text:
AnyCubic D (aka Predator) - Z-zeroing and first layer issues
Long story short, my wife and I are now the proud owners of an AnyCubic D, also known as the Predator. This is not our first 3D printer, but it is our first "delta" design, with the circular build plate and the extruder suspended by stepper-controlled tie rods (as opposed to the IMO more intuitive Cartesian designs like the MakerBot R2X and Ender 3 Pro we already have).
Got it all put together last night and ran all the basic setups including an auto bed leveling. This feature is both a blessing and a curse. It's a blessing because the actual leveling is a matter of fitting the probe, hitting a button and walking away as it maps the build plate, and the results in terms of a consistent extrusion thickness around the plate are excellent each and every time.
It's a curse because the printer depends on auto-leveling due to the build plate being bolted directly to the base; with no manual adjustment possible, probing is the only form of leveling you can do, and that leveling is dependent on an accurate "zeroing" of the extruder above the center of the plate, which has to be done using the steppers to bring the extruder down from "home" to the typical paper-thin clearance over the plate surface.
Thus the problem; the zeroing procedure has a minimum adjustment of 0.1mm. Getting the clearance just right for a solid first layer requires at least another order of magnitude finer adjustment. For now, I have it "good enough" to stick the first layer onto the plate, but the resulting prints show pretty classic plate clearance issues:

You can see the lines of the bottom layer aren't connecting horizontally, and the extrusions are thin and tubular, which are the textbook symptoms of excessive build plate clearance (not enough "squish" of the filament between extruder and plate). It's close, but this is a game of just tens of microns, and the printer simply does not give me that level of control; one more step down at 0.1mm and I hit the plate. The manual says you can babystep the Z offset at 0.04mm while actually running a print, but I have run several (including the leveling test GCode included on the printer's SD card) and have never seen that option enabled in the leveling menu.
I was wondering if there were any AnyCubic D/Predator owners with insight into how they really dial in the proper zero height on these printers. I do have Cura's features to work with; theoretically I could send a relative-positioned G0 Z-0.04 F100 command from its remote control panel as the last step down in zero height adjustment (assuming the printer is listening to USB input while running the leveling procedure), or I could put a similar command in the start Gcode followed by a G92 Z0 which will re-zero the extruder height at the new level (assuming the printer accepts a relative move below its known zero; Marlin 1.1.0 actively prevents that, but indications are the AnyCubic firmware is proprietary, so who knows). I could also leave the extruder height as-is and bump Cura's first layer flow rate setting in the material profile, to push more filament into the taller space on the first layer and so get more squish.
However, none of these strike me as something I should have to do to dial in a printer, given that extruder clearance is a problem trivially solved on either of the other printers, and these fairly kludgy fixes would have to be repeated every time the bed was re-leveled (such as after any disassembly for maintenance or any move to a new location, including one beyond USB cable distance of the slicing computer).

This works on a Cartesian, I don't know if it works for a Delta: You could try to send a M211 G-code to disable the Z min endstop, it will then move below zero level, e.g. M211 Z0 S0.

@0scar Not sure whether M211 is applicable on a delta, because Z_MIN_POS is pretty much the only software endstop that could possibly be constant. All others are interdependent due to the circular build plate; the only true rule is sqrt(X^2+Y^2) <= (plate radius), and even that only applies up to the hardware endstops of the shuttles, above which the valid build volume becomes conical.

Following up, did some research on these commands, 211 is valid. It looks like the Gcode I'll want is G0 X0 Y0 Z0, M211, G91, G0 z-0.04 (or whatever), M428, M500. I get to try it in about an hour.

I recently corrected a similar problem on a Robo3D R1+ printer. It is described as the z-offset setting.
An entry in the Thingiverse forum appears to reference this problem as well. The sensor provides reference information to the board, but the compensation is not always as it should be.
For the Robo, the command sequence was M565 Z0.7 in this specific instance, followed by M500 to store the value.
I'm not certain this is the answer for the Predator as the above is specific to the Robo3d.
An answer in this SE suggests that one can use M206 Zxx followed by the M500 storage command.
Further research regarding the z-offset for your particular board is warranted.

The Predator seems to work well with Marlin codes, so I'll give M206 a try. Should be something that can go in the print start config, as I'm not lowering the "true" zero for each print, just telling the printer it should treat a fixed distance below that as if it were zero.

I think the first code should be M665. M565 doesn't exist in Marlin, and in RepRap it's a code for changing the leveling probe's offset which I don't want to mess with.

@KeithS, the code used on the Robo3d was indeed M565 and per this link:http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/z-offset-issue.18268/ is the recommended one for that printer. The RepRap wiki does show that it's not supported in Marlin. Answer edited.

The owners manual tells how to micro adjust the z while it is printing the 1st layer.  See page 23.  I did this and it works perfectly.

May I suggest as far as pushing the Z below 0 on a printer that won't allow it, just reset the Z a second time? In other words to set it 0.1mm lower when it's already at Z=0:
G92 Z5
G0 Z4.9
G92 Z0


text:
Seeking documentation for Apex slicer on AirWolf 3D printer
I have been, unsuccessfully, in contact with AirWolf and have concluded that there is no formal documentation available for their Apex slicer software that would explain what all the various parameters do and what the ramifications are.
Since the Apex slicer is supposedly based on the Cura slicer, I am now wondering what would be the appropriate version of Cura to research.

Good chance it is using a Cura library for slicing used on top of their own developed GUI (e.g. Windows DLL, depending on your platform), if you can locate it in the installation folder, the version in the file properties could possibly give you some information on the version.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

sort: votes


text:
Marlin firmware question for dual extruder
I've recently added a second hotend and extruder assembly to my 3D printer and I've made all the necessary changes in the firmware. I've defined the temp sensor for hotend 2, all the pins for heat and temp as well as defined extruders as 2 instead of 1.
The problem is that the printer display in the motion menu is showing

Extruder
Extruder E1
Extruder E2

"Extruder" and "Extruder E1" both control the primary extruder and "Extruder 2" controls the second extruder.
Any tips, ideas, suggestions?

There is nothing to worry about, this is a feature not a bug.
Extruder refers to the active extruder, the loaded/active tool. Based on the active extruder the Extruder controls either your Extruder E1 (this is known in the firmware as Extruder E0!) or your Extruder E2 (the Extruder E1 from the firmware).

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
FabPro 1000 making flat little discs?
I'm just getting into 3D printing, and I got a FabPro 1000 (to make miniatures, mainly). I've tested it by trying to print a few things, but it's been a disaster every time:
It just prints out these flat little discs that have fallen into the resin-filled tray, not stuck to the top surface as they should. I don't have an agitator, but I shake the material really well before use and fill the tray a decent amount. Here's my latest config file, if anyone wants to see.
Is my printer broken or am I doing something wrong? How can I figure out what's causing this to happen? Is there any other information I should provide?

Did you level the bed? A slight Angle is enough to prevent good printing. How old is your resin and what's the brand as well as the expiration date? The stuff can go bad and some brands do need longer exposure times than others.


text:
Conductive materials quality
I was considering the possibility to 3D print some capacitors with various forms and shapes in order to test them. I need to be able to print both the non-conductive and the conductive materials at the same time so I have the following questions:

I suppose that since I need to do multi-material printing, i will have to stick with FDM. Is that correct?
I have seen that there are some PLA materials that are mixed with dust of metals and become conductive themselves. Do they become also capacitive? Are there any better options for a conductive material in a multi-material scenario?

This might be a better fit over on EE.SE; Someone can likely answer the printability questions here, but the capacitive properties of the materials is a little beyond the average "maker".

Even if you succeed in printing without any shorts, you are going to have horrible reproducibility problems.  Further, I doubt most PLA/ABS/whatever materials have a dielectric constant of any useable value.

There is Proto-Pasta's Conductive filament... no experience with it but you should use a 2-extruder setup, which contains "conductive carbon black", a form of very finely powdered graphite. https://www.proto-pasta.com/pages/conductive-pla

in the end i bought the Proto pasta conductive filament, and measured it. resistivity is what is advertised (3KOhm/10cm). The filament has also capacitance. i printed 2 sheets 2cmx2cmx1mm and whith a piece of paper in between i measured 0.1nF

Someone has already studied this: study of electrical properties of 3D printed materials.
ABS: dielectric constant about 3.
PLA: 2.7-2.9.


text:
3D print Ember Autodesk issues affect print quality
does anyone know something about Autodesk Ember print issues?
Currently I am working on my master thesis and I would like to print with the Ember 3D printer a holder (see attachment) using the Luxaprint 3D mould from Detax.

My problem is as you can see it, the resolution
of print quality is very bad. Does anyone has an idea how to solve this problem?
Thanks a lot!!

Hi Lisia, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! It is a bit difficult to see with this low resolution image. Do you have some better pictures?

Hi Oskar, Thank you! I add another picture maybe you can see the bad resolution of the print now better

To be honest, not really... but in my defense, I'm nearsighted and colorblind.

Okay, let me take new pictures and then I will upload it - sorry for that!

what are the dimensions of the item? How long did you set the cure times?

The dimensions are 9 mm x 9 mm and the cure time is 4 seconds for all layers


text:
Flashforge Adventurer 3 Spool mounting
I have just purchased the above 3D printer and the mount for the spool does not fit the new spool. The external spigots are too large and there is no axle shaft that would have helped.
This is a photo of the spool:

Has anyone else had this problem?

I am looking for something that fitted in original hole/area.

From a comment by the OP (posted as a Community wiki):

The supplier has just forwarded a solution but it is not what I was hoping for as I was looking for something that fitted in original hole/area.

Supplier suggestion (image):


text:
What should I use to clean buildtak(knock off)?
My printer came with a knock off BuildTak like build surface. What can I use to clean it? I don't want to damage it.

For BuildTak, my first recommendation is isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol or isopropanol). Readily available just about anywhere basic medical supplies are sold, it cuts though light oils and greases, and dissolves most common build surface adhesives like hairspray or Elmer's glue stick. In fact I often give my Ender's bed a light spray of isopropyl after an initial layer of hairspray, as the alcohol thins the hairspray a bit so I can take a plastic scraper and spread it around a little more evenly, before it sets to a very tacky initial surface that holds well.
Depending on where you live, denatured alcohol aka methyated spirits might be easier to get, and this stuff also works well as a cleaner and degreaser. The methanol does a little better job at actually removing old build adhesive instead of just "reactivating" it, and it also seems to do a little better than isopropyl at releasing and capturing old print residues that didn't make it off the surface with the rest of the print.
Be aware that both the liquid and the vapors of both of these are toxic, denatured alcohol a little more so than isopropanol. You should have plenty of ventilation through your workspace while using either one.
For a deep clean, especially with a removable build surface, it's hard to beat a mild dish detergent and water, and a scrub with a Teflon-safe Scotch-Brite sponge (they're usually blue). A clean rinse, pat dry with a towel, then give it a spray of isopropanol to finish drying it and it's ready to go. This is more of a hassle and I don't recommend it as a quick between-prints cleaning, but it can bring a well-used bed surface right back to life when more volatile cleaning agents won't do it.
Whether it's worth the frustration getting the plate properly rinsed (soap, being slippery, is not going to aid adhesion), versus just scraping the surface back off and putting a new one on, depends on how easy it is to bring the bed surface to the sink. My Ender's magnetic surface makes this much easier than a simple adhesive-backed surface right on the aluminum. By the same token it also makes the surface easier to replace, and they're not that expensive (so I highly recommend them if you like BuildTak), but \$12 is \$12, compared to 5 minutes in the sink with some Palmolive.

Thank you for such a thorough answer. Isopropyl Alcohol did a great job. Prints are sticking better and no damage as far as I can tell.

Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) is the general recommendation I've heard and it works well for me.

Besides IPA (80 %), which is one of the best cleaners for general pourpose, 99 % ethanol ("Spiritus") can work as a good substitute.
Acetone too can be used on BuildTak and its clones in a pitch without damaging it, as long as it is kept away from the edges, where it could weaken the bond to the aluminium. Using it repeatedly could however smooth the surface over some.
Mineral Spirits might be useful to prepare the aluminium for a new bed, but sould not be used on the BuildTak or its clones, as it could harm the surface and leave residue.

Are you sure acetone is okay? I recall trying it before knowing what to use, and felt like it "smoothed" the surface, but I didn't have any objective measure of it.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE I used it a couple times, it didn't destroy it, but it weakened the glue at the edge. I put your caveat in. I would not use it as the only one, just once in a while. Note that a buildTak surface is to some degree a part that is supposed to be used up.


text:
Creating a two part label for storage boxes
I want to create two piece labels for storage containers. The main piece would be the “badge” which would have text cut out of it (e.g. “Paint”, “Electrical” etc.). The second piece would be a positive of the text which is would be in a different colour, and would fit inside the cut out on the badge. Because of the tolerance of 3D printers, I need to make the insert slightly smaller than the cut out. Initially, I thought I could just scale the insert but that would affect the letter spacing. Then I thought it would work if I could somehow taper the letters so they are slightly smaller at the top than the bottom. So my question is, how I do that. I did the original in OpenScad but I would try Fusion360 if that’s a better solution. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.

You might try this alternative approach: https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10872/11157

Why dealing with inserts while you can print the letters on top of the plate by changing filament at height! There are various questions on changing filament here.

If creating a number of items, it would be simpler to print all the “plates” and then print all the inserts. And I also prefer the look where the letters are not higher than the backing plate.

@RonVentura: While I agree, if the plates are not terribly large you could print a number together at the same time, and then one filament-change operation would serve all of the batch.

can you use a flat colored sheet instead of positive text? it would show through the "stencil" of the negative letters. that way the text can be colored without sizing reqs...

Dandavis yeah, but where’s the fun in that? :)

In OpenSCAD, apply the offset transformation to inset the letter outlines before extruding them. However you may find it works better to fill the sunken letter shapes with nail polish then remove the overflow with acetone; see my question & answer https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/a/10872/11157.

Success! I applied a +0.1 offset to the plate lettering, and a -0.1 offset to the insert lettering. I also made the bar holding the letters together slightly smaller than the recess on the plate into which it fits. The result is a snug fit, but it works. Thanks for all the suggestions. I haven’t ruled out the “pause at height and change the filament suggestions, but it was fun solving this with your collective help.

Fusion 360 can be easily used to alter the design. It has a button under Construction > Edit > Push/Pull . Using this tool allows to select one or more surfaces and shift them all outside or inside as needed.
An alternative would be to include the size difference in design. By selecting a line or loop and then pressing O opens a menu that easily creates an outline shifted by a specified ammount.
Tapering the extrusion is also easy: When extruding, one can choose to extrude with a -1°, resulting in a smaller size on the far side from the extrusion. positive angles make the far side larger.

You will need to run test prints to see how your printer behaves with your choice of filaments.  Then you'll know how much narrower the letter-lines (not the letter dimensions)  need to be to fit.
The problem with that is one of making letters with narrow solid parts but without "shrinking" the open parts so that they fit into the badge receptacle regions.  You can't just reduce the dimensions of the letters themselves.
Other than what Trish's answer suggests, I'd recommend either using a very small nozzle diameter and setting a narrow linewidth to reduce the "over-dimensioning" effects.  Even better would be to identify the letters separately from the badge but keep them as a single STL and use a two-color printer (twin extruders, etc) to make the badge in one run.

authors: زيوني العراقي


text:
Slicer for 32 Bit Operating systems?
I currently only have access to an old, 32 bit OS and need to slice a couple things. While there are a lot of slicers around, most popular ones, for example Ultimaker Cura 4, need to run on a 64 bit operation system.
What somewhat recent (late 2018, 2019) options offering common abilities are there that run on older computers?

While Cura might only be shipping 64-bit binaries for Windows, you can certainly build it yourself for a 32-bit system.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE Doing so needs extensive programming knowledge.

The last version of Ultimaker Cura that supported 32-bit Operation Systems was Cura 2.3.1 of 2016, which of course has a lot of items not yet in it and doesn't fit the demand of offering some update at worst from 2018.
32-bit support is starting to fade from the support of projects, as 64-bit makes a lot of things much easier and faster and 32 Bit Windows likewise is pretty much a dead-end branch with Windows 7 Support being discontinued on January 14th, 2020. For example, the Slicer project says on their documentation of the May 2019 4.10 version: "We do not make 32 bit builds available."
Yet there is rescue with the Slic3r-Family!
Slic3r 1.3.0 is open source, available as 32 and 64-bit versions, and was released in November 2018, making it somewhat up to date. You need to customize a lot of settings in it, but it is after all quite a powerful slicer - for which you have to write your own Start Code, define your filament settings and machine.
Repetier Host 2.1.6 is likewise a 32-bit application. It's technically a console with slicing features and uses one of several engines to slice - including the Slic3r and Slic3r Prusa Edition engines, which run on 32-bit. In comparison to Slic3r, I find its UI for placing items a little more user-friendly. It does pull the settings from Slic3r, if you have that installed.
Slic3r Prusa Edition/PrusaSlicer is a derivate of the Slic3r project. 2.2.9 was released in December 2019. It too runs on 32 bit systems. Even 2.4.2 of the end of 2022 has 32 bit support. It is, UI-wise, even more comfortable than Repetier Host and is somewhat similar to Ultimaker Cura 4.

To date, end of December 2022, the last 32-bit version of PrusaSlicer is release 2.4.2.

You can try using C6 Slicer software, which is a Cloud-based one, no need of an application version. I think they are still in development phase, but still does give some good prints.


text:
Model stuck on the heating bed
I've tried to apply a sharp blade (the one that came witht he printer) to scrape the model off like I usually do but this model seems overly robust. What method can I do to take this off safely?
See image

Possible duplicate with: "How can I remove my print from the bed safely"?

Welcome to 3dPrinting.SE! While this is water under the bridge, this print shouldn't need a skirt (extra bed adhesion). With as wide/deep as it is, it should stick just fine. This is the reason you're not getting it off the bed in the first place ... it's stuck too well. Again, doesn't help you get it off your bed this time, but think about what you're printing in the future and you shouldn't have this issue again.

Does this answer your question? How can I remove my print from the bed safely

This question is flagged as a duplicate.  It might not be a duplicate because most build surfaces are smooth, and your is pebbled.

Have you tried hitting it with a small hammer (on the corner), helped me various times.

what kind of surface is this? looks like sand paper or one of this removable ones by prusia. maybe it was not intended to be glued on to the metal surface.

2 words: thermal cycling.

Unfortunately, you may have to destroy this part, or the build surface, just to get it off the plate. It looks really on there, and if you can't get under it even with a razor that further supports my gut instinct. It's happened to me before, just part of learning how to print with a particular material on a particular printer and build surface.
One thing to try before just hacking away at the part or replacing the build surface (which you may have to do anyway) would be to heat the plate back up to maybe 60-70*C, then hit the part with some freeze spray (or the poor man's version, turning a can of air duster upside-down). The rapid expansion-contraction may pop the part free. How effective this is depends on the plastic you used. PLA doesn't stretch and shrink much, but by the same token it's also very inflexible, so the stretching and shrinking it does do can stil pop the part off. This method's really effective for plastics like ABS that stretch/shrink a lot with heat. Remember to ventilate well; the principal component of these sprays is difluoroethane, which isn't great stuff to breathe in any significant concentration, and when spraying the liquid the resulting "steam" state of boiling liquid is much more flammable (so after the bed comes up to proper heat, I'd turn off the printer just in case).
EDIT: Per the comment to this answer, an alternate method would be to heat the plate even further, to about 80-90*C, which would heat the PLA beyond its glass transition temperature, softening it and reducing its adhesion. You would destroy the part, but parts can be reprinted, that's the beauty of owning a general-purpose computer-controlled additive plastic forming machine.
Your first layer including the brim looks a little close to the plate, which is part of the problem; you really squished that first layer down onto the bed. I would relevel the bed a bit further away, or (if you're happy with how actually level the bed is) set a Z-offset to increase first layer width. There's a very fine balance to be struck here; once you find it, printing (and removing said prints) becomes a lot easier.
In future, a build adhesive like Elmer's glue stick or hairspray (or a dedicated adhesive like 3DLAC or Bed Weld) also doubles as a release agent; the adhesive grabs the extruded plastic to keep it on the plate, but also prevents direct contact between two plastics and thus avoids any chemical bonding between the part and plate. Also consider upgrading to a flexible removable surface, like a magnetic BuildTak surface. Being able to take the bed off the printer and then flex the surface to help  pull a corner free (at which point you can slip a scraper in to lift the rest of it off) is a real boon to these types of situations.

