UM3 stopped midprint

[Melka 57]

Our Ultimaker 3 just stopped printing in the middle of a job.

Like, just stopped and stayed in place.

I tried to pause the print and then resume it, hoping it would get back on track, but it looks like pausing wasn't working either.

So I had to manually turn off the printer and this is the aftermath:

This was sliced with Cura 2.3.1 and printed over network.

It looks like a firmware issue, and I'm not even starting about the "To be implemented..." message that you can get when trying some options in the printer (like, move materials in the tune menu, while a print has started).

I feel that we are actually beta testing this printer and you had to ship it half-baked.

You market it as a reliable machine for professionals but I can't even trust it on long prints.

So, how likely is it to happen again ? Should I roll the dice or return it ?

Edited November 18, 2016 by Guest

[neotko 1,417]

Dunno men, first thing I would do if it where my machine would be to dumb the logs to the usb and upload them on a dropbox so we can take a look, it might give a clue of what happened. The dumb logs is on Maintenance menu, not sure if you need to be on DevMode to access that option.

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi @Melka,

Thank you for your message. Sorry to hear your print stopped halfway.

Was this the first time it happened, or did other prints stop halfway too?

Like @Neotko says, a log would be very helpful to understand what happened. Perhaps something went wrong during slicing and the g-code was corrupted, or perhaps a glitch in the power supply.

Lets see if the log can tell us more.

The nozzle looks like you could clean rather easily with a paper towel when it is hot. Don't burn your fingers, but warm it up enough so it gets soft and you can just wipe this filament off.

There are also quite some positive reviews about the Ultimaker 3 already, so I like to think of it more as an incident. If it has happened before, and you can not trust it with long prints, we should definitely look into how to fix that for you because like you said; the Ultimaker 3 is a reliable and trustworthy machine. So should be yours.

Looking forward hearing from you!

[neotko 1,417]

The best way to clean the nozzle without burning IMO is to heat the core (for pla residue) to 110-120C and use a filament peace you pull all the dirt. At 110-120C the PLA melts slowly and if you also set fans on you can drag it and leave a clean nozzle.

[Melka 57]

Hey guys, thanks for your messages.

I managed to clean the nozzle without burning my fingers :>

Great idea about the log, I'm currently looking for the correct file and I'll share it with you ASAP.

[LePaul 354]

I'm curious if the file was incomplete or something? Maybe do the next print using the USB port?

[Melka 57]

I checked the logs and it seems that nothing was saved for that print

Is it possible ?

Edited November 18, 2016 by Guest

[Melka 57]

Forget it,

It's unrelated but we just found out that two XY blocks are cracked.

The machine is a week old and printed less than 30h.

We are done, we are sending it back to the seller.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Guest
inacuraccies

[LePaul 354]

That's very very disappointing to see

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Melka,

Thank you for your reply.

Did you send over your file by wifi? In that case it does not store your file.

I think your cracked sliderblocks is damage that are caused by transport. This is indeed something I would suggest to let your reseller fix.

Do you still have your Ultimaker 3, or is it already on its way to your reseller?

Did you already export a log? Perhaps it could pinpoint us into the right direction for the midprint stop. However, I think it was most likely a power glitch.

This is how you can get a log:

Go to: System > maintenance > diagnostics > dump log to usb.

Looking forward hearing from you!

[Melka 57]

Hey Sander, thanks for taking time to reply.

Yes, I did send the file over wifi (notice the *.gz on the printer screen in my photo), so you are right, that's why it doesn't pop in the logs.

Do you know if there is a checksum validation performed when we print over network?

Power glitch is indeed a possibility, I will look into using a battery backup & surge protector. Though I feel that think kind of issue could be resolved in the software side by simply logging the last position before a power failure. (it's done on Raise 3D products)

I don't think the sliderblocks were damaged during transport as :

1. box was flawless,

2. we identified some friction when moving the print head before noticing the cracks.

I think that those fractures happened to relieve some of the tension during the assembly of the machine, because now, the printhead movement is MUCH smoother.

Of course, if you put very light pression on those 6mm rod now, they pops out of place.

We still have the machine but will return it ASAP, we are dealing with Makershop, here in France.

Edited November 21, 2016 by Guest

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Melka,

I don't know if you still have your Ultimaker 3, or if it is already on its way back to Makershop, but if you do, could you share your serial number with me through a DM?

After forwarding your issues with quality control, that is what they asked for. It is important information to optimize the process.

I also double checked your sliderblock crack, and I heard that it could happen by transport but there were 2 other reasons. 1 could be that during assembly too much force was applied, and 2; because of the friction you already mentioned you felt.

We took precautions so this should not happen anymore, hence also the request for the serial number. Your replacement should be fine!

Thirdly, I also asked for the checksum validation. Haven't received a reply yet, will let you know as soon as I do

Our apologies for the inconveniences with your Ultimaker. Makershop is an excellent partner and I am sure they will take good care of you!

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Edited November 22, 2016 by Guest

[SandervG 1,521]

About Checksum, quote from our software team:

'We do not use any checksum validation on the printed files. As far as I know there are two reasons for checksum validations; Security and data integrity checking.

Security wise it won't add a whole lot; The UM3 is only usable on a local network, which is assumed to be secure. Even if this was not secure, doing a checksum on a 500 mb file is rather pointless; an attacker would be able to change the file in such a way and still be able to ensure that the checksum is the same. It could be possible to build systems that are more robust against this, but this would take quite a bit of development work with only limited gain (securing the network / authentication is the actual "defence")

As for data integrity; The files are sent by HTTP, which is already quite robust against data corruption. TCP/IP already uses checksum on every packet they send. Adding checksum validation to the combination would add a very tiny amount of extra protection, but the chance of such a corruption happening is extremely unlikely.'

Hopefully this helps!

[Melka 57]

Thanks for your answer Sander,

I heard that there was a firmware fix for that stopping issue when printing over network. Could you comment a bit about that please ?

Is it already deployed ?