madness

Ok I lost the text, DK...sorry.. I finally clogged my nozzle...bad...I have the documented prob with the temp sensor stuck in the block. I pulled the head apart, (common small electronics...real easy to do on the UM2) cleaned all the ABS out with acetone...lol took forever with the head hanging from the sensor, but the carbon has to be pulled out by hand with the block not hanging from the sensor wire, right? BTW I put it all back together and it all works fine, ie temp/sensor/fans, I just have a carbon clog and can't melt anymore out. AND I have 3D Hubs orders waiting... So, I call Fbrc8 tech support today to let them know I am about to break something pulling the sensor/head from the motherboard, right?...I get a voicemail and I just hung up, I didn't leave a message... they prefer an email ticket and I have not broken anything, yet...so I thought I would email them today...I used my wife's cellphone to call them... My wife ran errands for about 3 hours this afternoon with her phone and returned with 2 MISSED CALLS FROM Fbrc8 CUSTOMER SUPPORT, trying to figure out the problem I did not tell them about, yet!!!! WOW!!!!!!!! Amazing customer support! I will call them first thing in the morn...lol it is the decent thing to do...those wild-eyed Southern boys seem to have their stuff together...woot! @Fbrc8 and the Awesome UM2! Thanks! MadNess

Hey there MuffinK- I too have a new UM2 and have had a few extrusion issues, same symptoms as yours, and I found that as I print, the tension on the filament as it is pulled from the reel gets pretty tight at the feeder, causing no filament or very little to get into the head. The reel tightens gradually as you print until...no extrusion. I have printed Roberts feeder, but haven't installed it yet so I simply have my filament reel sitting flat on the floor and make sure I have a bit of slack in the filament. That solved my prob, perhaps it helps you. You will end up having this problem when you get to the end of your reel, anyway...those coils are so tight that my PLA snapped in 4 places (all before the feeder, whooo). That is actually when I figured out that tension prob. There were also several posts about this issue earlier but they may not have been restored to the new forums. I would take a bet that your 2015 UM2 is running just fine, but if it actually is not up to par, then you have the guys that design and build the machines right here on the forums, in addition to various customer services, and I have seen that they take care of problems...don't even sweat it! Regards- MadNess

Hey Neo! I bet your bed is only level to about .2 using the UM2 leveling. If you change to resolutions higher than that, you will begin to get inconsistent problems. Try running simple bed level .stl/.gcode at increasing resolutions. I step-level my bed this way from .25-.06 and, as I print my bed level calibration piece I end up having to adjust only one screw. I have 5 .gcodes on my SD card of the same calibration test piece at .25, .2, .15, .1, .06 resolutions and with a 5 strand skirt, you can find and adjust the errors, abort, run the next one, etc, in no time. Make sure you run the UM2 bed level 1st, then go with your calibration tests. Let me know if this works for you. I have a finished tutorial for this with the .gcodes and instructions, but I should probably have it looked at before I just post it. Cheers and happy printing! -MadNess

Hello Howard!! I am a new printer with only 6 weeks experience actually printing, but I am doing commercial jobs in ABS with excellent results. Stick with the ABS!!! I spent 5 weeks nursing PLA through the print process and when I finally got it right, man, the ABS was just hands-free printing… Sooo, I learned all my printing techniques from the UM forums, the guides especially, and I have some tutorials of my own to humbly share… But I have a question, Are you a brand new printer? I had never even seen a 3d printer when I got mine… and, is this a US UM2? Sorry I cannot find your locale, … anywhooo… if you are a new printer, then bed leveling may be your prob. Forget the 'a level bed affects the first few layers of print”...bs...at the high resolution the UM2 prints at, the ENTIRE print is affected...under/over extrusions, sagging, filament not extruding at high temp….everything!! is affected by your bed level. I have moved the glass trying to remove ABS prints before cooling after I figured out how to level the UM2. I have a 30 min step leveling process that removed all the errors in bed leveling, lol… I think… but, I am so new, I need to get it reviewed by the admins for errors/ignorance, etc . I have 216 hours of print time on my UM2, have never had 1 problem, and have never had to “atomic pull” the nozzle… when I switch ABS colors, the whole nozzle plug comes out...everytime...w/o fail...and I worry it will get caught in the feeder...(gr5 or !Robert has a post about that ABS plug/feeder, I think). I am thinking we have a tutorial prob here, in the UM forums, with info, reviews and posts older than about Oct/Nov 2014 confusing new folks. I don't own a magic UM2 from Fabrc8...I just did what the forums/guides told me to do and it works everytime. ...lol I am running a plastic-covered, combat printing machine...all of the forum advice turned my gorgeous UM2 into a ghetto-looking machine...but...it prints...w/o fail...10 friggin' hours a day or so… I hope this helps and generates a bit more discussion !!! Happy Printing- MadNess

