joatrash

I think the wost example was with a wide, flat model that was only about 10-15mm high. Is the fan ramping a setting in Curas expert panel?

That goes directly against what I seem to be observing. HIGH models (with more air) are less affected by it.

Yes, but it's still curious as to why it happens on some prints and nother others that are similar in shape, and printed with identical settings. If it were only down to thickness of the layer, it would probably be more consistent across all models. I've gotten perfect results with some prints and horrible results with others and the only difference I've been able to come up with is the model height (top layers being printed too close to the print bed causing them to stay soft, thus reacting to expanding air inside the print). Thickening the top layer that much doesn't sound like it would help that much if that's the case. There may also be some correlation to surface area (wide spaces without outer walls that give extra support) but that does not seem to be consistent either.

I'm getting a lot of prints where there are raised bumps in the top layer. These bumps occur exactly and evenly where there is no infill (i.e. hollow underneath). It almost looks like expanding air inside the print is causing the plastic to bulge upwards. They also only seem to occur on perfectly flat (horizontal) layers. Sometimes the bumps are so bad that there are small pinsized holes in the middle. It seems like it MAY be more common on low prints (prints that seal up closer to the print bed), which leads me to suspect a print bed heat issue (PLA not cooling fast enough) but it is not consistent enough to confirm. Changing the infill amount doesn't seem to matter much (usually 10-30%) besides making the bulges bigger or smaller. It also doesn't appear to make any difference how many models are printing (i.e. how long layers have to cool until the next pass). Using a 65 print bed and 220 nozzle temperature. Should I try turning down the bed temp?

Superglue is great in many respects but it does not handle vibrations or physical shocks well. And while it is super-strong in vertical stress situations (lifting a car) it has very poor abilities to handle shear stress (sideways) or shocks. You can't really get a better bond than actually fusing the parts together. (I'm not knocking your preferred method of assembly, just pointing out the inherit weakness in the material. I use superglue for lots of things too.) Yes, the acrylic glue can also be used to smooth out things. I successfully made a paste for filling gaps by mixing the glue (which is rather thin) with shredded PLA, just like you would with ABS and acetone. (Small warning though- you do need fairly good ventilation because it smells just as strongly as contact cement.)

I'll add to this so that I've at least contributed something in my first week of printing with the UM2 instead of only asking questions. I have found that the same type of glue used for PLEXIGLASS (acrylic) works on PLA. It dissolves the PLA, the same may regular modeling glue does with polystyrene kits, thereby essentially fusing the parts together. Cyano and epoxy are great, but you can't really beat "welding" together parts for a trong bond.

Ok, thanks. Was just wondering if this was something unusual. Kind of an odd thing...

My UM2 extrudes about 3cm of filament while the build platform is being raised to start a print. This filament sometimes ends up right smack in the middle of the build area so that i have to quickly try and remove it while the prim is being printed. Is there a setting somewhere where I can delay extrusion a little?

I will check this righ after dinner. Darn you guys are fast... you answered while I was writing a new post! THANKS!

1. Ok I'll give it a try. But I ran cold water on the prints and it was still extremely hard to get them off... I had to really bang on a few of them! 2. Ah.. gotcha. Should it really be necessary to mess with temp settings when doing simple files on a stock machine? 3. Will double check but I think it was running. About the sequential thing... if I print that way, chances are the first prints will be knocked off the bed, no? Anyway... I've got MUCH bigger problems now. I've have to send UM a support message because the X axis (I assume... the one that runs left-right) doesn stop! It causes the print head to HIT THE LEFT WALL and KEEP GOING, causing the entire thing to sound and shake like a minor earthquake as the belt "skips". (I'll start a thread about this too, shortly...)

