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thread-92
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/92
|
What type of plastic can be used to produce your own filament?
|
2016-01-12T22:13:01.437
|
# Question
Title: What type of plastic can be used to produce your own filament?
I'm considering purchasing Filabot or some similar filament maker.
What kind of plastic can I use to produce my own filament? Can I use any type of plastic or just specific printable filaments? Can I also mix different types of filament together or only one type at a time?
# Answer
Filament manufacturers (for example, Colorfabb) also sell pellets, price per kilo would be about 10 times less than the same plastic in filament form.
Out of household garbage only ABS can be easily extruded into filament with Filabot-grade machine. PET AKA plastic bottles looks promising as well.
You can also use certain products "off-label". For example, string trimmer string (line) is simply a nylon filament and can be used as-is in modern diameter-agnostic hot end.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: filament-production, filament-quality
---
|
thread-2592
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2592
|
How do I wire an AC SSR with RAMPs 1.4?
|
2016-08-04T15:08:46.800
|
# Question
Title: How do I wire an AC SSR with RAMPs 1.4?
I was advised that it would be possible to use an AC SSR to wire up a Mains Based heat bed. Any idea how one would do this with a RAMPs 1.4 board; Also, what do I hook a heated bed of this sort into?
# Answer
> 2 votes
If you take a kettle lead with a wall plug and cut off the other end, it will expose 3 wires: earth, live and neutral. These are color coded depending on your country, usually earth is green (possibly with yellow stripes), neutral is blue, black, grey or white and live is brown, red or black.
The SSR should have 4 terminals: 2 terminals for the switched load (which are interchangeable) and 2 terminals that connect to your electronics, which should be marked negative and positive. These terminals should connect to the negative/positive heated bed output of your electronics. The terminals of the SSR should be clearly marked, and you can verify which terminal is what from the SSR's datasheet.
Typically, your heated bed will have two wires for power (which are interchangeable). One of the wires should be connected to neutral. The other wire should go to one of the load terminals of the SSR, while the other load terminal of the SSR should connect to the live wire. It is also acceptable to do it the other way around (neutral to the SSR and live directly to the bed) but this is slightly less neat.
Finally, and this step is *extremely important*, the earth wire of the plug has a protective function: should something fail, metal parts of your printer may become electrified, and shock you when you touch them. To prevent it, you should electrically connect exposed metal parts of your printer (such as the frame, heated bed plate, power supply case, etc...) to earth. This provides a path for the current to flow (and trip the protective RCD breaker) should something go wrong.
I would further recommend that you protect your heated bed (particularly if it is a high power model) with a bimetallic thermal switch. These are available in a variety of ratings, and will switch the power to your heated bed off when it goes over a certain temperature. This switch should be wired between the relay and the heated bed, and be mounted on the heated bed so it makes good thermal contact. If you plan to print with the heated bed at 110C, you might get a 120C or 130C thermal switch.
As mains voltage can be deadly, you should take appropriate precautions: *never* work on the printer while it is plugged in, cover any connections (in particular, make sure you buy or print a cover for the SSR's terminals and wrap solder joints in heat shrink or electrical tape) and always treat wires coming out of the SSR as live (even if it is switched off, some current can still flow).
# Answer
> 1 votes
A link to the bed you have/are buying would be very helpful. AC heated beds exist but are fairly uncommon.
As one of the answers in the question you linked notes, the heat bed is probably not actually intended to use the 110 VAC/220 VAC directly from the wall and instead needs either 12 VDC or 24 VDC. If the current it needs is less than 11 A, then it can be connected directly to port D8 on the RAMPS 1.4, where it will take power from a suitably powerful 12/24 VDC supply connected to the 11 A input on the board. A more powerful heater will need an external relay/MOSFET/etc. to control.
If you do, in fact, have an AC bed, you can connect a SSR like this to either D8 or D9 on the RAMPS (D10 could be used, but it would need a supply connected to the 11 A input) making sure the polarity is correct, as long as your RAMPS DC supply voltage is within the input range of the SSR. The linked one is 3–32 VDC, so almost any supply voltage compatible with the RAMPS will work. The AC outputs of the SSR should be connected in series between one side of the bed and the AC hot wire, with the AC neutral wire connected to the other side of the bed so most of the circuit isn't carrying high voltage when off. This video has some useful hints.
However, while an AC bed can get you faster heating, will let you use thinner wires, and avoids the need for having a big DC power supply, I would recommend against using a mains voltage bed if you don't know what you're doing—a great deal more care must be taken and there is a serious possibility of injury.
---
Tags: heated-bed
---
|
thread-2599
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2599
|
Setting Resolution?
|
2016-08-05T04:34:29.177
|
# Question
Title: Setting Resolution?
Hello I have a Prusa I3 I am currently able to get press fit parts with my current settings. I am using Ramps 1.4 hardware and repetier software and cura as my slicer. I am printing with a .2 mm layer height right now but would like to get a better number such as .1 or .09. When I try to print with say .1mm layer height in the middle of the print the filament stops coming out of the nozzle. However I can still see the gear moving. I have check some sites that I have been using for troubleshooting but I haven't found anything that fixed the problem yet. How or what setting need to be changed in order to print with better resolution?
# Answer
> 2 votes
There are no settings that you should need to change. Rather, it seems like you are suffering from another issue that is not directly related to layer height.
It is possible that your hotend's heat sink is not being cooled enough, causing heat to migrate up and soften plastic in the heat sink, ultimately jamming it. Depending on your hotend's make, the heat sink should be cooled by a fan that is always on.
Normally, the plastic being fed into the hotend provides some cooling, but printing at a thinner layer height decreases this effect because less plastic is fed into the hotend per time unit.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I agree with Tom's answer, it seems that temperature slowly makes it's way up your heat sink and softens the plastic which causes the jam.
Even though you should first check your hardware to make sure that hotend cooling is installed correctly, **to directly address your original question** as to what setting needs to be changed, I would suggest lowering your printing temperature. When printing finer layers, the plastic moves slower in the hotend, spending more time in the heater block, possibly making your current temperature setting too high for this resolution.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes, That is what happens. There is a reason that most people cannot break the .1mm barrier.
You have several things happening. First if you are using a bowden. Good luck. The bowden treats plastic a lot like a spring. Just wont be able to generate a consistent pressure.
The direct gear will have the same issue. You are trying to spit out 0.1mm on a 0.5mm nozzle. Factor in some simple drooling and your dot of plastic is missing. You wouldn't think it matters, but when we are using such tiny amounts of plastic, and consistently throughout the print, it makes for a really bad result!
Then you have more issues. This is why you jam. You now have a lot of plastic sitting, not being expelled. When you go from 0.2mm to 0.1mm you now take twice the time. Considering the printer was made to print at a 0.7 to 0.2 range (more or less). We are talking about a fair time for this plastic to sit molten, waiting to come out. Some have mentioned the heat crawl, but not exactly what happens or a solution. Now you do a retraction, and you just retracted molten plastic. Which gets jammed. Or your plastic cooks, carbonizes faster and clogs your hotend. Sad times! What you can do is ... turn off retraction, and then increase your flow / extrusion multiplier to account for the extra drooling. Part will have a lot of stringing, but a quick burst from a lighter fixes most of that.
You can get better results with a hotend that has a fan and heat sink / break. I like the e3d hot ends. That will stop the heat crawl.
I will note that Makergear once sent me an experimental 0.1mm nozzle. It could not build enough pressure to expel the plastic. I got one tiny bunny, half melted before it clogged from aforementioned carbonization.
Sounds like to me you really just need a form 1, or you are a tinkerer like me. Making the printer go twice the speed is much more fun than high quality.
---
Tags: print-quality, prusa-i3, ultimaker-cura
---
|
thread-2593
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2593
|
How does the home position work on a Prusa i3 RepRap Printer?
|
2016-08-04T15:17:32.630
|
# Question
Title: How does the home position work on a Prusa i3 RepRap Printer?
By what process does the Prusa i3 determine it's home position?
I have a feeling that it works like this, but I'm not entirely sure about it:
1. If none of the end stops are activated; assume you are somewhere between Max-X, Max-Y, Max-Z and the point 0,0,0.
2. do
1. For axis in Axies
1. If axis endstop not signaling
1. subtract 100 steps from axis.
3. while endstops are not signaling, or if point 0,0,0 not reached;
# Answer
> 8 votes
It works like you describe, but it does not move all axes at the same time. It first moves the X-axis, subtracting steps while the X endstop is not pressed. When the X-axis is is homed (the X-endstop is gets pressed) it repeats the procedure for the Y-axis and finally the Z-axis.
# Answer
> 1 votes
You have the endstop which sends a on or off to the controller board.
The boards firmware knows if it is a close or open switch.
Lets assume pressed is on and unpressed is off.
When the axis is at home it will read as ON. The firmware then will not allow the axis to move in the direction you have designated is the Home direction. Now this is probably where you got confused. You in fact are the one to open a code file, and say what direction is home. When your turn it on the first time, chances are you have done it wrong on at least one. Then you will frantically go and manually press it yourself as your printers hotend crashes HARD into the bed.. All of us have been there !
Generally Prusas use ramps 1.4
http://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS\_1.4
Your code is your firmware. Usually you just edit a header file (single file). These files are heavily documented, depending which you use. Your seller might provider you with a preconfigured header file.
Will note that yes, if the endstop slips or is not position right, the printer will crash into it self. Usually no damage, but it is a very unpleasant thing to happen.
Also worth noting that some firmware will force you to home before you move. Others will let you crash the printer on the opposite side. Just a motor, will do whatever you tell it to.
In short. You tell it how the endstops work and what direction is home on a printer.
---
Tags: prusa-i3, reprap
---
|
thread-1577
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1577
|
Uploading Repetier firmware to Arduino?
|
2016-07-31T16:15:33.237
|
# Question
Title: Uploading Repetier firmware to Arduino?
I have a prusa i3 and have been trying to calibrate it. I have been trying to upload the new steps per mm and I get to done uploading. However when I go into Repetier host and type M503 to get the printers settings it still shows the steps as 100 for the y axis, it needs to be 96.1810. I am using ramps 1.4 I think, with Adrunio mega 2560. If I am remembering this correctly isn't there something you have to do when uploading a new sketch like hold the rest button or something?
# Answer
> 0 votes
See here for why you *shouldn't* calibrate your X/Y-steps. The value of 100 is probably better and will give more accurate prints overall than the value you came up with.
When uploading new firmware you generally do not have to press any button. Pressing reset manually is only necessary when your upload method does not provide a reset pulse, but if you upload with USB this is not necessary.
What is probably causing your problem is that the E-steps are stored in EEPROM, and uploading new firmware does not override the EEPROM settings.
You should run a `M502` to restore the default settings from the firmware you uploaded, then `M500` to save them to the EEPROM.
# Answer
> 1 votes
If your firmware doesn't store values you modified after flashing, for example using Repetier's option "Firmware EEPROM configuration", you probably didn't define EEPROM setting in Marlin.
To do this you have to uncomment the option in Marlin's Configuration.h:
```
// EEPROM
// The microcontroller can store settings in the EEPROM, e.g. max velocity...
// M500 - stores parameters in EEPROM
// M501 - reads parameters from EEPROM (if you need reset them after you changed them temporarily).
// M502 - reverts to the default "factory settings". You still need to store them in EEPROM afterwards if you want to.
//define this to enable EEPROM support
#define EEPROM_SETTINGS
#if ENABLED(EEPROM_SETTINGS)
// To disable EEPROM Serial responses and decrease program space by ~1700 byte: comment this out:
#define EEPROM_CHITCHAT // Please keep turned on if you can.
#endif
```
Check that the lines #define EEPROM\_SETTINGS and #define EEPROM\_CHITCHAT are both uncommented (i.e. defined)
---
Tags: prusa-i3, firmware, arduino-mega-2650
---
|
thread-2608
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2608
|
Possible ways to print soft skin for human robot?
|
2016-08-07T02:49:14.600
|
# Question
Title: Possible ways to print soft skin for human robot?
Are there any 3D printing filaments or specially designed desktop systems which can print soft artificial skin for human-robot? For example made of soft silicone or something similar?
# Answer
Oh that is a tricky tricky question!
First you will probably need a good scan of the robot. You will have the cad of the robot but chances are scanning will make life easier.
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20151201-kinect-easy-3d-printing-tool-with-release-of-3d-scan-app-for-windows.html
Also see Reprap for other options
http://reprap.org/wiki/3D\_scanning
Following... it is not going to be that simple. If it was my project I would Print a mold out of ABS. ABS reacts to acetone and you can vapor treat it.
http://www.logarithmic.net/pfh/blog/01366106156
That said you might burn your house down. Also it is inconsistent. But would give you a smooth finish.
Next you can do just normal mold printing and be okay with the ribbing. Then you pour your silicon material
Next you can well just print with silicon. The ninjaflex guys have a ton of different types of flexible materials and new ones coming out.
https://ninjatek.com/products/filaments/ninjaflex/
On that topic I will mention a local company that I have no direct affiliation with. I just see them at the hacker space. They make a extruder just for flexibles.
https://flexionextruder.com/
Other areas to look at. More for making metal but it may be of use.
http://www.instructables.com/id/From-3d-printed-part-to-metal-the-lost-plaabs-me/
Last is again the mold but you make the molds on a expensive form 1. Or you make the skin on the form1 as they can do flexibles. Small build area. Material is around 100 a ltr or more
http://formlabs.com/products/3d-printers/form-1-plus/
Good luck!
Also check out this facebook group (no affiliation)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3DPrintProps/
If anyone has done this it is those guys. Oh Wait No I take that back Look into these fellows. They have a very active group. (google group) not to mention that they are also directly doing what you are.
http://inmoov.fr/
Just don't be like this guy and make it look like a movie star... http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/man-builds-scarlet-johansson-robot-7667715
> 3 votes
---
Tags: filament
---
|
thread-1442
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1442
|
How can I export a Materialise Magics Project as a STL file?
|
2016-06-28T17:06:18.597
|
# Question
Title: How can I export a Materialise Magics Project as a STL file?
I created a new project in Materialise Magics, added a few parts (different STLs), moved them around in certain positions and now I want to export this project into another STL, containing my recent work.
The export menu seems to be all grey, like this function is not available. Do I have to do some repairing first or something similar? Or Magics needs other software in order to export a Magics Project to a STL file?
# Answer
> 3 votes
I gather from your post that you are trying to export a build file containing multiple individual pieces, possibly to be printed. I suggest using the 'Merge' tool to join each of the individual STL's into one file. You can then save it as as single part or export it to a printer. This information comes from my experience as an Additive manufacturing technician. The following link is a Github repo containing a workflow on this process:
Magic's Build File Creation
# Answer
> 3 votes
Instead of using `save project as` or `export` click `save part as`, this defaults to an STL file.
---
Tags: 3d-models, file-formats, materialise-magics
---
|
thread-2615
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2615
|
Print bed moves way up for printing
|
2016-08-07T23:54:39.570
|
# Question
Title: Print bed moves way up for printing
I am new to 3D printing and I am assembling/calibrating an Ultimaker Original+ for my college.
I am done with all the assembling and the printer works fine except for one thing.
The print bed moves way up. It touches the extruder and pushes it upwards. So, the extruder cannot extrude any material.
I tried to set the Z axis value before string the print but as soon as I start the print the platform just moves up and blocks the extruder.
Please let me know if you need any more information from my side.
# Answer
> 2 votes
It is normal for an Ultimaker print bed to move up. But it should be stopped before the nozzle.
As it doesn't stop the end stop doesn't work. So either the end stop is not connected to the right connector or it is triggering too late.
The Z end stop must be screwed at the right hight. If you mount it too far up it will not trigger. The bed assembly has a small wooden peace that sticks up. The idea is that that wooden peace pushes the end stop at the right hight.
So instead of configuring the hight in the firmware you need to mount the Z end stop at the exact right hight. You can make the fine adjustments(Bed Leveling) with the screws that hold the bed.
You can test the end stop by manually triggering while the bed moves up. It needs to stop immediately once you trigger the end stop. If the bed does not stop, then check the connection or exchange the switch.
It can happen that the switch itself malfunctions if you screwed it in too tightly. So loosening up the screws a bit is a final test.
---
Tags: z-axis, ultimaker-original
---
|
thread-2619
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2619
|
Z Axis getting stuck with Marlin 1.1.0-RC7
|
2016-08-09T04:55:36.843
|
# Question
Title: Z Axis getting stuck with Marlin 1.1.0-RC7
**Background**:
I just successfully installed a RepRapDiscount Full Graphic Display on my Prusa i3; and in doing so, I've upgraded all of the firmware to the latest version of Marlin, 1.1.0-RC7. With my previous version of Marlin, 1.0.2-1, everything was working perfectly. I've transferred every parameter over from my older version to my newer one. There were some aspects of code that were written differently, but essentially everything works except the Z-Axis.
**Problem**:
The one issue that I seem to be having is with any kind of movement with the Z-Axis. When it moves, whether from the LCD or Repetier, it appears to accelerate as it is supposed to, but then gets stuck/skips a bunch of steps, and then decelerates slowly as it's supposed to. Regardless of the distance I instruct it to move, it will accelerate normally for the same amount of time/distance/steps, go into this unholy mode for a period of time/distance/steps relative to what it was instructed, and then smoothly decelerates for the exact same amount of time every time. For example, if it is supposed to move 10000 steps, it will move 100 steps smoothly, then skip for 9800 steps, and finish with another 100 steps smoothly. If, for example, it needs to move 5000 steps, it will also move 100 steps smoothly, then skip for 4800 steps, and finish smoothly the last 100 steps. Keep in mind, these numbers are completely drawn from space; they are not accurate by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just trying to paint as clear of a picture as possible.
**Troubleshooting**:
At first I checked to make sure everything is mechanically sound.
* The nuts move freely up and down the 5mm threaded rod. There are no points along the entire length of the rod that the nuts don't move very freely.
* The stainless steel rods are well aligned and the entire Z/X-Axis carriage moves very freely along the vertical rails. The bearings appear to be fine.
I then wanted to narrow it down to being the firmware, and not electrical. For the record, maybe I'm missing something obvious, so please let me know.
* I measured the voltage on my A4988 stepper drivers on the RAMPS 1.4 board, sitting on the Arduino Mega2560 R3, and it is reading 350mV. Even if I adjust the potentiometer to 550mV, I still get the same issue.
* The jumpers underneath seem to be snugly in place, and all the pins on the A4988 appear to be fine as well.
* The one thing I haven't checked in the section, logically analyzing, is the wires going from the board to the motors themselves, but based on the following, I don't believe that is the issue. (Although I have been wrong before)
Moving onto the firmware.
I've played around with the default settings section in Configuration.h with no avail. Regardless of how low, or high, I go with any of the max acceleration settings, I cannot seem to fix the problem. It accelerates slower, but the overall effect is the same.
```
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT {80,80,3840,90}
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {500, 500, 5, 25}
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION {2000,2000,10,2000}
#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 1000
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 1000
#define DEFAULT_TRAVEL_ACCELERATION 1000
#define DEFAULT_XYJERK 20.0
#define DEFAULT_ZJERK 0.4
#define DEFAULT_EJERK 5.0
```
**Theory**:
At this point, if I had to guess, it has something to do with the maximum speed setting, or the microstepping. These are some of the settings that I have on the new firmware.
```
#if ENABLED(ULTIPANEL)
#define MANUAL_FEEDRATE {50*60, 50*60, 4*60, 60} // Feedrates for manual moves along X, Y, Z, E from panel
#define ULTIPANEL_FEEDMULTIPLY // Comment to disable setting feedrate multiplier via encoder
#endif
// minimum time in microseconds that a movement needs to take if the buffer is emptied.
#define DEFAULT_MINSEGMENTTIME 20000
// If defined the movements slow down when the look ahead buffer is only half full
#define SLOWDOWN
// Frequency limit
// See nophead's blog for more info
// Not working O
//#define XY_FREQUENCY_LIMIT 15
// Minimum planner junction speed. Sets the default minimum speed the planner plans for at the end
// of the buffer and all stops. This should not be much greater than zero and should only be changed
// if unwanted behavior is observed on a user's machine when running at very slow speeds.
#define MINIMUM_PLANNER_SPEED 0.05// (mm/sec)
// Microstep setting (Only functional when stepper driver microstep pins are connected to MCU.
#define MICROSTEP_MODES {16,16,16,16,16} // [1,2,4,8,16]
// Motor Current setting (Only functional when motor driver current ref pins are connected to a digital trimpot on supported boards)
#define DIGIPOT_MOTOR_CURRENT {135,135,135,135,135} // Values 0-255 (RAMBO 135 = ~0.75A, 185 = ~1A)
// Motor Current controlled via PWM (Overridable on supported boards with PWM-driven motor driver current)
//#define PWM_MOTOR_CURRENT {1300, 1300, 1250} // Values in milliamps
// uncomment to enable an I2C based DIGIPOT like on the Azteeg X3 Pro
//#define DIGIPOT_I2C
// Number of channels available for I2C digipot, For Azteeg X3 Pro we have 8
#define DIGIPOT_I2C_NUM_CHANNELS 8
// actual motor currents in Amps, need as many here as DIGIPOT_I2C_NUM_CHANNELS
#define DIGIPOT_I2C_MOTOR_CURRENTS {1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0, 1.0}
```
**Solution**:
If anybody could help me, or even point me in the right direction, I would really appreciate it. I'm getting desperate with this new firmware version. It has all these conditional tabs that didn't exist in my other one, and I can't quite figure it out.
# Answer
> 3 votes
The problem is likely in the MAX\_FEEDRATE. Initially the moves are smooth, indicating that acceleration is not a problem. However, you have your maximum speed set to 5mm/s, which, for m5 threaded rod (with 0.5mm pitch), translates to 10 revolusions/second for the threaded rod. That is quite fast, and the stepper probably can't keep up. Try reducing the feedrate.
The firmware microstepping and current settings have absolutely nothing to do with it, since these are not supported on your setup (which has physical potentiometers and microstepping jumpers).
---
Tags: prusa-i3, marlin, firmware, z-axis
---
|
thread-2612
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2612
|
3D printing enclosure with LED indication symbols -- is this possible?
|
2016-08-07T22:14:29.687
|
# Question
Title: 3D printing enclosure with LED indication symbols -- is this possible?
I am looking to print an enclosure, which will have a PCB inside with some LED indicators. I was wondering if it is possible to 3D print the enclosure such that the following look can be achieved? What material and technique?
When LEDs are off, it looks something like this:
WHen the LED turns on, it looks like this (illuminated symbols):
# Answer
Achieving this with 3D printing would be quite difficult, and you might be better served by creating this effect some other way (I would personally recommend getting some inkjet transparencies and stacking a few layers together: an entirely black layer, and a few layers with the symbols in negative space).
One way that you *might* be able to achieve this using just a common FDM printer is to print the part face down, and printing just a single layer or two that covers the entire face, and then printing more layers that cover everything but the symbols. However, those symbols look small and detailed and you might not be able to reproduce such detail.
> 4 votes
# Answer
So you want a translucent case which can hide the LEDs when they are off, but show then when they are on? I agree this might not be the best fabrication method for this effect. I would print a case with a window and use a tinted laser cut plexi glass. That said, it wouldn't be that hard.
There are a few catches. First you will have 3d printing texture. The lines and ribs. So there will be light distortion. However it can be minimized by either using a resin 3d printer with ultra high quality, or by having the window side printed on the bed, avoiding the ribbing. Albeit it is still not perfect.
I would look at translucent materials such as Tglass. Using these clear materials you can either ally a window tinting yourself or find a seller that has a very dark, yet still clear material. This will allow the effect where a LED is off and you cannot see it, and when it is on - see it.
http://taulman3d.com/t-glase-features.html
Tglass can be treated to be extra clear. Looks like they treat their material with XTC-3D for very translucent effects.
http://taulman3d.com/t-glase-optics.html
There are other options such as Resins, clear ABS, and PolyCarb (high temp)
All that said. Laser cutting is really what you want.
> 3 votes
# Answer
You can print the "lid" in translucent (gray) and stick a piece of laser printed transparency film under it with the symbols (print it "negative" so the symbols are transparent and the rest is black). Depending on the quality of the printed black you might want to stack two printouts to minimize light sipping through the black areas. A divider separating the leds underneath ensures that only one symbol lights up.
This will work better the better surface quality the "lid" has.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: material
---
|
thread-1560
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1560
|
What is PEI+PC 3D Print material? ISS 3D Print Contest
|
2016-07-26T17:40:49.773
|
# Question
Title: What is PEI+PC 3D Print material? ISS 3D Print Contest
There was a contest to develop 3D printable files for the International Space Station's 3D printer. The winner got a 3D printer ... runners up got Fluke DVOM's and all entrants got a t-shirt.
ISS 3D Print Contest
They offer 3 materials: ABS, HDPE, and PEI+PC ... I'm not familiar with the last one. Anyone know?
If found this material on Matweb: PEI+PC Alloy
These links are thought to last a very long time. I hope many of you decide to upload a project into contest site and compete for the grand prize ... A sweet John Fluke DVOM. If nothing else a free awesome T-shirt.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Ultem 9085, the most common ultem resin used for AM, is a blend of PEI-PC, as seen here https://www.sabic-ip.com/gepapp/Plastics/servlet/ProductsAndServices/Product/series?sltPrdline=ULTEM&sltPrdseries=Aerospace%20and%20Transportation&search=Search#searchresults.
Ultem is a trade name for PEI alloys made by Sabic and 9085, used in filaments made by both Stratasys and 3dXtech as the two most visible suppliers are both made with this same alloy. It is used for high temperature resistance and strength and needs to be printed at upwards of 300C in a contained environment.
Source-Intern at Made in Space.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Apparently the Made In Space printer can print an exotic alloy of PEI (ultem) and PC (polycarbonate).
* Ultem is a super-premium material for industrial FDM printers, and requires a very high temp heated build chamber to print. Hobbyists use it as a build plate -- Stratasys uses it as filament in their most expensive FDM machines.
* Polycarbonate is a specialty material that benefits from a heated chamber but is just barely printable on hobbyist level machines. (I print a fair amount of PC -- it makes ABS seem easy in comparison.)
By alloying PC with PEI, they are presumably optimizing some kind of performance parameter compared to ultem alone or polycarbonate alone. Exactly what material properties they get will depend considerably on the ratio of the two polymers. Ultem is exceptionally heat-resistant, quite stiff, and extremely strong. PC is very heat resistant, and has exceptional impact toughness. Blends of the two can be somewhat stiffer than either, with most other properties resembling the weighted average of the two base materials. It really depends on the mix, which we don't know.
This is analogous to the PC-ABS blend filaments we sometimes use. You get reasonably intermediate properties.
So, it's basically super-filament that NASA might want to use to make "production" parts in space. I would expect a HUGE degree of warping if not printed in extremely well-controlled conditions. But the Made In Space printer was intensely engineered for this task, so I have to assume they have it all figured out.
# Answer
> 1 votes
PEI - polyethermide is a "common" coating for heated print beds. PC is so many different things, but in this context, it's likely to mean polycarbonate plastic. From what I've read, it's challenging to print with and especially challenging to get a good bond on the build plate. One reference suggests to use a PEI coated bed with a slurry of ABS applied prior to printing. As with so many things 3d printer related, many people have many different methods. The above one appears to be well received as a successful method.