I got the same vibe in the forums also!!! woot...hit me up, Krys and we can talk noob printing...I am now printing commercial jobs and the UM2 is AMAZING!!

Here is my latest...lol I soooo need feedback...Robert's feeder

Hello All- A quick thank you to all on the UM forums! I am new to 3d printing and received my UM2 6 weeks ago. I learned how to print from all the guides, tutorials and info here on the UM forums and all of you. Thanks much, again! So, I have 214 hours of printing on my UM2 and it has been amazing! I have done several commercial jobs and have received some kudos for the print quality I get with the UM2. I have not had one problem with the machine...none...I am just printing anything and everything . So much to say about 3d printing but not enough space...I will ask my questions in later posts, but for now, I will just say hello and post my info… MadNess/Keith Montrose,CO US UM2 from Fbrc8 on Mar18 (Dynamism for the sale) CURA 15 (so easy to pick up and use) ToyBuilder PLA and ABS No issues at all from the UM2...It runs and runs and runs...(it seems that most of the probs reported and reviewed prior to 0ct/Nov '14 have been solved). Well...thx again and Cheers, All- MadNess

Hello, All- A quick post to detail my experiences so far with my new UM2! I am pretty happy so far. I have done my homework, polished my skills with .stl, .svg, etc and I am ready to begin learning how to print. After all the user reviews and forums I have been on recently, looking for a machine to commit to, this forum was the deciding factor. The tone, the honesty, the support and instructions ... you guys know...I am excited to be here! So, I am in Colorado, US and I ordered my UM2 on Tuesday (03/13) through Dynamism, in Chicago, based upon reviews. The name of the company does not do them justice. My bank decided that a poor slob such as myself should not have $2500 in the bank and locked my account tight for 2 days. I get an email from Aaron at Dynamism...a NICE, multi-paragraph, 'Dude, your card doesn't work, call me at....". I call the Dynamism number, it rings twice... and...Aaron answers the phone, and recalls my name from his auto email list sent that morning...'no prob, happens all the time, call me when the bank decides to give you money and I will ship the UM2.' UMMM, ok, wow. Thursday (03/12), everything was good, I called Aaron, (he answered his phone, again, no voicemail), I paid, and then asked him if I would still get a ship date of the advertized 03/16. NO, NO... not 03/16...I had shipment confirmation and A FedEX tracking number from Aaron in less than an hour! I thought the guy carried my UM2 to the truck and loaded it himself! My UM2 is here now , 03/17. Absolutely could not have gone smoother. Now...this part I cannot make up... I have just inspected my UM2. The FedEx guy tried to hide the 6 inch hole in the box that looks a whole lot like a forklift blade punched into the box. OMG NO...but, I am prepared for anything...there is nothing that can go wrong with the printer that the forums or Fabrc8 or UM cannot fix...I bought the UM2 because of that support... thanks in advance, all. OK... the forklift blade or whatever, penetrated the box about 6 inches and slid between the top of the UM2 frame and the packaging that contains the glass plate at the top of the box. I cannot believe it...It missed the whole printer, packaging and all!! ... I have not started setup, but I will tomorrow and will post a bit more. I have pics of the box and the UM2. WOW! And that is my story so far! A 100% positive experience and I hope my little story helps out others thinking of buying an Ultimaker. As for the shipping damage, that happens...OMG I am just fortunate that I am not sending it back to Fabrc8 tomorrow, lol....I must be living right, finally! Thx all-