nick-s

Having just put IROBERTSI design through Cura and got the g code I am about to print my first feeder in white Color Fab XT. I have put 50% fill on all parts but the Latch which is 100%. Printing 4 latches in case it breaks as the comments seem to show this as a weak spot.. Now having second thoughts about using XT or printing most parts at 50% infill? Printing the whole assembly in solid PLA seems a bit excessive? Would like your thoughts on this. TIA

Many thanks Rigs. Got it sorted now. Will know where to look next time....

I follow most threads as a good way to learn, and I seem to have an older version of Cura.... TinkerGnome mentions above that Cura is now at 14.12.1. My Cura is 14.09. When I click on the Help / Check for update... button it tells me I have the latest version ? How can I get the 14.12.1 version? This is on my computer. No idea what the version in the UM2 is, but I have always connected and updated the printer when told to. Thanks.

Hi Rod. Sounds interesting, but I would be a bit concerned about final removal of the print. Did you not have any problems? I have used "Solid Print 3D's" abs/acetone wash method (detailed above) on ADS prints for a while now. It has always worked well, substantially reduced bottom face distortion and stuck well. It also gives a great glass like bottom to the print. Use a wash of the same colour as the print. Provided you let it cool first, this always lifts off really easily. Having said that, once you find a method that works, just stick with it !

Having just come up with the same question of how to understand G and M Codes generated by Cura I am pleased to have found this old thread, Owen's link above worked fine but Daid's link seems to be dead. Can you give an update please Daid. And by the way, I tried to copy quotes from above comments but failed. How do you get the box with bits of other peoples quotes inserted into your reply? Thanks.

A good question TR4L. I got my first printer, an Ultimaker 2 in November. I have had a great time using it and learned a huge amount from keeping an eye on this forum site. But I am now considering getting an UMO+ due to the extra nozzle. I think this may make supporting overhangs easier with some form of discoverable material.

As a note to the dual head developers, I require it mainly for printing dissolvable support material rather than dual colour prints.

Hello Cerberus 3D When I started using ABS about three months ago I was having trouble with shrinkage distortion and lifting of the flat face from the bed. My parts have large flat areas in excess of 7cm x 10cm. After using this site for tips and trying various systems, my solution has been: Put the ABS juice on to a COLD clean bed. I make a slurry in the colour I am going to print and cover a much wider area than I am going to print over. It dries very quickly and is easy to apply but gives off flammable vapours, so be careful. I use a tea spoon, spreading it with the back of the spoon or the flat bottom of a scrap ABS print of the same colour. The finished print is easy to remove as is the excess ABS wash. The final print also ends up with a super smooth shiny bottom face which in great. I see no reason why you should consider this may break the glass? I have a Perspex sheet hanging off the top edge of the UM2 by a hook I printed to act as a door. I leave this in place during the entire ABS print. It is basic, simple and can be hung on the sides when not required. I also made a simple Perspex box measuring 305mm wide x 490 deep x 200 high which sits on top of the UM2 all the time. As I am also concerned about cooking the motors, the bottom end of this box, where the filament etc enters the printer, is left open. The box lid is a loose covering sheet which I remove after my ABS print is over about 10 mm high. I consider that once the print is over this height, the base will no longer distort and you do not want excess heat in the rest of the print which may cause shrinkage distortion. The stepper motors get to 55 to 60 deg C while printing PLA in open UM2 and not a lot higher than this within my box, and only for a while until the lid is removed. The door and box helps maintain the internal temp, but just as importantly, when the box lid is removed it helps to avoid any drafts and excess air flow around the print. My settings have been 90 deg bed, 230 deg nozzle, no fans, 0.08 layer height, 0.80 shell thickness, 1.04 top / bottom thickness, 24% infill, 40 mm/sec print speed and brim. Others as per Cura standard settings. The above has resulted in some good parts using Ultimaker and ICE red and black ABS filaments. A long scree here, but I hope it helps. Good luck.

Oh and as gr5 sais, I use a good brim too.

If you find the thread titled: Any advice on how to get ABS to stick to the glass - Solved. Started by Wallan on Jan 5th 2014 http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/3955-any-advice-on-how-to-get-abs-to-stick-to-the-glass-solved/?p=73145 ( I don't know how others link / cut and paste other threads into their comments) Entry number 18 from SOLID PRINT 3D details how to put an ADS and acetone wash onto the glass. I have done this and found it to be just great. I made a slight adjustment by dissolving some ABS in acetone in a glass jam jar. Then tea spoon a small amount onto the glass and spread it out with the puck or scrap ABS part. I have a number of colours of was to suit different filament colours that I use. This wash helps to stop it lifting and also becomes fused into the first layer of the print, resulting in a wonderfully smooth bottom. It also lifts off the glass after printing - once cooled down - very easily. The acetone wash is very flammable while it is evaporating, so I always take the glass sheet into the shed and give it a coating there until it is dry. this only takes a minute or two. I have been printing with the bed at 90 deg C and nozzle at 230 deg C. Keep the fan off! I cover the front opening for the whole print and put a Perspex box on top for the first 5 to 10 mm. I then remove the lid on top of the box which helps reduce distortion in the rest of the print. Its all trial and error so give it a go.

I use neat acetone to improve the surface finish and remove the layer ridges at times. It works on ABS. However I have been surprised to find that this does not work on ABS+ which I purchased from ICE. Acetone does not seem to touch this. As a rule, I print at 0.08 thickness with a top / bottom thickness of 1.2mm. 15 layers is usually enough to close any holes in the top, but I do occasionally get a spru type of mark where the nozzle finishes which makes it look like its been injection moulded. There seem to be big holes in the head. What infill are you using? Perhaps a larger infill density will give it smaller holes to cover when closing?

Hi Memory. Welcome to the group. I have just purchased my first UM2 and am enjoying learning how to get some good prints out of it. I did a lot of looking around before getting it and recon I have made the right choice. This technology is far from at the plug and play stage. I think this makes it more challenging and fun though. The people on this site really know there stuff and are just great at answering the most basic questions really quickly. It has been an invaluable resource and made the whole learning process so much better. Don't wait 'till Christmas, get an early gift now!

I take it that this is for cleaning out the nozzle? How is it supposed to work and is there an equivalent or alternative product available within the UK or Europe?

Thank you very much for the info. I have managed a "lithopane" butterfly on top of a jewellery box for my niece. A great help.

I am planning on building a similar enclosure for better ABS prints. Being concerned about overheating the motors etc I went out and got an IR thermometer so I can monitor what is happening inside a housing. This has shown that after a couple of hours PLA printing with a fully open UM2 machine, the Y axis motor on the left, which protrudes above the white metal shield, runs at 56 to 60 deg C and the X axis one on the right runs at about 48 to 50 deg C. So this is the normal operating temp. As a very rough and ready quick fix, I then put a glass plate over the door and a cardboard box on top. This enclosed the machine with only the underside of the rear overhang open. When printing ABS at 100 deg C bed and 240 nozzle, it stopped the drafts, the general inside temps rose well (about 45 deg C) and the motors only went up to about 10 deg C above their normal temps. I am inclined to keep the bottom horizontal surface of any top box open so as to not overcook the motors. Hope this helps as a guide.

Could some one please point out where I find the function for making a model from a picture in Cura? I have version 14.07 (the latest?) loaded. I have been hunting through the tabs etc but can not locate it. Thanks.

I have just made my first successful ABS print without any distortion by using Solid Print's slurry method. Worked a treat. Thank you all for the info' on sticking and printing parameters etc. Following these various links has been invaluable for me and made my 3D printing so much more productive and fun.

I would lie to try the acetone wash, but am not sure where to get it from in England. Will it work with cheep (ie basic no additives) nail varnish remover?

Hi nimbus. I have been following this discussion with great interest as I am also having warping problems with ABS. I would like to put a box on top. Can you suggest the best design - I have seen a few around. Also, how to monitor the internal boxed temp, what it should be and its max temp? Many thanks. Nick

Many thanks Duesentrieb and Stu. It' s helpful to know that the Colorfabb filament works on the UM. I will start by working with PLA for fun prints, as you say it is easier, and then progress onto ABS and XT for my work projects. This forum is just great. All you people are so helpful. Looking at the other strings, I can see there is so much help out there. It is very reasurring. Perhaps one of my first prints will be the boden cable support that has been widely discussed on another help topic. I look forward to becoming more experianced and hopefully being able to provide advice instead of seeking it. Thanks again for your advice. Nick

Hello James. Thank you for your information. I had been looking at Colorfabb with their great range of material. It is good to know you have used it on a UM1. I assume it will work as well on the UM2. As you suggest, I will try a variaty and get some of their "Wrap" packs to try out before buying whole reels. I need the strength of ABS so will also try the XT as an alternative. It is most usefull to know what you have experianced. Though the bio degrading property of PLA is often shown as an advantage, it concernes me that I could be supplying PLA products that disintigrate within a couple of years. As well as the strength, this is another reason for me to stay away from PLA. Thanks again. Nick

Many thanks for your quick reply. I will be looking into Faberdashery. As I am wanting to print products for a commercial purpose I originally considered the Mojo and uPrint SE machines. I was quite prepared to pay the higher capital cost. Fortunately I discovered that the on going material costs would be HUGE and much too expensive to make my project viable. A Stratasys agent provided some material usage costs on trial prints that I gave them. They were five times the cost of ABS filament on the Ultimaker 2. Since these machines can only use their own material from chipped metal containers it is such a rip off, just like regular ink printers. I hope this will be my first of a number of Ultimaker printers - and with twin heads soon I hope. Many thanks again.

Hello everyone, from a total beginner. After a great day at the 3D Print show in London last week and after having reviewed the vast number of available printers, I have decided to purchase the Ultimaker 2 - probably at the TCT show in Birmingham at the end of the month. One confusing issue that I have is about material supply. I will need to use ABS as well as PLA and possibly woodfill. The Ultimaker specification states that it needs 2.85mm dia filament. But apart from Ultimaker its self, all the other suppliers only seem to do 3mm dia. Will 3mm dia ABS etc work on this machine? I do not want to be stuck with only buying from Ultimaker. Can you recommend any other UK suppliers? Apart from a guarantee of the second print head being available some time soon, this is the only issue concerning me about my impending and much anticipated purchase. Many thanks for your advice. I really need it :cool:.