chrisw

So far those MK2 reviews have been glowing. Josef says the magic is in his mesh auto leveling in the firmware. Plus the heated bed manages multiple areas in order to maintain an even temperature. I like the fact that it can be torn down quickly to fit in a suitcase, which can go in the overhead bin of an airliner. I did that with a UM2, but it was an ordeal. The MK2 prints are being compared to UM2 quality. It could all be early hype though. I haven't used one yet :-) My plan is to wait til Nov when the MK2 4-color mixer is supposed to be released, then read about peoples' experiences and try talking myself out of buying one, or wait for the UM3 to set a new standard.

Yes it looks great at first, but then start reading personal accounts of peoples' experiences which are not glowing. Some end up parking 1 head and sticking with solo use

That seemed to be true last year, but several comparable new machines are priced at or slightly above the UM2+: Raise3D N2, BCN3D Sigma, 3DGence One, and Lulzbot TAZ6 are a few

(On my two UM2 machines) It seems there's a tiny bit of wiggle room between the printing head's lower aluminum plate and the Hot End Isolator. It's a very tiny bit of wiggle, but I'm curious whether making that joint rigid would improve printing accuracy at all. Has anyone experimented with this, or does anyone have a trick for eliminating that wiggle? Last year I had an Isolator that wouldn't fit all the way down inside its hole (it wouldn't seat against the aluminum plate) because it was too fat near the top of its thin cylinder. That wasn't good for fitting of the spring replacement, but it sure made the block and nozzle rigid. I replaced that isolator with one that would seat properly. I'm just not sure if the feel of rigidity would actually translate to better prints

Good point. Like I said, these blocks are working well for me after tightening of the isolators. How about if I just keep these BV3s and let's see where this goes. Would a little filing of the top surface with a rough file help those parts mate?

Yeah right... remove it? Hah! I don't want to detach this BV3. It's working great. I'm using Bondtech feeders too, and creating lots of pressure.

I have a pair of BV3's with chromey tops like that. I figured the leaking after initial installation was caused by inadequate pressure, so I just tightened the isolators and both stopped leaking. Perhaps that high pressure won't be good for the plastic couplers in the long run though. I'll contact the dealer. These blocks print great in any case. Filament manufacturers and 3D Printing retail companies should be pushing this BV3 block hard because users like me burn through spools of filament at a much-accelerated rate after installation. Thanks for the great invention.

Going by the criteria listed in your original post, it looks like UMO+ is the only Ultimaker version which suits for pricing and sizing. I agree with @Dim3nsioneer that if you could find a used UM2 for your price, it would be grand. But in my area they go for $1500+ >edited to add: But then again, there may not be any UMO+ machines available in your area. I was thinking of this local USA dealer's $995 price: Ultimaker Original + Kit

I'd slow the print speed. If you notice with PETG , it likes to go up toward the hot nozzle and stick to the nozzle whenever possible. It'll defy gravity to move toward that heat. In this way PETG's warping differs from ABS I think. ABS is shrinking as it cools. I'm sure PETG does this slightly as well, but more of the peeling up is caused by that soft plastic wanting to follow the hot nozzle IMO. Even on medium-sized prints when using this material, the plastic will be soft a few layers deep because it maintains heat for a long time after extrusion. I think slowing the print helps the plastic stay stuck to the glass. Like @gr5 , I don't use Kapton. I use a heated glass bed with hair spray for PETG. For PLA I use glue stick, but for PET the extreme-hold spray works better for me, with less cleanup required

Yes definitely remove the glass to apply the spray. I only need to reapply the spray once every 25 prints or so, though. You can see marks where previous prints have been, but there's still a layer of spray on the glass and it keeps on working

No fan

For PETG you need to dial in your nozzle temp to a small window of about +- 5c. I use eSun brand mostly and it seems to like 238 - 243 best. The temp can stray up and down outside of that range, but you can see differences in the print as a result. Example: temp way too low = very slow extrusion. temp a little low: lines printed next to each other stay separate instead of merging into 1. temp a little too high = lots of stringing. Temp way too high = inconsistent extrusion diameter of lines being printed. I like to make the temp such that minor occasional stringing occurs across open spaces. It seems like then I get very strong parts with good layer bonding. Ideal bed temp for my projects have been 75C. I use a coat of hair spray (applied when bed is cold), and it keeps the print fixed in place until the bed cools down. I haven't experienced warping unless there's a large flat bottom layer. But I do have the machine's front and top covered. Good luck!

