Trying to control temperature of hotend using PWM signal and MOSFET I have a 40 W, 12 V resistance heater in the hotend. It also has a 100 kΩ thermistor built in. I am using an Arduino to read the temperature on the LCD. This is working fine.

I want to use this temperature using a MOSFET and the PWM signal that is generated by the ARDUINO.
So I connected the PWM signal to the Gate of the MOSFET and connected the 12 V, 3 A supply to the drain of the MOSFET. And connected the Resistance heater of the 3D printer to the source and ground.

But the problem that I am facing is that the Current is flowing from drain and the source even without the gate signal to the MOSFET.

I am not able to control the current to the resistance heater.

Mosfet: IRFZ44N
and the AC to DC adapter is 12 V, 3 A.
PWM signal is max 2 V.

connected the 12 V, 3 A supply to the drain of the MOSFET. And connected the Resistance heater of the 3D printer to the source and ground.

The MOSFET is damaged. If the gate is at $0V$, no current should be able to flow.

You're trying to use an N-channel MOSFET as a high-side switch. This is a bad idea, because it would require more than $12V$ at the gate to turn the MOSFET on properly. It would be better to set this up as a low-side switch so that the microcontroller can drive the gate directly. The MOSFET should go between the load and ground, not between the load and $+12V$.

The fact that you connected it like this is the very reason the MOSFET has been damaged. When the MOSFET is OFF, there is $0V$ across the heater. When the microcontroller starts to turn the MOSFET ON (by applying $5V$ to the gate, thus increasing $V_{GS}$ to above $V_{th}$), current starts to flow through the load and the voltage across the load increases. This in turn decreases $V_{GS}$, causing the MOSFET to turn off. You will end up with approximately $3V$ across the load and $V_{GS}=2V$. You've got $9V$ being dropped across your MOSFET and with a current of approximately $800mA$, the $7W$ of heat produced will quickly kill the MOSFET.


Can I schedule prints to start at a specified time? I want to know if it is possible to schedule a 3D Print to start at a specified time so that I don't have to press start.

My 3D Printer has an Arduino mega based RAMPS 1.4 control board & is connected to a Raspberry Pi 3B running OctoPi 0.15.1

There are a few options to delay starting using either the OctoPrint environment or directly use G-code for this.

The use of G-code is probably the most simple for you to implement. The G4 command defines a "dwell" or pausing period for the next command to start:

Depending on the firmware you use, you can use the P or S parameter to specify the pausing period.

To pause the print job (for 1 hour) you need to insert the following line as the first line of your G-code print file:

G4 P3600000 // One hour pausing; defined in milliseconds

or (if your firmware supports)

G4 S3600 // One hour pausing; defined in seconds

Other solutions may include the adaption of the OctoPrint controls menu structure or use of the REST API of OctoPrint. These options are more difficult to implement.


Density of GEL-LAY and LAYWOO 3D print material? I'm looking for the specific density of the GEL-LAY and LAYWOO 3D materials by manufacturer CC Products.

It isn't noted on their website or on the spool or the box the spools came in. I've looked for hours on Google and various websites, from resellers to people who tested it, without being able to find it.

I can't provide the end answer, but if you already have the material, you should be able to measure this yourself quite simply.

Measure and cut a sample of filament, and weigh it. For example, a 10 meter length with a 1.75 mm diameter will have a volume of:

  v = pi * r2 * l

  v = pi * (0.175 cm/2)2 * 1000 cm

  v = 24.05 cm3

Density is mass divided by volume. If your sample weighs 18 g, this would be

  d = m / v

  d = 18.0 g / 24.05 cm3

  d = 0.748 g/cm3

Note that the accuracy of this measurement will depend on the accuracy and precision of your measurements. A household kitchen scale might not be good enough for such small weights. In order to get a good weight measurement, you may need to use a much longer (and heavier) sample of filament.


PLA coating for water irrigation 3D printed parts I was considering printing some pieces for my irrigation system, like tube connectors and such. I am aware that PLA is hydrophilic so I was wondering with what kind of product I could coat the pieces, non-toxicity is a requirement because it will water edible greens.

So, what kind of non-toxic product can I use to coat PLA to make it hydrophobic?

Before worrying too much about the hydrophilic properties of PLA, it might be worthwhile to test a fitting.

First, print a fitting and see that the freshly made print is strong enough to carry the pressure of the water, and the compression force of hose clamp you may need to connect the stiff irrigation hose to the printed fitting.

Second, soak the printed fitting in water for month or two, perhaps at an elevated temperature to match the higher ground temperature in the summer.  You could put the part in a closed mason jar and leave it in the sun.  You might add a little salt and fertilizer to the water to simulate ground conditions.

After this aging process, you could test to see if it withstands the pressure of the domestic water system.

You might also measure the ground temperatures where you intend to use the fittings.  I find that PLA has no structural strength above about 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Centigrade), and the inability to resist slow plastic may start at an even lower temperature.  [For example, I print structural PLA parts with negative clearances and then dip them in 160 degree F water to soften them.]

If the printed fittings are strong enough but suffer from water absorption, I would either print them of ABS or coat them with an ABS coating.  To make the coating, dissolve ABS in acetone until it is the consistency of thick cream, dip your fitting in the mixture, and allow them to dry.  It will take longer than you think it should to dry, and the solution will take more ABS plastic than you might expect.

ABS is not generally considered to be "food safe", but this isn't a potable water system.  The FDA lists ABS as conditionally food safe, and I would be comfortable using it to irrigate my lawn and vegetables.


Smallest dot/dot indent for Prusa MK3S using PLA I want to make a project involving many small dots indents and I would like to know how I can calculate the smallest dot hole the Prusa i3 MK3S can extrude around on a layer using PLA. In other words, if I printer a mesh with circle shaped holes, how would I know the minimum diameter of the holes. Is it simply the same as the layer resolution (0.35 mm), filament size (1.75 mm), or is it something else?

There is no direct limit on the size of a hole in XY-plane (that means: oriented so that the hole is visible from above).

The movement accuracy of MK3S (and most other modern 3D printers) is about 0.01 mm. So theoretically you could move around a circle that has diameter of the (default) 0.4 mm extrusion width + 0.01 mm, and get a 0.01 mm hole in the middle of the circle.

In practice, the hole size will be limited by the repeatability of the extrusion width. If in the above example the extrusion width happens to be 0.41 mm instead, there would be no hole remaining.

On a well calibrated printer, 1/4th of the nozzle size should be manageable, i.e. for MK3S you should be able to get 0.1 mm holes quite reliably.


PID Autotuning not working – large initial overshoot, no oscillations Using the following code to autotune the PID:

M303 E0 S200 C10

Which is setting my tuning temperature to 200 °C using 10 cycles (though this is irrelevant in this scenario).

The temperature overshoots to 250 °C then decreases until room temperature.

The following error is returned:

PID Autotune failed! Temperature too high

As a test I reset all PID values to zero.

M301 P00.00 I00.00 D00.00

M500

Then set the printer to reach 200 °C

M104 S200

This produced the following graph, where oscillations can be seen.

I could attempt to manual tune the PID from here but I'd rather use the autotune command if possible. Any ideas how to fix this?

I recently experienced exactly the same problem. For me it was related to an incorrect heater cartridge. I accidentally used a 12 V cartridge in a 24 V powered system.

The heater element got accidentally mixed up between the higher voltage parts container and I forgot to check the resistance. Inserting the correct voltage heater immediately fixed the problem, but it did require a retune of the hotend.


Are there any services that offer 3D scanning? So, have a plastic car part I want to duplicate because the driver side part is broken (I have the passenger side part) and It isn't sold anymore. It's a small piece that would be an excellent candidate for a 3D printed replacement. I know there are companies I can send a 3D model to that will happily print it for me, but I also need to create a 3D model from the part. Is there a company or service that I could mail the part to that would return it along with a 3D model of it?

The right Google (or other) search should do the trick. I've provided 3D Printing services via 3D Hubs and MakeXYZ and some people do provide 3D scanning services. If you can't find 3D Scanning, you could try talking to a local machine shop. They might have the tools to be able to reverse-engineer the object, or know another place that can.


How to create an accurate mask for a UV 3D resin DLP printer The light of the build area of a DLP UV printer isn't evenly spread. The source of light is a 9 LED UV array. The light mainly falls of to the sides. This results in objects curing too much in the center, or not enough on the outer sides of the build area. One can compensate for this, making the LCD build area have a homogeneous intensity of light, using a mask. But it needs to be specifically created for each physically unique printer. Having a homogeneous illuminated build area results in better quality prints.

How can I create such an mask accurately for a UV 3D resin printer that uses DLP technique, like for example for a Wanhao Duplicator D7?

I've created software to do just that. See the project on Github: CreateMask. It has a wiki page that explains what to do.

To summarize: you measure the LCD build area using a multi-meter and a light dependent resistor. You do this with low and high intensity masks. You feed the numbers in CSV files to the software, and the software will generate a mask for you by polynomial curve fitting. See this page that explains in detail how the mask is created, if you are interested.

You can download a release here.


Weird lines and smaller height I finished my first print and it came out like this

I calibrated all my axis steps and manual movement gives perfect numbers.

I am printing with these slicer settings:

I don't even know where is the problem to begin searching for a solution. It's my very first print after a couple fails and a lot of calibration to Z axis and bed leveling.

Update the printer without the heatbed as it's an older picture:

The Z axis moves on 2 lead screws and 2 rods with bearings all of which attached to the plate.

I'd say that your axis aren't square, aren't tightened enough and you seem to have overextrusion as well. That would explain why all your layers are wobbly and not neatly stacked on top of each other, why your cube is far being being a cube (the picture of the X face shows it clearly) and the quality of surface finish on the top.

I do not know what kind of printer you are using, but I would advise you to check that the X and Y axis are correctly calibrated and that they're perfectly square, which would ensure that each layer is correctly stacked on top of the previous one to produce a nice cube. And make sure to tighten the axles to avoid the noise in the print due to the vibration produced by the printing.

As for the overextrusion, you'll need to make more test with your printer and the material you're using, changing temperature, and print speed until you find the right combination that will extrude just enough material through your nozzle.