While it is heated, I would also see if the brim can get more easily scraped away.

Since it's only PLA, it should be easily removable if you heat it up to over 80°C too.

Some comments assume that this is a PLA print.  IS it PLA, or something more exotic?
If PLA, then try softening the object by heating the print with a heat gun or hair drier.
I assume that the bed is not easily removed and that you can not flex the bed.  If you can remove the bed by unscrewing it, it might flex enough to break away the print. It doesn't take a lot of flex to remove a part.  The smallest opening concentrates force on the edge.
I have had some success using a wood chisel "upside down".  Don't try to get the edge under the part, but instead embed the pointy edge into the object and then use the angle behind the edge as a fulcrum to focus upward force on the object.  That might work better while the object is hot.

Try something simple first: spread 97+ isopropyl around the edges, and see if that will help loosen the bond.


text:
How to ease the process of removing support for miniatures
I have recently bought an Anycubic i3 Mega S 3D printer. I'm using the stock nozzle (.4 mm) and I print with the plastic it came with (ABS). I'm using Ultimaker 4.4.1.
When I print minis, I'm always having issues removing the support the slicer software adds to print the object. Most of the time, I end up breaking parts of my minis. I'm using the tools given with the box.
How do I make this process easier ? I'm mostly interested in the settings linked with the support generation, but if there are other ways, I would like to know.
Note that the minis are for DnD characters, thus printed objects are often not flat and contain multiple curves, which then creates support that are harder to remove, for example, in between the holder of the mini (the cylinder that holds the piece in a stand up position) and the legs.
I usually print models found online for free, but from time to time I buy some models which contain a lot of details than the free counter parts. I don't mind loosing some of those details, as long as the mini is well printed (in short, I don't mind if the sheath of the sword falls off, but I do care if the arm falls off)

This is not particularly a good question for SE; i.e.the sharing of settings. A much better question would be why the removal of support structures is difficult. That is your actual question which will be perfectly answerable like has been explained here for instance. Could you please rephrase the question and body? Thanks!

May I have more information as to why setting sharing is not a good question ?

Note that you don't give us how detailed you want to print and what nozzle you have mounted. That makes suggestions for settings harder too.

Furthermore, settings are depending on your printer. Even between the same brands and types some settings work for one while they do not for others (e.g. levelling differences, differences in filament). Also what settings for what, Cura has literally hundreds of settings. Note what @Trish said, for very fine details you would need to use a small nozzle, e.g. 0.25 mm (which has specific challenges of itself). Now, if you have an actual problem removing support, we can discuss support settings to remove the supports easier. Hope this helps!

In relation to @0scar I print fine details with a 0.2 mm nozzle on a specifically set up machine, I print slower there and some more tweaks... and with latest Cura removing support worked like a charm. however I don't print figurines there but engineering models.

I see what you guys mean, I will edit my question !

Rotary grinder with a small tip (think "Dremel tool"). Don't set the speed too high, which will just melt the plastic.

Let's look at the factors that can help us get support parts printed and removed:

access
dimensions/size
bonding
debonding

access
Support structure has to be accessed to be removed. Tree support could help in this. An alternative would be soluable support, which is still accessible if buried deep in a part - as the solvent would be all that needs to access the part.
dimensions/size
Support structure needs to have some crossection to be printed at all. if it gets too small, it will fail to print and fail in supporting. You might alter the support angle to support even 40° or 30° surfaces to the vertical to forcefully increase the supported area and thus dimension of the support structure.
bonding (to bed)
To make sure the part and its supports don't shift from one another, it is best to print with a brim that makes sure all support trees and the base of the model all share a combined first layer.
debonding
Debonding means, we need to remove the support structure from the printed part. Ultimaker Cura allows to define a gap from support structure to the part, usually 2 layers. With these settings removing supports can be as easy as removing the brim and careful cleanup.
Other things
No support?!
Some miniatures have lots of unsupported areas. For example this knight needs support at the hilt of the sword, the arm and the helmet overhang. This dwarf might need support at his dagger in the back and on the left arm (and was resin printed).
However, with the proper design, there is sometimes no support needed. For example this pirate has no areas that need support for overhangs or free hanging areas.
Printing speed
Printing miniatures and intricate parts is hard. I have set up an older, small TronXY with a 0.2 mm nozzle just to print small and detailed items, usually engineering models. I print them slower than normal (ca 40 mm/s, 20 mm for the outer shell).


text:
Wanhao Duplicator 6 / Monoprice Maker Ultimate thread pitch or number of steps?
Does anyone know the the thread pitch or number of steps for the Wanhao Duplicator 6 / Monoprice Maker Ultimate?

If you navigate to e.g. the Marlin printer firmware configuration file for the Wanhao Duplicator 6 you will find that the steps per mm are defined as:
/**
 * Default Axis Steps Per Unit (steps/mm)
 * Override with M92
 *                                      X, Y, Z, E0 [, E1[, E2...]]
 */
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   { 80.0395, 80.0395, 400.48, 99.1 }

Sidenote, somebody who posted this has diligently tried to tune their machine, this should read:
#define DEFAULT_AXIS_STEPS_PER_UNIT   { 80., 80., 400., 100. }

From these values you can tune your own if needed.
Now we do the math with the following assumptions:

400 steps per mm,
standard 200 steps per revolution stepper motor (1.8°) and
assuming that your board uses 1/16 µ-steps

Dividing the physical stepper steps per revolution by the firmware steps per millimeter we can calculate how much the nut advanced in a single revolution, i.e. 200/(400/16) = 200/25 = 8 millimeter. The nut therefor advanced 8 mm per complete revolution of the stepper. This means you will most probably have Tr8x8(P2) lead screws.
Do note that there are online calculators that can help you out doing the math for you, e.g. this RepRap calculator page.


text:
3D printer manufacturers - sales statistics
Are there any statistics regarding how many units each manufacturer has sold, e.g. in 2019?
An article from 2016 claims Monoprice to have led the market back then - but all of the printers in that article have become obsolete since then.
Some manufacturers also claim theirs to be "one of the most popular" - but that likely doesn't translate to sales, at least for the more overpriced ones.

Getting this data is not easy.  Many companies that make 3D printers are either private companies that do not report results or are larger companies where 3D printers are one of many products they manufacture.  Some companies study this information through mining public sources and surveying users for their opinions and experience.  The result of some of these studies are available for a fee.
Occasionally, a trade publication will survey data sources and produce an article.  In other cases, a trade pub will publish an article generously offered by a commercial contributor.
It is always difficult to know what is true when abstracting information from obscured, noisy, and biased information sources.
Your question itself includes a bias.  You use a words that include a value judgement: "but that likely doesn't translate to sales, at least for the more overpriced ones."
The article you reference is not a deeply researched investigative piece.  It is simply some product details for the five printers in 2016 which sold the most on Amazon.com.  It doesn't include printers which were not sold on Amazon, so it leaves out any printers which use a different distribution channel.  Also, the article include an link, probably which generate revenue back to the magazine, to each of the five printers sold through Amazon.
To summarize, it is very difficult to aggregate this kind of information.  Those who try to do so like to be compensated.  A list of the top five devices on Amazon is a biased list.

And regarding alternate distribution channels: for some products, Amazon might be representative of the overall market. But 3d printers sell of LOT of their units into education and light manufacturing, both of which tend to use channels other than Amazon. I wouldn't expect Amazon to be at all representative for this item.

For sales figures of the smaller companies; it is very difficult because they don't publish (esp the Chinese brands). For the larger organizations there is
The Wholler's Report https://wohlersassociates.com/2019report.htm
An article on Forbes gave a quote about the 2018 Wholers Report:

The 2018 report has the estimated number of desktop systems sold at nearly double the 2015 data (reported in the 2016 report). In just over two years, an astonishing 528,952 desktop 3D printers (or systems) are believed to have been sold.

For 24 Years (basically the start) they have been tracking the 3D printing industry, providing the most reliable source of market share and growth. It costs a bit to purchase and you can't share the contents with anyone else, but if you're really interested then; grab a copy.
Further, there are the statistics of 3DHubs.com. They used to be a distributed 3d printing service (I guess they still are). They keep track of the most popular printers of all types:
https://www.3dhubs.com/get/trends/


text:
Adding a Bowden extruder to a direct drive setup
I currently have a single extruder (direct drive) Tronxy X8.
I am thinking about adding a second extruder, that I would use only occasionally. I really like the characteristics of the direct drive extruder, so I would not want to switch over to dual Bowden. Also adding the weight of a full second direct drive extruder for only occasional use does not seem useful.
Is it possible to use a direct drive extruder as main extruder and a (possibly detachable) bowden extruder as secondary extruder?
Is there anything in particular that I need to watch out for when mixing extruder types?

There's nothing to really watch out. Do you intend to use a 2-in-1 (a.k.a. "Cyclops") or 2-in-2 (a.k.a. "Chimera") hotend?

I would have just mounted a seperate V6 style extruder next to my current direct drive extruder.

Welcome to the 3D printing SE site.    Assuming that you are familiar with configuring the control software, there shouldn't be anything that would prevent mixing extruder types.

