JohnInOttawa

Just curious if this is a workable option. I have a piece that I would rather not use PVA for support if I can help it. Just not sure if PLA will work and what I might get in terms of interface (adhesion, removal, print quality). Thanks in advance! John

That HDGlass experience is concerning. I'll look out for those alternatives. I do have a roll of the HDGlass on hand that I am unlikely to find a home for, will give it a try and post results. Might just be an incompatible choice for the ultimaker. Thanks again John

That's a good consideration. I hadn't really fleshed out my thinking enough to consider the case of of removing a print core mid print, more I was picturing hauling on this thing while doing a cold pull and the stress that puts on the rods and blocks. Right now my RAM (which at my age stands for 'randomising aging memory') is full, trying to figure out the interface and whether there should be cooling for the upper print core. I'm also considering whether, since we have control of the environment, it would be worthwhile to allow the stand to tilt so that the nozzle could be horizontal or pointed upwards for cleaning, for those cases where something needs to be inserted through the nozzle opening. If that capability existed, it would be an easy stretch to add a magnifier so the user could guide a needle more precisely with less risk of damage. Then the thought of a heated needle.... Welcome to the perpetual motion machine of modification..... J

I'm thinking open source anyway, so cost will be in the hands of the user. Creating the physical holder doesn't look too difficult, but some thought will have to be given to heat tolerance when the print core is being heated to clear a high temp filament. The electronics interface and heater power is really where it gets tricky for me. I agree, no need for all of the features of the standard firmware, I thought it might be easier to clone a controller, then use off the shelf firmware, but the function is basic enough that perhaps that is overkill. I'm a relative novice with GitHub. Is there source documentation for the printcore electrical interface and associated temperature control code? john

I certainly see that benefit too. The nice thing about having a cleaning stand, especially since the UM3 (in my case) ships with two AA cores, is that even routine post print cleaning can be done on the stand. For multi printer operations where there are a lot of cores in play, this would have to make sense. Now, I know that Ultimaker and 3rd party makers like 3dSolex and gr5 know the electronics of the print core. I don't. That to me is the biggest unknown, managing that interface safely. How big a challenge is this piece? J

Great workaround! I will check around to see what needle spec it would take to safely enter that nozzle. The comment on the rod bending prompted me to start a separate thread on a print core cleaning stand. I'm wondering if your technique could be incorporated into the design considerations for that device. Gotta love the sharing here! John

Good morning everyone. I'd like your thoughts on the following: I've had to clear jams on occasion, and each time I wonder what I am doing to other parts of the printer during a hot pull. The thread from kman on the PVA mid print pull (excellent workaround BTW) prompted the same concern. Then it hit me: With removable print cores, why are we forcing all this stress on a high precision printer head supported by bendable rods? Why not have a robust stand that you can slide the print core into, properly supported so it can withstand a cold pull without damage, power it properly to a selectable temperature (or temp schedule) and then do the work there? Now, I realise this is going to have to be a smart stand. My initial thoughts would be arduino running some portion of the full Ultimaker firmware, but really just enough to control temperature. There would have to be a proper electronic interface to the print core, so the power supply would have to be managed. I looked around my shop and realised the hardware needs are not really that big a stretch. But first impressions in this business are sometimes just a rabbit hole. What do you think? Is this doable? Anyone up for a bit of collaboration to get it done? John

This material has been mentioned a few times on this forum, some folks seem to get it to print without difficulty, but for others, it almost seems as if the attempt harms the printer. I am planning to run this job on a UM3 with a Hardcore 0.6 Everlast nozzle. The print is not complex, no serious overhangs, it's really just a cylinder with a central bore and some detail up the sides. It prints in under an hour with woodfill. Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and advice! John

Just bumping this thread to verify the nozzle setting, about to print some woodfill today.... Thanks! John

Good morning. The E3d mod and fan mods have both been done to the UMO by others here, hopefully you'll hear shortly. I've only had to repair my UMO PWM control (transistor) and am still using the original fan. That said, you might find the following post starts you in the right direction. The board sends 19V to the fan, so not all 12V fans will work. As I understand it, even in parallel, you might need to manage the voltage down. Presuming for a second that the fans can handle the voltage, there is normally a pretty high threshold to start rotation, after which the setting can be dropped. Your post doesn't say whether you experimented with lowering the power from 91% to, say 50% once the fans were running. If they keep going and the speed lowers as requested, that would suggest that you have control of them and there is just startup to tweak. Good luck J

I do have some IR transparent inspection ports that I may set up. The trouble with most materials that are transparent in the visual is that they are opaque in the LW IR spectrum (8-14 micrometer) used by most uncooled imagers these days, or have big transmissivity loss or variation. I haven't tested the latest polycarb sheet in my rack, might get lucky. The idea of setting up a barrier is sound, I may be able to insert the port into my shield over the lathe. I'll give it whirl, and advise. As with everything, may take some time to get it done. Along the way I appear to have discovered time travel and it is work dependent. The harder I work, it seems the further I get behind. Now, if only I can figure out why that is.... Thanks ! John

