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thread-7424
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7424
|
Calibrating E steps for new filament
|
2018-11-14T21:46:27.457
|
# Question
Title: Calibrating E steps for new filament
Is it a good idea or do I need to calibrate my E steps after I switch to a new filament due to the different types I use (to make my prints accurate)?
E.g. calibrate when switching from PLA to ABS/PETG?
# Answer
No that will not be necessary.
However, you could use calipers to measure the diameter of the filaments (e.g. at 5 positions over a few meters) and calculate the mean diameter, if there is a significant difference between the new and the currently used filament you could change the diameter in the slicer (or the flow modifier), you do not need to calibrate the steps per millimeter every time you change filament.
You only need to calibrate the steps per millimeter if you change something in the extruder hardware setup, e.g. different extruder, different stepper driver, a new gear, etc. As long as the hardware is not changed a calibrated extruder setup will move a certain amount of filament regardless of the diameter variation (per rotation of the extruder gear an amount of $2 \times \pi \times (gear\ radius)$ mm of filament.
> 5 votes
# Answer
**No,** it is not a good idea to recalibrate the machine for each filament. Instead, use a different profile and adjust the flow multiplier to adjust to different polymers.
# why
Steps/mm is a mechanical setting that is dependent **only on the extruder gear**. The diameter of the filament is independent of this: one rotation of the extruder still has the same length of filament moved.
To adjust for manufacturing differences, you **adjust the filament diameter** accordingly in the slicer. This is independent of the filament type.
*However* filaments behave differently on heating, and a good slicer does adjust for that already: if we assume PLA as a baseline, then HIPS will need a higher material input for the same print results because it has a different compressibility and heat expansion behavior in the hotend.
> 5 votes
# Answer
It is normal to have different filaments with different hardness, therefore the teeth of the gears will bite at different depth in the filament strand.
As result, the effective steps/mm will change and you should have a calibration per type of filament.
Repeating the calibration for each new spool is not needed, if you only change brand or colour, but at the end... it just takes 10 cm of filament. Is it really an issue?
> 2 votes
# Answer
That above is not entirely true. Maybe in a perfect world but we are far away from that. Just this week I tested it with an All-Metal MicroSwiss.
* Calibrated with PETG at 240 °C. Result E116
* Calibrated with PLA at 180 °C. Result E96...
A huge deviation one can't control with the flow. The more smart way to calibrate the extruder would be to remove the heating and nozzle out of the equation. Just run the filament dry out of the end of the PTFE tube with the same calculation method. Unfortunately this is still unreliable.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: filament, calibration
---
|
thread-11144
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11144
|
Making Polyurethane molds with PLA (or ABS) 3D printed master
|
2019-10-09T18:21:33.707
|
# Question
Title: Making Polyurethane molds with PLA (or ABS) 3D printed master
I want to make Polyurethane molds for **concrete** using 3D printed PLA or ABS master object. like this video:
(this video is not about concrete of course!)
I'm not sure if it will stick to PLA or ABS master or not! if it does stick, whick wax material can solve this problem... Do I need to print my masters with another filament?
# Answer
> 3 votes
In my experience, polyurethane sticks to PLA like super glue, not good. But silicone and alginate doesn't stick at all.
What I do is print the model of the mold with PLA or ABS, no matter. Then, cast a mold of the PLA model of the mold with alginate, then you have the negative of your mold.
Now with this alginate mold of the mold cast your actual mold with silicone. And then you can cast your part on polyurethane in the silicone mold.
# Answer
> 4 votes
## Temperature
As polyurethane cures (or hardens), it undergoes a chemical bonding reaction, linking the mono- and oligomer strings in the components into long polyurethane chains. The chemical reaction is exothermic, it creates heat.
So, we have a process that heats up the polyurethane mixture as it hardens, but how much? Well, it's hard to find numbers for it, but I suspect it can easily reach 30 to 40 °C, depending on the mixture (fast curing) it could easily go higher. To combat the effects of heat softening of the PLA/ABS model inside the mold, I strongly suggest printing with extra shells and extra infill. While most items can get away with 10 %, in this case, I suggest 20-30 %. ABS would be the superior choice above PLA as it starts to deform at a higher temperature. PLA can start to deform at around 60 °C, ABS only at about 80 °C.
The temperature of the PU curing depends on the speed of the curing process - it is safer for the masters to choose a slower curing mix as the heat is generated over a longer time and the maximum temperature is thus lower as a result (as excess heat is lost to the room)
## Surface
To reduce the sticking to the surface from the material creeping into the gaps of the model, it has to be as smooth as possible and best also sealed. If you choose ABS, a quick acetone vapor bath would do the trick in this case. PLA should be lacquer sealed as it doesn't like to stick to most waxes.
Adding a mold release agent isn't necessarily needed, but could help in removing the masters from the mold.
## Conclusion
ABS might be the better choice in this application. It is advisable to use extra-thick walls (3+), a lot of infill (20-30 %) and a vapor smoothed surface.
---
Tags: pla, abs, molds
---
|
thread-15312
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15312
|
Accidentally printed a chocolate mold instead of the object itself
|
2021-01-14T00:31:05.710
|
# Question
Title: Accidentally printed a chocolate mold instead of the object itself
This is my first time printing 3D of any kind.
I'm not 100% sure what happened. The quality of some of these first printouts has ranged between 'not great' and 'unrecognizabe glop'.
I'm testing with a Wiiboox Sweetin.
So far the quality of the printed items, using the demo designs and the company-included sample dark an white chocolate is a little underwhelming: The details are crude (rough edges / lack of detail) and the speed is slow (about 20 minutes to print something the size of your thumb).
Also tried to print a word created Blender (MacOS), exported to STL, imported to Ultimaker Cura where it was sized and positioned, sliced and exported to a `.gcode` file. That printout seemed to be a mold of the object as opposed to the object itself.
Attached are two images, the 1st shows what was intended to print. The 2nd shows what actually printed.
If you can see past the globs and blobs, and look closely, you might be able to make out why it looks to me like a mold instead of the intended item.
Side note I noticed that when the printer stopped printing (to move w/o printing), the extruder screw pulled back 10 - 20 mm, which seems excessive.
So some first timer questions:
* What 3D printing controls might affect rough edges?
* What 3D printing controls would have an impact on a speed of completion. I know there's arm speed, but perhaps detail, maybe something else?
* Is there some control -- something along the lines of 'invert' -- that would explain why I seemed to have gotten a cast instead of the printed object?
* Is there a setting that controls how far back the extruder arm retracts when it moves?
* Is it necessary to install a printer to compatible with Wiibox Sweetin in Cura? Wiiboox isn't an option, but perhaps there's something compatible. The printer comes with a `CuraWindows.exe` app (I'm on MacOS using Ultimaker Cura v4.8.0); there are two .ini files that come with that: `60ml0.6.ini` & `60ml0.84.ini`.
Thanks for any and all advice.
# Answer
Cura contains a few different so-called "special modes" which changes what the software does with your STL. One such special mode is Mold mode which, instead of recreating the object, creates a mold for the STL. It appears you may have that setting turned on, so disabling it will cause Cura to work as intended.
To answer your other questions:
* Most settings affect "rough shape", properly slicing your STLs to fit your printer and printing material is an essential skill to master in 3D printing. So there is no magic setting to get it all working, you need to tune all your settings according to what you want to print.
* Your speed sounds fine, I can't speak for this printer in particular but print jobs taking hours or even **days** is not out of the ordinary. 3D prints in general take quite some time to complete.
* Yes, usually it's called Retraction Length.
* Yes it is definitely necessary to set up Cura to your printer settings because Cura needs to know the build volume of your printer and what flavor of firmware is installed on it.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: molds, chocolate
---
|
thread-15309
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15309
|
PMMA print distortion and inconsistencies
|
2021-01-13T18:52:46.597
|
# Question
Title: PMMA print distortion and inconsistencies
I am working on refining my PMMA printing process and I am trying to print as close as possible to the theoretical 100 % density of the material. I am making good progress and am slowing increasing the extrusion multipliers to try and find a good set of print settings.
I recently have run into an issue where the bottom ≈1/3 of the test cylinder is coming out rather distorted (see picture). The problem seems to sort itself out as the finish around the top of the cylinder looks fine. Do any of you have any experience with PMMA or have seen this problem before?
My initial thought is that it is heat driven and as more material is added it becomes less of an issue as there is more mass to dissipate the heat. For reference I am printing on an Raise3D Pro2Plus, for my prints I am running the extruder at 250 °C and the heated bed at 100 °C. I am eventually going to need to print rather large cylinders and would like an even surface finish along the length of it.
Test Cylinders, right and left show distortion on the bottom and the center shows a bizarre print where half of the cylinder was fine and half came out very jagged.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Commercial PMMA may soften already at 85 °C.
The higher you go away from the bed, the colder the air is, so the issues solves itself.
Try lowering the bed temperature, at least to exclude that as cause.
The second cylinder shows the very common issue related to uneven cooling. Probably your part cooling fan is blowing only from one side. Try using a better fan shroud or add a second part cooling fan.
---
Tags: print-quality, troubleshooting, print-material
---
|
thread-15317
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15317
|
Improving print speed by adding holes
|
2021-01-14T14:32:35.767
|
# Question
Title: Improving print speed by adding holes
Let's say, I want to print a box for putting game tokens in.
It is an empty cube, but the top layer is missing.
I do not need full walls. It could have holes in it resulting in a mesh structured wall, like a fence or a shopping cart.
What pattern should I use for the best object stability and print speed? What programs can I use to design this? (I do not want to manually add 100 holes in my design).
# Answer
Holes in vertical walls will make it take significantly *more* time to print, not less. Rather than being able to make a continuous path around the box on each layer, keeping the print head at the desired speed the whole time, the printer will have to run around each connected component of the layer separately, slowing down, retracting, speeding up to travel, slowing down at the destination, unretracting, and speeding back up *each time*.
> 5 votes
# Answer
Definitely the speed will be worse after adding holes (or the quality otherwise, if object's skin is printed fast), though some filament savings may appear.
But regarding "object stability": because adding holes will normally cause the slower printing (because of "skin structures" around holes), then walls might get bit stronger or have better layer adhesion (comparing to line speed, the material, the printing temperature, etc.). Then stability might indeed improve, especially when walls are thin. Or may be reduced, depending on the pattern :) Also number of walls may count (n * nozzle diameter) or lack of skin overlap - then printing holes would support consistency of the structure. Thus the question of stability may be significant. Construction sience would most probably lead to triangles.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: 3d-design, speed
---
|
thread-15318
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15318
|
Anet E10 - Print above 270 °C or "maxtemp" error
|
2021-01-14T16:57:36.083
|
# Question
Title: Anet E10 - Print above 270 °C or "maxtemp" error
Hoping to determine the reason for my inability to print over ~270 °C on my Anet E10.
To date all operation has been fine. Attempting to move to a configuration that supports above 250 °C up to ~300 °C.
The control board is the default V1.5 with no changes purchased ~Aug 2019.
I use OctoPrint to interact with the printer.
When attempting to print with a temperature \> 270 °C OctoPrint shows it is stopping with a "maxtemp" error. The same "maxtemp" error occurs if I just set the settings to 270 °C and let is sit there for a couple of minutes at most.
This occurs with or without the bed being heated.
I can print successfully at 260 °C with or without the bed being heated.
I have changed the thermistor to another 100k glass bead and a 100k within a canister. There where no changes in the ~270 °C "maxtemp" stoppage.
I have also changed the heater from what was there (30 W I believe) to two different new 40 W (resistance of about 4.1 Ω) without a change in the ~270 °C "maxtemp" stoppage.
The power supply seems not to be involved here since "maxtemp" stoppage occurs without the bed being heated.
I believe this is solely the reason that the control board has a "maxtemp" set at 275 °C. (but I don't know this since I can't find a statement that the V1.5 has this setting by default).
Is there something I am missing in this scenario? It seems I need to flash the board with settings that have maxtemp \> 275 °C - say for my needs ~300 °C.
---
*Regarding the hotend, I neglected to mention and should have, that I have upgraded it to a Micro Swiss in preparation to print over 250 °C.*
# Answer
Your firmware has set a limit of 270 °C, normally, (default Marlin configured value) this is 275 °C. It appears that the Anet E10 developers have edited the value if you cannot exceed the 270 °C setpoint.
The configuration file for Marlin firmware has the following maximum temperature limit set for the first hotend:
```
#define HEATER_0_MAXTEMP 275
```
You can change this yourself, but, you need to flash new firmware, making sure that you're using all the correct settings for this printer model.
As a general remark (for others reading this), you shouldn't simply increase the temperature without changing the hotend (unless it is capable of high temperature printing), if the default hotend is lined with a PTFE tube, the PTFE can form dangerous/toxic gasses at elevated temperatures above 270 °C. But, in your case, an all-metal Micro Swiss hotend is installed that doesn't have the PTFE liner.
---
*Note that the Anet E10 configuration can be found in the Marlin configurations zip file. For the 2.0.7.2 version, the E10 already has the hotend temperature limit increased to 305 °C.*
> 1 votes
---
Tags: troubleshooting, hotend, temperature
---
|
thread-15321
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15321
|
Filament doesn't retract for some travel movements using PrusaSlicer
|
2021-01-14T21:32:47.030
|
# Question
Title: Filament doesn't retract for some travel movements using PrusaSlicer
The printer does not retract the filament for some travel moves result in scrape printing part as shown in picture.
This is my printer setting. Not sure which part be the problem.
I want my printer to retract the filament as I have set it to. Where to check and what could be the problem?
# Answer
> 1 votes
`Minimum Travel after Retraction` is exactly what it says on the tin: if the travel after a retraction would be less than 2 mm, it does *not* retract. You'll want that to be short, but not 0, because retraction can lead to under extrusion at the start of a new line, and every swap from one shell to the next shell right next to it is classed as travel.
---
Tags: retraction, prusaslicer
---
|
thread-15335
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15335
|
How to combine difference with concatinate object
|
2021-01-15T16:23:02.720
|
# Question
Title: How to combine difference with concatinate object
The following creates an object with two slots:
```
translate([-40,-40,0]) difference() {
cube ([90,28,12]);
translate([12,-.01,5]) cube([12.7,28.02,14.02]);
translate([65,-.01,5]) cube([12.7,28.02,14.02]);
```
How can the first main cube be extended to be a complex object of the syntax:
```
cube([60,20,10],center=true);translate([0,0,5])cube([30,20,10],center=true);
```
and then use `difference` to create holes?
# Answer
> 3 votes
The `union` syntax addresses this:
```
translate([-40,-40,0])
difference() {
union() {
cube ([90,28,12]);
translate([20,0,20])
cube([12,12,12]);
}
translate([12,-.01,5])
cube([12.7,28.02,14.02]);
translate([65,-.01,5])
cube([12.7,28.02,14.02]);
}
```
It supports creating an object before the difference syntax is applied.
---
Tags: openscad
---
|
thread-15340
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15340
|
Can carving templates be produced from G-code?
|
2021-01-16T22:27:42.480
|
# Question
Title: Can carving templates be produced from G-code?
I am looking for a way to generate 2D horizontal templates for manually carving an object. My thought was to produce an STL of the model, generate the G-code, and then transform that into slices. Appreciate any suggestions for where to start. I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty with python, R, matlab, whatever.
# Answer
> 1 votes
# Carving decorative patterns?
If your templates needs to be used like one does a stencil, that's doable... but paper-thin is not as you can't make that with an FDM printer.
But if you allow 0.2 or even better, 0.5 mm thickness, it is as simple as making a vector graphic, importing it into a suitable CAD package, then extruding it to the relevant thickness, and sending it into the printer.
If you really need it to be thinner, invest in a vinyl cutter, and use the same vector graphic to cut a foil template for one use. Upside: you could use the vinyl to *etch* the patterns in metal.
# Carving figurines?
Yes, that's possible too, even easier! Make a 3D model of the finished object in a CAD or 3D modeling software. Either cut up the model right there and export each slice as STL for the printer, or export the whole model and use a secondary software such as MeshMixer to do plane cuts onto the model.
The slices should be at least 0.5 mm thick to allow handling.
It might *also* be a good idea to use the same model and cut it from a cube, which then is sliced up - that way you get a pattern to press against the outside of the model.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I would approach following way. I saw interesting example of using *Autodesk Fusion 360* to generate moves (G-Code) for carving in vertical slices. Fusion generated moves like for CNC tool in "parallel mode". You can see details in the video 3D printer cutting styrofoam like CNC router (software setup is presented at 11:00-14:30). Steps/settings important for manual work would be:
* selecting parallel strategy
* steup length and width of tool - reflecting "depth/width of slice"
* check the simulation
* create NC program - creating the G-Code file
I think that even if really working manually, the benefit of such approach would be that you focus on one layer/slice at time, and carve in one depth from the top of "material block" to the line defined be two points (the move in G-Code). The trouble could be actual number of such "G-Code lines": there will be probably too many of them, e.g. to measure each by hand and draw on the sufrface. But maybe this could be reduced with resolution (and quality). You could try to use any G-Code visualizer to project lines (of given single layer/slice) with beamer on the material sufrace.
The depth (real width of slice) could be controlled only manually, to avoid carving too deep.
The video uses parallel carving strategy to work in vertical slices. "Adaptive cleanring" strategy could be used to work horizontally.
---
Tags: g-code, slicing, slic3r, 2d
---
|
thread-15344
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15344
|
Ultimaker 3 printing area?
|
2021-01-17T10:44:25.323
|
# Question
Title: Ultimaker 3 printing area?
I have designed a model with the dimensions 215x125x12 mm. According to my printer settings, the printing area of the Ultimaker 3 is 233x215x200 mm. But I can not get the model to fit. Why is that?
Here are some screenshots:
# Answer
> 5 votes
Yes that happens! It finds its source in various possible reasons.
* The print bed is not square! There are cutouts caused by the print head;
* The Ultimaker 3 has 2 nozzles, when you have 2 active, the effective print bed is smaller than with 1 nozzle active;
* Using a brim or a skirt also makes the effective print area smaller.
In re-creating your example, the settings in your projects are not correct (but even if done properly, you will not be able to print it flat on the bed). Take a look at the image below, as can be seen your example still has a brim/skirt reservation, be sure to disable the second extruder (as shown by a cross X before "Generic PLA" at the top).
The only solution to print this on this machine is to print it upright:
---
Tags: ultimaker-3
---
|
thread-15348
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15348
|
Gluing paper to PLA objects
|
2021-01-17T16:23:14.247
|
# Question
Title: Gluing paper to PLA objects
I have 3D printed in PLA a curved viaduct for a model railway (N gauge) and affixed inkjet paper using UHU glue. The layout lives in my garage and as soon as the viaduct goes into the garage the paper bubbles.
What adhesive can I use to prevent this from happening? I've had to strip all the brick paper.
# Answer
> 1 votes
The problem is probably the UHU glue having not had the time to cure through and interacting with either the PLA, the moisture in the garage, or the brick-paper's covering foil. Many of the metal-tube UHU glues - like "UHU Hart" - are resin-based and contain solvents that can interact with some polymers like the coating of the brick paper. Curing times can be up to 48 hours to cure.
I have had a very good experience with very basic water-resistant Wood Glue to both smooth over 3D-prints as well as attach layers of wood or paper to it. Most wood glues are made with a chemical that is the same or similar enough to those in Gluestick (usually PVA, sometimes PVP). These usually don't react with the fibers and surface of the NOCH-brand brick paper I know.
After having the glue dry thoroughly - for Express type wood glues that is about 2 hours - there is little to no chance that the two interact badly in the garage.
---
Tags: post-processing
---
|
thread-8009
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/8009
|
Ridges and stepping in my prints
|
2019-01-18T22:41:47.390
|
# Question
Title: Ridges and stepping in my prints
I'm having a problem where every few layers seems to be offset slightly, creating a stepping effect. The images below should be smooth along the sides, but having this ridge type effect. My question is how do I calibrate the printer to print smoothly?
I’m using a Hictop Prusa I3. I’ve recently installed an updated version of Marlin and have been tinkering with the configuration to make it match as close to the original config that was originally installed.
**Printer**: Prusa I3 (Hictop)
**Marlin**: 1.1.9
**Filament**: 1.75 PLA
**Slicer**: Ultimaker Cura
**Layer height**: .16 mm
**Extruder**: 190 °C
**Bed**: 60 °C
**Speed**: 30 mm/s
**Line width**: 0.8 mm
**Cooling fan**: 30%
Below are a few examples of what I mean by ridges and stepping
# Answer
> 1 votes
From the picture, this doesn't look like an X or Y axis problem. I wonder if it is a problem with the Z-axis positioning?
I don't have any specific suggestions, but I would start by, with the printer off and cold, manually turning the Z-axis motor(s) to assure that the movements are smooth and without any binding. If the movement is smooth, then with the printer powered on, try some Z-axis movements, up and down, both listening and feeling for excessive vibration or jerkiness.
What may be happening is that the Z movement is binding for several layers and causing the flexure in the Z-axis to bend upward, permitting some plastic to extrude but forcing it into a wide bulge. When the Z axis finally snaps upward, the build layer is too far below the nozzle, so the plastic does not bulge outward and necks down until it builds a base again. This repeats.
It could be an electrical problem with the Z-axis drive rather than a mechanical sticking or interference, but you will feel that, too, by doing slow Z-axis movements and watching carefully, listening for irregularity, and feeling for any jerk or stutter.
---
Tags: print-quality, prusa-i3, marlin
---
|
thread-15350
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15350
|
How do I set my Z offset?
|
2021-01-17T19:25:42.857
|
# Question
Title: How do I set my Z offset?
After watching every possible YouTube video on the subject and reading any source available, and although I'm a PhD and quite computer savvy, I still can't make my Anet A6 (no probe) behave in terms of Z offset. I upgraded to silicone bed buffers instead of the stock springs; now my bed is ~5 mm raised, and I don't know how to proceed. Some observations:
* **G28** makes the nozzle go to the center of the bed. Display says X 111 and Y 111. Is it preferable to set the home to the bottom-left corner, or is the center just fine?
* **G28** makes the nozzle squish the bed ~5 mm deep.
* I've tried the **G92** approach and the **M428** approach. I can't quite understand what's the difference between them. Can anyone explain why sometimes the former is used and sometimes the latter?
* I had high hopes for **M428**. What could be simpler? You physically guide the nozzle to where you want it to be, send the command, and that's your new 0,0,0. But I guess not. Since my "home" is at 111,111 and apparently M428 can only be used at a maximum of 20 mm from 0, I get a "too far from reference" error message.
* At any rate, both approaches (also **M206**) haven't helped. When I **G28**, the nozzle still squishes the bed. The display either says Z 5 or Z -5 or whatever I've played with, but the nozzle still squishes the poor bed.
* In my LCD menu (Marlin 1.1.9), I don't have Control -\> Motion -\> Z offset. Since many videos recommend using this, this is quite sad. Can anyone tell me why this option is absent?
* On a very conceptual level, I can't quite understand why in all the video guides the bed screws are completely ignored when discussing Z offset. One guy showed how he's correcting his Z offset 0.3 mm using G-code. But he could've easily done it by adjusting his screws... They all say "Z offset means the distance between your nozzle and bed, and here is how to adjust it". Now comes G-code, or LCD menu, etc. But why is everyone forgetting that you can adjust the distance between your bed and nozzle using the screws?! I can't seem to wrap my head around this. In my case, of course, I can't use the screws -- they've reached their limit, so I need to add extra using G-code. But nobody seems to really explain this nicely...
**Summary:** I urgently need a walkthrough for 6-year-olds. Make that 4-year-olds.
# Answer
> 2 votes
So the new silicone buffers raised the bed by 5 mm? When this happens, you should raise the endstop also with 5 mm. Else the printer will go down to the Z endstop that is effectively 5 mm below the level of the bed. I guess the buffers cannot be compressed by 5 mm, so you need to move the endstop up to the level your buffer compression is in reach of.
No software offset will work (for your current setup: homing on the bed surface does not work as the switch need to be triggered prior to having any offset in play) other than a hardware change or compression of the buffers of 5 mm. It would only be possible to use a software offset when the nozzle homes off the bed surface (next to the bed). The only thing you would have had to do is add in your start G-code:
```
G0 Z5 ; Move the head to 5 mm
G92 Z0 ; Call this Z = 0
```
If `#define Z_SAFE_HOMING` is enabled, you should comment the line in the configuration file to make it home Z at the homed X, Y position.
I will not go into all G-codes, details are read on the G-codes Wiki pages and Marlin firmware G-codes, these won't be able to help you out unless you fix the homing on the bed surface. Currently, you need to do a hardware fix, your endstop is below the surface level of the bed. Alternative is to remove homing Z above the bed surface and redefine the Z offset. A hardware fix is a better solution, and if you manage to print a fancy Z endstop holder and counterpart with a screw you will be able to level the bed more easily.
E.g. `M428` can set an offset, yes, but, it needs a reference; that reference is the homing reference or the current position. The current position of a printer that is just turn on is meaningless, it can be everywhere in the print volume. So you need to trigger the endstops first, that is not possible when it is not reachable (without compressing the bed).
# Answer
> 0 votes
Setting any offset will move the whole print ("effectively shifts the coordinate space") - so you can set up for printing above or below bed, or shifting several cm to the right, for example - and then your print may not actually fit the printing space. For example: my frame is blocking X moves at the top, I can set the 20 mm X offset to avoid accident when printing high (so shift the print). Or when setting the new print on top of another print, thus shifting the position, etc. If you call `M428` in any position, then current position will become the new offset. Current offset settings is reported by `M503` (or `M206` without parameters).
Also `G92` is used as ad-hoc operation when relative positioning is used. It makes sense for extruder movements, but is not used for moving the printing head in practice. I would say that any such calls for X,Y,Z sound like some hacking, and you should know exactly what you are doing for tricking printer's logic this way. I would avoid this at all.
Normally (0,0,0) for cartesian printers is nearest-bottom-left point of the bed. If properly zero the printer is what you are trying to achieve, then you should:
* zero any X,Y,Z offsets: `M206 X0 Y0 Z0` (unless some is justified like in the frame example)
* save this setting for future: `M500`
* home the printer - it zero the position, and then automiaticall backoff to some "safe distance" (programmed in firmware)
* use LCD to move carriage back to zero: at least for the Z axis
* regulate bed screws to fit the zero position of printing head
There are settings in Marlin's file Configuration\_adv.h:
* Marlin 1.1:
```
#define X_HOME_BUMP_MM 5
#define Y_HOME_BUMP_MM 5
#define Z_HOME_BUMP_MM 2
```
* Marlin 2.x:
```
#define HOMING_BUMP_MM { 5, 5, 2 } // (mm) Backoff from endstops after first bump
```
They do not change the zero (do not set offset), but force the carriage to move away from zero during homing operation and (Marlin 1.1) after homing, becuse usually it is convenient. Marlin 2.x offers separate parameter for final backoff:
```
//#define HOMING_BACKOFF_MM { 2, 2, 2 }
```
If you would like to center the head after homing, I would suggest to use these settings.
---
Tags: marlin, g-code, bed-leveling, anet-a6, print-axis-offset
---
|
thread-15066
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15066
|
Help fixing Prusa i3 MK3 print jams
|
2020-12-20T15:36:50.810
|
# Question
Title: Help fixing Prusa i3 MK3 print jams
While printing a paint rack from thingiverse I keep getting jams. Other prints (shorter) work fine. Can anyone give me a clue?
Here's a video of the printer
I thought it was heat creep so I increased the speed and decreased the hot end temperature. It generally prints for several hours then jams.
# Answer
When I started printing ABS with my Prusa i3 MK3 MMU2+ printer, I started experiencing jams on some longer prints, which was heat creap, possibly combined with old filament.
I improved the cooling by filling the gap between the sides of the heat sink and the plastic extruder body. I think I stuffed it with some soft foam rubber, but anything that can handle the (what should be fairly cool) temperature should work.
My hypothesis is that with gap allowed too much of the air to pass without engaging the heat sink, compromising the cooling.
With that change, I haven't had heat-creap jams.
You aren't printing ABS, but the temperature is high, and PLA softens as a low temperature. IMO, it would still be worth making the change.
It is the gap on the front and rear sides that I blocked. The heatsink fins are fully open for air flow.
Some people here have changed out the Noctua fan for one that is noisier and pushes more air, which should also work. I appreciate the quiet fan, so I tried to get more work out of the fan I had.
> 1 votes
# Answer
The maker geeks formulation of PLA requires much hotter temperatures. The plastic was not melted enough for good flow.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: prusa-i3, extrusion
---
|
thread-15148
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15148
|
Accidentally over curing a 3D print
|
2020-12-29T20:53:37.697
|
# Question
Title: Accidentally over curing a 3D print
I'm relatively new to SLA 3D printing and 3D printing in general. I got a budget SLA resin printer that I've been messing with for a few months now.
So I had a few soft prints laying around that have not been exposed to any UV light. It was sunny out and I decided to bring them outside to harden them up a little bit under the sun. And of course I forgot about them! By the time I remembered, my prints got over cured to the point of being super brittle.
**Question:** Let's say I properly cure a print (however that is). I'm not looking to paint it. It looks like the print could be accidentally over cured by taking it outside or sunlight shining from an open window. Is that true? Should I coat it with some kind of sealant if I'm done curing it?
# Answer
> 1 votes
You are correct, you can over cure a print by leaving it out in the sun. Prints can even over cure just by the ambient light in a room from the sun (though it would take a while).
One easy option to counter this krylon UV-Resistant Clear Coating which can be found at most hardware stores. I have used it but I found that it made my print a little softer this may have been because of the materials in the spray-can, or the type of resin I printed with.
You should check out the answer posted to Clear coating resin 3D prints as it provides some other options you can try as well such as using a brush on option.
---
Tags: post-processing, resin, uv-printer
---
|
thread-11953
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11953
|
What glues to use for PETG?
|
2020-02-05T11:40:25.890
|
# Question
Title: What glues to use for PETG?
In analogy to: What glues for bonding printed PLA to injection-molded plastic?, what are the best glues to use for PETG?
I mostly print in PETG and have occasional failed prints which I usually reprint. But what if I'd like to repair a print e.g. a split between layers or a part broken off?
Knowing that PETG is more "greasy" than PLA, what typical glues can you use to create a good bond; this question excludes using heat to (re-)bond.
# Answer
From forum
> Bison plastic - works great for me, only it's not "quick dry" but it's very strong, not brittle, holds PETG and PLA very strongly. Buy paint stripper that is/contains methylene chloride (dichloromethane). It will solvent weld both PLA and PETG.
Or see other forum which recommends Eastman-910 (original brand of cyanoacrylate) or any equivalent, polyurethane glue, or even epoxy.
> 2 votes
# Answer
A strong epoxy like BSI 5-15 min works great for me. I use it to bond high power rocket fin halves printed from PETG:
> 2 votes
# Answer
If Carl's answer that cyanoacrylate glue works is accurate, I would suggest Loctite 420 or equivalent. It's diluted with solvents sufficiently to behave as a liquid rather than a gel, and in my experience on PLA it not only bonds the joint, but wicks between the extrusions and bonds walls/layers together much more strongly and waterproofs the part. As long as it bonds to PETG it should do the same for PETG.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: post-processing, petg, glue
---
|
thread-13532
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/13532
|
Titan extruder retraction noise
|
2020-04-26T12:01:17.620
|
# Question
Title: Titan extruder retraction noise
I am experiencing some retraction noises with my Titan Extruder. At first the noise was more of a clicking noise, and the gear was skipping. I didn't feel any backlash with my finger but I still followed the official troubleshooting guide on backlash and the noise has changed to some sort of buzzing, with print quality noticeably improving.
