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thread-19870 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19870 | Are magnetic hotbed plates interchangable? | 2022-09-07T07:44:12.830 | # Question
Title: Are magnetic hotbed plates interchangable?
The Anycubic Kobra Max comes with a glass plate.
I need to use a textured PEI plate for my Kobra Max.
As I understand it, the PEI plate needs to be used on a magnetic bed plate.
Currently, there is no hotbed with a spring steel magnetic plate available for it yet.
I am still a complete newbie at plates.
Could I use an other magnetic plate for this, or do they have to specific to a certain printer (apart from the size of course)?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Usually the build surface is not the magnetic part, it is just a flexible steel PEI coated plate, so yes you could use a magnetic build platform sourced somewhere else.
> Currently, there is no hotbed with a spring steel magnetic plate available for it yet.
Actually there are solutions, note that complete build plate and surface systems are sold for the size of your printer, e.g. look into manufacturer BuildTak.
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Tags: heated-bed, build-surface, anycubic-kobra-max
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thread-19873 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19873 | What brand of Black PETG filament is *glossy*? | 2022-09-07T13:02:55.953 | # Question
Title: What brand of Black PETG filament is *glossy*?
Polymaker Tough PETG Black, although not labelled as "Matte Black", is not as glossy or shiny as PLA Black and I consider it Very Dark Grey/Matte/Satin.
What brand of PETG Black is glossy or shiny and also has high quality (and preferably available on Amazon)? Does a brand specify its "blackness" - glossy/matte/satin?
Should I use XTC-3D resin on Polymaker Tough PETG Black to make it shiny and hide lines & imperfections, but will it still appear Very Dark Grey? What color can I add to XTC-3D to make it blacker?
# Answer
This question as originally stated is pretty far off-topic: asking for product recommendations. We don't give answers of that form on this site.
However, in general PETG is very glossy unless it's been specifically modified to be matte. If you're getting matte-like outcomes, it might be that your temperature is too low for the material and speed. PETG (at least as it's used as a marketing term) is not a single material but a whole class of materials with different thermal properties, so some brands need to be printed hotter than others. Many materials come out "matte" (and also have layer adhesion and brittleness properties) if the temperature you're using is only borderline for the speed you're printing them at. If you can't go higher temperature on your printer, you could try slowing down and see if that gets a surface more to your liking.
Now, as for specific product recommendations, we can't do that, but I can recommend the Filament Librarian's FilamentColors site as a way to get real photos of a huge library of real materials, which might help you select one with the surface sheen you want.
> 1 votes
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Tags: post-processing, petg
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thread-19875 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19875 | Should I be worried about the lead in brass nozzles? | 2022-09-07T20:06:47.170 | # Question
Title: Should I be worried about the lead in brass nozzles?
I've read a couple articles recently about brass nozzles and found out they contain some lead. I've been 3d printing stuff for about a year and haven't really been mindful of this and so haven't washed my hands and stuff after every print or changing of the nozzle. I've never eaten or drank anything out of something I've printed to clarify.
Is the amount of lead brass nozzles enough to warrant stricter hand washing?
# Answer
> 7 votes
No. Leaded brass is around 2 % lead and the wear is negligible. How much has your nozzle worn?
If your nozzle has worn from 0.4 mm to 0.5 mm over that year, there's maybe
$$ ((.5 mm/2)^2-(0.4 mm/2)^2)\*3.14\*1 mm\*(8.73 gm/cc)/(1000 mm^3/cc)\*0.02 = 12 ug $$
of lead that has worn off. The lead exposure from that year of wear is very low compared to the allowable $50ug/m^3 air/8hours$ limit from OSHA/NIOSH. If the 12 ug had remained suspended as dust in your $1m^3$ printer enclosure and you breathed it for 8 hours/day, OSHA would be fine with it.
And most of the abraded nozzles would have been encapsulated in your parts rather than released into your environment.
If you were doing the machining on the nozzles, it might be more of a concern.
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Tags: nozzle, safety, material
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thread-19611 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19611 | How to configure the TMC2208 Driver Voltage for a Creality Sprite Extruder in Klipper on Ender 3 Pro? | 2022-06-30T17:26:53.373 | # Question
Title: How to configure the TMC2208 Driver Voltage for a Creality Sprite Extruder in Klipper on Ender 3 Pro?
I'm trying to set up a Creality Sprite Extruder on my Ender 3 Pro without using the kit (installing the extruder alone).
I can see on the Sprite Extruder Pro Kit product page that the extruder operates at 1.4 VDC and 0.8 A.
I'm using TMC2208 and Klipper. How can I set my extruder's driver up so that the provided voltage is 1.4 V? Is it the same as setting the VRef to 1.4 V?
Can it be done in the Klipper configuration (I have a UART set up), or does it need to be done on the trimpot?
# Answer
Just ignore the voltages for stepper motors. TMC drivers drive the motors by controlling current, and as long as the current you select is not so high to burn the motor out, you're all good.
The voltage values listed have some physical meaning which I don't entirely understand, but in any case they are most definitely not the voltage the driver has at its disposal to move the motor and they're not anything you need to put in your configuration.
> 0 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, klipper, tmc2208
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thread-19739 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19739 | What slicers have support for belt printers, or could have support added via a plugin? | 2022-08-08T01:54:09.870 | # Question
Title: What slicers have support for belt printers, or could have support added via a plugin?
What slicers have support for belt printers like the CR-30? Or what slicers can have an add-on, plugin, or extension added to them to support it (from a user level, not a dev level).
I found more total slicers than I expected, since I was only expecting 3 (Cura, PrusaSlicer, Simplify3d). Surely that means I'm missing out on more, if there are already so many different slicers.
* Creality Slicer - Comes from the OEM of the printer
* Blackbelt Cura - Everyone who mentions it says don't use it because it's old
* Raise3d Ideamaker - Seems to be based on Flashforge's slicer, has some interesting features too. Not as configurable as Slic3r or PrusaSlicer though.
# Answer
> 2 votes
It seems **Creality** provides a modified version of **Cura 4.8.2** for the **CR30**: Creality Download ; **BlackBelt** does the same, another modified version of Cura 3.6.2: Blackbelt Download.
The current version of **Cura** (5.x) does not limit the area in size, but it seems very difficult to use it like that for belt printers (eg printing the same object many times), so you have to use a dedicated slicer.
Some possible tricks: printing the same object many times could require a simple edit/processing of the gcode, plz ask for this because it's another question.
# Answer
> -1 votes
I think most slicers don't distinguish printers based on if they have belts or delta configuration, etc. The slicer generates gcode, and the firmware on the printer translates the gcode into actuator motions specific to that printer to perform the gcode.
The difference slicers generally care about is if it is a FFF printer that extrudes a bead or a resin printer that solidifies liquid. Many other 3d printing methods exist, but those to are the most common ones supported by most of the open slicers.
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Tags: slicing, belt-printer
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thread-19879 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19879 | Outer horizonal lines when inner model changes from infill to solid | 2022-09-07T23:36:18.033 | # Question
Title: Outer horizonal lines when inner model changes from infill to solid
I have a Creality Ender 3 Pro with only the touch sensor and filament guide as upgrades. I'm using the Creality Cura-based slicer. It prints absolutely beautifully for the price, but I'm having a small issue with the outside of the model in large prints when the inside of the model transitions from infill to a solid layer. I'm getting a protruding line around the outside for a few layers. As you can see in the photo, when the inner layer is all infill, it looks great, but when it gets to the broad flat layer, there's a little extra protrusion and the outside. It doesn't seem to happen in smaller prints. I've been searching and tried the suggestion of turning off combing and that didn't help. Has anyone else run into this issue? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
# Answer
> 1 votes
It looks like you have a little bit of over-extrusion. When the infill is less than 100%, the walls can easily fit around it, but when the layer is all filled, the few % extra extruded material has to go somewhere and that is what pushes your outer wall outwards. Maybe you can try to set "Outer Before Inner Walls". if that exists in the creality slicer or try cura itself.
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Tags: creality-ender-3
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thread-19839 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19839 | Why is there some transparency between the layers of my print? | 2022-08-29T17:50:08.960 | # Question
Title: Why is there some transparency between the layers of my print?
When I'm printing sometimes there is some "transparency" between the layers as you can see in the picture, I'm not sure how to name the problem.
I've looked on google, somes people said It could be the nozzle that is clogged, I cleaned it and it doesn't seem clogged.
I've also seen that it could be the pressure of the spring in the extruder arm, I adjusted it.
I also checked the bed level and it looks fine.
With all thoses changes et verifications I still have the problem, not even a small improve.
Some time ago I didn't have any problem, I didn't change the cura parameters, and the problem is for every 3D files, not only this one.
In your experience what could cause this ? Did I do something wrong ?
I have a artillery sidewinder x1 which I use together with Cura. I print in PLA at 200 °C. The print bed is set to 50 °C . I use a print cooling fan at 100 %. The layer height I set to 0.16 mm, the line width 0.44 from the 0.4 mm nozzle. The Printing Speed is set to 30 mm/s for walls and 60 mm/s for infill. My retraction is 5 mm at 45 mm/s.
**EDIT 30/08/2022:**
I have tried to print the gcode given by artillery (which is the manufacturer of the 3d printer), there is two files a cube and a chick, I have the same problem except that it's only the infill.
This file is supposed to be perfect for the printer so to my understanding the problem is not from the software setting in cura, but from the printer itself.
# Answer
> 3 votes
I found out what was the problem here, like @0scar said I think it was the tension spring that was wrongly set, even if I had checked it before.
Also the real name of the problem was "*underextrusion*" and not "*transparency between the layers*"
Here is the steps I followed to fix it:
I disassembled the extruder by removing the screw on the side like on the picture, there is also two behind the FAN.
After that I had access to every gear that was pulling the fillament.
I cleaned everything, there was some dust but not a big quantity so I don't think I was the problem.
I also removed the spring and the spring handle. I change the tension of the spring to be as low as possible. Then I reassembled every parts.
After that I have redone the bed level and the spring tension.
Compared to the first time that I change the spring tension, this time the gear to change it felt easier, there was less resistance than last time. Even so I changed the tension to the lowest possible each time.
After doing all that I printed the manufacturer print file, It was ok, there was no longer under extrusion. Then I tried multiple file of mine, which didn't print well before all that, this time it was perfect.
**I think the real problem here was that some time ago I have disassembled the extruder and when I reassembled it I must have badly re-assembled it. Especially the spring part, since the feeling was different.**
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Tags: print-quality, artillery-sidewinder-x1
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thread-19202 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19202 | PETG layers are super rough | 2022-04-06T21:18:06.540 | # Question
Title: PETG layers are super rough
I own a spool of PETG and I have been having major print quality issues: layer offsets, chunks of 3D print strewn across the buildplate and other things. I traced these effects to a single culprit: rough layers. I don't know how to fix this. I haven't had this issue at all with any of my other PETG filament colors. And the buildplate height is just where it needs to be, so why is this happening?
### Print settings
* Layer height: 0.23 mm
* Extruder: 235 °C
* Bed: 80 °C
* Retraction length: 6 mm
* Retraction extra restart length: 0.3 mm
* Z-Hop height: 0.25 mm
* Base print speed: 45 mm/s
* Extrusion ratio: 106 %
# Answer
> 1 votes
You are probably over extruding, this causes an excess amount of filament causing the mentioned problems. PETG is softer than PLA, so the extruder teeth grip deeper into the filament. This smaller diameter causes too much filament flow. Try to decrease the flow modifier for this spool of PETG.
Furthermore, your spool may have picked up some moisture, please dry the spool prior to use.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Go a little warmer. Maybe 242.
Also, that 6 mm retraction number looks okay if you have a Bowden setup, but it's way too high if you don't (1.5 is a better starting number).
Finally, there are those who disagree on this point, but I only change my extrusion from the default 100% when I notice issues on specific prints. Ultimately, the extra 6% extruded material has to go *somewhere*, and it's likely contributing to the roughness.
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Tags: petg, layer-shifting
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thread-16287 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16287 | I am getting bubbles and a bulge at the bottom layer of my 3D print | 2021-05-13T17:09:36.523 | # Question
Title: I am getting bubbles and a bulge at the bottom layer of my 3D print
I am printing ABS on an Ender 3 printer at a temperature of 240 °C on the nozzle and 110 °C on the bed. I am getting the following result:
Is there any way I can fix this?
# Answer
I think that your bed is too hot because the bubbling is only on the bottom layer, if it was through out the entire print, I would say that it is your nozzle temp and you should do a temp tower, but because that isn't the case try lowering your bed temp
> 1 votes
# Answer
I had a similiar issue. First 2 to 4 layers looked god, than a trouble zone with 5 to 10 layers, and after that good again. In my case the z-layer screws were not tight. During moving up I lost some steps due to the lose screws ...
> 0 votes
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Tags: 3d-models
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thread-19896 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19896 | Ender 3 S1 fails printing mid ways | 2022-09-10T15:02:32.360 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 S1 fails printing mid ways
I got my first 3D printer, a Creality Ender 3 S1. I followed the Quick Installation Guide for the initial configuration. I also had to adjust the corners of the bed manually (the very first print ended up as spaghetti).
Now I wanted to try the first print, so I decided to print the "rabbit" that was included as a G-code with the SD card for the printer. I used the filament that was included with the printer.
The problem is that after half of the rabbit body is printed, the nozzle moves the rabbit, and the rest of the print ends like a spaghetti mess and I have to cancel it. This has happened three times now and I don't understand how to fix the problem or what causes it.
Why does the print of the "rabbit" fail mid-way up? Are there any settings I should adjust? How should I figure out what settings I need?
I used the G-code that was already stored on the SD card, with default settings after adjusting my bed.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I have now got a print of the "rabbit" working.
I did a few things.
* Make sure no parts of the printer are loose. I had to fasten the extruder on the X-axis a bit better. (I think this is an important point)
* I tried a different filament, AddNorth E-PLA
These alone did not solve the problem. Then I did these adjustments:
* The AddNorth E-PLA filament had a recommended nozzle temperature of 205-225 °C. The default nozzle temperature of Ender 3 S1 seem to be 200 °C. The prints worked better when I set the nozzle temperature to 220 °C (in the beginning of the printing session).
* I tried to use the Ultimaker Cura slicing software, instead of the pre-generated G-code file on the SD card. I used the STL file of the rabbit that was on the SD card as input.
After these adjustments, I finally successfully printed the rabbit.
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Tags: creality-ender-3
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thread-19881 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19881 | Which material can be used to print a drop protector? | 2022-09-08T09:44:14.710 | # Question
Title: Which material can be used to print a drop protector?
I would like to print a custom version of something akin to this rugged case that was originally created using injection molding:
The outside consists of a material that is a bit softer than the main body.
It is used to protect the electronics against drops when the case falls onto the floor.
Unfortunately, I don't know which material this is, and I don't know which method I could use to measure its softness.
I would therefore like to ask if anybody has experience with such a softer outer hull and can tell me which material could be used when I want to 3D print it.
I would like to use this case in a hospital environment.
# Answer
## TPU or TPE
You are looking for a Thermoplastic Urethane or Theroplastic Elasomere. Both are types of FDM printable synthetic rubbers, which can be used to create such flexible buffers. **However** you need to properly design your casing with the correct thickness and hardness of the material in mind - you can not just take the dimensions and design from an over-molded material.
Most flexible filaments need to be printed hollow to achieve good protection for the part. In some cases, you might want to use a foaming TPU/TPE that expands and creates cushioning voids, allowing to slow the part falling down to a slow enough speed to protect sensitive circuits.
> 4 votes
# Answer
I do it a couple of ways.
I use TPU which is pretty good for impacts and either make it thick or stiffen it with another filament as an inside or outside shell.
But TPU is what you want for this project because it's flexible in the way you need it to be.
> 5 votes
# Answer
Case designers usually use TPU for flexibility and polycarbonate for stiffness
> 0 votes
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Tags: print-material, filament-choice
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thread-19898 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19898 | How to convert a conventional Inkjet printer into a FDM resin 3D printer? | 2022-09-10T19:29:50.233 | # Question
Title: How to convert a conventional Inkjet printer into a FDM resin 3D printer?
I searched about the subject in this website and could only find this question here asking "if there is an FDM Resin 3D printer", not how to build it.
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The idea is to replace the inks for other fluids, such as resin and its hardener (and other fluids) and then add a Z axis "somehow".
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The thing is: I couldn't find any tutorial on the subject.
The closest thing I could find was this project here called Oasis 3DP, an open source powder and inkjet 3D printer, but the objects are incredibly fragile.
The other type was this DIY that converts a creality 3D into a ink printer, but it uses homemade nozzles actuated by piezoelectrics instead of a inkjet printer nozzle, and the results aren't as good as a conventional inkjet printers (not to insult the creator this is hella cool still).
# Answer
Sounds like you are asking for a kit. There isn't one, and there isn't likely to ever be one, because conventional resin printing and FDM printing use completely different approaches to take advantage of respective material properties, and combining them is likely to get you the worst features of both rather than something better.
Additionally, ink jet printing and things based on it inherently get you brittle parts, and attempts to combine this with FDM methods won't fix that.
Without a kit, you are designing this from scratch. This basically means you either need to be an engineer that can design solutions for all the problems up front, or you will be doing a lot of trial and error with repeated redesigns as you discover new problems -- not that an engineer wouldn't have the same issue without a lot of foresight.
> 3 votes
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Tags: diy-3d-printer, resin, fdm
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thread-9870 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/9870 | How to decrease sensitivity to heat-bed temperature? | 2019-05-07T10:34:34.253 | # Question
Title: How to decrease sensitivity to heat-bed temperature?
Sometimes I use a DIY 3D printer running Marlin firmware and I have a hard time to set my heat bed temperature. when I set it to 70 °C for PLA, after a few minutes it decreases to 67 °C and I see these error:
```
READ: Error:Thermal Runaway, system stopped! Heater_ID: bed
READ: Error:Printer halted. kill() called!
```
Since then the communication with printer is lost, the printing process stops and I have to reconnect to serial port... It's a disaster. I guess I need to lower the sensitivity to 3 degrees at least. I don't know how!?
# Answer
I had a similar issue when printing with ABS, because my print cooling fan only activated once it got to a certain height above the bed. I'd say you need to do a PID tuning session, insulate the bottom of the bed better, and see if you can make sure your cooling fan doesn't blow air over the bed itself.
> 1 votes
# Answer
For people from google: Go to configuration\_adv.h in the marlin firmware source code, and search for "THERMAL\_PROTECTION\_HYSTERESIS". Then increase the number. The number is how much degress celsius the temperature can be off before thermal runaway
> 3 votes
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Tags: marlin, diy-3d-printer, thermistor
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thread-19914 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19914 | Are IDEX printers able to make gradients? | 2022-09-13T07:30:28.763 | # Question
Title: Are IDEX printers able to make gradients?
I know that a single mixing nozzle with dual filament input can blend them in order to make gradients. I also know that IDEX means you have two independent nozzles and you can make objects with different materials (or colors).
But I don't understand if an IDEX printer can still "mix" (on the layer of course) the two filaments to create a gradient. My common sense says it's not possible, but I didn't find a proof of that.
I'm NOT interested in a mixing nozzle as most of the time I will need two different kind of filaments. The gradient with IDEX is just a "nice-to-have" feature. Not mandatory, but I would know before choose my next printer.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Consider the task from the creation reference. An IDEX printer requires the slicer to direct each nozzle to a specific location of the model while it is being created. No true gradient could be accomplished as it would require both nozzles to be in nearly-instant-extrusion proximity.
I suppose one could create a matrix of colors in a manner similar to that of RGB LED color displays, but that's a severe stretch of the imagination. It would require perhaps a strong understanding of full g-code control to place the individual lines. Additionally, there would be a limitation to two colors and the combinations thereof, although with the bi-color Quantum style filament, results might be interesting.
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Tags: filament, desktop-printer, dual-nozzle
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thread-19919 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19919 | Which software would be best to model these types of parts (needed for cubicle repair)? | 2022-09-13T18:10:04.303 | # Question
Title: Which software would be best to model these types of parts (needed for cubicle repair)?
I'm in need of printing some replacement parts for cubicles, and the image included with this post contains most of the parts we are need of replicating.
I read this helpful infographic on different 3D software packages and their use cases for 3D printing but am not sure which category these parts falls under. Would it be better to use Fusion360/OpenSCAD or Blender? We don't have the original measurements; we have the original parts and would be working off of pictures of the parts themselves.
# Answer
> 1 votes
You should use whichever software you're competent with. They will all do it.
Doing it from scratch without knowing the software is going to be a big learning curve. If thats the case you're probably best to use something like FreeCad as it's strength is in parts modelling.
Much more to it than just modelling the parts though, you need to be asking if these gadgets are actually suitable for 3d printing. Otherwise you can draw them, print them and then watch them fail.
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Tags: 3d-models, 3d-design
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thread-19895 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19895 | How to configure PrusaSlicer to prevent printing in the air | 2022-09-10T14:45:15.957 | # Question
Title: How to configure PrusaSlicer to prevent printing in the air
It is difficult to describe with words what's happening, so take a look at the picture. Somehow PrusaSlicer decides to move and print in the air (blue line), where instead it can continue going from outwards to inward. I understand it wants to print first the outer layer but in this case it is obvious it will not hold that layer.
The final position is shown in the second image.
The final step of that layer:
Any idea how to configure PrusaSlicer to avoid this situation?
# Answer
> 3 votes
The inability to do this is not fundamental, but it's currently a limitation in slicing software, and not likely to change soon.
You can see from this demo that the kind of printing you want is possible. However, it's currently only being done with software to assist in hand-crafting gcode to make the printer do what you want it to do. The hard part is making the slicer automatically figure out that that's what it's supposed to do.
For your needs, just printing from outer loop inward here is not going to suffice. There needs to be overlap, computation to compensate for the fact that extrusion lines will not squeeze out to their nominal width because there's nothing below them to extrude against, and using the overlap in the XY direction to achieve that instead. This is all new stuff slicers have just not been programmed to do.
So for now, you need supports. If you're willing to use Cura, Conical Supports or Tree Supports will let you support this with less waste material and make removal easier. Alternatively you could design your own support into the model and put it just under the hole in the middle, letting the flat part bridge. Or you could make a *sacrificial bridge layer* so that the first layer is solid bridge all the way across, and cut/drill it out after the print is done.
# Answer
> 5 votes
You'll want to turn on supports, which will create a series of low density pillars in the "floating" area and provide a foundation for the layer that is printing mid-air in your second image.
Another option is to create a hollow support cylinder perhaps a half millimeter larger diameter than the hole in the floating layer. This creates the support for the inner diameter and allows the printer to create bridges.
The former method will use more filament and take longer to print but provide a better under-surface than the latter method.
# Answer
> 2 votes
There is one way assuming the picture is complete, and that is to print the object upside down from it's current orientation. This would negate the need for any supports or worrying about printing in thin air.
If thats not possible then as Freds answer says, you need supports. If you're printing a run of the same objects you can make a support and insert it into the object at the correct layer and then re-use it for subsequent copies rather than print supports each time.
# Answer
> 1 votes
It isn't universally applicable but I have had success avoiding undesirable sagging in some situations by printing a part in two pieces, one inverted, and gluing the two "bed" surfaces together.
The software I use (Repetier 2.2.4) includes a setting "Cut Off Object Bottom" and accepts a dimension. For some objects it's possible to choose a cutoff point that will produce two pieces without overhangs that can be joined. The image shows a simple example.
Using the cut off option makes it possible to do this without making changes to the model.
# Answer
> 0 votes
> How to configure PrusaSlicer to prevent printing in the air
You need either support or change the print orientation.
You cannot print into the air, you can however print lines on top of a prior layer with a certain overlap, or bridge a certain gap. E.g. (screw) holes are often covered with 2 layers over the screw hole so that you use bridging to print (the cutout shows that the hole has a bottom):
After printing you need to punch through the layers to open the hole.
Starting and stopping extruding in thin air will result in deposition of the extruded material on the location the nozzle crosses a prior layer (often seen when support structure pillars have fallen over).
What is used frequently together with support in Ultimaker Cura is the option called `Enable support roof`, this will create a dense top layer on top of the support interface which allows for pretty good bottom surface of the overhang.
This e.g. results in the following slice:
When applied to a recently printed flanged tube you see that the bottom surface is pretty good (note the concentric lined top surface, first image shows the product with support, second image, on the left a view of the bottom above support layer and right the support with roof layer):
> How to configure PrusaSlicer to prevent printing in the air
In PrusaSlicer you should be able to something pretty similar with `Interface pattern spacing` set to zero:
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Tags: prusaslicer
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thread-19923 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19923 | Do I have to warm up the hotend for replacing pneumatic couplers on brand new Ender 3? | 2022-09-14T15:47:51.963 | # Question
Title: Do I have to warm up the hotend for replacing pneumatic couplers on brand new Ender 3?
I have a brand new Ender 3 v2 that I have not assembled yet. I've seen a lot of people saying the stock couplers break very soon so I already bought new couplers.
Now every video online says I have to warm up the hotend before changing. Some say it's because of the filament being melted in. Some say it's because of expansions and contractions. I'm not really sure what the reason is and I want to know if I need to warm up my printer before changing the couplers or not. Given that it has never been used before.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I've never warmed the hot end the three times I've changed the hot end coupler -- and of course, there's no warming to do for the corresponding part at the extruder end of the Bowden tube.
That said, however, I didn't change a coupler until I had several tens of hours on my Ender 3, and if the coupler is installed with a methacrylate thread locker ("Loctite") heat is a great help in getting the first move on the locked threads. I don't know any reason heating the hot end would cause problems, as long as you keep your delicate fingers away from the actual nozzle and heat block (and to a lesser extent, the heat break fins).
If the machine has filament or Bowden tub jammed in the coupler, you might find it easier to free them with the nozzle hot -- otherwise, the filament may be bonded to the cold nozzle.
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Tags: creality-ender-3
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thread-19913 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19913 | How to find enclosed 3D printer that can host 1 kg filament bobbins? | 2022-09-13T05:20:51.723 | # Question
Title: How to find enclosed 3D printer that can host 1 kg filament bobbins?
I'm struggling to find out an enclosed 3D printer that allow to load the common 1 kg filament bobbins. Most of the enclosed ones accept only proprietary bobbins (like Dremel or Flashforge).
Do these bobbins ( = 1 kg) rely on a specific standard I can search for? How to filter out the printers that match my request when making a Google search?
I'm aware I can "easily" put them out of the machine using a custom support (or even directly in a dryer as I do for my Dremel) but this partially nullifies the advantage of the enclosure.
# Answer
# There are standards for spools/bobbins/reels
Looking for standards for spools, I started at Alibaba and then came to an actual European manufacturer or retailer of reels: Häfner. They manufacture reels for wires, which are also used for 3D printers. They helpfully provide a chart of their products from about 250 cm³ to a whooping 98454 cm³ - which is about 250 grams of ABS to in theory 98 kilos. However, typically the largest spool you will find for privates is the 300/20 K type with about 3800 cm³, which is more than enough to get a 4-kilo reel of PLA onto it. At times you might find something in the order of 8000 to 10000 cm³ for a rather heavy 8-kilo spool, though that is industrial sizing.
As this single offerer shows, spools are **very** varied, and the hub diameter of them is not standardized, but the boreholes only come in very distinct sizes.
However, **some** of the items that are sold as 3D filament spools are actually welding wire spools, for which standards exist, such as this dictating "2‐1/32 inch" arbor holes.
## Scale of spools is dependant on the market
Typical enclosed consumer FDM machines are small.
But spools below 1 kilo are not useful for mass-production of large parts and even then, 3 kilos is a sweetspot for handling between ease of moving and time spent changing spools. So industrial machines usually take larger spools - or propriatory cannisters/cartridges with a spool.
One of the big ones is the Stratasys F900. It has a print-volume of 914 x 610 x 914 mm and takes "up to 500 cubic inch" cartridges, apparently the largest size of FDM Filament cartridge offered by Stratasys. For the record: 500 cubic inch weigh about 8 kilos in ABS, and about 10 kilos in PLA.
