[Can your ultimaker/ultimaker2 print such quality?]

umm.. ok, I must have missed something. What secret were you expecting from me? :???:

I remember mentioning 80mm/s print speed, 0.1mm layer height, 200C white PLA on my friend's rep2. I only know he fixed the extruder to make sure the filament went in straight (the fix provided by MB was just as bad as the original). I do not have a high def video to show the printing in action, so I have nothing beyond the print to prove that it can be done by other printers.

When I read daid's response that you shared your trick with him, yet he did not put those into Cura "normal quality" settings, i already knew your method won't be helpful to new users (wrt their first print in cura). No one else did try to show pictures with measurements like I did above, so I thought there was little interest in printing um robots in the community, hence i just looked elsewhere for help improving my um.

Anyway, there had been quite a few changes in my life the past few months, so I no longer have the lab I was working in previously - no more better cameras for taking photos with :-( . But the good news is, I'm now at a place with even more printers from different parts of the world to play with. The bad news is, I start to see how bad my um prints compared to some of the more obscure brand printers.

We just had a printer face-off yesterday (http://3dprintingindustry.com/2013/12/06/singapores-simplifi3d-hosts-3d-printer-face/) where lay consumers (ie totally new to 3d printing) voted for the best prints in a blind test. The stock um that took part did not do very well. Neither did the stock Rep2. I have given my friend the challenge print to try out on his modified Rep2, and once I get permission from the designers, I hope to post that stl on youmagine for everyone else to challenge their printer (and maybe slicing skills?). All printers used 0.2mm layer heights. The print that got most votes was sliced with KS, printing at 45mm/s.

In the mean time, I'm testing out Nick's tapir fan shroud (still needs some modifications) and may even try changing to impeller fan once I finish my printing list.

 

Damn you Weiin for keeping secrets!!! :evil: You win. I can't do it any longer. Weiin will probably brag (in private) that he can get just as good quality on some other printer at 40mm/sec and I won't be able to say anything because I didn't try other speeds. It's hard to win your contest Weiin when you keep secrets and only post blurry pictures.

I did those white robots on the UM1. I haven't done much retraction on the UM2 but 4.5mm doesn't seem enough so I recommend 5.5mm retraction (which Illuminarti had good luck with on the UM2). Here are the UM original settings:

I printed on blue tape with no heated bed.

1) The trick to get antennas is to print 2 robots so they have time to cool (what a waste! without the antennas I could have printed only one robot, 2x faster and at 210C although when done you get 2 robots).

2) To minimize stringing (I had none. No cleanup!) I set temp to 190C (and enabled retraction and set retraction expert minimums to 0mm)

3) To get good quality at such a low temp I did 20mm/sec (I normally print at 100mm/sec)

4) I did 3 shells (1.2mm shell) to keep infill or other stuff from making the outer edge ugly.

5) .1mm layer height

I did this back on October 5 so I'm not sure what version of Cura was out then, probably 13.06.4. I still have all the settings in the gcode file so here it is converted to a profile:

 

[profile]
layer_height = 0.1
wall_thickness = 1.2
retraction_enable = True
solid_layer_thickness = .4
fill_density = 20
nozzle_size = 0.4
print_speed = 20
print_temperature = 0
print_temperature2 = 0
print_temperature3 = 0
print_temperature4 = 0
print_bed_temperature = 0
support = None
platform_adhesion = None
support_dual_extrusion = False
filament_diameter = 2.85
filament_diameter2 = 0
filament_diameter3 = 0
filament_diameter4 = 0
filament_flow = 100
retraction_speed = 50
retraction_amount = 4.5
retraction_dual_amount = 16.5
bottom_thickness = .3
object_sink = 0
overlap_dual = 0.2
travel_speed = 150
bottom_layer_speed = 30
infill_speed = 0.0
cool_min_layer_time = 0
fan_enabled = True
skirt_line_count = 2
skirt_gap = 15
fan_layer = 1
fan_speed = 100
fan_speed_max = 100
cool_min_feedrate = 0
cool_head_lift = False
solid_top = True
solid_bottom = True
fill_overlap = 15
support_rate = 75
brim_line_count = 6
raft_margin = 5
raft_line_spacing = 1.0
raft_base_thickness = 0.3
raft_base_linewidth = 0.7
raft_interface_thickness = 0.2
raft_interface_linewidth = 0.2
fix_horrible_union_all_type_a = False
fix_horrible_union_all_type_b = False
fix_horrible_use_open_bits = False
fix_horrible_extensive_stitching = False
plugin_config = (lp1
	(dp2
	S'params'
	p3
	(dp4
	S'pauseLevel'
	p5
	V.4
	p6
	sS'parkY'
	p7
	V190
	p8
	sS'parkX'
	p9
	V190
	p10
	sS'retractAmount'
	p11
	V5
	ssS'filename'
	p12
	S'pauseAtZ.py'
	p13
	sa.
object_center_x = -1
object_center_y = -1
[alterations]
start.gcode = ;Sliced at: {day} {date} {time}
	;Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density}
	;Print time: {print_time}
	;Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g
	;Filament cost: {filament_cost}
	G21        ;metric values
	G90        ;absolute positioning
	M107       ;start with the fan off
	G28 X0 Y0  ;move X/Y to min endstops
	G28 Z0     ;move Z to min endstops
	G1 Z15.0 F{travel_speed} ;move the platform down 15mm
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length
	G1 F90 E6              ;extrude 3mm of feed stock
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length again
	G4 P2000  ; pause 2 seconds
	G1 F{travel_speed}
	M117 Printing...
end.gcode = ;End GCode
	M104 S0                     ;extruder heater off
	M140 S0                     ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
	G91                                    ;relative positioning
	G1 E-1 F300                            ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
	G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F{travel_speed} ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
	G28 X0 Y0                              ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way
	M84                         ;steppers off
	G90                         ;absolute positioning
start2.gcode = ;Sliced at: {day} {date} {time}
	;Basic settings: Layer height: {layer_height} Walls: {wall_thickness} Fill: {fill_density}
	;Print time: {print_time}
	;Filament used: {filament_amount}m {filament_weight}g
	;Filament cost: {filament_cost}
	G21        ;metric values
	G90        ;absolute positioning
	M107       ;start with the fan off
	G28 X0 Y0  ;move X/Y to min endstops
	G28 Z0     ;move Z to min endstops
	G1 Z15.0 F{travel_speed} ;move the platform down 15mm
	T1
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length
	G1 F200 E10             ;extrude 10mm of feed stock
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length again
	G1 F200 E-{retraction_dual_amount}
	T0
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length
	G1 F200 E10              ;extrude 10mm of feed stock
	G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length again
	G1 F{travel_speed}
	M117 Printing...
end2.gcode = ;End GCode
	M104 T0 S0                     ;extruder heater off
	M104 T1 S0                     ;extruder heater off
	M140 S0                     ;heated bed heater off (if you have it)
	G91                                    ;relative positioning
	G1 E-1 F300                            ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
	G1 Z+0.5 E-5 X-20 Y-20 F{travel_speed} ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
	G28 X0 Y0                              ;move X/Y to min endstops, so the head is out of the way
	M84                         ;steppers off
	G90                         ;absolute positioning
support_start.gcode = 
support_end.gcode = 
cool_start.gcode = 
cool_end.gcode = 
replace.csv = 
nextobject.gcode = ;Move to next object on the platform. clear_z is the minimal z height we need to make sure we do not hit any objects.
	G92 E0
	G91                                    ;relative positioning
	G1 E-1 F300                            ;retract the filament a bit before lifting the nozzle, to release some of the pressure
	G1 Z+0.5 E-5 F{travel_speed}           ;move Z up a bit and retract filament even more
	G90                                    ;absolute positioning
	G1 Z{clear_z} F{max_z_speed}
	G92 E0
	G1 X{object_center_x} Y{object_center_y} F{travel_speed}
	G1 F200 E6
	G92 E0
switchextruder.gcode = ;Switch between the current extruder and the next extruder, when printing with multiple extruders.
	G92 E0
	G1 E-36 F5000
	G92 E0
	T{extruder}
	G1 X{new_x} Y{new_y} Z{new_z} F{travel_speed}
	G1 E36 F5000
	G92 E0

 

[I wonder if ultimaker 2 can print the stretchy Bracelet?]

i actually quite liked how they used the ultimaker during the maker faire to print the stretchy bracelet and to auto push off the bed. Because the bracelet has springiness in it, it actually gets sprung off the bed, giving much fun to the kids trying to catch it.

I am now imagining using this um vending wall, starting the print say 1 minute apart. So every one minute, you'll have a bracelet springing out of the wall of machines. It would be great fun to watch!

 

[Can your ultimaker/ultimaker2 print such quality?]

