?
As an example I have this 2D image that I want to print out but my printers size limit is roughly the size of the blue "squares." It's pretty tedious and time consuming to do this manually. Also, any tips on getting seamless lines or proper alignment when gluing these pieces together are appreciated. | From what I understand, you're trying to partition your object into smaller pieces with the hopes of putting them back together in a manner similar to a Jigsaw puzzle.
There are two options that I know of to do this, which requires using OpenSCAD:
The PuzzleCut library - This allows you to disassemble your object into a multiple pieces that can be assembled together in a jigsaw puzzle type manner
The PinCut library - This allows you to disassemble your objects into multiple pieces that than be reassembled using the pins and corresponding holes on the pieces. |
Print bed moves way up for printing I am new to 3D printing and I am assembling/calibrating an Ultimaker Original+ for my college.
I am done with all the assembling and the printer works fine except for one thing.
The print bed moves way up. It touches the extruder and pushes it upwards. So, the extruder cannot extrude any material.
I tried to set the Z axis value before string the print but as soon as I start the print the platform just moves up and blocks the extruder.
Please let me know if you need any more information from my side. | It is normal for an Ultimaker print bed to move up. But it should be stopped before the nozzle.
As it doesn't stop the end stop doesn't work. So either the end stop is not connected to the right connector or it is triggering too late.
The Z end stop must be screwed at the right hight. If you mount it too far up it will not trigger. The bed assembly has a small wooden peace that sticks up. The idea is that that wooden peace pushes the end stop at the right hight.
So instead of configuring the hight in the firmware you need to mount the Z end stop at the exact right hight. You can make the fine adjustments(Bed Leveling) with the screws that hold the bed.
You can test the end stop by manually triggering while the bed moves up. It needs to stop immediately once you trigger the end stop. If the bed does not stop, then check the connection or exchange the switch.
It can happen that the switch itself malfunctions if you screwed it in too tightly. So loosening up the screws a bit is a final test. |
Can Cura alert me (give a warning) if it estimates times for layers are too long? I occasionally have a problem with warping and peeling. Mostly this is fine; it only happens rarely. Recently it happened again on a larger item, and it gave me an idea. I went back and looked, and I noticed it's much more likely to happen when I have very large layers near the base of the print, where the time between layers is too long. The print cools down too much before the next layer can cover it, causing the warping.
To help avoid this issue, I'd like to have Cura alert me somehow if I'm gonna have times for individuals layers greater than, say, 4 minutes (I'll improve on that number over time).
Is this possible?
In posting this, I noticed an even better option for slic3r to automatically disable the cooling. If Cura can do that, I'd also like to know how. But I still want to know about alerting for those layers. | Look at Cura's cooling settings. It doesn't have a warning like you asked for, but it does have options to control the fan to avoid over-cooling. I think you need to set "Regular/Maximum Fan Speed Threshold" to the number of seconds you want to consider a "long time" for a layer to take, then set "Regular Fan Speed" (for layers that take a long time) to 0 or something low, and "Maximum Fan Speed" to 100 or whatever you normally want to be using. |
What is the best way to dry filament? I have some nylon that appears to have soaked up some moisture, the prints have the texture of rice bubbles. So I'm wondering what people suggest for drying.
My priorities are:
cheap
low energy use
safe
effective
I know you can put it in the oven for four hours, but that's going to chew up a lot of electricity.
I have been leaving the spool in front of a fan heater, since the heater is on anyway, it probably only gets to 40°-50°, but since my kids spend all day sitting in front of the heater I can leave it there for an extended amount of time. Anyone have success with this method?
I had considered putting it in my car. I know even on cool days it gets pretty warm in there, but I'm not sure whether that would translate to low humidity. | If we think about drying as a process, then we need to consider some factors:
we need to get same humidity level on the spool
that will require a good stable temperature and an air rotation (fan)
then we need to store spool in a dry area (a bag and silicone sachets will do the work)
As energy consumption by owen could be the case, if we will run it for 4h full steam, then considering that we shall have about 60 degC, will turn down the usage by at least 70%, so we could assume that 2kW heater will be on only 30% of the time (so it will be 2kw*0.3 = 0.6kW, multiply by 4h -> we have 2.4kWh, so that is about 50 cents).
If you consider the price of wasted filament - then adding 50 cents to the drying process is something that is cheap enough to save precious nylon. |
How to create supports for the parts hanging above 45 degrees? Do you have any specific process recommendations to achieve support for the parts hanging above 45 degrees, using open source software? | PrusaSlicer has support enforcers you can place on areas that need support.
See this video: Prusa Slicer Support Enforcers.
Automatic supports
There are automatic supports, in the Supports dropdown menu, select Everywhere:
Click Yes in the resulting dialog:
Click on the Slice icon in the bottom left:
You will end up with a lot of supports:
However, this method generally results in too much support...
Custom Suport Enforcers
So turn off Supports in the drop down menu, select None:
Now, in the Print Settings tab, under Support Material, disable Auto Generated Supports and enable Generate Support Material:
Then right click on the model and select Box from the Add Support Enforcer menu item:
You can move by clicking the Move button in the left hand palette,
resize by clicking the Resize button
and re-shape the Box as necessary, to support the difficult overhanging parts parts only. Here we can see three boxes have been added - pale blue for the previously added boxes and green for the current box:
And a fourth final Box for the tail:
Now, when you hit the Slice button, there will be much less support structure than when using Automatic supports:
Parts of the model that the slicer thinks still needs support will be highlighted in dark blue (such as the elbow and back of the head):
Add a cylinder support enforcer:
Resize and re-shape as before and move into position below the elbow:
Adding a second cylinder as a support enforcer
Upon hitting Slice:
Now in Print Settings - Support Material - Pattern change it from Rectilinear to Rectilinear Grid:
For prints with curves and details Rectilinear Grid works better, than Rectilinear (which is fine for supporting a plain cube in the air). It is easier to break the support off the print.
Now save your hard work as an AMF file:
This file maintains all of the support enforcers so that they can be modified if the actual print needs some adjustments - without having to re-add all of the support enforcers all over again. |
Filament not extruding I've recently bought an Anet A8, and haven't been getting good prints with it. I noticed there was filament leaking from the top of the hot end and pooling, eventually dripping over onto my prints. I took the hot end off to clean it, and when I put it back on and tightened it, my printer wouldn't extrude anymore. I took the motor apart, and there was a lot of filament shavings inside. I tried tightening the screw that splits the bearing and gear that feeds the filament since I thought it may be getting caught in there.
