I am likely getting the Prusa Mk3S this week. Getting it used from a guy I know at the hackerspace, so a sorta good deal on it. He's put some hours on, but also just upgraded it from a 3 to a 3S.
I'll likely give it a once over and then see how it prints.
And here's my brand new BondTech upgrade. This has actual dual drive, ie gears on both sides that grip and move the filament, unlike the single driven gear and then an idler on the stock extruder.
Started a print of the gopher model just now to see how this changes things.
This Amazon Basics filament is doing shit I haven't seen on other brands. This is the third try at printing this piece. The first two had the filament start lifting, so here I ended up with a 20mm brim on the raft hoping it wouldn't lift all the way to the actual print.
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Mr_Rose83 Blue Ridge Protects the HolyRegistered Userregular
Looks like it’s contracting too much as it cools (or, rather, it expands a lot when heated) which is not good.
Amazon basics stuff is basically "We have no problem eating the cost on this when someone wants a refund" they're the cheapest of cheap products, not something actually recommended by amazon so keep that in mind for other products too.
If I was doing cheap filament I'd probably stick to monoprice or something.
not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
So far I've been running the heated bed at 60 degrees for all prints. Turns out that the Amazon Basic filament lists a range of 40-55 degrees for the bed.
Set it to 50 degrees and started a print without a raft, and so far it's sticking perfectly.
Traveling over the weekend has delayed me playing with the new printer.
I also failed to take some measurements properly for my new workbench, so I'm having to re-evaluate my life my plan.
I also need to pick up some filament. Not sure what I have planned. I think I'm leaning towards the Matter Hackers PLA but open to be swayed if anyone has other suggestions.
Traveling over the weekend has delayed me playing with the new printer.
I also failed to take some measurements properly for my new workbench, so I'm having to re-evaluate my life my plan.
I also need to pick up some filament. Not sure what I have planned. I think I'm leaning towards the Matter Hackers PLA but open to be swayed if anyone has other suggestions.
In terms of budget PLA hatchbox (assuming you get a non-knockoff) is almost always a solid bet as with any filament make sure the vacuum packing is sealed and not compromised in any form (this goes massively tenfold if you ever go to PETG). Beyond hatchbox which is my default recommendation eSun PLA+/PLA Pro is (when it's a good roll that isn't old) great provided it isn't some fancy colour, Solutech is decent but I'd place it behind hatchbox as it can behave in a very non-PLA way, stepping up in price ProtoPasta and Prusa are both excellent but you'll be paying a bit more per spool.
I need some help. I have a Maker Select printer, a couple of years old. I get issues here and there, but nothing seriously wrong that couldn't be fixed with some troubleshooting, except in the last year or so.
No matter what I seem to do, tweak, or replace, my printer keeps jamming mid print(head keeps moving, it stops extruding and wont again until I clear it). Depending on the file, it always jams in the relative same place per individual file(Printing is precise enough that I dont want to say exact same place, but its pretty much the exact same place). Except there are some files that print perfectly fine.
When I go to clear the jam, there's grind wear on the filament, I don't think this is due to heat creep, as the fan is on 100% the whole time, I think the grinding is occurring because of the jam, not causing the jam. But I could be wrong if someone knows something I don't. I was printing at 210, but have seen where I can get away with 190 so I have tried lowering the temperature to no effect. More on this below.