I'm an amateur and I used dual extruder printers but never built any.
It's probably a good idea, take care about the purge, retractions distances that may vary. On the filament feed side there shouldn't be interference from the different flexibility. Still it maybe good to place one reel on one side and the other on the opposite.
Now the most complex thing is to make both nozzle not interfere. A technique is to rotate by few (like 5°) the dual setup to give few millimeter more to one of the two nozzles. If both heads are at the same height, you'll need to keep them hot, and avoid the passive one to leak. It would be good also (but not mandatory) to have a purge routine.

authors: สิรวิชญ์ จันทร์ผ่อง


text:
Print from SD and connect to serial host at the same time
I am wondering if it is possible to print with a 3D printer from an SD card and connect to a serial host at the same time. I want to use the Marlin M118 serial print command to trigger custom functions running on a Raspberry Pi. The RPi would be connected to the printer over serial but would not be sending G-code. Is this possible?
My printer is the Monoprice Mini Delta. It runs a Marlin based firmware and I can install standard Marlin on it if necessary.

Welcome to 3DPrinting.SE!

This can be done, but you need to have the right order of operations. Octoprint relies on such a setup.

Set up the serial connection first, as sending the connect signal from your terminal or Raspberry to Marlin triggers the printer to reboot.
After having the connection established, start the printjob either via the control buttons or the remote console (for example: Octoprint or Repetier Server, running on your Raspberry)

Note that you have to make sure not to dis- and reconnect the raspberry during print, as that might trigger a reboot of the printer!


text:
E-steps somehow reset, how could it have happened
Background
After installing a direct drive extruder (E3D Hemera) to my CR-10S, I calibrated the E-steps so that adequate extrusion would happen; going from ~95 steps/mm to ~390 steps/mm.
I had a couple of days of mostly successful prints. Some under extrusion (or no extrusion) happened here and there, solved by calibrating Vref for my extruder (from 455 mA to ~800 mA). I was then able to print a thing or two.
Then, after a couple of days, I had major under extrusion problems. (To the point that it looked like only the infill was being mostly printed despite using the same slice settings on past successful prints.) I looked up under extrusion causes (temp, bed level, speeds, idler tension, etc) and nothing seemed to apply, except for idler tension, which I cranked up.
Despite being certain that I didn't do anything to reset my step settings (namely resetting EEPROM) I decided that I might as well check to see what my steps are set to. Lo and behold, my steps were back down to 95. No wonder I was under extruding, I was only pushing a quarter of plastic out! Sending an M92 I was able to get the E-steps back to where they belong. Benchy came out with some droopy layers, so I was over extruding. I tweaked the idler tension (since I cranked it tight earlier) and for the most part that seemed to help. I came to have other issues (like a potential clogged nozzle) so I'm not sure how much calibration is needed as plastic isn't feeding, but I digress...
What could have happened to cause my e-steps to reset? The obvious being resetting the EEPROM, which I am most sure I didn't do. Is there anything else that could have happened?
My setup
Printer: Creality CR-10S
Firmware: TH3D Unified Firmware U1.R2.22 (or one/two versions before it maybe) (firmware is Marlin based)
Extra: OctoPi (Unsure of version, possibly most recent stable release) Other than starting prints, only used to set E steps and G0 commands before problem showed up.

As for future prevention of resetting to 95 steps/mm, I realize I just need to re-flash the firmware setting the E-steps to 390 or something.

Did you use M500??

Yes, a new firmware would be the easiest solution.
Marlin does have a CRC checksum for EEPROM contents, though that should first result in a hint to use "M502" and "M500".
If you did not "M500" after setting the steps the first time, and did not power down the printer since, that could also cause that.
Note that TH3D is based on an obsolete version of Marlin. If you're going to reflash, I'd recommend using Marlin 2.0

I don't think that I used M500. Though I definitely saved settings to EEPROM through the printer after confirming M92 changed settings yesterday. I think I did the same the first time I used M92, but cannot confirm.

I didn't realize that TH3D is basically obsolete. Thanks for the tip!


text:
What precautions to take when flashing Marlin 2.0?
I was just informed via a comment that the TH3D Unified firmware a version of Marlin that's no longer updated and considered obsolete (1.9.X in this case) and that, since I'm flashing my firmware to fix my default e-step settings, I might as well flash a non-obsolete firmware.
However, something in the back of my mind is telling me that I can't use Marlin 2.0 because of some hardware limitation.
I'm using the Creality CR-10S printer (with the Creality 2.0 board, I believe) which is an 8-bit CPU. What should I look out for before upgrading to Marlin 2.0?
Marlin's Install website suggests that 8-bit AVR printers can use it (flashing via Arduino IDE). SO I guess I'm double checking before I do something that could potentially brick my printer.

@Trish I've edited my question to include that info. Thanks!

Not sufficient for an answer, but I'd start by backing up the existing firmware in case you find that the new one doesn't work or has bugs/misfeatures you don't like.

It wasn't advised to use the version 2.x because it was in development for 32-bit micro processors. Now that it has been released as the official version, you can use it for 8-bit micro processors.
But, it totally depends on the amount of options in Marlin you activate (bed leveling, advanced menu, M5xx, etc.). Luckily you can see how large the installation is after you have built it e.g. in PlatformIO. Also, in the configuration files frequently is mentioned how much extra storage activating an option costs (search for PROGMEM in the Marlin sources). Unless you want all options active, you'll be fine. I'm running it on an AVR (MEGA2560) for a CoreXY with bed leveling and some more options; it runs fine.

It always worked well for 8-bit controllers too. I found that, using the example config files for the same printer, Marlin 2.0 also compiles to about 7% less space - but that was just one data point.

@towe Yes it always worked, but it was not advised as it was a development version! :-)


text:
How to 3D print an ID card
Say I wanted to print a plastic credit card like shape (like these), but with a QR code engraved. How could I do that for cheap? You can buy an "ID card printer" for $1,000-1,500 on Amazon, but that's way too much for printing one or two cards. Maybe down the road this would be a good option, but I kind of like the option of 3D printing the card from scratch, so the QR code bleeds halfway or all the way through the card, rather than just being printed on the surface. Is this possible for cheap? Maybe like this but not as fancy. Mainly (I'm new to all this) I am wondering what machine would accomplish this for low price yet good quality, and what other equipment I would need.
Basically, what printer is best for this type of task?

3D pens are also an option...

Unless you're planning on going into business selling them, you may be better off using a printing service rather than doing it yourself. Look for someone printing bass reliefs or lithophanes, they usually have their own setup service that would get you a high quality output.

Maybe engraving + dark fill-in on the linked cards might work, but that's more under subtractive manufacturing, rather than additive manufacturing.

FDM printer?
If you want to print one, maybe you should outsource it (let it print the tag on both sides), even the most affordable printers are in the \$100 - \$150 price range. If you want a printer and use it also to create ID tags, you could go for an FDM printer. Considering your request of having the tag inside (and through) the ID-card you need a dual filament option (one or two nozzle arrangement). If the tag can sit on top you can print it with a filament change with a single filament single nozzle printer. But, don't expect to get crystal clear prints (see experience printing signs below)!
Alternatives
As an alternative, you could print a blank PLA ID-card and laser mark the tag onto both sides, see e.g. this video.
If it is a small batch you can also consider printing/lasering stickers and stick these onto blank ID cards.

From experience
I've done some signs with black letters on a white background for "on-lay", inlay and through arrangements using a more expensive (for home use) dual extruder 3D printer (Ultimaker 3 Extended about \$5000,-) with PETG, but the results were not very satisfying. Usually the black smears out on or in the white no matter tweaking the options. Considering the size of an ID-card, the amount of tag squares, this is even more likely to happen when you print at that small size (the signs I printed were sized similar to the "A5" paper standard).
From my experience I would say that a 3D printer may not be the best solution for your task.

Thank you for the very helpful and thorough answer :)

One option to create the tag you require can be accomplished with a single extruder and a bit of manual intervention.
I've performed the sequence of steps from a Thingiverse creation that resulted in a box lid for a gift card box. It's a single layer of multiple colors placed on the print bed, then consolidated with a backing layer.
For your card objective, the single layer provides the contrast and you can determine easily how thick you wish the remaining portion to print.

The detail level is reasonably good, limited to the printer nozzle and specifications. A glass bed or similarly smooth surface bed will provide optimum results. As 0scar suggests, a 3D printer in the US$100-150 will likely suffice, but check reviews and forums for troublesome products of such a low price.

authors: ออฟโป้ เอเจ็ดสี่


text:
How to get stuck filament out of this direct drive extruder?
I recently installed a "Direct Extruder System" on my Ender 3 using a 3D printed mount. For the first few minutes it worked fine, but after I looked at it once again, I saw that there's nothing anymore coming out of the nozzle so I directly stopped the print.
I've seen that the filament has broken at the point where it gets into the extruder and the motor just extruded it into the air besides the inlet. Today I've taken apart the extruder, and I saw, that there's quite some filament stuck inside the inlet. So I heated the extruder up, tried to remove the PLA, but even on 230 °C it was hard. I don't know what to do now, and I don't really have the option to buy a new extruder now. Does anyone know what to do?

Hi GamesNic, welcome to 3D Printing.SE! Maybe some photos will help clarify what you mean. Which extruder did you print? Did you reuse the old hotend? What hotend do you have. Without such information it would be difficult to answer! Also, I suspect the terminology you use is different than we use. The extruder is the part pushing the filament, the hot end the hot part, the cold end the part above the hotend that gets cooled to prevent heat creeping up to the extruder. Where is the inlet located you talk of?

First of all, thanks for responding! Sorry, I switched extruder with hotend. Basically, I only changed the driving system. The hotend still is the stock one that came with the ender 3. The only thing I did was to 3D print a mounting part for the extruder motor, that sits directly over the hotend. The inlet is, where the PTFE tube once was. And the stuck filament is right there where the hot part is, not too wide up to the cold end. Pictures are here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=10ZwX-_mmaOSPfamq6C8Chvshs-Z6q_5f

I posted a link to a drive folder in my comment, there you can see the extruder driver and the hotend taken apart. And I'm not able to take any of the filament out, as I said, even on 230 °C the filament is hard, even if I poke it.

