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Pretty amazing stuff kman - thanks for sharing. Very nice new forum. The algorithm and people combo did a great job. Finally bought a small benchtop oven for $NZ15.00 Should be good for drying PLA spools, hardening PLA models and the occasional loaf of homemade bread or pizza. Temp range is from around 25°C to 240°C.

Now you can breathe again! How many of you worked on this project?

You did it SandervG & team! Well done and congratulations. I haven't dived in yet. Was so hot here in New Zealand I didn't sleep a wink. Ahhh...and the stress of waiting for first forum light...an agony and an ecstacy! LOL I love it so far. Very elegant and has a nice compactness.

I'm curious kman. Why would UM have specced PLA at a mean temp of 210°C? Do you find 195°C still gives your model good adhesion and strength? I know you print big models so maybe you've found 195°C better for that.

I've taken your comments on board - thank you Geert. I'm not sure what you mean about a big, thick stable base since this model doesn't have a base in the usual sense.

Birds are really smart, like their dinosaur ancestors

Once again your eagle eyes were spot on kman! Asher aka Dizingof confirmed that this model needs support under the flat surfaces. I'll add that via Meshmixer.

I'd like to attempt to print this "Enneper Vase" by Dizingof. My first attempt at math art. The author gives no setup guidelines except a recommended wall thickness of 2mm and size of 100x100x130mm. Does this type of model structure need support or a raft? I'm planning to use white PLA @ 60° & 210°C. Thanks!

I've been sent 2x isolator/couplers for 1.75mm filament. What is the internal diameter of the UM2+ 3mm isolator/coupler hole so I can drill/rout the correct size hole? Thank you!

All the best with the forum changeover Sander & Team. Looking forward to the new look. You'll be glad to see the light at the other end of the tunnel.

Extra Sensory Perception

Thank you Sander! That's useful info. BTW, I noticed "improved sound" in your post. I'm severely deaf so for me the UM2+ is completely silent! My eyes, ESP and Xray vision make up for it I can see PLA filament cracking as it happens... ... ...

My apologies. I just found your excellent resource on materials. Couldn't see the wood for the trees!

When I search the forum with UM2+ as one of the keyword targets, the results are usually mean and lean. But there are many results for UM2. Can I assume that UM2 and UM2+ are self-similar? For example: belt tensioning. I don't yet have any concerns about my UM2+ belt tensions but would like to know how to tighten them successfully. Is there a product-specific link where I can find this info? Thanks.

This has been buzzing around in my head. So many suppliers of PLA (et al) don't have a clue what's in their product. Especially if they farm out their filament requirements and product responsibility to China. They talk as if they know, but they don't. It's all sales pitch and sell sell. I imagine Ultimaker do their filament research, but do you actually know what's in the filament you sell? In this case I'm referring to PLA - the poorer person's filament.

This is the reply I received from Krylon: On that note, they say "test it" for all the spray products they sell. But I have to buy it to test it. Not exactly a winning strategy. I suggested to them that their product development team test it. PLA is not hard to source.

Hi kman - yes, the simplest and fastest way for me at the moment is just spraying or painting a protective coating directly on the print. I had assumed the art-shop brands such as Crystal Kote were polyurethane. All the spray cans I have don't tell you what's in them! I've emailed Crystal Kote and Krylon to ask them about this. I'll let you know what they say. I haven't tried any model clear coats or paints. Currently I have a small stock of Wanhao filaments in different colors and one roll of Ultimaker Silver that came with the UM2+. I would buy more Ultimaker filament but it's 3 times more expensive than Wanhao in NZ, plus 15% gst plus freight. What benefits one gets with expensive Ultimaker PLA over the other brands is so far unknown to me. Have a look if you like at www.mindkits.co.nz (who mostly sell ultimaker stuff). I often feel Ultimaker are shooting themselves in the foot by using the filament pricing strategy they do. Filaments are the lifeblood of 3D printing.

Hi Ultimaker materials whizz-kids, My experiments with Krylon, CrystalKote etc have all resulted in a PLA-reactive white patina (like fog on a window) on parts of the print which spoils the PLA color. I would love it if a non-reactive spray/paint product could be developed that would extend PLA's life and protect against moisture resorbtion. Example: an Ultimaker robot or Thingiverse truck left in an outdoor sandpit. One thing I have not tried yet is coating the print with diluted beeswax. However, Monsanto are doing a pretty good job in eradicating bee colonies with their neocotinoid inecticides. I've searched throughout New Zealand and there is nothing available. Thanks!

Amazing! Could you briefly tell me what was involved in the MRI to STL translation?

Hi kman, and thank you for sacrificing some of your Christmas shopping and printing time Spray. Thinly several times with in-between drying. Cooled prints. No humidity warnings or issues that i could see I've been running a dehumidifier in the print room. Humidity hovers between 39% and 43%. Haven't tried thinners yet Filament has been kept dry in supplied ziplock packaging with some dessicant. Yes, Wanhao filament. :angry: My noggin is officially full!

Sorry...doubled

Just been giving my red PLA 'Thomas the Tank Engine' cookie cutter a light coat of Crystal Kote matte varnish straight out of the printer (after cooling) to help future proof the print. Lo and behold now some of the print has developed a patchy white bloom on the red. Something in this PLA doesn't play well with this varnish. Sigh.

Don't know if this might help you get more satisfying robots: One is a link to my UM2+ settings for this robot. The other link is a small family of robots Good luck!

I'm printing some front-end loaders for my US friend's grandkids, @ 70mm width, in various PLA colors. The original miniature model was created by agepbiz and posted on Thingiverse. I've resized it to 70mm in Cura 2.3.1 and have printed 4 of them. I created the supports in Meshmixer and scanned it for mesh defects, and also sent it to NetFabb for checking and used the resulting model in the UM2+. Printing mostly went well but every print has a scar on the linkage between the loader cabin and the front end. I've posted some pics here: Thank you for any pointers! I guess I can heat-weld some filament in the scars.

Thanks for the excellent article link gr5! This "bad batch" problem seems to be widespread. About 7 out of 10 Wanhao spools I've used are 'snappy' brittle, although i've never had filament break in the bowden tube. May be time for Ultimaker to purchase - or hire time on - a scanning electron microscope for their materials expert...no? See what filament looks like at a deeper crystalline level.