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2019/07/04 | 729 | 2,441 | <issue_start>username_0: When I print parts in ABS, acetone vapour smoothing is a good technique to get a smooth finish. Is there an equivalent solvent or process for parts printed in ASA? Ideally I'm looking for something as easy to obtain as acetone, and not so awful a chemical that I wouldn't want to work with it, but I'd still be curious to learn about less friendly solvents.<issue_comment>username_1: [ASA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_styrene_acrylate) is Acrylonitrile styrene acrylate. According to Wikipedia:
>
> ASA can be solvent-welded, using e.g. cyclohexane, 1,2-dichloroethane, methylene chloride, or 2-butanone. Such solvents can also join ASA with ABS and SAN. Solutions of ASA in these solvents can also be used as adhesives.
>
>
> Staff, PDL (1997). Handbook of Plastics Joining: A Practical Guide. Elsevier Science. p. 515.
>
>
>
Solvent-welding means that the material is at least somewhat easily soluble in these fluids (they dissolve the material at the interface and as they evaporate, the former interface layers bond as if molded or welded), and the fact that the material can become an adhesive means that it is somewhat good soluble in these.
The least dangerous (and thus most advised from my side) of these 4 is 2-butanone, the others are listed as carcinogenic, and in the case of 1,2-dichloroethane, also toxic.
If these solvents can be used as a smoother similar to acetone with ABS would need testing, but a short exposition to their vapors should suffice to test this.
### Addendum:
These four solvents also are able to solve Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ([ABS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylonitrile_butadiene_styrene)), which is a quite similar plastic in regards to its contents (butadiene instead of acrylate).
>
> The acrylate rubber differs from the butadiene based rubber by absence of double bonds, which gives the material about ten times the weathering resistance and resistance to ultraviolet radiation of ABS, higher long-term heat resistance, and better chemical resistance. Wikipedia
>
>
>
Acetone might prove to be also a possible option, but results might differ from those on ABS.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: From [Simplify3D - ASA](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/materials-guide/asa/):
>
> ASA can be smoothed using controlled exposure to acetone vapors (a process called “vapor smoothing”).
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/04 | 1,387 | 3,870 | <issue_start>username_0: How can I write G-code for a triangle without sharp tips?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/T0hpu.jpg "Example of required triangle")
I want to generate the corners manually, rather than using a slicer to generate them, just to know how it is done.<issue_comment>username_1: Marlin has `G2` (clockwise arc) and `G3` (counterclockwise arc) commands that could be used to do this. [You can find detailed documentation for the command here.](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G002-G003.html)
Basically, you can use
>
> G2 R1 X5 Y5
>
>
>
to draw a (clockwise) arc from the current position to $(X,Y)=(5,5)$ with a radius of $1$.
So, your rounded triangle could be drawn with 3 straight line moves and 3 arc moves. Figuring out the exact coordinates for each move would be a quite challenging geometry exercise, as you'd need to know where the straight line portion of each side ends and the rounded portion starts.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: First, convert the given measurements into a sketch...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ivxIW.png)
G-code shenanigans
------------------
we actually have the printer do circles.. let's plot that out...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hGFSc.png)
Using that, it's easy to write the G-code using the Documentation for [G1](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G000-G001.html) and [G2](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/G002-G003.html). You'll have to add the E values to extrude something along the paths, but your sketch would turn into this path:
```
G92 X0 Y0 ; the current position is now (0,0) on the XY
G90 ;Abolute mode for everything...
M83 ;...but for the E-argument, so you can just put the length into the extrusions that are to be done
G0 X10.66 Y2
G2 R5 X6.33 Y9.5 ; Alternate: G3 I0 J5 X6.33 Y9.5
G1 X45.66 Y77.638
G2 R5 X54.33 Y77.638 ; Alternate: G3 I4.33 Y-2.5 X54.33 Y77.638
G1 93.67 Y9.5
G2 R5 X89.33 Y2 ; Alternate: G3 I-4.33 Y-2.5 X89.33 Y2
G1 X10.66 Y2
G0 X0 Y0
G91 ; return to relative coordinates
```
**This code has to be prefixed by a move to where you want to start the pattern** and will **not** know if you move it off the build plate, so keep 100 mm X and 87 mm in Y of the allowable build plate. It will end exactly where you started it.
Iterative approach
------------------
In many uses of g-code, *rounded* corners are actually n-gons with a very high number n. then we only need `G1` and can easily calculate the length of the stretches and fill in the G1. We need to iterate down to somewhat circular...
Let's start iterating with n=3 aka a triangle, which gives a direct line over the corner gives this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ANEnx.png)
going to n=6 (hexagon) follows the curve a lot better...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JRSMV.png)
going to n=12 looks almost round on a larger scale...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/STTXL.png)
and when we reach n=24, we are pretty close to the circle..
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rO7dr.png)
And as we go above n=6, we also get easier math for the corners, as we always get the same lengths of movement along X and Y just swapped around due to symmetry.
With all these stretches defined, we could start to work in *relative* coordinates easily, again without E, and only for the bottom left corner:
```
G0 X10.66 Y2
G1 X-1.294 Y0.17
G1 X-1.206 Y0.5
G1 X-1.036 Y0.795
G1 X-0.795 X1.036
G1 X-0.5 Y1.206
G1 X-0.17 Y1.294
G1 X0.17 Y1.294
G1 X0.5 Y1.036
...
```
Upvotes: 3 |
2019/07/06 | 528 | 1,867 | <issue_start>username_0: Is there a specific name for that problem? What causes this, and is there a way how to solve it?
Printed with PLA, 2 mm nozzle diameter, 0.2 mm layer height, 20-60 mm/s, 200 °C extruder, 60 °C bed.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aSzrJ.jpg "Top")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nCgam.jpg "Bottom")<issue_comment>username_1: I have experienced this problem. This picture is one that I could have taken.
It has always been because I was putting too much plastic into the available space.
This has been caused two things: overextrusion -- squirting out too much plastic for the intended layer height, and the bed being too "high" so that the gap between the nozzle and the bed is too thin.
In both cases, too much plastic is trying to be placed in too small a volume. The plastic has to go somewhere, and ripples follow. Because the nozzle rubs against the adjacent lines which have already been deposited, an up-bump pushes up the nozzle on the line beside the bump, and a coherent pattern of ripples can form.
The "bump up" is a real effect from the elasticity of the Z-axis, including all the resulting strains of twisting and lifting the nozzle.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This could be a number of things, I personally think it could be either over extrusion or an issue with one of the belts. Depending on the printer, you may need to manually go in and adjust your steps per millimeter, which you should be able to find a guide on. If that doesn't work, then look into belt tension adjustment. Hope this is able to help! I like to use the [Simplify3D Print Quality Guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/over-extrusion/) for situations like this, it tends to be very useful.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/06 | 879 | 3,024 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm attempting to print some flexible TPE filament. But I failed to imagine TPE was this difficult to print.
Specs of the shop-brand filament:
Red 1.75 mm TPE (+-0.05 mm).
Hardness: 45D.
Print temperature: 220-260 °C with 0-95 °C bed.
I'm trying to print [this](http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1936797) on my original Prusa i3 MK3S with powder coated sheet with 0.20 mm layer with PrusaSlicer 2.0.0.
What happens? After 3 or 4 layers, the print warps a lot and detaches from the plate. The object is 40 mm long. The next image shows the print detaching from the build plate as well as a skirt of two layers height:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yfIFS.jpg "Image of detached TPE print from build plate")
I've tried warmer/colder, more/less fan, faster/slower. I went down to 1 mm3/s, which is 7 mm/s. For reference, PLA prints 15 mm3/s.
I readjusted my z-cal, and when I test print a first layer with TPE it's difficult to remove from the bed.
I also attempted the glue stick on smooth PEI sheet. Worked until the first few layers of infill, then it still warped.
Do I have bad filament with too much shrink, poor settings or is this 45D just too soft for my MK3s?
*Bonus pile of failures:*
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ufVcO.jpg "Image of failed TPE prints from build plate")<issue_comment>username_1: I have experienced this problem. This picture is one that I could have taken.
It has always been because I was putting too much plastic into the available space.
This has been caused two things: overextrusion -- squirting out too much plastic for the intended layer height, and the bed being too "high" so that the gap between the nozzle and the bed is too thin.
In both cases, too much plastic is trying to be placed in too small a volume. The plastic has to go somewhere, and ripples follow. Because the nozzle rubs against the adjacent lines which have already been deposited, an up-bump pushes up the nozzle on the line beside the bump, and a coherent pattern of ripples can form.
The "bump up" is a real effect from the elasticity of the Z-axis, including all the resulting strains of twisting and lifting the nozzle.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: This could be a number of things, I personally think it could be either over extrusion or an issue with one of the belts. Depending on the printer, you may need to manually go in and adjust your steps per millimeter, which you should be able to find a guide on. If that doesn't work, then look into belt tension adjustment. Hope this is able to help! I like to use the [Simplify3D Print Quality Guide](https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/over-extrusion/) for situations like this, it tends to be very useful.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/07 | 509 | 2,054 | <issue_start>username_0: I have started printing about a month ago on an Ender 5 (using mostly PLA but recently also PETG) and it seems it's about time to give the print bed a more thorough cleaning than what I usually do after most prints. I'm using the flexible magnetic mat that came with the printer which has a slightly rough surface, but all of the cleaning suggestions I found so far either did not mention the bed material or were specifically for glass beds.
Can/should I use stuff like acetone or rubbing alcohol on this? Or should I stick to warm soap water?
I have had some fairly decent results with spectacle cleaning tissues but that will only remove grease, not filament residue.
Also, I am occasionally having some first layer adhesion issues (especially with the PETG or when printing things with a circular base) and I was wondering whether common suggestions like glue sticks or hairspray to prepare the bed for printing can also be applied to the flex mat?<issue_comment>username_1: I have the WhamBam system which uses a PEX layer over flex steel (which sticks to a magnetic sheet on the printer bed). To clean old material off, I use a "brass sponge" intended for cleaning soldering iron tips to remove the old plastic, then give it a wipe with a paper towel with some isopropyl alchohol (I have 99.99 anhydrous on hand as I use that for cleaning printed circuit boards as well).
The brass sponge is fairly soft, does a good job of grabbing the old plastic without tearing up the PEX layer.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Just about every reference I've seen for non-glass beds is to stay away from acetone. Denatured alcohol is likely a safe bet for beds with surfaces that are not impenetrable. If you can identify the bed material, you'll have a better shot at getting a definitive answer.
If you have filament residue, you won't get it clear without some mechanical effort, unless you had an adhesive layer between the bed and the filament. Even a plastic scraper can be effective in clearing the debris.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/07 | 1,989 | 6,739 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently discovered this kit after reading this Instructables, [Adding More Extruders to Any 3d Printer](https://www.instructables.com/id/Adding-More-Extruders-to-Any-3d-Printer/):
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Lq4uQ.png "New CNC Shield v3 engraving machine / 3D Printer / + 4pcs A4988/DRV8825/AT2100 Driver Expansion Board for Arduino")
>
>
>
I'm pretty sure I can use this kit with my board since it uses the same drivers as mine. But that's for motors, not fans. And while I know G-code pretty well, I'm not sure how I would use this to activate and deactivate a fan from G-code. There is probably a better way to do this.
The board I am using is from an FLSUN Large Scale 3D printer. Here is a picture of the board:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bq8w1.jpg "FLSUN printer board")
There appears to be only one labeled pin for the fan. BUT even if there are other pins that I don't recognize, they would have to be controlled by a micro controller (G-code commands). There appear to be a bunch of un-used pins in the bottom right of the board. But if this board just can't do it, there is a newer board here: [link removed].
It does seem like it is using Arduino and the newer board might have extra pins for a fan. But at that point, would it be easier (cheaper) to just control the fan from the extruder extender kit? Would I just set it as an extruder with a really high filament extrusion speed and send appropriate G-code commands when needed to run it at max voltage?
I know on my Lulzbot Mini there is a "parts cooling" fan which allows you to cool off the layers as your structure rises vertically. This is a fan I want. The parts cooling fan *must* be controlled by the micro controller. It only comes on when printing vertically.
I would like to actually add two fans like this to my 3D printer. One of them is a >= 5 V cooling fan like above. Another is a regular 12 V cooling fan for an extra extruder that I am adding.<issue_comment>username_1: The [MKS Gen L v1.0](http://www.robotrebels.org/index.php?topic=769.0) Board you are using does support microcontroller controlled fans without doing some surface level modification to the board via the `D9/FAN`. The port you marked FAN is not a controllable port, it runs a direct 12/24 V all the time and should be used for the Hotend cooling solution. The ports `D7/HE1` and `D10/HE0` are for two hotendes, corresponding to `E0` and `E1`.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlGDW.png "MKS Gen L port/pin layout")
Variant A: Swappy Fans
----------------------
This is the more tricky variant and does need both coding and wiring expertise.
You'll have to run both hotend cooling fans via that one port in the top left corner. Make sure they are running fast enough to keep the heatsinks cool and prevent heat creep!
Your **custom** Firmware will have to define `D9` as a microcontroller controlled Fan instead of a 100 % running fan as the normal firmware is most likely.
Without extra hardware, you can't get 2 individually controllable ports from `D9`, but you can use, the fact that you don't want part cooling for a hotends in 'resting' position. So a pair of couple Normally Closed switches cab achieve disabling of the resting hotend's part cooling fan:
* make a wire splitter for D9, so that you have both `+` and both `-`-wires connect to the one `+`/`-`-pin on the board. You'll have the part cooling fans in parallel now.
+ Do the same for the Hotend Cooling Fans!
* connect each `+`-line to a Normally Closed switch, which is installed on the hotend in a way so it triggers and opens the line if the hotend is in the resting (homing) position.
* As the line connects when the hotend moves into the build volume, the part cooling fan on the currently active hotend starts to spin while the one of the non-active hotend is isolated.
Variant B: MOSFETs and Safety
-----------------------------
An alternate source for the part cooling fan signals might be the SERVOS1/SERVOS2 group, where `D4` to `D6` and `D11` are accessible. This leaves the FAN and top-left 12 V pinnings free for the hotend cooling. The downside is, that these pins don't likely provide 12 V but at best a 5 V digital output. However, a 0 to 5 V signal can be used to control a separate MOSFET which outputs 0 to 12 V, which then can power the part cooling fans. Due to the power draw of the Fans, a simple step-up converter is not a solution it needs a separate power supply.
The Main benefit is, that this does draw less power from the board than Variant A and does not re-pin `D9`. The "Cooling Fan Board" could use a 6-line ribbon cable to connect to the `SERVOS1` pins, using the 5V as reference for the MOSFETs, `D4`/`D5` as the trigger signal and GND as return lines.
A pre-assembled board that could serve in this position would be a [L298N Driver](https://howtomechatronics.com/tutorials/arduino/arduino-dc-motor-control-tutorial-l298n-pwm-h-bridge/). Due to how it is set up, one could run both part cooling fans, if their speed is set up to be always equal.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: You can use the `M42` g-code to manually set any supported digital pin, which can then be used to either enable one of the on-board MOSFETs (D7, D8, D9, D10) or an external MOSFET.
For example, `M42 P9 S255` would enable the parts cooling fan at 100 %.
You should never run any fan or heater directly off of a microcontroller pin (the ATmega2560 on your board supports up to **40 mA**. Standard 5 V fans I found online tend to draw **100 mA** or more).
Your board supports up to four switchable "power" outputs - bed, heater 0, heater 1 and FAN.
Depending on what you use so far, one of those may be usable for your fans.
Note that on-board MOSFETs usually switch the ground side of the connected device.
This means that you for your 12 V fan, you can connect it directly to one of those connectors.
The 5 V would have to receive +5 V from elsewhere (like the +5 V pins near the bottom right mounting hole), but you can still control the fan by connecting its ground lead over one of the on-board MOSFETs.
If four MOSFETs are not enough for you, the L298N module provides an easy way to control four additional fans, while using normal digital pins to control the L298N.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/07 | 905 | 3,508 | <issue_start>username_0: My end goal is getting high quality dash footage from a 6 month road trip I'm going on. From my research, very few dash cams support 4k 30fps filming, and the ones that do overwrite their own footage really quick, so instead of that I'd like to use my iPhone. I have a wide angle lens for it, and I figure I can mount it to my windshield, behind the rear-view mirror.
But here's the problem: **there are no windshield phone mounts that allow for the angle I need.** They're all designed to point the phone screen at the driver, and the little ball joints that let you set the angle just don't work to point the camera straight ahead. I've tried like 5 different ones, and they all have this problem.
What I need is a solid thing that sticks to my windshield and holds my phone in the correct direction. Once stuck, it never needs to be adjusted. I think I could use 3M strips to stick something to the glass, so the only remaining part of the mystery is this: **A piece of plastic the exact right shape to hold my phone and point it at a specific angle.**
My question is: **Is this a good use case for 3D printing?** And if so, how would a complete amateur get started on this?
A few more requirements that I'm not sure if 3D printing can meet:
* It would need to withstand heat, as it would be left in the car on hot days in the south.
* It can't be too brittle, as speed bumps and dirt roads will knock it around a fair bit, and it has to support a large phone with an added lens.<issue_comment>username_1: You'd [need to print in a heat resistant material](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6119/can-you-put-pla-parts-in-your-car-in-the-sun) - ASA for example - and design the part for your needs, but this project is certainly feasible and doable with 3D printing. If that isn't enough for you, you could drill a hole to the internal cavity (it's best to have an infill pattern that does not split the internal cavity into several ones. Gyroid is one of these) and fill it with resin to make it even more sturdy.
With the right design, you could also go for SLA/DLP aks resin printing, but I am not well versed in the properties of printed resins but that they have some of the best inter-layer bonds.
If you don't want to get a 3D printer yourself, order the part printed, which usually comes cheaper than an entry-level printer with better quality for a one-off project as you won't have to learn the ins and outs of your printer and how to ensure the quality in the material you choose. Some print services also provide really exotic materials.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This certainly is a problem you could use a 3D printer to solve, but it requires getting good results with printing in materials that aren't the easiest to work with. It might be easier to go with one of the mounts you already have, and just adapting it for a different range of angles by mounting a wedge-shaped piece between it and the windshield. This could be done with 3D printing (note the materials requirements still), or if you have access to tools for cutting, drilling holes, etc., by just starting with a chunk of material, cutting it to the right shape, and adding some holes to mount suction cups and attach the existing phone mount.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Why not try a GoPro camera? They now have 4K, image stabilized camera with all kinds of accessory mounts.
<https://shop.gopro.com/cameras/hero7-silver/CHDHC-601-master.html>
Upvotes: -1 |
2019/07/08 | 1,165 | 4,210 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently installed an original BLTouch V3 on my Ender 3 pro and ever since I can’t seem to get a decent print. My first layers are horrible.
The install wasn’t so bad, I really thought it would be plug and play thereafter.
I currently have:
* Version 1.1.4 board with non silent steppers
* Marlin 1.1.9 with bug fix as per the teaching tech video
* Printing on glass, bed @ 60 °C, extruder @ 200 °C
I have checked
* Bed is level.
* X gantry is squared/straight.
* Belts seem tight.
* Tried my best at getting the Z offset right.
* Checked E steps are correct.
* BLTouch seems to be working - not 100 % sure as it’s my first time using an auto level sensor.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwByv.jpg "First layer view of print with BLTouch V3")
---
[More pictures here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/R9ogu.jpg) for those who can help.
---
I have reset the offset and still having difficulty I’m hoping the following pics would help. They bed level squares that prints squares on all four corners and the centre of the bed plate. If I raise the offset any higher I have difficulty with prints sticking. See [here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LBZeE.jpg).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TOnxu.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: So the weird ridges around each line look like a form of over-extrusion that happens when your nozzle is too close to the bed. The gaps on the other side may be areas that were so thin that they didn't survive removal from the bed, or just areas that the plastic couldn't reach because the nozzle was basically dragging. I don't personally have any experiences with touch sensors (yet! got an inductive probe I'll be installing soon) but I can only assume that you have the ability to set the probe's Z offset from the nozzle. If that is the case, try setting your Z offset such that the nozzle is further away from the bed after probing.
I'd suggest starting by raising the nozzle about 0.2 mm, and fine-tuning from there. If you continue to get the raised ridges adjacent to each printed line, keep raising the nozzle until you don't get them anymore. At some point you should actually get to a point where there's gaps between the lines because the nozzle is *too* far, and at that point you can start bumping the offset back down again to try and perfect that Z offset.
Alternately you could do what I do and print on a raft with a 50% density first layer, but I get the feeling if you're printing on glass you probably want to be able to just print on the glass.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If the image is showing a view of the bottom layer of the print, the most probable issue is that the nozzle is too far away from the bed when printing the first layer. This manifests itself as almost not flattening out the deposited filament lines, hence you can see through them. Also it might be a good idea to check if the extrusion process is giving you enough filament (it could be that you are under-extruding); a [calibration of the extruder](/q/6483) might help in this respect.
To lower the nozzle/decrease the nozzle to bed distance you can use the menu of the printer to set a smaller value. Also, G-code [`M851`](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M851:_Set_Z-Probe_Offset) may be used to set a new (smaller) value (e.g. `M851 Z-1.23` when the sensor trigger point to the bed is 1.23 mm); don't forget to store the value to memory with [`M500`](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#M500:_Store_parameters_in_non-volatile_storage) (if enabled in firmware). Sending of G-codes to the machine can be done by "printing" the commands stored in a `.g` text file directly from the SD card, or using a so-called terminal interface that many 3D Printer software applications offer (e.g. OctoPrint, Pronterface as part of Printrun software suite, Repetier-Host, etc.).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I manage to get the printer working, it was an hotend issue. Was clogged, replaced nozzle and working as expected.
Thank you all for the guidance!
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/09 | 1,850 | 7,383 | <issue_start>username_0: 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](https://abfab3d.com/svx-format/) 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.<issue_comment>username_1: 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.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This is a partial answer that I might make into a full answer if I follow it up later. (I'm posting in case someone else has the same question, in which case this might be helpful despite being incomplete.)
It seems that the 3mf format has a [slice extension](https://github.com/3MFConsortium/spec_slice/blob/master/3MF%20Slice%20Extension.md) that does pretty much what I want - it allows the model to be specified as a series of polygons representing the slices, instead of a 3D mesh. So in principle I could simply output a 3mf file containing slice data, and load it into any slicer that supports this extension.
Unfortunately, this would mean learning what seems to be a rather complicated XML based file format, and I'm unsure which slicers currently support the slice extension. This seems to be quite a recent thing, and it might be a case of waiting until better support is available, in terms of Python libraries to write 3mf files as well as slicer support. (There are Python bindings for lib3mf, but their documentation currently consists of a single word, "TODO".)
There is also a requirement in the spec that any 3mf file containing slice data must also contain a mesh representation of the object. This is annoying because the whole point of this idea is to avoid generating a mesh. I suppose I could just output a bounding box or something instead.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This is my second self-answer. I'm posting it separately because it's a different technique. This one should work today, without any modification to the slicer.
I got a helpful hint from Cura developer BagelOrb in the [Cura issue tracker](https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine/issues/310):
>
> Note that generating the mesh doesn't need to be as difficult as you might think.
> You don't need to connect the layers together, you only need to give your slices a height, so that Cura will slice each layer exactly where you want.
>
>
> Just generate the 2D polygons and then extrude each line segment into two perfectly vertical triangles with the same height as your intended layer height - and BAM! you got what you want.
>
>
>
This is similar to a suggestion @towe made in the comments on this question, but the cool thing is you don't need to bother rendering the and bottom surface of each slice, because the slicer will just ignore them anyway. This is because, in BagelOrb's words,
>
> The first thing CuraEngine does is slice the 3D model into polygons and the rest of the processing only uses these polygons. The 3D model is only used to calculate the areas of each layer and all other operations are operations on polygons.
>
>
> Your mesh doesn't need to be manifold; only each slice needs to be a closed polygon.
>
>
> The slicing stage within CuraEngine is a 2 step process:
>
>
> * for each triangle generate the line segments for each layer with which it intersects
> * for each layer stich all line segments together into polygons
>
>
> Your model can look like this:
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qtAk2.png)
>
>
>
This is great because the top and bottom surfaces are very tricky to do correctly. It can be done in OpenSCAD using `linear_extrude`, but it turns out to be extremely time-consuming to `union` all the layers together. This way my code can just throw all the triangles into an STL file and it will slice correctly without any issue.
The other useful information in that thread is that Cura will slice the model in the middle of each layer. So that's where I should slice my own implicit surface model for maximum accuracy.
I did a quick proof of concept and it seems to work so far. I manually created an ASCII STL file containing the sides of a 1cm cube with no top or bottom surface. In "prepare" mode, Cura sees it as the hollow model that it is:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v7duH.png)
But when slicing it ignores the missing faces and adds top and bottom layers and infill, as expected:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/sV1jQ.png)
I'll probably edit this answer again once I have the whole thing up and running.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/10 | 1,813 | 7,472 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently (in 2017) there was [a paper](https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fumich.box.com%2Fs%2Fn9cvs27ckehdr64gzv5igtmboykymgk6) that got some publicity by researchers who are using a B spline algorithm to reduce vibrations in 3D printers. But before them, a B Spline implementation seems to have been first been made open-source by an alias named DeepSoic [here](https://hackaday.io/project/7045-splinetravel). I would like to be able to print faster using the method described in the [research paper](https://3dprint.com/195734/um-update-algorithm/), through post-processing G-code. I'm pretty sure these two sources use basically the same technique but I could be misunderstanding things.
Basically instead of stopping and starting for travel moves, speed changes are done in a curvy fashion, so the head never stops and the printer never shakes. This makes the print smoother and also faster. I think printing 10 times faster is something that is really awesome once you try it. Laser cutting relies on cubic splines for a different reason; to create curves in space. But it seems like these techniques are doing something unique to to 3D printing -- using them to adjust head acceleration/de-acceleration to create smoother movement arcs of the print head. Since laser cutters have a constant head movement, this technique wouldn't help them much.
The downside seems to be that it makes way more G-code commands, overloading the USB port, since it's sending all the points on a curve so quickly. I'm assuming a smart person today would really only use it through an SD card (which has disadvantages) or if they bought a 3D printer with a free Wi-Fi module thrown in (which also has disadvantages). Maybe a high baud rate helps.
I was wondering if there are any more established ways to use this obviously extremely important and beneficial and simple algorithm. Initially I was thinking that this is obviously something that should be added as a checkbox in a slicer, and not something to be implemented in Marlin. But after writing this post I realized that a Marlin implementation would allow you to use this technique over USB, but only if the slicer steedleaders are also using its special G-codes for this optimization. I don't care if it's a post-processing technique like the research paper's or a special Marlin-friendly version, I just want to use this technique even if I have to use this Huawei Wi-Fi module.
Basically I would like to know the best way to get started using this technique through a slicer or other software.
---
I think there is a miscommunication between users of CNC laser cutters and users of 3D printers. In laser cutting the arcs are used to define the path of the cut, which would be equivalent to filament extrusion. In laser cutting, the motion of the laser itself is constant. But in 3D printing, arcs can be used to smooth the speed of the printhead as it moves across the perimeter, and then to infill. It is using arcs for controlling the head well which isn't a problem in laser cutting. Since it's about the head movement, and not the model itself, I don't see how the STL file really matters.
It's really about using an arc to set head speed (a first derivative of position). Not anything about the shape of the model (which would just be position). At least that's my interpretation.
The Wi-Fi module is interesting because it receives an IP address from my router, then my router stops listing it as a connected device. But it still connected, because I can access it wirelessly. I am going to look into it more once I can fix some other problems with this dual-head. But so far there's a reason to think it might be backdoored.<issue_comment>username_1: In more practical terms, you could design the part so that the corners are rounded (also known as fillets). This will help keep the print head moving and would prevent the sudden stop and start effect that causes "jerking". Further 8 bit controllers tend to get saturated when reading large amounts of g-code from the sd card or the serial port. Upgrading to a 32 bit controller will prevent that kind of jerking.
Both of these methods pale in comparison to just speeding up the print. Upgrading the hardware to be faster (various methods exist) would yield more of a reduced time than trying to optimize the g-code (in my humble opinion). Delta printers have the potential to be the fastest type of FDM printer, assuming that you could get the filament to melt fast enough.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: *I would have liked to answer linking to credible official sources, but I cannot add references either on direct B-spline printing. So I'm writing down my thoughts. I've familiarized myself in B-splines to understand what they are and read into the 2 references given by the OP.*
---
Basically, the printer software only allows printing of straight lines. Yes I know we can give orders to the printer to print a curve (using `G2` or `G3`), but these eventually will be converted to printing straight lines. There is no ready made printer firmware available to print cubic curves directly to my knowledge. If it would be possible, these curves should eventually be translated into smaller straight lines by the firmware of timed stepper rotational output. These extra calculations would demand a considerable effort of the printer board processor, most probably far more an 8-bit processor would be able to handle.
Comparing the [paper released in 2017](https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fumich.box.com%2Fs%2Fn9cvs27ckehdr64gzv5igtmboykymgk6) to the [G-code pre-processing software](https://hackaday.io/project/7045-splinetravel) reveals that although both seem to refer to B-spline techniques, they are implemented differently. For example, the pre-processing software aims to reduce the linear travel moves by replacing these with B-spline curves (and not affect the actual print object), while the paper focuses on the optimization of the actual printing curves being optimized by B-spline curves (also using a pre-processor). Both eventually would need to create a multitude of small straight lines to have the printer be able to actually print the object as there is no 3D printing firmware solution to print curves. Do note that the method in the paper has been [questioned by the RepRap community](https://3dprint.com/195734/um-update-algorithm/), which demonstrated that they could print the same object way faster than the B-spline optimized example. Furthermore, do note that the Marlin community is probably moving in that direction as can be seen from e.g. [this feature request](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/8308) and [this G-code meta overview](http://marlinfw.org/meta/gcode/); G-code instruction `G5`.
So, both methods rely on pre-processing G-codes by identification of sliced coordinate (print) moves, translation into Bézier/B-spline curves for (print) moves, which eventually are translated into normal `G0/G1` (print) moves. It does not appear that the Marlin community/developers are aiming to implement Bézier or B-spline curves soon. This implies that if you want to pursuit printing B-splines, you need to make your own pre-processor, or dive into Marlin C++ development; an 8-bit based printer board would not be sufficient indeed like the OP mentioned, up-scaling to 32-bit or interfacing with USB might be the only solution.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/10 | 1,004 | 4,154 | <issue_start>username_0: If a customer sends me a non-commercial 3D model to print, am I allowed to charge money for the 3D printing process? I understand I cannot charge anything for the model nor offer it as a part of my business.
I cannot download the model myself, print and sell it, but if the customer downloads it and sends it to me for me to print it, is it a violation of the license or not?<issue_comment>username_1: In more practical terms, you could design the part so that the corners are rounded (also known as fillets). This will help keep the print head moving and would prevent the sudden stop and start effect that causes "jerking". Further 8 bit controllers tend to get saturated when reading large amounts of g-code from the sd card or the serial port. Upgrading to a 32 bit controller will prevent that kind of jerking.
Both of these methods pale in comparison to just speeding up the print. Upgrading the hardware to be faster (various methods exist) would yield more of a reduced time than trying to optimize the g-code (in my humble opinion). Delta printers have the potential to be the fastest type of FDM printer, assuming that you could get the filament to melt fast enough.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: *I would have liked to answer linking to credible official sources, but I cannot add references either on direct B-spline printing. So I'm writing down my thoughts. I've familiarized myself in B-splines to understand what they are and read into the 2 references given by the OP.*
---
Basically, the printer software only allows printing of straight lines. Yes I know we can give orders to the printer to print a curve (using `G2` or `G3`), but these eventually will be converted to printing straight lines. There is no ready made printer firmware available to print cubic curves directly to my knowledge. If it would be possible, these curves should eventually be translated into smaller straight lines by the firmware of timed stepper rotational output. These extra calculations would demand a considerable effort of the printer board processor, most probably far more an 8-bit processor would be able to handle.
Comparing the [paper released in 2017](https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fumich.box.com%2Fs%2Fn9cvs27ckehdr64gzv5igtmboykymgk6) to the [G-code pre-processing software](https://hackaday.io/project/7045-splinetravel) reveals that although both seem to refer to B-spline techniques, they are implemented differently. For example, the pre-processing software aims to reduce the linear travel moves by replacing these with B-spline curves (and not affect the actual print object), while the paper focuses on the optimization of the actual printing curves being optimized by B-spline curves (also using a pre-processor). Both eventually would need to create a multitude of small straight lines to have the printer be able to actually print the object as there is no 3D printing firmware solution to print curves. Do note that the method in the paper has been [questioned by the RepRap community](https://3dprint.com/195734/um-update-algorithm/), which demonstrated that they could print the same object way faster than the B-spline optimized example. Furthermore, do note that the Marlin community is probably moving in that direction as can be seen from e.g. [this feature request](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/8308) and [this G-code meta overview](http://marlinfw.org/meta/gcode/); G-code instruction `G5`.
So, both methods rely on pre-processing G-codes by identification of sliced coordinate (print) moves, translation into Bézier/B-spline curves for (print) moves, which eventually are translated into normal `G0/G1` (print) moves. It does not appear that the Marlin community/developers are aiming to implement Bézier or B-spline curves soon. This implies that if you want to pursuit printing B-splines, you need to make your own pre-processor, or dive into Marlin C++ development; an 8-bit based printer board would not be sufficient indeed like the OP mentioned, up-scaling to 32-bit or interfacing with USB might be the only solution.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/11 | 534 | 1,879 | <issue_start>username_0: Am just wondering if any conclusions can be drawn from this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0RNE3.png "Photo of poor adhesion")
Three corners are solid, but not the one in the centre of the plate.
The bed was levelled before printing (and checked afterwards also). Even though the photo may *appear* to show a slant or lower corner (where the print is coming off), there is not. The bed is level, relative to the extruder, at room temperature.
The temperature of the bed is about 70 °C. I get inconsistent readings (with laser thermometer) but to the finger it feels about the same everywhere.
It's a glass bed, presumably with some coating. Is it degraded? Local temperature variation? Any ideas anyone?<issue_comment>username_1: From here: <https://io3dprint.com/review-anycubic-i3-mega-ultrabase/>
>
> Ultrabase Bed
> The Anycubic i3 Mega Ultrabase is the latest version in the Anycubic i3 family. As hinted in the name, the main upgrade from the previous version is the Ultrabase bed. This is a textured coating on the Borosilicate glass bed that means you don’t need to apply any glue or tape to the bed to make your prints stick to it.
>
>
> Ultrabase is similar to the popular BuildTak beds except unlike BuildTak it doesn’t wear off and the most significant benefit is that parts are exceptionally easy to remove once the bed has cooled.
>
>
> The Ultrabase surface has a Moh’s hardness of over 7. This means you can safely use metal scrapers and blades to clean it without risk of it scratching!
>
>
>
Perhaps it was just not cleaned sufficiently from a prior print.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I cleaned the bed with acetone and it seems to have helped, so presumably it was just a build-up of something.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/11 | 1,388 | 5,845 | <issue_start>username_0: How to successfully pause 3D printing and turn off the printer and the next day, continue to print the model?<issue_comment>username_1: 1) Cut the model up in several parts and print one each day. Remove each part every day and in the end, glue them all together.
2) Cut the model up in several parts and each day, add a G-code to the file to be printed so it lowers the heat-bed and thus starts to print on top of yesterdays print. This cannot be used when the printer is auto-calibrating as the printer-head would crash into the already printed part. It would probably be tricky.
3) Pause the printer in the evening, then resume next day (don't forget to lower temperatures and rise them again tomorrow).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Some printers have built-in functionality for resume after power-loss. I believe this is a standard part of the Marlin firmware now; I know the Creality Ender 3 has it and I don't believe it was a nonstandard addition (and if it was, their source was released in accordance with the GPL anyway, so it could be merged). So if you printer doesn't already have the functionality, but is amenable to a firmware upgrade/replacement to a version of Marlin that does, it should be possible to get it.
I have an Ender 3, but I haven't tried this feature so I can't speak to how well it actually works.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: I recommend that you don't turn off the printer and resume the next day. If the heat bed cools down the part could become unstuck. The printer must be kept hot for the entire time that you need to print; unless it's PLA which tends to be more forgiving. Also Turning off the printer and turning it back on will cause it to loose it's position. Each time you home the axis of the printer it could home in a slightly different location. If you resumed the print under those conditions it would leave a clear line on the outer walls that is indicative of the layers not lining up properly. Lastly, if you let the nozzle ooze for period of time, you will have to purge the nozzle before you could print again. In this regard be prepared for some air printing for the first few movements. Depending on what you are printing, this could result in a build failure.
Needless to say, people have been able to recover a print under power off/failure conditions, but that's not a strategy to 3d printing. Those were mitigation efforts to exception cases.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: If you enable `M413` in Marlin firmware, the printer will write a resume printing file to SD card e.g. every layer.
From [M413 - Power-loss Recovery documentation](http://marlinfw.org/docs/gcode/M413.html) I quote:
>
> Enable or disable the Power-loss Recovery feature. When this feature is enabled, the state of the current print job (SD card only) will be saved to a file on the SD card. If the machine crashes or a power outage occurs, the firmware will present an option to Resume the interrupted print job. In Marlin 2.0 the `POWER_LOSS_RECOVERY` option must be enabled.
>
>
> This feature operates without a power-loss detection circuit by writing to the recovery file periodically (e.g., once per layer), or if a `POWER_LOSS_PIN` is configured then it will write the recovery info only when a power-loss is detected. The latter option is preferred, since constant writing to the SD card can shorten its life, and the print will be resumed where it was interrupted rather than repeating the last layer. (Future implementations may allow use of the EEPROM or the on-board SD card.)
>
>
>
This means if you cut the power you can resume the print layer, the only problem is that the part must remain attached to the plate, if it comes loose it is hard to resume printing. This feature is now commonly found on printers these days.
The regular pause and resume functionality of the printer will not work when the power is cut over night, i.e. no recovery file is written in such a case.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I already answered once more directly, but I think a better answer might be a frame challenge: design your model to avoid extremely long print times. Even if you didn't have all the problems of pausing and resuming to deal with, which include:
* warping and detachment from bed due to loss of bed heat
* possible motion of stepper motors while unpowered
* extrusion problems due to loss of material to oozing
* ...
you still have the fundamental risk that something goes wrong during the print, which increases significantly with the overall print duration.
There are lots of ways to design your model to be printed in multiple parts that don't amount to just "cut it at height intervals and glue the result". Glue isn't a terribly good solution, at least not by itself; it's hard to ensure perfect alignment, and creates points with different thermal and mechanical properties that are likely to break. Other options include:
* Snap fits, either reversible or permanent.
* Peg/hole press fit.
* Slide-in tension fit.
