UM3 3dSolex Hardcore Printecore issues / Impressions - TL;DR AVOID

[neo-ninja 1]

I bought a Hardcore printcore from 3dsolex back in mid April As a spare to use when my officalUM3 printcores wear out. 

 

Anyway that day finally came so I plonked in the Hardcore and tbh it has been non stop issues.... first impression is I would AVOID buying one of these, i may just be unlucky but so far it has been non stop issues and I really wish i had just not bothered with it.

 

Firstly the size of it is slightly off, so it feels a bit clunky going into the machine.

Second the print door nolonger shuts so I have to use a printed hook to hold it shut this is because the hardcore is ever so slightly too big.

Thirdly the auto leveling no longer works, as the printcore is too big you have to basically turn it off and manually level.

 

Fourthly it just constantly fails, i have swapped it into some of my other machines and it is 100% the printcore, it must have dodgy PTFE inside it as it just constantly fails. I know there were issues when they were first made but this was ordered in April...

 

I have wasted so much time with it, its not worth the hassle. 

 

The worst thing about all this is I actually bought 6 of them, I havent tried the others yet...

 

If anyone has any bright ideas please do let me know.

 

 

[stu_le_brew 42]

I would very much recommend that you contact Carl at 3DSolex directly, his reputation is very high and has always given me excellent service with any problems.

Edited December 14, 2018 by stu_le_brew

[gr5 2,097]

Definitely send all 6 back for 6 new ones.  To Carl.  There definitely were dodgy issues with the ptfe back in April due to a vendor changing I.D. size of teflon but it only affected about 1% but still - get the latest version.

 

The leveling issue is also a vendor issue - one lot of springs were too weak.  So when it levels instead of the bed pushing down, the core pushes up and it levels completely wrong.  This is fixed in the latest version or you can simply remove the screw through the clear part, stretch the spring, and reinsert it.  Or do manual leveling.  Or loosen all 3 screws a bit so that the springiness of the bed is gentler than the springiness of the cores.

 

The "size" issue is more complicated.  The clear part on the core is thicker and on some S5's and UM3's it hits the door when the door closes.  if you slide a piece of paper between the clear plastic part and the door and there is no gap then that's the problem.  Again - only a problem for a small amount of printers (and I think only on S5s). This is fixed on latest version (clear part is thinner).  Also the cabling that goes to the heater and sensor are much stiffer on the 3dsolex version and that can hit the door.  But you just shove them up into the core a bit and recheck the door until it closes solidly.  I check all the 3dsolex cores I ship by putting each one in an S5 and a UM3.

 

All of these 3 issues have been a problem for a small subset of people.  UM cores have similar issues and resellers tell me they tend to have more issues with UM cores than 3dsolex cores.  Which is a kind of weak excuse.  The above 3dsolex issues are resolved as of about a month ago.  Carl is very very good about warranty.  UM will not warranty cores as they are "consumables".  Like filament.