New S5 - Problem with Supplied PVA and nozzle cover

[DanielW 1]

Hi all new to this forum. I am a teacher and managed to get an S5 :).  Having had a 2+ extended I knew my next machines needed to be Ultimakers.  The students were nearly falling out last year due to the waiting times, their mastery of Rhino (3D CAD) had meant they were all desperate to print! Have KS4 and KS5 classes using 3D printers but want to get KS3 groups using them too so have also got a new 2+ just to give me more printing capacity. 

 

OK, new S5 machine arrived and having spent many an hour stripping PLA support material I was excited to finally try PLA.  I quickly mocked up a design for a cactus, pot and little cap to close the base of the pot later. Idea is to make an illuminated USB extention. But main reason is to check PVA support effectiveness and to check the dimensional tolerance to create force fits etc.

 

So, half way up the support, the PVA nozzle blocks (unbeknown to me as it was an over nighter) - tried again the second day after clearing the nozzle but same thing happens. Tried some manual advancing ( and that cold pulling technique ) of the PVA and a whole load of black stuff came out - thought this had solved it but no; still not working.

 

Went in today and tried a new spool of PVA and the job is doing really well now - 2hrs left and the support part has finished! 

 

Problem is the old PVA is the reel supplied with the machine had only been opened minutes before the job.

 

Also, what is with the nozzle cover any slight knock and it flaps down, even more so when nozzle 2 is down? I found two mini magnets and adjusted those which has improved the situation but seems a little worrying given it is a brand new machine. I have managed to use a small weak spring (you can see it in one of my pics) to keep the flap up and have cleared any filament between the silicon pad and nozzle 2 which did build up during the first misprint.

 

Sitting at home like an excited child waiting for the final print to finish so I can pop up to the lab and get it. Darn ICT lot still haven't put the camera on the network so I can't view it from home ?

 

Anyway - I have waffled on a lot but hello to all and thanks for adding me!

 

Daniel

 

Edited October 15, 2018 by DanielW
Pictures didn't go in

[kmanstudios 1,120]

First thought would be a humidity issue causing the PVA to jam so quickly. Once jammed, it cooks really hard and that is why the black stuff.

[cloakfiend 996]

9 hours ago, DanielW said:

I was excited to finally try PLA.

 

I'm with you there, as I come from UM2 single filament town, and finally I found a perfect model to try PVA on the S5!!! Im gonna try my best to de-humidify my PVA, which has been open for AAAAAAAGES!  I've put it in a bag with loads of those silicone sachets and kept it out of the light and any form of damp/humidity. Ill leave it on a hot bed for an hour or so as well just to be sure, this summer was a real stinker heat wise, great for plating but not so great for PVA!

 

And the nozzle cover is quite tricky to clip in place, I had to use a thin bit of metal to force it in.

Edited October 15, 2018 by cloakfiend

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Keep in mind that PVA will quickly absorb moisture even starting out dry.

[cloakfiend 996]

Damit, stop frightening me!....how come you don't seem to have any problems? or do you, how many jams do you get?

 

just looking at some baubles to print ?

Edited October 15, 2018 by cloakfiend

[DanielW 1]

1 hour ago, cloakfiend said:

And the nozzle cover is quite tricky to clip in place, I had to use a thin bit of metal to force it in.

Oh please elaborate -  what needs to clip in, is there a tab or something to look out for?

[cloakfiend 996]

I think so, last time i checked, but it wasn't as easy as I expected to get it in.....it might not even be in correctly! lol. at least its not falling off.

 

I think there is a little lip on the bit to push in the gap in the middle...could be wrong though, I'm not in front of it at the mo, I'm at work.

 

just something to think about, and check for yourself, I'm not entirely sure about this, but think im right?

 

 

[SandervG 1,521]

12 hours ago, DanielW said:

Also, what is with the nozzle cover any slight knock and it flaps down, even more so when nozzle 2 is down?

Are you talking about the front fan bracket (the white part of the print head which you open when you replace print cores), or the silicon cover laying in the bottom of the print head? 

[DanielW 1]

The fan cover - you can see the pic with the improvised spring.

[SandervG 1,521]

Just now, DanielW said:

The fan cover - you can see the pic with the improvised spring.

 

I don't see any images in your post, are they shared elsewhere? ?

[kmanstudios 1,120]

4 hours ago, cloakfiend said:

Damit, stop frightening me!....how come you don't seem to have any problems? or do you, how many jams do you get?

 

just looking at some baubles to print ?

I keep a watchful eye on things. I generally do not have issues since I keep the house buttoned up quite a bit if the humidity is above57-60%. The A/C also dehumidifies the air and I run the PVA out of a drybox. But the area between the drybox and the feeder is the weak link in the process as that is where it gets exposed to the air while being fed to the bowden tube.. I also perform regular maintenance on the nozzles, or at the least check them in between each print.