---
Tags: abs, hdpe
---
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thread-1444
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1444
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First Layer problems?
|
2016-06-29T04:43:36.577
|
# Question
Title: First Layer problems?
I am using the E3D v6 hotend with the titan extruder. Everytime I go to do a test print, just enough stringy filament oozes comes out of the hotend "right before" it lays down the first layer. I have no idea why it oozes out the little bit of filament before it prints.... The unwanted filament builds up while some of the first layer is done. As a result, what has been printed or about to be printed get stuck together as it tries to do the rest of the print....
# Answer
As the filament in the melt chamber heats up, it's going to inevitably ooze a little bit. Make sure you watch for this and clean it off as the hot-end heats up, and setup you slicing software to print a skirt, which will print a few loops around the outside of your print, separated by a few mm, to deal with ooze and get filament flowing properly.
If it oozes a lot, try reducing your print temperature a bit.
> 5 votes
# Answer
One possible solution is to "park" the hotend on the print bed as it is heating up. The bed blocks the nozzle, and prevents ooze from coming out. If any does come up, it tends to stick to the bed, not to the nozzle. You can do this by including an appropriate `G1` command in your start G-code.
> 1 votes
# Answer
In general, it's a bit normal to have *some* filament ooze during warm-up. However, if it seems to be an abnormal amount, you may want to consider reducing your target temperature.
Keep in mind that ideal extrusion temperatures are subjective to the source of your filament. Not all filament is of the same material quality and differing degrees of purity. Sometimes, the same filament will be of different quality from the same source. It might be worth dedicating the first bit of each spool to a bar test to determine what the appropriate extrusion temperature should be.
A simple test would be to use the control panel on your machine or use your software (whichever is easiest for you):
* Manually set the extruder to **extrude filament**
* **Stop** the extruder
* **Clean** excess material from nozzle
* **Watch** for ooze
* Gradually **reduce** the temperature
* **Repeat** until the amount of ooze is an appropriate to your liking
Also remember that there will be some left-over material from a previous spool when swapping spools.
> 0 votes
# Answer
As others have said, printers ooze when heating up. I keep a business card by the printer and do a wipe on the nozzle just before it starts the print.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: print-quality, pla, extruder, e3d-v6
---
|
thread-2637
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2637
|
Heated bed - what are the benefits? Why use one?
|
2016-08-12T06:42:27.340
|
# Question
Title: Heated bed - what are the benefits? Why use one?
When using a heated bed with your printer, I have seen claims of running temperatures of 90c throughout the print.
That seems like a fairly high power use to keep a large slab of, say, aluminium at 90c for long print times (ie multiple hours).
Is there a common 'sweet spot' for operating temperature?
Does it depend on material?
Is a heated bed required?
# Answer
Heatbeds have two purposes:
1. Increase surface energy of the print bed to improve bonding strength of the first layer (particularly important when using surfaces like PEI or Kapton)
2. Keep the bottom few millimeters of the print hot enough to provide a warp-free foundation for the rest of the print.
The bit about surface energy is straightforward. Most materials are stickier when hot than cold. In comparison, pure mechanical-bonding bed surfaces like fibrous painter's tape and perfboard don't particularly benefit from bed heat.
Warping is a bit more complicated. The basic cause of warping is when the previous layer is allowed to cool and thermally contract before the next layer is deposited. When you stick hot, expanded material on top of cold, contracted material, large shear stresses are generated when the fresh material cools and contracts. Those inter-layer shear stresses then accumulate over many layers into large-scale bending stresses that try to lift the edges of the print off the bed.
So, to prevent warping, we should minimize the amount that the previous layer is allowed to cool before the next layer goes down. But we DO need it to cool solid so the print doesn't sag in a mushy mess. This is a balancing act: cooling the plastic solid without over-cooling it. The optimal temperature for the print is right around the glass point of the plastic: this is the temperature at which the plastic becomes fully solid and thermal contraction stresses start to accumulate.
The extruder pumps more heat into the print as it deposits molten plastic and radiates a little bit of heat. So we want to set the heatbed temp a little bit below the glass point to ensure the print is able to cool solid. Now, this gets a bit difficult, because everyone's print bed temperature sensor is different. What matters is bed surface temp. Many people have to set their bed temp quite a bit higher than the actual surface temp. It's just something you have to calibrate via print results. The exact filament glass point (Tg) also depends on the blend.
* ABS: Tg is around 105C, optimal bed temp 95C in a warm, low-airflow environment
* PLA: Tg is around 55C, optimal bed temp is 55C in a cool, high-airflow environment because PLA holds heat and is slow to cool compared to other filaments
* PETG: Tg is around 70C, optimal bed temp is 60-70C with mild airflow
* Nylon doesn't really work with these rules because it's semi-crystalline, meaning it "freezes" far above its Tg and thus starts accumulating warping stress at fairly high temps... advice varies wildly, from printing cold to 120C bed
* PC: Tg is around 150C, optimal bed temp is 130C
There are other schools of thought, for example printing the first layer onto a surface much hotter than Tg for good adhesion, and then dropping the bed temp to a value somewhat below Tg to allow the print to solidify. That works fine too.
But, with all that said, it's important to understand that the heatbed only keeps the bottom of the print warm. A centimeter up from the build plate, the print is typically much closer to ambient temp than it is to the bed temp. Heated build chambers are thus much more effective for large prints. But heatbeds are still quite effective, because they allow building a strong, warp-free foundation that resists warping stresses induced by the cooler zones higher up in the print.
> 15 votes
# Answer
Googling "what temperature for different filaments" gives a few good links, but the top link looks golden.
https://filaments.ca/pages/temperature-guide
They have temperature guides for both extrusion temperatures and heated bed, as well as suggestions for better adhesion. I'm not that experienced, but their information is similar to information I've seen elsewhere.
Their suggestion for PLA is 215-235 degrees Celsius and a bed temperature of 60 to 80 degrees. That sounds a bit hot to me but every brand (and type) of filament will perform best at different temperatures. I've had problem getting nice bridges at 210 degrees, but had excellent results at 190.
For ABS they say 230 to 240 degrees with the bed at 80 to 100.
Use these values as a starting point, when they fail you make an educated guess about what went wrong and adjust (one parameter at a time) til it works for you. Find a calibration object you like and trim the temperatures so it prints the best your printer can. At this point in the technology experimentation is a large part of making things work.
One thing that's important to remember is that the temperature that you set your bed to and the temperature that your bed gets to is not the same thing. Depending on the construction, assembly and quality of your heater the actual temperature can differ anything from almost nothing to twenty degrees or more.
> 4 votes
# Answer
First you say 90c, which means you are talking about ABS likely. I state this as some PLA printers do not even use heated beds, and instead use elaborate rafts only. (Makerbot)
Now that I have gotten that out of the way I wanted to point out to you that it really isn't using that much power. 110 watts (based off this fellow)
http://reprage.com/post/39698552378/how-much-power-does-a-3d-printer-use
8 hours. 0.11 USD.
http://energy.gov/energysaver/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use
I am sure this number is not 100% spot on. That said having had used a power monitor when I first started out I can confirm getting very cheap results. Actually I calculated the costs of powering my 1 meter by 1 meter silicon heater. It was not that much.
This will not apply to every printer. Some are built better than others.
Last for Min Temp. You will pick the temp that works for the specific plastic. Every plastic is different. Materials with high pigments usually need higher temps for extrusions. That said, generally PLA is 60. ABS is 90-100. When it is wrong you will see more (almost always see some) heat warping.
I also want to mention that heat chambers give the best result and would not require you to use the bed as much. You don't see these on printers for two reasons. Heaters can catch fire, and because of patents blocking people from selling (nothing stopping you though. Look into just using a Box without an active heater if it is still a concern
> 1 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed
---
|
thread-2634
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2634
|
Bridging islands in my stencil
|
2016-08-11T21:07:58.300
|
# Question
Title: Bridging islands in my stencil
I am using the MatterHackers MatterControl software. MatterControl has an option to convert an image into a 3d object. The image converter converts any image into an STL. I was wondering what program would work for bridging the islands? I tried SOLIDWORKS and I think the export messed up the file.
# Answer
> 1 votes
You should know that there will be no such functionality anywhere because "make a bridge between islands" causes some questions:
* what do you mean be bridge
* where this bridge should be
* how it should look like
Application cannot answer these questions automatically. Conver image to 3D object is (almost) only to create logo-like-objects or text-like-objects.
If your image will consist more than one separate elements then MC will convert it into separate objects and these objects will be treated as separate islands. There will be no way to bridge them on certain level/layer. The only thing you can achieve is a solid "connection" between islands if they will be connected with line on the image. I'm sure it's not what you expect.
Almost all 3D apps have a functionality to create 3D obj out of image but it will always be a perimeter or surface which you can extrude.
You can create bridges in your app by creating additional 3D object according to your expectations or you can use sculpting app to extend a form. It means you won't add extra object but sculpt existing objects by extruding/extending/pulling faces.
For such sculpting you can use Meshmixer for example.
---
Tags: 3d-design, mattercontrol
---
|
thread-2629
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2629
|
RetinaCreate Optimal Rotation
|
2016-08-11T10:27:03.247
|
# Question
Title: RetinaCreate Optimal Rotation
I'm currently using FSL3d's RetinaCreate to prepare 3d-files for printing for research purposes. In this, I am relying on their Optimal Rotation feature which rotates the object by, as far as I can tell, judging models on their stability with regards to the printing direction. After rotating the model, supportstructures are generated to keep the model in place while printing without the bits and pieces floating about and to keep structural stability.
My question is, as I've neither found a manual nor any source-code (and admittedly I am terrrrrible at maths), how can I describe the kind of algorithm/logic used by the software here? This is essential for me, as I need to describe this in my research. Cheers, Jesse
# Answer
Optimal rotation can be considered from different perspectives. For example
* as little support as possible. This way app tries to orient object so as much surface as possible doesn't overhang and doesn't need support
* bed only support. App tries to orient object so all overhanging parts can be supported directly from the heatbed (not from the object itself)
But have a look on Meshmixer as Ryan Carlyle suggested. In this app you can see 3 kinds of auto orientation procedures. Additionally Meshmixer can create angle support and tree-like support.
In terms of mathematics.
I cannot suggest any sources but you can imagine the way it calculates such optimal rotation. Let's say it will be dead simple explanation of the second approach:
Let's get all faces (facets) and let's project their center points on the "floor" (heatbed) or "ceiling". If imagined projection line slices any other faces then rotation is not optimal. App can calculate "a weight" of such orientation and then try to find the smallest weight of all possible orientations.
Of course it's not that simple. App has to manage concavity, which face requires support at all, and many other aspects but in general you can imagine the algorithm.
**edit**
* "as little support as possible" could be considered as easier to imagine "as little shaddow as possible" and the problem can be simplified to projection and ray tracing
* similarly "bed only support" could be simplified to "cast shaddows but not on itself"
> 3 votes
---
Tags: 3d-models, software, rapid-prototyping
---
|
thread-1496
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1496
|
OctoPrint webpage freezes (Setup on a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian)
|
2016-07-11T02:08:16.220
|
# Question
Title: OctoPrint webpage freezes (Setup on a Raspberry Pi running Raspbian)
I have been using a software called ***OctoPrint*** that allows you to control your printer in your Browser. For sake of simplicity I have used ***Octopi***, a preinstalled image with OctoPrint, but now I would like to make some changes, and I decided to build OctroPrint by myself, the instructions for building it are here: https://github.com/foosel/OctoPrint/wiki/Setup-on-a-Raspberry-Pi-running-Raspbian. The problem is that when I follow the first commands:
```
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
cd ~
sudo apt-get install python-pip python-dev python-setuptools python-virtualenv git libyaml-dev build-essential
git clone https://github.com/foosel/OctoPrint.git
cd OctoPrint
virtualenv venv
./venv/bin/pip install pip --upgrade
./venv/bin/python setup.py install
mkdir ~/.octoprint
sudo usermod -a -G tty pi
sudo usermod -a -G dialout pi
```
And then I start the octoprint server
```
~/OctoPrint/venv/bin/octoprint
```
The webpage of Octoprint freezes
I don't know if this is fixed in later commands, but I would like to get a sense of how all fits together before continue. It doesn't look that is the browser (I am capable to visit other websites without any problems), so is maybe Octoprint? How can I fix this? Did anyone have this problem before? Thanks in advance
---
The output in the console is:
```
2016-07-11 03:09:19,442 - octoprint.server - INFO - Starting OctoPrint 1.2.13 (master branch)
2016-07-11 03:09:19,502 - octoprint.plugin.core - INFO - Loading plugins from /home/pi/.octoprint/plugins, /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins and installed plugin packages...
2016-07-11 03:09:20,522 - octoprint.plugins.discovery - INFO - pybonjour is not installed, Zeroconf Discovery won't be available
2016-07-11 03:09:20,524 - octoprint.plugin.core - INFO - Found 6 plugin(s) providing 6 mixin implementations, 3 hook handlers
2016-07-11 03:09:20,533 - octoprint.filemanager.storage - INFO - Initializing the file metadata for /home/pi/.octoprint/uploads...
2016-07-11 03:09:20,536 - octoprint.filemanager.storage - INFO - ... file metadata for /home/pi/.octoprint/uploads initialized successfully.
2016-07-11 03:09:23,615 - octoprint.util.pip - INFO - Found pip at /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/bin/pip, version is 8.1.2
2016-07-11 03:09:23,620 - octoprint.plugin.core - INFO - Initialized 6 plugin implementation(s)
2016-07-11 03:09:23,625 - octoprint.plugin.core - INFO - 6 plugin(s) registered with the system:
| Announcement Plugin (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/announcements
| CuraEngine (<= 15.04) (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/cura
| Discovery (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/discovery
| Plugin Manager (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/pluginmanager
| Software Update (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/softwareupdate
| Virtual Printer (bundled) = /home/pi/OctoPrint/venv/lib/python2.7/site-packages/OctoPrint-1.2.13-py2.7.egg/octoprint/plugins/virtual_printer
2016-07-11 03:09:23,628 - octoprint.filemanager - INFO - Adding backlog items from all storage types to analysis queue...
2016-07-11 03:09:23,639 - octoprint.filemanager - INFO - Added 0 items from storage type "local" to analysis queue
2016-07-11 03:09:23,644 - octoprint.server - INFO - Reset webasset folder /home/pi/.octoprint/generated/webassets...
2016-07-11 03:09:23,660 - octoprint.server - INFO - Reset webasset folder /home/pi/.octoprint/generated/.webassets-cache...
2016-07-11 03:09:24,082 - octoprint.plugins.discovery - INFO - Registered OctoPrint instance on raspberrypi for SSDP
2016-07-11 03:09:24,095 - octoprint.plugins.pluginmanager - INFO - Loaded plugin repository data from disk, was still valid
2016-07-11 03:09:24,135 - octoprint.server - INFO - Listening on http://0.0.0.0:5000
2016-07-11 03:09:24,602 - octoprint.plugins.announcements - INFO - Loaded channel _important from http://octoprint.org/feeds/important.xml in 0.43s
2016-07-11 03:09:25,271 - octoprint.server - INFO - Preemptively caching / for {'query_string': 'en', 'path': '/', 'base_url': 'http://0.0.0.0:5000/'}
2016-07-11 03:09:59,143 - octoprint.server.util.sockjs - INFO - New connection from client: 127.0.0.1
2016-07-11 03:09:59,884 - octoprint.plugins.cura - INFO - Path to CuraEngine has not been configured yet or does not exist (currently set to None), Cura will not be selectable for slicing
```
# Answer
Is it the Raspberry Pi that locks up, or just the webpage? If the whole thing becomes unresponsive I would consider reviewing your overclocking settings. If you've set one of the higher overclocking values in the config script, this can often lead to random lockups. If you don't see the config script every time you boot the Pi, you can access it by typing the following into a terminal window.
```
sudo raspi-config
```
You can find out how to change the overclocking settings from the config script in this guide
> 1 votes
---
Tags: prusa-i3, octoprint, raspberry-pi
---
|
thread-2661
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2661
|
Print job stops when given serial command
|
2016-08-20T20:47:13.940
|
# Question
Title: Print job stops when given serial command
I want to access the bed temperature of the 3D printer. I am able to get the temperatures using serial connection (Thanks to Demetris's help (Access Temperature sensor data of 3D printer via Serial connection)). The problem that I am facing now is that as soon as I give the command, I get the temperature values, however the print job stops. Is there a way around it? I want to get the temperature values as the print job goes on. TIA!
# Answer
*Opening* a serial connection to your printer will usually reset the microcontroller, stopping the print.
The serial interface has a line known as request to send (RTS) that indicates to the microcontroller that the computer is ready to receive data. When the port is closed, this line is HIGH (indicating the computer is not ready), and when you open the serial connection the line goes LOW (indicating the computer is ready now) and the transition from HIGH to LOW triggers a reset.
There are a number of ways to prevent this:
* In software: disable hang up on close (HUPCL). This prevents the RTS line from going HIGH after you close it, allowing it to be subsequently opened without causing a reset. However, this does not work for the first attempt (the first, initial connection still causes a reset). How this is configured depends on your software/driver set up, but it is widely supported.
* In software: disable the RTS line from going LOW in the first place. I'm not sure if this is readily possible with common serial drivers.
* In software: modify your workflow to always keep the connection open, preventing the associated reset from happening.
* In hardware: your printer's board will have some circuitry on there that translates the RTS line transitioning from HIGH to LOW to trigger a reset, usually this is implemented in the form of a single capacitor between RTS and RST. RST is normally pulled high with a pull-up resistor (on the order of 10k or so), and when RTS transitions to low the capacitor briefly allows some current to flow, pulling RST low. One way to prevent this is to include a stronger pull-up resistor that overcomes the current drain associated with the RTS line going LOW. DisablingAutoResetOnSerialConnection suggests using a 330 Ohm resistor between VCC and GND.
* In hardware: desolder the capacitor mentioned earlier.
> 3 votes
---
Tags: extruder, heated-bed
---
|
thread-2667
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2667
|
Why can't powder-based 3D printing techniques create enclosed or hollow structures?
|
2016-08-22T13:51:44.837
|
# Question
Title: Why can't powder-based 3D printing techniques create enclosed or hollow structures?
Metal powders are the fastest-growing segment within the 3D printing materials market, and 3D printing with metal offers a range of highly-sought out characteristics, including immense strength, reduced weight, biocompatibility and corrosion or thermal resistance, making it ideal for high-demand industries such as aerospace, medical, etc.
Conventional methods require focusing a very intense energy source, such as a laser or electron beam, across a bed of metal powder, fusing the powder particles together in a pre-determined pattern to create the final 3D structure.
While this method does allow for incredibly strong metal 3D structures to be produced, it has its drawbacks, mainly:
* it is prohibitively expensive and time consuming;
* it does not allow for certain types of architectures, such as those that are hollow and enclosed, and;
* it is limited by the types of compatible metals and alloys that can be used.
If we ignore the cost, why can't we do hollow or enclosed architectures to be printed with this technique?
**Source:** A closer look at the 12 biggest 3D printing tech innovations of the first half of 2016.
# Answer
It's not hollow *or* enclosed structures that are a problem. It's structures that are hollow *and* enclosed. Think about it. The machine lays down a thin layer of powder, and then a laser fuses some of that powder together to make a shape. Then, it repeats the process for the next layer. If you try to build, for example, a hollow ball, the ball gets created in the middle of the powder, meaning that there will be powder around the outside of the ball and in the *inside* of the ball, and with the ball completely enclosed, there is no way for the powder that ends up inside the ball to get out. That's why hollow objects printed in this manner must have a hole somewhere to let out the powder contained in the object.
This is not only true of metal powder, but any 3D printing process that uses a bed of powder or a volume of resin and fuses some of it into a shape. Fused deposition modelling (FDM), the process used by most consumer-level 3D printers, build models in thin air, so only air is trapped inside the printed objects, making the printing of hollow, enclosed objects less of a problem. Of course, one has to deal with gravity. A hollow object might collapse before the filament hardens enough to support its weight.
> 11 votes
---
Tags: print-material, printing-powder, metal-printing
---
|
thread-2658
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2658
|
Belt driven axis question
|
2016-08-19T09:09:26.570
|
# Question
Title: Belt driven axis question
I'm currently attempting to make a repstrap using paper printed parts, like this guy : http://www.mariolukas.de/2012/05/repstrap-3d-drucker-aus-computerschrott-teil-1/ I replaced the DC motor in a paper printer carriage assembly
with a stepper motor (NEMA17). But there was not enough space to fit the axis of the nema 17 at the exact spot of the older DC motor axis, in short, the axis are not in the same place. The question is : if the axis is not in the exact same spot, will it affect the movement of the carriage or not at all ?
I supposed it would but i'm not sure since the carriage is limited in movement by the rails and that we still move the belt around.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Axis should definitely be at proper position. Otherwise you will get at least 2 issues.
1. Carriage will be pulled up which will cause stresses on rollers or slides and it will stress your belt
2. The way the carriage will go will change but because carriage itself is fixed then it will change the speed
3D printing is a precise process. Both issues will have impact on printouts and all your printouts will have broken dimension in the axis in which carriage moves.
Have a look on the picture (it is big to show details)
**fig A** shows a situation where carriage is far from the axis
In such situation the distance between vertical line of black cross and pink circle is almost unnoticable so both - the force and the distance (so speed) change are very small.
**fig B** shows a situation where carriage is relatively close to the axis
Then both - the force and the distance change is noticable
# Answer
> 0 votes
A rotation of the stepper motor 90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise would move it more to the center. You would only need lengthen or shorten the belt.
---
Tags: reprap, belt
---
|
thread-2654
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2654
|
How to 3D print an object with variable printing speed?
|
2016-08-18T04:34:05.640
|
# Question
Title: How to 3D print an object with variable printing speed?
I have a object to print for which I want the base to be printed very rapidly because it's just a cube but as the print reached around 70 % a complex circular structure needs to be printed at a slower speed. Is there any way I could control the speed at the given percentage of job done?
I want the cube to be printed at 50 mm/s and the complex circular structure at 40 mm/s.
Printer Type - FDM
# Answer
Simplify3D has the ability to create more than one process, to be applied to the model at specific layers. It appears that feature fits perfectly with your requirements. As an example, you might create a process within S3D for layers 1 to 500 at the desired 50 mm / sec along with any other modifications you wish. The second process would specify layers 501 to 800 to be printed at 40 mm / sec.
The preview mode of S3D allows you to identify layer numbers in order to provide the necessary precision.
> 3 votes
# Answer
As @fred\_dot\_u mentions, Simplify3D has the capability to do this, but you can achieve the same effect by slicing the file twice, once at 40 mm/s and once at 50 mm/s, and then manually combining the generated G-code using a text editor. You should be able to find the point where it transitions from printing the cube to printing the circular structure by looking at the Z-height, and you can simply copy-paste the G-code from that point onward from the 40 mm/s file into the 50 mm/s file.
For instance, you might look for a point like this in the G-code (Cura):
```
G1 F3600 X113.543 Y94.098 E105.96969
;LAYER:25
G0 F7800 X113.743 Y91.369 Z2.700
```
or this (Simplify3D)
```
G1 X175.981 Y74.019 F2880
; layer 25, Z = 1.869
; inner perimeter
G1 X162.982 Y57.870 F7500
G1 Z2.069 F900
```
Note that the both include a comment line (a line that starts with `;`) to indicate the layer. Everything before that you should copy from one file, everything afterwards from the other.
> 6 votes
# Answer
Cura has a plugin called "Tweak at Z" that lets you change the speed at a specific layer/height, I used it when printing an object that's basically a curved box for 100 mm and then has tiny features in the last 10 mm and it worked very well.
> 4 votes
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Tags: fdm, speed
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thread-2673
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2673
|
Can I repair my microwave with a PLA part?
|
2016-08-23T08:51:20.780
|
# Question
Title: Can I repair my microwave with a PLA part?
The turntable support part in my microwave has broken. It is a three armed part, with small wheels at the end of each arm.
I'm confident I could print a replacement, and reuse the existing wheels (since they can be removed).
The heat of the food would be unlikely to conduct through to the PLA, but I'm concerned that it might get heated up by the microwave radiation. I can't find any clear information online about whether PLA absorbs microwaves, or if it is in any other way unsuitable for this.
Will this be a disaster, or should I give it a go?
# Answer
I would say PLA itself should not be heated up by microwave. It's because microwave oven creates oscilations which excites water particles (see microwave explanation here) ~~so assuming PLA doesn't contain water, it won't heat up.~~ *(removed to not mislead as the water is not only material which heats up by microwaves. Thanx to Tom van der Zanden for being vigilant)*
But as usual, it's more complicated.
First. PLA can contain water as while producing it can be cooled down in water bath. Of course well made PLA will have as less water as possible as water has an influence on printing process.
Second. PLA is absorbing humidity so in fact it gets water inside right from the air. This unfortunately causes problems in microwave oven.
Water can be overheated and oven can overheat water above 100C. But even at 100C, PLA will not be hard anymore so your 3 arm star would "collapse". Wheels could get oval or start sticking to their axis.
Eventually if high power is delivered to very "wet" PLA, I think it can... well maybe not explode but break.
Here goes a test which shows it can be used to defrost things on PLA plate in microwave
But here Daan Snijders claims PLA gets soft in microwave during the test
**Will it be a disaster?**
In my opinion it will work only for short uses of MW. Heating up a glass of milk or so. But for longer sessions when there will be much more heat (out of heating dish) it won't work.
**SHORT TEST**
* 20sec and 950W gives no effect on my sample (hotend cooling fan duct)
* 40sec and 950W caused the sample became a bit warm
Inspite that it's not a good idea to run MW without "proper-absorber" this little test confirmes my suspisious - short sessions are ok.
> 4 votes
# Answer
You really shouldn't
1. PLA "glass point" (the temperature where it starts to get soft) is approximately 60C, even if it doesn't heat up from the microwaves it's way to likely the ambient temperature in the microwave will reach that level and cause the part to collapse (even if you "never" get it hot - it only have to get to 60C once during the lifetime of the part).
2. PLA is not safe for cooking (or even for food storage) and your typical PLA filament isn't even pure PLA, only god knows what chemicals there are in your specific brand of filament and what will be released into the air inside the microwave when it's heated.
In first glance ABS seem to be a better option because it has an higher glass point and food-safe ABS exists - but it's still bad because even food-safe-ABS is only safe for cold and room temperature food.
I don't know about other materials.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Yes. You can. I would think ABS would be a better idea, as it melts at a higher temp. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:385288
> 0 votes
# Answer
There are **Food Safe PLA filaments**. These PLA filaments share similar qualities with ABS, in regards to temperature extremes et al. There are several on the market. (Eg. https://shop.germanreprap.com/en/pp-plastic-600g-3mm-black and http://www.formfutura.com/hdglass/ -- I've not used the HD glass personally but have been told it works well)
When shopping for food safe PLA filaments check for the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) that comes with the filament. It will contain all the normal chemical warnings, some composition information, etc. but will also indicate if the material is Food and Drug Administration(FDA) approved.