@Trish, pics added. GamesNic, you're going to either need to heat that hot end  with it not mounted to the machine, so that the entire thing heats to 230 so that you can at least take a small drill bit, screw it into the melted plastic then when its cooling, yank it out or buy a new throat.

the photo shows, that the filament seems to be bunched up in the heatbreak... Can you show the construction as it should be assembled and/or a link to the mod? I have the feeling, that the general construction of this has an error, a lack of constraining on the filament between extruder and hotend-assembly.

Considering the amount of filament in the heatbreak, the PTFE tube has not been inserted all the way through and when it got heated, it filled the cavity with molten plastic. You need to heat it up not connected to the heat exchanger and pry out the goo. If more comments follow I'll move the comments as a thread to chat. Good luck fiddling ;-)!

short answer: just get a new tube and nozzle. (you should get some critical spare parts anyway)

I finally did it! I let the thing cool down and poked all of the goo through with a hex bit, it came out in one piece. I also know saw what the problem was: I didn't connect the extruder with a PTFE tube to the hotend, which then made a massive clog inside there. After shortening the tube to the distance between hotend and extruder, everything worked perfectly! Thanks for all the answers :D

authors: Антон Буланча


text:
Extruder motor making a knocking sound, nozzle is not clogged
I've been trying to print anything for the past few days. Every time I go to print something the printer stops pushing plastic out and usually the motor makes a knocking sound.
My original thought was that my E-steps were off (because they were) but I solved that and I still have a problem. Then I noticed that I was struggling with getting the PLA filament to feed into the nozzle. I assumed it was a clogged nozzle and possibly heat creep (because I was a dummy and used my old, bowden retraction settings on my new, direct extruder). I cleared out the clog and I'm able to feed plastic through after disengaging the idler arm. Though, I do struggle getting the filament into the nozzle. Maybe it's due to the Hemera's tight tolerances or due to a misalignment in the hot end, I'm not sure yet. Once I do get the plastic in, it quickly and easily pushes through and spits out of the nozzle so I think that my nozzle isn't clogged. I did do a cold pull the other day.
But I've noticed that my extruder is making a knocking sound, as if someone was gently rapping on my chamber door. I also see that the gears move one step back and forth. It looks to me that the motor is stuck or frozen. I'm pretty sure that it's not skipping steps. The sound happens at varying heights and not just the first layer. The first time I noticed it, it was printing the cabin of Benchy. Z > 1 mm when I finally decided to ask this question. The sound is kind of loud, but that's most likely the resonance in the machine than a symptom, stating it nonetheless.
My setup:

Printer: Creality CR-10S
Extruder: E3D Hemera
Nozzle temp: 205-220 °C
Retraction: Initially 5 mm at 40 mm/s, then 0.3 mm, then most recently none
Motor Vref: just north of 800 mA. (I've read somewhere that the Hemera motor wants 800 to 1000 mA)

I'm just not sure what could be wrong here. I feel like I checked all the steps and I'm just missing something.

please do a test: move up the nozzle some 2 mm, then force quite some filament out. If it does not click then, you print too close to the bed.

I have that knocking sound too, if i am printing to close to the bed and the extruder cannot push the filament thru the nozzle (or not fast enough as the gcode want to).
if it still prints, its fine...ish. i do this on purpose to prefere a minimal to close but better sticking first layer, than a to far away and not so good sticking and not flat surface.

also you should check every connection and part, that might become lose. my anet a8 made also knocking noises, because the y-rods had some (1mm) free space to move along there axis direction back and forth. (i had to print a fixation with extra screws to close the free space); also some other parts managed it to knocking at some point. (hopefully the new printer arrives tomorrow)

@Trish The clicking happens at various heights. I first noticed it when the printer was printing the cabin for a Benchy. I've added the info to the question.

I'm still not sure what happened but here's what I did.
I ended up buying a replacement since I thought the motor was seized up somehow. (I had some other issues too that required a replacement anyway.) Removing the heat sink and gear assembly from the old motor was extremely difficult so I assume that the gears somehow didn't link up.
After switching out motors, I was able to print a cube mostly successful.

A knocking or clicking sound does not imply you have a problem, it implies that you could have a problem; it can be the characteristic of the extruder.

My own designed 2.85 mm filament, 1:4 speed reducing belt driven extruders make clicking sounds while extruding (independent of the layer height), I have verified that no steps are lost and the printer extrudes exactly the requested amount of filament (2.85 mm filament requires a lot more pressure for the same nozzle size, the noise is coming from inside of the metal Bulldog housing, not the stepper adjacent, it is not stepper nor filament skipping noise).

A clicking sound in combination with gears losing position as you describe (or filament skipping back) does mean that the pressure in the nozzle is too big for the extruder to push it through. If the gears loose position, this means that the stepper is not powerful enough to push it through, this means that more current or a more powerful stepper is required (the latter option is due to the design of the extruder not possible). If the filament skips back while the gears are in place the tension/grip to the filament needs to be increased.
In troubleshooting this problem it is best to increase the current to the stepper close to the upper side of the specifications of the stepper and see if the knocking sounds disappear. This should not be a problem for such a priced and tested extruder system, i.e. considering the reputation and quality of E3D this extruder must work out of the box unless you have received damaged components.

Good answer. I'll say that when it comes to the Hemera, normal operation is exceptionally quiet. I have to check and see the gears are actually moving so this knocking/clicking sound is definitely abnormal. I'll crank up the current and see if that fixes things.

@LuxClaridge Out of curiosity, did you solve the issue? :) Please feel free to add your own answer!

I am not sure what happened. I've replaced the motor (I needed a new one since the housing broke) and everything seems to work now. I can spin the rotor of the old motor so it wasn't seized up like I thought. I think I have enough of a guess to make an answer though.

I had a bad connection at my motor that was causing the problem. I soldered direct to the motor and no more problems.

I have had the exact same problem on my Ender 3 Pro. I fixed it by adjusting the amount of pressure on the filament by the motor. I did replace the motor too for other problems.


text:
New 3D resin printer with a scratched bed - will it work well anyway?
I just received a new SLA printer from AliExpress. There are scratches of different shapes on the bed, as seen on the photo. I am particularly worried about a set of scratches of about 0.2 mm depth seen at the top right, but there is also a lot of shallower scratches at the bottom right.

The seller says that it is not a problem and it results from "testing". I am not sure. I have never used SLA printers but I have used an UV resin as a glue and I frequently scratched the glued objects to make the glue adhere much more strongly.
Do these scratches decrease the usability of the bed?

Don't you mean to ask "Do these scratches decrease the adhesion of the resin to the bed?", the quality of the plate has already been decreased, you might be after useability instead!

Oscar, I am new to 3d printing. Do the scratches matter? Do they decrease the usability?

I have no SLA experience, but others may answer this question (@Trish ?)

Tell the seller to quit lying and give you a clean bed.   Genuine testing does not degrade the item under test.

@0scar my knowledge on SLA is theoretically only, but I would deem a scratch that is more than 1 layer deep as excluding defect.

I also have no experience but I agree with Carl, Trish, and Oscar.  Testing should do no damage.  If it does, the damage indicates a problem, and both the problem and the damage must be repaired.  And, any imperfection on the order of a 1/4 layer or larger is a problem.  In best case, you have little scratch lines stickout of the bottom of every print.  In worst case, you create a bubble of uncured resin that degrades the adhesion, or you create some micro-feature which increase the adhesion so that objects are harder to remove from those spots.  Either way, it isn't good.


text:
How to slice thin curved wall
I'm trying to print a part with thin walls. I've designed it with wall 1.2 mm thick, so that I should get three 0.4 mm lines. This works just fine for the straight lines, but for the radiused corners, Cura 4.3 insists on trying to print infill. This infill is only added where they are going at a tangent to the curve, so it alternates corners on alternate layers.

Worse, it prints the segments entirely out of order, which adds lots of travel and hence print time.
I've tried setting the infill to 100 %, setting the wall thickness directly to 3 rather than the default 2. I've tried reducing the wall thickness by 0.2-0.3 mm. I've tried a few other things too - all to no avail.
Some layers it gets right:

So why can't it get them all right??
I presume that this is probably caused by the fact that the curves are actually a series of straight segments, and so the centre gap between outer 0.4 mm walls will not be exactly 0.4 mm all the way round, but is there any way to just force Cura to print three lines all the way round?
Now, I know that this will print OK, but the corners will obviously look messier than they need to, and this is not the first time I've come across this problem. I'd like to get this fixed.
I have found a similar question, but it's for an older version of Cura, and the recommended solution of 100 % infill doesn't help.

Hi, SiHa. Have you tried setting extrusion width to 0.39mm, to circumvent rounding issues? Please try this and post your results. And welcome to the site.

@Davo Really!?! It was that simple? Thank you - it's perfect. If you post this an an answer, I'll gladly accept. I'd be grateful if you could give a bit more explanation a well. When you say 'rounding errors', what exactly do you mean. I'd have thought that 0.39 would be more likely to cause errors than 0.40. Clearly I'm wrong, and would love to understand.

Even though each path, in theory, is concentric around the center point of the arc, the pathing does not always work out that way - especially around corners and radii.
While your 1.2mm walls should always allow for three 0.4mm paths, if the slicer rounds down the overall thickness to 1.19mm, it will not detect enough room for three 0.4mm paths - but three 0.39mm paths should still fit, even if the slicer determines the thinnest part to be 1.17 mm.

@SiHa the other way would be to design the part "3 line widths +0.05 mm" to force it.

This really needs to just be fixed in Cura. It could and should just vary line width as needed.

@Trish Thanks - yes, I get it now. I had it in my head that the curves were creating gaps which were larger than 0.4mm, and was reducing the overall width to try and force Cura to just lay down a single line. Now I understand, it should no longer be a problem.


text:
Ender3 printing flattened on X axis
I'm fairly new to the amazing world of 3D printing, with an Ender3X.
Default model (the dog) worked very fine, but I'm experiencing some issues with some of the printer improvement parts I decided to print.
It seems to narrow the print on the X axis; a printed circle for instance will always have the correct shape, except on both extremities on X, where it will be flattened, no matter the size.
I experienced it with the extruder knob: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3176144
for which all dents were fine but the ones on the X axis sides.
Also experienced it on the filament's guide torus: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2917932/
I'm having a hard time figuring out where I messed up; could it be related to a software mistake I would have made in Cura, a failed bed leveling or any other hardware issue like an over/under tightened X axis?
Thanks!