I can manually push filament through and it works fine. There's no jam, so I'm thinking it IS something to do with that, but I don't really know what to do. Now that I've done this also, I feel as if I've screwed up the e steps.
Any ideas? | The spindle screws on the gear are shipped not tight enough. Try taking the fan off and make sure the gear is seated properly and tighten the screws down. Here's a video that might help. https://youtu.be/zkZKzF3J3NA |
Firmware Choice: Marlin vs Repetier vs Other We are custom building a Cartesian 3D printer to be used in a production 3D printing environment, with the following requirements:
Intended Z resolution 0.13mm;
Dual extruders (primary + support material);
Four spools (two per material with y connector, perhaps add auto switch-over functionality later);
Camera;
Onboard 11" touchscreen for control & interaction, run by a Raspberry Pi 3;
Custom board based on ATMega2560 to control the printer;
Printer should gracefully handle conditions like "out of material", etc.
Question: How to select firmware?
Are there notable differences between the primary firmware options (Marlin/Repetier) for this setup? From the google code groups, I understand the Repetier has a much cleaner code base, and apparently gives smoother physical performance. Yet, from what I can gather, 95% of the community uses Marlin - is that correct?
Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup?
Edit 12/April/2017:
For others looking: After much review, Klipper was selected as the most forward firmware - all kinematic calculations are done on the host computer, instead of on the microprocessor, resulting is significantly faster/smoother stepper movement. | Given that this printer will have the Pi3 to control "higher functions", is it worth considering a compact firmware like Teacup?
A few days ago I came across klipper.
It seems to do exactly that functionality split you mention |
G-code firmware for handheld plotter (Arduino) I'd like to build a plotter to work without a PC (power supply by battery).
Plotter will write only several numbers on a card (really short G-code).
Do you know any firmware, which can be easily modified for this reason?
Or do you know G-code library which could be easily implemented into my stepper controller in Arduino?
My plan is to use Repetier (printing from SD), but I prefer to print without SD.
Repetier is also too big, there are a lot of functions that I don't need. | Your question may be useful to people interested in 3d printing (the purpose of this SE Site) so, even though you're not asking a 3d printing question per se, I think this answer will be helpful...
GRBL:
GRBL is a well known and mature g-code interpreter that will run on an Arduino Uno and is free and open source. Check it out here.
I hope this helps! :-) |
QIDITECH Dual Extruder and PETG I have just received my QIDITECH printer, I've have ABS, PLA and two reals of PETG. I printed a sample using the clear PETG and this worked find, I didn't have to change any of the default settings.
Today I've tried three times to print a simple model using the black real of PETG. I've created which is essentially just a rectangle, but after a few minutes the extruder starts to drag around filament.
What can I do? The filament is loaded ok, and it starts out ok, but very quickly messes up. | It was a while back I created this post, since then I've have numerous problems / learning curves and now I'm very pleased to say I have a printer that prints perfectly and is set-up correctly.
I must say that the support from QidiTech is first class and during my journey I was sent a new extruder assembly, new extruders and also new print matts, all completely free and covered by the warranty.
I have now printed numerous models successfully. |
What are the specifications of the dual voltage controller of the Ender 3/CR-10? Following on from What level of voltage does the Creality Ender-3 run at?
Dave's answer states that both 12 V and 24 V can be used on the controller board. It also goes on to say that the controller board is used in both configurations in two different printers:
Ender 3 and;
CR-10
I would like to know how this dual voltage operation works:
Does it use both voltages at the same time, or either one or the other?
Are there two different electrical inlets or are they the same?
Does it auto-detect or are there jumpers used to configure or are the components tolerant to both voltage levels?
Also related:
What is the board used?
Is the board a proprietary design or a standard third party board?
Does anyone have any photos of the board and/or schematics? | I own the Ender 3, and it runs on 24V, as this photo of the power supply shows:
From power supply to the board, it uses a 2-wire line connected with a XT60 plug/jack that is common on RC cars:
The board itself is a proprietary design and labeled as "V1.1.2". The Voltage in is the lowest input on the left:
The Cooling fan (blue-yellow wire), the hotend cooling fan, heater cartridge (white shielded), bed heater (left black-red), board cooling fan (middle red-black) run (in this setup) on 24V. The Logic connectors (black-black & White-white) run 5V logic. I could not figure out the voltage of the stepper motors (upper row).
I have not figured out how the power management circut works, but it achieves this:
Supply voltage $ U_S = 12V \lor 24V $
Logic Voltage $ U_L = 5V $
Sensor Voltage $ U_{sens} = U_L$
Hotend Cooling Fan $ U_{cool} = U_S$
Hotend Heating Cartridge $ U_{hot} = U_S $
Heatbed $ U_{bed} = U_S $
The chip's caption can't be read on the photo, but it is labeled as "Δ ATMEL // ATMEGA1284P // AU 1726"
For the pinout, a german maker did determine, that it the configuration of a Sanguino equipped with an Atmega1284P 16Bit works for compiling firmware and flashing via a bootloader. |
Homing damages limit switches Ender 3 I'm new to 3D printing and have bought an Ender 3. I have printed a few good prints but I'm noticing a worsening issue:
When I select "autohome" the axes head towards their limit switches, but the y axis in particular seems to slam into the limit switch, bending it away, meaning that the platform bounces off and doesn't activate the limit switch a second time
This causes the machine to slam against the back over and over until the limit switch is triggered or power is removed.
I've replaced the limit switch twice
I've tried supergluing the limit switch to its PCB but even with a needle and patience this caused the limit switch to be ruined
What can I do?
Edit: Here are some photos of the switch (2nd replacement). The OEM switch also did the same thing, but I don't have photos of that. The screws are loose in these photos, but this is just because my Allen key is lost - the previous two switches had the screws reasonably tightened with the correct Allen key, provided in the box | Personally, I have found that if you bend the arm of the limit switch out, it gets triggered earlier and solves this issue for good, (broke a switch clean off at the bend on the pins, soldered old switch back onto the pins in the board) bent the arm to a greater angle, so the striker triggers 3-5 mm earlier, problem averted! |
How do I create a STL file from a 2 dimensional grid of data Given a large set of data, I was able to create a 3D graph in Microsoft Excel. How can I create a STL file similar to this graph to create a physical model of this graph? | for that you can use openSCAD.
Data can be represented as a multi-array and we can iterate on it via for loop
// data structure is x,y,z where z is value
arrayOfData=[[0,10,4],[0,21,9],[0,13,8],[0,41,2],[1,0,4],[2,0,180],[7,0,90]];
for(a=[0:1:6]) translate([arrayOfData[a][0], arrayOfData[a][1],0]) cylinder(arrayOfData[a][2],2,.5,false);
And where you get the model it can be intersected with a cube to get the desired shape. |
How do skirts aid print bed adhesion? In cura one of the options under "build plate adhesion" is "skirt", which seems to simply print a loop around, but not touching, my print. How is this supposed to help my prints stick to the bed? | These skirts they don't contribute at all to help your product adhere better to the build plate other than priming your nozzle so that it is ready to lay down filament for your product.
A skirt does give a good indication of the adhesion prior to printing your product, if the skirt does not adhere, maybe it is a good time to stop the print and re-slice with different options or fix the bed level. |
Hotend is oozing out the sides and getting in the way of my print My Ender 3 just started having this problem a couple of months ago. Prior to that the amount of excess filament showing up on the hotend was very minimal, but now it is oozing so much out of the top of the metal hotend, that it is hardening on my prints and hitting my extruder. How did this happen? and what can I do to fix this problem?
This is the hotend I have, a detailed image of my hotend is shown below:
The part of the hotend that I think is oozing is highlighted in purple/blue.
Here is the actual Image
There is now a clog somewhere, since I changed the filament yesterday, not sure if that is related, just thought I should mention it.
UPDATE: I fixed the clog, and it is not related to the hotend... | Looking at the picture of your nozzle, it appears to seal against the heat break and not the Bowden tube. (A nozzle sealing against the heat break will have an entry hole of about 2 mm dia. for 1.75 mm filament. A nozzle will have an opening large enough for the Bowden tube to slip into if it seals against the Bowden tube.)
If your heat break is all metal, you have an all metal hot end that can extrude above 250 °C. If your heat break has a Teflon tube inside it, your hot has a highest temperature below 250 °C to avoid degrading the Teflon. Both follow the same procedure below, but you highest temperature for making the seal will be different.
To see if your nozzle is OK (not clogged), try pulling the filament out with the hot end at temperature (same procedure as unloading filament). Trim the irregularities off the filament while leaving a sharp end. Then, see if you can push the filament through the nozzle at extrusion temperature.
If still clogged, remove the nozzle (you will need to tighten it later anyway) and see if the filament will go through without the nozzle.
After camera piture: unless your hot end is all metal, the Bowden tube likely forms the seal to the nozzle. See if the length of the tube going into the hotend goes down to the nozzle. The end of the tube needs to be smooth to make the seal and the seal surface to the nozzle needs to be clean or the filament material soft enough to push out of the way. Pull up to release the tube. When you push down to lock the tube in, it should push the tube against the nozzle.
For an all metal hot end follow the procedure below.
Before camera picture:
Sounds like you lost the seal between the nozzle and the heat break. For most hotends (unless you have a plastic tube that pushes up against the nozzle) heat up to the maximum hotend temperature, then tighten the nozzle tight against the heat break in the heat block, to form a seal between the two.
If the nozzle tightens against the heat block before the heat break, you won't get a seal. You should see some threads of the nozzle exposed and not in the heat block.
Take care not to over tighten the heat break in the heat sink because the heat break is thin going into the heat sink to minimize heat conduction and will easily break.
If your seal to the nozzle is with a plastic tube, investigate why you don't have a seal.
Looking at picture:
Follow the above procedure while the heat break to the heat sink is of less consern since it appears that separate screws tighten it into the heat sink. |
How to remove a PLA print stuck to a BuildTak sheet BuildTak is great because the printed plastic really sticks to it, it pretty much solved all the problems I had with prints detaching from the buildplate during printing.
However, it does sometimes cause the opposite problem of prints sticking too much and just not detaching from the build plate.
I'm specifically not asking how to prevent this from happening - I'm asking what to do after I made a mistake and now have a print that isn't coming loose. | I would do as fred_dot_u initially suggested, by increasing the bed temp (or using a hair dryer) to heat the BuildTak. Then, use a small fan to quickly cool the platform (or at least quicker than room temperature). An ice pack on the build plate/part could also work. This drastic fluctuation between the build platform (or BuildTak) and the part should make it easier to remove the part.
This works because the temperature coefficient is going to be different between the build plate, BuildTak, and the 3D printed part. So, each part rises and falls in temperature at different rates. When objects are heated and cooled, they expand and contract (respectively). Essentially, as each object expands and contracts at different rates, the objects begin to separate.
A good example is if you've ever placed a jar into the fridge/freezer to make it easier to open. Typically the jar is glass and the lid is either plastic or metal. You'll notice that the lid is significantly easier to open, as opposed to its original state, because the lid and the jar physically react differently to temperature changes.
Also, here is a good article explaining a few different ways to remove a stuck part. (for prosperity sake, here's a quick list):
Brute force. Just try to yank on it until it pries off.
Sharp objects. Try using a small blade to get under a corner of the part and wiggle the part a bit. Careful not to break the blade and send it flying.
Utilize temperature difference. I already explained this above.
Use solvents. I didn't know this, but apparently there are solvents in the market that are targeted for 3D printing maintenance. Essentially its just an alcohol-based liquid...
Use floss. Another cool idea that's related to using a sharp object, using dental floss. Basically, any small object that you can remotely wiggle under the part and give you more leverage to yank on it.
Invest in a flexible build platform. I've personally heard some mixed reviews on these (in present day of 2016). But material science is getting better every year, so who knows what will be available soon. |
Can an extruder rated for 24 V work with 12 V ATX power supply? Heads up: I'm not good with electronics and only have a vague idea of it's inner workings.
I have a E3D V6 Extruder rated for 24 V, that i plan to use in my 3D printer. Will there be any problems with it if powered by 12 V? Will it take longer to heat up? Will it be able to heat up enough to melt PLA? Will it work at all for that matter?
If there are any other quirks or potential problems that I overlooked, please let me know. | Electrical engineering can be quite complex, but in this case you can save yourself with same simple equations/relations. Using the following formulae:
Voltage ($\ U$) equals current ($I$) multiplied by the electrical resistance ($R$)
$$ U=I \times R $$
and
Power ($P$) equals the square of the current multiplied by the electrical resistance
$$ P=I^2 \times R $$
can be rewritten using the first formula to:
$$ P= \frac{U^2}{R} $$
Applying these formulae to a 40 Watt, 24 V heater element, the electrical resistance (in $\Omega $) is calculated by:
$$ \frac{{(24\ V)}^2}{40\ W}=14.4\ \Omega $$
Running this heater element with 12 V will lead to a power of
$$ \frac{{(12\ V)}^2}{14.4\ \Omega}=10\ W $$
The heat produced is proportional to the square of the current multiplied by the electrical resistance, halving the voltage is quartering the heat output. This will heat up very slowly! If it is able to reach the required temperature that is. Calculating the temperature is far more difficult, but if you are interested in doing so, please look into this answer from the Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange. |
How do you make sure you have the right voltage on the trimpots on an A4988 stepper driver? I've been looking into this, but:
I'm not certain how to configure my multimeter;
I don't know how to keep the voltage going, and;
I don't know how to keep the multimeter connected to the VMOT?
I'm told you're supposed to aim for about 1 A. | I want to add some points and clarifications to the answer that @darthpixel already has given. Most information you need is in there, I want to give some more practical advice, since that is what I understand you're question is asking for. I'll start with some points on the more theoretical side, though:
notice that the Vref is not a voltage that is passed on to your motor. The described pipe analogy is very good, but the Vref is outside of this analogy. The reference voltage Vref is only used to set the current limit. This seems confusing, but has electronic reasons. One can understand the major (side-)benefit easily: Voltages are very easy to measure externally, because you connect your voltmeter in parallel. If you wouldd want to measure the current, you would need to get your ammeter in series with the circuit.
The stepsticks work by supplying the needed current for movement of the motor (current, because it works by creating magnetic fields), the voltage the stepstick supplies is 'just' supplied as high as needed to feed the desired current through your motor (determined by its resistivity/impedance). This just as an add-on.
Now to the practical side and the application of darthpixel's answer and the above:
You want to measure the reference voltage to limit the current that produces the torque, but also heats up the motor - let darthpixel's advice be your guide: if you can't touch it because it is too hot, then there is too much current, i.e. Vref is too high). To do so:
Set your multimeter to volts, range can be autorange or something bigger than 2V.
Connect one lead of your multimeter to the ground of your Prusa i3 controller board's power input (I use the screw that fastens the ground input of the RAMPS). The other lead goes directly to the center of the trimpot on the Stepstick. I took the best of my paint skills to create an image showing the process:
Note the value you read (12V power has to be on)
Use an insulated screwdriver and turn the trimpot slightly.
Get a new reading by repeating the measurement process.
Repeat the whole process until you get the desired Vref.
Warning: While I've had no problems turning the trimpot while everything was switched on (with my DRV8825 drivers), you should switch the power supply off when doing so.
The described process allows only for a stepwise and rather slow setting of the Vref, but this is the easiest way I've found. I have read of people that use a crocodile clamp to attach the multimeter to the screwdriver for a readout while turning.
If you don't have any idea whether you need more or less current on the motor at the moment, check your resistors on the board and calculate the Vref you should need (see darthpixel's answer for the formula). I would however just do what darthpixel already suggested: figure out the trimpot position by ears and touch: klicking motor: go to higher Vref. Can't touch the motor for more than some seconds: go to lower Vref. It might be a lengthy process, but in the end you'd need to do it anyway to get the best out of the printer! |
Printer going wild mid print Mid way through prints the print head will crash into the print, then crash into the bed, raise up about 3 inches, and start swinging back and forth over one part of the bed.
I have had successful prints with the same firmware, but this just started happening and I cannot wrap my head around why. The part of the bed it swings back and forth over is the same on every print. It also do not occur at any particular time, on some prints it will happen after the first few layers, on other it will happen mid way.
My printer is an anycubic kossel delta running marlin. I have tried re uploading marlin and switching slicer software. I have used mattercontrol, cura and ultimaker cura.
Thank you! | For anyone having the same issue I found out it was due to a Z axis motor lock up because the pulley attached to it would get stuck under the bed. I found out because I tried to print again and it locked up completely and I had to pull it out with pliers. Just finished an 18 hour print to confirm |
Will I brick my Ender 3 if I try flashing without a bootloader? I have a recently purchased Ender 3 Pro, and it may well already have a bootloader on it. I don't have the various adapters to flash one yet.
Is it destructive to try flashing over USB without the bootloader? Does it fail in a non destructive way?
I have watch some tutorials which claim that it's fine to just try it, but I'd like to be more sure about that. | My understanding is that if there is no bootloader, you can't flash over USB; you need an ISP programmer attached to the board. So if you're able to flash over USB, that means there is a bootloader, and updating via the bootloader should leave the bootloader in place and just overwrite the rest of the firmware. I'm not sure how strongly this is enforced, though, so you may want to wait for supporting comments/answers from others.
Of course it's always possible to damage your printer in ways that require replacement of the board or at least some parts on it if you flash bad firmware, so you need to be cautious anyway. |
Plug sdramps module and Anet A8 LCD together into RAMPS smart adapter I want to upgrade my Anet A8's motherboard (the stock one is broken anyway, see: Anet A8 reading 739°C from the extruder thermistor!) to the RAMPS 1.4, without having to get a new LCD/microSD module. I am thinking of getting both a smart adapter and sdramps, then maybe plug the sdramps and the stock Anet A8 LCD into the smart adapter, but I am not sure whether the sdramps module has a different pinout than the RAMPS smart controller, which is what the smart adapter is made for.