After installation of the MB, I noticed more stringing was present than there had been with the OB (This was using a gcode file that had been dialed-in to work well with the OB). I dropped the nozzle temp 3C and sped up the print speed 25%. That combination seems to have created the same quality of prints I was getting with the OB. My first impression: The MB makes my system more efficient and faster. The one part of the OB that I may miss at some point are the little holes on the underside. They helped me remove the PT100 from my OB without need for any pulling, A paperclip pushed that stubborn part right out

I agree with @gbp01 ... Very satisfied. I purchased a pair of them for my two UM2 systems. The items arrived to my door, which is on a different continent from their origin, just a few days after I ordered online. It's great machinery, it's affordable, and it just works well. Bondtech recently provided a simple gcode file to use for making the firmware updates. Just run the gcode print and your UM2 gets configured for the Bondtech, so recompiling isn't necessary any longer

Probably there's not enough pressure among those 3 components that are vertically in line between the top & bottom plates of your printer head. If you can reach in with your fingers and spin that aluminum cylinder which sits atop the white plastic coupler, then it's too loose. The way to tighten it would be to rotate the metal ring that has the visible holes (just below the white plastic coupler). You'd need to do that after cleaning, and while the nozzle is warm.... maybe 150-170C. The cylinder should be snug but not really tight. Too much pressure would deform the white plastic piece. At first this explanation probably doesn't make sense, because the leak is happening below those 3 parts. But pressure for the lower joint comes from making those 3 inline parts fit more snugly between the top/bottom plates

Oui, merci @neotko . Tests would be good. I had my wallet out, ready to spend $ on these already. It sure is eye candy. @gr5 what do you think of these, and will you be carrying them in your store?

For most of that Benchy project your print head goes over an area laying down hot plastic. The nozzle moves along to other areas and the hot plastic cools while the nozzle is busy elsewhere. Then the head comes back and lays more hot plastic on top of the cooled areas. That changes when the printer gets to the smoke stack. Now the nozzle lays down hot plastic, circles around a few times really fast, then lays more molten PLA on top of the still-warm plastic. That happens again and again, so the heat builds in that smokestack. The whole thing is hot, and more layers added on top add more weight, making it sag. A few ways to deal with it: - make sure the fans are at 100% - decrease the nozzle temp when it gets to the smoke stack base layers. - decrease the print speed when it gets to the smoke stack base layers.

The large brim doesn't actually look too bad to me. What type and brand of filament have you been using that exhibits this problem? And what have your bed and nozzle temps been?

The frame is only made of flat panels. It can be perfectly square but the rods/pulleys/belts/bearings can be misadjusted or damaged and can cause problems like you're describing. I wouldn't apply force trying to straighten anything out, because usually you only need tools to make adjustments to these machines. And like @xeno suggested, post some pics of print failures!

Creality made a cheap clone of the Deezmaker Bukito about a year or more ago. The link you posted looks like Creality used that same design, but now with a new base incorporating the power supply inside the base section. The original design had a small base with a separate brick PS. I have a Bukito, and it's nice for portability (you can break it down to fit into a biefcase fast). But that's all I use it for. It requires a lot more hands-on tending during print than my UM2 machines, and the resulting prints aren't as accurate. I've read some good and some bad reviews of Creality machines, which is fitting because they're chinese hit-or-miss systems. Some may work well for a while, some may be junk. Who knows. And I expect the laser engraver part of that macine will not perform to your expectations. Do they have any realtime videos of the laser performing? Or dies it show the laser starting, then transition magically to the end result (no telling how long the small laser project actually took?) As far as lasers go, I expect tge one they include is anywhere from .5 to 2 watts. You can get a 40W entire CO2 laser machine that cuts through plastics and 1/4" plywood for $350, so I think it's a wasted effort trying to incorporate a diode laser into a 3d printer. Just my opinion from limited experience with lasers and printers. What about a UMO+? That should fit into your budget pretty well. There are many satisfied owners.

Thanks for letting us know. I was looking at that extruder as a possibility months ago. I figured they'd have the wrinkles ironed out by now. I chose Bondtech extruders instead and have been very happy with those: Good customer support, fast shipping, easy installation, affordable, and they work great

Could you explain the reason for the adjustability? I thought the spacer didn't need more than 1 length

I would first try powering off the system, then raising the build plate all the way up. To raise it manually just grab under each side of the bed support plate, just in front of the "Ultimaker 2" sign. It should have some even resistance all the way up. Then when it's fully up, release it. If everything is perfect the bed should slide back down to the floor from its own weight. Most machines that I've worked with need a little extra pressure though. If it doesn't slide down by itself, try helping with a light push. On its way up and down the motion should be consistent. If you feel bumps or extra drag at those specific 2 points, then it's probably either a damaged z screw, rod, or bearing, or maybe just something that needs to be cleaned out. Also, what does it sound like when the power's off and you're sliding the bed up and down? Smooth or grinding sounds?

I talked with a UM dealer from Canada. I want to say his name but I'm afraid I'll butcher the spelling. It sounded like Nietzsche. The UM booth area was flooded with potential customers who were being helped by the UM crew members, so I just admired the Z-unlimited setup and moved on. I had no idea how much variety would be at the Faire. Yes I enjoyed it immensely. Toward the day's end my brain was both shot and alive with ideas from all the creations I'd seen. I'm sure I'll be at another of these events. Next time I'll allocate more than 1 day and we'll be more likely to meet

It was a last-minute decision for me to attend this Faire. I didn't find your posts asking about it... I wish I'd looked harder. Maybe next year, or at a different event