chris_uk

Hi Ted, Its seems they are still working on weeding out some kinks in their project. Here is the latest update sent from them " We have made some great progress on the the most important area of this project. Our sole focus up to now has been on converting our coating and process to be scaled up. We identified this as the most difficult challenge in fulfilling your orders. After talking with the steel stamping suppliers and industrial coating applicators we have converted our process to fit within their capabilities. There are only some minor details to work out at this point, but its time to get the ball rolling. One thing that I want to let everyone know about is that after long conversations with our steel supplier we have determined that using tempered spring steel will not work out. The tempering process on a steel sheet that thin and large will not remain flat after the tempering process. There are methods of using graphite plates to keep the plate from warping, but even then it can induce internal stress that will keep the plate from laying flat. Instead we are looking a a few different grades of steel including 430 Stainless steel, which is magnetic unlike most stainless steel. These don't require heat treatment to get there highly flexible and durable properties."

Sure, think it should be arriving sometime in September. Will keep you posted.

Understood boss!

I have invested into one of these buildplates to test out for the UM2 with the magnetic base combo. Just wondering what your thoughts are on this guys. A good investment or not? www.kickstarter.com/projects/geckotek3d/geckotek-3d-printer-build-plate

Cheers gr5! Been away for a while and had to catch up on some reading here and only just spotted this

Damn it Skint!

The curling at the nozzle is normal just like Skint said. I just got a paper clip and bent the arm out to a right angle and use that to catch the extruded filament to guide it out of the way. You won't get burnt then. As for cleaning the tip I normally just use a damp face cloth (flannel) to clean the tip just before a print and after. Has kept the tip like brand new so far.

Hi Bez and welcome! You're not the only noob here

Hi Jerry, Was wondering how long it would take until you popped up here. Been following your channel for quite some time and love the vids. Look forward to more of them and maybe one regarding mesh mix.

Nice find Skint!

Im still on my first spool at the moment so not had to worry about this until my next delivery. I saw a video of someone using the same resealable bag by putting the spool back in. He then sealed it up almost to the end where he had a straw inserted and sucked the air out. Resealed and put away. Would this be a low cost effective solution? :???:

@ Aaron That link sounds good! The minicaltest only prints 1 skirt border line around the glass so sometimes end up having to abort and retry until I get it spot on. I have also taken the sticker off the glass and didn't realise that each side were different? I assumed that both were the same and could be printed on without any major difference in surface adhesion. :eek: I have yet to try any other filaments yet as im still testing with PLA to see what is possible. I would probably use ABS mostly for general prints but really keen to try out T-Glass and Ninjaflex. @ Jonny Yes, I've kept my bottom layer speed set to 20mm/s and as for the rest its usually no faster than 50mm/s. Im still amazed at the quality of prints coming out even though they are not quite perfect yet. I tend to level while everything is hot and printing the border lines as its the only true way of knowing. I haven't used the Brim or Raft feature yet as I have been trying out the support structures on some mini figurines.. Will give it a go this weekend though!

Hi All, I have read other posts on the forum to some people having to recalibrate or re-level the bed after each print and some others lucky enough not having to touch it for some time. I personally after quite some testing have found that I have needed to re-level the bed after every print. Each time I print I usually let it cool down enough for it to just pop off the glass bed with little force. I don't mind this but could be a bit tedious when having to print the same item multiple times. What I have found works best for me so far: 1) Run "minicaltest" to check for right smooshed lines with base 0.3mm (I only let it print the 4 borders and the diagonal line to the centre and abort) 2) Repeat if necessary. 3) Run 2-3 perimeter lines to double check and fine tune before main print. 4) Repeat after print. So my question are: 1) How often do your re-calibrate your bed and re-level your bed? Any tips for a more efficient process would be greatly appreciated. :mrgreen: Chris

Thanks for the info illuminarti. It has helped a lot with the small test prints. Also found that facing the detailed parts to the left 90 degrees has helped a lot. Probably because the left fan is closer to the nozzle for better cooling than the right. Currently im experimenting with some figure models.

Hi Adam! Welcome bud. I only received mine not too long ago and been printing non stop XD Need to order more filaments soon!

Printer ordered last Sunday and arrived Tuesday afternoon. I only just finally had time to set it up and run a few test prints from the SD card, the robot and the earring circles. This printer looks awesome and I'm amazed at how fast it prints!! I sat down watching the first whole 35 minute print with my head almost stuck right inside haha. Few hiccups on startup. A screw was out loose from the front left bed clip? Simple fix. Had to calibrate the bed a few times but think I got the knack for it now. The feeder stopped feeding the filament during the print but sorted it out by giving it a bit of a helping hand. All in all, it's working perfectly and needs some fine tuning. I was wondering though as I have not connected my laptop to it yet. What resolution is the robot print on the SD card with the standard settings? I only ask because on the front right lower belly where you have the over hang there was a stringing effect horizontally but still held in place for it to complete. (Will post photos later) The legs came out great. I'm assuming this is down to not fine tuning the bed calibration or possibly it's almost on a rapid prototyping print setting. I will keep testing but would like to hear your expert opinions before moving onto the 10mm3/s test. Chris.

Oh would love to see some photos once you print those off. Just got confirmation that the UM2 has been dispatched and should be here tomorrow now. Just hope it all comes in one piece! First thing to print off is a few test prints. Then once I get my filaments it will be to add a few upgrades that these awesome members have designed. After that its definately play time!

Welcome Drato! I'm still waiting for my UM2 to arrive, hopefully I will receive it this coming Tuesday yay! Definitely a lot of useful info on here and experienced users.

Thanks Thirty6 and Skint. I don't think pla will ever be tasty although I would rather print with it than a 3d food printer.

Cheers illuminarti ! As far as I'm aware, all Brit expats say the same thing lol. We're definitely stirring up a bit of a craze here that for sure As your across the pond I'm sure you have found a wide range of culinary substitutes to tingle your taste buds that's not so readily available here in the UK!

Hello Ultimakers! I have been researching into the 3D printing world for some time now. It has pretty much come to the time where I just have to purchase one for my future projects. I originally started out looking for smaller printers but soon realised that it would be better to go larger for my functional pieces of work. The UM2 looks very tasty right now! Having seen what is possible and learning to use the 3D modelling design software (Free Trials) has been a very interesting learning curve. I can barely contain the excitement!! The 3D printing and design world is a completely new area for myself so definitely a lot of studying in my spare time. I am not an engineer or designer by trade but self employed as a property proprietor and run a fairly new chip shop of 3 years. If you're in the area I won't be able to print anything amazing just yet but can cook you up one of the best fish and chips you have had in a long time! I'm glad there are a lot of helpful and friendly people on the forums which helps calms the nerves of investing into a long term printer like this. Hopefully, the purchase will be made this coming weekend. I look forward to your advice and feedback on my future projects. Chris