## Modification of existing printers
It is almost trivial to modify an existing printer that takes non-proprietary spools to allow taking in filament from the outside without keeping the door closed. A piece of PTFE tube can easily take the position of the spool inside the machine to guide the filament into the machine-mounted intake. The modification might only need a single small hole in the door for the tube or its fitting to get into the machine.
This way you mount pretty much an adapter for larger spools, but you bypass for example automatic filament detection with the spool unless you also open the door and slot in a "disk" of sorts that contains the RFID with the configuration of the mounted spool.
A random example setup, mounting the "outer intake" in an angled block at the center of the former door:
> 2 votes
# Answer
QIDI Tech makes a series of enclosed printers, which would narrow your search a bit. I own an X-Max model which has an internal spool spindle as standard equipment, along with an "ordinary" external mount. The internal spindle will take a standard one kilogram spool. It's considered good practice when printing moisture sensitive filament such as nylon to have such an environment.
With respect to search terms, it's fairly difficult to identify a phrase that would collect the information you require.
> 1 votes
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Tags: filament, desktop-printer, enclosure
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thread-19927 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19927 | Flashforge Adventurer 3, filament problem | 2022-09-16T06:54:36.350 | # Question
Title: Flashforge Adventurer 3, filament problem
I have just bought my son a used Flashforge Adventurer 3 and the man who sold it to me said he had a bit of trouble with the filament starting to come out before it touches the print bed but if you just grab the filament with a pair of tweezers right before it hits the bed it prints fine.
Does anyone have a way to fix the problem I'm a 3D printing virgin and it is being delivered today so I don't want it to be a problem for my boy.
# Answer
Most printers ooze material when heating up (no extruder rotation). Usually this is related to the left over amount of filament left in the nozzle/heat break. Tweezers are effective to remove the oozed material. This can also be deliberate, then it is called priming (extruder rotates).
You can retract filament after printing your product (in your end G-code script), this will reduce the amount of material it oozes during warm-up of the next print. If it is part of the priming, you could improve your start G-code to optimize priming (different location and height). Furthermore, you can also swipe at the beginning (adapting start G-code in your slicer).
> 0 votes
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Tags: filament, flashforge-adventurer-3
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thread-19930 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19930 | What are the potential continuances to a print of setting the retraction to 0 in a slicer? | 2022-09-16T19:02:23.950 | # Question
Title: What are the potential continuances to a print of setting the retraction to 0 in a slicer?
I have a moderately sized model that includes 4 thin towers off approximately 6 inches each in height as its final element, each tower is less than 1/4 inch in diameter.
These towers consistently fail to print. They begin printing normally but after about 4-5 inches the filament begins to deform in the extruder (Stock ender 5, no modifications), and to slip. It appears have been chewed up by the constant movement back and forward during retraction (which is particularly intense on these towers).
I've tired reducing the speed and the extrusion level, but it hasn't resolved my problem.
Other than stringing, what would the potential consequences be of setting the retraction to 0?
I ultimately printed my model in several pieces to avoid retraction between the towers, but I'm looking for future reference.
# Answer
> Other than stringing, what would the potential consequences be of setting the retraction to 0?
You're right to ask this, because there's inherently a dual problem. Whatever material ends up outside the model as strings wasn't conjured out of thin air; it's material that was **supposed to be somewhere else and didn't make it there** because it oozed out too early. As such, you will have corresponding underextrusion right after the stringing, and thus poor bonding, reduced part strength, possibly holes in the model that make it not watertight, etc.
If your printer firmware has Linear Advance (I'm not sure if it's enabled in the stock Creality firmware nowadays), tuning it will reduced the extent of the oozing when you omit retraction, and will also let you get string-free printing with a much shorter retraction length, which might be enough to solve the clogging.
The root cause of your problem is not the number of retractions itself, or the filament gear in the extruder. Well-tuned printers do prints with tens of thousands of retractions with no problem. Most likely it's a consequence of the Creality extruder having very poor grip on the filament, such that, once there's any resistance to pushing the filament, the gear slips on the filament. After that starts, it grinds, and it's game-over; it's very difficult to get it moving properly again, much like when your car gets stuck with its tire spinning in mud.
If this is the problem in your case, increasing the spring tension on the idler arm may help avoid it. Also, you can try to address the cause of increased resistance to pushing the filament. Normally what happens is that, after the material is retracted, it starts to solidify in a somewhat deformed shape that doesn't push as well through the hotend again. Reducing the retraction length helps, but slowing down the retraction can actually make it worse by giving it more time to cool. Increasing travel speed and travel acceleration (increase them **a lot**! like to at least 3000-4000 mm/s² acceleration and at least 300 mm/s speed) will greatly reduce the time the filament is held in the retracted state, leaving it ready to flow again as soon as you unretract.
> 1 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-5, retraction
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thread-19933 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19933 | How would I print a non-flat surface using FDM? | 2022-09-16T20:45:56.450 | # Question
Title: How would I print a non-flat surface using FDM?
So far, I have only printed with SLS printers. The results were great, but it was such a horrible mess, and precautions took so much time (gas mask, chemistry gloves, etc.) that I am now switching to FDM.
I would like to ask how I could print the following model:
When you look at this from the side, you notice that there is a gap, and I wonder how I could print this. I am not even sure how I could do this with supports.
As you can see, Cura also marks this region red.
Thank you for your any input how I could deal with this.
But I would like to keep this beautiful angle / gap. Having a totally flat would be my last option.
I have uploaded my model here, if you somebody needs it to estimate how to deal with it.
This is a screenshot of the support that Cura suggests. But I didn't understand it as I couldn't recognize anything.
# Answer
The "typical" angle for overhangs that can be printed without support is considered to be 45°, although some printer/plastic combinations can exceed that value. Your angle appears well beyond 45° and is closer to 90° which requires support.
I have printed models with similar overhangs and the support material creates an unsightly underside. This can be mitigated with a dual material printer, using water soluble filament for the support. I've recently seen videos and images of dual material prints in which the second material (support) was PETG. In both cases, a decent underside can be expected.
Additionally one could use a method promoted by Angus of Maker's Muse in one of his videos.
I have used this method with quite good results. It effectively converts an overhang to a bridging situation.
In your use case, consider that your model is a rounded rectangle. Create another ordinary rectangular prism slightly larger than the main object, perhaps two to four millimeters larger. Remove a shape from the inside matching the main object, but create it in such a manner as to have an overlap of one to two nozzle widths.
Unfortunately, I see that you have a double overhang, as the initial rim is horizontal and the secondary is angled. This would mean you'd want to create a single nozzle width rounded rectangle at the point of the slope change.
The angled portion is going to require support or a substantially increased amount of added-in "crutches" of similar design.
For something like this, I'd recommend a plane cut at the point where the angled surface meets the vertical surface. Create two objects, perhaps add alignment pins and then glue it together.
If you print it in ABS, you can then acetone smooth the result and make the glue joint disappear, especially if it is glued together with acetone/ABS slurry.
Images created from OP's model, screen captured via Meshmixer.
The resulting internal faces are perfectly flat, although possibly too thin for alignment pegs.
> 1 votes
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Tags: fdm, support-structures
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thread-19936 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19936 | Why does Cura create this turquoise support structure? | 2022-09-17T00:03:12.903 | # Question
Title: Why does Cura create this turquoise support structure?
I am just using Cura for the first time.
This is what my model looks like in Fusion 360:
Here is a close-up look:
And this is what Cura creates for me.
I assume the turquoise area is a support structure. Why does it do that?
Also, I don't understand why it marks the edges as red. I assume this means that there is problem.
Thank you!
# Answer
> 4 votes
Each color has a special meaning:
* turquoise: Support (in your case **Build Plate Adhesion**)
* Red: Shell
* Green: Inner Wall
* Yellow: Top / Bottom
And so on ; you can see them if you click on **"Color Scheme: Line Type"** on the **Preview Interface**, and select what you want to see.
The **turquoise** is your support for bed adhesion (see the **Build Plate adhesion** tree on your **Print Settings** interface), the **red** one is your **shell**.
Nothing is wrong, please read the doc, it could be useful sometimes ...
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Tags: ultimaker-cura
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thread-19892 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19892 | New Ender 3 E-steps off by 367? | 2022-09-10T08:42:02.967 | # Question
Title: New Ender 3 E-steps off by 367?
I usually see Ender 3's set at 93 for the E-steps which is still too low, and require adjusting to around 99 steps/mm, but a brand new Ender 3 (base model), running 1.1.6.2 firmware, was extruding at approximately 20% when doing a calibration test.
It wasn't until I set the E-steps to 460 steps/mm that it extruded correctly.
The test file is the same file I use for all Ender 3's so I know there were no slicing errors to blame (flow, etc).
I swapped extruder motors with a working printer to rule out the motor and ensured there was no nozzle clog. It was not the wrong motor (I know the Z motor is set to 400 for example, but this was not a Z motor, it was the proper E motor) and the 20 % extrusion was consistent with the swapped motor.
Clearly, it came from the factory like this. But this is the highest adjustment I have ever heard of.
Has anyone experienced this before?
Thank you!
# Answer
> 0 votes
> a brand new Ender 3 (base model), running 1.1.6.2 firmware, was extruding at approximately 20% when doing a calibration test.
This doesn't mean the esteps are wrong. There is no physically possible way the actually-needed esteps value can be off by more than a few percent from the nominal value of 93, which is linked to the motor step size and extruder gear diameter.
If you're only getting 20% of the desired extrusion, your extruder is broken (likely the tension arm is physically broken or the spring is missing or incorrectly installed or of the wrong length) or you have some sort of blockage in the hotend causing the extruder to slip.
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Tags: creality-ender-3, marlin, extruder
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thread-19941 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19941 | Dual Z Options: Pros and Cons | 2022-09-18T04:32:54.937 | # Question
Title: Dual Z Options: Pros and Cons
I have an Ender 3 V2 Neo. I have installed the Creality dual Z-axis upgrade kit (with a second Z stepper motor) and third-party anti-backlash nuts. Only afterwards did I discover that users were reporting Z-axis sync problems developing between power cycles (which I have confirmed firsthand).
One solution I came across is to install a kit which uses just the original Z stepper motor with an additional Z screw and a sync belt connecting both Z screws.
Another solution I came across was using the `G34` command to auto-align Z steppers. Then I discovered that to use `G34`, I would need to upgrade to a third-party motherboard with dual Z stepper drivers.
Both options are about the same cost.
If you have experience with either or both options, I would appreciate your feedback on the pros and cons of each option.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I have not used ether of the mentioned solutions. However I currently use this BeltDrivenEnder3
and it the best upgrade I've done for my Ender3 v1 pro. Easy enough to print and assemble and My Ender now has the print quality of a true pro printer.
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Tags: creality-ender-3, z-axis
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thread-19943 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19943 | What is this called and how do I avoid it? (model frees itself from support structure and warps upwards) | 2022-09-18T18:04:40.350 | # Question
Title: What is this called and how do I avoid it? (model frees itself from support structure and warps upwards)
I want to print the following model on my Kobra Max using ABS.
I have uploaded it here.
I have tried it 3 times now, it always results in this:
As you can see, one part managed to break free from the support and warped upwards. At this point, I had to stop the print process.
The element which broke free really has a strong will to bend.
What could I do in this case?
These are my print settings; bed temperature is 80 °C, and nozzle temperature is 195 °C.
# Answer
> 7 votes
> What is this called
This is called **warping**.
Warping of prints occurs frequently when you use a filament that shrinks. If the model would shrink uniformly, it will become smaller, like in a scaled version (unfortunately, the print is attached somewhere, which causes stresses in the first layers). But, if (due to the geometry of the print) some part of the model shrinks more, the model warps. It could then bend upwards from the build plate, deform at higher layers or sometimes even crack (e.g. in between layers).
> and how do I avoid it?
* A high(er) build plate temperature
* Not use a filament that is prone to shrink, e.g. ABS is frequently replaced by PETG/NGEN/some other Co-polymer nowadays
* Decent adhesion by using everything you can image to get the filament to stick to the build platform:
+ A rough build plate surface, like e.g. BuildTak or equivalent
+ An adhesive like glue stick or specific sprays like Dimafix or equivalent
+ A slurry of ABS and acetone
* Use an enclosure to raise the temperature of the build volume
* If an enclosure is impossible, use a draft shied (basically a multi layer skirt which creates a sort of a mini enclosure)
* Use a raft
* Don't use part fan cooling
# Answer
> 4 votes
You are getting warping. It's unusual in this case, as your overall model is relatively low profile. It's the taller stuff that likes to warp.
Consider to edit your post to include the layer heights and also the filament type and filament and bed temperatures. My first instinct is that your bed temperature is too low. There's little harm to be had by raising the temperature by ten degrees or so. Also if your slicer arbitrarily reduces the bed temperature after the first layers, disable that feature. There's no sense to set a good adhesion temperature on a print and later reduce it, yet I've seen slicer results that do just that.
Too cold filament by a substantial amount can also reduce the adhesion in combination with a too low bed temperature.
If you still run into adhesion problems, the Elmer's Purple Glue Stick works wonders.
With the new information comes new responses:
For ABS, 80 °C is on the low end for the bed, but may work. The extruder temp is really low for ABS. I run 250 °C for ABS. Also ensure some form of enclosure, even a cardboard box will help. I've accidentally fed ABS into a PLA profile. The results were surprisingly good, although warping was prevalent and some underextrusion was evident.
If you have a glass bed, you will very much want to use glue stick, as a release agent, not as an adhesive. ABS sticks really well to clean glass, well enough that it will pull fragments of glass from the surface!
# Answer
> 4 votes
This is definitely warping caused by subpar adhesion to the bed, you can try glue or making the bed hotter as this answer suggests.
Another way of really making sure is to take off the square corner. They seem to be really prone to warping. When I have a persistent issue that is beating the glue stick and bed heat I will add a bit to the design itself to have a rounded edge at the corner. Basically just a flat circle that goes a bit further out where the sharp corner is and just for the first few layers (frequently called mouse ears). Then during post processing I cut it off.
# Answer
> 4 votes
ABS is a challenging material to print because it warps. It warps because it shrinks as it cools. The top layers are cooler than the bottom layers on a heated bed, so they become slightly smaller, and flat things turn happy face shape.
The real way to print big flat parts in ABS is with an insulated enclosure, that keeps the temperature up and the top layers don’t shrink enough to peel the model off the build plate. Recommended bed temperature is 100 °C, which many printers struggle with.
I have only been able to get ABS to stick to the bed with “ABS juice”, a mixture of acetone and scrap ABS filament. Wear gloves and mop some onto the bed with a paper towel or brush. Check that your print surface is compatible with acetone, otherwise you’ll have to use something milder, like gluestick.
As well as using ABS juice/glue on the print surface, use a brim. It is an extra, sacrificial layer of plastic around the model on the first layer that can help big flat parts stay stuck down. It is relatively easy to peel off by hand or shave off with a utility knife.
A brim of 10 mm is a good starting point. Nuclear option: if a print or material is really problematic you can pause the print after 3 layers or so and tape the brim down to the bed with wide blue painter’s tape.
If it is cold in your shop, a heat lamp or 100 Watt incandescent bulb near the print can keep the temperature up, if you don’t want to build an enclosure.
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Tags: abs, warping, anycubic-kobra-max
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thread-15554 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15554 | Z-offset: 0.2 mm, 0.1 mm or the thickness of paper? | 2021-02-04T15:53:19.333 | # Question
Title: Z-offset: 0.2 mm, 0.1 mm or the thickness of paper?
So, I'm pretty new to 3D Printing, and to quote Spock from *Wrath of Khan* I would say "He is intelligent, but not experienced". Now everything I have been reading about Z-offset seems to talk about a 0.2 mm gap and using a piece of paper.
Wishing to be accurate, I have tried to use my 0.2 mm feeler gauges and this is too high.
However, the thickness of paper depends on the GSM (grams per square metre). A Google search tells me that the average thickness of paper is ~0.1 mm but how can we be accurate with this variation.
I tried using a 0.1 mm feeler gauge and even this seemed too high. Is this because of the lack of give in the metal? Anyway, I have now settled for a Lotto slip (UK Lottery) which has a thickness of 0.1 mm and seems to allow me to set a good offset.
However, I would welcome someone who can explain the science behind this.
# Answer
They are all generic guidelines. Don't count on them too much.
What you need is a reproducible offset to get the same value everywhere in the bed, then you can correct the overall offset via gcode at the beginning of your print.
You can also get an approximate Z-offset value, then print a solid 30x30x5 mm cube.
If, starting from the third-fourth layer, you see some over-extrusion, you need to adjust the extrusion multiplier or the E steps calibration and reprint.
Once the solid cube looks good starting from the third-fourth layer up, then you can tune the Z offset by printing a cube which is only 0.2 mm high (or 0.25 mm, or whatever your first layer height is).
If you see over-extrusion, the Z offset is too big. If you see visible gaps between extrusion lines, the Z offset is too small.
If unsure, better get some small remaining gaps rather than overextrusion and excess material.
The idea is that extrusion issues in the first layer can be caused either by the offset or by the multiplier, so you must adjust the multiplier first by looking at the print after about 1 mm height (the first layer issues tend to disappear after some layers). Once you know the extrusion is right, set properly the first layer.
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**Edit**
For a good guide check Andrew Ellis' guide: set first the extrusion multiplier and then the first layer squish.
> 8 votes
# Answer
Measuring a gap with paper is just a rule of thumb. Personally I didn't measure anything, I've just made sure my bed is level and adjusted z-offset bit by bit until I was satisfied with the results. I couldn't tell you how wide the gap is.
On the other note you might not have to reconfigure your Marlin. You might be able to configure your z-offset by adjusting it directly in your printer config menu or alternatively if you are using Cura you can download a plug-in that allows you to adjust z-offset. You just have to remember to reslice your model if you print on multiple surfaces with different thickness
> 0 votes
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Tags: bed-leveling, calibration, z-probe
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thread-19932 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19932 | How do I increase the spring tension on the idler arm on a Stock Ender 5 Pro | 2022-09-16T20:26:06.117 | # Question
Title: How do I increase the spring tension on the idler arm on a Stock Ender 5 Pro
It has been suggested that I should increase the spring tension on the idler arm, on a Stock Ender 5 Pro, due to a problem with the extruder mangling filament during rapid retractions.
How do I do this?
# Answer
> 2 votes
I only have ender 3 pro but if extruder works the same way you could just unscrew the bolt holding the spring in place and put some washers or a printed bush to squeeze the spring further. If you have one of those extruders with plastic arms then I've heard from some people that they could partially crack after some time, thus releasing some tension. If that's the case you might want to invest in an aluminum one.
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Tags: extruder, creality-ender-5
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thread-16196 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16196 | Pause, rehome X/Y, resume | 2021-04-26T14:57:17.460 | # Question
Title: Pause, rehome X/Y, resume
Every now and then I'll have a problem with layer shift. Solving this is a separate issue, but it occurred to me: most of the time when this happens I notice right away because of the noise. What if there were an easy to to pause the print, re-home the X/Y axis (not Z), and then resume. I'd only have one layer that was a bit off. Sometimes that's enough to ruin the print but sometimes I could clean up with a razor knife later and just live with the small scarring and weakness.
Is there a way to do this during a print? I suspect it might require support within the printer (or print tool like OctoPrint), and might also depend on how the print is sliced in terms of knowing absolute vs relative coordinates at any given moment.
# Answer
Have you tried this? It should just work, at least if you're using software like Octoprint to control the printer over serial interface rather than print-from-SD-card on the printer itself. In such a setup you're free to submit whatever commands (in particular, `G28 X Y`) you like while the print is paused. You'll need it setup to save and restore position across pause/resume, or the next command executed might start from the wrong starting position; this would be no problem if it's a travel command, but if it's an extrusion move it would make a mess.
If you're using the printer's builtin pause/resume functionality, I'm not sure whether it will work. It mainly depends on whether it *lets you* access the homing function while paused. If not this is more of a logic limitation than any fundamental incapability, and could be fixed in the firmware.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Repetier software has a Pause button and works very well. I use it to change filament color in mid-print. When pause is invoked manual moves and homing of all three axes are available. In my case, after pausing I quickly home X and Y so the nozzle is not over the in-progress print in case of oozing during the filament change. I also move +10 mm on the Z axis to provide a little working space. When resuming, the print head moves to exactly where it was interrupted and goes on as before. I can't see any reason a pause and home scheme wouldn't be an option after a minor layer shift.
> 0 votes
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Tags: print-quality, homing, layer-shifting
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thread-19955 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19955 | XYZ da Vinci 3D printer doesn't want to load filament | 2022-09-22T03:52:18.273 | # Question
Title: XYZ da Vinci 3D printer doesn't want to load filament
My XYZ da Vinci 3D printer doesn't want to load my spool but I still have a lot of filament on it. I took the chip out in both spool and the printer itself and made sure I loaded them in correctly, but it still says that the spool is empty and I don't know what to do at this point.
# Answer
## Proprietary systems have proprietary problems
The XYZ daVinci series is locked down in a way that without both an RFID and the sensor, it does not and can not recognize a spool at all, and thus does not print.
Resetting a spool's chip, according to the manufacturer, risks frying the motherboard.
However, DaVinci offers a special spool holder to solve the issue.
> 2 votes
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Tags: xyz-da-vinci-mini-w
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thread-19959 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19959 | Ender 3 S1 - Is this positioning or extrusion error? Or something else? | 2022-09-22T12:56:02.250 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 S1 - Is this positioning or extrusion error? Or something else?
I have been printing for a few years now, and recently purchased an Ender 3 S1. I have a strange issue, that I couldn't resolve yet.
If there is a geometric change between layers, then the unchanged parts misalign also. I attach a picture, but try to explain too: A flat vertical wall is looking perfect, but if there is a window in it, the rest of the wall is displaced in the same layers at the bottom and top of the window, then resumes normally. The error is in connection with the object's geometry, not the parameters of the printer. (It is not at a specific Z height) In a calibration cube, this happens at the bottom and top of the Y and X letter indents.
So, I checked the belt tensions, rods are straight, nothing loose, nothing too tight, and the temperatures are steady. I tried 20 mm/s and 50 mm/s, the same result. Not a layer shift, everything else is spot on position. I'm thinking of a slicing issue maybe? Or over/under extrusion? Really out of ideas.
# Answer
> 0 votes
This is lost material due to oozing, combined with lack of linear advance calibration. If you don't see ooze/stringing on the outside of your model, it's probably inside, caused by internal travel skipping retractions.
If you use Cura, the Cura term for this is combing. Rather than turning it off, it's best to set the "Max Comb Distance Without Retract" to around 1 mm, and turn on "Connect Infill Lines". This will not add many retractions, but should still avoid all the internal oozing.
If you use PrusaSlicer/SuperSlicer, I believe their name for the same option is "Only retract when crossing perimeters". Turning this off will make it always retract for travel moves.
You'll also want to tune Linear Advance. Otherwise you'll still have inconsistent extrusion thickness that's speed-dependent, and bulging corners.
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Tags: creality-ender-3, layer-shifting
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thread-19963 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19963 | Print Object Without Top Layer But With Intermediate Layers | 2022-09-24T15:22:17.593 | # Question
Title: Print Object Without Top Layer But With Intermediate Layers
I'm using PrusaSlicer with OpenSCAD. I want to print a solid object with a notch in it, without top layers, but with infill and solid walls for the notch, like this...
I can set the number of top layers to zero (**Print Settings** \> **Layers and perimeters** \> **Solid Layers** \> **Top** = 0), which gets rid of the top layers as desired, but it also removes the base from the notch, like this...
Is there any way to do what I want without awful shenanigans in OpenSCAD or editing G-code?
# Answer
> 3 votes
I just confirmed it works flawlessly in PrusaSlicer as it did in Slic3r, the software from which PrusaSlicer is forked. Just use the solution provided in "Different infill in the same part", but now do not change infill options but the layer options.
First load the cube with notch, and then load/insert a modifier to get something like the following (grey is the box with notch, green cube is the modifier):
Now change the options (click on modifier and left-click to select `Layers and Perimeters` option item) of the modifier (select zero top and bottom layers):
The sliced solution will look like what you request:
Note that this solution will give you an object that is exactly the height of the designed cube, it just doesn't have a top surface, but infill and walls to the top.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I would just pause at the second to last layer, remove the print and cancel it.
With Cura you can do this easily in the slicer. Or just manually do it.
I have never used Prusaslicer but all slicers must have this. For more information, see the Prusa documentation "Insert pause or custom G-code at layer".
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Tags: slicing, openscad, prusaslicer
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thread-19974 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19974 | Changing a teflon tube inside a hotend, help with disassembly | 2022-09-26T12:17:19.277 | # Question
Title: Changing a teflon tube inside a hotend, help with disassembly
I have an HBot 3D 1.1 printer (it's a CoreXY style printer, newer versions are produced by ZMorph). I think that a filament guide tube inside the hotend got damaged, resulting in decreased diameter, which means I can't push the filament through it. It stops halfway through the heatsink (black marker in the attached photo).
I need some help, I'm not sure how to disassemble this type of hotend. With my Ender 3 which I have at home, I can just unscrew the nozzle since it's simply a hexagonal nut, but here it seems that the nozzle and heat block are one part and I don't think I can unscrew the heat block and the heatsink. I'm not sure what to do.
I'm sure the nozzle itself isn't clogged. I've done some cold-pulling on one end, inserted a thin wire from the other, and examined the insides with a flashlight.
# Answer
> 5 votes
This is an old hotend type, it is called a J-Head (see e.g. the J-Head Nozzle Mk V, I'm unsure which exact version you have). The hotend is serviceable, you can buy separate "nozzles" (with integrated heater block) for it in some e-shops. You should be able to unscrew the "nozzle" from the PEEK nozzle holder. The milled flat surfaces indicate that you can use a 13 mm or 1/2" open-end wrench to disassemble the PEEK nozzle holder.
The "nozzle":
The instruction to assemble such a hotend are:
> **Mk V**
>
> 1. Secure the brass nozzle in a vise by the heater section.
> 2. Wrap a couple of turns of PTFE tape (plumbing tape) around the brass threads.
> 3. Screw the nozzle holder down onto the nozzle. If no flats are milled, use a pair of pliers to tighten the nozzle. The nozzle holder can be protected from the pliers by first wrapping it with a rag or paper towel. If there are flats milled, a 13 mm (1/2") open-end wrench can be used to tighten the nozzle.
> 4. Remove the brass nozzle from the vise.
> 5. Slide the PTFE liner down into the nozzle holder. The PTFE liner needs to be inserted such that the flat end is making contact with the brass and the internally tapered end is towards the top. Install the washer.
> 6. Screw in the hollow-lock socket set screw. Ensure that the washer stays centered while tightening this set screw. Use a piece of filament to ensure that the set screw is not too tight as the liner can become compressed and obstruct the passage. If this happens, slightly loosen the set screw.
To disassemble you need to reverse the order.
You need to ask yourself it you want to change to a newer type of hotend, but generally, these are higher, e.g. compared to a V6:
# Answer
> 0 votes
Not exactly the type of answer you probably want, but this hotend does not look servicable. The nozzle is usually considered a consumable part unless it's made of something like tungsten carbide, or at least steel. The nozzle is almost surely long past its useful life unless the printer was barely used, and the entire hotend has lots of design flaws like very small thermal mass and heat sink butting up against the heater block, which defeats the purpose of having a heat sink.
The right solution here is to figure out what kind of attachment it's supposed to use (dimensions of that groove mount) and buy or put together a replacement hotend.
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Tags: hotend, nozzle, ptfe-tube
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thread-19657 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19657 | Root cause fix for TPU overhang failures | 2022-07-16T15:53:11.103 | # Question
Title: Root cause fix for TPU overhang failures
Lately I've been having a lot of trouble with printing overhangs in TPU. The failures are very geometry/toolpath dependent, entirely reproducible in their location (same gcode gives same failures each time it's printed), and seem to occur where there is a convex (model-inward) curve over an overhang of more than 40° or so. My original test case for this was frog model with more severe overhang, but I since made a simplified conical overhang test piece at only 50° that's faster to reprint and shows the issue:
The frog print on the left is pretty much a complete failure. The one on the right is mostly a success, but shows some moderate flaws around one side (left, as viewed) and the front of the belly, and even slight flaws (hard to see in pic) around the other side of the belly. It was done using some of the mitigations described below.
The test piece on the left is nearly perfect. The other two show varying degrees of the overhang problem I'm experiencing, and make it easier to see what exactly is happening than with the frog. The extrusion seems to bunch up, then get stretched out too thin, in an oscillating pattern that builds up and shifts with each layer.
I've tried printing overhangs significantly slower and reducing speed and acceleration quite a bit on the outer walls and even on the inner walls too, and none of that seems to help. Nor does increasing the number of walls or the wall line thickness help. However a number of things do seem to help, and it takes two or more of these in combination to get a mostly acceptable result at 0.2 mm layer height:
* Increasing flow to a level where the extruded mass is the expected amount (this makes wall dimensions excess so I usually don't do it)
* Taking the infill up to 20% or higher and using an infill pattern where the infill meets the walls frequently (gyroid 20% or more seems best; I'm trying not to do this because I want to final objects to be more flexible in some cases)
* Increasing Klipper square corner velocity to 30+ so that the entire approximated curves are traversed at constant speed with no acceleration/deceleration
* Increasing Klipper PA smooth time window from 10ms to 40ms
Generally I'm able to choose some subset of the above that works, but it ends up being a matter of per-model trial-and-error, wasting lots of time and materials if the settings don't work, so I'd like to figure out what's really going on here so I can make predictions about what will work and ideally get a base configuration that "always" works. Also, I still don't have this working at thinner layer heights, which I'd like to be able to use for better detail, as TPU is flow-bound not motion-bound and I could in theory print much higher detail at the same speed with thinner layers.
My best guess at the root cause so far is that the overhanging walls simply do not have enough rigidity to avoid being displaced by the toolhead attempting to extrude against them, so any oscillation of the toolhead velocity or extrusion pressure causes them to deform in the pattern of the oscillation. Does this seem plausible, and if so, what might some other possible mitigations be?
For completeness, my printer is a heavily modified Ender 3 with (remote) direct drive extruder and fairly extreme cooling, but turning the cooling way down or even off (assuming sufficient layer time for passive cooling) does not seem to affect the behavior here significantly. So I think the question is mostly printer-agnostic and is really a matter of material behavior and slicing.
# Answer
The root cause was a badly worn nozzle.
The problem described in this question gradually became more and more severe and began affecting PLA and PET prints with thin layers too. Eventually I traced it to the CHT nozzle, by swapping in a 50¢ plain brass nozzle, and found someone with otherwise very similar extrusion system to test on their CHT and confirm that the prints giving me problems came out fine for them. Replacing my CHT with a new one has now made it all better. My old one was roughly 0.16 mm shorter (by difference in Z offset) presumably from wear, and to look at the orifice, it was probably nearly 0.8 mm wide. If so, it was like trying to print 0.4 mm lines with an 0.8 mm nozzle, which is expected to fail moderately to badly, especially on overhangs. And this explains why increasing flow (or, as I later tried and had success with, using wider line widths) partly succeeded.
I did still have a minor variant of the problem with TPU after switching to the new nozzle, before recalibrating pressure advance, which I'd calibrated down somewhat before (due to less pressure with an excessively wide orifice). After recalibrating, the problem seems to be entirely gone.
I still don't want to discount the factors I found before. It seems very plausible that this could come back whenever TPU is being printed without a firm surface to extrude against. In my case, the primary mechanism of that seems to have been a nozzle whose opening was excessively wide from wear, but the same should still happen if the wall is wobbling from lack of reinforcement.
> 2 votes
# Answer
As best I can tell, the root cause really is that the affected walls are insufficiently rigid to build upon. In the frog model where even the "good" print was not perfect, the gyroid infill in that region, even when dense, was running parallel to the wall such that it did not lend as much rigidity as it otherwise would. The commonality between all the mitigations I looked at so far was that they either improve the rigidity of the wall or decrease the forces on the wall that might displace it when trying to print on top of it.
I'm going to focus on increasing the rigidity, because decreasing forces does not sound like it can be done *consistently, independent of model geometry*, at least not without going really slow and having fans extremely low or off. (Even though fan did not seem to be relevant to my test model, it absolutely will be if the model geometry happens to act as a fan duct.)
First of all, with sloped outer surfaces, the thickness of material making up the surface is not the wall thickness (0.8 mm with two 0.4 mm walls), because you have to measure it perpendicular to the surface. At 45°, for example, it's scaled down by the square root of two (so about 71%), and gets worse as the angle gets more severe. Even 95A TPU is extremely flimsy at that sort of thickness.
The slic3r family (including PrusaSlicer, SuperSlicer) has an option to mitigate this called "ensure vertical shell thickness". Cura, which I'm using, doesn't, but you can ensure the same thing by increasing the number of "bottom layers" (or "top layers" for an inward-leaning surface, but those are much less difficult to print because the infill supports them) and ensuring that skin preshrink ("Skin Removal Width") is not set so high as to remove the "bottom layers" that come into existence along outward sloped walls. The default of full wall width will remove it for all but the most severe overhangs, defeating the purpose, so it needs to be set lower. I use a setting of 0.39 mm, just below the line width, already for unrelated reasons, and that worked fine.
Now, on top of that, Cura defaults to printing one wall around skin ("Extra Skin Wall Count"), meaning most of the skin added as "bottom layers" would come out as a loop, rather than zigzag line fill. This is great when you want to print rigid materials fast, but also defeats the purpose, as an extra extrusion path alongside the 2 TPU walls already there does almost nothing to make them more rigid. You actually want the zigzag fill, alternating directions with each layer, as it adds *a lot* of rigidity you otherwise can't get with TPU. So "Extra Skin Wall Count" should be set to 0 here.
After making these changes, and using 5 bottom layers, I'm able to get successful prints of my test piece and the frog test with no other mitigations as long as I have the fan limited (using 30%, but my 30% is probably stronger than most printers' 100%, so likely not an issue for most folks). Using heavier flow further improves wall rigidity and makes it likely that fan doesn't matter, but it doesn't seem to be necessary. Using heavier infill is also not necessary; I can get nice squishy parts with only 10% gyroid.
One nice feature modern Cura has is separate settings for "bottom layers" and "initial bottom layers", so I can keep the latter lower and not waste material building on the bed surface while still getting strong diagonal walls and bottoms over supports.
# TL;DR
Strengthen sloped walls by doing the following:
* Increase number of bottom layers to at least 4 or 5
* Ensure skin removal isn't removing skin along overhanging walls (reduce to below 0.4 mm)
* Disable extra skin outlines
> 1 votes
# Answer
I fixed my overhangs by increasing the nozzle temp. You need to heat it up enough that the elasticity is lost which makes it misbehave on overhangs and curl up.
> 0 votes
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Tags: print-quality, filament, print-material, tpu
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thread-19982 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19982 | Using 40W adapter on 30W heater cartridge? | 2022-09-27T17:15:18.513 | # Question
Title: Using 40W adapter on 30W heater cartridge?
Recently, I accidentally shorted out my heater cartridge when trying to do my first nozzle swap on my Prusa MK3S+. I just ordered a new E3D v6 Hotend with 30 W Heater Cartridge and it will be here in a few days. I just cut the wire from my heater cartridge to my heat block (long story short, I can't remove it from the block). I'm not sure I understand exactly the wattage though. The heater cartridge that came with my Prusa MK3S+ is 40 W. Does that mean the actual cartridge or the plug into the board? Also, can I just solder the existing 40 W wires to the new 30 W cartridge? If so, does it need to be a precise solder (I'm not very good at precise soldering) Finally, can I just wrap the connection in electrical tape? Sorry for so many questions; this is my first time trying to understand the electrical component of 3D Printing. Any help would be appreciated.
I can't replace my individual heater cartridge because the screw was melted in. I checked my mainboard fuses and they are fine. My printer still powers on, all the motors work fine, and even the bed heater works. I cut the wires at the heater cartridge and left them in the air not touching, and now it thinks it's heating up, so I think that I can deduce that the wires were touching the heater cartridge, and I wasn't able to separate them. Unfortunately, I don't have a wire crimper and am trying to keep this fix as simple as possible.
**Note:**
After using a 30 W heater on my MK3S+ for a while, I started getting thermal runaway problems somehow, and I have switched over to E3D Revo Six for the safer PTC heating element.
# Answer
There's a lot going on in this question, and I think you would have done better to ask first before ordering anything how to fix your printer. It's not even clear what part is damaged. A heater cartridge itself can't be damaged by shorting, as that's basically the normal mode of operation for it. However, if you shorted the leads going into it to one another, bypassing the heater, those wires **or more likely your mainboard** could be toast. Or you might just have broken a wire.
Moreover, it doesn't make sense why you ordered a whole replacement hotend, much less one that's a downgrade for your printer. The E3D V6 is woefully underpowered at 30W. 40W is a bare minimum nowadays.
To answer your specific question points, normally heater cartridges and preassembled hotends come with wires long enough, and proper gauge, to go all the way to the terminals on the mainboard. Some, however, have short wires and some sort of connector. If it has long wires, it's best to just run them all the way to the mainboard as intended rather than splicing. If you do need to splice wire or add a connector, wiring that was made for a higher current will be fine for lower current (as long as it's undamaged). Solder joints are generally not a good idea, though, as they will undergo wear when the wire moves with the toolhead. My understanding is that it's better to use some sort of crimp splice.
And of course, before you do any of this, try to determine whether your controller board is what's damaged. If so, which I think is fairly likely, then you need to either repair or replace it, not the hotend. Connecting a multimeter (in voltage mode) or light bulb of the appropriate voltage to the heater terminal on the board and trying to run the heater would tell you immediately if it's bad (no output) but won't necessarily tell you that it's good.
> 1 votes
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Tags: prusa-i3, hotend, wiring
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thread-19980 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19980 | PETG configuration | 2022-09-27T14:25:57.883 | # Question
Title: PETG configuration
Recently, I have started to use PETG as my new material, before that I had been using ABS. But I stopped using ABS because of the cracking. I have been printing a lot of calibration cubes and I thought I was ready to print a bigger piece. This is the result, it has small holes and empty lines in the walls. On the top, I don't know what happened.
I have a Tronxy cube x5 which I use together with Cura. I print in PETG at 230 °C.The print bed is set to 65 °C. I use a print cooling fan at 30 %. The layer height I set to 0.2 mm, the line width from the 0.3 mm nozzle. The Printing Speed is set to 20 mm/s for walls and 35 mm/s for infill. My retraction is 4 mm/off at 20 mm/s.
What do you recommend I do?
# Answer
> 1 votes
It looks like you have moisture in the filament. Also, Your hotend temperature may be too low. See Printing PETG in Material to use inside ultrasonic cleaner
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Tags: print-quality, petg
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thread-19989 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19989 | Editing a G-code file for different material | 2022-09-29T13:41:26.263 | # Question
Title: Editing a G-code file for different material
I had a model I had originally printed in PLA, and then lost the STL... but I still have the G-code. Now I want to print it in PET-G. Do I need to do anything other than update the numbers on the M104 and M90 instructions near the top of the file to set for new hot end and bed temperatures to get it to print properly?
I know some materials I might also need to adjust speeds, but it seems like with PLA\<=\>PET-G those two items ought to be enough. Is there anything else I should check?
# Answer
> 6 votes
Tired of waiting, the print is now 40% done and seems to be just fine.
Thinking through my own problem more, there are three other things I might want to check (other than base speeds, as mentioned in the question) if I do this in the future:
1. Cooling. Some materials need the cooling fan set differently. This should also be a single line edit near the top of the file.
2. Retraction. Some materials need different retraction settings to control stringing, and in fact I do find I often need retraction to be a little more aggressive for PET-G vs PLA, even if this one print came out okay. This change is needed for every retraction instruction, instead of just once at the top of the file, but I could probably adjust it via a simple find/replace in the file.
3. Travel Speed. Some materials need faster travel moves, also for stringing. This manages a trade-off between speed and quality. One *could* just always set for the fastest travel speed, which both improves print times and stringing, but faster travel moves sometimes result in ringing/ghosting at the corners, and so there's a balance that can be different per material type. This *might* be adjustable with a find/replace, but I would want to read through the file some to be sure we don't use similar gcode/speed numbers for anything else. It may also be possible to use strong accelleration/jerk controls to compensate for consistently faster travel moves, in which case I could set my slicer to use fast speeds that still always work, regardless of material.
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Tags: g-code, print-material
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thread-19987 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19987 | Why raft is printed much better than the actual first layer? | 2022-09-29T07:43:24.603 | # Question
Title: Why raft is printed much better than the actual first layer?
I'm facing a weird problem I cannot understand why it happens. Most of my objects have a large planar base so I don't have any adhesion issue. I'm using a PLA Silk gold filament from eSun (filament dryer is on while printing) and a Dremel 3D45 printer.
This is the bottom (first layer) of an object printed directly on the (glass) bed:
Then I tried another object (very similar) using a raft. The raft itself is almost perfect:
But, again, the first layer of the actual object (only 0,1 mm air gap from the raft) has the same problems of the first one:
The most relevant settings I'm using in Cura are:
* layer height: 0.2 mm
* initial layer height: 0.3 mm
* top/bottom line width: 0.4 mm
* initial layer line width: 100%
* top/bottom thickness: 0.8 mm
* nozzle temperature: 205 °C
* nozzle temperature initial layer: 210 °C
* bed temperature: 60 °C
* bed temperature initial layer: 65 °C
* print speed: 50 mm/s
* print speed initial layer: 25 mm/s
* cooling: 100%
* initial fan speed: 0%
* regular fan speed at height: 0.3 mm
I enabled the auto-calibration before each print.
# Answer
Based on the scarring and the appearance of the printed holes, it looks as if the nozzle to bed distance is not good, it is probably too large (could be too close as well, if you consider the scarring where the nozzle might have picked up already deposited material). The bed is also quite hot, for PLA you could drop this to 50 °C
Note that an initial layer height of 0.3 mm is also quite large, it causes a lot of material to be deposited while there might be too much/too little room for the amount. Printing on glass should give you a shiny mirror glaze finish (unless the glass is textured); the images don't express that feature from printing on glass build platforms.
A raft generally shouldn't be necessary for PLA (but some exceptions may apply), but certainly not for large planar based prints with a decent amount of surface area in contact with the bed. It is hard to get a nice surface on top of a raft/support structure.
Rafts generally print very well as there is extra space in between the deposited lines, and there usually is some over-extrusion.
> 2 votes
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Tags: pla, rafts, dremel-3d45
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thread-19887 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19887 | Is real PETG softened/degraded by acetone? | 2022-09-09T13:16:54.413 | # Question
Title: Is real PETG softened/degraded by acetone?
I can't seem to find any reliable answer to this question. My understanding was always that PETG should be solvent-resistant, including to acetone, but parts printed from the various "PETG" filaments I have range from utterly falling apart (layer delaminations, outright ripping under tension) to deformation and smoothing of corners when soaked in acetone. Parts printed in actual PET are unaffected, as expected.
Is this an expected consequence of the modification to PET that produces PETG, or is it a sign that lots of filament vendors are deceptive and shipping some weird garbage and calling it "PETG"?
# Answer
To my understanding all PETG is vulnerable to different solvents to a certain degree. Despite PET being resistant to acids of many kinds, hence why it is used in plastic bottles and plastic-ware, this does not transfer over.
Nearly all filaments are incapable of handling the stronger kinds of acids, and although I cannot speak for the manufacturers on Amazon, poor quality will inexorably aggravate the thermoplastic more-so.
If it's any consolation, most/any filaments available are not remarkably chemically stable, least of all against organic solvents.
> 0 votes
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Tags: filament, print-material, petg
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thread-19998 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19998 | Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing? | 2022-10-01T16:36:32.280 | # Question
Title: Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing?
Are 3D prints safe to touch right after printing? If not should I do some kind of curing (like in resin printing) when my prints are done or wash them with alcohol or something.
# Answer
## FFF/FDM: Yes
FDM/FFF runs by melting a filament and letting it cool again. As soon as the printed parts are cooled down to below 50°C (which is rather quick) handling them is safe. There's no chemical process involved, it is a pure physical, thermoplastic process, and the plastic re-solidifies as the part is cooled down.
It is far more likely to get damage from touching the hotend than from the printed part.
## SLS/DLMS aka Fused Powder prints: Yes but...
SLS/DLMS runs by pointing a high-powered laser on a fine powder and melting/smelting/welding/sintering it together. While such powder prints, no matter what type of powder they are made from, are safe for your *hands* to touch, the fine powders are very bad for your lungs. Handling such prints requires breathing protection until they are dusted off, usually using compressed air.
For stability, some are impregnated with resins after print, which requires hand protection till the resins are cured.
## DLP/SLA aka "Resin": NO
Resin parts are made by curing a liquid resin.
The most common type is DLP/SLA, where a laser or light source cures the resin at the bottom of a vat and the model is pulled up from. As a result, they come coated in liquid, uncured resin. These resins are a known skin irritant, and their fumes can be an irritant too. In general, keep them in a dedicated workshop.
Because of this, these prints are **not** safe to handle barehanded and need to be washed and cured after printing.
## Polyjet Resin Printing: kindoff
There's a method of resin printing that is more akin to an inkjet printer, such as the Stratasys Polyjet system. Those prints don't come coated in resin and come out cured to a point where handling them is safe, but those are (as of 2022) industrial machines, and even as the PolyJet core patent expired in 2019, it is a market that nobody jumped at, especially considering many of the advanced features like full-color Polyjet using CMYB is under patent still. Oh, and apparently, even in 2022, only one other company managed to make a functional Polyjet machine that is ripe for the market, which is super tiny in the first place.
Back to topic. While the parts come out fully cured, polyjet printing itself is messy. You absolutely need support material **everywhere**. It is safe to touch, but in the dissolution stage of the support material, it is most certainly not safe to touch.
> 8 votes
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Tags: print-material, safety, material, health
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thread-20002 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20002 | How does relative bed flatness affect print quality? | 2022-10-02T00:58:28.603 | # Question
Title: How does relative bed flatness affect print quality?
What are ways to a priori determine how bed flatness affects prints, as a function of the initial layer height? It's pretty obvious that a 50 µm difference from one edge of the print to the other is not a big deal when layer heights are 500 µm, but it's huge when the initial layer height is 100 µm.
So where's the elbow between **good**, **okay**, and **bad**?
Motivation: I'm working on making a flat bed and want to know when to stop.
# Answer
You can go about this by doing the arithmetic for volume of the extruded lines that go in the first layer, and figuring how their width will be affected by their thickness differing from the planned thickness.
For isolated lines or lines that are just part of a double wall, any excess will be "elephant foot". For solid fill, the error will accumulate until there's nowhere for the material to go, and it will either pile up above the nozzle height at the sides of the nozzle or cause the extruder to skip or slip after building up pressure that leaves the nozzle over-primed. It's also possible that the bed springs or compressibility of the build surface (buildtak, etc.) take up some of the error past this point.
For cases where the distance between the nozzle and bed is too great, on the other hand, it's possible that the extrusion will only slightly smash against the bed, or not at all. In that case you have to work out what dimensions the non-squished, likely-circular cross sections will have.
> 1 votes
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Tags: bed
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thread-20007 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20007 | What is this situation called and how do I avoid it? | 2022-10-02T12:51:41.797 | # Question
Title: What is this situation called and how do I avoid it?
I am trying to print ColorFabb XT-Filament PETG on my Kobra Max, and I get the following results:
These are my Cura settings:
# Answer
## WAY too low print temperature/wrong material Profile
That's a PLA profile with 195 °C on the printhead. PETG is recommended between 230 °C and 250 °C. Load a PETG-Profile. in Cura, the material (which dictates print temperature) is a separate thing and can be swapped independent of many other settings, especially how detailed you print. However, very careful piece of advice:
**Save your profile before swapping materials!**
> 3 votes
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, filament, petg, colorfabb-xt
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thread-19971 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19971 | What is this behaviour called and how do I fix this? | 2022-09-25T19:16:08.533 | # Question
Title: What is this behaviour called and how do I fix this?
I am printing Eryone 1.75 mm PET on my Kobra Max printer with 80°C bed and 230°C.
I am experiencing this:
Is this "over-extrusion" and "stringing"?
And how do I avoid this?
# Answer
PETG sticks to brass nozzles *really well*. Better than it sticks to itself, in many cases. When travelling over already-printed material, especially if the filament is not retracted (Cura calls this kind of travel "combing") or if the material it's travelling over is overextruded and bulging up, the nozzle will pick-up/dig-up some of that material and drag it around. There, it accumulates until the size and shape is adequate to cause it to get dislodged when a part that's sticking out far enough not to be molten collides with another part of the print, and it falls off. It may get picked up again by the hot nozzle later, leading the process to repeat.
There are various mitigations for this:
* Limit "combing". In Cura, set "Max Combing Distance Without Retract" to 1 mm and "Connect Infill Lines" on to get good behavior without introducing huge numbers of retractions. slic3r-based slicers have an option called something like "Only Retract When Crossing Perimeters" that you want to turn **off** to get the same effect.
* Make sure you're not overextruding. Turn down flow slightly if needed.
* Dry your filament. PETG is always wet unless you dried it in the past 24 hours yourself, and wet PETG does this a lot worse.
* You may be able to select a nozzle that the material doesn't stick to. There are non-stick (likely PTFE) coated nozzles designed for this purpose (but they can't be used at high temperatures), and nickel plated seems to do better too. I'm not sure about other materials like stainless steel or (note: expensive) tungsten carbide but they may be options to improve this too.
> 1 votes
# Answer
# Stringing
PETG is prone to stringing, even with the best settings. Often, I live with some stringing as strings are easy to clean up while other issues can be introduced by getting totally rid of it.
> 0 votes
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Tags: print-material
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thread-20005 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20005 | What does somebody mean in Cura when he demands a "feeding rate of 105%"? | 2022-10-02T10:58:05.357 | # Question
Title: What does somebody mean in Cura when he demands a "feeding rate of 105%"?
In a review for a certain filament I read that somebody recommended "a feeding rate of 105%".
What does he mean, and how could I set this in Cura?
When I search for "*feed*" in the print settings properties of Cura, nothing is found, so I suspect he means "*speed*".
When I search for speed, multiple speed settings turn up, not only one.
How could I do what he recommended?
Thank you!
# Answer
> 2 votes
## \[Extruder\] feed rate \[modifier\] is used synonymous to extrusion multiplier
The feed rate of the extruder is the rate at which filament is pushed (fed) into the hotend. An overwrite value that modifies that rate from the normal rate is in most slicers called "extrusion multiplier".
It is a *quickfix* to manipulate print behavior, especially addressing under extrusion due to various problems, such as mis-sized filament or to compensate for deformability of it compared to the filament the extruder is calibrated for.
It is however not a permanent fix. See also here, here and here.
# Answer
> 1 votes
In the context of the linked source (in German *"Die Feeding Rate sollte mit 105 % eingestellt werden"*), with *"a feeding rate of 105 %"* is meant the extrusion multiplier (there is no reference in the source to Cura). This is explained in this answer. The answer is correct for the translation, but should have warned for the incorrect wording. Technically, *feed rate* is **not** a synonym for *extrusion multiplier*.
The source is wrongly using the term *"feeding rate"*, feeding rate is the rate at which all steppers are scaled, not solely the E (extruder) stepper.
In G-code this is found to be the `F` parameter, e.g. in `G1 F1200 X76.468 Y148.947 E0.0264` the feed rate of 1200 mm/min is applied on all steppers, in this example X, Y and E. Changing the feed rate changes all speeds for all steppers simultaneously. This is found in G-code `M220`.
The extrusion multiplier (or known as *"Flow Percentage"*) only acts on the E stepper motor, this is not reflected in the G-code, but adjusted in the firmware planner. The G-code to adjust the flow percentage is `M221`
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, speed
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thread-19981 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19981 | Ender 3 failing on the same z position every print | 2022-09-27T15:48:36.763 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 failing on the same z position every print
I have an Ender 3, I changed its extruder for one metallic one. In my last prints, I am getting issues at the same height. The extruder can't pull the filament in for that z position. I cleaned the Z axis, applied oil, and adjusted the eccentric nuts. I have minor improvements but still have many issues with my prints. I am thinking of changing to double z-axis, but I'd like to use my printer now.
This is my printer.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I fixed this issue today on two printers.
One was failing first or second layer, the other after 1/2 an hour or so. After trying everything else I traced the cause to changing the nozzle to cheap steel ones. Changed back to the old brass ones and both printers are working fine.
Unsure what is wrong with the steel nozzles, I bought 10 of them online for peanuts, but happy to be printing again.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, z-axis, underextrusion
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thread-20021 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20021 | Ender 3 Pro, tried both SKR Mini E3 V2 and V3 and still unable to connect with OctoPrint | 2022-10-04T23:21:55.737 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 Pro, tried both SKR Mini E3 V2 and V3 and still unable to connect with OctoPrint
So, long story short, I was using the SKR Mini E3 V2 and had a load of weird issues which lead to it not being able to connect via a Raspberry Pi 3B via USB (using OctoPi distribution).
I tried updating firmware and it would connect to the printer but failed whenever I did anything i.e. heating, moving an axis, etc. I eventually managed to find a heating error. I changed the thermistor on the hot end, realized it was complaining about the heated bed so changed that too, then the Pi just wouldn't see the board. I bought a new V3 board and on the first test everything connected fine; it even started heating up and then cut off as it was getting warm. After a couple of attempts to refresh the firmware, it has done the same thing where it won't find the printer. Like an idiot, I had removed the original LCD screen as I would just use OctoPrint as the screen. I am going to check it when I find out what I did with it.
Firstly, is there a way to set the boards back to default, just so the Pi sees either again? Secondly, is there a reasonable firmware that I can download or should I just use the Visual Studio application to rebuild the firmware? Would this even be helpful at this stage?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Well.... turns out I'm kind of an idiot but not entirely... I found 3dprintscape.com and he said he had issues with the firmware downloading directly but if he downloaded the whole git as a zip and got it from there... I tried it and it seems to have worked! I even found my screen for the printer which confirms it... but that now means I have an extra board which is probably working fine... dammit... lol
Thanks for at least looking at it if you did... sorry to be easily confused..
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, octoprint, skr-mini-e3
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thread-20015 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20015 | Is the first layer safe to touch after printing with heated bed adhesive (PrimaFix)? | 2022-10-04T12:20:24.290 | # Question
Title: Is the first layer safe to touch after printing with heated bed adhesive (PrimaFix)?
I just purchased the PrimaFix heated bed adhesive for my 3D printer. I read on the back of the box that it's dangerous when it comes in contact with the eyes, skin, mouth and when swallowed.
After printing, is it safe to touch the first layer? If not, what should I do to make it safe to touch?
# Answer
This is a general purpose catch all warning that some people with sensitive skin might have a rash like reaction, and you should never put these things in your mouth or eyes anyway.
It just means that you should treat it like you would super glue.
Once it's dry it's inert and safe to handle
> 3 votes
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Tags: adhesion, safety, health
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thread-20022 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20022 | eSun Silk Rainbow PLA leads to nozzle clogging | 2022-10-05T07:43:20.790 | # Question
Title: eSun Silk Rainbow PLA leads to nozzle clogging
I use eSUN (Silk) PLA filament daily and I've never had an issue. I use the parameters suggested by the manufacturer:
* nozzle temperature: 210 °C
* bed temperature: 60 °C (with purple glue)
The extrusions are perfects (the printing itself may be improved, but here I'm talking about the extrusion) even if it runs for 20h+.
Instead with the Silk Rainbow PLA filament, after few hours the extruder is clogged. No more extrusion. I have to stop the printing (and waste all) preheat the extruder, remove the nozzle and extract the filament. Then, feeding another kind of PLA I'm able to recover the functionality.
This happens ONLY with this specific filament!
I tried to increase the nozzle temperature up to 220 °C. It lasted maybe one hour longer but eventually failed again.
