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Ultimaker Cura infill issues (weird vertical pillars due to underextrusion)
I have spent ages debugging this problem but I can't figure out what I am doing wrong.
I have a Wanhao duplicator i3 (Prusa i3 clone) and until recently I used Wanhao's adapted version of the Cura slicer. But it's quite an old Cura version and I wanted to make use of the improved supports in the new Cura.
Unfortunately it seems like I just can't get the infill in the newest Cura to work. I copied all the settings from my Wanhao branded Cura version and printed the same file.
This is the result:

The infill is shaped like many tiny pillars. They are super fragile and while they do support material to be printed on top, they hardly withstand any pressure.
I have gone through quite a few testing cubes each with some setting altered, but nothing seemed to help.
It can't be the printers fault as I have successfully printed test cubes sliced with the old Cura in between (and not only once). Increasing temperature or slowing down the infill didn't help either. Neither did increasing flow rate or switching to triangular infill pattern. Also I have tried printing with all speeds set to 50mm/s and it still failed.
My standard settings (from which I have created many test cubes with each cube having some settings tweaked):
Layer Height: 0.12 mm

Init. Layer Height: 0.10 mm

Wall Line Count: 2

Top Layers: 6

Bottom Layers: 4

Infill Line distance: 5 mm (used to be 20 % in old Cura, but this is very dense in the new Cura)

Infill Pattern: Lines

Infill Overlap Percentage: 20 %

Printing Temperature: 200 °C

Build Plate Temperature: 60 °C

Retraction: Enabled, Distance: 2 mm, Speed: 60 mm/s

Speeds: Print:60 mm/s, Infill: 60 mm/s, Outer Wall: 30 mm/s, Inner Wall: 60 mm/s, Top/Bottom: 40 mm/s, Travel: 100 mm/s, Initial Layer: 20 mm/s

Combing Mode: All

I think the Layer Height: 12mm bit must be a mistake because that's not a sensible layer height. Are you printing 0.12mm layers?

Looks like under-extrusion. Have you told Cura you're using 3mm filament? What does it look like at 100% or 80% infill?

i already had one print finished. the walls and everything else looks perfect, so it's definitely something infill specific. my material settings say 1.75mm and so do the settings in the sidebar. i will try a testcube with 80/100% infill and report back

Could you post the G-code somewhere so we could see it?

I have the same printer, and usually go for infill density of 20%, pattern grid, gradual steps 0. What do you mean by > used to be 20% in old Cura, but this is very dense in the new Cura I'm printing right now with 20% and the spacing between sides of the rectangle is around 4mm, right on the order of the 5mm you're using. If you'd like, I can give you all the settings I'm using right now on a successful print (given that it's the same printer, you should get the same results I'm getting, me thinks...), though they are largely Cura's default ones. Good luck!

This problem is most commonly caused by infill speeds which are too high.
Instead of printing lines, the filament is caught on one of the lines of the previous layer, leaves a blob there and only restarts extrusion when it hits the next line. Instead of extruding continuously the filament comes out in blobs at the locations where there's filament on the previous layer.
You can have good infill up to some layer and suddenly start getting this problem as of some layer. When the problem occurs the next layer is more likely to show the problem. It's snowballing.

I am using the same printer and stopped trying to upgrade to higher CURA.
To my knowledge the branding of the Wanhao Cura Edition is that this Cura knows the specific firmware of your printer and thus is able to do printer specific tasks like calculating printing times etc.
I assume that copying the settings does only copy the settings and not the firmware info of your printer. If these settings however build on firmware info in the Cura wanhao edition, things could get messed up.
I would try uninstalling Cura, make sure the folder with the settings is deleted, reinstall and set it up from scratch.
If your motivation for the upgrade is feature-richness, you could also take a look at slic3r instead.

I am using the same printer (v1.2) with some upgrades and have been using the latest Ultimaker Cura (4.1) ever since they came out. For the first few prints I used an imported Ultimaker Cura profile, but after 3-4 bad prints I created a new profile from scratch, using a percentage for infill, with no problems at all.

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Unable to export all objects to a STL in AutoCAD
I made a pressing stamp in AutoCAD 2013 for stamping letters, but I'm having difficulties to save the file. I can save it anyhow in any format, but when it comes to .STL, some parts just doesn't show.
I made a platform on bottom (25x25x3 mm cuboid) on which I put solids as they represent my logo. But when I export, I select all, but it saves me just 3 or 4 parts from 7 total. On many occasions I get saved different parts, but never all of them or more than 4.
I am also getting the error while saving, which says: "the boolean operation on solids failed" and "Failure in face-face intersection merging algorithm."
Anything I try to do (even copy to another file and do there, doesn't help at all. But the irony is, that I just created a simple text stamp, for which I had no difficulties at all to save to .STL.

Based on your error messages, it's likely you have created a non-manifold 3D object. As a simple example, let's start with a cube as suggested in your question. To keep things simple, you want to add a cylinder to the cube.
In other programs, one would create a sketch on the surface of that cube and extrude the circle into a cylinder. Because the circle is constructed on the surface, it become an integrated part of the model.
If you had created the cylinder independently, which can be done in AutoCAD and placed it on the surface of the cube, the resulting model would appear to be the same as the one created above.
The placement method may have resulted in the end of the cylinder "penetrating" the surface of the cube. Such a model may generate the face-face error you've received.
The quantity reference you've provided in your question indicates that the problem is contained in more than one intersection.
If you have patience, you can return to the original model and attempt to locate piercings or penetrations and adjust the locations to be joined properly. Selecting a wireframe view may assist you in those efforts.
Another option would be to import your .STL file into a program such as Meshmixer to attempt an automatic repair. Under Analysis/Inspector, errors will appear with flags which can be clicked to perform a repair.
Severe errors in construction, such as the one you describe, are more likely to destroy the model when using this method, however.

Hmm..I tried to understand you, so I lowered parts for 0.01mm into the cube on the bottom and worked well. I think, it was just surface-surface problem. Now I was able to do the model properly, so thank you!

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Building a 3-D printer
Building a 3-D printer is obviously a huge undertaking.
Does anyone know of any reasonably cheap guides to build my own 3-D printer?

I'm voting to leave this question open, because it is a good novice type question, that is always asked, and yes, whilst it is too broad and will invite opinion based answers, then again, so is What are the pros and cons of collecting parts yourself, versus getting a DIY kit and then modifying it? and that has (ultimately) been a well received question...

I am voting to close this question, because (1) it is far too broad (what kind of printer are you looking to build?) (2) it is opinion based and vague (what is "reasonably cheap"?) (3) it asks for references ("guides") rather than self-contained answers (4) it shows no research effort at all. I think the latter is not strictly speaking a reason to close, but a few minutes on google would have lead to asking some much more focused questions rather than this overly general one.

Well Tom, I figured this page is full of the 3-D printing experts. I can do as much googling as I want, but it's nice to hear people's opinions. Especially all of you. Reasonably cheap means someone who is new to 3-D printing and doesn't want to sink $1000 into something that won't work. Sorry for the vagueness of the question.

While I appreciate that, StackExchange isn't the place for that. It isn't a forum or discussion board. Please see don't ask and how to ask for an explanation of what kinds of questions we are looking for.

I'm just making a point that you're going to quickly turn people off to stack exchange by dismissing their questions as "not researched at all". I don't personally care, I've gotten a brilliant answer by Greenonline already. I think it was very helpful.

Building a 3-D printer is actually very easy, assuming that you are electronically and mechanically competent, and there are a whole bunch of websites devoted to doing just that. The principal of which would be the RepRapWiki.
There are a number of different designs, mostly from a few basic designs:

Cartesian
Delta
Polar
Scara

Take a look at 3D Printers Explained: Delta, Cartesian, Polar, Scara, for further details.
I, personally, would suggest looking at the following 3D printer designs (although there are many more out there):

Prusa i3 (arguably the most common/popular), or its derivative the P3Steel
Wilson II
Kossel

On the web, i.e. eBay/Amazon, there are plenty of ready assembled versions, DIY kits, or you can source all of the individual parts yourself. I seriously recommend reading this question What are the pros and cons of collecting parts yourself, versus getting a DIY kit and then modifying it?
I would strongly suggest that you do a lot of googling, and read around the subject for a couple of weeks:

Reading other peoples blogs;
Watching construction videos on YouTube to get a better understanding, and;
Going through the issues that other people have experienced whilst building there own printers

Doing this will help you glean a greater understanding of what is required, and what to expect when building yours - as well as getting an understanding of the individual parts required and how they all fit together.
Spending a fair bit of time on this site, SE 3D Printing, and slowly going through the questions and answers is also strongly recommended.
Building your own printer is, ultimately, more rewarding that purchasing a ready built one. This is because, due to its nascent nature of 3D printing, the printer that you purchase will, most likely, go wrong, and you will need to fix it. If you have built it yourself then you should be able to easily understand what is wrong, and then be capable of repairing it yourself. It is somewhat similar to the situation when the automobile first became popular, back in the 20's/30's (?) - the driver was, usually, also a mechanically competent engineer (unless they were filthy rich and were able to afford to pay a dedicated mechanic to accompany them - which was also the case, in those days).

Thank you so much! I have 3-D printed a couple of things using the 3-D printer at my undergraduate institution. I've also heard of Shapeways and other companies that print your .stl files in many different materials for a low cost. I'm an EE with less mechanical experience. I want to take on a project like this to learn and have a product that somewhat works. I also don't want to feel overwhelmed early on. I'm thinking a DIY kit may be a good start, but you're right.. I'll have to do some research. Thank you for those resources!

@mattcurrentjr - Not a problem, and welcome to SE 3D Printing!

If you just want to build your own, get a kit.  There are several out there.  Most kits take from 1-5 days to complete depending on the kit.
If you want to design your own is quite a different story.  The effort is totally dependent on how much you want to do yourself.  My guess is the statement that you don't know the amount of effort indicates that you are probably not ready to design your own.