Well, I did lessen the number of objects considerably (and cut and repositioned them to print better). These are super-simple pieces that the UM2 should handle effortlessly even if there are several of them on the bed. (It would be rather useless if I had to print them all separately.) Ah, thanks. This forum is rather different than most others in some respects. (I keep going crazy because the "follow" button isn't automatic on new topics!) It's actually photos from two different print runs. Two completely different files. It doesn't appear to be a first-layer issue because it happened halfway through the print the first time around. It's like all of a sudden the filament stopped sticking to the previous layer. The ambient temp in the room didn't change... the only thing I can come up with is if the filament had trouble unspooling. I'm using Faberdashery stuff and it didn't want to properlyspool around the stock UM reel so I've had it laying on the side. (I'm going to try a lazy Susan setup instead) 1. I added lots of glue because I had initial problems with models coming loose. Also... I'm finding it extremely hard to get models off the build plate without lots of glue on there. (The glue makes it easier to get a spatula under the model.) 2.Whatever is standard for the UM2. (I don't even know where to check this yet... I've been afraid to tamper with those settings.) 3. I think, after som further testing today, in one instance it may have been a 1st layer problem but the second photo (the one BIG piece I am holding in my hand) is the bigger mystery. The print was more than halfway through when the problem started but it does seem to have begun when some details were being "capped".) I did level the bed rather carefully... I may have been TOO nipicky. I've got the spool set up a little diffently now... going to start another long print as it seems to only happen on longer ones- something else that makes me suspect the spool.

After a promising start with my new UM2, I have started running into problems. Two major prints have failed spectacularly: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/4090-chaos1/ http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/4091-chaos2/ Here are my settings: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/4095-settings-p1/ (How do I get these into a text file?) Using standard Cura settings besides lowering the print speed slightly and the brim to 5 instead of 20 since the models have a lot of flat areas. The failure occurs at random intervals somewhere mid-print. Since the print is so long it's hard to catch the machine "in the act". These should be simple prints to do. Is this a heat issue? An issue with filament not being pulled through?

I've got it horizontal now- still on the spool which is held in place by a vertical axle. So now if it does unspool it will not tangle as easily.

Well, I wanted to get started printing in my preferred color right away so I got some Faberdashery filament, not knowing about it being sold off the spool. (They really should be more clear about that on their website..) After going through minor hell (and swearing a lot) spooling it onto the UM2 spool I was worried that it wouldn't stay, since the FD filament arrives in a much "wider" ring that is not tensioned for the smaller UM spool. Of course... mid-print the filament went "SPROINGGGG!" and is now spilled chaotically on the floor. Luckily, the current print will finish ok but I may have to take it out and respool/rethread or it might get knotted up. I did some searching for spooling issues but haven't found anything... what do y'all usually do to alleviate this issue?

Glue was added, glass was perfectly clean. I used the standard HQ settings in Cura (0.06 layer but everything else was untouched). It'll be done in three hours or so. (Tack för tipsen!)

Hi guys. So, first print is going and I'm getting some "ripping" of the surface on what I assume is the first layer as seen here: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/4040-ripping/ Is my nozzle too close to the bed after leveling?

Yes, I was planning on adding a brim. The piece you are talking about will probably still need supports- the angle you are pointing to is rather steep even though it doesn't show. (Might be an interesting experiment though.) Mainly wanted to print them all in one go to see the effects on different parts quicker without having to reset and since I'm going to have to do batch-printing in the future I may as well get started. (This is only about 1/3 of the parts in the total kit.) Yikes. Don't say that! The reason I got the UM2 was that it was supposedly the most stable of these extrusion-type printers and not as prone to failed prints. (If it ends up differently and I'm not getting predictable, reliable results in the next month or two I'm going to end up selling it and go back to using print services. I'm a propmaker, not a machine-tinkerer and I have no interest (or time) for experimenting to see what happens.)

Thanks for responding guys. I've done a lot of reading on this type of printing and I've already tried to position all the parts optimally. This is mainly to see what happens. My main worry was really if the cylinder might loosen from the print bed and ruin things since it's so tall and has a very thin footprint (about a 1mm wall since it's hollow)... Yeah, I know the gears will be iffy but was modeled in one solid piece. Support was generated in MM. (I don't really care if it survives as long as it doesn't mess up the REST of the print. The part on the left, if you mean the lower piece in the first pic with a few supports on the side is actually partially hollow and has supports inside as well- however I rotate it it will have overhangs. (It's a mount for the upright cylinder, which is a laser scope.) Again, I don't care it it doesn't come out perfect as long as it doesn't mess up the whole tray.

