[Change Confirgureation: What does this even mean?]

I have an UM3E, like the original poster on this thread.

 

That's a good remark though, and I thought that it was already the case. It would indeed be better if all UM printers would be have the same way.

[Auto bed leveling is not accurate at all - most prints fail]

As far as I know, the UM3 isn't supposed to behave like that. It's made to perform autoleveling before the bed is fully heated. So, I'd suggest you get in touch with your reseller to ask for a repair or an exchange.

[Auto bed leveling is not accurate at all - most prints fail]

Here's to noobdom!

 

 

[PLA & PVA... Print-Questions...]

I did a few tests with the ooze shield and decided to stick with a prime tower when really needed. Each test with an ooze shield ended up with a misprint. And having both prime tower and ooze shield seems a bit overkill for me anyway.

 

As a rule for the prime tower, I personally always move it towards the center right of the bed, and I give it a thickness of 3mm. Center left or center right will often be more flat that the corners, ensuring better adhesion, and 3mm thickness is enough to give it a good stability and ensure it won't be knocked over and ruin your print.

 

As was said above, PVA should be printed in thick layers, although in my experience it has shown an amazing ability to recover and do it's job even when the first layers had some problems. I had printed stuff that was quite tall, and the first 15-20 layers of PVA wouldn't stick in some parts, leaving some holes in them and such, then the layers would start sticking together again as the printer started to create the roof for support of parts sticking out, and it actually worked.

[Auto bed leveling is not accurate at all - most prints fail]

Same as @kmanstudios, I never had that problem since I got my UM3E. I do manual leveling from time to time, and let the active leveling work it's magic with each print.

 

Did you check to make sure there isn't something in the big screw that could hinder the vertical movement of the plate? Did you also check if your plate is flat enough? It seems that quite a lot of glass plate are bent in a U shape, more or less heavily. I had to get a replacement for my first plate because it was way too bent.

 

The main problem I had at the start when leveling was due to a misunderstanding of the instructions: when it went to calibrating the z-offset for the second core, I would turn the screw instead of turning the front wheel. Baffled for a time before I understood my mistake (not native-english speaker). That might also explain your leveling problem.

 

 

[Can't print due to autoleveling fails]

On 26/01/2018 at 8:02 PM, kcel said:

Also, something really stupid I did when I was manual leveling (because I thought I knew what I was doing): On the second phase of levelling when you adjust the z-offset for the second print core it tells you to adjust the build plate using the wheel.  The first few times I leveled I did that last part using the screw at the rear at the build plate rather than the wheel (it is important to read instructions).    Once I realized my mistake things went smoother. So just double check your not as dim as I am.

 

I do believe that a lot of us might be guilty of falling for that one, perhaps even more for the non-native English speakers among us...

[feeder tension and retraction with ABS - UM3E]

I never had to change the tension, and I printed things with the whole array of UM materials for tests when I got my UM3E.

ABS should print as well than PLA or other with medium tension. As @SandervG said in another thread, there is no reason to change the tension in the feeder.

 

From the pictures and what you said, there was obviously a misfeed for some reason, since the filament was ground up, and it also looks like a missed layer as well. Have you checked the slicing for the bigger version in CURA using the layer view? There may have been a bug during slicing.

 

I'd suggest doing a thorough cleaning of the feeder, to remove all the dust from the ground up filament, and also of the bowden tubes, just to be on the safe side. Check your filament for any defect, is it UM filament or another brand? And look carefully at the model in layer view in CURA before trying another print, to make sure there is no slicing error or problem with the model.

 

As a side-note, I'm going to add another reason to be baffled by all the uses for 3d printing! A jig for slicing prostate glands prior to examination. Awesome! ^^

[Contrôle à distance de sa machine]

Ce sont de bonnes raisons!

[Change Confirgureation: What does this even mean?]

I just noticed something today: changing the material on the printer does nothing.

 

I'm using the dryboxes as well, so, no NFC recognition for UM materials. I started a print with TPU today, so, my printer is set on TPU 95 (Generic) and CURA is set on TPU 95 (White). When I hit the print button, I get the configuration alert, and the screen of the printer shows a message 'change configuration to TPU 95 (White)' whihc, according to the web-based print interface, should make my print start automatically.