Design connection to motor shaft for printed gear I am currently trying to print a gear with the possibility to connect it to the shaft of a DC motor. The following picture best describes what the shaft of the motor looks like by showing the hole printed in the gear:

So far this works well for a short amount of time, however since the gear is connected to another gear that is from time to time exerting quite some resistance already after a few revolutions the shaft starts to wear out the material that is holding it and it turns without powering the gear, i.e. the printed part is not strong enough to withstand the torque of the motor.
I am wondering what the best way forward would be here. I see multiple options:

Design a different connection to the shaft, however I don't know of any
Switch to a different material, I am currently using PLA, but I could also go for ABS or PETG if any of them would provide advantages. For PLA vs ABS I found some conflicting information which one is "harder"
Play with the parameters of the print. At the moment I am only using 3 wall layers, I wonder if increasing the number of wall layers would improve rigidity.

Are there other ideas? What could you recommend me to improve this connection?

Design a different connection to the shaft, however I don't know of any

Use a shaft/flange coupler to be fastened to your shaft and to your printed part.

Without knowing the length of the shaft, you could connect a flange/coupler to design this into your gear. This is a good solution if you have to transmit larger torques. See e.g. this pulley that incorporates that concept.
Shaft flange couplers can be connected to your printed part and to the flat part of the shaft.
Metal flange couplers are available in many sizes:

A recess in the printed part houses the flange:

When assembled you can mount the pulley/gear onto the shaft, provided you have enough length on the shaft.


How can I make this model? Here's the model I'm trying to print, Truncated Icosahedron

But it must be 12" in diameter and gray in color rgb = #444444
I also want two of the hexagons to be yellow in color: rgb = #FFFF00
Similar to this photo:

How to do this? I don't seem to be able to edit the shape on shapeways.

UPDATE
Got it.
skeleton bucky ball

Without any restrictions to your methodology, your objective is easily accomplished. Thingiverse has a truncated icosahedron model available for download and printing.

Because the creator has included in the download the OpenSCAD source files, you could edit it to meet your bed limitations. I've downloaded the source, opened it and found the model is a single hexagon, until you change a parameter from 6 to 5 to get a pentagon. I suspect the assembly is up to the builder to figure out.

It appears that the default is for a 50 mm diameter sphere. Change the 50 in the code to 300 or so to reach your 12" desired diameter.

An alternative to friction welding would be just about any decent epoxy or even a 3D printing pen such as the 3Doodler.


What is cause of blob when layer area reduces by 50%? This is printing PETG extruding at 250 °C, 1st layer bed at 80 °C then 60 °C on other layers.  Nozzle is 0.4 mm; printer is German Reprap X400.  The all metal extruder is clean with no oozing.  The print gets a blob when the wall width changes from 2 mm to 1 mm.  The extruder squishes the blob out the sides of the wall with subsequent layers.  Images below show both sides of wall.  I'm looking for the cause to come up with a fix.  I consistently get the same results in the same location when printing this file.  The reduced area of the layer does cause reduced speed to increase the print time for the layer (speed reduced when layer would print in less than 30 seconds; minimum speed 15 mm/s).
When I printed two, there was only one blob on one of two.  Below shows the speed settings.  The perimeters are three vertical shells, so the walls are all perimeters.  My understanding of the setting is the 2 mm wall printed at 20 mm/s and the 1 mm wall at 15 mm/s.
Printing similarly with 2 mm walls only and the same settings, the print is nearly perfect with only a few stringers.  Printing with only 1 mm walls does not have the blob, but does have stringers.
See solution at the end.

Solution:
Speeding up the print speeds and using thicker walls not only eliminated the blogs, but also completely eliminated stringers, and gave a near perfect print.  Apparently, the actual temperature that PETG extrudes is highly dependent on how fast it extrudes.  Printing too fast clogs the nozzle because the filament doesn't have time to melt.  Printing too slow causes the hotend to stop extruding from heat creep.  Here, the actual temperature of the extruded PETG was decreased by speeding up the extrusion.
s://i.stack.imgur.com/Uhv61.png

Try lowering your extruder flow rate and maybe temperature as well.
I had this problem once and I thought it was just a bit of gunk that had been hanging onto the outside of the extruder. That is usually not the case and instead it is probably build-up from over-pressure inside the nozzle.
Also note that 250 °C will start degrading your PTFE tube unless you have an all-metal extruder. Lowering temperature can also reduce the stringing visible in the picture, however to fully, get rid of stringing, you may have to adjust your retraction and acceleration.


Steel versus MDF/Aluminium Y axis plate? I have purchased a P3Steel v.4 kit that, rather unfortunately, comes with a steel Y plate.

I understand that there may be interia, as well as stepper motor wear, issues related to the weight of the steel plate. Therefore I would like to substitute the steel plate for another material. I had considered aluminium, as recommended by the RepRap wiki - P3Steel/Frame Versions/ Version  4.0 :

We recomended use aluminum beds for y axis.

However, it was suggested, by a vendor, that I use laser cut 6 mm thick MDF, principally for reasons of economics and availablity, over aluminium.
I have subsequently found a supplier of 3 mm thick aluminium 200 mm x 300 mm Y axis plates, so availability is no longer an issue, and the slightly higher cost is not really an issue for me. However, I was wondering whether there would be significantly less interia if using an MDF Y axis plate, than with an aluminium plate.
I assume that the masses/densities of aluminium and MDF are comparable, and a magnitude less than that of steel.
I have found the densities of aluminium and steel:

Aluminium 2.7x103 kg/m3 (167 lb/ft3)
Steel 7.82x103 kg/m3    (488 lb/ft3)

[Source: Densities of Solids - Engineering ToolBox]
The density of MDF is given as 700–720 kg/m3 (43.7-44.95 lb/ft3), which is a magnitude less than that of aluminium.
[Source: Medium-density fibreboard]
There is the issue that MDF can eventually warp, whereas aluminium supposedly does not, although the OP of Wanhao duplicator i3 print bed support warped shows that warpage is possible with aluminium plate - see Is the weather a problem for MDF frames? and Would a steel, instead of an aluminium, plate be reasonable?1.

TL;DR
Considering the benefits of weight/inertia, stiffness and lack of deformation/warping:

Is the difference in density between steel versus aluminium and/or MDF, make it worth switching from steel to aluminium or MDF?
Is the additional weight loss of MDF over aluminium worth the risk of deformation of the MDF due to humidity/temperature?

Notes
1 I found this question after having written up my question, so I admit that there is a risk of duplicity of the answers. However, I am concentrating more of the comparison of aluminium and MDF in this post, rather than just steel versus aluminium. Also, my question deals with the Y axis heatbed support, rather than the heatbed itself.

I have not used MDF for building a printer before; but, I have used it for other projects.  It has the advantage of being very flat (initially); but, it has a LOT of issues with moisture.  It is basically just a compressed slurry or water-based glue and sawdust.  If you expose it to humidity or water it will swell like a sponge.  I would not consider it for anything that requires a dimensional stability.  For that, Aluminum is your better bet.

Regarding the material properties of AL vs MDF, here is a good comparison:

Note that while MDF has about 1/4 the density of AL, it has a MUCH lower Elastic Modulus (1/17 of AL) For the same thickness, it MDF is MUCH easier to bend than AL.  Also note the strength to weight ratio of AL is also better.

Even at twice the thickness, my calculations indicate that, for the same load, 6mm MDF would deflect about twice as far as 3mm AL. Also when AL exists its elastic region it becomes plastic (bends) where MDF breaks.

Another aspect to consider is flammability.  There a lot of heat sources around an FDM printer and if you are planning on a heated bed, there is one right there under the bed.  Where MDF is hard to ignite, it is flammable and does not respond to heat well.  On the other hand, AL can handle temperatures over 1000 degC and is a great thermal conductor for a bed heater.

I would definitely choose AL over MDF for you printer bed.

Another option to consider it is using a bare PCB (like FR4).  The material is really strong (it is fiberglass), is relatively inexpensive, and is fire resistant (hence the"FR" in the name).  Some commercial printers use FR4 for their print bed.  One disadvantage is that is can sometimes develop a curl and there is really no way to get it flat again.


TPU Filament in Dremel 3D20? I recently got a Dremel 3D20, and I understand it only takes PLA filament according to the Dremel site.  However, I was wondering if anyone has successfully used TPU filament or knows it will work fine.  I’m more than happy to use other software to change the temperature, I just don’t want to gunk up or otherwise ruin my printer.

TPU wants in general two things of your printer:

A Printing Temperature of (over many makers) 195-230 °C
A Direct Drive (extruder on the printhead)

  Bowden extruders are not ideal for printing flexible filaments such as NinjaFlex due to the excessive
  distance between the stepper motor and the extruder head. However, some users have generated
  successful prints using reduced speeds.ninjaflex handout

Check the temperature you can reach, and you are lucky, as some of the smaller Dremels use Bowden but the 3d20 is apparently direct drive.

If you want to try to run a Bowden with flexible filaments, dial down speed down really low (20-30 mm/s at most) and pray.


What do you recommend for removing prints from Monoprice Maker Select bed? I've been making some ABS prints, but it's really hard to remove it afterwards.
I've read a lot of different ways of removing it, including using the included chisel/spatula, using air duster, 50/50 alcohol/water, reheating the bed...

I've also read about using a flexible bed that can flex it out. I'm eager to try this approach but don't know what magnetic bed I should get that's compatible with it.

But if you have other tricks for it, please let me know. Thanks!

When all other things have failed, I chuck the build plate in the freezer for half an hour.

The glassplate and the plastic changes size differently when changing temperature and 'pop' it just snaps off easily.


What parameters affect cylinder regularity? I'm printing cylindrical pins for a spool holder, but all my pins have irregularities on the external surface of the cylinders (see photo for partially printed pin with irregularities).

It's hard to tell for sure, but it appears that the hot end will occasionally move a piece of soft plastic it previously laid down.

I've tried decreasing print speed, travel speed, and layer height but I still get the irregularities.

What parameters are most likely to effect cylinder regularity?

This is probably a result of bad quality filament. If you haven't changed much in your setups, haven't changed slicers, but may have changed spools, then this might be the result. I would try using another spool and perhaps switch suppliers. I know it's expensive and there seems to be a stigma around it, but MakerBot Industries provides quality PLA (some ABS also).

