Nicolinux

Hey you horny squirrels, stay on topic or else we'll scare away the other righteous forum members... Stefan [Head of Horny Squirrels Department]

You're right, that's too harsh. They could make it print Makerbot logos until the end of its days instead Cool link. Rice as desiccant - interesting.

Cool new features and improvements! http://www.meshmixer.com/download.html

Poor old Nicolinux here I did (unintentionally) test the theory with a half empty spool because I change filament quite often - no difference. My UM2 is now on its way to the mothership (UM offered to replace it). So here you have it. Another example for community involvement and use friendliness. Sander (from UM support) was up to date with my monster thread about underextrusion. He also offered to send me replacement parts on several occasions. So far I can't complain. The sympathy is mutual. I tried everything in order to avoid the (costly) printer replacement process. And they (and the community) tried everything to help me get to the bottom of the problem. We all failed and I hope my old printer burns in hell, but all in all I won't remember it as a bad experience.

Hey Ian, now you've got me hooked on your design About those two ball bearings at the bottom. Would it be a good idea to add springs and let them regulate filament curvature to some degree? The reason I suggest it - imagine a case where the filament comes in with a sharp angle. Then it would bypass the second ball bearing and move too much to the left where it would add pressure to the feeder entrance. Here is a picture (very lowres, I just used the preview of one of your photos):

Hey Ian, no offense but I still doubt that it is the feeder. The stock extruder can pull filament hard enough. And the fact that I've never experienced a clogged nozzle on the UM2 also dismisses the theory that parts of the extruder case come loose and get stuck into the nozzle. But your feeder looks very sexy. The filament straightening part and the fact that you can pull out those thin filament strands are very cool. Will print it for sure (when I have my printer back that is).

Damn you got me hooked on MOI. This tool is fantastic. Quirky UI but still easy to grasp and use. 7 days left of my trial and I think I'll buy it.

I'd be cautious with drilling the teflon piece. I did file away just a tiny bit on my old one and it changed nothing. I have the feeling it made it worse because now the filament would have more space to expand in the cavity where the nozzle and the teflon piece meets. However, if your teflon piece is less than say 3.1mm, then drilling would be in order.

Guys, I am not able to test this because my UM2 has been sent back to UM for replacement. Maybe someone else could test it (PLEASE!).

Yarrrr, liket it! How did you finish the print with mineral oil (what kind?). I also have brass PLA and don't like the color at all. But the last four pics do look really nice. So far the only thing I printed with it looks like this (it is very dark IRL): http://www.thingiverse.com/make:60840

Me neither, but if it had the Ultimaker logo on it, I'd buy it anyway

Hi Daid, Thank you for the new version. Looking forward for separate speeds for inner and outer shells. Regarding the UM2 firmware, did you catch the bug where retraction settings aren't saved? It is somewhat annoying because it must be set every time the printer is powered on. Thanks.

I'd say it depends where you put your printer. I don't think anybody dares to put their beloved UM2 on the floor. And when you intearact with the scroll wheel, you'll automatically bend down because otherwise the scroll wheel is quite uncomfortable to use. So I'd say the top 10px aren't an issue. EDIT: damn, sorry for the edit...

But please, before implementing it, fix other annoying issues like retraction settings that won't be saved. These are far more annoying for the daily printer usage.

Hi, here's another thing I noticed (just for the record). When changing filament, the tip looks alright, but it drags a long strand through the bowden that ends in a blob. I had this before but now, since I switched the teflon coupler, it happens every time. The blob gets stuck inside the extruder because it can't pass the knurled bolt on its way out. So I always have to fiddle with at toothpick to get it out. Worst case I have to disassamble the extruder. EDIT: Forgot the image:

This ain't Facebook you know... Although I do like your UM2 modifications (cable chain and the black panels)

Ok, I've disassembled, cleaned and assembled the head and extruder. Extrusion test fails right after 4mm^3/s now. The issue where filament won't pass the teflon piece remains. Even if I blunt the tip it won't pass easily. The nozzle was not clogged, the dent in the "inside nozzle" shape must have been an air bubble. I didn't replace the set screw for the knurled bolt because they sent me the wrong screws. @Ultimaker: People, really. I am very grateful for your generosity, but you should check your packing/shipping workflow. I am just one single customer and received already a few wrong parts. This can't be profitable for you if it happens often... So, that's it for me now. I've had enough. Don't want to turn this into a hate thread though. I still believe the UM2 rocks, and when I print very slowly, quality is still astounding. I'll contact support and hope they'll accept the printer for repairs or replacement. EDIT: Uploaded images.

Thanks guys. With dumping the printer I ment sending it back for repairs or selling it if Ultimker doesn't accept it. That's the last thing I'd want to do because the hacker in me wants to get to the bottom of this problem. But after spending way too much time on this issue (and with my issues with the UM1 still not forgotten) my enthusiasm for Ultimaker starts to wear off.

Hi, I have swaped the teflon coupler with the new one and nothing changed. Or it did, it is slightly worse than before. Take a look at this (sorry for the direct link, the forum is broken for me right now and won't allow me to upload pictures): Underextrusion started half past through 3mm^3/s. I cleaned the nozzle after the test print and noticed that the "inside nozzle" shaped filament bit that I pulled out, had a dent. This is new and I don't know what it is. The normal filament tip looks like this now (still featuring a lip): I also noticed that I can't load filament if I don't blunt the tip (sharpen it) before. It won't get past the teflon coupler. The stepper just skips and does not advance filament. I managed once to get past the choking point when I wiggled at the bowden tube. But it didn't work since. Before I assembled everything I tested if filament slides through the teflon coupler. It does and its diameter is 3.15mm. I will try three more things before I dump this printer: Heat up to 260° and use the hypodermic needle to get rid of a potential clog. Then clean the nozzle again. If the dent is still there, I'll dump the nozzle in acetone for a while. Take the head apart and assemble it with exaggerated care. Will try to measure if parts align correctly. Take the extruder apart, clean it and re-align the knurled bolt using a new set screw (came with the teflon coupler). Guys, thank you for your help. I appreciate it very much. I don't have much hope to solve this issue, but it is nice to see so much dedication. Stefan EDIT: Uploaded images

Hi, Another feature request/idea. Printing without infill is king - it is really useful, fast and most of the time parts are durable and stable enough. I whish there would be a smart infill option that adds support material for areas inside the object. Look at this example: Those new areas appear at layer 77 ad go up to the top. There is no way they will print like this. I have to print with infill (15%) to support them. But most of the infill (+infill printing time) is wasted. It would be nice if Cura could catch this corner case and would add support only for those areas. What do you think?

YES! Teflon coupler get! I'll try to focus now on some iOS client work and tonight is tinkering time! @WoofysPlace, Anders: Seems that ABS is a total different beast. I'll be sure to tackle it after this issue is sorted out.

Thanks for the info Sigi. I'd like to avoid iGo3d filament for now. I'll try faberdashery next. Although the picture you posted looks like it is made of neon green filament. Wouldn't have guessed it is yellow.

Yeah! Let's show this "Post your latest print" thread who's the boss

Forgot to mention. I didn't increase the current (because I still think it is not the extruder). But I'll try it.

Yep, checked it again today. I have even removed the nut and filed it a bit down on one side - just to be sure. Illuminarti and Aaron already hinted it. The nut aligns nicely with the case and the stepper sits flush against the back panel. Regarding my shippment - I'll wait.