Steves new build project. Sept 2015

[Eaglezsoar]

I've seen zero instances of them "having issues", so I'd love to see where you saw folks talking about them.

Can you take a pic of one from the back? I'd like to see how you have them installed.

tnx!

g.

Here is a picture from the back:

[Stevolution]

Well I am not having issues with the carriages.... but they do creak and groan under rapid movement. It appears to be where the plastic case twists slightly. Pretty sure I have them assembled correctly.
The case screws are as tight as you dare turn them. The issue I read (can't remember where.... during my pre-purchase days)... was someone stripping out the lid screws.

I did change my home stop screws for slightly longer ones than supplied... purely because I found them easier to adjust.

[geneb]

Unfortunately, since they're painted I can't see how the pivot arm is mounted inside the carriage.

Stripping the screw holes is entirely user-error and it's pretty difficult to do.

The carriages shouldn't be experiencing enough force to twist them at all.

Eagle, Eagle, Eagle....

g.

[Stevolution]

They perform well..... just creaky! Certainly easier to put together than the old style by the looks of things.
I am 100% sure they are assembled correctly.

Yea... didn't like the clear plastic look (especially as one was a different finish), so I painted them.

FINGER CROSSED..... 2 hours into a 9 hour PLA print with a good looking finish (so far). Started the bed at 70 deg and instantly dropped it to 30 deg after the first layer. 3x Cooling fans at 60-100% (automatic) and hotend at 190 deg.
See how it goes

[geneb]

I'm going to have to pay close attention the next time I run a print job to see if mine creak at all.

The ones they're making now are pretty consistent, but they REALLY need lights if they're going to be clear.

I run all my PLA with a 55C bed. Zero issues that I didn't cause myself.

g.

[Stevolution]

OK. Pretty nice quality print with the PLA last night. Its not perfectly round, but that is the Tinkercad software - not the printer (its basically lots of short straight edges).

However.... uber weak. The layers are just not stuck together at all well. It basically fell to bits getting it off the bed.

Possibly cooled too much as its printing? Going to try a smaller part and wind the cooling level back. Printing at 0.2mm and don't really want to change that... not now that it is finally giving a nice finish

[geneb]

I'd bump up your extrusion temperature by 5 degrees and see how that goes. If you print too cold, the layers won't bond very well.

g.

[Stevolution]

Just trying a lower cooling fan level, and increased the nozzle temp by 5 deg. See how that goes.

Just designed a simple sensor for the bed that detects if the print has released from the bed mid print and stops the machine. Saves waking up to a pile of stringy plastic

[Eaglezsoar]

Just trying a lower cooling fan level, and increased the nozzle temp by 5 deg. See how that goes.

Just designed a simple sensor for the bed that detects if the print has released from the bed mid print and stops the machine. Saves waking up to a pile of stringy plastic

I would be interested in more details about the sensor you designed.

[teoman]

Indeed

[teoman]

What are you using?

Line of sight laser or ultrasonic sensor?

[Stevolution]

Nothing so madly posh or complicated....

First design was a simple lightweight metal arm that you can swing over the hotbed to your print after the first few layers are down and it lightly applies pressure to the side of the lowest layers.
If the print releases, it releases the arm and operates the stop button.

You could use ultrasonics (SR04 module or similar), but you ideally need to temperature compensate with a thermistor if you want it accurate. Plus, you will need to get a decent way up your print before you could use it, otherwise the hot end carriage would keep triggering it.

You could use line-of-sight, but then you need a fixed transmitter one side and a moveable receiver on the other. I am working on that option as we speak.

When its fitted, I will upload details

[KAS]

Nothing so madly posh or complicated....

First design was a simple lightweight metal arm that you can swing over the hotbed to your print after the first few layers are down and it lightly applies pressure to the side of the lowest layers.
If the print releases, it releases the arm and operates the stop button.

You could use ultrasonics (SR04 module or similar), but you ideally need to temperature compensate with a thermistor if you want it accurate. Plus, you will need to get a decent way up your print before you could use it, otherwise the hot end carriage would keep triggering it.

You could use line-of-sight, but then you need a fixed transmitter one side and a moveable receiver on the other. I am working on that option as we speak.

When its fitted, I will upload details

do you have to keep the switch engaged somehow till it's touching the part?

[RocketMagnet]

OK. Pretty nice quality print with the PLA last night. Its not perfectly round, but that is the Tinkercad software - not the printer (its basically lots of short straight edges).

However.... uber weak. The layers are just not stuck together at all well. It basically fell to bits getting it off the bed.

Possibly cooled too much as its printing? Going to try a smaller part and wind the cooling level back. Printing at 0.2mm and don't really want to change that... not now that it is finally giving a nice finish

Delamination is a common issue especially with think walled relatively tall items (e.g. Cylinders). IME PLA is prone to delamination as the layers don't stick together too well and ABS cracking due to shrinkage when cooling on thin walled cylinders.. same overall result delamination between the layers. I generally just use ABS almost exclusively now as it gives a much better finish, stronger, better bridging and overhand tolerance, no stringing, cleaner part and Acetone vapour when needed. Negatives are it's harder to get to stick, it shrinks more and the fumes are not nice. I have found that tool path and slicer settings are the real key once you get your temps sorted wrt layer adherence. Personally I find Cura better at thin walled items but Slic3r better at everything else (more experience so perhaps I just don't use cura enough).. I now pick my slicer based on the specific part these days (i.e if I can't get it to print well with Slicer I use Cura).