Other than that, you've done some of what I would suggest in this case which are the following:

Speeds
Layer height

My only other suggestions would be:

Check how level your build plate is
Check material requirements. ie ABS is ideal between 230-240C according to MSDS with about 110C build plate temp, PLA between 210-230C. Sometimes too hot of a hotend can result in overextrusion or ooze.
If the cylinder is smaller, try changing your slicing settings to have a time minimum for each layer. In my experience, a material like ABS will begin to flare out with variations in the print environment. When the material flares out, as the nozzle comes across the area again, the flared areas will be pushed aside. If you adjust your slicing settings to about 15 seconds (refer to this calculator), then the material will have time to cool slightly from its plastic state. You can cheat this slightly by adding another object somewhere further on the plate with the same height, since the time it takes to rapid to the area and print the layer might be enough time for cooling.

I would also recommend doing some in depth maintenance to eliminate in obvious problems (such as cleaning your nozzle, rods, belts, etc.)


Printing copyrighted objects as a print shop for a customer If a person is running a print shop where there are given STL files by customers, and they print the part for them, does the legality of the printed object matter?  The customer would be supplying the file so the print shop would not know if it was legally obtained (or even what the object is).  Could the print shop get in trouble with the law for this?

There are two aspects to this question that probably should be addressed separately.  This is not legal advice and I'm not a lawyer, so consult with an experienced IP attorney.

Copyright law may apply, and other IP laws, such as patents and trademarks, may apply.  They each have different requirements and restrictions.

Notably, IP law varies from country to country.  WIPO has made significant inroads into regularizing IP law across many countries, but this answer will still focus on a US-centric reading of US IP law.

Copyright law

It's already established that printed works, such as photographs, texts, and similar works will result in prosecution against the person and the company that the person outsourced the copying of the copyrighted work to.  Attempt to copy a book or copyrighted photo at a paper copy shop and they will typically refuse to reduce their liability.

Even if you show that you have rights to the work, through educational use laws, for instance, they may still refuse because they may be putting themselves in danger of a lawsuit by a particularly aggressive copyright holder.

This applies to 3D printing shops in a similar manner.  If you don't know the source of the 3D model, and that the person has a right to the model, you may find yourself liable for copyright infringement.  Even if you are sure, a lawsuit can financially ruin your business if it comes from a large corporation.

Patents

Patents apply even if you were unaware of them.  So any model you print that contains patented techniques, technology, or concepts may also pull you, as the print shop, into a lawsuit for patent infringement.

Reducing liability

A suitable contract with the person requesting the 3D print, as written by an IP lawyer, may reduce, but not eliminate, your liability. It won't completely absolve you of all responsibility, but may reduce your exposure to such lawsuits, and give you some leverage in court should someone prosecute you.


What are the parts that make up a hotend, and what do they do? My first and only 3D printer is a Printrbot Simple Metal, which has a hotend that doesn't expose any of its internal parts. Easy for beginners, I suppose: "The hotend is that tube that heats up the plastic and deposits it on the print bed."

But I've been trying to learn more, and many hotends out there don't look quite as simple. My Printrbot hotend probably isn't as simple as it looks, either.

What are the parts that make up a hotend, and what do they do?

(PS: This is a general question, not specifically about the two example hotends above.)

This varies by hotend design. The following is a list of components which you might find in a typical hotend, but note that different designs may integrate these components to some extent. For instance, on the J-head the heat block, nozzle and heatbreak are all one and the same component whereas on the E3D hotends these are all separate parts.

Nozzle: This is the part where the filament comes out. It takes in the molten filament (typically as a bead of 1.75mm/3mm) and tapers down to the nozzle size (typically around 0.4mm). These are typically made of brass for its good heat conductivity, but brass is not suitable for printing abrasive materials (such as glow in the dark and metal-filled filaments) so sometimes (hardened) stainless steel is used.
Heater Block: Usually made from aluminium, the heater block joins the nozzle to the heat break and holds the heater cartridge and thermistor.
Heater Cartridge: most hotends use a ceramic heater cartridge, though some older designs use power resistors or nichrome wire. This component is, as the name suggests, responsible for heating up the hotend. The heat block usually clamps around the heater cartridge to provide good contact.
Thermistor: This part senses the temperature of the heat block. It is usually a small glass bead with two wires attached (which are typically insulated with glass fiber or teflon). For high-temperature printing, a thermocouple may be used in stead.
Heat Break: this is the part where hot meets cold. It usually takes the form of a thin tube and is made of stainless steel for its low thermal conductivity. The goal is generally to have the transition be as short as possible so as little of the filament is in a molten state as possible. It connects the heat block to the heat sink.
Heat Sink: the purpose of the heat sink is to cool down the cold side of the heat break. It is typically cooled with a fan. Most heat sinks also have a standard groove-mount for mounting to your printer. The heat sink usually has grooves to increase its surface area and cooling capability.
Teflon Liner: some hotends have a PTFE liner that guides the filament through the heat break into the nozzle. This makes it easier to print PLA, but compared to an all-metal hotend, limits the temperatures at which you can print (making it difficult to print PETG and impossible to print polycarbonate).

The ubis hotend you mentioned is a bit simpler than this, and simply uses a big chunk of PEEK in place of the heat break/sink. PEEK has very low thermal conductivity and thus passive cooling is sufficient. However, PEEK limits the temperatures at which you can print.

Here is an illustration outlining these components on an E3D V6 hotend:

Note that in this image the Teflon liner only goes into the heat sink, and not into the heat break or block. This means the maximum temperature is not limited by the Teflon, but if it did go all the way in (as is the case with, for instance, the Lite6) then it would be.


Improving print speed by adding holes Let's say, I want to print a box for putting game tokens in.
It is an empty cube, but the top layer is missing.
I do not need full walls. It could have holes in it resulting in a mesh structured wall, like a fence or a shopping cart.
What pattern should I use for the best object stability and print speed?
What programs can I use to design this? (I do not want to manually add 100 holes in my design).

Holes in vertical walls will make it take significantly more time to print, not less. Rather than being able to make a continuous path around the box on each layer, keeping the print head at the desired speed the whole time, the printer will have to run around each connected component of the layer separately, slowing down, retracting, speeding up to travel, slowing down at the destination, unretracting, and speeding back up each time.


What causes leaking between the heat break and the heat block? During long prints, my heat block becomes covered in whatever material I am printing. The plastic leaks from the junction between the heat break and the heat block, and runs down towards the nozzle.

I frequently have problems with grinding of filament by the Bowden extruder. However, on the E3D Kraken with a Volcano block, if I use water cooling and a fan positioned just above the heat block, there is no grinding, and everything comes out fine. But the heat block grows a beard of plastic regardless if there is a fan over the heat break or not.

I check my prints once every 2 hours and can wipe the heat block beard, but for overnight prints this isn't possible, so sometimes my prints will have random blobs from when the plastic leaks onto the print.

I have tried multiple nozzles and filaments! I print at only 60 mm/s. Does the volcano block need faster print speeds to prevent this from happening?

I cant really figure out the root of the issue. If the rest of the print comes out fine, then why is there an issue?

A video I recently viewed (YouTube link) regarding installing a hot end assembly references the proper sequence of parts placement. Starting with the nozzle, thread it into the heater block until it is proud of the surface by a half of a millimeter, perhaps slightly more. The heat break is then threaded into the heater block until it contacts the nozzle. If not already in place, attach the heat sink.

The next step is to bring the assembly up to maximum temperature and re-tighten the nozzle assembly, obviously using great care due to the high temp.

The video specified that performing this sequence incorrectly would result in leakage from the assembly, which describes your troubles.


Running costs of 3D printing In the year that I have had my Flashforge Adventurer 3 I have just had a second extruder head break.  The replacement cost (in AUD) is 135.00.
But, I'll also need a new nozzle and a replacement ribbon cable for the extruder head.  That will add another $40.00.

Apart from filament costs, that brings the cost of "consumables" for my printer in the last year close to $350.00

I'm beginning to think this makes the running costs for my 3D printing very high, but I have nothing to compare this with.

Does anyone care to share what it costs them to keep a 3D printer operational per year?  Do my costs seem high?

I have a Prusa I3M3+MMU2, which I have had for a year.

During the first year, the display failed under warranty and replaced for free.  The power supply also failed, and although Prusa replaced it, I was in a hurry and bought another supply to use as a backup for about \$60.00.

I have used two rolls of paper towels, a bottle of acetone, and a quart of isopropanol, for maybe \$5.00.

I have bought a spare thermister for about \$10.00, but haven't installed it yet.

I bought a couple of new nozzles for specialized materials for \$35.00, but the nozzle I got with the machine isn't worn.

I bought the textured build plate (when it was finally available) for about $30.00.

So, my running cost, exclusive of electricity, is about \$140.00, including buying accessories which haven't been consumed.

I have also bought way too much filament, which you aren't counting.  Filament cost has dwarfed my other expenses.


Has anyone encountered this type of strange print patterns? I am noticing strange print patterns ever since I upgraded to the Prusa multi material print head.  The patterns are consistent printing upwards but inconsistent amongst each face.

I am using original Prusa PLA filament, and have tried to different extruder temperature settings (200C, 205C, 210C, and 215C) but they all have similar patterns.  A different color and roll of Prusa filament is doing the same thing.

Any ideas or suggestions as to what to check next?  Thanks for any input!

It is always very difficult to debug a printer remotely, but here's my best shot.  I may be totally wrong though!

Zooming-in your picture seems to show like little bumps (inwards or outwards) that offset the extrusion in the XY plane.

The fact the bumps occur on both the X and Y axis, and both inwards and outwards, and that the patterns are not fully regular make me think the problem could be as simple as the new printing head having some play, and some combination of forces waking bumping it momentarily off its intended position.

  Any ideas or suggestions as to what to check next?

Check for play.

Play which is due to a static feature (like a loose bolt, a clamp not holding firmly enugh or a cracked heat break) can be usually be detected with the printer switched off, by holding the nozzle between your fingers and shacking it gently.

Play that is dynamic in nature (for example a roller with an irregular diameter or screwed parts becoming loose only when hot) can be more tricky to detect.  The procedure is the same, but tou may have to heat the extruder (and use gloves, doh!) or to repeat it at different positions on the X and Y axis.