 

Except that it doesn't. Clicking 'confirm' on the printer does not change the configuration of the printer nor what is displayed on the web-based interface, and the print does not start, forcing me to click on the 'ignore configuration' button to have it start.

 

This looks like a bug, or maybe a feature that isn't completely implemented, I don't know...

[Contrôle à distance de sa machine]

J'avoue que je ne vois pas trop l’intérêt de l'appli android qui ne fonctionne que sur la boucle wifi locale. Vu la distance du wifi, ça veut dire que l'imprimante est dans la pièce d’à côté...

 

Je ne pense pas que ça offre plus de failles à des pirates qu'une simple connexion internet ou que n'importe quelle autre application de contrôle à distance. Si certaines sociétés peuvent faire des applis qui permettent de contrôler les volets, le chauffage ou d'accéder a son alarme et ses caméras de surveillance a la maison depuis le bureau, il est possible de faire une appli de contrôle a distance pour UM. Après, la question du cout de développement d'un tel soft se pose, et la je n'en ai pas la moindre idée, peut-être que ce ne serait pas rentable pour UM a l'heure actuelle, d’où leur désintérêt pour la chose, ce que je comprendrais parfaitement.

[Change Confirgureation: What does this even mean?]

@t-squareddesign For your PVA problems, and I'd say, for most filaments anyway, you can use this wonderful idea by @ultiarjan: the drybox: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1837907

It works for all filaments, and I was even able to save a spool of PVA that I thought had gone bad due to humidity. I would also advise you to store all of your opened spools of filaments in big sealed boxes with dessicant or humidity absorbers, to protect them for the ambient moisture. Other materials, like PLA, can also go bad if left in the open and unused for some time.

 

Someone from the Utimaker Team told me, in another thread, that the spools of filament should be kept under 55% humidity to ensure that they retain their quality. My boxes, be it the small ones next to my printer or the big ones used for storage, are between 20% and 30% of humidity, and I had no problem since then, even with the PVA.

 

@kmanstudios

On 28/01/2018 at 8:13 AM, kmanstudios said:

Or, if you have PLA as a slice setting in Cura, but choose PC as the loaded material on the printer, it could burn the crap out of the plastic and clog you up or just ooze all over the place and leave a nasty mess.

Interesting, I thought that what was inputted in the printer was mostly for information, and that, in the end, it was CURA that controlled everything, from temperature to speed to extrusion rate and all. So, if I choose PC in the printer, and PLA in CURA, despite the fact that CURA will send info about PLA, the printer will use the temperature setting for PC?

['Bump' and hole in the corners of prints]

Thank you all for your responses and explanations. I'll keep in mind the solution to deal with the blob at the tip of the pyramid, I'm sure it will be useful for future prints.

 

It would seem that the main source of my problem was my printcore, for some reason. I forgot that I had another AA 0.4 core, so I swapped it, and printed a pyramid again, at 0.2mm and 0.06mm as I did with the first one. As you can see on the picture, the strange ridge defect is gone on the pyramid printed with the new printcore, and the other ridges look perfect.

 

 

 

 

I've started a new print of the catapult at 0.06mm, like the last one, but since it takes about 6 hours, we'll see the result and compare tomorrow morning.

 

So, now I'm left wondering how come the printcore started to behave in such a strange way. Is it normal wear and tear? This core came with the printer in July, so it has seen about 6 months of constant use Is it because I used it to print other materials? I printed reflect-o-lay and laywood with it, though the maker said it wouldn't cause any sort of abrasion on the core, and the reseller markets it as safe for all type of FDM printer.

 

Comparing the old and new printcores, it looks like the old one is less pointy than the new one. I'll compare more closely tomorrow morning once the catapult has finished printing. What is the life expectancy of a printcore?

 

You can find the catapult here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1763518

It has been expressly designed to require no support of any kind, and still print nicely. The ones I printed before, in various colors, all came out looking very nice, similar to the pictures posted by the creator, and certainly not like the green one I printed earlier. Below are pictures of one I printed in white. I also did one in black, blue, and other colors, all came out looking like the white one.

 

 

 

[Prime blob knocked down (Cura/UM3)]

Soooo... who do we need to bribe to get invited to visit UM HQ? 