Current list of things I have tried:
is it the models? I've tried different models, and I've found like 3 models in a 4 model set that print perfectly, with the 4th failing each time, and its very similar to another model in the set. One of the files I've printed multiple times successfully. I've tried large and small prints to different results like this as well is octoprint fucking everything up for everyone? I tried printing from the SD card and got the exact same kind of jaming results is it the default IIP software? I've switched to using CURA, and the printer just fails at different points but still jams. Switching out the filament (Is the filament bad quality and causing jams?) I have had no effect between 3 different spools, and 1-2 of the spools had no issue until now. brand new spool months later was the third one I tried. All hatchbox. Switched out the thermistor: I've actually done this twice now as I had wiring issues with a previous one and a non related issue. Temps reported seem to be accurate and maintaining properly Switched out the heating cylinder: had a wire rip out of it, I originally thought maybe the heater was just turning off mid print when the wire bent a certain way. Replaced the nozzle I'd been using one for like 2 years and it seemed like a cheap easy replacement so I went for it. When I removed the old one it looked pretty clean and clear. Replaced the PTFE tube I measured this out by lining the old tube up against a length of the new tube and attempted to cut it as straight as I could. Gotten a glass bed my build plate was getting really warped and hard to balance. It was causing some compression on a specific area. I was worried it might have been the culprit and could explain why some models printed ok if it avoided that area. Didn't seem to be the case though. Changing the tempeture when printing: I've tried from 190-210 for printing. On one model I've been trying to print, it changed where the print failed. at cooler printing temps, like 190 or so, it would fail quicker. Is it heat creep? The fan runs 100% the whole print as far as I can tell, when the fan is disconnected the whole rig heats up pretty well so it seems to be doing its job. cleaned the extruder gear it definitely had some wear and gunk on it, cleaned it off and put it back on. Gunk to me would indicate heat creep, but it was so little for what has been many failed prints at that point. I'd expect some sort of build up if it was tearing filament off the line instead of pushing it. I dont think this explains why some longer prints would be able to finish either.
To clear the jam, I disassemble the print head, cut the filament above the heater block, heat it to 190-210, and use an Allen key to push the remaining filament though, sometimes requiring a bit of force. it can't go all the way through the end of the nozzle, but when clear, I can hear it hit the metal in the nozzle. Sometimes midclear when I pull the tool out, it has a glob of filament on it, but it doesn't look like something that would actually plug a hole, just melted filament. I've attempted cold pulls with the tool and filament, but havent pulled anything out with it.
My next step is to disassemble the hot end and check out the (new) nozzle and (new) PTFE tube? I'm kind of at a loss at how this is happening. All I can think is that theres something lodged in there that melts in heat to settle into place to get hardened as a blockage, then when I 'clear' jams its just pushing it out of the way instead of through.
Any thoughts? I've put >50$ into this printer for this issue now and I am going to be bummed if I need to get a new one. If I can get this thing working again its well worth the expenditure. It's also been a super solid printer for the price I got it for and has lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. I think it's at like 50 days worth of printing if that says anything about wear/tear.
DiannaoChong on
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Casually HardcoreOnce an Asshole. Trying to be better.Registered Userregular
edited May 2019
After sitting on the BLTouch for months, I've installed it and I wished it was the first thing I've done. Leveling the bed was always the biggest PITA thing in the world for me, no matter what kind of paper I used or whatever.
Now? I just start it, watch it build the brim, adjust the offset if needed, and walk away.
Ran my first print. I think I need to figure out supports better as there were a few sections I'm not super pleased with. I mean, the piece ran and its usable, just some aesthetic issues that will really only matter if I make them for someone else.
Decided not to take it easy and start prints out small and went with this thing. Around 18 hours of printing.
Expect print times to DRASTICALLY go up when using this, not recommended for small everyday prints and rather only for important stuff you need to look good.
Going from a quick 45 minute print to nearly four hours for a slightly nicer finish isn't worth it for most cases.
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Casually HardcoreOnce an Asshole. Trying to be better.Registered Userregular
What are your current settings? My print time stay the same using this....
Woot has an Ender 3 for sale today, $180. It's probably expired by the time you're reading this... I picked one up, as did 2 of my buddies. My first 3D Printer. I was eyeballing the Prusa i3 but at $180 vs $500 I couldn't not bite.
I imagine there are some mods I need to print, looking at a reddit wiki page about it right now. I also probably should order some filament. What's my best bet? Last time I did any looking into the tech the only option was ABS and now there's a billion. Monoprice is probably my best bet initially? I'm seeing some really neato ones on Amazon (all around $20 / 1kg) -- color changing, clear, translucent, glow in the dark, metallics, glittery, even marble and wood.