Other than the slightly warped base, this is a great looking print, George. Thank you!

I hope you did not do any manual gcode stitching to achieve this. I did some head-only and butt-only prints as well, but the settings that were good for one was never good for the other. I know if I manually put the good portions together, it might work, but that wouldn't be helpful for anyone else using Cura.

Anyway, if you were using only one set of Cura settings, it would be good if you sent Daid the .ini file. It could give new users a better first timers' experience when the default "normal quality" works well on the first loaded robot model.

 

This is the first time I've tried to print a robot of higher or equal quality that Weiin posted. Here is my effort. I had to do a few "tricks" to get the antennas this good. It was more work though to get the damn pictures to be clear. White is definitely the hardest color to photograph when it comes to PLA.

Click on the image for higher resolution, then right click and select "view image" to see it larger, then click it again to finally see it full size.

 

[Exporting Solidworks stl files]

when you save your .sldasm file as an stl, you need to go into "options" to "save all components of assembly into single file"

depending on your solidworks version, the wording may be different, but it's there.

 

Hi there,

Just wondered if I can get a little Solidworks into Cura advice.

Have just started using Solid works so still working on the various tutorials, I have just run a quick test on two objects which I thought were stuck together using Mate?.

When I save as an STL file I seem to have two files rather than one with the combined objects. Any ideas where I am going wrong

Cheers

Mark

 

[Can your ultimaker/ultimaker2 print such quality?]

2nd try:

Front view

Back view

Top view

This is what I mean by the belly

This is what I mean by the keychain loop

 

If anyone is able to print such quality on your UM/UM2 please post the 3 views here. Thanks!

If you have calipers, measurements of the two antennae would be great:

 

For the benefit of those who did not read through everything I wrote, I highlight the things I'm looking at:

This is not just about the antennae, but also about the bridges on the belly, butt, and keychain loop.

And the common settings: white pla, 0.1mm layer, 0% infill. 2 or 3 loops, no scale

 

 

I'm afraid your photos are all incredibly noisy and blurry. As we've discussed at length on the google group, the advantage of the Ultimaker isn't that it performs perfectly on any one model, but that its a strong general purpose tool that can get very close to perfection on a wide range of prints, and do it while printing relatively fast.

If you want to discuss specific aspects that your consider to be better, then you really need to provide some decent photographs that highlight the issues that you're seeing.

 

 

[Can your ultimaker/ultimaker2 print such quality?]

So I was at Maker Faire New York a week ago, and was disappointed at what I saw at the UM booth. Made a post on the google groups https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/ultimaker/rx4t5ADCc8U

Now I'm back in my lab with my UM, re-read those google posts, and decided, let's make it a challenge then. I have posted some pictures of the good sample I have (not printed with ultimaker)

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/album/235-good-um-robot-sample-not-printed-with-ultimaker/

My camera is not great, but what I'm looking at is an overall good quality print. This is not just about the antennae, but also about the bridges on the belly, butt, and keychain loop. I hope the pictures show the following:

1. equal sized antennae, with little 'scarring' in between (retraction)

2. straight bridges on the belly, butt and keychain loop

So far, I'm only able to achieve one of the two using my UM. It's either the antennae are good, but there are dangling bits on the butt, OR the bridges are straight but antennae ends up in mush. This is consistent with what I saw at MFNY. All the robots had dangly bits on the belly/butt and poor retraction between antennae was obvious. Even the robot on the um2 had poor bridging as I watched it print.

Some in the UM community think it is a slicer settings problem, but my current thought is that the um/um2 cooling method of high volume airflow across the layer is not the right way. So I would like to confirm that stock UM/UM2 is unable to get overall good quality like the sample I have.

So here's your challenge: Print the UM robot with support (the first object that loads when you start a freshly installed Cura), no scaling. Common settings for baseline comparison: white pla, 0.1mm layer, 0% infill. 2 or 3 loops (0.8 or 1.2mm perimeter), depending on how much cooling you think is necessary.

Please post all round pictures showing especially the antennae, belly, butt and keychain loop. Please state if your UM is modified.

 

[Multicolored filament, Micro sparkles, 'Mood Plastic']

Look up richrap. He's the resident colorful-prints-guy at reprap.

