text:
How to print TPU material with 3D printer
Is there anything special for printing TPU material e.g extruder or temperature?
It's my first time printing TPU material, so if you have any photos, it would be great if you can share them.

You'll get more useful answers if you post the name/model extruder you are using.  That way perhaps someone who's tried TPU on that printer will respond.

@CarlWitthoft I think we should avoid encouraging questions to become overly specific. Our goal is to build a database of questions and their answers, that can be found e.g. via google. "How to do X on printer Y" with a few mediocre answers specific to Y is useful to a much smaller audience than "How to do X" with a bunch of high quality answers on how to do X in general. This question has quite a bit of potential for attracting good answers on printing with flexible, and become a useful reference for many people.

@TomvanderZanden  I agree with you, but to solve a specific person's problem it always helps to identify local vs. global issues.   We can modify our answers along the lines of "most extruders require X but your model requires Y as well"

@CarlWitthoft I  agree with you, but I just want to know the basic requirment for printing Tpu Materials e.g. how should be extruder long/shorts range etc.
I made my own diy makerbot replicator printer so to print tpu I just want to know if there is anything special about tpu printing extruder.

Elastomers do much better on direct-drive heads (pulled to the head by the motor) than on Bowden designs (where the material is pushed to the head by a motor). This is because the flexible TPU or TPE can bend in the guide tube, causing lag during advance/retract changes, and sometimes even bind up during delivery.
Look for equipment which explicitly states that it is compatible with, and designed for, flexible filaments.

Flexible materials cause lot of issues if there is any space between extruder gear and PTFE tube. Since it is flexible it refuses to follow the path and starts bending around the opening. There are parts in Thingiverse that you can print to remove that distance. Additionally make sure that your extruder fan is working. After those two modifications, I was able to reliably print flexible filaments.


text:
How should I go about printing easily removable rafts?
I have had a 3d printer for a while now, and I have a lot of the quality settings dialed in pretty well, but one thing that constantly bugs me is removing the raft from my finished prints. I am using Repetier and I have set the air gap to 0.2 mm. That led to much better results than the default 0, which were impossible to remove at all, but it is still not great. Are there any settings I should look at changing to get easier to remove rafts? Does the filament affect this? I am printing in Hatchbox PLA at high temps. I have a heated bed, and reducing the temp on that did seem to help. Maybe it keeps the layers on the raft from fusing with the layers on the part? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Not an answer, but: Why do you use a raft at all? Most people don't.

I thought that was what everyone did to make sure the print stuck to the bed. I am a newb, there wasn't a whole lot of thought behind it. lol

Probably the raft density is too high. This rafts should be like supports 40 or 50%, I had the same problem when I started to print but I never use this parameter due the part gets sticky on masking tape.

@FernandoBaltazar Make an answer?

MatthewFegan as TvdZ said - using raft is not so common. Try paper glue or hairspray, personally i use paper glue and it's just incredible, it's also clean (as hairspray spreads itself everywhere) and it's also cheap nad easy to cleanup (i use warm water). i would use raft only for object with very very small footprint.

Thanks for the support guys! I tried printing a few things without a raft today and they worked perfectly!

I have been able to get rafts that peel off by editing the g-code after the raft has finished and adding an M104 set temperature command telling my printer to cool the nozzle down to about 40 degrees and then another M104 command to tell the nozzle to heat back up again. This gives the raft enough time to cool and then the raft doesn't weld to the rest of the print. If you are using a heated bed I would suggest trying the M190 command and turning that off after the raft and then back on after the first layer as well.

Is letting the nozzle cool and heat up again just a hack to get the printer to pause? In that case, you could just use G4 Sxx where xx is a number in seconds, instructing the printer to wait.

As comments suggest,  a raft is not all that popular.  Consider using a brim/skirt instead.  I've had excellent luck with a 4-mm skirt, printing onto blue painter's tape. (Unless you consider it bad luck when I have a devil of a time getting some parts to release :-) ).   Skirts are trivial to cut free from the object.
In a similar vein, if you run into trouble getting support structures to pop off the object cleanly, try to make them as thin-walled as possible.

I use raft almost always for ABS and PLA. My favorite setting for gap is somewhere between 0.11-0.13 mm both for 0.1 and 0.2 mm layer height.
By using 3-4 layers of raft I always get predictably good quality of a lower layer and not have any issues with removing prints from the surface which I had without using raft (especially with large or weak prints)

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
Printed 2 Sided Object?
Apologies, I'm a EE designer and software guy.  We've been CNC'ing prototypes, and my office just bought a very cheap 3D printer.
I'm using Cura as recomended, and wanted to print a piece that has features on both sides.
Here is a screenshot of each side.
So if you laid one side flat, you see how there is a subtractive portion underneath it?
Is there a way to 3D print an object like this, and keep the details on each side?
UPDATE
I copied some Cura settings from guys and basically tipped this thing to a 45 degree.  Here are the results.  Pretty good!  The finish has some zits and pops, but the surface details are quite accurate enough to fit a PCB board in there with confidence.

Which printer are you using?

if you wanna have well aligned diagonal (inclined) printings try to use meshmixer to position and support your shape

That's great news!

I don't have enough rep to post up more more pictures of the other side.  But seriously I'm pretty impressed.  I could definitely see why you would want the dual extruder and a water soluble filament.  I may try another run with a smaller layer height.  I get the engineering on the printer so I kind of understood to go seek out good settings from someone who has printed on this thing...

You should seriously look at resin (SLA) printers for this kind of work. They will give you much higher resolution and dimensional accuracy.

WOWSA.  Those are not toy prices for SLA printers!  Thanks for the heads up.  Clearly I don't know much about these things.  I have used Fictiv for some TPU prints of gaskets, and I asked about this part as a print.  They also recommended an SLA as a print for an object like this.  I might be more inclined to send it out for an SLA print, since we don't do a ton of mechanical work. But, who doesn't want cooler toys?  Consider my mind blown though, that is a $200 3D printer, with one hour of setup, and 30 minutes of Cura tutorials -- pretty half decent...

I don't know what printers you've been looking at, but check out the Wanhao Duplicator 7.

I haven't tried printing anything like that, but one trick is to print the piece at an angle of 45°, so as to minimise the number of surfaces that are horizontal (or near horizontal.) You will still need some supports, but far less than if you just plonked it flat on the build plate. My only other recommendation would be to use a slicer that allows you to define custom supports, such as Simplify 3D or CraftWare (but still print the piece at an angle).
You might even be able to print it on a raft/brim with no supports. I've seen other 3D'ers pull this off.

Thanks.  I'll check on that.  It's kind of a complex object.

@Leroy105, you should also use a small layer height since that will improve the overlap when printing overhangs (0.4x0.1 has twice the overhang of 0.4x0.2). Also check if your printer Z steps are multiples of 0.1 or 0.04 (so 0.08 or 0.12 will outperform 0.1). The printer documentation probably won't actually detail this correctly.

You can print it laying flat on the bed with supports. It will be very laborious to clean up, but it will probably work. supports usually are thin enough to strip away, but they leave marks which you need to cut off to get a clean result.
You can also buy a printer with dual extruders and then use dissolvable supports. That would probably be easier to clean up and provide a cleaner result.
If you're using PLA to print, you might get away with turning up the part cooling fan to the maximum level and hope for the best. Overhangs are very much prone to dropping though. I'm not sure if a stock MP Select mini will get the job done. You might want to consider an upgrade to the part cooling fan. You can look for fan duct related upgrades which allow you to mount bigger fans on Thingiverse
With PETG you can possibly get away with longer overhangs, as it cools quicker. However, PETG is much harder to print well, as it's much more prone to stringing, which can cause issues like artifacts and clogging.
All in all I'd start out with getting a good benchy before you start on engineering projects. This will make sure that you have your printer calibrated to perform for your chosen filament. Every brand and type has their own quirks and differences, so you'll have to fine tune your settings to get the best result.
A CNC-like finish will not be easy to achieve. A CNC type finish will be unachievable without extensive post processing if you're using supports. In any case, getting a good finish requires some practice with finding the right settings for your filament.
Learn how to print and to get your printer dialled in to achieve the required result, which, in the case of it having to be CNC-like, is quite high-end. The fact you're laying down filament means that you'll be able to see lines, even at top quality. Maybe this guide will help you get on your way.
Getting a $1000 printer mainly inproves reliability of the print. The quality of the print is in the skill of dialling in the right settings in your slicer for a given filament choice, plus recognising the type of supports necessary. This takes practice to achieve.

I've got a super cheap baby 3D printer. We paid over $1200 for CNC models of this piece.  I tried the 45 degree with supports.  I'll try it raised with supports as a flat piece.  I get how those work now.

I'm asking for the model in a comment on your question to determine the printer's capabilities. Super cheap isn't very helpful in this regard. There's super cheap printers like the Anet A8 which can be upgraded if you're willing to mod them. There's not so cheap printers which are less capable than that A8 is out of the box. Does it have a part cooling fan? Does it have a heated bed? Does it have a bowden or direct drive extruder?

Monoprice 3d mini, heated bed.  No idea on how extruder.  This thing is a toy.  We can upgrade, but i wanted to see what 200 bucks vs 1000 bucks gets you.  Usually we need a cnc type finish, but for small parts maybe we can get by with a cheap thing

Yeah I don't think we can get a CNC finish on a 3D printer...  I should send out this piece now to a reputable shop and see how well their end result looks for their $50 quote.  Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with the result with this toy 3D printer.  I mostly turned the thing at a 45 degree angle, and let the slicer calculate the supports.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
Designing back plate for Ring Doorbell
What is a good tool to use to design a back plate for a Ring Doorbell?  The shape will essentially be a wedge shape, tilting the doorbell to the side and down a bit.  I'll need to iterate over a few prints, so want to be able to tweak it as I go.
I've found TinkerCAD doesn't let me adjust shape sizes, stretching one axis but not the other.

StackExchange has a policy against asking questions that are "primarily opinion-based" (explained in the help center) because they often don't result in very good answers (since everybody will just post a one-liner with their personal favorite CAD tool). Also, don't answer questions in the comments, please.