The filament is stored inside a dryer that is on during printing. What can cause such a behavior? I have a Dremel 3D45.
## UPDATE
Here some pictures. Some parts are broken because I had already thrown it away. The bottom layer is quite good:
Details of the surface of the base:
Details of the infill and support structures:
Weird enough both the comment and the answer suggest to lower the temperature but here the answer I received from the manufacturer:
> You can adjust the printing temperature to 230 °C higher, and then adjust the printing speed to 40 mm/s slower. The plug is generally caused by bad material fluidity, the temperature is set higher, you can increase the fluidity.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I suggest you lower the temperature. There's a different sweet spot for some filaments even if they're the same brand. And it's not always the middle recommended heat on the label I have found.
---
Tags: pla, extruder, nozzle, print-failure, dremel-3d45
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thread-20016 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20016 | Make a joint to keep together rings of PLA | 2022-10-04T12:42:31.440 | # Question
Title: Make a joint to keep together rings of PLA
I have a PLA 3D-printed object made of several rings with a diameter of 150 mm and a thickness of 6 mm. The height of each ring is about 30-35 mm but it does not matter so much.
I'm looking for a way to keep the rings together (one on top of another). I cannot place anything inside the ring (like a thicker area to host a nut). Most of the rings may have a closed top or bottom, so I cannot access the inner part.
I'm using three tabs (at different angles to force the correct alignment) that fit inside matching slots on the counterpart:
They are a bit stronger than pins and holes due to the greater surface of the base layer, but of course are useful only for alignment.
Due to the very small thickness of the ring I cannot place a screw inside them to keep in position, the inner wall cannot hold a screw!
I was thinking about L-shaped tabs and slots to fix the rings rotating them a bit, but:
1. it would not easy to clean the horizontal leg of the slots
2. nothing would prevent to rotate the rings in the opposite way (even accidentally) so the disconnect
For my use-case scenario, I don't need anything too strong. Just avoid to disconnect the rings when taking the object in hands. I tried with magnets but:
1. to make an acceptable resistance I needed 7-8 per ring (due to their small size)
2. the electronics inside uses Hall sensors so I cannot use magnets!
Any idea?
# Answer
> 1 votes
One possibility, if the wall thickness is sufficient, might be to put *screw threads* in the actual tube wall.
The wonderful thing with CAD and 3D printing is you can absolutely control the thread start points and shoulder position, so the clock orientation of the parts when they're screwed together is perfectly repeatable from one part to the next.
The potential down side is that threads require some minimum wall thickness to avoid introducing a line of weakness where the root diameter is too close to the inside or outside diameter of the main part. One way to help this is to use finer threads, or square or Acme thread profile, which can grip strongly without a great deal of engagement depth.
# Answer
> 1 votes
You could use velcro. I find it very easy to work with because you can cut it precisely with scissors or craft knife, and it's great for just holding things together but won't come undone by accident.
It's cheap and there are lots of different thicknesses at sewing shops. The ones I use come in sheets and have an adhesive backing. Takes a day for the adhesive to cure but once it's stuck on it won't come off.
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Tags: pla, cad
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thread-19803 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19803 | Metal coating 3D printed parts (electroless plating) | 2022-08-20T12:40:48.363 | # Question
Title: Metal coating 3D printed parts (electroless plating)
I know that 3D printed parts can be coated in metal by painting them with conductive paint (graphite or copper seems to be usual) and then electroplating them in a commercial copper or nickel bath. The disadvantage of this process is that it does not coat insides very well, because those are not reached by the electric field.
I know that in the industry for plating ABS-parts with chrome and other metals, there is a process used where first the ABS is etched, then seeded with electroless catalytic palladium and then there are various options, for example electroless nickel or chrome.
I tried to etch both FDM printed ABS and ABS-like resin prints in NaOH, then after rinsing, dropped them in a commercial palladium activator and, after rinsing again, then in an electroless nickel bath, without any effect.
Does anyone have an idea on how to metal plate 3D printed parts (by electroless plating, meaning no electricity involved) and can shed some light on the chemicals used? I would prefer to mix them myself.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Good day, I have experience in applying electroless nickel on difficult 3D parts, in your case, it's exceedingly difficult to do it directly to the printed piece. You will need to seal the piece with a more benign coating that will accept the palladium activator. Also, a sensitizer before the activator is needed.
Try this.
Try your original procedure, but this time use just before the palladium activator, a stannous chloride solution (20 g per 1 L of deionized Water and 10 ml of muriatic acid), submerge the piece in the solution for 1 minute, rinse in deionized water and then place the piece on the palladium activator for 1 minute (don't rinse the activator) and then place the piece directly on the electroless nickel plating bath.
If that still does not produce good results, then you will need to seal the piece with a two-part epoxy sealer and do the process again.
# Answer
> 1 votes
There is another option where the plating is done like brushing paint. The electroplating is just done a different way but has the same effect.
It's called brush plating. There's a bunch of different products (none of which I have tried) and the youtube results are pretty impressive. They do need a current as it's electroplating, but you don't immerse the object, the current is through the brush etc,.
# Answer
> 0 votes
You can use semiconductor processes like evaporation, sputtering, and chemical vapor deposition. These are expensive. Sputtering is probably the most feasable but it will have trouble with shadows.
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Tags: resin, fdm, post-processing
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thread-20029 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20029 | How / where do I hide the seam? | 2022-10-06T13:59:01.680 | # Question
Title: How / where do I hide the seam?
* Printer: Kobra Max
* Nozzle: 0.4 mm
* Material: PLA
* Slicer :Cura
I have printed 1 model 3 times with different settings (different temperatures and different bed temperatures).
* Try 1: 190 °C / 50 °C
* Try 2: 210 °C / 70 °C
* Try 3: 230 °C / 50 °C
All 3 models show a seam.
How / where do I best hide this seam?
These are some screenshots of the model in Fusion 360:
# Answer
> 3 votes
There are a bunch of possible causes for the seam. But the main one is retraction.
In Cura the main setting affecting this is under '**Travel**'.
In the '**Travel**' settings is '**Enable retraction**', and '**Retract at layer change**'.
Retraction pulls the filament up and it doesn't make such a noticeable seam.
# Answer
> 3 votes
In the Cura settings, search for "seam". This will then display the options to adjust those settings.
Make the following adjustments:
* **Z Seam Alignment** to **User Specified**
* **Z Seam Position** to **Back**
* **Seam Corner Preference** to **Hide Seam**
This will position the seam to the best possible position both inside and out.
# Answer
> 3 votes
With cylindrical objects you cannot hide the seem (as there aren't sharp corners to hide the seam), unless the parts are oriented always facing a certain side.
There are 3 options, one is to face the part with the view you want to display and put the seam at the back with a slicer option, or two, fiddle with the retraction settings to minimize the seem as much as possible, or three, randomize the seam (but this generally doesn't look very well).
# Answer
> 2 votes
# There are 5 Ways to deal with seam placement
## 2 ways to place seams deliberately with `Z seam alignment`: *User specified*
* `Seam Corner Preference`: *sharpest corner* \- this is good to get the seams to one corner, and for boxy prints can make them invisible even. However, this fails for cylinders, as it needs a corner that is discernable sharper than others.
* `Seam Corner Position`: Choosing a direction - this fails to remove the seam for cylinders for the same reason, but can help if one side isn't seen usually.
## 1 way to distribute the seams and *blend them in*
* `Z seam alignment`: *random* \- by distributing the Z-seams randomly, the whole print looks uniform, but you also have the bulges all over the build.
## Vase mode is seamless
By activating `Vase Mode`, the print is automatically printed with a single, continuous shell made from a single, spiraling line. However, such prints can't have overhangs at all and are very thin, making them unusable for most technical applications.
## Postprocessing can remove seams
The most common way is to put the seam on a surface where it does not hurt, and then remove it after the print with either a sharp knife, scraper, sandpaper, or needle files. In most technical usages, sanding and smoothing over the layer lines is beneficial anyway, so removing the seam in the same step often isn't too much an extra problem.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Hiding the seam isn't really possible when the object is rotationally symmetric. The closest you can get is hiding it "statistically" by distributing the seam randomly so it's fractionally-bad everywhere rather than fully-bad in one place. Depending on your needs, this might be good, or it might be awful. If you're hoping to clean up the seam in postprocessing, it's probably awful since there's not just one isolated point that needs fixing with a razor blade or something, but the whole print surface.
One thing you can try, though, is turning on *wipe*. In Cura this is "Outer Wall Wipe Distance". Setting it to 1-2 mm can go a long way to concealing the seam, especially if it's not bulging from ooze, which yours doesn't seem to be. Combined with random distribution, this might come out looking pretty good for your particular need.
In general, how to deal with seams depends on whether the problem is cosmetic or functional. I'm assuming in your case it's cosmetic, but if it is functional (affecting fit of mechanical parts together, making a printed gear rotationally asymmetric, etc.) then one trick you can do is make an artificial *cut* into the surface at an arbitrary point and selecting to put the seam on the sharpest corner. This can help ensure the entire print fits inside the intended print volume, and is only missing a small amount of material on a scale smaller than the functional scale of the print.
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, pla
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thread-16659 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16659 | Reverse the X-axis of a G-code file | 2021-07-02T23:43:55.787 | # Question
Title: Reverse the X-axis of a G-code file
I've got some sliced models that represent the **right**-side arms and legs of a robot. I'm really happy with how they printed, so now I'd like to print the **left**-side arms and legs.
I was thinking it would be pretty trivial to parse the G-code file using Python and change the value of all the `Xn` commands from `n` to `2*h - n`, where `h` is in the middle of the bed, say 110 or 120 mm for an Ender 3.
Before I fire up my favorite IDE, are there any major gotchas I might encounter from such a naïve approach to mirroring the G-code like this? I originally sliced in Cura 4.9.1.
# Answer
> 4 votes
If your slicer does not have a mirror operation or a scale that allows negative values then mirroring in the G-code should be straightforward.
As long as your printer doesn't have certain specific tool change or homing or purge positions that are done in the G-code you can just transform it, otherwise you would want to skip these sections and just do the model data (it should be obvious looking at the code where model data starts).
In order to mirror it you just need to swap out the X coordinates in your G-code, If (0,0) is the center of your bed, as is often (but not always) the case for delta printers you will just want to negate the X, so `G1 X30 Y-3 Z2` becomes `G1 X-30 Y-3 Z2`. If your coordinates have (0,0) in a corner (often the case for orthogonal printers) then you want to subtract X from the maximum X value. for instance if your bed is 250 mm wide then in `G1 X30 Y10 Z3 X30` becomes `X(250-30)` or `G1 X220 Y10 Z3`.
There is only one caveat, some slicers will switch to relative movement using `G91` for certain operations and then back to absolute with `G90`, so you will want to look out for these. Between a `G91` and a `G90` you will want to negate the X, no matter where the origin of your printer is.
When writing your script, I'd keep track of the minimum and maximum values encountered and the new minimum and maximum values and print them at the end as a sanity check so you can see if anything is wonky.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Based on @John Mecham's comprehensive answer, I whipped up a quick proof of concept. In the image below, the left arrow (top) is the original and the right arrow (bottom) is the reversed clone. Cura does generate a little relative offset code at the end, I think I handled it correctly.
```
import re
data_start = re.compile('^;LAYER_COUNT:[0-9]+')
ifilename = 'c:/Users/jentron128/Downloads/ThingVerse/Tools/arrow.gcode'
ofilename = 'c:/Users/jentron128/Downloads/ThingVerse/Tools/rev_arrow.gcode'
new_data =[]
BEDX = float(235)
h = BEDX # Absolute Positioning is default
mode='Skip'
with open(ifilename, 'r') as ifp:
for d in ifp:
new_d = ''
tokens = d.split()
if len(tokens) == 0:
pass
elif mode == 'Skip':
new_d = d[0:-1]
if data_start .match(d):
mode = 'Go'
else:
if tokens[0] == 'G91': # Relative Positioning
h = 0
elif tokens[0] == 'G90':# Absolute Positioning
h = BEDX
for t in tokens:
if t.startswith('X'):
if len(t) > 1:
x = h - float(t[1:])
t = 'X'+f'{x:.3f}'
new_d += t+' '
new_data.append(new_d)
with open(ofilename, 'w') as ofp:
for d in new_data:
ofp.write(d+'\n') # how does writelines not support a line separator?
```
# Answer
> 0 votes
Usage: python3 \[filename.gcode\] \[bed-width\]
```
#!/usr/bin/env python3
import re
from sys import argv
#first arg is the file, second arg is the bed x width
ifilename = argv[1];
ofilename = ifilename.replace('.gcode', '-reversed.gcode');
new_data =[]
BEDX = float(argv[2])
h = BEDX # Absolute Positioning is default
with open(ifilename, 'r') as ifp:
for d in ifp:
new_d = ''
tokens = d.split()
if len(tokens) == 0:
pass
else:
if tokens[0] == 'G91': # Relative Positioning
h = 0
new_d += d
elif tokens[0] == 'G90':# Absolute Positioning
h = BEDX
new_d += d
elif tokens[0] == 'G1':
for t in tokens:
if t.startswith('X'):
if len(t) > 1:
x = h - float(t[1:])
t = 'X'+f'{x:.3f}'
new_d += t+' '
else:
new_d += d
new_data.append(new_d)
with open(ofilename, 'w') as ofp:
for d in new_data:
ofp.write(d+'\n') # how does writelines not support a line separator?
```
For those that have a problem with the script above, I think this fixes it.
Also there seems to be a bug with not writting G90 or G91 whenever it finds it.
---
Tags: g-code, python
--- |
thread-20037 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20037 | Can I 3D print a wall assembly and expect it to be load-bearing? | 2022-10-07T10:25:43.763 | # Question
Title: Can I 3D print a wall assembly and expect it to be load-bearing?
I need to build me a small support wall 250x80 cm mounted on two metal supports approximately 200 cm apart.
I was looking into WPC (Wood Plastic Composite) boards and then it hit me that I may be able to make it functional AND pretty with my 3D printer (Prusa MK3S + MMU2).
However, I have zero idea on how to calculate whether the board will be able to handle the weight of the soil I would shovel behind it, if at all.
My current design proposal is to make a hexagon mesh of PETG filament. The hexagons would have cylinder cutouts in all three directions, through which I would then hammer in cylinders to bind them together. Perhaps even some edge contours so that they fit perfectly.
But, my problem is that I don't know how to calculate the strength of such a solution (or any other).
Is this even a viable idea?
The filament type needs a bit more explanation: My current proposal is PETG since I read that PLA will become brittle with time (as I can attest to myself having to replace my flag pole holder every 3 - 4 years)
I don't want ABS since I have horrible experience printing it.
I did not find anything of particular use when searching for "3D print load-bearing" on this site and similar with Google searches...
# Answer
> 8 votes
You could print a decorative layer that attaches to the WPC board.
It would be faster and cheaper, and there'd be no doubt about its strength.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Calculations such as you want are not possible in my opinion except in such general terms as to be useless. Differences in layer height, layer adhesion, print quality and what heat you printed the item would all affect the physical properties.
Since it's not a manufactured item with known properties but a unique one. You would have to print and test it yourself.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Here are some general issues with load bearing 3d prints for this type of usage:
* If this is to be used outside, plastic has issues with both water and UV exposure making it brittle. PETG does better on both of these areas than either PLA or ABS.
* Plastic generally does better with compression than with shear or pulling. In other words, hanging something from plastic might not work well but it might work as a bottom support or in a situation where it is squeezed rather than pulled.
* Even if the plastic appears strong enough initially, it may "creep" where the plastic deforms under stress over time. This applies to all three of compression, shear, and pulling.
* To optimize for strength, print direction is critical. You want to make sure that the stress will not be trying to shear print layers. Also (for any material, not just 3d printed plastic), curved shapes are stronger than square corners. A fillet instead of a corner makes a big difference, but more extreme curves are even better.
* If you are going to make this out of modular pieces joined with a second material, it is very hard to characterize the strength of the resulting composite, but generally it is stronger than using a single material.
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Tags: print-strength
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thread-20049 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20049 | Some kind of stringing | 2022-10-09T11:05:20.137 | # Question
Title: Some kind of stringing
I experience some lines on my prints. However, I would not really call them "stringing".
I have seen some stringing and it was rather like an undefined spider web.
But the lines that you see in my photo are super straight and fine.
Are they called "stringing" too? And how do I get rid of them?
Specs:
* Printer: Kobra Max
* Nozzle: 200 °C
* Bed: 50 °C
* Filament: GiantArm PLA
# Answer
They're caused by filament being pulled during travel so they qualify as stringing.
You need to look at your retraction and heat, speed as well makes a difference. You can try combing and other things or just pull them off.
> 1 votes
# Answer
You should provide a better picture, i.e. a finished print.
Stringing is generally something you don't worry about - adjust your retraction settings a tiny bit to retract more. I didn't see what software you used, that will help with where the settings are.
Also the plate is very different from the rest of the layers, it could just be a leveling issue.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: stringing, anycubic-kobra-max
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thread-20047 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20047 | Cura 5.2 beta, flat wall indentation | 2022-10-08T23:15:06.107 | # Question
Title: Cura 5.2 beta, flat wall indentation
Could anyone help me diagnose the setting or issue causing the effect in the second picture (indentation in a perfectly flat wall)?
The vertical wall should be flat, as shown in the first picture of the STL model.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm going off limited information here, if you could provide a full view of the model that would help.
That being said; It looks like there is a feature on the opposite side of the wall "pulling" the lines towards the outside. There is no direct setting to change to fix this, it looks like the layer size is limiting how close the printer can mimic the geometry.
Try dropping the layer height drastically (ie. .02 to .01) in order to see if the indentation changes it's shape. Alternately, change the orientation to non-ideal angles and see what changes.
At the core, it seems your issue is the actual interpretation of the model by the slicing software and may not have a setting associated with it.
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, slicing
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thread-7468 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7468 | Free UARTs TX and RX pins on CR-10S motherboard | 2018-11-22T05:00:28.713 | # Question
Title: Free UARTs TX and RX pins on CR-10S motherboard
I have a WiFi module that only needs two wires connection to work. These are RX and TX pins connected to Arduino or the CR-10S printer board but I don't know if there is any physical or software UARTs TX and RX pins. My goal is to add a Wifi support to the CR-10S printer. Since this is not Arduino and the pins are not labeled, it's hard to tell which TX and RX pins are not being used.
In the image of my motherboard below, any port or pin with line pointing to is considered as being used by the printing software so I can't used them.
There are still ports or pins that are not used. Can any one tell if there is a TX and RX pin that is not being used from the image above? I need them to communicate with the printer wirelessly.
# Answer
Not answering the question directly which pins you can use I would like to propose an alternative solution for your problem, to explain why you should not use RX/TX pins.
An alternative solution includes the use of a small single board computer like the Raspberry Pi (RPi) which is connected over USB with the printer board. E.g. the latest range of RPi (Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and B+) have onboard WiFi, or alternatively an older RPi (Raspberry Pi 2) could be used in conjunction with a USB Wifi dongle. On the RPi you could install a print server that talks directly with your printer over USB. One such an application that is frequently used is OctoPprint (the complete installation/image is referred to as OctoPi).
You can then interface with the print server application using a web browser on any mobile device in your network, and if configured as such you could do that potentially from over everywhere over the world. The major advantage is that you then are not communicating G-code over WiFi as you would if you used RX/TX pins. Knowing that WiFi connection adds issues with latency and the possibility of a disconnection during the print, your fail rate would increase over a single board computer approach.
With an RPi the **print will continue regardless of the Wifi connection**.
> 1 votes
# Answer
You see those 8 holes on the top left of the board? The bottom right one is RX, the one right above it is TX. These 8 pins are collectively known as "AUX1".
Here is the complete pinout (in the same orientation as the image above).
```
5V • • 5V
GND • • GND
A3 • • TX0
A4 • • RX0
```
> 1 votes
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Tags: arduino-mega-2650, creality-cr-10, wi-fi
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thread-20065 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20065 | Why do straight lines on the top appear to be curved? | 2022-10-13T19:13:00.690 | # Question
Title: Why do straight lines on the top appear to be curved?
I'm having a problem with my prints. Recently when I print rectangular pieces, the piece has an strange curve in one edge, it also has an strange patter in the surface. I have calibrated the bed but it doesn't change anything. What can I do to fix this?
I have a Tronxy cube X5 which I use together with Cura. I print in ABS at 230 °C.The print bed is set to 80 °C. I use a print cooling fan at 20 %. The layer height I set to 0.2 mm, the line width from the 0.4 mm nozzle. The Printing Speed is set to 20 mm/s for walls and 50 mm/s for infill. My retraction is 5 mm/off at 70 mm/s
# Answer
> Why straight lines on the top are curve?
Apart from the dimensions, it appears that the top layer is suffering from extreme under extrusion, like there is hardly any filament being deposited.
Your last layer started printing at the lower right where it did print okay, but, when progressing to the left you see the starvation of filament flow resulting in sparsely filled in regions that look like curved lines on top of the print.
This could be heat creep, entanglement of the filament spool or an extruder problem.
> 1 votes
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Tags: abs, tronxy-x5
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thread-20060 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20060 | Extruder oozes filament out and slides build platform on contact with nozzle tip | 2022-10-13T01:53:05.310 | # Question
Title: Extruder oozes filament out and slides build platform on contact with nozzle tip
If I am 3D printing on my Ender 3, and I pause the print, the extruder lets out more filament for like 2 seconds. This leaves a glob of dry filament on my print, which the could contact the nozzle tip, causing it to slide the build platform.
I have fixed the build platform sliding problem by attaching the included clips. However, another problem remains. Once the glob is made, the filament dropped on top of it gets pushed up, making the print not be even, which ruins the print. I don't think I did anything wrong on the setup, but it might just be that the extruder doesn't stop in time? Did I do anything wrong is is this an issue among all Ender 3s?
* I use the Creality Ender 3
# Answer
> 1 votes
I had this same issue, it's just how it works.
I solved it by pausing over infill, so when it resumes the blob is not visible. You can grab the filament with something as well, but it takes good timing. If you just pause/resume over infill then it doesn't matter.
# Answer
> 0 votes
It extrudes after a print to replace any filament that may have drooled out while it was paused.
Quite possibly it is extruding much more than necessary, and ideally, it would clean the nozzle after dong an extrusion like that. However, the stock ender3 doesn't support automatic nozzle cleaning, so that's not exactly an option.
Personally, I keep a long tweezers near the printer, and just grab the free space extrusion when it does this and clean the nozzle manually with the tweezers. It takes a little bit of care and speed to do this without causing other damage, however.
# Answer
> 0 votes
A hot nozzle will leak out material (called oozing) if the filament is not properly retracted or if pressure has build up in the path from the extruder up to the nozzle (typically in Bowden tube setup extrusion).
Pausing a print on an Ender 3 can be performed by two different methods, a manual pause invoked by the menu of the printer display, or, a G-code pause (note that the filament changing G-code is used instead of the dedicated filament pausing G-code `M601` which is generally not supported).
In case of the latter option, a G-code (`M600`) can be used to pause and retract, use the same filament to continue, this way it is considered a pause.
A word of advice from All3DP.com's article "Ender 3 (V2/Pro/S1): How to Change Filament Mid-print":
> The above script uses the M600 command to function, but this command may not be registered by your printer’s firmware. In our experience, the M600 command was successfully registered by the Ender 3’s original Creality (Marlin-based) firmware – indeed, according to Creality’s GitHub for Ender 3 firmware, the M600 command is programmed. However, if you have an older model of Ender 3, the feature may not have been activated in the firmware.
To prevent the blob you can use the answer provided by Kilisi of try to use the second method using G-code (if you know when you need to pause, e.g. to insert something into a print, your question doesn't state what the reason for the pause is).
# Answer
> 0 votes
Working pause-and-resume without damaging the quality of your print depends on the printer doing a lot to preserve the primed/ready-to-print state of the printer and avoid heat damage to the part you're printing and to the filament, and on your using **very well-dried filament**. If any of these requirements aren't met, you're going to have a bad day.
In particular, the printer needs to do extra retraction (at least an extra 10 mm, probably more like 20+) to get the filament completely out of the melt zone while paused, and needs to quickly move the nozzle away from the print so as not to melt it. If this is done right, unretracting by the same amount just when starting will get you back to the necesssary nozzle pressure to resume extrusion nearly uninterrupted. Marlin firmware *can be configured* to do this right, but I doubt it's done right in the version of the firmware shipped with your printer. You didn't describe what happens in detail when you pressed pause, but it sounds like this isn't happening, so it's likely doing just a "dumb pause" in-place.
If you really want good pause functionality, you probably need to investigate customizing the firmware. This is not terribly difficult, but also not dead simple, and can go badly wrong if you mess it up. You'd need to weigh these risks against how much you want the functionality.
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Tags: creality-ender-3, extruder-driver
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thread-20067 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20067 | Ender 3 Won't Print Small/Thinner Items | 2022-10-13T23:08:07.313 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 Won't Print Small/Thinner Items
Pretty new to 3d Printing. Ultimaker Cura as my Slicer. I have the Ender3 3d Printer.
I have a model from Hero Forge I'm trying to print. I added some caltrops on the base but when I go to print the figure, my Ender3 won't finish the caltrops/smaller items and won't finish the figure. It will basically just go through the motions lol.
Here's an example of it happening on the base of my Figure.
This is the mockup and afterwards is basically where it stops and the filament either just stops coming out or the nozzle moves around the filament that actually does print.
Here's an example of something similar happening to Pikachu's ears.
# Answer
## Resolution is limited
You are printing with FDM. FDM is limited in printing detail by its nozzle diameter: you can not print something that is much smaller than your nozzle diameter. A typical nozzle is 0.4 mm in diameter. Your figurine? That is too thin and fragile.
> 2 votes
# Answer
I suggest you try again with another filament. It looks like your nozzle is either clogging or your filament is slipping. There could be multiple reasons why, but the easiest first troubleshooting strategy is to change filament because it can rule out half the reasons.
> 0 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, filament
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thread-20001 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20001 | Ender 3 Pro bed is lower in the middle | 2022-10-01T23:24:23.810 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 Pro bed is lower in the middle
I just purchased this Ender 3 Pro about 1 week ago and since then I've been having nightmares with leveling/tramming the printer bed. From having to tram it again after every print to not being able to level it at all. Since then I've been reading and watching a lot of problem-related content to try and find a solution.
The two most recommended upgrades were a glass bed and stiffer springs for the bed so that's what I bought. I purchased the original Creality glass bed and the yellow springs and for a day or so I got it to work in an acceptable way but I still had to tram the bed every couple of prints. Today for some unknown reason, I woke up and I can't seem to get my bed leveled in the middle. I've tried every possible solution that crossed my mind but the middle of the bed is still too far from the nozzle and the filament won't stick.
# Answer
It is likely that your bed is deformed, I have this problem too. The easiest way to test it is to get a metal ruler and put it on its side vertically on the glass bed (at a 45° angle). If you see any light seeping through the middle, then the bed is sagging, but if you see light on the edges, then the bed has a bump. The easiest and cheapest way to fix this is to put post-its (you can use one or more) under the mat on the locations where you see the light.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Glass beds are rigid, they won't sag in the middle after a few days, or months, or years. So the problem might be the undercarriage levelling equipment.
The screws may be unwinding or slipping somehow. I suggest you level it one by one and fix the knobs so they cannot turn and then try it out. Perhaps before that unwind the knobs fully and examine the threads for problems like slippage.
> 0 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, troubleshooting, bed-leveling, calibration, glass-bed
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thread-20084 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20084 | Can I use a Arduino Mega Clone with a RAMPS 1.4 shield? | 2022-10-17T16:20:14.697 | # Question
Title: Can I use a Arduino Mega Clone with a RAMPS 1.4 shield?
I'm trying to build my own 3D-printer and I'm considering using a RAMPS 1.4 shield on an Arduino Mega 2560 as the controller. I could save $30-40 by using a clone Arduino Mega (not the official one) that uses the ATMega 256. Would the RAMPS 1.4 still work with this board?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes a clone of the Arduino Mega will work with a RAMPS 1.4 shield. I've used these combinations in the past.