I should mention I recently upgraded my stepper drivers to TMC2208, extruder set to 1.31V. May be too much but I know the extruder motor needs a whole lot of torque, either way it doesn't run too hot so I'm keeping that for now. (If anyone knows how warm should a motor feel during normal operation let me know.)
I have two videos of the noise before and the noise after. I can't tell where this noise is coming from, I have never heard weird motor noises before so I can't tell if it's still the extruder or if it's the motor. I can't tell if it's normal.
I tried feeding filament in and out with GCode to find out the feedrate at which the noise goes away, and I found that anything above F2200 makes it do this noise, otherwise it's a pretty normal noise.
Before:
After:
# Answer
After several email exchanges with the customer support, I was not able to find an answer. It was stated that it may have been my assembly and/or extruder mount, but I'm strongly against that after so many times reassembling.
Gear backlash ended up becoming permanent.
I ended up switching over to something else with a more self-sufficient design and less variables.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: extruder, stepper-driver, motor, retraction, e3d-titan
---
|
thread-15362
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15362
|
Considerations for placing STL on build plate
|
2021-01-18T22:27:52.223
|
# Question
Title: Considerations for placing STL on build plate
Being new to 3D printing, I have started printing different files from Thingiverse to better my experience. I have noticed on some YouTube videos that certain items/models/STLs should be oriented a certain way on the build plate.
What things should I take into consideration when placing items on the build plate?
Printer: Ender 3v2 (stock)
Slicer: Cura
# Answer
> 1 votes
# Orienting items
Orienting items on the build plate should consider:
* **overhangs** \- many hangning fragments will need additional support to be printed (cost of time and material, risk of failure); gravity and colling process will affect loose/hanging plastic in this or that way
* **layered structure** \- parts will be stronger in X-Y directions, and weaker in Z direction
* **adhesion** \- it is good to have wide foot to touch and stick to the bed, then only thin base growing big upwards, which may easily fail by any accident
* **space** \- if the thing is big, it may have to be rotated diagonally to fit the printing surface
So most of it comes from particular shape. Try to look at thing from different sides, spatial awareness helps a lot.
# Placing items
Also, placing items on the build plate should consider:
* **heating system** \- heated bed surface may be warmer at center; even if the bed is heated evenly, than surface will cool down faster at sides, which may affect adhesion (e.g. ABS will wrap more often)
* **cooling system** \- sometimes printer has better cooling from one side (depending on location of fans or construction of cooling ducts), so any overhangs (fragments which have to cool down very quickly) should be properly exposed, otherwise they will wrap
* environment (external influences) - they may affect heating / cooling as well; also mutual position of few objects may affect cooling or act as wall for wind
* **printer construction** \- e.g. backside of Prusa Air 2 frame is shrinking going up, and anything mounted behing extruder will hit the frame - so high prints should be X-centered/narrow, and rather wide along Y axis
* **multiple extrusion** \- if you use dual extruder, then mixed fragments may not be located on edges, because one of nozzles just cannot reach it
* **surface quality** \- e.g. I print ABS on Kapton tape; sometimes the tape gets small holes or tearing from hotend accidents or forceful part detachment - then I just avoid damaged areas
* **other issues** \- e.g. my Y axis is louder than X, therefore I rather try to use X axis more often (especially when printing late evenings)
* **view point** \- easthetics of printing: which objects, which sides you want to observe during printing?
* **acessability** \- if you may want to influence area during print, put something inside the part during printing?
So most of it comes from the experiences with particular printer - its technical parameters and observations. Many times it is only a choice - like simple PLA prints sticking well.
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, 3d-models
---
|
thread-15356
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15356
|
Incorrect beginning Z movement
|
2021-01-18T03:39:29.263
|
# Question
Title: Incorrect beginning Z movement
I just bought an Ender 3 Max and from the start I knew something was wrong. I figured out the problem: it is with the first few millimeters of the Z axis movement.
I turn on my 3D printer, go to prepare, move axis, move Z, move 1 mm.
Then I tell the printer to move up 1 mm. But in reality it only moves up 0.3 mm. I then tell it to move up another millimeter, except it only moves up 0.4 mm. When I tell it to move up another millimeter, and it moves up only 0.45 mm. I then tell it to move up another millimeter and it moves up 0.6 mm. And then anytime after that when I say to move up a millimeter it actually moves up a millimeter. Below is a little chart to help you understand what is happening.
```
Set height | Actual height
--------------------------
0 | 0
1 | 0.3
2 | 0.7
3 | 1.15
4 | 1.75
5 | 2.75
6 | 3.75
7 | 4.75
8 | 5.75
9 | 6.75
10 | 7.75
```
As a result of this error on my printer, the test prints I have run so far are splayed out and uneven at the bottom, making my prints warped at the first 5 mm and several millimeters shorter than they should be.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Your printer probably has an issue with binding in the lower region (binding means extra friction possibly causing the Z stepper to skip steps). Disconnect the lead screw an manually move the X gantry up and down. If there is binding, you need to find why this happens, with the unfortunate design of the Ender, many people experience issues when the rollers on both posts are not correctly installed.
# Answer
> 0 votes
The problem turned out to be that the two extruded pieces of aluminium on the z axis were too close together - I tightened the screws too tight. This made the gap between the z axis bars smaller than desired and the z movement only lifted one side of the bar in the beginning.
After I loosed those screws holding the gantry crane on, everything works now!
---
Tags: z-axis, linear-motion
---
|
thread-423
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/423
|
Does wood filament damage the printer nozzle?
|
2016-02-01T11:50:29.077
|
# Question
Title: Does wood filament damage the printer nozzle?
I recently found out carbon fiber and glow in the dark PLA can damage the printer nozzle, now I'm suspicious of all the "exotic" filaments.
So, does wood filament cause damage to the nozzle? (under normal use, or at least what someone who only used PLA/ABS before would consider normal use)
Let's assume a normal quality brass nozzle - not some cheap stuff that didn't even came in the correct size to begin with and not some premium reinforeced nozzle - and reasonable quality filament.
# Answer
> 2 votes
EDIT: **It seems many haven't shared my same experience and have their own input and proof, please view others answers below! For the record I've been using Hatchbox Wood PLA**
Original Answer: Wood filament has the same effect on the nozzle as PLA, so, no, it shouldn't. It's just some wood shavings mixed with PLA, after all.
Materials like Carbon Fiber and Stainless Steel are abrasive and will wear down a brass nozzle. You would want a hardened steel nozzle in that case.
# Answer
> 10 votes
If you haven't been to their site before, you should check out the forums on 3DHubs. There's a lot of how-to's. A quick Google search yields this link to a similar question.
The key thing to note is that in all technicalities, any material you run through the nozzle is going to cause *some* sort of wear on your nozzle. **How quickly** depends on the material or composition.
The answer to the question linked above relates it spot on to sandpaper. If you have sandpaper made out of metal (ie stainless pla), it will scratch your skin fairly easily. If you have sandpaper made out of tree bark (ie laywood pla), it probably won't scratch your skin as bad, but it'll still scratch. And just for poops and giggles, lets say you have sandpaper made out of pla; it'll take a while, but you could eventually make your skin raw if you rub the plastic against your arm long enough.
It is typically recommended to use one nozzle for each material type as to avoid cross-contamination of materials in your printing. With this idea in mind, if you are using many types of materials, you can also minimize failed prints due to clogging and other "damaged nozzle" type troubles.
# Answer
> 8 votes
Wood PLA is too abrasive for a brass nozzle and will wear it out until it becomes a straight pipe after about 12 hours of printing with it.
This answer is based on first hand experimentation. I'm attaching photographic evidence of what to expect if you do not use hardened steel at minimum for Wood PLA.
This image shows that the nozzle after a 48 hour print is a complete straight pipe. It was mostly a straight pipe after about 12 hours. I let the print complete to take stock of the entire result.
Here I am measuring a piece of filament that's been extruded after running the Wood PLA through the nozzle for 48 hours.
And here is how the layers degrade. When the issue started I thought maybe I had a clog, however my extruder was exhibiting perfect extrusion behaviour. The result looks like inconsistent flow, and it is. The extruder is moving at a rate appropriate for a 0.4 mm output, but the nozzle is now 1.7 mm wide.
# Answer
> 6 votes
I haven't used such fiber myself (yet), so this is an educated guess rather than experience. Assuming you mean the kind that has real tiny wood bits embedded, it *shouldn't* wear a brass nozzle badly, because the nozzle is considerably harder than the wood. Carbon fiber or steel embedded in filament are much harder, so would be expected to wear the nozzle much more.
That said, wood-based filament will still wear the nozzle slowly -- even a hardened steel drill bit gets dull with use, even if you only cut wood with it.
---
Tags: filament, filled-pla
---
|
thread-15370
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15370
|
Resin printing on Voxelab Polaris
|
2021-01-19T14:33:41.733
|
# Question
Title: Resin printing on Voxelab Polaris
I've recently got an Elegoo Mars-like resin printer which is called Voxelab Polaris. So far, I have a lot of success with it, but one piece is proving really tough to print and I'm hoping for advice!
These Settlers Of Catan tiles are natively about 90x97 mm.
It's too big to print flat on my 130x82x155 mm print bed, so I've been trying to print it at a variety of angles including vertically. When printed vertical, it tends to warp along the long axis, and when done at an angle including supports there's not enough landing area to stick it to the print bed.
I've tried printing two together back-to-back, but in Chitubox I can't find a way to add supports between two pieces on the bed (only from each piece to the bed).
Anyone got any insights about how I might print this in resin?
# Answer
> 0 votes
If you want to print flat, you could easily print all parts at 90 %: the bounding box dimensions now are 81.16 x 88 mm - and as a result, you can print some other parts flat next to it but not more than one tile at the same time. Remember to print all cities and roads at 90 % too.
---
Tags: resin
---
|
thread-15374
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15374
|
Bed heating stops when paused by filament runout sensor
|
2021-01-20T00:39:19.087
|
# Question
Title: Bed heating stops when paused by filament runout sensor
My CR-10 S5 has a feature, that stops the print, when the filament runs out.
However, when the printer pauses, the bed cools down and the print plops if the bed. Is there a way to tell the printer to keep the bed heated, when paused (by the runout detector)?
# Answer
# There is no easy way to keep the bed heated during pause
Looking at the sourcecode, I am pretty sure that the current version (10/29/2019) keeps the heated bed at the right temperature. Features are built into the firmware. You need an Arduino and some wires to write new firmware to the built-in SOC. Adjusting the code should be as simple as commenting a single line.
That is some serious shortcoming of the CR-10 S5! I can't imagine a reason why not to leave the heated bed on.
The command that keeps the heated bed at temperature is in Marlin\_main.cpp:5664: Source code link
> 1 votes
# Answer
# It's in the firmware
Filament runout sensors generally trigger `M600`. **Usually** that preserves the bed temperature, but some firmware distributions might have this set up wrong.
# How is M600 working?
The firmware dictates what is done in case of filament runout. The standard settings in `configuration.h` can look like this:
```
//#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR
#if ENABLED(FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR)
#define NUM_RUNOUT_SENSORS 1 // Number of sensors, up to one per extruder. Define a FIL_RUNOUT#_PIN for each.
#define FIL_RUNOUT_INVERTING false // Set to true to invert the logic of the sensor.
#define FIL_RUNOUT_PULLUP // Use internal pullup for filament runout pins.
//#define FIL_RUNOUT_PULLDOWN // Use internal pulldown for filament runout pins.
// Set one or more commands to execute on filament runout.
// (After 'M412 H' Marlin will ask the host to handle the process.)
#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SCRIPT "M600"
// After a runout is detected, continue printing this length of filament
// before executing the runout script. Useful for a sensor at the end of
// a feed tube. Requires 4 bytes SRAM per sensor, plus 4 bytes overhead.
//#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_DISTANCE_MM 25
#ifdef FILAMENT_RUNOUT_DISTANCE_MM
// Enable this option to use an encoder disc that toggles the runout pin
// as the filament moves. (Be sure to set FILAMENT_RUNOUT_DISTANCE_MM
// large enough to avoid false positives.)
//#define FILAMENT_MOTION_SENSOR
#endif
#endif
```
So, we need to see what `M600` does. M600 is configured in some way:
> The settings for this command can be found in Configuration\_adv.h.
So, you need to reconfigure how M600 behaves... Here's how to properly do it in 1.1.8/1.1.9 and how does it actually work in the first place in 2.0?:
First, make sure the line `#define ADVANCED_PAUSE_FEATURE` has no leading `//` in `configuration_adv.h`.
Make sure you have `#define FILAMENT_RUNOUT_SENSOR` uncommented with no leading `//` in `configuration.h`. Typically, it just calls `M600`. You can replace the line with any other line of commands, for example have it play music or abort the print, or just dwell for a couple minutes and beep tragically. The factory setup for M600 contains safety setup: "if not attended in time - shut down. This includes shutting down the heated bed."
But where is the actual M600 defined? Oh, that's sneakily hidden in `Marlin_main.ccp` for 1.1.9... and oddly enough it does **not** call to turn off the heated bed unless it goes into *did nothing cooldown*.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed, adhesion, fdm, creality-cr-10, filament-sensor
---
|
thread-15382
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15382
|
Printer is over extruding for the first few layers
|
2021-01-21T12:48:40.043
|
# Question
Title: Printer is over extruding for the first few layers
I'm facing a strange issue where my printer is over-extruding only for the first 6-8 layers (layer height of 0.2 mm).
All the layers above that have no such issue, which, as far as I understand, rules out any extrusion settings misconfiguration.
Also, I'd like to note that the hotbed is perfectly leveled, and the first layer is not too thin.
What could be causing this?
**My setup:**
* Printer: Creality CR-10S Pro
* Filament: eSun PLA
* Hotbed temp: 60 °C
* Hotend temp: 210 °C
* Infill: 20 %
* Layer height: 0.2 mm
* Nozzle Size: 0.4 mm
* Speed: 60 mm/s
# Answer
Depending on your slicer, there might be settings that modify the flow ratio, First layer height or extrusion width for the first few layers. If those are different from the modifiers for the rest of the print you might be able to play around with these variables.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: extrusion, creality-cr-10
---
|
thread-15385
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15385
|
What’s the best way of leveling the bed?
|
2021-01-21T16:46:23.413
|
# Question
Title: What’s the best way of leveling the bed?
Recently I’ve been having trouble leveling my bed on my Creality Ender 3 Pro. It’s not that it’s hard to level or anything, it’s that it won’t stay level for more than a day or two. I’ve been leveling it the same way as always with a piece of paper and I’ve been sure to disable steppers. So if anyone knows what I can do about this, please let me know.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Generally, there is no *best* way, there are only the ways that work for you.
**I** use a feeler gauge, mounted on a detachable holder. I home to 0, lift the Z by 1 mm, and then level the bed to the same number on the screws and corners. Then I home back to Z=0 and perform an extrusion test, and if that is not satisfactory, use a different number for the leveling. The number on the plunger does not generally read 1 mm, as there is an offset between the 0 of the gauge and the printer.
When I don't level from 0 or am in a hurry, I usually only alter leveling by doing about 2-5° turns on all the screws to adjust the 0-height via the nuts, using the visual of the printed line as my aide. This only works because I have the experience how a good first layer should look like.
Another typical method that I stopped using once I had the feeler gauge is the paper, but I found it inconsistent.
## Do not do these:
* Leveling the bed with a level does **not** lead to good prints - your print bed needs to be parallel to the movement of the printhead, not to the earth!
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, bed-leveling, calibration
---
|
thread-15391
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15391
|
Filament that will not stick to wood glue?
|
2021-01-21T20:52:06.650
|
# Question
Title: Filament that will not stick to wood glue?
I am looking to 3D print some small molds that will allow wood glue to dry but ***not*** stick.
Is there a recommended filament that is known to ***resist*** binding to simple wood glue?
Alternately, is there an inexpensive adhesive (like wood glue) I could use instead that will ***not*** stick to the 3D printed mold?
# Answer
You are looking for a filament that does not bond to wood glue, or as weak as possible. You misunderstand how wood glue "bonds" to plastics:
Wood glue is typically PVA. It *bonds* to wood and paper by seeping into them before curing and hardening. The mesh of the glue entangles fibers of the wood/paper and itself, bonding with not only the exposed surface but also with material up to the depth it penetrates.
When such a glue is applied to a typical print surface, it seeps into the cracks and through print imperfections but does not penetrate the print to the same degree as it does in the open wood fiber setup. It clings to the surface and only bonds - if it does - only to the surface layers. The *same* effect happens when you cast resin into for example a silicone mold: there is much less chemical bonding, at best at the interface, and quite some interlock.
To prevent such, two things should be made: first, you need to smooth the mold as much as possible and have all the angles right. It might be easier and faster to coat the hard molds in a smooth lacquer, which not only removes the creep areas but also acts as an interlayer, making release easier.
Then, you should use a mold release agent. Mold release agents come in many shapes: I have seen Talcum Powder being used effectively for both metal as well as cold casts, if the shape of the mold was well made (no undercuts, no unpowdered areas). Easier to apply are usually mold release sprays for many applications - careful, some are PVA based and would be the same as the glue you want to cast. For a concrete casting, I had used plant fat as a decent mold release agent.
What might be an alternative to wood glue depends on what you want to do with the finished product.
As far as materials that actively don't bond go, you could look into POM (Which is a pain to print and expensive - it's a bearing material) or nylon (also a pain to print).
> 3 votes
# Answer
Considering my experience, SOME nylons don't bond to PVA at all. I tried at 70 °C and 110 °C and my nylon print can be pulled out from it manually with almost no resistance.
It's however difficult to know which type of nylon, since I used a trimmer line of unknown composition (except that it should be mainly nylon).
> 2 votes
---
Tags: filament-choice
---
|
thread-15242
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15242
|
Will glue sticks form a barrier on a build surface to prevent PETG from damaging the surface?
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2021-01-07T13:58:07.187
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# Question
Title: Will glue sticks form a barrier on a build surface to prevent PETG from damaging the surface?
Will glue sticks, such as **Elmer's All Purpose, Cra-Z-Art washable or Scotch Permanent**, form a barrier on a build surface to prevent PETG from damaging the surface? While forming a barrier that holds the PETG print down, does it allow the PETG to separated after the print finishes, so that the build surface isn't damaged?
I found in the description of a glue stick designated for 3D-printers: "these 3D printer glue sticks can be applied to remove 3D models much easier .. made of quality PVP material ... have nice adhesion to hot plate or hot bed, easy to remove the printing models ..."
I'm now using an Elmer's washable school glue stick (PVP). It is working consistently at bed temperatures of 30°C and 80°C. It both holds the PETG print and releases the print without destroying the build surface.
# Answer
I don't know about PVP but PVA sticks more at room temperature and gets weaker at higher temperatures, see "Influence of temperature on the strength of bonded joints"
I remember using hairspray with PVA for PETG and it was really difficult to detach large parts.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed, petg, build-surface
---
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thread-15381
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15381
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Top layer and walls have gaps even with 120 % flow (Cura)
|
2021-01-21T09:23:48.733
|
# Question
Title: Top layer and walls have gaps even with 120 % flow (Cura)
I'm printing with Geeetech A20 printer, PLA.
I've started printing the same test piece while changing the following parameters:
Temperature from 215 °C to 195 °C (lowering by 5 °C on each print)
Flow multiplier from 100 % to 120 % (increasing 5 % on each print)
Speed on two first prints was 60 mm/s and on two last 40 mm/s
Bed leveling is perfect, the hardware seems to be in tact, the nozzle is clean and still the walls on the outer curve print well all the time, but in the inner circle they seem to be under extruded (even though flow is up to 120 %)
I am planning on going on with these tests until I get the perfect print, but I am hoping somebody can guide me on what to try next.
I've been reading about the issues on so many articles that now my head is a mess and I just need some clear instructions.
# Answer
You are lowering temperature and increase the flow at the same time - which is contradictory (filament is less runny, but you pump more of it). Though 195 °C seems to be very safe for printing PLA at 40 mm/s. Just doublecheck that when you disable motors, and push filament with hand, it melts quickly and easily goes out. Otherwise you will deal with temperature-related issue.
Outer walls are usually printed slower, and even when underextruded, part of line may appear constant thanks to leaking filament (it has time). Next retraction will cause stop leaking, and the other wall is printed with almost no pressure. Maybe your constant issue with "inner circle" is just a consequence of such moves.
My suggestions:
* Did you calibrate the extruder (steps per mm)? - if not yet, do it (it's a basic skill); to quickly check if this could help, try to continue increasing flow by 5% and observe what will happen then, because maybe this is simple underextrusion due to incorrect steps/mm?
* Are you sure that extruder motor is not loosing steps? (e.g. too weak motor against the pressure)
* Are you sure that filament is not slipping? (e.g. blunt driver's teeth, or too loose idler)
* Could you unintentionally enable volumetric extrusion?
> 1 votes
---
Tags: underextrusion, geeetech
---
|
thread-15408
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15408
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Ender 3 Pro distance between nozzle and bed too large
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2021-01-22T18:38:57.363
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# Question
Title: Ender 3 Pro distance between nozzle and bed too large
Even when trying to level the bed, the max I can get the bed to the nozzle is pretty large. I cannot level any higher (please see pic).
# Answer
Your springs are ***WAY*** too much compressed. Turn them loose into the "UP" direction till you are almost at the bed and then level your bed.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3
---
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thread-15379
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15379
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Printing problem on right half of printer
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2021-01-20T19:49:15.383
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# Question
Title: Printing problem on right half of printer
I am having an issue with prints set on the right side of my printer bed. I have leveled the bed, have a BLTouch and used a bed visualizer just to try and get it manually as level as possible. You can see the problem on the right piece side of this print where the filament was not laid flat and has many "humps" unlike the left piece side of the print that printed smoothly. Any idea what could cause this on an Ender 3 Pro and how to go about fixing it?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Your bed level according to the sensor and reality is changing between the time of probing and the time of printing. There is not enough info to determine exactly where the problem is, but the possible causes and solutions are most likely:
* Bed or X-carriage is mechanically loose: ensure all axis and parts of the printer are tight, including the hot-end mount
* Bed temperature changes have affected the bed level: ensure the bed is at operating temperature during all manual and automated leveling
* Sensor is not reading correctly across the entire bed due to the magnetic sensitivity of the bed or hot-end heating elements: either enable the `PROBING_HEATERS_OFF` compile-time feature in Marlin or disable the bed and hot-end heaters immediately prior to the automated bed leveling procedure using the code:
```
M140 S0; set bed temperature target to zero
M104 S0; set hot-end temperature target to zero
```
then turn them both back on to your desired temperature immediately afterward probing using the same M104 and M140 command syntax to their respective desired temperatures
---
Tags: print-quality, creality-ender-3, calibration
---
|
thread-7907
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/7907
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Setting up a brim/raft for only a portion of the overall print
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2019-01-07T17:21:15.440
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# Question
Title: Setting up a brim/raft for only a portion of the overall print
I'm trying to build an assembly with one larger part (about 50 mm x 50 mm), two small parts (about 10 mm x 5 mm) each, and one part that starts with two 2 mm x 2 mm squares that eventually bridge into a sort of flap. The larger part has decent adhesion for a couple of layers, but the small parts are slipping off the table right away and the nozzle drags them onto the large part since it's the last part being printed in the group, resulting in some stringing.
My bed is adequately leveled and can print larger models well so my suspicion is that the small parts are too small for good bed adhesion and need a brim or a raft to increase the surface area. Is this correct? If so, is there a way in Cura to add a brim or raft to the small parts and not the large part? Ideally I would print all pieces at once instead of the large part separate since I will be doing batches of these assemblies in the future.
I'm using Ultimaker Cura 3.6, printing with PLA filament set to 200 °C at nozzle and 60 °C on the bed.
# Answer
*This is a "No" and "Yes" answer, it depends on the version of Cura you are using!*
---
**No**, there are no options available to set the brim to some of the parts in Ultimaker Cura (at the time of writing this answer, pre Cura 4.5.0). You could however change the smaller model to include the brim in your design, or add so-called "Mouse Ears".
At the time of writing this answer, the image below shows the Ultimaker Cura interface for "per model" settings, basically different settings with respect to the other models. As can be seen, you cannot expand the `Build Plate Adhesion` (it already shows the arrow downwards, so expanded):
But, **yes** as of Cura 4.5.0 (see this answer) the "per model" settings have changed and the `Build Plate Adhesion` is added with the option to add a `Brim Distance` to trick Cura into de-attaching the brim (it will print a brim, but it is not attached to the part):
When applied to several models this could result in models with a brim attached and others without the brim attached:
> 4 votes
# Answer
In the newest version of Cura (4.5.0), in the per model settings, the only thing you can change for options set `Build Plate Adhesion` is `Brim Distance`. What this allows you to do however is create a brim for everything with the distance of a millimeter or two, and then for the part that needs the brim, you just set the distance to zero in the individual part settings. It's a little janky, but you essentially create a skirt for the parts that don't need a brim.
> 5 votes
# Answer
This post is quite old, but I describe how I solved this for anyone has the same problem I had: areas moved by the nozzle as the base of some appendices are too thin and tall.
In Cura 4.8 (I don't know since which version this feature is available) it is possible to add some custom shapes (cubes or cylinders) to your model. You can find this tool after move, resize, etc,, in the prepare page (left side icons).
So you can add some custom supports to protect from falling/moving some areas of a single model that need to be kept in place. These added parts can be moved and resized as you would do with the any other imported model.
I found this very useful to avoid that the nozzle moves parts with a small base area that are connected to the rest of the model on a higher level and the lower part is not stable enough. Especially when printing TPU or other flexible filaments.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, adhesion, rafts, brims
---
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thread-15424
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15424
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Thermistor reading 190 °C constantly
|
2021-01-24T16:25:03.923
|
# Question
Title: Thermistor reading 190 °C constantly
So to set the backdrop of this post, I was cleaning the hotend of a printer (Powerspec i3 Mini v2, which is a Wanhao i3 Mini rebadged and heated bed added) I picked up for cheap. There was some stubborn residue so I decided to warm the end. However, while it was still plugged in and warming I saw a spark while using the brass brush on the nozzle. Not sure where it actually sparked (thermistor or heater cartridge wires) but now the board constantly reads 193 °C for the hotend whether or not it is hot (or even plugged in for that matter.)
Looking around this seems to indicate either a bad thermistor or a messed up mainboard. The thermistor will read ~120k resistance at room temp and fluctuate based on temp changes (ice will cause it to go down, heat will cause it to rise), so can I take that to mean the thermistor is most likely still okay?
Doing some probing on the board, it seems the resistor that makes up the voltage divider on the thermistor circuit is out of spec (when probing it with a multimeter it reads only 470 ohms instead of 4.7k). Is this reading while in-circuit valid? Could this have been caused by a short in the thermistor? Can I build a small adapter to splice in a new 4.7k resistor? or will this just throw everything off more? If I were to build a new version of Marlin could I adjust something in there to get the temps back to something recognizable?
I figure since I got the printer for 40\\$ I may as well use it as a learning experience.
Also, if anyone has the original firmware from this printer I would appreciate a copy.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Yes, in newest Marlin (v2.0) there are configurable thermistor parameters. You need to set **custom thermistor**:
```
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 1000
```
for your only extruder (suffix \_0) in *Configuration.h*, and in *Configuration\_adv.h* modify related section:
```
//
// Custom Thermistor 1000 parameters
//
#if TEMP_SENSOR_0 == 1000
#define HOTEND0_PULLUP_RESISTOR_OHMS 4700 // Pullup resistor
#define HOTEND0_RESISTANCE_25C_OHMS 100000 // Resistance at 25C
#define HOTEND0_BETA 3950 // Beta value
#endif
```
But in Marlin 1.x I couldn't find this section, so change would need to be done somewhere in thermistor definition source files. I mention this older Marlin following the discussion on Wanhao Duplicator i3 Mini & Rebrands Support, which refers to some Wanhao source code, but I cannot judge about value of it.
For resistors in the circuit I have similar observations: sometimes they do not give exact readings using multimeter, especially next to capacitor. Isn't heatbed temp probe's circuit the same? - can you compare? But instead...
I would suggest doing following things:
* **open circuit test:** disconnect the thermistor and check readings (I could then see -19 °C)
* **closed circuit test:** connect the heatbed's thermistor instead (in place of hotend's) and check if these readings are reliable (I would try to heat the bed for few seconds to check if changes are noticed, but not too long because it will be uncontrolled process)
* **thermistor test:** connecting the hotend's thermistor as heatbed's probe and check on-screen readings for heated bed; are they again 193 °C? do they react to changes? (powering hotend for few secs or warming in fingers?)
* you may consider to setup USB connection with serial terminal to **directly** **read measurements** using G-Code, just to exclude errors in post-processing of the temperature readings before putting it to screen *(I know, it's a bit paranoic)*
The worse thing I can imagine is that you could short wires of hotend heating circuit with the temperature probe circuit, which should be **galvanically isolated**. Then it could damage readings of the mainboard for this probe when received 12V/24V. I found that the mainboard is most probably all-in-one i3mini 0ne+ motherboard, some revision still available in Wanhao store for another $40. I googled for few photos, there are problably few versions of this board. If you are lucky and skilled then you may find some other pin (connected to ATMega) to reuse. Otherwise you would need to replace steering electronics with new board, which **could be of great benefit** for future improvements: more ports for extra fans, probes, more memory, better stepper drivers, etc.
---
Tags: electronics, thermistor
---
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thread-15412
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https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15412
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3D printer destroys part by lowering nozzle
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2021-01-23T05:38:25.853
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# Question
Title: 3D printer destroys part by lowering nozzle
I have a Lulzbot TAZ 4 and am using Lulzbot Cura for slicing, printing with HIPS.
Yesterday, I tried a print, only for this to happen:
It appears that the printer got most of the way through printing the part, and then for no apparent reason lowered the nozzle into the part (causing it to detach from the bed), raised the nozzle back up, and then to continue trying to print like nothing happened.
I thought maybe the G-code file got corrupted when transferring to the SD card (a single bit-flip could cause exactly this problem). So I generated the G-code again with exactly the same settings, and the same thing happened again but in a slightly different place and a few layers further up the model:
I have previously printed exactly the same model, only mirrored, with the same settings, and did not have this problem. I've never seen anything like this. Does anyone know what is going on?
# Answer
> 0 votes
This is my bet, based on cooling fan failure (I assume it was nozzle fan, not a heatsink fan), though honestly my practical experience with HIPS is zero. Without this fan heated material printed at high angles will definitely curl up, and even flat may be unstable. I suppose it happend, observing layer inconsistency on middle finger close to the nail.
Then, material could curl a bit and build up. Collisions with hotend could result in blob of plastic here or there, and then something bad happened (see @Jack State comment).