Without photos of what you are getting, it is difficult to say, but it sounds like a loose belt.

Please add photos and describe the "upgrades" you did. Without this information this question cannot be answered.

Picture added, sorry!
I'll try with a tightened X axis, thanks for your advice!

Tightening the belt was indeed the solution, thanks Mick!

Wow, it's impressive that you were able to get results that bad with a loose belt without it failing to print entirely.


text:
Why are skirts designed the way they are?
I understand the purpose of printing with a skirt (or at least, I think I do): it gets the filament warmed up and flowing properly, in order to avoid extrusion problems while starting to print the first layer. (Perhaps it has other benefits as well? If so, I'd be interested to know what they are.)
However, what's not clear to me is why skirts are set up in exactly the way they are. In particular:

Why is the skirt drawn around the whole of the outside of the print, at a roughly constant distance from it, instead of (for example) just going round in a small circle in one corner of the print bed?
Why does a print with a larger first layer need a skirt that uses more material?

I ask partly out of curiosity, but also partly because I'm printing several small but awkwardly shaped parts, and using a skirt reduces the usable area of the build plate. If the skirt could just be put in one corner instead of going all the way around the edge I would be able to fit more parts on the build plate. This leads me to my final question:

In Cura, can I change the layout of the skirt, so that it gets drawn in a convenient part of the build platform, instead of going all the way around the edge of the print?

if I skip the skirt, how else can I bust my knuckles and smash my fingernails frantically adjusting the leveling as it starts to print?

Skirt and Brim are not only nozzle prime operations. While Brim is intended to help in adhesion by increasing the area, Skirt is a method to test some things about the bed and positioning:

If the bed is unlevel, you can see this in the skirt before the print starts. This demands to go around all of the print.
If the bed is greasy, you'll see also before the actual print starts, as the extrusion does not stick well.
It provides a visual check if the slicing is positioned well on the printer. If you for example run printers of different dimensions, the skirt shows instantly, if you loaded G-code that is too large for the bed.

The effect to reduce airdraft to the first layer is sometimes brought up, but I don't think it is relevant. However, if one would pause between skirt and print, one could use the outline to put down glue or ABS-slurry for materials that need extra adhesion.
The use of the material in a skirt is directly proportial to the width (1 or 2 lines) and the area included (as circumference is proportional to area).

In Cura, can I change the layout of the skirt, so that it gets drawn in a convenient part of the build platform, instead of going all the way around the edge of the print?

No. Skirt is, by definition always around the whole set of parts. Just turn off Skirt and use an alternate priming, if you don't think you'll need it or find it cumbersome. Instructions for example priming operations can be found in Writing G-code : swiping at start of print


text:
FDM printer first layer infill swell upward
My Kossel Mini printer was working well. Recently I made some changes including replacing the nozzle and throat, adding a silicone heater cover. Now it has the problem of first layer adhesion.

The perimeter sticks well but the infill line swells upward in the middle, while start and end has no problem.
In my experience the adhesion problem only occurs at corner but never in the middle. So I don't know what configuration needs to be changed to fix it.
Delta calibration has been done before the print. PVP glue was used on the bed.

that's not a swell up, that's just really poor adhesion. Have you ever cleaned your bed with alcohol or Isopropanol? if not, try it. ; The silicone around a heater block is called a "silicone sock"

@Trish: Are you sure? It looks like it could be a mechanical problem with the delta configuration.

@R..GitHubSTOPHELPINGICE It's an unheated glass bed. It might also be that he swapped gluestick brand. not all sticks are equal!

@Trish I'll try to clean the bed and also try another gluestick. There is one think I don't understand: PLA shrinks when it cools down. The shrinking won't make the middle of infill move upward. It looks like that I need to double check the delta configuration as well though I don't think I had changed it.

Had tried below and didn't work:

Clean the bed
Use a brand new glue stick
Verify delta configuration and make sure z-plane is flat and parallel to bed
Adjust z height to minimize the distance between nozzle and bed when z=0
Increase first layer extrude width

Printed again and watched carefully, then found that it was pull up because the printed PLA slice shrank. I realized that the problem was related to my change on the fan duct. Before, the fan blowed directly to the tip of nozzle; after changed it blows around.
Tried to turn off the fan on first layer, the problem was solved.
I suspect that the fan duct change made the extruded material not cooling down immediately. It shrank when the air blew on it. I need further test to verify it.

Of course! Cooling the first layer is a classic that results in failed prints... The effect is amplified by your bed being unheated glass. Turn cooling fan to turn on on layer 2.


text:
Anycubic i3 Mega incorrect Heated Bed temperature Reading
It's been about a month since I've started using my Anycubic i3 Mega and everything has been going great. But today, I left it alone to print a 3DBenchy and it suddenly stopped mid-print. I didn't see it stop but once I came to the printer, the motors and the bed were at ambient temperature suggesting that it has stopped for quite a while. I was surprised that the Bed Temperature registered at over 200 ºC (although it wasn't at all hot) and tried to stop the print. However. I wasn't able to stop the print (It said stop failed) and I couldn't change the temperature, so I just switched the PSU off.
After leaving it for a few minutes, I turned the printer back on and the Bed Temperature still registered at absurd temperatures although it wasn't hot at all as seen on the Image Below.

I then tested the Hot End as the temperature seemed normal and it does seem to work and I was able to get some filament to be extruded out normally.

Any ideas on what happened here? It was working fine for an entire month and was working fine for the day, but mid-print it just suddenly broke. I've also uploaded a GIF to Imgur to show how the bed temp fluctuates a lot. Any help would be appreciated :)

I think that this question is pretty similar to "Ender 3 displaying wrong temperatures for hotend and bed", the OP fixed it by replacing the thermistor.

The first value, which is in your pictures 179 and 184 °C, is the measured value. The 0 °C value is the set value. It looks like the temperature reading from the hotbed is not working correctly. So there are two possible issues:

The cable on the backside leading to the hotplate might be damaged. This seems to be a common issue with this printer. You could check if the cables show any obvious damage.
The hotbed thermistor is broken. On the leads on the backside you can measure with a multimeter the resistance between the green an blue cables. Typical readings are in the range of 100 kΩ. If you touch the thermistor, usually it is placed in the mid area of the heatbed, the resistance should change.

Sorry for the super late comment but I suspect that the hotbed thermistor is broken, do you know if this thermistor is easily commercially available to buy and if so the compatible types? Thanks!


text:
Hotend doesn't maintain temperature
I got an Anycubic Predator last month, and after resolving a few mechanical problems, I was able to get it printing decently well. The only significant modification I've made so far is a set of 8-diode TL Smoothers, and I'm now mostly operating it via Octoprint.
However, during the last few prints, I've noticed the temperature dropping midway through the print. It warms up and cools down fine, but for some reason it's not able to sustain the temperature throughout the print.

In this case, the print started out at the correct temperature (200 °C), held that temp for around 2 hours, then it dropped to a lower temp (174 °C). It eventually went back up to the target temp, then dropped again 5 minutes later. I tried manually adjusting it to see if that could fix it, but no luck.
After this print completed, I restarted it to show how it is easily able to reach the target temp and hold it at the start of the print:

Any tips on diagnosing and resolving this issue?

Welcome to 3dPrinting.SE! In the 2nd image, it looks as though it is being commanded to drop the temps down to zero ... your line for "Target T" and Target Bed" show it dropping at ~(-23)mins, which in turn allows your extruder and bed temps to drop, until they are commanded to bring the temps up again at ~(-9)mins for bed and ~(-8)mins for extruder. is this what you are trying to explain? You'd need to see why this is being commanded to do so, but it appears the temps are following exactly along the lines of what it is being told to do.

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 What you're describing is correct, but not the issue I'm having. I allowed the print to complete (since it was almost done by the time I noticed the issue). I cleaned the bed and let it cool to close to room temp and restarted it. The range ~(-10) min on is how it should look -- I Included that image to show that this does not appear to be the same problem described here. The problem is the drop in temps shown in the first image.

That makes sense then for the 2nd image. In the first image is it just the heating element isn't keeping up with the print requirements?

@Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 Correct. It heats up correctly at first, maintains temp for a while, then at some point, it drops to around 170~180°C.

Have you altered the flow rate? Does air from either fan brush over the heater block?

@Trish Flow for this model is at 100%. This model has two part cooling fans, and the factory duct isn't great; one of them could be blowing on the heat block. I can try a print without part cooling to see if that helps.

If you can, add some tinfoil over the heater block to prevent air from the coolend cooling fan.

@Trish Thanks, I will try both of those ideas. This seems to happen well into a print so it may be a while before I can post the results.

As I look at the graphs, I realize: your printer comes without Thermal Runaway Protection!

@Trish This is definitely it. I started a print without part cooling fans and allowed it to run for nearly an hour -- it had no problem keeping at the target temp throughout that time. I then tried turning the fans on by manually through octoprint, and immediately saw the temp start dropping; turned them off again, and it returned to the target temp quickly. Thank you so much for the pointers. I can look into the aluminum foil idea, but I'll probably want to invest in silicon socks at some point. Feel free to write this up as an answer, and I'll accept it.

And yes, I agree that this printer doesn't have Thermal Runaway Protection, and if this were supported, it would likely have notified me of a problem sooner. I am not sure if the firmware supports it and it's just turned off by default, or if there's no support for it all. I'll investigate this further as well.

Done! You could very easily use Marlin with the right size settings. But that would be an excellent question: how to set up my custom Marlin 2.0?

