jwsocool

A few weeks. My primary requirement is to producing working prototypes before committing my designs to traditional fabrication. It's not a good workflow for me to create models for printing only. I'm printing a test part 50 mm x 50 mm x 25" tall. No mater the material and using the using Ultimaker profiles. The X is always smaller than the Y. The only solution is to play around with the scale tool in one axis (~.7%) to get a square part. It is very consistent It's firmly my belief that the factory calibration of stepper steps is incorrect. Using scaling in X by .7% and the other expansion settings I've been able to make better parts in the center of the bed. I also can't print multiple parts of the same item as they will never match unless I keep the same orientations. Again I'm very disappointed but need to move on. On balance I like the printer and am resigned to scaling every part in one direction. I worked with support and although they were friendly and helpful there is not much they can do about a poor factory set-up aside from the hassle of returning the machine. I write this mostly to warn others to not consider the S5 if you expect good dimensional reliability. From my experience and others on the forum this seems to be a accurate assessment (including a co-worker with a 600.00 printer at home). The Material station and Air Station work well and are a great features. The belts are tight as are all the shafts. I realize the materials make a difference as do the settings. I've been using measuring tools since 1977 starting out as Tool and Die Maker, machinist, cnc machinist and now a design engineer know full well that I can't apply the same standards to a 3D printed machine. I'm not measuring in the corners but in the most stable part of the print. I do believe that I with a square part I should get better matching results (.35 mm over 50mm).

I'm having the same issues as described above. Same parts different areas of the bed different results. I'm very unhappy and wish I would have selected a different printer. From reading the forum I believe that the S5 is not worth the extra money. There is something wrong with the design. I have to do a lot of testing using the scaling tool with the part in a fixed orientation. My friend has a 600 dollar printer at home that performs better at dimensional accuracy. I don't recommend this printer to anyone. The x axis is always smaller than the y. Turn the part 90 degrees the x is still smaller. Two identical parts two different sets of results. I'm talking about .5 mm differences. I want to make prototypes that turn into production. I can't be customizing the models just to get a decent print. The Material Station and Air Station work well but the printer is below average. I can't count on getting a good print and have to print the same part multiple times to get a result that is good enough. Again stay away from the S5.

In Cura and the Marketplace Setting Plugin I found the X, Y and Z MM per step settings (50 steps per mm). As my print is off by .004" (in many material types) in Y why couldn't I just change the step setting to 45 or 55 (.0007874 inches per step) to make the correct .. It looks like I could make this change and save in my profile. What am I missing?? I realize I could scale my part by ~1.2% in the Y directions also. Again why could I use the step settings to make the required correction now and when the machine starts showing signs of wear. I have a brand new Ultimaker S5 Bundle. Thanks for any response...