---
However, it is advised to buy a dedicated printer controller board, preferably a 32-bit micro processor board, these have more memory so you will less likely run into too less memory for specific functions of the printer firmware (unless you'll be using Klipper, but that requires a RaspberyyPi, so not a cheap solution).
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Tags: diy-3d-printer, ramps-1.4, arduino-mega-2650, arduino
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thread-20079 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20079 | Ender 3 V2 calibration for BIQU H2 | 2022-10-15T20:11:39.957 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 V2 calibration for BIQU H2
I upgraded my Ender 3 V2 with a BIQU H2 hot end and extruder head and a BLTouch probe. I updated the firmware from Ender website using `Ender-3 V2_32bit_4.2.2_BLTouch_Marlin-2.0.1 - V1.1.1.bin`. All hardware seems to work flawlessly, incl. all axis movements, extruder movements, heating, fans controlling,...
However, I don't know how to really proceed with changes to extruder settings. I found no YouTube videos or internet articles, particularly about "Ender 3 V2" and "BIQU H2" and what I found is not compatible.
From what I gathered, I need to change the speed ratio of extrusion and the gear ratio of extrusion. But I don't know how to set it on Ender 3 V2. I tried to configure the gear ratio. There's a nice YT manual for Ender 3 V2, however for the old extruder, so I couldn't measure the extruded filament beyond the extruder. I made a line 100 mm above the extruder with a marker and set the extrusion to +100. I got something like *10 mm of snail-pace slow extrusion*. So I went to the extruder's gear ratio and tried to raise it, but the value should be roughly $100 / 10 * 93 = 930$ (93 was the default and current value). However, the adjustment goes only to 186, and with that, I get a little bit less than 20 mm of extrusion. And I also suspect that the extruder's speed is about 7 times smaller (1:7 gear ratio) than what it is supposed to be.
So, could you advise or direct me to materials that explain how to set BIQU H2 on Ender 3 V2? Is there anything else I have to set, apart from extruder speed and gear ratio? Some tutorials mentioned about stepper motor voltage if I remember correctly, but again, that cannot be set in the menu. I'm fine with settings over G-code, as long as I have some clear instructions on what actually to set.
---
Note:
I marked Oscar's post as an answer, though to me it tells only part of the story. But helped to clarify some stuff. Be careful and study the matter yourself, however, you should come to this conclusion and those steps for Ender 3 V2 and BIQU H2, particularly for setting the extruder motor current.
Disclaimer: Those were my steps and I do not take any responsibility for anything if you follow them. Check everything yourself and advice in the comments below, if anything doesn't look right.
1. Check you have TMC2208 - you should have the large letter **A** written on your card reader
2. Check your BIQU H2 stepper motor nominal voltage is 800 mA in the attached manual
3. Check the resistors at the stepper motor (marked **E**) on your main board are R150 (150 mΩ)
4. If all above is true, you should get Vref = 1.05. Based on
$\frac{0.8}{\sqrt{2}} = {\frac{325mV}{150mΩ+20mΩ}\*\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}\*\frac{V\_{ref}}{2.5V}}$
I separated voltage:
$V\_{ref} = \frac{0.8A/\sqrt{2}}{325mV/((150mΩ+20mΩ)\*\sqrt{2}\*2.5)} = \frac{(150mΩ+20mΩ) * 2.5 * 0.8A}{325mV} = 1.046V$
5. Measure your current Vref with positive contact on the potentiometer and negative on the card reader cover, using an appropriate scale on your Voltmeter, i.e. up to 20V DC. You should get something like 1.4 V, if you have the default factory setting. One hint: I put a piece of insulation tape on the cooler next to the potentiometer in order to avoid a short circuit in case the cooler is connected to the negative body - it's easy to touch it with a screwdriver. Remove it after the correct voltage is set. Or use a plastic or ceramic screwdriver.
6. Turn slightly the potentiometer anti-clockwise, about 1/5 of the circle for start, and measure the voltage again, then do a fine adjustment, measure again, etc., until you get desired value. I could set it from 0.03 to 1.02, meaning that I set 780 mA, slightly below the nominal voltage.
# Answer
The Ender you have uses the TFT display. This display operates its own firmware, so when you update the controller board, you only update the printer function not the GUI interface. It is the interface that limits the input you require for setting the correct E-steps per millimeter as these are limited in the region of the stock extruder; it has no anticipation for using a much larger value like you need when using a large gear ratio extruder. When the correct steps per milliliter are set, you do not need to worry about the speed other than that you cannot use very high retraction speeds with high gear ratio extruders, if too fast it will skip steps.
Question Adjust E-step on Ender 3 already explains how you set the correct value for the E-steps, it does not require the display to set this. You do require either a connection over USB to a computer/laptop or an SD-card.
Do note that the stepper you use on the direct extruder is different from the one installed stock as extruder motor, the reference voltage must be set manually using a multimeter and small screwdriver, your driver's don't allow to adjust through firmware or G-code. This stepper should be limited to 0.8 A. You need to calculate which Vref you need for your driver (you probably have TMC2208 stand alone drivers) and adjust the potentiometer to measure the calculated Vref. You do not measure current directly, this is done through measuring the Vref (this is a measure for the current). There are many sources to be found to set this Vref, e.g. this one.
> 2 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, calibration
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thread-20082 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20082 | Ender 3 power supply top screw isn't tightening | 2022-10-17T02:20:31.737 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 power supply top screw isn't tightening
I was trying to fasten the top screw on the power supply of my Ender 3, but it won't fasten. So, I took the screw out and found something like a little yellow ring stuck onto it. I think it broke because I may have over fastened it, but I didn't tighten too much... Is this the "thread" of the hole? Is it supposed to be so fragile?
# Answer
Sounds like you've stripped the thread by overtorquing the fastener.
Your options are to use a slightly larger fastener and drill/tap the larger hole for that bigger thread. And don't confuse the screws next time you open this connector.
The little yellow ring might be a retainer so the screw is held *captive* in the part, or it could be a load spreading washer, or a soft area to soak up vibration and prevent buzzing/rattling and resonance.
> 3 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, power-supply
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thread-20088 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20088 | Elegoo Mars 3 Pro USB drive formatting? | 2022-10-18T16:57:03.020 | # Question
Title: Elegoo Mars 3 Pro USB drive formatting?
I recently ran into some issues where my Mac (macOS 12.6) was no longer recognizing the USB drive that came with my Elegoo Mars 3 Pro. The printer also wouldn't recognize the drive, so I used Disk Utility to reformat the drive to MS-DOS (FAT). However, after doing this, the printer still would not recognize the drive.
After some web searching, I found that the drive needs to be formatted using a Master Boot Record scheme, but Disk Utility was not displaying this option when formatting a drive.
How can I format a USB drive for an Elegoo Mars using macOS?
# Answer
Disk Utility can be used to format the drive, but first, you'll need to change the view settings to enable the Scheme options when erasing the drive.
In Disk Utility, from the View menu, select **Show All Devices**:
Next, you'll need to select the parent device on the left-hand pane, and **not** the volume:
Finally, after using the **Erase** button in the top bar of the window, you'll now have the option to select the scheme:
Erase the drive using the **MS-DOS (FAT)** format and **Master Boot Record** scheme. The name of the drive likely doesn't matter. Using these settings, I was able to copy some files back to the newly-erased drive and the printer immediately found the files and was able to begin printing again.
> 2 votes
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Tags: usb, elegoo-mars
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thread-20092 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20092 | How can I incorporate text in my model? | 2022-10-19T14:03:52.960 | # Question
Title: How can I incorporate text in my model?
I feel this is a relatively simple thing, but I am having some difficulty. The model is simple. It is 2 x 127 x 28 x π mm. It has one corrugated side and all others flat. The non-flat side has a flat area for text.
(Later deformed into a cylinder, hence pi (π))
The problem I'm having in Blender is a *lot* of non-manifold vertices after the union of the text into that area.
Is it possible to have the text and widget as two different meshes touching and come out as one object *in the print*?
Use another program besides Blender?
Manually editing the mesh... seems excessively time consuming.
# Answer
> 5 votes
You have a number of options with respect to adding text to a shape. Top of the list would be the easy-to-use Tinkercad, but it may be too limiting for your purposes.
More complex, and coming in next would be the free hobbyist version of Fusion 360. In very many ways, a tougher program to learn, but YouTube tutorials may get you started on your specific objective.
My favorite would be to learn the wonders of OpenSCAD, a text based descriptor program that uses parametric modeling to create 3D objects.
It's not impossible to create non-manifold with the above three programs, but very much easier to create a working model.
If your final objective is a cylinder, it might be good to start with the desired shape and apply the text in the program of your choice.
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Tags: 3d-models, blender
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thread-20093 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20093 | Ender 3 first layer inconsistent layer lines | 2022-10-19T18:37:35.863 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 first layer inconsistent layer lines
I was running my Ender 3 just fine with good first-layer adhesion/everything else but my setup changed after my Pi SD card got corrupted so I had to re-install and reconfigure my bed leveling via OctoPrint. After this my first layer started to look like this:
* this is the bottom of the completed print
IIRC I changed the following (and have tried undoing it but to no avail):
* Increased extruder tension (since it was skipping while retracting)
* Lowered z-probe offset (since re-calibrating it was too high)
This is with PLA
Running a modified Ender3 w/
* BL Touch
* Micro Swiss Direct Drive Extruder for Creality CR-10 / Ender 3 Printers
* PEI Plate
* BIGTREETECH SKR Mini E3 V1.2 Control Board w/ Marlin dev built 20210609
Sliced on Cura 4.11.0
* Printing Temp: 210.0 °C
* Bed Temp: 60 °C
* First Layer printing speed: 20.0 mm/s
* First layer acceleration: 500.0 mm/s^2
* No first-layer fan (or any cooling at any point)
I've tried:
* Increasing initial Z-offset; this doesn't work since it will affect my bed adhesion to the point the print will pop off
* Adjusting extrusion gear tension; will start skipping on retraction/no-luck
After the first couple of imperfect layers get ironed over, the upper layers will not have any extrusion problems, or whatever this is, and are basically fine.
# Answer
Solved, the nozzle was set too low and was causing pressure buildup at certain points since the PEI plate wasn't perfectly flat.
After raising it and swapping for a glass bed I was able to stop this behavior.
**Note:** While this helped this issue a little bit, it was also making adhesion really poor on faster prints. A better fix I found was that I recently swapped filament spools, it looks like the average spool thickness was greater than the previous one, and after reducing the flow 5 %. I was able to eliminate this problem entirely, thanks to the question What is causing 'droplets' on first layer?
> 3 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, marlin, ultimaker-cura, troubleshooting, bltouch
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thread-20095 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20095 | FDM metal printing - is it possible? | 2022-10-20T13:03:34.970 | # Question
Title: FDM metal printing - is it possible?
Can someone shed some light in why FDM (Fuse Deposition Modelling) is not possible with metals?
Has anyone attempted any experiments with it?
# Answer
Yes, it is possible and it's done all the time. It's more commonly known as welding.
We did TIG welding on our Hyrel printers back in 2017.
Note: I work for Hyrel.
> 4 votes
# Answer
First of all, it is possible in multiple ways:
## Computer-controlled-Welding
The most akin to FDM is using an automated MIG-welder, building up weld beads upon weld beads using an arc to melt the metal and keeping the puddle in position by carefully low speeds and coordinated movements. With a little ingenuity, even a TIG could be used, if you manage to feed the filler rod.
Converting a MIG is possible even on a hobbyist scale, as this hackaday 2021 article shows. However, research into something like that is in research since at least 2018, and Hyrel experimented with a TIG setup in 2017.
The items created this way have a rather rough surface, yet they do have upsides: The created metal is easily machineable and can reduce a lot of waste. It might not beat machining from bar stock at the moment, but it can beat steel casting in price, though not in quality. However, automated welding also has the chance to have defects. In some applications, it is used industrially, for example, to manufacture specialized stock for machining with minimal waste or from a special material.
Oh, and it is even rather simple to repurpose 3D welding robots to 3D Weld a gap closed bead to bead, akin to how you'd 3D print in FDM.
## Metal Filaments: BMD
There are filaments that contain about **80%** of metal powder. These **highly abrasive** filaments contain a binder that is thermoplastic. You can print on a somewhat modified machine with those. That's called BMD - Bound Metal Deposition. This method is industrial by 2022, and often post-processes the part to remove the binder.
Usually, this post-processing is done in a kiln or sintering oven, melting or cross bonding the metal between layers more than with the plastic binder, and simultaneously at times burning out the binder. This technique exist since at least 2018, as this answer shows.
> 1 votes
# Answer
For many metals you would need to run the hotend around 1000 °C. Aluminum melts at a lower temperature but needs to be in an inert atmosphere, such as argon. Solder melts at the right temperature, but tends to stick to most metal nozzles. It would start dissolving a brass nozzle thus enlarging the nozzle opening. Lockheed has a titanium alloy printer that melts powder with a laser. I would assume they need an inert atmosphere since titanium reacts with nitrogen as well as oxygen.
> 0 votes
# Answer
It is completely possible, there are 3d FDM printers that could do that with the Ultrafuse 316L. You could print filament that has metal in it, you just need a special nozzle for that. The pure metal-printing printers use an industrial heater/extruder that can reach up to 230 °C.
> 0 votes
# Answer
I have tried some stuff. It depends what problem you're trying to solve.
You can get metal infused filaments, both aluminium and copper infused filaments print fine. But since there's plastic as well you don't get the nice properties like conductivity.
If you just want some of the properties then electrolysis might be the better choice of technology.
If you want robust parts then as far as I know the traditional methods are the best as the metals properties are constant or controlled.
Something like cnc welding layers on layers wouldn't make sense in terms of cost and predictability I would think. You'd need too much heat and it's unlikely to be as strong as traditional metal forming. It has been used for a long time to spot weld, but not build up layers as far as I know.
> 0 votes
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Tags: fdm, metal-printing
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thread-20105 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20105 | Seams of print are underextruded causing large pits/gaps? (Prusa Mk3+, Prusa Slicer) | 2022-10-21T09:08:51.197 | # Question
Title: Seams of print are underextruded causing large pits/gaps? (Prusa Mk3+, Prusa Slicer)
The seams on my print are much larger than they were a few months ago and I'm not sure what's going on or how to fix it.
Pic with seams random:
With aligned seams:
I'm using the 0.2 mm QUALITY profile with the following adjustments:
* 200 °C temp
* Perimeters lower speed (25 mm/s inner, 15 mm/s outer; prevents small overhang warping, faster speeds don't really ease the issue anyway)
* First layer speed slow (10 mm/s)
* Retraction Z lift 0.2 mm (default 0.4 mm; helps stringing)
* Using Jessie PLA (Printed solid)
* Filament is dry, fresh out the dehydrator
My full slicer settings found here.
I've tried lowering the retraction speed, increasing it, increasing the detraction speed to 2x, raising temp, and calibration of the linear advance according to the calibration test print on Prusa's website.
What I can do to make gaps smaller?
# Answer
I was able to more or less solve it by using the "extra length on restart" property set to 0.1 mm. Sort of "primes" the filament after a retraction by moving it forward a bit.
To lesser effect I reduced retraction distance from 0.8 to 0.5, lowered retraction speed from 35 to 10, and upped detraction speed from 35 to 50.
Left object is with new settings, right object is original issue.
> 1 votes
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Tags: prusa-i3, underextrusion, prusaslicer
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thread-18860 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/18860 | 3D printing layer shift on power outage resume | 2022-02-04T13:12:29.673 | # Question
Title: 3D printing layer shift on power outage resume
I have an Ender 3 pro. In my country electricity outage is an issue, though it comes back pretty instantaneously, when I hit the resume button on the Ender 3 pro after heating the hot end and the bed when the hot end lifts the Y-axis or X-axis shifts a little bit, I do not understand why as when there is no power outage the prints are just flawless.
I have also tried tightening everything but feels like the motors are having their own fun tilting an extra step for no reason. I have thrown away many prints because of this problem as I work in robotics and prototyping is a necessary thing for me and so is the accuracy.
# Answer
Not sure on your exact firmware, but it could be that it is using a M413 power loss recovery rather than a power loss interrupt pin. Possible you might be able to change this with your current firmware, but worst case you could install a new controller that does support this power loss interrupt pin.
Depending on the frequency and duration of your power outages it may be worth getting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). With the heat bed off this UPS would run a full print easily. It would even handle a heat bed for shorter outages.
Where you work in robotics, you are probably electrically savvy enough to set your printer up on direct DC battery power, which would be cheaper than a UPS of equivalent energy storage. If you need help going that route just post over on electrical engineering stack exchange with the power supply info.
> 2 votes
# Answer
you'll need a UPS with EMI filter. I had this same issue and I opt to a regular desktop UPS and the problem was still there. So, I connected a EMI filter and it worked.
> 0 votes
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Tags: creality-ender-3, layer-shifting
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thread-6421 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6421 | Z-Axis doesn't work only during printing | 2018-07-18T04:37:16.450 | # Question
Title: Z-Axis doesn't work only during printing
Problem: Z-Axis doesn't work during a print. It attempts to work, maybe climbs on the Z-Axis, but screws back down. It whines, too. But, Z-Axis DOES work while not printing. It doesn't matter if the bed and nozzle heating or not, if it's not printing, it works as it should. I don't know what else I can do to troubleshoot this problem.
I have:
* Changed the Ramps 1.4 board twice
* Swapped drivers around, bought new drivers
* Swapped X-Axis and Z-Axis motor connections
* Cleaned threaded rod.
* Leveled two Z-Axis threaded rod riders to near atomic perfection.
* Changed firmware to each of the 3 latest updates
* Remounted motor so both face same cardinal direction
* Cursed
* Changed jumper configurations from 16th microstepper to 8th for more power. No dice. Fried two drivers that way.
* Dialed and redial and tridialed and quaddialed the driver pots
* Recalled the Z-motors work while not printing so it isn't the driver pots
* Cursed again
* Scoured the web for similar issues
* Looked for G-code that might limit Z-Axis elevation
* Died a little. Just a little
Hardware:
* RepRap Guru DIY Prusa i3 V2 3D Printer Kit
* Ramps 1.4
* A4988 Driver
* Firmware:
+ Marin 1.1.8,
- 1.1.7 (screen didn't function),
- 1.1.6 (screen didn't function),
+ RepRapGuru\_Marlin\_v4,
+ RepRapGuru\_Marlin\_v2
Additional information:
* My power supply is the original 12 V 360 W supply with the kit.
+ The 5 amp power in is 12.02 V, the 11 amp power port is 11.96 V and 12.18 V depending on which heater is on.
+ The bed measures 11.50 V and the hotend is 3.4 V
* While heating the bed and hotend I am using the LCD screen and rotary encoder to move my axes. It works as expected until printing. I have upgraded to an aluminum 12/24 V hotbed from the original PCB.
* Currently getting Repetier. Will update.
* The z-axis leadscrew is M5-0.8 mm
# Answer
I would check the gcode you're generating to make sure it's not full of "bad" z-commands.
Further, I'd take any gcode file you have and manually edit it, leaving in all the initializations, heatings, zeroing, etc., and then delete everything except some z-motion commands. Run that as a test case to see what happens.
I think it's extremely unlikely that the gantry has enough mass to force the z-screws to counter-rotate (lowering the gantry), and you'd see that with power off in any case.
## edit
As Greenonline discovered, a bad choice of lead screw might cause the behavior you're seeing. It would be a bit scary if a stock kit such as the one you bought provided high-pitch Z-screws. Better check that out!
> 4 votes
# Answer
Carl Witthoft, I think you are on to something with rogue commands limiting the Z-Axis. Thank you for pressing me to try a new program. Now I need to learn it...
So, it works now. The only difference is that I am printing from Repitier using Cora instead of using Slicer to make g-code for an SD card. While, I am happy with the results, I am dissapointed that I still don't *KNOW* the source of the issue. There must be some command from stock Slicer causing issues.
> 4 votes
# Answer
From your comment
> the z-axis leadscrew is m5-.8
I presume that your lead is 8 mm? You don't state whether it is a threaded rod or a leadscrew, so I will presume that it is a leadscrew.
If so, then I would suggest that you choose a different leadscrew, one with a lesser lead, say 2 mm or 4 mm. This is because, for a 8 mm lead, the stepper motor has to lift the X-axis gantry by 8 mm upon one rotation, which requires four times the amount of work that would be required to lift the X-axis gantry by just 2 mm if a rod with a 2 mm lead is used.
So you need to either:
* Change/upgrade your stepper motors to ons with more torque, or;
* Change the rods, for some with a smaller lead.
Depending where you are in the world, one option may be cheaper than the other.
*If you are going to upgrade your rods*, then change from a threaded rod (if you are using one), to a leadscrew, as they are much better quality, have less friction, more precision and less wobble. However, you may also have to change your \[rotary\] fittings, i.e. the nut that goes around the rod - although you would have to do that anyway if you change your threaded rod for one with a lesser lead. Also, many threaded rods, and leadscrews, come with the rotary fittings included.
Also, you state that your threaded rod/leadscrew is M5. Again, if you are going to have to change it, it might also be worth changing from M5 to M8, see Lead screws - M8 instead of M5?
---
For a more in depth explanation, see this answer to the question, Would using a leadscrew with 1 or 2 mm lead, en lieu of 8 mm, result in a better printer? Here are some highlights:
> A more aggressive leadscrew will require more torque to drive. We have one kit printer we bought a couple years ago that has an overly aggressive multi-start leadscrew for the z-axis. The small motors included in the kit do not have the torque required to reliably start upward movement of the carriage, leaving it sitting there skipping steps until the carriage is given a little upward nudge to get it going (no, it's not a lubrication issue or a driver that needs turning up).
and
> (As Tom points out) An 8 mm lead can result in the weight of the X-axis gantry (especially in a P3Steel) overcoming the idle torque of the stepper. As a result of this, the X-axis gantry can end up sliding down the leadscrew, in particular at power down
---
Note that there is a difference between *pitch* and *lead*:
* **Pitch** is the distance between adjacent grooves on the rod, whereas;
* **Lead** is the distance travelled along the rod upon one rotation
The difference depends upon the number of leads, or *starts* that your threaded rod has.
From What is the difference between screw pitch and lead?
>
> 3 votes
# Answer
I had the same issue with an Ender 3. The threaded rod was not lubricated enough. Adding some lithium grease, applying it evenly, and moving the Z-axis from top to bottom multiple times fixed the issue. I had to recalibrate the Z-offset after that.
> 1 votes
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Tags: prusa-i3, ramps-1.4, z-axis, stepper
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thread-20100 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20100 | Activating Conan run environment and running CuraEngine from command line | 2022-10-20T19:03:23.287 | # Question
Title: Activating Conan run environment and running CuraEngine from command line
I apologize first if this is a super basic question to most, I am currently a computer science student in my last semester before an Associate's degree with little knowledge of the command line and Python download environments. I also primarily work with Java but have an internship using Python.
I have written a program that is able to take a G-code file and convert it into an SBP file with a Python script through a click of a button within a GUI. I have now been tasked with taking in an STL file and using a slicer (Cura) to convert that file into G-code.
I am currently trying to get the CuraEngine (without Cura) to work **via** the command line in order to use the subprocess library within Python to do all of these conversions within my personal GUI. However, the wiki on downloading CuraEngine isn't helping much.
I have been able to achieve installing and building the CuraEngine release, but cannot activate the Conan run environment through the walkthrough of the wiki.
I am getting the error that the pathway (`\build\generators\conanrun.sh`) is not a recognized internal/external command, operable program, or batch file. When looking up the files within the generators folder, the `conanrun` file is actually an extension of .bat (`conanrun.bat`).
So a few questions I have:
* What do I do to get the CuraEngine running on the command line at this point?
* Would it be easier to just download/run the entire Cura application through the source? I've noticed a lot of others have done that, but I don't want the GUI that goes along with it. I've also had trouble downloading the Cura application from the command line, with `ERROR: pynest2d/5.3.0-alpha+testing_0@ultimaker/testing: Error in generate() method` showing up in the install.
* As an extension of the above question, it seems the build instructions for CuraEngine have had a lot of complaints from others. As a result, is there a better way to get a slicer engine to work through a self-made GUI?
Also, I did post this question on StackOverflow.com and community.ultimaker.com as well, in case you run into it there.
# Answer
As far as I can tell, `conanrun.sh` is something you should not have to do. Just run the `CuraEngine` binary directly. If that doesn't work, update your question with what went wrong and I can expand on this answer.
To get into the nitty details, it appears the point of `conanrun.sh` is to setup library paths to find the libraries Conan (a really awful, unconventional C++ Language Package Manager the Ultimaker folks have adopted) built itself and linked CuraEngine against, since they're not present in system-wide paths. However at least on Windows, I would expect any needed DLLs to be automatically found in the same directory as the executable, and on Linux, etc., sourcing a script to override library paths like this will *break anything else run from the same shell environment* (!!) - it's **not** the right thing to do. Unfortunately, Conan has made it really difficult to build CuraEngine right (see my bug report 12941) but on Windows it's probably not that bad.
> 0 votes
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, troubleshooting, slicing
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thread-20122 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20122 | How to solve broken FEP | 2022-10-25T04:10:45.107 | # Question
Title: How to solve broken FEP
I have a Creality LD-006 resin printer and my FEP breaks very often. When I'm printing I heard a hard "tac¨" (it's because the cured resin is taking of the FEP when the printing bed goes up).
I'm using a Creality standard resin white with 2.7 exposure time.
This is how my FEP breaks (I replaced the FEP (it was original) and made maybe 2 or 3 prints and it broke).
Could it be that I'm printing a lot of small pieces at once?
I have a smaller printer (Creality Halot-One) and I made more prints and I never have this type of problem. Maybe I can't print small pieces in a big printer?
# Answer
> 4 votes
## FEPs are consumables
Once an FEP film on the foil has developed cracking, it's a lost cause and has to be replaced in due time - repair to pre-damage conditions is impossible even if you manufacture them.
You can try to avoid the affected areas and eek a few more prints out of the film, but the damage will spread and make the film unusable in the longer term.
## Damage to FEP can occur due to bad resin
If your resin contains *any* chunks due to print failure, those can result in damage of the FEP.
## Bad Placement and high speed can damage FEPS
Another reason can be too pointed pressure, which happens for example if the only spot is pulling up very high, and then suddenly releases.
The position of the printed objects can be as much the factor in this case as the size or geometry of the release area.
The more controllable factors that play into this are the lifting speed and height of the bed. It takes some non-zero amount of time for the film to release the model. During this time the film adheres to the model, and can be simulated as a spring. The force of a spring is dependent on a constant and its elongation: $F=k \times \Delta d(t) $. Our foil would have a variable factor $k$, dependent on the coordinate in the vat. However, for us, the elongation at the moment t $\Delta d(t)$ is relevant. By lifting faster and higher, the film is experiencing more elongation (stretch) and a sharper release from the model happens. Higher stress means damage to the film.
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Tags: troubleshooting, resin, repair
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thread-20129 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20129 | How can you print Prusa MMU2S at home? | 2022-10-26T13:46:42.003 | # Question
Title: How can you print Prusa MMU2S at home?
I want to buy my first FDM printer, to print household items and wearable gadgets too big for my LCD resin one. Due to financing & tax reasons, what I'll buy now is what I will have for at least a year.
I was thinking about Prusa i3 MK3S+, and MMU2S looks really interesting and useful, especially to print water soluble supports. However, after reading reviews I hardly can justify buying it.
I have some technical experience, can make some things and once even built a 3 axis stepper motor system from scratch, and it worked. I have a resin LCD printer and have printed working parts. I still have NEMA17 motors, 4 of them.
Assuming I'll get Prusa i3 MK3S+, what else would I need to print and assemble MMU2S? Is there an official Bill Of Materials? Blueprints? STL files?
# Answer
## The MMU2S
The main setup of the MMU2S is one motor to choose which material is extruded, another to cut filament and move the coupler tube to the actual extruder. Then there are bearings, springs, screws, some rods, and a special chip.