If you wannwa go fully parametric, use OpenSCAD. Or you can use Autodesk Fusion 360 (which is free for non-commercial use)

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


text:
Solidworks: Coincident or interfering geometry when saving assembly to STL
I'm using Solidworks to design parts to be 3d-printed.
I've noticed that if I'm making an assembly, where one part has features that touch other parts, then when I try to save that assembly as an STL for printing, I'll get a dialog from Solidworks saying "This assembly has coincident or interfering geometry that may be unsuitable for some rapid prototyping systems." If I save it, then this STL later causes problems when trying to print it.
What can I do? I'd like to be able to print my assemblies.
Here is a very simple example assembly where you can see this phenomenon. Part 1 is just a simple cube, and part 2 is another simple cube that is flush with part 1.

What problem are you seeing when trying to print? You say you have issues but don't say what they are so no one can really help you. Also, I doubt many here have Solidworks or are going to download a viewer so you should post pictures instead of a Solidworks file.

@tjb1 When I view the STL in Simplify3D to get it ready for printing, sometimes some walls are invisible. If I try to print it, it doesn't print well. I think that what happens is that it treats the STL as two separate objects that have walls next to each other.

@RamRachum, at least Cura has option to merge nearby walls. Check your available settings.

Solidworks has means for detection and eradication of these errors. If there's unwanted intersection, then you can either separate the parts or merge them (by saving assembly as a part). If you work with SLDPRTs, then use mating options correctly, avoid manual mating, make sure that the design of your components actually allows them to mate without intersections and you'll have no problems. If you work with parts that are loaded from STLs though, then you'll probably have a lot of these errors when trying to align parts. Solidworks can't work smoothly with STL models, alas, you'll need some other tool, MeshLab or something.

When saving assembly as part, do not use the save external faces option. Exterior components is best option to use to try an aviod these problems.
btw I dont have soldiworks, this is just some reseacrch I did


text:
Filament Cost vs. Quality?
I'm a 3D printing newbie, and I bought some Hatchbox PLA to start with since it is recommended by the community it seems.
Is there really a steep quality drop off if you go for brands that are 50% less than Hatchbox?  What does that quality drop off look like?

Not going to answer as im also new - but I "purchased"  a trial of some filament - it was around $45/kg - it seemed to be much more tolerant and required much less calibration - it also did not block as often as the cheaper stuff around $30 a kilo - This does work , and the quality can be tuned - its just more work in setup.  I think the evenness in print is acceptable - but probably not as good as the more expensive sample.  I have run out of the sample so I cant really compare any more

In addition to @TecTec3's answer:
Parameters that define filament quality:

Diameter variance: If there is too much fluctuation in diameter, the filament might get stuck.
Material Quality: I had really expensive filament that was brittle and did tend to snap when it was extruded. Other filament just didn't melt but started burning up and regulary clogging my extruder.

My opinion:
I'd say you shouldn't go with too cheap filament and stick with one that works out best for you. If you have issues try another brand. It's impossible to tell quality just from the price.

There is no massive difference in print quality of PLA filaments unless you start going under 10 dollars US for a 1 kilo spool. The filament that I use is yoyi  PLA that can be found on Amazon for about 20 bucks, this filament works really nice with my printer and it is fairly cheap. Just make sure you never use the hobby king brand PLS as the quality on that truly is horrendous.


text:
Make a nose cone in Fusion 360
I am new to Fusion 360 and I think I'm going straight to something complicated. Is there a way to make a nose cone for a model rocket? What tools would one you to accomplish this?

@CarlWitthoft I am actually not making a model rocket. I am making an electric hydrofoil. I just wanted the nose cone front piece. I see your point though for rockets!

@CarlWitthoft IME, model rocket nosecones like those from Estes are made from rigid plastics. They're hollow to be sure, but definitely not very soft or crushable.

@DLS3141  showing my age, I guess.  When I was a kid, the nose cones were balsa

If you have a specific shape in mind and can create a sketch to represent that shape, you are halfway to your goal.
The concept is simple. Create a single line sketch that would represent the desired curve, starting from, in this example, the nose of the cone and traveling to the base. Create only one-half of the nose cone curve and maintain a "standard" axis reference, say, using the Y-axis as the rotation point.
The process is called revolve. Fusion 360 supports this action directly.
In the Sculpt workspace, choose Create Revolve.
Select the profile to revolve.
In the Revolve dialog:
    Click Axis and then select the axis to revolve around.
    Choose Full or Angle to specify whether the revolution is full or to a specific angle.
    For Direction choose One Side, Two Side or Symmetrical.
    For Symmetry, choose None or Circular.

The above text is taken directly from the link. The specific web site also includes a Flash video of the steps involved.
If thickness is required for your creation, consider to draw the sketch from the nose to the base, then use Offset or hand sketch in a parallel line that returns to the nose. Ensure the base segment is joined and that the nose segments are open and are aligned to the Y-axis.
As the sketch is revolved, the nose sections will "close" while the base creates the closure necessary to make a solid that is hollow within and open at the bottom.
Use The Google or your preferred search engine with the terms "Fusion 360 Revolve" to find many tutorials and videos with the same information presented in various ways.

Try model8ng the rocket into the workspace, and then you can extruder a nose cone from the top using a 30 degree angle

I don't really follow what you're saying. I'm good in Photoshop, but haven't yet mastered 3D modeling.

If you are extremely new, I would recommend watching a few online tutorials on the basics of modeling in fusion 360, and then work your way up fromm there.


text:
Is my 3D printer totally dead?
The last few days my 3D printer has not been working, despite the fact that the LCD Screen has been working perfectly (since the problem the LCD bright potentiometer went very sensitive, so the brightness set to the maximum although before the problem it was perfectly calibrated).
The problem arrived when I was unplugging the fan from the board because it wasn't working while the printer was on, suddenly the LCDs brightness set to the maximum so I turned the printer off as fast as I could. When I turned it on again, I had to recalibrate the LCDs brightness and when I tried to move the steppers the weren't working, some of them made strange noises and didn't move. I have to say that now every time I turn on my printer, an orange LED flashes, but I cannot remember if it was normal or not.
My 3D printer: Geeetech I3 Pro B 3D Printer DIY Kit - Black US Plug    1
The board I'm using: XCSOURCE® Kit de impresora 3D con RAMPS 1.4 Controlador + Mega 2560 Board + 5pcs A4988 Controlador de motor de pasos con disipador de calor + LCD 12864 Controlador gráfico de visualización inteligente con adaptador para Arduino TE621

What indicates the maximum LCD brightness? Well, if the potentiometer (POT) were sensitive is due the POT is defective. if defective POT and the bright LCD changes on FAN unplugged, an orange led; this mean 2 things: Wiring are wrong installed (loose wires) and you have an un normal ESD case. if this is the case you need an other ATMEGA

I would have posted this as a comment, since it is not a definitive answer to the question, but it was too long for a comment.
Since you were unplugging the fan when the problem started, I would suggest that it is a wiring problem.
The first place I would look is to check the ground connection between the processor board (probably the ATMEGA Arduino), and the board that carries the stepper motor drivers.  If the ground connection is faulty, the board may still work due to sneak ground paths through signal lines.
A simple way to check is to measure the voltage from the GND pin on the ATMEGA to the ground of the driver board.  That voltage should be very close to 0.0 Volts.  You might also check the resistance (using an ohm meter) with the power turned off.  The resistance should be 0.0 ohms, or if the meter is not perfectly calibrated, it should be the same as you measure with the probes connected together.
If either of these readings isn't zero, search for a broken connection.
One sign that ground may be broken is the LCD brightness control sensitivity.  I don't have the schematic to refer to, but if the ground reference for the pot is broken, the output of the pot will be too high.
Another sign is that the stepper motors still make some sounds when they should move.
If you don't find a problem there, check through the other power and ground connections.  Be sure that all GND lines are well connected, all +5 lines are well connected, and that all +12 lines are well connected.

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


text:
Nozzle rubs on previous layers
I'm having a frustrating problem with my recent built custom 3D printer
so every single print I made, from the third layer, the nozzle is "rubbing" on the already placed filament.  This results in a complete mess, melting the previous layers with the nozzle / new extrusions coming, getting malformed and out of precision forms, if I leave this happening, my Y-axis motor (bed) start to jump steps (by the force of nozzle friction to cold material). To stop that symptom, at the beginning of this, I have to raise the Z-axis by hand turning about 1/8 rotation of T8 fuse. By doing this, every rest of my printing runs peaceful, nicely, and beautiful.
I'm using Marlin firmware, the most recent version, and Ultimaker Cura. My nozzle size is 0.5 and I'm using Ultimaker Cura's Fine Preset (0.1 mm height)
My stepper motors axis are very well calibrated (X, Y, Z and Extruder). I tried:

lowering and raising the print bed to get spaced or shrunken first layers to see if something helps,
tried to change Z home offset on display,
tried the M206 command to change the print zone of the Z-axis,
tried to change the first layer height on Ultimaker Cura,

but nothing seems to solve my problems.
Due to my lack of experience, I don't know what I could try to solve this frustrating issue. I already check and rechecked my mechanical structure and everything was fine solid and very well balanced and square.

From comment:

Printing speed are 40 mm/s,
Temps:
Hotend: 220 °C;
Hot Bed: 120 °C;
I have also tried 110 °C,
My Z-axis uses 800 steps per mm (1/32 micro stepping on DRV8825 at RAMPS).

I'm thinking about over extrusion but I have fine tuned my stepper, checked and rechecked for it and seems normal

Going by what you think is happening, the Z is skipping steps.... or your over extruding.  Bump the stepper current.  if that's not it, change back to 1/16 or try other drivers and see.   if it's either then those rods aren't 8mm per rev.

"most recent version" changes: since this question has been asked, Marlin released 1.8, 1.9. 2.0 and possibly more.

As @Trish states, saying that it was the most recent version isn't particularly useful. Even looking at the date of your date and correlating that with the release dates of Marlin may not give an accurate estimation as to the version that you were using. Could you edit your question and state the actual version that you were using, if you can remember? Thanks.

I have made some learning on mechanical setup and discovered some issues on my printer, there are few:

Bed warped, even with glass (thin thickness), making BAL confused with Z-movement over the bed.
Overextrusion making layer oversized in terms of thickness.
Some of missing mechanical fine adjustments.

The main reason for this symptom was the overextrusion (that made my X and Y axis jump some steps when hotend collapses in the already-printed materials on their movements).
I hope this helps some of those who have this similar problem!

Your Z axis movement is somehow wrong. You should check steps/mm, z acceleration and speed. Try moving your z 10cm up and use caliper to check if it is correct.

I'm not a 3d printing expert by any means, but I had some funky layer stuff going on before "wrinkled" first layer & gross edges w/overlap.  For my printer, the problem was I was over-extruding.
I followed this video by Tom's 3D: 3D printing guides - Calibrating your extruder
For some reason, I had to do it twice before it actually worked.  Once I got that calibrated (and fixed an uneven print bed), I was good to go.

Also keep in mind that extrusion calibration depends to some % on extrusion speed. Be sure to calibrate at a speed which sits in the middle of your usual extrusion speeds: you'll get overextrusion when going slower and underextrusion when going faster, but by a smaller margin

The first picture seems to show layer shift. Usual causes include:

Missed Z movement, so the nozzle hits the build and the layer is offset.
Bad acceleration in X/Y, so there is missed X/Y movement, and the layer is offset.

Adjustment: reduce Z G0 speed, and reduce X/Y speeds (G0 and G1) and acceleration, and then repeat.
Hopefully, correcting this will make the issue in the second picture easier to diagnose.

i will try these changes as suggested and also another slicing app, then i'll return with results and photos thank you

Does Cura have options for avoiding perimeters during moves? And does it have an option to step up the z axis during non print moves? These were the two issues I was having with the nozzle dragging through the previous layers on my prints. I set the z axis to move up 0.2 mm during non print moves and to avoid Perimeters during non print moves (using Slic3r) which eliminated this issue for me almost entirely.

I just flashed my new Ender 5 with Marlin and I had the same issue. The 2nd and 3rd layers were digging into the previous layers.
I manually lowered the bed by 10 mm via the machine knob and the bed only moved 5.207 mm (I used a dial caliper).  I went into the EEPROM and adjusted the steps/mm for the Z from 400 to 769:

10 mm /5.207 mm is 1.921
400x1.921 is 768.4
I rounded up to 769

The next test print was a success.
This was an odd thing for me since the test print I did before flashing the firmware was just fine. It only started after I flashed Marlin. This is how I knew that it wasn't the stepper itself, but just a setting.

Hi welcome to 3DPrinting.SE! Sorry, but this does not answer the question, this is an answer to a different question, but when stumbled upon may be useful for others that mistakenly gotten here. It may therefore don't receive much upvotes. Please note that this is not a regular forum, SE sites are driven by questions and answers. Your answer is perfectly valid for a different question where the Z movement does not correspond to the commanded input value. We encourage you to read [help] and do the [tour].

Taken from a rejected suggested edit. If the author (Gareth) posts their own answer, this can be deleted, or flagged for deletion

My Ender 3 is not warped in any way but there are several issues I needed to address:

Extrusion:
Check your extruder and Z eSteps for accuracy, as detailed in numerous places.
Test layer width: print a cube in vase mode (1 shell thick) and measure wall thickness. Adjust extrusion multiplier accordingly.

Bed Level:
I was leveling with the '1 sheet of paper' method. I started using two sheets of paper. To compensate for reduced bed adhesion I use hairspray.

Mechanical 1:
I found my X carriage was slightly loose: the hotend was pulled upwards or rode upwards during some moves then grinding on subsequent layers.
Test: Grab the rail with your left hand then push with your thumb against the top left roller. If the roller rides up the groove then the carriage is loose.
Fix: The carriage is held firm by an eccentric on the bottom roller. Loosen the bottom wheel bolt, adjust the eccentric nut until the carriage is firm on the rail. Then back off slightly until motion is free. This is best done with the belt loose or disconnected.

Mechanical 2: X rail sags on the right.
I found the X rail assembly was not even height across the width. Again, the eccentric roller was loose. Test: Measure rail height on both sides.
Fix: Adjust inside eccentric roller as above.

Mechanical 3: Tighten belts.

Obviously, this is brief. Check your manual or YouTube for anything you're unsure of.


text:
MOSFET problems!
I ordered a MOSFET module on eBay for my 3D printer and I did not get the one in the picture but I got this:

If there is any way I could use this on my Anet A8 could someone tell me how, as it only has one input connector, DC in, and 12 V out.

No, this module is completely useless for your intended purpose.
The load side is marked with "5A 5-220VDC". This means it can only switch up to 5A, maximum. The heated bed draws more than twice this current.


text:
missing small sections of layers after a retraction
So I am missing small sections of a layer when it prints, after a retraction for a layer change or a move, the extruder stops moving (no it isn't clicking or anything else. Just not moving). Which is fine for a few millimeters because the pressure inside the Bowden setup keeps pushing enough filament through. However, once that isn't enough it starts to make very thin lines with beads of plastic just barely holding things together. Basically this ends up as a good 2 cm or more at times of highly under extruded lines.
This happens in the slowdown after the retraction when it is restarting.
it simply doesn't move the extruder at all.
The reason I know this is because I can see the extruder not moving, in that brief period. I know it is not the extruder clicking or anything else because I can disengage the extruder spring and push filament through manually during this time with no issues.
I am using Ideamaker currently because I like it.
I have looked at this Holes/ missing layers (after retraction) in 3d printed objects
which is somewhat similar in appearance, but not in reason.

EDIT:  So I figure it is some form of coasting that IdeaMaker has implemented for their Raise printers. I am going to try and reduce the length of the coaster attempt to convert my Bowden to a direct drive with titan extruder. I have the Titan already, but it has been giving me issues with not having enough power to push filament without ripping it to shreds. That's another thing I have to look at at some point when I have the time.

Which slicing software you are using ?? and most of the slicing software is  extruder or retract material on layer change, tool change. The value of extruding or retract material set in software. Try to change the value of extruding or retract material in slicing set .

Hi. Like I said I'm using Ideamaker and I have fiddled with the retraction settings. raised them to 50mm/s and 7mm retract all the was down to 10mm/s and 2 mm retract.
it does this on every retract. regardless of whether it is a new layer. But it is more of a problem when doing the outer shells as i makes it look bad and seriously messes with part strength

i'm not quite sure about your issue as i don't see any effects on your pictures but in MatterControl there is param which adds extra extrusion after retraction, so user can say - retract 2mm but then extrude 2+0.2 to compensate any lacks. could it be the solution?

well I don't use matter control. Okay. picture this. The extruder does a retraction when it shifts to an outer layer. It restarts at a lower speed. Say 20mm/s instead of the usual 50-60mm/s. The printer continues it's movements until the restart is over and continues with the rest of the print. During this restart period where it should be laying down the first part of a line, the extruder motor is not moving at all. The only thing that is being extruded is due to pressure in the bowden.

(continued) Once the pressure runs out the nozzle is barely extruding any plastic. Basically so little that it only forms a few tiny little beads connected by essentially hairs so thin it would look like stringing.  Once the restart is over the extruder kicks in again and starts extruding plastic perfectly.

This is opposite to  grums, to avoid grums the retraction should be 2.00mm and starting at 1.8mm, so for missing  feeds should be 2.00 retraction and starting 2.2 or more; depending and how weak is the strenght of your feeder.

Grums?  not a term I am familiar with. The feeder strength is pretty good. pushes harder than I can with ease. The question is would adding an "extra restart amount" ,as it is called in Ideamaker, push 0.2mm of filament during that period when the extruder is not pushing when it should be pushing?
also 2mm of retraction would be way too little for my Bowden. It would create a stringing fiesta.
but anyway. I'll fiddle with the extra restart later this evening. Don't have much filament on hand because my order is late, but I'll give it a try

i understand you don't use MC but maybe it's worth to try ;)

I'll certainly give it a look. Not a super huge fan of always connected printing. If I had another raspberry pi or a really old laptop I would set it or something similar up. However, I don't. My main pc is close enough, but I run into the issue of using it's full performance often when I am rendering or crunching large data sets when I am doing sql or coding work on it.
I'll look into it anyway and explore some options.

Try lowering your retraction settings further. I have had this issue before as well, but you need to experiment with your retraction settings in order to get it right. I would suggest placing 2  one cm blocks side by side and starting with a retraction of 2 mm and working your way up from there until you get the lowest stringiness with the least amount of under extrusion.

The problem with that is anything less than 4mm retraction at 30mm/s retraction causes pretty bad stringing. The thing is this doesn't happen on smaller prints. Which is to say it doesn't happen when there aren't any retraction restarts. So It wouldn't happen on a calibration cube for example.
I am just puzzled as to why when a retraction restart occurs that the extruder motor doesn't kick in until after the restart is finished.
Oh. also the length of the retraction doesn't matter and still creates the same length of severe under extrusion effect after extrusion restart.

Try decreasing the speed of retraction from 30mm/s down to 15mm/s. This won't increase your print time by too much but it might produce better results.

That doesn't solve the problem of the extruder not restarting when the retraction has finished and the extrusion needs to restart. Basically it retracts, pushes back the same distance to end the retract and then doesn't move the extruder for a few centimeters. Also I have tried all the way down to 5mm/s retraction speed. Other than increasing blobs and stringing it does nothing to fix the extruder from not restarting after a retraction is complete. I really wish I could video this. but there are too many things in the way of the nozzle to get a good view with a camera.

I use the dremel ideamaker as well and I have never had this issue before. You probably have a defective machine. You should try sending it back and getting a new machine.

I think you mean the Dremel Idea builder. I am not using that machine. I meant the slicer that I am using is IdeaMaker. From Raise3d.
If it was something to do with the motherboard on my machine that wouldn't be the problem. Because it is an MKS base 1.4 which i bought a spare for as it was on sale and I was planning on actually using it for another project as a test platform (mpcnc). I swapped it in yesterday to see if the same problem existed and of course I updated Marlin. Still the same issue. Sigh. So much wasted plastic.

Have you tried using simplify 3d. I know that it is a very good software, and very well worth the price, if getting that high quality software doesn't fix your issue, then I'm not sure what will.

No I haven't. I hear it is good, but I don't really have the money right now to buy it. Not super rich. Saved up for a while to buy my printer. Just going to add another picture that I just took. Since it is clearer and actually taken with a proper camera, not a phone.

I know this might be a bit late, but I have been facing very similar issues with my printer (Anycubic Kossel Linear Plus).
In my case, I have managed to solve this problem by reducing retraction speed and retraction and extrusion max accelerations (if you are using Marlin, go to Control -> Motion and scroll down to A-max extruder and A-max rectract). I went down from 1800 to 1200 for extrusion and from 1400 to 1000 for retraction.
Also, I have played a bit with the stepstick, allowing a bit more of current for the extruder motor (normal XYZ are have a Vref~0.7 and the extruder it's set to 0.9). My understanding of the issue, is that the stepper motor cannot cope with the torque it is asked to deliver at sudden changes (high accelerations) and simply gets blocked until the acceleration is reduced. This can be due as well by too much friction (low printing temperature, clogged nozzle,... but it was not my case). Here there is a lot of information about the drivers.


text:
Unable to install auto-bed levelling sensor into my Anet A8
I've been trying to install an inductive sensor for auto-bed levelling into my Anet A8 and I'm having a few issues.
I have been using the wiring diagram provided by Solid Ground Electronics in one of his videos (Cheap 3D Printer - Anet A8: Upgrades, Experience & Thoughts), which I decided to follow as it still uses the Z limit switch, in case the inductive sensor fails to work.
The sensor seems to work when I power the printer on, the red LED is constantly on and when it comes into contact with metal, the LED turns brighter (as shown in the photos).
However, when I set it to auto-home, the Z axis does not move down like it usually does (until it hits the switch), but it moves up a bit. Although when I auto-homed the printer with a piece of metal under the sensor, the Z axis moved down, like it should do. So the sensor is acting in an opposite way to what it needs to.
I believe that it's been wired up correctly with a 10k ohm resistor connected to the base of the transistor and the signal wire of the probe. However the NPN transistor shown in the diagram is '2N4401' and the one I used is 'PN2222A', but I believe this should have no difference in the function of the transistor (only the voltages it can handle).
I initially thought that as the NPN transistor is slightly different, perhaps the polarity of emitter and collector is incorrect, so I switched them around but the problem still occurs.
I would thoroughly appreciate it if anyone can help!

The sensor is working correctly, but the signal is inverted.
Take the obvious solution: invert the endstop from being normally open to normally closed or vice-versa in your firmware.
If you still want to use your existing limit switch in parallel with the sensor (as shown in the video), you will need to switch that one over as well (usually limit switches have 3 contact points, one common, one NC, one NO, so you'd need to move the wire from the NC contact to NO or vice-versa).


text:
Could nail polish damage pure PLA?
I would like to use nail polish to paint and smooth a PLA model. Could nail polish damage a model made out of pure PLA?

Why not just print a test cube and see what happens?

NO if you want to smooth your print, gently heat the plastic and with a utensil smooth out the plastic. A hair dryer is a good way of doing this but be careful to only lightly melt the outside of the model.

I'm not sure this fully answers the question. You're offering a good alternative suggestion to using nail polish, but it still doesn't tell us whether "nail polish will damage pure PLA". Does it?

@TomvanderZanden - No. It'll discolor colored PLA, but it should have no effect on "natural" PLA.

@William-Rem - You should add that as an answer (and maybe expand upon it a little - if possible)

This is an ugly question, and an ugly answer.

Nail polish doesn't come with an ingredient list. Nor are there MSDS's available to refer to what solvents are in it. So it's "unknown 1"
Most every filament company will not give you a list of compounds for colorants or plasticizers used. MSDS is off the table. So, even though we do know what PLA and ABS is inherently, we have no clue about the other ingredients used to make your particular filament. This is "unknown 2".

What both of these comes down to is a very nasty situation indeed. We know for a fact that ABS dissolves into acetone. PLA does not.... Except we have had reports of PLA that does. When we look further into those responses, and ask them to do a burn test, they smell popcorn and something acrid (ABS).
This guarantees unless we have virgin material and MSDS in hand, you only have a close guess at what material you have. And that's to say nothing about "nail polish", and its components.
There are also other solvents that will dissolve PLA. MakerBot back before they turned evil, noted a solution called Beta Solution (90% isopropyl alcohol, 9% KOH, 1% Al(OH)3  ). This stuff is noted for dissolving PLA and leaving ABS intact.
Long story short: "Could Nail Polish damage pure PLA?" We can't guarantee purity of PLA, we can't guarantee contents of nail polish's solvents. The only answer is to print a swatch and test yourself. Calibration cubes are quick and easy.

Nail polish will not damage your PLA model.
1) Let's talk about "gel" nail polish. Gel polish self-levels, does not drip, is cheap, is much more health-friendly than many finishing methods, and only takes 30 seconds under a suitable strength UV/LED lamp to dry, providing a thick smooth coat (clear, color, glitter!, anything) that makes any layer lines disappear.
2) The FDA regulates nail polish in its "cosmetics" category, so, not only are the ingredients known, they have to be printed on the bottle.
3) Gel polish consists of various methacrylate monomers which undergo a radical (in the chemistry sense, although it is pretty darn cool too) polymerization process that is UV-activable. Filament is primarily polyactide, which is polymerized at room temperature. Polymerized polyactide reacts with methylacrylate at the ends of the long strands (not in the middle, which is what you would describe as "damage"). Methylacrylate actually makes the PLA ends less reactive (read: it makes it stronger). As an industrial material, this compound is known as "supertoughened" PLA.
Hope that clears things up a bit. As an aside, if you're not familiar with the different families of nail polishes, and you want to try this, you can tell if the polish you're looking at is "gel" because the bottle will be opaque (keeps UV out).

I would not expect a problem.  The greatest problem I would expect would be if the PLA layers were not well bonded, and the coating material could work in between layers.  If so, over time the difference in water absorption or thermal expansion could further separate the layers.

Nail polish contains acetone.  It melts PLA, so yes you could damage it.  Google acetone vapor batch to read up on a safer way to do the job.

"Nail polish contains acetone." - doesn't this depend on the brand of nail polish? Acetone also doesn't "melt" PLA that readily, though it can soften it if you expose it long enough.

Yep.  I am thinking nail polish remover.

Also, PLA is not very soluble in Acetone.  ABS, otoh, is quite soluable.  Finding a suitable solvent for PLA is challenging.

Even nail polish remover is not necessarily acetone.


text:
can the intel sense "xyzprinters 3dscanner" work on amd prossessors anyway?
i ordred a xyzprinter 3d scanner today on ebay, bechause i through it would work with my quick new windows 10 pc setup. but when i tested the scanner compability i downloaded here now, it says that all settings on my pc is compatible, but exept from the prosessor i have, the amd ryzen 7, 8 core. it says that my computer is not compatible with the xyz scanner bechause i have not the intel 4 or newer intel prosessor, but instead of having intel prosessor, i have an amd ryzen 7, 8 core prosessor. will the xyz 3d scanner work anyway, even if i have not intel but as quick as an old intel 4thgen prosessor is, i have an new amd ryzen 7, 8 core?
(i have also 32gb ram memory and nvidia 1070 mini graphic card with 8gb ram in and windows home 10 64bit and 3 usb 3.0 ports on my pc. and a corsair motherboard).

Here are some ways a program might indicate incompatibility:

There is something in the code that is actually incompatible -- such
as some Intel-only DSP instructions.
They are using an Intel library or source code that is licensed only for
use on Intel processors.
They added a check to their code to be sure the processor was
powerful enough to handle the load, and they forgot to consider AMD
or other processors.

ok. i ordered an xuzprinter 3d scanner. can it be that it can work on amd even when it uses intelsense tecnology to the depth sensor?

"Intelsense" doesn't appear to be an Intel Corporation trademark.  It might have nothing to do with the processor manufacturer.  I think all you can reasonably do it try it.

ok. ☺ i try it when it comes next week.

This doesn't really answer the question. The answer should be a simple yes or no. You've listed some valid reasons why it might not work, but those are just guesses until we find someone who can confirm whether or not it will work.

I understand your point.  Should I have best either 1) not offered this information, or 2) added my non-answer as a comment, or 3) done something else?

I havent tried the scanner yet, bechause it never came in my mailbox last week. I only hope it comes this week.


text:
ROKO bed levelling sensor
I was sent my sensor (a ROKO) and I plugged it in with the pins in the wrong order, would this break my sensor? If so is there anything I could do?

Did you plug it in correctly and test if it works?

Yes I have now, it doesn’t turn on, but should it still work?

I can't comment for the specific sensor you have, but in general, yes, if you plug something in backwards you have a chance of breaking it - and whatever you plug it into - permanently.
You might have gotten lucky, though - but short of testing the sensor to see whether it will work there is no way to find out.
Consider that these sensors are not made to be plugged directly into endstop connectors. The endstop connectors only provide 5V, whereas these sensors often require at least 6V to operate. Some people get lucky and have theirs work on only 5V, but it's not guaranteed to work. This might also be the cause why your sensor is not working, even if it's not broken. There are some special sensors out there that are rated to work at 5V, but you should check the operating voltage of your specific sensor.
If your sensor requires more than 5V to operate, then you should also be aware that the signal pin might output more than 5V, in which case, it should not be connected directly to the signal pin on the board (since anything over 5V might damage the board).
Finally, consider the possibility that neither orientation (backwards or not) is correct. Perhaps the order of the wires in the sensor's connector is different from that of the main board. Make sure that the pinout of your sensor matches the pinout of the connector on your board. These sensors usually have a slightly strange color coding where black is signal, blue is ground and brown is power.


text:
gcode commands in octoprint: Z moves ignored?
A while ago, I created some simple command buttons in Octoprint to help with bed levelling, by hopping to particular points on the bed. I realised that what I actually want to do is move Z up 10mm, move, and then home Z though, to avoid ploughing the nozzle along the bed if the level is badly off.
So I did this:
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z-10
    - G90
    - G1 X30 Y160 F9000
    - G28 Z
    name: Back Left
    type: command

Which should be, switch to relative move, Move -10mm Z, switch back to absolute, go to the specified point and then home Z.
Except there's no Z move. I get the feeling that something might be optimising the moves together into one, or something similar... how can I get my printer to move up, then across, then down?
(printer is an quite modified Anet A8 i3 clone - I think the board is Melzi-based?)

Are you sure that minus 10 corresponds to moving the Z axis up? Shouldn't that bring the nozzle closer to the printbed instead?

You know, I could have sworn I tested that separately! You are quite right...

what I actually want to do is move Z up 10mm

The command G1 Z-10 tells the printer to decrease the Z-axis position, i.e., move the nozzle closer to the bed. You should use G1 Z10 instead.

Thanks in part to Tom van Der Zanden, I got a working version, which I'll paste below to add some actual value to this question! The G1 XY coordinates for each position are for near the corners on a 220x220 bed, but leaving enough room to access a screw in the corner of the bed if you need to (I don't anymore, but my printer did initially) - for different bed sizes, you'll want to change them. Add to ~/.octoprint/config.yml
controls:
- children:
  - commands:
    - M140 S50
    - M104 S190 T0
    name: Preheat
    type: command
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z10
    - G90
    - G1 X30 Y50 F9000
    - G28 Z0
    name: Front Left
    type: command
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z10
    - G90
    - G1 X180 Y70 F9000
    - G28 Z0
    name: Front Right
    type: command
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z10
    - G90
    - G1 X30 Y160 F9000
    - G28 Z0
    name: Back Left
    type: command
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z10
    - G90
    - G1 X180 Y160 F9000
    - G28 Z0
    name: Back Right
    type: command
  - commands:
    - G91
    - G1 Z10
    - G90
    - G1 X100 Y100 F9000
    - G28 Z0
    name: Centre
    type: command
  layout: horizontal
  name: Levelling


text:
Cura: set z-offset
I'm having a Prusa i3 derivative printer with a capacitive sensor for the z-axis. It switches a tiny bit before the nozzle hits the print bed and hence needs a z-offset to be configured.
In Slic3r I have configured the z-offset to -0.1 on the General page of the Printer Settings, but currently I'm evaluating Cura and can't find such a setting. Slic3r seems to apply this setting directly to the generated z-values in the g-code, so it does not use a short version at the beginning of the g-code. My current (except of the auto-bed-leveling part default) g-code:
G28 ;Home
G29 ; auto-bed-leveling
G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;Move the platform down 15mm
G92 E0
G1 F200 E3
G92 E0

Is there a way to configure Cura, e.g. using the Start Gcode options, to apply the z-offset?

You can trick the printer into applying an offset using the G92 command:
G0 Z0

G92 Z0.1

First, we move the nozzle to Z=0. Next, through the G92 command, we tell the printer to, from now on, treat the current position as Z=0.1. This effectively applies an offset of -0.1 to the Z-axis, since if we now executed G0 Z0 again, the nozzle would move down 0.1mm.
Note that this needs to be done after homing and leveling to be effective.
Of course, you don't necessarily need to move the nozzle to Z=0 for this to work. You could also just insert G92 Z15.1 after G0 Z15 to get the same effect.

Should I add the line G92 Z15.1 after the G1 Z15.0 F6000 line (you write about G0 while G1 is there)?

Yes. G0 and G1 are the same thing. Formally, G0 denotes a rapid move and G1 a coordinated move, but Marlin doesn't make this distinction. It's just "move".

For Cura 3.1(?)+:

Install the plugin: Menu / Plugins / Browse Plugins... / scroll to "Z Offset plugin" <-- Install
Configure the setting: Printer Profile / Print Setup / Build Plate Adhesion / Z Offset

set positive value for nozzle liftup
set negative value to bring nozzle lower for first layer (like -0.1 for your wanted scenario)

Could somebody update this for Cura 4.8?

I built my printer five years ago with a similar issue and I strongly suggest that the physical 0 will be the actual 0 instead of tweeking it into the system. Especially if you are exploring and testing new methods, i.e. Cura vs Slic3r settings. In Marlin, you can insert a z adjustment for the endstops but it can create future complications if you decide to upgrade the machine.
Keep it as simple as possible, if a sensor is misplaced don't try to reverse calculate it, the pressure of the motors will nudge it and after a while you'll have the same problem...

@ZoharKarabelnik technically you just said to set offset to match physical zero. Agreed, but now you need to suggest an alternative on how to provide the correct offset for nozzle distance to bed. That part you did not say. I would suggest those looking for an answer to set z-offset to match zero, and then look at Gcode G92 Z-xxx where -xxx is your preferred nozzle gap as a negative to create the gap.


text:
How to draw a Kossel delta corner piece in Fusion 360?
I want to draw a corner piece for a Kossel delta 3D printer in Fusion 360 for 2040 aluminum extrusions like in the picture below, but I can't find a way to actually start. I draw a 3-sided polygon and a 20x40 mm rectangle but don't know where to go from there. Do you have any suggestions?

I love me a challenge so I just hacked this together: (a half waiting for mirror)

As for strategy, I simply used the line tool to do a basic shape and then went to town with constraints and dimensions to see what I end up with. Can't fail.
Clearly, you're missing information to constraint the sketch fully, but if you have the extrusions and the machine, you could just print a few tests to guess the missing values.
(Like precise position of the circles, of the 20x40 rectangle...)
You can download/ view my fusion model here:
http://a360.co/2gJsdxB
Good luck.

That looks awesome @CarvedBlock thanks will try it out :)

I attempted to create your drawing but discovered that an important set of parameters is missing. You have to have either the intersection point of the legs (73.34) from each side or the angle between the legs (73.34) and the base (106.41) to create construction lines. Once you have either of those items, you can construct the remainder of the design using offsets, radii, etc.
More accurately, one other missing item that would be required to complete this design is the placement of the holes at the top (12) relative to some other feature of the design.
Having taken on the challenge of your drawing, I've found that it is necessary to surrender. The angles or the intersection point are critical and without them, no solution comes to my alleged mind.
I have also discovered one additional datum missing. The distance of the bottom truss and the thickness of this truss would be required to provide a more certain solution.
One the flip side, I've found alpha-tech3d.com which appears to include similar parts, rotated 180° with what appears to have all of the necessary data.

I'm really surprised that you attempted drawing this and big thank you for doing that. After reading your post its clear that important measurements is missing so I need to find something else. Your blueprint drawings are for 2020 alu. ext. I'm looking for 2040 but still they I interesting and same principles and distances can be apply to 2040 drawings thanks for sharing and cheers

One (now-obvious) aspect arose during my research. These extrusions are the apexes of an equilateral triangle. Perhaps my high school days are too far behind me, but one can determine the angle in your first image will be 60 degrees. That leaves very little to chance. The 12 mm holes are 8 mm in the drawings from alfa-tech. The bottom web in your drawing is still up in the air, but your suggestion that you can read some from alfa-tech's stuff and apply it to your drawing is quite sound. Good luck.


text:
Adding support when generating g-code from Cura Engine (command line)?
Is it possible to use Cura Engine (the command line tool) to generate a gcode with support?
Here is what I do now:
CuraEngine slice -j /usr/share/cura/resources/definitions/ultimaker2.def.json -l my.stl -o my.gcode

I found this in the fdrmprinter.def.json which you could might make a copy of and use instead for the -j option:
"support":
    {
        "label": "Support",
        "type": "category",
        "icon": "category_support",
        "description": "Support",
        "children":
        {
            "support_enable":
            {
                "label": "Enable Support",
                "description": "Enable support structures. These structures support$
                "type": "bool",
                "default_value": false,
                "settable_per_mesh": true,
                "settable_per_extruder": false
            }
        }
    }

Change the "default_value" under "support_enable" to true and that could work.


text:
Print Nozzle Dragging and Smearing Filament while Printing
I am building a Prusa i3 MK2 Clone and I am caught on this one. I have replaced the extruder with a MK8 adapted by myself to fit with most of the previous hardware from the E3D style extruder.

My current problem is that the nozzle appears to be dragging on the top of the layers. I can't tell if it's over extrusion or a layer height issue or what. I am testing by printing the 20mm calibration cube. The dimensions appear to be spot-on, but the layers start building up too much filament such that it just gets re-melted and shuffled around:

Anyone have a clue what this could be? Software, Hardware, Slic3r Settings?
I have:
0.5mm Nozzle Diameter.
MK8 Direct Drive extruder.
Anything else you want to know?
Thanks!
--- UPDATE ---
Thanks everyone for your help. Turns out it was seriously over-extruding, like 3x what it should have been! I ran through this instructable: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-calibrate-the-Extruder-on-your-3d-Printer/ Which helped me with what I needed to do to fix the issue, but just re-flashed Marlin on the printer with the updated setting.
Here's the result! WAY better, I still have some z-wobbling issues but i think the frame just needs more support than it has now and that should fix up the slightly jagged corners.

All of the above :-) .  It does look like either too much material or too hot. The former could be a mismatch between physical nozzle diameter and the software setting, or the feed-rate setting.   Another possiblity is that the Z-drive software is set for the wrong threads/inch of your hardware, leading to the wrong physical movement for each layer move.

You stated your print of a 20mm cube came out spot on so I will rule out any z-axis configuration issues. It clearly seems like you are extruding too much plastic.
I use slic3r myself with repetier so I am familiar with the settings.
Print Settings - Advanced
All the values should be 0 except first layer sometimes is 100%-200% depending on your personal setup. Increasing these values may cause more filament to leave the extruder.
Filament Settings - Diameter
This should be set to 1.75 or 3 depending on your filament size. If you accidentally have it set to 1.75 when your filament is 3mm, it would probably be over-extruding since it pushing almost double the plastic with the same length.
Filament Settings - Extrusion multiplier
This should be set to 1 or slowly adjust it 0.05 increments to reduce overall amount of plastic leaving the nozzle.
Printer Settings - Nozzle diameter
This should be set to 0.5 since your nozzle is 0.5mm. Make sure your nozzle truly is this value.
EDITED 10/19/17 - OP has solved problem and his own answer made me realize I made mistake on how to measure and correct extrusion steps/mm. Ignore this below and see what OP wrote in their edit.
If all these Slic3r configurations fail or are correct and do not solve your problem, I think you may want to look into your motor step settings for the extruder. It may be too high pushing more filament than it should. To correct this, you need to do the length test where you will extrude 10mm or 50mm and measure the string of plastic. There might be some stretch so a 10mm may measure as 11mm but as long as your close it should be good. If you extrude 10mm and you measure 25mm, you need to recalculate your steps per mm.
Also for your first layer, make sure it is not being smushed to the build plate. You want it to be flattened a little to provide good adhesion but not too close to the build plate where it would constrict the nozzle.
Hope this helps, and good luck on your prints. May you never have to deal with thermal runaway error :)

Minor nit: as to your first-layer comment,  so long as filament is being extruded, I've never seen a problem with the final print regardless of how much "smushing" is taking place.

@CarlWitthoft Yes, but for parts that are supposed to be fit together and sometimes the tolerance is a little tight, the smushed first layer would overall increase the width of the object(only on the first layer) which may cause it to not fit easily with the second object whose width has also probably been slightly increased. I use a xacto knife to cut this off if I ever get it, but I've learned finding the right height almost eliminates it while risking poor bed adhesion.

good points.  Maybe add a brim while keeping that ideal first layer height?

@CarlWitthoft Yes and No, Brim is perfect for adhesion but also is annoying to cut off. I personally use hair spray on my glass bed and I never have to worry about prints breaking off the bed while achieving my perfect initial layer height. The OP clearly uses blue painters tape which I used to use on my prusa i3. From experience more surface area and smushed layer adheres better to painters tape since it has such a bumpy rough surface but because of this I struggled with any fit together prints.

It ends up where the over-extrusion builds up on the nozzle and keeps itself molten, and travels around with the nozzle as it moves. The extra filament on top gets re-melted and moved around as the print progresses normally. You end up with an ok print that has a huge blob left on top at the end.


text:
Prusa i3 Linux Mint Slic3r install problem
New to this domain, I got my prusa i3 last week and finished assemblage. Repetier params in Linux Mint 18 are ok too.
I'm now trying to launch slic3r for the first time but I got this error launching config button in repetier :

23:40:37.298 :  Can't locate Boost/Geometry/Utils.pm in @INC (you may need to install the Boost::Geometry::Utils module) (@INC contains: /home/mobidi/Téléchargements/RepetierHost/Slic3r/lib /etc/perl /usr/local/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/perl/5.22.1 /usr/local/share/perl/5.22.1 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/perl5/5.22 /usr/share/perl5 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/perl/5.22 /usr/share/perl/5.22 /usr/local/lib/site_perl /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/perl-base .) at /home/mobidi/Téléchargements/RepetierHost/Slic3r/lib/Slic3r.pm line 32.
23:40:37.298 :  BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /home/mobidi/Téléchargements/RepetierHost/Slic3r/lib/Slic3r.pm line 32.
23:40:37.298 :  Compilation failed in require at /home/mobidi/Téléchargements/RepetierHost/Slic3r/slic3r.pl line 13.
23:40:37.298 :  BEGIN failed--compilation aborted at /home/mobidi/Téléchargements/RepetierHost/Slic3r/slic3r.pl line 13.

Lines incriminated :
slic3r.pl line 13 :
use Slic3r;
Slic3r.pm line 32 :
Use Boost::Geometry::Utils 0.12;
I tried to reinstall with this tuto :
https://blog.lkiefer.org/index.php?article12/installer-slic3r-sous-ubuntu-16-04-et-linux-mint-18
But I got this error when dealing with the first command :

Err:1 **********/ondrej/php/ubuntu xenial/main i386 libpcre3 i386 2:8.39-1+deb.sury.org~xenial+1
  404  Not Found
Err:2 **********/ondrej/php/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 libpcre3 amd64 2:8.39-1+deb.sury.org~xenial+1
    404  Not Found
Err:3 **********/ubuntu xenial-security/main amd64 libc6-dbg amd64 2.23-0ubuntu7
    404  Not Found [IP : 2001:67c:1562::19 80]

And a lot more almost indentical.
I don't know at all how to deal with this I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing at all, if somebody could guide me throught that I would be very thanksful.


text:
Small part bed adhesion
I am trying to print a model that has (at the start of the print) several small parts attached to the bed. Some of these parts have bed contact 2.5mm x 20mm.
After a few layers, if there are any imperfections in the previous layer, the hotend is bumping the imperfection and knocking the part loose.
I am using a genuine Prusa i3 Mk2s with Filaform PLA. I am slicing with PrusaControl and using the "Generic PLA" settings, which is giving me 215/210 degree hot end (first/other layers), and 55 degree bed. I have the fan enabled. The print bed is clean and dust free
How can I improve bed adhesion for these small parts, ideally without adding brims etc?
Thanks

I also found out that using wet screen wipes to remove any residue from touching works really well for increasing bed adhesion.

Do any of the answers helped you to get an answer on your question or helped you come to your own conclusions then please do vote and accept an answer. This helps us reduce the unanswered questions list. Found an other answer (then the already posted) yourself? Please add that answer (and accept after 48 hours) to share your experience with the community. If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.

One technique is to add your own custom brims to the model. A couple of "Mickey Mouse ears", attached to each end of the piece, may be enough to keep it in place (and will also be easy to remove).

First off, in my experience 215 °C printing temperature is very high for PLA. Try using 200 - 205 °C.
And whatever you are printing, I can't see why brims would be a problem. Use a sharp knife to remove them afterwards. As you described the parts are thin and long, which increases heat contraction. Brims are essential for this.

Thanks, I will give both of these a try. 215 degrees C is the PrusaControl settings.

Do remember that there is such a thing as "High temp PLA" that needs to be printed at 215 or above. Normally the packaging or on the website it will tell you the needed print temp. So it could also be the right temp.

@Granny that is very well possible, thanks for the addition.

My low-tech solution is to smear on some school/craft glue-stick. This is so quick and so easy yet it has saved me so many times from going any further troubleshooting adhesion problems.
My answer to a similar question describes this in full.

I asked the similar question :) thanks for the info

@AndrewP, did you give it a go yet? I know it sounds almost too easy, but it works brilliantly.


text:
Wavy walls with Ultimaker Cura
I've printed a 2x2x2 cm test cube with Slic3r (left) and Ultimaker Cura (right) and my Prusa i3 derivative machine with tight belts. The print settings should be quite equal (0.15 mm layer height, 40 mm/s outer wall speed, default accelerations/jerks). Though the top surface of the Ultimaker Cura-cube looks much better than the Slic3r-cube,

the latter has much flatter vertical walls than the first.

The front wall of the Ultimaker Cura-cube was printed from left to right which could explain the wavy result as some kind of vibration caused by the sharp y-stop at the left front corner.
But what setting could have influenced this? Should I try to manual setting of lower accelerations in Ultimaker Cura?

Looking at your last photo the cura print on the right. I see the waves on the top side of the cube to the right. This makes me think your infill/perimeter overlap is set too high. I use slic3r so 5% is my perfect number, but I don't know Cura well enough to find that setting. Lookup the infill/perimeter overlap equivalent setting in Cura and try to reduce that number and prevent the nozzle from overlapping too far to the walls.

I don't think that the waves are caused by infills because a) they are too small and b) they do not stretch across the complete vertical shell, but only at one side - always after the corner.

It’s weird. I have an Ender 3 and get wavy walls except they go vertically. I think it has to do with Cura 4.1.0. When I switched to it, I was having problems with under extrusion, losing accuracy, etc. I’m going to go back to the old versions because it worked better.

This defect that you see is called "Ringing" and is described in detail here.
In summary, these waves are seen when the print head makes a sudden change in direction in combination with high speeds and high accelerations. As the waves dampen in amplitude the further you get from the sharp corner, this is related to print settings rather than vibrations transmitted through the belts.
Apparently, the settings for Ultimaker Cura differ from the settings in Slic3r, there is no other explanation as the hardware is exactly the same. Reducing print speed and acceleration in Ultimaker Cura will reduce the ringing defects.

Those wavy lines could be artefacts caused by closely-spaced infill, but they could also be resonance patterns caused by noisy stepper motors and over-tight belts. Since you have said that you have your belts nice and tight, I would suggest reducing the tension on them and see what happens. I know that some pundits say that it is not possible to have timing belts too tight, but I disagree with that. Belts should obviously be tight enough to eliminate free play in the system, and you may have a lot of latitude in the tensions that you can use, but if you make them drum-tight, they will transmit motor vibrations very effectively to the build plate (and onto your models).
If your stepper motors are noisy, you may want to invest in some vibration dampers. They can reduce noise and vibration significantly. Another solution would be to use more sophisticated stepper motor drivers, such as the TMC2100.
RepRapWiki: TMC2100

Now the question is: if the belts would cause the problem, why this only is visible when using Cura and not when using Slic3r?

This problem is due setting parameters, Slicer works smoothly with internal paramters, Cura works with more variables which we need to know. 3Dsymplify  has also more parameters but allows to see results prior sending to print so you can adjust more efficiently.

It is difficult to see with the lighting and the shiny green, but try printing a more complex object, like the usual XYZ cube. Does it look like this one? which means big waves after a change of direction, but then getting smaller?

If so, it is "ringing" or "ghosting", which means that the acceleration you set is too high for the mechanics of your printer and the machine vibrates too much.
Does it look like this one? Which means, exactly aligned vertically, and everywhere, not only after changes of direction?

Then it is NOT ringing, it is due

too tight belt (almost always!)
poor quality belt
poor bearings or idlers (not common)

I also had it and it was the belt, too tight. Loosen it, it can be much looser than you think before you get issues.
Check How to fix evenly spaced vertical print pattern to get more information about the second issue.
There is another potential cause for wavy walls, however I'm mentioning it for completeness, it is not the case of the question.
If the waves repeat horizontally, but are not aligned vertically, and the extruder is a direct drive, it could be caused by the issue explained in this video, which shows that the dual gear of direct drives introduce periodic changes in flow, which are visible sometimes.


text:
3D Builder is Saying "One or more objects is invalidly defined"
Currently, 3D Builder is telling me "one or more objects are invalidly defined. Click here to repair." What is this and what does it mean? When I click it, it totally messes up my model (I can't tell what it even did due to the orthogonal camera). Model stats:

Made with Sketchup
Used STL Exporter to export it
Last I knew what the repairing did to it was to remove my sinks and reduced them to holes in the floor
I used ASCII encoding for my STL (I tried using Binary, but it didn't help)
I tried subdividing it but it didn't help.

Screenshots:
This is a picture of the model before repairing:

This is a picture of the model after repairing:

(Just in case you wonder. I actually have to use STL for this project)

There's almost never a reason to use ASCII encoding for STLs. Just stick with binary.

@Tom van der Zanden, I use binary now.

How thick are those walls? 3D printers cannot print zero-width surfaces (and slicers cannot slice them). 3D Builder has tried to make your model printable, but obviously not in the way that you might have hoped for. You need to go back to Sketchup (or some other CAD package) and give the walls a definite thickness (and one big enough for a 3D printer to handle).

I can't believe that you answered my question in 11 minutes!

I just happened to log on. :D

Now the "repairing" just subdivides it!

SketchUp is notorious for creating non-manifold (non-3D-printable) models. You would be much better off to learn to use a different, better suited program for your purposes.
Disregarding that aspect for the moment, your model prior to repair appears to be a general rectangular prismatic shape with dividers. Unfortunately, those dividers also appear to have zero wall thickness. One must create objects with thickness (minimum should be no lower than your nozzle diameter) in order to have that portion addressed.
Other views of the object may confirm this.
Back to the first reference, even a program as simple as TinkerCAD will give you SketchUp simplicity with a much smaller chance of this sort of failure. For more advanced model creation with parameters, Fusion 360 offers hobbyist free license. I'm also quite fond of OpenSCAD ( also free ) for parameter-based model creation.

I second Fusion 360 (and OpenSCAD).


text:
Scanning 3D with a Kinect v2 on AMD Ryzen 7?
My processor is running at 4.70 GHz and has 8 cores.  I also have 32GB RAM. I have a USB 3.0 and a USB 3.1 xHCI hub, and Nvidia 1700 graphics card.
Can I use the Kinect v2 and the adapter to scan rooms, and objects, quickly, without trouble with the USB?

In short with the hardware you have it should be no problem. In actuality your specific setup, how you move the scanner, how stable is the scanner, what software you are using, and how you've calibrated the kinect will most likely have the largest impact on the quality, and speed in which you can scan.

I use fuse and kinect v2 for xbox with the adapter. How do i calibrate the kinect?

It will most likely be somewhere in the settings of whatever software you are using to scan.


text:
How is FDM Better than CBAM?
So there is a company called impossible objects that use CBAM technology witch the description can be found here http://impossible-objects.com/technology/ I am pretty sure that they are the only ones using this process, I want to know why.  CBAM makes stronger material out of carbon fiber in a very sophisticated process stronger than FDM(Fused Deposition Modeling). This is interesting and I want to know why. I understand the process but not the pros and cons.

Well the CBAM stuff is SUPER new, requires a lot more work done by hand (currently), and is going to be WAY expensive compared to widely used FDM machines.
Seems to me like a carbon fiber mixed filament is a cheaper way to go, with a possible annealing process to get the tensile strength up post-print.
Try locating a CBAM printer for $200! Maybe if the process becomes quicker, and the machines/materials cheaper to purchase, we could be using this method more in the future. I feel that we will likely advance the materials we have with FDM much faster than this other process would catch on and become affordable.


text:
Prusa i3 - First layer does not stick and looks jagged
My first layer is suddenly not sticking for every new print I'm trying. When it lays down the first layer it has this weird jaggedness to it, doesn't firmly stick to the plate, and gets dragged by the nozzle. I've printed previously successful prints without an issue, but any new print I export from Cura is having this issue. I'm using the same profile that I do for the previously successful ones.
My relevant print settings are:

Material: PLA
Layer height: .2mm
Hotend: 205c
Plate: 60c
Fan cooling: 50%
Speed: 60mm/s

It could also be that the heatbed temperature is too low - do you confirm that actual printing temperature matches the desired value?

Your nozzle is too far from the build plate. You should make some changes to bring the nozzle closer to the build plate for the first layer. There are a number of possibilities for doing this:

Adjust the Z-axis endstop
Loosen the bed leveling screws
Add an offset in G-code

This will squish the plastic down more, enabling it to stick to the build plate.
With solution (3), you have to be careful that you don't crash into the endstop. This solution works best if your printer homes towards max (and not min) or if you have non-mechanical (hall or optical) endstops.

Answer is perfect except the offset part. Usually the z-endstop is a screw touching the switch and if you offset it to go lower than that, it might cause collision of the screw on the switch causing damage to the endstop.

That is a good point. I didn't think about this because my printer homes towards max.


text:
Temperature problems after switching to RAMPS 1.4
I recently switched to a RAMPS 1.4 on an Arduino Mega 2560.
Ever since I have extruder temperature swings a couple of minutes into the print, but it looks like a problem reading the temp rather than actual fluctuations in the temperature (as can be seen in the attached pic).
Also, I've noticed that the MOSFET is getting really hot when I heat the heated bed.
What is the problem and how can I fix it?

You seem to be asking about two separate issues (temperature swings and MOSFET overheating). Please ask only a single question per question.

For the overheating, you may need to turn the juice down a little on your Power Supply. Typically, there is a potentiometer inside that trims the voltage level coming from there. Some things can heat up if it's over-volting and needing to drop more voltage for the board.
For the temperature reading stuff, make sure the thermistor is plugged in all way and not possibly dangling near the hot-end block. I have had that happen before and it will report improper temperatures as it goes along, and often results in the hot-end getting too hot and messing with the filament. If it's properly secured it might be just crappy or broken in some other way and you would need to replace it. It's reasonable practice to have a few extra thermistors lying around as having them go out at lousy times will bum you out.

Thanks for accepting, but which of these things did it turn out to be?

It turns up that the two problems came from over-volting... Apparently connecting the two sets of power supply of the RAMPS in a series (connecting the power supply to the 11A and connecting in a series the 11A to the 5A) was a bad idea and creating an overload on the board.

For the really hot mosfet I would say it might be a good idea to get one of those external mosfet module boards. It just seems like a good idea to me, to not have the huge current of the bed-heater flowing through the ramps board. And for the thermistor wires, do you have them twisted together? If not, try tightly twisting the pair (of + & -) together to ensure there is no interference from other signals. Careful not to put stress on where the wires are attached to the actual thermistor-head. Honestly, all of your wiring should be in twisted-pair configuration. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twisted_pair

Are you sure that having the thermistor wires twisted will do anything besides look neat? According to the page you linked, twisted pair helps eliminate noise in differential mode transmission. I don't think thermistors use differential mode transmission.

Im so sorry Tom, I never knew that I have a comment (I never got a notification)

I saw that you said you switched to a RAMPS 1.4 . I'll warn you that the componetry for the cheap $20 RAMPS 1.4's have significant issues, including under-speccing parts, using wrong part, not including enough copper for traces on the boards, and other quality concerns that can equal "FIRE" (not a euphemism).
You've noticed temperature fluctuations as well, as seen in the graph. This could be the result of a few different things.

You din't PID tune the Hotend. Read M303 for the full way to do this. Then either using EEPROM or by compiling the Kp, Ki, Kd variables, and store them in your configuration.h (assuming you're using Marlin).
Your thermistor is loose. When it heats, it loosens and creates a 'not great' contact against the hotend, giving spotty results.

HOWEVER the really concerning thing is that the power MOSFET isn't specced high enough for you board. If you've noticed it very hot to the touch, and also collaborated by a really 'squirrely' heated bed graph, then you have some significant problems with this part.
There is a solution. But you ever hear the adage "If you buy cheap, prepare to buy thrice." ? It applies in your situation. Because in order to route around the crappy MOSFET, you need an external MOSFET board.
THIS is a good place to see what part I'm talking about, common places to buy them (Amazon and eBay are good for quicker, and Aliexpress is cheaper and longer). The aforementioned link also includes wiring diagrams and setup.
So, it looks like a set of problems, with only 1 actually costing money. And ideally, those MOSFET boards are around $10 from Amazon(Prime), or up to $20 for the really nice TriGorilla ones.
IF/WHEN you buy a Power MOSFET board, make sure to EXCEED the amount of watts when compared to your heating solution. If you're using 12v, then you need an ohmmeter to get the resistance of the board.
Solve for amps:
 Amperage = volts/resistance

Then once you have amps, take:
 amps*volts = watts

This is how much watts your heated bed uses. MAKE SURE TO EXCEED THIS BY 10%

By my mistake 12v in heatbed Vout plug and then the temperature shows(ramps 1.6)
Plase help me

Hi and welcome to SE.3DP. Is this an answer to the question? Or a new question? If the latter then please ask your own question using the Ask Question button at the top of the page. Thanks.


text:
Could I 3D print an airbrush?
Could I 3D model and print a working airbrush in
PLA?

Im not sure but there might be a .STL for one of those hand  airbrushes, where you blow into it with a paint bowl on to wich pushes out the paint. Not sure if this would be an ideal solution but its an option.

Dear Dylan Rollins Garfield, welcome to our 3D Printing SE site. Please be so kind to review our tour to make sure that your questions willl lead to answers that are beneficial for a wider group of people. What are your idead and where are your problems? From there we can take it to a fruitful discussion https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/tour

The problem with this I see is that the PLA takes and holds paint super well. I have painted it with acrylic a lot and it works great for models you want painted after printing.
I know next to nothing about airbrushing, but it seems to me like keeping a printed airbrush clean for re-use would be a big pain. It looks like they make the pro airbrushes with some kind of stainless steel most likely for the non-sticking purposes of re-use, which PLA just won't have.
That being said, don't be afraid to model it and try! I would make a suggestion that you switch to ABS and then do a vapor bath on the result to smooth out the material and possibly make it easier to clean excess paint out of.


text:
Good Designing Software for cheap
So I've seen some very good design software, but almost all of it is very expensive. I'm just wondering if there's a good cheap design software out there.

Are you seeking technical model creation or artistic model creation or a combination/balance of the two? On what platform will you use the software?