PLA, food safe or not, can also have bacterialogical issues--the material is pourous enough to allow for bacterial growth. I would suggest using a polyurethane to seal the printed part to limit bacterial growth.
You will need to check what sort of extruder you have on your pinter. Many brass extruders also contain lead which can leach into the printed product. Switch to a stainless steel print head to avoid this issue.
General care--warm soapy water and handwashing.
I would not, as yet, recommend any printed product as a vessel for food--cup/bowl. This element is still somewhat new and I don't personally trust the materials for extended contact with food. (Knives/spoons et al. have much shorter contact with food vs. a plastic mug of hot coffee).
For your intended application, the piece in question would not come into direct contact with food to be consumed. As such, you should be fine with the correct filament.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: pla, food
---
|
thread-2693
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2693
|
Filament is stuck in nozzle
|
2016-08-27T13:46:01.610
|
# Question
Title: Filament is stuck in nozzle
I recently bought a Geeetech Prusa i3 x. After two full days assembling I can finaly try to print something. Having put in the filament into the extruder no filament actually came out of the nozzle. I opened up my extruder and the filament seems to be stuck in the nozzle.
Note that I have tried heating the nozzle up and both pushed and pulled but no movement. Does anyone know what to do?
Thanks, Merijn
# Answer
> 2 votes
There are a number of options you could try. If heating up the hotend does not work, you'll have to disassemble it. Remove the nozzle and the heatbreak (the threaded part). To disassemble the nozzle, you will need to heat it up and use pliers or wrenches to unscrew the parts.
* You can use a blowtorch to melt and burn out the plastic that is stuck. Make sure to do this outside.
* You can use solvents to dissolve the plastic. This works especially well with ABS, which can be dissolved in acetone. You can also try dissolving different plastics with acetone, but for example PLA does not really dissolve in acetone (it does become somewhat soft, so this can still be helpful towards getting it out). You could also try using other solvents if acetone does not work for your particular plastic, but consider these tend to be quite toxic compared to acetone so be careful. Note that in any case, the plastic will need to soak in the solvent for at least a few hours or overnight.
Do not try to disassemble it while cold, the expansion and contraction of metal with heat makes this impossible. When reassembling, be sure to heat up the nozzle before giving it a final tightening (again, this is to make sure that when the nozzle expands as it is heated, it makes a tight seal).
---
Tags: filament, nozzle
---
|
thread-2676
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2676
|
What should I think about if I want to design something modular?
|
2016-08-23T14:44:32.567
|
# Question
Title: What should I think about if I want to design something modular?
For a while now, I have been thinking about designing things such as small bedside tables, game/dvd/bluray racks for 3d printing. I've always thought that making them modular would be a good way to go about doing this as well.
Modular design would help to create an end result that is vastly larger than the print volume of my 3d printer. I might even be able to recycle models for use in other projects. However, I'm not sure of what I need to think about if I decide to go ahead with these ideas I have floating around in my head.
I'm assuming that certain joints (dovetail, etc), tolerances for different types of plastic due to shrinkage, and print settings (% infill, in particular) would be important to have thought about and evaluated to some extent, but I'm not sure about what else I might be missing.
So my question is to anyone who has designed anything to be modularly printed. Have you really had to think carefully about the engineering side of the print? Or am I simply overthinking this? Should I just design what I want and give it reasonable infill, walls and whatnot, and just go for a trial and error approach? I'm sure there is a method to this madness, but is a concrete understanding of this type of engineering absolutely paramount when it comes to this sort of stuff?
---
EDIT: Although I've marked darth pixel's answer as accepted, I'm still going to follow JKEngineer's advise and check out that book as well since I feel as though proper engineering techniques alongside a good mentality towards how I would tackle the problem (as outlined in darth pixel's answer) would prove to yield better results in the long run.
# Answer
> 4 votes
All printers are designed with an idea of WYSIWYG for sure. Depending on:
* printer - type/quality/settings/configuration/assembly precission
* filament - type/quality/shrinkage
* user skills - manual/using app proficiency
* model complexity
* environment conditions and so on
you can get different results.
I venture to say users know their printers (after some time and by trials and errors) so they know how to manage dimensions to compensate all above so you will get this knowledge too.
Mathematical formula can describe shrinkage of the material, all other elements are very hard to describe (mathematically) in a general way.
Of course someone can simplify it and say: more money you spend better effects you'll get. It's sometimes true ;)
So all your modular things will be better and better if you will increase (what is to be increased) in above points especially "user skills".
Is engineering paramount? It depends of whay you gonna create. If your modular things have to lock itself, have to have threads, screws and such stuff then this is engineering. Is it the most important part of the design? Not necessarily.
I would say 3D printing moved engineering to next level. I'm talking about this or this. Is it still art or engineering? :)
This is my receipt:
*think \> imagine \> design \> rethink \> redesign \> give it a try \> get back to thinking*
good luck
# Answer
> 3 votes
A book you would benefit from reading is "Functional Design for 3D Printing...Designing 3D Printed things for everyday use - 2nd Edition" by Clifford Smyth.
It deals with FDM printing only. It deals with considerations of orientation of the parts being printed to address required strength in the 3 directions (x, y, z), tolerances, and designing parts in such a way that they can be assembled, have the strength needed, have flexibility, etc. In some instances he shows how to split a single functional part into multiple parts so that, when assembled, it actually performs as required.
It's available from Amazon at Book on Amazon. I received it as a present and have no commercial interest in it.
Here's a review: Book Review on 3D Printing for Beginners
---
Tags: 3d-models, quality, print-preparation, print-strength
---
|
thread-2697
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2697
|
What is a good software for designing car parts
|
2016-08-28T00:32:36.523
|
# Question
Title: What is a good software for designing car parts
I am an absolute beginner when it comes to 3d printing. I want to get into the hobby by designing aero automotive parts such as fender flares, custom gauge and switch pods, lips etc. I've never taken a CAD course but I would say I'm proficient enough with computers as I work as a developer. My uncle is an architect and it seems like autocad might be something good to go with. What are some other good alternatives that allow accurate modeling down to millimeters and possibly breaking larger objects into smaller 3d printable pieces to mash together?
# Answer
> 2 votes
You've avoided a number of attributes of a poor question by specifying your objective in detail, while also providing some indication of your experience. AutoCAD is not well known as being 3d printer friendly, although a skilled AutoCAD design user may be able to create acceptable models.
One could consider more organic modeling software such as Blender, although it works in reverse of my comment above. It's great for free-form model building but not so much for engineering type construction. Again, a competent Blender user can avail himself of the parametric aspects of the software, but it's more work than one would necessarily desire to engage.
SolidWorks has a number of followers in the 3d modeling community. My experience with the software has shown me that it can be learned fairly quickly and is powerful enough to allow one to explode creatively over time.
The structure of Solidworks workflow fits in directly with your description, both to the reference to accurate modeling as well as the break-apart aspect. The construction of a model in SW is done via sketches and various actions performed on resultant objects created from those sketches. It's not free software, rather pricey, but it may also save you so much work as to pay for itself over time.
There are other options, of course, some of which are free to students and hobbyists. I did a quick Google search for "free parametric 3d modeling software" which resulted in this link:
https://www.matterhackers.com/articles/finding-the-right-3d-modeling-software-for-you
You will find many suitable programs in the list generated from that link, as well as many that are unsuitable for the reasons mentioned previously.
Consider also to view YouTube videos of your candidate selections. Most of the programs referenced will have tutorial videos which can give you a clearer idea of how well it fits your needs and perhaps how easily it can be understood.
---
Tags: 3d-design
---
|
thread-2703
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2703
|
What is needed to create dwg from drawing?
|
2016-08-30T05:16:26.640
|
# Question
Title: What is needed to create dwg from drawing?
Does anyone know of an accurate method for building a dwg file from a scan of a scaled drawing or plan. The dwg files will also be referenced for or made into 3d models so pulling the information straight into a modelling software would work too if possible.
# Answer
It's not an easy task and according to my knowledge there is no way to do it fully automatically (I might be wrong of course).
You have options as follows:
Read scans and ...
1. recreate it manually in CAD application
2. recreate it using a digitizer (in the old days they had pucks - a kind of magnifier with crosslines to digitize from printouts/blueprints)
3. create 3D object omitting 2D drawings
4. convert bitmap to vectors in 2D app
5. use a scanning service like this (would be expensive)
Depending on complexity of your schemas, the easiest way, would be option 1 or 3. Option 4 is very doubtful (even if it's the most automatic way, it won't create useful data).
The most of CAD apps have an option to import bitmaps and then work on such a "background". For example, in AutoCAD use command Imageattach
> 3 votes
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Tags: 3d-models, 3d-design, software
---
|
thread-2701
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2701
|
Kossel accumulates error along Z axis
|
2016-08-29T20:08:00.503
|
# Question
Title: Kossel accumulates error along Z axis
I have a Mini Kossel and I am going through calibration.
I can home carriages and find the bed with paper-test getting some Z value with `M114`. Then I run the effector almost full height **up and then down** \- and now **Z value for the bed is greater**!
If I repeat the process I get greater and greater values in paper-test. It seems that travel per step is different moving in different directions.
How can I fix that? I am using RAMPS 1.4 with Marlin firmware.
UPDATE:
Z values near bed after subsequent runs of five passes of `G1 X100 G1 X10`
```
100% speed: 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0
20% speed: 0.1 0.4 0.9 1.4 4.6 6.6
300% speed: 0.0 0.7 1.0 1.3
```
# Answer
After some more testing I checked that the problem shows up only on Z tower and is not related with current. Examining the tower I found very dumb mistake. Pulley on the motor didn't have a setscrew! Don't know how could I missed that. The fact that it could somehow run is even more amazing. Thanks @tom-van-der-zanden and @darthpixel for help. It is for sure that such synchronization failure could have been caused by current shortage as well.
UPDATE:
Oh! Y tower pulley doesn't have setscrew as well! But it was running smoothly and in sync with X (which has that screw). Amazing. - UPDATE2. Not really. After closer look only Z tower misses the screw, which explains all.
UPDATE3:
After setting a srew into pulley the problem is completely gone!)
> 5 votes
# Answer
According to discussions in comments, I'm pretty sure the problem lies in too low current.
Please review this answer to How do you make sure you have the right voltage on the trimpots on a A4988 stepper driver?.
**Why it happens?**
If there is not enough current then motors can omit some steps as the stress is not equal while going up and down. Sometimes inertia can have higher influence than friction.
Additionally because the resistance/stress/friction on towers is different for sure then there are some issues in centering hotend.
So friction/inertia/assembly inaccuracy and current settings inaccuracy can cause such effects. If you are "on the edge" your printer may work well one day but the other day it can fail positioning.
Please refer to post mentioned above. Perform calibration and temperature test (finger test could be ok). I hope you'll manage the issue.
> 4 votes
---
Tags: calibration, delta, kossel
---
|
thread-2710
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2710
|
Fan Fails to Start
|
2016-08-30T19:43:39.117
|
# Question
Title: Fan Fails to Start
**SOLVED: I replaced the leads coming from the fan motor and it is working just fine. Thanks for the input. If anyone else has this model, I would suggest printing and installing a wire clip in order to prevent the issue. Here is the one that I am using now: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:620627**
I am running a Printrbot Simple Metal with a heated bed and have not been able to get my fan to run recently. The fan used to run just fine (for the past 3 months in fact--since purchase). I cannot be certain, but this may be related to the cord getting snagged by the hot-end last week (cables have begun to sag over time). Nothing melted or damaged except for the hard-plastic coil used to bundle all cables together, and that appears to just be minor, cosmetic damage.
I have checked Cura settings, ensuring that fan operation is selected (starting at 0.6 mm) and that it is being told to run at 100%.
I have also sent 'M106 S255' from Proterface UI (this, from what I have researched, should turn the fan on at 100%). This command had no results.
The firmware is stock (Marlin), all exposed cables seem intact and without damage, and the plug to the control board seems to be fine. Maybe I could apply current to it directly and see if it runs?
EDIT1: I put 2 6V lantern batteries in series (voltmeter shows 12.3V) and hooked it to the fan cable; the fan did not budge (even with encouragement in the form of a slight push from the hand). Is there a particular spot in the cable that is vulnerable to failing if pulled on?
Any thoughts, suggestions, or things to look into?
EDIT2: I have disassembled the cable bundle leading to the fan and hot-end. I have found a connection point where the fan plugs into an extension cable which goes to the control board. I have applied current here and the fan doesn't move. I tested the current on another 12V fan laying around and that fan runs just fine. So, it seems that the fan has gone bad...somehow. I am still quite confused on how this would happen. Is it possible for a DC fan to "overheat" due to poor airflow? I have a shroud on the fan (http://d17kynu4zpq5hy.cloudfront.net/igi/printrbot/CnoDPS5D1CZ5EgBR.standard) and there has always been a little back pressure pushing wind out of the back of the fan.
**EDIT3: So I have resorted to tearing into the fan and have applied 12V to the wires which are soldered directly to the fan and the fan doesn't work. I then applied the current directly to the solder points and the fan runs. Is there a reason why a set of wires, which look perfectly fine from the outside, would fail to run the fan?**
# Answer
> Is there a reason why a set of wires, which look perfectly fine from the outside, would fail to run the fan?
The internal conductor is broken. This can happen over time due to metal fatigue from the constant movement, and the cables getting snagged may indeed have something to do with it. You could try desoldering the current wires from the fan and replacing them with fresh ones, or getting a new fan altogether.
> 5 votes
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Tags: print-fan
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|
thread-2725
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2725
|
3D printing forum community
|
2016-09-03T08:24:23.257
|
# Question
Title: 3D printing forum community
Is there any forum where expert designers can help beginners like me?
I am starting to design a panel for my car, and I am having some difficulties with finding a modeling program and using it.
# Answer
See DesignSpark - DS Mechanical is good, free and fun to use.
> 1 votes
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Tags: 3d-design
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|
thread-2715
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2715
|
What is a good strategy for removing 3d prints from an UNheated Glass bed?
|
2016-08-31T20:05:27.940
|
# Question
Title: What is a good strategy for removing 3d prints from an UNheated Glass bed?
I have a LARGE piece of glass (36"x26") that I will soon be printing on using my newly build MPCNC machine. It is capable of printing about 34"x34"x10".
Anyway, I have had GREAT success printing on heated glass that is sprayed lightly with hairspray using PLA and being able to EASILY remove my prints after the glass has cooled. I attribute this to the slight expansion and contraction that occurs when glass is heated and cooled. This would weaken the cohesion of the PLA print to the glass.
I have another posting where I asked how to heat this LARGE glass bed. However, there weren't any feasable (inexpensive and easy) solutions to heat the glass. So, now with cold glass, what are some good strategies for removing large 3d printed objects without breaking them or the glass?
# Answer
> 6 votes
Because you will be printing on unheated glass, you will be using some form of adhesive material. If you use an off-the-shelf glue stick, you will likely find it is water soluble. If the bed is removable, immersing it in warm water for a relaxing soak will provide easier model removal.
I don't have experience with various tapes, so will avoid recommendations regarding masking tapes or similar material.
Thermal cycling will also provide release. Not a heat gun, as that will break the glass, but a hair dryer applied to the underside near the model, then cooling. Repeat until it releases.
I have used the Fleks3D print plate on my Flux Delta printer in the past, and it releases "like magic" but I don't think they make monster sheets of your printer size. I had also purchased a pair of 20" square Fleks3D plates for a similarly sized printer that never materialized. I'd be happy to sell you the pair, but I think they are too small for your full plate.
It has been said that one can use sand-blasted acrylic, which I believe is the construction of the aforementioned Fleks3D plates. If you have access to 1/8" or 3mm acrylic and can apply a uniform blast of abrasive, you may be able to construct your own easy-release build plate.
It is practical to consider to use a raft for your large builds. Rafts are useful for small items, to provide a greater bonding surface and avoid release, but it also provides a "wedging" location for your release tool. You can more easily slice away the middle of the raft and deal with a thinner layer after the model is completely freed.
EDIT ADD: If the bed is not removable, one can build a dam around the model with clay to hold the water for dissolving the glue.
# Answer
> 2 votes
It is quite common to print PLA on blue painters tape (such as this). This makes print removal very easy, since you can remove the tape entirely for those parts that don't pop off by themselves.
On the downside, you might experience issues with the tape itself lifting from the bed when printing parts that wrap a lot. A *wide* tape that adheres well to the glass can alleviate this issue. Also, make sure to thoroughly clean the bed before applying the tape.
That being said, if you print large parts that warp a lot, most blue painters tape that I have tried will eventually release from the glass to some degree. If you manage to strike a balance between stickiness and removability when using a glue stick/hair spray/PVA-mix etc., such solutions might be favourable.
# Answer
> 1 votes
3M Blue decorators tape works well for me. You can get it in different widths. I find giving it a little sand paper rub before each print helps corners to stay down and improves first layer print. I replace about every 10 prints depending on the importance of the print.
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Tags: print-preparation, heated-bed
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|
thread-2729
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2729
|
Is this very large flat panel printable in ABS?
|
2016-09-03T09:40:16.417
|
# Question
Title: Is this very large flat panel printable in ABS?
I am designing an part for my car. It is a panel for the rear door. I want to add it some cases for tools, but before going on, could you tell me:
It is a large flat panel, around 100cm by 35cm.
**Is it going to be suitable for printing in that ABS material? Is it too big?**
# Answer
ABS would be fine, as a material, for the application.
The problem, given the scale, would be the printing device used. I would suggest that you have the piece cut to spec for you using a polycarbonate.
If you have access to a workshop you could do so yourself if you set up proper fencing using a larger sized bandsaw(with a very fine toothed blade), had rollers to help support the size of your piece(as it would not fit on the tool's platform) and likely need a second set of hands to help control the outfeed. You would also need to drill access for the cut out then cut the perimetre.
You could also consider printing(ABS) in smaller sections then fusing each section together edge to edge(solvent welding of ABS is very strong and permanent), if you were really dead set on using a typical 3D printer for this. It would, in theory, be possible, but it would be very tedious. The adhesives, and cleaner, would be available from any plumbing supply and/or (home depot, lowes, walmart et al.). If you go this route be sure to have ample ventilation and plan your work space well in advance. I would not recommend this option but it is "possible".
Given the scale of the piece though, and for sake of accuracy, going to a shop with CNC equipment and using polycarbonate would be your best bet.
> 3 votes
# Answer
It is a huge part that would not fit in most 3D printers, do you have access to a 3D printer this big? Even if it does fit it will take a long time to print.
Considering it's a simple flat shape, maybe laser cut / CNC acrylic or wood would be better, as you will have a stronger part, and most likely faster and cheaper.
> 2 votes
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Tags: replacement-parts
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thread-2740
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2740
|
3D Printer seem to "Forget" Tool Path
|
2016-09-08T21:39:11.350
|
# Question
Title: 3D Printer seem to "Forget" Tool Path
I've run into a strange error that keeps reoccurring my with my prints. Part way through the printing process, it appears that the printer "Forgets" the tool path and stops all together or starts to move in random patterns. It still extrudes material and the result is mess of wasted filament.
At first I thought this might be a levelling issue, but this does not appear to be the case. This only seems to occur on prints taking longer than maybe 2-3 hours. Does anyone have any idea whats going on and how to correct it?
I am running an Ultimaker 2 Extended with using Cura for slicing.
# Answer
I believe what you are experiencing is the stepper motors getting offset during the print, usually due to the nozzle colliding into the model (but possibly also due to very high printing speeds).
Basically, the stepper motors used in most 3D printers will always make moves *relative to their **current** position* (as opposed to *absolute* positioning). In other words, the stepper will for example be told to move 10 steps left, *regardless of where it is currently at*. If you therefore forcefully move the printhead out of position during the print, the electronics will never know it happened, and continue with instructions that are no longer viable.
In order to fix this, do what you can to avoid the nozzle colliding into the model:
* Make sure your printer does not leave large deposits of filament, typically due to over extrusion or too close Z-leveling of the first layer.
* Make sure the model sticks to the bed, so that warped parts don't lift up, obstructing the toolpaths.
* Add Z-lift in your slicer software, so that the printhead lifts slightly between travel moves.
* Reduce travel speed (if it is set very high): the strength of stepper motors is lower at higher speeds, which means nozzle collisions at higher speeds most likely will offset the motors.
> 2 votes
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Tags: print-failure
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thread-2750
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2750
|
How to split a model in SketchUp for printing
|
2016-09-12T08:07:07.420
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# Question
Title: How to split a model in SketchUp for printing
I have a file I want to print, but the problem is that the dimensions that came with the model are just too big to print. I used the Tape Measure Tool on SketchUp, and it came in at a whooping 5.56 meters. Is there a way to split the big model into smaller, printable sized models that can be reassembled after printing?
Thanks Again
# Answer
> 1 votes
SketchUp is likely to not work well for you if your objective is to create a printable STL file in pieces. You would want to determine initially that the un-segmented model is manifold and 3d printer ready. Once that is determined, consider using an alternate program for your chop-up actions.
You do not specify the size of the printer you intend to use, but that is obviously a factor in the segmentation of the model.
I have some experience with Meshmixer, which has an edit feature named "plane cut" which will do as you require. The plane is placed on the model and the options are selected to keep both pieces after the slice is performed.
For a huge model of the type you describe, one would hope you have access to a printer with a one meter print bed or larger, although such printers are rare and of course, expensive.
My printer has a 200 x 300 mm build plate, up to 200 mm high, which would entail substantial segmenting.
If your model is mostly a shell, your segments would have to have wall thickness. It would be best accomplished, again in Meshmixer, by using the hollow or shell features. Those are a bit more challenging to understand, but there are plenty of videos and tutorials specific to creating hollow shells from a solid model. Once the shell is created, segments would be managed easily enough.
I suggested that your segments would "have to have" wall thickness, but it isn't a requirement. Solid segments would be like bricks and you may have a large number of rectangular solids that compose your model. Lego models are difficult or impossible to create with only an outer shell, so the interiors are often solid bricks, but 3d printers are a bit more flexible. Not using solid interiors would save money, of course.
I envision a jigsaw puzzle in three dimensions. Taking a nearly six meter dimension and chopping it into 20 slices multiplied by width and height means a carton of 3d puzzle pieces.
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Tags: 3d-models, resolution
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thread-2733
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2733
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tips for pinching down onto an object
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2016-09-04T15:49:53.967
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# Question
Title: tips for pinching down onto an object
I was wondering if anyone could give me tips for designing a 3d printable structure that can "pinch" down onto a hockey puck shaped piece and hold it tightly.
I'd like for the structure to normally want to "pinch" two edges together, but I can pry/force them open when I shove the hockey puck into it. Once I let go, the two ends are now holding the puck fairly tightly.
My first thought was something like a potato chip bag clip, but that would require a couple pieces and a spring.
Is there a way to do something like this with one solid piece?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Here are first 3 the most simplified and generalized options you have:
All you need now is to give use more details about your needs. If you reveal more details we could help you to apply (and modify) one of these options.
Each of above has its own pros and cons of course. You said you don't want to have spring... so maybe a rubber ;) But in fact whole-red is one-piece-clip in which the force comes from material elesticity or stiffness.
Please tell me what is the application of such clip.
# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are looking for a solid piece, the red one darth pixel showed is the best. An important consideration for something like this is making sure that it is able to flex outwards around the puck without fracturing. In order to keep the stress low in the arms, you can reduce the stiffness by either:
* Increasing the length of the arm
* Decreasing the thickness of the arm in the direction it deflects
This might be helpful in designing it to be printed. If your part breaks when inserting the puck, make the arms longer or thinner. If you aren't getting enough force, the in-plane thickness (coming out of your computer screen) can be thickened to your heart's content without changing the stress.
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Tags: 3d-models
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thread-2708
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2708
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Can anyone suggest what technology and 3D printing material is most suitable for printing of dental models?
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2016-08-30T16:30:28.117
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# Question
Title: Can anyone suggest what technology and 3D printing material is most suitable for printing of dental models?
I'm looking for a 3D printer for applications in the dental field, for printing digital dental models (not for itra-oral use parts).
Resolution and finish are the main requirements that we consider necessary.
Any suggestion?
# Answer
> 3 votes
If resolution is your upmost concern then resin 3d printers are the way to go. They use a liquid resin that does not harden until a UV laser is shined through them. Apparently they get ultra high resolution and smooth finishes right out of the box. The downside is they are generally more expensive machines and the resin material itself is also a higher cost. but if you are in the dental field then money is not a problem. Look into resin 3d printers.
otherwise if you want to try FDM printers then try looking into .1mm brass nozzles which will increase resolution but vastly increase print time. Not sure what material would be best. ABS has toxic smelling fumes, but is the same as LEGOS and is able to be easily smoothed (if necessary) with Acetone fumes. PLA might work well at .1mm nozzle resolution though and is a starch/dextrin based non-toxic biodegradable filament.
# Answer
> 0 votes
As mentionned by Andrew, resins should do the trick : most commons processes are SLA and DLP (DLP is faster but more expensive).
* If you aren't looking for precisions (or looking for low budget), FDM machines should do the trick.
* If you need metal, I think Solidscape or micro SLM should both work.
You should specify what are your exigences, it's not the same to do an ultra-high precision metal part and to have a $300 maximum-budget machine.
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Tags: print-material, medical
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thread-907
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/907
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Ultimaker 2 ticking sound coming from feeder
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2016-03-31T07:51:04.263
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# Question
Title: Ultimaker 2 ticking sound coming from feeder
Recently, the ticking sounds started to come from feeder of my UM2. Inspecting it I have noticed that once in a while stepper motor jumps back for few steps. I have an idea of what can be the reason, but I just want to hear what you can think of. That is the video of feeder during the printing :) https://youtu.be/z6CzudMOeD0 First tick at 10sec
# Answer
> 1 votes
So, problem was too low printing temperature. It was 200c. For PLA I have it was too low. Now I'm confused, for PLA the temperature range for printing is given from 180-210 (It is even written on particular coil). Does it mean that even printing in this range I should adjust temperature for each of plastics I have?
Update: I have researched a bit about phenomena I had. According to RepRap wiki http://reprap.org/wiki/Hot\_End\_Design\_Theory the flow of material dependent on many parameters, starting with softening point of plastic and ending with environmental conditions. I can conclude that in my conditions temperature of 200c did't give enough material flow (but feeder still tried to push it as much as it required). And ticking was one of indicators of it.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Ultimately, your stepper motor is unsuccessful in driving the filament through the extruder. A couple potential reasons:
* extruder temperature isn't high enough. This could either be operator error from not setting the temperature correctly or your machine is getting a false reading. Typically, for ABS/PLA, you can get away with a low extruding temperature of about 210c.
* filament tension is too high. This happens if, say, your spool of filament gets kinked or wrapped around the spool spindle.
* your nozzle is clogged. I've encountered where I had back flow coming out of the nozzle (filaments oozed around from the hotend at the threads). This was a result of not putting the hotend back together correctly. There was a enough hardened plastic backed up in the hotend that when I threaded the nozzle back on, it technically didn't fit back on all the way.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I had the same issue. It can happen for number of reasons. One of them is too low print temperature as stepper cant push the filament through. Also you could have partially blocked nozzle or if you print with PLA and have left it out for a while its diameter can enlarge and get stuck in the bowden tube.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Oh yeah that is way too low for the ultimaker.