You're right. I don't think I'm ready to fully design a printer from scratch. I've printed before, but the idea of truly understanding the system is intriguing. Thanks for answering though!

Have you built a 3D printer before, or have much experience in electronics?  Building your own printer is usually more expensive than purchasing a higher end low-grade consumer printer.
There are a few routes you can go.
Creality Ender 3
It's a good starting 3D printer around 200ish.  Just going to throw that out there first - as that is probably a far better route to think about when thinking about cost.  It's decent out of the box.  Mix it with Amazon Basics filament (roughly 20 a roll), cheap chinese filament (roughly 10-15 a roll), or if you live near a microcenter - Inland Filament (roughly 15 a roll) and you're set with minimal effort.
Now... to answer your question - what TYPE of printer?
FDM:  That the plastic in the rolls - and by far the cheapest type of 3D printer (and the most common)
SLA:  That's the Resin Printers.  This is far better quality (normally), but much harder to use, not really for those just getting into 3D printing.  They are also far more costly.  If you have the ability - this is the ones that start getting cheaper to make - but making a large resin printer is not easy at all.
Bio Printers:  I do not suggest making this.  In fact, you probably can't even easily buy them.  From your scope of what you are looking for - doesn't seem much like what you want either.  This is the type to make molds for cataracts, organs, other medical needs.
There are other various types of 3D printers, a lot of them actually, but these are three big ones.  As I said, I'm going into a general overlook - if you want more info, I'd be glad to give you more in any of the topics.

SLA / DLP (both very similar)
I'm going to assume you want to look between either SLA or FDM.   SLA (Resin) can be extremely pricey, and the resin even moreso.  They work by curing Resin via light.
The -cheapest- way to build an SLA printer is by a projector!  If you happen to have one already, then this route can cost you 20ish +-, not including Resin.
What you need:  Projector(50-100+ or free), old DVD drive/ cd drive from a pc (5 from goodwill, free for most people who have old systems laying around), Nema 17 Motor(brand new 15ish - shopping around ebay I have gotten 5 for 15 before), Threaded rod (home depot - 3-5), Arduino (10ish), a glass vat (dollar store), and some form of a base - either a cleaned off blank circuit board - pegboard, or a few various other things that can be used, various screws, mounts, belts ect.  You also need resin.  Monoprice has some of the better priced resins at like 40-50 per vile.  Amazon has some cheaper ones too.  As you can see, the price is already starting to go up.
Making a SLA printer, the basic idea is that you are hooking up the projector to be controlled by the Arduino.  The Arduino you are loading open source (freely available code online) for SLA printers.  The Arduino will control the projector itself, using the light to cure the resin as the build plate moves.  The threaded rod you attach to the Nema 17 motor to move the build plate up and down.  The plate will need to dunk the bottom side into the glass vat - the projector actually cures your print upside down - connecting to the build plate!  As the build plate moves up, it will pull your print up with it to.  After building, you will need to finish curing your print - you take it and cure it in UV light, or just set it outside in sunlight for a few hours.  SLA can get some super high quality prints.
Check out this tutorial.  http://www.buildyourownsla.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2768

FDM
This is the type I'm assuming you are thinking about - the type where the extruder (print head) moves, and the build plate sometimes moves, and is sometimes heated.  You print with rolls of plastic.
There are a lot of open source designs out there, one of the most popular designs is the i3 style.  This is the style of the Ender 3 that I recommended above.  It might not be the -best- design, but it is certainly popular!  The "best" is highly subjective though.
For this, you need to have some sort of building material.  You can use anything from Legos, plywood, plexiglass, metal, ect.  Although you can use just about anything to build with, metal via 2020 rods (50ish+) are going to be some of your better, more stable options.  You need a build plate.  You can go cheap and use an unheated metal plate, mirror, glass, table... really anything flat - plus the addition of some blue painters tape for adhesion.  You need some way to have endstops - either endstop switches - which cost a few bucks a piece (let's say 10 for 4 switches), you will need a good handful of screws, bolts, nuts, t-slot nuts, brackets - you get the picture.  This can be cheap to pricey quick.  (let's say 20ish for random number).  You will need (if building i3 style) two threaded rods (10) or if you are going xyz style 4 (20).  You will need Nema 17 motors - i3 style 3-4 motors(15-80) - xyz 2-5 motors (10-100), an arduino board (can go cheap from 20 all the way to amazing boards such as the duet wifi 2 which is around 200), a PSU (get a good one here 12v at least 40amps - switchable psu), you need some mosfet boards 1 for your extruder and one for your bed if you are using a heated buildplate.  Speaking of heated buildplates, if you use one don't make your own.  It's safer to buy one and they can run cheap.  You will also need a lot of wire, solder, shrink wrap... I'm sure you're getting the picture on that there.  Basic microcontroller and electronics work tools and accessory parts there including various sensors and whatnot of the like.  Extruder gear, you can build your own - but until you are really familiar with it, just go buy one.  You can pick up an entire extruder assembly, off brand knock off for around 20.
The probably hands down best way to learn to build your own 3D printer is to get your hands dirty with a pre-built or a kit, start taking it apart, and really learning how they work rather than just following a guide to build your own.  There is so many resources out there that are only 'half complete' or 'half correct' that without foundation knowledge - it becomes pretty easy to burn your house down. Not to mention, building your own is almost always more expensive than a kit.

Link only answers are not something we particularily endorse here. The question also does not specify SLA at all.

Thanks for your answer but we are looking for comprehensive answers that provide some explanation and context. Very short answers cannot do this, so please [edit] your answer to explain why it is right. Additionally, we prefer answers to be self contained where possible. link only answers are frowned upon (as links tend to rot) & will be rendered useless if the linked-to content disappears. If you add more context and detail from the link, it is more likely that people will find your answer useful.

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Does the Inverse-Square law apply with SLA Printing?
I was adjusting the position of our projector to allow for bigger prints to be generated.  I encountered a problem that at larger distances, our prints are not seeming to adhere as desired.
Does the inverse square law of light apply to DLP projectors?
I am aware that the inverse-square law only is 100% applicable when you have a point as your light source.  But I assume close to the same holds constant for other real world light sources.
Unless DLP projectors compensate for distance with their power output. Is this the case?

Cross-Post: @ Physics.SE

I am currently troubleshooting this.  Running a print right now with the law applied.  So far it seems much more solidly adhered.

I got pretty decent adhesion with a longer layer times.  Im guessing that this is indeed the case.

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it has been cross-posted at physics.SE and is probably more suitable there.

While this question would probably be quickly answered over at Physics.SE, I believe the content is best suited for 3DPrinting.SE. @TomvanderZanden we need to broaden our spectrum of questions regarding other 3D Printer types and draw in more experts. Our site currently has a strong hold on FDM printing to accommodate advanced questions, but I don't feel that we're there yet in other 3D printing types. So, I'm leaving this question open in hopes to encourage more questions about DLP printers.

@tbm0115 This question has already been cross-posted (verbatim) on Physics.SE and gotten good answers here. Having the same question exist on two different SE's is not good. See here for a meta discussion. This question could possibly be salvaged by turning it into a more 3D printing specific question. However, allowing substandard questions in a hope to attract more experts is counterproductive. Experts are attracted by interesting, high-quality questions.

Yes, of course it does. The same amount of light is being spread across a wider area, so there's less light per area. Once you're past a few 10's of filament diameters, a point source is a highly accurate representation of most light bulbs. Even more so when there's a lens setup that causes the light to go through a point focus.

Thanks, I just wasn't sure if projection software for stereolithographic printers was set up in a way that compensated for this falloff by boosting power.


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3D printing for storage card shell?
I know nothing about 3D printing and I was wondering if it is a good candidate for what I want to make.
I want to make a custom game cartridge which looks like this:

Basically it's like a SD card in a custom shell. Now I can produce the inside as a thin PCB (0.6mm-1mm). But I was wondering what the best (and cheapest) way to prototype (and maybe make a small run production) the outer shell would be. The entire cart is about 2mm thick, so each half of the shell would be at most ~0.6mm thick.
Is this something I can do with a typical 3D printer? How would I "attach" the two halves together?

Typically, for FDM, the resolution is different for height compared with the x-y plane.
In x-y, you will be constrained by the nozzle diameter (0.4mm is common), which effectively quantises your wall thickness (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 etc). These walls can be placed with maybe 0.05mm precision.
In Z, the constraint is to be less than the nozzle, so 0.12 or 0.2 mm is common.
So you can easily make a half which is around 1mm thick, with a 0.3mm high wall. You would want the majority of the wall width to be 0.8 or 1.2 mm at least, but you could probably arrange an overlap between the two parts to allow some tolerance and increase the glueing area.
A flat print of only a single layer is possible, but it won't be as accurately dimensioned (due to bed-leveling accuracy). A single layer with a wall would work, but might be too flexible.

With the experience I have with my 3d printer you can make (almost) everything you can draw with it.
0.6mm parts can be 3d printed but will not be very strong though.
For joining the 2 halves when they are so thin, I think the best solution is to glue them together. With the things I make for myself I mostly use small screws or small nuts and bolts but with 0.6mm parts I guess this wil not be possible.

On the other hand, two 0.6mm parts tightly sandwiching a rigid fiberglass PCB would be much stronger than the parts alone.

Thanks, I've read about minimum wall thickness (and how standard materials are 1mm) and am not sure if that applies to the thickness of printing something flat.

I mostly print with the layer thickness set to 0.2mm but with my printer 0.1mm is also possible.

I print such parts by embedding the PCB directly in the print during the printing process: after the bottom part has been printed, there's a print pause gcode, the printer stops and beeps, I insert the PCB into a recess in the print, then the printer resumes when I press a button. I attach the bottom of the PCB to the print with a drop of a quick setting superglue so that it won't have a chance of getting loose and crashing into the nozzle as the next layer is printed. I use a 0.2mm nozzle to print SD card shells directly over PCB without any issue.