[Stevolution]

Yes. I have found ABS far nicer to work with (which is not what I was expecting from my pre-purchase reading).
UHU on Kapton tape... sticks pretty damn well. Not sure I am going to bother with another sheet of PEI (at least not yet).

Printed a nice PLA 100mm hex nut for my 100mm threaded pipe last night. The finish is nice.

The sensor.... The simple one is the 2mm metal bar that simply touches the lowest printed layers and applies a small amount of pressure. When the led illuminates, you know you are set and you then simply slide the switch up and it begins monitoring.
If the print releases, it operates the stop button.

The optical one I am trying is an infrared beam. Fixed emitter at the front centre and can be rotated left and right. You line it up with the receiver that clips onto the edge of the hotbed. When the led is lit, you are good to go.
However, I am trying to get a narrow flat beam out of the IR emitter (using a laser is a pain... it needs to be modulated to prevent ambient light affecting it).

I have to be honest, the simple touch switch method is probably the far more reliable.

[Stevolution]

Well home tonight to find the hotend jammed solid with PLA. Been an hour trying to unblock it with no success.

Heated up the hotend nozzle and cleared that. Stripped the E3D V6 out and cleared that (I thought)... but it still can't push filament through.

No idea what to try next.

I think my patience is done

edit... and I just noticed that now the hotend doesn't show a temp above 130 deg... so something has failed

[Stevolution]

Hotend resistor apperas to have failed already.... have not even used half a roll of filament yet! Its got a very low resistance reading. 12v at the hot end and the thermistor reports back the correct temp.

walk away..........

[RocketMagnet]

So your using resistors packed in with RTV? and not a cartridge heater.

The resistors IME have a lifetime related to how well you pack in the RTV, if you have lots of air bubbles in the RTV around the resistors they burn out really quickly.

I've been through the burned out resistor issue and discussed how to confirm if it is here, also discussed is removal and replacement of the RTV:

You've just reminded me of another advantage of ABS in that it's soluble in acetone so blocked nozzles are easier to fix. Personally I keep a couple of spare nozzles, cheap and I've had an issue where after about 8 months of relatively trouble free use with any issue I managed to quickly puzzle out I came across one that that was simply baffling.
Nothing I tried made any difference .. my prints were scruffy with lots of "artefacts" and bobbling, turns out I replaced my nozzle and it fixed it all, I'd guess it was simply nozzle wear. So I'd say it a good idea to keep a small stock of nozzles, resistors, spare build plate and spare fans. As i'm in the UK if I break a build plate i'm looking at my printer out of action for up to 3 weeks.. hence I got some spares.

http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=7874

[Stevolution]

No, the E3D V6 resistor clamps into the block with no RTV. Its a tight fit.

The resistance has changed significantly (I noted it during installation).
Anyway... ordered a new resistor, spare nozzles and some ABS. Don't get the PLA thing.

However, this hobby isn't going where I thought it would which is a shame. I thought once I had it dialled in, then I could print my required parts with the minimum of hassle (apart from the occasional re-calibrate).... but that just doesn't look like the outcome.
It seems so slow, finicky and troublesome that I will stick to my old methods of part manufacturing. This printer will basically be for particularly fiddly parts or a nice piece of furniture!

[Polygonhell]

The E3DV6 uses a 20W heater cartridge, not a resistor.
It should be somewhere between 5 and 6 Ohms resistance.
I've never heard of one failing, if what you are seeing is close to 0 are you sure you don't have a short somewhere?

[Stevolution]

It was 5.4R (ohms) when it was fitted.... now showing 1.9R directly across the resistor (taken it out).

Anyone tried the E3D filament? They have 1.75mm 'Everyday' filament at £12.50 a roll... is this going to be a case of you get what you pay for?

http://e3d-online.com/By-Material/ABS

The black ABS I got was from 3dfilaprint.com... more expensive, but a larger roll. Shall I stick with them.... seeing as I have it dialled in to their filament.

Hmmm

[Stevolution]

Does the SeeMeCNC forum not have a for sale section? Usually these forums do. Or am I just missing it?

[Polygonhell]

Even rolls of filament from the same supplier can vary, different batches, different colorings etc all make a difference. Some manufacturers are more consistent than others.
I experimented a lot with filament suppliers here in the US and I have my preferences, but I've had crap rolls from suppliers charging a premium and good rolls from those on the cheaper end of the scale.
My experience is most of the PLA I see I can print in the 170-185C range without messing with other settings, but I did have about 6 rolls from a Chinese supplier at one point, some of which required temperatures as high as 230C to print reliably.

I will say the first time you get a really shitty roll of filament, if your like me you'll spend hours trying to determine what is wrong with the machine before you swap rolls to see if it's the plastic. I don't have any experience with UK suppliers, so I can't give any advice.

[Mac The Knife]

Does the SeeMeCNC forum not have a for sale section? Usually these forums do. Or am I just missing it?

Yes they do, and you are missing it.

[Eaglezsoar]

Does the SeeMeCNC forum not have a for sale section? Usually these forums do. Or am I just missing it?

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