Am thinking about an Anycubic Photon as well, but with the added issues of Resin printers (I am in a small apartment with poor ventilation) I'm not sure about that one.
Edit: Wow, Monoprice seems to have an Anycubic Photon clone for $200. That might be the way to go, if the print quality is the same.
Woot has an Ender 3 for sale today, $180. It's probably expired by the time you're reading this... I picked one up, as did 2 of my buddies. My first 3D Printer. I was eyeballing the Prusa i3 but at $180 vs $500 I couldn't not bite.
This won't be the first thing you'll print, but I'll print this soon - a case that moves the controller board to the back of the frame, so I can finally fit that little drawer on the front to put stuff in.
Took my Monoprice Seleci Mini V2 apart to replace the hotend thermistor and instead of looking up beforehand what screws held the front panel on just took off most of them. So discovered you don't really NEED the brackets for the Z rod stabilizer rod. But the gantry will wobble visually sometimes! That's a little alarming to see.
Now to fix the bed wiring, but eh, don't need heat in that atm. But really tempted to get a V3 instead of modding this thing like I did the V1...
Finally got it assembled. Printing a shotglass right now -- as is tradition. I think I need to fix some things -- when done printing the head oozes a little string of filament, for one. I think I got the plate level, used a business card and got it so it was a nice middle ground for friction when moving it under the nozzle. I also wish I had a way to test it without doing a real print -- like if there was a way to print a line or circle, just one layer, or something.
I also wish I had a way to test it without doing a real print -- like if there was a way to print a line or circle, just one layer, or something.
Check Thingiverse, there's a bunch of test patterns of various sizes and shapes that's just one layer thick, so you can test that you get an even layer.
I get that oozing when done with the print thing too since I took the hotend apart to fix the thermistor. Not sure why, but get to cut off a little mound of plastic on prints sometimes now.
First successful print? A silencer cap for the little-speaker-that-could on my Ender 3. Because swapping filament at 3 AM was a learning opportunity.
Had a devil of a time leveling the darned thing, but I think I have it. Might need to buy a new build... mat... thing -- the nozzle tapped it in two spots and that uh, wasn't good for it. (My bad. Got confused with righty tighty lefty loosey.)
The PLA I got -- 3d Solutech -- suggests blue painter's tape, actually, I might try that. Would be better than the paper binder clips it came with.
Had a devil of a time leveling the darned thing, but I think I have it. Might need to buy a new build... mat... thing -- the nozzle tapped it in two spots and that uh, wasn't good for it. (My bad. Got confused with righty tighty lefty loosey.)
The other day I discovered that there's actually UP/DOWN direction arrows embossed on the screw knobs on the bed. (At least on the Pro version I have)
Not to mention the fact that it printed mirrored. Seems the pre-assembled bottom frame that had the stepper motors already connected to the board have two motors swapped.
It's perfectly smooth too! It's as if someone just went "No, this is too good, let's take a belt sander to it".
I think that's likely. I'm trying to figure this out and I'd guess they turned it from bar stock starting at the other end, with the threads. Then the cut off tool didn't finish cleanly so the nozzle broke off under it's own weight. What should have been really minor deburring just lead to them sanding off way too much.
It's a weird choice to make the most important part of a nozzle the least controlled but I'm not sure how to do it better without another set up which is money so...
Printed one calibration cube and everything is within 0.5%. Then, of course, I have to print some printer upgrades! I started with an extruder knob - the first two prints were too tight but the third one's the charm.
PETG prints amazingly glossy and nice-looking.
...and now I'm printing some corner covers to put above the stepper motors.
Posts
I'll likely give it a once over and then see how it prints.
And here's my brand new BondTech upgrade. This has actual dual drive, ie gears on both sides that grip and move the filament, unlike the single driven gear and then an idler on the stock extruder.
Started a print of the gopher model just now to see how this changes things.
Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
If I was doing cheap filament I'd probably stick to monoprice or something.
This is basically my default train of thought when I see something broken since I got the printer.