This question is depending a lot on personal preference. What makes a design software good for your use?

OnShape is free for students and the public and is very similar to Fusion 360.  It works online on almost any device and was built by some of the engineers from Solidworks.  Free accounts can not have any private documents so anyone can see your design.  If you know how to use Solidworks/Inventor you will be able to pickup Fusion 360/OnShape very quickly.
OpenSCAD is also free but works through its own programming language.  It requires a strong math background and some understanding of programming to use as it has no GUI tools.

OpenSCAD does not require a "strong" math background unless you are going to create some intricate designs. For simple shapes and even a few more-than-simple shapes, it's quite good and easy to learn. I recommend OpenSCAD not as a single tool in the toolbox, but an additional resource.

And I can create very intricate designs in Inventor with even less of a math background.

@fred_dot_u - OpenSCAD requires a strong background in dealing with the abstract, which a math background would certainly help with.

Try Fusion 360. It's free for educators, students, enthusiasts and start-ups. It's not 100% intuitive, but once you learn the basics, it probably has all the facilities that you will ever need for mechanical design.


text:
Centering model with CuraEngine when creating g-code?
How can I center a model at the middle of the printing area of the printer when creating a g-code with CuraEngine.
Are there any parameters I can add to ultimaker2.def.json to achieve this?
Thanks.

Found a solution.
This need to be applied under "settings"
"command_line_settings": {
    "label": "Command Line Settings",
    "description": "Settings which are only used if CuraEngine isn't called from the Cura frontend.",
    "type": "category",
    "enabled": true,
    "children": {
        "center_object": {
        "description": "Whether to center the object on the middle of the build platform (0,0), instead of using the coordinate system in which the object was saved.",
            "type": "bool",
            "label": "Center object",
            "default_value": true,
            "enabled": true
        }
    }
}

If this is over the commandline tool "CuraEngine", then you will have to read the sourcecode. According to the Author, 'Nope. Only documentation there is in the code, readme and my head.' (cringe!).
If you're talking of the GUI program, then right click and click "Center". But this requires GUI usage. Not so nice if you want to automate using curaengine as your slicer.


text:
Why Cura flattens first layer of round objects?
When i am creating g file with Cura, it always flattens the first layer of round edges touching the plate. Is problem Cura or is there any setting that i can solve this?
Thanks,
Veysel :)

I played around a bit with a sphere, and found two things. The obvious one is that both the top and the bottom will be a bit flat due to the finite thickness of each layer.  The other is that it appears that adding a thick raft with an under-compensated airgap setting may improve the bottom of your object.  You may want to experiment with different raft settings.

Another observation: If I slice a cube which is standing on either an edge or a corner, I get no "flattening" at all.   It's quite possible that you can print your cylinder as-is with little to no observable flattening of the final object.

All models must be sliced horizontally into layers in order to be printed, and each layer is flat. That is simply the bottom layer. Since you are printing a cylinder, you could always rotate it by 90 degrees, and stand it on its end (before you slice it, naturally). You should always consider the best orientation for printing any model.
Also, if you print a cylinder on its side, the slicer will need to generate a lot of support structures to support the lower curved surfaces. By printing a cylinder on its end, no support should be required.

Thanks but it must be printed on the round edge.For example when i print a wrench I lay it on surface in Cura, then screw's bottom is flat. It must be round as top of it. I know that all slices will be rectangular. But the first slice is too large in width. It should be thinner rectangular.

You can reduce the layer height. That will make the bottom layer narrower, but it will still be flat.


text:
Cura going to 204C instead of 200C
So I started using Cura a few weeks ago, and when I print it goes to 204 Celsius instead of 200. It doesn't really affect my print quality but I just want to know if there's a fix for it. My printer is a Da Vinci Jr 1.0.

I'm not gonna write this as answer. But mine does the same. It only does it at start and eventually stabilizes to set temperature during the first layer.

Does it stay fixed at 204?  If so, just change the Cura setting to 196.  For that matter, all you should care about is the print quality.  The exact temperature is not a hard and fast parameter.

@AthanasiosKaragiannis All closed-loop systems (heat source controller plus thermocouple) take time to stabilize.  If you care, manually set the head temperature prior to initiating the gcode print sequence.

@CarlWitthoft Oh no it's not a problem for me. Just stating your not alone. But yes, I tend to preheat my bed and nozzle during slicing so its ready to go when I click print.

Check your advanced settings. Some slicers increase the temperature for the first few layers to increase bed adhesion.

Check your settings, exists initial temperature (bed adhesion) and layer printing. Also your fan could be working in a lower speed.

Its mainly due to the regulation loop of the PID Regulator implemented in the Firmware of the Da vinci jr. The P-Factor is a little bit too high. This is the reason why the temperature "overshoots". Because the Printerhead and Nozzle has some volume which is heated up. It takes time to cool down after it has detected an overshoot.
here you can find additional informations about it: https://innovativecontrols.com/blog/basics-tuning-pid-loops

As a note, this is fairly common in most printers.  I haven't seen a response to the comment on your question as to whether it STAYS at 204C.  If that's the case, that's something different.  But if it hits 204 then goes down to 200, that's just regular operation.

That's called PID overshoot. All control loops have varying types of outliers like this. Sometimes, you can't overshoot, sometimes you cant undershoot. But it's a remnant of the math.
The solution here, is to PID Tune. Once you get an established Kp Ki and Kd constants, then you can either save it to eeprom or you can recompile your firmware with this change.
It's pretty common, especially if you have different hotends without known profiles. PID tuning also works on heated beds as well. But usually those use what's called Bang-bang.


text:
Printer/Material/Setup recommendation for printing mechanical parts
I'm interested in printing small machine parts (gears, linkages, structural components) so I'm looking for accuracy and mechanical strength over speed and volume.
I'm also somewhat concerned about harmful emissions so would like a solution with some sort of filtration, whether it's built into the machine or something added. I'm thinking I will run the machine in an unventilated garage, which is quite warm and humid during the summer in Texas.
My price range is \$1500-\$2000 USD. I've looked at several options but I didn't really come across any scenarios like I've described and would like some advice from the experts before committing.
Anyone in a similar boat have any suggestions?

Hi! I unfortunately have to close your question for being primarily opinion based. Please have a look at out [help] for more information on how to ask questions for the Stack Exchange sites. Good luck! :-)

Your environmental conditions will preclude finding a machine suitable for your purposes in the budget specified.
Humidity is a problem with many material types, especially nylon, but also with PLA and ABS, the more common filaments used in 3D printing.
You can likely reject PLA for your mechanical needs, as it is brittle and weak compared to ABS. PLA releases virtually no gases of concern, while some find ABS fumes to be offensive and dangerous.
The humidity issue is forefront in your search. You may have to construct within the garage a chamber in which you would operate a portable or window air conditioner unit, to keep the humidity in check. If you can assign a different budget to such a construction, that will leave your printer funding intact and better able to address your goal.
Selective Laser Sintering using nylon powder, also susceptible to humidity, which is sintered by a laser, hence the name, making very detailed and strong parts. The process is also self-supporting, allowing for fairly intricate parts. Once the machine is calibrated, the part accuracy can be quite good. Unfortunately, SLS machines are also out of the budget range you've noted.
You can use an external service to print the parts you design, at least at first, to get a better indication of how the various materials will work for you. Start with PLA, then move to ABS for a set of test parts, and even perhaps have some printed using SLS.
If you find, for example, that ABS will be strong enough, you might find an affordable 3D printer which will generate parts on your budget and timeline. For printing ABS, the warmer temperatures are to your advantage, but the humidity has to be properly addressed in any home/shop/garage installation.

Hi, thank you for your thoughtful response. The main reason I was considering running the printer in the garage is due to the emissions, as I figured ABS would be the material of choice. I could run it in the house if I could contain emissions. My initial thoughts were to enclose the printer in an acrylic box and install a circulation fan with activated charcoal filter and let it run for a length of time prior to opening the enclosure after a print. Is this feasible? I could also consider exhaust to outside after print is complete. Does anyone print ABS indoors safely at home, and how?

I print ABS at home in my non-enclosed Sigma 2016 printer. I can't address the "safely" part, as the odors are minimal. If you plan to enclose your printer, consider that a fan will increase problems with ABS due to thermal irregularities. I'd suggest leaving a fan off until the print has completed and cooled fully before exhausting the chamber into a filter or outside.

I think the optimal solution would be exhausting the enclosure outdoors after print is complete. Closable louver in the front and flexible duct with fan out the back I can seal to the window an shut off while in use. I guess the final thing I would ask is for a printer recommendation. The ones I was thinking about were MakerGear M2, Prusa I3 MK2S, and the Robo R2. Any thoughts?

I've assembled a Prusa i3MK2s kit in the recent past, for the public library and it was an excellent experience. The Prusa was easy to build and creates quite good models. As a kit, you would also have the ability to modify it to move the power supply and "brain box" outside the enclosure, assisting in cooling. You can find the assembly instructions on Prusa's web site. The project was incredible fun and the printer is cranking out models for the library patrons. Your ducting and fan idea would likely work well, and may need only a minute or two of exhausting to clear the air.

There is more than one question here.  Which touches three topics:  the choice of appropriate 3D printing technique, the choice of materials, and control of any hazardous, noxious, or annoying out-gassing.
It is important to understand the limits of the 3D printing process you will choose.  Each process has its own limits on repeatability and resolution of small features, such as gear teeth.  A 10 pitch (teeth-per-inch) gear could print acceptably well with a low-cost printer, but the size of a 10-tooth gear would be 1/2" diameter.  This could be a small part, or a huge part, depending on the use.  To print an 1/8" diameter 10-tooth gear would require a 100 pitch gear likely would not, and would call for an optical process (laser sintering (SLS) or photo-polymerization (like the FormLabs Form 2)) or a dot-jetting process (such as the StrataSys Objet Connex machines). These are not in the budget you've suggested, but are available through service bureaus.
Answers here another community question give some hints for using a plastic-extrusion machine, and information about SLS.
Each process has different environmental requirements, and impacts, but first should be to understand the requirements of the parts, based on those choose a process and material, and then mitigate the environmental factors.