* Threaded interfaces. These can easily be directly between your parts if the parts are rotationally symmetric or orientation doesn't matter. If it does matter, you can design the threads to stop at the right point but it's more work.
* Threaded holes in one part, metal or 3D-printed bolts through the other to attach it.
In addition to letting you print the object in steps rather than all at once to reduce the chance/cost of failure, these techniques also allow you to print different parts of the object in different orientations, taking advantage of the orientation for ease of printing without supports, or for obtaining stength in the directions your object will be subjected to stresses in.
Most (really all) of the above can also be made permanent with glue, if you desire.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/11 | 435 | 1,735 | <issue_start>username_0: So after a long print the walls in the print begin to weaken and it appears they might not be printed at all. In the upside down picture you can see the weakness where the two pieces are separated. I'm wondering if perhaps reducing my speed and changing the extrusion size from .35 to .45 which is larger than the extruder itself. Thanks for any help and suggestions!
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/L3xt3.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: What you refer to as weak walls in fact are under-extruded walls. This can be caused by multiple sources, but, since the print recovers this most probably is caused by filament that is entangled on the spool (this causes more friction for the extruder and as such less flow, so under-extrusion; like as if the filament is being pulled back). Any other source that may induce extra friction is equally valid. E.g. kink in filament when using a Bowden configuration (long time extra friction in tube) or friction on the spool itself (I once had severe under-extrusion as the spindle of the spool caught a plastic bag which got wrapped around).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: A filament tangle is one possibility, one alternative is that you are seeing a jam in the extruder. The trigger for a jam might be excessive retraction, heat soak or some other issue with the heat-break. Less likely, you might have an electrical problem which is position dependant.
The extrusion-related issues won't necessarily react in an 'obvious' way to any tweaks you make to the parameters (for example, slower might exacerbate heat-soak because the downward filament flow and thus cooling effect is lower).
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/12 | 777 | 2,782 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to slice a model that is half a mm less than max width, but not successful.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/puSzw.png)
What am I missing? Is there some minimum value less than maximum allowed, or something?
**Edit**: after changing the width to 220 in machine settings, slicing works. This is a dangerous thing to do, as it *could* damage the printer.<issue_comment>username_1: Take a look at this post: <https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/15588-cura-23-not-using-full-print-area/>. As the raft/skirt/brim will fall outside of the build volume, Cura is not able to slice it. Look at the the answer by @ahouben. He suggests that if you want to use the maximum build volume :
>
> * adhesion type = brim
> * brim line count = 0
> * travel avoid distance = 0
> * horizontal expansion = 0
> * support horizontal expansion = 0 (if support is enabled)
> * draft shield disabled
> * ooze shield disabled
> * infill wipe distance = 0
>
>
> Note that in most cases brim with brim line count=0 will get you most of the way there
>
>
>
Try this and see if it makes a difference.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: [This answer](/a/10566) already addresses that Ultimaker Cura "eats up" platform space for e.g. skirt, brim, raft, dual extruder, deposition of priming blob, prime towers, etc. Disabling those features will reclaim platform space so you can print larger prints. ***However, that will only work when your printer is correctly configured!*** E.g. the center of the bed needs to be the center of the center in the slicer which needs to have the specific sizes of the bed dimensions. Note that increasing the bed size past the actual dimensions is not considered to be a nice solution, it is an easy work-around that gives you extra space in X+ and Y+, i.e. it does not center this newly created space, furthermore, this can destroy your printer is there is tight space left on those axes! Let's illustrate that with an example, if you have a 200x200 mm build plate and want to slice something of size 200x200 mm, this should be centered around (100, 100), if you change the bed size to 220x220 mm, Ultimaker Cura will center the print around (110, 110) which means that the print maximum coordinates are 210 mm; this is outside the bed area and potentially can destroy your printer!
What you should check is if the physical center of your bed actually is the center as defined by the firmware of the printer (surprisingly, many of the cheaper printer have this incorrectly configured). The answers on question [*"How to center my prints on the build platform?"* (Re-calibrate homing offset)](/q/6375) describe how you could do that.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/13 | 2,156 | 7,251 | <issue_start>username_0: I read that G-code commands can be sent through a console/terminal over USB. What is a console/terminal and how do you use that?<issue_comment>username_1: There are several programs that could serve as a console to connect to a printer, put let's start somewhere: the USB connection.
Step 1: Connection with USB
===========================
When connecting the printer via USB for the first time, we will get a notification that some unknown item is connected. If we use windows we can learn what device it decided we now have via the `device manager` (`Windows Key` then typing in `manager` and `Enter`). It should be a COM Port as this picture shows.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e76LF.png)
In this case, we have connected to **`COM4`**. To change the COM port, we can do so via a `Rightclick`->`properties`, then the `connection settings` and `advanced`. In the new window, we can change the COM port number to anything from 1 to 256, but it is recommended to keep the number somewhat low.
Make sure you run the printer's power supply **and** the connection via USB, as you can't use motor control commands if you have the power supply for the printer off.
Step 2: Using the COM-port
==========================
Now, we need a program that can use the COM port to connect to the printer. There are, as said, several out there. One such is **[Repetier Host](https://www.repetier.com/)**, which comes with slicer and a good graphical interface. Another is **[Ultimaker Cura](https://ultimaker.com/software/ultimaker-cura)**, which has the same capacities but lacks logging of all the commands exchanged. Because many are familiar with it as a slicer, I will look at it first. As a third option, I will take a look at **[Pronterface](https://www.pronterface.com/)**.
CAVEAT: Only **one** program that actively uses the COM port can be properly run at the same time, as the first program accessing the port will claim all uses for the COM port till it is shut down - any program or even other instances of the same program trying to access the port after that will have no control of the port.
Ultimaker Cura
--------------
After launching Ultimaker Cura, choose your printer. many printers are available as presets by now, so just import the printer you use or make a custom profile. At the moment the latest version of Cura is 4.1.0, and will look like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/q9L10.png)
After switching to `Monitor`, it will automatically connect to the Printer via the COM port, in my case 4.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f7wtl.png)
Once more we test the connection via Home [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/h2eaI.png) and then use the Send G-Code prompt, confirming lines via `Enter`.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/gKgaI.png)
Repetier Host
-------------
After running Repetier Host the first time, you need to configure your printer. `Ctrl`+`P` opens the config window for the printer. We need to know the Baud Rate of our printer, so I looked up the documentation of my Ender3, which told me 115200 is the right setting. Most printers seem to run on this setting. The other tabs decide the speeds, extruder number and limits and the bed shape. The rest isn't needed for this. My settings for the Ender3 are these:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ONkso.png) [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/l7srk.png)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CT8kE.png)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/e9ATK.png)
Ok, we made our settings and saved via `OK`.
Now, we press the Connect button on the left side of the menu:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VOyRF.png)
It should change to the blue Disconnect button and display other parts of the print now, showing that we have connected. Note that at the bottom of the screen a log is filled with all the commands and exchanges.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3jkbn.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/EFNtD.png)
On the right side, we now can choose the Tab `Manual Control`
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqhoY.png)
Before sending any commands, it is a good idea to press the Home [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yXA1h.png) button. This also serves as an extra test to see if the printer is connected correctly. Now we can use the Prompt G-Code to send our commands. The commands will be put into the log below.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uwa5V.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iZr7R.png)
Pronterface
-----------
This is the first time that I used [Pronterface](https://www.pronterface.com/). The first thing to do after downloading the Printrun package and running the Pronterface application is to press `Port`, then set the right Baudrate (115200 seems to work for many machines) and press `connect`.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8qefc.png)
The GUI will saturate and the right log will show lots of things tested in connection. Note that in the lower right of the GUI, there is a temperature curve log, which can be very handy for troubleshooting, as it shows the change over a little time.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GhATh.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qxxUI.png)
Below the log, we find the input for commands, and if we send a command, we get a log entry of it:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LMwp9.png)
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: In addition to [this answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10574/5740), the OctoPrint 3D print server software contains a terminal which you can use to send G-code commands from a browser:
OctoPrint
---------
In the bottom string input box (under the check mark items) you put in a G-code command, which will be send to the printer when you hit the *Send* button. If the printer gives a reply to that command, it will be displayed in the log window above the check mark interface items.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8X5EO.png "OctoPrint terminal interface")
Upvotes: 3 |
2019/07/14 | 1,275 | 5,006 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been trying a lot of different things to combat corners curling upward in the first few tens of layers after the bottom skin. To be clear, I'm not talking about corners of the first layer printed on the bed, but rather the points of the outline in layers above the base where direction of print motion changes discontinuously (discrete corner) or abruptly (turn with very tight curvature). Here's an image I found (not mine) that demonstrates:
And a pic during print of the type of curling I'm talking about:
And some previous worse prints:
My go-to worst test case for this now is a 20mm tall hollow dodecahedron with 0.8mm shell (hollow geometry, not just empty infill; 0% infill on a non-hollow model does even worse, shown above). For everything else I've tried, I've mostly been able to sovle the problem with combinations of
* Improved cooling fan duct
* Lowered bed temperature or unheated bed (but this is a tradeoff; it seriously hurts first layer quality and increases risk of non-adhesion)
* Disabling Cura's overhang detection mode (non-uniform print speed causes a **huge** increase in the curling due to latency of extrusion rate response)
* Increasing motion acceleration limits or decreasing speed limits (also mitigating the latency in extrusion rate response)
but I can't get all 5 edges of the worst-case dodecahedron completely warping-free without just heavily slowing down the print; during print it's obvious that the curling at the corners in each layer is the source of the warping. Increasing Cura's `cool_min_layer_time` to 10 seconds (default is 6, and I usually get by fine with 3-4.5 for most things) mostly but not entirely solved it, and going much slower than that seems likely to introduce other surface artifacts from extremely slow extrusion.
Are there any additional tricks I'm missing for solving this? I'd like something that's easy to leave on all the time or at least to automate, as opposed to hacks like adding in a junk tower off to the side to waste time between layers.
My printer is an Ender 3 with stock gear except for improved fan duct. The problem was worse with the stock fan duct.<issue_comment>username_1: Cura has an additional setting that you can make visible called "Lift Head". My recommendation is that you do the following:
1. Set your minimum print speed to something actually reasonable like 30mm/s or higher. Printing too slowly negates the following two settings and is not beneficial to printing small features.
2. Set your minimum layer time to something higher, like 15s or so. The slower you print, the higher this number needs to be. Using too small of a minimum print time prevents adequate layer cooling.
3. Enable "Lift Head". This must be used to allow the small features on your print to properly cool. Without the "Lift Head" setting, your nozzle will remain parked on your print and provide both radiant and convective heat which prevents cooling and causes sagging of small features.
The combination of these settings will rapidly deposit the layer, then move the nozzle high and away from the print until the minimum layer time is reached, such that the radiant heat from the nozzle doesn't continue to heat the soft PLA while it's trying to cool.
Enabling all three is how I got perfect tiny features on all of the printers here at my office - a fleabay i3 clone, an Anet A8, and a couple Monoprice printers of various levels.
*Edit:*
I forgot to mention, keep your bed temperature at a reasonable setting too. For PLA, normally people may recommend up to 70C, but realistically, for very small prints, you can keep your bed much colder without detrimental effects. For tiny items, my PLA prints used to use a bed temperature of about 30-40 C depending on the specific filament. Very tiny prints are unlikely to warp even with a cold bed.
Basically, the colder the bed is, the less heat is getting conducted up through the print to the top layers that are molten, and the faster those layers cool. Keep the bed temp down and it'll benefit your layer cooling.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: While I tried a lot of things to solve this, including tuning temperature, fan, speed, etc., ultimately the single biggest factor that causes or prevents it is the state of Cura's *Outer Before Inner Walls* (`outer_inset_first`) option. With outer walls first, I don't have the problem at all. With the default (inner walls first), I have it to varying degrees depending on geometry and a lot of other factors.
I don't have a good explanation for why this happens so I'm asking a new question about it.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/14 | 2,770 | 10,069 | <issue_start>username_0: So I am really fed up with inductive probes. The one I am using keeps getting shifted slightly every time I switch nozzles or run an oozy print. That means I have to autolevel again, then manually set a Z-offset (as I would have anyway if I didn't have an inductive probe).
On my Lulzbot Mini there is a different scenario. There are four washers at each part of the bed. The nozzle is "grounded" so that when the Mini touches the washers, a current is created that seems to act as the Z-stop. Surprisingly there isn't much out there for a DIY implementation of this.
Since I have an aluminum bed (and aluminum is conductive), I am thinking of doing the following:
1) Put one wire from the Z-stop ground pin to the aluminum bed. Make sure it is away from the wires for the heater / thermister (?)
2) Put one wire from the Z-stop 5V into the heating block of my nozzle.
When the nozzle probes the bed, a current will be created from the 5V heating block, through the conductive nozzle, into the conductive bed, to the Z-stop ground.
I'm always unsure when it comes to circuitry. Will there be any dangerous interference from this technique from, say, the bed heating circuit? I'm not sure what kind of protection circuitry are on each of the Arduino's pins, and I'd rather not fry my board if this sounds like a bad idea to someone.
I figure most people don't do this because they have sheets of PEI or some other non-conductive material on their bed. I can use PET tape but still leave holes in the tape for this autobed leveling probe. It would be really great if it worked and wasn't dangerous.
I shouldn't even need the third pin?<issue_comment>username_1: Aluminium is conductive, but aluminium oxide is not, which is just so what there (unavoidably, since aluminium rapidly oxidises in air) happens to be a thin layer of on top of your bed. The coating is very thin, but it might foul your plans. It would work better with a sharp probe (that can puncture the layer) than with a 3D printer nozzle. You should be careful, because your probing method might be unreliable (which could cause the nozzle to crash into the bed).
Wiring the endstop 5V directly to ground will create a short circuit which will damage your printer. You should use the third (signal) pin and ground instead.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Edit: i recommend using some conductive felt
The top of the aluminum bed is not conductive, but the sides of it are. You can re-create the Lulzbot Mini endstop set-up by connecting the Z-stop ground to the side of the aluminum bed, then using binder clips and nickels as the "washers". In my case I had to use quarters because my bed was really big and the extruder came down far from its edges.
To do this, you'll need:
1. A multimeter and a >100 Ohm resistor for safety
2. Some nickels (or any conductive coin)
3. Some binder clips (with steel insides)
4. Some aluminum foil (increases reliability of setup)
5. A Z end-stop
**Building conductive washer perimeter**
Create a conductive washer system along the sides of your aluminum bed by:
1. Wrapping a nickel-sized amount of aluminum foil on the bottom, side, and top of the bed
2. Placing a nickel on top of that aluminum foil on the bedttop
3. Placing a steel-inside binder clip to hold down the nickel
Do this multiple times along the perimeter of the bed. It seems you are limited to an evenly-spaced grid structure by the software. In my case I placed the washers at:
```
X = 0, Y = 0
X = 0.5 * Max_X, Y=0
X = Max_X, Y = 0
X = 0, Y = Max_Y
X = 0.5*Max_X, Y = 0.5 * Max_Y
X = Max_X, Y = Max_X
```
The aluminum foil provides a contact between the side of the bed and the top and bottom of it. The binder clip can be pressed inwards against the aluminum foil to ensure high reliability. However, the binder clip can get loose. So, using aluminum foil helps make the bottom of the bed conductive too, increasing the surface area of the contact for the binder clip.
**Attaching red wire to hot end**
Attach the red part of the Z-endstop to your heatblock. It must be in the heatblock somewhere. The thermister hole might work. For me, I was able to slide it in a small space that's used to tighten the screw that holds the heat rod.
Now we want to attach the Z-stop ground (black wire) to the conductive perimeter.
**Before attaching Z-stop ground underneath one of the binder clips, a word of caution...**
The first time I did this, I stupidly placed a binder clip on top of the 12V heat rod attached to the bottom of the aluminum bed. This put all sides of the aluminum bed (and my conductive washers) at 12V, which created a short into the Z-stop ground pin when I connected it. This resulted in my Z-stop ground pin SMOKING up from the heat going through it. As a word of precaution, you should attach a resistor between the Z-stop ground pin and the side of the aluminum bed should something go wrong in the future. I used a 2.1 kOhm resistor I had laying around. This will limit the current going into the Z-stop ground pin. Since everyone's aluminum bed will be different (for e.g. the bottom of my bed is non-conductive, but yours might be conductive), it is really important to be careful here.
Before powering on, test to see that all of the nickels have low resistance between them. Test to see that the hot end nozzle is connected to the Z-stop red wire. Use a multimeter for this.
If you don't have a resistor, wait to attach the Z-stop ground before powering on. This will let you check the voltage to tell if your aluinum bed sides are connected to the 12V heat rod. After that, you can power off and attach the Z-stop ground and power on again.
**Setting up the software**
If you've flashed your firmware before, setting up the software is easy. Go to the "AUTO\_BED" section of Configuration.h. First thing to do is to set your Z-offset to about 2.0mm and remove any existing offsets you might've had for a Z-probe (for e.g. X\_PROBE\_OFFSET... = -40 was set for me). The Z-offset should be set to a positive value this time. **Don't forget to change this setting in EEPROM if you set itas well!**
Since I'm only probing the perimeter, I use BILINEAR bed leveling for this one. Bilinear calculates points automatically for me, so I had to set up my perimeter according to an evenly spaced grid like I listed in "Building conductive washer perimeter".
First I activated AUTO\_BED\_LEVELING\_BILINEAR
And my IF tree looks like:
```
#if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_LINEAR) || ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR)
// Set the number of grid points per dimension.
#define GRID_MAX_POINTS_X 3
#define GRID_MAX_POINTS_Y 2
// Set the boundaries for probing (where the probe can reach).
#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 1
#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 264
#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 1
#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 264
// The Z probe minimum outer margin (to validate G29 parameters).
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 0
// Probe along the Y axis, advancing X after each column
//#define PROBE_Y_FIRST
#if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR)
// Beyond the probed grid, continue the implied tilt?
// Default is to maintain the height of the nearest edge.
#define EXTRAPOLATE_BEYOND_GRID
//
// Experimental Subdivision of the grid by Catmull-Rom method.
// Synthesizes intermediate points to produce a more detailed mesh.
//
#define ABL_BILINEAR_SUBDIVISION
#if ENABLED(ABL_BILINEAR_SUBDIVISION)
// Number of subdivisions between probe points
#define BILINEAR_SUBDIVISIONS 3
#endif
#endif
#elif // other bed leveling trees
```
Feel free to disable EXTRAPOLATE\_BEYOND\_GRID and BILINEAR\_SUBDIVISIONS because they might not be necessary for you.
**Time to autobed level**
Of course, even with all that work, you're still going to want to be able to power off your 3D printer if it doesn't recognize even one of the nickels. So stay close to your power source and be sure to power it off safely if it doesn't recognize one of your contacts or if something comes loose. For example one of my coins was very dirty and yea, it made a huge difference in that corner, so I had to swap it out.
**Last but not least**, if you have some extra binder clips, you can enable the "Nozzle cleaning" feature in Configuration.h, just by binder-clipping the dark-green layer of a sponge to the board. Then just set the X-Y coordinates of that layer in the nozzle\_clean feature in Configuration.h and make your life a lot easier. These two features working well together basically mean you don't have to do anything between multiple prints except remove the prints from the bed.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: This will not work reliably.
I know, I have tried it, for a couple of years, with poor consistency.
Now, I will tell you that it worked better than the parallax IR sensors. It worked better than trying to slam the head into the bed and listen for the click.
I used the brass nozzle and the aluminum bed as a switch to detect the bed position.
I used ABS slurry on the bed. With a 100°C bed the ABS was soft enough for the nozzle to make contact. Elmer's Glue for PLA also was soft enough.
But, with the elasticity I had in the synthetic Z-axis of the delta machine, the time delay to much the bed adhesive out of the way, and the general problem of trying to conduct electricity through an aluminum oxide layer, I had variability of about 0.1 mm, which was far to much to give a reliable first layer.
To "level" the delta bed, I would touch each point several times (with a clean bed) and fit my leveling function to the noisy data. For finding my zero reference at the beginning of a print, I would touch off three time and only use the third one. This helped, but it was still super noisy.
I have subsequently incorporated a strain gauge in the triangular delta-bit. It gives much more accurate contact information and is not effected by the bed glue not does the aluminum oxide layer cause problems.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/14 | 480 | 1,795 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a model that contains a cavity, into which I want to insert a piece of metal, so I can use a magnet to stick to the print. How can I introduce a pause into the G-code without manipulating it manually in Ultimaker Cura?<issue_comment>username_1: Ultimaker Cura contains "Extensions"; in version 4.1.0, the process is as follows:
* Extensions -> Post Processing -> Modify G-code
* Add a Script -> Pause at height
+ Choose the one that matches your firmware!
* Choose the `Pause height` to match the height the insertion should take place. Usually, this is to be the layer just before the roof is to be printed to keep the inserted objects from protruding from their cavities.
* Choose a park position well outside of the print. X 10 Y 10 is usually a good position for this.
* Add a little retraction if you want.
In printing, you have to wait till the cavity is formed, insert the item quickly and press the control button to resume. The shorter the pause, the better the next layer will hold to the already printed.
Also, keep in mind to make the cavity a little larger than the insert, both in XY and Z, to compensate for the plastic shrinking a little and to allow the nozzle to pass well over the inserted item.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: [This answer](/a/10588/) already explains how you insert the G-codes to enable a pause into your model. But, **this will only work if the printer supports the G-codes that are inserted by Cura**. E.g. [this question](/q/11236) shows that this does not always work!
To pause the printer you would need to resort into other methods, e.g. a manually inserted [`G4` (Dwell)](https://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#G4:_Dwell) would be a viable solution as shown in [this answer](/a/11242).
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/15 | 831 | 2,850 | <issue_start>username_0: How should I describe this part which looks like a threaded flange so that I can research replacements? It is the gold piece in the middle of each photo. It is used to create a bed raiser in the FLSUN Cube 3D printer.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/iNRcM.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UGmZd.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lUqe9.png)
It gets attached to a motor using a flexible bearing<issue_comment>username_1: To the best of my knowledge, it's just called a **lead screw nut** or **lead nut**. The flange and holes for attaching it to a surface are inherent in its role in letting the lead screw move something.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: *[This answer](/a/10597/) already describes the name of the "golden" component you are after, this answer expands upon that answer to note that there are various nuts with different thread sizes that look virtually the same, it would be a pity to order the incorrect one.*
---
Note that this trapezoidal lead screw nut is made from brass (e.i. in your image, but these nuts are also available in POM/Delrin) and needs to have exactly the same screw threads as your lead screw has. A much used lead screw is using the following designation `Tr8x8(p2)` ( for a full description of what that means look into [this answer (Anet A8 lead screw threads)](/a/5668/)). Do note that there are many lead screw nut sizes, buying the wrong one will not fit the current lead screw.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TBUwh.png "Example of various lead size lead screw nuts")
From the image you supplied it looks as if that is the same lead screw as used in the linked answer of the Anet A8 lead screw. To verify this, you could measure how much the nut advances on a full rotation of the nut, if it is 8 mm, buy the `Tr8x8(p2)` if e.g. 4 mm, buy the `Tr8x4(p2)`. Note that if you are going to buy a new nut, you could opt for a nut that has no backlash, **BUT**, be sure that it would fit the acrylic hole and you have enough space as its height is larger, or be prepared to modify the acrylic part or reconstruct a new one (it wouldn't be a bad idea to do that anyways, acrylic is known for cracking under applying force such as screws and nuts). Note that an anti backlash nut must be used as depicted below.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fgEd9.png "image of an anti backlash lead screw nut")
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/15 | 973 | 3,079 | <issue_start>username_0: I would like to make a 24 V (3D printer board and shield) setup, as opposed to the usual 12 V, and to do so I had been considering using the Taurino Power board, or the clone Eruduino. However, I just found this board:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FoUYh.jpg "Re-ARM microcontroller, with SD card slot")
The specifications state a DC input of up to 36 V:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UX1QF.png "Specifications")
Does anyone know whether that *really* means it can handle 24 V in the same manner as the Taurino/Eruduino? If so, then that looks like a double win: not only 24 V support, but also a faster processor. Anyone have experience with this board?
I was thinking of using with a RAMPS1.6 Plus (maybe), or just a regular RAMPS 1.4 ([hacked to support 24 V](https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_24v)). I'm just shopping about, and I thought that if I was going to spend £14 on an Eruduino, then I just as well spend that money on something better.
It does work with Marlin apparently, as some of the customer reviews would suggest, but none of the reviews that I could find referred to a 24 V setup (heated bed etc.), hence my question.<issue_comment>username_1: Given that the capacitor near the input is quite clearly marked 35 V, a 36 V rating seems questionable.
The (buck) regulator used on the (genuine version of the) board is the [AOZ1282CI](http://www.aosmd.com/res/data_sheets/AOZ1282CI.pdf) which supports up to 36 V input. This is probably where they got the 36 V rating from, but obviously the 35 V-rated capacitors drop the input voltage down below this.
[Schematics for the board are available on the RepRap wiki](https://reprap.org/mediawiki/images/f/fa/Re_ARM_Schematic.pdf) and show that the input voltage only feeds into the regulator. I see no reason why this board couldn't handle 24 V input, as this is well within the rating of both the regulator and the capacitors.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: For completion, I've just seen this, [Can a ramps 1.6 support 24v?](https://www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/9wfrmk/can_a_ramps_16_support_24v/) (which basically confirms the 24 V support of the Re-ARM board) although it isn't particularly useful w.r.t. the RAMPS 1.6 side of things, although I would imagine the the [24 V RAMPS hack](https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_24v) would still apply.
In addition, <NAME> does a great review, and he has successfully tried it with 24 V, watch [32-bit series part 4: Re-ARM board "review?"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-wekOqM5gY). Whilst the RE-ARm offers a lot of advantages, some of the main down points to be aware of are:
* No 5 V *analogue inputs*, they are 3.3 V, so the endstops use 3V3 logic (not a problem from mechanical switches, but 5 V optical endstops will have a problem
* Some of the pins of the Mega are missing from the Re-ARM.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/16 | 800 | 2,741 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm making a hybrid 3D printer and circuit etching (CNC milling) machine that can both 3D print and etch prototype circuit boards. I'll be using Marlin firmware with an Arduino Mega & RepRap 1.4 board. It will have a 3D printer head and a milling head side by side. I'd like to have it be able to read both .gbr (for circuit etching) and .gcode (for 3D printing) files. How should I configure Marlin to read both types?<issue_comment>username_1: You can use both .gcode and .gbr files one one machine. We do it where I work.
However, when we make prototype circuit boards, we don't print them; we acquire circuit board blanks, and then we either:
1. Use a diode laser to burn off the top layer of garolite for isolation traces, then do a chemical dip to remove that copper, then another laser burn to expose pads for surface mount components; or
2. Use a spindle tool to remove the top layer of garolite where needed for pads, as well as mill through the copper layer for isolation traces.
We have not found a printable material that has the conductivity we want in a circuit board.
Source: I work for [Hyrel 3D](http://hyrel3d.com)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gk8gV.png)
Note: we don't use Marlin on Arduino, we use in-house firmware on STM32F429 boards.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Well, I'm Using pronterface to send the gcode to print the traces of my PCB with an ink pen (sharpie); since the parameter in the Marlin-Rep rap1.4 is configured to fast print, So I can easily send the code just setting the origin or Zero to print on any area of the printer.
To set the new Zero just use the code G92, for example we need to print in the middle of the printer, so just move the spindle to that position and set G92 X0 Y0, then andjust the Z height then set G92 Z0. for your milling add a Z secure travel to avoid collide with the surface and or mechanical clamps
This video shows a [PCB print](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arTFvzyqAwE&t=49s) in the 3Dprinter, so for the milling process will be the same. The video shows also the process making the holes on the CNC; I didn't do in the 3d printer because in that time I hadn't a dremel support.
Also Tech2C teach how you can configure the whole printer, just [follow this link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipcdhXetHY&t=5s)
So, be happy milling in your 3d printer
>
> **Note:** for gbrl files I haven't tested but you can try to read and send
> your code thru this program (*pronterface*) probably you cand get some
> messages like "uknown code" just like ***gcode sender*** does while trying
> to send codes for laser etching (old versions).
>
>
>
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/16 | 1,280 | 3,584 | <issue_start>username_0: One of the main hacks for converting RAMPS 1.4 boards to use with 24 V, as stated in [RAMPS 24V](https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_24v), is replacing the polyfuses, principally `F2` (MF-R1100), with wire and using an inline (car blade or wire) fuse on the heatbed wire (or between PSU and RAMPS) instead1. However, that is for the RAMPS 1.4 boards.
As [RAMPS 1.5](https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.5) notes (as well as 0scar's answer to [RAMPS 1.4, 1.5 or 1.6?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5623/ramps-1-4-1-5-or-1-6)):
>
> The RAMPS 1.5 uses small surface-mounted fuses rather than the large yellow fuses prone to breakage on the RAMPS 1.4. The downside is that replacing the fuses becomes much more difficult.
>
>
>
Are these SMD fuses rated the same voltages, or greater? Yes, this could be a bit like asking "How long is a piece of string" as it depends upon the manufacturer, but does anyone know what voltage *should* they be rated for?
Ultimately, if they are both rated at greater than 24 V, then there should be no need to replace them.
The [answer](https://discuss.toms3d.org/hardware-f6/ramps1-4-or-ramps1-5-or-ramps-1-6-t481.html#p2786) on this thread, [Re: Ramps1.4 or Ramps1.5 or ramps 1.6???](https://discuss.toms3d.org/hardware-f6/ramps1-4-or-ramps1-5-or-ramps-1-6-t481.html) states:
>
> OK the ramps 1.6 can only handle 12v OR 24V
>
>
>
so, that would imply that the intention for 24 V support was there, although, unfortunately, the poster does not post their reference.
However, the [PDF](https://github.com/bigtreetech/ramps-1.6/blob/master/Ramps1.6/hardware/R6Schematic%20diagram.pdf) of the RAMPS 1.6 schematic shows the same rated fuses as the RAMPS 1.4
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hbPML.png)
Nevertheless, that seems like a straight forward copy and paste from the RAMPS 1.4 schematic as it clearly references the MF-R500 PTC, and obviously SMD fuses have been used instead - or are the part numbers the same for the SMD fuses..? I had a google but couldn't see MF-R500 SMD fuses (maybe I didn't look hard enough?).
---
### Footnote
1 This is because the 11 A fuse is only rated to 16 V. Note that `F1` (MF-R500) is rated for 5 A at 30 V, and as such is sufficient for 24 V operation.<issue_comment>username_1: Without knowing the exact part numbers used for F1 and F2 it is impossible to say whether the fuses need to be replaced or not. However, based on the manufacturer provided schematic and BOM we can make a pretty good guess.
Looking at the PDF you linked, it states that F1 is rated for 16V. Looking at the [BOM spreadsheet](https://github.com/bigtreetech/ramps-1.6/blob/master/Ramps1.6/BOM%20form/BQ105-A4%20%E3%80%90RAMPS%201.6%E3%80%91Interface%20board%20R6%20%20BOM%20form.xls) it also says F1 is 16V and 30A.
Based on the fact that the only two reference documents available say 16V, I would strongly recommend replacing this component for 24V operation.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I found that at least the following two RAMPS 1.6 derived boards are 24 V capable without modifications:
* Bigtreetech RAMPS 1.6 Plus (see the PCB layout picture in [this offer](https://www.roboter-bausatz.de/3080/ramps-1.6-plus-3d-drucker-steuerung))
* King Print RAMPS 1.6 Plus
This information is so far only from webshop offers, so might not be the most reliable (and I did not test it myself yet). If somebody can find a confirmation from the manufacturer's spec documents, please let me know.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/18 | 846 | 3,112 | <issue_start>username_0: With Ender 3 is there a way to configure printer extruder to go all way up when the printing finishes?
Or even with the Ultimaker Cura software?
I want this, because i'm going to put a switch on the top of the printer that will switch it off when the printer finishes (if i can make the arm with the extruder go all the way up when printing finishes.)
How can this be done?<issue_comment>username_1: If you use OctoPrint, there is a plugin that will allow you to take action on certain events, such as print completion. The action that it can take would allow you to turn of a TP-link smart plug; which would turn off the printer. You could then use the phone app to turn it back on.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: In Ultimaker Cura (and pretty much any slicer), you can easily modify the end code of the Ender 3. To go all the way up, you could add the following in the end:
```
G90 ;absolute positioning
G1 Z300 ;goto height 300 ; Move to 300 mm = 30 cm.
G91 ;back to relative positioning
```
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: The most safe way to move the printer up to the maximum print height is to use a concept known as "**keywords**" (sort of constants that are filled by the correct value when slicing) in Ultimaker Cura, certainly if you have multiple printers with different print area sizes.
To use these keywords, just add these in between curly braces and insert them into your slicer "End G-code" script. These keywords will be substituted with actual numbers from the printer settings or slicing configuration parameters. In this case we need to use the maximum print height which is specified by the keyword `machine_height`. This keyword takes its value from the printer settings, set for the printer in the graphical user interface of the printer settings, see image below (this is a configuration of an Ultimaker 3 Extended, it also shows the **Start G-code** and **End G-code** which you can tweak yourself, as seen by the additional G-code line `G0 F10000 Z{machine_height}` that has been added for this demonstration).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Np6Gy.png "Printer settings, configuration of an Ultimaker 3 Extended")
E.g. similar to [this answer](/a/10627), you could solve this with a keyword. Now when you slice for a certain printer (e.g. with the printer settings of the image above), the correct value will be filled in automatically when slicing the print object as can be seen from this snippet of G-code:
```
...
G91 ;Relative movement
G0 F15000 X8.0 Z0.5 E-4.5 ;Wiping+material retraction
G0 F10000 Z1.5 E4.5 ;Compensation for the retraction
G90 ;Disable relative movement
G0 F10000 Z300 ; <------------ note to see {machine_height} be resolved to 300 mm
...
```
---
*This is specifically for Ultimaker Cura. Do note that e.g. Slic3r even takes the keyword concept further by allowing arithmetic and logic, similar as you could do in programming languages!*
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/19 | 447 | 1,718 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Duplicator i3 mini, which has yet to make it a month without breaking. This time it is extra broken because the filament is not extruding properly. the most successful print I've had yet had about a centimeter before turning into an absolute mess. I have a picture. It was not stringy, and had the exact shape i was trying to print, but was like a frame of a sort. I am printing with matterhackers MH build series PLA, which has worked before this started happening. What should I do? What troubleshooting steps should I take?[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZZzyt.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: That looks like underextrusion as a result of a clog. Try cleaning the nozzle or replacing it.
See this link for more information about clogged nozzles.
[If I have a nozzle clog, can I easily get rid of it by simply replacing the nozzle?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5191/if-i-have-a-nozzle-clog-can-i-easily-get-rid-of-it-by-simply-replacing-the-nozz)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Underextrusion and clogs can also be caused by insufficient temperature in the hot end. You've not reference your temperatures, so consider to use a test model and print at different temperatures. Too low temps can result in the problem you present, while too hot temps will increase stringing and peculiar blobs on the print.
If your slicer changes print speed at the layer of destruction, it may also be too fast, which is related to temperatures. Simplify3D allows speed variation as well as temperature variation at selected layers, but it requires deliberate action on the part of the operator.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/20 | 725 | 2,730 | <issue_start>username_0: Using a Gearman RepRap with Slic3r, printing from an SD card, with an uniterupted power supply (UPS), and both PLA and ABS filaments, short power outages often result in x/y-axis offsets (see image). During an outage the power is not as clear from a UPS as from a power conditioner. If both x and y axes offset the results look like [Why did my print fall off its raft?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10432/why-did-my-print-fall-off-its-raft?noredirect=1#comment17398_10432). Are you experiencing these same issues? Have you solved the issue.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cSUVd.jpg)
The image above shows an x-axis shift that occurred evenly across eight parts distributed across the bed. The filament was ABS. The parts still adhered to the bed. Note: the G-code file normally prints well. Thus, the file is not corrupt.<issue_comment>username_1: I believe I resolved this issue. The next power outage will tell. After getting a larger UPS used for robotic testers, when swapping out the UPS, I noticed the 3D printer was plugged in to the surge protector side without the battery, probably because the smaller UPS was only rated for power to the computer. Now, with the larger UPS, the 3D printer also has power backup. What is puzzling is why did the 3D printer run as if the computer was still operating it, when is was printing from the SD card? Was the circuitry getting power from the USB cable from the computer?
Note: If one is running their 3D printer using a notebook with a charged battery and the 3D printer doesn't have a UPS, it would have similar behavior.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Part of your self-answer:
>
> What is puzzling is why did the 3D printer run as if the computer was still operating it, when is was printing from the SD card? Was the circuitry getting power from the USB cable from the computer?
>
>
>
is more of an extension of the question, which I'll answer. Generally, yes, the logic of many (most?) 3D printers can be powered by the USB connection. You can try it sometime with the printer not plugged in to the AC power source at all. Under such a power configuration, the motors (not to mention the heating elements) should not operate at all, and I think the firmware has logic to detect this condition and not try to print under it, but I may be mistaken. However, in any case, in the event of an outage during printing, the logic board will remain powered if it's connected by USB, and especially if the outage is short enough, it might not even notice that the motors and heating elements are not functioning, yielding a result like what you saw.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/20 | 2,119 | 8,568 | <issue_start>username_0: **Please Note:** This question is *not* about the design. It's about deciding print orientation *after the design*.
I have a small, but complex piece which I need to print. Here are two images of different orientation for you:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/jpi84.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FPuGb.jpg)
No matter how I orient it, it will require a support structure. Any which way I print it, I believe there will be pros/cons to doing so. My question is, **Is there a thought process for how to orient the part for printing?** What are some of the things to consider when deciding print orientation?
Note-1: For a size reference of the part, looking at the second image, it is approximately 60 mm from the top of the long bottom part with the two "claws" point down, to the top of the vertical piece which has the two larger chamfered holes in it. In the same image, the left part will be at the bottom when put into use, though will be suspended (the chamfered holes will have wood screws in them, with a block of wood on the other side from the chamfers.
Note-2: For this example, I will be using Priline PLA filament on an Anet-A8 printer.<issue_comment>username_1: First of all, if it were me, I'd split this into two parts at the "obvious" place (where one protrudes from a large flat surface of the other) and connect them after printing, with a push fit and glue (or solvent welding if it works for your material), or holes for threaded fasteners.
With that said, if you opt to print it as one part, this interface is going to be the weak point of the whole print if you use the second orientation, with the "T"-like bracket part sticking up from a flat top surface of the "C" part. This is because the walls of the top part will be sitting on infill or skin, not matching walls going all the way down; even with 100% infill the walls won't be aligned and bonded with coresponding extrusion lines below them.
