jimbojoe

jameshs - whenever i remove the nozzle that way I seem to damage the heater block with the pliers over time. I know the solution would be to grip softer, but sometimes it takes work to get a nozzle off, at least for me! Also, where did you get the needles from? And does the atomic method work the same for the UM1, as what I've read has been mostly for the UM2? I ordered all my filament from Ultimachine. It seemed to be of good quality. But what other suppliers do people trust and use to avoid clogs? Finally - and I know that this has been a long post already - it seems as if my UM1 Z-axis quality has diminished a bit over time. Walls that would have been quite smooth in the past are now a bit ripple-y. I don't think the "rippling" is consistent with the pitch of the z-screw. What could be causing that?

These for UM1? http://www.ebay.com/itm/5Pcs-lot-3D-Printer-Nozzle-0-3mm-0-4mm-Extruder-Print-Head-for-Ultimaker-3-D-/111503047822?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19f6197c8e

gr5 - Where do you buy UMO nozzles for only $5 including shipping?? And what is your preferred method of swapping nozzlse? Do you have a UM2? jameshs - What dust cleaner do you have on your UM? And what is your preferred method of cleaning out the nozzles? The only way I've managed to do it is to strip a copper wire, wind a few strands, heat up the nozzle, and try to poke the wire through, but it does not work very well. I bought some 0.4 mm drill bits awhile back, but they kept breaking off inside.

Oh here's a second post so I can receive messages.

Ok, so here's the basic question: I have a UM1, and I want a new, better printer, but I am worried the UM2 will have the same problems my UM1 had. I got my UM original about a year and a half ago. It worked very well at first, but there were plenty of issues. Z-screw leveling issues, bowden tube-popping issues, belt tension issues, extruder issues, and primarily under-extrusion / nozzle clogging issues. Oh GOD, the nozzle issues. The improved somewhat when I finally printed a filament cleaner, but after X hours of printing (which good, expensive filament), they would inevitably come back. I probably took the hot end assembly AT LEAST 200 times (and the burns and annoyance that come with that). It seemed that for whatever reason, no matter the filament or precautions I used, this device was prone to under-extrusion. I own at least 20 UM1 nozzles, and at least 6 of them are from UM directly, and you know how much that cost me from shipping alone. I swear, some days I wanted to strap my UM to my chest and jump off my 12th floor balcony. But other days, it would print something beautiful, and redeem itself. Now, the UM2 has some advantages over my UM1 that I know I want. I want a heated build plate, the ability to print in ABS, etc. But there are a few things I would like that would change the game in my 3D printing journey that it doesn't have, e.g.: 1) a significantly bigger build plate than UM1; 2) dual extrusion (until 1Q05), etc. But the one of the most important things, I guess, for me is reliability. I know no printer is perfect, but from what I can tell from the forums, under-extrusion and nozzle clogging (despite the atomic method) seem to be just as common, if not MORE common with the UM2 than the UM1. Lots of other people are also complaining about extruder skips for various reasons. I do not think I could deal with another printer that I would just be waiting to inevitably under-extrude and become an expensive (temporary) brick. From what I'm reading, anyway, it doesn't seem that this issue has been completely fixed and is now a rare issue. I am probably willing to pay up to $5,000-$6,000 for a new printer as long as it is reliable and has my accuracy requirements, but I don't know if I want to trade away all my knowledge with UM machines, all my 3mm filament, the open-sourced roots of the UM, Cura, and the many other benefits there are in owning a UM. Does anyone have any suggestions and/or relevant commentary regarding their experience with the UM2 over time? Are my fears re: clogging exaggerated? Or is the UM2 about the same as, or less reliable than the UM1?