Set it to 50 degrees and started a print without a raft, and so far it's sticking perfectly.
Though luckily I've managed to solve most of my adhesion problems just by switching to a different spool. Some of the filaments I got are crap.
I also failed to take some measurements properly for my new workbench, so I'm having to re-evaluate my life my plan.
I also need to pick up some filament. Not sure what I have planned. I think I'm leaning towards the Matter Hackers PLA but open to be swayed if anyone has other suggestions.
In terms of budget PLA hatchbox (assuming you get a non-knockoff) is almost always a solid bet as with any filament make sure the vacuum packing is sealed and not compromised in any form (this goes massively tenfold if you ever go to PETG). Beyond hatchbox which is my default recommendation eSun PLA+/PLA Pro is (when it's a good roll that isn't old) great provided it isn't some fancy colour, Solutech is decent but I'd place it behind hatchbox as it can behave in a very non-PLA way, stepping up in price ProtoPasta and Prusa are both excellent but you'll be paying a bit more per spool.
No matter what I seem to do, tweak, or replace, my printer keeps jamming mid print(head keeps moving, it stops extruding and wont again until I clear it). Depending on the file, it always jams in the relative same place per individual file(Printing is precise enough that I dont want to say exact same place, but its pretty much the exact same place). Except there are some files that print perfectly fine.
When I go to clear the jam, there's grind wear on the filament, I don't think this is due to heat creep, as the fan is on 100% the whole time, I think the grinding is occurring because of the jam, not causing the jam. But I could be wrong if someone knows something I don't. I was printing at 210, but have seen where I can get away with 190 so I have tried lowering the temperature to no effect. More on this below.
Current list of things I have tried:
is octoprint fucking everything up for everyone? I tried printing from the SD card and got the exact same kind of jaming results
is it the default IIP software? I've switched to using CURA, and the printer just fails at different points but still jams.
Switching out the filament (Is the filament bad quality and causing jams?) I have had no effect between 3 different spools, and 1-2 of the spools had no issue until now. brand new spool months later was the third one I tried. All hatchbox.
Switched out the thermistor: I've actually done this twice now as I had wiring issues with a previous one and a non related issue. Temps reported seem to be accurate and maintaining properly
Switched out the heating cylinder: had a wire rip out of it, I originally thought maybe the heater was just turning off mid print when the wire bent a certain way.
Replaced the nozzle I'd been using one for like 2 years and it seemed like a cheap easy replacement so I went for it. When I removed the old one it looked pretty clean and clear.
Replaced the PTFE tube I measured this out by lining the old tube up against a length of the new tube and attempted to cut it as straight as I could.
Gotten a glass bed my build plate was getting really warped and hard to balance. It was causing some compression on a specific area. I was worried it might have been the culprit and could explain why some models printed ok if it avoided that area. Didn't seem to be the case though.
Changing the tempeture when printing: I've tried from 190-210 for printing. On one model I've been trying to print, it changed where the print failed. at cooler printing temps, like 190 or so, it would fail quicker.
Is it heat creep? The fan runs 100% the whole print as far as I can tell, when the fan is disconnected the whole rig heats up pretty well so it seems to be doing its job.
cleaned the extruder gear it definitely had some wear and gunk on it, cleaned it off and put it back on. Gunk to me would indicate heat creep, but it was so little for what has been many failed prints at that point. I'd expect some sort of build up if it was tearing filament off the line instead of pushing it. I dont think this explains why some longer prints would be able to finish either.
To clear the jam, I disassemble the print head, cut the filament above the heater block, heat it to 190-210, and use an Allen key to push the remaining filament though, sometimes requiring a bit of force. it can't go all the way through the end of the nozzle, but when clear, I can hear it hit the metal in the nozzle. Sometimes midclear when I pull the tool out, it has a glob of filament on it, but it doesn't look like something that would actually plug a hole, just melted filament. I've attempted cold pulls with the tool and filament, but havent pulled anything out with it.