Can someone confirm whether they have the same pinouts or not, or give me some alternatives to my idea? | The Anet A8 uses a simple LCD with 5 buttons, the problem is that the buttons do not use digital pin signals, instead analog pins are used. Based on the pressed button, with corresponding resistance the firmware knows which button is pressed. The RAMPS smart adapter uses digital pins, so the Anet LCD is not compatible with the smart adapter, you may wan't to opt for a cheap Chinese 12864 LCD smart controller, they are about $8, they are compatible.
The topic Connecting (Anet A8) 2004 display to MKS GEN L shows you to hook up the Anet A8 LCD to a RAMPS board. You do not use the smart adapter, instead you use AUX2. You only have to change 2 wires (interchange them on AUX2) and you will be able to use the display. The reason you cannot use the smart adapter is that the 5 button display requires analog pins, which are not available on the smart adapter, but are available on the AUX2 header. |
What is the 3D printer filament (or pellet) most resistant to bending at high heats? I'm looking to 3D print a structure that won't deform in high heat, up to about 220 °C. The filament itself can be 3D printed all the way up to about 380 °C.
PEI seems like it could be a viable option. I found some here. This PEI filament specifies the glass transition temperature at 217 °C.
Would this filament work? Are there any other types of materials that would fulfill this engineering requirement? | Your expected operating temperature exceeds the glass transition temperature by 3 °C. This implies that the structure will become weak and can deform under load.
Note that you cannot simply print PEI on a normal machine, it requires a special high temperature capable printer with hot end temperatures up to 400 °C and heated bed over 120 °C up to 160 °C, furthermore it will need a heated chamber (up to about 80 °C) which requires special care to cooling and placement of electronics and motors.
Not having specified what kind of structure you require, you could look into steel. |
Print job stops when given serial command I want to access the bed temperature of the 3D printer. I am able to get the temperatures using serial connection (Thanks to Demetris's help (Access Temperature sensor data of 3D printer via Serial connection)). The problem that I am facing now is that as soon as I give the command, I get the temperature values, however the print job stops. Is there a way around it? I want to get the temperature values as the print job goes on. TIA! | Opening a serial connection to your printer will usually reset the microcontroller, stopping the print.
The serial interface has a line known as request to send (RTS) that indicates to the microcontroller that the computer is ready to receive data. When the port is closed, this line is HIGH (indicating the computer is not ready), and when you open the serial connection the line goes LOW (indicating the computer is ready now) and the transition from HIGH to LOW triggers a reset.
There are a number of ways to prevent this:
In software: disable hang up on close (HUPCL). This prevents the RTS line from going HIGH after you close it, allowing it to be subsequently opened without causing a reset. However, this does not work for the first attempt (the first, initial connection still causes a reset). How this is configured depends on your software/driver set up, but it is widely supported.
In software: disable the RTS line from going LOW in the first place. I'm not sure if this is readily possible with common serial drivers.
In software: modify your workflow to always keep the connection open, preventing the associated reset from happening.
In hardware: your printer's board will have some circuitry on there that translates the RTS line transitioning from HIGH to LOW to trigger a reset, usually this is implemented in the form of a single capacitor between RTS and RST. RST is normally pulled high with a pull-up resistor (on the order of 10k or so), and when RTS transitions to low the capacitor briefly allows some current to flow, pulling RST low. One way to prevent this is to include a stronger pull-up resistor that overcomes the current drain associated with the RTS line going LOW. DisablingAutoResetOnSerialConnection suggests using a 330 Ohm resistor between VCC and GND.
In hardware: desolder the capacitor mentioned earlier. |
P3Steel v4 w/ 20x30 cm bed, or 2.5.1 w/ 20x20 I'm building a new printer after having an Anet A8 for about two months and getting a feel for what I want. I'm planning to buy a P3Steel frame; but can't decide which version to get.
There are one or two prints I would like to make that are larger than 20 cm in length; but I could always do these in multiple pieces.
What I'm wondering is how serious are the trade-offs I would be making for a larger bed? I would think I would need thicker linear rods for the 510 mm length y-axis; and the bed would also have a large amount of inertia so that could slow down printing. Does anyone have any experience with this size bed in a moving y-carriage scenario? Also how thick of rods should I get? Orballo printing is saying 8 mm is fine but the research I've done implies that you shouldn't really go over 200-250 mm unsupported for that width. | Go for the P3Steel v4 (20x30). The extra print area is worth it. There is a Polish supplier, Printo3D, on eBay that has the cheapest frame, and parts - cheaper than the Spanish supplier. That is where I got mine from. See Frame Prusa I3 P3Steel v 4.0, 300mm x 200 mm, which costs around £80.
This kit uses 10 mm smooth rods for the Y axis:
Smooth stainless steel rods:
2x Ø8x385 mm for X-Axis
2x Ø8x320 mm for Z-Axis
2x Ø10x520 mm for Y-Axis
Threaded stainless steel rods:
2x M5x300 mm
With respect to the Y-axis carriage, the steel carriage does add a lot of weight/inertia, you are correct. This may or may not be an issue, depending on your steppers motors that you choose1, and their torque. That said, the 3 mm steel print bed/Y-axis carriage, is ridiculously heavy, and it would be most wise to substitute it for an aluminium, plywood, or some other lightweight solution.
Apart from that the 3 mm steel frame is fine and as solid as a rock. There are a number of aluminium 20x30 print beds/Y-axis carriages available on eBay and Amazon. A thorough search should reveal a few. There are also composite Y-axis carriages, I found a supplier in the Ukraine, tehnologika_net, who, last year, had a number of different types at a reasonable cost - in fact they were the cheapest that I found.
As an aside, I built mine sourcing all of the parts separately. It was a bit of a task, but an educative one. The process certainly made me understand the ins and outs a lot better than purchasing a ready built, or complete kit, 3D printer.
I have written up some blogs regarding the kit that I purchased, see P3Steel from Poland – A tale of despair, dismay and woe. Ignore the depressing title, it really isn't that bad.
See also Heatbeds. At the bottom there are some links to various alternative Y-axis carriages. However, some of the links/items may no longer be available.
You may also find this question of mine useful, Z axis top brackets, of P3Steel, differ between v1.x/2.x and v4.