Safety First
Let's look at the graphs. First: you should swap firmware for one that has Thermal Runaway, as, as it is, running about 15 minutes with 28 K less than the printer is ordered to work at is a clear indication that there is no Thermal runaway protection in place - it should have tripped over that long ago! But there is more!
Problem
But this graph and the lack of Thermal Runaway Protection also are typical for printers that have a design flaw: If the airflow from the part cooling fans or the coldend-cooling fan (that's the fan that always runs) brushes over the heater block, it cools it. This limits the achievable temperature.
Luckily, such is easily remedied in one of several ways:

Changing the airducts for ones that does not hit the heater block
Adding a silicone sock around the heater block
Kapton-tape and ceramic wool can be used to make a heater-sock too
Adding an air-shield in the shape of a bit of tinfoil can redirect the airflow away from the heater block, but make positively sure it is mounted Fire-Safe and can't be lost into the print!

The rise times are quicker than the fall times, which is not what I expected. Maybe a fan is turning on and off, but I'd expect to see the heater struggling to heat up. On both graphs, the rise times look like good heating and not much interference.
It seems to me that power to the hotend is the problem, but what can cause a drop in power but not to zero (as in the first graph)? Assuming that the file and the software are OK, then it's hardware: the MOSFET and the subsequent tracks and connections become the most likely suspects. So, I'd check all the connections between hotend and control board, even undoing and reconnecting. If you have a logging voltmeter, you could try that to see if the heater voltage changes when it shouldn't. If you have an oscilloscope, see the input pulses into the MOSFET to see if changes happen at the same time you see something weird with temperatures. MOSFETs can fail in peculiar ways, so consider replacement - it's not the cost of the MOSFET that's the issue; it's all the fiddling around to actually do it.

Thanks for the suggestion, but in my case, it turned out to be the fan issue Trish described (combined with the fact that the hotend had slipped slightly out of position, causing the heat block to make contact with the effector body and thus giving it a much larger surface area through which to radiate heat). Hopefully this idea about the MOSFETs can help someone else though.

Based on your picture from Octoprint I can assume that you may have the wrong heater.
Why? Because heating hotend to 215 takes quite a lot of time (3 minutes) in your case. If you have an appropriate heater it should take around 1 minute
You need to check the resistance of the heater and then calculate the power based on voltage.
Current = Voltage / measured resistance
Power = Current * voltage
For a good working hotend, you need to have at least a 35 W to 40 W heater.
Some shops sell 40 W heaters but these heaters are for 24 V systems, so in your case, if you have 12 V system it may be the case why the temperature drops because the heater will work like it has 10 W of power
But even if you swap the heater, you need to be sure that your power supply/board will be able to deliver appropriate current without damaging itself - MOSFET/SSR (solid state relay) could be helpful sometimes.
As someone mentioned in a different response it's good to have cooling protection like silicone socks or any other protection material.

authors: Евгения Тищенко


text:
Stepper motors not working when connected to RAMPS 1.4
Stepper motors are not working when connected to RAMPS board in the X,Y,Z pins.
I used A4988 drivers and the Arduino board is an original version. I checked the input voltage to the RAMPS board, it's 12 V. The bed and the stepper motors are working fine. I tried replacing the driver, checking with another RAMPS board, replacing the SMPS nothing has worked. I checked the input voltage of the arduino both the 5 V and 3.3 V pins are working fine.

VM (12 / 24V) is present on the driver? VCC (3.3 / 5V) is present?
Enable is LOW, and you're supplying signals to STEP?

I'd like to know what PSU power wattage you are using. It needs to be at least 240W (12V x 20amps). Make sure to match the PSU and the board. Do not use 24V PSU with 12v board without 12v mosfet.


text:
Odd dotting when printing a line
I tried printing a "improved" calibration cube and noticed that the printer was laying down dots instead of a solid line. This was right after switching out my extruder motor and tweaking retraction settings. I believe my first setting was 0.3 mm, then I tried 0.1 mm. I didn't get a picture of the first setting, but shown below is when retraction was set to 0.1 mm. I think the print was at layer 3 roughly. The difference is 0.1 mm had a higher frequency of dotting, ie more dots that were closer together.
This was only present in the first couple of layers. The dots weren't occurring in the same spot so the picture shows dots overlapping each other making a sort of "twisted" or braided look. This also happened on both the x-axis movements and the right side of the y-axis movements. The rest of the cube came out relatively well.
Settings

Printer: Creality CR-10S
Temp: 205 °C at nozzle; 60 °C on bed
Retraction: 0.3 mm initially, 0.1 mm (pictured)
Bed Distance: ~0.1 mm
Nozzle Diameter: 0.4 mm
Layer Height: 0.2 mm. I usually do 0.4, but I was lazy with slicer presets (AstroPrint)
Hotend: e3D Hemera direct, e3D v6 heater and nozzle
Filament: Hatchbox PLA white

I never saw this issue before on my printer nor have I seen it mentioned in various articles/videos online.

Never do 0.4 mm layers with a 0.4 mm nozzle, don't exceed the layer height more than 75% of the nozzle diameter.

Have you increased the bed to nozzle distance, it looks as if the nozzle is too close for a 0.2 mm first layer. Note that some slicers offer an option to add an additional gap, alternatively you can change the G-code and redefine the level by moving to the gap/Z-height you want an redefining that level with G92 Z0.

I have seen this a lot of times on my tronXY-X1 with an e3d-v6 via Bowden tube. It is not related to retraction but a different settin: Your first layer is set too thin or not leveled to the right height.
Having the first layer too thin, means that with a tiny error, the calculated correct extrusion becomes either a massive overextrusion or a barely sticking underextrusion. For example, the repeatability of the probing is the biggest error source. A well calibrated probing might varry about 0.05 mm between extremes, so would be written as (layer thickness)+-0.025 mm. On a 0.1 mm layer, that is a 25 % over- or underextrusion; overextrusion of that degree is well known to create such ripples.
Setting it to 0.2 mm for the first layer in Cura, Slic3r and PrusaSlic3r (look in your advanced settings!) did eliminate such rippling for me. My understanding is, that the extra distance gives the filament better ability to flow and stick on this first layer. Also, remember to set your line width to ca. 10 % wider than the nozzle - 0.45 mm is my typical setting.

Is this something that's just common to e3d's v6? I find it odd to never heard of this issue given the popularity. But come to think of it, I guess I haven't watched too many videos about the v6... Nonetheless I will try your settings when I get home from work.

No, it is independant of the e3d hotends but merely a proplem with printing too close, probably slightly increased by the use of the larger flat from an e3d-nozzle. A tiny variance in distance is a huge percentage error then, resulting in the bulging.

The wording "first layer is set too thin" may confuse people: it's not a setting in the software, but an adjustment ("setting") of the printer bed.

You can set First layer thickness in any good slicer.

The photo looks like overextrusion. A thinner layer will extrude less material, but since the nozzle is closer, the overextrusion will still be there.

@FarO If the layer is 0.1 mm with an error of +-0.025mm, then that is 25% error. If it is 0.2 with the same error, then the error is only 12.5%. THAT is what creates the overexstrusion in the first place: the tiny error in getting first layer thickness.

This fixed the rippling seen in the skirt and perimeters, but not so much the floor layer. Thanks!

@LuxClaridge what is the line width and extrusion multiplier? you might get slightly better results by settign the EM to 100% and the line width a little higher, and reduce the temperature by some degrees. Also, make sure your Steps/mm are calibrated right.

@Trish The new line width is 0.45 mm and multiplier of 1. I did a rough calibration of steps/mm to get it in the right ball park, I guess it's time to tune that in more.

It's not about printing settings but only about the bed: the bed is too close to the nozzle.
Maybe you adjusted it when it was cold, instead of doing it when it's already heated to the desired temperature and the nozzle is heated at about 180°C to get close to operating temperature without oozing.
Or maybe you used a too thin paper sheet.

I leveled the bed when it was up to temp (didn't level with hot nozzle though). I use a feeler gauge of 0.1 mm, the recommended distance on several other answers here on this SE and on so many tutorials.

Is the firmware aware that the "zero" position means 0.1 mm? I'm using Klipper and the default profile for my printer expects a gap at "zero" height of 0.2 mm. Since I use paper to judge the distance, with the default setting I was getting overextrusion. Maybe the same happens with your printer?

I don't think that the firmware is aware of that (at least I didn't set it to be). I'll have to look into that.


text:
Are there multi-filament hardened nozzles or equivalent systems?
I discovered "diamond" nozzles (name of the design, not the use of diamond material), which have multiple filament inputs (designs for 3 or 5) and a single output nozzle, see figure.

They look like a very good and compact solution to avoid or significantly reduce purge towers, where filament is wasted until the channel is primed, and to avoid a second hot end, which takes space and which could be oozing when unused, but I could find them only made of brass.
Are there hardened diamond nozzles, or equivalent systems which are lightweight and can avoid a second hot end, to print composite or abrasive materials?

Please help me understand how this eliminates purging.

It is just reduced to a very minimum amount, so that it could also be done in infill

Do we have any examples of this?  I imagine that filament n would be withdrawn a bit to make room for filament n+1 in the hot-end/nozzle.  How is this different from what the Prusa MMU2 does in terms of the required purging?  Maybe I am out of context, but I don't see the basis of the improvement.  I like it, especially if Bowden extruders work for you, but in what way is it a special solution to the purging problem?

Prusa in https://www.prusa3d.com/downloads/manual/prusa3d_manual_mmu2_eng_1_01.pdf discloses 60-100 mm^3 purge. This hotend https://reprap.org/wiki/Diamond_Hotend primed with 50 mm^3 (20 mm filament), but here they said that the actual "mixed color region" is much smaller, like 0.2-0.25 mm: https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?2,731431,735286#msg-735286 They also say that "The only part where all 3 filaments come together is 0.4mm diameter and 2mm long" which is very small...

Yes, but there is no hardened version of the "Diamond" nozzle design. Basically when you want to use a hardened nozzle, or a Ruby nozzle in combination with color mixing (I specifically refer to mixing solutions as the melting chamber is smaller than filament changing solutions and your request for none or minimal purging towers) you need to order a design that accommodates the replacement of the nozzle. In such a case you can remove the standard nozzle to replace it for a hardened version.
There are a few 2 and 3 filament input designs that are offered on typical auction and Chinese selling sites. Below is an example for the Zonestar M3 mixing color hotend with a replaceable nozzle.