That temp is a general "this is what PLA melts at" so if you took plastic, heated it up to that temp it would melt.
However, you don't heat all the plastic at once. Your hotend it at that temp and if you let it sit it would heat up (fairly quickly). Printers like the ultimaker are fast, and well designed. They have a very small heat melt zone. So the plastic only has a fraction of time to heat up.
Solution? Higher temps!
(do not do this example. Not liable if you hurt yourself) You know how you can take a lighter and almost slowly wave your finger thought it without getting burned? You know if you let it stay even a full second you would regret it. Same thing here. It is going too fast to heat up.
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Tags: stepper, ultimaker-2
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thread-2778
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2778
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12v 25A 300x300 Heater bed Mosfet
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2016-09-15T15:15:39.493
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# Question
Title: 12v 25A 300x300 Heater bed Mosfet
I'm building a 3D printer from scratch (My first one, so yeah, tall order), so I'm buying all the parts separately, now one of the things I bought was a **300x300 12v 25A Silicon heaterbed** (Yeah, I know, should have gone for a higher voltage, but that's the only one I could get at the time)
I have a **RAMPS 1.4** board in all it's crappy MOSFET glory, so I tried giving my math skills a shot in trying to find a decent MOSFET that won't explode, though I'm still having issues deciding. And due to where I live, getting anything very specific is not the easiest thing to do.
**So can anyone recommend a MOSFET that I can use to switch 25A** and mention if it will need a heatsink?
I live in **South Africa**, So one place that I can get them from is from RABTRON Electronincs
There are a couple other places, but I'd prefer to get them here if I can.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I have looked over the 20 or so most expensive MOSFETs in that shop, and none are suitable.
It might be easier to go with a DC Solid State Relay rather than a bare MOSFET.
If you do want to go with a bare MOSFET instead, a TO-220 package MOSFET can dissipate around 1W without a heatsink, and around 3-4W with one. For 25A of current, that means the resistance of the MOSFET can be at most 1.6mΩ (without heatsink) or 5.6mΩ (with heatsink).
The IRLB3034 might be suitable. It is readily available on ebay (for under $1 shipped). 195A, 40V and an Rds(on) of only 1.4mΩ. A caveat is that this resistance is specified at a gate voltage of 10V, whereas it is slightly higher at lower gate voltages (1.6mΩ-2.0mΩ at 4.5V). This is on the upper edge of what is acceptable without a heatsink, but should still work (junction to ambient resistance is 62C/W, so in the worst case of 2.0mΩ the temperature would get to 77C above ambient - the MOSFET is rated for operation up to 175C). With a heatsink it will definitely work well.
Note that the gate charge is much higher (10x) than that of the MOSFET used on RAMPs so you should use a low switching frequency.
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Tags: heated-bed
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thread-2775
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2775
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What is the strongest filament to use?
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2016-09-14T23:49:04.953
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# Question
Title: What is the strongest filament to use?
I'm looking for a strong filament that can handle a large tension load and no bending deformation when a perpendicular force is applied to it. Any suggestions?
# Answer
Carbon or glass fiber reinforced PLA likely has the strongest without deformation. PLA will snap before deforming.
Fiber reinforced ABS is also an option. ABS is stronger but will bend before breaking.
Both are hard on nozzles and may require a stainless steel nozzle.
> 2 votes
# Answer
As far as I know, Nylon filaments are among the strongest. I'd look at the technical specs of Taulman3D's Filament. They're the only nylon I've ever tried, and I know they have in-depth specs of how their filament holds up. I'm sure you can find other providers, though.
> 0 votes
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Tags: filament
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thread-2790
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2790
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What parts are strictly necessary for a 3D printer?
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2016-09-17T22:01:21.547
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# Question
Title: What parts are strictly necessary for a 3D printer?
I've built the mechanics of my 3D printer myself, because I need to print parts that are really huge, (and for budget reasons). **So, I already have the 3D movement functionality.**
But what I need now, is the printing mechanism itself. I've been reading a lot, but it became clear to me that things are more complicated than I thought.
Let's skip mechanics and software, I'm just interested in how the print head works. Can somebody explain me that?
To be honest, I was so naive that I thought that I just had to buy one part with one data wire (print/noprint) and the 5 V/GND wires. But it came to my intension that things are way more complicated.
For example, these RepRap printers have some kind of air tube attached to the print head. I'm not sure what that's all about, is it cooling?
Perhaps I'm always reading the wrong manuals (i.e. the more advanced ones). Can somebody enlighten me or point me to a good starting point?
# Answer
You will certainly find that the print functionality of a 3d printer is a bit more complex than you suggest. The mechanical portions include a means to push the filament into a heated nozzle as well as the software portion to regulate the speed of the filament movement. You haven't referenced the heater cartridge and temperature sensor, but you will discover that aspect soon enough.
The "air tube" you think you've seen is likely called a bowden tube. Such designs permit lighter weight print heads, which is beneficial for speed, acceleration and precision, but has complications with respect to compression of the filament as well as retraction considerations. Non-bowden print heads will have the extruder motor as part of the moving assembly, with the drive wheels very close to the nozzle opening. This allows for flexible filament and more precise control of the filament feed.
Either design has compromises, so one must determine priorities for the design.
Cooling is also a factor. The heater cartridge is designed to heat the nozzle to a specific temperature for the type of filament used, but also requires a means to keep the heat from traveling to the portion of filament not in the nozzle. You'll discover terms such as heat break, referring to narrow threaded portion connecting the nozzle assembly to the heat sink. There will also be a cooling fan to blow air over the heat sink and very often a cooling fan to cool the filament as it exits the nozzle and attaches to the model being printed.
You suggest to ignore the mechanics and software, but it's important to be aware of both when considering the principles of the print head assembly.
Simplified, filament enters bowden tube then into heat sink, pushed by extruder motor (or) filament is pushed into heat sink by extruder motor. Filament travels through heat break, gets melted in heater block and exits nozzle. Sheesh, that's way too simple.
> 11 votes
# Answer
The first point to start would be the RepRap wiki entry for extruders:
> ### cold end
>
> The "Cold End" is usually the bulk of the extruder. It is often the actual carriage on one axis and supports the rest of the parts. In some designs, the "Cold End" is split into two parts; one part does the driving of the filament that is stationary and connected to the carriage portion, of a lighter weight design for easier movement, with a flexible tube. The drive is a motor that rotates a knurled, hobbed, or toothed pinch wheel against a pressure plate or bearing with the filament forced between them. Usually, the motor is geared to the pinch wheel to increase available torque and extrusion control (smoothness). The gearing can be a 3D printed pinion and gear, stock worm wheel and gear, or a more expensive integral motor gearbox. Stepper motors are used almost universally after initial trials with DC motors did not achieve the required repeatability. Servo motors are an option, though they are not seen in the literature yet. The final function, some form of cooling, keeps the "Cold End" cold. With the close proximity to the "Hot End" and possible heated build platforms and enclosures, it is sometimes necessary to have additional passive or active cooling of the cold end parts. Heat sinks and fans are often used; water and Peltier effect cooling is also discussed. Much of this bulk is usually made from 3D printed parts and the temperature is maintained within safe limits.
>
> ### hot end attachment
>
> The "Cold End" is connected to the "Hot End" across a thermal break or insulator (the Bowden tube if used is on the cold side of this thermal break). This has to be rigid and accurate enough to reliably pass the filament from one side to the other, but still prevent much of the heat transfer. The materials of choice are usually PEEK plastic with PTFE liners or PTFE with stainless steel mechanical supports or a combination of all three. A Hot End is frequently joined to the Cold End using a Groove Mount where the thermal break or insulator is part of the Hot End assembly and the Cold End body is provisioned with a cylindrical recess. Many cold ends push the filament out a large hole centered between 2 small holes about 50 mm apart. (Is there a name for this de-facto standard?) Some people rigidly attach a groove mount hot end to such a cold end with the mounting plate adapter and two short bolts. A few people put 2 long bolts through those holes and then put a spring around those bolts to make a spring extruder.
>
> ### hot end
>
> The "Hot End" is the active part of the 3D printer that melts the filament. It allows the molten plastic to exit from the small nozzle to form a thin and tacky bead of plastic that will adhere to the material it is laid on. The first RepRap hot end was made of brass. Researchers have also made hot ends from glass or aluminium. The hot end consists of a melting zone or chamber with two holes. The cold end forces the filament into the hot end -- into the heating chamber of the hot end -- through one hole. The molten plastic exits the heating chamber through the other hole at the tip. The hole in the tip (nozzle) has a diameter of between 0.3mm and 1.0mm with typical size of 0.5mm with present generation extruders. Outside the tip of the barrel is a heating means, either a wire element or a standard wire wound resistor. The heat required is of the order of 20W with typical temperatures around 150 to 250 degrees Centigrade. For feedback control of the nozzle temperature, a thermistor is usually attached close to the nozzle, though a thermocouple may serve with suitable control hardware. High temperature materials are needed here. These include metals, cements and glues, glass and mineral fibre materials, PEEK, PTFE and Kapton tape.
>
> ### mount to rest of machine
>
> The ways extruders are mounted on the rest of the machine have evolved over time into informal mounting standards. These informal standards include the Vertical X Axis Standard, the Quick-fit extruder mount, the OpenX mount, etc. Such de-facto standards allows new extruder designs to be tested on existing printer frames, and new printer frame designs to use existing extruders. (Does the "greg-adapter.scad" adapter in the Prusa i3 Build Manual let me mount an OpenX extruder on a Vertical X Axis machine?)
You can also google for extruder and/or hotend in combination with 3d printing for a first starting point.
> 3 votes
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Tags: printer-building
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thread-2737
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2737
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File from Blender is different in Shapeways's preview
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2016-09-05T19:13:07.703
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# Question
Title: File from Blender is different in Shapeways's preview
I am trying to print a model I designed in Blender on Shapeways.
The object has a hole in it:
But when I upload it to Shapeways as a STL file, fixed the sizes, but the hole is filled up in the preview window for the object in Shapeways:
What could cause this? Will the model print properly?
(I cannot share the model here).
# Answer
> 2 votes
Double-check that your model is solid (i.e. watertight). Holes in the mesh, or (as other's mentioned in the comments) or problems with thickness can cause those issues. You can use Netfabb's Cloud Services, or download the free version of their app. There are other model repair services, too.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Just like the other already have mentioned, most likely your model has 3D printing errors. Either way, I would run it through a repairing service just to make sure it's free of 3D printing errors. I repair my models using this free automatic tool https://makeprintable.com/
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Tags: stl, file-formats, blender
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thread-2776
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2776
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Frightened of Cheap Chinese Power Supply as I hook up the heated bed
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2016-09-15T11:24:29.093
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# Question
Title: Frightened of Cheap Chinese Power Supply as I hook up the heated bed
My 12V DC 30A Power Supply 360W Power Supply is really cheap, and it's worked well for setting up the motors; but now that I'm on to the heated bed, which uses considerably more Ampage than that of just the motors, I'll confess, I'm getting frightened to continue using it; if the summer was a bit longer, maybe it wouldn't bother me, but we're getting into the cold months, and now I'm afraid of ending up using too much ampage just trying to heat the bed in the winter months...(and I don't mean my bed). Is there anything I should look out for in terms of using the either the cheap power supply I already have, or are there certain specs on a new not-so-cheap power supply that I ought to be using instead?
# Answer
A MK2 heatbed will draw around 12A. The motors and hotend draw only very little power (around 2A, 5A peak), so the 30A supply you have has significant headroom (it is often recommended to derate a power supply by 20%, so a 30A supply would be good for 24A - you're still well under that). It should work fine, even given its dubious provenance.
Winter versus summer should not make a big difference. The largest power draw is during the heat up phase. In winter, the bed will use slightly more power to stay warm, but regardless of whether it is summer or winter the peak power draw during heat up will be the same.
The cheapness of these supplies tends to be reflected in more output ripple (but for heating the bed and running the motors you don't need a very stable voltage) and improper filtering. This may inject noise back into the mains, possibly affecting other equipment nearby. Should this occur, you can just stop using the power supply. However, in my experience, they can deliver the rated power just fine. They're not completely horrible.
Your biggest concern should be whether the wires that lead to your heated bed can handle the current and whether the screw terminals are properly tightened. During the first use, you should check that the power supply does not get extremely hot. If it's so hot it's impossible to touch for more than 1-2 seconds you should not use it.
> 6 votes
# Answer
I've used a similar cheap psu before. It'll work without blowing up but my heatbed struggled to get up to 60c, swapped psus with one I had lying around from a desktop and there was a huge difference.
> 2 votes
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Tags: prusa-i3-rework, switching-power-supply
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thread-2797
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2797
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How to create attachable/detachable printed parts
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2016-09-18T23:08:15.470
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# Question
Title: How to create attachable/detachable printed parts
I am making a part that needs to come apart, so I don't want to use glue or similar adhesives. I saw an article about printing snap-fit pieces, but it seems like you would need a lot of expertise to make it work well. Does anybody know of an easy way to non-permanently attach PLA parts, while still maintaining a sturdy connection?
EDIT: (more detail about specific project) I need to attach plastic to plastic, in a pretty small surface area. This is a prop knife/sword in which the "blade" retracts into the handle. For the prototype I printed the handle in two halves lengthwise, which I do not want to do for the final product. I want to print as much of the handle in one piece as possible. Because I need to get the blade into the handle (and remove it for working on parts, painting, etc) I need part of the handle to detach. I am thinking that the front bit (examined more closely below) would be the best place to detach. As the wall thickness is about 1/4 in, there is not a whole lot of room to work with. However, I remain hopeful that there is a way to attach it such that it will remain securely together and retain the "blade" properly.
Thanks for the help so far.
# Answer
This question may yet fall into the too-broad category, but I'll give it a shot.
You don't want to use glue or adhesives, but does that exclude bolted or screwed fasteners? Threaded inserts are metal "nuts" with knurled grip extrusions that enable one to use a matching bolt. The insert is heated with a soldering iron or similar source and embedded into the part. It's especially useful when the part thickness provides sufficient strength and the threaded insert is on the surface of the part opposite the bolt head.
Another option you have is to design into the part a "conventional" joint such as a dovetail or slot with the matching dovetail or T shape on the adjoining part. This requires access to the end of the part to enable the sliding action of joining them together, of course. Some testing of prints should be performed to ensure proper mating.
Directly related to that method is pins and holes. With suitable testing, one would create a hole on both parts and print a pin to match. If one is well versed in the software of choice, one hole with a built-in pin on the adjoining part would work too.
Yet another extension is provided free from 3DKitbash: http://www.3dkitbash.com/free3dmodels/ in the form of friction fit pins. I've constructed one of their models using this design and find the straight-line pins eventually work free. The pin model with "mouse ears" allows for a bit stronger gripping due to the compression of the shape on insertion.
The friction fit pins would be considered to be the snap-fit parts you want to avoid, but the level of expertise should not be beyond that of a model designer.
Trial and error works wonders when it comes to putting these things together. I printed an Overwatch logo for a fellow makerspace member. The part used a pin on the insert and a hole on the logo. I was astonished when the two different colored parts slid together quite snugly. I have not calibrated my printer and it was indeed a snap together build. On the flip side, when I pried the two pieces apart (low infill) the pin remained in the hole, snapping cleanly off the insert. Should I be asked to do this again, I would have much more infill on the pins.
For clarification, consider also to note what software you are using for your design. Some programs lend well to creating connections, others not so much.
> 2 votes
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Tags: pla
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thread-3
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3
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How important is the minimum layer height on a 3d printer?
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2016-01-12T18:46:22.083
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# Question
Title: How important is the minimum layer height on a 3d printer?
I know the minimum layer height will effect how detailed of an item you can print and the amount of time it takes to print something, but is it necessary to have an extremely low minimum layer height if you plan to print only larger objects?
# Answer
> 9 votes
I believe the Slic3r Manual summarizes this quite nicely:
> A thicker layer height will provide more flow, and consequently more heat, making the extrusion adhere to the bed more. It also gives the benefit of giving more tolerance for the levelness of the bed. It is recommended to raise the first layer height to match the diameter of the nozzle, e.g. a first layer height of 0.35mm for a 0.35mm nozzle.
In other words, larger layer heights for the first layer typically gives better adhesion, and makes inaccurate bed leveling (and auto leveling) still work.
# Answer
> 7 votes
As with any manufacturing process, you'll need to learn to "use the right tool for the job". It depends on the requirements of the part. To answer your question, I would suggest using a larger layer height for the sheer fact of reducing print time on larger objects.
However, it depends on the part and how small the details are on the part. If your part has sharp edges that are required for the proper functionality of the part, then you'll want to use a smaller layer height. Or if your part fits into another part, you'll probably want to use a smaller layer height.
Another variable might be whether or not post-processing is necessary. Is this part going to be purposefully printed larger/rougher with the idea to use a Dremel later to smooth everything out? If yes, then use a larger layer height.
# Answer
> 1 votes
In short: no.
Smaller layers will make your prints look nicer. That said, in my experience, most printers can handle roughly the same layer heights, no matter what the manufacturer says it can do. With a little tinkering, you can get any printer to do what you tell it to do.
That said, for larger prints, you really won't want to lower the layer height too much. Typically, the quality difference you see in a print that's, say, .2 mm layer height (typical) vs .1mm layer height (typically high quality) is not that much different.
Note that lowering your layer height increases the number of layers in your object, so it'll take longer to print and have more opportunities to fail along the way. For anything of significant size (150 mm + or so) it's really not worth the extra risk, I'd say.
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Tags: quality, resolution
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thread-2807
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2807
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Typical plastic strength at 1500 RPM
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2016-09-20T20:02:48.670
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# Question
Title: Typical plastic strength at 1500 RPM
I'm planning to print a certain sample holder which is going to be placed on a CD-Rom BLDC motor and spun at about 1000-1500 RPM. The holder would essentially be a 2-3 mm thick 100 mm square platform with 1-2 mm thick hooks rising up from outer edges of the platform to hold the sample. The bottom of this platform would also contain a 15 mm diameter crevice designed to latch onto the disc holder attached to the motor. How durable would this printed holder be under these conditions, if it was made of ABS plastic, for example?
# Answer
Really the only thing that would matter for this project is the amount of torque the motor has available and subsequently how heavy your setup is that is connected to the motor. A part that size may just be too heavy for a CD-ROM motor if you intend on adding more parts.
However, to answer your question, ABS should be able to endure the stress. I recommend paying attention to how the hooks are printed. You'll want to make sure that the hooks are printed in profile, meaning that the profile of the hooks should be printed with each layer. This will help provide structural integrity to, what sounds like, the most stressful area of the part (the outer edges of a spinning device and a clamping feature).
Something to keep in mind for projects like this is that most of the time the design will likely be the cause of failure, not the capabilities of the material.
> 3 votes
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Tags: abs, print-strength, stability
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thread-2817
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2817
|
How to properly read dimensions for a 3D printer?
|
2016-09-25T15:06:21.483
|
# Question
Title: How to properly read dimensions for a 3D printer?
I'm trying to find the correct way to read and understand the dimensions of a 3D printer. For example, if I read the following dimensions for the Robo 3D R1 Plus as 10x9x8 Inch - I want to know what **10** stands for (does it mean print height?), **9** (depth?), and **8** (width?); etc. I'm not sure if I'm assuming correctly.
I know this should be simple, but I'm not sure where to reference the proper ordering, respective to each aforementioned dimension.
**UPDATE**
While looking at Makerbot's Replicator technical specifications, I see them listing their dimensions as follows:
**Build Volume**
```
29.5 L X 19.5 W X 16.5 H CM
[11.6 X 7.6 X 6.5 IN]
```
So, if I'm reading this correctly, can I infer that 11.6 IN is referring to the length/depth, 7.6 IN is referring to the width, and 6.5 IN is referring to the height. Would this be the universal/standard way of referring to build specifications for all 3D printers?
# Answer
Having the dimensions of your 3D printer ordered in Length x Width x Height is a common way, but nobody actually decided it. I think it has something to do with the 3rd dimension being the "new" dimension for printing things, that's why it's appended at the end. Additionally, the first axis on a 2D-coordinate system usually is the horizontal one, so writing Length x Width makes sense for me. If you are unsure you can always test your printer (if you have one) by writing your own G-Code that moves the printhead on a defined axis.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: diy-3d-printer, printer-building, desktop-printer
---
|
thread-2810
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2810
|
How to stop objects with "floating" parts from breaking
|
2016-09-21T14:59:53.437
|
# Question
Title: How to stop objects with "floating" parts from breaking
So, I'm having this problem where almost anything I print with a section(s) that is not directly connected to something below it breaks when I try to pull the small filaments meant to hold it up during printing off. For example, I 3D-printed a Rayquaza(this one) from Pokemon for my little brother, and as I was carefully pulling the filament from under the mouth, the whole head just snapped off. Does someone have a recommendation as to a way to get the small filament off without breaking the object? Would a solution just be to print it bigger and see if it holds up better, or is there something else I can do? Thanks.
# Answer
> 3 votes
The small filaments you remove that hold the parts up are called supports. The one model I located on Thingiverse clearly requires a number of supports, as the model is not easily designed for 3d printing with FDM printers. It would be better printed with SLS, but that's not the focus of your question.
You don't specify how large you printed the model, but certainly a scaled-up version will be stronger at the weak points. You will want to use sharp non-shearing cutters to clear away as much of the supports as possible, without torquing on the model.
Another option which also reduces the forces on the model body is to use a soldering iron to smooth and clear/cut the supports. If you are able to use cutters and not damage the model, the soldering iron can remove and flatten the remnants of those supports.
Please note that if your careful work has resulted in a model that snaps to pieces, your little brother will soon destroy the successfully cleaned up model just as easily.
If you have skill with 3d modeling software (Meshmixer and Blender come to mind for such organic models), you can add insignificant items to the model to provide functional support. Would the Rayquaza look fiercer if you 3d printed a cage as an integrated part of the model, using the bars of the cage to provide support?
I successfully printed a model that was created by an artist unfamiliar with 3d printing restrictions. The support material was wash-away PVA. I provided the model to the "owner" who washed away the support material and snapped the legs in two. It's sometimes impossible to solve poor designs. You have a good chance if you build a cage for this one.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Depends how small your printing, if it's the one i see on thingiverse then it don't see why it would break unless:
1. it's super small
2. too many or strong support that's hard to pull off?
3. Not calibrated for the filament - eg temperature too low or too much fan and the layer's aren't properly bonding.
4. Too much moisture in the filament making it weak
5. Needs more infill at the weak spots? (ex. if the neck is thin then infill other than 50-100 is a good idea if you can control that in your slicer).
i would start with the temps/adjusting settings. really hard to say without a reference photo.
However, i would try a stronger material for toys such as PETG either way. from experience they'll just break easily anyway from the abuse kids put them through. PETG has good layer bonding and easy to print, except it's terrible at bridging. Supports will most likely need to be cliped off with side cutters but it's not a huge deal.
# Answer
> 2 votes
To increase the strength of small parts I do:
* Increase the nozzle size to layer height ratio. While 2 is the most popular choice (0.4 nozzle for 0.2 layer) the science behind the process really recommends around 4 (0.7 nozzle for 0.2 layer).
* Increase the number of outer shells. I made dragons with great wings with 4 shells and no infill.
* Typical things: raise temp, reduce speed.
---
Tags: filament
---
|
thread-927
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/927
|
How does the Filament production process work?
|
2016-04-02T20:38:22.613
|
# Question
Title: How does the Filament production process work?
What are the steps in the production process that factories that produce filament have to take to get from pellets to a full spool of filament.
Which of these steps are critical for quality (thickness, roundness, long shelf life,..) ?
# Answer
> 4 votes
Some general comments about the process used (plastic extrusion):
The plastic extrusion process is not simple- many textbooks dense with equations have been written about it. The lowest cost industrial extrusion processes do not use pellets at all- because pellets have already gone through an extrusion process so they are more expensive than powder resin. There is typically a 'compounding' stage where colors etc. are added before extrusion.
Significant heat is generated by the screw (which often has a complex geometry) via shear action that is itself temperature and pressure sensitive, and the heat is added to by external heaters in various zones (or subtracted by water cooling and chillers in larger extruders). In some cases we were able to operate an extruder adiabatically- the heat created by the screw motor matched the heat loss as the product left the die and no heating or cooling was needed once the process was stabilized.
The end result is that you want to plasticize (melt) the plastic and achieve a certain pressure at the die. The plastic is deteriorating the higher the temperature and the longer the time so you want to limit the residence time at high temperature. There is some trial-and-error and a lot of previous experience in the setup person's task. Once the parameters are determined they are recorded and are used the next time that material is run.
The size of an extrusion is typically determined exactly by downstream equipment rather than controlling the conditions at the die. It is essentially stretched as it comes out of the die and the heat is removed in a cooling trough.
Here you can see a factory environment with a very typical extrusion setup, used in this case for 3D printing filament (but the setup would look almost the same if they were making slats for Venetian blinds). Notice that there are cooling fans as well as band heaters on the extruder barrel. They control the diameter by adjusting the take-off capstan RPM once the extruder is running well. This extruder looks like it has 4 heat/cool barrel zones and two (heat-only) nozzle zones (6 temperatures total).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40HOAsUnSQ8
Extruders are categorized by the barrel bore diameter in inches or mm. A very small extruder might be 25mm. An extruder used for pipe production might be 6" (150mm) or more. Some machines use multiple screws.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I do my own filaments and its pretty simple. The real key for quality is **stability of everything**. The temperature, the movement of the air around cooling part, the extrusion force, both internal and external. It is funny to watch how I have several atm pressure inside my extruder, yet the gust of wind outside the room changes the outside pressure enough to affect filament.
Yet I manage to keep my tolerances +- 0.05 mm which is enough for everything but miniature printing.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Each step is critical for quality. It's refined plastic mass. And in oil-based-products, every step is crucial for quality.
In **this** vieo, everything is explained.
---
Tags: filament-production
---
|
thread-2815
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2815
|
Ultimaker Layer Resolution vs Nozzle Size
|
2016-09-24T04:57:54.660
|
# Question
Title: Ultimaker Layer Resolution vs Nozzle Size
On their website they say the following
```
0.25 mm nozzle: 150 to 60 micron
0.40 mm nozzle: 200 to 20 micron
0.60 mm nozzle: 400 to 20 micron
0.80 mm nozzle: 600 to 20 micron
```
That confuses me. Why can I go down to 20 micron with the 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80 nozzle but only down to 60 micron with the much smaller 0.25 nozzle? Is that a typo and should say 6 micron?
# Answer
> 8 votes
You need a certain minimum flow rate to achieve consistent extrusion. Flow rate is the product of print speed, extrusion width (proportional to nozzle size) and print speed. If you use a very small nozzle and very low layer height, you'd need a very high printing speed to achieve a reasonable flow rate. Therefore, it's quite possible this is not a mistake and intentional.