I would print this *either* with the lightest-gray faces facing us in the second image against the bed, or with the dark gray rectangle face in the lower-right of the second image against the bed (same orientation as the first image, as I interpret it). Both of these will require significant support structure, and I'd be tempted to model the support rather than auto-generating it, but Cura's "experimental" "support tree" feature works very well for this kind of situation and might do just as well or better.
Either of these orientations makes the above interface simply part of the layer contours, rather than two parts loosely stuck to each other. The holes should print fine either way - bridging works well for holes - and the pegs will need support one way but not the other.
<NAME> noted in a comment:
>
> Could the part with the screw holes be the same width as the other part?
>
>
>
And indeed I would also think about modifications you could make to the part that would facilitate easier and stronger prints.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: To answer the generic question *"Is there a thought process for how to orient the part for printing?"*, I would say *"Yes there absolutely is such a process!"*.
Part of this though process can be aesthetics, structural strength, limiting filament waste, print duration, etc.
For the given example I would try to think of the load case (if it has to bear a load) that subjects the part and prevent a perpendicular load to the deposition plane. If the load is low or non existent, you could orientate the print such that you minimize wasting material, or get the best aesthetics (removing supports *can* leave its scars).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: This part is quite complex and there are 3 orientations it could be printed at. I will assume picture 1 shows the item in orthonormal XYZ orientation: Z up, X to the front(-rightish) corner, Y to the (backish-)right. Using these we can chose have an XY (Pic 1), XZ (Pic 2) and YZ (Unpictured) plane of the build to touch on the build plate. Luckily this object is symmetric along the middles, so we won't need to look at two cases each.
To evaluate the best print orientation, we can look at the loads that will come to the part, the aesthetic (we get better resolutions in the Z than the XY on printers!) and of course the need for support structures and thus waste material.
Aesthetics are probably not an issue for this structural part, so let's take this part as an example and look at the three orientations and how to reason which orientation might be best.
XY
--
Using the lowest XY plane as build contact we will need to support the upper arc of the bracket and the back-branch with the T-support also needs support. So we need quite some support material, which is a con.
Also, the layers in the C-Clamp are aligned in such a way that the clamp might easily break in its long line, but due to the length, it might be able to bend quite some. Remember that PLA is brittle though, but you could post-process the part by baking it to generate better inter-layer bonding.
On the upside, the T-stiffening is in its most sturdy orientation and the back extension has the most stable print orientation. You might want to add extra bottom layers to fight the loss of layers that are printed on the support structure though.
XZ
--
The Orientation in the 2nd Picture has moved the interlayer boundaries to be on the short arms of the C-clamp, making it more fragile than the XY orientation.
The T-stiffing and back-branch are also significantly weakened and might break on stresses into the direction we had defined as Y in the premise.
It also needs to support the whole back of the C-Clamp during print, which is a considerable amount, though probably lower than in the XY orientation.
YZ
--
The unshown orientation puts the C-clamp in such an orientation that each layer has a complete C. This makes the clamp as sturdy as it could be.
The back-branch is quite solid along its length (Y) and the stiffening T comes as an integral part of the perimeters, making it good to take loads from the branch. It does suffer from weakening the long part against forces splitting it along the long axis, which would be directed in the X-axis of our premise.
This orientation also reduces the needed support to a minimum, as we don't necessarily need to support the "bridging" part of the T-support.
Conclusion
----------
I would choose the YZ orientation based on both material need as well as the physical benefits of achieving the least weak configuration.
Optimisation
------------
The print object could be slightly optimized to reduce the needed support at the cost of increasing the part weight in the YZ orientation:
As suggested, widening the T to touch the build plate and the accompanying part to do too would make the part larger and would turn the support into an integral part of the print.
One could also turn the T into a Y structure with an overline for a shorter bridge and longer stretches of the shell that can dissipate the forces on the T-bar to the clamp more effectively.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: (Love the question and here is my 2 cents).
Firstly, you want to minimize supports. Even if you have dissolvable supports, you would still want to minimize the usage.
For Example:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LoQCE.jpg)
At first glance of the finished object, it is not obvious at what angle it was printed. Upon close inspection the overhang in the part is designed such that it can be printed without supports. This brings me to my first point:
**Design with fabrication in mind**
I've often designed myself into a corner with parts that are complex and are impossible to print properly; or they use up too much filament in the supports. To this end I try to *think about the shadow* that the part will cast on the bed if there was a light source directly over head. I often orient the part so that it will
**Cast the smallest possible shadow.**
Then there are the features. Does the hole need to be round? Does this flange need to be strong? If so then I try to ensure that the feature is oriented in the XY plane as much as possible, because the Z axis is the weakest. Therefore if you have a hole, and it needs to be strong, then it should be printed perpendicular to the Z axis.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/20 | 644 | 2,108 | <issue_start>username_0: When making a cylinder, sometimes I need to only take a pie slice. I'm currently using [this](http://forum.openscad.org/Creating-pie-pizza-slice-shape-need-a-dynamic-length-array-tp3148p3149.html) neat trick to make pie slices for angles under 90 degrees. However, I have need of a few angles over 90 but under 180 degrees. Is there a way to generalize/extend this to work for these bigger angles?
```
module pie_slice(r=3.0,a=30) {
intersection() {
circle(r=r);
square(r);
rotate(a-90) square(r);
}
}
pie_slice(r=10,a=15);
```<issue_comment>username_1: My current workaround is to use `union` instead of intersection. Unfortunately, that means I have to use an `if` clause which makes the code have two paths instead of one clean approach. Also, unlike the above method, this does not result in a clean cylindrical shape but must instead by combined with a proper cylinder to get the final pie slice
```
size = length + 2;
if (angle_deg <= 90) {
translate([0,0,-1])
intersection() {
cube(size);
rotate(angle_deg-90) cube(size);
}
} else if (angle_deg <= 180) {
translate([0,0,-1])
union() {
cube(size);
rotate(angle_deg-90) cube(size);
}
} else {
echo(str("FAILURE - Angle cannot exceed 180"));
}
```
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Although generating complex shapes by combining primitive OpenSCAD shapes is a well-established tradition, and is often all that is needed, it would be more elegant in this case to generate a pie slice directly using the `polygon` function and a list comprehension.
```
module pie_slice(r=3.0, a=30) {
polygon(points=[
[0, 0],
for(theta=0; theta
```
Note that the above code is a little crude, since it does no error checking, but it works. It uses the `$fa` special variable for the step angle.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: This is what I use:
```
module pieSlice(a, r, h){
// a:angle, r:radius, h:height
rotate_extrude(angle=a) square([r,h]);
}
pieSlice(110,20,3);
```
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/20 | 417 | 1,701 | <issue_start>username_0: The LCD resin printers I've looked at have pretty standard resolutions like for a smartphone and I understand they use the same technology. However, color LCD screens have three RGB sub-pixels for each color pixel. Check for example this magnified picture of an S-IPS LCD screen:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bml7t.jpg)
It seems like they could just omit the color filter and have three grayscale pixels for each color pixel.
3D printing just uses one color - UV. So why don't they have resolutions that are multiples of three of the usual resolutions?
All results about sub-pixels that I could find are about anti-aliasing, which is different (using the existing pixels better vs. having more pixels).<issue_comment>username_1: It should be as simple as using a monochrome LCD. You don't actually want any color filters to interfere with the UV light.
Do we know that LCD printers are not using monochrome LCD panels? It always seemed so obvious that I assumed it was the practice. All you need are the front and back polarizer layer and the LCD itself to rotate the light.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: If what <NAME> states is correct, the Mars 2 Pro (monochrome LCD, no color filter) has a layer time approximately 1/3 as long as the Mars/Pro printers (where color LCDs are used):
This would indicate that the light passing through the LCD, when the color filter is present, is 1/3. Put it in other words, only ONE subpixel is capable of transmitting UV light.
Consequently, using all of them would not improve resolution because the other subpixels are always opaque.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/22 | 2,193 | 5,413 | <issue_start>username_0: I'd like to add an extra motor to my board and I'm not sure where I went wrong. The motor will be used to spin a rotating wheel/carriage of potential hot ends to switch to. Because it's just a motor it doesn't need a heatrod or a temperature sensor.
I had just a MKS\_BASE 1.0 board, so I purchased a RAMPS 1.4 board from [Ebay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/3D-Printer-RAMPS-1-4-Controller-Board-for-Arduino-Stampante-Reprap-Prusa-Mendel/303099940701?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649) to be its extender.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ucxb5.jpg "RAMPS 1.4 board")
(( \*\*Warning \*\* this board is cheap because it was improperly produced and is a fire hazard: <https://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS_1.4> . I recommend using a CNC shield instead ))
This red board is meant to fit an Arduino Mega, but I figure I can use the extra pins on the MKS\_BASE1.0 and connect them with jumper wire to the RAMPS 1.4 board. It made sense in case I want to add other things to the original MKS\_BASE 1.0 board (like more hot end heater cartridges).
I connected the 5V and one GND pin from my MKS\_BASE 1.0. I also connected some of the SERVOS pins from the MKS\_BASE 1.0: D37 is the 'Dir', D35 is the 'Step', and D17 is the 'Enable'. I also connected the 12V power supply to the RAMPS 1.4 board too.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YlGDW.png "RAMPS 1.4 board pinout")
When it came time to modify Marlin everything was a bit annoying because although Marlin makes it easy to add more extruders, adding just motors is a little more difficult. I had to change the number of extruders to be 3 (from dual extrusion to dual extrusion + extra motor), enable an extra temperature pin (which i am leaving empty) and also modify the pins.h file.
I probably wouldn't have had simulate this motor as an extruder if I knew the raw Arduino commands for spinning a motor using calls to `D37`, `D35`, and `D17`, so I figured simulating an extruder would be better, but now I'm second-guessing that decision.
Here's my modification to pins.h:
```
#define E2_STEP_PIN 35
#define E2_DIR_PIN 37
#define E2_ENABLE_PIN 17
#define HEATER_2_PIN 17
//#define TEMP_SENSOR_2 3 in Configuration.h
#define TEMP_2_PIN 3
// Marlin 0-indexes these pins, so "2" is actually for the "3"rd extruder
```
First thing I have to do is allow for cold extrusions by using M302 S-80. The other (real) extruder motors will all move after this command, so I have that part working.. .
In Repetier-Host I am just selecting Extruder 3 and trying to "push filament" through it but the motor isn't moving. I'm using an A4988 stepper driver on a Kysan 1124090. Actually, I did this whole process with two motors because I wasn't sure whether the hardware itself would be an issue, so with another set of pins I'm using a Suncor Motor and it also doesn't respond and I also don't know why.
It would be really helpful to debug if I could run a single G-code command just to get the motor running at a speed, and take that out of the equation. it doesn't have to be a command to an "extruder" but just a command to a pin out, like `M42 D35 S100` (but I don't know the raw command for just testing a motor's connections).<issue_comment>username_1: `D35`, `D37`, `D17` are the pin labels on the Arduino Mega. *These do not correspond to pin numbers within Marlin*.
I believe that `D35` actually corresponds to marlin pin `49` and this is the number you should enter in your firmware. You can find the mapping in [fastio\_1280.h](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/fastio_1280.h):
```
Hardware Pin : 02 03 06 07 01 05 15 16 17 18 23 24 25 26 64 63 13 12 46 45 44 43 78 77 76 75 74 73 72 71 60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 50 70 52 51 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 22 21 20 19 97 96 95 94 93 92 91 90 89 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 04 08 09 10 11 14 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 47 48 49 61 62 65 66 67 68 69 79 80 81 98 99 100
Port : E0 E1 E4 E5 G5 E3 H3 H4 H5 H6 B4 B5 B6 B7 J1 J0 H1 H0 D3 D2 D1 D0 A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 C7 C6 C5 C4 C3 C2 C1 C0 D7 G2 G1 G0 L7 L6 L5 L4 L3 L2 L1 L0 B3 B2 B1 B0 F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 K0 K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 E2 E6 E7 xx xx H2 H7 G3 G4 xx xx xx xx xx D4 D5 D6 xx xx J2 J3 J4 J5 J6 J7 xx xx xx xx xx
Logical Pin : 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx
```
Look on the top row for the pin number (e.g. D35 corresponds to 35), then look on the bottom row to find the pin number to use in Marlin (in this case, 49).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: * I got it to work using a CNC shield. Still haven't figured out the RAMPS 1.4 board.
* It doesn't work using D1 and D2 inside Aux-1 because they are used in serial communication to an LCD. So every time you send a command over USB, they get clogged. I ended up using ports 4, 5, and 63 and it works perfectly (no pin mapping needed like in other answer).
```
#define E4_STEP_PIN 4 // D4
#define E4_DIR_PIN 5// D5
#define E4_ENABLE_PIN 63// D63
```
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/23 | 725 | 2,868 | <issue_start>username_0: Here's the thing I want to print.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4bgNK.png)
The red ring is 3.5 mm above the bottom of the orange cylinder. The red ring is 1cm thick. I'd prefer not to use supports because I tend to break as much as I clean up.
I know this could be done in two pieces but then I'd have to make sure the pieces fit and then glue it in at that's too much. It'd be ideal to print this as one piece. How can I do this with as few supports as possible?<issue_comment>username_1: Most slicers have extensive settings to control the layout of the support structures, the distance to the overhanging part, line thickness, etc.
If that doesn't work out for you, you can always change the design to add custom support structures yourself to not having to fiddle with the support settings.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You can print the support as a separate piece, then when the time is right pause the print, insert the support part into the ring and the resume printing. I guess you might have to use PVA glue on the support to ensure that it comes off easily when the time is right, but I'll leave that experimentation up to you. Note: This is going to be very much trial and error on your part.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Three ideas
-----------
1. If either side of the red ring can have a chamfer to meet the cylinder, add the chamfer and print with the chamfer side down.
2. If both sides of the red ring must be perpendicular to the axis of
the cylinder, can you print the cylinder lying on its side? You
might get good enough print quality, especially if printing with
thinner layers toward the top.
3. If that is unsatisfactory, try explicitly adding an inner support
ring **as part of the model.** Don't depend on the slicer to do what
you want, do it yourself. You would then be bridging to make the
red disk, but that can work surprisingly well with a good cooling
fan and printer.
In all three cases, consider the slot holes you have in the red ring. For case 3 you may need to add a support around those holes as well. In case 2, they would want to be pointed vertically. In case 1, the chamfer would be modified to have holes of cavities matching the slot holes.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I'd go for extra supports, raising the entire model half a centimeter above the plane and constructing it completely on top of supports.
That way, the supports will be easy to break off.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: Assuming that the red flange needs to be flat on both sides, your best approach for printing in two parts may be a 45 degree conical cut through the flange. This will allow both parts to be printed flat on the bed, and (assuming a low layer height) should give a tolerable overhang result.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/23 | 909 | 3,743 | <issue_start>username_0: Recently I have been getting some layer shifting starting at layer one. I have had layer shifting at higher layers due to various reasons but mainly for the belts being too loose. But now I am reading that layer shifting can also be caused by belts being too tight.
The [RepRap wiki](https://reprap.org/wiki/Shifted_layers) page for layer shifting simply gives the mechanical reason for this as "binding". Can anyone explain what binding means? I thought it meant that the rails were crashing into something but apparently it doesn't. Then I thought it meant that the X and Y axes weren't perfectly perpendicular.
Does it mean that the "teeth" of the belts stay "stuck" to the gear for too long when moving in one direction? Why would this happen in one direction and not the other? Because the pulleys/gears are at different heights? Or just because of the belts being tighter? Or one of these reasons?
Just trying to understand what its happening so I can debug it for my particular 3D printer.<issue_comment>username_1: It is the bearings that are binding (dragging), due to lateral forces caused by over-tight belts. It may be the bearings in the stepper motors that are binding, but it is more likely to be the bearings in the idler pulleys.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Layer shifting basically equates to the machine not being able to get the extruder to the right location at the right time. Therefore when the command to move to location xyz is executed the machine ends up short of that location.
Binding may most likely be as a result of the liner bearings sticking on the rails. Check that the carriage and bed move freely at all points. If you feel a sticking sensation at a particular point then perhaps it's time to clean and lubricate those rails. If however you feel a sticking sensation that occurs at regular intervals, then it could be a broken bearing in either the stepper or the idler.
Failing that, try cutting the print speed in half. It could just be you're pushing the machine to hard. It could also be the drivers overheating and periodically shutting down while printing. If you think that's the reason then see if you can get more cooling air moving over the control board.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I think the RepRap wiki is using the word "binding", which translates to *"stick together or cause to stick together in a single mass"* (from Google dictionary), to indicate that some sort of friction is experienced (as you experience when things are sticking together).
When there is too much tension in the belt, pulleys and bearings experience a larger radial force stressing the balls of the bearings and pulley shafts. This causes extra friction for the stepper motor to overcome (as the friction force, tangential, is related to the radial force); this means that the stepper has to work harder and can skip steps (for more insight please read below).
---
While ball bearings are used to *reduce* friction (opposed to a bush bearing), each ball has a little friction from a couple of sources according to [this reference](https://www.amroll.com/friction-frequency-factors.html):
>
> The sources of this friction are: slight deformation of the rolling elements and raceways under load, sliding friction of the rolling elements against the cage and guiding surfaces.
>
>
>
These effects are generally captured in a single friction coefficient called "μ". The relation between friction force (tangential) and bearing loading (radial) is written by $$P\_{friction}=P\_{load} \times \mu$$ so the higher the belt tension ($P\_{load}$), the higher the frictional force ($P\_{friction}$), the harder the stepper has to work.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/07/24 | 829 | 3,016 | <issue_start>username_0: 
I'd assume insufficient z offset but some areas of the first layer look fine. I've been struggling with this problem despite lots of attempts including z offset, infill overlap, belt retensioning, etc.
Anyone else experienced this type of issue and have suggestions to fix it properly?
I'm using polylite PLA and a E3D steel nozzle. 60 °C bed temp, 230 °C first layer.
Edit: Print speed is 30 mm/s first layer, 60 mm/s normal. This issue occurs on the first few layers then the rest get increasingly better, with the final layer being excellent.
Edit2: Despite lowering the temp to 205--210 and increasing the z offset downwards, the problem persists, though to a lesser degree. Just gaps at ends of infill lines and between straight and circular walls. But seems it only occurs on the lower left and upper right (birds eye view) of the print.
Edit3: The lower left and upper right being further from the nozzle coincides with my removal process using the knife on the lower left and upper right.. Maybe this part of the problem I'll have to bend back in place?
Nozzle bed measurements below:
Edit4: Optimizing the Z offset according to the first layer thickness remained only a partial solution especially as my bed unevenness (1mm+) was past the auto-leveling limitations (<0.5mm), but I found a great thread (link below) with a "correct" solution that worked for a lot of people! After I try this I will come back and write about my experience with the solution.
<https://forum.lulzbot.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7904&hilit=bed+leveling+SOLVED><issue_comment>username_1: From the picture it is clearly seen that the filament is not flattened properly. This implies that your nozzle bed distance is too large. Try decreasing the gap by leveling the bed at temperature and have a piece of "A4" or "Letter" print paper between the nozzle and bed have a little friction when pulled.
Also reduce the temperature, 230 °C is too hot for PLA (unless your printer temperature is way off, but that is not very likely), try 200 °C.
Another thing that you could check is if the extruded length is exactly what is instructed to be extruded; i.e. [calibrate the extruder](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6483/how-do-i-calibrate-the-extruder-of-my-printer).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: White PLA is some of the nastiest stuff to print with, it's very impure. Could you try to make the same print, but with another filament?
230 degrees might be a bit too high of a temperature, normally PLA is printed between 215-225. Try to decrease and increase the temperature with 5 degrees to see if there is any differences as well.
Also, could you show us a completely flat, 1 layer print? Basically just a rectangle. Basically I want to see your first layer height.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/25 | 3,901 | 13,660 | <issue_start>username_0: See the pictures below. I have a severe under extrusion when the printer starts the outer wall, which is resolved by the time it finishes the outer wall. It starts the layer in the same place every time, so it results in this vertical line, on one side of which is fine (where it finishes the layer) and the other side has bad gaps and the wall is much thinner.
In this picture, the problem is on the outer wall (see red outer line, the print head is moving counter clockwise.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CEcrn.png)
And here is the print showing the issue. Just fine on one side, but terrible on the other, precisely where it starts the layer. Strangely, this only occurs on the layers with infill. The top layers seem fine (despite starting in the same place). I have disabled retraction with no effect.
Here you can see it start at the tip and get gradually better as it progresses.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lzzPE.jpg)
Here you can see that by the time it finishes, it's just fine, and also what a contrast is between the start and end. That should be a flush edge, there.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RvFSs.jpg)
Another view
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5qkZW.jpg)
Is there some setting that I should be tweaking? I've exhausted my own ideas of different tweaks to no avail.
The printer is a Monoprice Maker Select V2. I'm using Ultimaker Cura 4.1.0.
---
* Material: PLA
* Layer height: 0.24 mm (in the pictures, but replicated with 0.16 mm also)
* Temp: 205 °C, here (but tweaking this hasn't had any effect)
* Retraction: Disabled
This doesn't happen on layer changes. Although it does line up with the Z seam, you can see from the G-code visualization below that the outer wall is the very last thing it does. The issue occurs at the start of the outer wall (still on the same layer) that it has the issue, but by the time it ends the wall (just before switching layers) it is fine.
I've tweaked a few other settings, one by one, and seeing if any have any effect. So far, not really:
* Outer Wall Wipe: 0.2 (default), 0.8, 0.0
* Jerk Control - Wall Jerk max velocity change, 5 mm/s
* Outer Wall before inner (Yes instead of No)
* Wall Line Count (3 instead of 2): This improves it some, but I suspect just by making it a little more difficult to see
What have I done since...
-------------------------
I reset all settings in Cura to a default "Draft" setting and then set layer height to 0.24 mm, and turned off Infill. Then I have tried prints with different settings for "Retract Before Outer Wall" and printing temperature.
Here are those results:
These pics seem to suggest a very clear lag in extrusion. 1 and 2 are different temps. 2 and 3 are different retraction.
205 °C, 0 % Infill, Retract Before Outer Wall: Off
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/fX7K1.jpg)
195 °C, 0 % Infill, Retract Before Outer Wall: Off
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/dDMOa.jpg)
195 °C, 0 % Infill, Retract Before Outer Wall: On
Note: the retraction setting resulted in a noticeable pause before printing the outer wall. Retraction distance is 6.5 mm, and this is not a Bowden fed device.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DUyRn.jpg)
There doesn't seem to be anything strange about the G-code, either. Here are the `G0` travels just before the outer wall followed by the wall.
```
...
G0 F7200 X106.319 Y93.413
G0 X106.26 Y93.909
G0 X107.213 Y93.658
G0 X107.8 Y92.542
G0 X107.286 Y90.844
G0 X107.509 Y90.394
; (outer wall of outside)
G1 F1328 X107.985 Y90.707 E116.98713
G1 X108.38 Y91.128 E117.01098
G1 X108.658 Y91.623 E117.03444
G1 X108.813 Y92.18 E117.05833
G1 X108.832 Y92.751 E117.08193
G1 X108.713 Y93.315 E117.10575
G1 X108.463 Y93.837 E117.12966
; (first curve complete, on to straightaway)
G1 X99.631 Y107.716 E117.80936
G1 X98.912 Y108.59 E117.85612
...
```
Even more done...
-----------------
These are retraction off, and 205 °C
If I set the "print speed" in Cura to 20 mm/s (normally 60 mm/s), the outer wall speed is reduced from 30 mm/s to 10 mm/s. The result is quite good.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MUGcj.jpg)
If I leave the "print speed" at 60 mm/s and adjust only the outer wall to 10 mm/s, it's still quite good.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/m07QN.jpg)
So it seems like an acceleration thing. If I can figure out how to get it to slow down in just the right spots or compensate in some way, then perhaps I can make this problem go away with minimal sacrifice in total speed.<issue_comment>username_1: The problem seems to occur in the same area; along the z axis. You also seem to have an elephant's foot from the first layer being squashed. Change the flow rate in the slicer. Re tram (level) the bed and clean your nozzle.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: As @username_1 points out, you may have a general flow rate issue which can be adjusted in your slicer.
However, it looks like your machine might be retracting during some of the center layers. Notice the first few layers extrude relatively normal, then it under extrudes, then it goes back to relatively normal a few layers before a ceiling. Also note that the under extrusion seems to stop exactly where the z-step occurs (see the z-step seam).
[This link](https://community.ultimaker.com/topic/22506-under-extrusion-only-on-corners/) shows that it's possible it could be your retraction settings before each layer. I'm not sure what it is with Cura, but in MakerWare and older slicers you could specify a retract distance before each layer. I would try reducing this. Also, these older slicers had different retract rates/distances for bases, floors, main wall, supports, bridges, top layers and more. So, this could be why you have different results throughout Z in your part.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: From the sliced image you it appears as if long travels are present. High temperature (205 °C is on the upper side for PLA) slow travel moves and long moved allows filament to leak out into the infill region. Once it reaches the outer perimeter, there is not enough of liquid filament available and it will start under extruded.
Lower temperature with 5 °C increments (down to 195 °C) and increase travel speed with increments of 10 mm/s.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Based on other comments, answers, and question edits so far, in addition to your original question, I believe there are possibly two things going on here: incorrect retraction settings, including a misunderstanding of which settings are relevant and what they do, and issues related to slow acceleration. Both relate to misdepositing/loss of material.
First, some basics. When the filament is advanced to the point needed to extrude material and print at the intended volumetric rate, it's under significant pressure, compressed between the extruder gear and the nozzle. My understanding is that your printer has a direct drive extruder, not a bowden, so there's far less compression than with a bowden setup but it's still there. This means that, if you try to stop extruding, it's material will continue to come out of the nozzle, just at a decreasing rate, until the pressure dissipates. This effect is reduced but still present if the nozzle is held-against/moving-over already printed material, and heavy if moving over empty space, even moreso if moving across sparsely-filled space like infill where it will bond with the already-deposited material and get "stretched"/"pulled" out.
The idea of retraction is to pull the filament back when the print head is moving to a new location without trying to deposit material, to relieve this pressure and prevent unwanted misdepositing/loss of material, and to reverse the process, putting the filament back exactly where it was when the last printed line ended, the next time it starts trying to deposit material.
The relevant options in Cura are:
* Enable Retraction - must be on
* Retraction Distance - should be at least 5-6 mm for bowden setups, probably more like 0.5-2 mm for direct drive.
* Retraction Minimum Travel - should be 0
* Combing Mode - try different settings. Off is probably the best relative to your issues, but hurts your print time a lot for certain models, and can hurt quality in other ways.
Everything else related to retraction is fairly irrelevant, especially "Retract at Layer Change" is a niche option and not typically useful. As I understand it, turning just "Retract at Layer Change" on does not mean retraction is on.
Now, your other issue may be acceleration. Extrusion works best as acceleration speed approaches infinity, because the extrusion rate and pressure needed to extrude will be fairly constant for the entire line/curve. If acceleration is very slow, pressure will be wrong during the start and end of lines. It's likely that, due to high pressure, excess material will get deposited at the end of one line while slowing down, then after moving to start the next line, even if you retract the filament, you'll have insufficient pressure at the nozzle after reversing the retraction to start the next line.
A jerk limit of 5 mm/s is really low. I'm used to more like 20-30 mm/s. You don't say what your acceleration limit is, but it's probably also low. Slow acceleration has minimal impact if your max speed is slow, because you quickly reach the max speed and most of the print speed (and thus extrusion rate) is steady. But if you want to print at high speeds, you need high acceleration. Try and see if you can increase it. Or accept printing at slow speeds.
Another option, if you're open to hacking on your printer, is replacing the stock firmware with a recent version of Marlin with the [Linear Advance](http://marlinfw.org/docs/features/lin_advance.html) feature. It does the math to model the filament pressure as a spring, with a spring constant you can tweak, so that it can compensate for varying print speed and end lines with approximately no pressure remaining.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_5: I was experiencing exactly the same problem (CR-10S, Cura 4.5, all mechanical issues fixed, new nozzle, new fans, good quality PLA), I would like to add one observation that might contribute to a solution (yes, I know this thread is old but many people are still experiencing this issue (a lot actually) any everybody seems to be stuck in the "you need to level your bed" loop) but this discussion here is going beyond this and is by far the most constructive I have seen so far:
Ok, here goes: when measuring my hotend with a thermocouple probe (Uni-T UT320D) right behind the nozzle (after removing the Bowden tube), I can observe a significant deviation between the displayed temp (= the same one I entered in Cura) and the temperature the filament gets to see. This is around 20 °C in difference @ 200 °C, meaning a setting of 205 °C is actually closer to 185 °C. For the bed the offset is only 1-2 °C. After swapping the glass bead NTC just for fun (Ohms were OK) ...nothing changed. Others have observed this offset in CR10 machines as well (original firmware).
Combined with the fact that we CAN produce nice prints at insanely slow speeds (10 - 20 mm/s), this somehow gives me the feeling that some bug (somewhere) has reduced the heating capacity of the hotend in the affected machines / set-ups... Now this could be a parasitic loss due to a bad connection somewhere but this would quickly lead to other problems (fire) as well (which it didn't - at least in my case).
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: try retract before outer wall off.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: I experienced almost the exact issue printing PETG, where severe under extrusion happens at the start of a new layer.
After going though the tool path in Cura I determined that the root cause of this is because the last printing step at each layer is to fill the small gaps. The extruder would extrude very little material while going though the small gaps in the printed layer. The melted plastic in the print head would get dragged out, therefore more material would be lost than what was accounted for in Cura.
Because of the uncertainty of how much material would be lost in the process, there is almost no way to compensate for it. The best "solution" I came up with is to add a small sacrificial cylinder to the model. The printer will fill the small gaps in the main object, then print the dummy cylinder and then print the next layer. This completely eliminated the under extrusion problem at the expense of a bit more material usage. Of course the printed sacrificial cylinder would look really bad with severe under extrusion at the z-seam.
I believe the same solution will also fix your problem: just enable printing outside wall first, and add a dummy cylinder to your model.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_8: What worked for me was enabling `outer wall wipe distance` to around 3 mm, that's all that I enabled and it instantly fixed it, no prime amount or anything, just outer wall wipe distance
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/25 | 1,287 | 5,307 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm printing on an Ender 5 with the default flex/magnetic build surface.
I read that PLA and PETG may sometimes be printed without any bed heating at all and also that bed heating is the main contributor to the power consumption of a printer.
As I do see that bed heating definitely helps with the first layer adhesion I did not want to turn it off completely, but I did start experimenting with turning off bed heating after all solid bottom layers have printed (using the ChangeAtZ script in Cura) and so far I haven't seen any negative effects, especially no warping (I am usually printing with a brim or raft; I think that might also help in that regard).
Am I missing something? Why is *anyone* keeping the bed heated for an entire print?<issue_comment>username_1: All the valid points of bed shrinking and dislocating your parts when cooling from the other answer aside there is also the added complexities both in testing reliability of such a thing that may or may not be applicable to all materials.
The added complexity to the slicers to figure out when it is safe to turn off the bed which I would imagine depends on part footprint. I also sometimes print several parts sequentially in the same job so then it would need to know that and time the bed heating correctly or pause and wait for bed between parts.
I would also categorize printer power use as trivial (order of three 60W lightbulbs), but considering millions of machines worldwide economics of scale does kick in.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are three reasons (I can think of):
1. A large problem you'd face with allowing the bed to cool after first layer is you stand the chance of losing adhesion after it cools. When you heat the bed, it expands somewhat. When it cools it contracts. It has been known for parts to actually pop off the bed if left on there to cool (after a print). If you allow the bed to cool fully, you could ruin a print due to it losing the adhesion, popping off the bed, then the printer keeps on going.
2. When you're dealing with 0.1 mm layer height, that's not a lot of wiggle room. When you level your bed before printing, it should be done after everything is heated. If you were to turn off the bed after you start printing, you could very easily shift the bed enough to take up the worth of an entire layer, which means your print has adjusted and will then have major imperfections. This isn't a *given*, but definitely a concern ... especially for larger or taller prints.
3. Whether PLA or PETG, the extruded filament needs to have heat in order to stay. This is not only heat in the extruder, but heat in the print itself. If the print cools off, this could affect subsequent adhesion for the filament getting laid down. If you turn the bed heater off after print start, you'll lose that heated environment. The print will cool off and you'll start seeing variations in the print, which, if the print is large enough, would most likely be more noticable. Think of it as a heated environment, not just putting piling host plastic on top of each other.
There may be other reasons, but I believe these are *very good* reasons not to turn your bed off after print start. If you are worried your power supply isn't providing enough power, then get a bigger power supply. If you're worried about power consumption overall, once the bed is heated, consumption goes way down (as @r\_ahlskog stated in their answer).
Upvotes: 6 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: PETG requires a heated bed otherwise it will shrink, detach from the platform and begin curling at the edges.
PLA, however in some situations does not require a heated build platform. It depends on the build surface. Some surfaces need to be hot to work, and some do not. Keeping it on helps stop the part from cooling too quickly as well. However with the correct first layer height, this tends to be less of an issue.
I've had PLA parts stick so well to a PVA coated glass bed, that picking it up also lifted the printer. Once the bed cools on PET-G however, it practically detaches from the bed itself.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: For long prints, if turning off bed heating saves money, throwing out the filament from a detached print costs you more. The risk to gain ratio is very skewed. The “savings” in turning off the bed are considerably negative, and, as pointed out, the risk of losing the print is increased.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: A way to save energy would be use a pretty tight enclosure around the printer, I think a pretty thin layer of insulation would be enough to reduce power usage by a large factor. I've not build one myself yet but there seems to be so many benefits.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_6: its up to you do some own test and see how its working for you:
* yesterday decrease temp to 50\* after some time no issue
* today decrease temp to 30\* some small disform but its keep printing ok
* also you can add paper glue to bed
* keep in mind that when temperature decrease bed is moving down due to lost heat
* if is large print then its stay on bed, small print can detach when decrease temperature
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/NlZyA.jpg)
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/07/26 | 967 | 3,965 | <issue_start>username_0: My local library has a 3D printer (Lulzbot Mini) for patrons to use. The prints are limited to 4 hours and if I go after work I really only have two hours before the Library closes. The software at the Library will give an estimated time, but I would like to be able to estimate the time before I get there.
Currently I have been creating my designs in TinkerCad and then I export the STL file. From the STL file I can find online estimators that will tell me how much material but nothing that says how long it will take to print.
Is there a way of calculating the estimated printing time from a STL file for a given printer?<issue_comment>username_1: There is no way to estimate the print time of an STL file directly.
The print time is based on the number of instructions in the g-code file plus the time it takes to move the effector (the hot end) around the build area. The only way to compute that is to know what settings their slicer is using and then slice your stl the way they will; and this is assuming that you have the same slicer software. If you manage to do that, then the slicer software will give you an estimate.
Here is what you would need to do:
1. Get access to the same slicing software, and obtain a copy of
the profile that they use to slice with. The nozzle diameter, feed
rate, layer height, and infill settings will affect the print time.
2. Import your stl into the sofware and "slice it" There will usually be a large button that is used to generate the g-code. There are quite a few slicers that will output the print time into the text of the g-code. They may also show the print time on the UI during slicing.
alternatively: Email the stl to the staff at the library, and them to generate an estimate for you. They might just do it.
However, that estimate could be incorrect. It will depend on the printer itself. As an example: the time it takes to heat the bed and the hot end is never included in the time estimate the slicer gives.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It is already established that is is possible to calculate the estimated print duration by [this anwer](/a/10702/).
The most accurate estimation is obtained with specific settings for the printer. So if you have access to the printer, your most accurate estimation would be using the software from the manufacturer or correctly setup third party software. Going to the library twice might work out as you have one day to tweak the print to get it done in 4 hours, the other day to print the file generated the day earlier. Note that there are also community solutions (cheaper than commercial printer services) available where you select the most nearby printer and let somebody else print it for you.
As an alternative (to try at home), if you navigate to the [LulzBot website](https://www.lulzbot.com/taz-cura-profiles) you can find a specific release for the LulzBot printers e.g. [download here](https://www.lulzbot.com/cura) and use their released profiles (from this [location](https://www.lulzbot.com/taz-cura-profiles)) to slice your print using the material to print the object in. Note that these slicing parameter files are for the TAZ, the slicing parameters can be applied to the mini. Note that this will cause an inaccuracy for the print time, but will serve as a good start.
From their website you can read that:
>
> **How to Download and Use Print Profiles**
>
>
> To get printing right away, the default LulzBot TAZ print profiles listed below can be imported into Cura LulzBot Edition for ready-to-print settings. To download and save the configuration file, right click and select Save As.
> In order to use the print profiles below you will need to switch to the Full Settings view (Expert > Switch to full settings). After downloading, import the Cura print profile by selecting, in Cura, File > Open Profile. Navigate and select the pre-set Cura print profile file of choice.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/07/28 | 1,266 | 4,052 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm making a Circuit etching machine (CNC) and I need a good DC motor and drill bit for the spindle.
My machine should be able to **etch**, **drill**, and **cut**:
* **Etching**: take copper off the surface like chemicals or a laser would
* **Drilling**: drill holes for THT (through-hole) components and possibly 2-sided boards
* **Cutting**: cut out a piece of the board (cutting a big piece in half or cut a circle out of a big piece)
I'd like to have 1 drill bit work with all 3 functions if possible. Having to switch out different bits is OK but a single bit is prefered.
What sort of specifications should my spindle DC motor (rpm, voltage/amperage rating, ...) and drill bit (material, size, angle, ...) have?<issue_comment>username_1: There are several sources of PCB "etching" bits. They tend to be single straight flutes and high angle, very pointy bits.
For the motor, high speed is good. Look for 30k+ RPM. The main thing to be concerned about is the amount of runout, or wobble in the tip. With a tiny tip, you can't afford much runout at all. It will broaden the gap you are cutting and put stress on the bit, probably snapping it.
The key to low runout is very careful alignment of the chuck that holds the tip with the shaft of the motor, and a collet chuck to hold the tool.
The power needs aren't high since the speed is high and the cuts are light. I would think that a 250 watt motor should be way more than sufficient.
The question now asks for drilling and routing, which should work better with the high-speed spindle. 30k is better for the tiny drills than a much slower spindle. These are hurt by run out.
Usually the drill bits are made of carbide. For cutting, carbide router or file bits are used. All drill-bits and router bits and copper cutting bits I have seen for sale have 1/8" or 3mm shank.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: At [Hyrel](http://hyrel3d.com), where I work, we use a 12 VDC, 3.5 A, 40 W spindle tool with 1/4" chuck and 3,000 rpm max (without load) to make prototype circuit boards by machining through the copper layer to make isolation traces.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: ### TL;DR
From username_2's and username_1's answers there seems to be a wide range of drill spindle speeds used (3k-30k rpm). So, just to add to that... 11,000 rpm would appear to be adequate.
---
I have been looking into converting a Wilson II 3D printer chassis into a CNC PCB etching machine, recently. In particular, what motor I needed to replace the extruder with.
A collegue pointed me to an interesting video, [PCB making, PCB prototyping – UV solder mask STEP by STEP](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DhPwtCZ9u4), produced by Wegstr (no affiliation whatsoever), and their machine uses a 11,000 rpm drill. From the [specification page](https://wegstr.com/CNC-Wegstr-(English)):
>
> * Spindle - Brushless AC motor
> * Diameter of spindle - 3.175 mm (0.000737 inch)
> * Spindle speed - 11 000 rpm
> Electronic overload protection for the spindle motor
>
>
>
Apparently DC motors suffer from carbon brush wear, so a combination of DC circuitry and brushless AC motor is used for "superior performance and durability".
The voltage and current of the spindle motor is unclear/unspecified, but the PSU, that comes with it, outputs 12 V 5 A.
However, the parts page lists the spindle motor separately, [spindle 11000rpm](https://wegstr.com/spindle-11000-rpm), with the following specifications:
>
> * 26V DC power supply
> * 11000 rpm
> * designed for tools with shank diameter 3.175 mm
> * fastening tool with the setscrew
> * in the rear spindle 4x M4 threaded hole for mounting on a substrate
> * power consumption 25W
> * brushless construction => no carbon brush wear => long life
> * low noise
>
>
>
So, given the voltage and power consumption the current rating would seem to be ~1 A.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qGv0B.jpg "Spindle Motor 11000 rpm")
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/07/29 | 3,318 | 11,573 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to build a 3D printer with a heating chamber of around 90 °C with build area 200x200x200 mm. I have never build a CoreXY system, so my design is currently an XY system with moving X motor (mounted on Y). Since it has a heating chamber I can't use normal stepper motor (there's a way, but I have to provide forced air cooling like NASA did, or water cooling). Extruder is Bowden type. I have already sourced almost all components, but I'm stuck at choosing the motor.
I could find high temperature stepper motor in India (that's where I'm from), but it cost too much. I [found one at the Visionminer website](https://visionminer.com/products/high-temp-motorx-extruder?_pos=1&_sid=7b5e5e603&_ss=r), they're the dealers for Intamsys printers, which has a chamber of 90 °C and they are providing replacement stepper motors as well.
Comparing the cost, the motor I found in India costs three times as above. Even with shipping I will save a lot. But one issue is they're not providing any details about torque and current rating. There's one image in the website and it says,
```
MOONS STEPPING MOTOR
TYPE 17HDB001-11N
60904162 18/04/12
```
I thought it might be a MOONS motor, so I contacted them, no reply so far. I tried to find the motor by part number, but failed. I tried mailing Visionminer as well.
Anyone have any idea which motor is this or know any high temperature motors?
Also they use Gates belts, which is rated for 85 °C. How reliable will it be in 90 °C chamber?
I will heat the chamber using a external heater with fan.
My extruder is Bowden, same as you've shown E3D V6, with updated high temp parts. Plated Cu heater block + Nozzle, High temp heating coil and Thermocouple.
But In my design X axis motor is moving one. I mean it's mounted on Y Similar to this [image](https://drive.google.com/open?id=1g-pOCmL_2Vm1df78jYKZNPT7aMvoe8Ke)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BJ3qe.jpg "X axis stepper mounted on Y axis")
So it will be inside the chamber and I have to cool it somehow or looks for high temp motor
What I'm trying to print is PEEK, and it requires around 80-90 Degree chamber, and most stepper motors are rated for an ambient temperature of 50 Degrees. And I'm really planning to seal the chamber using SS sheet. It's going to be something like [Intamsys funmat HT](https://www.intamsys.com/funmat-ht-3d-printer/). What is the biggest print, I mean duration that you run your printer at 60 Degrees?<issue_comment>username_1: "Since it has a heating chamber I can't use normal stepper motor" Sure you can, the interior doesn't get all that warm unless you really seal it up tight, and that's not really needed. I have an enclosure around my 200x200x200 mm MIGBOT (early Prusa clone with direct drive extruder), printing PLA with 60 °C bed, the interior only gets a few degrees warmer. The motors can take a lot more heat than you think they can.
I have a couple pictures taken from this question, [Printer cover for noise abatement, cleanliness, temperature control](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10008/printer-cover-for-noise-abatement-cleanliness-temperature-control):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/RF2fC.jpg "Enclosure with front open")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Kj1QJ.jpg "Enclosure with front closed")
The front & back panels are 18x24 inch polycarbonate from Home Depot, I 3D printed the corner brackets, and added a couple of pieces of wood for some stiffness. The entire front hinges up. The top is 24x24 inch, and the back 6" hinges up to access the SD card that is on the display/control panel.
---
I printed 9 2" x 2" pieces for a chess board, took about 8.5 hours I think.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: You don't need to worry about the stepper for heating chamber since the direct drive uses a fan for cooling the motor area.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MfR7h.jpg)
When I started to make my own printer I had the same question but in order to make me feel good and peace. I prefer to use a bowder extruder.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AChjC.jpg)
This bowden extruder comes in different sizes: Normal as picture shows above, small, and mini like the other that shows pre assembled below.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/plV2c.jpg)
However the question should be different like, **Can I print inside an oven?** for this will address the question to other possibilities:
1.- Cover or shield the motor with some foil to avoid the heating
2.- Add a water cooling like CPU, so the water flows from outside to the motor to keep a low temperature.
3.- Add cooling fans, this ones should take te air from outside and tha air can be directed with a corrugated tube for the Extruder motor and the radiator. For the X, Y and Z motors can be a rigid tube.
This cooling fans won't affect the internal chamber temperature due the cooling process is punctual.
4.- Many electronics components are designed to work at 105°, so won't be affected in short terms, however the life of circutry will decrease a lot, since designs cover until 5 years at normal conditions so your printer can last up to 1.5 years.
Recommendations:
I don't see a real reason to keep the printer isolated to high temperatures while the porpuse of this is to keep temperature variations from clime like winter and summer. In my case the print room has a normal temperature of 38°C on summers and -2°C on winter, so how can I print with the same quality on winter if the printer is so cold? *ah, I need a chamber to keep that temperature of summer*. then I made the chamber to acheive 38°C not the whole temperature of the bed print.
If I need to print ABS so I set the bed temperature to 80°C so the parts won´t get warped, due the temperature for adhesive for ABS is the correct; also this temperature won´t over heat the chamber at least near to 60°C, but can it be reduced extracting the heat with other fan. For this case is just only one or two fans.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KPzRf.jpg)
Note:
The Idea to have the whole printer inside an oven will help to keep that 80°-95°C under control is good, but some times is hard to implement it due materials and its purposes are different and serviseable life will be too low.
So your chamber should include the printing area only or follow the recommendation as the picture above. Those photo was taken from the site [industrial RepRap](https://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/5353/A-New-Industrial-RepRap-Emerges.aspx) and also exposes som e features as i'm suggesting.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_3: Two things matter for the stepper motor: the insulation temperature and the Curie point of the magnet.
You probably aren't near the Curie point.
The critical temperature is the sum of the ambient plus the temperature rise from the drive power. In your case, I would try mounting the motor to a water cooled metal cold plate. Bring the lower temperature to the motor. Mount the full face of the motor to the plate with thermal compound.
Use a tiny pump to move water from a reservoir through the cold plate. For an example, check out the E3D Kracken.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: An alternative to finding steppers that can withstand the heat, you can consider not getting the heat near the steppers:
* *Moving the steppers outside the heated build volume*
With 2 extra pulleys per stepper you can get the steppers outside the build volume.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/he7hz.png "CoreXY kinematics based on source image of Greg Hoge")
* *Shield the motors from the heat by placing them in a cooler tunnel or behind a face plate/cover*
You can also shield the steppers from the heat, e.g. the Ultimaker 3(E) the steppers are behind a cover.
Be aware that creating a 90 °C heat chamber, all the printed parts for the CoreXY need to be printed in a filament type that can withstand prolonged exposure to the temperature you want the chamber to be (or be made in metal). For the mentioned temperature this implies the use of some more exotic filament types, see e.g. [this answer](/a/6120/).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_5: I'm just going to come straight out and say it. If you can't design and build a Core XY system then you should not even attempt a heated build chamber.
The Stratasys 3D printers that have heated chambers use a H-Bot design (the predecessor of CoreXY), so as to keep everything out of the chamber. You can't use a regular hot end. You can't have fans on that hot end to keep it cool. You can't have the motors inside the chamber. You can barely have the filament in the chamber because it could get soft inside the tube.
Some of the answers state that motors can operate at high temps already. That is only true in ambient conditions. The heat that the coils of the motor generate is trying to escape to the outside of the motor. It it much hotter inside! Therefore if you raise the external environment's temp to 90 °C then the heat won't escape as quickly; and if it raises beyond the melt/burn temp then the motor will fail. See:
* [Wikipedia - Magnet\_wire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnet_wire)
* [Burning Temperature of Copper Winding of Motor](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/211986/burning-temperature-of-copper-winding-of-motor)
After that fails the PVC coating on the lead wires will fail, usually resorting in a short, which could destroy the stepper drivers.
Additionally, everything made of metal will expand. The ball bearings will expand, the rails will expand and the hot end will expand. The linear system could become tighter or looser; it could even warp depending on the type of steel. If it becomes looser, then there goes your ability to 3D print! You might end up needing to design and fabricate your parts so that they fit and work properly only when they are at the working temp.
Here is what you need to build:
[AON-M2 : High Temperature Industrial 3D Printer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8D26lcka8U)
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_6: Then you need to add water cooling system for them.
Something like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XwxyD.jpg "trianglelab Stepper motor liquld cooling motor water cooling upgrade kit for Nema17 motor ETC")
Also, water cooled hotend would be a go ahead I guess.
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_7: It is possible to buy cheap high temperature steppers. E.g., you can buy [LDO 180 °C winding steppers](https://hightemp3d.com/collections/high-temperature-3d-printer-parts).
They can be used up to 135 °C without additional cooling and with reduced lifetime probably even higher.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/01 | 754 | 2,664 | <issue_start>username_0: I was having some issues with printing, most noticeably in this picture:
The layers are very noticeable and sometimes have gaps, and the overhangs don't print very well (although the former is more of an issue). I just calibrated my E-steps so I don't think that is the issue. It was doing the same thing before I upgraded anything (i.e., I had issues on stock hardware).
My printer is an Ender 3 with the metal extruder upgrade (which replaces the plastic parts as seen [here](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07B96QMN2)), an E3D v6, printed fan duct (Bullseye), glass bed, BLTouch, and vanilla Marlin. Pictures of it are also in the below album. The printed upgrades were printed on a Prusa MK3S and don't have the same issue.
I am using Hatchbox 1.75 mm gray PLA, printed at 215 °C with my bed at 60 °C. I am using Ultimaker Cura 4.1 but was also having the problems on an older version of Ultimaker Cura (maybe 3.6, but I can't remember which it was). The problems also existed with some Hatchbox 1.75 mm black PLA but I used the same roll on my Prusa MK3S without any issues, so I'm not sure if filament could be the cause (although it is a different printer so it's still a possibility).
I have tried at different printing speeds and the problem still persists.
I also recently tried varying the temperature during printing (first up to 222 °C then down to 200 °C) with no noticeable difference.
Extra pictures [here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mgsiC.jpg).
Model is part of [Printable Scenery's sorcerer tower](https://www.printablescenery.com/product/sorcerers-tower/).<issue_comment>username_1: These lines could be caused by a mechanical issue with the printer; it looks as if the positioning is not up to par.
This can be related to loose belts of the X-axis and Y-axis, or play in your system, e.g. look at the rollers of the carriage.
---
*I've experienced an issue with play between the idler mounts and the smooth linear rods on a cheap 3D printer kit myself, but that is not the case here. Just added to explain where play may come from.*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The main issue here (the gaps between layers) was solved by reducing combing.
Combing was enabled without a limit on the range so a max combing distance of 10 mm was introduced. This prevented too much filament from oozing out during travels.
The oozing filament was causing nothing to come out of the nozzle at the beginning of an extrusion, thus creating the gaps that were consistent in location.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/02 | 407 | 1,551 | <issue_start>username_0: I came across a new Steel infused PLA from [Colorfabb](https://colorfabb.com/steelfill). On the store page someone had asked, what happens if it was exposed to water, would it rust. I am actually, not sure what would happen. I am interested what the effects of leaving in the elements a 3D printed object made of the 2 most common type of fused materials.
1. Wood Infill
2. Metal Infill (not stainless steel)
Would it be preserved by the PLA coating it, or would, over time, rust and dissolve? Would the wood last forever, or will the print get discolored and become mulch?<issue_comment>username_1: These lines could be caused by a mechanical issue with the printer; it looks as if the positioning is not up to par.
This can be related to loose belts of the X-axis and Y-axis, or play in your system, e.g. look at the rollers of the carriage.
---
*I've experienced an issue with play between the idler mounts and the smooth linear rods on a cheap 3D printer kit myself, but that is not the case here. Just added to explain where play may come from.*
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The main issue here (the gaps between layers) was solved by reducing combing.
Combing was enabled without a limit on the range so a max combing distance of 10 mm was introduced. This prevented too much filament from oozing out during travels.
The oozing filament was causing nothing to come out of the nozzle at the beginning of an extrusion, thus creating the gaps that were consistent in location.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/06 | 434 | 1,804 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm doing some research on what types of LCD displays can be used to filter and pass UV light for resin curing - specifically in the context of building a DIY 3D SLA printer.
The community commonly uses the Sharp LS055R1SX03 module. Looking through the datasheet, there doesn't seem to be any information pertaining to the characteristics of the device when passing UV wavelengths. Is there something special about this module that allows it to filter/pass UV wavelengths compared to other common LCD displays?<issue_comment>username_1: I am not an expert by any stretch but I hope this helps, but these are regular old TFT LCD screens. You can even get 4K ones and use them for the same process. You can for example pick up 4K displays such as the H546UAN01.0 and do the same with them.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: Hmm I seen videos off people pealing filters off of lcd screens to let uv pass through.
I believe the sharp unit maybe popular because not all lcds have square pixels and have poor pixel alignment towards the edges, (the focus of the eye can only take in so much information why waste materials producing inperceptable rises in quality, much like having a 8k small screen unless the picture is static your hard pushed to notice difference).
There is also diffraction to think about, crystal size in the resin, oxygen membrane or delamination layer to stop cured resin sticking to lcd, I think there are projects of floating resin on another liquid (fluorinated oils work).
Even with better resolution(4k,) the voxel size does not increase in a linear manner, unless the uv light source is focused an colimated like in a lazer.
I don't know much its just info I've gleaned whilst browsing, I'm sure someone will correct any inaccuracies.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/10 | 730 | 2,305 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently bought a BigTreeTech SKR V1.3 and uncommented `REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER` and clicked the upload button but faced an error that says:
```
Marlin\src\lcd\ultralcd.cpp:767:9: error: 'touch_buttons' was not declared in this scope
if (touch_buttons) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marlin\src\lcd\ultralcd.cpp:767:9: note: suggested alternative: 'buttons'
if (touch_buttons) {
^~~~~~~~~~~~~
buttons
Marlin\src\lcd\ultralcd.cpp:805:5: error: 'else' without a previous 'if'
else wait_for_unclick = false;
^~~~
*** [.pio\build\LPC1768\src\src\lcd\ultralcd.cpp.o] Error 1
```
I am not sure what above message means, but can anyone else shed some light on why I am receiving these errors?
FWIW, I am using Marlin 2.<issue_comment>username_1: There is a temporary solution which I have found here, on the reprap forums, [Re: Upload to the board failed after LCD enabled](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?13,857852,857876#msg-857876):
>
> An official fix has been posted. Grab the new ultralcd.cpp from [[github.com](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/bugfix-2.0.x/Marlin/src/lcd/ultralcd.cpp)]
>
>
>
Apparently the sources contained a bug which was fixed later, a new version download fixed the problem.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: [Marlin 2.0.0 is in an ***Alpha*** state.](http://marlinfw.org/meta/download/) 'Alpha' is a state before *Beta*, meaning, it's not hot off the presses, it isn't even *off the presses*. You need to go back to the most recent "stable" version of Marlin, which is 1.1.9 (found on the same page as the link above). This should *most likely* solve the errors and problems you're seeing.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Marlin 2.0 is still very much in development.
If you face issues like this and you're certain you haven't introduced any typos,
try downloading the most current version of Marlin again ([Github](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/tree/bugfix-2.0.x) -> Download -> Download zip).
Copy in your configuration files and try to compile.
If the issue persists, you may try to use a version from a few days / weeks ago.
For this, select a previous commit from this [list](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/commits/bugfix-2.0.x), and press the `<>` button to activate it.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/11 | 965 | 3,668 | <issue_start>username_0: I just got my first 3D printer (Creality Ender 3) on Friday, 2 days ago. It works great, but for some reason I'm getting a lot of stringing on my prints, especially the ones where the extruder head has to move a long distance between columns/posts, etc.
I'm using Hatchbox "True White" PLA, which has a recommended temperature range of 180-210 °C. I've tried printing at 200, 190, and 185 °C and didn't see much improvement. I've also made sure I've enabled the 'retract' setting in the slicer (4.5 mm) and verified the printer is retracting when it should.
I'm not sure what else I can try... any suggestions?<issue_comment>username_1: 4.5 mm is a low retraction distance. Cura's default is 6.5 mm, and the Ender 3 profile provided with Cura sets it to 6 mm. The first thing you should try is increasing the retraction amount up to at least 6 mm. Also, make sure you actually enabled retraction. I saw one question here where a Cura user had enabled "Retract at layer change", which **does not** enable retraction (but of course it shows the options like retraction amount since you need to be able to select it for this too).
Your low nozzle temperature of 185 °C is also a problem. You'll have very low flow at that temperature, resulting in under-extrusion and pressure building up in the nozzle instead of extruding the material. That in turn will make it so, even after retracting, there's still material (and pressure) at the nozzle and it will keep oozing, unless you set a **really** high retraction amount (and even then problems will build up over time during the print, but you might get lucky and not see them). The only way to print PLA at 185 °C is really, **really** slowly.
In general, some people would also recommend trying a different filament, based on reports that some vendors' PLA oozes and strings badly, but I don't think that's an issue for you. I use Hatchbox filament on my Ender 3 all the time and never have a problem with stringing from it. And even if the filament is prone to stringing, you can almost surely avoid it with proper settings. Even very soft flex filaments can be printed on this printer without stringing as long as your retraction, temperature, and speed are tuned to avoid having pressure at the nozzle during travel moves.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: decrease retraction speed to 25-30mm/sec
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Try changing retraction to 6 mm but slow it down to 25 mm. Stopped all of my stringing issues with Hatchbox.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_4: Something strange happened to me (Ender 3 with CR Touch), changed my firmware and stringing happened. I was slicing with Cura and went through three days of breaking my head. You know how I fixed it? Simple, I looked for a pre-made retraction temp. And guess what? It was the slicer all along. I changed to Simplify3D and all of my stringing disappeared. I can't explain what happened, but Cura decided to flop on me. maybe look for pre-sliced G-code tests online, hope you can fix your problem.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_5: The way to optimise retraction is to use [this retraction optimisation tool](http://retractioncalibration.com/), which tests various retraction distances and speeds.
Remember to perform this calibration AFTER you set pressure or linear advance, which has a higher priority.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4D6Gr.jpg)
You will be able to pick the settings which work the best for that filament brand and type. You will have to do it again if you switch material or brand.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/11 | 726 | 2,383 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a Tevo Tornado Gold 24 V. I want to use this LJ12 A3-4-Z/BX Inductive NPN NO 4 mm with 6-36 V operation current as a Z probe. I do not want to fry my machine by putting in 24 V into the sensor input.
What do I have is a 12 V, single channel optocoupler isolation module.
I want to know if this 12 V optocoupler module can be used with a 24 V power supply, or do I need another module in order to prevent me frying my sensor.
If I do need another what would I need?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cxoYG.png)<issue_comment>username_1: Not using a 12 V rated module *"on its own"*.
---------------------------------------------
Using a 12 V/5 V optocoupler to try to connect 24 V to the 5 V circuit is running the optocoupler outside of its rating, meaning you will destroy it, either immediately or after a short time.
A properly rated one
--------------------
To shield the 5 V against the maximal 24 V from the probe without extra parts, you will need to use a 24 V/5 V optocoupler.
### Trickery with voltage dividers
With a 50 % [voltage divider](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_divider) made from two properly rated resistors, you could limit the voltage to the optocoupler, which in turn would turn the 24 V signal into a 12 V signal, which would protect our optocoupler and the board beyond.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: **You can safely use the module with 24V.**
The input side shows a red LED, optocoupler and 1k resistor in series. The LED and optocoupler probably have a voltage drop in the neighbourhood of 3.1-3.5 V put together, so for a 12 V input you will get a current of approximately 9 mA-.
For a 24 V input voltage the increased current will cause a slightly higher voltage drop, but even if the voltage drop remains as low as 3.1 V the current will still only be 21 mA. This is well within the rating of the optocoupler (similar optocouplers are often rated for 60 mA) and slightly pushing the rating of the LED (similar LEDs are usually rated for 20 mA) but it will probably be fine.
For extra peace of mind you could connect an additional resistor in series with the input. The "ideal" value (that is, to keep the current identical to that at 12 V) would be 1.3 kΩ, though any small value resistor (above 100 Ω) would be fine.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/12 | 292 | 1,139 | <issue_start>username_0: I have been having some issues with my Cocoon Create Model Maker/Wanhao Duplicator i3 Mini. The hotend doesn't get up to temperature.
I will go to any of the heating functions (start print, preheat, add filament, etc.) and it will begin to reheat the nozzle. The temperature rises until eventually, it stops at any number that is not the desired print temp and the screen freezes. Sometimes it will stop at 150 °C sometimes 180 °C. It all seems quite random but the screen is frozen when this happens.
If anyone had any thoughts it would be much appreciated. My last printer was abandoned due to a similar issue and it's incredibly frustrating.<issue_comment>username_1: Maybe, the thermistor is not fully seated and does not measure temperature effectively.
Try inserting the thermistor into the hole by filling the gaps with metal wire or conductive paste.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: The solution was posted in a comment, as the asker hasn't posted an answer yet, it is answered in this community wiki answer:
>
> Ended up replacing the thermistor which solved the problem.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/12 | 936 | 3,645 | <issue_start>username_0: Problem
-------
My CR-10 printer seems to be trying to print the model 4 or 5 layers too low. This means that for the first few layers, the printing nozzle is forced against the bed, preventing extrusion until the print reaches higher layers.
Outcome
-------
This results in the bottom part of the print having the internal structure visible and the printing head deteriorating. I had to remove the old nozzle because it was clogged up with what I believe to be some residue that was picked up during preceding prints.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mUfsT.jpg)
*note: On this print, the top part is almost-well printed. It cannot be seen in pictures, but I say "almost" because the well-printed part is still much thinner than expected. This is the result of my purposeful mis-leveling the bed so that the part where the printer "homes" is higher than the lower part. I did this to see if there was any obvious bending of the printing bed. Doesn't look like there is.*
Fix attempts
------------
* I have tried to re-level the bed multiple times, but it doesn't matter as the "too low" effect is independent from the location on the bed.
* I have tried using the printer's built-in Z-offset but to no avail. This might be due to the fact that I control the print through Ultimaker Cura 4, so I tried looking for the Z-offset property in Ultimaker Cura and even though internet says it exists, I failed to find it.
History
-------
The printer used to work perfectly well and I do not remember having changed anything before the problem arose. I recently changed the nozzle and made sure to tighten it as high as possible but the Z-offset problem still persists.<issue_comment>username_1: Did you verify the Cura z-offset actually changed the corresponding G-Codes?
I had the opposite problem on my RF1000. To fix the problem I added the following 2 lines to my start G-Codes:
```
M3001 ; Activate Z-Compensation
M206 Z-0.3 ; Set z offset 0.3mm closer to the nozzle
```
The first line was default in some example prints and is (as far as I know) only used by Renkforce printers. The second line moves the nozzle closer to the bed. In your case you'd have to move it further away and would need a positive Z value.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: TLDR; Make sure the bed isn't too high, the z-axis should reach the end-of-rail indicator without forcing against the bed
---
So it appears I simply misunderstood (or mis-assumed) the way my printer works.
For some reason I believed that it was the printing head, while auto-homeing, that was defining the "point zero" for the z axis. Didn't realize, even after disassembled the whole head block, that there was no such mechanism built in.
While zeroing it before starting my on-going print I noticed the "click" of the end-of-rail switch for the z-axis while the head was forcing against the bed, desperately trying to reach that damn switch. Then it all clicked together ...
What happened:
--------------
For some reason a few weeks ago I decided to level the bed by raising the z-axis by spinning the its driving wheel *by hand*, taking it very far from the end-of-rail stopper. Ever since then I've been leveling the bed this way, not realizing I was preventing the head from reaching end-of-rail without having to force against the bed.
So yeah, just took the bed as far down as possible, made the printer auto-home and leveled the bed from there, as it should be done, and my print is now going very well.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/12 | 893 | 2,926 | <issue_start>username_0: I am trying to print a [12 hole Ocarina](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2755765) I found on thingiverse. When printing I have to stop it around 25-30 layers because the edge of the shell is higher then the infill.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kMrn5.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PVHAO.jpg)
[G-Code of first 30 layers](https://www.codepile.net/pile/Z0Y3v986)
I tried changing the infill, wall size, speed and retraction settings to no avail. The settings of the example print were:
* 100% infill
* 0.2mm layer height
* 40mm printing speed (average)
* 1mm shell thickness (results in 2 layers)
* Automatic infill patern
* Printed at 210C with 3mm PLA ([like this one](https://www.conrad.nl/p/renkforce-pla300h1-filament-pla-kunststof-3-mm-grijs-1-kg-1093147))
* Printed on a RF1000
* Sliced with CuraEngine in Repetier-host V2.1.6.
Does anyone know what might cause this and how I can prevent it from happening?
Any help is greatly appreciated! :)<issue_comment>username_1: Did you verify the Cura z-offset actually changed the corresponding G-Codes?
I had the opposite problem on my RF1000. To fix the problem I added the following 2 lines to my start G-Codes:
```
M3001 ; Activate Z-Compensation
M206 Z-0.3 ; Set z offset 0.3mm closer to the nozzle
```
The first line was default in some example prints and is (as far as I know) only used by Renkforce printers. The second line moves the nozzle closer to the bed. In your case you'd have to move it further away and would need a positive Z value.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: TLDR; Make sure the bed isn't too high, the z-axis should reach the end-of-rail indicator without forcing against the bed
---
So it appears I simply misunderstood (or mis-assumed) the way my printer works.
For some reason I believed that it was the printing head, while auto-homeing, that was defining the "point zero" for the z axis. Didn't realize, even after disassembled the whole head block, that there was no such mechanism built in.
While zeroing it before starting my on-going print I noticed the "click" of the end-of-rail switch for the z-axis while the head was forcing against the bed, desperately trying to reach that damn switch. Then it all clicked together ...
What happened:
--------------
For some reason a few weeks ago I decided to level the bed by raising the z-axis by spinning the its driving wheel *by hand*, taking it very far from the end-of-rail stopper. Ever since then I've been leveling the bed this way, not realizing I was preventing the head from reaching end-of-rail without having to force against the bed.
So yeah, just took the bed as far down as possible, made the printer auto-home and leveled the bed from there, as it should be done, and my print is now going very well.
Upvotes: 1 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/14 | 560 | 2,348 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a dual-extruder printer with a separate heating element for each head, thus able to combine materials in a single print job even if they don't share a single temperature range.
Now the question: When (outside of using expensive dedicated support material or doing multicolor prints for aesthetic reasons) is this actually useful?
Of common printable filaments (PLA, PETG, TPU, ABS, nylon):
* Do some of these materials work well (which is to say, substantially better than just doing a single-material print with same-material supports) as breakaway supports for others?
* Can some of these materials be dissolved in household solvents that don't harm others?
* Do some of these materials adhere to each other strongly enough (and have sufficiently similar profiles in how they shrink on cooling) to reliably generate finished pieces comprising of both? (Especially relevant for anything+TPU, where one might want to generate a design with some soft or rubbery components).<issue_comment>username_1: The answers are
1. yes
2. yes
3. probably
Which is to say, if you only want to use MaterialNumberTwo for disposable supports, then you should be fine. Presumably the slicer software is material-aware and adjusts the feed so the layer heights are the same for both materials. **BUT**be careful that the support material isn't higher-temp than the object material, or supports which start from the object rather than the bed may cause local melting or distortion when the first layer is deposited on the cooler-melt material.
But if you want to try to intertwine two materials for the final product, then certainly bonding will be a major risk, as will shrinkage during cooling (not to mention the risk of melting the lower-temp material while depositing the higher-temp material on top of it!). If at all possible I'd recommend printing such parts separately and fitting them together post-print.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I have printed ABS on top of PLA and it has bonded well. It was simple, then "campaign"-style buttons with Prusament Galaxy Black on the bottom and HatchBox white ABS on top. There was no tendency to warp, as I would expect if the ABS were shrinking more than the PLA.
I expected this to not work, but I needed white on black and these were the filaments I had.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/19 | 974 | 3,449 | <issue_start>username_0: I've tried to remix this model: <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:90933> (Bauhaus chess set) by scaling it down and inserting little magnet holes into the pieces' underside. My SCAD file looks as follows:
```
difference() {
scale([0.5,0.5,0.5]) import("Bauhaus2Set.stl");
translate([ 6, 11 ,0]) cylinder(h=20.5,r=2.5,center=true,$fn=20); // WTH?
// King/Queen
translate([ 6, 11 ,0]) cylinder(h=3.5,r=2.5,center=true,$fn=20);
translate([-6, 11 ,0]) cylinder(h=3.5,r=2.5,center=true,$fn=20);
// Rooks
translate([ 6,-11.5,0]) cylinder(h=3.5,r=2.5,center=true,$fn=20);
translate([-6,-11.5,0]) cylinder(h=3.5,r=2.5,center=true,$fn=20);
[...]
```
Note the third line with "WTH?" - I've done quite some trial-and-error, and if I remove that line, then I don't get any subtracted holes anymore when I render the whole thing (F6). In preview (F5), the holes are always present, but in the final render, I need to include the larger subtracted cylinder or it won't work.
The STL file seems to be fine in itself, what's going on here?<issue_comment>username_1: It is interesting that the WTH line and the next line both should remove a cylinder of the same diameter from the same location. Only the height is different.
It could be interesting to remove the first King/Queen line and see if there is a change.
Have you checked the STL file with another tool, other than OpenSCAD? There may be a kink in the STL that confuses the geometry engine in OpenSCAD. The first difference could be catching the kink, and the second one carving out the magnet body in the bottom.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I see you've accepted username_1's answer, but I'd still like to take a stab at the mechanism of the failure based on your comment on it:
>
> Excellent explanation, thanks. The "WTH" cylinder is centered on the queen piece, and that has a sphere with lots of faces on top. So it looks like the "kink" is inside the queen where the sphere and the base cube overlap, and by accident, my trial-and-error removing of cylinders also removed just the right spot.
>
>
>
My guess is that if you look at the triangle set of the STL file, you'll find the interior of the queen contains the parts of the cube that are inside the sphere and the parts of the sphere that are inside the cube; they may not even be clipped to meet each other properly where they cross each other's surfaces. Sadly there are lots of tools producing invalid STL files like this. The longer cylinder is probaly sufficient to overlap with where the cube and sphere cross, forcing OpenSCAD to break down the model in that region and recompute the mesh where the components overlap. Without that recomputation, the differences likely end up interacting with just the "sphere part" of the STL mesh.
This explanation also seems to be consistent with the description of the thing on thingiverse:
>
> I much preferred the style of Bauhaus set that TeamTeaUSA's designed, but there was a lot of fiddling with the queen and the knight wouldn't print without supports. So I nestled the queen's sphere further into the body so it would print standing up, added supports for the knight and plated the whole thing.
>
>
>
where it looks like the creator took someone else's STL files and moved parts around to create an overlap, likely without proper tooling that could regenerate a valid mesh.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/20 | 595 | 2,505 | <issue_start>username_0: I've had my anycubic kossel for a good while now, and whenever I print something, it seems like it falls out of calibration very quickly. The biggest example is that the prints tend to scale up as the print progresses, or maybe the print starts to drift, and comes out slanted. This seems to never happen in any similarly priced XYZ printers. Why is this? Do XYZ printers just have an inherent advantage over deltas? Perhaps Deltas have some precision loss?<issue_comment>username_1: (The XYZ Printers are called Cartesian Printers)
Delta printers are harder to get right, because they require precision parts. The arms have to be EXACTLY the same length, the frame must be square, the universal joints must have no slop. You should check to see if any of the universal joints need replacing, and that the length of the arms are equal.
Deltas however are some of the fastest robotic platforms due to the low mass of the end effector.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: username_1's points are valid but I have done several things to mitigate these issues on my Anycubic Deltas.
First, both of my deltas have linear slide bearings. If your's has the bearing trucks that run in the extrusion slots this will lead to less precise operation and also is a source of wear over time.
Second, be sure that the end stop micro switches are positioned precisely and that their fasteners are tight. You may also want to use a mild strength Loctite on their fasteners. When operated at high extrusion rates all components are subject to significant vibration.
Third, I found that the universal joints are also a significant source of play. I remedied this to some degree by placing rubber bands across the arms at both ends so that the play was minimized. The rubber bands should be wrapped fairly tightly to perform this function.
Forth, I try to tune the belt tension so that all of the belts have the same note when plucked. There are smart phone apps that will help do this. I believe that one that I use is from Gates, a premium manufacturer of drive belts. Also, over time belts stretch so you will need to retension them periodically.
Fifth, run through the firmware calibration process regularly for both positional accuracy and for filament extrusion and retraction variables.
I don't use my deltas much any more since purchasing a popular XYZ type printer but it cost me three times what they did and it still has issues from time to time.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/21 | 1,796 | 6,765 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a print I need to make holes in.
I have read some other threads where the answers was in short, "don't, print the holes", and "make sure to make the hole from the top or bottom".
The problem is I need the hole in the side of a print with about 1 mm walls.
The holes I need is to run a USB cable in and a few to hold 3 mm LEDs.
One of the holes needs to be 10 mm.
What is my best option?
I read that there is a risk it cracks, so I was thinking maybe I can use a soldering iron for the smaller holes?
That will melt the plastic and create nice smooth walls, right? Less risk of cracks?
The piece will not be loaded in any way, it's just holdin it's own weight.
I never anticipated that it would be an issue to drill holes in prints. If I had known it I might have tried more to change the print before ordering it.
(I don't have a printer to make a new one with.)
**Note:** The part has *already* been printed. This is a question about post-printing processing, *not* modelling for a new print.<issue_comment>username_1: You're going to have to drill those holes. The plastic will melt if you drill too quickly. If at all possible, use a slow speed drill, a hand drill, or wrap a cloth around a drill bit and twist it with your hand. If you go too fast, the part will melt. If you press to hard the part will break.
Once the hole has been drilled you will need to reinforce it with a metal/plastic tube of the required diameter. Press the tube into the hole. I don't know what your wall thickness is, but try to ensure the tube is the same length.
If at all possible you should get flanged tubes like these from mc master car:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zh0UT.png)
The parts with the 1/2 inch inner diameter and 5/8 outer diameter should fit your 10 mm requirement. The rest is up to you. Go to mcmaster.com/inserts scroll down to "Other Inserts" then "Tube and tube fittings".
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: 3D-printed parts should not be so fragile that they crack from drilling holes. However, the material will melt if you drill fast, so go very slow. Also, they're usually not printed with solid infill. If you drill a hole in a thin wall (typically around 1.6 mm or less) then the sides of the hole should be solid just from the printed wall thickness, but if you drill a hole through something thicker, you'll create an opening into the sparse infill space in the object's interior. This *might* affect the strength of the part and will allow air/water/etc. to enter the interior, which probably doesn't matter for your usage case, but it's something to be aware of too.
A soldering iron set to around 200°C is a perfectly good way to make holes too. It's harder to control the precise location and size of the hole, but if anything it will strengthen the part.
For future reference, it's a much better idea to just include holes in your design to be printed. As long as they're either round (as opposed to flattened ovals/square/etc.) or small, pringing holes horizontally should not be a problem. Vertically oriented is better if they'll be under load, but for passing wires or mounting things not under serious load either should be fine.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Drilling in thin walls might be very tricky, you can easily get holes bigger than anticipated, especially when there is infill in between walls (less than 100 %, as the drill may shift position of the internal infill structure). Note also that printed material can split very easy. You can also solder holes into the walls. There are special tools available on the market, e.g. this one can create fine or big holes, I've used it for quite some time:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/t2fyP.png "Modifi3d soldering tool")
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: Drilling Works in PLA
---------------------
Drilling is not difficult. As others have said, a slow drill wins the race. For some holes, I hold the drill by hand (or in a hand-help chuck) and use it as the rotary knife it really is.
It will be better if you put some support under the hole. It also may help to put a layer of masking tape over the front, marked with the location. As with any critical drilling, start with an undersized drill and expand with another drill.
A Melting or Hybrid Approach May Be Better
------------------------------------------
Since this is printed plastic, thin walled, and nicely meltable, I would drill a hole undersided by a mm or two and then expand it by melting the plastic with a hot soldering iron. If you gush up the edges enough, you will accomplish a solid wall, which will be stronger than a separated front and back surface. Since the gushed up hole will probably not be circular, and may have lobes that are too small an opening, I would do another pass with the proper sized drill. If the plastic is still a little soft, you can use the back of the drill as a forming tool to expand the opening to be the right size.
What I Would Try First
----------------------
PROTIP or HACK, you decide: For making small changes in PLA parts, I have placed them in water heated to 160-170 degrees F. This softens everything a little, and you can make small changes. You might be able to punch a hole with an ice pick and finish it with the back of a drill. If the ice pick doesn't make a hole, heat it with a hot-air gun (or hair dryer).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_5: As a follow up on this I wanted to post some pictures of the result with only the soldering iron.
I was soldering some cables and when it was still hot I figured I could give it a go.
The hole is on the underside and in a closed compartment so it's not visible.
Anyways, about 3 mm hole at this point and quite pleased with the result.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QXfa5.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/noyMb.jpg)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_6: I discovered a trick to drilling holes in plastics and its works well with PLA, too.
First print your part with a somewhat undersized hole and, with your selected drill bit, run the bit backwards while seated in the printed hole. You can often use increased speed to create more heat from friction, but be careful when applying a little pressure on the bit and always remain aware that the bit could push through at any instant.