PTFE pulled into extruder gears I have a Tevo Tarantula, the problem is that PTFE is getting pulled back to the extruder gears and stopping filament extrusion, do you know how to solve this?

Image:

One hypothesis I have is that there is a cooling problem in the hot end while a retraction is made, causing the extruder motor to pull the PTFE in it.

Suggestions appreciated!

You are probably right, I have a Tarantula as well, and this happened many times to me. The reason is mostly because the hotend fan gets too hot, stops working, then, the filament in the aluminium heat sink melts and sticks the filament inside the PTFE tube. Then, on the retraction, the PTFE is pulled into the gears just like on your picture. Also, the filament stops getting extruded a few moments later.

One solution for that was to buy a new PTFE tube with a pneumatic connector that doesn't allow it to slide into the gears. However, the diameter of the screw thread (of the one that I bought) was too large, so I had to design a new static block for the extruder to fit it.

I chose this type of 1mm PTFE teflon tubing from aliexpress for my replacement.

Maybe you can find a pneumatic connector with the proper diameter.

However the real solution is to check why the heat sink is getting too hot. I bought a few other fans and printed an additional support for them on the hotend and I am making sure the fan stays on all the time.

I hope it helps!


Is this what a 0.1 layer height should look like? I've done 0.1 before and I think I've gotten better and more smooth results than this:

I think that my printer is having some sort of problem, or the print bed it too low because this was printed at a 0.1 layer height. I think the print should look a lot more smooth than that. I'm using the Monoprice Select Mini.

This may be an effect of the not using a "Magic Number" for your layer height. The Monoprice Select Mini has a z-resolution of 0.04375mm, so layer heights should be multiples of that. (See What are the “magic numbers” on a Monoprice Select Mini?)

If you slice with a layer height of 0.1mm, each layer will be a little smaller (0.0875mm) or bigger (0.13125mm) to get close the the ideal height. The extrusion won't change, causing some layers to be thin and overextruded and others to be thick and underextruded.


Vertical lines with no layer adhesion I have an Ender 3 Pro which I use together with Cura 4.2.1 (and Octoprint). I print in PLA at 180°C. The print bed is set to 70°C. The Bed temperature is lower though, since I use a glas bed on top of the heated bed. I use a print cooling fan at 100%. The layer height is set to 0.2 mm, the line width 0.4mm from the 0.4mm nozzle. My retraction is 5mm at 50mm/s.

Prints come out with heavy vertical lines and no layer adhesion at these lines. I can easily break the print apart. In other spots the print is fine. Any ideas on what could cause this problem?

The Ender-3 has a problem that stems from the way the X-axis is mounted and which can often be a source for "jumping" in the  Z area. Seeing the upper photo, you can see that the bad printing seems to be on one side more than the other, leading me to believe this might be the reason:

Check if the X gantry is orthogonal to the frame on both sides and make sure the eccentric nuts are not too tight so that the wheels roll easily on it, but not spin freely.

A little drop of oil on the Z-rod might also help to remove any binding, making sure that it moves smoothly.

If your layers are bad repeatedly, it also might be a problem with the extruder. Check if the extruder arm is all intact. When I had such an issue that was recurring every 10 layers, I found the lever arm holding the wheel on it broken and occasionally loosing contact. If it is broken, I suggest swapping the extruder assembly for a metallic one.


Smaller outer layer height? I am printing minis and other very detailes stuff and I find that 0.04 mm layer height gives the best looking (smoothest) result. However it takes a long time, so I am looking for ways to speed it up. Is there any slicer which offers different layer heights for the outer perimiter? So you can print your model at 0.12 mm or so, but the outer layer gets printer first 3 times at 0.04 mm?

In Ultimaker Cura, unless you print a single perimeter outline and add extra wall infill support you are not going to have different outer perimeter layer heights.

However, Cura is able to reduce the printing time, E.g. you can have fine layers for the wall (all perimeters), and coarse layers for the infill. The option is called "Infill Layer Thickness":

  Infill layer thickness

  Since the layer height of the infill is not important for visual quality, you can use thicker layers on the infill to reduce the print time. When adjusting this setting, always make sure that it is a multiple of the layer height, otherwise Ultimaker Cura will round it up to a multiple of the layer height. This means that you can, for example, print with an infill thickness of 0.2 mm while the layer height is 0.1 mm. The printer will first print the walls for two layers, and then it will print one thicker infill layer.

Note that this is not a standard option, you need to put Cura in the "Custom" mode and filter/search for the option using the search bar. Below you'll find the upper right corner of the Cura Graphical User Interface where I searched for the option:

Note that there are 2 options, one for regular infill of your product and one for infill of the support structures.

An other department at work is working together with a start-up university company to 3D print PEEK molds (from pellets) using 2 nozzles/extruders (to create resin injection parts), one has a large nozzle, the other has a fine nozzle. They use their own developed slicer software to use the fine nozzle for the outer contours and the coarse nozzle for infill and support. It could be that they developed this because it was not available in commercial slicers. For the 2 most common free slicers, Cura and Slic3r, there is no option to have just the outer perimeter of different height than the inner perimeters. If you think of it, it is also pretty difficult to execute, you either get:

(which does not improve the quality of the product, it will make the outside more coarse) or you'll get gaps:

Note that both upper images do not include infill, only 1 outer and 3 inner perimeters. The image below is probably what is possible with Cura, so all perimeters the same; green is infill now:


What is this weird support line doing in this print? I am a newbie to 3D printing and ran into a weird infill line on my second 3D printing object on a new Qidi X-Pro machine (which works great). I've included a screenshot of the infill line, which is deliberately printed the full height of the object. I'm thinking this line has been deliberately inserted by the Qidi slicer for some reason, but I have no idea why. Do all slicers generate these kinds of lines? If so, why?

I do not know the Qidi slicer, but if you look closely, you will see this line is thinner than the normal support infill lines. You could try to visualize the G-code in a viewer, usually this can be done in the slicer itself, but online viewers are available. The viewer will not only show the printed lines, but also show moves by the print head (usually in a different color). You can check whether this extra line is actually printed or a move. If it is a move, this extra line is caused by your hotend which is leaking when it moves. You need to properly tune the hotend with respect to the retraction settings and temperature. There are numerous retraction test print objects to find on the internet.

Depending on your slicer settings, some slicers are able to define where each layer starts printing (e.g. random, or start at sharp corner). The fact you see a support structure "printed the full height of the object" tells you that each layer starts at the same position. It is not uncommon in uniform simple parts where each layer starts at the same position (X/Y) as this is instructed by the slicer setting. In Ultimaker Cura such an option is called Z Seam Alignment.

Bottom line, all slicers will do this when your printer is improperly tuned (incorrect settings for e.g. print temperature, retraction, coasting, travel speed). It is up to you to find the correct settings, test print objects help you with that.


Stepper motor moving only to one side after reset I come through this post, rescue a problem with my printer. It uses Arduino 2560 Mega, RAMPS 1.4, and Marlin 1.1.9, which had configured it left it working as follows: on the RAMPS the Y-axis is connected to the Z-axis pins, as it has two stepper motors on the Y-axis and the Z-axis is connected to the pins of E1.
I did all the basic and necessary configurations in the firmware and sent it to the Arduino, eliminating the previous configuration, so that I can configure the steps of the motor correctly, as they were out of calibration. Before the reset, the motors moved to both sides, positive and negative. However, when I sent the firmware to the Arduino, I can only rotate the motors on all axes only to one side.
On the printer display, I go to the option to move the axis, rotate it 10 mm and the axis moves. However when I move it backwards, it does not come back, it is stopped. This happens with all the axes after I did the reset. Is there any way to configure the rotation of the motors by the firmware in relation to pins A1, A2, B1, and B2 in the same way that the axis change on the RAMPS was configured?
I apologize for the mistakes, I speak Portuguese and I used a translator.

I executed the command M119 on the console of the Marlin IDE and the printer did nothing, it is correctly connected to the PC via the USB cable
this appeared on the console screen:
x_min: TRIGGERED
y_min: TRIGGERED
z_min: open
ok

Assuming that your M119 command has been executed for non-depressed endstop switches, it could be concluded tht the firmware is incorrectly configured.

If you execute the M119 G-code command and get TRIGGERED status values for endstops, even when the nozzle head is not pressing the endstop switches, then you have incorrectly configured the endstops in the Marlin configuration.h file.
The most common setup is to have the COM go to ground and NC to Signal, this requires the following values to be false, otherwise you need to use true.
#define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true// Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true// Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.

When an endstop is reported to be triggered while the switch is not depressed, the logic needs to be reversed. Marlin firmware will only allow movement to go away from the endstop when it is triggered, never against a triggered endstop (as this might damage the printer).


Anet A6 install bed leveling sensor After lots of hassle, I finally made the printer work.

I also got myself one bed leveling sensor from eBay, LJ18A3-8-Z/BX 3D Printer Inductive Sensor Bed Auto Level +Plug For Anet A8 A2 A6.

I'm not sure how to setup it. Should I print some holders for it first? Where are they?

Should I somehow update the firmware?

You need to do two or three things:

Print a holder or bracket for the probe, if your probe did not come with one, and looking at the eBay item listing, it doesn't appear to include a bracket. There are a number of designs out there, take a look at thingiverse, for example:

Installing the BLtouch on Anet A6 - This one includes a PDF guide.
Anet A6 Autolevel Sensor Support 18mm

Change the firmware - SkyNet 3D, Marlin is a good choice, or Anet's own
You may need to change the Z-stops

There is a step by step guide here, Autolevel for the A8 Anet 3D Printer. It is for the A8 but most, if not all, of the steps will apply to the A6


Acetone making white stains on heat bed I recently tried cleaning my CR-10S Pro heat bed with acetone and it made this white stain on it.
Anyone have any solutions to this?

Acetone is quite an aggressive solvent, so white residue could be part of your heatbed print surface that is dissolved, and then when the acetone evaporates the dissolved part crystalise on the heatbed again.
Acetone should only be used on PEI sparingly, not at all on powder coated surfaces. Use IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) to clean of residue between prints. If you have problems with adhesion, you can also start by washing the build plate or surface with water and dish soap (with no other additives). The surfactant in the soap traps oils and other impurities and flush them away, instead of dissolving them temporarily and then depositing it on the build surface again when the solvent evaporates.
Like mentioned in other comments, use IPA or water/dish soap to clean off any residue.