Thank you for sharing this story. And what a sad indictment of a place that says to the world that it values learning above all. I have two sons in the post grad world, my eldest has told me of similar power struggles in his field (music). My background is about as artistic as a wrench. When we get into disagreements, it is funny for outsiders to watch, as we have jurassic social skills when it comes to dealing with units that require oxygen. That said, it has been my experience that, when those in the arts decide to fight, they are almost too skilled at administering life-changing lacerations to the psyche of their foe. Good on you for keeping your art alive. And for bringing it here. Our gain. All the best John

I hope you live close to a place of education. The contribution you can make goes so far beyond this forum. What I see here (and it's just a slice) goes beyond integration of media. It's a new art form. Thanks for the inspiration. Now time for me to go back printing mechanical parts. I feel like a private pilot watching an Airbus fly over and thinking, 'wow, imagine...' J

This is all great information, thank you everyone. I'm thinking what I will do next is print off a test part in each of the several materials I have on hand (PLA, Nylon, CF/Nylon), set up a good shield and record the trials. Just to keep things managable I'll run it all on a Taig micro lathe. If the debris wasn't such a concern for the lense, I'd put a thermal imager on it to see what the heat buildup looks like. Maybe I'll be able to fit an IR window into the shield or get a shot right after the run to see. I'll see if I can post results here. Much appreciated! John

Heat would definitely be a factor. I'm not sure if there would be positive effects or net negative. But something would be affected. I would use a metal lathe, so a carbide bit. I also thought that would give me finer control on cutting depth per pass. Small test, good idea. and a good shield. J

So I have a print job that will involve concentric fit. I need it pretty close and very round. My first thought was, dimension it for lathing afterwards. Of course, that really begs the question, can a 3D printed part (PLA, nylon, or nylon/CF) withstand the stresses of even a low speed lathe? My hope is yes for at least the PLA and nylon. I would rather not have to rig the HEPA recovery for the CF dust. Thanks in advance. J

Just checking back on this. As it turns out I have to embed some nuts in a print to accept machine screws. It would sure be nice to be able to use this feature. If pressed I can load a spool of identical filament into feeder 2 (UM3) and jump on it when the printer primes the second print core, but that seems dodgy to me.... Any updates and advice welcome John

That is incredible work on all of these pieces. For a lot of people, a 3D printer is a great way to get something made, but this is a whole other level. It's like comparing someone who plays a piano competently to an artist who just brings it to life. There are nuances that just make all the difference. Inspiring. John

Good morning everyone. I have a couple of things coming up, one for an item that has to live outdoors, so getting wet and UV will be regular things but strength requirements would be average. The other something that needs to be strong but doesn't need super fine detail. I've avoided ABS up till now and would prefer to stay away from it if I can. Will ASA do what I need for the outdoor piece? IF so, what experiences have folks had with ApolloX? PETG wise, how has it gone with HDGlass? I'm also toying with trying one or both of these prints with some Nylforce CF, but I think the nylon is not going to like the wet. Am I off base on that? Thanks in advance? John

Oh that is funny. Just under a million years ago, when we programmers wore pocket protectors for real and not ironic value, and used punched cards, debugging code was a life threatening emergency. Sleep became elusive. Coffee became a measurable component of blood. The term we used back then when a program finally ran without the tape drives (remember them) stalling or the card reader spitting up was 'algorasm'. I would say this is a cycle, but more like a spiral upwards..... J

I'm unaware of any option other than third party printcores if you want a replaceable nozzle. I have a 3D Solex/gr5 Hardcore (AA) and the advantage of that unit is that it allows you to use a wide range of nozzle types, so you can print abrasive filaments without destroying the core. That said, I don't have any experience with the BB hardcore, maybe others here can chime in. Just something to consider if you do decide to go the core replacement route anyway... J

Grinding. Hmmm..I would wonder about temperature, then feed rate, then whether the extruder teeth are contaminated (with ground up filament), which would reduce traction and lead to easier grinding.... John

That reminds me of someone I dated in my 20's. Are you suggesting the S5 is 'high maintenance'?

Unless I am mistaken, this new UM3 is still for sale and is in India....

Two questions: 1) when you say 'out of the box' I just want to be clear, both rolls were not exposed to air for any length of time prior to this print? (1a) If the yellow had been opened, how long ago was that? 2) Did you try swapping print cores to see if the yellow prints any better through a different core? Looks like a real annoyance. Hopefully someone smarter than me will see an easy fix and share it shortly. John