If you run the bit in its usual direction, it will more likely, and suddenly, bite into the plastic and make an ugly hole or split your print.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/22 | 666 | 2,498 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to print a supporting base which will house the spindle for an electrostatic rotor. It's basically just a truncated cone with a hole down it's center to house the spindle.
For reasons that I cannot fathom, Ultimaker Cura keeps on adding an unrequested top/bottom layer (color-coded yellow in the screenshots) inside this hole, so instead of a single hollow cylinder of 10 mm depth, the result is a hole only a few millimeters deep with another hollow cylinder behind it.
Here is the intended model, note the open space for the hole at the top.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tUdBC.png)
Here is the inner view of the hole being printed as expected:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kXV5x.png)
Finally, here is a layer view of the print a few millimeters from the final top layer with the unrequested top/bottom layer that covers the spindle hole:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Yd8mn.png)
The STL file is on [Github](https://github.com/gearoid-murphy/3dprints/blob/master/spindle.stl) (with a built-in viewer).
Can anyone help me understand why this is happening?<issue_comment>username_1: It would appear that your model does not conform properly to STL standards. I base this conclusion on a couple of factors. When I loaded the model into Simplify3D slicer, it displayed fine, but when sliced, displayed nothing. Using the onboard repair feature, it presented the entire model as being composed of non-manifold surfaces.
Meshmixer's Analysis/Inspector feature also highlighted the entire model as flawed.
Another observation is that there is an extraordinary amount of facets/triangles/faces to this model. Nearly three-quarters of a million triangles for something that should be much simpler.
The most recent version of Prusa Slicer 2.0 presents an error message indicating that no layers were detected. This is peculiar indeed.
All of the above points to a problem with the source file or the software used to create it.
Please consider to add to your post the program you used or the source of the model.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I had the same issue exporting from Sketchup to STL. I imported my STL to Tinkercad and then exported it again and it resolved my issue.
Tinkercad is a free and online tool.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/22 | 437 | 1,591 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to print a lemon squeezer and I would prefer to use PET-G. I don't know if it is safe to use, because lemons contain lots of citric acid. Does it dissolve PETG? I haven't found an answer anywhere on the Internet. There are generally few things that dissolve PETG. These are aromatic compounds like toluene, phenol etc.
I know my model will be food safe, as PETG is food safe, I'm using one without a dye and my nozzle is made out of steel, not brass. I think bacteria growth inside little gaps/between layers is impossible, because the citric acid is quite strong and will kill nearly all of the germs.<issue_comment>username_1: According to [kmac-plastics](http://kmac-plastics.net/data/chemical/petg-chemical.htm#.XV7Vokd7m4o), PETG is stable at temperatures below 50°C specifically for citric acid (also acetic acid) and others on the linked list. It is also safe with diesel oil and many alcohols. The list is illuminating with respect to the variation of tested compounds.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The PETG is food safe (plastic water bottles are made of them), however the colour additives may not be a) stable, or b) food safe. If you are going to make a lemon squeezer then I would suggest that you use a virgin material that is just pet-g with no additives.
However, you could only ever use it one. Any food particles that get stuck in between the fine layers of the printed part, will cause bacterial growth. If the walls are porous then the juice can get inside of the part and create a breathing ground.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/23 | 1,332 | 4,729 | <issue_start>username_0: I've been working on calibrating my Taz Workhorse, and was dealing with some under-extrusion issues, despite checking the e-steps on the extruder and relatively modest retraction settings (2.5 mm at 25 mm/second).
Lulzbot tech support suggested I boost my flow to 105 % to account for this, and the little Lulzbot gear that resulted was decent (note this picture is after some minor string removal).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7nMzh.jpg "Lulzbot gear")
I tried moving on to a articulated Turtle, and there's a consistent failure at 17 %, where you can hear the nozzle collide with a part and knock it off the print bed, followed by the usual mayhem.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AMnAi.jpg "Failed articulated turtle")
From looking at the parts, it looks like all the small joints in the piece have a lot of excess material in them, causing an upward arc, and eventually getting high enough that they're well over the height of the next layer. That's where the collision occurs, presumably.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qXsoQ.jpg "Excess material on joints#1")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lNKaa.jpg "Excess material on joints#2")
What's the likely cause of this? The increased flow? Some other issue?
Other settings are mostly the Ultimaker Cura defaults, but I've also turned combing and Z-hop on (combing, especially, to combat stringing).
Print Settings:
* Lulzbot Taz Workhorse using Cura
* Polylite PLA 2.85 mm
* Print temperature: 215 °C (roughly the middle of the range, and where previous calibrations put me)
* Bed temperature: 60 °C
* Retraction: 2.5 mm at 25 mm/sec
* Combing "on"
* Z-Hop When Retracted "on" @ 1 mm
* Fan Speed: I've tried 60 % (default) and 100 %
* Print Speed: 40 mm/s
* Flow: 105 %<issue_comment>username_1: No, the print does not fail on over-extrusion, it fails by curled up parts of the print as of a filament heating/print part cooling issue.
If the curled up part has to be completely attached to the print bed (which is not the case after release of more information, but could be informative for others), your problem could be bed adhesion. If the original part does not (as has become clear in this case), so it is in fact an *"overhang"* you are printing, this could be a print cooling issue. Furthermore, in general your printing temperature appears to be too high, you could try lowering print temperature to 200 °C (which should work fine for 2.85 mm for not too high printing speeds), and lowering print speed and or increase print part cooling percentage (or print a more effective print cooling duct).
Furthermore, the picture of the articulated turtle appears to show that the left side is lower, as in the bed is not properly levelled or dented (but with glass the latter is virtually impossible as glass is flat as of the nature of the production process).
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: It looks to me like you have corner curling on overhangs, which can be contributed to by a mix of:
* overextrusion (poor dimensional accuracy of filament or wrong filament diameter setting)
* uneven extrusion (due to changes in the print head motion faster than the flow response to changes in the extruder)
* uneven cooling (especially due to proximity of one side to heated bed)
* too little cooling
and possibly other factors. I would first try lowering the bed temperature. Technically you can print PLA on an unheated bed, but adhesion may be too poor. Dropping to 45°C (my preference now) should not hurt adhesion much and might help; it partly solved my corner-curling problems.
Both uneven extrusion and insufficient cooling can be solved solved by printing slower, but that's no fun. It works for uneven extrusion because, even under constraints on acceleration/jerk, print head can change direction almost instantaneously at low speeds, yielding near-uniform absolute velocity.
Uneven extrusion can also be solved by cranking up the limits on acceleration and jerk. This is a tradeoff because it might get you more vibration/ringing, and beyond the physical limits of your printer it may even start skipping steps and shifting layers (failed prints), but up to that point I think it's a worthwhile tradeoff. Effects from uneven extrusion are some of the worst, in my opinion, print quality/print failure issues, and worth other minor blemishes to fix them if needed.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/23 | 599 | 2,459 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm trying to make a water insulated 1 cm3 (1 ml) transparent container and I bought some plexiglass, I cut and glued some pieces together but it looks really crappy and barely holds the water in. I was wondering, is there a transparent material (similar to plexiglass) that can order to 3D print the container out of it? Also, if 3D printing is not the best option, where can I order around a 100 pieces of 1 cm3 transparent water insulating containers with caps?<issue_comment>username_1: Yes. You'll probably want to use SLA or Polyjet printers with transparent resin. For example, here's [Shapeways' page on transparent SLA](https://www.shapeways.com/materials/sla-accura-60) and [their page on Polyjet](https://www.shapeways.com/materials/multi-color-polyjet) (which says you need to phone them for transparent Polyjet parts as their online order system can't handle it).
FDM printing with transparent materials doesn't usually result in parts that look like transparent injection-moulded parts, because the lines of material laid down by the printer are visible. There are [some techniques to make this better](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/q/16/13100), but a printing bureau is less likely to offer this kind of special handling.
In any case, you should discuss your requirements in more detail with suppliers, and they'll be able to advise whether they offer any manufacturing processes that meet your needs. In particular, if you need your containers to be food-safe, you should mention that at the start, as it'll rule out a lot of possible suppliers, machines, and materials.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: 3D printing services *can* do this, but you'll likely have better results at lower cost through an injection molding service. You probably won't even need to go through the internet; businesses doing this are common enough you can probably put a search in Google for "Injection Molding" along with your city or community and have a number or local choices, where you can go visit them in person to talk face to face about what you need.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: You could order an sla or dlp printed part(which would probably be more expensive, but also quite durable and a little more transparent). Or you could order an fdm printed T-glase print, which would come out pretty clear and not be quite as strong as sla, but still pretty good for holding water.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/08/25 | 489 | 1,924 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Anet A8 and have a problem with my first layer. I printed nice prints but starting today the first layer is tearing in the middle:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4BiUc.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/L94tI.jpg)
Any idea how to fix this?<issue_comment>username_1: The great pics really help with the answerability of this question. From how catastrophic the failure is, and how it's clearly independent of any specialty needs for the particular print such as tiny bed-adhesion contacts, sharp overhangs, bridges, etc. this is definitely not a problem with temperature. Different people recommend different temperatures for PLA, but I find that 210°C works well for me, and if you go much lower you'll hit problems getting the needed extrusion rate for anything but slow print speeds.
I've seen nearly this exact phenomenon before, so I knew it was probably a matter of the bed being too high, blocking extrusion of the first layer and forcing what little material can escape out to the sides of the nozzle, then tearing into it when the next adjacent line is laid out.
If I didn't know that, though, I'd still start looking for a source of the problem that's related to extrusion rate. Something was clearly wrong with getting the right amount of material in the right space, which indicates to me that there's either too much material (overextrusion/wrong filament diameter selected) or too little space (bed to high).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I found the solution to be the exact opposite. My bed was too low (as in too far from the hotend). All the above mentioned aside, I did also drop the flow rate on the brim and initial layer by roughly 2-3 %. Now it prints perfectly again. (your mileage may vary)
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/08/26 | 637 | 2,631 | <issue_start>username_0: On several occasions I've wanted lettering/numbering printed as part of a design, but with the ability to make it stand out more effectively in the printed object without having to do detailed manual finishing. Is there a good material which can catch in and fill sunken (depth 0.4 mm, width 0.6-1.0 mm) lines/strokes of alphanumeric characters without sticking to the surface (including fine layer ridges) of the print? My best result so far has been with crayon wax, but I wonder if there are more suitable materials. (Polymer clay, perhaps?)
Results with crayons:
Durability is nice (and essential for some applications), but for many uses I have in mind it's not such a big deal. For example another place I've wanted clear text is on test panels to check nut/bolt thread sizes, in which case the text is unlikely to receive harsh treatment but any heat-based curing processes might effect the dimensional accuracy negatively. So both durable and non-durable solutions are interesting to me.<issue_comment>username_1: The great pics really help with the answerability of this question. From how catastrophic the failure is, and how it's clearly independent of any specialty needs for the particular print such as tiny bed-adhesion contacts, sharp overhangs, bridges, etc. this is definitely not a problem with temperature. Different people recommend different temperatures for PLA, but I find that 210°C works well for me, and if you go much lower you'll hit problems getting the needed extrusion rate for anything but slow print speeds.
I've seen nearly this exact phenomenon before, so I knew it was probably a matter of the bed being too high, blocking extrusion of the first layer and forcing what little material can escape out to the sides of the nozzle, then tearing into it when the next adjacent line is laid out.
If I didn't know that, though, I'd still start looking for a source of the problem that's related to extrusion rate. Something was clearly wrong with getting the right amount of material in the right space, which indicates to me that there's either too much material (overextrusion/wrong filament diameter selected) or too little space (bed to high).
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I found the solution to be the exact opposite. My bed was too low (as in too far from the hotend). All the above mentioned aside, I did also drop the flow rate on the brim and initial layer by roughly 2-3 %. Now it prints perfectly again. (your mileage may vary)
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/08/27 | 582 | 1,915 | <issue_start>username_0: 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](https://www.matterhackers.com/store/l/3dxtech-thermax-pei-175mm-05kg/sk/MHCFSNUC?rcode=GAT9HR&gclid=CjwKCAjwqZPrBRBnEiwAmNJsNsqaaSEcWYtaTv1rIwDKuWgI9xCyinqDgV7bYUUO3zX7-pIA0gDPSBoCclYQAvD_BwE). 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?<issue_comment>username_1: 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.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: **[PEEK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyether_ether_ketone)** is also used in applications where dimensional stability (and/or chemical resistance) over a wide range of temperatures is desired. The requirements for printing are similar to those for PEI.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: An easier but less simple solution might be to make a PLA 'pattern' that is the right size and shape, then use that to cast your item in aluminium (melting point ~ 660C) using the 'investment' or 'lost PLA' process.
Links:-
<https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Lost-PLA-Investment-Casting-Aluminium/>
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/27 | 850 | 3,486 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently bought a 3D printer called Dreamer NX from FlashForge. The dealer told me to use FlashPrint software that belongs to the FlashForge printer manufacturer. But, many people advise me to use Ultimaker Cura. Are there many differences between these two software packages?<issue_comment>username_1: The commonality of the 2 slicers is that both are developed and maintained by a printer manufacturer. The largest difference is that FlashPrint is [closed/proprietary software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proprietary_software), while Ultimaker Cura is released in source ([so-called open source project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura_(software))) to the public; this is valid for both the [frontend (Cura)](https://github.com/Ultimaker/Cura) (Graphical User Interface) as for the [slicing core (CuraEngine)](https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine). Basically this implies that there is a larger community developing and bug fixing the software. Also, FlashPrint is exclusively available for the FlashForge printers while Ultimaker Cura can be used for different brands as well.
Statement from [www.3dprms.com](https://www.3dprms.com/products/flashprint-slicer-for-3d-printing):
>
> The Flashpoint software is an in-house software program developed by FlashForge for use exclusively with the FlashForge 3D Printers
>
>
>
Statement from the [Cura wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cura_(software)):
>
> Cura is an open source 3D printer slicing application. It was created by <NAME> who was later employed by Ultimaker, a 3D printer manufacturing company, to maintain the software.
>
>
>
As FlashPrint is proprietary, it has no shared source repository and can therefore not be based on existing forks of software that are released under e.g. some version of the [LGPL](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License) license as this implies that you need to share the amendments you made to the software, otherwise you would be in violation:
>
> ...any developer who modifies an LGPL-covered component is required to make their modified version available under the same LGPL license..
>
>
>
---
*Note that discussing the exact differences in features between the 2 software packages (e.g. implementation differences of model support structures) would be more fit in a forum style discussion board rather than on a Stack Exchange site.*
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Perhaps this is veering out a little bit from being an answer to the specific differences between software functionality, but one important difference that shouldn't be overlooked is that whatever you learn with Cura is applicable to *all FDM 3D printers*.
Surely some setting tweaks you do might be specific to the properties of your particular printer, but a large amount of them, like choices of infill patterns, shells, adaptive layer heights, using secondary models as custom support and infill masks, breaking up models into multiple pieces for printing, etc. are completely printer-agnostic. If you learn to do these with software that's only usable (or at least only meant to be used) with your particular brand of printers, you'll have to translate/relearn if you later want to use a different printer, or help someone else who has a different brand of printer. If you learn with software that works with any printer, everything you learn is immediately applicable to different printers.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/08/27 | 1,235 | 4,457 | <issue_start>username_0: On a budget, I'm water-cooling a 3D printer. I'm using a 5 V aquarium pump (\$3). Originally I tried to only use about as much water in a can of chickpeas but then found out i needed a lot more. I have a deliberate need to water cool stepper motors in the first printer, so that I can print with a high temperature filament like PEI (the operating temp of a stepper is maxed at about 53 degrees celsius; PEI requires an enclosure temperature of 80 °C), but on another printer I'm having some other issues with the motors that I think could be solved by better heat dissipation.
What I am getting to is a device like [this](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07DLQJKKC):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DYx39.jpg)
It is the perfect size for a stepper motor. My plan is to zip-tie one of these to each stepper motor and water cool it in a single path across my printer, including the hot end.
Can anyone think of a reason why this wouldn't work? i just haven't heard of anyone doing anything like this, but it makes sense to me as a chemistry minor. The specific heat of water is way higher than almost anything else. And it is way less noisy than fans. And it works inside an enclosure, while fans might not
Should I ziptie the aluminum block to the back part of the stepper where the metal is, or to one of the darker black sides?
Would I be able to 3D print a cooling block like this instead of paying for it? See also [this relevant question on thermal conductivity of various 3D printing filaments](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11043/what-is-the-thermal-conductivity-of-various-3d-printing-filaments). It should probably be metal to transfer heat better?<issue_comment>username_1: Your solution will not cool all sides effectively. Firstly don't use zip ties; get thermal tape.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uC6tD.jpg)
([https://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Interface-Products-Heat-Sink/dp/B00QSHPH8E/](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00QSHPH8E)
Secondly, the heat will need to travel around the outside of the motor to get from the side that doesn't have the water block. Its expensive but you could use [Pyrolytic Graphite Sheets](https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/p/panasonic/pyrolytic-graphite-sheets) to wrap around the outside of the motor, to get the heat to the water block faster.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Cooling any single face of the motor is fine. The motor case conducts heat *very* well. Many 3d printers effectively cool the motors merely by having the output drive face of the motor bolted to a metal bracket which is bolted to the aluminum extrusion frame. That's it. That contact alone cools the motor, which is shown by how the motors overheat when people install vibration dampers, which puts rubber between the motor and the extrusion.
The only thing I would worry about is the surface area inside this particular style of block, and ensuring that you use an all-aluminum radiator since the block is aluminum.
There is another type of cheap 40x40 aluminum block with the nipples on the face instead of on the edge. That style has fins and a lot of surface area inside. This style with the nipples on the edge has a big S channel inside and not much surface area. It may still be more than enough. I'm just saying it's a significant difference and it might make a difference. If you find you're not cooling enough, all you may need to do is switch to that other style of block, not try to install 3 blocks per motor or any other exotic nonsense.
But no way do you have to worry about coooling more than one face of the motor, nor does it matter rwhich face it is, especially not with active water cooling like this, as long as the block is actually making good thermal contact with the motor (thermal tape, or thermal epoxy, or thermal pad & zip ties)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I just did this lol and checked online to see if anyone else did it too. It works really nice.
I used thermal paste and zipties to secure each block to the stepper motor. Dont use thermal tape its not as effective as paste.
I had to do this operations since my motors were overheating due to the enclosure design.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZWVy.jpg)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/28 | 829 | 3,062 | <issue_start>username_0: A few minutes after finishing a print job, the filament is solidified in the nozzle and the nozzle-throat. When I start another print job a while later, the filament is not sufficiently melted and the nozzle is obstructed. Do I need to clean the nozzle after every print job ? or is there a practical method to overcome this difficulty ?<issue_comment>username_1: Your solution will not cool all sides effectively. Firstly don't use zip ties; get thermal tape.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uC6tD.jpg)
([https://www.amazon.com/Thermal-Interface-Products-Heat-Sink/dp/B00QSHPH8E/](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00QSHPH8E)
Secondly, the heat will need to travel around the outside of the motor to get from the side that doesn't have the water block. Its expensive but you could use [Pyrolytic Graphite Sheets](https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/p/panasonic/pyrolytic-graphite-sheets) to wrap around the outside of the motor, to get the heat to the water block faster.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Cooling any single face of the motor is fine. The motor case conducts heat *very* well. Many 3d printers effectively cool the motors merely by having the output drive face of the motor bolted to a metal bracket which is bolted to the aluminum extrusion frame. That's it. That contact alone cools the motor, which is shown by how the motors overheat when people install vibration dampers, which puts rubber between the motor and the extrusion.
The only thing I would worry about is the surface area inside this particular style of block, and ensuring that you use an all-aluminum radiator since the block is aluminum.
There is another type of cheap 40x40 aluminum block with the nipples on the face instead of on the edge. That style has fins and a lot of surface area inside. This style with the nipples on the edge has a big S channel inside and not much surface area. It may still be more than enough. I'm just saying it's a significant difference and it might make a difference. If you find you're not cooling enough, all you may need to do is switch to that other style of block, not try to install 3 blocks per motor or any other exotic nonsense.
But no way do you have to worry about coooling more than one face of the motor, nor does it matter rwhich face it is, especially not with active water cooling like this, as long as the block is actually making good thermal contact with the motor (thermal tape, or thermal epoxy, or thermal pad & zip ties)
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: I just did this lol and checked online to see if anyone else did it too. It works really nice.
I used thermal paste and zipties to secure each block to the stepper motor. Dont use thermal tape its not as effective as paste.
I had to do this operations since my motors were overheating due to the enclosure design.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MZWVy.jpg)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/28 | 1,019 | 4,255 | <issue_start>username_0: When go to export a model using Fusion 360 or Meshmixer, I see that there are two options. Could the final model be affected by the format chosen at the time of saving?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xIEXt.png)<issue_comment>username_1: I have experienced problems on occasion when using a binary exported Meshmixer model. The slicers used have been Simplify3D and Prusa Slicer 2.0 and possibly an earlier version. I've not attempted to resolve the problem other than to change that specific model to export to ASCII which then solves the problem. ASCII files will be larger but that's not a significant factor, in my opinion.
If you are using a program which fails to properly process a binary export, it's simple enough to overwrite the model in ASCII form.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: The two formats contain the same information about the model, but the binary format is **much more compact**, so it will produce smaller files from the same part but they should work the same. That's to say, if you take the exact same model, save it as a binary STL and as an ASCII STL, the binary STL file will take up **fewer bytes** on disk. The number of triangles and the dimensions of the printed model will **stay the same**.
There are a couple of important exceptions here:
1. I don't know about Meshmixer specifically, but some tools will have completely different code paths for exporting the two formats. One exporter may have a bug that the other exporter doesn't. The same is true of the slicer, which may have a bug reading one of the two kinds of STL but not the other. In this case, it'll make a huge difference which one you use, but you'll only find out when one goes wrong. This is what fred\_dot\_u experienced in [his answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10889/8884).
2. Some tools have a way of putting colour information into the binary STL format, which isn't possible with the ASCII format. If your model has coloured triangles, you might find that the binary STL preserves the colours, while the ASCII STL loses the colours. Whether this matters to you depends on what printing technology you'll be using. Most slicers can't use these colours anyway - and subsequently, ignore color information on import.
The ASCII STL format is older than the binary format, so you may find some very old software can only understand the ASCII STL files, but unless you're working with such old software, it's usually better to use the binary format. Smaller files don't just save disk space: they're also faster to process and transfer via e-mail or on servers.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: You should always pick the *binary* option. ASCII files are larger and slower to save and load. There's no reason to ever use ASCII unless you are using software that is incompatible with binary files.
>
> Could the final model be affected by the format chosen at the time of saving?
>
>
>
In practice, the model will not be affected by either choice. There are some subtle differences between the two formats, such as binary being able to store an attribute per triangle (which is sometimes used to represent colour), ASCII being able to store a "name" for the solid in a file while binary can store an 80-byte header containing metadata, binary being limited to 32 bits of precision while ASCII theoretically has the option to use arbitrary precision. However, for 99.9% of all use cases there is no difference, so it is preferable to use binary for its smaller file size.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: The other answers on this thread seem kind of hand-wavy, so I'll give my input.
At its simplest, all we're dealing with here is two different formats of encoding the same data. The 3D file is identical, just described by the file data in different terms.
That being said, there is a multitude of different reasons that 3D prints can fail. Fusion 360 is notorious for having issues with slicers because of fillets, lofts, smooth-curvy type patterns, or intersecting planes.
Binary is a smaller encoding. It almost always works for me. ASCII has never failed me as a backup when binary did.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/30 | 3,107 | 9,502 | <issue_start>username_0: Why don't 3D printer heads use ceramic inner walls? PTFE tubes melt with high enough temperatures and all metal ends risk jamming as heat makes its way up the head.<issue_comment>username_1: Because PTFE doesn't transmit heat very well? The whole idea when using a PTFE tube (and this is just my understanding ... which could be wrong), is for the tubing not to transmit heat, therefore allowing the filament to pass through it without melting or at the very least, collecting a lot of heat along the way (which helps prevent jams). PTFE does a pretty good job of standing up to heat while accomplishing the task at hand. Ceramic does an *excellent* job of standing up to heat. The problem is, it will pass the heat along to the filament, most likely melting it, thus causing it to deform and jam before it gets to the hot end. This would then become a maintenance nightmare.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: It *can* be done cheaply, as two different users have proven, see
* [A practical 10 Cents Ceramic tube hotend](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,538786), and;
* [Hotend with ceramic parts](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?70,172916).
However, as Paulster2 states in his answer, there are some technical issues with using it, which make it rather problematic. Apparently, in comparison with PTFE, the thermal conductivity of the ceramic in spark plugs is too high, to use (according to `nophead` - a user on the reprap forums), and there are friction/clogging issues, unless the inner diameter is very well polished.
---
### Synopsis of reference
The RepRap user, `hp_`, encountered the issues above when attempting a design - from [Ceramic Hotend - Part 1](https://3dobjectifying.blogspot.com/2012/12/ceramic-hotend-part-1.html)
>
> **Research**
>
>
> As far as I know there are no ceramic hotends out there, I know
> nophead has tried some spark-plugs for nozzle holders but found them
> not suitable(thermal conductivity is pretty high). I wanted to give it
> a go, confident enough (I hoped), that it would work :)
>
>
> So in my case, a hotend exists out of 2 main parts, a nozzle holder
> and a nozzle.
>
>
> * The nozzle is the easy part it would stay brass.
> * The nozzle holder is the interesting part, here is what I've come-up with
>
>
> total length should be in the range of 35-40mm, see my first sketch
> below:
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bWtva.png)
>
>
> here are many types of ceramic out there, ie. 95% AI2O3, 99% AI2O3,
> Zirconia (see material properties sheet Link)
>
>
> 95% AI2O3 is easy to buy but after a few tests the conclusion was its
> to brittle for my taste, second material to try is Zirconia.
>
>
> I've found a few Chinese ceramic manufactures. Only draw back I had to
> order 10 pieces for the first batch.. on something that has never been
> tested, well I'd give it a shot.... and ordered the parts.
>
>
>
but the clogging issue mentioned above was encountered:
>
> ...after the first layer, it just stopped extruding.. ugh!!! what could
> be wrong????
>
>
> Possible root causes
> - Friction coefficient? Meaning after awhile the friction between PLA and the Ceramic became so high it would just jam the nozzle holder.
>
>
> * Stickiness? Could it be that after awhile PLA would just stick to the Ceramic and would jam because of this?
> * PLA thermal expansion( nozzle holder barrel is to small?) so the inner diameter of this nozzle holder is 3.2mm, could it be that the
> 3.0mm filament would expand so much because of the heat, that it would start to jam the nozzle holder?
> * Connection between nozzle and nozzle holder is insufficient cause the Jam??
>
>
>
The user was forced to return to using PTFE.
From [Ceramic hotend part-2](https://3dobjectifying.blogspot.com/2013/03/ceramic-hotend-part-2.html), after some rework done by the Chinese manufacturer, the new hotends worked correctly:
>
> Awhile ago i stared working on the ceramic hotend and found out the
> first version wouldn't work for 3.0mm fillament,
>
>
> after some discussion with my chinese counterpart :) i got a new
> version of the ceramic piece.
>
>
> They polished the inside very deep and precise. and i gave it another
> go.
>
>
>
and
>
> some more tinkering with the hotend and a new nozzle design, with a smaller Inner diameter, and its longer
>
>
>
Apart from that the details are a little sparse.
---
### Additional information
From [J-head with ceramic body instead of PEEK](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,295259), specifically [this post](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,295259,301258#msg-301258):
>
>
> >
> > Just to be clear, it's Ceramic Zirconium.
> >
> >
> > My concern was that Zirconium becomes brittle when it is exposed to heat for consecutive long periods of time. I would stay with PEEK.
> >
> >
> >
>
>
> MgO or Yttria stabilized grades of Zirconium are very stable.
>
>
> Pure ZrO2 is known to crack, so additives are used to stabilize it.
>
>
> **Key Properties of Zirconium Oxide**
>
>
> * *Use temperatures up to 2400°C*
> * High density
> * Low thermal conductivity (20% that of alumina)
> * Chemical inertness
> * Resistance to molten metals
> * Ionic electrical conduction
> * Wear resistance
> * *High fracture toughness*
> * High hardness
>
>
> **Typical Uses of ZrO2**
>
>
> * Precision ball valve balls and seats
> * High density ball and pebble mill grinding media
> * Rollers and guides for metal tube forming
> * Thread and wire guides
> * *Hot metal extrusion dies*
> * Deep well down-hole valves and seats -Powder compacting dies
> * Marine pump seals and shaft guides
> * Oxygen sensors
> * High temperature induction furnace susceptors
> * Fuel cell membranes
> * *Electric furnace heaters over 2000°C in oxidizing atmospheres*
>
>
> **Zirconium oxide**
>
>
> Zirconium oxide is used due to its polymorphism. It exists in three
> phases: monoclinic, tetragonal, and cubic. Cooling to the monoclinic
> phase after sintering causes a large volume change, which often causes
> stress fractures in pure zirconia. *Additives such as magnesium,
> calcium and yttrium are utilized in the manufacture of the knife
> material to stabilize the high-temperature phases and minimize this
> volume change*. The highest strength and toughness is produced by the
> addition of 3 mol% yttrium oxide yielding partially stabilized
> zirconia. This material consists of a mixture of tetragonal and cubic
> phases with a bending strength of nearly 1200 MPa. Small cracks allow
> phase transformations to occur, which essentially close the cracks and
> prevent catastrophic failure, resulting in a relatively tough ceramic
> material, sometimes known as TTZ (transformation toughened zirconia).
>
>
> Zirconium dioxide is one of the most studied ceramic materials. *Pure
> ZrO2* has a monoclinic crystal structure at room temperature and
> transitions to tetragonal and cubic at increasing temperatures. The
> volume expansion caused by the cubic to tetragonal to monoclinic
> transformation induces very large stresses, and will cause pure ZrO2
> to crack upon cooling from high temperatures. Several different oxides
> are added to zirconia to stabilize the tetragonal and/or cubic phases:
> magnesium oxide (MgO), yttrium oxide, (Y2O3), calcium oxide (CaO), and
> cerium(III) oxide (Ce2O3), amongst others.
>
>
> In the late 1980s, ceramic engineers learned to stabilize the
> tetragonal form at room temperature by adding small amounts (3–8
> mass%) of calcium and later yttrium or cerium. Although stabilized at
> room temperature, the tetragonal form is “metastable,” meaning that
> trapped energy exists within the material to drive it back to the
> monoclinic state. The highly localized stress ahead of a propagating
> crack is sufficient to trigger grains of ceramic to transform in the
> vicinity of that crack tip. In this case, the 4.4% volume increase
> becomes beneficial, essentially squeezing the crack closed (i.e.,
> transformation decreases the local stress intensity).
>
>
>
and the [following post](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,295259,301259#msg-301259)
>
> **Thermal conductivity:**
>
>
> * Diamond thermal conductivity: 1000 W/(m·K).
> * Copper thermal conductivity: 385 to 401 W/(m·K).
> * Aluminum: 205 W/(m·K).
> * Stainless steel 16 W/(m·K).
> * Granite: 1.7 to 4 W/(m·K).
> * Zirconia has a typical thermal conductivity of 1.7 to 2.2 W/(m·K).
> * Porcelain has a typical thermal conductivity of 1.5 to 5 W/(m·K).
> * Glass thermal conductivity: 1.05 W/(m·K).
>
>
>
### Rulon
As an aside, again from [J-head with ceramic body instead of PEEK](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,295259), specifically [this post](https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?1,295259,301193#msg-301193):
>
> Rulon was one material we used. I think it is a glass filled ptfe. The mechanical strength is far better than solid ptfe and it is easy to machine. There are many grades but Rulon AR for example will withstand 288 deg C.
>
>
>
but there are inconsistencies in quality
>
> Rulon i looked at a while ago, there are plenty of options with it, however the cost of some of these materials can be incredibly high, and in some cases availability is a serious problem, and the difference country to country is borderline criminal in some cases
>
>
>
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer] |
2019/08/30 | 2,028 | 6,222 | <issue_start>username_0: I've just built my son's A6 and have connected all cables apart from the last power cables. The mainboard says hotbed line and extruder line but the cable says heatbed.
The cables are two red which are crimped together and two black crimped together.
All of the videos online show a different mainboard and connections.
There are more connections than cables because the wires are crimped.
I can't get my head around which wires go where, any ideas?<issue_comment>username_1: The manual appears to be available here, [Installation Instruction\_Anet A6 3D Printer - Elektor](https://www.elektor.com/amfile/file/download/file/1606/product/8457/&usg=AOvVaw3bQeEWg--MsnW9KbsTKc_c)
However, according to [this comment](https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/anet-a6/forums/general/topic:15480#comment-1342949) from [Hard copy of the build guide?](https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/anet-a6/forums/general/topic:15480), there is a mistake in the PDF of the manual, with respect to the heatbed, and as such, it is better to follow the videos:
>
> I find it is better to use the 3 videos:
>
>
> * [3D Printer Instruction--Anet 3D Printer A6 Assembly Video 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOasLyRQk3E)
> * [3D Printer Instruction--Anet 3D Printer A6 Assembly Video 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQzOHL_89nc)
> * [Printer Instruction- A6 - Hot Bed Level Adjustment and Print Test](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uars72RdzK8)
>
>
> Only errors in the videos and i believe the instuction the Hetbed
> fixing plate i have build diffrently , rotated by 180 degrees
> vertical, since it is better for the belt and somewhere in the video
> during fixating of the end-switch and the blower he interchanged the
> screws.
>
>
>
However, looking at the manual, if it is to be believed, then be aware that *as well as* one connection for the extruder motor, there are two connectors *each* for *both* the extruder and the hotbed heaters:
* One for the separate heating elements, of the extruder and hotbed respectively, and;
* One for the thermistor sensor (both the extruder *and* the hotbed have separate thermistors).
This makes *five in total* for the extruder and the hotbed combined.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WCBtC.jpg "Mainboard A6")
However, the power connections for the Extruder *motor* has four pins (in white at the top), whereas the heating elements for the hotbed and the extruder have two pins and are of a different shape (in green on the left). The sensor connections for both the extruder and the sensor have three pins (in white at the bottom), but it should be easy not to confuse them, so long as you follow the wires to check to which component they go to.
---
### Additional points to be aware of
From [this comment](https://www.thingiverse.com/groups/anet-a6/forums/general/topic:15480#comment-1343762) in the same thread:
>
> I just built an A6 three weeks ago and with the videos it is really a
> breeze to assemble the unit.
>
>
> Just pay attention to the heat bed mounting plate as it is installed
> bottoms up in the video. The bar connecting the outer two plates where
> the heat bed is finally mounted should be below the plates, not above
> as in the video.
>
>
> Also, if you still have time, order some decent toothed belt, Igus
> Drylin RJ4JP-01, and toothwheels for the Y and X belts and replace the
> original pulleys, bearings, and belts before you even assemble the
> unit. I just changed mine last week and it does make a hell of a
> difference - with this little upgrades (cost me less than 30$ for
> everything - at Amazon) you upgrade from an okay printer to a really
> decent machine.
>
>
> * The belt: [https://www.amazon.com/Anycubic-Meters-Timing-Pulleys-Printer/dp/B0152ZNDLK](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B0152ZNDLK)
> * The pulleys: [https://www.amazon.com/Aluminum-Bearing-Timing-3D-printers/dp/B0188HW4Z0](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B0188HW4Z0)
> * The bearings: [https://www.amazon.com/Printer-Solid-Polymer-LM8UU-Bearing/dp/B06XPRCMJS](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B06XPRCMJS)
> (actually, you need 8 pieces - not seven as in the images - 4 for the
> Y-axis and 4 for the X-axis)
>
>
> The above are not the actual articles I've bought because I am from
> Europe where Amazon sells in different quantities.
>
>
> If you want to go on the safe side, grab a second power supply and two
> MOSFET boards to remove the high current from the mainboard:
>
>
> * PSU: [https://www.amazon.com/eTopxizu-Universal-Regulated-Switching-Computer/dp/B00D7CWSCG](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00D7CWSCG)
> (just as an example)
> * MOSFET: [https://www.amazon.com/Wangdd22-Printer-Expansion-Heatbed-Current/dp/B01MY50JL3](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B01MY50JL3)
> * Power socket and switch: [https://www.amazon.com/URBEST-Module-Switch-Certification-Socket/dp/B00ME5YAPK](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00ME5YAPK)
>
>
> Last recommendation: get some 3mm borosilicate glass to lay (clip)
> over the heatbed. This will make the prints stick better and also
> provide a perfectly flat surface for the builds (still, you'll need to
> do the levelling)
>
>
> Glass:
> [https://www.amazon.com/Signstek-Printer-Tempered-Borosilicate-2132003mm/dp/B00QQ5Q3BI](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00QQ5Q3BI)
>
>
> When assembling the heatbed mount, pay lots of attention to the 16
> screws. Tighten them one by one diagonally and move the bed around. If
> the bed feels stuck, loosen the last screws and shift the mounts
> around a bit. The lighter this mount moves, the better your prints
> will be.
>
>
> One thing that you must be aware: This printer is a great little unit,
> but it needs love, dedication and plenty upgrades. Out of the box it
> works okay, but with the upgrades it becomes a really good unit.
>
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Thanx for the help, got it running now.
The board in the pic is the older version, my problem was the wires for the extruder had been cut really short for some reason and not labled.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/08/31 | 1,097 | 4,001 | <issue_start>username_0: You can see small gaps in the print which looks like under extrusion (see image below).
What is the reason for that?
I've tried smaller retracting distances. Temperature looks stable.
Print settings:
* PETG from Extruder
* 245 °C Printing temperature
* 50 mm/s print speed
* 25 mm/s wall speed
* 30 mm/s retracting speed
* 1 mm retraction distance -> stringing...
* Print cooling fan is enabled
Setup:
* E3D Titan Aero
* Duet Wifi
* 1,5 A Motor current for feeder motor
* 250 mm/s2 feeder max acceleration
Slicer:
* Ultimaker Cura 4.0
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/yXGPn.jpg "Small gaps in the print")<issue_comment>username_1: Here's your problem:
>
> * 1 mm retraction distance -> stringing...
>
>
>
If you have stringing, that means that material that was supposed to end up as part of printed lines instead ended up somewhere else, leaving less material (underextrusion) where it was actually wanted. This particular test piece may not exhibit stringing, but it's likely that it occurred interior to the piece, in the infill region. Contrary to widespread(?) opinion, stringing here is not harmless. It's just not visibly ugly. But it still messes up the surface quality, and even more importantly the strength, of your print.
You don't say if your printer has a bowden extruder or direct drive. If a Bowden, the 1 mm of retraction is virtually useless; a typical Bowden system has more than 1 mm just of *compression* between the extruder gear and the hotend, meaning that retracting by 1 mm does not pull the filament back out of the hotend at all, and doesn't even relieve all the pressure that's pushing melted material out. I would recommend an absolute minimum of 5 mm for Bowden type extruders, unless your printer firmware has linear advance (Marlin 1.1.9+ or comparable features in other firmware) in which case you might be able to reduce it some. For direct drive, I don't have experience, but 1 mm is still probably too low; 2.5 mm is the believable recommendation I've heard.
In addition to retraction, you can further reduce material loss to stringing/oozing in the infill region by turning on Ultimaker Cura's "Zig-zaggify infill" option, which helps avoid in generating travel without retraction over unprinted area within the infill zone (see e.g. [this issue](https://github.com/Ultimaker/CuraEngine/issues/1084)). Turning slicer setting "combing" to "off" is an even more extreme option here. Of course make sure retraction is really on (not "retract at layer change", which is a separate, mostly useless option) and make sure "retraction minimum travel" is set low (something like 150 % of the nozzle width or less) to prevent retraction from getting skipped on short travel moves.
I also just noticed you wrote:
>
> I've tried smaller retracting distances...
>
>
>
This was probably based on erroneous advice. Reducing or eliminating retraction does not mitigate these sorts of problems; it creates them. The only reasons to reduce retraction distance are to fight problems with the extruder gear grinding down the filament after repeated retraction, and problems with jamming the path into the hotend due to pulling molten material back into the cool part where it then solidifies and jams. If you're not having such problems you should not reduce retraction. If you are having such problems, you should try to fix them in other ways that still let you keep the necessary amount of retraction not to have catastrophic print quality problems from material coming out in the wrong places.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I increased the retracting distance to 1.5mm. Speed was set to 30mm/s
Printing temperature is still 245°C
The screw which is pressing the filament to the drive gear was too tight.
So the stepper lost steps.
-> No stringing and no under extrusion anymore. prints are looking good now.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/08/31 | 533 | 1,889 | <issue_start>username_0: I've asked a question before on the extruder gear clicking on my CR-10, but I'm certain its because of the nozzle getting clogged for some reason. I'm using a standard 0.4 mm nozzle with white PLA and randomly during the print the extruder gear starts clicking on the fast parts and then under extrudes the rest of the print, eventually the hobbed gear digs away at the filament and doesn't grip anymore. Why would the nozzle keep getting clogged? Could it be because the filament isn't high enough quality and is leaving particles in the nozzle?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/j83BN.jpg)
Additionally, when I performed a cold pull after breaking up the blockage on the inside, the filament came out like a thin film even though it was purging fine before I cooled it down. Why?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PwXZl.jpg)
* 190 °C nozzle temperature (tried printing at 210 °C and the filament burned)
* 50 °C bed temperature
* 60 mm/s speed, outline 50 % - first layer being 30 mm/s
* 0.2 mm layer height
This starting happening after I returned to printing after a 6 month break, with the filament being stored in a cool and dry cupboard for around a year (the filament was on the cheaper side, but still highly recommended by SUNLU)<issue_comment>username_1: Turns out the filament was the problem, I tried printing a model with a high quality sample PLA filament I had and it printed perfectly; one of the cleanest prints I've had. Never skimp on filament.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: White PLA is usually some of the worst stuff to print with, generally avoid it. I would say. I myself are having a lot of problems with it as well.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/02 | 410 | 1,557 | <issue_start>username_0: I got my ender 3 about a month ago, it was working fine. Tried a new brand, overture, this is when I started experiencing problems. First, I was clogging nozzles left and right, then I went back to hatchbox, and my layers are messed up...
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TXuzX.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Seems like in Movement without displaycement in x and y it seems to fit (neck-area).
I also would check your belts. There may be a bit too much friction.
Otherwise have you made some Testprints (calibration cube, boat)?
Especially the base looks bad. But it is not a cylinder or?
If you want, you may show us your 3dModell (rendered)
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I wonder if this problem is unrelated to your material or printer, and purely a matter of slicer breakage. Have you tried printing gcode files you created before the problem appeared? If you use Cura and upgraded it, you might have hit one of the bugs where it assumes by default you have 2.85 mm filament, even though your printer actually uses 1.75 mm. That will create underextrusion that has the whole printed object coming apart like an unravelling mummy. When I've seen it happen, it looks very similar to your picture.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Have you replaced your extruder stepper assembly with a metal one? I had a similar issue after a month of printing on my ender 3 because the plastic part had worn through and was causing drag on the filament.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/03 | 1,173 | 4,930 | <issue_start>username_0: Do we need mold release agent in 3D printing mold? If it is not used, what effect will it have on the product?<issue_comment>username_1: Welcome to the 3D Printing Stack Exchange site.
Used in Casting
---------------
A mold release agent is commonly used when a part is cast. The release agent is placed on the inside of the mold before the liquid object is added. As the object becomes solid, the release agent prevents the object from adhering to the mold. As a result, the objects are easier to pop out of the mold, and in some processes, the mold can be reused.
3D Printing is Different
------------------------
A mold release agent is used to allow the desired part to be separated from the mold. In FDM (thin plastic extrusions bonding together into objects) 3D printing, the object is surrounded by air, except for the bottom where the object contacts the print bed.
Bed Adhesion
------------
For most materials, getting the bottom of the object to stick firmly enough is the problem faced, rather than making it easy to remove. In many cases, a compound is placed on the top of the bed to help the plastic stick to the bed. It is a "mode adhesion agent" rather than a release agent.
For some combinations of materials, the bed material and the plastic have a particularly strong adhesion, such that it can be difficult to remove the object without damaging the bed surface. Notably, this occurs with a PEI bed and PETG plastic. In this and similar cases, the mold adhesion agents can be used on the bed. This slightly separates the plastic from the bed material, and we can avoid bed damage.
Internal Adhesion
-----------------
With multimaterial printers becoming more common, there are cases where two parts which might touch and stich during printing should be isolated during the printing process. A second (or third) material can be used to isolate the parts. If the isolation material is sufficiently different from the desired objects, it can be removed by a solvent.
This approach is limited to cases where the objects should be separated by at least one printer thickness of the soluble material.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: 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.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This question lead to an idea of using some "release agent" as anti-stick remedy between support and the printing part.
Basically the main purpose of mold release agent is to prevent sticking.
So if the 3d printer will have extra nozzle to dispense agent on top of printed support and before next layers then yes this will be perfect for 3d printing.
Support will do role of supporting but not stick to the printed part and as result could be easily removed.
But I am sure almost any oil will do the trick.
My experience with molds in 3d printing:
I used 3d printed PLA molds with "oven backing clay" which I believe is mostly vinyl mixed with some organic compounds. With some thinning liquid from the same manufacturer I was able to make clay flow and be injected into mold.
I used oil to make clay release from molds easily. After been released parts baked in oven for 30 minutes under 110C. Then they left for some time to cool down and polymerize. The final parts look like plastic but much stronger and obviously heat resistant.
This technique could be used to design and test molds that finally will be metal and to be used in real injection molding process. This is what was my original target.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/03 | 1,778 | 7,208 | <issue_start>username_0: I run quite a few Ender 3 Pro's using the same slicer settings (Simplify3D), and just recently I have noticed a very odd extrusion problem.
I find that at about the same height on several printers the printer under extrudes by quite a margin. After that, it either continues to under extrude for the rest of the print or it will go back to extruding proper amounts of filament with no problem. This destroys the print and makes it both structurally weak and defective. I am wasting quite a bit of PLA trying to fix this problem so any help would be appreciated.
Here is what I have done so far:
* I first made sure that the hobbed gear is clean.
* I tried extruding the filament with a very hot temp (240C) there were no problems here and the filament extruded fine albeit, it was not on the bed, just extruding into the air to see if the problem was heat.
* I tried the same thing as above but with a low temp (180) this also proved just fine again extruding in the air.
* I calibrated my E steps per mm, those are fine and accurate.
* I tried increasing my flow rate to 118%
* I tried switching to a different nozzle
* I tried switching to a different hobbed gear
* I tried switching the mechanism that pushes the filament up against the hobbed gear
That's about it. Not sure where to go from here so if anyone out there can think of anything I missed, I would love to hear it!
EDIT 1:
As per @fred\_dot\_u asked, the elapsed time at the layer of failure is roughly four hours in. I have also attached a picture of one example of this kind of failure below. I would also like to mention that this is happening on several of these printers as I have 18 printers running in one room. Our current theory is that the power draw is simply too high and so the printers are not getting the heat they need, however, the thermistors still register a solid 195C on my printers that are currently running.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/c7D32.jpg)
EDIT 2:
Here is another picture of a different model with the same layer failure problem but at a lower layer height. This model was printed along with 11 other identical models on the same bed, all of which failed at the same height.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bb3g2.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Welcome to the 3D Printing Stack Exchange site.
Used in Casting
---------------
A mold release agent is commonly used when a part is cast. The release agent is placed on the inside of the mold before the liquid object is added. As the object becomes solid, the release agent prevents the object from adhering to the mold. As a result, the objects are easier to pop out of the mold, and in some processes, the mold can be reused.
3D Printing is Different
------------------------
A mold release agent is used to allow the desired part to be separated from the mold. In FDM (thin plastic extrusions bonding together into objects) 3D printing, the object is surrounded by air, except for the bottom where the object contacts the print bed.
Bed Adhesion
------------
For most materials, getting the bottom of the object to stick firmly enough is the problem faced, rather than making it easy to remove. In many cases, a compound is placed on the top of the bed to help the plastic stick to the bed. It is a "mode adhesion agent" rather than a release agent.
For some combinations of materials, the bed material and the plastic have a particularly strong adhesion, such that it can be difficult to remove the object without damaging the bed surface. Notably, this occurs with a PEI bed and PETG plastic. In this and similar cases, the mold adhesion agents can be used on the bed. This slightly separates the plastic from the bed material, and we can avoid bed damage.
Internal Adhesion
-----------------
With multimaterial printers becoming more common, there are cases where two parts which might touch and stich during printing should be isolated during the printing process. A second (or third) material can be used to isolate the parts. If the isolation material is sufficiently different from the desired objects, it can be removed by a solvent.
This approach is limited to cases where the objects should be separated by at least one printer thickness of the soluble material.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_1: 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.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This question lead to an idea of using some "release agent" as anti-stick remedy between support and the printing part.
Basically the main purpose of mold release agent is to prevent sticking.
So if the 3d printer will have extra nozzle to dispense agent on top of printed support and before next layers then yes this will be perfect for 3d printing.
Support will do role of supporting but not stick to the printed part and as result could be easily removed.
But I am sure almost any oil will do the trick.
My experience with molds in 3d printing:
I used 3d printed PLA molds with "oven backing clay" which I believe is mostly vinyl mixed with some organic compounds. With some thinning liquid from the same manufacturer I was able to make clay flow and be injected into mold.
I used oil to make clay release from molds easily. After been released parts baked in oven for 30 minutes under 110C. Then they left for some time to cool down and polymerize. The final parts look like plastic but much stronger and obviously heat resistant.
This technique could be used to design and test molds that finally will be metal and to be used in real injection molding process. This is what was my original target.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/05 | 717 | 2,146 | <issue_start>username_0: I am a fresh graduate student in 3D metal printing. My undergraduate major is mechanical engineering. Later research will focus on the process of metal 3D printing. I hope that you can recommend some excellent 3D metal printing books for learning.<issue_comment>username_1: This is a free ebook that I have perused briefly which it looks interesting, and it is free (did I say that already?)
* [3D Printing of metals](https://www.mdpi.com/books/pdfview/book/384)
+ <NAME>
+ ISBN 978-3-03842-591-5 (Pbk);
+ ISBN 978-3-03842-592-2 (PDF)
Three other books that *might* be of interest are:
* [3D Printing with Metals for Design Engineers, Explained](https://www.designnews.com/materials-assembly/free-e-book-3d-printing-metals-design-engineers-explained/200976711359482)
+ <NAME>
+ Downloadable free ebook, but some sort of sign up is required
* [Additive Manufacturing of Metals: The Technology, Materials, Design and Production](https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319551272),
+ <NAME>., <NAME>., <NAME>., <NAME>., <NAME>., <NAME>., <NAME>.
+ ISBN 978-3-319-55128-9
* [Additive Manufacturing of Metals: From Fundamental Technology to Rocket Nozzles, Medical Implants, and Custom Jewelry (Springer Series in Materials Science)](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/3319582046)
+ Although, as the title contains a (rather obvious) mis-spelling, it does not bode well for the rest of the book.
+ <NAME>
+ ISBN-13: 978-3319582047
+ ISBN-10: 3319582046
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Just wanted to add that ultimately you get a lot more quick practical knowledge from your machine's manufacturer or DMLS service provider so don't forget to look at publications from the industry leaders. They have incentive to make sure you succeed when using their products. Just beware the salesmanship.
For example Stratasys:
<https://www.stratasysdirect.com/resources/design-guidelines/direct-metal-laser-sintering>
I believe there's also a very similar guide from Xometry and others. Gpi also had some good insights on some of the more exotic materials.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/06 | 891 | 3,466 | <issue_start>username_0: For the geometry I am making, I want to extrude each face individually along its normal.
This is a standard procedure in 3D modeling software like Blender; see Example 3 [here](https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/7365/extrude-faces-along-local-normals).
Is this possible in OpenSCAD?<issue_comment>username_1: Extruding faces is only possible on 2D polygons. From a 3D object you cannot capture the face and extrude it. To extrude "faces" you would need to define the shape of the face and extend it in the third dimension of your choice. This way a 3D shape is created that could be concatenated (joined using e.g. [`union`](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/CSG_Modelling#union)) to the original shape. For the extrusion, the function [`linear_extrude`](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/2D_to_3D_Extrusion#Linear_Extrude) is available:
```
linear_extrude(height = fanwidth, center = true, convexity = 10, twist = -fanrot, slices = 20, scale = 1.0, $fn = 16) {...}
```
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Built-in to the language and its CSG model, no - processing the CSG tree is a completely separate phase following execution of the functional language, and there is no way to "read back" anything from the conversion of the model into faces in order to operate on the faces.
However, you can do this if you're willing to do some heavy lifting yourself, or look for library code from someone else who's already done it. What it would involve is working out a description form of your own in terms of nested lists representing the model, with a module for converting the list to an OpenSCAD CSG tree. You can then write functions to manipulate this description in arbitrary ways, essentially reinventing the CSG phase of OpenSCAD within its own language. Some lesser versions of this have definitely been done in the past for things like implementing "loft" type functionality in OpenSCAD.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: For extruding a single face, as long as you can know the plane the face is in, you can [`projection`](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/OpenSCAD_User_Manual/3D_to_2D_Projection) it to a 2D shape then `linear_extrude` that. In general you need the `cut=true` variant of `projection`, and you need to translate/rotate the object to be projected such that the face is in the XY plane (this is the "as long as you can know") part. Unfortunately this is subject to numerical instability, so you probably have to translate it by an extra 0.001 or so to *cross* the XY plane, in which case you'll end up with an approximation of the face rather than an exact version of it.
(Strictly speaking OpenSCAD doesn't have exact things anyway, except in the case of faces sharing points in a `polyhedron`, so this limitation probably doesn't make the situation any worse than it already is in OpenSCAD).
Once you have the projection, you can `linear_extrude` it in any direction you want, manipulate the result (e.g. skew with a transformation matrix), and rotate and translate it back onto the face. It should be possible to wrap up this whole operation into a `module` that operates on its child[ren].
Another approach would be capturing a thin slice around the face manually via `intersection`, then performing a `hull` with a translate of itself, but this will only work if it's convex (otherwise `hull` will fill in the convex hull of the 2D face shape too).
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/06 | 966 | 3,703 | <issue_start>username_0: * Plastic: Same Matterhacker PLA (filament I use every day)
* Printer: Anycubic i3 Mega (the one I use every day)
* Slicer: Ultimaker Cura 4.2.1
I don't know what's causing it, I haven't changed any slicer settings to my knowledge, I haven't changed anything on the printers end, and I'm using the same filament I've always used. But for some reason, the first layer is simply not sticking. At first I noticed when doing a print the nozzle seemed a little higher than normal for the first layer, but then it started having problems where 0 % of the filament would stick to the bed and it would all just come off and turn into a mess. I've checked and checked, but I see no reason the printer would just start doing this now all the sudden when it's worked perfectly for a year now.
---
EDIT: Something I've noticed since posting this is that older sliced models seem to print just fine, which means there's something about the newser slicer settings that's causing it. I don't know what I would have changed though and/or how to restore to my original settings.<issue_comment>username_1: There are 3 general factors about print adhesion you always have to keep in mind:
* Have a sufficient surface for the print to stick. A pyramid printed on the tip can't print properly.
* Check the leveling of your bed occasionally and relevel the bed. By removing prints, one can easily unlevel it over time without noticing it.
* Clean your print bed from fingerprints and grease every so often. Fats are good separators between the print and the bed. Getting them off with Isopropyl alcohol or other solvents can restore print surfaces in an instant.
In this specific case, there are some hints that make the general things less of an issue though: Old sliced items print fine, newer not. This hints that you changed something in the print settings. Among the settings that are good for adhesion, check your old G-code for the following three:
* Bed temperature. I use 60 °C bed temperature for PLA and have good results on bed adhesion. Others print with 50 °C. However, going too low can make the plastic not stick well anymore.
* Extrusion temperature. When the plastic extrudes, it has to be molten enough to push out enough and cold enough to solidify within moments and stick to the surface of the bed. If it is too hot, it would be dragged along, if it's too cold it doesn't get to stick either. I use 190-200 °C for PLA.
* The `first layer height` might be different. I usually use 0.2 mm for this setting, no matter what the actual layer height is, and get good adhesion and not too much trouble with tiny unevenness.
* The reason might be a mechanical issue, in that the [Z-endstops](https://drucktipps3d.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/anycubic_i3_mega_endstop-1024x768.jpg) (in an Anycubic i3, there are two, hidden in the frame sides) might have bent, moved or misaligned over time. Check its positioning. If the mount is broken, there are [replacement part designs](https://www.thingiverse.com/make:441224).
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: This seems like a long-shot, but I've noticed at this time of year many 3D prints fail. We noticed 4 printers all went dead and had massive non-stick issues last year about this time. Turns out it was mostly around changes in temperature and humidity - the outside temperature changed inside AC settings/wind-flow, etc.
So, you might think through some of the meta-causes of where the printer is, and if temp/air/humidity might be just enough chaos to not make the material stick. Right in September, I start putting a light layer of glue down on the glass bed under each print or increasing the use of rafts...
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/08 | 1,458 | 4,826 | <issue_start>username_0: We all know, that the best layer hight is, when you have multiples of full steps. If it is not, sometimes steps get skipped and end up bad layer-to-layer adhesion when one height step missed a tiny bit and then the next catches up, creating an extra-thick layer. For example, this was printed somewhat deliberately, and here, the extra spaced layers are perfect for delaminating the print with just a fingernail:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QwkYK.jpg)
The Ender 3 I have uses the following Z-Rod:
* Diameter 8 mm
* 4 flutes
* ca 13 Threads per inch
+ That is [according to the table](https://mdmetric.com/tech/tict.htm), a 2 mm pitch for *one* thread.
+ As a result, it's an 8 mm pitch for each of the 4 threads.
The firmware (Marlin) I use claims in `configuration.h` that the NEMA17 motor would be using 400 Steps per mm in Z. `configuration_adv.h` tells that the microsteps on the Z-axis motor are 16.
In the printer's menu, Babystepping is in increments of 0.049 mm (though some rounding error seems to be there: 5 Babysteps are 0.250 mm).<issue_comment>username_1: >
> that the NEMA17 motor would be using 400 Steps per mm in Z. `configuration_adv.h` tells that the microsteps on the Z-axis motor are 16.
>
>
>
Easy. There are 400 microsteps in a millimeter, and 16 microsteps in a full step. So, there are 400/16=25 full steps in a millimeter. So a full step is 1/25th of a millimeter, or 0.04 mm. Your layer height should be a multiple of this.
As your leadscrew has a lead of 8 mm (i.e., a full rotation will move the Z-axis by 8 mm), a full step is either 8/200=0.04 mm (for a 1.8 degree stepper) or 8/400=0.02 mm (for a 0.9 degree stepper). So, apparently, you have a 1.8 degree stepper (and this is the most common type of stepper).
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: I see you've already accepted an answer, but based on your comments I think you have some misunderstandings of the topic which are worth clarifying as part of answering this question.
>
> 0.2125 layer height (+1/4 microstep) and doing all the movements in absolute movements instead of relative forced the result, as the target heights were as a result at 0.2125 mm (for the stepper that's effectively a 0.2 mm), 0.425 (0.4), 0.675 (for the stepper that's, depending on rounding or truncting, 0.6 or 0.7), 0.9 (here they are both 0.9) and so on.
>
>
>
It sounds like your understanding is that the stepper driver is "rounding"/"truncating" to Z positions that are multiples of 0.1 mm. Perhaps that's based on the LCD status display of the Ender 3's firmware, which is based on Marlin 1.0 or something around that version, and shows current coordinates rounded or truncated (I forget which) to one decimal place. This does not have anything to do with the positioning limitations of the actual machine; it's just bad user interface design.
The actual firmware position is translated from the floating point value in the gcode to the nearest step/microstep that the stepper driver can represent. With full steps being 0.04 mm, microsteps are 0.0025 mm (1/16 of a step). All of these positions are "exact" in a logical sense, but of course subject to physical limits of the mechanical parts and accuracy of microstepping. On the topic of microstepping accuracy, you should read [How Accurate Is Microstepping Really?](https://hackaday.com/2016/08/29/how-accurate-is-microstepping-really/) Most if not all models of the Ender 3 have A4988 stepper drivers, one of the chips reviewed in that article. But the important part is that there's no rounding/truncation to whole steps taking place. Rather, the stepper driver is *trying* to position the motor in between whole steps by balancing the magnetic fields pulling it in each direction, with the goal of producing a linear interpolation between the two adjacent full steps. How well it does this is a matter of the quality of the stepper drivers and the load on the motor.
Back to your test, your layer height of 0.2125 mm is not one step plus 1/4 microstep. It's 5 steps (5 \* 0.04 mm) plus 0.0125 mm which is 5 microsteps. This is probably a decent test - 5 is 1 mod 16, so you'll end up with a period-16 cycle of microstep positions, at 5, 10, 15, 4, 9, 14, 3, 8, 13, 2, 7, 12, 1, 6, and 11 microsteps mod the whole step. This is pretty close to a period of 3, so you might expect to see some irregularity from poor microstepping accuracy that looks periodic every 3 layers, or you might see it repeating only every 16 layers (every 3.4 mm). But regardless I would not expect delamination problems from this. I think there's another serious extrusion problem behind the photo in your question, and you should probably open a new question about what it might be.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/12 | 2,168 | 8,037 | <issue_start>username_0: I've just done my [first print](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3709044) on an Ultimaker 3 Extended and I'm slightly disappointed with the results, so I'm trying to understand how I can do better next time.
My first print
--------------
Preparing for printing I naively just dropped the two `stl` files into Cura, set the recommended layer height and infill, selected support (defaulting to Extruder 1), deselected adhesion, ran the slice, saved the g-code and started the print running. Luckily the head 1 did have the same PLA AA 0.4 filament that Cura assumed.
When the print finished, I stripped out the support structures, cleaning out the hollow, and cleaning off lots of stringy loose filaments between the lower support and the bottom edge of the print.
Even after cleaning up though, the overhanging structure above the support structure turned out to be very rough with many individual filaments visible and in irregular positions, rather than the nice concentric lines in the slice.
My first attempt to optimise the print
--------------------------------------
Looking at the completed print I realised that there would have been only a fraction of the support structure, and probably clean edges, if the part had been oriented as a `d` rather than as a `p` (the rough surface being the bottom of the `p` overhang).
I re-ran the slice in `d` orientation and that saved 10 minutes of print time, and a 100 mm of filament, so I know I'll definitely need to look out for that in the future. I can also see how that would fix the problem with the external overhang separating out into loose threads, since that face would no longer be an overhang.
Trying to add water soluble supports
------------------------------------
After the first fix, I wondered what I could do with the second extruder and realised that it was filled with water soluble PVA filament. This made me wonder if this would have helped with the internal overhang.
I Configured Extruder 2 as PVA BB 0.4 and selected Extruder 2 for the support structures and re-ran the slice.
I was surprised that the it was now taking 40 minutes longer and using almost 470 mm more filament!
Looking at the slices, Cura had created a huge PVA scaffolding on the *outside* of the print, leaving the inside, where the previous PLA support had been, completely empty:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KXOTE.png)vs.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ur5eG.png)
This was not what I was expecting.
Questions
---------
* Why didn't the slicing algorithm place PVA support structures inside the overhang, in the same way as it placed the PLA support structures?
* What is the reason for the external scaffolding, and how does it help support the internal overhang, which now has no internal support at all?
* Is the behaviour I expected possible, advisable or configurable in Cura? If so, what options should I be looking at, if not is there other software that does support this?<issue_comment>username_1: Owning the Ultimaker 3 Extended and having printed kilometers of filament on this printer I can tell you that printing with PVA, apart from the slicing problems you mention, is not easy as it looks. PVA clogs up very fast and is very hygroscopic. Moist PVA will make popping sounds on extrusion and is prone to failing. PVA is not my preferred solution. An alternative solution is to use break-away filament, my colleagues have some reasonable good experience with that.
>
> Why didn't the slicing algorithm place PVA support structures inside the overhang, in the same way as it placed the PLA support structures?
>
>
>
The difference you report could be caused by the slicer settings. I get exactly the same results if you set the slicing parameter `Support Placement` to `Touching Buildplate` (first image), or `Everywhere` (second image).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AWlKOm.png "`Support Placement` option `Touching Buildplate`")vs.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xHc76m.png "`Support Placement` option `Everywhere`")
>
> What is the reason for the external scaffolding, and how does it help support the internal overhang, which now has no internal support at all?
>
>
>
To answer the scaffolding part of your question, that can only be explained by being the decision of the developers. There must be very good reasons for doing it like this as a similar support structure is generated in other slicers, e.g. Slic3r (actually this is caused by a slicer setting, see [this answer](/a/11006/) explaining why the scaffolding is caused). Some slicers do have options to change the support type, e.g. Slic3r has the option `pillars`, which creates pillars without external scaffolding:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Gpzssm.png "Slic3r pillars support option")vs.[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pllIVm.png "Slic3r rectangular support option")
>
> Is the behaviour I expected possible, advisable or configurable in Cura? If so, what options should I be looking at, if not is there other software that does support this?
>
>
>
Playing with the settings to reduce the amount of PVA as suggested in the comments by enabling the type of extruder for specific parts of the extruder I was able to create a solution without scaffolding. This solution only uses PVA for the bottom and top layer of the support structure.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/edr4b.png "Cura additional support extruder settings")
The shown settings1) produce a support structure with PVA top and bottom layers:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1ysAhm.png "Non scaffolding support structure")or[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Zk35Cm.png "Non scaffolding support structure in material color")
Where the latter image is in material color; black PLA and natural colored PVA
---
1) *It might be worth mentioning that by default, the Support section doesn't show the Support interface extruder options and you have to go into Preferences and check the Setting Visibility option for those to appear.*
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: >
> What is the reason for the external scaffolding...?
>
>
>
Reading through the [Ultimaker support page](https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/52663-support), I discovered that there is a *Support horizontal expansion* option in the *Support* section of the Custom Profile.
This appears to default to 0 mm for PLA, but defaults to 3 mm for PVA, which explains the difference in slicing behaviour.
If I set *Support horizontal expansion* to 0 mm, then I get the support I originally expected:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pAtNh.png)
Ultimately though, the solution proposed by [Trish](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/8884/trish) and detailed in [Oscar](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/users/5740/username_1)'s [answer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/11004/63) using PVA just at the interfaces would be a *much* better solution, given the cost of PVA.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/13 | 1,213 | 3,815 | <issue_start>username_0: I am having a few problems with my BLTouch. I have calibrated it several times using different methods and get the nozzle being 1.3 mm lower than the BLTouch pin so a Z offset of -1.3 mm. This works fine for auto homing, bed levelling and using code `G1 Z0` to lower to where needed. However when using Cura to print the nozzle homes exactly as it should then drives the nozzle in to the bed as it starts or tries to start to print and not just a little bit either. Anyone have any ideas?
Start G-code is:
```
G28 ;Home
G29 ;Probe
G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move Platform down 15 mm
G92 E0
G1 F200 E3
G92 E0
```<issue_comment>username_1: You should be able to offset this with a `G54 Z-1.3` - **if your setup accepts these gcodes**.
If you do this, always add a `G53` to the very start and just before the `M30` to clear all offsets after job finish (or in the event of a cancel, at the start of the next job).
I'm not experienced with a wide variety of printers or firmware, but our repetier-based printers (and we use the same controls for our refurbished Fadal CNC machines) use G53-G59:
[As explained in this tutorial from cnccookbook.com](https://www.cnccookbook.com/g54-g92-g52-work-offsets-cnc-g-code/):
>
> Basic work offsets are very simple to specify: simply enter one of G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, or G59. [...] When you execute the work offset g-code, the XYZ offset will be added to all of your coordinates from that point forward.
>
>
>
[As detailed on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
>
> **G54-59**: Have largely replaced position register (G50 and G92). Each tuple of axis offsets relates program zero directly to machine zero. Standard is 6 tuples (G54 to G59), with optional extensibility to 48 more via G54.1 P1 to P48.
>
>
>
[And on the gcode dictionary provided by Hyrel 3D](http://hyrel3d.net/wiki/index.php/Gcode#G54_through_G59_-_Set_Offsets):
>
> **G54 through G59 - Set Offsets**
> G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, and G59 will each store and invoke offsets in the X, Y, and/or Z axes for all subsequent moves. Any values not invoked will remain with their previous value (0 unless earlier specified otherwise).
>
>
> * X is the offset in mm in the X axis.
> * Y is the offset in mm in the Y axis.
> * Z is the offset in mm in the Z axis.
>
>
> Here is an example:
>
>
> `G54 X100 Y-50`
>
>
> This command is decoded and executed by the printer as follows:
>
>
> G54 (set offsets)
>
> - X100 (+100mm to all X coordinates)
>
> - Y-50 (-50mm to all Y coordinates)
>
>
>
> Note that this differs from an M6, where the offsets are only applied to a SINGLE tool position.
>
>
>
*Disclaimer: I work for Hyrel 3D.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This answer is intended to be a generic answer for Z-offset determination. The question is not clear on how the Z-offset has been determined. It appears as if this distance is measured, while in reality this cannot be measured.
A touch (or a inductive or capacitive) probe uses a trigger point to determine the distance of the probe trigger point to the bed print surface. Correct installation is trivial, as is the determination of the nozzle to trigger point definition. For a touch sensor, the probing element is either stowed, fully deployed, or pushed in during leveling up to the point that the trigger point is reached and the probe stowes the rest of the pin, see figure:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png)
The `M851 Zxx.xx` offset is determined by lowering the nozzle beyond the trigger point until the nozzle hits a paper sheet. If the stowed position to nozzle distance is used, the distance is too large and the nozzle will dive into the bed on printing.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/14 | 1,163 | 3,631 | <issue_start>username_0: I have ordered a dual hotend Chimera and it came with 2x 12 V heater elements (in my rush I forgot to order the one with 2x 24V).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/xhQNem.png "Chimera dual filament hotend")
Is it possible to run these 12 V heater elements in series?
*I am planning on running this with an SRK 1.3 board.*<issue_comment>username_1: You should be able to offset this with a `G54 Z-1.3` - **if your setup accepts these gcodes**.
If you do this, always add a `G53` to the very start and just before the `M30` to clear all offsets after job finish (or in the event of a cancel, at the start of the next job).
I'm not experienced with a wide variety of printers or firmware, but our repetier-based printers (and we use the same controls for our refurbished Fadal CNC machines) use G53-G59:
[As explained in this tutorial from cnccookbook.com](https://www.cnccookbook.com/g54-g92-g52-work-offsets-cnc-g-code/):
>
> Basic work offsets are very simple to specify: simply enter one of G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, or G59. [...] When you execute the work offset g-code, the XYZ offset will be added to all of your coordinates from that point forward.
>
>
>
[As detailed on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
>
> **G54-59**: Have largely replaced position register (G50 and G92). Each tuple of axis offsets relates program zero directly to machine zero. Standard is 6 tuples (G54 to G59), with optional extensibility to 48 more via G54.1 P1 to P48.
>
>
>
[And on the gcode dictionary provided by Hyrel 3D](http://hyrel3d.net/wiki/index.php/Gcode#G54_through_G59_-_Set_Offsets):
>
> **G54 through G59 - Set Offsets**
> G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, and G59 will each store and invoke offsets in the X, Y, and/or Z axes for all subsequent moves. Any values not invoked will remain with their previous value (0 unless earlier specified otherwise).
>
>
> * X is the offset in mm in the X axis.
> * Y is the offset in mm in the Y axis.
> * Z is the offset in mm in the Z axis.
>
>
> Here is an example:
>
>
> `G54 X100 Y-50`
>
>
> This command is decoded and executed by the printer as follows:
>
>
> G54 (set offsets)
>
> - X100 (+100mm to all X coordinates)
>
> - Y-50 (-50mm to all Y coordinates)
>
>
>
> Note that this differs from an M6, where the offsets are only applied to a SINGLE tool position.
>
>
>
*Disclaimer: I work for Hyrel 3D.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This answer is intended to be a generic answer for Z-offset determination. The question is not clear on how the Z-offset has been determined. It appears as if this distance is measured, while in reality this cannot be measured.
A touch (or a inductive or capacitive) probe uses a trigger point to determine the distance of the probe trigger point to the bed print surface. Correct installation is trivial, as is the determination of the nozzle to trigger point definition. For a touch sensor, the probing element is either stowed, fully deployed, or pushed in during leveling up to the point that the trigger point is reached and the probe stowes the rest of the pin, see figure:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png)
The `M851 Zxx.xx` offset is determined by lowering the nozzle beyond the trigger point until the nozzle hits a paper sheet. If the stowed position to nozzle distance is used, the distance is too large and the nozzle will dive into the bed on printing.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/15 | 1,322 | 4,340 | <issue_start>username_0: The handle of a micro wave oven broke.
I can't just order a replacement part because I can't even attach the new one.
The problem is that the screw heads are somewhere on the interior side of the door, which cannot be disassembled (non destructively at least). I wouldn't even do it because of safety reasons.
I have access to the threads of two loose and captive screws to work with (indicated by the two red lines on picture one). The screws are not machine screws, but screws for plastic like in the attached picture.
The plan is to 3d print the plastic part of the handle and reuse the front aluminum cover.
I don't want the handle to be loose, so I'm looking for suggestions to attach the new handle. I have a lot of ideas, maybe I will share them later if they are not mentioned at some point. The main problem is: how to attach something when all I have to work with is a loose, non machine screw ?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZziLk.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QY4kK.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: You should be able to offset this with a `G54 Z-1.3` - **if your setup accepts these gcodes**.
If you do this, always add a `G53` to the very start and just before the `M30` to clear all offsets after job finish (or in the event of a cancel, at the start of the next job).
I'm not experienced with a wide variety of printers or firmware, but our repetier-based printers (and we use the same controls for our refurbished Fadal CNC machines) use G53-G59:
[As explained in this tutorial from cnccookbook.com](https://www.cnccookbook.com/g54-g92-g52-work-offsets-cnc-g-code/):
>
> Basic work offsets are very simple to specify: simply enter one of G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, or G59. [...] When you execute the work offset g-code, the XYZ offset will be added to all of your coordinates from that point forward.
>
>
>
[As detailed on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-code):
>
> **G54-59**: Have largely replaced position register (G50 and G92). Each tuple of axis offsets relates program zero directly to machine zero. Standard is 6 tuples (G54 to G59), with optional extensibility to 48 more via G54.1 P1 to P48.
>
>
>
[And on the gcode dictionary provided by Hyrel 3D](http://hyrel3d.net/wiki/index.php/Gcode#G54_through_G59_-_Set_Offsets):
>
> **G54 through G59 - Set Offsets**
> G54, G55, G56, G57, G58, and G59 will each store and invoke offsets in the X, Y, and/or Z axes for all subsequent moves. Any values not invoked will remain with their previous value (0 unless earlier specified otherwise).
>
>
> * X is the offset in mm in the X axis.
> * Y is the offset in mm in the Y axis.
> * Z is the offset in mm in the Z axis.
>
>
> Here is an example:
>
>
> `G54 X100 Y-50`
>
>
> This command is decoded and executed by the printer as follows:
>
>
> G54 (set offsets)
>
> - X100 (+100mm to all X coordinates)
>
> - Y-50 (-50mm to all Y coordinates)
>
>
>
> Note that this differs from an M6, where the offsets are only applied to a SINGLE tool position.
>
>
>
*Disclaimer: I work for Hyrel 3D.*
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: This answer is intended to be a generic answer for Z-offset determination. The question is not clear on how the Z-offset has been determined. It appears as if this distance is measured, while in reality this cannot be measured.
A touch (or a inductive or capacitive) probe uses a trigger point to determine the distance of the probe trigger point to the bed print surface. Correct installation is trivial, as is the determination of the nozzle to trigger point definition. For a touch sensor, the probing element is either stowed, fully deployed, or pushed in during leveling up to the point that the trigger point is reached and the probe stowes the rest of the pin, see figure:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wdto7.png)
The `M851 Zxx.xx` offset is determined by lowering the nozzle beyond the trigger point until the nozzle hits a paper sheet. If the stowed position to nozzle distance is used, the distance is too large and the nozzle will dive into the bed on printing.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/09/17 | 3,167 | 11,042 | <issue_start>username_0: I have replaced the stock extruder on my Ender 3 with one of these:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wDmXL.jpg)
The grip gear has a smaller diameter, so I calibrated the esteps as per the top google search: [Extruder Calibration – 6 Easy Steps to Calibrate Your Extruder...](https://all3dp.com/2/extruder-calibration-6-easy-steps-2/)
If I set the esteps so that it's spot on with 100 mm of filament is used up when I ask it to extrude 100 mm, then during a print I get the occasional skip on the extruder.
If I dial it back a bit and set it so that it extrudes 90 mm of filament when I ask it to extrude 100 mm, then I don't get the skips.
In both cases the print looks normal.
I've tried changing the nozzle as well in case there was some blockage, but it doesn't make a difference.
Should I just go with the under extrusion? or is these likely to be some other problem that isn't apparent?
I didn't notice any issues with the stock extruder and the stock estep setting, but I didn't think to check the calibration.<issue_comment>username_1: Consider that the extruder is skipping because it is unable to push filament at the rate you are requesting. By reducing the steps to ninety percent, you are reducing the rate by that much as well.
Typically, a skipping extruder is an indication of clogging, but it does not have to be clogging caused by particulates jamming the nozzle. At higher rates of filament travel, one needs higher temperatures to compensate for the cooling at those higher rates.
Consider to reduce the print speed to ninety percent of the current figure, or raise the nozzle temperature by five to ten degrees (in steps) to see if you'll get rid of the cold blocking that may be causing this problem.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: If you have followed that guide, you have extruded the 100 mm through the heated nozzle.
This results in your steps/mm value to also be influenced by hot end temperature, speed during the extrusion test, and potentially pressure on the extruder grip gear.
Try recalibrating your extruder, but this time, disconnect the Bowden tube either at the hot end, or at the extruder.
Once you have the steps/mm set to something *only* related to the mechanics of the extruder, you can calibrate your flow rate - which you should usually do per filament type and even spool individually.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Let's set up the basics of extrusion and then go over what has effects on the results of calibration.
Let's discuss the extruder as an item on itself first, then look into how the nozzle and filaments impact it.
Extruder
--------
The extruder basically is a spinning motor that pushes along filament at some extrusion rate $e\_r [\frac{\text{mm}}{\text{step}}]$ and it's related factor $s\_e [\frac{\text{step}}{\text{mm}}]=\frac 1 {e\_r}$ via a hobbed gear - or in the case of this extruder via a pair of synchronous hobbed gears. The motor in an Ender 3 is a typical NEMA17 with $s=1.8\ \frac{\text{deg}}{\text{step}}$ (and up to 16 micosteps[see here](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10988/8884)). It spins a hobbed gear, which has an outer diameter $d\_o$, and the teeth are cut to a depth that generates the inner diameter $d\_i$. Somewhere between these diameters is the *effective* diameter $d\_e$. So, using basic geometry we get:
$e\_r=\frac{C\_e\times s}{360°}=C\_e\times0.005\frac 1 {\text{step}}$ wherein $C\_e=\pi d\_e$
$s\_e=\frac {0.005\ \text{steps}}{C\_e}$
Filament effects
----------------
Now, that we know the theoretical setting of mm/step or steps/mm ($e\_r$ and $s\_e$) for the firmware, we need to discuss how the filament impacts this. First of all, the calculation above holds only true for pushing even thickness filament that the teeth bite in evenly. If the filament does change in thickness, the effective diameter of our gear changes, and as a result, the extrusion changes. A thicker diameter filament does not get dug in as deep, the effective diameter goes up, and thus the circumference $C\_e$.
Similarly, different filaments do have different hardnesses.[see also here](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/8396/8884) A test on hardness was done for [this paper](https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1026&context=aseeil-insectionconference), exploring Type A and Type D Shore hardness. Type A is a flat tip, while D is a sharp tip. The last is somewhat similar in the effect to the hobbed gear. The difference means that the teeth don't bite the same, affecting the effective diameter of the hobbed gear $d\_e$.
This behavior is **filament dependant**
Nozzle behavior
---------------
The next part we have to look at is the behavior in the hotend and nozzle. In perfect conditions, the heat zone would melt up the filament fully and ensure a stable, laminar flow through the nozzle as it necks down the material from its starting diameter to the extrusion width.
Assuming our filament stays laminar, then the flow of material in is exactly the same as the flow out, nothing stutters. But if the factors in the pipe are off, then we get turbulent flow.[further reading](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laminar_flow)
So, the flow is not necessarily linear, and we can easily identify several factors that impact the behavior in the nozzle. Let's do a quick rundown of different factors:
* Materials do expand differently (with factor $\alpha$) under heating, thus impacting the volume of the material in the nozzle, which in turn impacts the volumetric flow rate and pressure in the nozzle. This is **temperature** and **material dependant**.[further on this](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/8384/8884)
* The viscosity of the material has a huge impact on the flow behavior. Most plastics viscosities are **temperature dependant** but also **material dependant**
* The nozzle shape can have an impact on the flow rate to a small degree (mainly if it is uneven or rough). The most influential factor, however, is the **nozzle diameter**, which directly impacts flow rate.
### How all that effects flow in a nozzle
Let's assume flow is ensured and that we can ignore friction of the nozzle on the material. Then we get the Freeman formula for Flow:
$Q=Av$ where Q is the Volumetric Flow in 0.001 m³/s, A the area of the nozzle in m², v is the velocity at the exit in m/s.
$A=r^2\pi$ is the well known circle formula, r is the nozzle radius, which is half the nozzle diameter
$\ \ \ A\_{0.4\text{ mm Nozzle}}=1.256\times10^{-7}\text{ m}^2$
$v=\sqrt{2P}$ is the Bernoulli's Equation, telling us that the flow velocity is pressure dependant (see Nozzle Behavior point 1). As a result, we get that the volumetric flow through our nozzle depends on the pressure like this:
$Q=\sqrt 2 \pi\times r\times\sqrt P$
$\ \ \ Q\_{0.4\text{ mm Nozzle}}=1.777\times10^{-7}\text{ m}^2\times\sqrt{P}$
The pressure in the nozzle is the sum of the pressure generated by the force with which the material is pushed in by the extruder ($P\_F=F/A'$) and the material expansion in the nozzle ($P\_e$).
As we established up in the Extruder part, the extrusion rate is somewhat dependent on the effective diameter of the hobbed gear $d\_e$. The effective diameter of the hobbed gear also has an effect on the pressure in the nozzle: how deep the teeth cut into the filament determines the force they transmit. The other factor that impacts the force transmitted via the filament is the extrusion speed $v\_e$, thus we write $F(d\_e,v\_e)$. Atop that, the actual filament diameter $A'$ plays another factor, as explored under filament effects. The thermal expansion, which is dependant on the material coefficient $\alpha$ and the Temperature increase $\Delta T$ adds to the pressure in the nozzle, thus we write $P\_e(\alpha,\Delta T)$. So the expression for the volumetric flow out of the nozzle is
$Q=\sqrt 2 \times r \pi \times\sqrt {\frac{F(d\_e,v\_e)}{A'}+P\_e(\alpha,\Delta T)}$
If this flow is laminar and non-turbulent could be read from the accompanying Reynolds number $Re$, which is dependant on the (dynamic/kinematic) viscosity $\mu=\frac \nu \rho$ (rho is the density). Viscosity is temperature dependant, thus we write $\nu(T)$. Last factor in the formula for the Reynolds number is the hydraulic diameter $D\_H$, which for our case boils down to the diameter of the nozzle, so $D\_H=2r$. For our case this gives:
$Re=\frac{2r\times Q}{2 r^2 \pi \times \nu(T)}=\frac Q {r \pi \times \nu(T)}=\frac {\sqrt 2}{\nu(T)} \sqrt {\frac{F(d\_e,v\_e)}{A'}+P\_e(\alpha,\Delta T)}$
tl;dr / Conclusion
------------------
Ok, the theory is all nice, but how does all that affect our print?!
1. It's a good idea to calibrate for one material and use that as your benchmark and then create profiles for your other materials measured against this benchmark
2. If our temperature is lower or higher than in calibration, the flow is different and, as a result, the extruder-steps don't match up. Instead of altering the steps, we should **adjust** the volumetric flow value up or down to match to the particular material. Usually, it is called either `Flow` or `extrusion multiplier` in the software. In the calculations above it is $Q$.
3. A different material or material mix (like a new color or different brand) has a different thermal expansion, thus we **adjust** the `flow`/`extrusion multiplier` in our profile as needed.
4. If we swap the nozzle, we get a different flow characteristic. Most of the flow calculations for such change is already done in the slicer, we usually don't need to alter the profile further, but tiny changes could be done by adjusting the `flow`/`extrusion multiplier` value.
5. extruder clicking can show over extrusion, but it **also** can show that the print height is not achieved as it is calculated for and point to errors in **bed leveling** if happening in the first layer(s) and to errors in the **z-Axis** if it happens later in the print.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: I have this same extruder on my Voxelab Aquila.
Default E-steps are 93. Using the printer menu to feed 100 mm of eSun black PETG filament I measured a feed length of 66 mm, so 34 mm under extruded.
Using the formula 100 / 66 \* 93 gave me a new E-step value of 140.9.
Upon re-testing, I found I was now over extruding by 34mm.
This formula is missing something. I've chased E-step values up and down before so decided to try something different.
Since the new E-step value was over extruding by the same as the original E-step under extruding value, I added the original E-step value to the new E-step value and took the average. 93 + 140.9 / 2 = 116.9.
I re-tested this value and found it was over extruding by 0.4 mm. Since I was still over extruding slightly I calculated a new E-step, 100 / 100.4 \* 116.9 = 116.4. Took the average between the 2 again and got a final E-step value of 116.6.
Hope this helps anyone else having issues calibrating E-steps.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/19 | 592 | 2,036 | <issue_start>username_0: Contrary to a lot of other corner related problems (where the corners are bulging), I seem to have a different problem where the corners (ONLY) seem to stick out and appear blobby in the x/y plane. This only happens for corners/edges with a fillet radius greater than 3-4mm and only in the x/y plane. Anything smaller than that radius (such a sharp corner/edge) seems to be fine.
Any ideas what could be causing this?
**Conditions**
* CR-10s
* Ultimaker Cura v4.2.1
* Material: ABS
* Nozzle size: 0.4mm
* Bed temp: 80 °C (I can't go any higher than this)
* Nozzle temp: 250 °C
**What I've tried already**
* increasing nozzle temp from 240 to 250 °C (seemed to help slightly?)
* reduced flow rate from 100 % to 80 % - had a negative effect on overall print quality
Thank in advance for any ideas/suggestions
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/8Y91W.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/6eWVc.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: 150 °C is way too low for pretty much any material commonly used in 3D printing, especially ABS. I'm quite surprised anything comes out of the nozzle at all rather than just griding in the extruder gear. Most ABS filament manufacturers recommend a nozzle temperature in the range 210-250 °C. From your images, it looks like you have a lot of serious extrusion problems aside from the corners that should all go away if you print with the right temperature.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_2: I suspect you are printing through a usb or network connection, and the communication rate it's to slow for any of many reasons. A curve consists of many tiny linear movements, each requiring a command exchange between the PC and printer.
If you can, try printing from an sd card plugged into the printer (I'd the printer is so equipped).
This could be worse if the uses a Bowden extruder, since there is now compression and windup in the filament.
Upvotes: 2 [selected_answer] |
2019/09/19 | 632 | 1,902 | <issue_start>username_0: **Thermal conductivity** is how well a plastic conducts heat. Most plastics don't conduct heat very well at all, which is what allows them to be 3D printed. That being said, there are a lot of potential use cases for highly thermally conductive filament, assuming you could print them. A commonly discussed one is computer heatsinks. Similar heatsinks could also be used for stepper motors and extruders in 3d printing.
To get a good picture which plastics are useful in such an application (like mentioned in question: "[Water-cooling stepper motor with aluminum block](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10881/water-cooling-stepper-motor-with-aluminum-block)"), I need to know what is the thermal conductivity of the commonly used thermoplastics.<issue_comment>username_1: All values are in W/(m\*K).
* PLA: 0.13
* HIPS: 0.20
* ABS: 0.25
* PETG: 0.29
* PEEK: 0.25
* PLA with copper: 0.25 ([see discussion](https://www.3dhubs.com/talk/t/thermal-conductivity-of-copper-based-filament-and-ceramic-resin/8798/7))
* PETG with 40% graphite: 1.70 (ansiotropic)
* [TCPoly](https://tcpoly.com/products/filaments/): 15
* Steel (not a 3dprintable plastic): 10 - 50
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YOsQZ.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DmOFV.png)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Trimet3d has a Nano diamond PLA with a claimed thermal conductivity 3-5 times that of PLA. The diamonds are sub-microscopic and smooth. See <https://www.tiamet3d.com/product-page/ultra-diamond-pla-1kg>
Primarily they seem to be doing it to gain strength.
I would prefer larger diamonds for higher thermal conductivity. It would be ferociously abrasive even for a diamond nozzle. It would also limit the thermal expansion.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/21 | 1,065 | 1,984 | <issue_start>username_0: Often, the pre-generated G-code is enough for start and end. However, sometimes we want to have something different. In this case: how to generate an audible alert of something like 4 bleeps at the end of the print, after putting the printer into the end position and when the bed has reached a "safe" 30 °C?<issue_comment>username_1: Let's put the parts one by one:
* Wait for bed temperature being at 30 °C: `M190 R30`
* Play Bleep for 1/5th of a second: `M300 S440 P200`
* Wait for 1/5th of a second: `G4 P200`
That gives:
```
M190 R30
M140 S0
M300 S440 P200
G4 P200
M300 S440 P200
G4 P200
M300 S440 P200
G4 P200
M300 S440 P200
G4 P200
```
Just for 0scar:
```
M300 S1396.91 P400 ;f7
G4 P400
M300 S1661.22 P600 ;as7
M300 S1396.91 P400 ;f7
M300 S1396.91 P200 ;f7
M300 S1864.66 P400 ;b7
M300 S1244.51 P400 ;es7
M300 S1396.91 P400 ;f7
G4 P400
M300 S2093.00 P400 ;c8
M300 S1396.91 P400 ;f7
M300 S1396.91 P200 ;f7
M300 S2217.46 P400 ;des8
M300 S2093.00 P400 ;c8
M300 S1661.22 P400 ;as7
M300 S1396.91 P400 ;f7
M300 S2093.00 P400 ;c8
M300 S2793.83 P400 ;f8
M300 S1244.51 P400 ;es7
M300 S1244.51 P200 ;es7
M300 S1046.50 P400 ;c7
M300 S1567.98 P400 ;g7
M300 S1396.91 P1600 ;f7
```
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: username_1's version is good but wait for bed temperature being at 30 °C (`M190 R30`) before setting the temperature to 0 °C (`M140 S0`)
So this is my version:
```
G91 ;relative positioning
G1 E-1 F300 ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F9000 ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way
G1 Y150 F5000 ;move completed part out
M84 ;steppers off
G90 ;absolute positioning
M190 R30 ;waits until cooling to 30 °C
M300 S300 P1000 ;beep
M300 S300 P1000 ;beep
M300 S300 P1000 ;beep
M300 S300 P1000 ;beep
M104 S0 ;extruder heater off
M140 S0 ;heated bed heater off
```
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/09/25 | 1,234 | 4,222 | <issue_start>username_0: Which of these will heat a bed fastest?
* A. 12 V, 10 A power supply
* B. 24 V, 5 A power supply
* C. Both A and B will be the same (only total watts matter)
* D. Depends on the situation
I originally thought Amperage was what mattered until I realized I needed a 24 V power supply to even heat my Lulzbot mini bed by one degree.
I know voltage is used to determine insulation thickness on wires. But thin wires with high current in them also get hot. Is insulation thickness on wires only to prevent you from accidentally cutting through them and shocking yourself, or is it for heat reasons?
I'd like to power my heated bed with a 19.5 V, 5 A power supply. It's just an old laptop charger - I want to reduce strain on my circuit. It's a big bed and I have a few other laptop chargers lying around so I'd prefer to choose the best one.<issue_comment>username_1: It depends on whether you are re-using the bed or not, it is actually the resistance of the bed that determines this in conjunction with the voltage (the current you get for free).
Let's say that the heatbed resistance is 1.2 Ω (depending on the heated bed make and model the resistance is typically in between 0.9 - 1.5 Ω), this means that the power can be calculated using:
$$P = U \times I$$
$$U = I \times R$$
combining gives:
$$ P = I^2\times R = \frac{U^2}{R} $$
For 12 V (assumed default printer voltage) this means that the heatbed power equals about 120 Watt (at a current of 10 A). Running that same bed at 24 V means that the power is 480 Watt (at a current of 20 A). So yes, that will heat up fast, at the expense of an increased current, which is pretty high, and should not be attempted without extra resistance in the loop.
If you're using the laptop charger, the current draw equals about 16 A, which the adapter cannot deliver.
This means that you need to acquire a new heatbed that is able to handle a higher voltage out of the box (more resistance), or you need to put additional resistors in the loop, but beware of the currents. Note that heated beds for 12 V/24 V exist, the wiring is different depending on the voltage. Note that such beds heat up faster, it all depends on the resistance and the voltage, but running the 24 V circuit on 19.5 V (160 Watt bed) is definitely an improvement over the 120 Watt bed at 12 V but still requires about 8 A (only applicable to heatbed that can run 12 V/24 V through extra resistance connections).
Be careful with this and be sure what you are doing!
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: Bed heaters look like this [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/A9Gqn.jpg)
They are rated for use with 12V or 24V supplies. 12V supply would take longer to warm it up, as P = V^2/R. Say it was a 2 ohm total resistance bed, then 12\*12/2 = 72 watts, vs 24\*24/2 = 288 watts. And 19V\*19V/2 = 180W. Then you work backwards, P=IV or P/V = I to determine current draw: 72/12 = 6 amp, 288/24 = 12 amp, 180/19 = 9/5A.
Upvotes: 0 <issue_comment>username_3: Power is the thing that determines how quickly the bed heats up, nothing else.
A specific bed will be defined by it's *resistance*, this is the only relevant factor which is a constant. Of course, you shouldn't run it at a much higher power than it was designed for, or at a significantly higher temperature (these are related, since the bed looses much more energy to the room as it gets hotter).
All 'low voltage' beds will have the same sort of insulation requirements (effectively none, less than 36V is regarded as safe to touch unless the skin is also penetrated).
The wires used to connect to the heated bed must have a significantly lower resistance than the bed itself (similarly the connectors). Otherwise the wiring overheats and the bed has to work harder (making the overheating worse). Using a heat bed designed for a higher voltage (and a matching higher voltage supply) puts less strain on the wiring because the current is reduced for the same power output.
Since the resistance is constant, increasing a 12V power supply to 13V gives a ~17% power increase (with the same bed) because the current also increases.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/09/26 | 1,558 | 5,831 | <issue_start>username_0: I just purchased an [Anycubic Photon 3S](https://www.anycubic.com/products/anycubic-photon-3d-printer) LCD-based SLA 3D printer. I understand the need for cleaning and curing parts after printing. While the device is in transit, I'm looking to set up a workstation to use it with.
Are there any recommendations for accessories to buy?: Particular containers to store materials in, particular products for cleaning prints (or cleaning the machine), particular lamps for curing, etc.
I'm trying to avoid gotchas, and I've got time to visit hardware stores or make further online purchases before it arrives. I'm not asking about software or computing hardware, just things that I'll want to have "on the bench".<issue_comment>username_1: I would recommend a tub for cleaning the print, some funnels to get leftover resin back into the bottel, gloves, since you really don't want to get any uncured resin on your skin and a strong UV light for finishing the curing process after the cleaning
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Safety Gear
===========
Gloves, you want to wear them whenever handling any resin. Single-use gloves are best - dispose of them after use. Consider them contaminated after touching anything in contact with resin and toss them before handling anything that shall not get in contact with resin. That includes door handles.
A good idea is to also wear eye protection, as resin in the eyes could destroy them.
While a dust mask might not be strictly necessary, it could reduce your exposure to the fumes of resin. Some resin fumes are known to create hypersensitivity.
It is also a good idea to put the printer into a dedicated workspace that is well ventilated and not your primary living space. I strongly recommend reading both [Best way to deal with Resin Printers in your living space](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8594/best-way-to-deal-with-resin-printers-in-your-living-space) and [Safe way of disposing resin](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7305/safe-way-of-disposing-resin/7307#7307)
Post-Processing Station
=======================
You may want to build a post-processing station. Most pieces can be sourced in any home depot store or made from household items, so I don't recommend specific brands but the requirements.
### Washing Station
A typical post-processing station consists of at least 2 vats large enough to submerge your print volume in, so you can wash off your print in the first and then wash it with fresh liquid in the second. The typical liquids for cleaning are isopropyl alcohol and sometimes technical alcohol. Some resins demand special liquids that are specific to the type of resin. Best, the washing vats have securely sealing lids. Glass is preferably as it is easy to clean.
To use the least amount of cleaning liquid, you might want to have a pair of [needle spray bottles](https://www.google.com/search?q=needle%20spray%20bottle) - one for each bath. Label them!
To avoid spillage and ruining tables, a plastic table cloth can be a good addition. Fold it with the contaminated side onto itself for storage. A different solution would be to put the cleaning station onto a ceramic or steel surface, which can be easily cleaned after use.
### Curing Station/Chamber
The next step is curing the print under direct exposure to a UV light source, somewhat akin to how gel nails are hardened. Sometimes the sun is enough.
Since the resin residue from washing is now in the isopropyl alcohol (or other washing liquid), treat it as chemical waste. To reduce the waste of material, flock out the resin in it by exposing the liquid to the UV light and filter the result. The result is Isopropyl Alcohol with some remaining contaminants, which can be used again for the first rinsing step.
Other Tools
===========
Besides cleaning and curing the print, you need to remove the print from the plate, so you need a spatula or scraper, which is reserved only for your SLA printer. Never use it on the build platform of your FDM printers and consider it contaminated with uncured resin after use. Best cure residue on it in the UV chamber and then physically chip off the hardened resin before handling it without gloves again.
Similarly, a tool to stir the resin and remove flakes is often used, and some makers have special spatulas to clean the vat. Clean them well after use.
You will want to have some nice snippets to remove the support structures at some spots and some pliers to break them free - safety first.
Needle files and sanding paper for cleanup where the support stuck are a given.
Resin Recovery
==============
Since the resin in the trays might harden over time, you'll want to have some sort of rig to hold the vat at a tilted angle upside down so it can flow out, back into the resin bottle. A cover might also help to reduce exposure and allow short time storage in the machine. [Thingieverse has a couple of solutions](https://www.thingiverse.com/search?q=resin%20vat&dwh=475d8d188363603) for lids, pouring and filtering stations as well as other accessories. Look for those that fit your printer.
The Resin should be stored in airtight and light-blocking bottles. As an extra security measure, you should store the resin in a closed cupboard to prevent light exposure through not totally opaque bottles.
More on Re-using resin can be found [here](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/14497/left-over-photopolymer-resins/14500#14500)
Further Reading/watching
------------------------
* [Angus/Makers Muse on 3D printing safety](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kHcsTG9QsM)
* [A rather good guide regarding Resin 3D printing](https://www.wargaming3d.com/2018/12/31/the-complete-and-utter-idiots-guide-to-3d-printing-in-resin-for-wargamers/)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/09/26 | 235 | 908 | <issue_start>username_0: Are there any browser extensions or printers with OctoPrint built in that would allow me to print straight from the browser?
Thinking of a workflow like this:
1. Make something with Tinkercad (or other online service)
2. download stl or obj
3. select print from bookmark or dropdown menu
4. print is sent to printer and starts printing<issue_comment>username_1: There was the [CuraEngine](https://plugins.octoprint.org/plugins/curalegacy/) plugin, but it's not really maintained anymore. It should still work though
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: This works for OctoPI (OctoPrint on a Raspberry Pi).
1. Add the Samba package to your OctoPrint machine.
2. open an SMB connection to that machine from your browser machine
3. Save your STL to `/home/pi/.octoprint/uploads` on the Raspberry Pi.
You can save directly from your slicer the same way.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/09/26 | 392 | 1,505 | <issue_start>username_0: So I've switched the Trigorilla board in the printer with a SKR 1.3 with TMC2208 drivers and installed the latest Marlin 2.0, with a config based on [this one](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3741425/). You can find the [Configuration.h here](https://pastebin.com/ij1G5tSw), the only thing I changed in Configuration\_adv.h was the pin of the hotend fan.
Now when let the printer autocalibrate the delta settings, it tells me that the height is 141.35 mm, instead of the actual ~300 mm and I had to set the radius to 78 mm, instead of the actual 115 mm so that it doesn't try to probe outside the bed.
What settings could I have set so horribly wrong that I get these results?<issue_comment>username_1: I would check the "steps per distance" setting. If the motors were moving more than the firmware thinks, the height would measure as shorter than actual (since the number of steps would be less than the firmware expected). Similarly, the radius would scale up.
You replaced the controller and motor drivers, so perhaps the micro-stepping is different.
If the result is inconsistently wrong, it could be a dynamics setting, such as acceleration or max velocity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: So the problem was that the TMC2208 were wired for UART mode, yet Marlin was configured for standalone, which apparently makes them work, but with completely wrong step sizes. Changing it in the configuration completely eliminated the problem
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/09/26 | 443 | 1,598 | <issue_start>username_0: I have an Ender 3 Pro which I use together with Cura 4.2.1 (and Octoprint). I print in PLA at 180°C. The print bed is set to 70°C. The Bed temperature is lower though, since I use a glas bed on top of the heated bed. I use a print cooling fan at 100%. The layer height is set to 0.2 mm, the line width 0.4mm from the 0.4mm nozzle. My retraction is 5mm at 50mm/s.
Prints come out with heavy vertical lines and no layer adhesion at these lines. I can easily break the print apart. In other spots the print is fine. Any ideas on what could cause this problem?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGGT9.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F3ZZ5.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: I would check the "steps per distance" setting. If the motors were moving more than the firmware thinks, the height would measure as shorter than actual (since the number of steps would be less than the firmware expected). Similarly, the radius would scale up.
You replaced the controller and motor drivers, so perhaps the micro-stepping is different.
If the result is inconsistently wrong, it could be a dynamics setting, such as acceleration or max velocity.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: So the problem was that the TMC2208 were wired for UART mode, yet Marlin was configured for standalone, which apparently makes them work, but with completely wrong step sizes. Changing it in the configuration completely eliminated the problem
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/09/27 | 1,230 | 3,713 | <issue_start>username_0: I have mounted two radial fan on my printer as a part cooling solution.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/MTeZ5.png)
As you can see, the fan has input on the left side and blows air down. Does a mirror construction exists? With outlet on the right.
I can even print my own casing, but I'm not sure if the fan will work, if I change the rotation direction.
I'm using this print cooling fan duct: <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1850163>
The fan on the right side has the opening facing the hotend, and there is not much space, so the impeller can catch on wiring etc. If the right fan had opening to the right, there would be no such problem.<issue_comment>username_1: <https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/120mm-Small-Squirrel-Cage-Exhaust-Plastic_653850349.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.14.23834341IiKFAu&s=p>
After quite a bit of searching the above link from Alibaba was all I could find. I suspect that they don't make them like that because of the direction of the rotation of the blades. Perhaps they are made so that the rotor can be swapped around if necessary.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HCQAA.jpg)
(<https://i1.wp.com/www.homeintheearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CentrifugalFanTypes.jpg>)
The different curving of the blades affects either the volume or the pressure of the airflow (or both).
Alternatively how about one that is more agnostic:
[https://www.amazon.com/2Packs-Wathai-40x40x10mm-Brushless-Centrifugal/dp/B07RNZF97F/](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07RNZF97F)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/AeEH0.jpg)
Or just 3d print your own housing!
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Yes these do exist, but I've never seen them in the size you are interested in, see e.g. these projector fans:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Jw36Y.png)
An alternative are fans that attract flow from both sides, like:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hryYg.jpg)
but I've not seen them in the small size you are interested in.
Considering the placement of the fans in the printed cooling duct you posted, I see no problem in using 2 similar fans. There is enough free space to suck in air and if you are afraid that the wires are caught by the impeller, you need to properly fasten the wires, ty wraps work wonderfully in securing cables. If I'm not mistaken, you could even use the holes in the fans to secure the cables or otherwise design and print a small bracket for attaching the ty wraps.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I did also some research on this and decided to go with this solution. This fan only measures 50x50x10mm and is easy flippable: <https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005001894771961.html>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WYQaY.png)
Another option was this: <https://de.aliexpress.com/item/4001185014078.html>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wHwkP.png)
Also found a Thingi, where people tried to flip the existing 5015 blower fans. It seems very difficult, since you have to print the fins in flipped direction and they tend to break.. <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3716277>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/doFXv.jpg)
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/10/08 | 706 | 2,205 | <issue_start>username_0: I recently installed a SKR 1.3 Board with a 3DTouch-Probe on my Creality Ender 3 Pro.
The probe works, `G29` does its magic, but:
If i issue a plain `G28`, the hotend first homes X and Y like before the Z-probe.
The probe is now next to, not above, the bed.
As the next step, the printer is supposed to home the Z-axis. The probe deploys and Z starts to lower until it smashes into the bed, because the probe misses the bed (if I don't stop it, that is).
I configured X/Y offsets for the probe, but they don't seem to be honored when performing the `G28` code.
If I home X/Y "manually" with `G28 X Y`, move the hotend with like `G1 X45 Y10`, then home Z with `G28 Z` it works fine.
What did I miss? Is this intended behaviour & the user has to take care never to issue a plain `G28`?!<issue_comment>username_1: You need to enable the constant `Z_SAFE_HOMING` (like: `#define Z_SAFE_HOMING`) in your [printer configuration file](https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/blob/1.1.x/Marlin/Configuration.h) (if you're using Marlin firmware that is). This will move the nozzle to the middle of the plate prior to lowering the nozzle by default:
```
#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
```
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Use `Z Safe Homing` to avoid homing with a Z probe outside the bed area
According to Marlin firmware with this feature enabled:
* Allow Z homing only after X and Y homing AND stepper drivers still
enabled.
* If stepper drivers time out, it will need X and Y homing again before Z homing.
* Move the Z probe (or nozzle) to a defined XY point before Z Homing when homing all axes (G28).
* Prevent Z homing when the Z probe is outside the bed area.
To Enable Z SAFE HOMING, In the `configuration.h` file search (Ctrl+F) for `#define Z_SAFE_HOMING`. By default, it will be disabled to enable it just uncomment
the line
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/5KfmU.png)
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/10/08 | 3,373 | 11,097 | <issue_start>username_0: Normally stainless steel is magnetic. But whenever i order stainless steel nozzles from Amazon, they are not magnetic. This makes me think they could be brass coated in something like aluminum. However, there are many types of steel.
I've attached an image of someone who reviewed these nozzles. He says they are not stainless steel because they are not magnetic.
But whenever I order "stainless steel" nozzles, even from other sellers, they are not magnetic. i already returned one pack from another seller and just received a nonmagnetic one from a third seller.
So that's it? Amazon just sells junk now? Or is there a way I can easily tell whether these are something other than colored brass / good for abrasive or high temp printing. Here is the product that was reviewed:
AUSTOR 13 Pieces Stainless Steel 3D Printer Nozzles 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm Extruder Nozzle Print Head for E3D Makerbot [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHZMGRH/ref=cm\_sw\_r\_cp\_apa\_i\_XtrNDbRMVH8SW](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07CHZMGRH)<issue_comment>username_1: Stainless steel is created by adding elements (usually Chromium, but also Nickel) to steel. These added elements form an oxide layer with the outside air protecting the steel from corroding.
Whether stainless steel is magnetic or not depends on the added elements and the micro structure of the steel; some are and some aren't magnetic.
From [physlink](https://www.physlink.com/Education/askexperts/ae546.cfm):
>
> As for whether they (red. stainless steels) are magnetic, the answer is that it depends. There are several families of stainless steels with different physical properties. A basic stainless steel has a 'ferritic' structure and is magnetic. These are formed from the addition of chromium and can be hardened through the addition of carbon (making them 'martensitic') and are often used in cutlery. However, the most common stainless steels are 'austenitic' - these have a higher chromium content and nickel is also added. It is the nickel which modifies the physical structure of the steel and makes it non-magnetic.
>
>
>
So the answer is that you cannot determine by testing for magnetic properties if the nozzle is stainless steel or not. But if it is not magnetic, it can be stainless steel. Note that discoloration is possible, this is the oxide layer.
To identify if the steel is stainless, you could without sacrificing the nozzle (according to [this reference](https://www.hunker.com/13401485/how-to-tell-if-stainless-steel-is-real)):
>
> **Step 1**
>
> Stick the magnet on the piece you are testing. If it holds firmly, the metal is possibly stainless steel. If not, it is (red. could be) another metal such as aluminum.
>
>
> **Step 2**
>
> Pick a spot on the piece that you don't mind damaging a little.
>
>
> **Step 3**
>
> Fill the eye dropper with [muriatic acid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrochloric_acid). Drop a small amount of the acid on the test spot. Wait half an hour.
>
>
> **Step 4**
>
> Wipe the acid off the piece. Examine the test spot. If it is discolored, the piece is stainless steel.
>
>
>
---
Note that the image you posted shows a Zinc plated steel screw, not a stainless steel screw.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: Let's preface, that there are a LOT of metal identification methods. For example, I found [this guide](http://fac.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/Metal%20Identification%20Ready%20_unprotected.pdf) helpful and I had been at the scrapyard lately, where I have been told that 90+% of the time, steel objects that are non-magnetic are the more valuable stainless steel. The kitchen sink I dropped off? Stainless, non-magnetic steel. That's because [about 70% of the made stainless steel is Austenitic Steel](https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/does-stainless-steel-rust), [which happens to be generally non-ferromagnetic](https://www.thyssenkrupp-materials.co.uk/is-stainless-steel-magnetic).
Magnetic test
-------------
A common test in scrapyards is, to check if an item is magnetic, as [a lot of stainless steels are non-magnetic](https://www.meadmetals.com/blog/why-is-stainless-steel-not-magnetic) and then prove to be iron metals with a short spark test (see below).
Tempering/Annealing behavior
----------------------------
The very fact that the nozzles do change color to a brassy color that is commonly called straw is proof that it is indeed steel: heating up a piece of steel does alter the steel and also alters the surface color in a process called [tempering](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempering_(metallurgy)). The color is only the surface, and the mild straw color would become orange-brown, purple, pale blue teal and yellow if you were to heat it higher. Take a look at the tempering colors of steel here:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hY7Pp.jpg)
In contrast, brass acts differently when heated and [tempering](https://www.highettmetal.com.au/blog/brass/how-to-temper-brass) is somewhat different. Subjecting the piece of brass to heat you will not temper but [anneal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annealing_(metallurgy)) it and you get colors differently. Instead of becoming straw before blue, Brass becomes dark, starting with its pale gold to go over a dark "antique" look to before going green, teal, purple-blue, red and then losing its color like this piece of a polished brass plate shows:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/zqtQT.jpg)
Hardness/Chip
-------------
Another test that would be easy to conduct is hardness. The base idea of hardness is: An item can scratch a piece of equal or lower hardness, but not of higher hardness. If you have a chisel handy, then you have a piece of steel at hand. Most chisels are rated as HRC 58-62 - which is the Rockwell hardness scale. Brass could be [all over the place](http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=d3bd4617903543ada92f4c101c2a20e5&ckck=1), depending on work hardening. But the identification is not by the hardness but by how the chisel - or better a graver - cuts.
We expect Brass to get a smooth cut with saw tooth edges while stainless cuts smoothly and has sharp edges to the cut.
Sparktest
---------
If you want to scrap one, get an angle grinder or another power tool to grind at the nozzle. [Steel sparks](https://youtu.be/D094eBa4S7c?t=150) red-orange to whitish and depend on the mix, Carbide sparks very short and orange. Stainless creates a HUGE shower of sparks, yellow-white and dense, no burstes and branching. Copper, aluminium and Brass **[do not spark](https://youtu.be/D094eBa4S7c?t=428)**. Titanium is very bright white. It can [tell you what kind of steel you have](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D094eBa4S7c): Stainless steel typically has medium-to-long, non- to low-branching, non- or low-exploding sparks.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aEyq2.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tE9qc.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eqzvT.jpg)
Drilltest
---------
As we are at destroying a pair of nozzles, why not drill them? we should have done that before subjecting it to heat treating and grinding, but alas... Basically, we clamp the piece down and take an HSS drill to drill out the center.
Brass needs a different drill type but can be drilled and machined without coolant. Typical HSS drills from the home depot have a positive rake, brass wants a neutral or negative rake to drill or machine smoothly. If the piece grabs, creates short spials and dusty small flakes with an unmodified, new drill (or under positive rake machining), it drills like brass, as you see here from a [Clickspring video on drilling brass](https://youtu.be/pAngKHIZgyA):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/CgVeN.jpg)
In contrast, stainless steel doesn't want to be machined **without cooling** at all and using high speed creates smoke quickly and nearly no chips at all. A moment later your tool starts to glow and gets a dull edge. If your drilling experiment turns a new drill blunt on high speeds or uncooled, you have stainless at your hands. To get chips, you need to work *slow* and have some sort of cooling. It is still a painfully slow process that needs a lot of pressure, but it gets larger, nesting chips like seen here from a [Wayne Canning steel drilling tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMzIHl1HMXc):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/a5VG2.jpg)
Rust test
---------
If you have established it is an iron metal via spark testing, you also have an exposed surface. There are commonly [three tests](https://www.assemblymag.com/articles/94878-corrosion-of-stainless-steel-test-methods-and-proper-expectations) to see the quality of stainless steel, which will show only minimal rusting on such an exposed surface.
* Copper Sulfate Solution will react with most non-stainless steels or contaminated stainless steels quite aggressively, while stainless steels react only minimally.
* A high-humidity warmed chamber at about 30 °C results in a dense rust layer within 24 hours on exposed steel. Just dumping into water will do so too, so into a bucket and wait a day. If it's all over rusted, it's not stainless.
* Saltwater spray is very corrosive on non-stainless steels, resulting in accelerated rust. While this test typically is run as a stress test for days or weeks to test exposure to marine life, a few hours will rule out non-stainless steel.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: The other answers are good. For a more practical answer:
Magnet test
-----------
As answered by username_2, steel with an austenitic atom structure, which most stainless steels have, are not magnetic. So forget the magnets. Metallurgy is complicated.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZqtU5.gif)
Density test
------------
Brass has a density of 8.5 - 9, stainless steel is below 8. Depends on the alloy. Might be a bit tricky to detect such small differences.
Hardness test
-------------
Better to do a hardness test. Hammer a nail made of mild steel into the nozzle, if the nozzle is softer than the nail, it's brass. If it's harder, it's stainless steel.
There are also HRC hardness scratch tests for that, although more intended for testing hardened steel. Find a chunk of structural steel and scratch the nozzle into it. Stainless steel will scratch the structural steel, brass & aluminium will scratch itself.
Spark test
----------
Use an angle grinder or a dremel tool: if there are sparks, it's steel. This is probably the easiest method.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/09 | 790 | 2,814 | <issue_start>username_0: I want to make Polyurethane molds for **concrete** using 3D printed PLA or ABS master object. like this video:
(this video is not about concrete of course!)
I'm not sure if it will stick to PLA or ABS master or not! if it does stick, whick wax material can solve this problem... Do I need to print my masters with another filament?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JGMR5.jpg)<issue_comment>username_1: Temperature
-----------
As polyurethane cures (or hardens), it undergoes a chemical bonding reaction, linking the mono- and oligomer strings in the components into long polyurethane chains. [The chemical reaction is exothermic](http://www.essentialchemicalindustry.org/polymers/polyurethane.html), it creates heat.