The materials needed can be reconstructed from the Assembly instructions. Or you check out the **help page here**. It has:
* Printable parts
* spare part listing \- which can be your guidance in purchasing some parts and used to order specialized hardware
* Firmware
* Hardware
* aforementioned assembly instructions.
> 2 votes
# Answer
The MMU2S is quite a bit to put together, almost as long as the MK3S+ itself and the general consensus from a lot of the community is negative results for quite a lot of money. There are other options to try such as the Enraged Rabbit Carrot Feeder which is popular in the Voron community. Though there may be talks of not needing a wipe tower, the ERCF still needs one for non-voron machines, some the MMU2S has kinda fix with its wipe in setting in PS which allows for the change color to be wiped into the infill which will never be seen.
I don't want to say don't get the MMU2S but I'll definitely say even with a lot of skill its a very finicky add-on that many have claimed has stopped them from printing with it. Another notable option would be the Mosaic Palette 3 but the price tag is just about as much as a MK3S+ itself.
> 2 votes
# Answer
A more affordable solution is the SMuFF, it uses a simple 32-bit controller board, 2 NEMA 17 steppers, some optical end stops and a couple of sets of dual gear extruder gears (up to 12 colors, the default I also use is 5). Furthermore you need some screws and some rods. All printable parts are available from the Github page and there is a 178 page manual.
A word on soluble supports, I've printed PVA on Ultimaker printers, but it is tricky, it will clog easily. You would need a filament dryer, it needs to be dried before printing.
> 2 votes
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Tags: prusa-i3, multi-material
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thread-19958 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19958 | Torture toaster with PETG | 2022-09-22T12:42:01.263 | # Question
Title: Torture toaster with PETG
I'm new in the 3D priting and I bought a BIQU B1 printer :-)
I printed the Pokemon with the white filament that come as a sample with the printer (PLA) and after that I bought the Inland PLA+ and PETG+ from Microcenter. The first thing that my son asked me to print is the toaster. Well, I tried to print three times with the PETG+ filament and always I end up after one or two layers with oozie everywhere and I had to stop printing. I replaced the filament with the PLA+ and now it's printing correctly (It's 91% complete right now :-) )
So, I set the correct temperator for both filaments:
* PLA+ 205/60
* PETG+ 230/70
I'm thinking that for this type of object (torture toaster) it doesn't work with PETG because of the complexity.
Is that correct? If not, what I could be doing wrong with PETG+ filament?
# Answer
> 0 votes
Like mentioned, one of the most important things with PETG and other materials such as PLA with woodfill, Nylons, some other materials usually with similar properties to PETG, drying is your friend. The main reason being is that the materials listed above are all hygroscopic. They have a tendency to absorb moisture in the air very well and it should almost be a regular thing to dry it for some ours before printing it. Some materials like Nylon cant be used even after just three days of sitting in open air.
The issue arises when you are printing and the moisture trapped in the filament is super-heated. If you print some and its been out you will get those pops and cracks while its printing, that's the result of the moisture heating and the water bubble exploding making cracks, leaving inconsistent layers and sometimes small craters.
I wouldn't say that the toaster is impossible but its a challenge, as it should be. The premise of the toaster is to challenge your printer and give you and insight into how your printer is working, in terms of your settings. Printing this model will be great to see how well your retraction, bridging, tolerance, and temps are. While I would generally say try it out, it does take some time so going with some easier prints like retraction cubes, temp towers, and simple bridges may be better and easier on filament use when starting off.
If the extruder is slipping, attempt to add a slight more tension but not too much. As mentioned before, it really is a better thing to grab a cheap aluminum kit from Amazon or a hobby store online. The reason being is that the idler will no longer be a smooth roller bearing but instead have teeth as well to help hold on, the aluminum is also much stronger and can hold up in the case you get a jam for any reason.
# Answer
> 0 votes
From what I can tell, the BIQU B1 is an Ender 3 clone with a similar extruder, which probably has really poor grip on the filament. This is bad with PETG, which tends to slip, and once it starts slipping, it will grind and make the problem worse. On top of this, it probably has a PTFE-lined hotend precluding printing PETG at the higher temperatures it would do better at, so the extruder is probably fighting excess resistance to pushing filament through the hotend. In short, I never had good experiences trying to print PETG on my Ender 3 when it was stock, and I'm not surprised if you have similar problems on a similar printer.
With that said, there are some things you can do to improve the problem.
1. Dry the filament. Unless it's been actively dried in the past 24 hours and kept away from humid air afterwards, or stored in a serious drybox, PETG is always wet. PETG is very bad about not resuming well after retraction when it's wet (my theory: the water absorbs all the heat in its phase transition to vapor before the heat can properly melt the filament) and this will tend to produce the condition where the extruder starts slipping, leading to game-over.
2. Go slower. 30-40 mm/s at 0.2 mm layer height and 0.4 mm line width is about the highest you can expect PETG to do well at on this kind of extrusion setup.
3. Tune your retraction length down as low as you can take it without oozing/stringing, and your travel speed up. Travel speed (and acceleration) should be set as high as your printer can handle. This is a win-win situation: your prints finish a lot faster *and* there's less time for the retracted material to cool down while traveling, which would make it harder to restart extrusion after travel. It also reduces the risk of oozing/stringing.
However you might just find that printing with PETG is too much of a pain without an upgraded extrusion system. For prints where PLA is an appropriate material, consider just using PLA.
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Tags: petg, biqu-b1
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thread-20132 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20132 | Why does a raft reduce / limit build volume? | 2022-10-26T18:46:34.830 | # Question
Title: Why does a raft reduce / limit build volume?
I am using Cura 4.13.1 as a slicer for my Ender 3 v2 printer.
I want to print a model which I scaled to 400 %. To improve bed adhesion I wanted to add a default raft (Extra Margin = 15 mm). Unfortunately, Cura is not able to slice the model despite being still within the printer's build volume (400 % = 190x200x200 mm). I have to reduce the scaling to 365 % (= 171x183x180 mmm) to fit the slicing.
As a workaround for printing the 400 % size, I will try to use a small support structure for better bed adhesion but I would prefer a raft.
**Edit:** Sorry for leaving out the info about the models form. I get the 220+raft limitation but my model is tapered downwards:
So the raft actually fits the printers/slicers default limit. Does it really not matter and cura simply adds the raft size to models max X and Y values?
# Answer
> 2 votes
The raft still needs to fit on the bed, and it counts as a print, because, it is printed. You want the raft for better adhesion, so that means that you need more contact with the bed. If you’re not, your basically wasting filament. Its kinda logical actually.
# Answer
> 1 votes
## Adjusted model Dimensions
The model has the size determined by the base area of the bounding box, in this case, $\pu{190 \times 200 mm }$. The raft as told by OP adds 15mm on **all** sides of the model, and thus adds 30 mm in total on both the X and Y dimensions. This gets us a bounding box floor area of $\pu{220 \times 230 mm}$.
The model's bounding box has a height of $\pu{200 mm}$. Add to that the thickness of the raft. This is not mentioned, but in the worst case, this is about 3 mm, and so you get $\pu{203 mm}$ as the maximum. Our model's Bounding Box thus is $\pu{220\times 230\times 203 mm}$
The smaller scale model ($\pu{171 \times 183 \times 180 mm}$) results in an adjusted area of $\pu{201 \times 213 \times 183 mm}$.
## Printer dimensions
The standard Creality Ender3 v2 is set up with a build volume of ($\pu{220\times 220\times 250 mm}$) As your base area is 230 mm in one dimension, it just can't fit. The slightly scaled item is *just* under that dimension and thus fits.
## Solutions
With a firmware update, the printer can be told to use all of the bed, and then Cura's printer settings can be adjusted accordingly.
Sometimes, but not in this case, rotating the model can result in a model that doesn't fit in normal orientation to fit: A line of 240 mm doesn't fit along the X or Y axis, but easily along the diagonal of the printer. In fact, it is enough to turn the model by about 23.3° and the line fits:
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Tags: creality-ender-3, ultimaker-cura, build-plate, rafts
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thread-6576 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6576 | What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together? | 2018-08-07T04:52:21.640 | # Question
Title: What kinds of gaps/tolerances should I use when designing pieces that fit together?
Let's say I'm modeling a simple box with a lid. Just as an example, we'll say the **outer** edge along the top of the box is 50 mm x 50 mm. With 3D modeling software, it's easy to build a lid for this box to surround the top with an **inner** edge size of also exactly 50 mm x 50 mm ...but this seems like a bad idea. Surely I'll want some kind of of gap, to ensure an easy on/off. An *exact* fit seems like it's asking for trouble.
* How much gap do we leave for this kind of thing?
* Is it related to nozzle size?
* I suppose it also matters how tightly you want to fit, though I expect in cases where a tight fit matters some kind of snap or clip would be used.
* Are draft prints with larger layer sizes useful for figuring this, or do the rough layers make things seem tighter than they'll be in a final print?
# Answer
> 20 votes
I use my clearance values according to my rule of thumb: 0.1 mm - to fit with some force, 0.2 mm - just fit edge to edge without force.
Examples:
1. 3 mm metal cylinder to be pressed into plastic part needs $3\ mm+0.1\ mm\*2=3.2\ mm$ diameter printed hole (clearance from two sides)
2. 3 mm screw to fit into plastic part needs a hole bigger than $3\ mm+0.2\ mm\*2=3.4\ mm$ that is 3.5 mm will be already good.
This is fully experimental but always worked for me on three different printers and both on PLA and ABS.
# Answer
> 10 votes
Before we get into nozzle sizes and snap fits, let's start with the bigger picture. We need to use a common language for defining the parts.
* **Allowance** is a planned difference between a nominal or reference value and an exact value.
* **Clearance** is an allowance defining the intentional space between two parts.
* **Interference** is an allowance defining the intentional overlap between two parts.
* **Tolerance** is the amount of random deviation or variation permitted for a given dimension. How much error can the part tolerate and still function?
Let's use an example. We want a 5 mm pin to go into a 5 mm hole, and we want a loose fit between them.
We've said 5 mm, but which 5 mm is more important -- the 5 mm hole or the 5 mm pin? Let's say other people have 5 mm pins they want to use with our hole. In this case the pin dimension is out of our control, and therefore is more important for interoperability.
The loose fit is calling for clearance. Let's specify 0.2 mm so they're free to turn. We could add the 0.2 mm allowance to the hole, giving a 5.2 mm hole with a 5.0 mm pin; we could subtract the 0.2 mm allowance from the pin, giving a 5.0 mm hole with a 4.8 mm pin; or split the difference in any way we want, such as a 5.1 mm hole and a 4.9 mm pin. Because we specified the pin is more important, we'll add the allowance to the hole.
Now that we have defined our part, let's define other terms important to helping us understand the manufacturing process:
* **Accuracy** is the maximum dimensional variation between parts. (Another word might be repeatability.) Note that a machine cannot produce parts with a tighter tolerance than its accuracy.
* **Precision** is the size of the steps a machine is capable of. Precision is often confused with accuracy, but they are not the same thing.
Now we need to understand our machine's accuracy. The printer could print the pin larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. Or it could print the hole larger than 5 mm or smaller than 5 mm. To determine the printer's accuracy, we'll need to print some 5 mm pins and 5 mm holes and measure the differences between what we defined and what we printed. The difference between the largest and smallest measurements is our machine's accuracy. Be sure to measure the accuracy in the X, Y, and Z dimensions; a printer might have a difference between the X and Y axes that would affect the roundness of the parts. (If it's off, this can usually be adjusted in the machine's firmware through a calibration process.) Furthermore, we should test round parts, round holes, square parts, and square holes, as each printer can be different in how repeatable those parts are.
Let's say that the printer's measured accuracy for both round holes and round pins is +/- 0.2 mm.
Then, we move to clearance. What is the minimum gap between parts that still does the job, and what is the maximum acceptable gap? As the designer, it's up to you to decide. In this example we said we want a loose fit, so let's define a clearance of at least 0.2 mm between the pin and hole, but no more than 1.0 mm or the parts will fall out.
Since the machine's accuracy is +/-0.2 mm, the pin will be anywhere between 5.2 mm and 4.8 mm. The hole must therefore be the maximum pin size, 5.2 mm, *plus* clearance *plus* the accuracy of the hole. That gives the hole dimension as 5.6 mm +/-0.2 mm. The minimum tolerance condition would be a minimum-sized hole (5.4 mm) and a maximum-sized pin (5.2 mm), giving a 0.2 mm clearance; the maximum tolerance would be a maximum-sized hole (5.8 mm) and a minimum-sized pin (4.8 mm) giving a 1.0 mm clearance.
Note that a clearance of 1.0 mm is really sloppy. It might be way too loose for our application. We might think to tighten the tolerances to 0.05 mm in order to reduce the clearance. But we've noted that a machine can't produce a tolerance tighter than its accuracy. If the printer can't produce a part that meets our specified tolerances, we would need to find a different way to manufacture or finish the parts.
In the metalworking world, a common way to do this is to specify the parts to be initially manufactured with intentionally maximal material. This lets us start with a smaller hole and use a bore or a drill bit to open it up to a more precise and round hole. We can do the same thing with a pin, by starting with a thicker rod and turning or grinding it down to make it more smooth and round.
In the FDM 3D printing world, we can do the same kind of thing at the workbench. First, print the parts with an extra wall layer (or two). The extra thickness gives more material to remove while drilling it out, or grinding it down, without weakening the part too badly. After printing, run a drill bit through the hole to clean it up. Or spin the pin in a drill motor's chuck and grind it down with a loop of sandpaper.
Of course, any time you add a finishing operation, it's more labor-intensive and therefore more expensive. So this isn't something we want to do on every part, but we can consider it.
Notice that when you define parts this way you aren't starting with the nozzle diameter or layer height. Instead, you're allowing the nozzle diameter, layer height, belt stretch, and the sum of all the causes of variations to show up in the measured accuracy of the machine. Smaller nozzles, thinner layers, heated beds, slower speeds, or cooling fans may each contribute to improved accuracy, allowing you to print parts with tighter tolerances. But to make successful prints you need to factor in the cumulative impact of all the machine's options.
Once you've got the terminology, it will be much more clear how to factor in an allowance for half the width of the extruded material, which is a function of nozzle width, extrusion rate, and layer height.
# Answer
> 7 votes
***Short version:** basically, this depends on your printer, make, model, type, state of maintenance, extruder, slicer settings, belt tension, play, friction, etc.*
---
***Long version:*** Basically your printer determines how accurate it prints; you can influence the accuracy a little by calibrating and fine tuning the printer. What regularly is done is to print calibration cubes of fixed size. Before you do that, you should read "How do I calibrate the extruder of my printer?"; this explains to calibrate the extruder. With a fine tuned extruder you could print those XYZ calibration cubes, or in your case create a box of e.g. 50 x 50 x 15 mm. When you measure the length and the width with a caliper, you will know how much the tolerances are for this print size. Eventually, you could change this by re-adjusting the steps per mm in the firmware of the printer, but this is not always a recommendation (as your steps per mm should be related to the mechanical layout of the used mechanism, e.g. the belt size and pitch in combination with the pulley and the stepper resolution).
Please also look into the answer of "How to make moving parts not stick together?"; this answer hints to printing a tolerance calibration model that uses diabolic shapes set apart from the outer object by several values for the offset between the pieces. When you print this you can find out what sort of tolerance works for you. Please do note that the tolerances on smaller parts may be different than the tolerances on larger parts.
The answer on your question thus depends on your 3D printing machine, but usually the tolerance values range in the few tenths of a millimeter. To enable a lid on top of a box like in your example, you need to keep the tolerance in mind when designing the lid. Usually an extra few tenths of a millimeter will do the trick, but if you make some test prints first you will know exactly.
To answer the question what the influence is of layer height on tolerance, I quote:
> Load a 25 mm cube into your slicer and set the infill to 0%, perimeters to 1, and top solid layers to 0. You’ll also want to print it at a fine resolution – I chose 0.15 mm and it actualy did make a small (0.02 mm) difference in the wall thickness as opposed to 0.3 mm.
So yes the layer height has an effect, it is very little though.
An interesting read is "A Guide to Understanding the Tolerances of Your 3D Printer" from "matterhackers".
Furthermore, when you have calibrated the printer but still run into small deviations, is that most slicers will allow you to compensate for X and Y dimensions.
# Answer
> 7 votes
Yes, some clearance is necessary. Even if you were machining perfect metal parts, you would want a clearance gap (and make an allowance for mis-alignment along the Z axis too, long joints can bind quite easily).
In addition to this, you need to make a small allowance for the walls bulging slightly under the extrusion pressure (layer height being less than the nozzle diameter).
Other factors to take into account are layer-change ooze (which often makes a small seam appear), and ripple effects resulting from acceleration. This means that even once you have tested the gap that a specific model requires on your printer, you can't rely on the same gap working perfectly when you design another model. If you require rotational symmetry in your fit, it will be harder to get a good tight joint to be reliable.
Sometimes a print-in-place design can give you a similar effect to a clip together design, but permitting a more positive retention
# Answer
> 5 votes
After printing 4 months, I've learned an answer for at least two situations, based on the geometry of the filament and nozzle. For this discussion, I'm using .1mm layers with a .4mm nozzle.
First is the basic box and lid, from my question. It's important to remember the shape of the nozzle opening is a circle, and therefore when extruding to open air you get a cylinder. But we don't extrude to open air. We subtly press the extruded filament into the build surface or previous layer. In that case, using my best ascii art, a cross section of an extruded line of filament has rounded edges that only approximate that .4mm nozzle size, like this:
```
( )
```
And as you lay down several layers, the exterior edge of a printed part should look more like this:
```
(
(
(
(
```
where the outer edge of the curve actually protrudes slightly from the planned dimensions of the part. The question is, "how much"? My experience so far has been as much as 0.05 mm. And remember, you need to account for that for both the box part and the lid part. Additionally, when designing the lid, you need to account for this gap on both ends of each dimensional axis. That means a gap of as much as 0.2 mm could still be a nice, snug fit.
For the second scenario, let's say you have a pair of prints that will fit together. The base print includes an upward-pointing rod or cylinder, like a Lego piece, that will slot into a paired opening.
Now you need to create the matching cylinder opening in the upper part, and you need to know how big. The concern is the top of the opening, which has nothing but air below it to hold up the filament. For small gaps you might bridge the distance. For larger gaps you might use support material or hemisphere top.
Let's say you find those options difficult for this scenario, or perhaps other factors have you printing this part laying sideways. so instead of an opening for a cylinder sitting like a can of soup, you print the part as is the cylinder were laying on it's side.
Now we can consider the geometry of how the filament is laid down. With my example nozzle and layer dimensions, we realize your opening *is not the precise circle indicated by the model*. Instead, you have a grid pattern, like old 8-bit computer art. Worse, the width of each "pixel" is up to 4 times greater than the height.
With that in mind, the minimum extra space you need will be 1/2 of that 0.1 mm height, and the wrong situation could extend this to as much as 1/2 of the 0.4 mm filament width. And since this goes all the way around the part (on both sides) you need these distances twice. This is *in addition to* the ridging effect discussed for the box earlier. The result means your rounded part should look for between a gap between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, with additional gap space if you're designing a part you may want to scale at some point. Remember, though, that plastic is pliable and if push comes to (literal) shove, sandable. In practice I've done well near the lower end of that range.
# Answer
> 1 votes
My approach has always been that I'm going to lose material when I sand down the item to remove layer lines, so I generally print to exact fit, and then manually correct with sandpaper or a craft knife.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Since you said nozzle, I expect you mean FDM 3d printing. Typically you would use one (1) outline of gap between the parts. An outline is usually equal to the size of the nozzle. The corners of a 3d printed square object are rounded. The radius of that rounding would be half your nozzle diameter (i.e. the nozzle's radius). Also if there was any over extrusion occurring on the outline it the two parts would not fit within each other. This is of course assuming that they are being designed to easily come apart. Otherwise you can make them an exact fit if you intend to friction fit them together.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I usually print a test cube with different wall thicknesses and calculate the average deviation. This I use as tolerance. However, I do not believe that many belt driven cartesian printers can perform much better than +/- 0.1 to 0.25 mm along the XY-axis. Consequently, I would suggest to use something between 0.1 to 0.25 mm. If it is more than 0.5 mm you have an issue with the mechanics.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Start with your nozzle width for a prototype. I made some 50-80 mm jars with screw-on lids using a 0.4 mm nozzle. I could get the threads to start using 0.15 \\$slop parameter (BOSL2 scad library trapezoidal thread at pitch 5 or 6) but couldn't get past 1/4 turn. With 0.4 $slop it turned loosely with just a little bit of play and tightened up nicely.
There are obviously a bunch of parameters that will affect the actual clearance, but nozzle width seems like an excellent rule of thumb for a draft.
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Tags: 3d-models
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thread-20141 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20141 | How do I avoid straight lines for walls in Cura? | 2022-10-30T02:22:11.867 | # Question
Title: How do I avoid straight lines for walls in Cura?
I need to print a thin piece. Theoretically, it could work, but Cura prints the walls as single lines. In my case, it is just this line that breaks apart as you can see here.
Is there a setting that would instruct Cura to avoid creating such a line as the outer wall, or how else could I resolve this problem?
* Printer: Kobra Max
* Material: PETG / PLA
* Temperature: 250 °C / 65 °C
Speeds:
* Print speed: 80 mm/s
* Outer Wall Speed: 45 mm/s
* Inner Wall Speed: 80 mm/s
* Top/Bottom Speed: 45 mm/s
* Travel Speed: 100 mm/s
* Initial layer speed 45 mm/s
* Travel retraction speed: 40 mm/s
# Answer
Outer wall perimeters are printed as continuous lines, unless the geometry determines otherwise.
Your print faces an overhang situation in which it is prone to print walls from the inside out as where it sticking the wall lines together.
Default behavior is printing the outer wall first and traversing inwards, in overhang situations this isn't ideal so that you may want to print the wall perimeters inside out as if you stick the newly deposited perimeter to the latter.
Generally, printing outer perimeter first will give the print better dimensional precision, but, may cause problems in overhang situations where there is limited area to "stitch" your perimeter to, hence the poor adhesion you experience.
A solution is to print inside perimeters first and work outwards, in Cura, there is an option for called Wall ordering to change the order of perimeter printing.
---
After updating your question with the print speeds, another possibility that came to mind is that you are extruding too fast for PETG for your setup (extruder and nozzle assembly). Not all extruders can process PETG fast enough or nozzle assemblies cannot heat fast enough causing the nozzle to under-extrude. I've seen this happen on my own printers. Please note that the premium brand I use, limits extrusion to 50 mm/s, 80 mm/s might be on the high side for your setup. It isn't that PETG cannot be extruded fast, it is merely that not all extruders and nozzles are capable of doing so (especially the lower end of the 3D printer market). So even that you now can stick perimeter from changing the order, under-extrusion might prevent from a good adhesion.
> 3 votes
# Answer
I'm pretty sure your core problem is underextrusion from printing PETG faster than your extrusion system can actually keep up with. Unless you've cranked up the acceleration, long straight lines are the only place in a print where the actual print speed will reach cruise at the requested speed; otherwise, all the time is spent speeding up towards that requested speed, then slowing back down for the next turn before reaching it.
If you have a single-flat-filament-gear, no-reduction-gearing, bowden extruder like the Ender 3 and most of these Ender 3 clones have, you'll be lucky to get reliable, consistent extrusion with PETG even at 50 mm/s (assuming 0.4 nozzle and 0.2 layer height). 80 mm/s is almost surely too much without upgrading your extruder.
Also, you didn't say anything about temperature, but low temperature will exacerbate this problem and lead to the failed layer bonding you're experiencing. Anything below 245°C is "very low" for PETG - despite what manufacturers recommendations may say. They write the recommendations low so that customers with PTFE-lined hotends (which can't safely go above 245-250) will buy their product, not because it actually works well at those temperatures.
> 3 votes
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, anycubic-kobra-max
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thread-20146 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20146 | How to save slicer profiles? | 2022-10-30T18:45:22.610 | # Question
Title: How to save slicer profiles?
I've taken a bit of vacation and forgotten all the settings that I uncovered while tinkering with my printers. Different settings for different printers for different materials. I use Cura and PrusaSlicer, and they both behave more or less (randomly) the same. Sometimes they save some things, most of the time they don't save the important stuff. Neither slicer ever saves profiles, nor does it seem to have an option to, and they go weird if you change anything.
How are you supposed to save profiles? Can I save them out to a file for later import when I need them?
I realize that both will probably have different ways to circumnavigate profiles, so I don't mind breaking it out into 2 questions if need be.
Me? Oh I've just been hating profile saving for 12+0 years back when it was Slic3r. At least with that software I could save them as a file and make sure that they were imported at the start of every single print.
An example of randomness: on this print on a large diameter printer, the infill speed was set to 4mm/s in Cura, making the print time 9 hours. Once I fixed that, the print time was less than 2 hours.
# Answer
Both Cura and PrusaSlicer save settings as comments in G-code files, so you should be able to recover settings form Gcode files, and save them as new profiles. I generally save projects along with G-code files, for extra security.
> 1 votes
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Tags: ultimaker-cura, slicing, prusaslicer
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thread-20148 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20148 | Software workflow for merging a flat image and a STL? | 2022-10-31T02:37:53.427 | # Question
Title: Software workflow for merging a flat image and a STL?
I have a request to create a jigsaw puzzle based on a road layout, for a customised christmas gift. Imagine a Secret Santa present.
The city in question is Dunedin, New Zealand, which is on the waterline and has surrounding hills. I'd like to combine a download from https://touchterrain.geol.iastate.edu/?DEM\_name=JAXA%2FALOS%2FAW3D30%2FV2\_2 (available in OBJ, STL Binary, STL ASCII, or GeoTIFF) with an overlay like this in JPG/PNG.
Last step before printing would be to carve out individual jigsaw shapes for printing separately.
I imagine each road would be a slight "trench" or hollow in the STL's surface. Clearly a filament swap would not work to paint the roads as they climb, so either coloured marker or a fine paintbrush would be used, followed by clearcoat to preserve.
**What software workflow would give a useful result?**
I've looked at blender and freecad and tinkercad but nothing gives any result close to what I imagine but I haven't the experience.
---
* A low-res STL at 6.7 Mbytes can be found at This Link
* Importing the above STL into tinkercad returns this mess of triangles, not a solid shape. https://www.tinkercad.com/things/6nAgsF3lykG-dunedin-stl-imported
* The STL above displays perfectly with `fstl`
* But same STL fails with blender etc.
* I am using Linux, but have access to a modern mac or an older windows 2008 host if necessary.
I suspect the STL is not "closed" which is leading to all manner of difficulties.
**What would get me close to my desired print outcome?**
# Answer
I was not able to perform the download at your link. Instead, I visited the touch\_terrain site and approximated the location. The modifications allow for a thicker base, which I selected to 4 mm arbitrarily, eliminating the non-closed (probably) as well as exaggerated the vertical scale to 4x.
The result is satisfying and appears to have a minor validation problem surrounding the perimeter of the base, but no problems with the terrain.
If adjusting the base thickness does not resolve the problem you experience, consider also to increase the overall size of the model and use the tiling function to segment as needed.
For the roadway application, you can create an SVG of the map at appropriate scale. Thin lines will be problematic, but the thicker lines can be boolean-subtracted from the STL file. It will be necessary to extrude the SVG to sufficient thickness to impact the terrain STL in order to create the trenches.
It might also be possible, but far more complex, to use a feature in Fusion 360 that overlays an extrusion onto a surface in a uniform manner. Angus from Maker's Muse has a video explaining the process, but it's a pair of primitives, not a complex terrain and may not apply.
With the permissions corrected, the file downloaded without complications. I note that the composition/analysis is in excess of 140K triangles (Meshmixer) and could create problems with some programs. Fusion 360 will either refuse to function or provide an alert.
I reduced the mesh using Meshmixer set to 70 percent, resulting in no apparent loss of detail, but fewer than 40K triangles. Tinkercad also dislikes high triangle count objects. The reduced file will be available for download for a limited time.
Image from released (reduced) STL file.
---
But wait, there's more. After some additional thought, with consideration for your constraints, I think I have a workable approach. I'm not sure how you'd approach this first step, though. I used Windows 3D Builder to repair the broken base. Meshmixer shows the flaw but does not repair it. I suspect other online repair facilities will resolve this simple problem. I could have tried Meshmixer (plane cut) and certainly Fusion 360's plane cut, but only thought of that as I type this addendum.
Once repaired, I saved your map image and traced it in a suitable program to create the SVG file. Both in Inkscape and in LightBurn (a laser editing/burning program), the tracing went well. LightBurn allowed me to confirm that the SVG generated had closed shapes, but Tinkercad would not import any variation I created. I used Inkscape's Path to OpenSCAD which previews fine the extrusion to 10 mm, but it would not render, complaining of non-closed shapes.
There are "speckles" all over the map, even though I enlarged it to 200% scale to reduce that aspect of the lines. I suspect this will be problematic and suggest to locate a better resource, to eliminate excessive detail in the map.
Once you have that solved and can extrude your map, scale and align it to match the terrain STL which has been repaired. Create a duplicate of the terrain, also properly aligned and elevate it. The object of this step is to use the terrain to carve away the extruded map. If the boolean subtract does not destroy the terrain, great, otherwise, lower the extruded map into the terrain to the desired depth and perform another subtract.
This should give you the channels you require for painting.
> 4 votes
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Tags: software, stl, pre-processing
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thread-7388 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7388 | Ender 3 Z-limit now unreliable - possible causes and solutions? | 2018-11-10T12:35:06.103 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 Z-limit now unreliable - possible causes and solutions?
I had a couple of recent nozzle/bed crashes, so I now frequently do a manual bed levelling. I do these while the bed is heated to allow for expansion.
Today I found, after levelling, a subsequent print could vary from having too much clearance (paper moves very freely) to less than no clearance (which left deep grooves in the bed as per the photo).
What are the possible causes? Is it just a dodgy Z-limit switch or something else? What solutions are available and at what cost? Obviously an ABL seems essential now, but requires a lot of hardware and setup.
It has just happened again so here are some more details.
Printing PLA this time:
* Preheated bed.
* Levelled bed all over and got a very good raft.
* Print failed later so the print was aborted.
* Restarted the same print job.
* Nozzle gouged out a uniform depth trench around print perimeter.
The uniform depth of the gouge indicates a problem related to Z-axis only as the bed remains flat and level, but the height is off. That is to say, the bed is flat and level before and after this occurs.
Please note: I have done over 100 successful prints, prior to this issue, so I do have some knowledge about levelling the bed. I am interested in what could cause such a large variation. Initially I thought it was temperature as I switched to ABS at the time, but it now varies from one print to the next.
The machine is a month old and rock solid. The Z-axis is the slowest moving axis, controlled by the limit switch only, hence my suspecting that is the cause.
I purchased a couple of spare Ender 3's and will update various parts in turn to see what the cause is. The metal trigger on my Z-limit switch seems a little floppy sideways, but I am also starting to suspect the bed springs have lost their springiness.
I have the removal bed version and also a borosilicate glass bed. The glass is perfectly flat and the standard removable is dipped ever so slightly in the middle, but the difference is huge when it goes wrong. As you can see from the photo the trench it digs is quite uniform depth. That's why I keep coming back to the Z-limit switch. I have a spare switch now so will try that next.
# Answer
This was killing me on mine. My problem wasn't the z-axis, it was the x-axis arm. On the right side, opposite the extruder gear, it had a lot of give (wobble). I could level my bed four times before starting a print and would still have problems, especially with the nozzle making deep grooves in the magnetic bed. The way it messed up was inconsistent as well, making it hard to troubleshoot.
I changed out the bedsprings, got a glass bed instead, changed out the extruder gear and Bowden tube; I was ready to give up.
How to fix the wobble, if that's your problem, if there's a lot of give / vertical movement on the right side of the arm:
You have to take the whole arm off. First, take the top bar off, remove the four screws. Second, disable steppers so you can take the x-axis off completely. I removed the cables once I had taken it off. Third, there's a plate with two holes to get to two screws - make sure these are tight! This is where the wobble was coming from. Four, reassemble and double-check. For me, the give was reduced drastically.
A video tutorial for help. There are English subtitles.
> 4 votes
# Answer
I've just bought an Ender 3 Pro and as a guess I would look at the Z axis stepper motor to see if it is not holding position once it stops... the stepper motor has power on it all the time it is stopped to hold it in position.
I would check the plug that feeds power to see if it is damaged or not making good contact.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Similar issue happened to coworker's Maker Ultimate. I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that your Z-stop is a little mechanical switch, and there's an M3 screw going through part of the Z carriage that pushes said switch. Check to see how much force it takes to rotate said screw. There's a lot of vibration happening in a 3d printer, and it takes surprisingly little vibration to make a threaded part do weird things, including making it back out against gravity if conditions are right. Redo your Z gap paper test, get everything lined up, and then slap a dab of blue loctite on the screw to make sure it doesn't move during your next print. See if that fixes your problem.
> 1 votes
# Answer
I had a similar issue, the first layer always ended up at slightly different heights, making the first layer too low or too high.
At one point, I was raising the Z height 100 mm in G-code, and while watching the gantry rise I noticed extremely brief pauses, then when I lowered to zero the nozzle crashed the bed. I realized that the Z-axis threaded rod might be slipping. I Sharpied some marks on the coupler, did the 100 mm rise again, and took a high-speed video of the coupler with my phone. Sure enough, I saw moments where the coupler was turning but not the rod. Even though the coupler felt quite tight. So effectively the machine always thought the nozzle was higher than it actually was.
I tightened about as tight as I could without stripping. It got better, but I still had first layer inconsistency that suggested slip. Replacing the coupler with a version with 2 pairs of grub screws allowed me to get it sufficiently tight. I'm not sure how the coupler got loose in the first place, probably a crash.
Also, I found that the screws that hold the heat block to the heat break had loosened a bit. Surely this could cause issues and again probably resulting from a crash.
Finally, I think my Z gantry wheels may have been too tight. I think that would have relatively little effect on large vertical moves, but could cause some slight inconsistency in small moves or with vibrations; small but large enough to be the fractions of a millimeter that affect first layer quality.
Anyhow, one moral of this story I guess is after a crash, you can expect to spend a lot of time troubleshooting and fixing. try not to crash.
> 1 votes
# Answer
I'm having the same issue with Ender 3 V2. Everything tightened, Z-axis coupler not "slipping"... I noticed, that the error is made by the Z-axis end switch itself. I am not sure how that is possible but try homing several times and you'll see that the loud click when the switch is triggered occurs in a span of +/- 3 mm, which then results in a collision of the hot end and the bed, or the hot end being too high.
From what I noticed, the problem got worse after installing OctoPi. Strangely enough, I get very different results when homing "manually" (from the machine display menu), and when homing is done at the beginning of printing.
I believe that the problem has three solutions:
1. At least 3 skirt loops and adjust the bed on the fly. This is a very unfortunate solution, but that's what I have now.
2. I suggest some sort of speed regulation when approaching the switch (Z -\> 0), thus making the switch always trigger at the same height. I'm a programmer, but not familiar with G-code, I'll make this solution publicly available when I get to it.
3. Change the switch. The tin "paw" that can bend is unfortunate when you need 0,01 \[mm\] precision. The video is unrelated to the topic, but run 10-15 seconds and you'll see what I mean: Z-axis switch replacement
> 0 votes
# Answer
I have just had exactly the same symptoms with different clearances b/w the bed and the nozzle after homing. In order to reproduce that, I simply had to do subsequent homings and measure the clearance. The variance was around 0.15 mm.
I was not moving my printer. No wobbling was found. If the printing cycle is started successfully, then I have no issues with the printing quality. No missed steps on Z or any other axis.
The solution for me was in software. I have followed the comment here saying "You may want to try reducing the Z-axis homing speed to prevent it from exerting too much force, or tightening the switch more."
SOLUTION: I have compiled Marlin firmware myself with the only changes made to the homing speeds. Namely
in `Configuration_adv.h`
```
#define HOMING_BUMP_DIVISOR { 2, 2, 10 } // Re-Bump Speed Divisor (Divides the Homing Feedrate)
```
and in `Configuration.h`
```
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_MM_M { (50*60), (50*60), (3*60) }
```
Now during homing, the Z-axis movement is so gentle that the endstop triggers reliably at the same position. It costs me only extra 10 seconds but saves a lot of time in restarting the print.
P.S.
It looks like my problem is a combination of things: speed of homing and some issues with the endstop. I am ordering endstops anyway but meanwhile... **anyone who can compile Marlin may consider this approach as it requires no tinkering with the HW part of the printer and is easy to roll back or configure.**
> 0 votes
---
Tags: z-axis, bed-leveling, creality-ender-3
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thread-20143 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20143 | What is the shaded area that appears around the outside of objects in Creality Slicer? | 2022-10-30T11:23:18.843 | # Question
Title: What is the shaded area that appears around the outside of objects in Creality Slicer?
I'm using Creality Slicer, brims and other anti-warming or adhesion settings are all turned off. when I place an object on the bed a shaded area appears around it (See picture).
Is this simply the area in which you can't print anything else in sequential print mode due to the risk of the print head hitting it, or is there some other meaning?
# Answer
> 0 votes
Creality Slicer is a derivate of Cura. As such, all standard Cura things apply.
## Cura uses red surfaces to denote overhangs.
Your upper surface is denoted as an overhang, this indicates that your item has its surfaces at least partially "upside down". The model needs to be repaired, as such can result in the print solution being "That's to be a closed surface", ignoring the hole in the center. The problem isn't the slicer, it is the generation of the STL that messed up.
About inverted surfaces, see also: here, here and here
## Boxes around items come from sequential printing
The box around parts is also usually created when you try to print multiple items in sequence and relates to the dimensions of your printhead. It pretty much marks the exclusion zone where you are not allowed to place the next item. Check if you have turned `print order` from `all at once` to `in sequence` and adjust as needed.
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Tags: slicing, creality
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thread-20124 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20124 | Bad print quality starting second layer | 2022-10-25T14:54:20.853 | # Question
Title: Bad print quality starting second layer
I have an Ender 3 Pro modded with the Hero Me Gen 6 air ducts, installed a Creality 4.2.7 mainboard, and updated Marlin firmware to the latest for now 2.1.1 version. I'm printing with PLA only.
It was printing well enough. The nozzle started to wear down so I replaced the nozzle (standard brass one) but also upgraded the heatbreak to a bi-metal one (not all-metal, there is still a plastic tube inside the heatbreak) and a heatblock (standard goldish Creality block). And since that moment, the printer fails to print with good quality starting the second layer
What I tried:
* recalibrated it with a gauge of 0.2 mm and the first layer is perfect (did not know that could be a thing :))
* updated firmware
* tried to tighten screws (as it is recommended here)
* adjusted Z-axis steps/mm
* another filament
I can't figure out what causes that thing.
edited 2022-10-25 23:41
I think it is overextrusion. I tried reprinting object. The first layer was perfect, but second was poor again. There was no difference with cooling or without, no difference printing slower. But flow rate did matter:
1. 100% flow rate
2. changed to 85% flow rate
3. changed to 75% flow rate
4. changed to 100% flow rate
5. changed to 75% flow rate
Maybe it is prusa slicer doing its thing. I will try Cura. The only thing that bothers me is that diagonal scratch - that is from the nozzle which makes me think it is too low for the second layer
edited 2022-10-28 15:53
It's not a slicer thing. I sliced object with Cura and got pretty much the same result. I babystepped z-axis during the print to get nice result. So I think it is either z-axis motor not stepping enough or I need to lower extrusion multiplier in slicer. I will print calibration cube to check if z-axis motor steps up enough
edited 2022-10-28 18:34
Printed calibration cube. Turns out my z-axis steps were off. Model was 19.66mm instead of 20mm. I tuned steps to 407 from 400. That helped a bit (model is 20.02mm now) , but still the same ugly overextruded result. Tried to lower extrusion multiplier to 0.8 and still got the same bad result
edited 2022-10-30 22:11
It is neither nozzle nor heatbreak tube. I checked it using my old hardware. Maybe it is somehow connected to firmware... Or E-steps are off while printing
# Answer
I would go back to the brass nozzle and try again for comparison.
We had a batch of 10 cheap steel nozzles all of which caused problems.
> 1 votes
# Answer
I think the answer is printing temperature. This shiny PLA I'm using is Eryone Silk PLA. Although the working temperature is stated as 190-220 °C, my 205 °C was too much for it. A temperature of 190-195 °C produces good results though not as shiny anymore. It is three layers printed on the sample below with no problems.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, print-quality
--- |
thread-20127 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20127 | Print thread is non-uniform | 2022-10-26T10:42:35.897 | # Question
Title: Print thread is non-uniform
I am finally unable to reach adequate printing with my Creality 3D. This is how it prints a raft
As you see, thread is non-uniform.
What can be a reason?
Printing setup:
1. Nozzle is brass, 0.4 width, new from Amazon
2. Filament is PLA
3. Nozzle temperature is 220, bed temperature is 60.
4. I am using autolevelling with BLTouch
# Answer
> 3 votes
I found a problem: it is with extruder motor driver.
I tried to control the extruder with the knob and saw it that rotates with strange sounds and jerkily. Then I connect extruder cable to the socket of Z-axis on motherboard and also tried to control it with the knob. This time I found it rotates smoothly.
I.e. motor is good, cable is good, motherboard 4th driver is not good.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3
--- |
thread-20159 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20159 | How to determine correct firmware for Creality MB and BLTouch? | 2022-11-01T11:22:36.663 | # Question
Title: How to determine correct firmware for Creality MB and BLTouch?
I bought motherboard version 4.2.7 and had BLTouch version 3.1
Printer version is probably Creality Ender 3 Pro (although I don't know how it can matter if I got brand new motherboard from Amazon).
On firmwares page I dont see appropriate BLTouch verions. May be I need no firmware upgrade? How to know?
# Answer
> 1 votes
You linked to the incorrect directory, if your printer is a Creality Ender 3 Pro, the correct location is this, here you can find versions of the firmware for your printer type and controller board.
Depending on the version of the touch sensor, you either have or have not got an adapter board. If you have an adaptor board you have the components in the red rectangles:
If so you need this firmware file: Ender-3 Pro-4.2.7-TMC2225, Marlin2.0.1-BLTouch-V1.3.1(with adapter board), otherwise you need this firmware file: Ender-3 Pro- 4.2.7-TMC2225, Marlin2.0.1-BLTouch-V1.1.2(without adapter board).
An alternative is to build your own firmware, you then no longer are bound to pre-compiled files from others, the Marlin configuration file for the Ender 3 Pro is found near the Marlin sources, see here, you probably only need to enable the BLTouch in the configuration file. There are even more solutions, you can look into TH3D software or many other forks from Marlin on GitHub.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, firmware, bltouch
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thread-20160 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20160 | Strange chirping sound appeared after firmware upgrade | 2022-11-01T12:50:22.913 | # Question
Title: Strange chirping sound appeared after firmware upgrade
I got 4.2.7 "silent" motherboard and plugged it into my Creality Ender. It worked well except it didn't recognize my (old) BLTouch device. I tried to download firmware from official site, and it worked, but strande chirping sound started to come out of printer.
Probably I have chosen incorrect firmware. Although now I can't choose correct one. Is there any explanation of this sound?
# Answer
It was because of incorrect firmware.
Previously I was using BLTouch 3.1 with Creality MD 1.1.4. This MB required to plug special small adapter board between MB and display, having BLTouch connected to this adapter board.
When I bought new MB 4.2.7 I found it had seprate socket for BLTouch. I found manual in the Internet about how to connect BLTouch to this socket, which appeared to be correct.
Then I started to choose firmware and found there three versions of it: without adapter board, with adapter board, and with both adapter board and filament detector. I thought that this choice depends on BLTouch version and chosen one "with adapter board" because mine was with it initially and this was a mistake.
Apparently, this firmware was sending BLTouch control signal towards display wires and adapter board was filtering it and sendinf to BLTouch. In my case there was no adapter board and a signal, which was intended to control BLTouch, was reaching display circuit and causing it make weird sound.
Once I downloaded firmware version without adapter board the sound disappeared.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, firmware
--- |
thread-20164 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20164 | How thin a void/mould can a resin printer reliably produce? | 2022-11-02T12:06:51.057 | # Question
Title: How thin a void/mould can a resin printer reliably produce?
I am trying to print a very thin casting mould. Once printed, I then pour an epoxy resin mix into the printed void. After curing the resin and demoulding, the final product is a mesh/web-like set of channels. The aim is to make these channels (aka the void) as thin as possible.
With lots of careful adjustments, I have succeeded in making these channels approx 0.4 mm thick with an FDM 3D printer and a 0.15 mm nozzle diameter.
However, I'd like to go thinner. I have little experience with resin 3D printers. I often see an XY resolution advertised of 0.05 mm. Does anyone have any experience printing extremely thin voids - and if so - **what is the minimum reliable void thickness that a well-tuned resin printer could achieve in relation to the XY resolution?**
i.e. a 0.05 mm XY resolution (aka pixel size) might equate to a reliable void thickness of quadruple the XY resolution i.e. 0.2 mm? If I attempted to print two sides of a box with only a single pixel gap in between these two walls, would there be lots of overlap and cured regions in the middle where light leaks and therefore cures in the intended void space?
# Answer
According to one of the many resources available for x/y resolution of resin printers, specifically DLP and MSLA, Chitubox provides a formula to determine the minimum resolution.
> How to calculate the pixel for DLP/LCD?
>
> As XY resolution is fixed for DLP/LCD systems, so there is a equation:
>
> Width / X Axis = Height / Y Axis = Native Pixel Size
>
> If there is a 3D printer with a build area 68mm wide along the X axis. Divide 68mm (the X axis) by 1440 (the LCD width resolution in pixels), this will equal 0.047mm (47µm). And the native pixel size is 47µm.
0.047 mm is certainly close to the referenced 0.050 mm, but as also noted, there can be overlap/smear/filling created in the process.
There are test files for downloading and printing to use on a specific printer, allowing one to optimize exposure times and other settings. Cleaning of such small details could be a complication, perhaps resolved by an ultrasonic device and multiple passes of cleaning solution.
The linked site also provides these images for comparison of resolution settings:
47 micron resolution
100 micron resolution
A one pixel wall between channels is going to be incredibly fragile and may not survive a suitably complete cleaning process.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: resin, sla, resolution, molds
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thread-20166 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20166 | How much weaker does PETG become when it absorbs as much moisture as it can hold? | 2022-11-02T14:03:07.623 | # Question
Title: How much weaker does PETG become when it absorbs as much moisture as it can hold?
How much weaker does a PETG part become when it absorbs as much moisture as it can hold?
# Answer
> 4 votes
To my knowledge, there is no reason to expect a printed PETG object to become weaker by virtue of absorbing moisture. Unless you keep it in a controlled environment with desiccant or unless it's solid (100% infill) and so thick that it's hard for moisture to migrate deep into the interior, the printed object will rapidly reach an equilibrium with a certain moisture content. It's not something that happens slowly over a long time of exposure to excess moisture. Even an air conditioned indoor environment with 45-50% relative humidity has plenty for it to absorb.
Where moisture affects the part strength is when it's present in the filament you're trying to print. This is because:
1. Water has both an incredibly high specific heat and an even more extreme phase transition energy for the transition from liquid to vapor. This means a lot of your hotend's heat will be spent boiling off the water rather than getting the plastic sufficiently melted to flow well and bond to itself. This can largely be compensated for by increasing the temperature 15-30 °C. However...
2. When the water trapped in the filament boils, it produces bubbles. These either remain inside the extruded lines, making them less than solid, or they burst out, making holes in the extrusion. And while more temperature makes the melting issue above mostly go away, more temperature increases the violence of the bubbling and the corresponding damage to the print's integrity.
Neither of these is a concern with moisture absorbed into the part after printing.
---
Tags: print-material, petg, material, knowledgebase, print-strength
--- |
thread-18458 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/18458 | Filament Jamming in Hotend. Why? | 2021-11-27T07:19:40.937 | # Question
Title: Filament Jamming in Hotend. Why?
This has me stumped. I had been printing normally until this happened. Below is an expurgated version of my headache over two days. Some help would be appreciated.
Printer is Hypercube Evolution (CoreXY) using Bowden tube and eSun PLA+ filament. Bowden tube goes from inside the feed cone in the extruder straight through the heatsink and into the feed throat of the heatbreak. Genuine Titan Extruder. Extruder stepper has no label.
Started a new print. Printer was at ambient temperature of about 18 degrees. Printer brought up to temperature, 60° bed and 200° hotend. Bed homed and levelled in gcode. Print speed 60mm/s. Hotend moved to centre of bed and print started. No filament extruded and extruder stepper was making a grinding noise. Normally expect this to be hotend not hot enough. Altered pressure adjustment on the extruder. Made no difference. Cancelled print.
Lowered bed out of the way. Hotend to 225°. Attempted to extrude filament. Nothing other than extruder stepper grinding. Tried to retract filament, no motion and extruder stepper still grinding.
Disassembled hotend. No problem removing nozzle. The heatbreak and the heatsink Bowden connections would not give. There was filament between the Bowden connector and the heatbreak. When this snapped, I could get the parts free. The heatbreak had stretched filament stuck in the feed throat. There was thickened filament in the Bowden tube preventing retraction. It is still in there and stuck. Extruder stepper replaced and VREF adjusted. New all metal 1.75mm heatbreak. Bowden tube replaced. Hotend reassembled. Hotend to 200° and extruded 200mm of filament. There was some smoke from the hot end at first and the initial filament was burnt. Everything seemed to be working, hotend turned off and Z-offset calculated and stored.
Lowered the bed, hotend back to 200°. The problem was back, could not extrude nor retract, extruder stepper grinding. I was able to withdraw the filament manually. The end was slightly thickened with a whispy "tail". Cut the filament, hotend to 225° and re-fed filament. Acrid smoke initially from the hotend and filament extruded. Hotend allowed to cool to room temperature. Hotend to 225°. Filament would not extrude nor retract. Hotend turned off and left.
Disassembled hotend. Again, heatbreak and Bowden connections to heatsink would not give. Managed to manually feed filament whilst unscrewing heatbreak. The filament found is shown in the attached picture. The small thick bulge would seem to have occurred in the tiny area where the Bowden tube enters the feed throat of the heatbreak. The thin filament is stretching whilst trying to retract. After that can be seen where the filament has thickened again. Mangled filament trimmed and hotend reassembled making sure that the Bowden tube was seated in the heatbreak feed throat. Hotend to 200° and extruded 200mm filament. Tried a test print, not very good, but worked. Tried a second print, the problem was back again.
Has anybody any ideas how to solve this? I have also checked that the thermistor is reading correctly, changed the roll of filament (just in case I had a bad roll) and have replaced the extruder stepper driver.
# Answer
> 1 votes
The lump at the top of the heatbreak is because there is a gap between your bowden tube and the heatbreak. Liquid filament is leaking out of the heatbreak and solidifying there. When you reassemble, you need to close this gap.
There should not be smoke coming out of your nozzle. Maybe when it is new, there might be a bit of oil that would smoke, but it should only do that once. If you are getting burned filament, your nozzle temperature is too high. Either the control system is overshooting and the temperature spikes, or your temperature sensor has a problem.
The thickened filament is worrisome. With the filament jammed at the heatbreak, if the filament is soft, it might be getting compressed. But PLA should not do this unless there is enough heat leaking into the bowden tube to soften it.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I too have been plagued with stuck filament in my hotend. First, I am using a ~300 mm long Bowden tube on a delta-type 3D printer. Every time it jams, I can pull the filament back out, I find the end having a slightly larger diameter that is ~2-3 mm in length. I cut this off and feed it back and I am good to go.
A couple of observations:
* I replaced my Bowden tube and heatbreak, but I may need to taper the end of the Bowden tube so there will be 0 gaps with heatbreak. My Bowden tube I.D. may be too large and during retraction, it expands in the Bowden tube.
* Next, the filament tolerance is +/-.03 mm. This may not be tight enough to cause it to get stuck.
* Last, the temperature should be reduced to the lowest possible to prevent any heat to migrate up the heatbreak.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Worked out the reason for the thickening filament. A number of sites refer to heat creep and suggest that you check that the heatsink is clear and the heatsink fan is working properly. In my case, they were. However, the fan outlet (where it blows on the heat sink) was full of garbage. Cleaned that out things improved. Also replacing a dodgy thermistor cleared up the residual problem.
---
Tags: hotend, extrusion, filament-jam
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thread-522 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/522 | Is there a G-code for waiting? | 2016-02-07T21:23:27.297 | # Question
Title: Is there a G-code for waiting?
My printer has an auto-leveling feature that works by touching the build plate with the tip of the nozzle.
I started using a BuildTak surface and BuildTak is damaged when you push a hot nozzle into it.
So I edited the start G-code to run the auto-leveling before heating up the hotend
But ABS doesn't stick to the build surface unless I pre-heat the hotend and wait about a minute.
So now I'm looking for a G-code command to put at the end of the start G-code that will make the printer wait a minute before printing
The sequence I'm looking for is:
* Heat up the bed
* Auto level
* Raise the hotend a little bit so it doesn't touch the build plate
* Heat up the hotend
* *Wait a minute (that's the only part that is missing, everything else works)*
* Start printing
Any way to insert a delay into the G-code?
I'm using Cura to slice/print, my printer is Robo3D R1+
# Answer
> 31 votes
The G-code to delay is `G4`.
`G4 P60000` will wait for one minute. The `P` is in milliseconds. Some firmware also accept a `S` Parameter that has the seconds. So, if supported, `G4 S60` would do the same thing.
The details for this and all other G-codes are documented here.
# Answer
> 15 votes
An alternative solution to using a hard delay with the G4 dwell command, is to increase the time that the temperature set with M109 has to be held before it continues with the next command.
In Marlin, this setting is named `TEMP_RESIDENCY_TIME`, and can be found around line 150 in `Configuration.h`. By default, this is set to 5 seconds, which looks like:
```
// Actual temperature must be close to target for this long before M109 returns success
#define TEMP_RESIDENCY_TIME 5 // (seconds)
```
If increasing this setting solves your exact problem, I cannot say, but it could be worth looking into.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Thank you Fernando Baltazar for the G-code you used to solve the hot end cooling issue after bed levelling probing. I did change `M190` to `S60` but kept everything else. This worked.
```
G29 ; Autonivel
M190 S35 ; set bed temperature
G1 Z4 F240 ; lift nozzle
M109 S195 ; wait for temperature to be reached
G21 ; set units to millimeters
G90 ; use absolute coordinates
M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion
M104 S210 ; set temperature
G92 E0
G1 E-1.5000 F1800
G1 Z0.225 F240
```
# Answer
> 1 votes
I´m using this code for my prints.
```
G29 ; Autonivel
M190 S35 ; set bed temperature
G1 Z4 F240 ; lift nozzle
M109 S195 ; wait for temperature to be reached
G21 ; set units to millimeters
G90 ; use absolute coordinates
M82 ; use absolute distances for extrusion
M104 S210 ; set temperature
G92 E0
G1 E-1.5000 F1800
G1 Z0.225 F240
```
On M190 S35, the nozzle is still on the low position (1.2mm), then goes to 4mm then waits for the extruder temperature Ex. 195°C; when the extruder reach the 195°C for 10 seconds then the printers starts to print going the nozzle to 0.22mm while the nozzle reach the second temperature of 210°C. On This time its allow me to clean the nozzle and normalize the temperatures for a good prints.
**Note:** To avoid the nozzle stays many time on low position (1.2mm) normally I preheat the bed at 35°C. some times to heat the bed takes a longer time than heating the nozzle. This is the main reason that I prefer to preheat the printer.