Monoprice Select Mini - Detached Filament Feeder fitting The $200 Monoprice Select is inexpensive but also cheap, so experiences I've seen appear to involve lots of repairs.  In spite of that, I've bought one, as I'm able to fix things (sometimes) and the first few prints have been pretty good quality.  ( I hear this unit is also sold as a Wanhao I3 )

First repair was that the control knob only worked in one direction (fix: bad encoder-PCB connector cable. Repaired)

Upon trying to change filament, the feeder fitting that enters the hot-end heatsink has come off. This fitting has a thread, but strangely the heatsink does not seem to.  As I tried to unscrew it, to check for a feed blockage, it just let go, and I see no part that could have held it in place.   (See pic)

I'm guessing that it was just epoxy-glued to the heatsink. Sounds kludgy but possible.  Does anyone know?

Can any other owner verify how theirs is attached?

[ Also, posted as a caution for someone else who tries to do this. :(  ]

Thanks in advance.

Solution - there is a set-screw and a square nut in that T-slot which holds the feeder fitting in place on the heat sink.

One may well think (as I did) that the fitting is threaded into the heatsink, since it does have a big hex-head for a wrench. A small turn an the set screw lets go, the nut sliding down the slot with it. Thus when you inspect it, you don't realize they are involved 'cuz they aren't around.

Simply slide back up and you're in business.

Mystery solved - thx to Mark on Twitter. :)


How to enlarge a Sketchup Model I have moved forward with the whole .max thing. Its on the back burner. But not as critical now. I have found a sketchup model of the model I want. But it is ridiculously small (0.17 m long by 0.10 m wide!). How do I enlarge it to fit my dimensions as a whole?

Thanks


Do SLA printers have open source slicers available to use? Does anyone know of a (manufacturer independent) software that supports different types of SLA printers?
Since there are many different SLA type printers around, I was wondering if there are any unified or open source methods for slicing in case the manufacturer drops support for the printer software (or my OS upgrades on me overnight and breaks compatability).

From what I have researched, each brand of printer has their own method of slicing objects for their printer to parse. For example:

Peopoly Uses a profile for Cura
Creality, Elegoo and Phrozen use CHITUBOX
Anycubic uses their Photon Workshop

There doesn't appear to be any golden ticket type of method (like G-Code) for slicing and providing instructions.


My endstops have 4 female plugs, but the examples on the RepRap Prusa i3 Site have 3; what are each of them for? The Sainsmart Endstops I picked up are different from the ones described in the RepRap Prusa i3 Rework electronics assembly wiki;  they have 4 female plugs that go into the RAMPS 1.4 board instead of 3:

Since these endstops are different, how do I hook them up,  and what do the markings on them mean?

The website shows exactly what each wire is for.  Both middle wires are ground, the wire on the same side as the lever is the signal wire and the last wire is the power wire.


Why is support printed over shell if layer preview doesn't show it? When I check the Cura preview, then there isn't support over the shell, but when the part is printed, then there is support over the shell and it makes it look ugly. It happens only for front and back but the left and right sides are without support over the shell.
When you open the .gcode file in Cura then you also can't see support over the shell.
What could cause this problem?

Added view from "Line Type"

The picture of the line types and the accompanying comment helps to clear this up:

they are "Travel" lines, but why material is printed during travel?

Yes, the dark blue is travel. But if material is deposited during them, then that is not printing, that is material oozing out of the nozzle - which is called stringing most often. Usually, this is an issue with retraction: your length is possibly a little short. However, retraction also only is turned on for moves over a given length, so there might be no retraction happening. And, in Cura support structure generally is printed without retraction due to toggle Limit Support Retractions. Toggling that off can help.
You might also turn on one of the two Avoid modes in the movement (Avoid Printed Parts when Traveling & Avoid Supports When Traveling) to get the movement paths in a way so they don't go over the model and prevent any stringing/oozing onto it or knocking off delicate parts. Possibly increasing retraction a little might help, and so might Z-hop to try to "rip" the strings.


Makerbot Replicator 2 switches off and restarts automatically My Makerbot replicator 2 stops and restarts automatically. I lose the print and the extruder head does not move from the position. (obviously).
We have checked wiring a few times. Have not seen any issues so far.
Maybe I am missing something.
We have recently changed the ceramic tapes, fans etc. just recently.

It happens once in a while. But once it starts, it continuous, and it doesnt stop unless we shut it down for a few hours. or sometimes even days.

Any ideas what the issue could be. Or are more details required.

I've heard of a few issues like this, always relating to hardware problems. If you feel comfortable opening up the hardware on your machine, confirm that all of your connections are firmly connected to your printers Circuit Cards. The issues i've dealt with I determined came from a loose connection and the gantry running would shake the connections enough to cause a loss of signal.


Belt driven axis question I'm currently attempting to  make a repstrap using paper printed parts, like this guy : http://www.mariolukas.de/2012/05/repstrap-3d-drucker-aus-computerschrott-teil-1/
I replaced the DC motor in a paper printer carriage assembly

with a stepper motor (NEMA17). But there was not enough space to fit the axis of the nema 17 at the exact spot of the older DC motor axis, in short, the axis are not in the same place. The question is : if the axis is not in the exact same spot, will it affect the movement of the carriage or not at all ?

I supposed it would but i'm not sure since the carriage is limited in movement by the rails and that we still move the belt around.

Axis should definitely be at proper position. Otherwise you will get at least 2 issues.

Carriage will be pulled up which will cause stresses on rollers or slides and it will stress your belt
The way the carriage will go will change but because carriage itself is fixed then it will change the speed

3D printing is a precise process. Both issues will have impact on printouts and all your printouts will have broken dimension in the axis in which carriage moves.

Have a look on the picture (it is big to show details)

fig A shows a situation where carriage is far from the axis

In such situation the distance between vertical line of black cross and pink circle is almost unnoticable so both - the force and the distance (so speed) change are very small.

fig B shows a situation where carriage is relatively close to the axis

Then both - the force and the distance change is noticable


Recalibrating Home-position I got myself the Ender 3. The Home position is about 1 mm left and 2 mm in front of the front left corner. Now, the hotend center axis is 11 mm from the carrier plate with the "Mk 10" cooler mounted right onto a pair of 5 mm pegs that are part of the plate. As I want to change to an e3D v6, which has a diameter of 22 mm, I will have to move out some distance (ca. 13 mm) to the current Z axis. This means, that any Y command will be off by this distance.
How do I reconfigure the Home position to have an offset to the 0-positions gained from the limit switches?
According to Repetier Host it runs on Marlin 1.0. Creality offers the firmware on their website as a .hex file - which is hard to edit.

When homing the printer, the hot end carriage will be instructed to hit the (mechanical or optical) end stops. From this point a well configured firmware knows where to find the origin of the heat bed.

For the printer to know the origin of the bed, offsets are defined in the firmware from the end stop locations to the actual origin of the heat bed.

E.g. in Marlin Firmware this is defined by

 #define X_MIN_POS -35 ; move the head 35 mm to the right to place the
                       ; nozzle at X = 0
 #define Y_MIN_POS -8  ; move the head 8 mm to the back (or the plate
                       ; forward) to place the nozzle at Y = 0

When you change the hardware (e.g. carriage), you need to re-calibrate the movement from the end stop location to the origin of the bed. Note that any arbitrary point on the heat bed can be used to re-calibrate this. E.g. the center of the bed can also be used, and is frequently much more easy to re-calibrate as the heated beds usually have rounded corners or are slightly larger than the actual print area (e.g. I have a 300 x 300 mm heat bed that actually measures 315 x 315 mm). Printing a large square on the heat bed will therefore give you a good impression of the offset of the nozzle due to your new carriage design.

Note that, if you cannot or will not flash new firmware, an alternative solution exists to set new incremental offset values using the M206 command IF your current firmware supports this.

A detailed description to re-calibrate is found in answer How to center my prints on the build platform? or in external link Bed center calibration.


Meshlab creates weird bubbles when using poisson surface reconstruction my task is to create a watertight surface out of a point-cloud (It's the model of a dam).
For this I'm using MeshLab.

First thing I did was importing the .ply-file into Meshlab and normalize it.

This looked like this:

So far so good. For Remeshing and creating the surface I wanted to use Poisson Surface Reconstruction.

I tried different parameters but this is my best result:

As you can see it creates some weird bubbles in the lower right part of the model.
And I can't figure out why this happens when the rest of my model gets modeled in the way I want it to be.

Thanks for your help!

Solution: After trying a lot of different filters with different tools, I came up with simplifying the point-cloud. After that, using the poisson surface reconstruction filter worked just fine without creating any weird bubbles.


Does moving the z-endstop upwards affect the maximum height of the printable object? As moving the endstop upwards reduces the range of the z-axis, I was wondering whether it reduces the maximum height of the printable object, by the distance the endstop was moved. Or is this somehow (to a certain extent) beeing counterbalanced?

(Follow-up question of this question)

If you move up the end stop such that it raises the nozzle with respect to the build platform you lose height, so basically the answer is yes. But, as seen in your referenced question, your nozzle location is determined by the mechanical layout of the printer and the end stop had to be raised in order to print at all. This means that although you have less height to move the Z gantry, it can now actually print the full range the printer is designed for (the max Z to print is fixed in the configuration of the firmware of the printer and is always smaller than the maximum Z of the mechanical layout). Theoretically, if you ever make a lower profile hotend head, you would be able to lower the end stop and gain a little in height and adjust the firmware maximum Z height.

E.g. in Marlin firmware, for an Anet A8 3D printer,

#define Z_MAX_POS 240

in the Configuration.h file defines the maximum print height of 240 mm. If you would deliberately increase the Z end stop height and platform by let's say 50 mm, the printer thinks it still can print 240 mm, but in reality the gantry will crash against the top mounts and thus limit your printing height.


Rather than stiffer springs, can I preserve my fine-tuned bed height using Nyloc nuts? I've read a bunch of articles about getting better springs for my bed levelling screws so that I don't have to adjust it as often because standard springs vibrate loose as it prints.
However, would it be simpler and more effective to just use Nyloc nuts tightened against the adjustment wheels so that the wheels cannot rotate? Or some other form of mechanical prevention of the wheels turning? For example, tie a piece of string between the spokes in opposite wheels, so they cannot rotate much relative to each other.

It's because the bed heats up. Since the bed can heat up to the point that locktite or nylon can soften, using those products to keep the screws from turning will have exactly the opposite effect.


How do I convert point cloud data to DICOM? How can I convert 3D point cloud data to DICOM format (specifying slice width) or an equally scrollable sharp 2D image format?  Which software (preferably opensource or free) can I use to do this?

I've searched on Google and can't find anything.

Chris

This answer is actually based on combining answers from 2 other questions (this and that).

The process isn't a single step and would be to as follows:

The point cloud data needs to be converted to a 3d mesh.
Convert the mesh to STL.
Slice the STL into SVG.

For step one, the type of point cloud data would decide the software to use (for example, if it is GIS point cloud data, or 3D scanner point cloud data). A good end result of step 1 would be a VRML file. As you've not specified the type of point cloud data, I cannot suggest a software for it.

Step 2 would be to convert the mesh to STL which is easily doable using  Meshlab.

For step 3, Slic3r itself will work just fine to generate the SVG output you're looking for.


Software for 3d model to arc/curve gcode? Is there software that can take a solid model, e.g. in STEP format, and generate gcode that includes arc/curve commands (G2, G3, G5) when possible?

I have been looking at this also. But I can't find a STEP to GCODE software. So the answer to your question is no, not that I'm aware of.

Using STL files, which are approximations of the actual model using triangular shapes, slicers will generate GCODE not including arc codes. I understand that either the printer controller should take care of creating the arc gcode by reading multiple lines in advance and calculate if certain consecutive "straight gcodes" could be replaced by "arc gcodes" or the generated gcode file needs to be pre-processed off-line by separate software, or post processing scripts of slicers.

With respect to reading multiple lines in advance, the 8-bit controller boards are not powerful enough to do all these extra calculations as the different firmwares already utilize the full potential of these boards.


Print box bigger than the printer bed I am trying to make a box that is 420 mm wide by 86 mm tall by 100 mm long, I wonder if there is a good technique to design, cut, print and fit all parts together to be safe and hard.

Are you making a simple box? Or does it have some kind of detail or structure? The photo below exemplifies a structure attached to connectors that have been created outside of Fusion, but you can also use it as an idea to create your own!

Link to OPENSCAD LIBRARY

If you are thinking of cutting into parts, you can also create a kind of male / female (puzzle) in the parts that fit. Something like that ...

Here is some interesting information to study How to design Snap-fit Joints for 3D Printing


Loose brass heater block I recently changes the nozzle on my Monoprice Maker Ultimate 3D printer (first time).  The brass block that the nozzle screws into is free to rotate around an is wobbly.

Loose block video

I can't see any obvious nut/screw that's come loose though.  It could well be that it's not important, but it was definitely tightly attached before it twisted when I removed the nozzle.

I've taken the assembly apart:

Silver bit removed:

The silver looking cylindrical nut (with the flat faces) between the brass block and the black metal plate is the heat break of the assembly. The brass block should be tightly fit to this heat break. You could turn the brass block to get a close fit again. The heat break itself can move in the upper part, black plate, the cold end by the set screw on the side. Some hotend assembly types allow that, this screw is then used to fixate the orientation of the brass block. This type of hotend is not very common, it is a MK10.

Without the brass block it looks like this:

Maybe this clears it up how the block is attached in between the heat break and the nozzle; it is positioned where you see the threads. The screw to position the brass heater block and the heat break is clearly visible.

Don't try to wobble the brass block any further as you will wear out the threads, there appears to be a lot of play already.


Under extrusion, looking for specific information Have a Monoprice maker select with a Micro Swiss hotend, and am using Cura IIIP.

Edit: plus Janbex PLA 1.75mm filament.

Trying to print a Pi camera mount, but am getting (I believe) under extrusion, as seen here.

My Cura settings are these.

Does anybody see any obvious problems? What should I try to change?

Edit: have played around with different temperatures, and some other settings (eg the filament diameter), but lost track of the reasons. Was following various instructions on web pages.

Your filament is 1.75 mm, but you specified 1.6 mm in the Filament option Diameter (mm).

Furthermore, your layer thickness is very small (0.06 mm), why not try 0.20 mm first; a thicker layer will cause a higher extrusion flow. It could be that the print speed is too high for the low layer size.

Your initial layer 0.3 mm is also high, the maximum for a 0.4 mm nozzle.

Why did you change so many parameters? The standard values work pretty well.


Why did my printer's nozzle dig itself into my print? I just completed my first print on my Ender-3 and when the print finalized itself the nozzle didn't elevate itself to clear away from the piece. I watched as the nozzle slowly lowered itself into my print and destroy it. Here is the gcode generated by Slic3r used:

; Filament-specific end gcode
G4 ; wait
M221 S100
M106 S0 ; turn off cooling fan
M104 S0 ; turn off extruder
M140 S0 ; turn off bed
G91
G1 F1800 E-3
G90
G1 Z{z_offset+min(layer_z+30, max_print_height)}{endif} ; Move print head up
G28 X0 ; home x and y axis
G1 Y180; Remove Print Position
M84 ; disable motors
M300 S2600 P100; Beep
; filament used = 24040.5mm (57.8cm3)
; total filament cost = 0.0

You are using incorrect commands in your end-code for the incorrect tool with respect to the print head raise.

Slic3r has no knowledge of the maximum printer height (as in variable max_print_height) because there is no input field to specify this, as can be seen in this partial screenshot:

However, in Slic3r PE (Prusa Edition), there is a possibility to enter such a value, as seen in the following partial screenshot:

Note that in both editions, the Bed shape interface is equivalent when Set... is pressed:

To use the raising of the head, respecting the maximum print height, in Slic3r PE, you need to add the following line:

{if layer_z < max_print_height}G1 Z{z_offset+min(layer_z+60, max_print_height)}{endif}

This will parse fine in Slic3r PE, but not in Slic3r (as max_print_height is not known).

If you want such a command in Slic3r, you need to enter (for a printer with a maximum print height of 240 mm):

G1 Z{[z_offset]+min([layer_z]+3, 240)}

results in Slic3r for a 20x20x20 mm calibration cube with a zero z_offset to:

G1 Z23


Use inkjet cartridge to color filiment? Is it possible to use a standard color inkjet cartridge to color filament for full color 3D printing?
It seems like a natural next step to me, but I haven't seen much of anything on this. (Just a few ancient experiments on reprap wiki.)
I've learned that some inkjet printers have the heads built into the cartridge whereas others it's part of the printer.  I think the former would be more appropriate.
Unfortunately I haven't seen anything on actually how to drive the cartridges.  I'm guessing the mfgr's treat this as a trade secret (?)  Still, there's got to be some overseas reverse-engineer... something... on this, right?
Anybody have resources/notes they'd like to share?

I don't think it makes a lot of sense - you don't need that kind of resolution, and getting a sufficient amount of ink that way to coat the filament would be hard. If you're going to be switching colors rapidly, you'd need a long purge between colors anyway. I also doubt the type of ink is suitable for sticking to filament materials.
If you really want an automated filament coloring system, I would do it with Sharpies and actuators to move individual ones on/off of the filament as it passes through. Coloring PLA with Sharpies prior to printing is a known-working technique, and there are even models available on Thingiverse for holders to keep them in place while the filament runs through. Designing the actuators to switch individual ones on/off, and the firmware controls for them, would be the natural next step.
Here are some examples I did with manual coloring of natural translucent PLA (from left to right: uncolored, silver Sharpie, and red Sharpie):

I didn't color a long enough segment of filament or properly purge for any of them, which is why the coloring is inconsistent/incomplete. But the technique definitely works.


Extending extruder heater and thermistor wires I wanted to extend the E3D V6's extruder heater and the thermistor wires. Is it ok to solder extension wires or does it have to be crimp only! Also are regular wires ok or does it have to be some special cable?

Soldering is fine, both for the thermistor wires as for the heater.

The wires don't need to be particularly special, though there are some things you should keep in mind:

Current. The heater can draw up to 3-4A, the wires need to be able to handle this. The wires for the thermistor can be thinner.
Flexibility. The hotend (presumably) moves, so the wires should be able to withstand frequent movement. Use stranded (rather than solid) wire.


Moving the Z-axis stepper motors below Z 0.0 My Prusa i3 MK3 forgot his home position and it now assumes that the Z 0.0 position is right at the top of the printer. I've asked about this in the Prusa forum before and at that time, I accidentally found a solution using Pronterface.

So I am now in the same situation again. The printer head is at the very top. It assumes that this is Z 0.0, so I can't move it down.

Calibrating Z does not help. It will always display

  Some problem encounteres, Z-leveling enforced ...

and some time later, it calibrates Z again, resulting in the same problem and so on (endless loop).

The Pronterface trick (pressing the home button) does not work any more. However, Pronterface seems to accept raw G-Code.

Which G-Code command would I need to send to the printer to let the head move down? That would need to be a command that just rotates the stepper motor and does not consider the Z-axis value, so that the head effectively moves to negative Z values.

I have also tried:

moving the head down manually while the printer was turned off. I'd like to avoid that. It just doesn't feel right. However, it worked after the third attempt and I was able to do a XYZ calibration. However, during bed leveling, it failed and went into the "some problem encountered" state again.

To allow negative axis values, usually, the way is to use G1 S1 to disable boundary checks and G1 S0 to enable them.

Another way is to force homing Z, which means moving till an endstop triggers and then moving back up the specified motion via G28 Z

Another alternative would be to send G92 Z50 to set the Z-hight to 50, then G1 Z-50 F200 to move that much down, rinse and repeat.


MKS 12864OLED Display setup I've bought MKS 12864OLED and connected to my DIY 3d printer with Mega/RAMPS combination. In Marlin's configuration.h file there are these lines to uncomment:

// MKS OLED 1.3" 128 × 64 FULL GRAPHICS CONTROLLER
// http://reprap.org/wiki/MKS_12864OLED
//
// Tiny, but very sharp OLED display
//
//#define MKS_12864OLED          // Uses the SH1106 controller (default)
//#define MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306  // Uses the SSD1306 controller

I'm not sure to choose between 'SH1106' or 'SSD1306'... either way, the LCD module is not working.