Keep in mind that Ultimaker uses 2.85mm filament. With a 0.3mm extrusion width, 0.02mm layer height and 60mm/s print speed, you would need a feedrate of 0.06mm/s into your extruder. The extruder might not be able to develop enough force on the filament at such a low speed (which, owing to the small nozzle size, requires a relatively large amount of force).
The ultimaker can not print 6 micron layers since the smallest increment the Z-axis can move in is 5 microns. 6 microns is not a multiple of that.
# Answer
> 3 votes
In addition of Tom van der Zanden's answer, when the filament moves too slowly through the heated part of the printhead it is very likeley to clog.
I have had this multiple times on my UM1+, most of the time resulting from a heated printhead with no extrusion (before or after prints). So you need to be sure to have a minimum of filament extrusion happening, wich is most likeley not the case when having 0.25mm * 20 micron instead of 0.60mm * 20micron, for example.
You could of course make the printhead move faster, resulting in a higher extrusion, but that will lower the print quality again.
But let me tell you this: Always look out for high extrusion, removing clogs is a real pain!
---
Tags: nozzle, resolution
---
|
thread-2831
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2831
|
Hictop prusa I3 clone - broken z axis right bracket bearing
|
2016-10-03T05:21:07.127
|
# Question
Title: Hictop prusa I3 clone - broken z axis right bracket bearing
I was very excited to get my 3d printer but sadly I didn't realise I'd installed the z axis upside down. There's a plastic coupler that goes into the hole for the polished rods it broke then released 1 -2mm sized ball bearing all over my floor.
Is it possible to just replace that coupler thingy?
Or if I 3d print a replacement will it still need that coupler thingy?
The first picture is the one that spilled it's guts all over my kitchen floor.
The last image is an example of how it used to look like but on the left hand side. I know the image looks like it's the right but you can see a bit of the horizontal rods if look closely
# Answer
That "plastic coupler thingy" is actually a linear bearing, and it consists of a metal shell, and the metal balls roll between the smooth rod and this shell. The plastic part has a channel that guides the balls in a circle.
It would be best to replace the entire bearing (metal part+balls+plastic liner). It's probably either an LM8UU (most likely) or LM8LUU bearing.
3D Printing a new part will not give good results.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: diy-3d-printer
---
|
thread-2849
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2849
|
Can I print jewelry without any loss of the precious metal?
|
2016-10-06T18:05:35.457
|
# Question
Title: Can I print jewelry without any loss of the precious metal?
What is the 3D printing technology that allow to have minimal loss in precious metals when 3D printing jewels?
# Answer
The jewelry industry typically uses printers that print in wax, and transform the models into precious metal by lost wax casting. Statasys offers wax printing in their Solidscape line, 3D systems offers ProJet. With this process there is basically no waste, since you can remelt the casting sprues.
I am not aware of printers that print directly in precious metal. It might technically be possible with DMLS but you have to fill up the entire machine with metal powder, which is cost prohibitive (and potentially more wasteful).
> 5 votes
---
Tags: metal-parts
---
|
thread-2848
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2848
|
Take a detailed model and make it suitable for 3D printing?
|
2016-10-06T16:05:39.450
|
# Question
Title: Take a detailed model and make it suitable for 3D printing?
I have a model I would like to print, specifically it is a free-for-personal-use model of a car, complete with interior.
I would like to print it, but it is unprintable. I have tried to fix it in netfabb, which works OK. But now I realised I have another problem - the inside of the car is hollow, and has a full interior. I just want the shell of the car and a solid block (complete with opaque 'windows').
How would I take a detailed model and somehow extract a solid 3D printable model from it?
# Answer
> 5 votes
I would recommend "The Maker's Muse" youtube video channel.
In particular this video Fixing impossible STL's with Meshmixer 3.1.118 BETA might solve your problem.
Few other videos which might help:
---
Tags: 3d-models
---
|
thread-2867
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2867
|
Makerbot Replicator 2 restarts after preheating the hbp
|
2016-10-09T05:01:43.607
|
# Question
Title: Makerbot Replicator 2 restarts after preheating the hbp
I've recently upgraded my Replicator 2 with a heatbed and the more powerful power brick (9.2A). The problem I'm having right now is that the Replicator restarts right after the preheat of the bedplate finishes. It does not matter which temperature I set as threshold - it restarts either way.
So it restarts even in very low temperatures on the HBP. Tried upgrading the firmware and even switch firmware to Sailfish, but it's still the same issue. I would really love if someone could help me with this.
Edit: I've checked my cables and it seems okay. Themistor is connected via pin 1 and 3 and the power should be fine.
**Edit2**: Found the problem. It was a faulty hotend that caused all of this. It works to print with , but togheter with the heated bed it makes the Replicator to restart.
# Answer
**Clues so far:**
* You changed your hardware to add a heated bed.
* You've had the same symptoms with three different firmware versions.
* Your Replicator 2 reboots right after preheat, regardless of temp set.
**My Assumptions**
* You have not tweaked firmware or other settings that could cause both the heated bed and hot end to draw high loads simultaneously. (By default Makerbot handles this in firmware, avoiding situations that could over-tax the 9.2A power supply which isn't really enough to handle preheating both at the same time.)
**Potential Problems:** Listed starting with the easiest to fix...
* **No problem, carry on:** If you are printing from the USB cable, a restart after preheat could be a normal condition. The Replicator 2 reboots to reset inputs when you start a print over USB...this is normal. So, if you're preheating with the buttons and then you start a print, this would be expected behavior. Try printing from SD card and it shouldn't reboot.
* **Power Supply voltage switch:** Make sure your power supply voltage input switch is on the correct voltage, either 110 or 220. Having it set to 220 when you're using 110 can cause reboots due to insufficient power. (brown-out)
* **Wrong heated bed:** If your heated bed draws too much power (it is higher power than the Replicator 2 can support with that power supply), you may get reboots due to insufficient power. (brown-out)
* **Short somewhere:** A short somewhere in your system could cause too much power draw. This could be somewhere in your heated bed, your hot end, or other. Inspect carefully around the areas where you moved wires. You could have a frayed wire contacting the frame, a screw shorting between two wires, or a little stray "hair" of copper wire sticking somewhere it shouldn't. This too will cause a reboot due to insufficient power. (brown-out)
I hope this helps. For further reference, read this thread as I believe it has some relevant info. :-)
> 2 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed, makerbot
---
|
thread-2845
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2845
|
3d Key not strong enough
|
2016-10-05T19:58:12.607
|
# Question
Title: 3d Key not strong enough
I 3d-printed a key. When I put it in the lock the pins move but, when I go to turn it the key rips and the lock doesn't turn. I compared it to the real key and it's identical. Is there something I can do to make it work and not rip? Is there some filament that I can print it out of? I used ABS.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I must admit, I've never printed a key...but I think I can help anyway:
**Print method:** Consider printing on side, solid concentric infill. Or, if you can't manipulate your infill pattern, just increase the perimeter so you get the same effect, several continuous perimeter layers around the outline of the key.
**Print material:**
* Elongation before break is important here in addition to tensile strength...you need it to be stiff enough, but not brittle.
* **ABS, PLA, or HIPS:** Not likely to be successful...but maybe.
* **PETG and PETG based filaments like T-Glase, N-Vent, nGen, INOVA-1800:** A little better, but still likely to deform and/or break.
+ **Polycarbonate:** Great for this, but is a fairly advanced material which tends to require pre-drying, enclosures, and PVA for hold down as well as a hot end that can handle at least 290C.
+ **Nylons:** Good, but most Nylons may be more "bendy" than you want for this.
+ **Taulman's Alloy 910:** Bingo. This should work nicely if you'd rather not struggle with printing polycarbonate. Alloy 910 prints near ABS settings, sticks well on a PVA-treated heated bed. (I use 85C for bed)
+ I would not suggest a CF filled filament for this because they tend to be brittle. **Matter Hacker's NylonX** with CF is a possible exception since it's nylon based, but I haven't tested it...yet.
# Answer
> 1 votes
That is correct! Take your raw ABS plastic and try to bend and break it. Do it again with a few lengths. Pretty easy to break it right?
You issue is the material is not up to par with your goal. Your heavy duty lock takes too much force to turn.
Your solutions are to
1. Find a stronger material. These are considered stronger than PLA / ABS
* PVA
* PET
* Polycarbonate
* PETT (SHATTERS!)
* POM, Acetal
2. Use the PLA to make a lossless cast of the key and use metal
3. Find a easier lock and or invest in oil for the lock.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Which direction are the layers being printed? If the layers are printing top to bottom (in relation to your picture) there isn't a lot of sheer force required to break the key when turning. If you make the layers print from left to right you might have better luck.
# Answer
> 0 votes
"You're going to need a bigger boat^H^H^H^H filament" . Perhaps one of the carbon-fiber-loaded filaments will hold up, or perhaps a bunch of silicone spray dumped into the lock cylinder is needed.
If you want to get really fancy, start with a thin metal key blank and deposit the filament around that. This might give you enough structural strength. I don't know exactly how you'd print on three sides, as typical RepRaps and their ilk aren't set up to work around an object. Possibly printing with the key vertical and zero infil would allow you to insert a metal stiffener after printing.
# Answer
> 0 votes
First step is to optimize the print, layers, shells and infill. While ABS should hold up, if optimized, for at least one use. It may not be the best filament. PLA actually tests higher PLA vs ABS.
As I had posted in a comment, finishing ABS adds strength to the filament bundle. An acetone dip, vapor or hand wash of the part helps bond the outside edges. Parts that I make out of ABS for use on my car and motorcycle I vapor finish then polish with a soaked rag for a much more durable part.
Comparison tests of filaments are out there for the searching SUCH AS THIS ONE which compares strength of common filaments in use as a caribiner. But finding one that does a true comparison like the ABS vs PLA that I linked I have not seen.
If you do look at other filaments I would avoid ones like iron, stainless, brass, carbon fiber, etc. as these actually are shown to be reduced in strength as the particles suspended lower the filament bonding.
---
Tags: filament
---
|
thread-2832
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2832
|
Is it possible to make a hermetic sealed 3D Printed case?
|
2016-10-03T14:11:16.033
|
# Question
Title: Is it possible to make a hermetic sealed 3D Printed case?
I am wondering if making an hermetic box is feasible using 3D printer. The box would be a cube with a front face removable, with screw and sealing joint to close it.
I searched for different materials, however, none talks about hermiticity. (However, I found a product that seems to improve water resistance of 3D printed items here, which might be a starting point)
Does anyone have experienced to make hermetic things ? I am specially interested in carbon fiber reinforced materials.
# Answer
A few thoughts that might help...
**Material:**
* ABS can be vapor smoothed with Acetone which results in the layers sort of "melting" together to form a smoother, and less porous surface.
* Other plastics can be smoothed with compatible solvents, but I've not tried solvent smoothing with anything other than ABS. Be careful if you try.
**Print Method:**
* Consider slightly higher print temps to increase layer adhesion. You'll likely have to compensate with extra retraction to avoid excessive stringing.
* Consider more perimeter layers and more top/bottom layers.
* The CF materials are stiffened with chopped CF strands...I think it's a stretch to call them "reinforced" unless you happen to have a Markforged printer or similar.
**Sealants:** This is probably your best bet.
* Epoxy: Generally considered effective for producing hermetically sealed containers. Dip or brush on. Mind your VOC's and pay attention to working time.
* Plasti-dip or similar sealants: These may be good enough for your application and result in a rubbery coating over your part. Good for water sealing, and may be close enough to hermetically sealed for your needs.
**Design:**
* To mechanically seal the opening, there are many options depending on your requirements. O-rings, gaskets, etc. If you use a rubberized dip, you may be able to skip the gasket. You could install a few threaded inserts around the perimeter of the opening, put in the screws, then dip. After drying, you slice around the screw and remove it (this just keeps the coating out of your threads) Dip the cover as well. Then when you screw on the cover, it will provide a water-tight seal. To help make a good seal, apply a silicone grease to the mating surface.
I hope this helps. :-)
> 5 votes
# Answer
I have very little experience printing waterproof stuff.
I printed a flower pot in *ABS* some time ago. Right after print it was leaking water. Then I processed the pot with acetone vapour to create a layer of melted ABS on the surface of the pot and then it became water-proof.
As another option for non-solvable in acetone materials like PLA I would rub in some sealant paste to the surface, but I never have actually tried that.
Another thing to consider: you should think carefully about your design and may be even conduct few experiments to verify printed part meets your mechanical criteria. Unlike injection molding, FDM prints are breaking more easily in some directions.
> 3 votes
# Answer
I'm currently working on a project where a kind of box has to stay underwater, and until now, the best hermetic system I found is using coatings.
The best of them until now is PVC glue that I use on ABS as a coating with a little trowel. What I find nice is that's quick and that looks smoother and resistant. A disadvantage is that you need some practice to make something quite esthetic...
An other option I've tried is a very fluid mastic call "Creeping crack cure" which is perfect for 3D print since the part literally drinks it. Then, when it's dry, it also acts like a glue and can reinforce the part. A disadvantage I have however is that the mastic becomes no more transparent when the part stays in water.
Still not the perfect solution, but at least, no water goes through my parts :)
> 3 votes
# Answer
I believe this can be achieved using o-rings. That's what they use for scuba diving lights. The component doesn't need to be circular, but the o-ring needs to be slightly smaller than the component so that it is held in place via tension. Additionally, you'll want to create a groove for the o-ring to set it in and make sure that the o-ring protrudes slightly so that it applies pressure and creates a tiny amount of friction when it's coupled with its counterpart. Apply some type of lubricant to prevent the o-ring from sliding out of place and to keep it from drying out and cracking.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: 3d-design, filament-choice, water-resistance
---
|
thread-2864
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2864
|
Z offset incorrect
|
2016-10-08T10:04:48.197
|
# Question
Title: Z offset incorrect
Repetier host 1.6.2. Used Slic3r and CuraEngine in RH1.6.2 to slice my prints.
OK, I have a problem. Z offset does not work. Well...
1. Flashed EEPROM clear.
2. Enabled EEPROM and CHIT CHAT within the firmware.
3. I've set -0.4 in Marlin firmware 1.0.2-1 stable and flashed it.
results in
```
G28; home axis = works
G29; auto level = works
G28; it goes to home and then sets Z to 0.4
G1 Z0; brings nozzle down from 0.4 to 0, so this works also.
```
But when I slice with Repetier host 1.6.2 with the latest slicer/curaengine, it does not go down 0.4 mm before starting to print. I've set the first layer to 0.2 mm, but when it starts printing the first layer, it goes from 0.4 mm (after home Z is on 0.4 mm) to 0.6 mm instead of 0.2 mm! ...
How do I fix this?
Gcode start:
```
;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 15.01
; Default start code
G28 ; Home extruder
G29 ; Auto level
G1 Z15 F100
M107 ; Turn off fan
G90 ; Absolute positioning
M82 ; Extruder in absolute mode
M190 S35
; Activate all used extruder
M104 T0 S230
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder position
; Wait for all used extruders to reach temperature
M109 T0 S230
;Layer count: 226
```
It's definitely Repetier or its slicers. I'm using Cura 15.04.6 and it also calculates the offset set in Marlin when printing! I'm trying to use Cura 2.1 because it's newer, but I do not get the print USB option in Cura 2.1 :/
I just don't get it, it was printing very nice the first 4 layers, and suddenly it moved up more than 0.5 mm and continued printing there, in the air.
Yesterday's print:
Today's print:
# Answer
> 3 votes
Your question is a little hard to pin down, but I'll try to help anyway. :-)
**Z-Offset:**
* It appears you may be misunderstanding the way z-offset is supposed to work especially when it comes to Marlin setup and routine bed leveling and printing.
* This may help.
* And this
**Print Quality and Skipped layer issues:**
From your pictures, you do have some loose or wobbly belts, pulleys, rails, or other mechanical components causing excessive play in your x and y axis...very apparent with the way your layers don't align well resulting in the very visible lines. You can address this in two ways:
* Make sure your physical components are tight and rigid enough to handle the print speed you're using.
* Slow down your print speed to something that your machine can handle with reasonable quality...whatever reasonable is for you.
You mentioned skipped layers. I see that in your tower. This is most likely caused by:
* Tower legs too thin so Cura skips it because it can't fit there. I'd suggest using the layer preview in Cura, if the layer doesn't show in the preview, it won't print. If this is because the leg is too thin for your nozzle diameter, you could increase the scale of the tower, edit the model to have thicker legs, or install a finer nozzle.
* Issues with your mesh so Cura skips it. Also use Cura's x-ray view. If there are red areas, you have issues with your mesh. Search for ways to fix your mesh and make sure your model is good to print.
However, it could also be caused by issues with your filament feeding or your hot end. Clogs, snags, etc. If this were the case, your previews in Cura would all be fine. To solve this you could:
* Increase your print temperature slightly to ensure you're filament is melting quickly enough to support your print speed.
* Slow down to allow the filament plenty of time to melt.
* Make sure your feed system is snag-free.
* Make sure your feed system is clean and adequately gripping the filament so it can push the filament into your hot end reliably.
I hope this helps. :-)
---
Tags: prusa-i3, z-probe
---
|
thread-2880
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2880
|
Why does print fall apart at beginning of top layer?
|
2016-10-12T06:31:51.507
|
# Question
Title: Why does print fall apart at beginning of top layer?
I'm looking for any idea of what could cause this problem. I'm printing (1.75 mm PLA @ 220 °C) a 14 x 14 cm box, sliced with Simplify3D. Relevant settings are 3 bottom layers, 3 top layers, 3 outline/perimeter shells, and 15 % orthogonal infill every other layer.
The first 3 layers print fine. Here's the first (bottom) layer after removing the print and turning it over:
The infill (layers 4-10) also prints beautifully (see left side of photo below).
But the moment it starts printing the next layer (layer 11, the top layer of the bottom of the box), which should be solid fill exactly like layers 1-3, it starts underextruding and generally looking like crap:
The first time this happened, I figured the nozzle got clogged or the extruder gear started slipping. This is not the freshest PLA, so maybe it was a PLA quality problem. But the same thing happened at the same layer when I tried it again. And again. And again. As soon as I cancel the print I can have it extrude 5 cm of filament and it's fine, no clogs...and if I immediately start another print it again perfectly prints layers 1-10. So it doesn't seem to be the extruder, the nozzle, or PLA quality. I can't imagine the "stress" of laying 7 layers of infill could screw up the next layer...
I just can't figure out how layers 2 and 3 could be basically perfect, but layer 11 is consistently a disaster, when they should be almost the exact same G-code (only a milimeter apart). I looked at the G-code and it's basically identical for layers 3 and 11, including same feedrate (`G1 F2250`).
This is on a DeltaMaker printer with a new E3D Lite6 hot end. Can add more details if needed, but basically I'm just looking for an idea of what could cause this.
Update: Just tried a different roll of PLA and got the same results.
# Answer
> 5 votes
I doubt this is a printer or filament issue. Rather, I suspect it might be related to how your slicer handles *bridging* scenarios (which basically is what laying down layers over infill is).
You could try to:
1. Increase the infill percentage and/or use an infill pattern that provides better support for the top layer (so that it isn't allowed to sag as much). You will probably still se *some* sag, but that is usually covered up by the next layer. Adding print cooling might also help here.
2. Adjust the bridging settings in your slicer software. If under extrusion is the main issue, perhaps you could try to increase extrusion for bridges?
I am no expert with Simplify3D, and I suspect that the default settings actually might be pretty good. I would therefore try option 1. first. Perhaps someone else here can give a better answer related to your slicer. :-)
# Answer
> 4 votes
The infill percentage is a bit low.
Even with infill percentages that are higher than 15% (I use 25%), a single layer on top of infill will not create a good top. It takes at least two and looks really good with three. The first layer is often patchy looking!
If you're stopping your print after one layer, and have more layers to go, maybe let it continue and see if you are more satisfied with it after the second or third layer.
If you only have one top full coverage layer in your model, then I believe you will need to configure one or two more.
Sometimes too high of heat will cause the layers after the infill to looks sparse and sag, so temperature (as always) is a factor for covering infill. :+)
# Answer
> 4 votes
Two things. First for a first layer from infill this is not unexpect. This is why you do 3-4 shells with such a sparse infill.
Most of the time we also have the first layer at a slower speed. Often we will get to this point and the difference in flow can be contributed to the temp to speed ratio. Try increasing your temp, or decreasing your solid layer speeds.
I recommend starting with a basic calibration STL. You can find them on thingiverse. Start with single wall, upgrade to a square, hollow square, etc.
Also increasing either number of top shells and or infill percent will also help.
3D printing is all about balancing 20 settings. I think of it like a performer spinning multiple plates. That said all about baby steps.
But to answer your question. Ignoring that this is exactly what I would expect even from a well calibrated printer on the first layer post infill. layer 1-3 is that the first layer is very slow. The extruder has built up a backlog of melted plastic. Assuming you are running too cold or too slow for some different types of printing (infill, solid, bridging, solid infill) you will slowly run out. Then suddenly you hit this solid layer and it needs a LOT fast. But it can only melt plastic 90% of what you need. Then less will come out. A good sign this is happening is if there is a lot of plastic shavings by the geared extruder. (if it can't melt then it stalls and the extruder shaves the plastic)
---
Tags: print-quality, simplify3d, deltamaker
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thread-2872
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2872
|
stable FDM materials
|
2016-10-10T23:58:07.530
|
# Question
Title: stable FDM materials
What materials, available as filaments for use in FDM printing, are known to be the most physically and chemically inert? In particular, stability (not necessarily simultaneously) in the presence of the following should be assumed:
* pH 0-14
* oxidizing agents (ozone, permanganates, dichromates, acidic hydrogen peroxide)
* organic solvents (particularly acetone, methanol, toluene, formamide)
* temperature up to 160 degrees Celsius
* pressures between ~10^-7 torr and ~2 bar
* oxygen or argon plasma
# Answer
Tough set of requirements and definately pushing into the professional domain. I would recommend checking out **ULTEM 1010 Resin** which is similar to PEEK but has a higher glass transition temp of 215 °C. Check out the spec sheet from Stratsys.
I hope this helps. :-)
> 4 votes
# Answer
PEEK, a plastic known for its superior chemical and physical resilience (http://www.zeusinc.com/materials/peek/chemical-resistance-chart-peek), has been successfully used for filament-based printing (https://3dprint.com/52713/indmatec-peek-fdm-printing-filament/). However, it is unlikely to be an option on most existing printers given its high melting temperature (around 343 degrees Celsius, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PEEK). Though it does not meet all the criteria proposed (for instance, its glass transition temperature is around 143 degrees Celsius), overall it is a fairly good choice.
Teflon, an obvious choice, unfortunately has a decomposition temperature very close to its melting temperature, and appears to be unsuitable for extrusion.
> 3 votes
---
Tags: material, filament-choice, stability
---
|
thread-2822
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2822
|
What type filament should I use to produce stamps?
|
2016-09-29T14:11:18.670
|
# Question
Title: What type filament should I use to produce stamps?
My wife wants me to use an FFM 3d printer to make custom stamps for her to use on paper (scrap books, letters, etc.). She is convinced, however, that they will be too rigid to make good stamps. A quick google search showed ones made from PLA and ABS. Logically, though, a TPU or similar would address her concerns. A good quality stamp needs to hold ink and make good, even contact with the paper. It would probably need to be able to be sanded or smoothed in some way.
I am supposed to receive my printer next week or so and am trying to get some filaments, STL files, and accessories I will need ready in advance so I can rapidly learn how to use it.
# Answer
I see three options...
**1. Print with a flexible filament:**
* Many options: TPU as you pointed out, the flexible PLA that Tom mentioned, and others. Here's an article with a few options from Matter Hackers
* I'd suggest printing the stamp side down so you get a nice flat stamp with no post processing. For any wide gaps, mind your bridging...use fillets or chamfers so the "roof" of the gap is an upside down V or U shape.
**2. Print with any hard filament, but use a rubber mat under the paper.**
* The idea here is to use a semi-flexible surface under the paper to help get uniform contact pressure between the paper and the hard stamp. As long as your stamp holds ink, this should work okay.
**3. Print your stamp shape, then use it to make a rubber stamp.**
* Making a model and then copying it with your desired non-printable material is a common manufacturing technique that can be used in many situations. Use of molds for casting and related processes can really expand your possibilities. Check out Smooth On. They have several rubber and flexible compounds that you could use for stamps.
> 7 votes
# Answer
Recently I've experimented with printing some Nylon 618 filament after reading stuff online about it. I'm using a Craftbot original with the stock hotend, keeping the Nylon dry in a ziploc bag. It prints really well, just tricky to get it to stick to the bed (I'm still working on that), but otherwise it's great.
Once printed, the main difference from PLA prints is the nylon remains more flexible. If you bend a thin nylon print, it tends to just spring back to the shape that came off the printer. That's very different from my PLA prints, which will either stay bent or break apart.
I believe that nylon would be a good material for you to try for stamps, because of this flexibility and shape-preserving quality. The comments show some other materials to try, but I'm limiting my answer here to my own personal experience.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: filament
---
|
thread-2892
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2892
|
Poor adhesion only for first couple of inches
|
2016-10-14T00:54:25.423
|
# Question
Title: Poor adhesion only for first couple of inches
I have a QIDI Tech 1. It has a heated bed, and a cooling fan attachment. Whenever I print without a raft, the first inch or two of material laid down does not adhere to the bed, but the rest of the first layer is flawless.
I have tried speeding up and slowing down the first layer walls, but the problem remains. It also seemed to get a little worse when slower. I also tried not turning on the cooling fan for a bit to see if maybe the material was cooling too quickly, but that had zero effect on it.
I'd like to avoid using tape and other methods since the rest of the print is perfect, and the bed already has a material on it to aid adhesion.
What else can I try to prevent the dragging for the start of the print?
# Answer
I've had this problem in the past with a Flux Delta printer. The first attempt to resolve it was to always use a brim along with a raft. The brim will often have settings to allow number of passes as well as number of layers. If you are not using the brim to provide adhesion, you still can use it to prime the nozzle.
Later versions of the software allowed for start g-code which moved the nozzle to the edge of the print area and extruded 10-40 mm of filament, also providing for priming the nozzle.
You've not noted what slicer you are using. You may find there are suitable locations to position the head to an unused area, run a few mm of filament, then begin your print.
Amazon Q&A says your printer accepts g-code, which implies the slicer generates same.
In combination with a brim, you may have your solution. I've also found that you have a heated bed. If you have a cold spot on the bed, adhesion may be a problem, although I think that is not the case, based on your description.
> 3 votes
# Answer
**I'd recommend using the "skirt" function** if you're not already.
The idea is to print a few perimeter layers around where your part will be, but not actually touching your part.
Most slicers support this and you can choose how much skirt you want to print. This addresses the issue you mention, and it purges old filament that has spent too much time in the nozzle. As an added bonus, it gives you a good indication that your print location, print height, and first layer adhesion are all good.
> 4 votes
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Tags: pla, adhesion
---
|
thread-1547
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1547
|
Methods for applying full color graphic decals to the surface of a 3d printed part?
|
2016-07-23T11:02:27.220
|
# Question
Title: Methods for applying full color graphic decals to the surface of a 3d printed part?