So, I'm about to do the first print on my UM2 and decided to cobble together a bunch of test parts from props I have made before. My question is: will this batch of parts print ok together? http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/gallery/image/4022-curapic2/ I'm thinking that maybe the high cylindrical piece (it's from a Firefly prop) may have trouble printing since the walls are so thin and it's so high. It DOES have some supports inside and I'll be adding a border/lip to it but I wonder if it might be susceptible to the same effect as when printing other thin parts "alone". Oh, and I'll be printing in Faberdashery Earl Grey... Thoughts?

That's just the thing. The Makerbot stuff has NO friction- the surface is so hard that sandpaper (wetpaper and regular) will not scratch it! It's not far from sintered nylon in that respect, which is even darn near impossible to SAW into until it gets hot. Maybe the XT stuff will work, but PET is awful for assembling parts since no glues really adhere to it well (not even cyano). I'm waiting for Colorfabb and Faberdashery to get back to me about their PLAs. Bauer, those are some very good results. I've been a bit afraid of ending up disappointed (since I'm used to paying the premium prices using high-end Stratasys and 3d Sys machines) but that truck especially looks VERY good. Probably the cleanest example I've seen of a PLA model yet.

OK... my UM2 is on the way, now I have to pick which SLA to use. I've been reading through here but it seems that very few people here do a lot of (or any) post processing with their prints. Almost everything I print will need to be sanded smooth and since I will likely print a lot of things with low tolerance, the warpage factor of ABS probably rules that out. (I was actually pretty close to ordering a Zortrax just for the reason that it seems to print ABS with very good tolerances, but the UM2 won out in the end.) So, my two main criterias for filament (in order of imprtance): Sandability. I've tried to sand Makerbot filament and it was damn-near impossible. Sandpaper just glided right over the surface like it was glass. I must be able to sand the stuff enough to use some spray-filler/primer for a glass-smooth surface. No hassles. I need to print with consistent quality and as little experimentation as possible. What filament do y'all recommend for this?

The $159 came from PP. My total order, UM2 plus 2 rolls of extra filament and shipping ends up being about 2400 Euro or $3300 converted using Google's more generous exchange rate. Doing a quick cal in PP showed about $3459. I've e-mailed sales, posted here AND PMed Sander but no official reply yet...

Sent an e-mail to "sales@" but they have not responded yet, so I'll try here. I am getting close to ordering an Ultimaker 2. However, the funds I have in my PP account are in dollars, not euros, and the shopping cart shows the latter. How is your system set up to handle this? (Using Paypals AWFUL currency conversion rates to euro would likely end up costing me over $159 MORE for the printer, so I'd rather not do that!) Also.. is the current shipping time of 8 weeks accurate?

I was just wondering what the official support policy is if an UM2 is ordered through a reseller? Since quite a few UM2's seem to have had out-of-the-box issues, will UM demand that one goes through the reseller to get potential issues sorted or will UM accept being contacted directly? (A lot of the time when buying tech stuff you will just be referred to the reseller is problems arise, which is often not very helpful...) I'm considering using an official reseller even thought he cost is higher because I may not be able to wait 10-12 weeks once I place my order. WOuld be great to hear from UM about this. Cheers!

Hi guys, Well... after saving... and saving... and working my fingers raw making stuff for people to scrape together enough money, I'm getting close to placing an order for an UM2- most likely next week. HUZZAH! Now, I know that UM seem to be a stable and fairly reputable bunch of folks but I'm a little concerned with the lead time vs Paypal's 45 day security limit for payments. Now, this is more a matter of principle than anything, but considering the cost of the UM2 is a months salary I need to be diligent. After 45 days, you can't file a complaint with PP and your money is gone in the event of something going awry. Again, I'm not mistrusting UM in particular... it's just that this is a LOT of money to go out on a limb with. - Yes, I could transfer the funds to my regular bank account, pay with my VISA and be covered that waty but it would mean losing a LOT of money due to Paypals horribly bad exchange rate. - I supposed I could also place the order and pay for it, then when it reaches 44 days, file a claim- I think that extends the deadline by another 30 days but might get UM into trouble, which isn't really my wish. So, what I UM do to calm my nerves in this regard? Thanks, //Joe