I also suppose that the whole print was detached from bed and rotated, because we see surprising shape across the middle finger, and unfinished index finger. Filament was extruded in random locations, causing more blobs, more curling and more mess. There are some gaps which look exactly like hotend run directly into them. I suppose that object rotated both horizontally and vertically. It could be even dragged by hotend at the end (e.g. filament was extruded inside the index finger).
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, troubleshooting, lulzbot
---
|
thread-15418
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15418
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Squential Printing: Some objects are too tall and cannot be printed without extruder collisions
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2021-01-24T04:20:04.460
|
# Question
Title: Squential Printing: Some objects are too tall and cannot be printed without extruder collisions
The following setup seems printable.
Why do I get this error?
> Some objects are too tall and cannot be printed without extruder collisions.
# Answer
The error message explains that you cannot print your objects sequentially as they are too tall for the gantry to go back to the bed level after the first object.
In other words, your clearance between bed and gantry is too small.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: prusaslicer
---
|
thread-15434
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15434
|
How to probe twice while mesh bed leveling with a BLTouch setup?
|
2021-01-25T13:08:46.430
|
# Question
Title: How to probe twice while mesh bed leveling with a BLTouch setup?
I am using an Ender 3 (v1.1.4) with Marlin 1.1.X bugfix installed. Also BLTouch v3.1 is used. The probe is deployed once only while mesh bed leveling.
How can I make the probe deploy twice at every point? Where am I supposed to change the code for it?
Please explain in detail if possible as I am not familiar with the coding part?
# Answer
For the 1.1.x (1.1.9) bugfix firmware version, the multiple probing is defined in the configuration.h file.
```
// The number of probes to perform at each point.
// Set to 2 for a fast/slow probe, using the second probe result.
// Set to 3 or more for slow probes, averaging the results.
//#define MULTIPLE_PROBING 2
```
You should change the configuration to include the multiple probing by uncommenting the line:
```
#define MULTIPLE_PROBING 2
```
---
*Note that there is question: "Updating Marlin Firmware - Step by Step Guide" that shows how you should modify the sources.*
*How to compile and upload/install the compiled binary on your printer controller board depends on the controller board version and type.*
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, bed-leveling, bltouch
---
|
thread-6619
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6619
|
Thermister stops reading temp after a few seconds. (Marlin 1.1.8, Tronxy X5s stock Melzi board)
|
2018-08-09T19:30:42.280
|
# Question
Title: Thermister stops reading temp after a few seconds. (Marlin 1.1.8, Tronxy X5s stock Melzi board)
I think it's best that I explain what my issue is before I explain how I arrived here. I have a Tronxy x5s with a stock board that I am repairing for the sake of repairing, even though I know I should probably just spring for a new board. It's the principle of the thing.
* The extruder thermistor accurately reads for a few seconds, and then gives a negative reading as if it's been unplugged.
* I know that this is the same reading of an unplugged thermistor because when you unplug either the extruder or bed thermistor from a known-good port, it gives this same negative reading.
* It is not attached to the original pin. It is attached to a new pin that I moved it to. I cut the old pin off from the thermistor port and soldered the new pin to the traces of the port. Then I changed the pin in the configuration file, and it works, for a while.
* The electronics are messy but sound; I have used my voltmeter to verify connectivity and voltage.
* The thermistor works; it reads a little over 100kΩ in my hot garage and the temperature changes after I put it in my hand for a few minutes. But this temperature change only registers, as explained in the rest, for a few seconds.
* I am sure there's a configuration somewhere in the firmware that I am missing that causes that pin to either go "off" or become disused after a few seconds.
Greater context:
The printer was working great for months, but one day the extruder thermistor shorted so badly that the Analog to Digital pin on the Arduino powering the Melzi board was permanently damaged. The temperature reading consistently stayed at 260 °C, even when unplugged.
I wanted to come up with a repair solution rather than replacing the board (even though I have plans to do that anyway), so I downloaded the datasheet for the Arduino Mega 1248P and looked for other ADC pins I could use. I found that ADC Pin0 was unused on the board, so I thought I'd isolate old pin (ADC Pin 7), solder the trace to the new pin, and change the firmware to reflect the new pin.
Then I changed the pin used for that extruder thermistor reading in the `Pins_SANGUINOLOLU_11.h` config file (the old Melzi board for the Tronxy X5s is a Sanguino):
```
// Temperature Sensors
//
#define TEMP_0_PIN 7 // Analog Input (pin 33 extruder)
#define TEMP_BED_PIN 6 // Analog Input (pin 34 bed)
```
Changed to
```
// Temperature Sensors
//
#define TEMP_0_PIN 0 // Analog Input (pin xx extruder)
#define TEMP_BED_PIN 6 // Analog Input (pin 34 bed)
```
I didn't know what "pin 33" was or used to be so I just put xx in the comment.
Anyway, my hardware was good, and my software was supposedly good, so I flashed the new firmware, plugged it in, and turned it on:
Yay! But after a few seconds...
Boo. It stops working.
I am sure my connections are solid: I've tested for connectivity and voltage. Both the new port and the heat bed thermistor port get 4.97 volts, so it's not a voltage drop. It's something in the Arduino.
Any ideas?
# Answer
> 1 votes
Thermal expansion is opening a connection somewhere. It might not be one of your solderings, but if you shorted the board bad enough to fry pins, it could have cooked something somewhere else, and putting current through it is heating up the spot enough to break the connection. Either somewhere else in/on the board, or inside of the IC chip itself.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I am having the same issue so in the firmware instead of changing to an empty pin, I swapped pins 6 and 7 so the nozzle temp would read from the bed temp plug on the board. Now the nozzle temp is reading properly i went into configurations.h line 291 and changed the 1 to 999 and on line 295 i changed the value to 60 now the bed temp will always be 60 so as long as my print settings match it will never engage the heat bed and allow the machine to print. Now I will use an ESP8266 nodeMCU to read the temp and control the MOSFET for the heat bed.
---
Tags: marlin, arduino-mega-2650, thermistor, tronxy-x5
---
|
thread-15432
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15432
|
Printing 3D letters in any font?
|
2021-01-25T09:27:14.467
|
# Question
Title: Printing 3D letters in any font?
I am looking at printing a fair amount of text, ideally using some custom fonts. I quite like Stay Classy but will likely have to consider change if it causes issues.
I am a little stuck on where to start with using these in some tools. I have tried creating an SVG using the font and importing to Tinkercad however that always fails. I only want to print the text, nothing else.
How do I properly convert my font into .svg and import that so I can make my bodies? While I have tried Tinkercad I am open to alternative tools if this can be achieved more easily.
# Answer
I think @Trish answered your question more specifically, but an alternate route (that I think its simpler assuming you don't mind the learning curve) is using Blender.
Rather than creating an svg in a different software and having to go from something like photoshop to inkscape to tinkercad to your printer software... Blender could do most of that in one step, and its free.
In Blender, add text:
Hit tab to go into "Edit" mode and in edit mode you can simply backspace and type whatever you want.
In the "Font" menu, you can choose from any font on your computer.
And you can make it "3D" by extruding it:
When it looks good and you're ready to print it, make sure to convert it to a mesh, then export as .stl for your printing software. (Cura/Slic3r/etc.)
> 2 votes
# Answer
Fonts are not saved in a format that is .svg compatible. However, text that is written in a font and saved as a black-and-white picture can be turned into a .svg by software. This .svg can be imported by Tinkercad then.
# Step 1: Text Picture
Use any software to create a .png or .jpg or something similar. Among the multitude of programs that can do this are GIMP and Adobe Photoshop. Even Paint can do this, or any word processor and then screen capture. If you know your Inkscape, you can skip this.
# Step 2: making the .svg
Either you use software like Inkscape to import your picture and trace the outlines, or you use a web service. For example Convertino or the Fontquirrel Webfont generator. You only need the outlines, no filling!
In Inkscape the rundown to tracing is:
* File/Import
* Path/Trace Bitmap
* Update
+ OK
# Step 3: Import
You got your outline .svg, so import that into any software and you can start making your embossed letters. Personally, I would use Fusion360, but most CAD software support importing an SVG and treat that the same as if you had sketched in that software.
> 0 votes
# Answer
Tinkercad and Inkscape is likely the easiest method, requiring very little to learn anew. The key in Inkscape is to use Path, Object to Path, which converts the text format to "ordinary" vectors supported by Tinkercad.
If you're comfortable with both programs, there's no reason to divert to a new package.
Tossing a conversion from vector to bitmap and back to vector is going to "damage" the image, while the suggestion I've made will retain all detail.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: software
---
|
thread-15417
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15417
|
Ideas to tune for 300 % speed
|
2021-01-24T02:49:42.963
|
# Question
Title: Ideas to tune for 300 % speed
I am using PLA and I am looking for ideas on using the `Tune` option to tune my Prusa i3 MK3 to increase the speed to 300 %.
The 300 % speed works perfectly fine for some of the models.
However, for some of the flat surfaces, the printer cannot handle the speed. The issues are pointed in the image below:
It seems that printer is struggling to supply enough filament.
Can I solve the issue by using the `Tune` menu by changing settings like temperature or flow?
**Answer:**
While @dandavis is informative, but this is how I did it:
* increasing z offset so nuzzle has enough space to dispense.
* Increase temperature +10
Please note that this degrades the print quality, but I am just printing a few organizer boxes. Quality is not essential and not something I expect from a 300% speed.
# Answer
extruder clicking means you're getting backed up, grinding.
* Make the hotend hotter so you can melt filament 3X faster than expected; most materials have quite a range; aim high.
* Slow down the cooling fan; a lot of them can cool the hotend.
* You have a silicone boot on the nozzle? that will help some.
* Use a larger diameter nozzle to reduce backpressure and allow thicker layers.
* Try cranking the feed rate
Lastly, consider that you simply might not get acceptable results pushing speed THAT much.
> 2 votes
# Answer
Changing "Flow" will affect whole print. So even if it helped for the middle part (I doubt), the next it would ruin the print on sides by overextrusion. However: **if sides are printed ok, then why the middle couldn't?** Because walls are printed slower? Indeed, the under-extrusion may quickly rise along with speed because of plastic deformation between extruder gears under pressure and slight slipping, which actually increases with speed. The video "How fast can your hotend print?" presents experiment on this phenomena and its outcomes.
Then we go into master question: **300% of what?** Turning the speed knob during print will override all considerations that slicer took into account during calculations - and defintely override Max volumetric speed, which is key factor to limit **pressure in the nozzle** (vide clicking noise).
The real limit seems to be this middle part of print, and outer part is just cosmetics (probably calculated to print slower because of quality). So if you ensure, that printing these middle surfaces is **planned (in G-Code) with similar speed** as walls, then (at least in theory) you may be able to increase overall speed, playing e.g. only with temperature. (I actually mean the speed of extrusion, so this may not be simple as just setting equal speed for perimeters and infill, but this does not change the conclusion below.)
So I say **all it starts in the slicer** software: increase speed there and re-caclulate. This will ensure to not exceed key limitations. Then you may manipulate maximal values in slicer for further experimentation.
> 0 votes
# Answer
Provided you find a way to increase the extruder limits, as replied by @dandavis , you will still get underextrusion in the infill if the infill is printed faster than walls.
You need to enable some option in the slicer to label each part of the print, so that you get a comment in the gcode to mark walls, infill, and so on.
Then you need to process the generated gcode, so that when you find the label "infill" you replace it with a flow multiplier to increase flow. How much has to be tuned by try and fail.
You also need to replace every remaining label (walls, ...) with a 100% flowrate setting to bring back the setting to the standard value, obviously.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: prusa-i3, speed
---
|
thread-15444
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15444
|
Which 3D printer to print heat-resistant material?
|
2021-01-25T23:45:20.870
|
# Question
Title: Which 3D printer to print heat-resistant material?
I need to print a rotor for a DC motor I'm designing. In the process of testing the behaviors of the motor performances, I would need a material that will not deform at a temperature range between 100 °C to 150 °C.
Since I don't have a 3D printer yet, I would like to know what would be the best choice for my need. I was planning to buy an Ender 3, but I'm not sure this entry-level 3D printer will allow me to obtain the results I'm looking for. I'm excluding PLA material because I think it's the most "fragile" material from this point of view and for my needs.
My questions are:
1. Which material should I use in order to have a 3D printed object (rotor) that will not deform at a temperature that varies from 100 °C to 150 °C?
2. Can an Ender 3 (planning to use full metal hotend and also hotbed) be used to print the filament that is heat resistant? Should I buy a resin 3D printer?
# Answer
PEEK (poly ether ether ketone) has a glass transition temperature of 145 °C (293 °F).
Melting temperature 345 °C (653 °F)
Nozzle temperature 370 - 410 °C
Heated bed 120 - 150 °C
---
Polycarbonate has a glass transition temperature of about 147 °C (297 °F)
---
Polypropylene has a glass transition temperature is 215 °C
---
Polymaker PolyMide CoPA (specialized Nylon) Filament has a softening temperature of ~180 °C, but they don't specify the glass transition temperature. Other materials have the glass transition temperature about 5 °C below the temperature the material softens.
However, the glass transition temperature is only an indication of a physical change: while uncommon, a material may be rigid enough well above it's glass transition temperature. How to interpret various thermal-related filament properties?
A side issue to consider as far as layout is FDM prints are weakest between layers (layer separation), so you want a layout where this affects your print the least.
> 2 votes
# Answer
Using an Ender 3 for high temperature materials is possible but you need to enclose it to be able to heat the air up to 100 °C.
It's quite involved and it would be much better, if it's something you do seldomly, to have the parts printed professionally.
Many thing start warping or breaking at 100 °C.
> 4 votes
---
Tags: 3d-design, heat-management
---
|
thread-15244
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15244
|
Z-min always open when using BLtouch and Marlin 2.0
|
2021-01-07T19:27:45.963
|
# Question
Title: Z-min always open when using BLtouch and Marlin 2.0
I recently added a Creality BLTouch v3.1 to my Ender 3 which has a MKS Base v 1.6 motherboard and is running Marlin 2.0, but the Z-min never triggers.
I have made sure that the BLTouch unit lights up, uses the provided mount for the Ender 3 to get proper placement and is connected to the Z-min pins. Additionally, I have followed multiple youtube videos for connecting/setting the right parameters for the sensor. However, I haven't found the right combo.
I have tried both BLTouch and Creality BLTouch, different pin number assignments (other than the standard Z-min pin), but the status doesn't change with or without the sensor pushed in. Looking for suggestions on settings to apply, or if anyone has had this issue.
See pictures below:
1. Connection to motherboard, tried using the other pin on the z min, and switching the black/white wires to see if they we're connecting wrong.
2. BLTouch depressed which lights up as expected.
3. BLTouch not illuminated when open.
# Answer
> 1 votes
In order to use a BLTouch probe (or clone probe) you need to configure the firmware to know that a servo operated Z endstop is being used.
From the referenced files that are used for building the firmware you are running can be found in the configuration.h that:
```
/**
* The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo.
*/
//#define BLTOUCH
```
When using a servo port operated probe (position of the servo corresponds to a certain action) such as the BLTouch, 3DTouch, etc. you need to configure using it as such:
```
/**
* The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo.
*/
#define BLTOUCH
```
Furthermore, you need to be sure to connect the cables of the touch probe according to the pin arrangement as defined for you controller board.
E.g. `#define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN` could be used to re-use the Z-min endstop connector on the board.
---
*Note that when using a touch probe (which is a sophisticated sensor with it's own onboardmicro-processor with dedicated firmware), you cannot use `M119`, the endstop status from the touch sensor cannot be read from the output of the command. According to "Marlin documentation", `The BLTOUCH probe only sends a brief pulse, so “TRIGGERED” indicates the probe is in error state.`.*
---
Tags: marlin, creality-ender-3, bltouch
---
|
thread-3696
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3696
|
What G-code commands tell the printer to change nozzle on a dual extruder printer?
|
2017-03-08T04:06:17.447
|
# Question
Title: What G-code commands tell the printer to change nozzle on a dual extruder printer?
I have been playing around with creating scripts to generate some custom G-code for a Malyan M180 and I am having trouble understand what commands to use to switch nozzles. Sometimes I can get the nozzles to switch and it doesn't recenter but sometimes it does. I have been using:
```
G54
M108 T0; switch to left
```
and
```
G55
M108 T1; switch to right
```
Has anyone else looked into this and have any idea what commands or sequence of commands should be used to change nozzles?
# Answer
No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for **T#**, where # is the tool position you want:
```
T1 ; switch to tool position 1
T3 ; switch to tool position 3
```
This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position.
See http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:\_Select\_Tool
> 3 votes
# Answer
As @tbm0115 has mentioned - it differs. Your `M108 T{index of tool}` command is perfectly fine on some FlashForge printers, a company known for its different sorts of proprietary code. It is indeed used for tool changing here.
While on the common Marlin firmware (e.g. used on the popular Creality Ender printers), `M108` does a completely different thing-namely acting as a break sequence if the G-code parser is in a closed-loop-condition (after certain commands like `M109` that wait until a certain action takes place).
> 1 votes
---
Tags: g-code, dual-nozzle
---
|
thread-15446
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15446
|
Sudden deterioration of print quality on Prusa i3MK3S+
|
2021-01-26T00:34:31.180
|
# Question
Title: Sudden deterioration of print quality on Prusa i3MK3S+
I've had my Prusa i3MK3S+ for a couple of months now, and done 100+ prints, and other than a few issues with first layer adhesion (which are pretty much solved now), have been getting consistently good results. That is, until the day before yesterday. My last six or seven prints have either failed altogether (items that I have successfully printed previously have failed, seeming to collapse midway through printing), or completed with such poor quality as to be useless.
I haven't changed any of the slicer settings, and am using the same filament that was working three days ago (and has been stored in a low-humidity environment). Initially, the printer had not been moved, nor had anything changed in its immediate environment (temperature and humidity are the same, as best as I can measure them).
(the above part was printed successfully about a week before, using the same filament and the same slicer settings, however here it printed with gaps between infill and outline, and circles printed as ellipses)
(the calibration cat at https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1545913 -- I have never printed this before, but it does clearly show the kind of problems I'm having)
I've performed regular maintenance tasks and recalibrated the printer, but this hasn't made a difference. I've reinstalled Prusa Slicer with default settings, which didn't help either. I did think that maybe it was an issue with tension on the y-axis belt, which does look a bit loose, however, according to the printer's diagnostics, the tension in both belts is fine.
Any help/suggestions/ideas would be much appreciated!
EDIT: I decided to ignore the diagnostic report from the printer, and re-tension the Y-axis belt, and that has substantially improved things, although it is far from fixed.
So that's resolved some of the issues. The remaining layer shift appears to be only happening parallel to the Y-axis (i.e. the layers seem to line up perfectly along the X). Have I managed to fix one problem and introduce another??
# Answer
Figured it out. One of the grub screws that hold the motor shaft onto the belt drive pulley for the Y-axis had come loose, and the other had fallen out altogether. I've tightened the remaining one (and ordered replacements), and my prints are perfect again. Well, as good as I can expect, given that I'm using cheap filament.
Two points that might be useful to bear in mind; firstly, the printer was consistently reporting that the belt tension was fine, but clearly it was not. I'm not sure if this is an issue with these printers in general or mine in particular. Secondly, the printer was able to figure out that the pulley was slipping, but did not do so as part of its standard test/setup wizard. It's under Calibration \> Self Test.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: print-quality, prusa-i3, troubleshooting
---
|
thread-15413
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15413
|
Labists ET4 printer nozzle hits bed after automatic levelling
|
2021-01-23T08:25:29.673
|
# Question
Title: Labists ET4 printer nozzle hits bed after automatic levelling
I use Slic3r to create G-codes for my Labists ET4 printer. Usually, no problem.
Now, as soon as I tried to start a print, the nozzle head went down as usual, but this time it went a bit lower than 0 and the machine made angry noises for less than a second.
It went back up again and heated the bed and the nozzle, only to go back down too strongly with angry noises again. Even left a little pokey hole on the bed.
I got scared and turned the machine's switch off and manually raised the Z axis with ease.
Never had this problem before and now I'm afraid to turn on my machine.
I've had the following setup for G-codes prior to today's incident and it had worked just fine:
```
G28 ; Home extruder
G1 Z15 F[travel_speed]
M106 S[max_fan_speed]; Turn on fan
G90 ; Absolute positioning
M82 ; Extruder in absolute mode
; Activate all used extruder
M104 T0 S[first_layer_temperature]
M190 S[bed_temperature]
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder position
; Wait for all used extruders to reach temperature
M109 T0 S[first_layer_temperature]
```
After this, I did try the auto levelling, however it still tried to plow into the bed, albeit not as angrily.
Here's other things to potentially consider:
* I haven't used the machine 10 days.
* It's been chilly in the room where the machine is.
So here's my questions:
* "What could cause a 3D printer to have an incorrect impression of Z-axis=0 even in absolute position mode?"
* "What can I do to fix it?"
# Answer
> 2 votes
Dirt. It was dirt. Most likely.
Apparently the machine establishes bed level with a sensor, and I might be wrong, but I think the ET4 monitors capacitance as a means to notice how far the nozzle is from the bed.
After all else failed I looked at the nozzle closely and noticed that the whole thing looked fuzzy. Looks like soot (from where though!?) had settled on the machine's sensitive components and *de facto* blind-folded its sensor.
A wipe and a levelling later, all was back to normal. Yay!
---
Tags: z-axis, labists-et4
---
|
thread-6331
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6331
|
Heatbed with zones?
|
2018-07-08T21:07:59.630
|
# Question
Title: Heatbed with zones?
Waiting for a heatbed to get up to 85˚C for a relatively small part got me wondering why beds aren't hardware/G-code configurable for what area is heated? I'm sure it would be an increase in parts costs and electronics, but it seems that being able to just heat an area a little larger than the part(s) being built would save in time and energy use.
# Answer
I've wondered that myself a while ago and fact is that such beds or silicone heating pads do exist. Usually these are quite large (and expensive) and usually referred to as "dual zone heat beds/pads".
As far as energy consumption; less area to heat is faster heat up times (depending on the control) and less energy consumed. For small prints this may be beneficial. The price of such beds are very high, so to break even you would have to print a lot. An alternative to buying would be to etch your own bed.
> 3 votes
# Answer
The heated bed is a reasonably good thermal conductor, so the difference in energy between heating all or 10% of the bed (assuming a 3x3 grid split 1 and 8) isn't going to be that significant.
In terms of heating speed, 200W across the whole bed will heat it faster than 40W applied to the centre square, and will also be less likely to cause warming or heat cycling effects (unless PSU regulation is a problem).
If the bed is much larger, or has thermally separated zones, then there might be some justification in the increased control complexity.
As an example, although glass has a thermal conductivity around 1% of a metal, it is still 30x better conducting than air. Conductivity towards the unheated areas of even a solid glass bed will roughly match the surface loss - so best case you would reduce losses to somewhere 20%-50% of what heating the whole bed might cost (assuming the same 3x3 grid).
> 3 votes
# Answer
As the etched version is very impressive (thanks 0scar for that), there are other possibilities to build zones on the bed:
1. Using resistance wire;
2. Using a etched bed with zones.
The challenge with zones is mainly down to:
1. When and how to switch on/off particular zone;
2. Temperature control needs to be added to every zone to avoid over/under heat in the particular zone.
This last point brings *even more* challenges as that requires a PWM channel and a temp sensor (per zone), so standard RAMPS need some extensions in the wiring. One could overcome that using custom G-Code to set on/off zones and a double temp sensor for the main zone to follow the temperature changes.
In detail: a dedicated Arduino with PWM outputs that will read the temperature from a secondary temperature sensor in the main zone and follows it.
> 2 votes
# Answer
it is probably too late for the party but i thought about grid heated bed recently. about controlling which zone to turn on and off, i think we can treat the grid as Led matrix, the matrix led signal can be used to drive mosfets to power the heat pads.
> 0 votes
# Answer
It makes more sense to insulate "unused" areas, since the heat conduction goes with the surface area. Heating the plate at some place (instead allover the area) makes no big difference (aluminium is a very good heat conductor, this is already mentioned). But insulation will do. I would propose a downside full insulation (5-10 mm) and some "windows-shaped" square silicone (other thin material?) mats to cover the unused areas (mostly on the outer side of the bed) on the top side. Beware of collisions and auto-leveling algorithms (starting very often at corners). Side effect: you may reach much higher temperatures at the uncovered areas (might be doubled if covering half of the surface).
> 0 votes
---
Tags: heated-bed
---
|
thread-6172
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6172
|
Fix ghosting problem (damping versus bolting printer to a desk)
|
2018-06-13T16:29:46.320
|
# Question
Title: Fix ghosting problem (damping versus bolting printer to a desk)
I have a Monoprice Maker Select v2. It is the kind where the moving plate (heat bed) provides the Y-axis and the moving extruder provides the X-axis. It has a fairly rigid sheet metal frame. In addition, I added steel rods has Z-braces.
I see some pretty obvious ghosting. This happens for an inch or so right after every sharp turn. Clearly, vibration is to be blamed. I found two simple techniques that improves the situation:
1. soft floor mats under the feet (allowing the machine to move freely)
2. bolt the machine to the desk (preventing the machine from moving)
Surprisingly, these two opposites provided exact same level of improvement for ghosting. My question is: *which approach is better*? Moreover, to further improvement, should I use...
* (extreme version of 1) hanging the printer from the ceiling using bungee cords (maximize the freedom to move); or...
* (extreme version of 2) bolt the printer to garage floor (0 freedom to move) ?
# Answer
> 4 votes
Ghosting is caused by differential movement between the bed and the head when the head undergoes acceleration. The forces add energy to a resonance in that differential vibration mode.
By changing how you mount the base, you will change the mode and probably change the frequency.
With the soft mounting, the bed can move more easily. It will tend to follow the head acceleration better. The whole system will still ring (you can't get rid of the momentum change), but you can cause the energy to go somewhere else and not excite that mode.
With the base bolted down tight, the base gets stiffer, increasing resonant frequencies. You also may be making the base more resistant against racking or twisting motions.
It is completely credible that both interventions reduce the problem. Of the two, I would prefer any intervention that increases the stiffness.
If you know your movement speed (perhaps from your configuration file) and can measure the linear frequency of the ringing, you can determine the resonant frequency that is being excited. Depending on the frequency, you may be able to excite that frequency with an audio generator and transducer (maybe even just a speaker), such as with one of these: Dayton Audio Transducers.
With the system shaking at the right frequency, you can use your finger to find portions of the frame which are vibrating strongly, or maybe even your phone camera to make a high-speed video of the movement.
# Answer
> 3 votes
There are 3 options to reduce ghosting working on different methods.
## Basics of motion physics
When the machine changes movement direction, it does so with a very short time difference delay between the head and the frame, inducing vibration. Let's assume the head makes just movements back and force around a point $x\_0$ in the mid of the bed with an amplitude of 1. So the positional curve of the print head is $x\_h=x\_0+sin(\omega t)$. The second derivate of this is the acceleration $\frac {d^2} {dt^2}{x\_h}=-\omega^2 sin(\omega t)$. The frame though lacks behind, it has a phase shift to this. It's movement is $x\_f=x\_0+sin(\omega t +\tau)$, so its acceleration is $\frac {d^2} {dt^2}{x\_f}=-\omega^2 sin(\omega t +\tau)$. The factor $\tau$ is determined how the printhead is mounted (friction), the weight of the frame (it's inertia) and how stiff it is. It might change depending on the height due to the construction of the frame (changing stiffness).
We'll assume a 1-dimensional printer as it is easier to model, but in praxis, we'd have all three axis to look at to model the printer in its entirety.
## Method one: less friction
One way to lessen the factor $\tau$ is to reduce the ability to transfer the motion energy between the print head and the frame. This means to **reduce friction** between the frame and the printhead. So better bearings are one way to do this.
## Method two: lighter head/heavier frame
Another factor is the inertia differential. If the head has less kinetic energy and/or the frame higher inertia, this reduces the ghosting as with less energy available, the phase shift $\tau$ gets reduced. This is where bolting down the printer acts to some degree: the mass of the printer becomes the mas of the printer plus the part it is bolted to.
Here is where a super lightweight head on lightweight carbon fiber tube rails with Bowden setup (Hypercube design) shines: by having a super low mass, the energy transfer is hindered.
## Method three: Stiffening the frame
The frame has a certain frequency it wants to swing at. To shift this, one can add stiffening rods or different mounting, which also increases the weight. This shifts $\tau$ down some.
## Method four: Tuning $\tau$
Just adding mass to the printer and from the printhead or stiffening the machine has its limits. There is however a way to isolate the machine from other systems: put it on spring dampeners. As long as these dampeners are not in resonance to the frame's resonance, the machine itself can be tuned in itself. At this point comes in what you noticed when you put the machine on rubber mats: if the machine has a $sin(\tau)\to 0$, then the factor $\tau$ suddenly gets only little effect on the calculation. By the way, the symmetry makes it easy for us, creating boundries: $\tau \in \\{0,2\pi\\}$
## Best Practice?
It is often hard to find the best way through calculations alone. Even Engineers use trial and error to look for where to add mass (using for exampele clay and weights) and look at complex measurements how much mass they need to reduce where to change the ring of the machine so the multiple factors in $\tau$ cancel each other out or get the resonance frequency where they want it to be.
For home use, it is often the best to fix it as easy as possible.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Ghosting is very well described in the topic What causes “ghosting”?.
> Ghosting is an artefact in the print due to the vibrations in the printer that are induced by rapid changes of direction
To add to that answer and get on topic of your question and your possible solutions I'd like to say that **neither** of the solutions you provide is correct. What do we know? We know that ghosting depends on the mass of the printer head being accelerated and decelerated. This causes overshoots that are damped out by the construction causing the ripples or ringing effects that die out after a few mm of printing.
If the head is considered to have a mass M1 and the printer mass M2 (where M2 is larger than M1), the following simplified figure can be drawn:
Note that the head is without friction (which is not the actual case), when the head is subjected to a force, or suddenly a force acting on mass M1 disappears, the mass M1 wants to travel further; the spring and the damper then come into play causing a dynamic displacement of x1.
If you assume the printer to be bolted to the ground, M2 becomes the mass of the earth (M2 \>\>\> M1) and solely the x1 displacement is taken into account. However, if you hang it freely (M2 \> M1) or use rubber damping between the printer and you get a complex vibrating system where mass M1 influences the displacement of mass M2. E.g. M2 is now connected to the earth (or not if freely suspended) with its own damper and spring (or free). If x2 and x1 are in phase the effect may be even stronger than if x2 and x1 are out of phase. This all depends on the values of the spring and damper values and the involved mass weights. Although clamping down seems the best way to go forward, putting the printer on rubber matting or feet may be more comfortable as it reduces the vibrations.
This demonstrates that the displacement of M1 will always exist until you either fix the mass of the head (M1) or the force acting on mass M1 (lowering speed and jerk).
# Answer
> 1 votes
Personally, I would select the 2nd option.
The forces and vibrations inside printer will propagate over every single part connected. Having that in mind, making rigid external frame is just a part of the solution.
Please consider some extra points:
1. filament spool on the top bar adds vibration to the frame (get a rubber pad to separate hook from the frame - but I will remove it from the printer)
2. steper motors are mechanically noisy as well - get a stepper damper (as a piece of thin rubber between the motor and bracket)
3. moving speed and acceleration also adds a pressure to the construction, so high acceleration and braking need to be reduced (when you put hand on the frame you will fill all those movements (close your eyes))
4. stepper drivers also have an impact on the quality side (circled model skin)
5. you also could add an extra tensioners from top of the frame to the base.
Fixing it to the floor will be a benefit and considering points above will also improve printing quality.
an alternative lateral frame:
# Answer
> 1 votes
To fix ghosting it doesn't realy matter if the printer is bolted down or flying thru the air. The main point is to get rid of any movement in the printer construction itself. What I mean: If you bolt down your printer, but all parts wiggle as hell, then you will have ghosting. And if you have a printer with no wiggeling parts, then the printer could theoretical even been moved while printing. So reduce vibration sources or undock them with dumpers and made the frame stiff as possible.
sure a bold down would provide a reduce in flexibility in the printer, but if that would help also an internal reinforcement will do the job. (Like a extra frame)
For my personal 2 cents: I suggest to use a soft floormat to stop vibrations transfering to the table, because it would be annoying a.f. to stay in the same room if you have a vibrating device that uses the table top as a drum.
# Answer
> 1 votes
I got good results by mounting my printer on a concrete paving slab (obviously cleaned and sealed) and placing that on a foam mat. The combination of high mass and flexible mount has substantially reduced ghosting in my prints. Not my idea; I found it on a video on YouTube (linked below). Honestly not sure if this is the best solution from an engineering perspective (I like the idea suggested above of trying to find the resonant frequency) but it's easy, fast and cheap. And as a bonus, it has substantially reduced the noise level of my setup.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I'm missing something here. How about damping the movement of table and head by placing a tuned mass damper on table and head? Something like a mass that is mounted in the top of a skyscraper...
---
Tags: ghosting, knowledgebase
---
|
thread-15467
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15467
|
Fixing temperature Issues on I3 Mega / Where to find spare part
|
2021-01-27T10:47:17.653
|
# Question
Title: Fixing temperature Issues on I3 Mega / Where to find spare part
I have an old Anycubic i3 Mega printer which started having issues keeping the hotend-temperature. The peak at the start of the diagram was when I was touching the cable on top of the hotend:
It also sometimes disconnects completely with a MINTEMP-Error
So it is fair to assume it might be an issue with the cable/plug to the hotend.
My problem is that I cannot find that cable anywhere on the Anycubic spare parts site. Is this maybe a "standard" cable that I can get anywhere else?
# Answer
The plastic looks ok. If you get the tools and pins to work on the connector, you could replace problem pins. Many of us build our own cables. If we verify the connector is Molex, you might need calipers to measure dimensions to get the correct size. You won't need expensive ones. I've seen digital calipers from \\$10 to \\$20.
Have you already verified your sensor and heater aren't an issue? Maybe you've tried a new hot end, or a new heater block with a new heater and sensor.
You can visually inspect the pins on the connector to see if they have a loose connection. See the solution at Proper hotend heater for Reprap x400 Pro V3
What is strange from you graph, you seem to be loosing connection to both thermistors. Do the thermistors to the bed and hot end share one common connection, so that one pin could affect both?
If you haven't already tried it, one quick fix to try is unplugging the cables and plug them in again with the printer off of course.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: hotend, hardware, repair, anycubic-i3-mega
---
|
thread-14000
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/14000
|
Why can't my Ender 5 Pro remember its axis position or move back to home anymore?
|
2020-07-02T10:59:45.537
|
# Question
Title: Why can't my Ender 5 Pro remember its axis position or move back to home anymore?
I am completely new to 3D Printing. I got my first printer, a Creality Ender 5 Pro, yesterday.
### My problem
I shutdown the printer without the axis being in home position (**X: 0, Y: 0, Z: 320** instead of **X: 0, Y: 0, Z: 0**). I thought this should be no problem but after turning the printer on again the info screen showed the axis position as 0, 0, 0 again.
So, I can't move the Z axis up now because the printer thinks it's already at 0.
NOTE: On the Ender 5 the bed lowers for increasing values of the Z. So 320 is the lowest and 0 the highest. I know that the motor works because it tries to go down further if I increase the Z position, but I am scared of damaging the motor because it can't move further but it tries to (judging by that weird sound).
### My question
Is this a normal behavior that the printer axis cant remember its position? Because I think when I built the printer the axes were also not at the 0, 0, 0 position and on the first start they moved back without any problems.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to solve this? Or is this a broken printer?
PS: I could replicate this behavior on X and Y as well (moving them with prepare-\>move axis and then shutting down the printer). But in this case, I can easily disable the motors and move them manually back to 0, 0. This isn't the case for the Z Axis.
I hope I explained that understandably.
# Answer
> 3 votes
Once you pull the plug or disable power to the stepper motors, the printer forgets its location. That is perfectly normal and exactly how it is supposed to work.
The printer knows where the printer volume is once you have "homed" the printer. Homing is done prior to printing with G-code `G28` which should be present in your start G-code script of your slicer. Once homed, the offsets from the endstops determine where the origin of the printer is and the maximum dimensions determine the build volume.
After you switched on the printer, the printer doesn't know where the origin is and movement is limited. E.g. when the following constant is defined: `#define NO_MOTION_BEFORE_HOMING` no movement at all is possible before the printer is homed, this can help prevent destroying the printer.
# Answer
> 2 votes
*(Summed up from several entries in this thread.)*
It is an untrue statement that the printer *can't move back to home anymore*, until the G-Code `G28` is executed. **The printer can home, but must be ordered to do it.**
There are several **ways to home the printer** *(LCD hints are for Marlin firmware)*:
* Start a print, which (by the book) includes `G28` in its initial part
* Use the LCD menu option to home all axes: `Prepare > Auto Home`
* Use the LCD menu options to home single axes, for example: `Prepare > Auto Home Z`, after they are activated by adding the following to the *Configuration.h* file:
```
#define INDIVIDUAL_AXIS_HOMING_MENU
```
* Add your own options to the custom menu in the LCD: `Custom Commands > Your command` \- for example to have more complex scripts at hand, like a custom sequence of axes, multiple repeats, different back-off behavior, or move to center of bed (G-Code snippets)
* The current position may be updated with G-Code `G92`, and this hack may be useful when a print gets stuck (e.g., power outage, thermal issue) and there is no space any more to home Z, but its actual position is known from the print file (the remaining part?) Set the known position of Z (`G92 Znnn`) and let X and Y home the standard way (`G28 X Y`)
# Answer
> -2 votes
Slightly unscrew the motor. Manually rig the Z-axis above its lowest point. Rescrew the motor back into place tightly. Then auto home it.
---
Tags: creality-ender-5, homing, axis
---
|
thread-15473
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15473
|
Ender 3 Marlin - Incorrect temperature
|
2021-01-27T15:47:21.950
|
# Question
Title: Ender 3 Marlin - Incorrect temperature
I've updated to Marlin 2.0.7 when I set up a BLTouch (I've edited `configuration.h` based on my board model; MKS Robin E3) and now it seems the temperature does not match the display.
Before the update, I was printing with PLA filament at 205 °C and bed at 60 °C without issue. After the update, my prints are full of stringing, so I decided to lower the temperature until 180 °C and now it's fine (everything above 185 °C is stringing). I've tried tuning PID but it wasn't better.
So I assume my printer sees 205 °C but the real nozzle temp is higher.
# Answer
When you have updated to Marlin, you were supposed to configure it carefully. This is maybe laborious and sometimes difficult procedure, but very important. Basic guidelines are described in Configuring Marlin official guide.
I assume that you obviously did it, at least in some part to enable BLTouch. You should review the Thermal Settings section and update it with valid thermistors types for bed and hotend in *Configuration.h*:
```
#define TEMP_SENSOR_0 1
...
#define TEMP_SENSOR_BED 1
```
The list of available predefined settings (numerical identifiers) is just above these `#define` macros. The optimistic assumption is that you know that hardware details. Popular value is `1` for EPCOS 100k (older repraps) or NTC 3950 100k, but there are many examples of troubleshooting and advices on Internet. For more exotic temperature sensors you should set value `1000` and specify own details in Configuration\_adv.h.
If all these settings are correct, then possibly your thermistor is faulty. There is always a chance of coincidence with some damage unrelated to last upgrades. You can follow these instructions to verify it.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, creality-ender-3, temperature, stringing
---
|
thread-15474
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15474
|
How to switch from PETG to either PLA/ABS mid print?
|
2021-01-27T17:00:50.830
|
# Question
Title: How to switch from PETG to either PLA/ABS mid print?
I have an Ender 3 Pro and I'm about to print a relatively large model on it. I've been printing in PETG and I'd like to use up the last of the roll during this print.
When the roll runs out however, I don't currently have any PETG lying around but I do have two brand new rolls of PLA and ABS. I'd love to swap to one of them (lets say ABS) when the PETG is running low, and I'm just wondering if there is anything I should be wary of besides the print temp.
I am aware of general issues with ABS (warping without heated enclosure and stuff) but if I:
1. Have heated enclosure
2. Tune temperature to be higher when I swap to ABS
3. Have "draft shield" printing along with the model
Are there any other considerations that I need to put in the gcode or anything? How much it pushes the filament or retracts or something? I'm just using "Generic PETG" settings on Cura.
# Answer
> 3 votes
You should do a complete calibration for ABS (temperature tower, E steps, flowrate %) before starting the print, then when you change filament remember to apply all the parameters I mentioned.
While I'm not in favour of using the flow rate % to correct the E steps calibration, since you are doing it mid print this may be the easiest way, instead of changing E steps AND flow rate %.
As you said, you need to change temperature too, but both PETG and ABS print well at 235 °C so it may not be needed. PLA works too, but PLA bridges at 235 °C are difficult to get properly.
For sure you won't be able to change other parameters, such as fan speed, printing speed and flowrate for bridges, which are all specific to each filament, but hopefully it will work out anyway, since PETG is trickier than ABS or PLA.
Of course you may have issues with adherence: PETG may not bond well to ABS or PLA (in fact, PETG can be used for support for PLA and viceversa because the bonding is not too strong). You may have a weak print with PLA, so go for ABS.
PETG as support for PLA: Can PETG be used as support material for PLA?
Bridge calibration:
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, abs, petg
---
|
thread-4568
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/4568
|
How may I identify the firmware in use on my 3D printer?
|
2017-08-30T12:03:14.703
|
# Question
Title: How may I identify the firmware in use on my 3D printer?
I have a generic printer with no support documentation.
How do I determine what firmware is in use so that I can research how to make the print run?
# Answer
> 19 votes
Send `M115` to the printer. This command is
> Request the Firmware Version and Capabilities of the current microcontroller.
Response example:
> ok PROTOCOL\_VERSION:0.1 FIRMWARE\_NAME:FiveD FIRMWARE\_URL:http%3A//reprap.org MACHINE\_TYPE:Mendel EXTRUDER\_COUNT:1
For more info see here, RepRapWiki- G-code - M115: Get Firmware Version and Capabilities.
---
*Of course, this isn't guaranteed to tell the truth, just whatever your generic clone firmware had in its source code.*
# Answer
> 4 votes
# Startup
Usually, when a printer starts up, the screen shows a boot-screen. This contains usually the firmware version, but not who or what the settings are.
# LCD: About Printer
Some printers have an LCD main menu item that is "About Printer" or similar. It would one of the last items if enabled.
In Marlin it is disabled by default, and you'd need to uncomment `#define LCD_INFO_MENU` in `Configuration_adv.h`.
# Terminal
Connect a terminal and send `M115`. In most cases, this will tell you the current Firmware and version, as it is annotated in the firmware. This doesn't mean that those lines always were updated by who changed the files, but it is a good indication what was the basis for the installed firmware.
---
Tags: firmware, knowledgebase
---
|
thread-15407
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15407
|
BLTouch does not compensate for differences in bed level
|
2021-01-22T18:16:15.303
|
# Question
Title: BLTouch does not compensate for differences in bed level
Printer: Ender 3 Bed: Creality Glass ABL: BLTouch Everything else: Stock
Few weeks ago I had a meltdown during a failed ABS print. My hotend was completely wrapped in plastic and trying to remove said plastic I snagged the termistor. Anyway I had to replace the nozzle, hotend and thermistor. Everything on here. I went ahead and measured the Nozzle BLTouch needle offsets and re-flashed my Ender 3 with TH3D Firmware and configured BLTouch. After which I adjusted the Z offset again.
All good here. BLTouch appears to work, well at least it appears so.
I started printing and I see that my bed always hangs lower on the right side and BLTouch does not compensate for this difference.
**Manual leveling (with a heated bed, also tried without)**
1. Auto home
2. Move Z axis from 5 to 0
3. Move the head to each corner of the bed
4. Adjust the corner hight using the paper method (repeat 2x for each corner)
5. Auto home
6. Move Z axis from 5 to 0
7. Go to Z offset, and move it until it tugs on the paper.
8. Save and Auto home
But this did not solve the issue. When I move the head to Z0 (with the offset) in the centre it's perfect. Moving it to left gets close to the board, right goes way away from the board.
**Belts & screws**
Went and tightened all the belts and all the screws.
**X Axis alignment**
I set the Z axis to the max 250. And measure the distance from top of the X axis to top of the frame. There is no difference in the left, right or centre of x axis to the top of the printer. Same for distance from bottom part of the frame.
I cleaned the belts and the wheels with a soft brush. Not sure what else to do. I'm giving up on Creality/Ender :(
# Answer
The issue was **BLTouch** i'm not sure what use is this thing if it cannot compensate for differences in bed or frame.
I'm not sure why but the probing seems to be bad. I tried everything clean TH3D install and config, pitch perfect alignment of everything frame, bed, mounts everything. Perfectly calibrated Z offset at the centre of bed. I triple checked the belts. Checked if X axis was off or if any screw was lose, checked wheels to make sure everything was snugg.
Anyhow in the end the issue was with bad BLTouch probing not sure why. I gave up and went and disconneced **BLTouch** did manual bed leveling with the paper method. Press print and I got a perfect print. Like literally perfect. Even extrusion everywhere.
BLTouch seems to have probed the distance at the centre of bed, I set the offset for it. Than when it went and probed other corners before the print it seems to have read the values wrong.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, bed-leveling, bltouch, glass-bed
---
|
thread-15490
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15490
|
How to interpret various thermal-related filament properties?
|
2021-01-29T11:20:10.233
|
# Question
Title: How to interpret various thermal-related filament properties?
When picking filament for specialty, high temperature applications, multiple parameters are provided, but it is not clear to me when which to use.
The most common parameters provided are:
1. Vicat softening temperature
2. heat deflection temperature
Assuming I'm designing a part to be used in high temperature environments, when should I use each parameter?
For example, Polymaker has
| Material | Vicat soft. temp. (°C) | HDT (1.8 Mpa) (°C) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PolyLite PC | 119.5 | 106.6 |
| PC-ABS | 135 | 106.4 |
| PolyLite ABS | 103.9 | 98.2 |
| PA6-CF | *N/A* | 173 |
| CoPA | 180 | 69 |
https://eu.polymaker.com/Downloads/TDS/PolyLite\_PC\_TDS\_V5.pdf https://polymaker.com/Downloads/TDS/Polymaker\_PC\_ABS\_TDS\_V5.pdf https://polymaker.com/Downloads/TDS/PolyMide\_PA6\_CF\_TDS\_V5.pdf https://eu.polymaker.com/Downloads/TDS/PolyLite\_ABS\_TDS\_V5.pdf https://eu.polymaker.com/Downloads/TDS/PolyMide\_CoPA\_TDS\_V5.pdf
# Answer
This depends on application.
Definitions: **Vicat softening point. Vicat softening temperature** or **Vicat hardness** is the determination of the softening point for materials that have no definite melting point, such as plastics. It is taken as the temperature at which the specimen is penetrated to a depth of 1 mm by a flat-ended needle with a 1 mm² circular or square cross-section. \[However, it seems force on needle should be included.\]
The **heat deflection temperature** (HDT) or **heat distortion temperature** (HDT, HDTUL, or DTUL) is the temperature at which a polymer or plastic sample deforms under a specified load. This property of a given plastic material is applied in many aspects of product design, engineering and manufacture of products using thermoplastic components. \[Again, to be meaningful, the forces need to be specified.\]
Basically, Vicat softening temperature involves ability to be cut, while heat deflection temperature involves distortion from an evenly distributed force. Thus, use the parameters based on whether sharp uneven forces or a distributed force is most important to your application. This can also be worded Vicat is for maintaining shape, HDT is for maintaining load bearing properties. In other words, Vicat is for uneven loading on the print, which can change the shape. The most extreme is a sharp load. HDT is for the print to support an evenly distributed load. Many applications may be in between the two. What complicates the issue is 3D prints are ususally printed with a fill rather than being printed solid.
**Appendix**
Standards to determine **Vicat softening point** include ASTM D 1525 and ISO 306, which are largely equivalent.
The **heat distortion temperature** is determined by the following test procedure outlined in ASTM D648. The test specimen is loaded in three-point bending in the edgewise direction. The outer fiber stress used for testing is either 0.455 MPa or 1.82 MPa, and the temperature is increased at 2 °C/min until the specimen deflects 0.25 mm. This is similar to the test procedure defined in the ISO 75 standard.
Limitations that are associated with the determination of the HDT is that the sample is not thermally isotropic and, in thick samples in particular, will contain a temperature gradient. The HDT of a particular material can also be very sensitive to stress experienced by the component which is dependent on the component’s dimensions. The selected deflection of 0.25 mm (which is 0.2 % additional strain) is selected arbitrarily and has no particular physical significance.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: material, filament-choice
---
|
thread-15491
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15491
|
Which slicer (Voxelizer or Cura) for Zmorph printer?
|
2021-01-29T11:31:08.893
|
# Question
Title: Which slicer (Voxelizer or Cura) for Zmorph printer?
Can I use Cura generated G-codes in Zmorph 3D printer?
Zmorph comes with its own slicing software (Voxelizer) but it only takes a 2D drawing as input and layer height is the only parameter that can be changed so that the entire 2D drawing increases in height. I wanted to print objects as shown here:
I tried to create G-code in Cura and later use in Zmorph but the nozzle was going below the print bed when print is given so that I have to abort the print.
**Voxelizer code example (starting)**
```
; Generated with Voxelizer 2
;; { "info": [
;; { "toolhead": "Thick Paste" },
;; { "workflow": "chocolate\\ceramics" },
;; { "voxelizer_version": "v2.0.0-macOS-1-g90eaae" },
;; { "voxel_size": 0.23999999463558197 },
;; { "printing_time": "6min 30s " },
;; { "printer": "ZMorph VX" }
;; ] }
G92 E0.00000
G1 E-2.00000 F3000.000
G1 Z3.160 F3000.000
G1 X99.257 Y97.462 F7200.000
G1 Z1.160 F3000.000
G1 E0.00000 F3000.000
G1 X99.225 Y97.435 E0.00046 F600.000
G1 X99.193 Y97.408 E0.00092 F600.000
G1 X99.162 Y97.381 E0.00138 F600.000
G1 X99.131 Y97.354 E0.00184 F600.000
G1 X99.100 Y97.327 E0.00229 F600.000
G1 X99.069 Y97.299 E0.00275 F600.000
G1 X99.038 Y97.272 E0.00321 F600.000
G1 X99.007 Y97.244 E0.00367 F600.000
G1 X98.976 Y97.216 E0.00413 F600.000
G1 X98.946 Y97.188 E0.00459 F600.000
G1 X98.915 Y97.160 E0.00505 F600.000
G1 X98.885 Y97.132 E0.00551 F600.000
G1 X98.855 Y97.103 E0.00596 F600.000
G1 X98.825 Y97.075 E0.00642 F600.000
```
**Cura generated code for above figure (Starting lines)**
```
G92 E0.00000
G1 E-2.00000 F3000.000
G1 Z3.160 F3000.000
G1 X99.257 Y97.462 F7200.000
G1 Z1.160 F3000.000
G1 E0.00000 F3000.000
G1 X39.300 Y64.450 E4.10919 F1200.000
G1 X39.300 Y35.550 E9.65851
G1 X60.700 Y35.550 E13.76770
G1 X60.700 Y64.450 E19.31703
G0 X60.500 Y64.450 F7200.000
G0 X60.500 Y64.350
G0 X59.610 Y63.360
G1 X40.390 Y63.360 E23.00762 F1200.000
G1 X40.390 Y36.640 E28.13834
G1 X59.610 Y36.640 E31.82893
G1 X59.610 Y63.360 E36.95966
G0 X41.085 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y62.663 E37.01410 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y61.107 F7200.000
G1 X42.640 Y62.863 E37.49095 F1200.000
G0 X44.196 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y59.551 E38.39034 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y57.996 F7200.000
G1 X45.751 Y62.863 E39.71200 F1200.000
G0 X47.307 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y56.440 E41.45619 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y54.884 F7200.000
G1 X48.863 Y62.863 E43.62293 F1200.000
G0 X50.418 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y53.329 E46.21193 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y51.773 F7200.000
G1 X51.974 Y62.863 E49.22347 F1200.000
G0 X53.530 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y50.218 E52.65742 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y48.662 F7200.000
G1 X55.085 Y62.863 E56.51377 F1200.000
G0 X56.641 Y62.863 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y47.106 E60.79265 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y45.551 F7200.000
G1 X58.197 Y62.863 E65.49394 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y62.226 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y43.995 E70.44452 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y42.439 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y60.670 E75.39510 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y59.114 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y40.884 E80.34554 F1200.000
G0 X40.884 Y39.328 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y57.559 E85.29612 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y56.003 F7200.000
G1 X40.884 Y37.772 E90.24670 F1200.000
G0 X41.802 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y54.447 E94.94785 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y52.892 F7200.000
G1 X43.357 Y37.135 E99.22674 F1200.000
G0 X44.913 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y51.336 E103.08309 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y49.781 F7200.000
G1 X46.468 Y37.135 E106.51717 F1200.000
G0 X48.024 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y48.225 E109.52871 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y46.669 F7200.000
G1 X49.580 Y37.135 E112.11771 F1200.000
G0 X51.135 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y45.114 E114.28445 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y43.558 F7200.000
G1 X52.691 Y37.135 E116.02864 F1200.000
G0 X54.247 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y42.002 E117.35030 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y40.447 F7200.000
G1 X55.802 Y37.135 E118.24969 F1200.000
G0 X57.358 Y37.135 F7200.000
G1 X59.114 Y38.891 E118.72654 F1200.000
G0 X59.114 Y37.335 F7200.000
G1 X58.914 Y37.135 E118.78085 F1200.000
G0 X58.914 Y37.135 Z2.320 F600.000
G0 X55.200 Y58.950 F7200.000
```
# Answer
> 1 votes
Voxelizer is **multi-purpose software** that uses 5 to 7 different presets for the FAB and VX respectively. It decides upon what is available in options based on settings.
The **single and dual extruder setup** takes a whole load of data formats, including ones not commonly found in most other slicers:
The **paste extruder setup** and **Laser setup** only take `.dxf`, `.svg` and bitmap (`.jpg`, `.bmp`, `.png`) files:
The **CNC setup** features a different set of available extensions - including 2D files:
For a 3D model, use the extruder setups. It does not appear as if the software uses a special G-code format but works with derivates of the Marlin G-code library. To swap between setups, click in the top left corner, as you can see in this test-slice I ran:
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, g-code
---
|
thread-15495
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15495
|
How to print at low temperatures (filament melting at about 70 °C)?
|
2021-01-29T14:02:54.063
|
# Question
Title: How to print at low temperatures (filament melting at about 70 °C)?
I'm using Cura to slice prints from a biodegradable polyester called PCL (Polycaprolactone).
I need to print @ ~70 °C but extruder does not run until nozzle reaches 175 °C.
Which setting to change so extruder will turn on when nozzle temperature has reached 70 °C?
Here are my settings for the material:
# Answer
> 4 votes
70 °C is a specialty filament. It is well below the `MIN_TEMP` defined in any sane firmware. In Marlin, you **can't** turn on the extruder in any way, while this is online.
You do need to define your firmware to allow such a print - either by dropping the value in the firmware or disabling Mintemp-protection and then *flashing that firmware*. That is quite invasive.
To temporarily disable the `MIN_TEMP`, you need to run the G-code `M302 P1` or `M302 S0` \- `M302` on its own does nothing. However, some firmware distributions might explicitly prevent these two commands of *turning off* the check.
In that case, you might use `M302 S65` or similar to drop the `MIN_TEMP`.
# Answer
> 3 votes
In Cura Machine Settings, add `M302 S70`.
Apparently, `M302 P1` and `M302 S0` do nothing, you need to define a non-zero minimum, and in my case, 70. Thanks to 0scar and Trish for your help.
---
Tags: hotend, nozzle, temperature
---
|
thread-15492
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15492
|
How to change the extrusion value (E parameter) in G-code?
|
2021-01-29T12:26:55.930
|
# Question
Title: How to change the extrusion value (E parameter) in G-code?
Before I ask you my question I want to summarize my problem.
I am trying to build my personal 3D Printer and I can send the controller of my Extruder (Motor) only integer values. Slicer (Cura) produces fractions. I try to interprete these values as RPM. That means for example that I can't send 282.040 RPM (as calculated value), but I can send only 282 RPM.
My problem is that I got the E parameter as integer and decimal form like below:
```
G1 X534.729 Y195.96 E144.96538
G1 X664.869 Y195.95 E161.48942
G1 X666.538 Y196.042 E161.70166
```
Is there any way to get the E-parameter only in integer form?
Is there any program or is there any opportunity to set the slicer in order to have that goal?
# Answer
Yes, it is possible to influence values of the E-parameter, even to make them integers.
I see three possibilities:
* force firmware to support units smaller than mm - *suggested approach*
* force slicer to produce integer-like values - *most of below explanation*
* change meaning of E - *custom approach, including RPM interpretation*
Each of above needs post-processing of the G-Code output. There are some tools available, but required logic would need to be added (programmed). Some are simple scripts and this won't be difficult task. The rest of solution is much more difficult.
By the book, the `E` value is new coordinate on the E (extruder) on axis, in current units. Unfortunately, the only position units reflected in standard G-Code are millimeters (see `G21`) or inches (see `G20`). Therefore using integer values would mean very limited resolution, at least 1 mm of filament pushed at a time. Introducing **smaller unit into firmware** seems to be most reasonable approach.
---
# Tools to post-process G-Code files
The G-Code generated by slicer would contain `Ennn` values as fractions in millimeters (or millimeters). Generated file may be post processed line by line to alter these values. There are many examples of scripts or tools doing similar job.
One example is simple python script metric-gcode-truncator stripping numbers to 4 decimal places. Simple changes to this scirpt could be sufficient in simplest cases.
I found this script listed between other G-Code Utilities. Also, I found source code of grecode, which seem to be much more comprehensive G-Code transformation tool, but with no similar functionality out of the box.
Next improvement would be to use the script as slicer plugin, to streamline the everyday process. Maybe some existing Cura plugin could be a basis or example.
---
# Support for smaller units in firmware
First task is to **select smaller unit** (like micrometre, nanometre, or even non-metric abstraction).
Source code of existing firmware must be the supplemented to properly intereprete such values. In Marlin focus should be on `parser.h` and `parser.cpp`, following keywords `INCH_MODE_SUPPORT`, `LINEARUNIT_MM` and `LINEARUNIT_INCH`. Respective changes must be also added to configuration files.
Key inspiration in parser seems to be following part:
```
static inline void set_input_linear_units(const LinearUnit units) {
switch (units) {
default:
case LINEARUNIT_MM: linear_unit_factor = 1.0f; break;
case LINEARUNIT_INCH: linear_unit_factor = 25.4f; break;
}
volumetric_unit_factor = POW(linear_unit_factor, 3);
}
```
The main difficuly would be to refine parser and the rest of code to ensure that new units are only used for E movements, not for other axes or G-Code commands related to speed or other settings.
Then, each G-Code file must be post-processed with prepared tool, which will recalculate and alter `Ennn` values (or others), only for selected G-Code commands (this must relfect). For metric units it could be simple multiplication by 10<sup>n</sup> (visually it is shifting a decimal point).
Summarizing, possibly **the simplest** would be to just introduce new unit for all, and re-process G-Code files accodingly changing each value `X`, `Y`, `Z`, `E`. I cannot advice how such changes would affect `F` (feedrate), speed and acceleration settings.
---
# Slicer producing integer values of `E` parameter
**Long story short:** decrease steps/mm (firmware/printer), decrease filament diameter (slicer), then `Ennn` values in G-Code will shoot up and could be rounded to integers without drastical loose of quality. Units for extrusion become then fake (scaled).
Software may not be ready to support adequately low values (configuration, rounding) or high values (calculations). So in practice the values configuration could not by as minimal as wished, which would more or less impact the quality. There are is speed setting trouble, beacuse extrusion speed is correlated with movement speed.
Detailed theoretical explanation and example calculations are below.
### Steps/mm
However this is still useful, because each printing firmware has configurable steps/mm setting (or some analogous constant value). Steps/mm is basic and known characteristic of extruder, representing number of (micro)steps of extruder's stepper motor to push this 1 millimeter of filament (traverse E axis). If this steps/mm constant will be set to `1`, then extruder will make only 1 (micro)step for `G1 E1`. This change could be done in firmware configuraton, temporarily with G-Code `M92 E1`, or stored to EEPROM.
### Volume
Filament is a long cylinder, and extrusion length is height of short cylinder (segment of whole): $l= \frac {4 V} {\pi d^2} R$, where:
* V - volume necessary to pring path, internally calculated by slicer software
* d - diameter of filament configured in slicer
* R - customized extrusion multiplier setting (R) a.k.a. flow rate. (It was introduced for fine tuning, in runtime or when chaniging filaments, to avoid workarounds like manipulating steps/mm or diameter to untrue values. This parameter is not really important for this discusion, included only for completness.)
### Printer configuration
1 mm of filament translates to actual volume of material (mm<sup>3</sup>). The correct steps/mm is very important, so the rotation of motor (travel along E axis) will really extrude the expected amount. If value of steps/mm configured in printer is reduced, then interpreted G-Code commands will be translated to too short distances (less steps). To ensure the needed volume, either more millimeters would have to be ordered (`G1 Ennn`) or filament would have to be thicker. Filament is what it is, so only the first choice is possible.
For example, using 1,75 mm filament and having extruder which needs to make 760 steps to push 1 mm (a fact, determined hardware characteristics), then to extrude 1 mm<sup>3</sup>:
* if printer is set for 760 steps/mm (correctly), then G-Code must contain correct `E0.415752` mm for adequately long cylinder being pushed throught the nozzle
* if printer is "misconfigured" for 1 step/mm, then G-Code must contain edaquately scaled value `E315.9713` for the same cyllinder to be pushed (760x bigger number). The value is actually an exact number of (micro)steps. And it is big. Decimal part is negligible. It can be safely rounded to integer.
For practical use, the printer's speed settings and limits would need to be also multiplied for extrusion and retraction. Otherwise extruder moves would be slower by scaling factor, with negative side effects of hot filament behaving on its own.
