Experience with 3D Solex 1.75 upgrade

[paul9 20]

hello I am Paolo from Italy.

I want to upgrade my UM2 to 1.75mm filament.

please is there someone with this experience?"

Edited July 9, 2016 by Guest

[gr5 1,763]

It works great. Go to 3dsolex.com. More info here:

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/20402-has-anyone-had-success-with-the-olson-175mm-conversion

https://ultimaker.com/en/community/19656-using-175-mm-filament-with-the-um2

[paul9 20]

I decided to convert my UM2 with olsson block from 1,75mm what is the best way to advise me to follow to change the feeder tube and bowen?

[Dim3nsioneer 540]

If you don't have many retractions the Robert-feeder may be ok. Otherwise use a feeder design with an MK7 or MK8 feeder wheel. 3dSolex will soon offer a Bowden tube for 1.75mm.

[neotko 1,417]

I use IRobertI feeder with mk7 and a filament guide (it's on youmagine on my user). Also I use a 6-2mm bowden. I print everyday non stop with 3 printers and 2 of them have um2 1.75 hotends.

Ofc a faster mod could be to make a IRobertI feeder so it allows to use the 4-2mm typical bowdens with some e3d bowden clips for 4-2mm.

You can use a normal 6-3mm bowden, but:

- If you print too fast and the heat isn't enough, the filament will curl on itself inside the bowden

- The control on the retractions will be poor.

- You will need longer retractions because the filament/bowden compression.

Also can use the normal um2 feeder bolt but:

- With high retractions prints, the filament will get flatten quite fast and the diameter will increase so it will be harder to keep pushing the filament through the bowden. Unless you use the 6-3mm bowden.

I use MK7 from reprapworld, they work quite nice, but after 8months one of the bolts loose some grip, anyhow I fixed it by using a diamond needle file to sharpen the bolt tooths and it's working again. Also with mk7 you will need more cleanup than with um2 bolt, I use to clean the mk7 bolts each 2-3months to keep all working.

If you use other bolt you will need to calibrate the esteps. If you use mk7 reprapworld the esteps using a 1.8 feeder are 97.6 and double using the um2 0.9 (400steps rev) motor. Personally I don't like the 0.9 motor, since it give me worse print quality and control over 1k retracts over 40mins.

So IMO, for heavy duty prints, I would use

- Reprapworld mk7 (because I know it works, but I think e3d also has some cool bolts, but you need to calibrate the esteps.

- A 4-2 bowden or a 6-2mm bowden tube.

- IRobertI feeder, or a bondtech feeder (you don't really need the motor from bondtech, but just the dual system feeder from them I bet it should work fantastic.

Anyhow just wondering why you need 1.75? I know why I need it but it's something quite specific.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Guest

[paul9 20]

Because the filaments from 1,75mm are available in many more colors and in many more materials such as, ceramic, marble, concrete, brick and so continuing, all the companies producing filaments now tend to only produce filaments by 1,75mm, indeed begin with those from 1,75mm and then if you should make even those from 2,85mm. In addition all new printers produced in recent years only use filaments from 1,75mm.

it is always easier to buy and also Quon price filaments from 1,75mm and not from 2,85mm.

[paul9 20]

If you don't have many retractions the Robert-feeder may be ok. Otherwise use a feeder design with an MK7 or MK8 feeder wheel. 3dSolex will soon offer a Bowden tube for 1.75mm.

 

Then I hope I will warn you when it's available the new bowen tube?

[neotko 1,417]

There's a shop in italy that has 6/2mm bowden ptfe. I never bought from them since I get mines from charlies-something and a china shop. Also reprapworld has them. Sometimes you get a less than 6.0mm bowden so you need taller clips (youmagine google anders olsson designs). Once I got a badly offcenter bowden, but lately all the bowdens I bought are quite nice.

I think was this one https://opensourcehardware.it/it/125-bowden

Edited July 11, 2016 by Guest

[paul9 20]

Thank you so much, I do not know precisely.