---
Tags: g-code
--- |
thread-15054 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15054 | Thermal Runaway E1 at Layer 2 | 2020-12-17T12:30:03.440 | # Question
Title: Thermal Runaway E1 at Layer 2
Before I start, I'll give you my setup:
* Ender 3 Pro
* Marlin 2.0.7.2
* Material/Nozzle: PETG 0.4 mm @ 215 °C
* Bed: Glass @ 80 °C
* Default printing speed: 70 mm/s
* Standard part cooling fan
Since I've updated the Marlin FW on from factory default to 2.0.7.2, my printer stops printing and gives out an thermal runaway exception message. Note that, after the firmware flash, I performed a PID-Tune multiple times.
The problem is absolutely repeatable and happens always on beginning of layer 2 (more precisely: 40 seconds after beginning layer 2). Changing PID values doesn't change anything to the moment of the error occurring.
I managed to run it longer by repeatedly dropping the temperature set-point and making a photo of the temperature plot. First photo is right after the initial drop from 215 to 205 °C. Second is when the temperature started rising slowly again.
After this temperature drop, the hotend temperature seemed to be much less stable and reached only 205 °C.
At Layer 12, the same thing happened again. But dropping the temperature far too low for PETG and having the "same" issue again, making me stop the print.
This problem is pretty urgent and I haven't found any suitable solution by now. Do you have any ideas of what may cause this trouble? New heaters and thermistors are on their way right now. But I fear that this is not a hardware problem since none of the components are damaged and dysfunctional, nor the moment of failure is random.
# Answer
> 3 votes
It turned out, it was a faulty heater, that wasn't able to reach and maintain temperatures over 195 °C in a stable manner. The order came, had a new 50 W heater, thermistor and a PTFE-Bowden tube. It works just fine again, now!
# Answer
> 1 votes
I find my Ender 3 Max has "phases" where each and every print will end in a thermal error, always at layer 2. During these phases, I disable retraction to keep the flow of filament constant through the hot end and into the nozzle. While my prints are a little messier than I would like, more often than not they actually finish.
Another thing that helps is to lower the initial bed temperature as much as possible, or even have it at room temperature (Max has a carborundum glass bed with blue tape over the top) and raise it as the hotend moves away from the bed. I feel that layer 2 is the "transition layer" where the hotend is no longer using the heat from the bed to maintain its temperature, so the controller lets it have a big burst of energy to compensate for any temperature variations and more often than not gives it too much, resulting in our beloved E1 error.
I may be wrong, but I would love to try a thermal camera to see if it's true!
# Answer
> 0 votes
Wrap all the heat system (above nozzle) with heat tape. I solved my problem with this!
---
Tags: marlin, creality-ender-3, petg, pid, thermal-runaway
--- |
thread-20177 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20177 | CR Touch install help | 2022-11-05T17:17:00.557 | # Question
Title: CR Touch install help
I bought my son an Ender 3 Pro and a CR touch. I am trying to get this setup to print for him despite having zero experience with 3D printing and at a loss with the installation.
Here are the details:
* I have the 4.2.2 motherboard.
* I have reviewed my CR Touch install and believe it to be correct.
* I did the formatting of my SD card.
* I have downloaded and installed this firmware: `Ender-3pro_HW4.2.2_SW2.0.8.27_CRTOUCH.bin`.
* I am having the "homing failed message".
* When I try to move the Z-axis, nothing happens (the printer sits idle).
* I have read about adding the G-code however have no idea where to do this.
When I power the unit on, something doesn't seem right. I have read the provided install directions, searched Youtube videos, and read through this site to no avail. I just need somebody with some experience here to help walk me through getting this setup.
I did not use the printer prior to the CR Touch install.
# Answer
There are so many pre-compiled versions of firmware available of which some don't work well and others are labeled incorrectly or not enough.
For this reason many people compile their own files; you are in control of the options of your choice. But, building your own firmware requires some skills, so it is imaginable that some like to use pre-compiled files.
Another compiled file you could try is this one:
> In this file- Firmwares of CR Touch for Ender-3 Pro Series with 32-bit motherboard. Before update any firmwares, please refer to "CR Touch Firmware Version for 32-bit Motherboard" for more details on how to select firmwares.
According to the latter link, you require firmware file "Ender-3pro\_HW4.2.2\_SW2.0.8.27\_CRTOUCH", so you should have the correct version! But, there appears to be a consensus to **not use** Creality pre-compiled firmware! It appears that the firmware doesn't work (well).
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, troubleshooting, bltouch
--- |
thread-20020 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20020 | Cause of print errors with PC + CF? | 2022-10-04T22:40:37.000 | # Question
Title: Cause of print errors with PC + CF?
I simply don't have a lot of experience with 3D FDM printing and additionally Priline PC+CF filament.
It does print relatively easily. But a coworker wanted a Batman symbol for his daughter. Now I'm getting problems.
Seems on longer runs when filling in the top or bottom the right side doesn't have enough filament while the left side does.
Then there are these occasional areas where the material... guessing is retracted and causing a lift?
Was going to try disabling it... there are lots of things to try but was hoping for some guidance. Thanks
I don't recall having either issue with PLA, especially the bottom. And that didn't manifest until this model.
Printer: Ender 3 S1 Pro
Slicer: MatterControl
Nozzle: 265 °C
Bed: 105 °
# Answer
> 1 votes
One thing that you have to remember is that PC/CF filaments are hygroscopic, they absorb lots of moisture from the air very quickly.
So I would begin by drying your filament, and then printing with it inside of a dry air-sealed box such as a food dehydrator or a box of silica packets.
When not using the filament, it is crucial that it is not left out.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, troubleshooting, fdm, polycarbonate
--- |
thread-19969 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/19969 | Sudden Extreme Z-Banding | 2022-09-25T05:45:54.803 | # Question
Title: Sudden Extreme Z-Banding
I am experiencing an extreme Z-banding issue that has come on all of a sudden.
I'm quite new to 3D printing and I have just taken a deep dive into printer calibration by going through the Teaching Tech 3D Printer Calibration website, after which my printer was working great.
Overnight, I printed a part that took over 9 hours to print, and it printed very nicely. But today, without making any changes to my printer or slicer settings, I printed another part and the results were awful.
I'm getting some quite extreme Z-banding that seems to occur at a regular frequency, but not perfectly regular. It also does not seem to be a layer shift because it bulges out on both sides of the upright sections on the same layer. So I don't believe it is due to Z-wobble from a bent or misaligned lead screw, but I could be wrong.
I've gone over my machine several times checking everything is tight, the belts are tensioned adequately, etc, etc, and I can't find anything that seems to be wrong. But, of course there could still be some mechanical issue I have not discovered.
Any help on what could be the cause of this would be greatly appreciated, as I am at a loss as to why it has suddenly started doing this when it was working great the day before. All the websites I have found suggest that it is due to Z-wobble (but I'm not so sure for the reasons stated above), due to extrusion issues (but none of the websites show anything near as extreme as this), or due to bed temperature problems (I've carried out PID auto tuning and it seems to be stable).
The part I printed last night for 9 hours used a 40% gyroid infill, so my printer was vigorously vibrating for a decent chunk of time. Could this have caused some damage?
My printer is a stock Creality Ender 3 S1 Pro with 0.4 mm diameter brass nozzle.
**Slicer Settings:**
* Nozzle temp = 200 °C
* Bed temp = 60 °C
* Layer height = 0.2 mm
* Line width = 0.4 mm
* Wall count/top layers/bottom layers = 4
* Alternate extra wall on
* Infill density = 40 %
* Infill pattern = gyroid
* Flow = 88 %
* Initial layer flow = 110 %
* Print speed = 50 mm/s
* Outer wall speed = 15 mm/s
* Inner wall speed = 20 mm/s
* Travel speed = 100 mm/s
* Print acceleration = 700 mm/s^2
* Jerk = 15 mm/s
* Retraction distance = 1 mm
* Z-Hop off
# Answer
Lots of things can cause these issues but one that I cause that I find intreastng can be found here.
this was a facinating discover to me and could be the cause of your issue potentially.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: print-quality, troubleshooting, z-axis, extrusion, layer-shifting
--- |
thread-20153 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20153 | Why is the pin, which is intended to control the BLTouch, marked "IN" on Creality board? | 2022-10-31T19:15:55.457 | # Question
Title: Why is the pin, which is intended to control the BLTouch, marked "IN" on Creality board?
I bought a new 32-bit board for my old Creality printer, and now I am going to connect my old old BLTouch sensor to it. I got some instructions from the internet and found that it needs to be connected to the central pin on MoBo.
This pin is marked "IN" while its purpose is to control BLTouch effector, i.e. it should be "OUT", not "IN".
Why?
---
* MB (new) version is 4.2.7
* BLTouch version is 3.1
# Answer
> 2 votes
**TL; DR** \- The pins are clearly named in reverse, and the `IN` pin is obviously an *output* and the `OUT` pin is obviously an *input*.
However, as to the *why*, it would be hard to guess, apart from the lazy deduction of either:
* Sloppy design work, or;
* Translation/language difficulties/barriers.
Without one of the board's designers posting an answer here, I guess we will never know for sure. A more generic labelling of both of the pins, such as `IO1` and `IO2`, would have been better, and less confusing.
In addition, the guide, where the image that you posted comes from, seems to be rather poorly written and I would caution you *against* following it - see below for more details.
---
## Notes
I may be wrong but the image that you show is presumably from this guide, Creality V4.2.2 & V4.2.7 Motherboard BL Touch Wiring Options, which shows two differing wiring suggestions (*5 wire* and *3+2 wire*).
### The 5 wire
A BLTouch with a 5 pin connector attaches to the 5 pin socket on the controller board:
original image
### The 3+2 wire
A BLTouch with both a 3 pin and a 2 pin connector attaches to part of the 5 pin socket (the three left most pins, `G`, `V` and `IN`) and the Z-axis minimum endstop (`Z-`), respectively:
original image
Note: If the image is expanded and examined carefully, it can be seen that "IN" has actually been written on the diagram, just over the yellow wire - obviously this is just a blind repetition of the mis-labelled pin.
### Deduction
Either the z-axis endstop or the right most two pins of the 5 pin connector (`G` and `OUT`) can be used to connect the BLTouch probe sensor.
The right most connector (`OUT`) is therefore equivalent to the endstop pin, and is (most probably) an active low *input*, using a pull-up resistor either on the board or internal to the MCU - even though it is labelled as `OUT`.
This leaves the remaining connector (the three left most pins) for the BLTouch motor/servo. Therefore, obviously, the `IN` pin is actually an *output* used to actuate the motor/servo.
Note: As *dandavis* points out in their comment, the IO pins of the MCU IC are configurable in the firmware, and so could be reconfigured as either inputs or outputs.
### Alternative 3+2 wiring
The much more useful and detailed tutorial, BLTouch Installation for Ender 3 with 32-bit V4.2.2 Board (linked to by *towe* in their comment) shows a similar set of connections, except that the 5 pin plug is replaced by the dual 3+2 wire connector, with both plugs (the 3 pin and the 2 pin) connected to the 5 pin socket on the controller board (rather than having the 2 pin going to the Z-axis endstop connector, as shown in the previous guide):
### Enhanced 3+2 diagram and wire swapping warning - 32-bit board only
A better diagram of the 3+2 wiring configuration is shown below:
(original image)
I found this diagram via the cautionary tale, Creality v4.2.2 board and BLtouch problem - board fried! on Reddit, which highlights the ***mismatch*** of the wiring of the various BLTouch probe/MoBo versions (the `V` and `G` pins may need to be swapped on the servo connector and **must be verified** before connecting and powering).
This mismatch, for the ***32-bit board*** is also highlighted in BLTouch Installation for Ender 3 with 32-bit V4.2.2 Board, under the **Swap the Wiring** section:
> This BLTouch Kit is meant for 8-bit and 32-bit board, however, the default wiring is for 8-bit (green) board with adapter (hack the buzzer pin for LCD). No swapping of wires is neccessary for 8-bit board.
>
> For 32-bit board, we will need to do a minor adjustment to the wiring. This is a **MUST** step, as the swapped wires are VCC (+ve 5VDC) and GND (0V). If you do not swap the wires, you will damage the BLTouch and it is not under warranty.
(original image)
### Firmware
For the sake of completion, and because the guide where your image came from ***does not seem to be particularly well-written*** \- the firmware will differ, depending upon where the probe sensor is connected to, i.e. the z-axis endstop connector *or* the right hand pins of the 5 pin socket.
Either a different pre-compiled firmware binary is required or (if compiling the firmware yourself) some lines need to be uncommented in the Marlin source code, in `configuration.h` \- which, according to the first guide, are the following lines:
```
#define BLTOUCH
...
#define AUTO_BED_LEVELING_BILINEAR
...
#define RESTORE_LEVELING_AFTER_G28
```
However, I'm not convinced by that rather overly simplistic first guide, unless the right most two pins of the 5 pin socket and the Z-axis endstop pins are hard-wired together on the board, which may be possible, but seems unlikely. I would have assumed that some pin changes are required in the firmware (but I may be wrong).
Indeed, the far superior guide, How to Set Up Marlin & BLTouch for Auto-Bed Leveling, shows that those three lines are only for the bed-levelling settings and a *multitude* of other changes are required.
Of particular note, if the Z-axis endstop is not used and the `G` and `OUT` pins are used instead, then make sure that the following line is commented out:
```
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN
```
and uncomment
```
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP
```
There are a number of other lines that need modifying, which are beyond the scope of this answer. Please refer to this guide or some other *well written* guide.
### References
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, bltouch, wiring
--- |
thread-20185 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20185 | Broken stepper motor? | 2022-11-07T17:27:46.287 | # Question
Title: Broken stepper motor?
After encountering extreme under extrusion on my Anycubic i3 Mega, I first cleaned the nozzle and ended up replacing the entire hotend + nozzle. Since that did not help and I couldn't see any issues with it, I went on to check my E-steps. It seems that this is the root cause of the issue.
I removed the Bowden tube to have no resistance and used `G1 E100 F100` to feed 100 mm of filament through the extruder. The extruder only extruded ca. 23 mm though, so I had to adjust the E-Steps value from **92** to **398** which already seemed way off, seemingly "fixed" the issue though. When I repeated the test "under load" with the Bowden tube connected and the hotend heated to 220 °C (using PLA I normally print at 200 °C), the extruder once again only extruded a fraction of the supposed 100 mm (I don't remember the exact measurement, though approximately 30 mm). The gears seem to be fine, and the filament that is pushed against the small gear doesn't seem to slip either.
Unfortunately, that's where my experience ends, can someone tell me how to proceed to narrow down the issue? I suppose it could be the motor itself, a faulty stepper motor driver, loose cables, or the mainboard.
**Edit to @Citadel:** When I bought the printer it had a spare hot end that came with it. I simply replaced the old one with this one. I did not do any further hardware customization.
**Edit2:** Sorry for the late update, I wasn't able to check the printer before due to work. I swapped the stepper driver with one of the others on board and checked the e-steps again. Aaaand I just then I noticed I must have forgotten to save the to eeprom when I updated the e-steps last time... So of course I tried with the swapped stepper driver and original e-steps (**92**), but this didn't fix the issue. So the issue is not the driver. After that I changed the e-steps to **398** again and saved this time. Last time I accidentally started a print that that caused the eeprom reset before I saved the settings and tried the e-steps under load. This time it worked, even under load. I still believe this must mean that the motor is missing some steps but for now it seems to print fine. If I get issues again I'll next try to swap the motor. Thanks for your answers!
TL;DR: forgot to save the new e-steps due to starting a calibration print that reset the value before saving. New value actually works but probably indicates that something might be wrong with the motor as the stepper driver is fine.
# Answer
Make sure that you do not have volumetric extrusion (E in mm<sup>3</sup>) enabled in the printer's menu system.
> 2 votes
# Answer
Using a Bowden drive system, you should never need to resort to testing the drive system without the Bowden tube. The tube acts as a neutral surface that retains the force of the plastic through the hotend. Try replacing the nozzle and fully cleaning the hotend following a YouTube video. If you don't have a hotend motor with a set gear, please test the uniform turning of the gears to see if the gears are slipping on the motor.
Make sure the Bowden tube is not clamped flat in any area. 220 °C is fantastic for PLA testing.
Please check out The almighty word of the 3d printing gods regarding underextruding and use it to become a better print mechanic and to be forgiven of your 3D printing sins. This reference holds dominion over all printers in existence, wield it responsibly.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: extruder, stepper-driver, stepper, anycubic-i3-mega
--- |
thread-20190 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20190 | Ender 3 - mobo 4.2.7 - driver adjustment | 2022-11-08T20:26:09.210 | # Question
Title: Ender 3 - mobo 4.2.7 - driver adjustment
I upgraded my Ender 3 with a new Mobo, the 4.2.7 version.
My current setup is:
Printer Specifications:
* Ender 3
* Upgraded Motherboard 4.2.7 (Silent Stepper Drivers)
* Marlin FW Upgrade to Version 2.1.x
* New metal extruder handle
* Replacement bed springs
* New complete hot end
* Everything else is in stock
Prior to the mobo upgrade, everything was working fine. Now I'm having problems with the extruder. I did use at first the Ender3 32bit 4.2.7 firmware, but it did happens too. The e-steps for the filament length have been adjusted. Once I start spinning the extruder, the extruder stepper starts grinding and jumping/rewinding the extruder wheel with the filament to the back; sometimes even 8-10 mm. Also, if I manually hold the filament back, it springs back. It seems that there is no power/power coming from the stepper motor.
So I would like to check how much power the driver needs and gets. How or where can I find the required voltage for the drivers? How to adjust the drivers?
Any tips or references are welcome.
# Answer
There are different versions of the 4.2.7 main board. This is an excellent video made by YouMakeTech:
---
*To prevent the answer to become unusable due to link rot, a concise summary is shown below.*
The correct drivers can be "read" from the written letter on the card reader:
Depending on the driver, you need to find out what the maximum Vref for your stepper is (this depends on the maximum current rating of your stepper), e.g. for 2208, 2209 and 2225 drivers the Vref is calculated by the same equation:
The Imax (maximum curretn) is depending on the used stepper:
Use the nominal values to prevent the steppers to become too hot.
The Vref can be adjusted by the screw potentiometers next to the drivers, use a voltmeter while adjusting:
> 1 votes
# Answer
I would try to reinstall the old board and see if the extruder still skips.
If the extruder is not having an issue with the old board installed, you'll need to visit Creality's Updates page and install the Marlin 2.0 firmware designed for the 4.2.7 board. Please use a how-to video on YouTube for installing your new board, you will need to calibrate E-Steps, calibrate PID Temperatures, etc. as outlined in the video.
If the extruder continues its behavior, the extruder is under-extruding. Please check out The Holy Bible of 3D Printing troubleshooting: Underextruding printer to get to the bottom of it before you upgrade to your new silent board. Then I can pretty much guarantee you have either a clogged nozzle or a hotend that's too cold during printing to melt the plastic at a fast enough rate.
The third thing is you need to upgrade the stock Ender 3 extruder because the stock black extruder bracket is absolute garbage, and it alone would cause a skipping and flaking extruder. Get the sweet stainless grey one for 15 USD on amazon. Blame Creality for that oversight.
Please respond back if this didn't help.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, stepper-driver, extruder-driver
--- |
thread-20194 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20194 | OpenSCAD ERROR: Current top level object is not a 2D object | 2022-11-09T14:43:21.747 | # Question
Title: OpenSCAD ERROR: Current top level object is not a 2D object
I have created a Mengersponge in OpenScad which is a 3D object. I wanted to get an SVG export from it for the laser cutter but I receive this error:"Current top level object is not a 2D object." How do I select each side of this sponge to export it as SVG for laser cutting?
Code:
<pre><code>module MengerSponge(side = 270, order =3){
difference(){
cube([side,side,side],center=true);
MengerSponge_aux1(side, order);
}
}
module MengerSponge_aux1(side, order){
rotations=[
[90,0,0],
[0,90,0],
[0,0,90],
];
for(rotation=rotations){
rotate(rotation)
MengerSponge_aux2(side, order);
}
}
module MengerSponge_aux2(side, order){
if(order>0){
translate([0,-(side-(side/pow(3,order-1)))/2,0])
for(i=[0:pow(3,order-1)-1]){
translate([0,(side/pow(3,order-1))*i,0])
translate([-(side-(side/pow(3,order-1)))/2,0,0])
for(i=[0:pow(3,order-1)-1]){
translate([(side/pow(3,order-1))*i,0,0])
cube([(side/pow(3,order)),(side/pow(3,order)),side+1],center=true);
}
}
MengerSponge_aux2(side, order-1);
}
else{
echo("Fail");
}
}
side=270;
order=3;
MengerSponge(side, order);
```
</code></pre>
# Answer
> 5 votes
Use the projection() feature of OpenSCAD to effectively generate a plane cut. Position the cube structure in such a manner that the x/y plane intersects the desired shape to be exported. Rendering the code will then generate a 2D image. Previewing the code will generate a 1 mm thick 3D model which will "flatten" when rendered.
For the image below, I did not translate the cube, merely placed the cube generation within the projection feature.
```
projection(){
MengerSponge(side, order);
}
```
This rendering will export to SVG as desired. Different positioning of the cube (rotate, translate) will create different patterns.
---
Tags: openscad
--- |
thread-20196 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/20196 | What are viable substitutes for Raspberry Pi to run Octoprint or similar software for Prusa i3 MK3S+? | 2022-11-10T00:40:14.543 | # Question
Title: What are viable substitutes for Raspberry Pi to run Octoprint or similar software for Prusa i3 MK3S+?
Where I live, Raspberry Pi is currently\* either unavailable, at prices 3 times higher than a year before, or sold online as "untested". Or straight up as not working. So I am not getting one.
At the same time, I'd love to be able to set up Octoprint or similar platform. Are there any alternatives that are not like out of stock worldwide? What I'm looking for is:
1. Ability to send prints using wireless network
2. Ability to monitor prints using webcam / embedded camera
3. Ability to monitor temperatures, get filament runout alarms etc
4. Ability to stop print in case of a fail
---
* end of 2022
# Answer
> 2 votes
A recent post on Reddit directed me to a possible alternative. The link given was for a YouTube video titled "Armbian, Octoprint and Octodash install on Libre Renegade (Raspberry Pi alternative board)" from The feral engineer.
The single board computer listed in the video is the Libre Computer Board ROC-RK3328-CC available on Amazon (US) for $50 USD.
The feral engineer did mention that he had a few problems getting things to work but was successful in the end. He does give the major steps for doing the installation and overcoming some of the errors that popped up.
For a list of **all** possible single-board computer (SBC), module (SoM) and Linux-supported development boards see Board-DB.
---
Another alternative I have recently come across is the Makerbase MKS Pi Board. It is sold through Amazon (85 USD) and Aliexpress (55.79 USD) and is a great alternative due to the Raspberry Pi shortage.
The MKS Pi can run a standard Armbian OS but Makerbase supplies an OS image with klipper and kiauh baked in. An install tutorial by 3DP and me provides easy-to-follow instructions. This SBC is probably the easiest to setup.
---
Tags: prusa-i3, octoprint, raspberry-pi
--- |
thread-16725 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16725 | Distinguish i3 MK3 from i3 MK3S | 2021-07-13T13:15:20.677 | # Question
Title: Distinguish i3 MK3 from i3 MK3S
I have a Prusa i3 MK3 or maybe it was upgraded to a i3 MK3S.
How can I figure out?
The description of the upgrade kit talks about
* the SuperPINDA (how is it different from the old one?)
* a number of small changes (which?)
* improved plastic parts (which parts, how are they different?)
* metal clips (where to look for them?)
* a number of minor changes to the extruder plastic parts (which ones, before and after?)
I'd like to figure that out without taking the printer apart.
# Answer
The MK3 has 4 pins on the filament sensor, the MK3S has only 3 pins. While you need to take the extruder apart to see that, you can also have a look at the cable instead:
Matching the sensor, the MK3 has a 4 strand wire including blue and the MK3S has a 3 strand cable without blue.
Looking under the heatbed, you'll find the MK3 bearings are fixed with U-bolts while the MK3S has broader bearing clips.
> 4 votes
# Answer
On the LCD, the MK3 will show **Original Prusa MK3 OK**, while the MK3S/+ will show **Original Prusa MK3S OK**. This will only work if you have the stock firmware installed.
> 4 votes
---
Tags: prusa-i3
--- |
thread-1113 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/1113 | Slicer/Printer Origin | 2016-05-05T20:20:01.943 | # Question
Title: Slicer/Printer Origin
I am very close to buying a 3D printer and have started to do some preliminary design work from the things I'd like to make, but I have a question: Which corner of the print bed corresponds to the origin (0,0,0) in slicer software? Is this the same across slicers and printers?
The reason I ask this is because of the difficulty some have in removing items from the bed. It seems to me like I'd want to print small items closer to the front of the printer to make access easier, but it looks like most slicer hosts only show a box representing the build volume with no real indication of what's "front".
# Answer
Depending on what kind of printer you have, the build table origin and slicer origin (0,0) are usually either the front left corner, or the center of the build plate. This can be changed by the end-user in most open-source printers. There is no standard or requirement for a particular origin location. The important thing is merely that the slicer and printer coordinate systems match, so parts actually come out where your slicer thinks they should.
In practice, it's usually quite easy to tell what's "front" in your slicer's build volume. When you open the program, the bed usually appears as it does when you stand in front of your printer. It is rarely an issue.
In terms of difficulty removing prints from the bed, a removable build plate is an excellent solution. Plastic has a higher coefficient of thermal expansion than most build plate materials (like glass), so throwing the print+plate in your freezer will generate large separation forces and help remove the part for you. Non-removable build surfaces are a deal-breaker for most serious 3D printer users I know. Either don't buy such a printer, or add a removable plate yourself.
> 4 votes
# Answer
Normally the home position of the printer is the front left corner of the bed. The slicing software will ask you where this is so you can than position your object anywhere on the bed. The slicing software will make all the necessary adjustments for you. You normally would print the object in the middle of the bed, especially when heated, so it would be the most consistent in temperature.
Personally, I have more of an issue keeping the object stuck to the bed than getting it off. Once the bed cools, the objects are easy to pop off. My experience using PLA and a glue stick.
> 1 votes
# Answer
On Cartesian printers, the origin is usually the front left corner.
On Delta printers, the origin is in the center.
If you are having trouble getting prints off the build plate, maybe consider a removable flexible build surface, such as the Easy Peelzy.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: software, slicing
--- |
thread-15913 | https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15913 | Trying PrusaSlicer | 2021-03-21T15:23:20.693 | # Question
Title: Trying PrusaSlicer
Being new to 3D printing, I started using Cura (which came with my Ender 3v2) to slice models I found on Thingiverse. I know that there are other slicers and have heard positive things about PrusaSlicer.
I know that settings will have different names, but I am asking more about the setup. What things, settings, etc. should I be aware of when using PrusaSlicer? Will I need to re-calibrate anything in PrusaSlicer?
# Answer
> 3 votes
Basically all slicers work very similarly, it is a matter of preference, being accustomed, or wanting to use a certain (set of) features. Their job is to prepare the object to be sliced in layers to be executed by the printer you use. For every slicer to work properly, you need to configure the printer settings correctly.
Basically, all slicers have the following basic settings:
* Printer settings,
*these contain information on the printer like build volume, origin, heated bed, nr. of extruders (and what filament diameter is used), scripts, etc.*
* filament settings,
*these contain e.g. information on the print and bed temperature*
* print settings
*these contain all parameters you use in your normally used slicer, these can be hundreds of options like speeds, accelerations, layer height, nr. of walls, etc.*
+ some of the movement profile settings (like acceleration, jerk, max-speed) might be handled as a *printer* setting by some slicers and as a *print* one by different slicers. In the end, some of these are dependant on the printer's construction.
Printer dimensions and layout, filament diameter, and start and end G-code scripts are the things to look for. The rest is straightforward, you need to specify material and object slice settings as you would normally do.
# Answer
> 1 votes
PrusaSlicer already has pre-tuned profiles for the Ender 3 v2 in the Configuration Assistant. It also has tuned print settings from SUPERDETAIL (0.08 mm layer height) to SUPERDRAFT (0.28 mm layer height) so it shouldn't be too hard to set up.
---
Tags: slicing, prusaslicer
--- |
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