I'm trying to find a way of applying graphics to my ABS printed parts.
I need a robust method which can produce a decent amount of detail with true color and legible fine text . I also was hoping to avoid the use of stickers and opt for something that's slightly more permanent.
I was wondering if there are ways in which a vinyl decal or other types of decal material could be pressed into the face of a plastic part and then thermally fuse the two layers together using heat transfer method?
Most of the surfaces I work with would be flat, but there are some parts that are slightly curved and it would be totally amazing if I could somehow apply graphics to those areas as well.
Thanks for any hints
# Answer
Industry has for years used a 'pad printer' to put images on complex shapes, like plastic or ceramic travel mugs, etc.
I have observed these, but never used one. I see no reason why there couldn't be a DIY version made.
Best of luck, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
> 4 votes
# Answer
I think this will work for you...
**Laser Printer Image Transfer:**
1. Print reverse image with **color laser printer** on **regular paper.**
2. Apply Mod Podge or artist arcylic or artist matte gel to the 3d printed surface. You may need to sand it first to get it nice and smooth.
3. Apply same to picture and put picture, face down, onto the surface that you're transferring to.
4. Let dry.
5. Wash and rub off paper with water.
6. Apply protective clear coat...polyurethane or some other waterproof sealer.
7. ...
8. Profit
This method has been popular in the DIY craft world for years so you should be able to google around for more tips. My wife transferred pictures onto coasters this way...pretty easy. Also, since paper is flexible, I think this would work on a simple curve.
Hope this helps. :-)
> 3 votes
# Answer
You really can't. That said the only group that has this kind of tech is .. Disney of all companies. That said their tech is good at simple shapes. Nothing more.
I have seen some hydro transfer techniques. However that will not let you position a graphic as it is all done with a stretch transfer material ontop of a water bed. No one has a hand steady enough.
Realistically you either need a high end full color powered base 3d printer, or simple designs that you can apply with you hand, or paint by hand.
Well. Rereading your question... If you just want readable text. Then use a 2+ nozzle printer and print in colors that are contract. IE white model and black text. A lot more work but an order of magnitude cheaper than other options.
Disney article
Hydro transfer video
> 1 votes
---
Tags: color, surface, graphics
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|
thread-2833
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2833
|
Laybrick - Gaps on top layer
|
2016-10-03T15:01:39.083
|
# Question
Title: Laybrick - Gaps on top layer
I'm trying to print with Laybrick and for the most part it is going. The problem lies with the top layer and gaps appearing. I've tried increasing the number of top layers but the gaps still appear. Any ideas what else I can try?
I'm using Simplify3d.
# Answer
> 1 votes
The solution was a combination of several items. The primary one was slowing down the top layer of the print significantly. I was using 3200 mm/min for the print and used the option 'solid fill underspeed' to slow down the top layers to 40%. I increased the top layers to 7. I also increased the infill, to ensure there was support in the tiny top pieces. I also decreased the minimum infill length to 0 to ensure the infill went in tiny places. Finally, I used the 'Concentric' external fill pattern.
At some rotations of the model, I had slight gaps in the corners of the model, increasing the number of outline layers fixed it.
I also decreased the temp to 160 compared to the initial print above.
# Answer
> 2 votes
When using Simplify3D, you may try referring to their awesome troubleshooting guide: https://www.simplify3d.com/support/print-quality-troubleshooting/#holes-and-gaps-in-the-top-layers 3 reasons (from the guide) for gaps in the top layers:
1. under-extrusion: you may try to increase extrusion multiplier to see if this helps
2. low infill percentage: not likely in your case if increasing number of top layers did not help
3. not enough top layers: you already tried increasing number of top layers.
In addition to that, you may change certain parameters (such as extrusion multiplier) for a given number of layers by using Simplify3D features. It can be helpful to avoid problems to for the rest of the model.
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Tags: simplify3d
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|
thread-2900
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2900
|
is PLA gasoline, diesel or chemical resistant?
|
2016-10-16T19:29:07.013
|
# Question
Title: is PLA gasoline, diesel or chemical resistant?
can PLA be used to print out containers or other parts that are in direct contact with gasoline, diesel or other hard chemical substances? Will it start degrading when in contact with said chemicals? Should I use ABS for this?
# Answer
I have used both ABS and PLA for diesel gas caps and oil plugs. As well have made a gasoline funnel out of both. Both have done well for me.
I have attach a link to a plastics resistance chart if it is any help. Unfortunately it does not show testing for ABS for all.
I prefer the ABS only do to the fact some items I have made sit in the desert sun.
Plastic resistance chart
> 2 votes
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Tags: pla, abs, print-material
---
|
thread-2905
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2905
|
Marlin (on RUMBA board) switch extruder fan automatically
|
2016-10-17T09:15:49.573
|
# Question
Title: Marlin (on RUMBA board) switch extruder fan automatically
I have wired in a new extruder with its own cooling fan and I tried to change the Marlin firmware to switch it on automatically above a specific temperature (50 °C). I did noting in the Configuration.h I changed a line in the Configuration\_adv.h
from
```
#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN -1
```
to
```
#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 8
```
as described in this article. But the fan is not starting when I bring the temperature above 50 °C (manually). However it starts if I switch the fan on manually from Repetier. Am I missing something? How do I control the fan automatically on `FAN0` output when the temperature reached the set limit?
# Answer
> 2 votes
The RUMBA board has two fan outputs. The primary fan output is switched by pin 7, the secondary one by pin 8. The reason your fan is not working when you set `#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 8` is because it's switching the secondary fan. If you switch the wires over to the secondary fan output it will work correctly.
If you do want to use the primary fan output then you can achieve this by setting `#define EXTRUDER_0_AUTO_FAN_PIN 7` but you will need to search for the `#define FAN 8` in the appropriate pins.h file and change `8` to something else (-1 or 7, for example).
I would recommend the first solution, because you should have a controllable print cooling fan, and an automatic extruder cooling fan.
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Tags: marlin, cooling, fans
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|
thread-2903
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2903
|
Do I need a heated bed for printing PLA in an enclosed printer?
|
2016-10-17T05:36:23.760
|
# Question
Title: Do I need a heated bed for printing PLA in an enclosed printer?
I am planning on building a large enclosed (Cartesian XY-Head) 3d printer. I want to keep the inital build time minimal and it is very likely I would need to build the ~50x50cm heatbed from scratch, because it doesn't exist in ebay. The enclosure itself is not separately heated, but depends on waste heat from the printing process. The enclosure will eventually be vented outdoors with a 12V CPU vent via ducting (air flow unknown).
Do I even need a heated print bed, when I am planning to only print PLA?
# Answer
> 6 votes
The answer is "No" you don't *need* a heated bed for PLA but it does make the base layer a little easier to lay down and also helps with print removal post print.
PLA is a very easy filament to work with and the majority of PLA printers don't come with heated beds and suggest blue tape and/or elmers glue.
You may find that if you are purchasing very cheap/poorly extruded PLA, that things don't stick as well and a heated bed can alleviate some of these issues.
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Tags: pla, build-plate, heated-bed, enclosure
---
|
thread-2913
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2913
|
Editing arc in Marlin for 3d printing
|
2016-10-17T20:24:48.030
|
# Question
Title: Editing arc in Marlin for 3d printing
I'm working on designing a 3d printer with a team. The team is using marlin open source software and I started half way into project trying to make sense of things.
Apparently there is an issue with the wheels moving the print head and it always moves a few mm short in the of the desired position. Can some one tell me which part of the marlin code interprets the G-code file and controls movement? I'm thinking of increasing the distance in the x and y axis to correct this (seemingly) minor problem.
# Answer
Since your team is designing a printer, you'll have to do some basic calculations to figure out your x and y axis **steps per millimeter** and then set them in your firmware.
For a decent primer in the basic idea, this video is a good start. For another decent getting started summary check this blog post
Also, since you're using Marlin, become very familiar with the Marlin Firmware and how to configure it. **The setting you want to change exists in the configuration.h file.** Documentation is included in the file, but you can find good information here in the Marlin Configuration instructions within the Marlin Firmware Github repo.
I hope this helps! :-)
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, g-code
---
|
thread-2745
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2745
|
G-code firmware for handheld plotter (Arduino)
|
2016-09-10T00:59:33.293
|
# Question
Title: G-code firmware for handheld plotter (Arduino)
I'd like to build a plotter to work without a PC (power supply by battery). Plotter will write only several numbers on a card (really short G-code).
Do you know any firmware, which can be easily modified for this reason? Or do you know G-code library which could be easily implemented into my stepper controller in Arduino?
My plan is to use Repetier (printing from SD), but I prefer to print without SD. Repetier is also too big, there are a lot of functions that I don't need.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Your question **may** be useful to people interested in 3d printing (the purpose of this SE Site) so, even though you're not asking a 3d printing question per se, I think this answer will be helpful...
**GRBL:**
GRBL is a well known and mature g-code interpreter that will run on an Arduino Uno and is free and open source. Check it out here.
I hope this helps! :-)
---
Tags: reprap, repetier
---
|
thread-2921
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2921
|
Printed part auto-eject (automatic part removal)
|
2016-10-18T22:32:58.637
|
# Question
Title: Printed part auto-eject (automatic part removal)
What are the methods to auto eject parts (into a collection area/box/basket) in order for the 3D printer to continue printing?
For some reason this feature isn't common (yet?). Is there a hidden reason why?
Will using the print head to ram the part off the build plate into a basket nearby cause the print head to misalign (if using belts).
I am planning to use a Cartesian XY-Head type (like CoreXY) printer, where the build plate moves along the Z axis and XY axes are on the ceiling of the printer using belts to move the print head.
# Answer
While the "best" method is probably unanswerable since it would be based on very specific requirements and subject to change as soon as a better method were devised, here are some feasible methods to auto-eject 3d printed parts.
Some of these are methods that I've considered for my personal use, others have been mentioned by others and added for helpful reference. Some have been done, others have not (I think), but all of them are feasible.
**Scrolling Conveyor-type Bed:**
* In this concept, parts become dislodged from the print surface as it is deformed around a roller in the process of scrolling to the next position. Scrolling bed designs must make allowances to prevent parts from lifting up the bed material which becomes an issue especially with warp-prone materials. Note: This is the basis of the Automated Build Platform (ABP) originally designed (as far as I can tell) by Charles Pax and later covered in several patents by Makerbot Industries.
**Deforming Bed:**
* In this concept, the bed is mechanically deformed when the part removal temperature has been reached. This deformation dislodges the part which can then be easily swept off of the bed by an arm or similar mechanism. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.)
**Articulated Segmented Bed:**
* In this concept, the bed is comprised of several strips. Slightly lowering a portion (let's say half) of the strips would separate them from the part, then slightly raising that portion would separate the part from the remaining strips. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.)
**Eject and Replace Bed:**
* This method ejects the entire bed surface along with the finished parts and then receives a fresh print surface for the next print. This method would likely still require intervention to remove parts from used print surfaces and then return them to the clean stack. (As far as I know, this concept has not yet been demonstrated.)
**Plow:**
* This method mentioned by Fred\_dot\_u and AllanL uses a specially designed plow arm to sweep parts off the bed between prints. This method has been effectively demonstrated in this video by New Valance Robotics Corporation that was mentioned by AllanL (thanks!).
**Issues using print head to eject parts:** While this method has been tried, and demonstrated (see below), it has some challenges/drawbacks.
* Typical FDM/FFF 3d printers are not designed to apply significant force behind print head movements. While a printer designed specifically for this purpose could be built, using a typical printer in this way is extremely likely to cause the stepper motors to loose steps and result in loss of position accuracy unless parts separate very easily. (however, position could easily be regained by zeroing via limit switches between prints.)
* In addition to skipping steps, mechanical issues such as ratcheting/skipping belts or unwanted frame movement could result from even moderately stuck prints.
**Examples of pushing or ramming parts off of bed:** While using various parts of the printer to push parts off of the bed may not be an ideal solution, it may be an adequate solution for specific circumstances. Here are a few demonstrations of the "ramming" method.
* Ramming parts off with frame and moving bed like this.
* Ramming part with robust print head like this.
* Ramming easy to remove part with print head like this.
Interesting question. I hope this helps!
> 11 votes
# Answer
From the standpoint of a hobbyist user with a mid-range machine, my answer is based on the model release from the build plate. With a heated clean glass plate, my model will *almost* always release once the plate has cooled. The "almost" aspect means that if you want to use the print head to push the model clear, you will be confronted with a stuck model occasionally.
The amount of force applied by the head may be enough to release a stuck model, but "may be" is not going to be sufficient. Especially with a core-xy system (used by my Emblaser laser engraver), you can either toss a belt or cause a stepper motor skipping. More powerful motors will reduce the skipping possibility, but not the belt jump problem.
You could consider to add one additional motor with a sweep arm, geared in such a manner as to provide the necessary torque, along with a force sensor to register a model stuck so badly as to be impossible to dislodge.
Your g-code would be written to lower the bed to the appropriate location to allow the sweep arm to operate, while the force sensor would be tied into the pause/stop circuit of your controller.
Some controllers already have the ability to manage an additional motor, as some are manufactured to provide for dual extrusion.
If such unattended operation is going to be a requirement, you'd also want some form of aborting a failing or failed print.
> 2 votes
# Answer
Here's a wild idea. Since you're planning to have a bed which only moves in the Z-axis, build a roller system which feeds a thin, flexible layer of some material (unobtanium, I fear) to cover the build plate. The feed rollers have a weak spring to provide some tension to keep this layer flat but not overly stretched while building the part. When the part is done, lower the bed to zero while allowing the roller to retract excess parts of the sheet (rollers on both sides of the build plate will have to do this). At zero, lock down the rollers and move the bed to some negative Z position, causing the overlay sheet to pop free of the bed and ideally pop the printed parts loose as well.
Hey, it "could" work!
> 1 votes
---
Tags: printer-building, build-plate
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|
thread-2931
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2931
|
I am experiencing some severe under extrusion
|
2016-10-19T09:02:57.463
|
# Question
Title: I am experiencing some severe under extrusion
I did calibrate the extruder to extrude exactly 50/100 mm and it is fine. I have replaced the old (prehistorical) extruder that was giving me the problem with a new one. The issue does not go away. It is severely under extruded. The nozzle is a 0.4 mm, if I extrude manually the extrusion is nice and clean but when printing its a mess. I have the following setting in Slic3:
* Layer height: 0,16
* First layer height: 0,16
* Filament diameter: 2,94
* Extruder temperature: 184°C
* Extrusion multiplier: 1
* Fill density: 15%
In Marlin I have the following setting for the extruder:
* Steps per unit: 1450 (I use micro steps)
* Default acceleration: 3000
* Default retract acceleration: 3000
* Default Ejerk: 5
How can I solve this problem?
This is a 20 mm cube I stopped after 15 layers!
Here is another 20 mm cube, the dimensions are perfect but is absolutely a mess.
# Answer
> 10 votes
Assuming your filament dimension settings are correct and your extruder is correctly calibrated...
**Your extruder temperature may be too low.** While 184C can be hot enough, it is very near the bottom of the range for PLA and it appears your filament isn't melting quickly enough to keep up with your other settings. Your extruder may even be running slightly cooler than you think so your 184C setting may actually be printing at 180C or less.
**To solve this:**
* **Raise your extruder temperature.** I suggest raising your print temperature to 220 degrees and then gradually lower it until other aspects of your print quality are acceptable (bridging, oozing, etc).
* **Slow down your print.** Slowing down reduces the volume of melted plastic your extruder has to deliver in a given amount of time. This allows more time for the plastic to melt and allows you to use a lower print temperature
**Your filament feed mechanism may be slipping.** Even if you have adequate temperature and perfectly calibrated firmware and print settings, if your filament feed mechanism (the thing that pushes filament into your extruder) is slipping, you will have under-extruded parts.
**To solve this:**
* **Make sure you have adequate tension on your filament feed mechanism.** If your feed mechanism is too loose, filament may slip and cause under extrusion. The part to check is the part the pushes the filament into the rotating hobbed bolt or friction wheel...make sure it applies adequate pressure. "Adequate pressure" or "adequate tension" will vary depending you your printer's design, but it should be enough to provide a firm grip on the filament.
* **Verify your feed mechanism is clean.** A hobbed bolt or similar filament drive mechanism that has become clogged or otherwise contaminated may cause filament to slip and under-extrude.
* **Ensure the end of your filament is not damaged from slipping.** Once your filament has slipped, it may be damaged with a worn spot, a bulge, or some other defect that can prevent proper feeding even after you fix the root cause of your problem. So, as tbm0115 pointed out, be sure to clip off the damaged end to make sure you have good filament feeding into your extruder.
I hope this helps!
# Answer
> 3 votes
Looks to me like you have your slicer set to 3mm filament when you're using 1.75mm filament. Confirm that your slicer has its filament setting set to 1.75mm and not 3mm (this obviously assumes you are using 1.75mm filament..)
Failing this:
* Test extruder steps/mm
* Ensure nozzle diameter is set correctly (usually doesnt make too much difference anyway...)
* Ensure extrusion multiplier is set correctly.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Short addition to the already great answers:
Check whether the gear wheel on your extruder motor axle is spinning with the motor. It can seem to be quite fixed, but when under load the motor is turning nicely but the gear slips on its axle.
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Tags: print-quality, extrusion
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|
thread-2935
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2935
|
Good sources of filament "sampler" pack?
|
2016-10-19T18:31:17.103
|
# Question
Title: Good sources of filament "sampler" pack?
The local stores have started to stop selling filaments in the smaller 0.5 kg spools, and it's getting harder to maintain an assortment without buying lots of big spools.
I mainly just want a bunch of different colors (red, black, blue, green, etc.), ideally as a bunch of small spool "samples" or like a "sampler pack". -- Even if they're at .25 kg spool sizes... -- I don't want to spend a ton of money on buying and storing a ton of 1.0kg - 2.0kg spools.
I prefer to print in PLA, but ABS is fine. I can only print 1.75mm filament.
The seller should to be able to ship to western US, and have filament of decent quality that's not going to ruin my printer.
What do you recommend?
# Answer
Amazon, of course. I found a pack of 20 colors, maybe 50g each or so, 1.75 PLA. (that link is direct to this product).
### edit:
Well, dang, I blinked at that particular item is off the list. Here are two other multicolor packages currently available (2PM EDT 20 Oct 2016)
one , and ... two
> 1 votes
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Tags: filament
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|
thread-2943
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2943
|
First (bottom) layer has gaps
|
2016-10-20T22:15:52.923
|
# Question
Title: First (bottom) layer has gaps
First off - I'm rather new to this and I might be on the wrong track altogether...
I'm printing PLA using a simple DIY XYZ printer with a direct-driven extruder, 0.3 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layer heights, using Slic3r. I've tried to calibrate the bed as level as I can. I believe the distance to be OK because the skirt prints in straight lines with no wobble.
While the overall results aren't that bad, I'm trying to improve the quality. I'm not happy with the first layer: While it sticks to the bed nicely, the printed strands are too far apart - there's a very noticeable gap between them that I can actually see the second layer through. There appears to be a problem with the second layer as well which always ends up too small (recessed). That's only the second layer, though - from the third layer on, that problem disappears.
What I've tried so far:
* change the nozzle and/or bed temperature by 10-20 degrees up or down - no visible change
* change the print speed (using the dial on the printer) - no noticeable change, especially when going slower
* change the first layer extrusion width from 200% to 250% or 300% - that made the strands "flatter", but also made Slic3r space out the strands so that I ended up with gaps again
* increase the extrusion multiplier - that seemed to help the first layer, but lead to over extrusion further up, so I didn't pursue that any further
* manually increased the flow setting for the first layer in the printer menu to 135 - that seems to do the trick, but I have to turn the setting back again on the second layer
Now - is this the right way to fix this or am I just patching over an entirely different problem that I just failed to diagnose properly? If it is the right way, how can I tell Slic3r to either change the flow rate / extrusion multiplier just for the first layer or increase the extrusion width without spacing the strands further apart?
# Answer
You can, in most slicers, set a separate extrusion multiplier for the first layer. This doesn't appear to be possible in slic3r, but there are a couple of ways to work around this:
* Change the Z offset (either in software or by adjusting the endstop). Bring the nozzle closer to the bed for the first layer. You can combine this with an increased first layer height. This is the most appropriate fix for your issue.
* Use `M92 EX.XXX` to increase the extruder steps/mm in the start G-code, then set it back to normal in the layer change code. This emulates increasing the extrusion multiplier for the first layer.
> 3 votes
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Tags: print-quality, slic3r
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|
thread-2897
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2897
|
Poor first layer bonding and bridging issues with Prima PETG
|
2016-10-14T08:52:27.773
|
# Question
Title: Poor first layer bonding and bridging issues with Prima PETG
I have a roll of Prima PETG, I like the strength but I am having a few issues - the outside perimeter of the first layer often breaks away as a loose string (so it's not bonding with the second layer or perimeter next to it), small areas tend to go gloopy and also bridging is very poor.
Have you suffered from these issues with PETG and if so how have you gotten around them?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Those are fairly common issues and you should be able to tweak your way into good prints.
* **First layer perimeter bonding:** Slow down first layer to around 15mm/s with fan off to address that bonding issue.
* **Gloopy blobs:** To address the gloopy blobs, slow down to about 40mm/s or even less, and be sure to use wiping...also, maybe increase your retraction length.
* **Bridging:** Use full fan for better bridging...note that bridging PETG is just harder than many other filaments, but it can be done. The reference below includes some more notes on bridging PETG successfully.
Ideal settings will vary based on your printer, your environment, and the characteristics of your specific filament. PETG can take some tweaking so don't be alarmed by the gloopy blobs, excessive stringing, and poor bridging, just plan to spend some time tweaking settings until you find a good balance.
Here is a fairly good reference for further tweaking with PETG.
If you'd like more help analyzing your print settings here, consider posting your current settings, your printer model, your ambient temperature, and pictures.
I hope this helps! :-)
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Tags: filament, pet
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|
thread-2945
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2945
|
stl files -measuring stl files
|
2016-10-21T07:13:56.203
|
# Question
Title: stl files -measuring stl files
I had a problem with my Z limit switch bracket falling just short of the bottom edge of the z stage.
I'm trying to make the bracket thicker so it's pushed more towards the left.
1) how do I measure the thickness of the bracket in the stl 2) HOw would I make it thicker if it is indeed too thin
It's might to be mounted standing up right.
I want to make it thicker x axis (if it's stood up)
# Answer
If you have the original CAD file this would be far easier to modify and maintain then an STL.
MeshLab also has the capability to measure the view on the screen as well as bounding box measurements. Bounding box measurements should be possible in any pre-processor you use for slicing STL files though.
MeshLab can also be used to scale, merge or translate your STL if desired. however I would also recommend mesh mixer as it is more user-friendly.
The last option if you have any coding experience, an STL file can be easily read and then you could select the desired vertices and measure/move them and then rewrite out the STL file. There are libraries for most major coding languages for dealing with STL files.
> 2 votes
# Answer
Consider to provide additional information regarding the software you use and the source information of the STL file. I will make some general suggestions that you can implement to resolve your problem.
Meshmixer is a free program that has the ability to measure overall dimensions as well as point-to-point locations within an STL model. Import the STL, select Analysis followed by Dimensions to get the overall information. For point to point, the interface is less intuitive and I would suggest a YouTube search for a tutorial.
Without seeing the part, I cannot suggest a specific sequence. If you are able to visualize the action of stretching the part in a single direction, Meshmixer also allows that:
Select Edit, Transform and note the three-axis tool which will appear in the model. Each arrow has a small box at the end. Grab the appropriate box with your mouse and move in the desired direction. It will stretch/distort the model on all surfaces in the direction you move. There will be a digital reference showing during this process, allowing you to more precisely set the increase in thickness.
If there are holes in the same plane as the bracket you wish to thicken, they will become longer if on the same axis, or they will distort severely as you increase the thickness.
You can use Meshmixer to perform a plane cut to separate the model into individual parts to avoid undesired distortion.
Please provide an image of the model and an indication of the portion you wish to increase.
EDIT after photo and some clarification. Your last line has valuable information. Thicker x axis if it's stood up implies thicker z axis in photo. That's the easiest location for that model. It would take me about 30 seconds to stretch it in Meshmixer. If you attempted it yourself, it might take you two or three minutes.
I agree with the post by "plaintoothpaste" that it would be easier if you had the source file. I use OpenSCAD and adjustments are simply a matter of changing a number in a text file, while other software, for example, SolidWorks requires that you find the parameter and modify it to your requirements.
Because of the shape of the model, the first reference I provided (Dimensions) would give you the thickness and as a bonus, you can change the number in that window to the desired figure. Export the model and you're done. Far simpler than using the transform tool, if not as much fun overall.
> 2 votes
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Tags: 3d-models
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|
thread-974
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/974
|
Looking for information on modifying Boots Industries 3D printers
|
2016-04-12T20:56:20.047
|
# Question
Title: Looking for information on modifying Boots Industries 3D printers
About two years ago I purchased a Boots Industries v.2.5 3D printer in a delta configuration. The wiki is still up at this location where you can see what the printer looked like.
The printer is prone to break and slip because the design uses thin wire to move the carriages up and down. I'd like to convert my printer over to using a belt like the one on this page, but the conversion kit is no longer available. I believe I can 3D print the carriages, but would anyone be able to point me toward the resources to convert my printer over to using a toothed belt?
# Answer
Contact Brian or Lykle. We all have Boots Industries printers and have heavily modified it to belt drive and magnetic effectors. The print quality has improved drastically. The old Boots support group has since moved on to Slack and we are in constant contact everyday.
https://biv25.slack.com/messages/@slackbot/
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1843195
> -1 votes
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Tags: delta, belt
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|
thread-2951
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2951
|
Can I use OctoPi locally?
|
2016-10-22T09:17:56.033
|
# Question
Title: Can I use OctoPi locally?
I am trying to use my M3D printer that doesn't work with my Linux computer. I have been told that OctoPi would make it work.
My current setup is:
* Raspberry 2 **without WiFi**, with OctoPi running
* Keyboard and touchscreen connected to the Raspberry
* A `.obj` file located in `/home/pi/` on the Raspberry
I don't know anything about OctoPi, but it seems to be created to use as a print server connected by WiFi.
My question is: how can I use it locally, directly on my Raspberry?
*NOTE:* I can only use my Raspberry in command line for the moment, but if required I can install lightdm to display stuff.
# Answer
> 5 votes
To use it locally you need to be able to view the desktop.
`sudo raspi-config` to pull up the config menu and enable boot to desktop.
If there is no browser installed already you'll need to install one.
`sudo apt-get update`
`sudo apt-get install epiphany-browser`
Open the browser and navigate to http://localhost/
I recommend configuring access control when it prompts you. After you configure it, click login in the top right and login to use octopi.
**ALTERNATIVE**
octocmd is a command line interface for octoprint. If you would rather not boot into the desktop then this is the way to go.
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Tags: octoprint, raspberry-pi
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|
thread-2953
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2953
|
How to control 3d printer printing in metal?
|
2016-10-22T11:58:29.533
|
# Question
Title: How to control 3d printer printing in metal?
I have a question. Home printers are controlled via open-source software such as Pronterface. These printers print mostly in plastic, but how to control the "metal" printer. The principle of the printing here is a little different. Is it possible to use, for example, Pronterface for this task or the completely different software is needed?
# Answer
Pronterface would control the printer, but you would need a slicer that could give you g-code that works with said metal printer. Being it would be using metal, most of those are powder based, using a laser to sinter. The slicers for FDM based machines would not create the correct g-code for the application. I know there has been some effort around powder based printers (both metal and plastic) but I do not know of any software that has resulted from these efforts.
This wiki index for powder printers may be of some help to find out what software they are working on, most likely a custom solution. http://reprap.org/wiki/Powder
> 0 votes
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Tags: metal-printing
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|
thread-2929
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2929
|
How are SLS printers able to print multiple colours?
|
2016-10-19T07:51:10.950
|
# Question
Title: How are SLS printers able to print multiple colours?
With FFF printers able to manage only a small handful different colours (by using different filaments & extruders), how is it some SLS prints are able to be produced in such a broad range of colours?
Are they sprayed post-production?
# Answer
> 2 votes
The Z-corp/3D systems printers lay down what is essentially ink in each layer (only around the perimeters) much like an inkjet printer, dying the powder as the parts are made. This means they can make almost any color at any point in the model. The down size is these models are pretty fragile, at least the last ones that I have handled. This can be helped by dipping them in cyanoacrylate and letting them dry.
As pointed out in the comments, this is not an SLS process, but looks very similar. The printer lays down a binder (clear or colored) on each layer, and is why these models are much more fragile than SLS models, which are very strong.
Here is an example of some prints: http://mcad3dprintingandprototyping.blogspot.com/
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Tags: sls, color
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thread-1434
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1434
|
How can I program a 3D printer to move using Arduino?
|
2016-06-26T07:46:37.750
|
# Question
Title: How can I program a 3D printer to move using Arduino?
I search about that topic, but all what I found, was the mechanical part of the 3d printer. But I didn't find, how to program it using arduino.
I want to make a cartesian 3d printer. I don't have a printer yet, but I will buy all the components that I need actually.
I know, how to control stepper motors, but I don't know, how I can program it in order to make the shape that I want.
This is my question: what I need to learn in order to let this 3d printer make this shapes?
# Answer
Yes. Look up Arduino Ramps 1.4
http://reprap.org/wiki/RAMPS\_1.4
Following the programing is all done for you in the firmware. That said you can edit it. Just open the firmware files -- it is compiled when you upload them. Generally however one usually sticks to the preferences header alone..
http://reprap.org/wiki/List\_of\_Firmware
Over all you are trying to reinvent the wheel. When I started 5-6 years ago it was barely a thing. Now you buy a proven kit and get to the printing. That said if you are truly interested in designing check out.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cncbuilddesign/
If you want help on picking a kit. Or what I really think you are looking for. A good place to start. This is one of the larger 3d printing groups. Full disclosure I run this one, but at 6k members I don't recruit.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3DPrinterHobbyists/
I got my start in reprap IRC
http://reprap.org/wiki/IRC
Be aware there are trolls that now camp the IRC looking to sell you a printer. I would not engage with them, their printers are usually overpriced and sub par.
Best of luck.
Most of all I think you need to know it's Reprap all the way. Reprap forums, Reprap printers, Reprap kits, Reprap community. All the commercial printers started off the reprap project. Even if you buy a makerbot (don't) it's Reprap in it's roots.
https://vimeo.com/5202148
> 7 votes
# Answer
While Star Wind's answer is best as far as addressing what was not asked, but was probably the intent of the question, for educational purposes:
To control the printer you need an microcontroller (most popular are Arduino) which will interface with the motor drivers. Microcontrollers cannot output the current needed to control the motors, so motor drivers (such as this https://www.pololu.com/product/1182 ) are easy ways to control a stepper motor with higher current (and usually voltage). You can build your own if you are particularlly adventurous, they are essentially two H-bridge circuits.
The Arduino programming environment has a library for controlling stepper motors through a driver built in, you just tell it which pin to send the pulses to, and how fast, and a separate pin tells it to spin clockwise or counterclockwise.
For a 3D printer you need at least four motors working in unison, one for the X, Y, Z axis, and one for the extruder (E axis).
The existing programs that 3D printers use (Marlin, Sprinter, Teacup, etc) are all doing these simple steps at their core, but have implemented libraries of G-code that the printer uses to make control the stepper motors in unison to make the correct shape. Slicing programs such as Cura or Slic3r take in the 3D model and output the Gcode that the microcontroller is programmed to understand.
> 4 votes
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Tags: arduino-mega-2650, diy-3d-printer
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|
thread-2964
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2964
|
How should I power these stepper motors
|
2016-10-23T08:16:41.523
|
# Question
Title: How should I power these stepper motors
I am rebuilding my printer, a hold Prusa/Mendel that has been boxed for years. I have changed the board ( I am using a Rumba) and the drivers (I am using Pololu 8225) with heatsinks and 1/16 microsteps.
5 motors type 42BYGHW811, rated: 2,5 A, R 1,25 Ohm. I have set the stepper voltage at 0,8 V for XYE which gives a current of 0,64 A and they seems to work without problems.
To get the same current on Z, where I have 2 motors in parallel, I should set it at 0,4 V but the motors do not turn at such low voltage. They just make noise, no turn. I have M8 rods nicely lubricated on such axis and I can turn them easily by fingers. If I go up to 1 V the motors turns but then the driver gets very hot and I loose steps. May be I should play with the acceleration too?
I am not sure if the above settings are correct. Your hints from your actual settings and experiences will be appreciated.
# Answer
If the motors are in parallel, then setting it at 0.4V means each motor will only get *a quarter of* the current a single motor would get at 0.8V. If you set it to 0.8V each motor will get half. I think 0.8V (same as for the other motors) would be an appropriate setting. Stepper drivers are constant-current, not constant-voltage.
Are the steps/mm for your Z-axis correct? Perhaps it's just trying to move too quickly.
> 3 votes
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Tags: stepper, stepper-driver
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|
thread-2717
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2717
|
Loss of extrusion in Stratasys FDM liquefier
|
2016-09-01T01:44:51.297
|
# Question
Title: Loss of extrusion in Stratasys FDM liquefier
I am running a Stratasys Dimension 768 SST, with a "rebuilt" extruder (dual setup includes support + model). This extruder, basically, follows the OEM design with exception to the tubing diameter (few mils smaller for rebuilt, although there is a generous inlet taper and/or bushing, larger than the filament diameter feed stock) and the way the tubing has thermal contact with extruder body and cartridge heaters. The OEM design, apparently, had some thermal epoxy to "bed" the 2 nozzle tubes, which are brazed into the nozzle tip block. The approach, I am using, is Al foil packing around the SS tubes, tight to the Al extruder body (still brazed connection to the nozzle tip block). I had no choice but to recondition the extruder, because of a breached nozzle tube. In any case, with a cleared out nozzle inlet to start each time, I do get transient extrusion at standard temperatures of 250 (support) and 280 (model ABS), and in an adjusted temperature range, with some preliminary experiments. I clear out the nozzle inlet with a metal pin, down to the tube bend (I don't get why the design had this problematic 90 deg bend radius close to the cold end, feed wheel!) For the support, the extrusion goes for about 5 secs, then slows down, and the support filament feed stock stalls and strips out the filament, turning it into white debris. For the model, the extrusion goes longer for about 20 secs, and also slows down, and, in this case, the model feed stock splits and gets fed outside the nozzle tube inlet, but no white debris in this case. This cycle may be repeated by cleaning out the inlet clogging with the stiff metal pin.
I realize this is not a perfect description of the system, but I am hoping that someone who knows this extruder configuration or a similar one (system is quite old, unfortunately), may chime in here with suggestions. I will add, that I am running the system in a so-called maintenance mode and have some minimal adjustment of the firmware (like the hot end temperatures - defaults mentioned before) for the build mode (which is only during actual part run).
Thanks in advance for your help or suggestions!
Here are some diagrams/link to descriptions for the extruder as well:
My exact extruder (i.e., head) system: http://www.amtekcompany.com/pdf/dimension\_bst\_sst\_elite\_768\_head\_clog\_guide.pdf
A similar extruder (showing heaters, extruder body to isolate model & support paths, tips, and thermocouples) https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwifyLnJsu7OAhVIOCYKHaSIDLQQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.3dprintforums.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D2237&psig=AFQjCNGM1BTAiWzUn4fNJ8-z5HDWxa6OEQ&ust=1472824417165187
This site shows another user take apart/redesign the extruder in question (pay attention to the 90 deg bend in the nozzle tubes) (see attached picture)
I also have a few documents: user manual, service manual, etc. that I may share, if I knew how to upload to this website.
# Answer
This isn't a "turn this knob and all will be well" answer, because your machine setup sounds pretty unique to what most people will have experience with. Not being familiar with the older Stratasys printheads, but based on my overall experience with 3D printers, there are three things that could be an issue:
1. The nozzles are obstructed. The way you talk about clearing the jams of pushing a tool up through the nozzle end would not effectively clear a jam, it would only push the debris back into the print head, just waiting to be pushed by the plastic back into the nozzle. It could even be a piece of aluminum foil from the rebuild process. The typical way jams like this are cleared is to do a "cold pull" where you heat up the hot end just enough to be able to pull the plastic out, before it has really had a chance to liquify, hopefully trapping the debris in the plastic, then cut the end of the plastic off and reload. The 90 degree bend in their design may make this very hard if not impossible to do.
2. Heat creep. The tubes are a slightly smaller diameter, and if heat is creeping up the print head and letting the filament expand in these tubes, it may be expanding enough that it will no longer move through the print head. Diagnose this by letting the printer jam, then cool off for a few hours. If you can print again for a short time period before it jams again, this may be your issue, where as an obstructed nozzle would not allow any more filament out. Either turn down your temps, or increase your cooling on the print head to address (or get the original size tubes if possible).
3. Print head temperatures too low for the print speed. The Stratasys Fortus 250mc I use runs ABS at about 300 degrees. Many of the reprap printers run even higher than this for ABS. The other thing to remember when ever you see people mention what temperatures they use, is that this is relative, and only a guide, as what the temperature reads at the thermocouple or thermistor is usually slightly off from the temperature that is melting the plastic based on heater location in relation to the plastic and thermistor. This can be diagnosed by printing until it jams, pause the print for something like 30 seconds to let the hot end melt more plastic, and then resume printing. If resumes proper printing this may be your issue (and it will jam again shortly if you do not adjust temps).
> 2 votes
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Tags: extruder
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thread-2965
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2965
|
Printrbot going off axis when initializing
|
2016-10-23T11:47:10.783
|
# Question
Title: Printrbot going off axis when initializing
I have a strange problem with my Printrbot Simple Metal.
When I start printing it's suddenly trying to go off axis before starting to print. All is fine once it actually starts to print, but it's very annoying to hear the sound on the start and end of each print.
That can't be good on the motors and chains either, something is going to give out at some point.
Here's what that sounds like: YouTube - IMG 5600.
My OctoPi settings are:
# Answer
It is very common that FDM 3D printers "home" their position at the start of each print (as defined by the slicers preprint g-code). This is done by deliberately running the end effector towards its expected X=0, Y=0 position until it hits the endstop switches for each axis. Could it be this behaviour you are seeing? If so, I would suggest checking that your endstops are functioning correctly.
You can manually activate this homing action using the G-code G28 in (for instance) Pronterface. Alternatively, you can verify that your endstops are actually working using the M119-command while pressing each switch manually.
> 4 votes
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Tags: calibration
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|
thread-2956
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2956
|
Print fails at perpendicular boundaries
|
2016-10-22T18:09:26.053
|
# Question
Title: Print fails at perpendicular boundaries
I recently changed the printhead on my DeltaMaker from stock to an E3D Lite6, and am struggling to get back to my original quality, reliability, and repeatability. I thought I had gotten the recipe pretty close to dialed in and tried a bigger print last night. It turned out pretty good in most respects except for where vertical structures rise up from the horizontal surface (and a retraction/stringing issue that I didn't think was but perhaps could be related).
The screw hole mounts seem well-designed to me:
No 90 degree transitions - I would think this would be the least of my problems. But last night they had serious problems:
I haven't seen a problem like that before. Extrusion rate seems basically perfect - why does it look like it just stopped extruding around the perimeters?
I'm using PLA filament and Simplify3D 3.1.0 slicing. Settings:
* 0.35 mm nozzle, 0.40 mm extrusion width, 1.05 extrusion multiplier
* 0.15 mm layer height, 3 top, 3 bottom layers, 2 perimeter shells (maybe should try 3?)
* 30% infill, 60% outline overlap, 110% infill extrusion width
* Temp is 220°C (thermocouple wedged between nozzle and heater block reports about 206°C when thermistor says 220°C)
* Print speed is 2700 mm/min (45 mm/s)
Has anyone seen this issue before?
UPDATE: Increasing outline overlap from 60% to 90% *almost* fixes the problem (at least visually if not structurally) - there's just one small hole at the base of each structure. (I stopped the print a few layers after the problem layers do ignore the tops.)
Going to 99% (Simplify3D's max) would probably get rid of those last holes but I have to think that maxing out S3D's outline overlap setting to just barely make the print work means I haven't found or addressed the true root cause...
# Answer
Since you said you don't have a cooling fan, try lowering the temperature on your print head to something like 205. The strings in the first and second picture also occur more often when the print temperature is too high as well.
The layer time gets really small at that transition, so make sure the print speed is slowing down while printing that part of the object and pausing in between those layers to allow for cooling.
It looks like the plastic is still molten and is being dragged around too me.
> 1 votes
# Answer
It looks like the first layers that are making the vertical transition do not have enough to stick to and are curling up. Are you using a cooling fan?
> 0 votes
---
Tags: print-quality, simplify3d
---
|
thread-6
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6
|
Multi-color printing with desktop 3D printer?
|
2016-01-12T18:57:13.350
|
# Question
Title: Multi-color printing with desktop 3D printer?
My MakerBot printer supports only two filaments at the same time.
What are techniques to print objects with more than two colors for one object?
# Answer
The most obvious solution is to pause the print and swap filament for another color.
Another option is to splice pieces of filament together, though this does not allow very precise control of when the switch happens. There is also a device that can automatically slice filament this way.
Finally, another option that uses very little external equipment is to use (permanent) markers to colorize light-colored filament.
Other options include upgrading to a printer with more hotends, or installing a hotend with multiple filament inputs and one outputs, but these options would involve significantly changing your printer setup.
> 9 votes
# Answer
I've seen where certain slicers and/or firmware installations will allow you to set pauses mid-print so you can insert a different filament and resume. Such firmware that I'm aware of is Sailfish. I haven't personally used this, but I've heard many great things for people who enjoy tinkering with their machine(s). Alternatively, there are 3D-printable attachments for your extruder that allow you setup markers to color your filament (mentioned by Tom in another answer).
> 7 votes
# Answer
Another approach is Mosaic Manufacturing's Palette – it appears to a single extruder 3D printer as a filament reel, but it is creating a custom filament on-the-fly by
> pulling information from a multi-extruder .gcode file to determine the length, and the order, each color segment needs to be.
The device was a successful Kickstarter campaign and as far as I can tell it isn't shipping yet (as of January 2016), but they are taking orders and promising an April 2016 ship date.
> 5 votes
# Answer
Answering this question fully depends on the type of printer you have. Some printers have a pause capability, while others do not. Some have multiple extruders, while most do not. Some have a tube leading to the extruder and others do not. You specifically are asking about dealing with more than two colors when you have a dual-extruder, but the question generalizes to how to get more colors than you have extruders.
Markers probably offer the easiest solution. You could have different markers on the feeds for each extruder.
For printers with no pause ability, you might have to snip one filament and hand feed the second color after the first one until it can be caught by the feeder gear.
There are rigs that are available, or that you can make, that will let you connect two strands together lengthwise. You can then make up a single piece of filament that has multiple colors. Thus, one extruder head will be generating multiple colors.
The Kickstarter mentioned elsewhere essentially does this automatically for several strands whose lengths are calculated precisely by special software. The result is a single strand of filament that goes into one of your extruders - the other extruder would be unused with this solution.
> 4 votes
# Answer
The standard option is to change out filaments at certain times during the print. Software to add these pauses to your print automatically are around, with one (ColorPrint). This method works if you only want to change at a certain Z height, and not intermix colors on the same levels.
The other newer development that works for many printers (this works for single nozzle printers as well) are getting Y type adapters that allow more than 1 filament to be fed into a single extruder, and use a rapid retraction to pull the filament back out past the Y connector to allow the next color to be fed into the nozzle. Several companies are putting products like this out on the market at this time. An example of this can be seen at this page.
As mentioned in other answers, Mosaic Pallette is an option to drive more complicated multi-color prints, but is a rather expensive option at $999.
The E3d Kraken might be a possible hotend upgrade to a Makerbot, although it would involve a fair amount of work.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: filament, makerbot, dual-nozzle, color
---
|
thread-964
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/964
|
How does Carbon3D's CLIP technology handle bridges and support material?
|
2016-04-11T03:30:22.983
|
# Question
Title: How does Carbon3D's CLIP technology handle bridges and support material?
All of Carbon3D's marketing and demonstrations show their CLIP technology producing contiguous and bridge-free parts. Has anyone seen examples of their M1 printing something like a buckyball within a buckyball or a figurine or some other shape that requires support material to print?
For example, how would the Carbon3D print a shape like this:
```
vvvvvBUILDPLATEvvvvv
====================
XXX
XXX BBB <----- columns A and B require support material
XXX AAA BBB in order to connect them to the build
XXX AAA BBB plate.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~~~RESIN~~~~~~~|
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
```
In a similar vein, how do they handles enclosed volumes? I doubt anyone wants a sphere filled with still-liquid resin...
Again, I've looked around, I can find no material addressing these questions, so if anyone can shed some light, I'd be glad.
# Answer
> 2 votes
On Carbon3D's homepage they show a part that appears to have supports in it.
Per a conversation with Carbon3D's support they confirm that their slicing software will generate supports based on the overhang angle geometry, and in the case of a buckyball within a buckyball, there would be supports generated to create the buckyball, and to support the interior buckyball joining the two together that would have to be removed in post processing.
Enclosed volumes need to have a drain hole, and you would have to avoid vacuum forming shapes such as an upside down cup in which atmospheric pressure would keep the interior of the cup filled with resin until the reservoir runs out or the vacuum is able to be broken releasing the excess resin. In the case of a cup you would change the orientation. I am not sure how one would handle trying to print a solid sphere with no holes to avoid this condition.
---
Tags: support-structures, mechanics, clip
---
|
thread-2741
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2741
|
Ultimaker original X-axis not moving - possible electronics problem
|
2016-09-08T22:40:06.867
|
# Question
Title: Ultimaker original X-axis not moving - possible electronics problem
I'm writing this question here hoping someone will be able to help me with the fixing process that I'm currently involved in!
Last week during a printing session my Ultimaker original unexpectedly stop working. The problem was on the extruder step motor which push the filament from the back and literally is not moving anymore! The first thing I have done was to check if the motor was burn or something similar. So I swap the extruder motor with the X-axis one and it then worked fine.
Then later the X-axis motor into the extruder connector and is not moving! so I decided to check the step driver and they seems to work all well. So the problem must be on the Arduino or on the motherboard! I bought new step driver a new step motor and new Arduino + motherboard, connected all up and nothing, still not working for the same reason! It is just the extruder motor that won't work anymore!
Do you guys have some idea or tips to find out what the problem can be or how can be fixed in alternative ways? Your help will be much appreciated and looking forward for some answers.
# Answer
I'm not sure I know exactly what is wrong or what steps you've taken so far, but it seems like your extruder motor is broken and you've narrowed the problem down to electronics.
If so, replacing the Arduino, motor, and driver leaves only the Ultimaker PCB as the source of the problem. I would suggest ordering another - but not until you've contacted Ultimaker with the problem you're outlining here.
> 3 votes
# Answer
Your title says "x-axis" but your description leads me to think that your extruder is the part that's not working. Here are some tips which may (or may not) help...
* Make sure your extruder is not clogged.
* Make sure your temperature setting is high enough to allow the filament to melt quickly enough to support your print speed. If your extruder stepper is getting very hot, you may be pushing it too hard. Modern stepper drivers have various protections that will cause them to shut down in this situation. (Over current or thermal shutdown being the most likely in this case)
* If you swap stepper motors and swap stepper drivers and the issue stays with your extruder, look for other things that you haven't swapped.
* You haven't swapped the extruder, so the problem could be there as I mentioned above.
* If you haven't swapped wires, the problem could be there...I've struggled through troubleshooting many times because of intermittent connections in wires. Since 3d printers have moving wires, this is a prime suspect in older machines.
* Rule out all of the easy and cheap stuff before you conclude that it must be the main board...it could be, but it's probably not.
* Seek help in the Ultimaker forums or with their technical support. Printers, like cars, tend to have certain things that are more prone to failure as the machines get old and worn. The Ultimaker techs will know these things and can help you pin down your issue.
Good luck! I hope you solve your issue and that this answer is helpful. :-)
> 1 votes
---
Tags: electronics, stepper-driver, ultimaker-original
---
|
thread-2952
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2952
|
PLA use outdoors?
|
2016-10-22T11:11:31.227
|
# Question
Title: PLA use outdoors?
I have been using PLA filament for two years now and have had good prints. ABS on the other hand has not been so good, so my choice of filament is PLA.
I am getting ready to do a sign for the American Legion and the colors are black, blue, and red and are 0.8 mm thin. The black letters are 4" x 2.5", blue are 3" x 2" and the red are 7.75" x 5.5". I plan to treat them with UV protection spray and attach them with clear epoxy to white back lit Plexiglass.
As the letters are quite thin, my question is how well will this hold up in the weather? The sign hangs on a pole that points east & west so the letters will be facing north and south. The original was painted with spray paint and the red paint south side faded to the point you could hardly see it at all. The sign had been there for some time and was done at a professional sign company.
# Answer
> 14 votes
I printed a handle for a rather big rolling door in natural PLA (From Fabberparts) - no UV protection. It's on the weather side of the house and is exposed to direct sun half the day.
And after three years cycling to all the German seasons it's still absolutely fine. Also, Wikipedia told me that PLA has good UV resistance - so you should be fine IMHO.
Here is a good blog post about your question: Using PLA for Long-Term Outdoor Applications.
Update: After ~ 8 Years the door handle ist still fine.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Keep in mind that PLA has a much lower temperature point, where is starts getting flexible. I once had PLA-printed parts in my car in the summer for three hours and when I came back, they where bent.
I don't know about the weather conditions in your local environment, but if you experience hot temperatures and your sign is hanging in direct sunlight, I would suggest to make sure you secure the letters against bending (e.g. cover them with a coat of epoxy or something like this).
---
Tags: pla, outdoors
---
|
thread-2983
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2983
|
What makes a good PLA filament?
|
2016-10-25T17:14:38.847
|
# Question
Title: What makes a good PLA filament?
The quality of the filament is frequently mentioned either as the source of an issue but also as the solution to a problem.
I know that the way you use,store and protect your filament will greatly impact it's quality, especially overtime, but here I'm interested to understand what makes a brand new, out of the air-tight package, good or bad? What to look for when you buy filament (specs,chemical,weight,...)? What are some brands that are notoriously know to make "high quality" filament?
# Answer
**General characteristics of a "quality" filament:**
* **Manufactured to a "high" dimensional tolerance.** Measure the filament in several places along it's length and check for consistency. I'm pretty happy with filament that has less than 0.05mm difference between its thickest and thinnest diameter.
* **Lack of impurities.** I've never had a problem with impurities (that I know of) but I've heard and read about it. Finer nozzle diameters will be more susceptible to clogs caused by foreign matter in the filament.
* **Good packaging.** You already mentioned it, but good packaging is a sign of a reputable filament supplier. It should be sealed in a fairly "air-tight" bag with a desiccant to keep it dry.
* **Technical information available from manufacturer.** Quality filament manufactures tend to provide information about their filament's characteristics and other information such as optimal settings, etc.
* **Good reputation.** This one isn't necessarily fair to newcomers, but there is lots of information online about the reliability and quality of various filaments. In this case, google is your friend. (Keep in mind that there will be plenty of complaints that result from poor settings/skill and have nothing to do with the quality of the filament.)
I hope this helps! :-)
> 5 votes
---
Tags: filament, pla
---
|
thread-2969
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2969
|
How to map Cura printspace to Prusa I3 printspace
|
2016-10-23T22:20:26.973
|
# Question
Title: How to map Cura printspace to Prusa I3 printspace
I seem to be observing a couple problems w/ Cura2.3 OSX . It seems to be placing the sliced data (gcode) over to negative X by a cm or so. Further, the X- and Y-axes displayed in Cura definitely map to Y and X when the printer starts up. I've verified that I have the printer's X and Y end stops and motors connected to the correct outputs. Now, I can just rotate my parts before slicing, but I'd rather have things be "correct" to begin with. I've read the relevant info at question 1323, but I'd rather if possible adjust the Printer Settings for my defined printer in the Cura Preferences sub-menu. I couldn't find any description of what the "printer head" X and Y offset values mean there, nor what the "Z-gantry" value does either. I'm running from the SD card; no USB connection.
# Answer
Well, in my particular case, it helps to have the X and Y control (motor and endstop switch) plugged in to the correct ports :-( . That took care of the X vs. Y orientation problem.
If you command "Home All" either via the LCD panel or over USB, the nozzle should sit in the front left corner of the bed as you face the machine ("stage right" for you thespians). The link Chris T provided, ultimaker, provides helpful background information as well.
Next, if there are small offsets, find control can be set with a script similar to the following (leave out the auto-levelling command if you don't have that), from printerbot talk forum .
```
M104 S{print_temperature}
G21 ;metric values
G90 ;absolute positioning
M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode
M107 ;start with the fan off
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops
G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops
M109 S{print_temperature} ;wait on temperature line
G29 ; Auto bed levelling
;G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops
G92 X132.4 Y20; Reset actual position after G29 bug
G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length
G1 F{travel_speed}
```
And finally, there's a calibration file at thingiverse which prints large squares so you can see the exact offset. I hope to get that file modded with a couple markers (indents, e.g.) to verify orientation as well as location.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: prusa-i3, ultimaker-cura, axis
---
|
thread-2988
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2988
|
Large flat ABS print curling during cooldown
|
2016-10-27T16:04:11.773
|
# Question
Title: Large flat ABS print curling during cooldown
I am printing a large flat print, approximately 8" x 4" x 1/8". It has good adhesion when printing and lays flat when finished. I allow the print to cool slowly but the center of the print bows upward 1/16"-1/8". It bows in both directions but more noticeably in the longer direction. The corners are not curling up this is the center of the print lifting.
I started printing at 25% infill but have tried 100%. 100% bows less but still bows. This does not happen with PLA or PETG. 100% fill was printed with no fan. 25% printed with no fan for first layers and fan at 40% after.
Is there anything I can do to stop this from happening?
Printer: Lulzbot TAZ 5 w/ 0.5mm hotend in sealed enclosure. Heated bed at 115C, extruer at 240C. Environmental temperatures are 30-37C depending on the stage of the print. Hotter as it continues.
Follow Up Questions:
What is the ideal environmental printing temperature for ABS? If a part were reheated could an existing arch be corrected?
Update: Build Plate Thermal Images w/plate set @ 115C
# Answer
> 1 votes
**Short Answer**: Make the environment temperature is a bit warmer to offset the cooling rate.
**Long Answer**
All materials shrink as they cool, but some materials shrink at a much higher rate than others. This is primarily driven by temperature coefficients and thermal conductivity of the individual materials. There are calculators available online that you can get more involved with discovering how this works mathematically.
However, in layman's terms, the temperature between your build plate and the first layers of plastic are so drastically different, that at a certain point the plastic becomes under tension as it shrinks faster/more than the build plate. Over time, since the surface tension between the part and the build plate is no longer in the way, the corner can continue to shrink.
Here are some options:
* Ensure your build plate temperatures are correct acceptable. I've had success with 112C in NW United States. Increasing the temperature will be an attempt to bridge the gap between BP temps and plastic temps during the final cool-down.
* Search for ways to "anchor" the part to the build plate. There are lots of resources on the internet on how to do this, so I'll spare you the list.
* Increase your environment temperature. I highly suggest this because it can help reduce other errors you might encounter throughout the printing process, such as de-lamination, warping, brittleness, etc. I'm not recommending placing a space heater next to your printer (really, don't do that!), but perhaps even a space heater in the room can help regulate the environment temperature a bit better.
* Consider other environment variables. Consider things like *"Is my printer next to a window?"*, *"Do I live in a particularly cold environment in general?"*, or even *"Am I baking cookies in the next room?"*. A lot of these seemingly meaningless variables play an important role in ensuring quality prints.
<sub>(I know there's more, so I'll add onto this answer a bit more as I remember them)</sub>
---
Tags: abs, lulzbot
---
|
thread-1102
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1102
|
Stone-look surface via painting?
|
2016-05-04T15:35:03.997
|
# Question
Title: Stone-look surface via painting?
Has anyone tried painting a PLA (or other) print with stone-look spray paints? In particular, how does the result look compared to printing with stone-fill filaments? It looks a lot cheaper, but will it look inferior?
One such paint: http://www.krylon.com/press-room/press-releases/2013/04/add-a-touch-of-nature-to-your-next-project-with-new-natural-stone-textured-finish/?
One such filament: https://www.matterhackers.com/store/3d-printer-filament?t=LAYBRICK
# Answer
> 5 votes
It's totally possible to achieve but the result vastly **depends** on your painting skills and your spray paint quality.
Your can look at this page for a concrete example.
How it compares to stone filament is fairly subjective though. Painting a 3D print usually breaks down in 3 steps :
* **Smoothing out the lines.** *Achieved by either sanding the print or using acetone*
* **Apply coating**. *Ensures a better adhesion for the paint*
* **Apply spray paint**
If any of these steps are neglected, the final result won't look as good as using stone filament. However, if the quality of you stone filament is really bad, painting will offer a better result.
---
Tags: filament, post-processing, filament-quality
---
|
thread-2854
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2854
|
Connector Suggestion for Extruder and Heatbed
|
2016-10-07T06:11:42.397
|
# Question
Title: Connector Suggestion for Extruder and Heatbed
On my Reprap-like 3D printer, I routed all the wires to a spot near the base; for the motors, endstops, thermistors, etc, I plugged them all into a DB25 breakout board, and that's working great.
For my Extruder (12v), and my heat bed (16v), I'm using a 4-pin molex connector -- like we used to use for old hard drives and such, and it's working, but it gets a bit hot, and my print bed is having trouble reaching temperatures that it didn't have trouble with before. -- None of the wiring gets hot at any other point, and none of the other connectors get hot. -- The only thing that gets hot is this one molex connector.
I believe the heat is caused by passing too much current through that molex connector. -- I'm curious to know what other connectors might be better suited to this task. Can you recommend something that's worked well for you, or others?
I prefer not to double or triple up this connector if it can be avoided, so that I can just have one physical connector to disconnect there, and so that I don't end up mixing them up. -- also, being able to easily disconnect it is important (it's hard to work on the reprap if I can't spin it around or turn it over, etc., that's why I'm using connectors for everything).
# Answer
You might be able to use one of the connectors (Deans Ultra, EC3, XT-60/30, Bullet) that are normally used for RC models. They're made for very high currents. The XT60 connectors depicted below are rated for 60A continuous (well above what you'd need for any heated bed); their smaller XT30 cousins are good for 30A but less commonly available.
(Photo by Mark Fickett)
For your extruder you wouldn't need anything quite as drastic as an XT60, even a simple JST connector would suffice (though if you are going to source XT60/30's for your heated bed anyway, you might use them here as well).
(Wikimedia Commons, Mike Mahoney)
> 6 votes
# Answer
I agree with Tom's answer about RC connectors. Another good connector option worth considering is Anderson Powerpoles.
* They're "modular" so you can use them to assemble connectors with multiple wires.
* They crimp instead of solder (I really recommend the special crimping tool if you plan to use these regularly)
* They're more expensive
* No male/female, you use the same connector on both ends so you never run out of either male or female ends.
* The small size is a little larger than an XT60 connector.
Both good options depending on your specific needs.
> 4 votes
# Answer
I've had great luck with "G16 aviation connectors" -- easy to find with a Web search, and they come in any number of pins from 2-10 (the 10s are a little harder to find). Round (so easy to panel-mount), metal barrels, locking ring so they don't come loose. If you get ones with a couple extra pins, you can double up on pins without having to double up on actual connectors. I used a 4-pin for the hot bed (2 power, 2 thermistor); 10-pin for the extruders (4 motor, 2 heater, 2 thermistor, 2 fan), and 8-pin for each axis (4 motor, 4 limit).
> 2 votes
---
Tags: reprap, wiring
---
|
thread-652
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/652
|
Heatbed control with Pronterface
|
2016-02-25T16:00:11.583
|
# Question
Title: Heatbed control with Pronterface
I'm having trouble getting my MendelMax 2's heatbed *not* to heat up when I want to print without it. I don't get how multiple sources of control relate to each other (same with extrusion temperatures, actually):
* Slic3r (1.2.9) has settings under Filament Settings / Filament / Bed, for First layer and Other layers (and groups of settings can be saved).
* The pronterface GUI (Printrun-Mac-10Mar2014) has an "Options" panel where you can set "Bed temperature" (actually, two settings, one for PLA and one for ABS -- though I doubt the software can test which filament is loaded!)
* The pronterface GUI also has a menu/fill-in labelled "Bed", which works fine to adjust the bed when nothing is printing. The menu there lets you pick from a manually-entered value, "0 (off)", and (apparently) the settings for PLA and ABS from the options panel.
* Marlin's Configuration.h has settings for bed minimum and maximum temps (the non-zero minimum seems to be to prevent running the bed when the thermistor isn't working, to avoid unlimited overheating).
I recently tried to print some PLA with no bed heat (using blue tape on the glass build plate). I sliced the model with bed heat off in Slic3r; changed the PLA bed temps in the printerface options panel to 0; and picked the PLA setting in the GUI main screen (and also tried setting "0 (off)" manually.
When I started to print the object, the bed turned on and stayed on, maintaining 60C.
I thought of just unplugging the heatbed, but then I expect the print would never start, since it would try to heat up the bed and never succeed.
So how does the decision about which temperature setting to use, *really* get made? I have the same question about extruder temps, speeds, accelerations, and other things, too -- whose settings are really in charge?
# Answer
3D printer get the temperature settings from g-code file. The firmware settings for min and max temperature are just safeguards.
You should verify instructions within the g-code file. If you are not familiar with g-code, take a look to wikipedia. List of g-code instructions for marlin firmware is here.
Instruction responsible for setting bed temperature are M190 and M140. Open your g-code file and search for lines containing them. If you delete these lines then the bed temperature will be not set during print. Additionally it means that it is set by your slicer.
In *Slic3r* you should check *Printer settings**Custom G-code**Start G-code* if it contains one of mentioned instructions and possibly remove it.
> 6 votes
# Answer
Sli3er will control the bed temperature during a print. The options in Pronterface can be used to pre-heat the bed and hot end, or to adjust the temperature during a print.
The slicer will put the temperatures you set in the filament tab settings into the gcode at the appropriate layers. As the printer reads these codes it will adjust the temperatures. If you manually change the temperature, it will stay at your adjustment until it encounters a line in the gcode file that tells it to change again. Usually this only happens at the start of a print, or at the transition from the first layer to the second layer.
When you change the filament settings in Slic3r, they do not save automatically, so if you changed them, closed the program without saving your filament settings, and opened it later, the changes would be lost.
The other place where temperature can be changed from is in the custom gcode settings, where you can specify operations to be performed at the start of the print, in between layers, or at the end of the print. Take a look there and make sure that there are no codes to change temperature in any of these fields.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed, slic3r, pronterface, hbp
---
|
thread-2950
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2950
|
Slicing software and Sidewall
|
2016-10-22T04:58:26.293
|
# Question
Title: Slicing software and Sidewall
I am new to FDM RP. I've done a lot of work on ZCorp and Connex.
The question is can vectors curve drive an extrusion nozzle? Within a 3D volume I can generate curves that I want the print nozzle to follow. Is this possible or has it been done? If so, what software or is there a hack?
Another question is, can you print a part with no sidewall or containment boundary?
# Answer
> 3 votes
Just for the fun of it and perhaps to contribute to this question, I opened my recent task in Simplify3d slicing software. Setting the perimeter walls and top/bottom surfaces to zero did not generate an error as I expected.
The print preview, essentially a g-code viewer, presented the model as only the honeycomb infill for which it was configured. Having zero layer thickness for the top/bottom also prevented features from printing that were composed of only walls without infill. Small details that otherwise print well were lost completely.
I can see that properly designed models printed with certain infill patterns and percentages would be quite artistic.
With respect to the first question, one could create a program to accomplish the desired result if one were an experienced programmer. It would be a matter of converting a specific set of vectors into g-code for the printer. I'm familiar enough with g-code to know that a well defined curve is easy enough to create in g-code but only if the mechanicals support arcs. If not, it's not so easy. The conversion from a vector format file to g-code would require a talented programmer indeed.
I suspect there are talented programmers "out there," but one must be suitably skilled and equally suitably motivated, yes?
# Answer
> 1 votes
It's not difficult to write software that converts a curve to gcode (break the curve into small lines and emit a G1 command for each line) - however, it's way easier to work with solids since the toolchain supports solid really well and curves not at all.
Just create a solid with your curve as a wall and everything works.
For the second question, no top/bottom works with every slicer I tried (set the top/bottom to 0 layers/height) - Cura seems to support no walls by setting shells to 0 (but I only checked layers view, I didn't try to print).
# Answer
> 0 votes
Vectors do not drive the extrusion nozzles in current software. There are methods to take vectors and create a solid model with them which can be used. The standard workflow is to take a solid model, save it in the STL format, and then import the STL file into the slicing software and outputs Gcode with contain coordinates for the extrusion nozzle to move to.
I have not seen any software that will create just the infill geometry without any bounding surfaces. This would be such a specific use case that it is unlikely to appear in current software. That is not to say that it couldn't be done, but you would likely have to implement such a feature yourself.
---
Tags: 3d-design, slicing, slic3r
---
|
thread-3008
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3008
|
Marlin - slowing down print speed
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2016-11-01T03:37:01.813
|
# Question
Title: Marlin - slowing down print speed
I'm currently using Marlin firmware (1.1.0-RC7 - 31 July 2016) and would like to experiment with print speed.
In the file `Marlin_main.cpp` I see in the `process_next_command()` function, there is a variable called `current_command` which (supposedly) holds the G-Code values for travel distance and feedrate(speed).
I'm expecting the actual command for travelling to look something like this:
```
G1 X50 Y25.3 E22.4 F1500
```
but I'm getting tied up figuring out exactly where it is. I'm assuming if I can change `F1500` to `F200`, I can effectively slow down the print speed.
I'm aware of line 753 in the `configuration.h` file:
```
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE {300, 300, 5, 25} // (mm/sec)
```
I'm not interested in setting a fixed slow feedrate but would rather change individual G-Code commands. Can someone tell me where I can find the actual G-Code command to edit it?
# Answer
> 1 votes
**G-code commands are not in the firmware**. You're trying to find something in the code that simply isn't there. Your slicer is responsible for generating a g-code file, which you can then send to your printer (either by printing from an SD-card) or using a host program like repetier or cura. The commands in the G-code file are then executed by the firmware, but they're not part of it.
How the commands are actually processed is not trivial, and it happens in multiple places.
The commands are processed in the `process_commands` of Marlin\_main.cpp. Upon reading a G1 command, it calls `get_coordinates` to parse the X/Y/Z/feedrate values from the command. Next, the `prepare_move` function is called, which applies the necessary transformations (clamping to endstops, and the reverse kinematics if you have a delta) before calling `plan_buffer_line` (which is in `planner.cpp`) which does some more preprocessing and computes a "block" which is pushed onto the buffer. Next, `planner_recalculate` is called, which iterates over the blocks to find feasible acceleration patterns for them. Finally, an interrupt (in stepper.cpp, `ISR(TIMER1_COMPA_vect)`) periodically reads blocks from the buffer and actually sends the signals to the steppers.
---
Tags: marlin, g-code, speed
---
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thread-2916
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2916
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How close should the nozzle be to the substrate?
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2016-10-18T11:21:17.437
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# Question
Title: How close should the nozzle be to the substrate?
I have my nozzle close to the substrate that I am printing on, so that a piece of paper can just about slide underneath it freely, without catching.
Is this the right way to do it?
# Answer
Traditionally, using a piece of paper (about 0.004" thick) gets you close to your appropriate standoff. However, if you adjust your layer thickness, your standoff should reflect this. Ideally, you will set your standoff **roughly** with a piece of paper or other type of shim stock, then "fine-tune" the standoff during a benchmark print.
If I'm remembering correctly, the ideal standoff is 1/2 to 2/3 your desired layer height.
> 6 votes
# Answer
This photo isn't exact, but may help
Edit: Whoops! Forgot to include source. This is from the Wanhao User Manual/Build Guide. I can't quite find the webpage at the moment.
> 9 votes
# Answer
Using a piece of paper won't guarantee you get exactly the "correct" height (because different papers have different thicknesses, and it's hard to determine exactly when it no longer catches on the nozzle) but it gets the bed level and the distance will be close to correct.
You can then further adjust the height by observing the first layer and making adjustments based on whether you see the first layer being squished down enough or too much. The babystepping feature (if enabled) is very useful for this.
> 0 votes
# Answer
If I may, I'll recommend heartily joining (or peeking at) the Reprap group on Facebook. They have a bunch of 'help' files there, including one on how to level the bed. In particular, it suggests doing the final height setting and levelling at the intended operating temperature so as to avoid any thermal expansion "surprises."
One inherent problem is that the stock limit switches are terrible for position repeatability. Well, not 'terrible,' but enough slop that the first layer or two may be a bit too close to the bed in some circumstances. I'd recommend at the least making sure the Z-stop is locked down good and tight once set, and then if you want to get more precise, look into other proximity or opto-sensors. I haven't done that yet so don't have any specific recommendations.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: nozzle
---
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thread-2955
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2955
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Weird bumps cylindrical hole
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2016-10-22T15:25:37.193
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# Question
Title: Weird bumps cylindrical hole
Not quite sure what's happening here. I printed it as a single ball and had this effect. I thought it might be a cooling issue so I printed 4 at once but the issue still occurred. If I size the ball up, the problem reduces.
Note that the hole is supposed to be a cylinder.
# Answer
It looks like possibly a combination of too high of extruder temperature and poor retraction.
1. First, try ***reducing your extruder temperature***. PLA ideal extruder temps range from about 185C to 225C; depending on purity, quality, and climate. This can help prevent additional oozing and clogging. If your extruder clogs easily, you probably have too high of temperature.
2. After you've verified you have correct extrusion temperature. Try ***finding/adjusting retraction settings*** in your preferred slicing engine. Here's a good troubleshoot page from Simplify3D's website.
> 3 votes
# Answer
In order to exclude a cooling issue, you could try printing a larger object alongside the spheres. Something that has a constant cross-section and is at least as high as the spheres.
I have had issues when printing objects with a sharp tip, even printing 8 at once the total amount printed on the top layers was not enough to let the material cool before the next layer.
> 1 votes
# Answer
It looks like it is trying to fill in what might be small gaps and is putting blobs down because the gaps to too small of a detail to accurately fill.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: pla
---
|
thread-3012
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3012
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RCBugFix what is it?
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2016-11-02T16:52:21.587
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# Question
Title: RCBugFix what is it?
I've posted an issue on GitHub and I have been advised to load RCBugFix. I have never used it and I do not know what is about.
What is it? How does it work?
# Answer
> 5 votes
It refers to a specific branch of the current project, named RCBugFix. It's basically the most up-to-date, bleeding edge version of Marlin that contains all of the most recent fixes (it is more up-to-date than RC). However, as it's so up-to-date, it's also not thoroughly tested and possibly quite unstable.
> The latest Release Candidate lives in the "RC" branch. Bugs that we find in the current Release Candidate are patched in the "RCBugFix" branch, so during beta testing this is where you can always find the latest code on its way towards release.
Use with caution.
---
Tags: marlin
---
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thread-2986
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2986
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Auto bed levelling with Rumba board - Servo not deploying
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2016-10-26T19:04:33.863
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# Question
Title: Auto bed levelling with Rumba board - Servo not deploying
Has anyone succeeded in installing the auto bed levelling on a Rumba board with Marlin firmware?
I have the last stable version 1.1.0 RC6.
I would appreciate some direction especially about:
* How and which pin to activate for the servo?
* How to test it with G-code before I move to settings of the probe sequence?
I have only installed the hardware for now (5 V servo) connected to Ext. 3 (EXP3):
* Pin 2 (+5V);
* Pin 4 (GND), and;
* Pin 6 (PWM),
but I cannot move it with the G-code command `M280 P0 S180`. I have no idea where to put my hands on firmware to get this going. However my ultimate goal is to set the ABL.
# Answer
> 3 votes
General note, I do not have this board so I cannot test these steps myself, read the documentation in configuration.h, it is very detailed and should guide you pretty well. I am specifically looking at Marlin 1.1 RC7 on Github, so the lines below may vary slightly from what you see.
As to the pins to connect on the board for the servo, pins\_RUMBA.h is where they are defined/mapped. For other boards, there is a pins\_\[your\_board\_name\].h that will define the pins for any given board.
The default Servo pin for Rumba is:
```
#define SERVO0_PIN 5
```
Pin 6 appears to be used for a third extruder heater.
```
#define HEATER_2_PIN 6 // EXTRUDER 3
```
In configuration.h you must uncomment (delete the slashes "//" at the beginning) the lines and fill in your stow and deploy angles in the second line for the servo. Find these lines under the Z probe options heading.
```
//#define Z_ENDSTOP_SERVO_NR 0
//#define Z_SERVO_ANGLES {70,0} // Z Servo Deploy and Stow angles
```
Define your probe offsets from your extruder nozzle:
```
#define X_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // X offset: -left +right [of the nozzle]
#define Y_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 10 // Y offset: -front +behind [the nozzle]
#define Z_PROBE_OFFSET_FROM_EXTRUDER 0 // Z offset: -below +above [the nozzle]
```
Based on your comment for using two z end stop switches, there is an option you must enable to use the standard end stop switch for homing, and only use the probe end stop for mesh bed leveling type operations. The config.h file has a lot of information on this, please read it for your own and your printers safety.
Uncomment this line:
```
//#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP
```
and comment this line:
```
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN
```
Then set the carriage height to allow the z probe room to swing down and move:
```
#define Z_PROBE_DEPLOY_HEIGHT 15 // Raise to make room for the probe to deploy / stow
#define Z_PROBE_TRAVEL_HEIGHT 5 // Raise between probing points.
```
For autobed leveling uncomment:
```
//#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_FEATURE // Delete the comment to enable
```
Then set probe points corners:
```
#if ENABLED(AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID)
#define LEFT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 15
#define RIGHT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170
#define FRONT_PROBE_BED_POSITION 20
#define BACK_PROBE_BED_POSITION 170
#define MIN_PROBE_EDGE 10 // The Z probe minimum square sides can be no smaller than this.
```
Set the number of points to probe in each direction (x and y), default is 2, so it will probe 4 locations, the other common choice is 3, so it will probe a grid of 9 locations.
```
// Set the number of grid points per dimension.
// You probably don't need more than 3 (squared=9).
#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_GRID_POINTS 2
```
That should be everything you need for a basic setup, although there are more options that I did not go through. Please look at all the documentation comments in configuration.h file as it is very comprehensive, even if it can be a bit confusing.
I hope this helps!
# Answer
> 4 votes
**For future reference.**
My issue about the servo not moving was caused by a wiring mistake. The Exp. 3 has 14 pins has per this diagram.
However when phisically looking at the board, what you see is this:
I took the first 2 pins on the right of such connector and the 3rd one of the first row thinking that I was connecting pins 2-4-5 of Exp. 3. I was wrong, because the first 2 (1-2) pins are not part of Exp. 3.
The right way to connect the servo is as following:
Then use PWM1 (pin 5 Ext.3) I decided to leave trace of this issue and the relevant solution for someone that may experience the same issue.
---
Tags: calibration, z-probe
---
|
thread-2979
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/2979
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Affordable 3D printing of reflector
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2016-10-25T05:59:09.757
|
# Question
Title: Affordable 3D printing of reflector
Are there any 3D printing services or something similar to 3D print or injection mold light reflectors?
I'm trying to find something that is similar to PCB printing that allows you to upload a 3D design of a reflector and they will produce this reflector and coat it with mirror surface.
# Answer
You can make flat reflectors with glass panels or acrylic panels and apply window mirror film. Ordinary window glass might be less expensive than acrylic and many places will cut to size, but unusual shapes might not be an option. The mirror film is relatively easy to apply and the packages have instructions included.
For the hologram pyramid you referenced, one could 3d print the bracket at the base. If your design is different, yet similar, that's an option for relatively easy construction.
100-200 pieces is really too small of a quantity to justify expensive injection molding. If the part is not too complex, one could create the model with 3d printing, then build a silicone mold around it, followed by pouring polyester or epoxy casting resin to make larger quantities. A better idea of the shape would be useful, but the information I've provided may head you in a practical direction.
> 1 votes
# Answer
I would not recommend extrusion printers for this, because they are unlikely to produce a smooth enough surface. To get a clean surface, the irregularities have to be a fraction of visible wavelengths, which is to say on the order of 0.01 micron.
Without knowing what sort of reflector you're thinking of (flat? spherical? parabolic?), it's hard to recommend a specific optimal, cheap approach. All in all, you're probably best off looking in standard catalogs such as Edmund Optics.
> 4 votes
---
Tags: material, services
---
|
thread-3024
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3024
|
Power Over Ethernet (Pi Zero Mod)
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2016-11-07T22:46:36.773
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# Question
Title: Power Over Ethernet (Pi Zero Mod)
I'm looking to make 20-30 IoT devices, with the pi zero. The price point is perfect, the only downside is that it doesn't have an Ethernet jack and the power adapter is not included.
I found a mod that deals with both of these issues, however it would involve a lot of soldering. The mod takes a USB to Ethernet adapter and 48 to 5 volt converter and allows the device to be both powered and connected to the internet with just an Ethernet cable.
With 3D printing or Milling is it possible to make something that snap fits the components together and mitigate a lot of soldering? Is it possible to print or mill something that will do the 48 to 5 volt conversion?
Components:
1. Two male micro USB heads
2. 48 to 5 volt converter
3. Ethernet adapter board
4. Pi zero
# Answer
> 0 votes
3D Print A Solderless Circuit Board
I think this was the solution I was looking for, unless someone else knows a method that's cheaper, faster, safer, etc.
---
Tags: raspberry-pi
---
|
thread-3028
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3028
|
How do the E commands in G-code work, exactly?
|
2016-11-08T22:00:24.473
|
# Question
Title: How do the E commands in G-code work, exactly?
I've tried looking online but haven't quite found the answer to what I'm confused about, exactly. Consider the following 3 lines of G-code:
```
G1 X129.000 Y126.322 E7.90758
G1 X128.349 Y125.707 F7800.000
G1 X128.476 Y125.548 E7.92045 F1800.000
```
Does the absence of an E command in the second line mean that no material is to be extruded from line 1 to line 2? As I understand it, the E parameter controls how much material has been extruded up to that line.
The reason why I am asking is because I'm trying to understand on the code level how to identify when a printer will travel without extruding any material, in the case of moving in the Z direction, or if you are printing multiple disconnected parts in one print. Since none of the Z lines seem to have any E commands, I'm inclined to believe that the absence of an E command means that when moving to the given position from the previous line, no material will be extruded. I've tried quite a few different queries online to try to discover if this is the case, but haven't found a simple answer, so I was hoping someone on this board could enlighten me.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Yes, the absense of an EX.XXX (or an EX.XXX with the same value as the previous one) means nothing will be extruded during the move. The extruder is treated as an imaginary fourth axis and works exactly the same as any other axis: if in a G1/G0 no new coordinate for it is specified, it retains its original position.
---
Tags: g-code
---
|
thread-3031
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3031
|
Autobed leveling doesn't compensate
|
2016-11-09T15:50:43.647
|
# Question
Title: Autobed leveling doesn't compensate
I finally manage to setup the ABL on my Prusa. I run G28 to home all axes (for z I use the same probe used for ABL). Then I run G29 E ( I use E because otherwise for some reason I have not understood yet, Z does not lift during probings) probing 4 points on the corners of the bed.
finally I get the map of the bed:
```
Bed Level Correction Matrix:
+0.999999 +0.000000 +0.001233
-0.000005 +0.999992 +0.003905
-0.001233 -0.003905 +0.999992
```
and after that, the print starts. The first layer looks perfect however I have not seen Z moving a single step along the printing.
Any hint about what to check? Is the obtained map indicating that the bed is already too leveled to act on any compensation?
**UPDATE** I printed a 180 mm diamater cylinder and the Z axis is not compensating the 1mm difference from edge to edge of the bed.
# Answer
I found the issue. As I mentioned in my question UPDATE, trying to print something that cover the full bed, the ABL was not working. The issue was the Gcode I added after the G29. In fact for some reason I added a G28 X0 after the G29 and that basically cancel the data acquired in the G29. I learned something new, do not use G28 after G29!
Now it is working nicely.
> 2 votes
# Answer
I believe that the matrix is shown transposed from how it should be, but that doesn't affect the answer. The compensated Z position is derived from the original `(X,Y,Z)` position by multiplying the corresponding vector with that matrix. This means that the new Z position would be
```
Z' = 0.999992Z - 0.001233X - 0.003905Y
```
If you have a 200 x 200 printbed, a diagonal move from one corner to the other would correspond to a 1mm change in Z-height. This should be noticeable, but if perhaps you're printing something quite small you might not notice it.
Though, if your first layer is perfect, I would see no reason to mess with it.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, z-probe
---
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