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What is the lifespan of a SLA Resin Tray?
As far as I know resin trays have a Teflon coat that allows prints to stick to the build plate easier than the resin tray but this Teflon coat wears over time.
I am new to the SLA scene and am currently troubleshooting a Draken Facture and trying to hone in my setting but my print keep sticking to the bottom of the resin vat.
How often should these trays be swapped out to allow for smooth printing?

What specific printer/vat?

@TomvanderZanden the printer is a Facture Draken

Yes that is exactly correct.  That's probably a good answer all in itself since it is going to be dependent on the manufacturer.  I was hoping to get some insight from people with various makes and models to know how they compare, and what to expect.

It depends on tray and resin type you are using.
PDMS
If you are using PDMS (eg. sylgard 184) coating for your tray. (B9 and similar printers using this type of tray).
Life of tray PDMS coating depends mainly on:

How long you print without breathing floor.
How reactive is your resin.

You could get 2 3 prints up to 15 20 prints.
It is suitable for printing delicate pieces.
FEP
Large number of manufacturers using FEP.
Life of tray largely depends on.

Thickness of FEP
Piece sizes and movement speed during early layers.

Usually you could use same tray for couple of hundreds of prints.
Optical quality is not comparable to other alternatives but without human error factor you could get almost unlimited prints. Delicate pieces require tough resin.
Teflon
It is halfway between PDMS and FEP.
There are other tray alternatives:

Envision uses special glass you could print on average 50 prints.
Carbon 3D uses super expensive oxygen-permeable window.

I did some research and the life of the resin and resin tray appears to be dependent on how you use it.  For example, regarding the resin, 3dfacture states "We see almost unlimited shelf life of the resin as long as it is kept out of light".
I know you asked about the tray and not the resin; but, the two are inter-coupled to the same fundamental issue.  Their lifespan is highly operational dependent.  If your printer operates in an environment that have very low ambient UV, the tray will have to be cleaned less because of less resin buildup and replacement and thus less wear.  Other factors come into play as well regarding cleaning procedures, usage amount, etc.
I think if you want a number you are going to have to run your own experiment in your own environment.


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How to attach insulation to Hot End
I bought some heating block cotton to insulate the exposed surface of my hot end.  I thought the yellow as double-sticky but it appears to be Kapton.
What can I use to attach it to the extruder?

My extruder is already covered on four sides.  I want to cover the other two.

Kapton tape would be the logical material. It's unfortunate that your vendor did not supply that as a separate item, rather than sticking it to the "cotton" (I'm guessing not actually cotton, as things might get a bit scorching for cotton, so I'm assuming some type of ceramic fiber or the like.)

"heating block cotton" is just the common name, the insulation is made of ceramic fiber.  I suspect the pieces are intended to replace the existing material.  I was wanting to try to use it to insulate the other two sides.

So, cut/punch a hole in a chunk for the filament input tube, stick it over the top, wrap it the "other" way (you may also have to make cutouts for various wires not illustrated...) and kapton-tape the flaps to the bottom after wrapping the ends. That will get you a double-layer on top. Or cut small chunks just to cover the ends and kapton-tape them to the top, bottom and sides, but if you have adequate material to go over the top twice, why not?

I am considering that; but, that might require disassembling the extruder which I am not sure is worth the effort.

So, make a slit from an edge to the hole (and to any other holes needed for wires) so you can get it on without disassembling. If need be you can tape those up.

Not quite the answer to the question but closely related, so I venture. I use ordinary wool thread to insulate the hot end. I just wrap it carefully so it is covered everywhere. Very low cost, very effective. Wool can handle even the hottest extrusion temperatures easily.


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print quality: z wobble issue
Yesterday i replaced the z axis of my diy printer. Now i have some strange waves on the side of my prints. Are the threaded rods bent or could that be a vibration issue? Or is the coupler too stiff?

Could you be more specific on what you describe as 'Z axis'?

Is your Z axis screw constrained at the top?

@tjb1 Sorry for the late reply. Yes the lead screw is fixed with a ball bearing at the top and bottom on both sides. The lead screw has an outer diameter of 9.9 mm and the bearing an inner diameter of 10mm so the coupler is not completely centered. Could that cause the issue? Do i need machined lead screws with exact diameters on both ends?

You could try removing the bearing opposite of the motor.  Fixing the screw at both ends causes it to rotate in the middle which may be causing the wobble.

If motor, z-axis screw and end-side bearings are not precisely centered, then you will likely have this wobble effect. If possible, try to center everything as much as possible or consider using ant-wobble z-axis bracket. Link should give you an idea: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3057

Don't overconstrain the Z lead screw. It should be free except at the motor and the lead nut on the carriage. Two points define a line; three define a bent, wobbling line.

The rod is moving, that could be a bent rod, or the mounts are not in the right space.  You can see it moving at the top, of the Z axis, then you know you have a problem. Solutions are to try new rods, re-measuring your mounting bracks positions and to add a guide at the top of your Z axis.

can you show how the bar/Cantilever/portal is mounted to the Z? Usually wobbles start there as it binds.

This looks as if there is a side-to-side force being generated as Z is changed.  Ideally, the X or Y position is determined by the smooth rods, which should bear any force, not the threaded rod.  The threaded rod should cause no motion except upward and downward.
If the rod is bent, but the rod is lightly constrained, then the top, being the free end, will draw a circle.  The bottom is constrained by the motor.  The middle is constrained by the nut, so the top would wander.  If the threaded rod is perfectly straight, and the stepper motor axis and the nut are perfectly aligned, the top would spin without movement.
If the rod is bent and the nut is very tight, there may be a twisting force exerted by the nut, which could cause movement.
Everything is a tradeoff between tightness and looseness, between precision components and the reality of alignment errors.
You asked if the shaft coupling is too tight.  Maybe.  Try removing everything except the motor, coupling, and the threaded rod.  Does the rod fall exactly where the nut would be?  If not, it isn't aligned correctly.  Incorrect alignment can be mitigated by a flexible coupling.  It looks like you are using a Lovejoy coupling with a plaster spider.  Depending on how tightly the spider fits, a Lovejoy coupling can be tight or loose.  I see a lot of machines with the one-piece coupling and a spiral-cut joining region.  THis might be a good alternative, but they tend to take up more space than a lovejoy coupling.
Because Z-axis motion is pretty slow, it is unlikely to be a z-axis vibration issue.  You may have changed the resonant frequencies enough to cause some other problem, but I don't think it is related to the problem in the photograph.

It is possible that your selected layer height isn't compatible with the pitch of your leadscrew. I believe the reprap website has a layer height calculator based on the pitch of your lead screw. Just another option.


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Anet A8 frame replacement
My Anet A8 frame are broken. I find frame project AM8 - Metal Frame for Anet A8. I like it but I can't find aluminum extrusion needed, like this: MiSUMi - Aluminum Extrusion - 5 series, Base 20, 20mm x 40mm.
Maybe somebody knows where I can buy it in Ukraine? Or maybe another frame options?

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because this is an English based Q&A site.

I can understand that this is an English language site, but is it limited by charter to only English based resources?

There are lots of online sources for T-slot aluminum extrusions from ebay to McMaster.  If you want more options do a Google Search.

I highly recommend the Bosch Rexroth series of aluminum hardware.
I also recommend RS components as a distributor for this material. They have local warehouses, and provide very fast shipping.
Here is the part you are looking for on their UK GB website.
Here is an assortment of compatible hardware.
By the way, RS components has a Ukraine website, where you may be able to order from a Ukraine warehouse for faster/cheaper shipping.

Not precisely cheap, but if you look on aliExpress for AM8 3D Printer Extrusion Metal Frame you will find kits build precisely for moving Anet A8 to aluminium frame


text:
Is it possible in any 3D printing software to create a coiled tube?
I've gone on quite a few sites (thingiverse, grabcad, etc) in search for a coiled tube, but I have yet to find anything suitable. There are a few coils ("springs") but no coiled tubes (i.e. the springs are hollow). Maybe my searching hasn't been good enough! But I was wondering if this is a limitation to 3D printing models?

I managed to do it in the end using AutoDesk 123D.

Did it by making two coils of differing radius, then subtracting the smaller from the larger. I made each coil using the instructions found here:

So there we go...
Printed it out just now without supports - in the orientation shown - and it came out fine. Used a brim, though (don't want it rolling away!)

Same thing works in Fusion 360

No, this is not a limitation. You should be able to create a coiled tube in almost every 3D design software package. However, how to do this depends on the specific 3D design software in use.
You'd generally do so by creating a cross-sectional profile (i.e. a hollow circle) and then sweeping it along a helical path. Another option is to first create a spring/coil, and then hollow it out (some CAD packages have a tool/command for this, usually called "shell").

// Openscad proof of concept
$fn=90;

linear_extrude(height = 50, center = true, convexity = 10, twist = -1000)
translate([10, 0, 0])

difference()
{
    circle(r = 3);
    circle(r = 2);
}

Drawing it with OpenScad (and some mathematics) is one thing. But printing it without support is an other big challenge!

The question did not inquire about that aspect, nor specify no support. With an adequate base/brim, it's probably do-able without further support by choice of helix angle, but that would be printer/settings dependent. Mind you a question of the utility of such a printed tube also crosses my mind, but again, not in the question.

This is awesome! I'll see if I can download OpenScad, enter that code & turn it into an stl. The printing software I use (XYZware Pro) has the ability to add supports to stl objects I add in there so that might be okay...!

Probably you'll also need to remove the supports from inside the tube. Good luck with that.

A picture and a snippet of OpenSCAD code doesn't really make an answer, in my opinion. Why not add textual some explanation of how the code actually works? The question doesn't even focus on OpenSCAD in particular.