There are a number of modifications to the standard P3Steel, that may well be worth considering. In particular, you should note the Toolsen Edition MK2, see P3steel toolson edition MK2 (in German), and P3steel - toolson edition. I have written about these, and more, see P3Steel version 4 modifications. In summary, these are:
Bowden extruders
Endstops
Endstops by Toolsen
Optical Endstops by Toolsen
Idlers by Toolsen
Extruder by NWRepRap
Lead screws
Aluminium/Composite Y-axis carriage
1 I got the Rattm 17HS8401 steppers. See RepRapWiki - Nema17. The recommended steppers are high torque:
Kysan 1124090/42BYGH4803;
Rattm 17HS8401, and;
Wantai 42BYGHW609
However, motors close to NEMA 17 size, with approximately the
following specifications, can also work:
1.5A to 1.8A current per phase
1-4 volts
3 to 8 mH inductance per phase
44 N·cm (62oz·in, 4.5kg·cm) or more holding torque
1.8 or 0.9 degrees per step (200/400 steps/rev respectively) |
Pulling filament through long tubes I'm setting up my printer in a small room, and I thought I'd come up with a system for more easily swapping filaments, but I'm not yet sure it is feasible.
Rather than physically replace the spool, I'd like to hang most of my spools on the wall, where they can rotate, and only swap filament leads in the (direct drive) extruder. The spools would be placed at some distance from the extruder, and at various angles. So to make sure the filament is pulled from the spool at the proper angle, and to avoid breaking it, I think it should probably run through a flexible tube to reach the printer.
I know such tubes are used for Bowden style extruders, but what I'm proposing is different in at least two ways: [1] the extruder motor would be pulling (not pushing) filament through the tube and [2] the tube would be longer than normal, e.g., between 1 and 2 meters.
Is this plan feasible? Or are the problems I am not foreseeing?
Edit 1: I don't know where I got 1-2 meters from. The distance is actually closer to 50cm.
Edit 2: To clarify my proposed setup, here's a crude mockup: | I would say it's not the best approach.
In the situation you've described I would rather install some kind of vertical ring a bit above your printer. This ring would organize your filament going from any direction.
So let's assume you got one spool on the right and one on the left of your printer, both are 1m away from the printer itself. If you get filament and put throught the ring then to your extruder.
In my opinion the ring should be around 15..20cm over the printer, it should have around 10..15cm diameter and spools should not be too low.
The only issue I see is unwinding spools which are too far from the printer because then filament would be unwinded angular but the same issue would be with and without teflon tube.
[edit]
Here is a simple change of your design
[edit2]
Please also note that you can assure proper angle of unwinding filament by installing small rings ("eyes") next to spools. These eyes will direct filament out of spool and then filament will turn to your big ring mounted on the printer. This is common solution in textile industry |
How to install a .hex firmware? Creality does offer its firmware on creality3d.cn as .hex files. These are pretty good as backups as one can't alter and destroy them by accident.
But... How do you install them?!
This is about installing firmware directly and without another microcontroller. To use another mictrocontroller is How to install new firmware via a Microcontroller? | A major part of the Arduino IDE is sort of semi-hidden, and that is some guy called avrdude. Actually, AVRDUDE – AVR Downloader/UploaDEr is a standalone binary.
As an aside, there is also gcc which does the compiling, but that is another matter. The avrdude uploads the compiled binary provided by gcc on to the Arduino, via the USB port (COM port).
You can invoke this from the command line (assuming that you have the Arduino IDE installed).
You will need to specify (see command line option descriptions):
The baud rate of the COM port (-b)
The COM port (-P)
The processor used in the board (for the Arduino Mega2560 board: ATmega2560) (-p)
The path to the .hex file (-U)
The path to the .conf file of avrdude itself (-C)
Verbose mode, so see what is happening (-v)
Specify the programmer to be used (-c). See the -c option on command line option descriptions for more information.
Disable auto erase for flash (-D)
The command will be of the form:
<path to arduino>/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude
-C<path to arduino>/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf
-v -patmega2560 -carduino -b 115200 -cstk500v2
-P<name of serial port>
-D -Uflash:w:<path to hex file>:i
This example above:
Specifies the full path to the avrdude binary
Specifies the full path to the avrdude .conf configuration file
Verbose mode
The ATmega2560 processor used in the Arduino Mega2560 board
The Arduino programmer
The baud rate of the USB port
The Atmel STK500 Version 2.x firmware programmer (may not be required)
The port to which the Arduino board is connected
Disables auto-flash as it is not required – Auto erase is not used for ATxmega devices as these devices can use page erase before writing each page so no explicit chip erase is required. Note however that any page not affected by the current operation will retain its previous contents.
The memory to be uploaded to and the path to the .hex file (see the -U option on command line option descriptions for more information):
flash specifies the flash ROM of the device.
w: read the specified file and write it to the specified device memory
:i specifies Intel Hex
Examples
For Windows
C:\dev\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\bin\avrdude
-CC:\dev\Arduino\hardware\tools\avr\etc\avrdude.conf
-v -patmega2560 -carduino -b115200 -cstk500v2
-P\\.\COM1
-D -Uflash:w:C:\Users\<username>\Documents\firmware.hex:i
For OSX
/Applications/Arduino/hardware/tools/avr/bin/avrdude
-C/Applications/Arduino/hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf -v -patmega2560 -carduino -b115200 -cstk500v2 -P\\.\COM1 -D -Uflash:w:/Users/<username>/Documents/Arduino/firmware.hex:i
Alternatives
If you are not comfortable using a command line interface (CLI) it might be easier to use a GUI solution…
XLoader
For a Windows only solution, see Uploading Arduino HEX files with XLoader
From the author’s website:
I’ve made a small program that can be used to upload your own *.hex
files to arduino boards using the bootloader. That means you don’t
need a flash programmer. I made it for my own use and found it pretty
useful. So now I’ve made a more user friendly version.. To use it
compile you’re code in something like AvrStudio. Then simply start
XLoader.exe, pick a hex file and press upload. That’s it. Good news it
now also supports Arduino Uno.
Arduino Builder
From Arduino Builder – standalone utility for building and uploading Arduino sketches
Choose file, either a sketch file (.ino), an HEX file (.hex) or an ELF file (.elf)
Choose the board type in the dropdown list.
Click on the serial port (or USBASP button) and theuploading will be proceeded.
Arduino Uploader
From the same page, there is Arduino Uploader which is a command line version of Arduino Builder. |
Help with a Tool Change Script So, I have a Raise3D Pro2, and I'm looking to perfect a tool change script for it, the goal of which is to reduce or eliminate the excess plastic that tends to build up on the nozzle when using the dual extruder. The printer uses the Marlin G-code flavor, and although I'm not sure this matters, I'm slicing in ideaMaker. The script is supposed to flow as follows:
Retract current tool
Move to X30 Y300
Check if the new active tool is T0
If T0, wipe nozzle 2mm circle
If T0, cool T1 to 165C
If T0, heat T0 to 230C
If T0 and not layer 1, recover
If T0, wipe nozzle again, this time for the new tool
Check if the new active tool is T1
If T1, wipe nozzle 2mm circle
If T1, cool T0 to 165C
If T1, heat T1 to 230C
If T1 and not layer 1, recover
If T1, wipe nozzle again, this time for the new tool
The current script I have looks like this:
; extruder switch gcode start
G10 S1; Retract for current nozzle
G1 X30 Y300 F6000; Move to X:30 Y:300
[if {new_extruder}=0]; LEFT Extruder is active (T0)
[if {new_extruder}=0]G12 P2 R2; Clean inactive nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=0]M104 S165 T1; Cool inactive extruder to 165c (T1)
[if {new_extruder}=0]M109 S230 T0; Heat active extruder to 230c (T0) and wait.
[[if {new_extruder}=0] and [{layer_index} NE 1]]G11; Recover current nozzle when not first layer
[if {new_extruder}=0]G12 P2 R2; Clean active nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=1]; RIGHT Extruder is active (T1)
[if {new_extruder}=1]G12 P2 R2; Clean inactive nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=1]M104 S165 T0; Cool inactive extruder to 165c (T0)
[if {new_extruder}=1]M109 S230 T1; Heat active extruder to 230c (T1) and wait.
[[if {new_extruder}=1] and [{layer_index} NE 1]]G11; Recover current nozzle
[if {new_extruder}=1]G12 P2 R2; Clean active nozzle 2mm circle
; extruder switch gcode end
The issue is that, when I run a print with this, it doesn't seem to run all of the commands. It does the move, and the cooling/heating, but the retract/recover and nozzle wipe doesn't seem to read. I'm not sure if that's because of a printer or syntax issue, or because those commands don't work the way I think they do.
EDIT: (by Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 - Added new code and logic back in)
New logic:
Retract current tool
Move to X30 Y300
Check if the new active tool is T0
If T0, wipe nozzle 2mm circle
If T0, cool T1 to 165C
If T0, heat T0 to 230C
If T0 and not layer 1, recover
If T0, wipe nozzle again, this time for the new tool
Check if the new active tool is T1
If T1, wipe nozzle 2mm circle
If T1, cool T0 to 165C
If T1, heat T1 to 230C
If T1 and not layer 1, recover
If T1, wipe nozzle again, this time for the new tool
The new script I have looks like this:
; extruder switch gcode start
G10 S1; Retract for current nozzle
G1 X30 Y300 F6000; Move to X:30 Y:300
[if {new_extruder}=0]; LEFT Extruder is active (T0)
[if {new_extruder}=0]G12 P2 R2; Clean inactive nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=0]M104 S165 T1; Cool inactive extruder to 165c (T1)
[if {new_extruder}=0]M109 S230 T0; Heat active extruder to 230c (T0) and wait.
[[if {new_extruder}=0] and [{layer_index} NE 1]]G11; Recover current nozzle when not first layer
[if {new_extruder}=0]G12 P2 R2; Clean active nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=1]; RIGHT Extruder is active (T1)
[if {new_extruder}=1]G12 P2 R2; Clean inactive nozzle 2mm circle
[if {new_extruder}=1]M104 S165 T0; Cool inactive extruder to 165c (T0)
[if {new_extruder}=1]M109 S230 T1; Heat active extruder to 230c (T1) and wait.
[[if {new_extruder}=1] and [{layer_index} NE 1]]G11; Recover current nozzle
[if {new_extruder}=1]G12 P2 R2; Clean active nozzle 2mm circle
; extruder switch gcode end | As far as I can recognize, the g-code file cannot be evaluated by printer firmware.
It is expected that slicer software will be aware of tool head selection and process tool changes according to g-code provided in an on-tool change in most slicers.
The best way to think about g-code (in RepRap word) is a one-way communication as the file is not treated as a script that can read and evaluate parameters on the go. (firmware capabilities).
references:
RepRap G-code list
Printer quick start guide |
How can I avoid jamming in the feeder? Recently, at work we bought a Guider II printer from FlashForge.
When we try to print models using a high resolution or models with a too high printing time, the feeder gets clogged. And the feeder is too hot. We have concluded that the feeder is getting clogged because the high temperature softens the PLA.
We check the feeder fan and is working fine. How can I avoid the jamming? Pausing the 3D printer and wait a few minutes is not working for us. I don't know if it is a common problem for this 3D printer model.
Edit:
The hotend is an all metal hot end. I can't find more information about the hot end.
In the manual of the guider II flashforge recommend a temperature of 210°C for the head and 30°C for the bed. I have tried different temperatures. The most common temperature I've used is 190°C for the head and 55°C for the bed (I obtain the best results with this temperature).
This is the Hotend used by this 3d printer. | The symptoms you describe hint to heat creep. Heat creep is the gradual increase in temperature of the cold end assembly (cooling fins and heat break). This gradual temperature increase leads to too high filament temperatures and as such premature filament softening. In combination with (large) retraction settings, this can lead to clogging of the nozzle. All-metal hotend assemblies are more prone experiencing these problems; lined hotends have a PTFE lining that also insulates the filament so that it does not soften prematurely like in all-metal hotends can happen. Heat creep is best remedied by properly cooling the hotend (good quality fan, no obstructions or large ducts) and reducing the retraction length (and possibly lowering the print temperature, but you already tried that). You could also contact the manufacturer for advice. |
Understand and developing firmware - IDE help Lately I've been working on tweaking firmware to fix functions on my printer. A few of my biggest issues are lack of understanding of C and finding out how the multiple cpp and h files are linked. Most of what I am doing is easy enough to do with copy and paste but with most firmwares having 30+ individual files it's hard to find where each parameter comes from or goes to.
I've been looking at Eclipse with an Arduino plugin as well as Visual Studio (or Atmel Studio) with the Visual Micro plugin. What I would like is an easy way to view where each parameter is used, maybe highlight the parameter and it shows all instances or something similar? Is there any IDE that offers something like that or is everyone using the Arduino IDE for firmware development? | As far as I know, Marlin - assuming that is the firmware you are using - is a standard C++ (the big brother of C) project that can be opened and compiled in the Arduino IDE, but also - at least - edited lots of other IDEs.
Depending on your OS, there are several alternatives. Visual Studio, Atmel Studio, Qt Creator, XCode, Eclipse, Visual Studio Code, Atom, Sublime Text and the Arduino IDE are just some of them.
I also believe that this question should be moved to StackOverflow. However, if you have questions as to how you can make specific modification to Marlin, this forum is the right place to ask. If that is the case, consider reformulating your question! |
How do I determine that the electronics are working with the test firmware? You may want to use this code to test all the electronics before
installing any of the suggested firmwares.
From Final Step in the RAMPS 1.4 Wiki
There's a bunch of code in the sketch, and it looks to me like it just makes a component run, or heat up, for a little but and then move on to the next component, and do the same thing is that about right?
Well if I'm testing this out and my printer is already for the most part assembled; should I set the stepper jumpers to something larger like a full turn, or half step, so I can see the motors move? Because I've also read that if you're going to test things out you shouldn't even be hooking up but one of the stepper drivers in case you burn one out! | Running this kind of test isn't really necessary; it provides a nice test to see if everything is working but so does uploading actual firmware (and this isn't any safer than traditional firmware, at that).
It looks like it runs the steppers in one direction for 5 seconds and then in reverse for 5, which should be more than enough to see them move even with 1/32 stepping (it moves them at 1 step/ms, which would come out to 3/4ths of a turn with 1/200 steppers and 1/32 microstepping).
It isn't necessary to remove any code that isn't used. It does no harm. |
Settings to change when upgrading from Smart Extruder to Smart Extruder+ I am optimizing a collection of slicing profiles and in the process of upgrading some profiles from the classic Makerbot Smart Extruder to the new Smart Extruder+.
What are the parameters that should be changed with the new extruder?
Are there any params to which the new extruder is more "sensitive"?
Thank you! | There are no "sensitive" params here. You just need to set it up like the regular Smart Extruder.
Like the original design, the Smart Extruder+ is supposed to make Replicator printers simpler to use, more reliable, and more future-proof. It automatically detects when the printer's filament runs out and pauses the job, notifying users via a desktop or mobile app. It also can be quickly swapped out upon wearing out or becoming obsolete.
Additional improvements include faster print start up and refined build plate leveling, the process of calibrating a 3D printer. The smart sensors within the extruder have been enhanced for better performance and to streamline the printing process from start to completion.
Improved components include:
A better thermal management system
Extended PTFE tube to feed the filament into the nozzle
Faster print start up
Refined build plate leveling and calibration
The enhanced smart sensors are a big part of the story here though in that they allow for better speed, along with savings on the bottom line too, keeping users informed about print status from beginning to end, whether from the PC or mobile app. |
Toxicity of Light-curing resin? I'm one of the lucky (??) Kickstarter supporters who received a T3D resin printer. This uses a proprietary (so far as I can tell) resin which cures under exposure to visible, rather than the usual UV, light. The manual is full of dire warnings about touching the resin, but no MSDS.
Anyone know if there is a datasheet on their resin, or more generally, for light-curing resins in general?
(see myt3d.com for limited info on the machine and the resin) | While you probably cannot find an MSDS on the resin for your printer (yet), they are out there for other resin based printers. Here's a generic MSDS on one for Objet RGD515:
It's not a pretty thing.
To back this up, Fabbaloo has two articles out which talk about the toxicity of liquid resin which is light cured. I'm not entirely positive your resin falls into this arena, but would assume since they state in the handling instructions it's toxic, it's probably right along the same lines as the other toxic resins. Please note, in the article it states there are resins out which aren't toxic. They suggest one should handle all resins of this type as though they are toxic unless you have specific documentation which states otherwise.
In one of the articles (Nov 2015) quotes findings which were published by the University of California, Riverside. Their study focused on zebrafish embryos and the toxicity of two different 3D printed materials which are commonly used. The materials were Stratasys Dimension Elite (plastic extrusion) and Formlab’s Form 1+ (photo-cured resin). These printed samples were placed in zebrafish tanks to observe their effects on fish embryos and compare to “control” tanks without the samples.
The University stated:
While the embryos exposed to parts from the plastic-melting printer had slightly decreased average survival rates compared to control embryos, the embryos exposed to parts from the liquid-resin printer had significantly decreased survival rates, with more than half of the embryos dead by day three and all dead by day seven. And of the few zebrafish embryos that hatched after exposure to parts from the liquid-resin printer, 100 percent of the hatchlings had developmental abnormalities.
Note: Here is the second Fabbaloo article from April 2016.
Fomrlabs has quite an extensive list of MSDS sheets for their products. Their page states the following about their resin materials:
Formlabs Standard resins are designed to be similar or safer to handle as other household chemicals or adhesives. When measuring potential acute health effects of inhalation or ingestion, there are no known significant effects or critical hazards. Eye contact may cause eye irritation. Skin contact may cause an allergic skin reaction. The safety data sheets (SDS) are up to date for every resin product and follow the latest government guidelines. Always consult the SDS as the primary source of information to understand safety and handling of Formlabs materials.
Use chemical-resistant gloves - such as nitrile or neoprene; do not use latex - when handling liquid resin, including when removing printed parts from the printer. Exposure to resin in the liquid form can cause mild skin irritation for some people. If you get any on your skin, make sure to wash thoroughly with soap and water before moving on to other activities. Do not use solvents to wash hands, face, or any body parts. Wear gloves and use alcohol, followed by soap and water, to clean tools after handling resin.
While this is not conclusive about your specific resin, like was stated, always treat the material as though it is toxic until documentation tells you otherwise. If all else fails, treat it as toxic and you can't go wrong. |