closedcircuit

There are quite a few threads mentioning "combing". I did some searches but couldn't find a clear explanation aimed at the beginner that I am to say what it is, when and how to use it. Would any of the good guys out there be able to take a few minutes to explain? Thanks!

@ecflam: After you've completed the bed calibration as per Nicolinux's suggestion, check that the brim prints well (it should be very slightly flattened). If it's not perfect, stop printing, recalibrate the bed once more and try again.

That happened to me last night (on an UM2). I pushed the broken filament through, let some of the material flow through the nozzle and had absolutely no problem.

@Dim3nsioneer: There are many great things about 3D printing. One of them is to see all these kind souls taking the time to patiently share their knowledge and explain basic things to complete n00bs such as myself. Many, many thanks!

@Dim3nsioneer: Thanks for your reply - its' really appreciated. I don't work in science, but read mathematics at university. That's where other scientists would come when they couldn't solve their own equations What I was wondering (albeit in a not terribly well written way) was if there is a protocol that one should follow when troubleshooting a difficult print. For example, do I start with constant temperature and vary speed or the other way round? What about retraction length, bed temp., etc. At the moment, I seem to be shooting in the dark because of the sheer number of permutations (say 3 or 4 temperature settings x 2 or 3 different speeds x 2 retraction settings x 3 different bed temperatures = a lot of opportunities for a failed print)...

Is there a more-or-less scientific way of deciding how to change these settings, or is it really trials and errors?

Thanks Daid! Makes sense...

I have (yet another) beginner's question :???: : Does the "Speed" setting in UM2 replace the "Print Speed" setting in Cura, or do they multiply one each other? In other words, if Cura's Print Speed = 50 and UM2's Speed = 90, will the resulting speed be 50, 90 or 50x90=45%? Thanks!

@gr5 - Thanks again for your comments and all your help. It's really nice to have somebody that's so knowledgeable to help! Unfortunately, it was too late when I saw your message and I had already switched off the printer (and therefore the heated bed). When I came home, the print had popped off on its own. :roll: I'll relaunch a new print tonight, cross my fingers and see what happens. At least, I'm learning...

@gr5 I think that you are probably correct. The defect basically consists of a wider segment (c. 1mm in length) followed by a narrower section (also c. 1mm).

@Sander - It's one of yours, I'm afraid (9029 PLA Pearl-White). Came home yesterday to find that the print had failed after about 24 hours. Another kink was hidden in the roll and got stuck in the feeder system :( I'll try gr5's method of recovering from a failed print over the week-end. Unfortunately, the print is for some architects and it needs to be pretty much perfect... Let's see what happens.

Thank you all for your help. By way of an update, I followed gr5 and Sander's suggestion to trim the kink with a razor blade and it has worked so far. The printing is still ongoing and I'm hoping that it will be finished by the time I come home from work tonight... Are these kind of kinks to be expected, or is this a defect that I should mention to UM?

Thanks Sander. I'll try that first. I gather that it's not possible to pause a print on the UM2? Cheers Phil

@gr5 @IRobertI - Thank you so much for the quick reply. You guys are great! I don't know if using a razor blade will work as the filament seems to be internally broken. I think that I'll cut off the filament before the kink and "spoon feed" clean filament using IRobertI's technique. Thanks also for the instructions re a failed print. Hopefully, I won't need them but it's good to have a plan B if all else fails.

I'm in the middle of a 30 hours print and have just noticed some kinks in a brand new roll of filament (see picture). The first "kink" is due to enter the bowden tube in about two hours. I can see the problem coming (i.e. the filament will get stuck and the whole print will be wrecked), but I'm not sure what to do to avoid it. Any suggestion? Also, does anyone know if I can pause a print, change the filament and resume (and if so, how to do it)? Thanks! Phil

@Ian - As promised, my first (not so exciting) design has been posted https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ski-for-my-daughter-s-dolls Thanks again for your help! Phil

J'oubliais - la calibration de la plaque chauffante doit être faite de manière très précises. Un écart d'une demi épaisseur de feuille de papier peut être suffisant pour boucher le nozzle...

Salut Xavier, Je n'ai pas mon UM2 depuis très longtemps, mais j'avais les mêmes problèmes que toi au début. Maintenant, cela va beaucoup mieux. Voici quelques trucs qui m'ont aidés (pour le PLA): Abaissement de la température de la plaque chauffante à 67°C (au lieu des 75°C par défault) Ne pas mettre de colle (contrairement au manuel) Faire varier la température d'impression en fonction des impressions. Des fois ça marche mieux à 205-210°C, des fois il faut aller à 230°C - il faut faire des essais Dans le menu "Expert" de Cura, rajouter "Brim" sous "Platform Adhesion Type" Faire vraiment attention à ce que le filament se déroule sans friction à l'arrière de la machine Bien nettoyer le nozzle avant d'imprimer (fais une recherche dans le forum pour trouver la méthode de MostlyAtomicBob) Je ne sais pas si ça résoudera tes problèmes, mais c'est ce qui marche pour moi et j'espère que ces quelques lignes pourront t'aider. Dans tous les cas, ne te décourage pas - c'est normal si ça coince un peu au début. Good luck! Phil

@WoofysPlace @JonnyBischof: Many thanks for your input. I will definitely try playing with lower bed temperatures tonight!

@skint: Thanks a lot for your comment. I used the default settings for PLA which, if I'm not mistaken is 210 on the new UM2s.

I'm a newbie and would really appreciate some advice and guidance. My UM2 works beautifully with the "standard" blue PLA filament that came with the printer, but it's a complete disaster when I try to print with PLA Blue Translucent filament (https://www.ultimaker.com/products/pla-blue-translucent). In particular: There is some under extrusion The model doesn't stick as well and eventually gets pushed away by the head (despite using exactly the same glue) In some instances, I end-up with filaments all over the place (it looks a little bit like a cloud of very thin filament stuck to the head and to various pieces that are being printed). All these problems disappear when I revert back to the "standard" blue filament. I'm assuming that I need to use slightly different settings for PLA Blue Translucent than I do for the "standard" blue? If so, what settings do people use to successfully print PLA Blue Translucent? Thanks Phil

Thanks Ian. I probably shouldn't raise your hopes too high as my first project will be a pair of pink skis commissioned by my 7 year old daughter for her doll. ;-)

By way of a final update, I'm pleased to say that I received a tracking number earlier on today. Although the story didn’t start as I would have liked, Sander handled the situation extremely well and gave me a lot of confidence back into the Company. It was also reassuring to see that there is a real sense of community around Ultimaker – a big thank you to all that responded to my plea for information! Ultimaker is facing some tough challenges (after all, they quadrupled their staff in the past 18 months), but I’m confident that having people of Sander and Daid’s caliber on board will allow them to successfully overcome these obstacles. I, for one, look forward to continuing to deal with them. Phil

@ameba: thanks for the head's up. It's appreciated!

@robotixlab and @ameba: Did you guys get your shipment? Just being curious as I ordered my UM2 on December 31st and I'm still waiting...