So, we have a process that heats up the polyurethane mixture as it hardens, but how much? Well, it's hard to find numbers for it, but I suspect it can easily reach 30 to 40 °C, depending on the mixture (fast curing) it could easily go higher. To combat the effects of heat softening of the PLA/ABS model inside the mold, I strongly suggest printing with extra shells and extra infill. While most items can get away with 10 %, in this case, I suggest 20-30 %. ABS would be the superior choice above PLA as it starts to deform at a higher temperature. PLA can start to deform at around 60 °C, ABS only at about 80 °C.
The temperature of the PU curing depends on the speed of the curing process - it is safer for the masters to choose a slower curing mix as the heat is generated over a longer time and the maximum temperature is thus lower as a result (as excess heat is lost to the room)
Surface
-------
To reduce the sticking to the surface from the material creeping into the gaps of the model, it has to be as smooth as possible and best also sealed. If you choose ABS, a quick acetone vapor bath would do the trick in this case. PLA should be lacquer sealed as it doesn't like to stick to most waxes.
Adding a mold release agent isn't necessarily needed, but could help in removing the masters from the mold.
Conclusion
----------
ABS might be the better choice in this application. It is advisable to use extra-thick walls (3+), a lot of infill (20-30 %) and a vapor smoothed surface.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: In my experience, polyurethane sticks to PLA like super glue, not good. But silicone and alginate doesn't stick at all.
What I do is print the model of the mold with PLA or ABS, no matter. Then, cast a mold of the PLA model of the mold with alginate, then you have the negative of your mold.
Now with this alginate mold of the mold cast your actual mold with silicone. And then you can cast your part on polyurethane in the silicone mold.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
2019/10/09 | 1,515 | 5,004 | <issue_start>username_0: My Alfawise EX8 (Anet A8 Clone) had an issue, so I flashed the [firmware](https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ab6p2s8j61w6q/Marlin.rar?dl=0) provided on the GearBest page. After the flash the LCD is no longer doing anything and I can't really identify the LCD to confirm whether the correct one is selected in configuration.h
Currently the firmware had 'Mini VIKI' selected, but I'm not confident it works.
I cannot see anything on the screen, but I can still turn the dial and click things to make it do stuff.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/YMky7m.jpg)[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/aAhbkm.jpg)
I really hope somebody can help!<issue_comment>username_1: According to the [link to the fork of Marlin](https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ab6p2s8j61w6q/Marlin.rar?dl=0) you need to be sure that a bootloader is present before flashing, see [pins\_MELZI\_WYH.h](https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ab6p2s8j61w6q/Marlin.rar?dl=0&file_subpath=%2FMarlin%2Fpins_MELZI_WYH.h):
>
>
> ```
> /**
> * Melzi (WYH) pin assignments
> *
> * The WYH-128 board needs a bootloader installed before Marlin can be uploaded.
> * If you don't have a chip programmer you can use a spare Arduino plus a few
> * electronic components to write the bootloader.
> *
> * See http://www.instructables.com/id/Burn-Arduino-Bootloader-with-Arduino-MEGA/
> */
> ```
>
>
From this same pins layout file you can find hints to the usage of the `REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER` display:
>
>
> ```
> // For the stock M18 use the REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER
> // option for the display in Configuration.h
> ```
>
>
Maybe you can use that one instead of the "Mini VIKI". Though, an internet search, does hint to the "Mini VIKI" being the correct display for this printer, but it does look different from other Mini VIKI displays.
Note that in the [Configuration.h](https://www.dropbox.com/s/e1ab6p2s8j61w6q/Marlin.rar?dl=0&file_subpath=%2FMarlin%2FConfiguration.h), by default this display is not enabled as can be seen:
>
>
> ```
> // RepRapDiscount FULL GRAPHIC Smart Controller
> // http://reprap.org/wiki/RepRapDiscount_Full_Graphic_Smart_Controller
> //
> //#define REPRAP_DISCOUNT_FULL_GRAPHIC_SMART_CONTROLLER
>
> ```
>
>
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: I know this is a closed and already answered question, but for anybody having an Alfawise EX8 and wanting to update the firmware, I've changed some things in the Marlin bugfix-1.1.x version, so that it now works perfectly with this printer. You can find it [here](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QdZ8sDM-sSaSmGTotOO53IB8hTDuy6Yw/view?usp=sharing). The issue with the display is in the file ultralcd\_st7565\_u8glib\_VIKI.h. The Alfawise EX8 version contains added functions like contrast adjustments and addressing offset, which is not present in the Marlin vanilla version. Also, the original Alfawise firmware grabbed 93% of RAM for global variables, which lead to unstability and in my case to spliting screen and other issues. Now there are only 46% allocated. I suspect the SD alpha sorting of this, as you can clearly see in the advanced config, that it creates an array of more than 200 instances. 37B each. Sooo since I don't usually hoard gcode files on my SD card, I disabled the sorting completelly. Feel free to make adjustments to your own taste!
Wish you luck and many successful prints! :)
EDIT: If you are still experiencing glithes with the LCD, try separating the LCD data cable from the extruder cables. I didn't. My bad. Also, don't add capacitors between power inputs. Caused more problems than it solved and yes, I know how to connect an electrolytic capacitor. The firmware is fully functional, working with a MightyCore bootloader inside. There was an issue with the SD print abort function. In the bugfix version, there is a gcode function added to abort SD print and it somehow doesn't work too well with the LCD option. So I removed the gcode from Marlin\_main.cpp and brought some things from the original firmware to get it working. Also since the SD was really slow, I had to re-enable the alpha sorting using RAM, but decreased the array size to 30 instances. For the memory it means, that right now it is at 89% Flash and 39% RAM usage. Enjoy! :)
BTW: For anyone saying that you cannot print good prints on this printer, I just printed tha Maker's Muse Gauge and clearance test model, and got it moving completely! That's pretty awesome for a printer that cost me less than 150€.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: I have the same problem.
I think it is not a bootloader problem because the screen is all blue but machine can work with serial connexion. I tried to use the new Jakub's file but it doesn't work either.
I found new type of screen for EX8 on Marlin V2 called "WYH\_L12864\_LCD" - Has anyone tried this solution?
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/11 | 990 | 3,381 | <issue_start>username_0: I am new to 3D printing but have been in CNC Machining for a few years. I have a part I am trying to print that is a cylinder 1.000 in. in diameter and has a .200 in overhang starting at 1.300 in. In other words I am printing a 1.300 in. cylinder that is 1.500 in. tall that at 1.300 in. its diameter increases by .200 in.
When I first printed the part the overhang had sunk or fallen out. Not by much and is still usable but made a crappy finish. What would I need to do in order to have the overhang not drop as the base layer extended outward .200 in. at 1.300 in.?
I tried slowing the feed rate but that was worse. I also lowered the temp to 195 °C.
I am using a Monoprice Select Mini running at 200 °C and a 1.0 Speed (Not really sure what that feed rate is in terms of mm/s). Based on what I've seen so far I would increase the speed and keep the temp at 200 °C.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hif1O.jpg)
Any suggestions, I hope I have explained my problem well enough.<issue_comment>username_1: The world of 3D Printers usually uses the metric system, especially in nozzle sizes. 0.2 inches are therefore better referred to as 5 mm, which is a considerable amount: that's 11 to 13 perimeters from a 0.4 mm nozzle, depending on extrusion width (0.46 and 0.4 mm respectively). Furthermore, the bore of the item isn't supported either, it is bridging.
To print overhangs and bridging without sagging, one should activate the generation of support material in the slicer.
Generally speaking, PLA (judging from the print temperature) doesn't need to be printed with a raft and would be better served with a `brim` for bed adhesion, unless you have a perforated bed. If you have to print in the shown orientation, then you should activate support generation in your slicer.
For this part, however, there is a better solution: it is of very simple geometry and it doesn't have to be printed as shown but equally could be printed "upside-down" by being rotated around the X-Axis by 180° in the slicer. This has two benefits: it removes all unsupported overhangs an avoids support structure, making the wasted material pretty much nonexistent.
I strongly recommend taking a look at my [3D Design Primer](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6726/what-special-considerations-must-be-taken-when-designing-parts-for-3d-printing/6830#6830) and the excellent question on [How to decide print orientation?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/10636/how-to-decide-print-orientation) and then delve into further reading:
* [How to print an overhanging arc](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/250/how-to-print-an-overhanging-arc)
* [How can I improve the overhang angles my printer can successfully print?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/686/how-can-i-improve-the-overhang-angles-my-printer-can-successfully-print)
* [Is there any setting that could allow me to print this overhang without support?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/5529/is-there-any-setting-that-could-allow-me-to-print-this-overhang-without-support)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: It appears that your part could be printable upside down. If possible, I'd highly recommend this, as it mostly avoids supports all together.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/11 | 3,876 | 14,611 | <issue_start>username_0: Is it possible with the accuracy of current 3D printers to print a sound trace?
On a vinyl record the grooves in the record are an encoded sound. Is something like this doable with 3D printers?
If Vinyl-like isn't possible, could a sound be printed at desktop scale? I mean printing the waves out that if you ran your finger along it it would reproduce the encoded sound? Examples would be [Rumble Strips](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_strip), the [Musical Roads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_road) or [highway rumble strips](https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/44069/what-are-the-treads-on-the-side-of-the-highway-called).<issue_comment>username_1: Sound Encoding basics
---------------------
Sound is a compression wave, and any depiction of it has to be an encoding of it. You can encode it so you can recreate the sound using a contraption that oscillates in the right way to compress air again in the right pattern, but you can't just "print it out" like you can scale up a lightwave from the nanometer scale to a visible one as a representation.
Let's take a simple example: a 440 Hz tune is generally considered to be the A4, aka *concert pitch a* or A440.
It could be encoded in a various ways. The probably oldest is to encode it as a note in violin notation, which then could be reproduced by anyone using a properly tuned instrument. The actual result depends on the instrument used as much as on the skill of the player. Each instrument thus might decode this encoded note differently, based on the physical setup of the instrument. Each instrument *automatically* creates the appropriate overtones.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ms9Vl.png)
In Midi, it is encoded as `Note 69` and any machine that can decode a midi file could use this instruction, paired with an instrument to use, to create the A4 that is set for it. In Midi, the mere instruction of Note 69 does cut out skill, but how it sounds and feels comes from the instrument setup - which contains information about what overtones are to be created when playing this note.
For a physicist, the pure sound is encoded as just the notion of `440 Hz` and some amplitude to balance how loud it is. With those instructions, he'd be able to set up a device that has these creates a 440 Hz tune. To generate the sound and feel of an instrument, the encoding for a physicist would need to contain all the overtones that are to swing with this one sound.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cozUQ.png)
### History of sound recording
Let's look at the very first way of recording sound: The Phonautograph of 1857 used a piece of paper or a sheet of glass blackened and then a membrane move a needle. When the plate would be moved, the needle left a written path. The encoding was done via 2 factors: the setup of the stylus (mainly how long is the arm) and the speed of the movement of the plate. Changing either changed the encoding. A longer arm would record a larger amplitude (making fainter sounds recordable) while faster movement would alter the timescale recorded, allowing to look at short instances and better compare them.
These vibration-pattern records could be used to measure and compare sounds but not be used to recreate the sound, as lines on paper nor scratches in soot are a good way to keep a reading needle in boundaries. it took till 2000 and the use of scanners as well as digital processing to recreate these recorded sounds.
The solution to recreate sounds was found by the Edison Laps in 1877 with the phonograph, which used a piece of thick tinfoil to record the motion pattern of the membrane. Again, then encoding was done via the arm setup and the speed at which the tinfoil clad cylinder moved (or rather rotated). It would till the 1880s develop to a wax cylinder, which was easier to inscribe and reproduce from. One such machine was used by <NAME>.
The first Gramophone came in 1889, mainly altering the shape of the recording medium from cylinders to the well-known shape of vinyl records but made from hard plastics and shellac. Around 1901, a 12-inch gramophone disk held only a 4 minutes track, speaking volumes about the problems of encoding the complex patterns of sound onto a disk. At the same time, an Edison Amberol Cylinder held 4 minutes 30 seconds but would spin at 160 rpm. Soon after, celluloid would become the recording medium of its time, and the disk the de-facto "standard" as it was much better storable.
In 1925 finally, a real standard was developed to record at around $78^{+0.26}\_{-0.08}$ rpm, which lead to only a 0.34 rpm difference between areas of 60 or 50 Hz mains voltage (though they needed different encoder rings), making records interchangeable between both machine types. All these recordings were encoded naturally: the vibrations of the membrane in the recording tool would be 1:1 transmitted to the vibrating stylus that would then do the encoding in such a way that a machine would reproduce what the recording one "heard" quite accurately.
When Vinyl came to the playing field as a recording medium at the end of world war II, so came a swap in the reading needle type: instead of a needle that would agitate a membrane directily, sapphire needles that would agitate an electrical pickup which in turn would activate a speaker. But while the recording technology advanced, the track length of a 12-inch disk was still limited to about 4 minutes at 78 rpm. It would only reach more than this in the last years of its use by applying LP technologies to pack the track tighter in the 1950s, achieving 17 minutes.
1948 came the LP, what we know as a classic vinyl record. At its introduction it could cram 23 minutes onto one side, making this possible by only using 33.5 rpm as the recording speed and thinner, much tighter coiled groves, increasing the information density by a factor of 5.75 for a 12-inch disk. 7-inch 45 rpm "singles" came out 4 years later. Within 10 years, the 33.5 and 45 rpm encoded variants had almost completely replaced the 78 rpm market.
Vinyl
-----
As the history of analogous recordings shows, encoding a sound signal is rather easy in theory, hard in practice. A typical 12-inch [LP Vinyl record](http://www.gzvinyl.com/About-vinyl.aspx) of 20 minutes is a grove that is 427 meters long and coiled up 667 times. That means a single groove is between 0.04 and 0.08 mm wide - with an equally thin wall between. That means, that to achieve a printed phonograph record, you'd have to print accurately down to 40 microns to get an *empty* track. However, we also need to add the signal atop. And here comes the real problem:
An empty track has some 22 µm deviations, which the needle will usually not pick up at all. Dust, which creates the crackling at times, is in the same area (1-100 µm). The actual sound signal is encoded to have features as small as 75 nanometers. That is 3 magnitudes lower than the mere geometry of the grove, and equally much lower than any printer - including SLS - can achieve today, as 50 µm is often considered a lower limit in 2019.
To show how much tiny defects would ruin the sound quality, look at [this rapid cast](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDwN41Px_sY) of a vinyl record. The resolution of the negative and the subsequently cast record is good enough to recognize the music, but the resin cast did contain so many gas bubbles that the noise level of the copy is very high.
Bonus: Unlike on cylinders the encoding of the signal on disks changes from the start to the end! The vinyl spins at a constant rate, but the radius from the center changes, leading in the speed on any part of the grove to be different as $|v|=|\omega \vec r \sin(\theta)|$, where omega is the speed in rad per second, theta is the angle of the reeding, so in this case, the sinus term becomes 1 and vanishes. This factor has to be taken into account for encoding so the pitch of the record doesn't change if the record is not created naturally by inscribing the signal onto a spinning disk.
Other encoding
--------------
### Rumble Strips
However, it is quite easy to create a structure that creates sounds based on interaction with another body. Highway Sound Strips create sounds as the car tire bumps up and down, turning the car and tires into resonance bodies while the street "beats" upon it. In the case of a large percussion instrument like a car, we are talking centimeter scale.
### Peg-Cylinder
A very simple method would be to go back to encoding and check out the note notation but limiting the length of notes to one unit. Encoding music this way results in pegs or ridges on a cylinder, which then can be used to actuate a mechanism to decode the music and create sounds like in a music box. In a music box of this kind, the demand for accuracy is about 3 to 5 magnitudes lower than in vinyl records: we speak about a tenth of a millimeter to centimeter scale.
Such a [Musical box](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1094636) or [noisemaker](https://www.thingiverse.com/search?sort=relevant&q=noisemaker&type=things&dwh=955da117c1ada44) can be easily printed and is pretty much a rumble strip coiled around a cylinder. The length of the sample is determined by the resolution, playback speed and diameter of the cylinder while the complexity is determined by the rows of pegs of it: a noisemaker is pretty much a 1-note, high speed, music box. Typically, one rotation stores about 25 to 30 seconds. Typical examples would be the first part of *Für Elise*, or the [Marble Machine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q) (Between second 30 and 35 the encoding wheel rotates 1 fifth). Some barrel organs also use the peg method, like one can [see here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oRm1Dx5rDI). With some trickery, one cylinder could be used to encode multiple parts that play one after another once a rotation is done by and silencing some parts of the machine depending on an extra encoder, like [this 3-part *Für Elise*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suj-0GP7xzg) music box.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/mGLCG.jpg)
### Hole-Plate(-strip)
A different method would be to encode the music as holes in a continuous strip and use air as a decoding method. If the air then gets directed into pipes, we have a street organ. Typically, one would use a paper strip as the encoded message, but it could be printed just as well, especially if one uses a setup that uses plates hinged to one another instead of a rolled-up paper as in [this example](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp5FpGrYWC0). With such a way to stash away the extra length, the upper limit for music length rises from a couple of seconds to several minutes easily even with such a "bad" encoding.
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_2: I think this is just about doable. In this answer, I will assume you want to produce a "rumble strip" style of object that will reproduce a recording of human speech. I'll assume you don't care about sound quality, you just want the words to be intelligible.
The main things to consider are the printer's resolution, the size of the object to be printed, and the sample rate. Together, these factors determine the length of the sound, and the rate at which you need to move along it to reproduce the sound.
Let's start with sample rate. A CD has a sample rate of 44100 samples per second (Hz), but that might be a bit ambitious. Telephones use a lower sample rate of 8000, and it says [here](http://www.hitl.washington.edu/projects/knowledge_base/virtual-worlds/EVE/I.B.3.a.SoundSampling.html) that speech is still intelligible at a sample rate of 2500 Hz. Let's go with this rate.
Now let's consider the resolution of the printer. A typical nozzle size is 0.2mm, which probably limits the resolution to around that size, though you can probably do better with some care, and I imagine people in this community will be able to help with that. I am guessing that you would want to print the object horizontally, so you're dealing with xy resolution instead of z resolution. (Note that resin 3d printers have much better resolutions, so they might be ideal for this task, despite their smaller print volumes.) Let's start by assuming 0.2mm is our resolution, since this should be easy to achieve with any printer.
This means that every sample in the sound file takes up about 0.2mm. Let's say we have one second of speech - that's long enough to say "Hello!", for example - at 2500 Hz. That means we have 2500 samples. 2500 \* 0.2mm = 500mm, so your rumble strip will be about 1/2 meter long. That's unlikely to fit on your print bed, but you can print it in sections and stick them together - you can probably print them all at the same time. You could even curl it round into a spiral, making it even more like a vinyl record.
Then all you have to do is take a rigid object like a guitar pick and slide it along the strip at the right speed, so that it takes about 1 second. Then you should hear the sound played back. Attaching a resonator to the pick or the strip should increase the volume.
Increasing the resolution will decrease the length of the strip, or allow you to play a longer sound for the same length of strip, or increase the sample rate. E.g. if you can get a resolution of 0.1mm then you could play a 2 second sound instead, using the same 0.5m length of rumble strip.
In principle, creating the object is not hard, but I don't know any software that can do it out of the box. You just need to make the surface height correspond to the waveform. If I was doing this I would probably write a Python script to turn the wave file into a list of numbers, then paste those into in OpenSCAD's polygon function, which I would then extrude to make the object. But others might know an easier way.
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_3: Here's an alternative which takes advantage of the relatively (!!) high-precision layer capability of the 3D printer: Make a lithopane strip and use an optical sensor to reproduce the sound.
This is (was) done to encode the soundtrack for movies alongside the image frames in the film strip (reel). Basically the thickness of the print at a given location modulates the optical throughput and thus the signal strength out of the photodetector.
Note that, as with movie reels, you will need a lot of real estate to record a decent amount of audio.
Upvotes: 2 |
2019/10/13 | 1,070 | 4,173 | <issue_start>username_0: I have a collection of STL files, each containing a separate moving part of an object I want to print. (Imagine a set of gears, or similar, that prints as a single object with multiple moving parts.)
My plan was to import them all into Cura, then hit print, then take my fully assembled object off the build plate. However, Cura ignores the coordinate system in the STL files and automatically separates the components from each other on the build plate. This is usually helpful, but it isn't what I want in this case.
So I'm looking for a quick and simple way to combine my multiple STL files into a single STL file. I know that the objects don't overlap, so I don't need to do a CSG union operation - it's enough just to concatenate the objects.
I tried OpenSCAD, which works, but it takes a really long time, because the meshes are fairly complex and it does the full Boolean operation. Is there another quick and simple way to perform this task?
I'd prefer a command line utility, but I'd also be happy if there's a quick and simple way to do it in some free graphical software. (However, I don't want to spend time manually positioning the objects - they're already in the right places in the STL files, so I just want to import them and go.)
**Edit** I've accepted Trish's answer (use Blender), but I'd still appreciate a command-line option if anyone knows one.<issue_comment>username_1: What you try to do is called "Print in Place". However, it is not done by importing several STLs one after another as cura does remove the origin and recenters each imported object upon importing. However, an STL file can contain more than one body.
To generate a PiP model, you need to export your whole project as **one** STL file containing all the parts and then Cura not only doesn't rip the model apart, it *can't* do so.
Workaround
----------
If you can't export the whole project in one piece from your design software, you could use a workaround by importing it into a software that can export as one item. Among these is blender, so importing all the parts into blender and then exporting the whole project as one STL is a simple fix. Other options would be TinkerCAD or Fusion360.
The Step by step guide for blender is simple and the general idea of this workflow is the same for other options:
1. Open blender
2. New project
3. delete the cube via `entf` + `enter`
4. Get the files into the workspace via either:
* Drag & Drop
1. `File > Import > Stl (.stl)`
2. select the file + `enter`
5. Possibly reposition the object, till it is in the right position
6. Repeat 4. to 6. till all parts are imported
7. `File > Export > Stl (.stl)` + `enter`
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The operation you want is *almost* just cat'ing the files together. However you need to remove the 80 byte header from all but the first, and add up the 32-bit triangle count from each file immediately after that. Output should be:
1. Copy of first 80 bytes of file 1
2. Sum of int32 from offset 80 of each file.
3. Bytes 84-end from each file.
See <https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/STL_(file_format)>
Upvotes: 3 <issue_comment>username_3: Similarly to @R..'s answer, you can easily concatenate the contents of each file if you have ASCII .stls.
1. Make sure the .stls are in ASCII format: Open them in any text editor (like Notepad++). If it's readable, you're fine, proceed to (3)
2. If not readable, convert them to ASCII .stl format using a converter tool ([like this](https://www.meshconvert.com/))
3. Open each ASCII .stl file
4. Copy together the contents of the files, except for the "solid" and "endsolid" statements where the files meet
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_4: Import them to Tinkercad and then output your combined file from there. You can go into Tinkercad and on the top right side you will see "import", click that to import your file (you can repeat the process as desired) and it will put the files on the workspace .. on the screen. When you have your workspace all set the way you want select them all the click "export" and it will export all of them to one file for your use.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/10/15 | 911 | 2,915 | <issue_start>username_0: When I print with PLA, I get a perfect first layer.
However, when I print with PETG, the first layer looks like this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/pceRa.jpg)
I've read all the info that suggests reducing the temp, speed, and increasing retraction... I've done all that which has improved things a lot, but I still get this... I can't seem to work out what's causing it.
How do I get a perfect first layer with PETG?
The latest settings that I've tried, and produced what you see in the picture are, using Cura 4.3 standard Dynamic Quality 0.16 mm profile with these tweaks:
* Temp: 220 °C
* Bed: 65 °C
* Retraction Distance: 10 mm (not that this would have any bearing on this flat first layer)
* Print Speed: 40 mm/s
One thought I had, does PETG need a different clearance between the nozzle and the bed than PLA?<issue_comment>username_1: >
> One thought I had, does PETG need a different clearance between the nozzle and the bed than PLA?
>
>
>
Short answer: "Yes, for some it does".
---
The results from your image are typically seen when the initial layer height for PETG is too small. PETG likes an additional gap on top of the usual that is used to print e.g. PLA.
For me personally I don't experience this general consensus (I've printed kilometers of PETG filament at 0.2 mm initial layer height at a glass bed with 3DLAC spray without any problems), but it is well known that if you print PETG (and if you experience problems) you need to increase the gap between the nozzle and the bed. From ["PETG Filament - Overview, Step-by-Step Settings & Problems Resolved"](https://rigid.ink/blogs/news/175700615-petg-filament-heres-what-you-need-to-know) posted on rigid.ink, you see that they (usually) advise an additional 0.02 - 0.05 mm gap:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3kvcx.png "Additional 0.02 - 0.05 mm PETG gap")
Bottom line, if the normal gap doesn't work for you, increase the gap to see if that works better. Note that in some slicers you can add an offset in the slicer so that you do not have to do the releveling with a thicker paper (or if you are using auto-levelling). E.g. in Ultimaker Cura you can download a plugin (for recent Cura versions from the marketplace) from user [fieldOfView](https://github.com/fieldOfView/Cura-ZOffsetPlugin) called "Z Offset Setting" to get the `Z Offset` setting in the `Build Plate Adhesion` section. You can also do a little trick in the G-code by redefining the height so that you can put this in a PETG start G-code or something.
Upvotes: 4 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: When I print with PETG, my bed is 80 °C for first 2 layers then I drop it to 65 °C
Extruder temp first two layers 240-250 °C and then drop to 225-230 °C.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/15 | 1,285 | 5,130 | <issue_start>username_0: This is about practicality. I'm hearing that people are using their BLTouch not to adjust the Z offset, but as the limit switch for the machine! Why is this so? What are the pros and cons of using a BLTouch (or any touch sensor for that matter) in lieu of a physical limit switch?
(NB: I'm looking for objective reasons, where no other solution will do as opposed to personal preference reasons where people just like to use it).<issue_comment>username_1: There's cost.
Or it might be fragility -- there is a little overshoot, i.e. the time between when the Z-stop sensor(whatever type) indicates zero is reached and when the stepper motor actually shuts down. The standard lever-switch has plenty of flexibility and "give" but the BL Touch may not, and may be damaged if the gantry tries to move a couple hundred microns past "true" zero before stopping. I would be cautious, depending on your budget, about trying it out.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_2: Touch sensors (or inductive or capacitive sensors) are generally used to probe the bed to determine the bed shape. For metallic beds that are not perfectly straight this works excellent. But, if your bed is straight and level (e.g. when you are using a straight slate of glass), you do not need to probe the surface as it is level. Instead you can use the probe to determine the Z level.
**Pros** for a limit lever switch are:
* simple and cheap mechanical switch
* no firmware changes necessary
* no or few soldering
* already present on most bought printers
**Cons** for a limit lever switch are:
* needs fine adjustments counter part to work optimally
* something can get in between the lever and counter part
* it doesn't look cool
**Pros** for a more sophisticated sensor:
* it can help with adhesion if the bed surface is deformed or dented
* it looks cool
* everybody is using it so it must be good
**Cons** for a more sophisticated sensor:
* expensive and complicated sensor
* requires firmware changes (e.g. sensor offset value)
* requires soldering, or connecting more cables
* inductive and capacitive sensor work usually better at a higher voltage
* higher chance of malfunctioning (more parts and electronics)
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_3: I *would* use both if I had a choice, but my stock "Melzi" board doesn't have enough inputs as near as I can tell. Most of the (scarce) instructions show to disconnect the Z switch and connect the BL Touch to the digital inputs in place of the switch.
I don't see any other connectors to wire up the EZ Touch to. Maybe the ICSP programmer, but I haven't messed around to see if that would be usable (nothing in the stock CR10 box is connected to it anyway).
So I think it's more of a practical issue that you use one in place of instead of adding.
However, less pedantically, ***why is a BL Touch better than a limit switch***?
Two words: **Auto Leveling**
If you get everything setup right, auto-leveling should be great. I say "Should be" as I still don't quite have the board setup right. It keeps trying to push my nozzle into the PEI sheet, so I really DO wish I had both limit switches and the BL Touch.
Leveling on a hobbyist level 3D printer isn't that hard, but it's time consuming and requires some care. Having to do it every time becomes a colossal pain. So the idea that you could clean off the build plate, hit a button, and have the printer figure out what level was and just start printing is great. Not having prints peel off the plate because you had the gap set wrong, or didn't get the back corner leveled off, or the PEI sheet getting damaged because the nozzle ran into the sheet ... *priceless*.
But hey, if you're using a 3D printer where you'd even think about a BL Touch, you're on the DIY/Maker side, not the "stick in an SD card and hit print" side, so you should be used to figuring out how to wire one in. It's part of the adventure, right?
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_4: One other way a bed sensor may be preferable over a common limit switch: it automatically adjusts when you change out the build surface.
Most glass build surfaces are anywhere from three to five millimeters thick, while the surface they replace (texture coated or uncoated fiberglass/resin, magnetic sheet, etc.) are around one to 1.5 mm thick -- that's a enough change in build surface height to be near the limits of the bed adjustment on my Ender 3, for instance.
There are ways to work around this, for instance with spacers that clip onto the bottom of the X gantry to trigger the Z-stop at a higher position -- but if you forget to install the spacer on a build surface change, you may end up scratching the coating on your glass bed (probably a bad thing) by dragging the nozzle across it, as well as potentially damaging the nozzle (cheap, but takes time to replace once you figure out why your prints are suddenly failing). If you're using a bed sensor in place of a limit switch, this oversight can't happen, because the Z homing will automatically detect where to stop regardless what you've mounted on the bed.
Upvotes: 0 |
2019/10/17 | 1,113 | 4,032 | <issue_start>username_0: I was trying to print parts for a small CD-ROM drive based plotter based on this thing <https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3521286>
But as tolerances are very small and need to match the existing parts, I realized that my printed parts are actually a little bigger, I made a test with a part like this:
```
_ _
/ \ / \
\ .------------------------. ___
| [O]________________[O] | ^
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |<--- 62mm ---->| | | |
| | | | 70mm
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
_| [O]________________[O] | _v_
/ '------------------------' \
\ _ / \ _ /
Side View:
[X] [X]
___[XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX]____
```
A squared and mouse-eared frame with two protruding 4mm cubes on each corner with inner distances of 62mm and outer of 70mm between each adjacent cubes.
I discovered that, after measuring many times and averaging distances, my model printed 0.227..% larger.
I've heard of shrinkage factor for ABS or Nylon, and people compensate scaling their models while slicing.
But what about PLA?
Im using:
* Anet A8
* Stock marlin firmware (not the Anet one)
* Flashforge natural PLA 1.75mm
* 0.4mm Nozzle
* 0.2mm layer height
* 0.4mm line width
* 210ºC extrusion temp
* 60ºC Bed temp
* 40mm/s print speed
* Fusion 360, Cura 2.7 or 4.3 and Octoprint.
The printed model is pretty flat, has no curvatures or artifacts either.
***Would this be an error of constants on my printer a known artifact from PLA?***<issue_comment>username_1: [You are not taking into account die swell](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6968/slicer-line-width-vs-extrusion-multiplier-for-layer-adhesion).
When printing with a 3D printer hot plastic is forced through a nozzle, which leads to the expansion of the material. The result is, that with 0.4 mm nozzle and 0.4 mm intended line width, the material will actually deposit some fraction of a millimeter wider. In your test case, that is 0.22%. If you'd print a double-sized test piece, I expect 0.11%, and in case of a half-sized 0.44% - in other words, it is a static offset.
Because of this, it is usually better to demand wider lines than the nozzle is, forcing the die swell effect to become negligible in the wider line. I managed this with about 110% of the nozzle width on my machines.
Further Reading: [Why is it conventional to set line width > nozzle diameter?](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6965/why-is-it-conventional-to-set-line-width-nozzle-diameter)
Upvotes: 2 <issue_comment>username_2: There are several ways to try and adjust for this effect of squashing the material, which is ultimately about having enough space for the material you lay down.
As mentioned:
You can try to pre-scale models (not very effective as a general solution because it is a function of the model and how many adjacent layers your material is forcing)
You can up the line width.
If your software allows, you can input a slightly larger filament diameter to lay a bit less material. (Wanted to stress this one as it's been pretty useful for me)
If you are intentionally undershooting the volume by some percentage via the filament diameter, it may help to play with the layer height to control the end result of the line's cross section.
I've had good results with a combination of the latter three (basically comes down to calibrating the printer to get settings for your desired material spool, and level of detail -> sizes of line and layer for the print)
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_3: Cura has a fixed offset called "horizontal expansion", which can be set negatively. This way you can hardcode a -0.1mm offset for example. It worked for me where holes got too small and pegs got too thick.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/10/18 | 1,079 | 4,466 | <issue_start>username_0: I am printing using an Ender3 Pro with eSUN PLA+ 215/45 and I am getting this issue on two corners, the other two corners look fine.
Any idea on what can be causing this?
The bad corners
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/kr4VD.jpg "Bad corners")
The good corners
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ras6V.jpg "Good corners")<issue_comment>username_1: Looks like it treated those corners a bit differently in the slice routine. Normally something like this different treatment would be too slight to matter, but (probably due to the slight overhang?) it appears to have caused some layers to not adhere to the bottom ones and get pulled along to a different shape (red line in image). (Be sure to check some general layer adhesion/overhang topics too.)
I'd try increasing the infill there (and using honeycomb style infill) or even using a cad software to hollow the interior to essentially a desired infill before slicing if the current infill is important elsewhere.
Moving slower, Increasing the temperature a bit, and/or extruding more material per line and layer if the layer adhesion is due to the slight overhang (although it looks pretty small).
Upvotes: -1 <issue_comment>username_2: This has nothing to do with speed, temperature, adhesion, and whatever you do, **DO NOT** extrude more material per line (increase flow rate), as this will make the problem that much worse.
This is a fairly simple problem with an even simpler fix: you're over extruding. Reduce your flow rate by 5%, and see if that fixes the issue. It will definitely improve it, but you might need to lower your flow rate a little bit more.
What can often happen when your flow rate is set too high is the extra plastic will concentrate at areas of relatively high acceleration (corners and the start/stop spot for a perimeter of a given layer), but depending on the size of the thing being printed and the degree of overextrusion, it won't concentrate at every spot like this on a perimeter.
Usually, I see this happen where the perimeter moves start and stop each time, which (again, depends on the slicer and settings) tend to be the same spot for certain models, often a corner. I couldn't say for certain the exact mechanism, except that it seems like the plastic, given the right conditions, prefers to lay down evenly while the excess over extruded plastic builds up (probably carried by the nozzle, since it is hot and the plastic will want to stick to it) until too much has built up for the nozzle adhesion to keep it from sticking to the print, or the nozzle begins to decelerate (late at a corner or the end of a print move), causing the extra plastic to 'scrunch' up, like something that shoved in a distance too short for it. Knowing this, if you examine the corners, it should be quite obvious that this is what is happening. The perimeter is being extruded with more plastic than it should be, and the extra has a tendency to collect all in one spot each time.
Sometimes it is one corner, sometimes it is every corner, sometimes it is corners that are maximally distant from each other (since it takes some time for enough excess plastic to build up to over power whatever effects are preventing it from adhering immediately. So in this case, the two good corners were just where not enough excess plastic had built up yet at the nozzle to cause problems). Another possible explanation is that those two corners are simply where the perimeters were started and stopped, but some layers it was one corner, and other layers the other corner. But you can see over extrusion artifacts lower down on the feet (or whatever they are), and your first layer as well.
**Do not increase flow rate.**
**Do not increase infill.**
**Do not lower your speed.**
**Do not increase your temperature.**
None of those will help, and increasing flow rate further could cause the nozzle to catch on the print, potentially damaging your hotend.
Just reduce your flow rate by 5%. You should see an immediate improvement, or even elimination of the issue. If it is still there, then reduce your flow rate a percent or two until it does go away. And remember this number, because you'll probably want to use that flow rate in general for your printer.
Upvotes: 1 |
2019/10/19 | 608 | 2,483 | <issue_start>username_0: I'm using Cura to slice my prints. I've noticed that when printing the bottom layer (and also the top layer, if it's flat), it first prints three walls, then fills in the middle by moving back and forth in straight lines.
I've noticed that for my parts, the walls look much nicer than the zig-zag pattern in the middle, and it also seems that the zig-zag part detaches from the bed quite easily, whereas the walls don't.
My parts would look much better, and possibly also stick better to the bed, if I set the number of walls to 100 or so, so that the parts would be entirely filled in with walls. But then the parts would be completely solid, which isn't what I want. So what I want to achieve is that the bottom layer (and if possible also the top layer) are printed as if the part was composed entirely of walls, but the other layers are printed with three walls as normal. Is this possible in Cura?<issue_comment>username_1: I found the answer myself just after posting - I'm posting it because it might be helpful to other Cura novices.
There is a setting for this, it's just that it's not shown by default. In print settings, you have to click on the three lines next to the search box, and select "Show All Settings". Then you can find a setting called "Top/Bottom Pattern". Setting this to "concentric" does what I described.
Actually this setting affects not just the top and bottom layers, but all layers that are part of the top and bottom shell. This seems like a good thing, but if you really want to affect *just* the bottom layer, there's a setting "Bottom Pattern Initial Layer" that does this. There is also a setting under "Experimental" called "Top Surface Skin Pattern" that I think does the same for just the top layer.
In addition to "Concentric" there is also a "Zig Zag" option that's quite similar to the default "Lines" mode.
You can also change the visibility of settings in the preferences menu, to make these settings show up by default.
Upvotes: 5 [selected_answer]<issue_comment>username_2: The latest Cura that I have (4.2.1) includes "Ironing" in its options. When I enabled this, it prints the top layer twice. The first time with extrusion and the second time with just a little bit of extrusion (default is 10%) at 90 degrees to the first one. This effectively "irons out" the zig-zag pattern giving you a nice smooth top to your parts.
I was very impressed at how well this works (YMMV of course :-) ).
Upvotes: 3 |
2019/10/19 | 877 | 3,273 | <issue_start>username_0: 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](https://ultimaker.com/materials/pva). Is there something similar for Ultimaker 2+?<issue_comment>username_1: PLA and ABS are hard plastics. They are not water-soluble. If you print with these materials, just snap printed support materials off and clean the interface layer with a knife and sanding.
To remove the support, it is best to use strong tweezers or a pair of pliers to grip and then apply some force. Generally, I use needle pliers, but occasionally I also use snippets to cut up the support towers into more manageable chunks and keep the printed part safer. It can help to remove it in pieces and score the breaking lines.
As PLA is brittle, I prefer to break away from the object and not pull.
Upvotes: 1 <issue_comment>username_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](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/7991).
On dual extruder printers, e.g. on the Ultimaker 3 and S5, my colleagues have better experience using [Ultimaker Breakaway](https://ultimaker.com/en/products/materials/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:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/81q27.png "Modifi3d support removal tool")
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.
Upvotes: 3 [selected_answer] |
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