Ultimaker Origonal V1 issues (once again)

[0235 24]

I swear that every time i come to this forum its to let of steam about how frustrated with ultimaker I am. how relliable is the Origonal V1 supposed to be, as i am convinced the past year i have had nothing but problems and issues, leaky hot end, hot end always clogging, fillament getting stuck in the bowden tube, extruder motor ALWAYS chewing up filament, one day, or not even having enough grip to push it through the other day.

I'm starting to get so pissed off with this expensive heap of rubbish. not a print goes by where I have had to completely disassemble the hot end to unblock it, and then the filament that got blocked gets stuck, or parts after 5 or so hours, suddenly a belt slips (no matter how much I make the gears as tight as possible, and the belts "sound" right).

so really, has anyone else had any such gripes, or is it worth tipping it, and spending 2 years savings on a V2. I love 3D printing, i love model making, but the continuous unreliability of my ultimaker is driving me into the ground, especially when you have people asking when things will get done!

[jameshs 42]

@0235 I feel your pain.

For what the machine does I would say comparatively reliable - I have two UMO (I am assuming you mean UMO by V1 and UM2 by V2 or are you referring to the fact that the UMO has an earlier and later version?)

To improve reliability I have found that regular maintenance is important - tightening routine on screws, belts and pullys. regular mineral oil on the guide rods (checking that the head moves freely (I do not use WD40 as it is releasing oil and disapears quickly).

On the blockages front

reliable filament like colorfabb

keep the filament 'young' - I have found that older colorfabb acts differently to new and can gum up the nozzle

perform atomic clean on nozzles regularly (I swap mine around as I have several sizes and regularly use a heat gun to clean the threads and interior while I am printing with another)

only change and tighten nozzles with the head hot - leaking is often because of a lack of tightness caused by gunk

tighten carefully - these are not strong components

check the bowden off the machine - this checks filament diameter and bowden scratches

tiny amounts of oil

dust filter on the filament - I use the @iroberti print to hold foam against the filament and am amazed how dirty it gets.

So they are not walk away and print, but I also use a cnc router and it is a similar routine to keep a moving gantry in its sweet spot.

Hope that helps!

James

[0235 24]

I have been so out the loop with ultimaker products recently. by Origonal V1, i mean the UMO V1, and by the V2 i mean the nice fancy white metal and plastic Ultimaker 2

Mineral oil and tightening routine, check, the dust cover around the filament, also check!

I think its worth buying up a new nozzle and bowden tube, I like the idea of using a heat gun! genius! I have one knocking around i used to use to bend foam EVA mats to make costumes.

I also keep my ultimaker under a dust cover box (made from PE foam) and inside a cupboard, this acts as a decent heat chamber, could this be causing any issues to the machine? while its great for the noise and dust, could i be accidentally cooking it?

also CnC router, ouch, clogging up must be a nightmare. Requirement for lubricant + milled out particles = headache!

[neotko 1,417]

I assume that thecover that you place on you umo let's get fresh air on the board? If not you are ovcerheating stepper drivers and that do cause a lot of throuble

[jameshs 42]

I also keep my ultimaker under a dust cover box (made from PE foam) and inside a cupboard, this acts as a decent heat chamber, could this be causing any issues to the machine? while its great for the noise and dust, could i be accidentally cooking it?

I have read that too much eat above the melt zone can cause blockages as the slightly softened filament can bulge and block. - a few hours into a print is a sign of what I think is called heat creep - try out of the box and see if it still fails.

If you are using PLA then no heat needed - I don't have a heated bed or box for either of my prnters and PLA (colorfabb) prints with what I still think is superb detail.

Take the bowden off and see if new filament runs smoothly through it - if the ends are mangled I have foud you can take 10mm of each end before it becomes too short.

surprisingly the CNC produces chips not dust - and of course a self made (CNC) upgrade vacuum attachment takes care of that (it sits right next to the printers)

The great thing about having both machines is that they can both use STLs and the CNC is fast and strong, but the printer can do stunningly complex - both amazing machines!

[0235 24]

I assume that thecover that you place on you umo let's get fresh air on the board? If not you are ovcerheating stepper drivers and that do cause a lot of throuble

 

i have left lots of space at the bottom to let the air circulate. its mostly for noise reduction, a combination of vengeful step parents and living in a thin walled house connected to another house, its more being polite to neighbours. i have however taken to printing with the front of the foam box off. i know that keeping the stepper controller cool is REAL important.