Indeed the keyword for finding what I wanted is "mixing hotend"

authors: Нина Богданова


text:
What filament material is safe to use as in-wall housing (US)?
Which type of filament material(s) is safe to use as an in-wall box for regular, 120v wiring? For instance, an electrical outlet box.
In case it matters, location is the state of Washington, USA.

safe, or legal? you would have to get your boxes tested and approved by an underwriting lab in order to legally use them in-wall. I don't think you can (realistically for most) even DIY the plate covers, much less the boxes. On the practical side, filament that doesn't sustain a flame or emit toxic smoke when burned would be wise.

I'd concur with @dandavis on this. Something to consider, though, is it really worth your time/effort to print something which is readily available and for the most part, rather cheap to just buy on the economy? (Lowe's is showing it available for $.32/ea) You can get contractor packs from Lowe's/Home Depot real easy/cheap. Printing a single box would cost you hours of time. If that doesn't dissuade you, standard wall boxes are made of PVC ... I don't know if that's available in a filament, though.

A link in case you care.

Thanks for the input, but the outlet box was simply an example. There are use-cases in building a custom, in-wall gang box that is not commercially available. It's hardly ever cheaper to 3D print something when there is already a commercially available product.
My understanding, in terms of safety, is that it must not catch fire or emit smoke/embers in the event that there is an electrical fire. To @dandavis's point, probably why you would need it tested and approved. But, my question still remains, what 3D printing material would be suitable for such an application?

If you need to make a gang box that's big enough that it doesn't exist, use a metal box designed to be built up into whatever size you need. Something like a Raco #519. The sides unscrew and you can put together as many as you want until you run out of room in the stud bay.

Safety is not the same as legality
Something might be perfectly safe, but it doesn't make it legal to do or allowed to use. Parking your car over double-yellow lines is one example that is perfectly safe but violates the traffic codes.
Any 3D printed box would violate for example WAC 296-46B-300, as it isn't in compliance with NEC Class 3 Standard.

(1) Cables and raceways for power limited, NEC Class 2 and Class 3 conductors must be installed in compliance with Chapter 3 NEC unless other methods are specifically required elsewhere in the NEC, chapter 19.28 RCW, or this chapter.

The NEC is also known as NFPA 70, and availeable at the Website of the National Fire Protection Agency. You will need to look in Article 725.3 for the exact, current specifications that a cable box would need to follow.

725.3 Other Articles. Circuits and equipment shall comply with the articles or sections listed in 725.3(A) through (N). Only those sections of Article 300 referenced in this article shall apply to Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 circuits.

Also note, that mains wire work is usually regulated in how it has to be done and you might (in some areas) not even be allowed to do it yourself! Even if you may do it, it might be inadvisable to do so due to insurance reasons: non-professional wiring or non-standard parts can be usually excluded from coverage.

In the US, homeowners are generally allowed (regulations vary by locale) to do electrical work on their own homes. Most importantly, if there's a fire and the insurance company discovers your 3D-printed electrical box, they'll have grounds for denying your claim.

I haven't tested the commercial "blue boxes" used to hold 120/240 V electrical outlets, switches, and splices to see how they behave when heated.  As such, this argument is based on intuition, which is intrinsically flawed as a logic device.  Never-the-less, I think the no extruded molten plastic (FFF) 3D printing filament will work.
The purpose of the junction box is to contain an overheating connection or switch and prevent it from causing a fire in the wall.  Any FFF filament will have a melting point below the ignition point of wood, and would therefore flow away from the overheating point.  It seems that any thermoplastic with a "normal" melting point would have this problem.
You might look at UV polymerized printing resins, such as are used in the Stratasys Objet, Form Labs, and Prusa SL1.  These printing processes aren't constrained to use plastics that can be melted or heat softened.  Because the polymerization can involve more aggressive crosslinking (polymerization) that FFF materials, they have the potential to be good for a higher temperature.
As an example of a high-temperature, non-melting plastic which could perhaps have an analogue in SLS resin, polyester "casting compound" is cross linked by a methyl-ethyl-ketone-peroxide catalyst to form clear solid.  24 hours after the polymerization starts, the solid does not melt under the influence of a hot air gun.  I tried to melt it and it would not melt.  It slightly softened, but the plastic cup I had cast it in was dripping away -- but the polyester was not melting.
I looked through the Stratasys materials and Form Labs materials and did not see a much higher temperature material.

Underwriters Laboratory, Inc (UL) or other NRTLs fully test all boxes (plastic and metal) for fire containment. A box won't get certified if it doesn't meet standards. Even if you print your own box out of the exact same plastic that a UL listed box is made of, it won't come with UL certification, and your insurance company could have grounds for denying your claim if/when they find it.

Agreed.  I should have pointed out that, as the manufacturer of the boxes, the OP would need to obtain certifications for use in the intended applications.


text:
TMC connection error; SSD1306
I have some trouble with my small I2S OLED SSD1306. When enabled in Marlin 2.0.1 it shows up great buuuut with a bottom line saying TMC CONNECTION ERROR. M122  in pronterface shows:
Driver registers:
        X   0xC0:0C:00:00
        Y   0xC0:0C:00:00
        Z   0xC0:0C:00:00
        E   0x00:00:00:00    Bad response!
Testing X connection... OK
Testing Y connection... OK
Testing Z connection... OK
Testing E connection... Error: All LOW

Disabling ssd1306 in configuration.h:
//#define U8GLIB_SSD1306

and everything works fine.
I'm using TMC2209 for all 4 stepper on a RAMPS 1.6PLUS with a Re-Arm clone on.


text:
print pausing during printing
I got a new CR-10S 3D printer (I received it at Christmas). It has been printing just fine until yesterday, I was doing a print and it randomly paused, it did not restart on its own, I had to restart the print, then the item finished just fine.  I am printing today, a very small item, the printer now stopped 3 times.  How can I fix this, or do I need to return it?

Hi Lori, welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! Printers sometimes stop if the stepper drivers get too hot. Is the cooling of the main board working, have cooling radiators fallen off from the stepper driver chips? Which slicer and version do you use?

Do note this has been asked multiple times; please look at this question, and specific questions for the CR-10: this one and this one.

Sound more like miniumum layer time.

@Trish Yes it does, but that is already in the answers of the linked question, I merely provided a different view. Another possibility is Cura version 4.1.

Does this answer your question? CR-10S Pro pausing and starting again

The cr10s has a filament run-out sensor. If the microswitch doesn't function properly, or you have issues with the wiring, the print pauses.

It would be great if you can write what the printer says when it stops.
I suggest you try printing other small objects. If that also stops then the printer itself has a problem. But if the printer prints other objects without stopping, then the one you want to print has bad gcode files. You also need to make sure to keep it up-to-date Cura. It would also be great if you can update your printer firmware. But other than that, problems could be heat problem, power problem, and other stuff; it would be great again if you can write the problem that says on the printer as it stops...

Just an off chance: you might somehow have pause instructions being set into the G-code without your being aware.


text:
E3D v6 oozing / dripping
edit:
custom printer with 2 hitends (generic ptfe lined and genuine e3d v6 all metal). verified same temperature. e3d v6 oozes to the point that its unusable, generic works well.
steps taken
verified temps are identical with external probe
changed nozzles
rebuilt by to ensure no gaps
checked v6 hearsink cooling
changed retractions. settings.
original:
I've got a custom dual extruder machine - I've calibrated the temperatures of both hotends so I know the temperatures are very accurate.
One is a regular hotend similar to an Ender 3 setup and the other is a genuine E3D v6 - and I've checked the assembly many times.
At 190 °C, my external mp probe reads 190 °C on both. with PLA at 190 °C in the Ender 3 style hotend, pushing filament through by hand is smooth but requires some push and the oozing stops very soon after. on the E3D hotend, no effort is required and it will continue to ooze filament for quite a while.
I've checked and double checked the temperature, changed nozzles, checked and double checked assembly and Bowden tube seating position and I'm at a loss as to how to get this E3D v6 to stop oozing because it seems to just drip  even at low temperatures, retractions do nothing and the prints with that extruder are messy.
Any advice on how to get this thing to stop oozing would be greatly appreciated!

When a hotend is hot, filament leaks out, that is just a given. Retraction and standby temperature (considerably lower than the printing temperature) can be used to fight the oozing. I have non-genuine E3D v6 hotends which also ooze at print temperature and filled nozzle chamber, retraction helps a little, there is always molten plastic that will come out. You're just lucky one hotend doesn't leak.

This has been asked before, so don't be surprised if the community will vote for a duplicate, see e.g. When dwelling G4, my printer is oozing, how can i stop that? or this one Ender 3 extrudes plastic whilst at standstill, and while moving to start of print.

Without retraction, oozing is unavoideable. Retract some length.

Does this answer your question? When dwelling G4, my printer is oozing, how can i stop that?

thanks for the comments and recommendation of a similar question - however that doesnt quite help. I'm asking more specifically what can be done with the v6. I understand why there is ooze and why it cant be completely stopped - but when comparing it to my cheap hotend which doesnt ooze nearly as much as the e3d v6, it takes no force to push filament through the v6 but there is some resistance pushing it through the cheap hotend at the exact same temperature and same nozzle size. the cheap hotend stops oozing very soon, the e3d just continues to drip.

Could be that the inside of the nozzle is differently machined and shaped.

Are both hotends identical? Or, is the genuine PTFE lined and the clone all-metal heat break?

my cheap one that doesnt ooze is a generic ptfe lined hotend and the one that oozes is an all metal genuine e3d v6. it oozes to the point that its unusable as the material builds up on the nozzle and leaves blobs all over the print.

please share a photo of the setup and the retraction settings for each hotend. Note it is always advised to have all hotends be of the same design to make settings easier.

I will get a picture up soon. The plan is to have both the same, but I wanted to try the e3d v6 first as I've heard great things about it and terrible things about it (jamming, oozing, etc)

Ahhh, well, the e3D v6 is an all-metal hotend, which has some benefits and problems. if you want to work with a hotend that is PLA only, the e3d Lite6 is an option for a lined, not-all-metal hotend. It is easier to work with at times.