I have been printing with this material for the last 2 months with no problem with my ultimaker 2 extended.
BUT.
I came back from 2 weeks holidays and the weather has become a lot warmer... increase of 15 degrees.
Now the material has flow problems... im just curious... has the material maybe expanded with the room temp increase or absorbed air moisture ?
do I need to buy new material ?
Thank you.
Ian
Hi Ian,
Can you share your settings? And you have done the Gregs Wade modification?
Hey @Ian, good to hear from you again! How have you been?
Something interesting you can show that you have 3D printed with NinjaFlex?
I also think
Whenever we are in a show where it is very hot or moist we need to crank up the temperature, so maybe you have to play around with this?
Hi guys.
Whats the Gregs Wade modification ?
About my NinjaFlex. When I spotted that the flow was breaking up.. I increased the nozzle temp to 235.. that should be enough but maybe it needs even more.
I just swapped back to normal PLA and its printing perfect.. so its not a problem with the nozzle.
Im still using my simple flex extruder upgrade.. stupid simple but printing great with no failed prints yet.
About examples.. they arent so exciting.. mostly special rubbel holders that close up spaces in motor boat housings when they are spray painted for production.
Simple washer prototypes for new seals for motor boat controllers..
Ill see what things I can show and what I cant from my company.
Ian 
Well, I thought I replied to this yesterday but I don't see it. So, I will repost.
I found this thread looking for some settings for the NinjaTek Cheetah filament. I bought a roll of the NinjaFlex a long time ago and never got it to bring worth a darn so I gave up and let it sit. Anyway, as of yesterday, I finally got a successful print with the Cheetah filament and I thought I would post my settings in case it might help someone else. Now that I have managed to get the Cheetah to print, I will use these settings as a starting point for the NinjaFlex and maybe I can finally get that to filament to print as well.
CURA:
Layer Height - 0.1mm
Print Speed - 45mm/s
Travel Speed - 120mm/s
Combing - All
Print Cooling - 50%, layer 1
Retraction - Disabled
UM2:
Nozzle Temp - 222ºC
Buildplate Temp - 0ºC
Material Diameter - 2.9mm
Material Flow - 103%
I did have to babysit it, seemingly mostly on the solid bottom layers. It would seem that the material clogs itself ever so slightly in the nozzle. I kept my eye on it and my hand on the feeder. If that was happening, I would pull back on the filament and push it back up. You might say it could be related to the increased material flow.. and maybe that's the case. I will keep playing with it. I was never able to get this material to print without increasing the flow a smidge.
Hope this helps someone!
For ninjaflex I strongly recommend oiling the filament before sliding it into the bowden and add a drop regularly during printing to the filament about one drop per meter. Ninjaflex does *not* slide very well through the bowden and oil helps immensely and there is no discernible difference in the printing. The oil just seems to disappear.
I have printed with ninjaflex on an Ultimaker 2. I also oiled the bowden tube with like 2 or 3 drops of sewing machine oil. In my experience this did not influence adhesion on the bed or layer adhesion.
But I did print much slower than your 45mm/s, like 15mm/s or something.
I have printed with ninjaflex on an Ultimaker 2. I also oiled the bowden tube with like 2 or 3 drops of sewing machine oil. In my experience this did not influence adhesion on the bed or layer adhesion.
But I did print much slower than your 45mm/s, like 15mm/s or something.
My settings are for the newer filament from NinjaTek (Cheetah) which isn't quite so flexible but supports a much faster print speed. I have seen people talking about 15-20mm/s print speeds for the NinjaFlex which I will try.
One thing I learned with finally getting the Cheetah filament to print was the combination of nozzle temp and cooling fans. It seems there is a sweet spot where the material flows well but can then be too liquid/sticky on the next layer which then just pulls it up.
I don't know if you have had much success since posting this but I also have a UM 2+ and have recently started printing midnight NinjaFlex and have had great results. It gave me a lot of issues at first with the extruder but once I cleaned out my nozzle using the atomic method and rubbed a few drops of sewing machine oil on the first foot of filament it has worked nicely. Once the filament has been inserted they suggest heating your nozzle and allowing the filament to come out before starting any print to make sure it comes out nicely which I also do. If anyone has any questions feel free to PM me for more details.