### Right place of scaling
So how to obtain this scaling? Simplest way is to increase flow rate in the printer (e.g. to 760%). This will scale `Ennn` values form G-Code in runtime. An original G-Code is needed for this, with tiny numbers. So this is not a solution for integers.
Then how to force slicer to produce G-Code with scaled numbers?
### Slicer configuration
Slicer calculates volume required to print some fragment and coverts it to millimeters of filament, basing on configured diameter. So this diameter is also very important. Everything must match. If very small diameter is set in slicer, this will drastically increase length of filament pushed.
For example:
* For 1.75 mm filament, to extrude 1 mm<sup>3</sup> volume, slicer will order to push `E0.415752` mm.
* After changing configured filament diameter to 0.01 mm, slicer would order to push `E12732.4` mm. This is big number. But not even similar to the above needed length `E315.9713`.
Slicer usually adds speed (feedrate) information to G-Code. So any speed settings and limits for extrusion and retraction would need to be multiplied also in slicer. There are also other settings to modify, like retraction distance.
### Matching equation
Change of diameter must reflect the change of steps/mm. The proportion could be derived from cylinder volume formula. Diameter to configure in slicer is $d= D \sqrt { \frac L l}$, where:
* D - real diameter of filament
* L - standard extrusion distance: height of cylinder having some referenced volume and D diameter, if steps/mm reflect actual hardware
* l - scaled extrusion distance: height of cylinder having the same referenced volume, if steps/mm reflect actual printer configuration
Values for calculation need to be determined for some example volume. This was already done. Following previous examples, diameter required in slicer is: $d= 1.75 \sqrt { \frac {0.415752} {315.9713}} = 0.063479$. Then still providing 1.75 mm filament to the same extruder, slicer will produce big values like `E315.9713`, but printer will perform olny one (micro)step for one milimeter in G-Code.
### Remove fractional part
The generated G-Code would still include fractional part in `Ennn` values. The file should be post processed line by line to remove it. Simple script will do the job. It could be simple metric-gcode-truncator, after changing pattern to `([E][0-9]*)([.][0-9]+)` (not tested). An improvement for quality would be to use rouding instead of truncating decimal part.
### Cumulative discrepancies
There is serious disadvantage of such simple post-processing approach. The total of extruded material will vary, depending a bit on rounding approach. The fractional part is lost, so there may be impact on accuracy with over- or under-extrusion here or there. Post-processing could instead collect these rounded fractions and try to equally compensate for it in following moves, to minimize the total aberration.
I believe that the same could happen inside printer's firmware program, when it traverse floating-number distances, but this is only an assumption. Wihout fractional part, firmware will no have data to compensate anything.
### Even more accurate?
Because firmware can accepts fractions below 1 for steps/mm (Marlin would accept 0.01), then theoretically the scale could be even bigger - and so `Ennn` values. Slicer must support adequately low diameter. (In extreme cases this could trigger unexpected overflows or errors or be blocked by software.) Printer will then multiply `E` values by fraction (steps/mm). Extruding resolution is still limited to 1 (miro)step. But if firmware acumulate rounded fractional parts in runtime and compensate, then total amount extruded per layer would be more precise.
### Real-live attempt to slice
It was possible to set 0,01 filament diameter in Cura, after tweaking the extruder profile for such very thin filament. Nozzle diameter must be set to real size, becuase it affects many parameters of slicing. The total use of filament in my sample G-Code was \>52km. File contains entries like:
```
G1 X72.976 Y63.428 E2623.66351
G1 X74.498 Y61.523 E2607.85791
G1 F1500 E-608
G0 F1800 X107.344 Y85.452
G1 F1500 E608
G1 F1200 X107.583 Y85.642 E326.54744
G1 X107.988 Y85.938 E536.51282
```
Estimated print time is \>5 days. The `F` parameter is presumably used also by extruder, then the whole print will still slow down. To make the print really happen, possibly all speed settings in slicer would need to be tweaked (i.e. print speed for walls, top/bottom skin, infill, etc.). Then only hard speed limits in firmware would block rapid movements. Outcome quality will be most likely compromised.
---
# Custom approaches (own G-Code flavor)
Slicer will always calculate length (travel distance), otherwise it would be against the G-Code standard. At least I did not hear of any slicing software, which would output something else then length for extrusion.
In some own custom firmware value of `E` parameter could be defined in any own way. For example, the `E` value could be defined exaclty as number of (micro)steps for extruder's stepper motor, angle of rotation refleced as integer, etc. Distance calculated by slicer would need to be re-calculated in G-Code post processing, to match requirements of this firmware.
Own piece software would be then needed to perform re-calculations (simple or not) and overwrite the original `E` values. The code could be possibly inspired by some of listed above, but the calculation logic need to match specification from firmware. Possibly this could become own plugin to Cura or other slicer.
## RPM approach (critique of the idea)
An attempt to interprete `E` value as RPM (rounds per minute) is of no use, until it is synchronized with real speed of printing head movement, i.e. other motors performing movement along owne vectors to print the effective path. It is probably possible to calculate, but sounds like creating own G-Code flavor, which would ignore many other important parameters.
One of them is `F` parameter defined in several G-Code commands (including `G1`). It determines movement speed for traversing the path. It may change from move to move, making use of acceleration settings. What is worse then, it is expected to be remembered between commands and used for consecutive printer moves. Therefore focusing on single line of G-Code won't tell the whole plan of slicer, and the sophisticated plan reflected in G-Code file would be only partially executed.
RPM approach could seem interesting, if it could ensure constant speed of extruder. This would be ideal for the pressure control. But it would also come at cost of printing speed, with no accelleration control.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: g-code, extrusion
---
|
thread-15159
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15159
|
Gaps in top layer of prints
|
2020-12-30T22:31:00.270
|
# Question
Title: Gaps in top layer of prints
I have a Monoprice Maker Select Plus (Wanhao Duplicator i3 clone) and I'm having issued with the top layer of my prints. The bottom surface and the sides always come out perfect but my top layer is left with gaps in it. I have tried adjusting the print temperature, flow rate, print speed and layer height all with no success. I use Cura for my slicing software. If anyone knows how to help it'd be much appreciated
# Answer
> 3 votes
This is probably caused by too few top layers in combination with a too low infill percentage. Increase skin layers and increase infill percentage.
If you have multiple layers already (at least about 4 for 0.2 mm layer height, for smaller layer heights even more), you might be printing at a too high temperature and or too few part cooling percentage and a too low infill percentage.
# Answer
> 1 votes
To combat the bad top layers, I usually use usually 5 top layers for any model of layer height 0.1 to 0.3 mm. I generally don't print with less than 9 % infill for PLA, which I have found sufficient to support even complex geometry on top.
Also, I generally use a mixed setup of layers: the outermost layers I demand as concentric because this is the most beautiful setup, while the lower levels are Zig-Zag patterned, as this gives the best layer-to-wall connection.
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, monoprice-maker-select-plus
---
|
thread-3595
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3595
|
Issues with OctoPi connecting to FlashForge Creator Pro via Serial Communication
|
2017-02-14T23:37:12.470
|
# Question
Title: Issues with OctoPi connecting to FlashForge Creator Pro via Serial Communication
I've recently initialized OctoPi onto my Raspberry Pi, proceeded to connect it to my local internet, and then connected it to my FlashForge Creator Pro (2014 edition)
Everything seemed to be going smoothly until I tried to connect to the printer; the Pi didn't seem to be able to pick up a usable Baudrate (after being trying out all of the usable ones).
For example, when trying out 9600, I would get:
> Trying baudrate: 9600
>
> Send: N0 M110 N0\*125
>
> Recv: ��r\># ���& �
What should I do to fix the problem?
---
*Note that I got the same types of messages back (with garbled 'special' characters) when trying using the "**auto connect**" feature.*
# Answer
> 1 votes
I got the same problem.
Auto-detect baud rate was not working too.
So I manually tried every baud-rate and finally found one working, for me it was 115200.
Good luck!
# Answer
> 0 votes
Install GPX via command line. To do this, type
`/home/pi/oprint/bin/pip install "https://markwal.github.io/octoprint-download/OctoPrint-GPX.tgz"` then go ahead and restart octoprint and try connecting again.
---
Tags: octoprint, raspberry-pi, serial-connection
---
|
thread-14817
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/14817
|
3D printer homing issue, nozzle damaging the bed when printing
|
2020-11-16T02:50:02.113
|
# Question
Title: 3D printer homing issue, nozzle damaging the bed when printing
I have a custom Cartesian style 3D printer. The controller board has been upgraded to a BIGTREETECH SKR V 1.4 Turbo. This is a 32 bit board.
Marlin 2.0.3 seemed to build and install with less issues than others. I'm using VS code to work with Marlin. My big problem is with homing all axis. For some reason the Z axis finishes with the extruder 6 mm above the bed. The extruder goes below the bed to start printing. It's damaging the bed. What can be done in Marlin 2.0.3 to fix it?
# Answer
> For some reason the Z axis finishes homing with the extruder 6 mm above the bed.
If homing Z axes seems proper - i.e. nozzle is "touching" the bed during proces, and not going below the bed level) - then homing may be correct. Otherwise do troubleshooting, as has been suggested in comments. Check also the offset and backoff settings. All these should allow to explain these 6 mm.
> The extruder goes below the bed to start printing.
Follow this checklist about starting point to find out any other reasons which could come into play when printing starts.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, homing, bigtreetech, skr-v1.4
---
|
thread-13805
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/13805
|
Over-extrusion on curved surfaces?
|
2020-06-03T14:53:38.260
|
# Question
Title: Over-extrusion on curved surfaces?
I am having issues with my Creality CR-10 S5 running Cura 4.6.1. If I use the Ender-3 G-code, it prints perfect. If I do the exact same print with S5 printer selected, I get garbage prints with lots of burps.
# Answer
Comparing printing results of some G-code with results of samples generated by a slicer with many unknown settings is too superficial. You need to do more insight.
You can learn by comparing G-code files, but I suppose it would not be sufficient to have successful prints. You can also learn from tutorials on how to properly configure slicer. Understanding slicer setting, common printing issues, physics of plascic and printing is very helpful for troubleshooting.
Between files there are number of parameters which could be different, including:
* slicer software, its approach (algorithms) and settings - *most probably it was Cura in both cases, but many settings could be different - if you have both profiles, then you may comare them setting by setting (thoguh it is not easy in Cura, but see next)*
* notes in comments (in opening and ending sections of file) - *Cura is printing lot of profile settings at the end of the file*
* G-code initialization commands in opening section of file - \*there may be key changes to printer configuration, and also information about following *
* temperature settings - *you can read it from G-code or from LCD, when print is started*
* retraction and speed settings - *you can read it from E move commands*
* layer height - *you can read it from Z move commands*
* total use of filament per print - *use analyzer, see below*
* printhead movements (including experimental Fuzzy Skin) - *check settings, and use visualisation in Cura just after slicing*
Machine profile ("S5 printer selected") in Cura intoduces subset of default settings. In CR-10 S5 profile created by Creality many settings may be very different than in profile for Ender 3. And still author of original G-code file could update many of these settings before slicing.
You can compare two G-code files for the same shape in GCode Analyzer. For easier work you may open two or more analysers in separate browser tabs. There are many useful information calculated from G-code - about *Model* (like "Total filament used") and and *Layer* (like "Retract speeds"). Layers may be changed in *2D* view with right scroolbar (clik the square scroll indicator and use Up and Down arrows on keyboard).
> 2 votes
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, creality-cr-10
---
|
thread-15513
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15513
|
What type is that glass?
|
2021-01-31T11:13:46.037
|
# Question
Title: What type is that glass?
I own a Magic Build 3D Printer. I found out, that the glass is scratched like in the picture.
So, I'm looking for a replacement glass plane to put in front of the projector. Is this a special glass? What are the properties? Where can I find it?
# Answer
This is a sheet of glass you'd most likely need to acquire as a replacement part **for your printer's manufacturer**:
* The dimensions of the glass, especially with the rounded corners, are usually very odd and make buying a spare from a glassmaker really expensive.
* Some printers like the Elegoo Mars have an LCD mounted as part of this sheet.
* Printers also might have this plate coated for different properties, for example, to reduce reflectivity and refraction inside the printer.
In this case, we have a DLP setup that uses a projector. You best inquire at the manufacturer itself using their website, E-Mail or facebook about a few spare pieces - that will get you the same quality as the bed you already had (save for the scratches) and they usually have such items in stock.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: replacement-parts, dlp
---
|
thread-15511
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15511
|
Order of a HEPA filter and Carbon filter in a filter-stack
|
2021-01-31T05:10:20.857
|
# Question
Title: Order of a HEPA filter and Carbon filter in a filter-stack
I am going to make a filter for the enclosure of a 3D printer and want to remove both VOC's (with activated carbon) and Ultra Fine Particles (with a HEPA filter). But in what order should the filters be?
I am thinking that if I put the HEPA first, one will get carbon dust into the air (and that is probably not harmful), and if I put the carbon filter first the carbon will be clogged up with UFP faster and the HEPA will be clogged up with carbon dust.
# Answer
The easiest way is to look at a profesional dry filter stack first to learn how a filter stack is usually made. So, let me grab my Dyson vacuum cleaner. On the intake side I get the following stack:
* large particle trap
* foam filter for medium particles
* HEPA filter
Incidentally, that's the same setup as my Shop-Vaccum has (though the foam filter gets replaced by a paper bag)
When I googled other dry filters, I found these filter stacks as common:
* large particle wavy paper filter then combined Carbon-HEPA filter (carbon first)
* 2 x Nylon-Mesh, Carbon, HEPA
The idea is to reduce the particulate grain the deeper you go into the filter. The rough filter is cleanable, the carbon filter traps chemicals and odor that might damage the HEPA filter, the HEPA filter catches any remaining particles.
If you want to know more about various filter types and applications, you might want to read an article on engineering 360.
# Safety pointer
Carbon dust is not *not harmful* \- it is both flammable to explosive, as well as resulting in Black Lung (Coalworker's pneumoconiosis) if it is thrown into the air like in a mine.
However, commercially produced carbon filters **don't** usually release any coal dust: after making the activated coal, the product is shaped (as you can see in this manufacturer video) and sorted into various grains, like in the photo below. These granulate are then put into the carbon filter and trapped in a mesh that is small enough to keep them even after having been broken apart some. Very fine grains like the Bead Barbon are usually used in wet applications.
In a kitchen, you have sticks of 3-4 mm diameter, often trapped in a metal mesh. ABC-Mask filters usually use very porous carbon-grains in the half to millimeter grain size, trapped between paper sheets.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: safety, enclosure
---
|
thread-15503
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15503
|
Issue with Z homing on Ender 3 Pro with Marlin
|
2021-01-30T15:28:11.253
|
# Question
Title: Issue with Z homing on Ender 3 Pro with Marlin
I've just changed the motherboard on my Ender 3 Pro with a MKS GEN\_L v1.0 and flashed the latest Marlin version on it.
I've calibrated my bed manually using the default XY and Z auto home commands on OctoPrint and a piece of paper.
I'm happy with the calibration, however whenever I launch a print the Z axis moves up from the calibrated position by about 4 mm and starts extruding.
I've checked my Z endstop status with `M119` and it's triggered at the right calibrated position.
How can I correct this?
# Answer
I've actually found what the issue was. It turns out that my Z steps were way out of whack (i.e. 4000 steps/mm instead of 400). Apparently, that's the default value in GitHub for version 2.0 of Marlin. Not sure if that's a typo or a valid value, anyhow setting it to 400 fixed it.
> 2 votes
# Answer
If you are already sure that homing is performed correctly and in valid position, then there are few reasons why printer may start printing in unexpected position.
Do the following checks to narrow down the actual one:
* **steps/mm**: use `M503` (or `M92` without parameters) to check if currently configured steps/mm match your hardware setup for each axis
* **offsets:** use `M503` (or `M206` without parameters) to check that there are no offsets configured
* **backoff:** look in *Configuration\_adv.h* for following line:
```
//#define HOMING_BACKOFF_POST_MM { 2, 2, 2 } // (mm) Backoff from endstops after homing
```
(Having the backoff set is nothing wrong, actually. But be sure to also check final positioning in the generated file.)
* **slicer's Start G-code:** review slicer configuration, if there is nothing suspicious injected to the print file, which could temporarily overrid printer setup - esepecially M428, M206, G92 *(set position is normal for E in relative extrusion mode, but suspicious for X,Y,Z)*
* **generated file:** review initial part of generated G-Code file, if there are any similar surprises, and if on initial layer section there is expected move to valid Z position before extrusion is made
> 0 votes
---
Tags: marlin, creality-ender-3, z-axis, homing, endstop
---
|
thread-15517
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15517
|
Where is filament thickness setting in Cura?
|
2021-01-31T19:39:36.950
|
# Question
Title: Where is filament thickness setting in Cura?
I don't see filament thickness in `Cura`. How can it work without it?
# Answer
> 3 votes
There are two important settings related to filament thickness in Cura 4.8.
They are in Preferences window (open menu Preferences \> Configure Cura):
* Printers \> Machine Settings \> Extruder 1 \> **Compatibile material diameter** \- this setting will influence visibility of materials available on the list in next point.
* Materials \> Information \> **Diameter** \- width of filament currently selected in the list.
Important remarks:
* After selecting a filament from list you may alter its settings. But it will not become the active filament for printing until you press "Activate" button above the list.
* Extruder settings (Nozzle size, Compatibile material diameter) will be always displayed with "." (dot) for decimal point. But if your regional settings (in operation system) use "," (comma) for decimal point, then the only way to enter new settings is use comma, otherwise they won't be saved. From my observations this defect concers only this single window.
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, filament
---
|
thread-15521
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15521
|
How to replace the nozzle in my hotend assembly?
|
2021-02-01T06:58:27.727
|
# Question
Title: How to replace the nozzle in my hotend assembly?
What should I take care of to replace the nozzle of the hotend assembly the right way?
What kind of data, precautions, tools, steps, and verification are important for replacing the nozzle?
The procedure seems straightforward but tutorials differ greatly and seem often incomplete. Online videos are great but long, sometimes misleading, and difficult to compare if they use another printer model.
For example:
* This Prusa 3D tutorial starts from heating the nozzle to 280 °C, which is dangerous for some hotend setups. Also, it is created around a direct drive extruder, so it does not advise to what to do with a Bowden tube.
* Another Changing Nozzles & Bowden Tubes video seems to be a great tutorial but advises heating only to ~210 °C. So I need to make sure I know my hardware limits first? Should I take something else into account about temperature, or just act by experience, starting from 230 °C?
* Is that heating mandatory, or only when there is residue filament inside? If there is something to consider about replacement nozzle before installing it, or cooling down again, like PID calibration?
So I am looking for a general overview: **what should I think of** to be in control? And maybe a bit of **why**, but not necessarily how. (As always, each detail may be a separate study, so please don't to fall into troubleshooting, which could be done in separate questions like E3D V6 nozzle seized into heater block).
# Answer
# Tools
* spanners / wrenches - *to turn both nozzles (common sizes are 6-8 metric wrenches)*
* spanner / (fitting or adjustable) wrench - *to hold a heating block*
+ or small vise - *to hold a heating block (if you are going to unmount the hotend for operation), with non-flammable soft-jaws,*
* screwdriver(s)/Allan-keys - *when you need to remove shroud or plan to umount the hotend*
* non-flammable tray / plate (e.g. ceramic) - *to put removed, potentially hot nozzle aside*
* adequate personal protective equipment - *against getting your fingers burned, etc.*
# Precautions
Beware of touching heater and thermistor wires with tools during operation. Electronics can be damaged by shorting the heater leads, thermistor leads, either with tools, the nozzle, or even a metal bed. Also, neither 12 V nor 24 V are pleasant to touch.
Using tools with plastic shielding can help to prevent this, but proper care is needed. Improvised rubber or tape wrappings are not advisable.
# Step 1: Unload
Before swapping the nozzle, remove the filament. Follow the procedure of your manufacturer, though often this is heating the nozzle, then triggering the Swap-Filament or unload routine.
Many makers suggest a *cold-pull*. This is heating up to about the print temperature, then going back to off. Letting the filament cool by about 20 °C, they then yank hard at the filament, removing most of the plastic from the nozzle and melt zone. It is not applicable to some nozzles, especially those made from several parts (e.g. Olsson Ruby).
I have found it easier to put in an intermediate step of removing the whole hotend and use clamp it in a small vise to hold it on the heater block. This holds it steady and removes any stress from the heartbreak. However, this is more involved than using a fitting wrench to steady the heater block.
# Step 2: Remove the nozzle
Dismount the extruder shroud if it blocks the way to the heater block, or hasn't already been removed to get the hotend dismounted.
If you have a lined hotend, remove the PTFE tube.
If you had oozing, this usually has glued the nozzle and heatbreak to the heater block. Heating the hot end to about the glass transition temperature of the filament will often make it easier (or possible) to remove the nozzle without stress to or damage to parts.
Now use a suitable wrench to remove the nozzle. **Make sure to steady the heater block during this step**. Otherwise, you might shear off a necked heatbreak, while lined heatbreaks might get deformed.
A Hot removed nozzle needs to be put aside on the safe surface or remain in the block with some windings.
If you work in a vise, you can remove the heatbreak too.
# Step 2.5: Cool down
It's best to let the hotend cool down, so you can easier handle the parts. Unless you had to fight with oozing, you can have the nozzle col down still halfway in the block and then do the last windings by hand on a cold nozzle.
# Step 3: Install new nozzle
Now, screw in the new nozzle *hand tight*. There should be at least half a millimeter stick-out between the nozzle flange and the heater block and it needs to butt against the heartbreak. (Nozzle must tighten against the heat break and not stress the heater block). Don't use a wrench yet, just hand tighten the nozzle against the heartbreak.
If you have a lined hotend, re-install the Bowden tube until it butts against the nozzle.
# Step 4: Hot tighten
**Heat up** the hotend to your limit temperature:
* Generally: do it at the highest temperature you will run. Otherwise, you will not get a good seal between the nozzle and heat break if you depending on tightening at lower than operating temperature. A bad seal allows the filament to leak out (oozing). Do not exceed the limit for your hardware.
* For an all-metal hotend (a heat break without Teflon), this is dependant on your heater cartridge and thermosensor.
* For a lined hotend that is 245 °C. Teflon will degrade at 250 °C. This also applies to Bowden tubes that run all the way to your nozzle. Go to the maximum temperature for operating with your machine, then you usually clamp the Bowden tube in place so that it forms a good seal.
**Now use the wrench** to tighten the heated nozzle carefully. Use a second wrench to steady the heater block, if you don't have the setup in a vise. Don't waste too much time, but don't over-torque!
The exchange is done. If the hotend was unmounted, remove it from the vise, reassemble it fully and install it on the printer again. Make sure that your hotend cooling fan does put the heater block in the airstream.
# Step 5: Validation
Run some filament through installed hotend. Observe if there is no ooze outside the nozzle.
# Step 6: Finishing
If not already done, mount back the extruder shroud and any parts that had been removed.
Check homing of the Z-axis, as you will need to adjust the Z-height. If you have a sensor on the carriage, you might need to adjust its height to compensate for a slightly altered stickout of the nozzle.
> 2 votes
# Answer
The exact procedure depends on the design of the printer.
After unloading filament, remove and install the nozzle at the highest temperature you will run. Otherwise, you will not get a good seal between the nozzle and heat break if you depending on tightening at lower than operating temperature. A bad seal allows the filament to leak out (oozing). Tighten and untighten the nozzle with wrenches on the heat break and nozzle. The heat break is easily damaged if tightening too tight into the heat sink, but you need a tight connection between the nozzle and heat break. This means the nozzle must tighten against the heat break and not tighten against the heater block; thus space between the nozzle flange and heater block when tightened against the heat break.
Note: If you had oozing, it will glue the nozzle and heat break to the heater block. Heating the hot end will often allow you to remove the nozzle.
Note the electronics of some printer models can be damaged by shorting the nozzles to heater leads, thermistor leads, or even a metal bed. Check for your model.
Running the hot end at 250 °C or above requires an all metal hot end (a heat break without Teflon) or the Teflon will degrade. This also applies to Boden tubes that run all the way to your nozzle. Look for instructions related to your Boden tube. Go to max. temperature for operating with Boden tube, then you usually clamp the Boden tube in place so that it forms a good seal.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: nozzle, fdm, safety, maintenance, knowledgebase
---
|
thread-15519
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15519
|
Rather than stiffer springs, can I preserve my fine-tuned bed height using Nyloc nuts?
|
2021-02-01T03:05:23.823
|
# Question
Title: Rather than stiffer springs, can I preserve my fine-tuned bed height using Nyloc nuts?
I've read a bunch of articles about getting better springs for my bed levelling screws so that I don't have to adjust it as often because standard springs vibrate loose as it prints.
However, would it be simpler and more effective to just use Nyloc nuts tightened against the adjustment wheels so that the wheels cannot rotate? Or some other form of mechanical prevention of the wheels turning? For example, tie a piece of string between the spokes in opposite wheels, so they cannot rotate much relative to each other.
# Answer
> 2 votes
It's because the bed heats up. Since the bed can heat up to the point that locktite or nylon can soften, using those products to keep the screws from turning will have exactly the opposite effect.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Does your bed already have washers on the screws? The neopreme (red) washer under the screw head (in picture). This is the German Reprap X400 design and is worth trying.
---
Tags: bed-leveling, bed
---
|
thread-11673
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11673
|
Ender 3 with BLTouch prints slanted lines
|
2020-01-04T12:28:15.630
|
# Question
Title: Ender 3 with BLTouch prints slanted lines
I'm having a problem getting a clean first layer on an Ender 3 with BLTouch auto bed leveling. Thickness seems to fluctuate all over the bed, but in a consistent (repeatable) way. Here's my attempt to print a single layer 5 square bed calibration test:
I stopped the print midway through filling the first square, but you get the idea. Lines go from too low so no filament comes out to too high.
I printed this several (many) times with slight settings tweaks and it looks pretty much the same every time; the ups and downs aren't random. For example, the center square always is always too low on the left and too high on the right:
The printer is a SainSmart Ender 3 Pro with a BLTouch V3.1 and Creality glass bed, otherwise stock. I flashed a bootloader and Marlin 2.0 using the instructions and pre-compiled firmware from 3D Printing Canada. I'm using the glass bed upside-down on the plain glass side (no coating).
I pre-heated and leveled the four corners manually using the paper method. I auto-homed and then lowered the hot end until it would just catch a piece of paper and used that height to set the Z offset using M851 and saved it with M500. It's currently set at -2.80.
I added `G29` to GCode start in Cura, and it does a 3x3 probe before the print starts. Here's the output when I run `M420 V`:
```
Bilinear Leveling Grid:
0 1 2
0 -0.207 +0.172 +0.162
1 -0.100 -0.160 +0.220
2 -0.118 +0.215 +0.295
```
Here's what it looks like in the Bed Visualizer plug-in in Octoprint:
If I understand this right (dubious) it's showing that the glass is lower toward the front and left, highest at back-right. But it's only 0.4mm from the lowest to highest points. And the whole point of mesh leveling is to compensate for this anyway.
At Paulster's suggestion I turned off mesh leveling using `M420 S0`, leveled manually, and printed again. The result is pretty similar (note that this time I let it run all the way through):
Where should I start looking to diagnose this problem?
**Update**
I noticed my X-axis belt was a bit loose, so I tightened it up. It seems to have helped with the odd Z slanting. My test print is still not great though, so this may not be the whole problem. Also I've never seen this effect listed as one caused by loose belts, so it's dubious as the cause. Here's the current test print after tightening the belt:
It's flatter, but I'm still getting (I think) under-extrusion and some odd wobbles at the corners.
# Answer
> 2 votes
This turned out to be a problem with the tightness of the rollers at the left and right sides of the X-axis gantry (that roll up and down the Z rails).
Z-axis motion is driven by a single stepper motor on the left side, so the rollers have to be just the right amount of tight to keep the right side in sync. If the right side is tighter or looser than the left then it lags behind, which gives the gantry a slight slant which changes as it goes up and down.
If the gantry is changing pitch throughout the print, no amount of bed leveling will help. Even auto-leveling is worthless, because the readings the BLTouch takes become immediately out of sync with the gantry as soon as it moves again.
The solution is to adjust the eccentric nuts in the rollers on the left and right. The best description I could find is that they need to be just tight enough that there's some resistance if you roll the top wheel with your finger, but loose enough that you can roll it without forcing the gantry up and down.
I ended up putting a magnetic digital level on top of the gantry rail so I could see exactly how much its incline changed. Send gcode to slide it up and down, then adjust the eccentric nuts a little bit, then repeat. Once I got it so the level didn't change, I re-leveled the bed and printed a beautiful first layer.
That was almost a year ago and it's been working ever since. I've had to re-adjust the eccentric nuts periodically when things start to get off, probably due to thermal expansion when the weather changes.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Two things:
1. Did you bring the bed up to operating temperature to do the levelling (manual or automatic). The metal & glass will expand/warp at different levels depending on temp.
2. Check your G-code to make sure it is not doing a `G28` (auto home). That turns off auto-levelling. If it is there you can add:
```
G28 ;Home
M420 S1 ; turn levelling on
M501 ; reload your last-saved bed levelling from EEPROM
```
This assumes you saved the results from your auto-levelling with `M500`:
```
G29 ; Automatic Bed Levelling
M500 ; save the bed levelling data to EEPROM
```
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, bed-leveling, bltouch
---
|
thread-15175
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15175
|
Slicers and printers compatibility
|
2021-01-01T15:22:28.337
|
# Question
Title: Slicers and printers compatibility
I am a complete beginner so I apologise ahead for probably an obvious question. From what I understand up to now, slicer software basically takes a 3D model and turns it into instructions that say move your print head to this and this position and extrude up to this position and so forth. If that is correct then each slicing software can result in different "filament paths" in printing of the same model ultimately having the effect on the quality of print (unless the "Slicing algorithm" is some open industry accepted one and everyone uses that). But then, it would be advantageous to use other slicer software than the one supplied with the printer. On the other hand, if a slicer gives the instructions to the printer and assuming the G-code is a universal instruction kit (standard each printer understands), it needs to know, at the least, the parameters of the printer.
So the questions are:
1. Can I use any slicing software with any 3D printer and are there any things that may cause a problem (e.g. "How do I set up the slicing software for a particular printer?")
2. If not, am I stuck with the software provided by the printer manufacturer and thus, before buying a printer, one should also analyse the slicing software provided or is there some compatibility chart?
Regarding 2. I looked at both PrusaSlicer, Slic3r, Cura. None of them provide any information on the compatibility. I have access to Creality CR-10S printer but when I saw e.g. PrusaSlicer compared to the Creality, it has more options it seems. But during the installation of the Creality slicer, it forced me to choose the printer that I will be using which suggests that printers are locked to the manufacturer slicer.
# Answer
# FDM Slicers are not proprietory<sup>exceptions apply</sup>
Most commonly uses Slicers are generally **not** locked to manufacturers or models. Creality's slicer is a variant of Cura, Prusa Slicer is a (further developed) variant of Slic3r. You can slice models for almost any G-code reading 3D Printer with any of the 4.
The question at the first startup or installation is to automate setup: back when I bought my Ender 3, I had to manually make a profile that would fit my printer. Now, you can choose presets that set up the bed size, a safe start G-code and some settings from where you can work.