Hey, I'll be happy with what I get. The inquiry was for any/all 3D printing software, so includes OpenSCAD. Of course, I'd be happy for a more detailed inspection of what's going on, but I realise you guys are taking time out of your days to answer for free, which I appreciate.

Although having just downloaded OpenSCAD the coil is a bit squashed so I'm still open to alternatives while I play around with some of the variables in OpenSCAD!

I would probably set $fn=6, to turn it into a hexagon, then make the gap between coils zero, so that support material would not be needed.


text:
Print not coming out good
I just designed a robot in blender, and whenever I print it, it goes horribly wrong. The first print was laying down, I had supports on, Then it started to print the arm, starting with the bottom of a sphere, and the supports caused it to fly off. The second time, I printed it standing up, with supports, and the arm didn't even print, PLA got all over my build plate. How would I print this successfully? Sideways like this?
I uploaded the model to Thingiverse last night, Here's the link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2417504

Based on your description of the print failures, it appears that the problem is not specific to the model. If printing supports is causing parts of the model to "fly off," there may be a temperature problem or a speed problem or a combination of the two. If you have a new filament type, it may be necessary to perform test model prints to ensure you are using good settings for the filament. If you are using old filament, it may be necessary to print test models with no complex shapes to ensure that your filament will still function properly.
You say that "PLA got all over your build plate." This is another indication of a problem not related to the model position or model design or orientation.


text:
fill in svg or stl design
This is a line drawing and I would like to print it a couple of mm high. I cannot figure out how to get this line drawing filled. I converted to SVG with Inkscape, used GIMP, took it online to TinkerCad and tried it with Onshape but all I ever get is just the line and this does not work well on my printer. What is a smart way to get this filled in and ready to go?
I use TinkerCad to convert to STL and that works fine. So I could also try to edit the STL in stead of the SVG file.
Maybe I should print the original scanned image (TIFF) and then fill it by hand with black ink and then scan it and convert it to SVG but that sounds really dumb.

UPDATE
I went back to the original drawing and using the bucket tool. The result is a rather noisy image and I need it to be sharp and tight to be able to convert it to a good SVG later on.
Looks like it is more of a graphics design question now..
https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/94773/from-drawing-to-3d-print

Try paint, paintbucket tool.

If you don't mind adding another tool to your toolbox, you can use a plug-in for Inkscape called Inkscape OpenSCAD DXF Export that will convert your SVG drawing to appropriate code to import to OpenSCAD. Even if you aren't keen on learning OpenSCAD, once you have the code, press F5 for a preview, F6 for a rendering and then export the STL file.
The link on Thingiverse gives instructions how to add the plug-in (extension) to Inkscape, which is relatively simple. I've been using the extension for applicable projects with great success. Expect minor complications for closed paths within other paths, however. You may have to create separate STL files for those paths and use Boolean subtraction to remove the "holes" as needed.

The extension is slightly counter-intuitive. Be sure to manually add the .scad extension to the file as it does not perform that task automatically.
UPDATE: I have discovered that the above link is not the one I've been using. I'm leaving it in place as it may be useful to others to have the ability to create .DXF files from Inkscape. The correct one is called Inkscape to OpenSCAD converter v6 and works as described above.
As always, read and follow all label instructions. Do not operate heavy machinery after using this product.

Free 3D printing program NanoDLP does support extruding single image frame to 3D object in required height. You can use Windows or Linux version of the program.

The problem in the question is that they have an outline, but they need to fill in the outline so it becomes solid. I'm not familiar with NanoDLP, but based on your description of it I'm not sure you understood the question and that NanoDLP is suitable.


text:
Using HIPS as support for PLA printing?
I have a question. I have a dual extruder printer and I want to try using HIPS for printing. Can I use PLA as my main material and HIPS for supports?
Searching online I found combinations of ABS + HIPS mentioned. No where is it mentioned that It can be used.

You can as PLA is not affected by Limonene (the chemical used to dissolve the HIPS) but it is not recommended as the print temperatures for each material (~180C for PLA and ~230C for HIPS) are quite far apart and the PLA may not stick to the HIPS.
A better choice would be PVA which prints ~185C and dissolves in water but this material has its own set of fun issues.
*Temperatures are estimates, different vendors may have different temperatures.

PolyVinyl Acetate?

@NH. PolyVinyl Alcohol


text:
Prusa I3 starting print above heating bed?
So I have been going through modding my printer and I have come across a new problem that I have not had issues with before.
My 3D printer will start to print above the heating bed even though it gets properly homed all the endstops. At first it was off by half of the whole Z-axis distance using Cura and off by 0.5 mm on MatterControl. Since playing around with random settings in both programs, my printer now seems to only be off by 0.25 mm from the heating bed. None of the settings appear to be affecting anything.
My guess is something both programs remembered was off and now it's been corrected to a degree?
Homed at endstops:

Homed to a papers width above the heating bed:

Here the printer has started to print and it off by 0.25 mm:

G-code
MatterControl:

Cura:
M190 S75.000000
M109 S230.000000
;Sliced at: Mon 10-07-2017 01:08:42
;Basic settings: Layer height: 0.1 Walls: 0.4 Fill: 2
;Print time: 2 hours 18 minutes
;Filament used: 3.348m 9.0g
;Filament cost: None
;M190 S75 ;Uncomment to add your own bed temperature line
;M109 S230 ;Uncomment to add your own temperature line
G21        ;metric values
G90        ;absolute positioning
M82        ;set extruder to absolute mode
M107       ;start with the fan off
G28 X0 Y0  ;move X/Y to min endstops
G28 Z0     ;move Z to min endstops
;G1 Z15.0 F6000 ;move the platform down 15mm
G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length
G92 E0                  ;zero the extruded length again
G1 F6000
;Put printing message on LCD screen
M117 Printing...

;Layer count: 381
;LAYER:0
M107
G0 F6000 X96.660 Y119.366 Z0.100
G0 X96.978 Y119.129
;TYPE:SKIRT
G1 F1200 X97.452 Y118.764 E0.00995
G1 X97.921 Y118.508 E0.01883
G1 X98.363 Y118.264 E0.02723
G1 X98.699 Y118.142 E0.03318
G1 X98.699 Y118.143 E0.03319

Further down.
;LAYER:1
M106 S63
G0 X111.565 Y151.164 Z0.200
;TYPE:WALL-OUTER
G1 F1920 X111.415 Y151.002 E40.19917
G1 X110.919 Y150.231 E40.21441
G1 X110.689 Y149.702 E40.22401
G1 X110.553 Y149.385 E40.22974
G1 X110.226 Y148.153 E40.25094
G1 X109.962 Y146.354 E40.28118
G1 X109.635 Y143.890 E40.32251
G1 X109.603 Y143.683 E40.32600
G1 X108.787 Y143.726 E40.33959
G1 X108.787 Y143.930 E40.34298
G1 X108.518 Y146.454 E40.38519
G1 X108.184 Y148.175 E40.41434
G1 X107.746 Y149.645 E40.43985

Consider adding the start G-code to your post (plus the first few commands of the print itself), so we can see what you're actually instructing the printer to do when it starts a print.

Alright, I have added the g code. I know im not the only one with this problem but im not sure if anyone has found a solution.

We need to see the beginning of the print code, what you have added is basically just the startup code and doesn't actually show the positioning of Z other than Cura homing and then going to Z15 and MatterControl just homing.

I can't see the screen on the printer.  What z does it show when it is printing the first layer?

Tom van der Zanden I uploaded the gcode from both programs,

Hi, Chris! Does your printer have a bed probe/sensor of some sort for calibration? It it does, this sounds like something that should be calibrated entirely in your Marlin (?) firmware. In particular, I would look at Z-probe offset. :-)

I have put this question on hold until further information is given.

Try setting your "First Layer Height" to 0. This should resolve the issue and will make homing your Z axis a bit easier.

How does this solve the issue? Wouldn't that normally crash the hotend straight down into the build plate?


text:
Effect of particulates on the viscosity of paste that is used to transport it in extrusion printing
I am trying to find research articles that have data on how particulates(metal powder in a paste/hydrogel affect the viscosity of the paste/hydrogel. But I have been coming up blank in my last few hours of research. Is anyone aware of any research papers that discuss this and could point me towards them please? thanks.

There may be some helpful data at http://hyrel3d.net/wiki/index.php/Research_Papers

I suspect you won't find anything unless you're after empirical measurements of a specific compound.  Gooey (that's the technical term :-) )  materials are dang hard to model mathematically.

I found a journal article "Experimental study of the viscosity of suspensions"
that looks like what you are looking for.  Just like most journals, it costs to access it. Also, it might be available as Open Access; but, I was not able to figure out how.


text:
SkyNet3D firmware home settings
I recently installed SkyNet3D V1.1 on my Anet A8 printer. When I prepare the printer and select "auto home" it moves the head close to the upper right hand side of the bed. How do I change these settings so the printer auto homes to the center of the bed? Any help is appreciated.

Have you found and fixed the problem? If so, have the answers below led you to the solution? Please vote to accept an answer (using the tick button next to the answer) so this question is not bumped up once in a while and can be removed from the unanswered question list. You may even add your own solution and accept that after 48 hours! If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.

Please note that Skynet3D is OBSOLETE, this was a fork from Marlin Firmware that was created to support the "odd" displays (due to alternative pin layout) Anet use on their printers and has been completely integrated in Marlin.

Note that homing is used to hit the end stops to determine the positioning of the head. There is no such thing as homing in the center of the bed (apart from the Z-axis). How would the head know where it is just after switching the printer on?
When using the constant:
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING

the printer is instructed to move the head to (in this case to the middle of the bed):
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_X_POINT (X_BED_SIZE / 2)    // X point for Z homing when homing all axis (G28).
#define Z_SAFE_HOMING_Y_POINT (Y_BED_SIZE / 2)    // Y point for Z homing when homing all axis (G28).

after sending the G28 homing command.
Basically it wil home X and Y, then move to the instructed position (in the example the middle of the bed) and then home Z.

authors: Александр Антонов

authors: Эдуард Булатов


text:
SLA prints not sticking to build plate
I have been working with our SLA printer (Facture Draken) for a couple weeks now printing in makerjuice waxcast.  .  I have had some successful prints, but the majority (80%) end up as  pancakes stuck to the bottom of the resin tray. Some others break in half mid print.
I have experimented with laying my models (round circular diks) flat on the build plate, but most of the times I place them on supports which stem from a square baseplate.
It seems clear to me that there is allot of force being put on the models while curing on the bottom of the resin tray.  I have noticed that printing objects with a larger projection area are more likely to stick in the vat.  I assume this is because of the increased contact with the tray.  Usually it seems ~10 layers are built before my baseplate breaks away.
Things I have tried

Pulling out the build plate, cleaning it with Acetone.  Sanding it with 80 grit sandpaper.
Emptying the resin tray and replacing with new resin.
Upping base-layer cure-time from from 30seconds up to 3 minutes, and variations between.
Upping base-layer count from 2 to 4.
Rotating model base 45% to start the tray peel process from a corner rather than from a long edge to reduce initial tear force.

Anyone with experience got more suggestions on how to continue troubleshooting?

Ive bought a new resin tray, should be arriving sometime soon.  Ill keep you all updated on progress.

I'm new to SLA printing and am not entirely sure about the accuracy of these infos (thus not an answer), but there's one thing I haven't seen mentioned in the answers: my printer has a vat with a FEP film. This can become too sticky (via scratches and dents) and then needs to be replaced. I've read that using a small amount of teflon lubricant can help in this case as well so the cured resin doesn't stick to the FEP film any more.

Prints could end up on tray for couple of reasons.

Vacuum force on early layers - Usually you should lose pieces on the center of platform

Put holes or channels on platform
Very slow speed on early layers
Use smaller platform
Use tilt mechanism
Use larger support structures
Use stickier platform - Anodized aluminum is specially good

Non-aligned platform - Pieces on side of platform end up on tray

Align platform / tray

Low cure times - you could lose pieces around platform for DLP and whole platform for LCD ones
Resin related issues

Resin designed for thinner layers - Decrease layer thickness
Pigment settled down - Shake resin before use

I also had issues with the first layer sticking to the build plate and I did not want to sand the plate. As most people will mention you need to make sure that your plate is perfectly level and the z height is right (lots of friction on the paper). You also need the correct exposure times for your resin and the first few layers should get 60 seconds of exposure. PRO TIP to improve bed adhesion: apply a thin layer of resin to the build platform before you start to print. I have not any failed prints after I started coating the plate with resin. Also, I don't completely clean the plate between prints, I make sure it is still sticky. I hope this helps.

I had the same exact problems. Nothing would stick to the platform. One day I realized, that all of the failed prints would always start to fall off to one side, and all of the successful prints were all misformed and kinda diagonal. The platform was not level.
Another problem that I more recently had was that I left resin on the plate for a couple of months and it hardened which doesn't allow printing at all.

Did you fix the latter issue? I would suggest to physically scrape/sand the resin layer off.

I have a plain smooth aluminium build plate and it seemed that nearly all problems with adhesion which I had were caused by the plate not being cleaned well enough with IPA and a paper towel, after removing (allegedly) the rests of the previous model with a metal scraper. The new model was peeling off only in places where the old model was previously attached. Now I clean the plate thoroughly, tightly pressing the towel, and there are no more peel-off problems with any typical resin. I have even reduced the typical exposure times of bottom layers because otherwise the model might be attached too strongly.
Then, there are special resins which can be more difficult to work with. I have one resin for ultra-resistant prints which seems very sensitive to the plate alignment or other inaccuracies at lower temperatures. If I use that resin, I warm the build plate up to about 35 °C (95 °F) with a hairdryer and unless there is not a large alignment problem, the printouts stick very well. The built plate is, however, trapezoidal and rather massive, so that it keeps the temperature for a necessary period of time.
The sensitivity to plate alignment leads to another subject: check the plate angles if you didn't do so. The angles should be well adjusted by allowing the plate to rest slightly pressed to the calibration pad with the plate's screw loose before tightening it again and adjusting the height.


text:
What are the basic requirements to make a 3d printing machine?
What are the basic necessities needed to build a 3d printing machine.

Workforce
Technology
Money
etc.

I'm an undergrad and my friends and I would like to make a printer for a project. We wanted to get an idea of the prerequisites for this work.

What kind of printer are you trying to make? FDM? SLA? Something else? Please be specific when asking a question. What is "workforce"?

This is a pretty vague question.  First of all you have to ask what kind of 3D printer you want to make, what do you want to be able to print (size/resolution?) what tools/resources you have access to, how much you want to spend vs how much time you want to build.  The more time and money you put into the thing the better your final results will be.
These guys built a pretty decent looking delta model for ~$170.  Seems pretty reasonable.  Deltas are pretty simple to put together and allow for a good build size.  Building yours from scratch gives you total control over materials used, which means durability and price is in your hands. You will need to think about the following steps.

Research
Design
Materials/Hardware (acquiring, fabricating)
Coding/Software (choose a flavor)
Troubleshooting/Failing
First Print

If you care less about the experience of building and more about getting a working printer, there are plenty of build kits.  These will give you all the essential pieces and instructions to follow. Prices range from \$100 to \$1000, from what I have seen.
Do some research in your region, if you are in a city, there may a collective or club where they specialize in this stuff.  I know where I am in Portland there is a workspace where they actually give classes where everyone builds their own Delta model printers.  Finding enthusiasts in your area can be a great way to get parts pointers, as well as inspiration.

Do you attend CTRL-H or 3D Printer Workshop?

I actually haven't  Although I was thinking about checking out CTRL-H a couple months ago.  I'm actually working right now at hedron.
Edit:  It looks like maybe Hedron are the guys who host/run 3D Printer Workshop.  Would make sense.

Interesting, I saw they met in the Hedron Makerspace but I didn't know what that was.  I usually discover these places at Makerfaire. All this sounds interesting; but, I stay so busy it is hard to imagine ever finding the time to go.  Between work and Mentoring and family, my time is pretty full.

I hear you, only so many hours in the day.  Hedron is pretty rad.  They got About 20 3D printers, 2 laser cutters, an auto router, a mill, some lathes, all basic shop tools and welding equipment.  The guys that run that place are super nerds, possibly genius.

It really depends on what you mean by "make a 3d printing machine"

You could buy and assemble an FDM printer kit.  This is "making" in the same way you can "make" a cake.  This is low cost and little experience is required.
My 15yo son built the TronXY X3 kit I bought for $200.
.  There are lots of kits.

You could design your own FDM printer from stock parts.  This is also pretty easy to do with minimal mechanical experience.  Its pretty much just 4-5 stepper motors (X,Y,Z(1/2),extruder), and extruder, some mechanical parts, a power supply. and off the shelf electronics.  Parts are readily available on eBay and firmware is available on GitHub.  There are designs available on the internet that you could start from.  Here is a video one maker made of his build.  This is how the whole industry got started and were often called RepRap printers.

You could try building or designing a much complicated style printer (SLA, DLP, SLS, etc.).  This would require a bigger commitment with more experience.

...


text:
What's the advantage to deploy 3D printing on IaaS
3D printing is becoming more and more populated during the last few years. But still, only a few group of people can access the 3D printer and know how to use it. So it is reasonable to deploy 3D printing on the cloud, so that almost everyone can access it and finish their job in a few steps.
Basically, there are 3 types of service on the cloud, which are:

Iaas - Infrastructure as a Service;
PaaS - Platform as a Service;
SaaS - Service as a service.

It seems we can deploy 3D printing on all of these models. But specifically, what's the advantage to deploying 3D printing on IaaS? Under what condition we should use IaaS?

Most cloud models are based on virtual rather than physical services.
The closest thing I can think of as "IAAS" in the 3D printing space would be something like 3DHubs which connects people that have printer capacity with people that want to print.
The whole cloud 3D printing thing seem a bit questionable to how large/viable of a market it really is.  I know there are a LOT of people out there that want to make money off of (or at least defer the cost of) the printer they bought; but, the market seems over-saturated.  Heck, even UPS does it.
All the people that I know that use contract printing already have their own printer but contract out either for more volume, or a different material than they can print with their printer.  At work we have a printer; but, we go outside if we want volume (hundreds of pieces) but are not yet ready to commit to a mold.  When we go outside, we would only consider a trusted vetted supplier - not the cloud.


text:
How should I test filament samples?
I have just ordered some filament samples (each sample is 10m x 1.75mm). How should I test the samples, given that there is only 10 metres of each to play with? Just printing a benchy will use about 4 metres. I would probably want to print a benchy, so that leaves 6 metres to play with. I am mostly interested in producing functional (not decorative) pieces. I do not have a heated bed.

Test them for what? In my opinion, your question isn't specific enough. You're just asking us to come up with a list of things you could to do test a filament. It would be much better if you asked how you can test something specific (like strength, or hardness, etc...).

Thomas Sanladerer has an excellent YouTube series called Filaween.
In it he tests and compares filament using a pretty analytical approach.  I think you would learn a lot from the tests he does.  See what type of test most interests you and adapt them for your needs.  Load your test into Cura and you can see how much filament they are going to use.  If needed, trim them back a bit to fit your material limits.
Also make sure and also look at Thomas's new video Filaween 2.0 where he goes over the filament testing strategies he will be using for this year's filament tests.
If you want to see his results, he has created a HUGE Wall of Data of all the filaments he tested:

Select an STL that exhibits characteristics you want to test (bridging, resistance to various pressures) and print it with each material. Preferably, run the same exact gcode, only changing temperatures, so that you get an apples-to-apples comparison.

There are some simple steps you can write your G-code for that.

Filament should have accuracy of diameter 1.75 mm
Write G-code into file for next test case and run on machine

For continue extrusion 100mm at different feed rate F50 F100 F150 F200 up to the machine's maximum feedrate G-code for that
G91
G92 E0
G1 E100 F50

You have prime and suck parameter for your machine so test it. For example, prime and suck both are 4 mm and repeat last two line to continue testing
G91
G92 E0
G90
G1 E5 F100
G1 E1 F100
G1 E5 F100
G1 E1 F100

This test for continue extrude and wait for 2 sec and then extrude again, repeat following G-code again and again continue
G90
G92 E0
G1 E10 F100
G4 P2

Test prime suck with delay
G92 E0
G90
G1 E5 F100
G4 P2
G1 E1 F100
G4 P2
G1 E5 F100
G4 P2
G1 E1 F100

Final is print

In all of the above tests filament should not getting jammed and, for new material, temperature also may be a problem - so first set temperature for a new material.
Before starting test cases, clean the nozzle.


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Object got unstuck from printing mat
So I was trying to print 3DBenchy on my new Wanhao i3+. PLA plastic, basic high quality settings in Cura (I guess 0.06 mm layer, 40 mm/s speed, 50c bed temp, 195c extruder temp). I didn't use any tape, just regular wanhao printer mat, which was installed on printer bed from the box.
At some moment when I looked I found things fouled up: object came off from the mat and sticked to the extruder and was moving with it.
It printed like 3-4 mm of the object (about 50 layers) before this happened.
I would like to know what are the main reasons this can happen? And what can I do to prevent this? I think it's very sad when you lose many hour of work.

You have to secure your print to the build plate.
One thing that I always do is to use a brim in cura.  prints a single layer which extends in all direction away from your object, adding extra adhesion between your object and the print bed.
You can also use a slower extrusion speed for your initial layer but I would use this after trouble shooting everything else since you will be adding time to each print.
If you are using a heated bed make sure that the temperature is set for the correct material.  For PLA i think that is 40C-60C.
We put down a layer of craft/school elmers stick glue before most prints.  This helps a bit with adhering to the build plate, and also seems to allow the prints to pop off a bit easier.
Also be sure to double check you Z calibration and your bed level.  If there are inconsistencies and your nozzel moves to far away from you bed, you will be extruding in air and not getting and stickage at all.


text:
After 1.5 hours of printing quality degraded
Testing my new Wanhao i3+. PLA plastic(Wanhao), basic normal quality settings in Cura (I guess 0.1 mm layer, 40 mm/s speed, 60c bed temp, 200c extruder temp). After 1.5 hours of printing quality degraded, it makes some loose structure.
Edit:
After finish I noticed that problem exists only in layers where it cycles printing/no printing. There is no problem on layers where it print continuously.
What is the reason can be and how can I fix that?

If the problem occurs most when you are doing the most advance/retract cycles, the problem is likely with your advance/retract settings.

This is very likely under extrusion caused by your feeder pressing down too hard onto the filament. If the feeder presses the filament very hard it then gets squished a bit, this is not causing much issues when you're only feeding in one direction as the drive gear is still pulling on fresh filament and shoving the squished part down at a steady rate. BUT once you got retractions things get awful as the squished filament then gets retracted and fed again at the same pace but due to the elongation at a smaller rate of material causing underextrusion.
You can either trade it in to some overextrusion by adjusting the extra length on restart setting, retract a shorter piece of filament (like only retract half a mm or something) or loosen the feeder so it doesn't squish down on the filament as hard.

Decreasing the retraction helped me in a simular situation

If the problem occurs most when you are doing the most advance/retract cycles, the problem is likely with your advance/retract settings.
Have you tried cutting each of them in half and executing the same gcode?

It definitely looks like under extrusion.

First thing I would check is the filament feeder to make sure it has
a good grip in the filament.
After that I would do another print to see if the problem is repeatable.

If it doesn't repeat, it may have been

A temporarily clogged nozzle
The filament was undersized in that segment and the filament feeder lost its grip.
The extruder got to cold for some reason in that segment and the feeder couldn't push the material through the extruder fast enough.

If it does repeat:

Re-inspect the filament feeder
Try increasing the the extruder temp to say, 225.
Try turning off retraction to see if it is related to those settings.


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Running laser on my printer
I am trying to control a laser with the fan (D9) and ran into problems.
So I tried P44, no good then P6 also not good.\
What my problem is I am trying to "burn" a group of vertical lines spaced about 0.75" apart, and randomly the drive to the laser power supply is either "skipping" (missing the control pulse) or stretching the pulse.
This results in missed burns and/or "streaks" where the laser does not turn off.
I am using Marlin 1.1.4 on a RAMPS 1.4 board (clone) on an Arduino close also.
When I am not printing, the pulses are perfect and I can control the pulse width with M42 P6(or 44) S0 (to 255) and it follows just fine.
It is ONLY while I am printing and the steppers are moving that things go south.
This also occurs on D9 (fan) and that is why I am trying these other outputs.
These other outputs use different timers in the 2560 as well.
I have tried all sorts and combinations of firmware settings, different USB cable and different USB ports on my computer, with no change.
What might I be missing?

This is not an answer but a related question. I'm assuming (hoping) that you are using Marlin to read the g-code. What are you using to generate the g-code and how are you "telling" it that the fan control is really the laser control, or are you manually editing the g-code? Walt

@WaltScrivens - SE is not really a forum of threaded messages, but a Q&A site. Would you like to post your own question, using the Ask Question link at the top of the page? You can link back to this question for reference, using the URL. I am afraid that unless you do so, you won't get an answer, as answering in comments isn't allowed. :-)

Thank you all for your suggestions and help.
It appears that I was just running the printer too fast and slowing it down to about 10% of my original speed "fixed" my problem.
I don't know where i got the rediculous speed from, but 1200 mm/min is WAY too fast.
More like 150 to maybe 200 mm/min is what it should have been.
Oh well.. comes under the heading "pay attention" I guess!

Have you checked the supply voltage?  With everything turned on (steppers stepping, laser on, etc) you may be pulling too much current and the supply voltage is drooping.
Use DVM to measure the DC voltage.  Also you will need to check for supply ripple.
For that, either an oscilloscope or use DVM set for AC voltage.

Thank you Mark for responding!  Yes, I did watch the power supply with a scope while a burn job was running, and it is rock solid.  The supply is a 12V 20A switcher, short #14 cable (Malibu low voltage wire), a 6 pin/10A Cinch-Jones connector between the supply and the printer, #16 low current wiring and #14 heated bed wire (not used for laser printing though).

To eliminate any possible unknowns, I unplugged all the steppers and disconnected the laser diode.  I was able to "fake" the endstops as well and while scoping the PWM drive to the laser supply, this problem still existed with no apparent change.   I even reduced the feedrate (which slowed down the print speed), and some of the problem improved, but was still there at 50%.  I have ordered a REAL Arduino mega 2560 and will try that...

Another clue that might be related is I could never get the SD card working.  Checked all connections, short cable between the display board (with SD card) and the RAMPS board, read many forums and really went through the firmware, and still couldn't read the card.  My processor board is an Iduino mega made by Geeetech, so I know it is a clone and I was always suspicious of it.  The soldering isn't very good and I had to do some touch up when I got it.

I know others aren't having this problem, and I haven't gotten many responses probably due to my unique problem that others don't have.  I might try and scope the processor's power supply after the onboard regulator and see if it is clean.  Thank you again for your help and suggestion.

What does the signal on the laser look like?
Also, can you put your Marlin files somewhere I/we can see them?

I will reconnect the board and get some waveforms for you.  I took a chance and ordered a real Arduino Mega 2560 rather than a clone, although I am somewhat doubtful that this will fix it.  Which Marlin files would you like to look at as there are quite a few.  I have a dropbox account that I can post my scope traces to and upload the Marlin files that you would like to look at.  BTW.. I did more investigating and noticed that when Repetier sends commands to the printer, the printer pauses for about 250 mseconds while it processes the comman.  This is where the problems occur.

I had to slow the feedrate down to about 10% to see this, but it was there, and the laser pulse was also delayed/skipped/stretched when it happened.  hhmmmm... a clue????  This is what prompted me to purchase the Mega as a stab in the dark that maybe the clone is having problems processing the data from my computer.  Also, I have never been able to us my SD card so possibly a related problem... don't really know...YET

@Pomonaill220.  Stock Marlin files are at https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin.  I would like to see the files that are not stock (your config)

@Pomonaill220 there are a LOT of overlapping features on Marlin.  It is really easy to get the config setup so that more than one thing is controlling the same output.

The time where the pulses are missing is where the printer is receiving data (commands) from the computer.  A few times the pulses actually stayed on, but I couldn't capture that for some reason.

You should insert M400 commands before each and every M42 command. The reason is that M42 skip the normal command queue. Each M42 command is processed as soon as it is read, and may be executed well before the G-code (moves) preceding it have actually been executed. Inserting M400 before M42 will ensure that the printer finishes all moves before M42 changes the pin state.
The long "streaks" you're seeing correspond to the printer processing a laser-on command too early, and the missed pulses correspond to processing a laser-off command too early.

AHHA!  I will give that a try!  Thank You!  IF I use the fan pin (D9) and the M106 to turn the laser on, would inserting the M400 before the M106 work as well?  I could add that to my laser on, and M107 for laser off.  Example:  M400 M106 S120 (for 120 power) and M400 M107... I'll give it a try and see what happens.  Thanks again!

Well the format of the commands didn't work... the laser never turned on.  Soooo I will have to add the M400 before each laser command on a separate line... darn it!

@Pomonaill220 Are you aware that only the negative side of the fan is switched? The positive terminal is always at +12V.

Yes I am aware of how the fan output is driven y the FET.  thanks for the note though!  What I think my WHOLE problem is, is that I am trying to make all my moves too fast.  I had the burn speed set at 1200 mm/min and non burn speed at 4500 mm/min.  I slowed it WAY down to 150 mm/min and non burn to 4000 mm/min.  Never skipped a beat!  I think I might try seeing just how fast I can go before missing commands, but I did research and some are running at 60 mm/min... NOT 1200!!!  I'll give it a try just to see.  A little too enthusiastic I think... huh?

In almost all cases, only one M code is allowed per data block (this is true for Fanuc controllers and likely applies to 3D printers as they copied most of the standard).  You can have multiple G code per block though.

@Pomonaill220 You might be able to make a self-answer to this question, if the problem was that you were running too fast.

This is a stab in the dark but maybe the Arduino (clone or genuine) and RAMPS1.4 combination is not powerful enough to handle the calculations required to control the laser and printing simultaneously (although I can't really see why the additional processing to control a laser would be over taxing the processor. However your comment about slowing the printing seems to help alleviate the issue, does back up the hypothesis). I have read that the ATmega256, and lesser AVR microcontrollers, can be working at its limits, when controlling a 3D printer and having to deal with arcs, or something that requires complex calculations.
Some printer control boards, such as the Smoothie, use different processors (ARM?) in order to supersede these issues. From 3D Printering: Electronics boards.

The above boards use AVR microcontrollers. While they work for what they’re intended to do, there are a few limitations. Arcs and circles are a little weird to program, and using these boards for something other than a cartesian 3D printer – a CNC machine, or a laser cutter, for example – is a bit out of the ordinary. The Smoothie board is the solution to these problems.

So, if you have discounted power issues, it could be due to computing power and it may be worth considering using a different, more powerful, controller?

I kinda thought that also, but wouldn't running an extruder in the 3D printer mode, with the extruder stepper, X,Y and Z axis all running, a coling fan and both the extruder heater and heated bed use more processor power than modulating one pwm pin and only the X stepper?  Unless there is more going on for the laser than running the filament in 3D mode, I can't see that, although there may be something that I am not seeing!  Also, the original printerboard was ALOT less powerful than the Arduino, and it worked for the 3D printer.  Others are using the same setup for a laser and it works.

I appreciate your input and thoughts, believe me!  That is where two or more minds are alot better at solving problems!  Thank you for your input.  I have seen similar posts about the arc/circle being a tough thing for these 8 bit boards as well.  Only thing is using a laser I am not cutting arcs/circles.  Straight X travel and laser on/off during travel.

I am heading towards this clone not handling communications correctly because of the "pause" when receiving data from the computer.  Can't imagine why this would be different from clone to real board though, unless there is problem with parts?  We'll get to the bottom of this!  I don't give up easily AND I appreciate ALL the help I am getting too!  Thank You.

Another brainstorm thought....  I will try and get more scope pictures showing USB comm and laser drive to see if the two are related.  I will post them on my dropbox and let you guys know.


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Are there any non-static (ESD safe) materials to print with?
I am attempting to replace an SFX power supply of my computer with a PicoPSU. I would like to manufacture a plate to fill the vacant place and to pass through the power lead, and maybe host a power switch and a 60 mm fan.
The thing is, I need to have a material that is ESD safe, i.e. does not collect static electricity. Meaning that the conductivity should be somewhere between 10^(-4)and 10^(-9) if plastic. And also a material that can take screws. So, a metal or some kind of conductive plastic.
Question is, are there any known ones?
If I will seek out to buy or borrow a 3D printer, I need it to support this choice of material.

Yes there are ESD Compatible filament materials.  One manufacturer is 3dxtech.
There are also filament materials that are even more conductive than that.
Pretty much all rigid filaments can "take screws".  You can either have a hole that and let the screw self thread or tap the threads into the hole.  A better option is often to press a threaded insert into a hole.
The bigger question is why do you need this?  Are you trying to prevent ESD.  If so, why, are there ESD sensitive components?  If so, just make sure proper spacing is provided.  If you are trying to manage electrical emissions/susceptibility, there might be better solutions such as a coating.


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Extending TronXY print bed
I have a TronXY printer (i3 Clone).  It has a 220x220 mm heated aluminum bed and I print with a Borosilicate glass plate.
I have a slightly longer print (245 mm) I would like to do and I think I could adjust to settings and end stop to stretch the y-dimension travel and I have found a 229x257 mm plate.  This would extend over the edge of the aluminum bed.
Will the thermal conduction and mass of the glass plate be sufficient to still keep the bed warm enough?

The aluminum plate is being heated by the heater element although I suspect the element does not encompass the entire area of the aluminum portion. There are going to be cooler spots on the aluminum but not enough to significantly affect the transfer to the glass.
Once you extend the glass, without a corresponding extension to the aluminum and/or heater element, you are ensuring cooler spots. The glass will be surrounded by air, and begin to conduct some of the heat, certainly, but will also radiate a substantial amount.
If you are printing with PLA, you may get away with doing this modification. Very little of the heat from the aluminum will reach the glass.
A quick check shows the thermal conductivity of aluminum to be 205 W/m K compared to borosilicate glass at 1.2 W/m K in the range of temperature used for 3D printing. I did not research the rate of energy dissipation for the same range of temperatures, but if it's not too high (unlikely), it would still take forever for the unheated areas of glass to reach temperature.
Consider your extension to be an unheated bed and print accordingly.

See the photos I got confirming your conjecture.

After Fred's answer, I realized there was a way to test out how much the temperature would drop by offsetting my current glass base to extend past the exge then using a FLIR IR Camera to see what the effect would be.
Here are the results:
The the glass plate does seem act a bit as an insulator causing the print surface to be about 1°C cooler.  Here are two photos showing that.

As Fred proposed, where the glass extends past the base, the temperature drops pretty quickly.  It is still warmer than ambient; but is definitely not "Hot".


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Is there a way to invert motor direction with G-code instead of Firmware in Marlin
Is there a way to change the direction a motor goes with G-code instead of reconfiguring Marlin firmware?

I don't understand the purpose of your question, but you can try to invert wiring of step motors instead creating another G-code or modifying the firmware.

The purpose of inverting a motor's direction in software would be to home to a switch placed in the opposite direction of the usual one, so as to use the homing routine as a Z probe.

So, you dont need to invert mootor direction for that porpuse, you need to indicate homing inverted.

Yes, thank you, that makes sense. Is there a way do do that with a GCode command instead of editing the firmware?

For the X/Y/Z axes, you can use M92 to change the axis steps per unit to a negative value, which causes it to move in the opposite direction. I.e. if normally your X axis has 160 steps per mm, using M92 X-160 will invert all of its movements.
However, this is more of a hack than a real, intended solution. It would be better to (if you are concerned with the homing direction) change the configuration to have the printer home in the other direction. Unfortunately, this can only be done by changing the firmware and not through G-code.
For the extruder, I'm not aware of any method to invert its direction with G-code.

What a brilliant and creative answer! That worked perfectly. I can now use the Z-MAX input as a Z probe, which allows me to probe in the down direction, and I can home in the up direction using the Z-MIN input, just by changing the axis steps to negative or positive as you described.

This is also helpful, inverting the M92 number, for when you are trying out different extruders that may be driving from different sides of the filament. Thank you for this tip!

How do I do this on an Extruder Motor? I've upgrade to a geared extruder so it was turning in the opposite way. I tried the solution listed above, causing the extruder motor to engage but not turn. I used 'M92 E-420.00'.

@LiamWilley I just checked the marlin source code, and apparently there is an undocumented "feature" which causes marlin to - specifically for the E axis - interpret values smaller than 20 (including all negative values) as a "scaling factor" of sorts rather than as a steps/mm value to ensure compatibility with netfab. This means this solution can only be used with the X/Y/Z axes.

You cannot use M92 E- on Marlin (anymore).
The right solution nowadays is taking the wires out of the plug of the stepper motor connector using a prying tool and switching them all totally the flipped way around. That way the motor gets the signals the other way round.


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High-viscosity gel/polymer to suspend conductive material while it is being printed
I currently doing research on 3d printing on circuit boards. The technique we are using is to put a conductive material, I.e ceramics/metal in a gel/polymer, to print the suspension and then when is complete to sinter away the gel/polymer. The problem I am having is the suspension needs to be thixotropic. Furthermore it must have a high viscosity i.e 500 cpa under low shear and to quickly drop to low viscosity as the shear increases
So far the closest thing I have been able to find is in this paper but if you look at the graphs none of them have a high enough viscosity and more importantly the drop to low viscosity under increasing shear is too shallow.
I have tried to use models like the ones in this paper but I am finding it quite difficult.
Does anyone have any suggestions to find more materials like the one I require? Thanks

Would something like this conductive paste work?

The material you are describing sounds very similar to the material used for Metal Injection Molding except that you want to print the material rather than molding it.
A company called MarkForged is making a printer called the Metal X that uses this technique of printing & sintering to produce solid metal parts.  Here is a article describing more details about the printer.
It sounds really cool.
If you investigate papers around those processes you may find what you are looking for since they are so related to what you are trying to do.


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Why do 3D Printers Suck? Please share your user experience
I'm working with a group at the MIT Launch startup accelerator for high school and I was hoping to do some market research regarding some of the current problems with desktop 3D printers. I was hoping to get some feedback from all your experience with 3D printing and the hours of troubleshooting you've likely encountered.
What workarounds and aftermarket modifications are the most useful? If you could change one thing about your printer what would it be? How do you troubleshoot issues and how long does it take? What would make you more likely to 3d print more often (ie never clogged, didn't have to watch first layer, etc)? In your opinion, what are the biggest issues the desktop 3D printing industry faces? Just share any wishes, thoughts, hopes, dreams, etc about 3D printing
Thank you so much for your time and sharing your experience!

Good question! Deserves some well-considered answers.

Simple answer:    Good, Fast, Cheap:  choose any two.

Hello, welcome to the site! I voted to close your question as primarily opinion-based/too broad. We focus on technical questions here that have more-or-less objective answers. As such, asking multiple open-ended or non-specific questions doesn't fit well here.  Please see "What types of questions should I avoid asking?".

This question has a very noble goal, but unfortunately, it is not a good fit for the StackExchange format for reasons as noted by @tjb1. Perhaps you could try asking it on a different site (perhaps a forum or reddit?).

First, regarding "Why do 3D Printers Suck?" - The answer is They Don't!
Every tool has its limitations and you need to work withing the limitations of the tool.
Second, there are A LOT of different types/technologies, manufacturers, and price points and all of these have specific limitations.
I live in Tigard, OR and both my boys are in High School.  Our High School has a pretty advanced Technologies Department.  We have had a 3D printer for a several years and use it for printing parts for our after school programs (we have three FTC teams, one FRC team, and one (underwater) MATE team).  This last year the school introduced a CAD class and added about 15-20 new Afina printers so that the students can print what they design.
I talked to my sons (they have both used the printers) and they said the only problems they ran into were mistakes they made.  Two examples of that are:

Printing with ABS and having it warp (probably bed temp)
Trying to print a design with too thin a wall

I think there is a BIG opportunity for improvement here.  Having a "Slicing" program that doesn't require tweaking and would warn of likely print problems would help A LOT.  I like the idea of the new PrusaControl.  If this idea could be extended further as Thomas Sanladerer suggested in his video review
I know the Head of Technologies Department (I help mentor several of the after school programs).  He has been responsible for getting printers and I recall he was concerned about more high-level things:

Service, Maintenance and Repair
Fumes (this is a lot of printers in one place with students in the same room)
Network interface and driver compatibility with school computer/network standards.

I believe there is another opportunity here.  If you could provide some sort of a "printer farm" where the students could send their print to the "farm" and then have a highly visible indicator on the selected printer would their name/ID when their print starts.  That way you can get more efficient use of the printers and the space they consume.

I completely agree Mark, the phrase was intended as more of an attention grabber to spur conversation about 3d printers

@AdamP - We are a long way away from you; but, I am sure we would be willing to collaborate if you are interested.  BTW, we used to live in CT and in 2008 (I think) we were in Boston on vacation and took the boys to MIT for a "Kids Festival".  That is the first time I recall seeing a DIY 3D printer.

Thank you for this thoughtful and helpful response. That's awesome that MIT helped introduce 3d printer to your kids. Thanks for sharing your ideas and putting the effort in to ask around.

Among the open-source printer community there is a logically based, yet sometimes taken to inappropriate places desire to make printers "self-replicating" either fully, or more commonly "other than a few purchased parts."
In some cases this appears to lead to questionable design choices when some other process or material might be more appropriate to the job at hand.
Other than that (and sometimes influenced by it) the usual joys of getting the bed flat, the dimensions accurate, and figuring out the secret to getting the first layer to stick (with the sad realization that this may change somewhat with each new spool of filament - or even over the life of a spool of filament without taking extreme measures to keep it dry.)
In the "sure, there probably are packages out there if you have wads of cash" line would be structural analysis that takes into account the printing direction/layers and perhaps even optimizes that (though to optimize it, it would need some user input on what's most important, and that gets tricky with unsophisticated users...) or effectively a "smart slicer" that grasps where strength is needed and how to get it, without too much overkill.
On the reverse view, making something and having it break is HIGHLY educational (if treated that way) and that's nothing to sneeze at. But practically speaking I think we end up doing a lot of overkill to try to make sure that things don't break, with limited knowledge of the problems and limited tools available in the slicers.
Under pure pipe dreams (such as I understand the actual needs of the process) some type of easier recycling would be nice, as the various things needing to be sorted out lead to a LOT of scrap parts, at least at first.
And moving from scrap to "really annoying scrap" - nozzle drool. It's not hands-off on most printers I'm familiar with (which isn't many.)

Regarding "making something and having it break is HIGHLY educational", this is definitely true on an individual level and if the failure is the user's fault.  If the failure is seen as a "printer failure", it doesn't generally work that way for most High School situations.  That is because the printers are usually used as a resource for some other learning (such as CAD) and the "failed printer" is not something the school usually wants the student to investigate.


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Octoprint: Reducing Camera Lag Time?
I've got a webcam (Logitech ProductID_2470, according to my Mac) attached to my Octopi running on a RPi 3B.
I am able to get the video on the Octoprint display page, but the lag is huge: over 50 seconds.
How can I diagnose the problem and reduce this lag time?

This was due to a slow Wifi connection.  It was fast enough for the low bandwidth of printer commands and status reports, but the video feed was overwhelming the connection.
Adding a Wifi repeater increased the bandwidth and fixed the issue.


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Setup Creality CR-10 in Cura
Can anyone help me find/confirm the information needed to setup the CR-10 in the Cura Software
I have following settings from research:
Printer Settings

x =  300 mm
y =  300 mm
z =  400 mm
Build Plate = Rectangular
Machine Center is Zero = Checked
Heated Bed = Checked
G-code Flavor = RepRap (Marlin/Sprinter) -- Uncertain - please help confirm this

Print Head Settings

X min = Unclear where this comes from
Y min = Unclear where this comes from
X max = Unclear where this comes from
Y max = Unclear where this comes from
Gantry Height = Unclear where this is measured from
Number of Extruders = 1
Material Diameter - 1.75 mm
Nozzle size = 0.4 mm

Adding on the answer by @tjb1 to confirm The GCode Flavor is indeed RepRap.

Have you found and fixed the problem? If so, have the answers below led you to the solution? Please vote to accept an answer (using the green tick button next to the question) so this question is not bumped up once in a while and can be removed from the unanswered question list. You may even add your own solution and accept that after 48 hours! If you have not been able to address the problem please update your question.

GCode flavor: the firmware your machine uses. Google tells me CR-10 uses Marlin, so you should select that. Volumetric Marlin is not very common.
Print Head Settings
X/Y min/max define the bounding box of the area your print head takes up. Measure the distance from the centre of the nozzle to the left-most point of the print head and do the same for the right-most, front-most and back-most.
Gantry Height is the distance from the tip of the nozzle to the lowest point of the gantry, which is the axle on which the print head is mounted.
These print head settings are only used for one-at-a-time printing.

This is actually the [possibly] correct answer.  The CR-10 has a single extruder, so all measurements for the X/Y min/max should actually all be from the centre of the nozzle, not one of its sides (the formulation "left nozzle" in the answer is confusing, IMO).

Yes, the measurements should be from the center of the nozzle. In case there are multiple nozzles all measurements are by convention done w.r.t. the first nozzle, which is generally chosen to be the left-most one if they are sitting beside eachother.
Actually you can do all measurements w.r.t. another point, but then you'd have to update your nozzle offsets as well, which is only possible in the custom FDM printer wizard if you select more than 1 extruder.

In addition to this answer, the "Machine Center is Zero", should not be checked. It will begin the print in the current location of the Printing Head.

Totally true, and well spotted (missed by the other answers).


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Mechanics for modelling a push button latch spring
I am designing a door to put on a small enclosure that will open and close upon pressing a button. The idea is something similar to what you would find on an external DVD reader. My problem is with the actual button I understand I will need to use springs for this but I can not figure out the mechanics of the button.
Are there 3D-printable, mechanical designs that could fit for this purpose?

I interpreted the question in a manner indicating that Connor wanted to 3D print springs for the button. This would place his question within the realm of this forum. Why would there be currently four votes to close?

@fred_dot_u, I firstly thought this was a request for a design job. However, as you point out, it is actually a request for ways to design a 3D-printable spring mechanism. I made some slight changes to the question in an attempt to highlight this.

A commonly seen method to provide spring action in a 3D printed model is to use a series of curved and straight segments. Some of the designs use the segment assembly in compression, aligned with the plane of the print, while others use the segment assembly for springiness perpendicular to the plane of the print.
An example of the latter is a squishy turtle from Thingiverse resulting in four legs that provide some bounce to the turtle if dropped from a small height. This video shows the movement of the legs more clearly, as there were no suitable still photos available on the site.
The image below shows another spring type print from Thingiverse in which the forces are in line with the print plane.

The S-curves cannot be too thick or movement will be severely limited, and too thin means impossible to print and possibly reduced lifespan.
Many designs abound with a search of the 'net for "3D printed springs."

PLA might be not the best option to print this design with, as it is not very flexible so after some compression and expansion of the S-curves they will become weak and might break. A good material for this design would be ABS or PET or anything that can flex a lot without cracking or breaking.

A good bit of the durability will depend on the design and use, obviously. The aforementioned Squishy Turtle has been printed at the 3D printer in the public library (4 of them!) and are regularly handled by the general (not-gentle) public. The springy part continues to work after all these hands. In the case of ST, the spring movement is perpendicular to the plane of the loops, providing minimal movement over maximum mass. In the case of the above photo, this would mean that the button would deflect the latch bar downward and not to the left. PLA is rather brittle, yes.

I believe you can adjust the lifetime of the spring by increasing the thickness of the S curves while also increasing the length of the springs (the greater the length, the lower the stiffness). Spring stiffness is roughly given by the formula K=AE/L, where A is cross section, E is elasticity and L is length.


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How do you know when your SLA resin tray needs to be replaced?
How do you know when your SLA print tray has lost its non-stick coating?

Are there visible or testable signs you can use to determine it is time to invest in a new resin tray?
Is it best to count prints and estimate?

Once the non stick coating wears off you'll notice degraded print quality over time and a more agressive sound from the print breaking free when switching layers as the print uses more and more force to break free from the tray with each layer when the non stick coating degrades. The good thing is this will not happen at once so you will start to notice telltale signs previously and you can lessen the wear at specific points of the non stick coating by using different parts of the build platform instead of printing exactly in the center each time.