1
I'm trying out Cheetah now, using the settings @mghtbgiant posted.
Just ordered some sample spools to print some small tires.
1
Well my first try, I got a pretty ugly "seam"
The second try was slower (20 mm/s) and it again made that ugly edge...
...and then it flew off the bed. Maybe 50C for bed temp?
Well my first try, I got a pretty ugly "seam"
The second try was slower (20 mm/s) and it again made that ugly edge...
...and then it flew off the bed. Maybe 50C for bed temp?
I only have experience with NinjaFlex but it looks like possible extruding issues. I would print a filament filter off thingiverse to keep your filament lubricated if you haven't already. I had similar issues as yourself before I added the filament filter. I use 45C bed temp and 235C nozzle temp for NinjaFlex and I get nice results. Also I have my Ultimaker encased to keep the environment around it at a more constant temp.
Edited by GuestI only have experience with NinjaFlex but it looks like possible extruding issues. I would print a filament filter off thingiverse to keep your filament lubricated if you haven't already. I had similar issues as yourself before I added the filament filter. I use 45C bed temp and 235C nozzle temp for NinjaFlex and I get nice results. Also I have my Ultimaker encased to keep the environment around it at a more constant temp.
Hi
I didn't add any oil drops to the filament since it appears to be moving through well. You're printing hotter than I am, so I will try that. I am using 50% fan which seems to work alright. 45C on the bed, I'll try again.
I think the higher temp and slow speed (10mm/s) made a huge difference....I got a really, really good print.
2
Well I got one good print...the next two have come off the bed mid way through. Bed is 45C and has a coating of PVA glue dried on it.
If you can not raise your bed temp perhaps you can consider to add blue tape or some of the adhesion sheets?
1
Well I got one good print...the next two have come off the bed mid way through. Bed is 45C and has a coating of PVA glue dried on it.
I use blue painters tape with glue stick on top of it and it has been working well. You can also print a brim. It will still rip off easily after the print is finished.
All good points...i have successfully printed 3 more.
Maybe the center spot of my PVA is worn out, as I just re-positioned where the print is done in Cura and those all printed well.
Your extrusion looks great. But you have overhang issues. That's best fixed with more fan. CRANK THAT FAN. Add extra table fans even. [reference: "more cowbell"]
1
Your extrusion looks great. But you have overhang issues. That's best fixed with more fan. CRANK THAT FAN. Add extra table fans even. [reference: "more cowbell"]
What fan settings would you suggest for NinjaFlex?
Your extrusion looks great. But you have overhang issues. That's best fixed with more fan. CRANK THAT FAN. Add extra table fans even. [reference: "more cowbell"]
The last 4 have come out perfect...I apologize for the iPhone 6's picture quality with a white filament. I'll take a photo with the DSLR tonight.
Edited by GuestOh right. ninjaflex. Probably 100% fans. It's heat deflection temp of 44C is quite low making me think it probably bonds well at pretty low temperatures. Like pla.
Really you know fan is too high if the part is breaking along layer lines. What can happen is one layer isn't sufficiently melting the layer below and you get very weak bond from one layer to the next. The problem is the lower layer is too cold and the layer being applied doesn't heat the lower layer enough to melt into it.
This never happens with pla. One of many reasons pla is so easy to print (many reasons!). With ABS it is a constant worry. With many other higher-temp materials (nylon) it is also a problem. I suspect it's not a problem with ninjaflex but I haven't printed enough ninjaflex to know.
I would assume 100% fan is the best until you find out otherwise. It will certainly help the overhangs. It just might make the part weaker.
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antonverburg 1
It can work - but that's all you can say about it. If you are serious about printing ninjaflex, you should use this mod: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/ultimaker-2-straight-tube-flexible-filament-spool-holder. I think it will work on the UM2+ without modification, as the hole locations in the plating of the UM2+ seems to be equal to the UM2.
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