My next step is to disassemble the hot end and check out the (new) nozzle and (new) PTFE tube? I'm kind of at a loss at how this is happening. All I can think is that theres something lodged in there that melts in heat to settle into place to get hardened as a blockage, then when I 'clear' jams its just pushing it out of the way instead of through.
Any thoughts? I've put >50$ into this printer for this issue now and I am going to be bummed if I need to get a new one. If I can get this thing working again its well worth the expenditure. It's also been a super solid printer for the price I got it for and has lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. I think it's at like 50 days worth of printing if that says anything about wear/tear.
Now? I just start it, watch it build the brim, adjust the offset if needed, and walk away.
Decided not to take it easy and start prints out small and went with this thing. Around 18 hours of printing.
Check this out
https://github.com/trouch/CreawsomeMod
Expect print times to DRASTICALLY go up when using this, not recommended for small everyday prints and rather only for important stuff you need to look good.
Going from a quick 45 minute print to nearly four hours for a slightly nicer finish isn't worth it for most cases.
I imagine there are some mods I need to print, looking at a reddit wiki page about it right now. I also probably should order some filament. What's my best bet? Last time I did any looking into the tech the only option was ABS and now there's a billion. Monoprice is probably my best bet initially? I'm seeing some really neato ones on Amazon (all around $20 / 1kg) -- color changing, clear, translucent, glow in the dark, metallics, glittery, even marble and wood.
Am thinking about an Anycubic Photon as well, but with the added issues of Resin printers (I am in a small apartment with poor ventilation) I'm not sure about that one.
Edit: Wow, Monoprice seems to have an Anycubic Photon clone for $200. That might be the way to go, if the print quality is the same.
This won't be the first thing you'll print, but I'll print this soon - a case that moves the controller board to the back of the frame, so I can finally fit that little drawer on the front to put stuff in.
...and it's also more flexible and less brittle than PLA, I suppose.
Took my Monoprice Seleci Mini V2 apart to replace the hotend thermistor and instead of looking up beforehand what screws held the front panel on just took off most of them. So discovered you don't really NEED the brackets for the Z rod stabilizer rod. But the gantry will wobble visually sometimes! That's a little alarming to see.
Now to fix the bed wiring, but eh, don't need heat in that atm. But really tempted to get a V3 instead of modding this thing like I did the V1...
Finally got it assembled. Printing a shotglass right now -- as is tradition. I think I need to fix some things -- when done printing the head oozes a little string of filament, for one. I think I got the plate level, used a business card and got it so it was a nice middle ground for friction when moving it under the nozzle. I also wish I had a way to test it without doing a real print -- like if there was a way to print a line or circle, just one layer, or something.
Check Thingiverse, there's a bunch of test patterns of various sizes and shapes that's just one layer thick, so you can test that you get an even layer.
Had a devil of a time leveling the darned thing, but I think I have it. Might need to buy a new build... mat... thing -- the nozzle tapped it in two spots and that uh, wasn't good for it. (My bad. Got confused with righty tighty lefty loosey.)
The PLA I got -- 3d Solutech -- suggests blue painter's tape, actually, I might try that. Would be better than the paper binder clips it came with.
The other day I discovered that there's actually UP/DOWN direction arrows embossed on the screw knobs on the bed. (At least on the Pro version I have)
Not to mention the fact that it printed mirrored. Seems the pre-assembled bottom frame that had the stepper motors already connected to the board have two motors swapped.
I think that's likely. I'm trying to figure this out and I'd guess they turned it from bar stock starting at the other end, with the threads. Then the cut off tool didn't finish cleanly so the nozzle broke off under it's own weight. What should have been really minor deburring just lead to them sanding off way too much.
It's a weird choice to make the most important part of a nozzle the least controlled but I'm not sure how to do it better without another set up which is money so...
PETG prints amazingly glossy and nice-looking.
...and now I'm printing some corner covers to put above the stepper motors.
https://whambamsystems.com/flexible-build-system
Somebody at work (IT company = lots of 3d printer owners) was talking about how great it is.