My favorite Mods. UM2

[Erick407A 6]

I'll try to be brief.

One of my first attempts at improving the quality of my prints was trying to find a smoother method for the filament spool to be fed into my machine. I found tons of them and printed 3 or 4 versions that I liked the best but they just either seemed overly complex, too bulky, or had areas where the spool would get stuck from sliding laterally. So, I designed my own ( https://www.youmagine.com/...ller-for-55mm-spools ). The smooth roll of these bearings solved some stuttering/pocketing issues I had where the filament feeder would have to yank at the filament and during which the print nozzle would be starved for filament causing unfavorable prints.

 

 

After replying to this thread: https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/17301-known-problems-and-what-is-being-done-about-themI got to work seeking the best upgrades I could find and preparing for prints I would like to ( and had been delaying ) get done to try and upgrade the reliability and print quality of my UM2. First up was getting rid of the original filament feeder housing. I had previously printed IRobertI's Alternative UM2 Feeder ( https://www.youmagine.com/designs/alternative-um2-feeder-version-two ) but had some issues with finding the correct length M3 screw for the spring, as well as successfully threading in a screw for the bearing, and it just didn't interest me to continue trying to make this work. I can tell by the likes that this feeder version is very well liked, I just didn't take to it.

 

Then I found this gem by frank26080115 ( https://www.youmagine.com/...ent-feeder-mechanism ). His method of mounting the filament driver to a back plate that saves me from the frequent mounting/unmounting of the cover panel and motor is a life saver! In addition to the swing down arm for manual handling of the filament during trouble shooting is a very necessary feature, this alone has possibly saved me hours of time tinkering with the feeder. I also like how this design incorporates easy to find hardware from stores such as Ace Hardware or Home Depot rather than the more difficult M3 variety. Make sure to print the spring arm file separately with 100% infill.

 

 

 

As described I've also switched over to the Olsson block by 3DSolex ( http://3dsolex.com/olsson-block ). This is a must have, almost nearly a necessity for anyone that does any kind of serious printing. The original heat block just isn't versatile enough for this machines capabilities. I have had some break in issues where somehow the head block became tarnished and was unable to extrude, but this little issue was minutes worth of worth when compared to the original setup. I simply left the heat on, removed the filament and used the stiff end of a q-tip to clean out the offending material in the heater block. After threading on the tip, no issues. I'm loving this machine again. Below you can see the very first print I began after having this machine down for repairs.

 

 

 

 

Now that I have all of these tips, I need somewhere to store them! So on to youmagine I went to shop for the best mount for me and there it was, Primozz's Nozzle Holder ( https://www.youmagine.com/...dd-82fb-bca040a6f2e1 ). I don't like using double sided tape to mount anything to my box though, so I added a screw tab to his and posted up the remix also ( https://www.youmagine.com/...lder-with-screw-hole ).

 

 

 

 

As you can see in the picture, I was printing up Looking4's Blizzard Fan Mount ( https://www.youmagine.com/...04-875f-dc0f15989b53 ) for my next upgrade. Unfortunately this fan, as many others listed on Thingiverse and Youmagine are too wide for the original limit switch placements and end up slamming in the left side wall and dragging down the side. If you're like me and very rarely use your fans, then I may have something for you. I want something easily accessible, that leaves the heater block and tip open, and allows for looking of the material at very low rpm's to reduce warping or delamination. I whipped these fan mounts up to see how well it will work compared to the others I've tried.

 

 

 

 

 

The Olsson block is a must have, for any newbies that are recent owners of this machine, you might as well just order this block because you will be needing it. White you're at it, order up a new heater element and thermistor from Ultimaker because when it comes time to unmount your hot end for serious maintenance, you're going to end up breaking either or.

 

Everything else has just improved the quality of my prints so much that this printer feels like a new machine.

 

 

Between all of these prints you can see that each upgrade helps the other.

 

In addition to these changes I also worked on the bowden tube by ordering some PTFE tubing from eBay. From what I understand Ultimaker sends their units out with PFA material for the bowden tube which has a higher resistance then all out Teflon tubing ie: PTFE. The exact dimension is 1/4 o/d & 5/32 i/d.

 

Now that I had most of the bowden issues fixed I went ahead and printed out a few different methods, with this being the most successfull of them. Since this item will have significant stress from having the bowden tube pulling at it when its stretched to its fullest extent I went ahead and printed this out 100% infill for solid pieces. ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:783966 )

 

 

 

Some of this may be old news to the vets, but its just a collection of all of the reading, research, and experience with several printable mods I've dealt with that may help someone else from wasting time/printing material. You can see in one of the above pics that the bowden fix print is still on the plate with literally zero cleaning needed, I'm getting some of the cleanest prints I've ever gotten so far. Below is an example.

 

Edited October 1, 2015 by Guest

[gr5 2,167]

Nice post!

Edited October 1, 2015 by Guest

[gr5 2,167]

For other people: if your fans are hitting the side of the printer it's usually because they are bent wrong - this is common - or because the limit switch is off by a millimeter or so. But printing a smaller fan shroud works also and some of these alternate fan shrouds have better, more symmetrical cooling.

Edited October 1, 2015 by Guest

[DidierKlein 729]

I had some problems with my bowden tube that is slightly less wide than the original so i printed the Bowden tube tightener it's a lot better now

Thakns for the nice post

[SandervG 1,521]

I always had doubts with the bowden tube tightner but they are based on theory and not my own experience. I always think that by clamping the bowden tube the ID can get even smaller or deformed which can create more friction i.e. under extrusion. Also, if you move to the front end of the build plate, or even the front right (as far away from the feeder as possible) the bowden tube has to stretch to its max and due to its size / height you can get a kink (is that a good word?)

How does it work from your experience?

Did you experience any of these things?

[Erick407A 6]

I always had doubts with the bowden tube tightner but they are based on theory and not my own experience. I always think that by clamping the bowden tube the ID can get even smaller or deformed which can create more friction i.e. under extrusion. Also, if you move to the front end of the build plate, or even the front right (as far away from the feeder as possible) the bowden tube has to stretch to its max and due to its size / height you can get a kink (is that a good word?)

How does it work from your experience?

Did you experience any of these things?

 

You're right, you do end up reducing the inner diameter of the tubing at its most distant points from the rear left where the feeder is. So far my tube is still new and fresh so any resistance is somewhat negated by the still slippery inner surface, I'm sure over time the feeder mechanism will have to work harder though.

Eventually I'll be enclosing this case to try and help filter ABS fumes during prints, so part of that modification will be to move the feeder system to the top rear center of the machine to reduce some of that tube stretching and avoid kinking against the new top cover. Even without the enclosure I'd still most likely end up working at the relocation of the feeder.