 

I will get bit when I do a "Just one more print, then I will clean them" and it clogs. Being in a hurry is bad for the process as I have found. It is why I say that 99% of the issues I run into are my fault.

 

I have heard of things like a film developing on glass plates. I dunno, but, maybe wash them well and not just let it sit and collect ambient pollution? Just an example, but if properly cleaned, how can a film develop unless the water supply is contaminated with minerals or something, but that is also why I clean the heck out of it after the wash with alcohol. If your fingers squeak when washing the plate, then there seems a very small likelihood of anything building up on the glass.

 

But if there is contamination in the water used, then, just like humidity it can be a problem and some areas are just really conducive to things failing in one aspect or another. This is not an UIltimaker issue(s). But rather the fact that the chemical properties of the materials are universal.

 

Basically, general upkeep of the actual operations and the parts involved do have something to do with it as I have found when I get in a hurry to just get things done, it always falls on my issues and not the machines I operate. When I respect their needs, I generally have a good result.

 

Had an issue the other day because I fed too much filament into the machine during a change and almost ruined a multiday print right in the last 10 hours or so. Basically, too much into the feeder and when it hit the end of its programmed feeder advance, it had slammed the end of the filament into the nozzle and caused a bit of grinding causing it to jam a bit inside the bowden tube. It will still need to be repaired (Am not going to lose that much filament or time on a prat that was going to be heavily post processed anyway. But, it was my error.

 

So, I am just saying to keep a few fundamentals in mind with PVA and keep an eye on it.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

And, to further prove not all is rosy in Kman's PVA land, I did have to find a way to do hot pulls during midprint.

I have seen my PVA go from good to horrible within an hour of opening doors when the humidity has risen.

[DanielW 1]

5 hours ago, SandervG said:

 

I don't see any images in your post, are they shared elsewhere? ?

I posted up a good five pics. I can't see them - maybe I have to insert them - let me look

 

HAVE NOW ADDED THEM -

Edited October 15, 2018 by DanielW

[Carla_Birch 116]

The fan cover on the S5 does open very easy, but i think its a catch 22 you want it to open easy so you not pulling hard on the print head but at same time you don't want it to be to easy, never had a problem with mine coming open mid print but if its a worry print self something off like this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2658960

 

As for PVA i not had a problem but when i start to hear it pop and the printed color goes less clear also i then cook it at 45c for at lest 4 hours in a food dehydrator before i start my next print and keep in in a air tight tub when not in use.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

*Ahem* or this...

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2688672

 

?

[DanielW 1]

5 minutes ago, kmanstudios said:

*Ahem* or this...

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2688672

 

?

????? - is this an attempt at humor or is your link broken ?

[Carla_Birch 116]

4 minutes ago, DanielW said:

????? - is this an attempt at humor or is your link broken ?

They meant this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2688672

[kmanstudios 1,120]

15 minutes ago, DanielW said:

????? - is this an attempt at humor or is your link broken ?

If the word 'attempt' is used, well then it failed.....?

 

Edit: oh wait...it is a failed pasted link....huh...I wonder why...... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Edited October 15, 2018 by kmanstudios

[DanielW 1]

2 minutes ago, kmanstudios said:

If t he word 'attempt' is used, well then it failed.....?

Sorry forgot to point out I have a very weird sense of humour - please don't take any notice ?

[cloakfiend 996]

I totally agree that patience and not being in a rush are key in this game. It can lead to perfect prints or total failure. When you go into autopilot it can be good or bad depending on if your autopilot has forgotten to do something!! Lol. How about coating the pva in a film of oil to prevent exposure? I dunno i'll think of something to try and get over natures problems my way. Im going to try pva at 0.06 after my night shifts...but I always think about how im going to clean up my prints before I even start them. It tends to make me think of the best ways to print them. Im going to do a little write up soon about a technique thats lets you print thin detailed parts on tiny things without using pva, but it also has its limitations. For some things I can see im just going to need to use PVA.

[kmanstudios 1,120]

1 hour ago, DanielW said:

Sorry forgot to point out I have a very weird sense of humour - please don't take any notice ?

Apparently, mine is even more weird if you did not get it ?

[cloakfiend 996]

Well at least its good to know we have sense of humors!! Lol i know many that dont.....

And heres the lip i was on about.

My front cover never opens btw. That must be a pva related thing i assume.

 

[DanielW 1]

39 minutes ago, cloakfiend said:

Well at least its good to know we have sense of humors!! Lol i know many that dont.....

And heres the lip i was on about.

My front cover never opens btw. That must be a pva related thing i assume.

 

I have only had the machine a week, and the first thing I noticed before even using any filament was how easy the front flap opened. Oh well I can't be too wrong as there are at least two fixes for this on thingiverse.