norbauer

Brand new PVA that came with the machine. Doesn't feel sticky. cool. Thanks; I have done so. I will try loading PLA in feeder/extruder #2 when my current print is done, but I don't think it's the material, since the same problem has been happening (albeit to a lesser extent) on the first feeder/extruder as well, where I was using PLA. In both cases the filaments are just the ones that come with the printer. No kinks or bends in the tube. Printing is actually working fine, as the feeder is able to keep a hold of the filament at lower speeds. It's only during that brief fast feed period of loading and unload that it loses its grip. Unfortunately, without that fast feed it takes painfully long for filament to reach the hot end. There doesn't appear to be any visible signs of the motor digging in and spinning in the filament. It almost sounds and looks more like it's a motor that has a clutch and the torque is causing it to disengage.

When loading and unloading, my feeder loses its grip on the filament in the middle (fast) portion of the feeder motion, as shown in this video (make sure you have your sound on, as that's probably helpful to understand what is going on). I have tried all possible feeder tension settings, from one end to the other, and no change to the tension improves or affects the issue. This is for my feeder 2, using PVA filament. Any suggestions for what I can do to troubleshoot this issue? Thanks!

Update: I found that by adjusting the plate with the screws to a distance of 25mm between top of glass plate and bottom of the aluminum build platform, I was able to use manual leveling and then auto-leveling. However, this is a much shorter distance than how how the plate comes from the factory, which is why you get the nozzle crash during auto-leveling if you haven't tightened up the plate screws significantly.

I have the same problem. Nozzles are clean, filament is loaded in both. Before the sensing cycle begins, the nozzle is already in contact with the plate. I've tried it many times, including several times with manual leveling right before auto. Maybe you guys need to revert this change that was pushed in the latest firmware, or make it a bit smarter? The auto-leving was working fine for me a few days ago when I set up the printer, but I think this problem was introduced when I updated the firmware. I'll try the solution provided by @mgammal, but it's a bit of an inelegant hack that we really shouldn't have to do.

OK, thanks guys. This is useful info. I'll do some experimentation with the 20mm limit and turning active leveling off entirely. I'll see what happens and report back.

Yes, of course the leadscrew flexes easily when moved, but there does also appear to be a bit of play in the motor housing like in your video.

I have what seems to be the same problem, a pretty loud and distinct rattling sound. This sounds like a mechanical issue—more like a loose part—rather than active leveling compensation via a stepper motor drive. I can feel vibration corresponding to the sound when I touch the z-axis leadscrew, and as you can see in the video, as you get closer to the z-axis stepper the sound is more pronounced. Is this expected behavior (odd, if so), or should I contact my reseller for service?

I'd love to see a closed build chamber with heat (to reduce warping) and air filtration (for respiratory health).

Interesting. I usually wet sand all plastics anyway. I have heard many people say PLA is relatively very difficult to sand and finish, but maybe they were using dry papers. I need to experiment with ABS vs PLA in my blast cabinet and see how they both respond to it. Sanding with paper works nicely for flat surfaces, but it's tedious and sometimes impossible to get into deep grooves and recesses that way. I guess my question is whether the software (Cura or S3D) account for plastics shrinkage at all in order to try to make the parts more accurate to their designs. Or do most people who care about this simply apply a scaling factor? I'm oftentimes prototyping assemblies of (usually 15mm+ in diam) holes and shafts where one needs to fit into the other. For machining, these are given the same nominal size in CAD and then tolerances are specified to the shop. However, in my limited experience getting FDM prints, oftentimes a hole and shaft given the same diameter won't fit into each other right out of the printer.

Hi all! I am very impressed by the UM community so far from what I've seen from of your active forum. I have been considering getting a 3D printer for a while now, as I increasingly find myself working on industrial design projects, both for my hobbies (Star Trek prop replicas!) and for commercial projects as a designer, and I'm seeking some advice. I'm both looking for advice on what printer to get (understanding that there will be a strong UM leaning here) and also a bit of advice on what to expect. These are the printers I'm considering: Ultimaker 2+ Zortrax M200 Up Box Here are the issues I'm considering. On occasion, I want to be able to finish parts really well. Sometimes I'll want to make prints that will be used for mold-making and casting of prop replica parts. One of the things drawing me to the UM2+ right now is that I am especially interested in printing with the 0.25mm nozzle and at around 60 micron layer heights, on the assumption that it will make high-quality finishing easier. I need to see zero layer lines on finished parts that I use for casting, even if it takes some work to get there. I have a blast cabinet with Polyplus media, which Stratasys recommends for finishing FDM parts. I have a lot of experience working with urethanes and milled plastics, so I have no problem wet sanding and polishing. (Not such a big fan of working with acetone.) I'm thinking that perhaps ABS printing is going to work best for me, because I hear that PLA is a pain to wet sand and get a great surface finish, and I have some good results in initial tests in sanding ABS FDM prints. ABS printing? Therefore, ABS printing is important to me. Bed adhesion and also a warm build environment seem important for getting good results on larger ABS prints, and this seems to be an area where the UM doesn't hold up as well compared to something like the Up Box or Cubicon, with their closed heated build chambers. Using ABS, I'm also somewhat concerned about fumes and will probably need to add an expensive after-market filtration enclosure if I get an UM2+ rather than a Cubicon or Up Box, both of which includes those features natively. Adding this cost makes the UM2+ significantly more expensive than any of the other printers I'm considering. Or maybe I should just calm down and use PLA and plan to use something like XTC 3D to help in finishing? I know PLA is much easier to work with, and (unlike ABS) I'd probably be OK printing with it at home in terms of fumes. Good support/community. I know there is going to be a fair amount of tweaking and tinkering involved in any 3D printer. I'm fine with that, but I want to be able to know I can get help when I'm hitting snags. This is one of the main UM advantages as far as I can tell. The Cubicon is a new printer based out of Korea with seemingly minimal English-speaking community. I don't like proprietary filaments or locked down slicing options (I want to be able to use Simplify 3D). These are major strikes against the Zortrax and Up Box. Dimensional accuracy. One of the main applications for me for a 3D printer is for prototyping. Mostly I'm designing parts that will ultimately be machined either in aluminum or ABS. My goal in prototyping will be to a) get a rough sense of sizing of parts by holding my 3D models in my hand in real life but also b) to be able to check things like fits of parts together. Are there software tools or other techniques that can be used to get decent dimensional accuracy on prototyped parts? Prototypes aren't worth much to me if none of the parts of an assembly fit together. To the the extent that this is a priority for me, perhaps with FDM I'm simply barking up the wrong tree? Any insights and advice on any of the above would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance!