EX-WHY-ZEE

I'm very visual. Hearing about "unneccessary" movements is not descriptive enough - show my a layer view and circle or arrow the part you think is unneccessary if you think it's important. I doubt this is important. gr5 I hooked up the little test block even captured screen shots. The only contrasting variations were on the top and bottom layers. These however are expected variations for model integrity and strength. Nothing strange or random about the slice. I will add that some time ago I made a change in CURA, hop or something I can't remember exactly. This change whatever it was, I recall it cutting an hour plus off the print time and the random extrusions were no more. Moreover, to clarify this issue with the print path or unnecessary movements are in blue and I don't have a screen shot of it as an example. I do know how to draw a little and the example I've illustrated is about as good as I can get without ISO-ing it up. Also thanks, your fine example you demonstrated of the gaping problem; you hit it right on the frustrating headache it is. The only thing I hated, is it took you thirty minutes to work out a drawing; next time if you need it, I'll hook you up. When the printer came online it printed nicely with some small tweaks and little error with only few nagging time consuming issues. As for the belts and the play in both the vertical drive timing belts at the motors and the X,Y horizontal driven timing belts. Below is how and nearly step by step how it was corrected. Reducing play at the motors is a matter of simple leverage and a medium sized flat head screwdriver presents itself to be perfectly suited for this task. Loosening the four (4) SS M3x25 bolts to allow the motor to slide freely in the mounting slots of the frame. Placing the flat end thru the easement slot for the 5mm timing pulley, locate the Ø22mm body form on the motor. Prying in a steady slightly upward motion removes the play of the drive belt. Working in a clockwise motion tightening the bolts, staggering the order to ensure the motor is set level and seats flat to its frame mount. (A line level may be used if needed, it's about the size of a pencil, round and about 2 or 3 inches long.) Decreasing play at the X,Y driven belts was effortless in comparison thru applied tension. There are several formulas and mechanical methods to achieve the correct tension on belts. There is beauty in simplicity. Located 180° out from the X,Y slide blocks, gathering the slack in a rubber band and measuring the total surplus length (not the sag length form horizontal belt). Then designed and printed belt tensioner with the mic'd belt measurements taken. Noting the confined space and the potential clearance issues. The tensioner designed, now applies tension and without binding the belt or belts, nor adding cumbersome weight. Thus allowing the axis to travel freely without flopping belts, interference, slippage and or jumping time as they can sometimes do. After making the above changes combined with a flow set 130% and turning up the temp to 250°c the gap spacing is almost nonexistent. Keeping the flow rate the same and setting the temp to 240°c the issue will indeed show its self. While these setting overrides do not fix the printing issue, there is a visibly noteworthy improvement in the print over the preceding prints. In closing I do appreciate all of your suggestions and I am still interested in, and working toward getting this printed gap fixed once and for all. Thank you.

Sorry for the delay in my reply I have been extremely busy and I am just now getting free. I do love a good challenge and these printers really provide that for me. Just so that you I didn't do anything crazy it's a tad more methodical. I do like knowing as much as I can about whatever, short of being a smart alec know it all. To begin with the model is setup based on multiples of the nozzle opening. Yes. Myrightfoot I make the entire model the same thickness with no fill. One printer would do it and the other was having no part of it. Change or no change. Yes. gr5 I did, look at the layers and I did it layer by layer. I even used an independent gcode plotter just to cross check the code. I noticed CURA had some crazy points that made no since. Not wondering to far from the original slicer settings, this is what I did and the result of that change. When I turned up the heat and lowering the speed only made a huge molten mess. Also tightened the timing drive belts and the driven belts and ensuring freedom of movement. As well as checking the motors to ensure they weren't bound in any way. These had no effect. Changing the nozzle. It was a scheduled change I was only waiting on the part to come in. The setting as they were with a slight tweak to the hot end temp and the flow rate the print I was looking for is now produced and re-produced. This same gcode model is currently printing on two printers and with some slight variation in settings I am able to archive the same results on both. If there are anymore suggestions or comments I would love to hear them maybe I could use them to build my knowledge and understanding. Thank you both for the help and advise I do really appreciate it. I do have one question: In the model, all of the fillets or radii are tangent and line spacing is setup so that no fill is required. When looking at the sliced layers and the nozzle movement. One can clearly see, noticeably unnecessary and random movements at different points and on varying layers through out the model. How can can one remove these movements?

gr5 I tried fooling Cura by scaling down the nozzle size, No change. Also turning up the heat and lowering the speed, Zero change. In addition to that I even made the small belts so tight one would think they would snap under the tension, Nothing. Then, I increased the flow rate to 130%, Zilch. Moreover, I changed the nozzle to a larger size and combined with all the above listed changes, still a goose egg. One side is still clearly thinner and the other has a huge gap. Next I'll re-calibrate the axes and end stops to see if they might have jumped a notch or something? If you have any ideas that could shed light on this I am open to suggestions.

I will give it a shot, at this point I have nothing to lose. I will let you know how it works out. Thank you

I have two UMO+ printers the only set to print a model using .4mm nozzle. The model I am printing is symmetrical meaning the geometry is the same and multiples of .4mm. After checking every nut, bolt, and set screw leveling the bed and even checking and adjusting the feed rate as well as the feeder. I was still unable to accurately pin point the culprit of this print flaw. Standing in the front and facing the printer, looking down at the print bed. Parts of the right side moving at a 45 degree angle at 0.8mm requiring fill has a gap, the left is as is should be. The top horizontal section or "T" portion the right side shows a slight gap on the lower half and slight lager that it should be. However, the left side in only 1/3 the designed thickness. I have since then modified the model to multiples of 0.6mm and the flaw can still be vaguely seen. But doesn't impact the desired final function. I would appreciate any input toward casting light on this problem. Thank you. I have included the photos below

Thanks for all of the help and advice it has all been very useful and I will be putting them into practice. I will post a photo soon to show what your advice has done. Many thanks and if I can ever assist you it would be my pleasure. Thank you.