### exceptions
However, some machines are *not* compatible with normal slicers, because they either don't run G-code but a proprietary file format or because their geometry is non-standard.
An example of the former type is for example the DaVinci Color printers that use `.XYZ` files, which contain not only movement commands for the printhead and extruder, but also color print commands for the ink-head. An example of the latter type is "Belt Printers", which use standard G-code but are sliced not in the same way as for normal printers - you need the Cura Blackbelt variant to make the proper command file.
Other slicers like Voxelizer are locked down to the printers of the software's manufacturer.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Traditional paper printing has the model where a **document** is sent through a **driver** to convert into instructions in a generic **control language**, such as PCL, PostScript/PS, XPS, or UFR. The resulting commands are **spooled** (queued as a group) by the computer to the **printer**, which then renders it to paper.
3D printing uses a similar process: a **model** is sent through a **slicer** to convert into instructions in the **G-Code** control language<sup>1</sup>. The result is manually uploaded and invoked on the **printer**<sup>2</sup>, which then renders it in plastic.
There are some differences here. For example, the lack of spooling. Slicers usually produce entire G-Code files rather than sending individual instructions via USB. This is by design and preference. Paper prints take seconds; 3D prints take hours, and waste considerably more resources if they are interrupted. Much better not to have your computer involved in the actual printing process instruction-by-instruction.
Additionally, with 3D printing there are more ways to end up with the same result, and which is correct or better can vary greatly on the situation. A model may print with 5% infill, 2 walls, .24 mm layer heights, and 65 mm/s as a draft, or 95% infill, 5 walls, .1 mm layers heights, and 30 mm/s for the final product if it's structural. Or you might use anything in between as a display piece, or based on needs of the model from one to the next for things like overhangs, bridging, bed adhesion, and so forth. You might even need to print the same model in different materials, which also impacts temperatures and speed.
This gives the slicer a more central place in 3d printing. With traditional paper, you might never see your driver directly or only minimally, and instead invoke it from your word processor. This can happen with 3d printing, where the slicer is invoked directly from modelling software, but it's not the norm from my experience. Instead, *most models will want their own specific slicer settings*.
And now we get at last to answer the question as asked.
This prominent position for the slicer has let to the rise of both commercial and open-source options that work with a wide variety of printers. For sure, there are specialty and experimental printers that require specific slicers, but that's not what a hobbyist is likely to encounter. You will almost certainly be able to select or import a pre-written profile for your printer in whichever slicer you choose.
---
1. There are exceptions, but they are rare and should be avoided by hobbyists.
2. This still commonly happens by physically moving around an SD card, but wifi is becoming more common, as are options like OctoPi. Some systems do support "spooling" jobs directly from the slicer)
> 1 votes
---
Tags: g-code, slicing, software
---
|
thread-15421
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15421
|
Z axis no longer working on a working printer
|
2021-01-24T09:28:16.120
|
# Question
Title: Z axis no longer working on a working printer
I was printing an object and it started to drag so I stopped it.
Went to move the Z-axis up so I could clear the bed and Z-axis would not budge. I switched the printer off and manually turned the motors to get the Z up. Cleared the bed, switched on and homed the printer. When it came to home the Z, BLTouch deployed and then nothing. Motors will not turn.
Things I tried:
* Recompiled the firmware (Marlin 2.0.x)
* Different motors - Motors were free from the printer, just resting on a desk so I know it's not binding or anything.
* Swapped stepper driver with a known working one.
Info about the printer:
* CR10s
* SKR1.4 Turbo board
* TMC2208 Steppers
* BLTouch
* Octopi to control the printer.
Output of `M122` for the Z:
```
Recv: Z
Recv: Address
Recv: Enabled false
Recv: Set current 1000
Recv: RMS current 994
Recv: MAX current 1402
Recv: Run current 17/31
Recv: Hold current 8/31
Recv: CS actual 8/31
Recv: PWM scale
Recv: vsense 0=.325
Recv: stealthChop true
Recv: msteps 16
Recv: tstep max
Recv: PWM thresh. 0
Recv: [mm/s] -
Recv: OT prewarn false
Recv: triggered
Recv: OTP false
Recv: pwm scale sum 10
Recv: pwm scale auto 0
Recv: pwm offset auto 36
Recv: pwm grad auto 14
Recv: off time 4
Recv: blank time 24
Recv: hysteresis
Recv: -end 2
Recv: -start 1
Recv: Stallguard thrs
Recv: uStep count 40
Recv: DRVSTATUS Z
Recv: sg_result
Recv: stst
Recv: olb
Recv: ola
Recv: s2gb
Recv: s2ga
Recv: otpw
Recv: to
Recv: 157C
Recv: 150C
Recv: 143C
Recv: 120C
Recv: s2vsa
Recv: s2vsb
Recv: Driver registers:
Recv: Z 0xC0:08:00:00
Recv:
Recv:
Recv: Testing Z connection... OK
```
# Answer
It could be caused by software or configuration issue.
# Possibility 1: just worked after re-installation of Marlin
You could have Z steps/mm set to 0 in EEPROM, and did not notice that fact. It is possible to fix this unconsciously with Marlin software reinstallation, following the upgrade procedure which included reset of EEPROM settings - like "Step 4: Finishing touches" described in community wiki's guide for Updating Marlin Firmware. This is described in more details in another post No stepper motor movement on Ender 3 Pro.
# Possibility 2: Marlin configuration is not correct
When you recompiled Marlin, did you use **already proven configuration for Marlin?** When saying "Motors will not turn" you mean only Z? Are your other motors are still functional now after Marlin was deployed?
Among other Marlin settings, you may want to check that this line is disabled in Configuration\_adv.h:
```
/**
* Software enable
*
* Use for drivers that do not use a dedicated enable pin, but rather handle the same
* function through a communication line such as SPI or UART.
*/
//#define SOFTWARE_DRIVER_ENABLE
```
*(I took this advice from No Motor Power With TMC2209 on RepRap forum.)*
> 3 votes
# Answer
Issue seems to be resolved. I deleted my Marlin copy, downloaded a fresh copy and I started again.
What worries me is how a working copy and a working printer can suddenly have this issue. Feel like this issue could come back as I never found the root cause.
> 3 votes
---
Tags: marlin, bltouch, creality-cr-10, tmc2208
---
|
thread-15327
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15327
|
How to get Sunlu PLA to adhere to the printing bed?
|
2021-01-15T03:57:17.127
|
# Question
Title: How to get Sunlu PLA to adhere to the printing bed?
I have a Creality Ender 3 that printed a spool of Sunlu PLA with no issues, so I bought a second to replace it, just in a different color.
The problem is I can’t get it to stick. The bed is level, I’ve tried printing at different temps, even adjusted the fan, but no luck. No matter what, the print still only partially sticks to the bed before eventually being knocked loose by the nozzle, if it even sticks at all. Mostly it just extrudes in a spaghetti ball next to the nozzle.
Does anyone know how I can fix this issue? I have tried everything!
Update: More info for those who have asked: I have adjusted the temps of both the hot end and the bed to various temps within what is recommended with this filament (200-230 and 50-90 C) The bed is level I have attempted prints with both the plastic and glass beds (glass bed has never been printed on) Attempted to use hairspray While the print is somewhat sticking, it now produces a glob of pla while making its first pass down, which it then hits and completely unsticks. I think the glob is caused by the pla not sticking to the bed from the very beginning but am unsure. Hope this helped!
# Answer
> 3 votes
# Level the bed
Make sure that the bed is level. The nozzle must be equally high over heated surface, otherwise only part of the print will have chance to be smeared and adhere properly.
# Clean thoroughly
First thing I do when I notice that increasing bed temperature does not work anymore, is washing the glass with soap or detergent. Some advice to use also isopropyl alcohol. My impression is that the main mistake is to use alcohol to wipe the glass instead of **dismounting and thoroughly cleaning the glass from any grease**. This is a bit more work, and for me works great.
Applying alcohol, brake cleaner or similar no-trace solvent could enhance the effect (as suggested by FarO).
# Reduce the air flow
Disable fan for the first layer (or even more layers above).
Isolate the printer from environment - e.g. buy or build enclosure. Remove any drafts. Ensure that ambient temperature is not cooling prints down too fast (for example printing in garage or shed may fail until the space is heated).
# Use kapton tape
You may like the idea to put kapton tape on the surface (only glass?). Wide kapton roll would be needed to cover big area at once, to cover the whole glass with good quality and in reasonable time. Created surface should be as ideal as possible, because any bubbles will cause later trouble, it is not easy but doable. The outcome is great. Any accidents with hotend should be avoided, and prints removed with some care, to remain tape undamaged as long as possible. (I use 50 mm tape. And I save this surface for printing ABS, and only occasionally for PLA, because it sticks so well that I had problem to remove prints saving the surface, even after cooling down.)
# Apply adhesive
You can use adhesives like hairspray, glue stick or even better a dedicated adhesion spray. It is suggested especially for larger parts, which tend to wrap without this kind of adhesive aid. There is no one good solution. You may want to experiment, starting from cheap and widely accepted to commercial and wildly advertised products, with regards to your local market. Look for example links at the bottom.
# Expand line settings for initial layer
Make sure that amount of extruded material is correct. This mean proper calibration regarding settings like: steps/mm for E axis, flow rate. Small difference in amount of extruded filament will reduce the quality of the rest of the print. Bigger differences may ruin print at the initial layer, and for sure will spoil the rest.
Use slicer settings to increase line width for first layer. Values of 120-140% are standard settings for improving adhesion.
Slightly increasing height of initial layer may also help to overcome bed surface roughness or slight leveling errors.
# Decrease speed to 20 mm/s or less
Reduce printing speed for initial layer to 20 mm/s or even lower, and raise it carefully after trouble is really resolved. (In my opinion it is better to decrease speed to let plastic melt and stick, than to increase temperature.)
# Modify temperature
The temperature of heated bed should be high enough to keep the initial layer of filament within glass transition zone. This usually means more than 60 °C for PLA (between 50 °C - 80 °C depending on contents). (I usually print at 70 °C, and raise to 80 °C when meet issues.)
Increasing the temperature of nozzle also may improve the adhesion. But it may also be temporary success, because of negative effects related to temperature differences, and for example cause wrapping - ruining especially wider prints. So decreasing the nozzle temperature is also an option to check, when wrapping is observed.
# Experiment with more advanced techniques
If you are still failing, then try experiment following many advices around (contrary, but sometimes working). If the firs layer adhere to the bed, but problems appear later, then other advanced techniques may help - like slicing model with additional structures (brim or raft).
The best advice may depend on kind of heated bed, surface or environment. This checklist may be of some use: 3D Printer Bed Adhesion: All You Need To Know. Also there are many troubleshooting threads on the web, like this on Reddit: SUNLU PLA+ will not adhere to build surface, or; this on Thingiverse: SUNLO PLA+: does not stick..
# Answer
> 1 votes
In addition to the suggestion of cleaning the glass with soap (dish soap works very well) and THEN also with any alcohol or brake cleaner or similar no-trace solvent, you can use hairspray or glue stick for larger parts.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Just to add to octopus8 answer.
**BED WARM UP TIME**
Ensure the bed is at the temperature. I have a new Creality glass bed and noticed that when the temperature hit 70 degrees I would touch the bed and glass would still be cold. I would give it a good 5 minutes to warm up.
**NOZZLE DISTANCE**
It is possible that you were on the borderline of sticking/not sticking with the last batch and this batch is mostly on the non-stick side. Move the nozzle a fraction closer using Z offset. We are talking like 0.01 increments.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, filament, heated-bed, print-failure
---
|
thread-15535
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15535
|
Probe instead of nozzle centres on the bed
|
2021-02-02T13:15:45.823
|
# Question
Title: Probe instead of nozzle centres on the bed
Problem is that the probe is in the center of bed instead of the nozzle. How fix it on my Tronxy X5SA?
Those are my current settings and the nozzle is shifted from the centre (X: 35 mm, Y: 3 mm):
```
#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { -37, 3, 0 }
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING
```
(Marlin 2.0 configuration)
# Answer
> 2 votes
**TL;DR** You don't need to fix it, it is by design.
---
When using a probe, defined the correct probe X (`xxx`) and Y (`yyy`) offsets (`#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { xxx, yyy, 0 }`) and having enabled `#define Z_SAFE_HOMING` will cause the probe to home in the middle. That is how it is supposed to work!
If the nozzle would be in the center, then you wouldn't probe the middle of the bed, but the offset from the nozzle.
---
Tags: marlin, troubleshooting, bed-leveling, tronxy-x5sa
---
|
thread-15334
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15334
|
How to fill these squares easily
|
2021-01-15T15:23:56.550
|
# Question
Title: How to fill these squares easily
I have an array with holes that I have to fill with different materials. My question is there is an easy way to fill them directly? I tried array, array draft and it is annoying to adjust them. In Blender, it easy to select the vertices and fill. Maybe it is a stupid question, but I am not really an expert.
# Answer
> 1 votes
# The problem
FDM printers slice models in STL or OBJ format. Neither of these formats can transmit properties like *Materials*: they consist **fully** of surface definitions.
# But... Multi-Material printing is a thing, yes?
Yes, but Multi-material prints use a simple trick: a single STL object can contain *more* than one surface definition, and you can slice more than one STL at once. But since slicers usually can't separate these from one another, they usually load multiple STLs and define the materials for each differently. For example, Adalinda has 4 different STLs, some containing multiple chunks of material, each STL corresponding to one printed color. And in this video Joel explains how printing that way works for an older version of the MMU.
So, to print the "cubes" in a different material, you'd need to have two STLs: The grid as one export, and the cubes as another. Then the **Rest** is slicing.
# Way around?
Now, you might not have a Multi-Material Printer? Then you might want to design your item in parts that snap into place or have an interference fit. For example, you might print a plate with all the cubes on one side, and a grid that has a relief on the back where the plate goes. Then you print two times with different materials and push the cube part into the grate, some glue in between, and voila! It looks like one print from the surface. With a clamshell design, you might even completely hide the existence of the carrier plate - by having two grates that surround a hollow cavity for the cube-plate, and the cube plate pushes out into either of the clamshells.
# Answer
> 0 votes
If you are asking for print then it is yes with FDM (fused deposition modeling) with multiple extrusion you can fill with different material easily. But if you are trying to change the material in your digital design then you need to work on every hole in the array, especially with FreeCAD. If you find any, please update here.
---
Tags: 3d-models, freecad
---
|
thread-15528
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15528
|
Ender 3 weird drop in bed level
|
2021-02-01T19:03:35.150
|
# Question
Title: Ender 3 weird drop in bed level
I have an Ender 3 a 3DTouch, with the SKR Mini E3 1.2 board.
From one day to another the probe started producing this pattern, where the right side of my bed (5x5 mesh, tried with 3x3, 7x7, all produce the same pattern) just drops by a significant amount. The bed is the Creality glass bed. I tried switching it back to the stock Ender 3 plate (non-magnetic), but no physical sign of this drop can be seen by the eye.
Probe testing with `M048` usually gave me Range ~0.005, and standard deviation between 0.001-0.0025 both in the problematic part, and any other part on the bed.
What could cause this problem?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Considering this is an Ender, it is probably caused by the rollers on the X axis or the un-driven right Z post.
I've also seen behavior like this caused by a too constraint PTFE Bowden tube, at the far end the tube pulls on the carriage lifting it slightly upwards, hence a different/larger gap.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, troubleshooting, bed-leveling, 3dtouch
---
|
thread-15541
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15541
|
Wrench drops temperature of heater block when tightening nozzle
|
2021-02-02T17:31:07.470
|
# Question
Title: Wrench drops temperature of heater block when tightening nozzle
I've noticed when heating up the hotend to maximum operating temperature to tighten the nozzle against the heat break, after putting a wrench on the heater block, the temperature of the heater block drops by as much as 60 °C. Do you ignore this or have a procedure to correct?
# Answer
## Mitigating "heat loss"
Technically, we don't lose heat, we have a *drain of thermal energy* out of the parts, but let's stay simple.
To combat the loss into the holding/steadying wrench, I use a vise: it might lessen the heating curve by the added thermal mass if used *bare*, but by adding two pieces of wood on either side of the heater block, I can insulate the block against the thermal drop from the steadying vise and atop that prevent scratches.
If you use an adjustable wrench for the heater block, one can add wooden "soft jaws" with a little cyanoacrylate glue, otherwise, some painter's tape or Kapton might aid.
It might help that my small wrenches have a super sturdy surface coating making them rather comfortable to use when left out in the cold and prevents rust. This layer also seems to prevent the flow of thermal energy into the wrench. Note that they are not *chrome-plated* but more like an enamel-look, a glassy powder-coat or actually lacquered.
## Conclusion
When I need to mount something installed on the printer, I do the tightening as quickly as possible - the temperature of the measurement point and the temperature of the nozzle getting pressed into the heartbreak do not drop in the same instance, the nozzle will still be at the aimed for temperature when the thermosensor already has dropped.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: hotend, nozzle
---
|
thread-11460
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11460
|
What UART port to use for RPi GPIO pins on an SKR v1.3 board
|
2019-12-02T19:09:00.177
|
# Question
Title: What UART port to use for RPi GPIO pins on an SKR v1.3 board
I have a Bigtreetech SKR v1.3, and I'm trying to connect a Raspberry Pi to the board using the RPi's GPIO pins as opposed to using a USB connection because space is limited within the case of CR10S Pro.
I watched this youtube video where he explains using the Z min and Z max endstops to connect to a RPi via the GPIO pins on a Raspberry Pi, and I've watched the video several times, but havent been able to get OctoPrint to connect to the SKR v1.3 board.
There is a dedicated UART serial port on the board other than the USB port but I'm using that for the Bigtreetech tft35 v2 display so that is **not** an option for connecting OctoPrint to the board.
There are 5 inputs on the board for stepper drives and the TMC2208 stepper drivers that I have installed operate over UART so I'm not opposed to using the extra stepper driver port on the board to communicate with the Pi if that is an option, but figuring out how to use the Z min plus the Z max pins to connect the Pi would be ideal.
## board graphic pins
# Answer
> 2 votes
If you followed the video verbatim then the pins file will be wrong, because he's changing the pins based on an MKS Gen 1.4 and not the SKR 1.3. All pins on the SKR will look similar to P2\_04, which is the pin for the 2nd hotend terminal.
---
Tags: marlin, raspberry-pi, skr-v1.3, bigtreetech
---
|
thread-15534
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15534
|
How to set the fully dynamic plotting area?
|
2021-02-02T11:20:39.470
|
# Question
Title: How to set the fully dynamic plotting area?
I am trying to combine CNC plotter with image processing. The goal is to detect the object and print on that object. My question is can we set the fully dynamic plotting area.
For example: I want to print something on hand or finger. How do I tell the machine that this is hand and you have to print only on this hand.
I plan to detect the hand using a camera and set the hand as printing area in CNC firmware and the place G-code image on th finger. How to tell the CNC firmware that this is your printing area?
I am using GRBL firmware with Arduino and use Pronterface as software.
# Answer
If the problem of "dynamic area", or even "how to avoid missing the surface and boundaries" could be translated to "where to start well-defined job" - then it sounds to me like common task, with regards to philosophy of CNC machines. (Ok, until the surface is not moving around.)
Pronterface and GRBL work in Cartesain system. GRBL does not support mesh probing. So you must think about relatively flat, plane surfaces.
In my opinion, you need to fulfill following tasks to achieve the goal:
* **Define boundaries.** Hard and soft boundaries of device are supported by GRBL. You should setup them for overall safety.
* **Plan the job.** Recognize ranges of planned plot or print.
* **Secure the surface.** It must be appropriately stabilized. If you want to draw, the pen mount with spring will equalize variations of the surface (hand, finger, egg). 3D printing is sensitive to roughness and obliquity, we add raft/supports to overcome these - could be of use, until it doesn't mean missing your goal? (Don't print with hot filaments on fingers.)
* **Establish point of reference.** You need to home your plotting or printing head somewhere in space in relation to the driving hardware. This is needed for any further actions. I envsion homing Z to the top of the frame, rather then against the target.
* **Detect surface.** Camera will help with horizontal borders (X,Y). You also need to measure the Z distance. The Z probe could be mechanical (then needs vertical movement) or some distance detector (like VL53L0X ?).
* **Validate fitting.** Ensure that the surface will accommodate ranges of planned job. This is actually the key point in my opinion. You need to know scope at the first place.
* **Program.** I see following options to pick and mix **the final solution** from them:
+ G-code is generated prior to the whole procedure. You need to synchronize the starting point between the generated file and the real job range. Homing is done "manually" prior to executing the file. After surface is detected, the real starting point could be calculated and applied.
+ G-code is generated after surface is detected. Job starts with homing, and first moves go from device's zero (home position) to selected starting point on the surface. All consecutive moves are planned within boundaries over the surface. So there is no risk to work outside the safe range.
+ G-code is generated with relative positioning (incremental distance mode), having `G91` in preamble. Then you just travel to the starting point and then run the commands from file.
+ G-code is generated with absolute positioning (absolute distance mode). To run the job, you need to change coordinate system using commands like `G10`, `G54-G59`.
+ For printing, if there is a needed to match some flat shape to rought surface, then you may need to dynamically generate some supports/raft below the bottom of the printed part.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: g-code, pronterface, cnc, plotter
---
|
thread-11564
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11564
|
Fixing Z-Hop Stringing
|
2019-12-16T01:03:52.490
|
# Question
Title: Fixing Z-Hop Stringing
I'm printing a model on my Ender 3 in Mika3D Silk PLA, which (just for reference, this is not atypical) has a stated temperature of 200 °C to 235 °C. I have used this filament before and found it works best for me around 200 °C, but was not the case with this print, and I'm wondering what else I can do to fix this issue.
I have retractions enabled, have lowered the printing temperature to 180 °C and decreased the feed rate significantly, to around 75 %. Both of these adjustments happened gradually, making sure there was no change in stringing between adjustments.
I do have rafts and Z hops enabled in Cura, as previous prints of this model were knocked off the base even after leveling the bed properly, and almost every time a "hop" is performed, some stringing occurs. Is there something I can do in my settings, etc, to fix this issue?
Here is an image of the problem.
Edit: did some extra research and *increased* my print speed and switched to a better testing model - same issue.
# Answer
Stringing may depend on sub-optimal retraction settings: when retraction is fast and high enough, the string may be cut and disappear.
You may want to at least try to optimise retraction, at least to exclude that parameter.
There is a tool designed to properly tune retraction: http://retractioncalibration.com/
What it does is print a tower with multiple retractions with increasing retraction distance around the perimeter. Along the Z axis the retraction speed is increased. This tool does not include Z-hopping so stringing may be less visible, but at least you can easily visualise the optimal retraction settings. At that point if the optimal settings are much different from what you had, you may want to try your model again to see if it improved.
> 3 votes
# Answer
It's because the nozzle has nowhere to wipe itself, like when you don't use Z hop the nozzle wipes itself off in the inside of the print. When you have Z hop enabled the nozzle has nowhere to wipe the string off, which leaves a string when it goes over to the next print. This happens to me all the time.
> 0 votes
# Answer
What improved the stringing issue in my case was increase the amount of retraction on top of the temperature reduction.
After each change, I printed one of these parts (see image below), designed specifically for testing stringing.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: print-quality, ultimaker-cura, pla, creality-ender-3
---
|
thread-6747
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/6747
|
Constant under extrusion and filament grinding
|
2018-08-27T13:17:40.447
|
# Question
Title: Constant under extrusion and filament grinding
I sadly have a big problem since a couple of weeks and I cant fix it myself. For over 20 prints, I had the same problems: At the **start, everything goes well** but at some point of time, my Creality CR-10 starts **under extruding and** after like 1 minute, **NO filament is extruded anymore** and the 3D printer moves over the printing bed without extruding anything. After that, I have to pull out the filament and the feeder always grinds into it.
Some problem with the hotend (so the feeder works well but it cant push the filament through somehow - I cleaned the nozzle and couldn't find anything wrong there. When I push the filament through by hand it gets extruded but after a failed print, it is **VERY hard to pull it back** (because of the filament being slightly bigger at the nozzle - hard to remove! -
**That could be the problem:**
**I just tried to remove the filament from the printer (another failed print) I had to use two tongs because the filament was so hard to pull back. I noticed that the diameter of the PLA close to the hotend was a lot bigger (way over 1.75 mm) *For about 5 cm* that's a very long distance - that's the reason why it's hard to pull back (and also push through?) But I don't know why that happens... If I get an answer for that, I think that I have solved my problem**
I already tried printing at 50 % which didn't work.
* Creality CR-10 with 0.4 mm nozzle,
* 1.75 mm PLA filament used (white)
* 0.27 mm layer height
* 45 mm/s printing speed at 220° (I can easily push the filament through at 200° by hand)
* 60° bed temp
And here some pictures of the failed prints:
**I think I can exclude these:**
It could be: (the things I can imagine but don't have a solution for)
* The feeder being too strong/my new PLA filament being too soft
* Maybe a software problem? I'm using the newest Cura version and I don't know what could be wrong there.
The filament seems to run out of the hotend. Something is really broken here. I tried to lower the print temperature and don't have an issue (at least not that big) with pulling out the filament but instead, the feeder started grinding into the filament again.
I'm very happy for any answer and possible solutions.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Fixed this by replacing the hotend.
# Answer
> 5 votes
Grinding is due to attempts to advance filament faster than it can be melted and dispensed. Try one or more of the following:
* Raise the head temperature (to meet current throughput demand)
* Lower the print speed (to reduce throughput demand)
* Slice for thinner layers (to reduce throughput demand)
# Answer
> 4 votes
I have had this problem for several reasons. I can not say what your reason is, but these have been mine. From your symptoms, I suspect the first problem, but I've listed others in case they are helpful
1. I had this problem to most with a "Thing-o-Matic" printer. The problem was that there wasn't a clean enough break between the heater and the filament. To fix this, I added a fan on the metal tube above the melt zone. When the filament was sitting, it would soften and expand. It was then harder to push, and it would cause these vertical strings like you have in your picture. The Thing-o-Matic extruder was direct rather than Bowden, but the same problem could exist. I see that the CR-10 has a fan attached to the extruder. Be sure it continues to run, and that the airflow cools the region right above the hot-end, even when the head is an inch above the bed.
One more thought on this topic: retracting pulls filament out of the melt zone into the space above the melt zone, bringing the heat with it. Lowering the retraction settings may reduce the heating of the space above the melt-zone.
2. Bad connection to the heater, so that the temperature drops while printing.
3. Too much pressure on the filament by the extruder pressure roller. One pass through is fine, but a pattern of short extrusions with frequent retraction caused the filament to pass repeatedly through the roller, and become flattened so that it had difficulty feeding through the rest of the mechanism.
4. Jammed filament on the spool, preventing the extruder from smoothly pulling.
Some other problems which could cause this, and I have looked for but haven't been the problem in my cases:
1. Weak power supply. Check the +12 or +24 voltage while the problem is occurring.
2. Overheated or defective extruder driver chip that fails to drive one or more stepper motor phases with sufficient current. This can allow good behavior much of the time, but if anything happens that adds load to the motor, it can stop turning.
# Answer
> 4 votes
There are many reasons why that could be happening. The simplest one:
1. The nozzle may be clogged/has debris. Push the filament down into the hot end with your hand to see if more force will cause a better flow rate. Also, if the filament tries to curl as it's coming out of the nozzle (in any direction) there is is most likely a blockage in the nozzle.
2. There is a gap between the teflon tube and nozzle, resulting in a larger melt zone which makes it harder to push the filament through.
3. The extruder cooling fan isn't working which allows the heat to travel up heat brake, extending the melt zone.
4. The extruder gear may be dirty with plastic debris/dust/rust. This will cause slipping. The fact that the print starts working but then fails seems to indicate that the problem is progressive, indicative of slipping.
5. The motor is under-powered, resulting in step loss and a cumulative error during printing.
6. The filament is poor. Voids and inconsistent diameters used to be a problem that caused print fails long ago, but not so much these days.
7. The stepper motor drivers are over heating and shutting down intermittently during printing, resulting in cumulative errors. Use a house fan/ or other suitable fan to cool the board. I had one Anet A8 mainboard die on me due to over heating.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Under-extrusion after some time printing sounds like heat-creep. If the cold side of the extruder is getting warm, even up to 60°C (the glass transition temperature), then the un-heated filament will start to soften and fill out to block the tube. As this happens, there is more pressure above the hot-end and less extrusion (but even more force to make the situation worse).
The best solution to this is better cooling of the extruder/stepper, and a good heat-break with a sharp transition between solid and well-melted (but something has presumably triggered this failure on your setup, rather than a fundamental design problem).
Other things you could try are:
* Less retract distance (to reduce the variables)
* Lower print temperature (and speed, but this will increase pressure in the nozzle)
* Reduce the extrusion multiplier (if your filament is a bit thick, the pressure might be a bit high)
# Answer
> 1 votes
A 0.27 mm layer height is not correct for any printer, any nozzle/hotend, any file, and should never be used as a layer height variable for any FDM printer.
Layer height should be a factor of the diameter of your nozzle size. i.e. Your nozzle is 0.4 mm, so depending on your printer, your range of resolutions/layer heights could start as low as 0.04 mm, but is monumentally more likely to begin at 0.08 or 0.12 mm, with a maximum value being 0.28 mm, and maybe 0.32 mm if you're doing some risky/experimental spiralized vase printing.
# Answer
> 0 votes
**Sadly, this isnt true:** "*I finally found the solution! It was the spring being slightly too loose at the feeder. That was it. Such a small thing. I thought that I checked it at least twice.*"
I bought a new Hotend for my 3D-Printer. I hope that solves the problem. I think that the PTFE Tube doesnt sit tightly on the nozzle so that some filament leaks through. And maybe the fan doesnt work properly. At least I can say that the problem is the Hotend. -the cooling of the filament I guess. Thats because the filament always became larger near the nozzle because it melted. That's also the reason why it was so hard to pull out.
---
Tags: filament, pla, extrusion, hotend
---
|
thread-15548
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15548
|
G-code for 3-axis arc? GRBL
|
2021-02-04T02:19:16.477
|
# Question
Title: G-code for 3-axis arc? GRBL
I see that arcs are done on a two-axis plane.
However, I am curious if it is possible to move from an \<x,y,z\> position to \<x',y',z'\> `e.g <152, 559, -139> to <905, 279,-145>` with an arcing z-axis.
Context: I'm trying to move between the two coordinate points while dodging an obstacle by arcing the Z-axis movement. I am trying to do the motion on command to be able to operate faster. Using GRBL 1.1
# Answer
This should be possible in GRBL 1.1, see examples below.
*Disclaimer: I have never used neither GRBL nor arcs (`G2`, `G3`) in practice.*
# Support for arcs in G-code
In general, in `IJK` variant where the arc is described by three points (starting, end, center) anything seems possible, including the rainbow-like moves. I imagine (I,J,K) coordinates as imaginary arrow's nock for bent bow. By moving it around, you will "reshape" the bow as needed. I actually found similar CNC Arc Programming Exercise, including:
```
G01 X40 Z-25
G03 X70 Z-75 I-3.335 K-29.25
```
and very interesting Quick G-Code Arc Tutorial on CNC Cookbook. It presents `R` variant example of helical moves (tread milling) with Z decreasing in steps (relative positioning):
```
G03 X0.0939 Y0.0939 Z0.0179 R0.0939
G03 X-0.1179 Y0.1179 Z0.0179 R0.1179
G03 X-0.1185 Y-0.1185 Z0.0179 R0.1185
```
# Support for acrs in GRBL
I found similar question in Duet3d forum: Caution! - STL Resolution. There is a sentence:
> On GRBL you get some planar support (pick any two axes, eg XZ, but not three). (...) Some controllers even implement a helix mode.. but no standards exist.
So the support in GRBL may be limited. However this comment seems to be in condtradiction to the official GRBL README.md, saying:
> List of Supported G-Codes in Grbl v1.1: (...)
>
> * Arc IJK Distance Modes: G91.1
I leave a practical proof to you now.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: g-code
---
|
thread-15373
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15373
|
I can't get G29 to run BLTouch on my Ender 3 V2
|
2021-01-19T20:17:14.670
|
# Question
Title: I can't get G29 to run BLTouch on my Ender 3 V2
I installed a BLTouch probe on my Ender 3 V2 and am able to manually generate the probe matrix and store it in the printer memory, but I can't figure out how to get Cura to run the probe for every print. I have included `G29` in my start code, but the printer doesn't run the probe. Here is my full start code:
```
M201 X500.00 Y500.00 Z100.00 E5000.00 ;Setup machine max acceleration
M203 X500.00 Y500.00 Z10.00 E50.00 ;Setup machine max feedrate
M204 P500.00 R1000.00 T500.00 ;Setup Print/Retract/Travel acceleration
M205 X8.00 Y8.00 Z0.40 E5.00 ;Setup Jerk
M220 S100 ;Reset Feedrate
M221 S100 ;Reset Flowrate
G28 ;Home
G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder
G29 ;BLTouch
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ;Move Z Axis up
G1 X10.1 Y20 Z0.28 F5000.0 ;Move to start position
G1 X10.1 Y200.0 Z0.28 F1500.0 E15 ;Draw the first line
G1 X10.4 Y200.0 Z0.28 F5000.0 ;Move to side a little
G1 X10.4 Y20 Z0.28 F1500.0 E30 ;Draw the second line
G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ;Move Z Axis up
```
When I inspect the G-code directly, I can see that `G29` is getting transpiled into
```
M501 ;load bed level data
M420 S1 ;enable bed leveling
```
is this correct? If not, how do I stop the transpilation?
# Answer
This sounds like a firmware issue to me. I copied and pasted
```
G28 ;Home
G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder
G29 ;BLTouch
```
Into my start code, and it worked fine. I have an Ender 3 V2 and a BLTouch (BL, not 3D.) If you haven't updated your firmware, that's definitely why.
This is the start code I am using (in Ultimaker Cura)
```
; Ender 3 Custom Start G-code
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G28 ; Home all axes
G29 ; Auto bed level
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X0.1 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to start position
G1 X0.1 Y200.0 Z0.3 F1500.0 E15 ; Draw the first line
G1 X0.4 Y200.0 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to side a little
G1 X0.4 Y20 Z0.3 F1500.0 E30 ; Draw the second line
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X5 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move over to prevent blob squish
```
---
*How are you manually initiating the bed level? G-code command? (If so, which command/commands) or on the printer itself?*
*If you haven't already, I suggest you try placing the line `G92 E0 ;Reset Extruder` before the line `G28 ;Home`. I'm wondering if it is possible that this is somehow interrupting the process.*
*Are you on stock firmware? If so, I would try using firmware for the BLTouch, from the manufacturer.*
\*You can find a guide on how to do a firmware update here is an external link.
*You shouldn't have to change anything in the configuration if you download the pre-configured BLTouch firmware.*
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, g-code, bed-leveling, bltouch
---
|
thread-15553
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15553
|
What modifications do I need to make to Marlin if I completely replace the heated bed assembly?
|
2021-02-04T14:27:20.267
|
# Question
Title: What modifications do I need to make to Marlin if I completely replace the heated bed assembly?
I have a 3D printer built from generic, scrap parts. It's controlled by a 2+ years old `MKS GEN L` board running Marlin version `1.1.x`.
I want to do a complete bed assembly replacement, including:
* Heated bed
* Thermistor
* Y-carriage
All the hardware bits, including the z-endstop are sorted and ready to be installed.
**My question is:**
* Once I replace the assembly, what kind of software / firmware modifications do I need to do to Marlin configuration for my printer to work correctly?
I understand that I need to modify dimensions and offsets but I am unsure what else will I need to change within the codebase before flashing Marlin.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Dimensions if they differ, maybe endstop offsets and possibly a different thermistor type.
# Answer
> 2 votes
You may wish to PID Autotune the bed as well.
---
Tags: marlin, heated-bed, firmware, software
---
|
thread-15550
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15550
|
Apply / find / create a stainless steel coating to apply to a PETG or PLA part to make it react to a magnet
|
2021-02-04T06:56:09.140
|
# Question
Title: Apply / find / create a stainless steel coating to apply to a PETG or PLA part to make it react to a magnet
Apply / find / create a stainless steel coating to apply to a PETG or PLA part to make it react to a magnet.
My goal is to make a small tubular and conical shapes that can be painted with a stainless steel coating and will react with a magnet.
I know I can buy iron filled PLA but these rust which I want to avoid. **I'm trying to get the magnetic properties of stainless steel (no rusting / reacts to magnets)**
I have found videos on how to coat with copper / silver / carbon but I'm looking for stainless steel no rust / magnetic properties.
---
*I'm looking for a "low-cost" solution just for testing.*
# Answer
# The surface won't work
The only true-metallic surface treatments I know to be actual metal in large enough amounts to conduct electricity would be leafmetal, akin to leaf gold, and electroplating. However, you can't use the procedures for stainless steels, and even then, the thickness is in the tenth of a µm area and lower. Not only would that be far too thin to adhere a magnet to, it also would be super easy to damage with rubbing.
# Filling?
PLA itself does not block magnetism - I have printed a PLA holder for a magnetic GPS device, into which I inserted a simple 0.5 mm steel plate for a magnetic surface with 0.5 mm of PLA acting as the container and seal against water.
If the prints can be done with one end open and no infill or have a dedicated area that a cheap piece of steel can be inserted into, this method can be used too. The only requirement is that there is a cavity on the inside that at some point is accessible. This also can be during the print.
This cavity could either take a piece of shaped steel sheet or be filled with a different magnetic filler, for example, simple iron powder. The powder could be bound in a non-oxidizing polymer, for example, epoxy resin. This method has been used to create cast stators for electro motors. It's not the most efficient, but might work in your application - if your walls are thin enough.
With the correct mixture, such a material can be used to coat or fill the inside with enough magnetic material to give the magnets something to stick to and not rust away - the shell and the resin together would shield the iron from any air that could rust it. Indeed, a quite stuffed Resin-Iron-mix and a strong magnet have been used in 2012 to create furniture by the name of "Gravity Stools" or other art pieces like in this video
> 2 votes
# Answer
No rust but has magnetic properties? You could try varnishing the iron filled PLA.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: pla, post-processing, petg, material
---
|
thread-15561
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15561
|
What is the brand of this 3D printer?
|
2021-02-05T06:17:55.813
|
# Question
Title: What is the brand of this 3D printer?
Could anyone help me to find out what is the brand name of this 3D printer?
I found this printer while playing Spider-Man on PS4 in the Lab
# Answer
The printer on picture looks like LulzBot TAZ.
It could be some prototype or a self-made built or just inspired by it (as it is a digital rendition), because there is no sign of any branding on it. There are similar builds on Thingiverse.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: desktop-printer, part-identification
---
|
thread-15498
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15498
|
CR6-SE fails to heat hotend to set point
|
2021-01-30T00:04:44.543
|
# Question
Title: CR6-SE fails to heat hotend to set point
***TL;DR** \- Please help me rebuild my CR-6 SE so that I can move on*
---
Here's a link to the latest issue that I had to make proof of in a video: CR6-SE failed
Basically, it's failing to reach/maintain temperature (set point of 240 °C, fails to heat above 230 °C), issues start to happen at temps as low as 210 °C. Creality support is evasive/dodgy. First, they want to see a video proof for the problem reported, and after a while and emails from me asking, suggested something obvious (set temp to 200 °C).
And without any video, they don't respond. Just like last time when I ran into the defective/burned power switch and failed bed leveling.
*If you have some spare time, please quickly check the video and provide some feedback.*
I already fixed the burned power switch and auto-leveling (Creality ignored me, so I got the parts from Amazon).
This is the last issue that I need to do a "mercy" fix, so that I can either repurpose it or, just give it away (but I still have to make it working again and safe!). I already placed an order for an i3 MK3S+, should've bought this in the first place to help me study 3D modeling, *not working my degree towards fixing Creality printer failures* :)
Thanks in advance.
My troubleshooting steps so far after a screw fell off during print:
* Disassembled the hotend: found heater block loose, screws were bent and somewhat stripped
* Heater resistor has a bad crimp
* Thermistor is reading temp, but I don't know if it's accurate (don't have a multimeter+thermocouple)
Ordered a hotend from AliExpress, hopefully, that's it
# Answer
Perform **PID calibration** procedure for hotend using G-code 'M303' with **nozzle fans turned off** completely.
You may use detailed guidelines from AK Eric's blog, RepRap wiki or 3DMaker Engineering.
If this will improve or clearly change the situation, but you still observe some issues during or after tuning, review other posts for **troubleshooting**. For example: large initial overshoot, no oscillations, struggle to fit into functional range or narrowed down hardware issues of incorrect heating cartridges.
When succeeded, you should repeat the procedure with fans enabled at the regular speed you use during printing.
PID calibration can be performed from Marlin's LCD menu (*Configuration \> Advanced Settings \> Temperature \> PID Autotune E1*). It will allow to select target temperature, but not number of tuning cycles. It is only accessible when `PID_AUTOTUNE_MENU` is enabled in firmware settings (*Configuration.h*):
```
//#define PID_EDIT_MENU // Add PID editing to the "Advanced Settings" menu. (~700 bytes of PROGMEM)
#define PID_AUTOTUNE_MENU // Add PID auto-tuning to the "Advanced Settings" menu. (~250 bytes of PROGMEM)
```
> 0 votes
# Answer
I replaced the hotend with parts bought from AliExpress.
My printer is now able to reach/maintain temperature and complete prints successfully (no more heating failure).
BTW: It's harder to buy replacement parts for CR-6 (as compared to other Creality printers). There were only 2 type of replacement hotend parts for sale on AliExpress at the time I was shopping:
* 40 USD for a full assembly (with carriage)
* 28 USD for a nozzle kit.
There's an Amazon seller and a Canadian 3D printer store that sells individual parts, e.g.: heater block, but the prices are relatively expensive.
I bought a full assembly, but a nozzle kit would have worked as well.
Also, it looks like they're fixing their production process; my new hotend assembly was built better, even with what appear to be the same parts.
Not pretty, but at least it's printing - Hopefully this is it.
> 0 votes
---
Tags: troubleshooting, hotend, heat-management, creality-cr-6, creality
---
|
thread-15564
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15564
|
Extruder motor does spin - but not while printing
|
2021-02-05T19:35:38.683
|
# Question
Title: Extruder motor does spin - but not while printing
I hope someone can poke me in the right direction, I´ve been failing to find a way around this problem and trying for about a week.
My setup is pretty custom, I am using a BTT SKR 1.4 Turbo with TMC2208 driver and a BTT TFT V3 display. At the beginning of this problem I´ve added a second Z-Axis to my printer and made the mistake to declare both axes in Marlin (as I am only using one driver, I should not have to alter Marlin for this, but I found that out too late). At this point, I updated Marlin to take my new steps/mm for the Z-axis, but no matter how often I did, the firmware didn´t seem to change anything. Later (out of pure hopelessness) I used the `M502` Command, followed by `M500` to save and somehow this made my axis work and set the correct steps/mm out of my firmware (at this point, I already found the mistake in Marlin mentioned above).
Relieved I started my first print... But the extruder motor (bowden setup) stopped turning and I don't know why. Now, I´ve been stuck with this strange behavior for a week:
When I freshly boot the printer, the extruder motor spins (correct length and correct direction). I can do this via M-Command, TFT35 and Pronterface (PC-USB direct to the mainboard). Whenever I start a print, the extruder just stops (motor engaged, but not trying to turn, no skipping steps). No matter how long I wait, even in a 2-hour print, the motor doesn´t spin a bit. After the print and if I cancel the print the motor won´t turn again (tried all the ways mentioned before). BUT when I kill the power to the printer and let it reboot I can use the extruder in all the mentioned ways without any problems.
I think this is a software problem, but I can´t find it. Looked through Marlin a few times, adjusted my Start G-code, looked at the existing G-code, I can not find the mistake. I´ll attach a few lines of G-code and my Start G-code (I use Cura 4.8). If someone knows a line in Marlin, I´ll look that up for you - it seems impossible to post the whole firmware somewhere. Start G-code:
```
G21 ;metric values
G91 ;relative positioning
M107 ;start with the fan off
G28 X0 Y0 ;move X/Y to min endstops
G28 Z0 ;move Z to min endstops
M900 K0.22 ; set K-primus-factor
M117 K0.22 ; display K Value on display
G92 E0 ;zero the extruded length
G90 ; absolute positioning
M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode
G1 Z1 F500 ;move up slightly
G1 Y60.0 Z0 E9.0 F500.0;intro line
G1 Y100.0 E21.5 F500.0 ;continue line
G-Code:
G1 F600 Z0.3
G1 F1500 E0
G1 F1200 X99.215 Y92.699 E0.06147
G1 X99.708 Y92.391 E0.09734
G1 X100.377 Y92.083 E0.14279
G1 X100.743 Y91.958 E0.16666
G1 X101.484 Y91.803 E0.21337
G1 X102.187 Y91.748 E0.25689
G1 X103.552 Y91.72 E0.34114
G1 X118.764 Y91.72 E1.27986
```
If there are any ideas, please tell me. I am completely lost at this point!
Edit: a few mistakes are gone now, formatting and PS.: "blockage of the extruder-motor" after starting a print happens no matter how I start a print (SD TFT/Pronterface/SD Mainboard)
# Answer
> 2 votes
# Extruder stops to spin
The problem you described seem to be reported elsewhere for TMC in relation to stealthChop mode (unsure, see below) and linear advance. For details look at this comment in Extruder stops during print (Bugfix-2.0.x) #17944. An advice from there is to supplement the G-code with (my interpretation):
```
M569 S0 E ; disable stealthChop for extruder (use spreadCycle)
M900 K0 ; disable linear advance
```
There is also another discussion TMC2208 extruder driver shuts itself off in spreadcycle mode with pressure advance enabled #1774 for Klipper. Above summary is just a result of my quick look through, I suggest to re-read these articles with more insight.
Also I propose to do following to doublecheck:
* execute `M503` (without parameters) before and after print, compare reports (especially: `M92`, `M203`, `M204`)
* verify `EXTRUDE_MINTEMP` parameter in *Configuration.h* (I am not sure how does it behave during the print)
* I also saw the remedy: *"Then I changed the extruder stepper motor wires and the problem is now fixed"*, but it is the edge case.
# Extrusion mode
I personally prefer to use extrusion in relative mode, because it allows to manipulate G-code or restart the print from any line. You would need to put `M83` in starting G-code instead of current `M82`, together with enabling Cura setting (Special Modes \> Relative Extrusion). I am not sure what happens currently with your filament between in your file's:
```
M82 ;set extruder to absolute mode
G1 Y60.0 Z0 E9.0 F500.0;intro line
G1 Y100.0 E21.5 F500.0 ;continue line
...
G1 F1500 E0
```
For me it looks like it's retreating 21 mm of filament just at the start of print? So it cannot really print for several consecutive G-code lines, does it?
# Marlin settings vs EEPROM
When updating settings in Marlin like steps/mm you should be aware, that values stored in EEPROM take precedence. Reinstalling firmware will not clear the EEPROM settings. If you want to make persistent change, save to EEPROM and alter the firmware config, to have these values secured for future as "defaults".
---
Tags: marlin, extruder, skr-v1.4
---
|
thread-15576
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15576
|
Marlin firmware: unload filament with G-code
|
2021-02-07T17:30:09.737
|
# Question
Title: Marlin firmware: unload filament with G-code
I have upgraded my ER-20 with a Bondtech dual gear feeder. It is not or hardly possible to load/unload filament manually with this feeder, so some .gcode is needed to do it. I wanted to implement something similar to the atomic cleaning method for unloading: https://ultimakernasupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004187066-Atomic-Cleaning-Method
Here is my current `.gcode`:
```
G21 ; Metric values
G90 ; Absolute positioning
M82 ; Extruder absolute mode
G28 ; Auto home
M420 S1
G1 X100 Y100 Z100 F1000
; M92 E415 ; 415 steps/mm
M302 S105 ; Allow extrusion above 105C
M109 S218 ; Heat hotend to 218C
M400
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder positioning
M104 S160 ; Start the cool down
M117 Extrude prime blob
G1 E10 F100 ; Extrude a short before unload to avoid blob forming
M109 S160 ; Wait for 160C
M104 S110
G92 E0
G1 E0.2 F100 ; Pressurize the hotend
M117 Pressurize hotend
M109 S110 ; Heat hotend to 110C
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder positioning
M117 Pull out slow
G1 E-3 F200 ; Pull back a bit, slow
M117 Pull out fast
G1 E-430 F2000 ; Pull back 43cm with 2000mm/min
G92 E0 ; Reset extruder positioning
M400 ; Wait for command finish
M117 Remove the filament now
; M400 ; Wait for command finish
M302 S170 ; Allow extrusion above 170C
M104 S0
```
It doesn't work:
* the auto bed leveling is always done, I don't know how to turn it off
* when I see that the "Extrude a short before unload to avoid blob forming" event is happening, I also see the "Pull out fast" message on the display and the "print" process ends
Could anyone take a look at this code please? Or **is there any `.gcode` validator for Marlin somewhere**?
**What I intend to do with this code:**
* heat up the hotend to 218 °C
* extrude some material while a cool down to 160 °C is already started
* when temp 160 °C is reached, start a cool-down process to 110 °C and push a little material to the feeder (pressurize)
* when 110 °C is reached pull out some material from the hotend slow (maybe the feeder won't be enough strong to do it, but I have never reached this point to check)
* then pull out the filament from the Bowden and feeder fast
# Answer
> 3 votes
There are three things to fix and one suggestion:
* Change follwing lines of `M109`, using parameter `R` instead of `S`, because the latter is not waiting to cool down:
```
M109 R160 ; Wait for 160C
...
M109 R110 ; Heat hotend to 110C
```
* The behavior of `M420` will depend on type of bed leveling, saved mesh, etc. It is off topic to troubleshoot this. The printer operates 10 cm above the surface for this operation. `G28` disables bed leveling. Why do you need to re-enable it? Just remove this line:
```
; M420 S1 - remove (or comment out)
```
* Redefine maximum extrusion length in *Configuration.h* to allow for scripted long pull (`G1 E-430`), for example:
```
#define EXTRUDE_MAXLENGTH 450
```
* *Suggestion:* Use relative mode for extrusion (`M83`) instead of absolute positioning (`M82`). It will simplify your code a lot. You just want to express the distance in `E` parameter. Then you will not have to reset position with `G92 E0` every now and then (do it just once on the start). (*I use this Extrusion mode also for slicing becuase it makes easier to re-start a print in case of failure*).
---
Tags: marlin, extruder, g-code
---
|
thread-15574
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15574
|
PID tuning and different filament temperatures
|
2021-02-07T08:11:23.970
|
# Question
Title: PID tuning and different filament temperatures
Since I have lots of PETG, I ran tuning to 230 °C (average temp for my filaments). What is it good for, in terms of temperature ranges?
For the same printer configuration, and just different filaments, will I need to run it again and again? Let's assume that I'll be printing between 200 °C and 240 °C.
# Answer
> 3 votes
PID tuning can be performed multiple times and the results saved for future use, since the question is about "what are the usable ranges for PID tuning", based on my experience
1. a slightly suboptimal tuning will not make the temperature oscillate more than 2-3 degrees, which is more than enough for most traditional filaments
2. if you have a 30-40 °C temperature range you can likely keep a tuning in the middle and be done with it
3. an accurate tuning is needed if you run the hot end at its maximum rated temperature: mine was rated 250 °C and without a good PID tuning the temperature was overshooting by 2-3 degrees, which was enough to trigger a over-temperature safety shutdown. Using the printer at 245 °C would have resulted in no issues even with sub-optimal PID tuning.
Of course, people with high temperature hot ends (up to 270-300 °C or more) will need a tuning for the usual range (200-240 °C) and one for the higher temperature range to obtain better prints.
# Answer
> 1 votes
It's not a straight answer, but you don't have to run PID tuning every time you decide to print with different temperature. (Until you change something in a hardware near or related to the hotend.)
You can tune PID for different temperatures and grab necessary values, for example:
```
M303 C16 D1 E0 S190
22:14:31.872 > PID Autotune finished! Put the last Kp, Ki and Kd constants from below into Configuration.h
22:14:31.886 > #define DEFAULT_Kp 30.87
22:14:31.886 > #define DEFAULT_Ki 3.06
22:14:31.886 > #define DEFAULT_Kd 77.75
```
and then store respective G-code commands (like `M301 P30.87 I3.06 D77.75`) as few different "PID profiles" as new entries in *custom menu for Marlin* or *menu.cfg for Klipper* for quick switching.
---
Tags: calibration, pid
---
|
thread-15577
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15577
|
Effects of static on 3D printers & print quality
|
2021-02-07T20:16:29.460
|
# Question
Title: Effects of static on 3D printers & print quality
I manage four 3D Printers for my college's robotics team. They are used pretty constantly throughout the school year; that is, they are used more as manufacturing printers than hobbyist printers. The environment they are in is less than ideal: The outdoor climate is typically cold and has low humidity, and the room they are in has fine dust particles that are less than 80 microns diameter and have electrostatic properties. The room's temperature also fluctuates week to week. As such, static electricity is fairly common in that room.
What effects does static electricity have on our 3D printers? I have had numerous problems recently with a motherboard with resistors that failed and another printer with an unknown issue that we suspect also has to do with the motherboard. Could the static electricity be causing these or other issues, or affecting the quality of our printed parts?
We use ZylTech filament, and print using a Creality Ender 3 Pro, CR-10S Pro, Ender 5 Plus, and a FlashForge Creator Pro. The dust particles mimic "regolith", or lunar soil, that comes from one of our team's test facilities.
# Answer
> 2 votes
Static electricity is detrimental to nearly all electronic devices. A stray zap from touching the frame of your printer could migrate to the controller boards, terminating normal operation. If you wish to protect the printers from static electricity, connect the frame to a confirmed electrical ground. The power supply may be grounded via the electrical cord, but you'd want to ensure that the entire structure shares that ground. Additionally, provide a grounding strap to which an operator would connect prior to using the machine. Image below courtesy of linked site.
The more unfortunate aspect of your description is the issue of particulates in the air. Moving parts will be subject to excessive wear and your printer has plenty of moving parts. The stepper motors may "ingest" particles and the fans on the power supply will certainly pull in abrasive dust. The rails and bearings are going to be collecting as well.
If you wish to ensure a longer lifespan for the printer, a filtered enclosure with an overpressure environment is going to be needed. This presumes that one desires to provide cooling air to the printer and power supply. The box around the printer would have to be fed by a fan which is protected by a filter capable of preventing the dust you describe from entering. One could create a box around the printer without fans and another around the power supply with fans and filters.
One could use the reverse concept, that is, build a box from filters and have a fan suck the air into the box, into the fan and back out into the environment. This would provide for a greater surface area of filter material, reducing the frequency of filter changes. In the first example, the box is created from a solid material and the fan forces air for cooling, into the box, as dust-free as the filters will allow. In the reverse method, the box is created from filters and the fan is used to move air from the box to the outside, pulling clean, cool air into the enclosure.
It sounds like a tough place to be a 3D printer.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Static electricity does not affect the printing process but it can destroy or disrupt the electronics of the system. The dry air environment is really good for the printing process because keeping moisture out of the filament is one of the most important concerns for a good quality print. Dust is the other. If you can find a solution where the filament is drawn directly from the dry box; that would be best. (I am assuming that you have a dry box ;)
One problem that can occur in especially dry environments is static build-up during printing. A 3D printer can become a mini Van de Graaff generator with static being generated on the spool, being transferred to the nozzle. Normally this is a very rare problem but it sounds like your environment is very dry. You should try earthing the nozzle. Determine a spot on the cold side of the hot end assembly onto which you can connect a wire to earth, and ensure that it is connected via a very large ohmage resistor (100Mohm). This should keep static away from the stepper which should keep it away from the controller.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Regolith is one of the *worst* stuff known to man that could accumulate on electronics and moving parts. NASA replicated Regolith and has a manual. Researchers studied Regolith as a 3D print material \- and found it can be used. We even have the formula to make Concrete from it by adding water and refined regolith or even dry refined regolith.
Also, we understand how Regolth behaves electrically. It's not a good conductor in the dry state but at least a conductor. However, just a little water rapidly changes that and makes it a rather good conductor! Tiny amounts rapidly increase the conductivity, making it very dangerous to electronics in combination with dew - which happens in low temperatures.
Dust on bearings gunks them up and then starts to grind away the rails.
Dust on filament gets pulled into the hotend and can create clogs.
So, it's rather clear that **we don't want this regolith-dust on our printers.**
## Danger mitigation
You immediately need to take measures to prevent dust from accumulating on the electronics and secondary on moving parts!
If possible, housing the electronics in a dust-sealed box would be preferential, but housing the printers as a whole in an enclosure might mitigate most of the trouble for the start.
The most simple enclosure that would allow for such would be a simple large wood box, provided that the door contains a seal. For fire protection and to reduce the risk of one spot of the housing getting too high, the inside air should be constantly mixed, best by some sort of permanent running large fan. For further protection, the setup needs to be vented at least when the internal temperature gets too high, allowing to use of the heat of the printers to stabilize the internal temperature - and best even log it.
A venting-trigger temperature should be below 100 °C air temperature, better even 80 °C. But how to reduce the temperature?
The easiest cooling solution is to intake air from the outside, but we need to get the dust out of that. An easy solution would be a HEPA-filter unit. There are permanently running types, that would keep the printer-box(es) under over pressure compared to the atmosphere, keeping the dust from creeping into the box, but that doesn't give us control to heat the chamber if it gets cold.
But we could salvage an old printer board for that! Setting up the thermosensor in such a way that it measures air-temperature is easy. Using the bed and/or hotend exit of the board to some sort of heating element with grids at the filtered intake should be doable, evening out the temperature in the printer box to a minimum safe temperature.
---
Tags: print-quality, electronics
---
|
thread-15583
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15583
|
Is Creality Ender 3 V2 Supposed To Come With Board V 4.2.2?
|
2021-02-08T17:07:48.427
|
# Question
Title: Is Creality Ender 3 V2 Supposed To Come With Board V 4.2.2?
I recently purchased a Creality Ender 3 V2 ~1 month ago, and just yesterday installed a BLTouch. When looking at the motherboard, I noticed my board version is 4.2.2. Isn't the Ender 3 V2 supposed to come with a V 4.2.7 board? Did Creality mistakenly include the wrong board with my printer?
I did some googling but couldn't find a definitive answer. If anyone can, please let me know. My plan (if there was a mistake) is to email Creality customer service, but if any of you have a better suggestion, I'm all ears.
PS: I purchased this directly from Creality website, not Amazon or any other marketplace. Thanks, all.
# Answer
> 4 votes
Yes, they are shipping the v2 with the 4.2.2 board. My understanding is that the 4.2.7 board has a change in the stepper driver pinout but is otherwise the same as 4.2.2. The change in the pinout allowed them to change the stepper driver package as the stepper driver vendor appears to be changing that spec. I've used both boards in my V2 with no discernable difference.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, firmware, stepper-driver, creality
---
|
thread-3350
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/3350
|
Increasing hotend temperature to compensate for increased filament throughput
|
2017-01-07T14:21:16.837
|
# Question
Title: Increasing hotend temperature to compensate for increased filament throughput
It seems that when filament throughput is increased (by increasing movement speed or extrusion width/height), printing temperature also has to be increased to compensate, because the filament will have less time to spend in the melting zone. That much seems clear from practical experience. But I have two questions (or to be more precise, one question on two levels):
1. Is there a good rule of thumb for this, to help people calibrate their settings?
2. How much do we know about the formula governing this behavior? Can we calculate the required hotend temperature *precisely* based on the increased throughput?
For anyone who has studied physics / thermodynamics, this is probably simple stuff. But has the work been done for 3D printing specifically, in a way that is practically applicable?
I share the following train of thought to start off with. Let me know if I make any errors in reasoning.
* Presumably, every material has an optimal printing temperature just above its melting point.
* But the thermistor doesn't read filament temperature. It reads the heat block temperature.
* Below a certain throughput, the temperature of the filament will have time to equalize with the temperature of the heat block before it leaves the nozzle.
+ For those slow speeds, heat block temperature should be set exactly to the material's optimal printing temperature.
* For greater speeds, however, heat block temperature will always have to be higher than the mark, because the filament doesn't have time to equalize.
+ At that point, it becomes a balancing act. Find the best heat block temperature (°C) given a rate of throughput (mm³/s), the optimal printing temperature for a given material (°C), the volume of the melting zone (mm³) and *\< some other property of the material \>*, which determines how fast it heats up. I don't know what that last property is, nor can I come up with the proper unit. The material probably approaches the temperature of the environment asymptotically. This is where thermodynamics comes in, I guess.
* Theoretically, running filament also cools down the heat block, but we can ignore this. If this effect is significant at all (is it?), this is already compensated for by the PID controller.
I'm almost certainly missing some key insights. I'm curious to know what work has been done.
# Answer
> 2 votes
I think I see what you're asking, but I think you may be thinking about it incorrectly. It's really all about heat being added to the system at the same rate that it's leaving. The heat block is there as a heat reservoir from which the filament draws heat for the glass transition. The heat in that reservoir is maintained by cycling the heating coil to add energy (more heat) to the systems as it's lost.
In the very local vicinity of the nozzle, the temperature will decrease slightly as it's being transferred to the filament, but because the heat block is massive in comparison to that drain, and because the heat block is a good thermal conductor that temperature reduction is very small.
I do not know what tolerance and hysteresis are built into the temp controller, but think the variation is likely small. The difference in additional heat required (more energy into the system) for any practical difference in feed rates (40 instead of 60) is thus likely to be very small compared to the filament cooling experienced immediately after it leaves the nozzle.
Bottom line: the adjustment you would want to make is not to increase the temp, but increase the duty cycle of the heating element to maintain the desired temperature.
# Answer
> 1 votes
No there is no rule of thumb as far as I know and no, it's not obvious for someone with skills in thermodynamics.
I know that if you want extreme speeds you need extreme overtemperatures, for example Annex Engineering uses ABS at 290 °C (about 50-60 °C overtemperature) with a Mosquito Magnum (rated at about 40 mm^3/s) to reach 60 mm^3/s:
Still, you need to find the optimal value based on your hotend, your extruder, your nozzle size and target flow rate. You may do static tests as explained here:
There cannot be a rule for such a complex behaviour.
Also, be aware that Annex Engineering uses 23 000 mm/s^2 (not a typo, really 23 thousand) as acceleration, therefore their printing head moves at basically constant speed. Also, they set the slicer with the same speed for inner/outer perimeters, infill, and so on. If you have more common accelerations like 1500-2000 mm/s^2 and different printing speeds for different features, somewhere the filament will be pushed super fast through the nozzle and everything is good, somewhere else it will slow down and it will overcook.
# Answer
> 0 votes
I see an answer not a question. It's a balancing act and there is no predefined formula. Trial and error. Keep a spread sheet. I'll dwell on this a bit.. but as someone who did speed sprinting there's really nothing else to be said other than buy an e3d and the volcano upgrade.
You will calibrate one at a time. Thin wall. Then find solid infill is the true thermal barrier. Then sparse. You will tweak with layerheights. Get thicker nozzles 0.8+. It's a game of spinning plates. Each change will wack out another.
Last you will get to where I did. You move so fast 5 layers down your print is still molten and moving. Especially on small parts.
---
Tags: filament, calibration, hotend, heat-management
---
|
thread-15592
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15592
|
Wrong calculation of E-parameter values
|
2021-02-09T14:35:40.067
|
# Question
Title: Wrong calculation of E-parameter values
Hello dear Community,
I am trying to print my first Box and I have a problem with the skin of the bottom layers. After finishing the slicing and while looking into the generated G-code I was wondering why Slic3r increases the E-parameter continuously when 90 % of the lines have the same length and the axis have the same speed. Logically as long as the length of the lines are equal and the speed of the axis is also fixed so the amount of extraction has to be in this case also fix but that is unfortunately not the case. Therefore as you can see in the Result photo, that the printer prints the skin layer at the beginning in the right way with the right amount of extruded material. At the end of the skin layer, it seemed very bad because of the huge amount of extruded material.
Some Infos about my Printer may be interesting for you : Nozzle diameter = 2.7 mm Type of Filament= granules Diameter of filament = 2.5 mm
Please let me know your suggestions and feedbacks.
# Answer
The value you see is the **cumulative** extrusion, in other words the `E` value in consecutive G-code commands reflect a position of the filament since you started that print.
It is normal that it continuously increases in "absolute" mode.
You should see, at the beginning of the G-code, also a `M82` or `G90` command, which means "absolute extrusion". And you should avoid having `M83` or `G91` later in G-code, which would change an interpretation of `E` values to "relative extrusion".
It is more accurate than relative extrusion (which is the mode you are thinking about).
From your print it looks like the printing bed is not properly tuned, probably too far.
Also, it is difficult to see properly, but it looks like you get bubbles in the second part of the print, which are the reason there is an increase of extrusion: hot air pushes too much filament out.
Maybe your granules are not properly dry. It is difficult to tell you more, pellet extruders are more difficult to tune than filament extruders.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: 3d-models, slic3r
---
|
thread-15588
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15588
|
Delaminating in the middle area of photon printer
|
2021-02-09T01:57:01.227
|
# Question
Title: Delaminating in the middle area of photon printer
I've been getting delaminating and other issues in the middle area of my Anycubic photon printer.
Sometimes the print won't stick to the print bed and sometimes it delaminates like in the images below, but I'm only seeing issues in the middle of the printer. Anything along the edges of the print area prints without issue.
* I've tested the screen, it seems to work. No dead areas.
* I've tried multiple different prints (I only have issues in the middle area).
* The problem usually is early in the print but the size of the print does not seem to matter.
* The print bed does not appear to be warped.
* FEP tensioned using the Tuning method.
The prints can be seen attracted to the print bed here. The part of it that is facing each other is where there were issues.
Delamation example (both prints had the same issues)
Settings used:
* **Resin:** Elegoo ABS-Like Grey
* **Layer thickness:** 50 µm
* **Bottom layers exposure time:** 100 s
* **Number of bottom layers:** 10
* **Normal layer exposure time:** 11 s
# Answer
The print you do is a sealed cup in the position it sits directly on the build plate. As a result, there is a column of resin in the cup as you print and at some point, the weakest spot delaminates, the air gets into the column and drains.
Take the print and either angle it by a few degrees so the hole in the top becomes a vent or add a tiny extra vent-hole.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: resin, uv-printer, delamination
---
|
thread-14360
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/14360
|
Ender 3 V2 upgrades and addons
|
2020-09-02T03:10:08.280
|
# Question
Title: Ender 3 V2 upgrades and addons
I am very new to 3D printing. I am looking to purchase the Ender 3 V2 but before I do I would appreciate some advice on what I should purchase as the upgrades/addons for it. I'm not sure as to what I would need for the V2 since most websites are for the original Ender 3 so I don't know if the V2 already has that upgrade/addons or not when compared to the original. I would rather get all the upgrades/addons and the Ender 3 V2 at the same to save on shipping and all.
Pretty much the only upgrade/addons I have constantly seen is the auto bed level.
So if anyone can help out a first time 3D printer noob then that would be great!
# Answer
> 1 votes
I have also been looking at getting into 3D printing and purchasing the Ender-3 V2.
In my research, the biggest differences between the original and V2 are the following:
* Tempered carborundum glass bed
* HD color screen instead of the old LCD character display
* Upgraded, 32-bit, self-developed, “silent” motherboard
* Capability to resume a print after a power outage
* XY-axis tensioner
* Manual filament feeding
* Toolbox embedded in the base of the printer
For more info, you can see more at all3dp and Creality's sites.
Next, there are several YouTube vids on upgrades/add-ons that you can do:
There are several add-ons you can print yourself once you get your printer (some are not specific to the Ender 3 V2). Of course, you will have to decide which of these you are looking to add. Here are just a few:
I would suggest, as others have, get the printer first and take it for a "test drive" first. Once you have seen its capabilities and if, again IF, anything needs to be fixed/upgraded/updated, then do what your budget allows. And by all means, do extensive research, ask questions on forums and here, and most of all have fun!
(Sorry, I don't have enough reputation to create more links.)
# Answer
> 5 votes
IMHO, it's probably better to get the printer as-is first. This way you can get familiar with the printer and 3D printing in general before you get overwhelmed with all the extra introduced variables from your upgrades.
The new model already has loads of features that were considered upgrades on the older model and you can already get very nice results.
Upgrading your printer is a part of the 3D printing hobby, and you'll probably never be done with it :)
# Answer
> 2 votes
The first things I purchased for my V2 within the first week of having it were the magnetic flexible print bed as the prints were a pain in the butt to remove from the glass, and the aluminum extruder upgrade. I didn't do the dual gear drive because honestly I didn't pay attention at the time. however, the aluminum set is more positive in feel when feeding compared to the plastic that comes stock. I just felt like I'd break the arm if I tried harder than I should whereas having the aluminum arm feels better to me. Beyond that, maybe the BLTouch leveling sensor so you can set everything right more easily than using a piece of paper, but that's really all I can suggest for now. I've been using mine quite a bit lately and have enjoyed it as is. I realize this post is over a couple months old, but I just saw it and thought I'd contribute if you haven't already made your purchase(s).
# Answer
> 0 votes
I have an Ender 3 v2 and I haven't upgraded anything except updating the firmware. The first thing I suggest is updating the firmware and changing the hotend to an all-metal one. This will allow you to print in higher temperatures and adding a BLTouch for automatic bed leveling will make your life a bit easier.
# Answer
> 0 votes
Agree with the approach of using the V2 as is. Review some of the YouTube videos on initial setup and calibration. Identify the type of printing you'll doing and identify where it's coming up short of expectations. That will be the driver of what upgrades you'll want to start with.
Upgrades I've done to date:
BLTouch Bed Springs (should have gone with spacers with the BLTouch) Borosilicate glass print bed (OEM tempered glass bed was cupped in the middle) Bowden tube (Lower friction) X-axis belt (original shredded) All fans for added reliability Filament guide
Between the calibration and the above updates, I'm consistently printing dimensionally accurate parts. But your situation may vary as quality and tolerances in economy parts varies. Highly recommend the V2 though as the out of the box prints were far better than draft quality.
# Answer
> 0 votes
As per my information, you don't need to upgrade your 3D printer but some of the following steps keep in mind to have your Ender 3 print better:
1. Level the bed.
2. Set the nozzle height.
3. Try different Build Plates for different effects.
4. Keep it on the sweet spot for your bed temperature.
5. Printer adjustment and maintenance are kept on priority.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3
---
|
thread-15596
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15596
|
Standard Settings for AnyCubic Printers?
|
2021-02-09T16:04:55.333
|
# Question
Title: Standard Settings for AnyCubic Printers?
Does anyone know where I can find a list of recommended settings for different types of resin / print objects for Anycubic printers?
I realize that some of the details will need to be tweaked on a case-by-case basis, but having some general starter information (exposure times for first 6 lines + rest of the print, step settings based on type of print, etc) would certainly be better than starting "cold".
It seems like this information should be gathered somewhere, either for ALL printers, or separate ones for each type of printer.
# Answer
> 1 votes
Times are not dependant on the *printer* but the *resin*. Please look at the resin's label, which should have recommended settings.
---
Tags: software, resin, sla, hardware
---
|
thread-15590
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15590
|
Layershifting near windows
|
2021-02-09T09:43:12.287
|
# Question
Title: Layershifting near windows
I just got my Ender 3 V2 a few days ago. I have started designing a simple local church but the surface of the print is not what I was expecting.
The main issue is layers not being exactly on top of each other near openings(windows). (Red circles in the attached image). Is this setting related or do I need to change my model?
For the blue circle, it is not a nice and flat surface. It happens in this location in every print of the church. You can see it in the background as well.
Can anyone give me some tips on how to improve these issues?
# Answer
That's a **retraction** issue, not layer shift.
Your nozzle *starts* printing a new line in those areas but doesn't extrude enough plastic at the first moments, resulting in a weak line.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, layer-shifting
---
|
thread-15597
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15597
|
Ultimaker Cura 4.8 / How to specify bed (Print) Area?
|
2021-02-09T16:45:30.963
|
# Question
Title: Ultimaker Cura 4.8 / How to specify bed (Print) Area?
Repetier-host has a setting to specify the "print area". That's roughly the size of the bed.
Note that the printer head can go out of those bounds, in my case my bed is very undersized compared to the printer frame, but this would also be an issue if you had clips or some obstacles in the bed.
Is there a similar setting in Cura where I can specify the "print area"/"bed size"/"margins" to be different from the printer width/depth?
Thanks.
**Repetier host settings:**
# Answer
> 3 votes
The print area settings would be in the Preferences \> Printers. Select the particular printer on the left side pane, then click the "Machine Settings" button.
You will need to set a printing offset (`M206`) in Marlin: via **Start G-code** in Cura, or any other suitable way (LCD configuration, configuration files, etc.).
# Answer
> 1 votes
I am not sure this is the "official" solution for this, but I was able to define the "disallowed areas" in a custom printer definition.
I created a json file under C:\Program Files\Ultimaker Cura 4.8.0\resources\definitions for the printer, and added the machine\_disallowed\_areas section to "overrides".
```
"machine_disallowed_areas": {
"default_value": [
[ [ -97.5, 90],[97.5,90] , [97.5,80] ,[-97.5,80] ] ,
[ [ -97.5, -57],[97.5,-57] , [97.5,-90] ,[-97.5,-90] ] ,
[ [ -97.5, -90], [-49.5, -90], [-49.5,90 ] ,[-97.5, 90] ],
[ [ 64.5, 90], [64.5, -90], [97.5, -90], [97.5,90 ] ]
]
}
```
---
Tags: ultimaker-cura, heated-bed
---
|
thread-15606
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15606
|
How do filament properties change after printing? (In relation to water absorbtion)
|
2021-02-09T23:44:54.657
|
# Question
Title: How do filament properties change after printing? (In relation to water absorbtion)
I have PLA and PETG filament.
I hear that 3D filament absorbs water and causes problems when printing but after printing they can be used with water and they are water proof.
So my question is why is it different after printing/what has changed to make it now waterproof?
* Is PETG waterproof or does it absorb water?
* Is there a limit on how much water PETG can absorb or will it keep going until it splits and turns to mush?
# Answer
The properties of the maternal are not what changes after you print. It is how you use the material. PLA and ABS prints aren't usually subject to +100 °C after printing.
When PLA absorbs moisture it becomes brittle. PLA filament will break when trying to print. Your PLA print may be thick enough so that brittle doesn't cause a problem. However, this can be a problem if you intend your PLA print to be flexible.
The main issue with PETG absorbing moisture is the water changing to steam in the extruder. PETG becomes soft and will distort with force applied at +100 °C; so generally moisture isn't a issue with PETG prints, due to application.
PLA and PETG absorb moisture, but do not dissolve in water. Usually what a person means by waterproofing is water won't seep through the layers of the material and leak out of a container. Note: most glass will absorb small amounts of moisture, but are still waterproof.
If one wants a hermetic seal this is a similar issue. One person printing hermetic prints said thicker layers make it easier to be hermetic. Thicker layers also tend to make the printer stronger, but can also give less detail in the print.
> 1 votes
# Answer
Filament that absorbs water prior to printing is subject to boiling temperatures as it passes through the heater block. In extreme cases, steam will be visible and a spitting sound will be heard. The filament will expand as the water exits, causing multiple structural and printing problems.
Once printed, dry filament may absorb water from the atmosphere, but is unlikely to be subject to boiling temperatures.
Waterproofing as a general consideration usually means the ability to keep water out, which is possible if the model is sealed and some printing conditions will adhere each layer well enough to the previous one to provide floating-type waterproofing.
PETG is hydroscopic, which means it will absorb moisture from the air. When printed properly (layer adhesion), the model can be waterproof.
These terms are independent and should not be used interchangeably.
> 3 votes
# Answer
Let's distinguish first three things:
* Hygroscopic behavior. The ability of a substance to absorb water. Salt is very Hygroscopic.
* Watertight open-shell. A boat is watertight against water from below. But you can pour water into it. Putting a lid on seals such a body somewhat, but the gap allows water to seep in.
* Watertight closed-shell. A sphere is water tight against water from all sides. You can not pour water into it, no lid needed.
Now, hygroscopic behavior of filament has can create a huge hazzle when printing: Waterlogged filament creates lots of problems, like spazzing, steam, foaming and others. This *can* result in a watertight designed print being printed in a *gappy* fashion or result in lack of strength or many other results.
Watertightness of a shell - open or closed - is primarily a result of the design and well fused lines. In my experience, 2 shells can be watertight, 3 shells upwards is almost always watertight. The main problems are with tops, where I experienced that the minimum tops and bottom layers need to be 4, better even 5. But this is dependant on your print quality - and you might need more or less dependant on your settings.
Under stress, like in an RC boat hitting into waves, the inter-layer bonds are the ones that would break first, breaking the shell likewise. To strengthen both the shell and ensure water tightness, polymer lacquers like acrylic paint, guitar lacquer or even epoxy resin (2-component epoxy resin is a very common glue) have been used successfully to create much strengthened and polished surfaces in RC projects. But you don't need to go through these steps unless you really want to.
After printing, a hygroscopic filament still undergoes the same processes and might undergo strength shifts. Sintered-Nylon for example might become heavier and softer if waterlogged. Such material also can't be frozen, the contained water can destroy the print.
For a bath-plug, I just would print the item as a "solid" body from TPU - TPU is after all the opposite of Hygroscopic: it's Hydrophobic. The next best "easy" material is ABS (as you can seal the surface using a little acetone vapor and can withstand 80 °C water for some time without deforming), then PLA (it's barely hygroscopic, but does not like hot water), and likewise PETG will do for some time, possibly better with the heat. Unless you put it in a freezer, it will keep the water in the tub long enough to take a bath.
> 2 votes
---
Tags: filament, print-material, water-resistance
---
|
thread-15619
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15619
|
Do printer controllers take inertia into account when interpreting G-code into movement instructions?
|
2021-02-11T13:23:54.200
|
# Question
Title: Do printer controllers take inertia into account when interpreting G-code into movement instructions?
I've never built a 3D printer before, but I understand dynamical systems and control theory, and I imagine a lot of the distortion/inaccuracy that happens during the FDM process (especially at high speeds) is due to position inaccuracies because of inertia. For example, a heavy print head moving fast enough might overshoot its position target if the system expects it to stop instantly. Does any existing 3D printer controller software try to measure the mass of the print head/movement assembly and then use that to come up with better movement instructions?
To speculate a bit: This additional accuracy might not be useful with many normal stepper-driven printers because they lack resolution and/or control, but I think in some cases it would. I imagine with enough positional accuracy and acceleration control you could model the print head position with a dynamical system and get extremely precise movement right up to the mechanical limits of the system.
Am I wrong that inertia has a large effect? Would this be theoretically impossible for some reason I'm not thinking about?
# Answer
> 2 votes
Stepper motors "want" to keep their position as they are told to by the firmware, therefore they do whatever it's needed (accelerate and brake) to follow the orders they received.
The question is: is the firmware telling them to move/accelerate/brake faster/harder than they can? if yes, they won't keep up (because of inertia and much more) so you'll see artefacts. If not, they will follow the orders exactly (well, mostly, but it's not important now) and no distortions will be there.
Whether they keep up or not is up to you: you are setting their power (the motor current) and you are telling them how fast/hard to move/accelerate/brake. If you push them too much, the motors will try... and fail to keep up. That's why you have max acceleration, speed, jerk in the firmware and in the slicer.
Additional info: even if the motors keep the position as they are told to, the motors have no knowledge of anything past them: belts, leadscrews, and so on.
Imagine the X axis belt (which connects the motor to the printing head) is made of an elastic band: the motors will be where you order them to be, but the inertia of the printing head will stretch the elastic band and the printing head will NOT be where you expect it to be.
It is again up to you to reduce the max acceleration to a value below what the motors could be able to do, if needed. Motors are often not pushed to their limit also because other factors cause issues before the motors fail.
How to know how much to limit the acceleration and speed? the only way is trying.
# Answer
> 0 votes
# Inertia is not what you think it is
Inertia is technically speaking something that in physics is not what you commonly understand under the term. There is no mysterious "Inertia Force" that slows your actions on a setup. Inertia is not what makes you overshoot a print's endpoint.
Inertia is just the principle *why* you need to *break* (negative acceleration) before you reach the endpoint of travel and how much you need to and *how fast you can step on the break* (jerk).
## Recap on Newtonian Motion Mechanics
Inertia is the fact that an item that is under movement and does not get acted upon just does nothing, as Newton's first law prescribes. That your applied force only takes effect on a body over time (the *common* thing understood under inertia) follows directly from the description of the 2nd Law of Newtonian Mechanics:
> Mutationem motus proportionalem esse vi motrici impressae, et fieri secundum lineam rectam qua vis illa imprimitur.
> The alteration of motion is ever proportional to the motive force impressed; and is made in the direction of the right line in which that force is impressed.
$$F=\frac{d}{dt} (m\times v)$$
The **F**orce onto a body is the change over time($\frac{d}{dt}$) of **m**ass and **v**elocity. In the classics physical case with constant mass, this becomes the much more well known formulation: $$F=m\times \frac{d}{dt} v=m\times\dot v=m\times a$$
Now, we have an item of known mass and a known initial velocity $v\_0$. The speed of the item at any moment is thus $$v(t)=v\_0-(\frac F m\times t)=v\_0-(a\times t)$$
### Momentum
Another thing that is often mingled into the therm inertia is actually the momentum of an item. It follows directly from the newton text: the force is proportional to the change of momentum. $$F=\frac{d}{dt}p=\frac{d}{dt}(m\times v)$$$$p=m\times v$$ Momentum can be best understood as an amount of "energy" (it's not, energy is $E\_\text{kin}=m\times v^2$)
# The *principle of inertia* is looked at in the slicer
Most slicers set a *maximum acceleration* for machines and *jerk* for machines. These values are decided based on the mass of the printhead: Maximum acceleration times the mass of the printhead is the maximum force. Jerk is the derivate of acceleration over time, so it flows into motion mechanics back as $F(t)=m\times j\times t$. So choosing the Jerk and Max-acceleration does include information about the mass of the printhead, without expressly stating it.
One *could* write the code in reverse and decide on a maximum allowable **Force** and include the mass of the printhead, resulting in automatically calculated settings for the maximum allowable 2nd and 3rd derivate of the position, acceleration and jerk.
# Printer control boards just throttle
Likewise, printer control boards just throttle acceleration and jerk to a value in their firmware. They don't need to know the mass of the printhead if they put maximum values on both, and those account for the behavior wanted.
There is no accuracy to be gained from doing the calculation the other way around in the firmware: Even knowing the mass and some allowable force would not get you any way closer but spend quite some code on a function that is called for a few static values.
What is more influential, the acceleration and jerk settings are very heavily influenced by how your printhead is mounted, not just the mass of the printhead: Do you have a feather mounted on linear rails and moved with a screw? Or do we have a kilo chunk of lead mounted on a cross of 2 mm aluminium rod rails, pulled with a super soft rubber twist?
---
Tags: print-quality, g-code, stepper-driver, motor, speed
---
|
thread-15628
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15628
|
OctoPi command v412-ctl not found
|
2021-02-12T13:45:56.147
|
# Question
Title: OctoPi command v412-ctl not found
I try to set up the focus of my Logitech C920 in OctoPi. I follow several guides, which all propose to set the command `sudo v412-ctl --set-ctrl=focus_auto=0` by SSH'ing OctoPrint. I always receive the answer in SSH, that `v412-ctl command not found`. What's wrong?
# Answer
It's an `l` (ell) not a `1` (one). `v4l2-ctl`.
> 3 votes
---
Tags: octoprint
---
|
thread-15571
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15571
|
Z-Axis on i3 clone won't move at all, Melzi A4982 driver problem
|
2021-02-06T17:23:59.977
|
# Question
Title: Z-Axis on i3 clone won't move at all, Melzi A4982 driver problem
I'm setting up a replacement Melzi 2.0 board from TRONXY for my i3 clone (a Monoprice Maker Select v2 for those curious), which according to the RepRap wiki has A4982 drivers for all the steppers. I'm attempting to configure Marlin 2.0.x for this printer and this is the last big problem I'm encountering.
The problem: The Z-axis (or any motors connected to the Z-axis driver) won't budge no matter what I try. All my other steppers work fine.
What I've tried: I've done everything I can to prompt the Z-axis to move, from Gcode commands to homing via the LCD and Pronterface. I've connected my X-axis motor to the Z-axis driver and it won't move either. Sometimes, when I send a command for them to move, they'll make a small noise - like they're getting power - but won't move. I probed the motor connectors at the board and received nothing but a few stray millivolts here and there, very different from the several volts on my Y-axis motor when I did the same thing. Bear in mind, that was just one test moving them from the LCD, and this time they did not make any noise or attempt to move. I have switched pin definitions in the firmware for X/Z ENABLE/STEP/DIR and the Z driver once again appeared to be the culprit, keeping the Z-axis planted even if it was being controlled as if it were the X-axis.
What I think the problem could be: To me, this seems like a software problem. I'm configuring Marlin for my first time and I think I messed something up somewhere. Could it be a problem with the trim pots, motor currents, motor enabling, or something else? Outside of that, maybe the driver is just dead?
My Marlin 2.0.x config.h for reference:
```
// These are all excerpts from various parts of Configuration.h
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT { 80, 80, 400, 500 }
#define DEFAULT_MAX_FEEDRATE { 300, 300, 4, 25 }
#define DEFAULT_MAX_ACCELERATION { 3000, 3000, 100, 10000 }
#define DEFAULT_ACCELERATION 2800 // X, Y, Z and E acceleration for printing moves
#define DEFAULT_RETRACT_ACCELERATION 2800 // E acceleration for retracts
#define DEFAULT_TRAVEL_ACCELERATION 2800 // X, Y, Z acceleration for travel (non printing) moves
//#define CLASSIC_JERK //left at default
// :{ 0:'Low', 1:'High' }
#define X_ENABLE_ON 0
#define Y_ENABLE_ON 0
#define Z_ENABLE_ON 0
#define E_ENABLE_ON 0 // For all extruders
#define DISABLE_X false
#define DISABLE_Y false
#define DISABLE_Z false
#define INVERT_X_DIR false
#define INVERT_Y_DIR false
#define INVERT_Z_DIR false
#define X_HOME_DIR -1
#define Y_HOME_DIR -1
#define Z_HOME_DIR -1
#define X_MIN_POS 0
#define Y_MIN_POS 0
#define Z_MIN_POS 0
#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE
#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE
#define Z_MAX_POS 150
#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS
#if ENABLED(MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS)
#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_X
#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Y
//#define MIN_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Z //disabled until the driver works correctly
#endif
#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS
#if ENABLED(MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOPS)
#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_X
#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Y
//#define MAX_SOFTWARE_ENDSTOP_Z
#endif
//#define Z_SAFE_HOMING
#if ENABLED(Z_SAFE_HOMING)
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_X_POINT X_CENTER // X point for Z homing
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_Y_POINT Y_CENTER // Y point for Z homing
#endif
// Homing speeds (mm/min)
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_XY (50*50) //changed from 3000 to 2500
#define HOMING_FEEDRATE_Z (4*60)
// Validate that endstops are triggered on homing moves
#define VALIDATE_HOMING_ENDSTOPS
// Sorry if that was a bit much, I tried to include all the settings that could
// potentially have an effect on the Z motion.
```
I genuinely have no idea where to even look to solve this problem, so any guidance or advice would be hugely appreciated!! Thanks!
My conclusion is that the driver chip itself is dead and replacing it ought to fix the problem. If this works, I will post an answer to this question.
# Answer
I've replaced the Z-axis stepper driver with an off-board Pololu-style A4988 driver by soldering leads to pins 2 and 3 on the Melzi board, then connecting those to the driver on a separate board. The Z-axis now moves correctly. When I encountered issues with the step pin (pin 3), I connected it to pin 12 (bed heater) instead, leaving the bed to be heated manually. This has worked so far and the only problems I've encountered were minor issues with electrical noise, which I was able to fix with a shielded cable.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, z-axis, stepper-driver, melzi
---
|
thread-15624
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15624
|
Z-step pulses too short (Marlin 2.0.x)
|
2021-02-12T00:05:54.710
|
# Question
Title: Z-step pulses too short (Marlin 2.0.x)
I was replacing a stepper driver on my Melzi 2.0 board with a A4988 Pololu module and for some reason, it won't cooperate with Marlin.
For reference, I'm using a Melzi 2.0 TRONXY with a ZONESTAR-style 5-button LCD. This LCD may be related to my problem. I'm using a custom configuration of Marlin 2.0.x since I replaced the main board and it's been giving me a lot of problems.
When testing the printer with an Arduino sketch, the Z-axis moves flawlessly. However, when I uploaded my Marlin configuration, the printer once again refused to move. Upon probing the Step and Direction pins with my oscilloscope, I found what I think is the problem. I was giving step commands from the LCD and from Pronterface when I saw this on the Z-Step pin:
Apologies for the blurry picture. The timescale is 20 μs/square and the voltage is 1V/square. What I'm supposed to see is a series of discrete 5 V pulses that tell the stepper to move, but what I got was a handful of tiny ~5 μs blips instead.
What I've taken this to mean is that the pin (digital 3, for those curious) is being set to pulse by the step request, but is being reset by something else. Everything points to the firmware as far as I can tell. Again, I've confirmed that the 1284p, the A4988, and the motor itself all work when programmed correctly with an Arduino sketch. I've also tried swapping the pin definitions for Step and Direction (switched `2` and `3`), but I had the same problem.
A possible cause for this I think could be my LCD: It requires the user to define an analog pin for reading the buttons (a quirk of the LCD design). In my pins\_MELZI\_TRONXY.h and pins\_SANGUINOLOLU\_11.h files, Marlin defaults to using `#define ADC_KEYPAD_PIN 1` (analog pin 1) with the `ZONESTAR_LCD` selected. On the 1284p, pin 3 (the Z-Step pin) is also listed as `AIN1`. On the PCB layout for the Melzi 2.0, this pin isn't connected to the 10-pin LCD header. The pin the LCD is actually using is the `A1` header pin, which goes to `PA1`/`ADC1` on the 1284p. But perhaps this definition has caused some confusion in the firmware?
To be clear, the relevant parts of my firmware look like this:
```
#define ADC_KEYPAD_PIN 1
//from pins_SANGUINOLOLU_11.h, which is - as far as I know - the only place this is defined.
#define LCD_PINS_RS 28 //RS 28
#define LCD_PINS_ENABLE 29 //EN 29
#define LCD_PINS_D4 10 //D4 -> RX1 -> 10
#define LCD_PINS_D5 11 //D5 -> TX1 -> 11
#define LCD_PINS_D6 16 //D6 -> SCL -> 16
#define LCD_PINS_D7 17 //D7 -> SDA -> 17
//the rest of the LCD pin definitions from pins_MELZI_TRONXY.h
#define Z_STEP_PIN 3
#define Z_DIR_PIN 2
//my Z-stepper settings from pins_SANGUINOLOLU_11.h, which I'm pretty sure is normal for all Melzi boards
```
If anyone can provide any insight into this, it would be hugely appreciated! I'm very new to 3D printer configuration and repair, so I'll gladly take any help you can provide!
# Answer
By avoiding pin 3 entirely, the Z-axis steppers have started to move correctly. My bed heater went out a while ago, so I redefined the connections in Marlin to use that pin (pin 12) as the Z-step pin, connecting it to the A4988 accordingly. This has caused no issues other than small noise problems so far. Unfortunately, I can't speak to any potential issues pin 3 may have had to cause this behavior, all I have is this one potential solution.
> 1 votes
---
Tags: marlin, z-axis, stepper-driver, lcd-screen
---
|
thread-15641
|
https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/15641
|
Is there a well-tested Ender 3 printer profile for PrusaSlicer available for download?
|
2021-02-13T21:09:29.593
|
# Question
Title: Is there a well-tested Ender 3 printer profile for PrusaSlicer available for download?
I am very comfortable with using PrusaSlicer and having a hard time adapting Cura.
Is there any downloadable well-tested PrusaSlicer profile for some of the Creality printers?
# Answer
> 6 votes
Open PrusaSlicer, go to Configuration -\> Configuration wizard, then go to page named "Other Vendors", tick the checkbox next to the name "Creality", then click "Next" at the bottom right of the window. A page with a handful of Creality printers should appear including Ender 3. Tick the checkbox under Creality Ender 3. Then click "Finish" at the bottom right. The profile should appear in the selection.
It imports various print settings (from 0.3 mm to 0.08 mm I believe) as well as some basic material presets. You can import more materials by just going to the "Filaments" page in the Configuration wizard and ticking the desired options.
The profiles are tested by PrusaResearch themselves I believe and I think they are based on other profiles found online with some tweaks and adjustments to better fit to PrusaSlicer.
I am using PrusaSlicer 2.3.0
Here is an image, what it should look like. Your colors might be different, I asume you are using Windows, wheras I am using Linux Mint.
---
Tags: creality-ender-3, slic3r, prusaslicer
---
|
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