['Bump' and hole in the corners of prints]

On the same machine. It's a UM3 Extended.

['Bump' and hole in the corners of prints]

Ok, that makes sense, especially for the pointy parts.

 

However, I don't understand about the bumpy stuff, and especially how badly the catapult has printed, since I've printed this catapult before and it came out looking very clean.

Much like the pictures on the thingiverse page: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1763518

Could there be some damages on my printer or the nozzle or something?

[The dreaded BLOB]

Sometimes, things works a little bit too well.

['Bump' and hole in the corners of prints]

Hello,

 

Sorry for the title, but I'm not sure how to describe my problem properly, so, I've attached some pictures to show you what's going on.

 

I've no idea what is causing this line in the corners of the pyramids, and why the arm of the catapult came out so ugly, and it does it only for sharp angles. As you can see, it did it on the pyramid head, but not on the round part next to it, and the base of the catapult came out looking perfect. I've printed many catapults before, using every standard profile from 0.2mm to 0.06mm and I never had this problem before.

 

I've serviced the printer, did hot and cold pull, checked for debris, cleaned it, put on some grease on the rods and did the whole maintenance thing, but I still have the problem. The printer and CURA are up to date with the latest stable version of the software and firmware. I'm using UM Green PLA for those prints, with the standard settings on CURA. It started doing this very recently, I've had the printer since July, and didn't had the problem before.

 

If you have ideas on what causes this and solutions, I'm all ears. Thanks.

 

[Changing Filament on UM3]

As far as I understand the explanation from the maker, Laywood is made of 40% wood particles, thus why it changes color with the temperatures.

[Changing Filament on UM3]

The maker says it's not, and comments I've found online seems to confirm that. However, it can easily clog your printcore if the temperature is too high, as the wood particle burn inside the nozzle. Or if you let it rest for too long in the printcore between prints, then it can burn and clog as well when you start a new print and the nozzle heats up, so it's best to unload it once you're done with it, and do a quick hot pull to make sure to clean it all.

 

It does smell like burnt wood when being printed, and changes color depending on the print temperature, from light brown at 190°C to very dark at 250°C. And you need to print it slow, 40mm/s.

[Material to Nozzle Spreadsheet?]

BB is made for PVA exclusively. Everything else should use an AA.

 

CURA usually warns you about compatibility issues when it detects anything other than PVA with a BB core, or PVA with an AA core, especially if you use UM materials with the NFC tags.

[Change Confirgureation: What does this even mean?]

Change configuration means that CURA and the printer have two conflicting information as to what kind of filament you have put in there.

 

In your example, I think you need to check your settings in CURA: make sure that Extruder 2 is set to Materials: PVA and Printcore: BB 0.4.

 

It can affect your prints since settings for various materials varies, so it's always best to make sure that both CURA and the printer are set on the same material.

 

PVA can crack because the print temperature is too hot, but also if it has taken some moisture from the air. PVA is extremely sensitive to humidity and will absorb the moisture in the air if let out in the open, or even in the bag but without a dessicant or a way to absorb moisture, which will alter the quality of the material.

[Changing Filament on UM3]

I had no problems so far with clogged nozzles when loading filament a while after unloading.

 

I'm trying the Laywood from CC Products, still tweaking the settings at the moment.

[The dreaded BLOB]

Thanks for the video, I need to get a wire brush now. ^^

 

However, we can't hear a thing once you start cleaning, sound is very low, can barely make out what you're saying.

[Please add a "CANCEL" or "RETURN" option to every screen]

I second this: add a RETURN option to every screen on the printer menus and sub-menus.

 

For example: I'm using non UM material, need to manually select the generic material, scroll a bit too fast and select the wrong one, then I can't go back to change my selection.

[Changing Filament on UM3]

Profiles created in CURA are not uploaded to the printer, but it doesn't matter much since the profiles in CURA takes precedence over what is selected in the printer. As @kmanstudios said, if you do not use UM materials or run them from a drybox like he and I do, you just select one of the generic materials to load it. For example, I'm currently experimenting with wood material, since it's close to PLA, I chose the generic PLA on the printer when loading the wood filament, and it works without problem.