All I know is that most of the calls and emails go into a queue of sorts and are somehow divvied out. All of the contact on the website is below. I hope this helps. What is the problem that you are having? Submit a request https://fbrc8.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/requests/new support@fbrc8.com sales@fbrc8.com (888) 451 5115

That looks really good. Were you using PLA? That may speed production exponentially. I was aware that the brim wasn't necessary but advised to use it. I am okay with not using is much as using it. Moreover, I am so thankful for any and all advice, I also grateful for your desire to help. As it seems I am continually putting out fires. I am able to sort out an issue or two and just as I am jumping up and down with delight, yet another one pops up. The filament I am using is ABS 3mm, in the prior photos the speed of the print for all parts was set to 40mm/s hot end temp was set to 255 acting under the advice of support in Memphis. (my other printers do well at 245°c) and the bed was then and now set to 100°c or 212°f My other printers used KISSlicer new out of the box and print lexan and not glass. The only value to me is the support that it creates for the model. I am considering modifying certain aspects of them and upgrading to glass to use CURA for all. The KISSlicer user input for final prints is different enough that when printing over time may become confusing. I maintain, upgrade, and advise other users. I am the overall end user tasked with taking care of these wonderful machines and I want to do the best job I can. I was able to solve the dilemma of nozzle dragging thru the print. I changed a few setting as well as redesigning the model. The changes made were: 1. Bed - reset print bed from .1mm roughly to roughly .3 mm 2. Retraction - speed: 45mm/s distance: 4.5mm/s to speed: 35mm/s distance: 3.5mm/s 3. Print Speed - lowered from 40mm/s to 35mm/s and travel remained at 150 mm/s 4. "Z" hop - Raised from zero, to .1mm 5. Redesign model to a metric geometric design After completing these modifications and made a test print, everything was exactly as desired. However, once I set the printer to print multiples it started out nicely, but the finished product is slightly askew. The layers are in line with what the sides "X" axis as expected, but in the "Z" axes at an angle arcing away in the "Y" axis. The final print appears to have taken on a life of its own. It wasn't part of the design nor the slice. When the gcode is plotted it doesn't prove to show any abnormalities in the code. I have included photos to illustrate. Re-slicing and changing file name to see if that is the problem. Any suggestions would be great appreciated.

Could it be the model? Meaning it was drawn in autocad imperial converted to metric. Should I redesign it as a metric design? Using full metric geometry or is that a non issue?

Thank you both for offering help. The version of CURA I am using is 15.04.03. Yes, what I am getting is not what I am expecting at all. I would not even qualify them as models or call them prints. As for the printer / hot end when in motion to me it's a thing of beauty, I am machine nerd. If I print the Ulitmaker Robot it comes out good to fine with a brim. Photos and Video Using the same settings. I select the item I wish/ need to print x 20 and the brim isn't down before I have to stop the print. At best maybe 8% of the Brim is down printed before failure. So I scaled back the print number to 1 thinking that might help me better understand what is happening. This didn't work either. The brim is down and the form of the model can be seen then the filament coils like a snake at the nozzle. When slicing and looking at the model in layers I see the outer section in red infill in yellow. But what I am getting is nowhere near what I've sliced. It doesn't get that far before I have to cancel the print. I designed it in Autocad and exported the stl. However I use two other cheap printers, that even though they are extremely slow, print this file well and have for all year. I do use a different slicer known as KISSlicer. It does a good job but these printers, print on Lexan and not glass. I think now that it is more of a combination of my unfamiliarity with this printer/ slicer. Thank you in advance and I am extremely grateful for any advice At the link below in dropbox are photos of robot and single model, video robot and the stl file of the model. if you want to look https://www.dropbox.com/s/iuxzhi5wvjox12i/New%20Style%20.5%20x%201.5.stl?dl=0

Thank you SandervG I do appreciate what you've done. I guess the second time is indeed the charm. I called fbrc8 support again, however this time I will say the help I received was vast improvement over the assistance I received prior Joseph Williams the young man that helped me, really went out of his way, up to and including asking to have my printer shipped to him so he see what is going on. ( to which I am really considering ) Because of this it, causes me to reconsider my angry stance toward fbrc8 and moving forward allow by gone's be by gone's. I have four printers two are just cheap one's and I enjoy a little freedom with setting and the like because I all but built them at this point. However, I also have two UMO+ printers one of which is not on line as of yet. And this one that I am having issues with. I know and understand that user error is very much at play here, I get it. Learning curve and all. At the moment the issues are filament is feeding requires what seems like endless adjustment to fine tune or it will just stop extruding. Next, if I can get it to extrude and stick. Late last night all it did was printing was rounded squares spiraling smaller and smaller from the center of the bed toward the edge. Slice and re-slice, deleted gcode file, changed file name. These are at the moment the prevailing issues I am facing. Any help and direction would be helpful. Thank you.

I have a new UMO+ once set up it refused to print among other bizarre issues. Also, I'm not exactly new to 3D printing but still far from having all the answers. Moreover, I am very familiar with the mechanical and electrical workings, parts and the like and have a better than good understanding of how they interact one to another. I feel that I am competent enough to pursue undertakings with success. As a rule I only resort to asking for assistance when I have run nearly out of options and I'm hoping for a direction not yet discernible. In hopes to achieve this I called the fbrc8 support line for assistance, and afterwards what turns out to be less than stellar customer service. After the past few days and the run around I have received I no longer desire their assistance. I would like to know if there is anyone else in the US I can contact for assistance before I reach out to Europe? Thank you.