First of all let me state that I do not own the module! The analysis below is based on old patches that worked in a version of Marlin in 2015, and translated to the latest version of Marlin of the 1.1.x branch. This is 1.1.9; this is the last version of the 1.1.x branch, all new development takes place in branch bugfix-2.0.x (dated May 2019).

The reported patches are compatible with an earlier version of Marlin Firmware (a version from 2015). Clearly this doesn't work anymore, but that should not be a problem, if it worked then it should work now provided we configure it correctly. The display you have requires U8GLIB_SSD1306, so the U8GLIB library need to be installed in your Arduino IDE!

Let's follow this installation guide for the older version as an example.

First, from patch 1 it becomes clear that you'll need to define that you are using a display that is identified by its name/type, you should uncomment the following line in your configuration.h in the section:

//=============================================================================
//======================== LCD / Controller Selection =========================
//========================   (Character-based LCDs)   =========================
//=============================================================================

//#define MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306  // Uses the SSD1306 controller

to:

#define MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306  // Uses the SSD1306 controller

as you are using the SSD1306 controller according to this reference.

That is about the only thing you add in the configuration.h file! You only activate the name of the controller type (as in defining a constant) so that it is caught in other source or header files to do/trigger something.

With this change, you automatically activated the rest of patch as that is implemented in Conditionals_LCD.h!

Next, we need to address patch 2. This is addressed in ultralcd_impl_DOGM.h; here you will find:

#elif ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306)
  // MKS 128x64 (SSD1306) OLED I2C LCD
  U8GLIB_SSD1306_128X64 u8g(DOGLCD_SCK, DOGLCD_MOSI, DOGLCD_CS, DOGLCD_A0);      // 8 stripes
  //U8GLIB_SSD1306_128X64_2X u8g(DOGLCD_SCK, DOGLCD_MOSI, DOGLCD_CS, DOGLCD_A0); // 4 stripes

which clearly differs from the patch:

U8GLIB_SSD1306_128X64 u8g(23, 17, 16, 25); // SW SPI Com: SCK = 23, MOSI = 17, CS = 16, A0 = 25

as such that it uses numbers instead of constants. So we need to define these constants first. These constants are defined by the board you are using, more specifically the pin layout.

Looking at the pin layout of your RAMPS board:

      #if ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED) || ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306)
        #define LCD_PINS_DC     25   // Set as output on init
        #define LCD_PINS_RS     27   // Pull low for 1s to init
        // DOGM SPI LCD Support
        #define DOGLCD_CS       16
        #define DOGLCD_MOSI     17
        #define DOGLCD_SCK      23
        #define DOGLCD_A0       LCD_PINS_DC

you'll find that the pins are correctly configured with the fore mentioned:

U8GLIB_SSD1306_128X64 u8g(DOGLCD_SCK, DOGLCD_MOSI, DOGLCD_CS, DOGLCD_A0);      // 8 stripes

We move on to patch 3. This patch deals with the reset/initialization of the OLED display. This is also already taken care of in ultralcd_impl_DOGM.h:

  #if PIN_EXISTS(LCD_RESET)
    OUT_WRITE(LCD_RESET_PIN, LOW); // perform a clean hardware reset
    _delay_ms(5);
    OUT_WRITE(LCD_RESET_PIN, HIGH);
    _delay_ms(5); // delay to allow the display to initalize
  #endif

Next to patch 4, in pins_RAMPS.h you see that pin 25 and 27 are correctly defined (apart from the name LCD_PINS_RST, now without T, but that is fine!):

  #if ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED) || ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306)
    #define LCD_PINS_DC     25   // Set as output on init
    #define LCD_PINS_RS     27   // Pull low for 1s to init

The only difference is that pins

    #define LCD_PINS_D5
    #define LCD_PINS_D6

are not set to -1, so to be consistent, you should change pins_RAMPS.h to:

      #if ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED) || ENABLED(MKS_12864OLED_SSD1306)
        #define LCD_PINS_DC     25   // Set as output on init
        #define LCD_PINS_RS     27   // Pull low for 1s to init
        // DOGM SPI LCD Support
        #define DOGLCD_CS       16
        #define DOGLCD_MOSI     17
        #define DOGLCD_SCK      23
        #define DOGLCD_A0       LCD_PINS_DC
        #define LCD_PINS_D5     -1
        #define LCD_PINS_D6     -1
      #else
        #define LCD_PINS_RS     16
        #define LCD_PINS_ENABLE 17
        #define LCD_PINS_D4     23
        #define LCD_PINS_D5     25
        #define LCD_PINS_D6     27
      #endif

A conclusion from the analysis above is that you enable the display in your configuration file and add the 2 values of -1 for D5 and D6, but I don't think they cause problems if they're not initialized to -1. Be sure that the cables are connected correctly. Some modules have reported upside down connectors.


Filament suitable for direct burial I'm working on a project with will be buried in soil. It's an enclosure for a sensor that will be potted inside the 3D printed part. What filament will give me the longest life in soil?

ETA: burial will be permanent, and I'd like it to last at least five years.

ETA: The printed part will provide mechanical support for the sensor, so it needs to retain most of its mechanical properties.

I would recommend PETG - only because it is structurally similar to the plastic used in the bottles that last forever, and most PETG is food grade - implying that its chemical stability should be reasonably good...


Issue with rim of first 5-8 layers of my Prints I have this issue with my 3D prints on my Ender 3 printer bed. The first 5-8 layers are wider than the rest (exaggerated illustration shown in the 3D rendering below), I think this is because the 3D nozzle is so close to the bed during the first few layers of the print, thus creating a rim/bulge out at the bottom. However, I can't lower the bed any further, else the model will not stick to the bed like it is supposed to.
How do I fix this issue and still allow the nozzle to stay close enough to the bed to make the model stick properly?

Additional information:

I am using a glass bed
printing with PLA,

that I print at around 185-200 °C
and for the bed, I heat it at about 50C °C.

I Tried:

I have tried lowering the bed. Outcome: the print doesn't stick to the bed as it should and just falls off.
Lowering the heat of the bed. Outcome: The same thing.
Increasing the initial layer height. Outcome: The same plus the additional layers on top all go out of wack.

The bed and filament temperatures you are using are the usual ones for PLA, so it probably is not the case that the filament is flowing too much and oozing out of place (*).
So most likely the problem is with the slicer. Things to look for:

Most slicers print the first layer in a slightly different way than all other layers (to improve adherence to the bed) and some parameters may be off:

Easiest check: repeat the print with a different slicer; if it goes better it was a slicer setting that needs finetuning.
More involved check:

For Cura make sure "initial layer height", "initial layer line width", "initial layer horizontal expansion" and "initial layer flow" have the default values.
For Prusa Slicer reset "first layer height", "first layer extrusion width" and "elephant foot compensation" to their default values.

Additionally, most slicers will disable the fan for the first few layers. Change the setting so that the fan is only disabled for the first layer.

(*) That is of course unless you got a bad batch of filament. Less probable than the slicer settings being off, but check with a completely different PLA filament to verify.


For making V6 or Mk8 nozzle what tolerance specification we've to follow? Both nozzles use M6 threads, which ISO thread specification do these nozzles use?
And what should be the tolerance and surface finish (internal/external) of the nozzle bore?
I found the drawings but nothing about the tolerances.
I've found the V6 nozzle drawing here and the Mk8 nozzle dimensions as depicted below:

The short answer is it really doesn't matter. None of these surfaces are interfacing with other rigid parts. They're conducting filament that's being melted. The specifications are likely optimized for favorable flow properties, and following them as closely as your tooling allows is probably a good idea, but there's no hard tolerance cutoff.
CNC Kitchen has a video producing a working nozzle with a mini lathe and had good luck without any rigorous process for tolerances.
It should be noted that the exactness of the nozzle orifice size and other dimensions are for the most part not relevant to the accuracy of extrusion; that's pretty much all on the filament diameter and extruder motor motion, which determine the volume of material extruded. In practice you can produce 0.4 mm extrusions pretty much equally well with an 0.3 mm orifice or an 0.5 mm orifice; at most you'll have some minor differences in behavior on overhangs. And presumably your error is not going to be anywhere near 25%.
As Trish noted, the threads do have to interface with another rigid part. However they're governed by ISO standards for metric threads not this particular design. I use this tolerance calculator site: https://amesweb.info/Screws/metric-thread-dimensions-calculator.aspx


"configuration files" issue when trying to run Ultimaker Cura on RPI 4 I have installed Cura on my RPI 4 by using the "sudo apt-get install cura" terminal command.
Whenever I try to run the application, however, I get this:

Is there something wrong with the configuration files? I have tried clicking the "Backup and reset configuration", and even deleting the configuration files folder. But it doesn't help.

The regular version of Cura has system requirements that the Raspberry Pi cannot meet, including the GPU required to run it.
However, it looks like you can try an experimental version of Cura here.


Proper hotend heater for Reprap x400 Pro V3 I'm trying to verify the correct hotend heater for a Reprap x400 Pro V3.  I know a 12 V 40 W doesn't work.  A working heater measures 4.4 Ω, so I'm guessing it is a 12 V 30 W heater.

When I tried replacing a non-functioning hotend heater on a German Reprap X400 V3 with a new 12V 40W heater that heater also wouldn't heat.  My guess is the circuitry shut off due to overcurrent.  The thermistor temperature didn't change from room temperature, and the heater was not hot to the touch.  Afterward, I plugged in the heater measuring 4.4 Ω and it worked.

The 100k sensors worked properly. A functioning heater resistance measured 4.4 Ω. The non-functioning heater measured 3.6 Ω. The new 12 V 40 W heater measured 2.6 Ω. Apparently, this model Reprap won't apply power to the heater if the resistance is wrong. I'm assuming this model needs a 12 V 30 W heater, but am trying to confirm this since I can't find a parts bill of material for this model. Used the following equation to estimate heater resistance (voltage^2)/power = resistance. This gives 4.8 Ω for 12 V 30 W and 3.6 Ω for 12 V 40 W.

The part causing the hot point failure was the connector for the heater and sensor. The connector showed no sign of burns on the heater pins, but the square tubes (see attached image) accommodating pins from the other connector had started to straighten out toward its original sheet metal state due to heating from current. Bending the tubes back in place allowed the connector to work temporarily and confirmed the failure cause.

Details: After getting a 12 V 30 W heater, it also didn’t work. The hot point had stopped working because a wire brush had shorted across the heater terminals. Because a spare hot point worked, the failure wasn’t in the circuitry. The spare was a 12 V 30 W heater (from resistance measurements), while the heater on the failing hot point was a 12 V 40 W heater (from resistance measurements). This made me suspect that the heater resistance had shifted, and the circuitry shut off the heater. However, apparently both 12 V 30 W and 12 V 40 W heaters work on RepRap x400 V3. The brief short caused the bent sheet metal of the connector to start straightening back out of the bend.


laser is engraving the negative space I am using LightBurn to laser engrave on wood. I am just trying to print some letters.

In the softwares preview the output looks correct. The black part is where the laser should burn and the red part are traversal/scan lines

When i actually print it the negative space is burnt by the laser (basically where the traversal/scan lines are shown in the preview above)

What I was able to figure out is that:

M42 P4 S255 properly turns on the laser when I send this command on its own,
M42 P4 S0 properly turns off the laser.

But the issue is when I send the following G-code, the following happens:

M42 P4 S255 <--- Laser turns on for a flash of a second
G1 X15 <--- By the time the movement starts the laser is already off.
M42 P4 S0

When i stopped using PWM (via the D11) and instead connected directly to D9 (which is for the fan) this issue stops occurring. So this issue is only occurring when I use PWM. Any Guidance on what to check

Update: I read the following on another forum. This might be the root cause here.

  M42 is an immediate command and would turn on the laser before it reached its intended start point, M106 and M107 are buffered so the on/off can happen in its intended locations.

M42 command is an immediate command. This means that it will run before the move GCode commands finish. This is exactly what I was facing.

This video has the walk-through of solving the issue:

Here is the relevant PDF it talks about: The 2.8 watt, $100 Laser
Upgrade for MPCNC.

Here is the relevant section on page 7 of the PDF:

  The laser driver requires a 5 volt TTL input control signal. The
  Marlin fan control Mcodes (M106 and M107) will be used to
  control the laser .Unfortunately, the Ramps fan output (D9) is a
  12 volt signal so we can’t use it. We'll need a quick firmware edit
  to remap the fan output from pin D9 (12v) to pin 44(5v).
  Make a backup copy of your Marlin firmware folder first. Open
  the pins_RAMPS_13.h file in your Marlin firmware folder with a
  text editor (Wordpad). Search for the line where the fan pin is
  assigned and change it from pin 9 to pin 44.
  Save the changes and flash the revised firmware back onto your
  Mega board.


Extusion rate limiting and firmware retract One frustration I have with Cura is that it has no way to set print speed in terms of a volumetric extrusion rate, when extrusion rate is the main physical limiting factor for how fast you can print. It's a pain having to have different speed profiles for different layer heights (and doesn't work with adaptive layers!), different line widths, different materials, etc. I'd like to just set a feedrate limit on the extruder axis, which would achieve this and make it easy to switch already-sliced models between different materials. However, having a low extruder feedrate limit would make retraction and recovery from retraction incredibly slow, to the point of being unusable - since I've found quality so much better without combing, I now have a lot of retractions.

I'm thinking about building Marlin with support for firmware retraction in hopes that the firmware-retract command can ignore the configured extruder feedrate limit to still do rapid retract/restore, but I don't want to waste a lot of time on it if that doesn't work. Can anyone with experience with this feature confirm whether it ignores the normal extruder feedrate limit? Or, if you have experience with a similar configuration, can you share results on how well it worked?

Sadly this does not work at present. Setting an M203 E3 resulted in 6 mm retractions via G10 taking 2 seconds each vs the fraction of a second they're supposed to take.

Since it seems desirable for this to work, I've filed a Marlin issue to see if it's intentional or something that can be fixed.

In principle, G10 firmware retractions still make it easier to script a soluton (replacing each G10 or G11 by a sequence of M203, G10/G11, M203 to set E-axis speed then reset it around the operation) but this is less friendly to direct usage of same sliced files with different extrusion speed limits.


Printing refusing to print, citing non-genuine cartridges? So I just got a Da-Vinci 3-in-1 Junior Pro 3D Printer, and was excited to start printing my first model.

When I open my .STL File in the XYZWare that comes with the printer, and click print, it says that the cartridge inserted into my printer in not genuine, and that it won't print until I order a genuine cartridge. What is interesting is that the cartridge loaded into this printer came with the printer itself, so it is genuine.

Is there something I am doing wrong? Here is a picture of the cartridge in my printer -->

A Google search about this issue doesn't come up with any results that are of any use to me.

A quick search on the internet showed that your experiences are shared by others.
Apparently, it has something to do with a faulty chip or the software.
From this thread:

I had the same thing, the cop on the underside of the cartridge wasn’t
programmed properly, if you have the latest firmware update and it
still doesn’t work contact the seller and they should send you a
replacement chip

I had this happen 2x. It ended up being that I had xyzware open.
Xyzware needs to restart in order to detect the new serial number of
the filament.

You could ask for support from your supplier or restart the XYZ software.
You could also hack the NFC chip that is inside the spool. (DISCLAIMER: Do it at your own risk!)


Heat bed wires get hot (12 V connected to RAMPS 1.4 shield) I'm using a 200x200 mm PCB Mk2B which connects to the MOSFET of the D8 pin on a RAMPS 1.4 shield. I used 12 V power source for heat bed so I connected positive to pin 1 and negative to both pin 2 & 3 of the bed. Heat bed worked properly. But the wires that connects power source to power supply pin on RAMPS were being heated badly. I think the problem is come from heat bed because when I unplugged heat bed, wires were cool down instantly.

Can someone helps me with this problem. I'm just a newbie in this area.

The PCB heatbed Mk2B has a reported resistance between 1.0-1.2 Ω. The current that is drawn from the power supply equals about 12/(1.0 or 1.2) = 10-12 A. Note that this amount of current requires cables that can carry that load, too thin cables heat up.

Note that you have wired the bed correctly for 12 V (see image below), the wires might have a too-small cross-section, try thicker wires. Personally I use AWG 12-14 silicone wires depending on the bed resistance.

AWG 12-14 size silicone, multiple threads (these are the best for the bed because they are more flexible), should be able to handle the load fine. Note that cables also have resistance; if there are heat spots in the cable or the connection, this indicates that the cable may be broken or the connection has too much resistance.


What voltage does the Creality Ender-3 run at? I am pondering about buying a Creality Ender-3, and I am honestly confused about some reviews. Some claim it is running 24 V, one did claim it was 12 V, most don't mention it. Since I know about some issues with the clamps, if I get myself an Ender-3, I want to replace the hotend with a proper one from day one. So knowing its voltage is needed to order the right parts.

Bearing in mind that the specifications on Amazon's page are sometimes not 100% (even though they are in this case), it is always best to check on the manufacturer's website.
From Creality3D's own website, Creality3D.shop, on the Creality3D Ender-3 product page, Creality3D Ender-3 3D Printer Economic Ender DIY KITS, the specifications are given as (emphasis is mine):

##ender-3 Machine Parameter:

Modeling Technology：FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling）
Printing Size：220220250mm
Machine Size：440410465mm
Package weight：8kg Max
Traveling Speed：180mm/s
Filament：1.75mm PLA,TPU,ABS
Input：AC 100-265V 50-60Hz
Output：DC 24V 15A 360W
Layer Thickness：0.1-0.4mm
Nozzle diameter：0.4mm
Precision：±0.1mm
File Format：STL,OBJ,G-Code
Working Mode：Online or SD offline
Max Nozzle Temperature：255℃
Max Hot bed Temperature：110℃


Anet A8 hard to insert filament I had been printing with ABS and took the advice to alter the fan so I can see the filament when I am loading it into the cold end. It was tricky but doable. I am now trying with PLA and getting it to line up with the whole is a nightmare. Can the driving cog and guide wheel be moved? A couple of mm would stop the driving cog pushing the filament off line.

I was having the same issue as you and know what you are talking about and there is a file that you should print that will help you (I have printed this).

While the file says for the Anet A6, I think the extrude are the same on the Anet A8. It goes under the gear and bearing and guides the filament to the hole. Should work well for you.

Other things that you can do is straighten out the filament. That is what I do, it helps that much more. You can also cut the end at a angle to sharpen the end with a pencil sharpener, also helps find the hole.

So try the file, I think it will help you would.

File --> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2242903


Bridging islands in my stencil I am using the MatterHackers MatterControl software. MatterControl has an option to convert an image into a 3d object. The image converter converts any image into an STL. I was wondering what program would work for bridging the islands? I tried SOLIDWORKS and I think the export messed up the file.

You should know that there will be no such functionality anywhere because "make a bridge between islands" causes some questions:

what do you mean be bridge
where this bridge should be
how it should look like

Application cannot answer these questions automatically.
Conver image to 3D object is (almost) only to create logo-like-objects or text-like-objects.

If your image will consist more than one separate elements then MC will convert it into separate objects and these objects will be treated as separate islands. There will be no way to bridge them on certain level/layer. The only thing you can achieve is a solid "connection" between islands if they will be connected with line on the image. I'm sure it's not what you expect.

Almost all 3D apps have a functionality to create 3D obj out of image but it will always be a perimeter or surface which you can extrude.

You can create bridges in your app by creating additional 3D object according to your expectations or you can use sculpting app to extend a form. It means you won't add extra object but sculpt existing objects by  extruding/extending/pulling faces.

For such sculpting you can use Meshmixer for example.


How to convert .obj file to .stl so I can slice to G-code? I am a beginning maker using an Ender 3. Someone sent me a .obj file from Thingiverse to print for them. I use an online slicer called IceSL as a slicer.
As experts on here know, I cannot use my slicer to slice .obj to G-code. How do I convert this .obj file to a .stl file so I can slice and then print it?

One can import an OBJ file into free program Meshmixer, then export it to STL format. There are other programs that are free and paid (such as Fusion 360) that will perform similar tasks.
As noted by user agarza, Prusa Slicer will import an OBJ and will also export to STL format. PrusaSlicer is also free.