renthal
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Posts posted by renthal
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I have had my UM2 for a year now and can say without a doubt I love my machine. Once I got past the initial teething and upgraded the problem areas she prints beautifully. I am a C-5 quadriplegic with no finger function and I have no problems running and maintaining my machine on my own "for the most part". Oiling, leveling, changing filament, cold pulls, changing tips, (O-BLOCK), removing prints, cleaning the bed, support removal. This is a HUGE deal for me as it allows me to be creative and build adaptive equipment that brings me more independence. I love and want to thank the UM community for all the great information that has helped me build my skills in 3d modeling and printing. Also a special thanks to my friend David S. who took the time to show me his UM2, how to operate it, as well as help me install my upgrades. Hats off to you man.
Ok time to share a print
This is a simple miter gear box I designed to relocate my shower handle in my bathroom where I can reach it from my wheelchair. It uses SS 608 bearings and bolts, with cpvc for the shafts.
Printed in Protoparadigm PLA
height .2 layers
speed50mm/s
bed 55
temp 220
no brim
no supports
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8
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I also use colorfab from printed solid for PLA prints and have had no issues with quality as it simply prints beautiful. I avoided ABS for my first year of printing because of stories about adhesion issues and being new to 3d printing I didn't want to add extra issues. Now that I understand my machine inside and out I have started printing with IC3D ABS and it prints just as good as my colorfab PLA/pha. I use the Olsenblock with the .6mm tip, 235c, .2 layers, 45mm/s, bed 105c, 12 lines of brim, fans 15% for overhangs past 30 degrees, and for bed adhesion I use got to be ultra glued invisible gel and have not had any prints curl or pop off mid print. I apply a thin coat of gel on the build plate when it's cold then start my print. Once cooled a slight judo chop to the side pops the print off with no issues.
I also must add how much I love how my UM2 bed holds it's level print after print. I rarely ever need to re-level my print bed. I mostly watch the first layer and make adjustments as it prints if needed. When I do level the bed I skip the paper and go by eye with great results but that just comes with time. Over all it's been a great first year with my machine.
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I use a small set of files I got from harbor freight along with a nice kobalt knife set from Lowes and they work great on PLA.
http://www.harborfreight.com/12-piece-precision-needle-file-set-4614.html
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You can try glue stick, hair spray, blue tape or extra strong hair gel. I use got to be glued mega hold clear hair gel and it works great. I have a clean sponge I moisten with 90% alcohol and add a small amount of hair gel and apply to the bed while it heats up. I apply it like waxing a car in small circular motions and find the gel lasts for several prints.
Also keep in mind that a .8 tip flows 4x the material a .4 tip will at the same height and speed, so you may need to print hotter to get better adhesion.
I hope this helps.
Also in the future include what brand filament, bed, and print temps you are using so we have more to go on.
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I love the setup you have created and was wondering if you could fill us in on your print settings for such a large print?
What brand of filament did you use to print the elephant and how much filament was required to print that behemoth?
Also what size nozzle, layer resolution, print temp, and speed?
This information will help backers get off to a good start in the large scale 3d printing realm and help reduce time and filament waste.
Thanks
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I like protoparadigm pla however they are going through changes and have been out of stock of all 3mm filament for months now. While waiting I ordered 4 spools of colorfab pla and look forward to see how it prints but the price is quite high imo and their spools hold 25% less then protoparidigm plus they charge shipping where proto-p is free. I really hope the market gets more vendors of quality 3mm filament so the prices drop even more but I don't see that happening any time soon in the US.
Colorfab through printed solid $39.00 for 750g plus shipping 5.2 cents per gram. Came in a plastic wraped cardboard box with the spool wraped as well but no desiccant.
Protoparadigm $32.00 1kg free shipping 3.2 cents per gram and came in a heavy sealed bag with desiccants.
I have printed the following pla colors from proto-p with great results on my UM2.
black, dark blue, light blue, silver, yellow, orange, and white. White needed to be printed at 225c to print well at .15 40mms while the others all printed well at cooler temps from 200-215c.
From a budget stand point you can't beat protoparadigm for quality filament if/when they get their 3mm product line back in stock. Although I can not speak for their new line of pla yet. Fingers crossed they get 3mm in stock soon.
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and looking at the 3th picture your metal rods look rather dirty, try to clean them and ad a drop of sewing machine.
I seccond this...
The x and y rods should be well oiled and kept clean. The printer uses brass sleves not bearings on these rods with very little clearence. If you fail to keep them clean they can become sticky and in some cases freeze on the shaft. I use liquid bearings a synthetic oil that works great. I like that it doesn't become tacky and the bottle comes with needle tips for easy application. Your rods look like they have never been touched. That or you print in a really dusty environment, either way matinence is needed there.
I would also try printing slower as your machine has hundreds of hours of print time on it now. This takes a toll on belts and although you may not see the wear, it is there. Your belts have probably stretched a slight bit and even though you added a tensioner this does not do anything to compensate for the teeth wear. By slowing down the print speed you are taking stress off the belts. I'm sure you have watched your printer and how fast it changes direction while printing in fill for a tapered edge. The head will pulsate back and forth so fast the build plate will shake. That is hard on the belts over time and it takes very little play to cause visible layer alignment issues.
I would also try colder temp settings if you are printing PLA. I get my best results at about 35 mm/s 200/210 C .when printing at 200 microns using protoparadigm PLA. Some like to print hot and fast but for my UM2 cool n slow gives far better looking parts in my printing conditions.
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Time for the "sound like a smartass"-post of the day. I actually had that very same idea the other day but I'm not exactly an engineer so I had no idea if or how it would work. Now I feel a bit smarterer since someone else also had the same idea. The other idea I had was to have a thin rod come in from the side of the nozzle, just slightly above the exit, to block flow but I wasn't sure how to get a perfect seal while still being able to move freely and stand up to the temperature.
I also remember seeing some kind of "just in time" hotend way back. It used a glass hotend with a tiny induction heater at the very tip. No idea what happened there though, I don't think it even made it into a prototype state.
I feel like we've already started with the current type of dual extrusion setup. The RepRap people have played with it for a long time. Makerbot already have it on their printers (or did they abandon it for the latest one? I forget). To me, it just feels like the wrong approach from the get go. But hey, I'm just an internet armchair engineer so what the hell do I know. Wont stop me from rambling though
And here is the problem with text format as in no way was I trying to be a smartass but being thats what you got from it. I'll keep my mouth shut from here on out to prevent any further confusion. I said it's funny because an idea from anywhere can become a possible solution to a given problem no matter the backround.
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In time I hope to see great things from a solid dual head setup
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I started with burning it out, but the fumes made me dizzy so I attacked it with a stanley knife. Does anyone know if the fumes are toxic? It was PLA. The lamp itself is quite heavy,I estimate 3kilos or more. I didn't test it's fragility incase I break it, but it seems quite strong.
Next time add fiberglass fibers to the mix and it will be far stronger and even if you crack it the fibers will hold it together
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There is a plugin for sketchup that allows you to export files as STL's got to sketchucation.com. Also cura supports DAE files. I use sketchup for all my prints so far with no issues. Just make sure the model is solid.
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Being a quadriplegic, having no finger function limmits my life beyond measure. To combat my lack of physical ability I am constantly designing things to make my life more accessible. Here is my RC lawnmower I designed and built with my friends so I can cut my grass. Now with my UM2 my ability to be creative has taken off and will lead to many more adaptations. I will post a video of my custom 3d printed PS3 controller for quadriplegics soon.
I hope you like it.
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I can't wait to see what new things come from the UM team tomorrow. I had a great showing at the Orlando maker fair with my UM2 printed accessible play station controllers for quadriplegics this past weekend. I had the only UM2 there but it stood out like a gem and was a crowd magnet.
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I came across this new kickstarter project and thought I'd let others know.
Taulman is offering 6 new filaments that look promising.
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OMG!
Don't tell me this is a sofware fail. Renthal, could you please share the .gcode file? I'd like to print it NOW
Did you get a chance to print my test cube? I'm curious about your results being you liked my post but no reply yet.
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I couldn't get any good pictures with my gopro they all were blurry to the point you couldn't see the gap between infill but here is the 20x20x4 that printed fine
https://www.dropbox.com/s/05jfh5clzyixt76/20mm-cube.gcode?dl=0
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I will post the code after work tonight and take a few pictures. The quality of the pictures wont be great as it is hard for me to take good pictures with my non working hands but Ill give it a shot.
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ok i printed your gcode and got the same results as you with gaps between infill on the top. So I made a 20x20x6mm cube in sketchup and ran it through cura 14.7. printed at .8 walls, .15mm ,230c, 45mms, 20% infill , silver protoparadigm PLA. and it came out perfect. UM2
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Hi,
Just a short note. I haven't had time to work on this issue but will attend to it asap.
@illuminarti: Awesome ideas. Regarding the flow - I tried printing with up to 150% flow and it was only very slightly better. As for the other two suggestions, I will have to re-print the flat object to measure the distance between the spots. Also the idea of watching the extruder motor shaft is great. Will do it.
@electronic_matt: Thanks for the print and welcome to the club. You seem to have a simmilar issue :/
Except if my Cura is wonky and slices things like that - while not totally impossible, would be otherwise a huge coincidence - but who knows.
Maybe one of the other fine lads could give the cube a spin (beware - UltiGCode):
I will try printing your gcode file tonight after work and see how it goes.
I don't know if it will help but have you tried a complete uninstall of cura then download and reinstalled the current version from the website? I saw you reverted back to 14.1 at one point but try a full clear n reinstall with new files. I figure it is worth a try as it only takes a few minutes.
If you do Ebay that printer please give the bidders a heads up about the issues it has.
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I love sketchup and enjoy the free plugins that are avaliable. I use solid solver, solid inspector, remove inner faces, and round corner, along with a few others I can't think of at the moment. One thing about round corner I find anoying is once you use it you can not use push/pull on the surface any more. So I create my design, make a copy, and round the corners last. This way I can make adjustments in the future.
I research and download my plugins through Sketchucation a wonderful site for anyone using sketchup. It has loads of great information.
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For those who want a dual extruder printer and don't want to wait for the UM version there is a G-Max kit out that has a 16 x 16 build platform with a dual extruder add on. The only down side is it does not have a heated bed and requires you to assemble it. But it looks like a nice kit for the price. I have been following this printer for some time and believe for my next printer I will give this a try if the UM version is not ready by then but first I want to buy a cnc router.
http://gcreate.com/gmax-printer/
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What about cooling with a Peltier element? Don't know if that will be a solution. It's just my 2 cents...
Example:
The problem with a peltier is when you apply power one side gets very cold however the other side gets very hot and needs its own cooling to maintain the tempiture difference or the element will burn out. I played with a few trying to make a self contained recirculating cooling vest but the elements were not very efficient and required large heat sinks.
But it doesn't hurt to explore any and all possible options so good looking out!
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I put some serious thought and time into the over heating issue and redesigned the existing hot end. My version will mount to the existing hot end carrage system. It will require only 2 new plates and a small heat shield to be machined and supports existing fans and heat sinks. I put a thermal break and radiant shield inbetween the heads to reduce heat transfer and allow for stable multi-tempiture printing. The fans can be set for push pull or pull-- pull however this needs to be tested to see what option is better. The best part is this setup could be machined and tested in a few days at very little cost. I hope the UM team at least trys my design and if it works great!. You could donate the first production dual head printer to me to assist in making accessible PS3 controllers for disabled gamers. Being Sony refuses to make such a controller because it wouldn't make them a large profit. Tell me what you think guys. I believe it will work great and may try to make my own to test if I can get my local machine shop to help me out.
Post your latest print!
in What have you made
Posted
I forgot to add it was all modeled in Sketchup and sliced with Cura