Some examples from a while back:

http://richrap.blogspot.sg/2011/12/twinkle-twinkle-little-star-christmas.html

http://richrap.blogspot.sg/2012/08/3-way-quick-fit-extruder-and-colour.html

 

[Quality of included PLA with Ultimaker]

A request to all going to the Maker Faire: Could you bring along a white UM robot (the standard one with support on the fingers) that you can print with the best quality settings you have? I have recently gotten a sample printed with another brand printer and it is of a quality that I have not been able to get on my Ultimaker. I would love to do a comparison on what is possible. Thanks!

 

[Quality of included PLA with Ultimaker]

I definitely had issues with my stock Ultimaker Blue last October. Moisture absorbence seemed to be the worst issue. I got another blue roll from Ultimachine and did a comparison between the two. Placed in the same location, both rolls absorbed moisture but the one from Ultimachine expanded by ~0.1mm, while the one from Ultimaker ~0.2mm (enough to go above 3.1mm, getting stuck in the teflon tube). Texture-wise, the Ultimachine roll felt more waxy, while the Ultimaker roll felt more plastic-ky.

I think it would be good if Ultimaker packed not just one colour, but different colours. It could be just a short 3-5m sample from all the colours they hold. That way, if one colour fails, consumers can try other colours to check if different colours would work better.

I'll be headed to the MakerFaire as well. Would love to get a sample of the lousy silver.

 

[How to set the fan speed for 0.06mm layer prints?]

I have seen the infill protrusion issue, but I'm not referring to that. I have uploaded another two pictures of the um robot printed using the "high quality" setting: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/868-um-robot-fan-sidebrightened/ and

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/869-um-robot-non-fan-sidebrightened/

I've brightened the images to hopefully show how the colors are not uniform on the fan-side. Some layers appear "whiter" and "dry-er". On the non-fan-side, the print is much more uniform in color.

Also, if you look at the http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/867-head-top2/ print, you can see bands where the infill touched the perimeter. However, the non-fan-side of this print (right of picture) has a uniform blue, whereas the fan-side (left of picture) has a visible whitened surface.

The layers curling on the underside of the chin in http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/864-head-fan-side/ (the piece on the right) as compared to the smooth "face" in

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/865-head-front/ also show the effect of the fan.

 

[How to set the fan speed for 0.06mm layer prints?]

I've been trying to print at 0.06mm layers but I'm getting problems with the fan side of the print. At 0.06mm, the layers tend to "dry out" quite quickly on the fan side, causing scars on that side. See some pictures of my most recent print here:

 

I've tried turning off the fan, but as expected, the layers won't dry and gets all mushed up. For the latest print, I've set the fan to 60% max speed, printing at 220C 70mm/s. I've tried "high quality" setting in Cura 13.06, but the drying out is similar or worse.

 

I'm using a pretty stock setup, with the fan duct changed to the printed one by Daid. Anyone has any idea how to solve this? Os should this be expected for 0.06mm prints?

 

[What does it take to go bellow 0.1mm per layer ?]

I am also trying out 0.06mm prints with the cute octopus (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:27053). But I'm having a problem with the fan side of the print. At such layer heights, the fan side seems to cool too quickly and becomes very "dry". eg. Using black filament, the fan side of the print turns whitish, while the non-fan side is a shiny black.

I'm curious if you have seen such an issue with your print? What temp did you print at, and when was the fan turned on? For the cute octopus, I have not succeeded in getting a good top (the fan side has a hole as the layer seems to cool before being laid down properly)

 

As an example, here's a print I did yesterday at 0.06mm layers. Generally I print at 0.2 - 0.1mm, but recently I've been experimenting with thinner layers.

This was from a 3D scan I did, sliced with Cura 13.06.2, and then printed pretty quickly - 95mm/s, 2 loops (of my 0.65mm nozzle), no infill, no support, 0.6mm top, but with the solid base not printed. I was pleased to see that the overhangs mostly printed fine (just a few droops to cut off under the chin), and even the top of the head closed up perfectly. Total print time was about 2 hours.

 

For figurative pieces like this, printing without infill is definitely the way to minimize print times, and not printing the base saves a lot of time too, where you can get away with it - and it helps reduce warping stresses by avoiding the solid mass of plastic.

 

[Print sticking to bed]

Try printing on another part of your bed. Some warping of the bed might have occurred after multiple prints on the centre. Check if your levelling with this: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:29028

 

[Cleaning printing rubbish out the case]

i usually sweep those tiny pieces out into the hole where the bottom panel meets the front panel. I also have a piece of paper kept on the bottom panel for all those bigger pieces (eg skirts, nozzle drools)