eric-lester

I checked, and the gcode my printer takes all seems to be UltiGCode flavor...what does this mean? What's the difference between flavors?

I'm working on a project by which I construct single line drawings from a set of points (here's an example). This project is being coded in Python, and given that the program considers the coordinates of each point in its operation, I was thinking about translating these coordinates into g code instructions for my Ultimaker 2+ (upgraded from the original UM2) so that I could print the drawing as one continuous line! However, I do not really understand g code or how to write it. Are there any good tutorials out there for where to start on how to edit and write g code? I obviously don't want to mess this up as it could destroy my printer... Any help is appreciated!

I was wondering if someone could give some advice on how to decrease what I call "height shrinkage," that is, where the base of the print ends up being larger than the top of it. For example, I was printing a short ring with no buildplate adhesion out of PLA with a heated bed. The piece was about two inches across and a quarter of an inch high and is basically just a cylinder with letters across it. When I took it off the plate, I noticed that the top was clearly smaller around than the bottom! (In this case, only by about 1/16'' so it probably won't matter all that much.) I looked the issue up and saw it called "elephant foot," but the reasons offered seemed weak. I can only guess that this occurs because the heated plate results in uneven cooling for the rest of the print. Regardless, any tips? Thanks!

Ah I see what you're talking about. Does that screw just use pressure to say set? I assumed it ran into a hole in the axle.

Which screw are you talking about? Also if the tensions equalize, then won't it no longer be taut along the top?

So I noticed this a while ago, but it hasn't really had any bearing on my printer as far as I can tell. Basically, the frontmost belt (in traditional Cartesian the x-axis) is tight along the top but loose along the bottom. Take a look: I'm obviously quite concerned about it, but after running several prints and carefully watching, there's literally no slipping due to the tautness along the top of the belt. Obviously, I don't want to try to fix what's not broken and ruin it (especially with a big influx of orders for stuff right now), but I'm curious as to what can be done.

Perhaps, but I'm trying to do some stuff as well with different materials between layers....and also where's the fun in that?

Jerryrigged a solution by means of removing the bowden end from the print head while material is being forwarded during the change. I let out a great excess so that even after retraction it's too long. Slowly reinserting the bowden pushes the extra plastic through the nozzle, keeping the chamber full so that resuming the print already has material primed and loaded. A bit cumbersome to be honest, but the seamless results make it all worthwhile

I'll try greatly increasing it then. I can always just use pliers to pull off the excess. Thanks for the tip Will post progress if any soon.

Hmm. I tried doing the exact opposite...that is decreasing retraction length for the plugin. You're gonna have to explain how increasing it could possibly help here. Also, if the material change is done after the pause, does that change even matter?

So with the newest version of Cura came an update for my UM2 firmware. I like the changes and was especially happy about the ability to change material mid-print. I decided to try it out by trying to print a simple traffic cone in red with white bands. I used the "Pause at height" plugin in Cura, and the printer stopped at the right height, and I was able to change to a new color. The issue is that once the material has been changed, it retracts a bit when you choose the type. As a result, no material is extruded for (in my case) the first layer and a half. This made getting adhesion between layers obviously impossible, and I gave up after the second time it happened. Is there any way to fix it? I even turned off retraction, but that doesn't do anything in this case as the command to retract filament after a material change seems to rest entirely in the UM2's firmware. P.S. I know that I could do a workaround with a new feeder and force the last few mm's through, but I don't want to go that route just yet.

Thanks.

Sorry if this topic has been asked a lot, but I've spent a fair amount of time looking it over and haven't really come to any satisfactory end...is there an official Ultimaker dual extrusion kit for the Ultimaker 2? It doesn't look like it (to me at least), but I've seen rumors of it for well over a year. I know that adapting Cura especially would be a royal pain, but as the current version has some tantalizing settings for it, I'm not really sure what to make of it.

I'm currently using .1mm hright and Form Futura filament. The tolerances and color constancy seem good, so the quality doesn't seem to be an issue. I recently cleaned the hotend as well. (Fully disassembled it and found it was clean) I have an idea as to what it might be, but I'll try myself before posting back.

Thanks for the tip on top layers. It solved the issue with the top not closing correctly...but that still doesn't fix my issue--and it may be one not related to the filament. That is, when the infill is being added, it's going down onto a flat layer of plastic that's had much more time to cool. As a result, it isn't adhering correctly on the first layer. The next layers of infill then just adhere to the faulty first layer. Take a look: