Print fails at perpendicular boundaries I recently changed the printhead on my DeltaMaker from stock to an E3D Lite6, and am struggling to get back to my original quality, reliability, and repeatability.  I thought I had gotten the recipe pretty close to dialed in and tried a bigger print last night.  It turned out pretty good in most respects except for where vertical structures rise up from the horizontal surface (and a retraction/stringing issue that I didn't think was but perhaps could be related).

The screw hole mounts seem well-designed to me:

No 90 degree transitions - I would think this would be the least of my problems.  But last night they had serious problems:

I haven't seen a problem like that before.  Extrusion rate seems basically perfect - why does it look like it just stopped extruding around the perimeters?

I'm using PLA filament and Simplify3D 3.1.0 slicing.  Settings:

0.35 mm nozzle, 0.40 mm extrusion width, 1.05 extrusion multiplier
0.15 mm layer height, 3 top, 3 bottom layers, 2 perimeter shells (maybe should try 3?)
30% infill, 60% outline overlap, 110% infill extrusion width
Temp is 220°C (thermocouple wedged between nozzle and heater block reports about 206°C when thermistor says 220°C)
Print speed is 2700 mm/min (45 mm/s)

Has anyone seen this issue before?

UPDATE:
Increasing outline overlap from 60% to 90% almost fixes the problem (at least visually if not structurally) - there's just one small hole at the base of each structure.  (I stopped the print a few layers after the problem layers do ignore the tops.)

Going to 99% (Simplify3D's max) would probably get rid of those last holes but I have to think that maxing out S3D's outline overlap setting to just barely make the print work means I haven't found or addressed the true root cause...

Since you said you don't have a cooling fan, try lowering the temperature on your print head to something like 205. The strings in the first and second picture also occur more often when the print temperature is too high as well.

The layer time gets really small at that transition, so make sure the print speed is slowing down while printing that part of the object and pausing in between those layers to allow for cooling.

It looks like the plastic is still molten and is being dragged around too me.


Do spare throats or a heater blocks ever break? A question to those who have a 3D printer. Have you ever needed a spare throat or a heater block? Do they ever break?

I just bought some spare parts: heaters, thermistors, nozzles... However, I am not sure if buying throats and heater blocks make any sense.

Short answer
Yes
Long answer
Heater bocks
A heater block is destroyed if one of the following happens

Threads stripped
Bent or otherwise deformed
stripped grub screw

All of these can happen by handling the block with too much force when securing nozzles, thermosensors or heater cartridges.
Throats
Throats can be destroyed, especially e3D v6 throats with their neck down on the center can be simply turned and broken in two. Lined throats can be heated too much and the liner destroyed, which not always can be replaced, mandating a spare part. And you can strip the threads.
Another chance to damage the throat is by using very hard material nozzles - stainless steel comes to mind. Such a nozzle would not deform itself like brass when tightened against the throat and might lead to damage to the end of the throat if exchanged several times.
Conclusion
If you run several printers or change nozzles regularly for whatever reason, it is a very good idea to have at least a complete set of spare parts on hand to fix problems that might occur during work on the printer. I have a fully assembled spare hotend waiting for its day to shine in case my current one breaks...


Running 12v on a 24v heater cartridge? Would I damage anything running 12v on a 24v cartridge heater? I know it wont reach a max temperature 300 degrees celsius? I am using the e3d hotend set up

Applying 12v to a 24v heater cartridge won't damage anything, but you may have severe issues reaching and maintaining your target temp. A standard E3D heater cartridge is 40w. When you run a 24v cartridge on 12v, you only get 10w of heater power. Here are some rough estimates on where your hot block heat goes:

Uninsulated hot block air losses: ~20w depending on airflow
Insulated hot block air losses: ~5w depending on airflow
Filament melt power at typical print speeds: 0.3-3w depending on filament and print speed
Heat conducted up the heat break: 1-3w maybe, hard to quantify

I've never heard of anyone using less than about 16w to print. (Two 8w power resistors.) 20w is the lowest vaguely normal hot end power. I think you'll struggle to print.


3D850 stuck in the nozzle I am trying to use a 3D850 PLA filament which is supposed to work without any issues with any PLA printer. As a printer, I use Dagoma NEVA which is supposed to work with any PLA filament. I can print with the filament without any issue, but I encounter a problem when I need to swap the filament. Somehow 3D850 sticks within the nozzle and even when it's heated I have to push really hard with another filament to push the current filament out (usually when the nozzle is heated up I can just easily push a filament inside for it to come out of the nozzle).

Is there any special behavior of 3D850 that may cause it to stick inside of the nozzle?

My guess is that  particular brand of PLA is changing state inside the nozzle as it cools. Quoting from the manufacturer's page,

  Materio3D PLA uses the NatureWorks Ingeo 3D850 polymer, specially
  engineered for 3D printing. It is tougher and stronger than standard
  PLA and can be annealed for improved heat resistance and toughness!

If the residual material in the nozzle cools slowly enough (at the end of a print) to anneal, then by design it won't re-melt at the same temperature as the raw filament material.   I would recommend changing your gcode so that the extruder hotend is held at temperature after a print completes, and making sure to clear the nozzle with an alternate type of filament before allowing the nozzle to cool.

quoting from another page,

  To achieve a heat treat on a printed part, submerge in water (or bake
  in oven) at 200F for up to 30 minutes.

notice that's Fahrenheit, well below extruder temperatures.


Ender 3 Pro will not auto home correctly after mainboard & BLTouch upgrades I made two updates to my Ender 3 Pro: Silent Mainboard and BLTouch.  My printer head is way out of sync now. After I Auto Home, it moves along the X-axis to the left, hits the stop switch & moves back to the right. It does not move at all on the Z-axis and remains 3 - 4" above the bed during and after Auto Homing.
Here's the detail :
I installed a Creality Ender 3 Pro New Upgrade Motherboard Silent Mainboard V4.2.7 with TMC2225 Driver Marlin 2.0.1 & bootloader pre-installed & then a Creality BLTouch 3D Printer Upgraded Auto Bed Leveling Sensor Kit (the kit that comes from Creality with everything you need to install). I imagine I attempted too many upgrades without verifying the printer worked properly when I did the first upgrade which was the mainboard?
I purchased this Ender 3 Pro back in April 2020. It was working great until I decided to make the upgrades. I assume it came with an 8-bit board but not 100% sure. The new board is 32-bit and not sure what that would negatively impact besides maybe the LCD screen which does work fine after the upgrade.
Here's a video of the printer attempting to Auto Home :

Note: Disregard the unhooked cable under the printer bed in the video.  It is totally disconnected and leftover from the BLTouch install.
Here's how I did the upgrade :
First, I simply replaced the new mainboard, and with the mainboard cover and fan back in place, I powered the printer on. The only thing I did here was to verify that the printer would power up ok.
It powered up just fine. The nozzle head did not move I don't think when powered on.
Next, I followed the instructions for the BLTouch that came with the kit.  I followed the instructions for the Creality V1 Mainboard 32-bit. Here, I upgraded the firmware via an SD card as suggested. The firmware I upgraded to is the Ender-3 Pro_4.2.7_BLTouch_Marlin2.0.1_V1.1.2_TMC2225.bin.
Finally, I powered on the printer with the BLTouch plugged in and new firmware installed. The BLTouch lights up and the touch sensor clicks out and in and few times.
Now, when I hit auto home the nozzle head moves like I described above & remains in a position that I can not attempt to print from. I attempted to follow step #6 Platform adjustment 32-bit, working through the screenshots in the instructions.  This did not work.
If helpful, here are the positions of the nozzle head during the two upgrades :

Position of the print head before install: 3-4 inches above the bed and maybe a little off-center on the X-axis.

Position after install mainboard upgrade: remained the same as before.  I just remember it powering on ok and then I turned it off / unplugged power to start installing the BLTouch.

Position after install of BLTouch: remained the same. BLTouch lights up and the sensor tip moved in and out as if it was checking something or verifying it was working.
I'm a bit lost on this issue. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

I'm using 3D4LYF's wiring scheme as I'm using the same set up I believe he is using. The two wires (white & black) on the red connector go in the Z-axis endstop port on the mainboard. For the three wires on the black connector I have: blue=Ground, red=V, yellow=IN that goes in the other 5 pin port on the mainboard. I rearranged the wiring from red/blue/yellow to blue/red/yellow as suggested by 3D4LYF again because I am using the BLTouch Creality Kit. Adding photos of 5-pin port and the connectors:

Resolved : connected the white & black wires to the 5 pin output on the board.  This solved the homing issue.


Temperature fluctuations, is it normal? I have an Anycubic i3 Mega-S and when I'm printing something (especially when it's hotter) the temperature increases and decreases by around 3 degrees during the print. Is this normal?

I was worried this is a loose thermistor and if it comes out during a print my house will probably catch fire! I have no idea how to tighten it though.

All printers will have some fluctuation and it's not a concern. This is similar to the fluctuation you'll see in your home temperature around the thermostat setting.  There are a couple reasons. One is that the feedback loop (thermistor to control board to heater to extruder block) will always have some lag. Another is that most systems have built-in "hysteresis," i.e. set the "turn off heat" a couple degrees above the "turn on heat" thresholds. This avoids "chatter" from on to off right at the setpoint.
Some thermistors (e.g. my AnetA8 clone) can be held in place with a setscrew. If yours doesn't have a similar capability, use Kapton tape to hold it in. This tape is designed for high temperature operations so it won't age or collapse, and it has good holding strength.


G29 Bed Level not doing anything on Marlin 2.0 I've just updated my Anet A8 with the blue bed level sensor to Marlin 2.0 .
Both pressing the Level Bed button on the display or using G29 after G28 in the G-code don't do anything.

G28 Homing works fine, but doesn't put the nozzle at the center like it did on Marlin 1.1.x, instead it puts the sensor at the center of the build plate.
G29 worked fine in my previous Marlin 1.1 config.

These are my config files:

Configuration.h
Configuration_adv.h

From the linked Configuration.h file the probe X, Y, Z probe offset is set by constant array:

#define NOZZLE_TO_PROBE_OFFSET { 75, -35 , 0 }

So, the sensor is mounted at the right-front (X+, Y- according to the Marlin configuration definition) when facing the printer.

This implies that the sensor is limited on the right and at the front.

The probing area used to be defined in Marlin 1.1.x in the Configuration.h file. However, Marlin 2.x requires edge offsets rather than absolute bed size constraints. From the Configuration_adv.h of linked file, the following probing limits are set:

#if PROBE_SELECTED && !IS_KINEMATIC
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT (75 + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT (X_BED_SIZE  - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK (Y_BED_SIZE -35 - MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
#endif

This is incorrect, this is what you would do in Marlin 1.1.x. Note that this answer describes in detail how to set the bed probing limits. You need to specify the offset from the edge on each side, in schematics the probing area is defined as:

From your printer configuration, the probing limits should be set to:

#if PROBE_SELECTED && !IS_KINEMATIC
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_LEFT (75 + MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_RIGHT (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_FRONT (MIN_PROBE_EDGE)
  #define MIN_PROBE_EDGE_BACK (35 + MIN_PROBE_EDGE) ; Note that 35 is absolute(-35)!
#endif


What is the best way to build a closed loop continuous rotation servo for 3D printer? So I was thinking of using a closed-loop motor in my 3D printer for better accuracy and high-speed printing without losing steps. I have analyzed options available including just tweaking stepper current and firmware changes to prevent step losses but I want to find the best way to do it with encoders. The problem is I need a pretty high resolution for a 3d printer and usually, high-resolution servo motors use potentiometers that are limited and not suitable for a 3d printer. I am thinking of building my own closed-loop continuous rotation servo using stepper/DC motors and encoders but I can't find any high-resolution encoder at a reasonable price. So is there any way to somehow use low-resolution encoders (like 36 pulse every full turn) or is there any encoder type that I can use for better accuracy at a reasonable price other than optical ones? Also is there any other solution for closed-loop systems at a reasonable price?
Note that I am aware that I may need to modify firmware or write my own code for motors and program them from scratch.
Note: You might consider this question Closed-loop stepper motors a possible duplicate but I have read that and my main problem is not being able to find any cheap high-resolution encoder for this purpose.

Also for some reason, I can't use products like BTT S42B closed-loop stepper drives, my only option is to build them myself.
TL;DR:
Is there any type of encoder with high resolution and cheap price for use in 3D printers? (I don't mean brand, I mean technology)

You can use a magnetic position encoder.
AS5048B High Resolution Position Sensor
14-bit rotary position sensor with digital angle (interface) and PWM output
14 bit means 16k steps/rotation. With a stepper which does 200 steps/rotation and 16x microstepping, you will need only 11 bit, so you have plenty of extra accuracy you can use to filter noise.
You may use AS5600 Positioning Sensor instead, which is 12 bits, since you don't need to track each microsteps in a closed loop, 4x is enough.
AS5600 in PWM mode does up to 920 Hz, AS5048 1 kHz. I'm not sure in I2C mode but surely more. Of course you have to take into account delay between measuring the position and transmission of the position.


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

If you have a specific shape in mind and can create a sketch to represent that shape, you are halfway to your goal.

The concept is simple. Create a single line sketch that would represent the desired curve, starting from, in this example, the nose of the cone and traveling to the base. Create only one-half of the nose cone curve and maintain a "standard" axis reference, say, using the Y-axis as the rotation point.

The process is called revolve. Fusion 360 supports this action directly.

In the Sculpt workspace, choose Create Revolve.
Select the profile to revolve.
In the Revolve dialog:
    Click Axis and then select the axis to revolve around.
    Choose Full or Angle to specify whether the revolution is full or to a specific angle.
    For Direction choose One Side, Two Side or Symmetrical.
    For Symmetry, choose None or Circular.

The above text is taken directly from the link. The specific web site also includes a Flash video of the steps involved.

If thickness is required for your creation, consider to draw the sketch from the nose to the base, then use Offset or hand sketch in a parallel line that returns to the nose. Ensure the base segment is joined and that the nose segments are open and are aligned to the Y-axis.

As the sketch is revolved, the nose sections will "close" while the base creates the closure necessary to make a solid that is hollow within and open at the bottom.

Use The Google or your preferred search engine with the terms "Fusion 360 Revolve" to find many tutorials and videos with the same information presented in various ways.


Titan extruder retraction noise I am experiencing some retraction noises with my Titan Extruder. At first the noise was more of a clicking noise, and the gear was skipping. I didn't feel any backlash with my finger but I still followed the official troubleshooting guide on backlash and the noise has changed to some sort of buzzing, with print quality noticeably improving.
I should mention I recently upgraded my stepper drivers to TMC2208, extruder set to 1.31V. May be too much but I know the extruder motor needs a whole lot of torque, either way it doesn't run too hot so I'm keeping that for now. (If anyone knows how warm should a motor feel during normal operation let me know.)
I have two videos of the noise before and the noise after. I can't tell where this noise is coming from, I have never heard weird motor noises before so I can't tell if it's still the extruder or if it's the motor. I can't tell if it's normal.
I tried feeding filament in and out with GCode to find out the feedrate at which the noise goes away, and I found that anything above F2200 makes it do this noise, otherwise it's a pretty normal noise.
Before:

After:

After several email exchanges with the customer support, I was not able to find an answer. It was stated that it may have been my assembly and/or extruder mount, but I'm strongly against that after so many times reassembling.
Gear backlash ended up becoming permanent.
I ended up switching over to something else with a more self-sufficient design and less variables.


Ender 3 V2 under extrusion problems Every time I start a print, midway during printing, my printer starts to under extrude.
I tried lots of different models every time the problem occurs.
What should I do about this?

This is some kind of filament stuck in the hotend tube problem. Just like "heat creep" as mentioned above. PTFE pipes should be checked, all parts should be carefully cleaned. I also add checking the extruder (gears, tightness) to the list. The plastic extruder can structurally loosen or break over time. I switched to metal extruder a long time ago, but metal also breaks / loosens after a while. Finally I'm using a double gear extruder without any problem. And I replaced the stock pipes with more durable PTFE and "Pneumatic Fittings". Pneumatic fittings are also very important by the way.


Building 3D printer: LM8UU bearing can't fit into I'm new to 3D printing and I'm learning how to build my own 3D printer.

I bought polymer LM8UU bearings and I'm trying to fit onto a rod of dimension: D8 mm * L300 mm. Sadly it doesn't fit, I was wondering if I would need to buy new rod?

If so, what size of diameter should be used?  General guidelines I need to look out for are also appreciated?

Bearing on a shaft
An 8 mm (ID, Internal Diameter) bearing should always fit on an 8 mm (OD, Outer Diameter) shaft. If it does not fit, one of the 2 is of a different size. Please use a caliper to determine the size of both.
Bearing in a housing
If it is the outer size of the bearing, i.e. fitting in a printed carriage or a bearing housing (e.g. SCxxUU), you should be aware of the different sizes of polymer bearings. E.g. there are RJMP-01-xx and RJ4JP-01-xx types of polymer bearings (xx denotes the shaft diameter, e.g. 08 for 8 mm shafts).
For RJMP-01-xx bearings (not compatible with LMxxUU bearings):

// Parameters for RJMP-01-xx (shaft size xx, all dimensions in [mm])
// Designation  d1  d2  B   B1      s   dn
//-------------------------------------------
// RJMP-01-08   8   16  25  16.2    1.1  15.2

For RJ4JP-01-xx bearings (compatible with LMxxUU bearings):

// Parameters for RJ4JP-01-xx (shaft size xx, all dimensions in [mm])
// Designation  d1  d2  B   B1      s   dn
//-------------------------------------------
// RJ4JP-01-08  8   15  24  17.5    1.1  14.3

d1 is the inner diameter, d2 the outer diameter and B the length of the bearing
The RJ4JP-01-08 bearings are drop-in replacements for the LM8UU linear bearings. Note that the RJMP-01-08 have a larger outer diameter and do not fit into the regular bearing housings. The increased thickness gives the bearings more rigidity.


Print gets worse with every layer - Ender 3 First of all, I'm still new to this 3D printing and I've bought myself a second hand Ender 3 with some mods done to it.
I've successfully printed with PLA in different colors but after a good first layer the print seems like it is skipping lines.
I've already tried to:

Change the nozzle
Set the bed level (like a million times)
Download calibration files (e.g calibration squares)

I have used Cura with the Ender 3 Pro profile:

I print in PLA at 200 °C
A print bed temperature of 60°C
Cooling fan at 100%
Layer height of 0.2 mm
Line width is 0.4 mm from a 0.4 mm nozzle
Printing Speed is set to 50 mm/s for walls and 25mm/s for infill
Retraction is 6.5 mm/off at 25mm/s

I really don't know how to fix it the bad quality.

Many questions on 3D Printing SE are answered, at least by me, not with a "this is the problem", but instead, this is how I would analyze it.
Looking at the picture you supplied, there is something strangely periodic about the under-extrusion in the top visible flat layer.
I don't think it is an X or Y axis problem.  It is too low-frequency to be an extruder drive problem, such as a slippery drive hobbed gear.  It seems too high frequency to be a filament feed problem, unless you are very close to the end of a spool with a small inner diameter.  This is less likely because you have printed many things, and I would infer that you have seen this with full spools and empty ones.
The Ender 3 looks like a Bowden-fed printer.  You are printing PLA, which should work well with Bowden.
Temperature variation could also cause this problem.  If the nozzle were cooling and heating in an unstable control cycle, where the nozzle is cooler you would find under extrusion and even non-extrusion.  This looks compatible with the results.
What could cause thermal problems?

Not delivering energy to the heater, perhaps because of a bad
connection, or perhaps because of an intermittent heater cartridge
Not sensing the temperature correctly, perhaps because of a shorting thermister
Thermal control look is out of tune, which I consider unlikely since you haven't messed with it, and in my experience that is pretty forgiving
Not conducting heat from the heater to the nozzle, which is unlikely

If you have an infrared thermometer, put a piece of masking tape on the heater (to get a consistent IR emissivity) and monitor the temperature.  Is it cooler when under extruding?  It might only be a few degrees different, but that could be enough if you are right on the transition temperature.
If the temperature is stable, you might try printing 10 degrees hotter, just to see.  Some variation is normal, and you might be on the edge.
It is possible you have a filament that widely varies in diameter, but for that strong an effect, you would have noticed that the filament was thinner in some places than others.
My best suggestion is to look at temperature.
Further Reflection
It is also possible that you have something dragging on the filament spool.  I don't like it as a solution, but it is consistent with printing a lot (at the beginning of spools) and then encountering this problem.  A problem feeding, although I discounted it in my earlier answer, could could produce a periodic underextrusion if the drag on the spool changes.  If the problem was one-time, then it may have been bad winding in the spool so that once per revolution it requires some extra tug to unwind the filament.  That tug would reduce the torque available to press the filament through the working side of the printer.  There might be extruder jumps (pops, clicks, etc.) coming from the extruder as it skipped steps.


Ridges and stepping in my prints I'm having a problem where every few layers seems to be offset slightly, creating a stepping effect. The images below should be smooth along the sides, but having this ridge type effect. My question is how do I calibrate the printer to print smoothly?

I’m using a Hictop Prusa I3. I’ve recently installed an updated version of Marlin and have been tinkering with the configuration to make it match as close to the original config that was originally installed.

Printer: Prusa I3 (Hictop)

Marlin: 1.1.9

Filament: 1.75 PLA

Slicer: Ultimaker Cura

Layer height: .16 mm

Extruder: 190 °C

Bed: 60 °C

Speed: 30 mm/s

Line width: 0.8 mm

Cooling fan: 30%

Below are a few examples of what I mean by ridges and stepping

From the picture, this doesn't look like an X or Y axis problem.  I wonder if it is a problem with the Z-axis positioning?
I don't have any specific suggestions, but I would start by, with the printer off and cold, manually turning the Z-axis motor(s) to assure that the movements are smooth and without any binding.  If the movement is smooth, then with the printer powered on, try some Z-axis movements, up and down, both listening and feeling for excessive vibration or jerkiness.
What may be happening is that the Z movement is binding for several layers and causing the flexure in the Z-axis to bend upward, permitting some plastic to extrude but forcing it into a wide bulge.  When the Z axis finally snaps upward, the build layer is too far below the nozzle, so the plastic does not bulge outward and necks down until it builds a base again.  This repeats.
It could be an electrical problem with the Z-axis drive rather than a mechanical sticking or interference, but you will feel that, too, by doing slow Z-axis movements and watching carefully, listening for irregularity, and feeling for any jerk or stutter.


Which is the best 3D printer to print bodies scanned? I want to print people's bodies scanned (or get 'minimes', see the Figure 1). And I watched that the printer 'project 660' is very good to do this (Figure 1). But, the price of that printer is really expensive, roughly $60'000. And If you want to get a 'minime' printed by that printer, the cost is $230 for a model of 10cm. For me that price is expensive too.

Does anyone know what printer I could use in order to print 'minimes' with:

Good resolution, or details of the person's face (for a model of 10cm) and a good smooth surface of the model printed (Figure 1).
Ability to print complex models such as bodies (Figure 1) without problem.
Inexpensive: less than $150 per 'minime'.
An option to print in color.

Thanks.

Figure 1: Models printed

I do not think there exists a printer that meets your requirements. "Cheap"/hobbyist printers roughly fall into two categories:

FDM: does not meet your requirement for sufficient detail and smooth surfaces in the face (and can not print in color).
SLA: meets your requirement for detail in the face but can not print in color. If you are willing to drop the color requirement, this would be a good choice.

There are some hobbyist projects to do full color printing, but they are in a rather early stage. One option is colorpod that can be used to convert an FDM printer (such as the Ultimaker, but the principle works with any printer) however it is in a rather early stage of development and not very reliable yet. Another option is Plan B but that is a DIY project and not available for purchase (and is not very mature either).

That leaves you with the commercial color options. You've already ruled out the 3D systems/projet machines. Another (slightly cheaper) commercial option is MCOR IRIS but it also runs in the tens of thousands. While researching this question I stumbled upon 3D Pandoras but it seems a relatively new company so it may turn out to be a literal Pandora's box (they mention "most affordable filaments" as one of the advantages of their printer even though it doesn't use filament at all) - and prices are not listed on their website.


New thermistor isolation, how? We are trying to repair an Ultimaker Original+. One problem is a missing resistor isolation. The Ultimaker Original+ prints with up to 260 Degree Celcius.

Which kind of isolation products are suitable to resist the heat and are fitting on the thin wires of the thermistor?

The most common choice for insulating thermistors is glass fiber sleeving. It tolerates very high temperatures, and is commonly rated for up to 600 °C.

Teflon is also used but has a rather low upper limit on its working temperature; it shouldn't be used at temperatures exceeding 260 °C - which rules it out for your purpose.


Wanhao Duplicator i3 Mk2 Firmware Update I have a Wanhao Duplicator i3 Plus Mk2. Its auto-leveling never worked properly since I bought it a year or two ago. I decided to upgrade the firmware to try and solve this problem. Unfortunately, I did not know I had a Mk2 when I started this process (I'm a photographer, it is only a Mk2 when it says so on the Camera housing which is seemingly not the case here, you needed to be fortunate to know it is a Mk2 if it has a Z probe). As such, I uploaded the wrong motherboard and LCD firmware (for i3 Plus not i3 Plus Mk2). When I switched on and tried to level, it started driving the nozzle into the bed which in retrospect is to be expected as the firmware is looking for a switch, not a probe. Once I realised what the problem was, I uploaded the Mk2 firmware but it seems uploading the non-Mk2 firmware has confused something somewhere so I can't get it to even be a printer anymore. The LCD is all mixed up with menus over one another and the printer does not react to anything. I tried to format the LCD with the image and procedure on Wanhao's site but this merely seems to exacerbate the problem.
Can anyone please guide me on how to start fresh and get the printer and LCD firmware restored so at least I have something resembling a printer again. The Wanhao customer support has been all but helpful and I've abandoned that channel as they simply email me the same firmware I already downloaded and used to get into this mess.

My problem was resolved with the help of comments above.

A quick Google search shows that there are multiple issues with updating to new firmware for printer and LCD (these are separate firmwares!). Useful links are this one and this one which have support for the MkII....
Try to disconnect the display if you go down the Arduino route and see if you get it running while connected to serial (USB) and Pronterface for instance. When pursuing the Arduino route, be sure to send M502 and M500 after the flash to the printer to get the values from the firmware and overwrite the current stuff in the EEPROM.

I downloaded the Mk2 firmware from here and then used the normal Wanhao procedure to update both the motherboard and LCD and this left me with a working printer afterwards. Why the firmware downloaded from Wanhao's own site does not work is a mystery.


Efficient and easy way to thermally insulate the heat block of the hotend? Sparked by this question, I wanted to discuss the most efficient and also the easiest ways of thermally insulating the heat block of the hotend.

I have seen Kapton tape insulations as done here with a very conclusive resumee about its usefulness.

In the links of the named article, a method with insulating material from a heatbed is described, however without giving quantitative results.

Additionally, I know that in the guys over in the german reprap forum produce their own silicon covers for the heater block. As I understand there is a large spread between people's reports, from 'almost negligible' as insulator (but helpful for other things) to very useful. No quantification, though. Also, these seem to come with a certain amount of effort to produce.

Are there additional solutions and/or comparisons between solutions?

The "quick and dirty" approach is to just slap a bunch of Kapton tape on there. The more the better! (Until you need to dismantle for maintenance, anyway.)

I find pre-cut ceramic tape + kapton tape "blankets" to be easy and effective. E3Dv6 and Replicator 1/2 style hot blocks should be compatible. Or you can cut your own using a sharp hobby knife.

http://www.fargo3dprinting.com/products/makerbot-replicator-2-ceramic-insulation-tape/

The main downside is that they don't insulate two sides of the hot block. But covering the top and bottom provides much of the practical benefit, and you can always add a few more wraps of Kapton tape to cover up the rest of the surfaces.

Another good option that has recently started to become popular is fiberglass heat shield tape. It has a silicone adhesive, woven fiberglass mat, and shiny aluminum surface. (The reflective surface reduces heat radiation.) It's often used in automotive applications around mufflers and the like. You can cut it up into little rectangles for each side of the hot block, or wrap the block similar to Kapton.

https://shop.raffle.ch/shop/insulation_material/

Main issue is quality -- not all brands have adhesive that will hold up to high temp printing. It may smell when initially "burned in" due to the adhesive cooking a bit. I also find that you need a couple layers to get as much insulation as the ceramic+kapton blanket when there's a lot of airflow around the hot block.


Removing test print from magnetic flexible paper coated build plate I have a Monoprice MP10 with magnetic flexible paper coated build plate and I have just tried printing bed level test which is, of necessity, very thin on the build plate.
Watching the item print, I saw that the bed level was obviously way way off at the back left corner and down the left side. I was printing with PLA. There was no point in letting the print continue so I stopped it, let the build plate cool down and tried to remove the print.
The bottom line and right hand side came off cleanly but the top left corner and all down the left side stuck firmly. As it was so thin a layer there is no chance of getting something underneath an edge without damaging the paper surface. I tried acetone but this had no effect other than turning the surface white and thin cracks appearing in the paper surface. Wiped down with alcohol which toned down the white but was no help in getting the thin layer of PLA off.
I tried reheating surface, no joy. Does anyone have a foolproof way of getting this off as soap and water don't work either?

You could try freezing your bed with cooling spray around the print and then wait some seconds and try peel it off.
I had the problem once on my PEI sheet and it did help. I used this spray: Spray
But make sure you don't break any electric parts on your printer.


Shifted Layers on Replicator 2 A few weeks ago a shift between layers in the y-direction (from the front to the back of the printer) of my Makerbot Replicator 2 appeared.

All prints have some small shifts between layers, but if the extruder has to move large distances (e.g. when I print the same object near the front and near the back of the print bed), they can reach up to 2 cm or so. In those cases the extruder seem to move the wrong distance towards the back, resulting in a shifted layer, and then moves about the same distance towards the front. Therefore objects at the front of the bed often are shifted less than at the back.  Here's an example of some small shifts in the 3D benchy (printed near the front of the bed). They are particularly obvious in the hull and in the supports of the cabin:

I've tightened the pulleys, lubricated the rods, restored the device to factory settings and made sure the connectors are plugged in properly, but the problems persist. I also have the impression that the locations of the shifted layers are quite reproducible.

From what I understand problems such as these along the x-axis, are generally caused by broken cables, which are pressed upon as the extruder moves. However, the pulley for the y-axis doesn't move, so it seems unlikely that the cable is the cause.

Any help is very much appreciated!

Its not possible to say without seeing the physical machine but I would assume its a mechanical problem. Perhaps the belt or a gear is worn out missing some piece so it slips sometimes. Or the gear its a little loose on its axle. When machine is off you can move the extruder by hand and try to feel if it does so smoothly.

I would not think its electrical but first thing to do is to detach all cables and put them back, because its easy to do. Second is the dismount stepper motor and check that its gear is attached firmly. If there is a bad cable then flexing and pulling it slightly might escalate the problem so that its always broken, which can be a good thing since intermittent problems are so hard to find.

If its the stepper motor driver electronics then a new driver board is needed, last thing to try unless you have two machines and can borrow a part.

I emailed makerbot support once about another problem, I did get some advice that way.


Slicer reports 1000s of errors not seen in Cura; Render is missing big chunks Brand new to Slic3r, I've been using Cura for a while, so not sure is happening.  I tried to load this Knight model into Slic3er (v1.2.9 running on OS X), and it's reporting "Manifold: auto-repaired (11430 errors)", and the model looks incomplete.  Hovering the model with the mouse shows more details:

Preview mode shows supports holding up the head, so I don't think it's just a screen rendering issue.  But I loaded this same model into Cura earlier today, and it worked just fine; I've printed the resulting GCode.  So I believe the model is fine.  I wanted to print using Slic3r and compare the results.

Is this a known issue with certain types of models?  Not sure what to try next.

Cura and Slic3r are very different programs. You will not get the exact same print between the two. I find that of late slic3r will try to fill holes when older versions do not. So even versions will not behave the same. I will say I have less issues with simplify 3d, but the price is very high.

Following. When this happens I attempt to repair the model. There is obviously some unresolved issues in the model. I use Netfabb which has been exported to this online tool.

Really though. I would ask for my money back ;-)


Unable to install auto-bed levelling sensor into my Anet A8 I've been trying to install an inductive sensor for auto-bed levelling into my Anet A8 and I'm having a few issues.

I have been using the wiring diagram provided by Solid Ground Electronics in one of his videos (Cheap 3D Printer - Anet A8: Upgrades, Experience & Thoughts), which I decided to follow as it still uses the Z limit switch, in case the inductive sensor fails to work.

The sensor seems to work when I power the printer on, the red LED is constantly on and when it comes into contact with metal, the LED turns brighter (as shown in the photos).

However, when I set it to auto-home, the Z axis does not move down like it usually does (until it hits the switch), but it moves up a bit. Although when I auto-homed the printer with a piece of metal under the sensor, the Z axis moved down, like it should do. So the sensor is acting in an opposite way to what it needs to.

I believe that it's been wired up correctly with a 10k ohm resistor connected to the base of the transistor and the signal wire of the probe. However the NPN transistor shown in the diagram is '2N4401' and the one I used is 'PN2222A', but I believe this should have no difference in the function of the transistor (only the voltages it can handle).

I initially thought that as the NPN transistor is slightly different, perhaps the polarity of emitter and collector is incorrect, so I switched them around but the problem still occurs.

I would thoroughly appreciate it if anyone can help!

The sensor is working correctly, but the signal is inverted.

Take the obvious solution: invert the endstop from being normally open to normally closed or vice-versa in your firmware.

If you still want to use your existing limit switch in parallel with the sensor (as shown in the video), you will need to switch that one over as well (usually limit switches have 3 contact points, one common, one NC, one NO, so you'd need to move the wire from the NC contact to NO or vice-versa).


Trying to flash Davinci XYZ 1.0, nothing but black bars I get nothing but black bars and "Unknown USB Device" from Windows 10.  This is after a failed flash that was otherwise going directly according to plan.

This Davinci has been nothing but frustration for me, and I'm really tired of fruitless Google-Fu.

Much of what I see pretty much says it's bricked;  attempting to jump the jp1 jumper any further does me no good.

Is there anything I can do to actually move forward, or are we in soldering-iron territory now?

I had this occur on my MakerBot Replicator Dual after I tried repairing a blown voltage regulator. If you refer to the previous link to my SE question, pay attention to the comments of Ryan's answer where it is explained that (in my case at least) the main processor was damaged and therefore couldn't properly load the firmware. The machine was able to load just enough to initialize the chip on the LCD screen, but since the main boards processor was blown, couldn't load the firmware to send commands to the screen and continue the boot sequence.

I'm not certain that you're encountering the same EXACT issue, but you have all of the same side effects that I did. Basically, if you're not pro with electronics, your board is bricked. Otherwise, you might be able to salvage the board by replacing the processor, but there's no guarantee that something else isn't wrong or that the new processor was installed correctly.


Which 3D printer controller should I use? I recently build a 3D printer from scratch and was using an Arduino Mega + RAMPS 1.4 to control it. A few weeks in I installed a heated bed to help my prints stick to the surface. The bed I bought was an Anet bed found on Amazon, I'm told they are prone to causing fires.

About a week after I installed the bed, my the MOSFET on my RAMPS overheated and began to smoke. I could no longer perform without heating up too hot and smoking, so I bought another RAMPS 1.4 to replace it. The same thing happened and I returned it...

After doing some research and finding out the connectors and MOSFETs on the RAMPS 1.4 are typically undersized, I decided to upgrade to avoid the problem and go with a RAMPS 1.6 instead, which was supposed to better handle the current flow. After about a week of using the RAMPS 1.6, the power connection began to smoke and caught fire(Not the MOSFETs like the RAMPS 1.4, the incoming power connector). I attempted to remove the connector and resolder the wires, I couldn't get it to work. At this point I'm looking for advice on which controller to go with. I don't want to buy another RAMPS out of fear of the same thing happening, but I am also wondering if buying a different heated bed would fix the problem. So any recommendations on where to go from here? I've look at a few boards but one thing is some of them can only control 1 Z stepper driver, while my setup has Z.

Controller boards
Please note (this is not to bash) that RAMPS shields are not the top of the line printer controller boards, investing in a more modern printer board platform (preferably not a clone of a known board), e.g. a 32-bit board might be a better solution.
Any board with at least four stepper drivers should be sufficient (you can use the two Z steppers in parallel or in series), some boards even offer two Z stepper output connectors controlled by a single stepper, e.g.:

No worries if the board doesn't have two Z stepper connectors, you can buy dual stepper breakout boards, e.g. a parallel solution:

Alternatively, an extra stepper driver can drive the extra Z stepper; this requires a board with at least 5 stepper drivers then, the Z2 stepper would then be connected to the E1 extruder driver. The firmware needs to be aware of using 2 stepper drivers, so in Marlin (depending on the version) set Z_DUAL_STEPPER_DRIVERS or assign a value to NUM_Z_STEPPER_DRIVERS .
Anet heatbed
The Anet heatbed is notoriously known for fire accidents/burning caused by the underrated connectors (the connector itself is not rated for 10 A!), also the connector should require proper strain relief. The best solution is to solder the heat bed wires directly to the backside of the connector (which is what I did on my old Anet A8 printer, I used multiple pins soldered together, both the outer 2 pins on either side), an example from the web (downside is that they only used a single pin) shows this principle (with solution for cable/soldering stress relief using a tie-wrap):

A final notice for connecting heatbeds is to use proper cables; silicone cables of proper gauge (silicone wires are very flexible, e.g. AWG 14) should be used. Also, never solder the ends and put them under screw connectors on the printer board, instead, use ferrules or proper sized fork terminal connectors.
MOSFET Band Aid
In case the MOSFETs on your boards are underrated, you can use external MOSFET boards to relieve the shield/printer board from the high currents. Note that the bed requires the most current (about 10 A), for the hotend this will not be required, the current draw is much lower, the onboard MOSFETs are rated for those loads.


Run custom code between g-code commands? I would like to be able to add custom commands/script to be executed during a print.

For example I would like to write some software to take a picture check the print hasn't moved off the bead between layers.

Does anyone know if any of the available software/firmware allows custom scripts or calling back to the computer before continuing printing?

I am happy to build/buy a new printer if anyone knows a control board that has this sort of feature.

A solution I use involves a 3d print server. I have defined shell scripts that address the GPIO ports of the Raspberry Pi that runs OctoPrint. OctoPrint is a 3d print server that can be accessed over your home network.

From the OctoPrint homepage:

  OctoPrint is the snappy web interface for your 3D printer that allows
  you to control and monitor all aspects of your printer and print jobs,
  right from your browser.

This print server application allows for specification of custom Gcode commands (linked to system commands for instance; note this is a plug-in called "GCODE Systems Commands", see image below).

As an example, e.g. OCTO100 is scheduled to run fan_on.sh shell script. This script in its turn drives a relay to switch the annoying extruder cooling fan that is always on when the printer is powered. These codes can then be used throughout your sliced file to do stuff you want (e.g. by using the TweakAtZ plugin of Cura). E.g. my extruder fan will stay on several minutes before it is scheduled off after a successful print through OCTO110 which in itself runs the script fan_off.sh.

The scripts from the figure could be setup to schedule to do something, e.g. fan_on.sh controls a relay using port 22 of the GPIO of the Raspberry PI:

#!/bin/bash
gpio export 22 out
gpio -g write 22 0

So to disable the fan you would need fan_off.sh to be:

#!/bin/bash
gpio export 22 out
gpio -g write 22 1


Z-min always open when using BLtouch and Marlin 2.0 I recently added a Creality BLTouch v3.1 to my Ender 3 which has a MKS Base v 1.6 motherboard and is running Marlin 2.0, but the Z-min never triggers.
I have made sure that the BLTouch unit lights up, uses the provided mount for the Ender 3 to get proper placement and is connected to the Z-min pins. Additionally, I have followed multiple youtube videos for connecting/setting the right parameters for the sensor. However, I haven't found the right combo.
I have tried both BLTouch and Creality BLTouch, different pin number assignments (other than the standard Z-min pin), but the status doesn't change with or without the sensor pushed in. Looking for suggestions on settings to apply, or if anyone has had this issue.
See pictures below:

Connection to motherboard, tried using the other pin on the z min, and switching the black/white wires to see if they we're connecting wrong.
BLTouch depressed which lights up as expected.
BLTouch not illuminated when open.

In order to use a BLTouch probe (or clone probe) you need to configure the firmware to know that a servo operated Z endstop is being used.
From the referenced files that are used for building the firmware you are running can be found in the configuration.h that:
/**
 * The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo.
 */
//#define BLTOUCH

When using a servo port operated probe (position of the servo corresponds to a certain action) such as the BLTouch, 3DTouch, etc. you need to configure using it as such:
/**
 * The BLTouch probe uses a Hall effect sensor and emulates a servo.
 */
#define BLTOUCH

Furthermore, you need to be sure to connect the cables of the touch probe according to the pin arrangement as defined for you controller board.
E.g. #define Z_MIN_PROBE_USES_Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_PIN could be used to re-use the Z-min endstop connector on the board.

Note that when using a touch probe (which is a sophisticated sensor with it's own onboardmicro-processor with dedicated firmware), you cannot use M119, the endstop status from the touch sensor cannot be read from the output of the command. According to "Marlin documentation", The BLTOUCH probe only sends a brief pulse, so “TRIGGERED” indicates the probe is in error state..


3D Molecular Printers Are there commercially available molecular 3D printers that can create catalytic structures like Zeolites, if not are there any research efforts underway in such field?

The link I mentioned from popular mechanics is the state of molecular 3d printing. So yes the printer does exist and can do some really impressive things. However as the article states it is limited to what it can create right now. The technology sounds really interesting. However it might be a bit out of our knowledge as it doesn't seem to be widely available passed the scientific academia world.

This link here talks about reactionware for Chemical Syntheses as well as a TED talk about it


X carriage "vibrates" on small segments Following the question I asked here: Replace X axis motor with different model

I have a problem with my new motor. My X-axis is now moved by a 17HS3401S motor, instead of a 42SHD0217-24B motor.

On small segments, like when I need to print an arc with a lot of small straight lines, my printhead "vibrates" instead of having a smooth movement. It seems it stops for a very short amount of time before trying to move again. On longer travels there is no problem.

Do you know if it's because of the motor, or because of something else? (Vref not set properly maybe?)

The overall torque, and thus the incremental torque is less with your new stepper, this may result in less smooth operation because of moving the weight of the carriage (e.g. when you have a direct extruder mounted on the X carriage).

You could be facing skipping steps, resulting in less accurate prints. Maybe the Vref has not been adjusted correctly, or the stepper is just not working for your application.


Replace X axis motor with different model Last week, my X-axis stepper motor died. It was a 42SHD0217-24B model. I ordered the same online, but the vendor made a "mistake" and sent me the 17HS3401S model.

I know these motors use a different voltage, so I adjusted the screw on the stepper driver and managed to get a smooth rotation with the new model. I know that these 2 motors have a rotation of 1.8° per step.

My questions are the following:

Since they have the same rotation angle per step, I shouldn't have to calibrate the new model, right? (I'll use the original wheel)
Did the vendor send me a motor with inferior performances?
Will my performances degrade if I use the new motor? (Lecture on motors appreciated). By that I mean: will my top moving speed be affected? Will the motor miss more steps at high speed?

Since they have the same rotation angle per step, I shouldn't have to calibrate the new model, right? (I'll use the original wheel)

Yes, you do not have to change anything, other than the Vref of the stepper driver.

  Did the vendor send me a motor with inferior performances?

Yes, the one you received has a lower height, so smaller coils and smaller permanent magnets; basically lower torque.

  Will my performances degrade if I use the new motor?

That depends on the loading of the carriage of the X-axis, it could if it is heavy; you now have less torque available to move the carriage. But, this type is frequently found in 3D printer kits and should work.


Cura projecting floating print onto build plate during slicing I'm trying to do a multifilament print on my single extruder machine. So I separated out the models based on filament, and imported the parts into Cura. I ensured that "Automatically drop models to build plate" was disabled and in the "Prepare" phase that seems to work. However, when I slice the model it gets pushed back down to the build plate as can be seen in the picture below. Any recommendations? Do I just need to write a script to go in and shift the z location?

I've been playing with this and came up with a solution, so I thought I would share in case anyone else had this issue in the future. In Ultimaker Cura I enabled supports and z-hopping before I sliced the part, then I ran this Python function to remove the supports and get the extruder setup.

import re

def float_part(file):
    printString = ';LAYER:'
    partString = ';(.*?).stl'

    with open( file , 'r') as content_file:
        content = content_file.read()

    printArea = re.search( printString , content ).span(0)[0]
    partArea = re.search( partString , content ).span(0)[0]

    uncommentedLine = partArea - re.search( '\n.*?(?<!;)\n' , content[ partArea:printArea:-1 ] ).span(0)[0]

    lastExtrusion = uncommentedLine - re.search( 'E' , content[ uncommentedLine:printArea:-1 ] ).span(0)[0]
    secondLastExtrusion = lastExtrusion - re.search( 'E' , content[ lastExtrusion-1:printArea:-1 ] ).span(0)[0]

    lastExtrusionAmount = float(re.search( '\d+(\.\d+)?', content[lastExtrusion:] ).group(0))
    secondLastExtrusionAmount = float(re.search( '\d+(\.\d+)?', content[secondLastExtrusion:] ).group(0))

    ResetCommand = '\nG92 E' + str(lastExtrusionAmount) + '\n'

    with open( file , 'w') as content_file:
        content_file.write( content[0:printArea] + ResetCommand + content[uncommentedLine:] )


Sealing PLA & oil-based art supplies? I will be printing an item that's usually made out of resin, but my version will be made out of PLA. Here are some questions I have:

Usually, people seal the resin with brands such as Testor's, Liquitex, or Mr. Super Clear, to create a layer that prevents paint or materials from bleeding into the resin over time. Is this necessary for items made out of PLA? Will the same sealant brands work?
On these resin items, people steer clear of oil-based art supplies, like oil pastels, because the they will also stain the resin. Does the same concept apply to PLA?
Sometimes, certain dyed fabrics or synthetic materials will stain resin. Do these materials also have the potential to stain PLA?

Thanks for the help!

I have worked with PLA and paints before. I use mainly acryl-based paints as well as spray lacquers.
Sealent is not necessary.
While a sealant is not necessary, you might prefer to use a spray on, smooth drying lacquer to get a smooth surface. PLA does not "soak in" paints or colors like resins.


Threaded rods to create frame/axis connection. Which improvements can be made and are they needed? I am building what I dub Frankenstein's printer from various components I could find in the electronics dumpster to print the proteins for a P3 Steel (toolson edition).

I want to elevate a scanner bed with an attached DVD drive motor for X-Y movements of the hotend. I plan to connect this by threaded rods to a base that also hosts the heated bed on a stury z-axis mechanism. To make this as stable as possible, I plan to conncect M8 threaded rods in the 8 edges in wooden blocks.

I am planning on 4 vertical rods and 2 crossing rods along the diagonals of the backside of the system. Additionally each side is planned to have one diagonal connected by a rod.

We're talking about a height of about 30cm and M8 rods. Will this introduce lots of vibrations and is it possible to avoid easily? Are there any better connection ideas or improvements I can make to this design?

*edit: here is a really bad hand-drawn sketch:

If I understand you correctly, compared to a Mendel RepRap you are using:

M8 threaded rod (the same kind of rod used in the Mendel RepRap frame)
roughly the same lengths of rod as in the Mendel, and
cross-braced with more diagonals than the Mendel design.

So I expect less vibration and the same print quality as a Mendel.

Rather than put one block of wood at each corner with holes drilled at a bunch of weird skewed angles,
the "1X2 split vertex" looks like it is a lot easier to construct.

I've heard several people claim that lots of threaded rods and associated corner connectors can be replaced with a few big sheets of wood in a 3D printer.
See Mendel90, RP9, SGBot, WolfStrap, etc.

Looks like a very educational project. Good luck.


Parts printing out bigger after changing controller I changed my original HICTOP controller for one which actually has some fuses.

I tried to print a part last night - the resultant print looks significantly bigger.

Do you need to recalibrate the stepper per unit after you've changed your controller?

A quick search for your specific controller brought up the following link:
hictop wiki page
in which a reference is made that some printers were shipped with incorrect firmware, specifically in error by a factor of six. If your prints are about six times larger, this may apply to you. The same page contains a link to the firmware.

You should also be able to "look inside" the firmware using any number of programs providing terminal access to the controller. Pronterface is one, Simplify3D (not free) is another. I'm fond of using OctoPrint, but it requires some "gymnastics" to install.

Once you've installed your selected software, open the terminal feature and type M503 to display the current settings. You may have to turn off some automatic terminal display features, as some controllers will repeatedly send data to the screen, causing inconvenient scrolling.

I attempted to locate the correct code sequence for your printer, with limited success. Consider to scan over the wiki page for the appropriate information and correlate it to your specific controller and printer:
Firmware reprap codes

You'd want to confirm a specific M-code to change the stepper figure to match that which is for your printer. I've done my extruder steppers recently, which is M92 for my controller. My quick scan of the codes in the above link shows M350 might be the one for you, but don't take my word on it, get a confirmation from another source specific to your printer.


Ender 3 ignores signal from optocoupler Optocoupler used in conjuction with an inductive sensor on a stock Ender 3, wired like this:

Except I also wired a switch to the Z endstop signal and ground.
I don't know the switch pin layout so I had to guess.

I guess S stands for signal, but I don't know why the other pin isn't G, but rather V. So we have signal and voltage? that doesn't make sense so I guess its the reason for the problem.
When I do auto home all axes, it completely ignores signal from the optocoupler. It only stops when hitting the switch.
The optocoupler is connected to an inductive sensor. When the sensor detects metal, it sends a signal to the optocoupler, the optocoupler to Z limit pins on the mainboard (or so it should).
Video of whats happening is found here.
Should I connect optocoupler VCC to switch V (keep switch S to optocoupler OUT)?

U (not V) is +5V, so should I connect the optocoupler VCC to it?

Not knowing the type of inductive sensor you are using, the most common, an NPN type sensor (like the LJ18A3-8-Z/BX) is assumed (in relation to your previous question). NPN type sensors imply that the signal is held high at a certain voltage (the supply voltage ranges from 6 V-36 V, but are reported to work on 5 V also) and is actively switched down to 0 V when triggered.
Basically the sensor always produces a high signal until triggered. Why is this the preferred option? If somehow the wires break or some issue occurs that triggers the sensor, movement is stopped to prevent damage to occur.
The signal from the sensor needs to be "high" and the switch needs to cut the power by opening the circuit. So make sure what your sensor signal is outputting in the first place. The depicted switch is a powered switch as it uses an LED, but the switching component on the circuit board itself has three pins, COM (COMmon), NO (Normally Open) and NC (Normally Closed). You need to put +5 V on the white wire to power the right side of the optocoupler and connect the switch as such that the COM and the NC are connected (most probably S and U in the depicted switch).


12864 LCD image not centered? Just flashed my Ender 5 Plus with the TH3D firmware so I could add an 12864... started a print and then a few minutes later I notice this on the LCD!
How would I fix this?

There seems to be an issue with these cheap controllers with the timing.
With reference to the next reported issues:
https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/5703
https://github.com/MarlinFirmware/Marlin/issues/5720
Add these 3 lines after the #define ENDER5_PLUS in the firmware files:
#define ST7920_DELAY_1 DELAY_NS(250)
#define ST7920_DELAY_2 DELAY_NS(250)
#define ST7920_DELAY_3 DELAY_NS(250)


3D Printers imported from China - avoiding asbestos exposure Many 3D printers are made in China, and as asbestos is still legal in China (with large ongoing production it seems).

It is thus quite possible to end up with a 3D Printer that has asbestos parts in it.

Even though asbestos is illegal in some parts of the world (like Australia, though not the USA as far as I know), given the above, and the possible lack of care by suppliers and/or oversights during imports, one may want to do due diligence.

This becomes even more important if you plan to make modifications to your printer.

When speaking with even large producers, you may also get very conflicting answers ("yes part xyz has asbestos in it" vs "no it does not") - which further complicates the matter.

Asbestos testing is usually about 50-70 USD per sample, and often destruction of the tested item is necessary, so that is not a viable way either.

There are also heating elements used in printers which may be shielded with asbestos containing materials (as asbestos has good heat resistance properties).

How to avoid asbestos exposure with a high degree of certitude?

How to avoid asbestos exposure with a high degree of certitude?

If you're not willing to do asbestos testing yourself and can't trust your suppliers either, then this is impossible.

That said, for most of the components on a 3D printer it is easy to verify they're asbestos-free (I've never seen a steel linear shaft containing asbestos). For the remaining components, you may be able to pick an alternative which you know to be safe, for instance an all-metal hotend without insulating tape, or a heated bed that's plain FR4 without insulation. If there are any components that you distrust specifically (such as a heater cartridge) you should source that from a trusted supplier.


Wrong Z-Axis movement in G-Code Alright so I bought a broken UP mini. There was only a defect on the board so I connected the components to a Duet 2 Wifi.
Everything is fully operational and I can manually move all axes correctly using the interface as well as homing them.

The problem is that when I try to slice a model (I am using Slic3r) and upload the G-Code the bed will be raised instead of lowered during printing.

How do I change it so the direction of the Z-Axis goes correctly?

Additional information:

The Z endstop is at the bottom
When homed the Z coordinate is on 0 mm
When placing the bed under the extruder the Z coordinate is 170 mm

You could put the z endstop at the top, and flip the motor connector to make it move the other direction. This should make it home to the top near the nozzle, and then move downward during the print.

Otherwise, you'll have to tweak the firmware configuration and reflash.


Supports for dense Voronoi pieces I have printed 1 voronoi piece before. I was able to get the supports that were inside the structure out with tweezers because the holes were big enough. This one (pic below) I do not think I can do that with. I looked at the proposed support structure preview in my slicer (I use Cura) and it wants to print them inside the torso here as well. Is there a way to force the slicer to not print supports within a hollow piece? I use cura but I can use another slicer if need be. Or any other recommendations for a successful print here would be fine as well.

One feature of Cura is the ability to set supports to build plate only. This would remove any supports internal to the model, as your model has a base that is not considered the build plate or raft. In the image provided, you would have some complications, I believe, as there would be no supports on the outside of the model if it was directly over the base.

As you are not eliminating other options, you can also turn off supports in Cura, load your model into Meshmixer and make use of their support feature, which allows you to adjust placement, size and other parameters in order to get a good result.

The flexibility is limited only by your imagination:


What is the easiest way to modify/resize an object inside a STL file? I have this GoPro mount for a quadcopter as STL file. It looks as follows.

How do I modify it so that it is wider and longer by a few millimeters but the screw holes stay the exact same size? Additionally the angle of the upper surface must stay the same. Please suggest the easiest solution for someone like me who as no idea about CAD software.

The perfect solution for me would be to just import it in Tinkercad and then modify it however I have no idea what the steps are.

Many resources are available for modification using 3D CAD (including learning a tool such as sketchup, which is VERY beginner friendly). The easiest and fastest solution to your particular problem may be the reddit community "3D Print My Thing" which was created for EXACTLY this type of situation (help with modelling parts which will be 3D printed.) Another potential useful reddit community is "3D Modelling" which will have many people who are able to help you with this quadcopter/Go-Pro attachment 3D model.

Third solution: Thingiverse has a customize option for 3D models (including this one). have you explored using this interface to edit the model? This is most likely the easiest DIY solution.


Considerations when pausing a print job Some prints take a long time and, as I'm not in a workshop, I need to pause the print sometimes.

Are there any special considerations I should take when pausing, or can I literally just click pause, leave it for twelve hours or so, and it'll continue without any ill effects?

I'm using PLA at present.

If you keep the head hot during the pause, and over the print, you will melt the material already deposited.

If you move to X0 Y0 (like on a layer change) and pause there, you can cool off the head (or not), but will want to prime (advance) some material before resuming your print - or risk an initial void, as the heated material will expand and drip to some extent.

If you move to X0 Y0, retract, and cool off for your pause, you should be able to heat up, advance, and resume with few issues. You will probably still need to some manual cleaning where the resume was, as there is likely to be some buildup.

Also, if you let the bed cool during your pause, your print may become unstuck from the bed.


Motor driver chip install direction? I got a new MKS 1.4 controller board and it came with A4988 driver chips.  But I can't figure out which way they install.  I found something saying to match the printing on the back of the chip to that on the board.  But I don't see anything that matches.  Suggestions?

From A4988 Stepper Motor Driver Carrier, the rear of the breakout board, is identical to yours:

Note the two square pads for the GND, whereas the others are round. Now looking at the top side:

and note the position of the square GND pins/pads, in relation to the trim pot.

Now look at this hi-res photo of a populated MKS board

Again, looking at the position of the trim pots, one can see that the A4988 breakout boards need to be oriented such that the side with GND pins need to be nearest to the top of the board. That is to say the GND on the corner of the breakout board, needs to be pointing North East, as it were.

Here is a schematic of the MKS 1.4 as well, although it is not much use, from MKS Gen 1.4 circuit and pinouts:


Why is cupping bad in SLA prints? Why is cupping bad? (I don't mean hollow parts)
Example:
Lets say that I want to print a simple cup without a handle.
There are two obvious orientations:

In one orientation it won't require any support, which I quite like, but it will then form a 'cup' which my 3D program tells me is bad.
In the opposite orientation it needs to be filled with support, but the resin can freely run out.

I don't want to add a drainage hole to my cup for obvious reasons :) Also, I am using a formlabs form 3, if it makes a difference.
A cup:

The printer prints, then moves up, then down again. The print surface stays inside the resin vat at all times. As a result, we have this experiment:

The "bottle" is resting in a vat of liquid. As we raise it more and more, it does not drain until the lower lid is free of the liquid surface or some point of the shell delaminates. The release of the resin can happen in a rather violent way - which in turn could deform the print in the making. Delamination rips through the part till air can enter the enclosed space, destroying the print in the process.
Even if printing the mouth against the plate you'll have cupping if you have a solid plate to print against. This can be mitigated with a little angle but trap liquid in the print at the end or including a couple of small gaps close to the surface to allow air to get into the print - yet unless the resin can flow out at the bottom some will be trapped in any case.
To prevent cupping, I would turn the cup to print sideways, that way resin and air can be exchanged.


What am I doing wrong with my M3D Micro? So I recently got an M3D Micro+ and have had 2 years of experience in 3D printing. I've had some issues with the printer and the prints produced and would like to know how I can fix them.
The issues include:

Thick layer lines
Bad first layers / adhesion
wobbly extruder head

Here is a screenshot of one of the prints:

The tolerances are also pretty bad. I would like to know recommended settings and such to help me get to actually printing. As of yet, I have not yet gotten a successful print.

It's not you - it's the printer!
The M3D Micro is not a very sturdy setup. The X-axis is a single pair of thin rods, hung up on a pair of similarly thin rods in Y and mounted on 3 very thin pillars in Z. While the idea is good, the execution is not particularly well: The rods are too thin and the design is virtually unchanged since 2015 and thus this review from 2016 still applies. As does this from 2018:

The extruder having problems to extrude reliable and steadily was not fixed since at least 2015.
The mounting of the motion system is not very sturdy and the system itself is under-designed. This means it is particularly vulnerable to oscillation - which your print shows.

The extruder is mounted flexibly on the motion system, which amplifies all those errors. But that is designed for bed leveling - so there is little you can do to gett the needed stiffness

The motors are underpowered. This leads especially to trouble with movement accuracy unless you print super slow. And that print you showed shows that you print with more normal print settings for a 2021 machine. This also shows in your print.
If a professional in 2018 can spend 2 days calibrating and get no results with the owner's proprietary slicer, then that slicer is not worth the disk space it uses. If you need to hack Cura to get the proprietary g-code derivate and you need to do that to get even decent prints, it's a bad design.

All in all, you might squeak out better prints with a lot of calibration work, but the printer suffers so heavy from the design flaws that it would be a labor of love.


All-metal hotends are less forgiving / not as good for PLA -- but how bad? Currently, I'm using a Creality printer to print PLA (that's what I have on hand) but I'm definitely interested in working with other materials that require higher temperatures (both much higher, and just enough higher that the stock hotend is very marginal) in the future.

I understand that all-metal hotends are less forgiving and that they particularly are not the best for printing PLA, and shouldn't be assumed to be an upgrade when only printing PLA.

What I don't understand is, how bad are they? Are they so bad that I should plan on changing back to a PTFE hotend whenever I print PLA or ABS? Or are they suitable for use on a printer that is sometimes used for printing PLA and ABS and sometimes printing high-temp filaments?

All-metal hotends are less forgiving

Yes

  not as good for PLA

No

  but how bad?

That is very subjective and totally depending on the skill of the 3D printer operator! So, that part of the question cannot be answered.

Fact is that all-metal hotends are sold as being upgrades to lined versions, this is simply not true. It is a different design that can handle higher temperatures. To operate such hotends you require a little more experience as these hotends are a little less forgiving if you do not have the right slicer settings. Key parameters are hotend temperature, cold end cooling and retraction speed and length and amount of retractions in the model.

Another fact is that e.g. the Ultimaker cores concept (we opened a 0.4 mm core to see that for ourselves) doesn't use a PTFE lining, nor do other brands. They can perfectly print PLA (even with a high retraction length). The only time if failed printing PETG (higher temp than PLA) was the result of a heat creep induced clog which was caused by a cooling fan failure (the cooling fan ingested something and seized up), so just one print of a few meters of the several kilometers 2.85 mm that got printed.


How to increase bed temperature over 103 degrees I am having problems with my tevo tarantula large bed 12Volt power supply, I am getting the thermal protection message when heating my bed with target temperature set to 115 degrees.
The process slows down after reaching 90.
I changed merlin settings to trigger thermal shutdown after 5minutes/2degrees and added a cover to the printer, so getting now 103 degrees (usually shutdown was at 100/101).

link to a video showing panel: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jiW9NE7wEB4H0mOy1

You need to increase the power of the heated bed. With a given amount of power, there is an upper limit to the maximum temperature you can reach because at a given point losses due to conduction, convection and radiation will balance out the heating power and the temperature will not increase any more.

Sometimes, inability of the bed to heat up is due to the supply voltage sagging under load. First, measure the supply voltage with and without the bed turned on. If you find the supply drops significantly when the bed is turned on, you need a new power supply.

Otherwise, you will need to either:

Get a new, higher-power heated bed. Make sure that it is compatible with your electronics, or upgrade them as needed.
Increase the supply voltage so that the bed you already have will give more power. Some power supplies have a small adjustment potentiometer that lets you adjust the output voltage. Be careful when doing this. Even a small change in voltage gives a big increase in power. For a heated bed with resistance R at voltage U, the power dissipation is U2/R. Going from 12V to 13.5V already gives 26% more power.


Why do 3D printers have only one limit switch? I have seen that many 3D printers have only one limit switch for each axis, how does it know where to stop on the other end?

My first guess is that the machine knows how big the plate is, and calculates it accordingly.

If this is true, then if I were to use a RAMPS, I would have to modify the software to figure out the build plate, it won't have the hardware to autocalculate.

In principle you only need the minimum axis position (or the maximum), the offset to the bed and the size of the bed in the direction of the axes. Fortunately, you can specify this in the firmware:

E.g. in Marlin Firmware offsets are defined as travel limits:

// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.
#define X_MIN_POS -33
#define Y_MIN_POS -10
#define Z_MIN_POS 0
#define Z_MAX_POS 240

Bed size:

// The size of the print bed
#define X_BED_SIZE 200
#define Y_BED_SIZE 200

Do note that some printers do have maximum endstops on top of minimum endstops. This is handy in case of layer shifting (e.g. caused by the nozzle catching the print as such that the belt skips notches and as such redefining the reference frame) to prevent the carriage from destroying the printer at the maximum of the axis.


How to get superglue off PLA filament? So I'm making my friend a Monado sword replica and I've printed the handle in 2 pieces as to fill it with electronics and then superglue the 2 halves together.
I seem to have put too much on and it's leaked out and spread as shown in the picture..
Does anyone know how to get the dried glue off?

Thanks,
(PS. The glue is called "NO NONSENSE SUPERGLUE")

In agreement with what Akriss said, pretty much all "super" glue is CA (cyanoacrylate) glue, which is soluble in acetone. PLA itself is does not dissolve in or react with acetone, but the pigments, additives, etc. likely do, so you should wipe with a paper towel or cloth (the latter might be better to avoid getting fibers stuck on the glue) soaked in acetone rather than pouring it over the piece or submerging it, to limit the effects. Also, test first on a scrap piece printed with the same filament to ensure the results aren't unacceptably bad.


How to edit Cura profile in Octoprint? In Cura, I can edit my .ini profile settings as needed, for example, when I change filament or models. It's annoying to have to edit the profile on another computer and update it on my Pi just to change the infill, etc. I've searched http://plugins.octoprint.org/ and can't find any plugins that do this.

As far as I know, this is currently not possible.


How to specify rotation origin in openscad OpenSCAD has rotate function which rotates the body around its origin axis.

Is there a way to specify an arbitrary axis?

For example, this rotates a cylinder around its center:

rotate(a=[90,0,0]) {
  cylinder(h=10,r1=10,r2=10);
}

How to make it rotate around its edge?

rotate() always rotates around the origin of the object following it.
What you can do is to move your cylinder away from the origin, like this:

rotate(a=[90,0,0]) {
  translate([0,10,0]) cylinder(h=10,r1=10,r2=10);
}


Prusa I3 mk3 - Not your average inconsistent first layer Over the last two days I have tried everything I could come up with to fix the following issues.

It all started with bad bed adhesion.(pic.1) Solutions for these problems are readily available, so I calibrated my Z-axis (did the whole wizard from start to finish again) and started a calibration print over the whole buildplate, getting an interesting result.(pic.2) As you can see some area's are squashed nicely whilst others come off directly.

I then started looking for alternative Z-levelling solutions and came across an alternative calibration file (link1), at first glance the results seemed allright, -0,8mm seem to provide the best results (pic.3) however notice the darkened area to the left (could be the high temp of this test? 225c?).

To validate the number I did a full print on -0,8 and this is where it gets weird, the result shows a non uniform transparancy (pic.4) the mechanical properties are also a lot less. I used my caliper to check the printer and all seems to be well within expected ranges.
The bed is also flat, checked with a ruler for deformaties.

Printing with the first spool of Prusa fillament, do notice some changes in the Z-level calibration print, the edges now bend upwards, this is done with the same Gcode and spool as previous (pic.5).

Any advice on what to do next?
Printing on 210c with fan off for the first layer, test square on 225c, all PLA.
Cleaned the bed with Acetone (99% pure) before each attempt.

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

Picture 3:

Picture 4:

Picture 5:

EDIT: So Mick mentioned cleaning the nozzle which helped with the inconsistent first layer. In the end it was me being unaware that Aceton doesn't help with grease, a thorough scrubbing of the buildplate with soap and really hot water helped.

If you repeat a test and the problem occurs in the same location, then you probably have a problem with your bed or build plate. However, picture 3 suggests to me that you may have a partially clogged nozzle. Manually extrude some filament. It should fall straight down. If it curls as it comes out of the nozzle, then you have a partial clog. Brass nozzles do wear out, so if you've put some hours on your printer, it might be a good idea to fit a new one.

Edit: I meant picture 3, not picture 4.


What determines print start location on the build plate? I'm working with an older MakerBot Replicator clone, actually a Flashforge Creator 1, with original Creator firmware.

I'm able to design objects, using Solidworks, and exporting the file as xxx.stl (ascii)
Then I use Slic3r to generate tool paths with output as xxx.gcode
finally, I use GPX UI to generate a xxx.x3g file.

I don't understand where on the build plate the print starts.  Is that controlled by the 3d printer's firmware values, or something else in the chain from .stl --> .gcode --> x3g ??     Right now my prints start in the corner nearest 0,0.0, instead of in the middle of the build plate.
How do I control where to place the 3d print on the build plate?
edit: Apologies for the delay.  As a result of the answers posted here, I did a whole bunch more testing.  The initial response from @mick, seems to indicate that what you see in the Slicer preview is what you'll see on the print bed. That makes sense, but that is definitely not what I'm seeing.  I definitely don't see anywhere anything that remotely looks like a check the box [] center.  Here's what I do see:
When I drop the object into Slic3r, it goes to middle of build plate.

Unfortunately here's what gets printed.
Attempt #1, off in space

Attempt #2, Right Hand Margin

Attempt #3, Near the front.

I tried moving the print head to center of build plate, thinking that might be a logical start point. No go.  Print start moves head to home (rear right corner of print bed) then after elements heat up to temp, it seems to select a random spot on the build plate to start.  I never touched the .x3g file between these attempts.  So I'm right back to where I started, per the title of this posting "What determines print start location on the build plate?"

So it turns out there are elements from each of the previous answers that make sense here, but its not a clear picture.  I've spent a whole lot of time trying to make sense of this. I also upgraded my firmware to Sailfish.

For the MakerBot Replicator (or FastForge Creator) family of 3d printers, the origin of the build plate is NOT at any of the corners, its right in the center of the build plate. Reference here.

  4.1 Home Offsets:
  By convention, the center of the build platform is assumed to be the point (0,0,0) in XYZ space. The X, Y, and Z home offsets tell the printer the location of the X, Y, and Z endstops in relation to the build platform’s center.

Looks like this:

And it would appear that most other 3D printers are not using this convention. Sigh.   From my testing, the main control of print location is within the G-Code generated by the slicer.  The tool I was using, Slic3r does give one a chance to correct that
adjustment.  You have to go to top menu Settings --> Printer Settings --> Size and Coordinates (Bed Shape) --> Set to get a nice popup visual tool.  See below.

Unfortunately the default setting is accurate for the overall bed size, but is a fail for the origin location on the bed.  The default origin is set at 0,0, in the corner.  Ouch. Big ouch.  The origin needs to be located right in the center of the build plate (to be consistent with the firmware controlling the print for this family of printers).  It should look like this:

Note, when you tell the printer to go to 'home' it doesn't go to origin (0,0,0) it goes to the endstops.

 G68 X0 Y0 F500 ; Perform Homing Routine

So as long as you understand the quirks of these printers things will work out.  You have to ensure offsets are set accurately in firmware config files. (Replicator / Sailfish) And you have to indicate the correct center location to the slicer program.  I will say the advice given here was of some help in understanding this. Many thanks.  I'm posting here in case others using the Replicator or FastForge Creator series of printers is having troubles centering their prints on the build plate.

Additional info for anybody using a MakerBot Replicator or Flashforge Creator series printer with Slic3r. I wanted to add my custom G-code stuff. The default Slic3r stuff definitely did not work.

Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> Start G-Code

M103 ; Turn all extruders off, Extruder Retraction
G21 ; set units to mm
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
(**** begin homing ****)
G162 X Y F2500 ; home XY axes to maximum stops
G161 Z F1100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop
G92 Z-5 ; Set Position Z =-5mm
G1 Z0.0 ; move Z to "0"
G161 Z F100 ; home Z axis to minimum stop slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall stored home offsets for XYZAB axis
               ; Loads the axis offset of the current home position from the EEPROM and waits for the buffer to empty.
G90 ; Use absolute coordinates
G1 X0 Y0 Z50 F3300.0 ; move to waiting position near center of build plate

Printer Settings --> Custom G-Code --> End G-Code

M109 S0 T0 ; Cool down the build platform
M104 S0 T0 ; Cool down the Right Extruder
M104 S0 T1 ; Cool down the Left Extruder
M73 P100 ; End  build progress
G0 Z150 ; Send Z axis to bottom of machine
M18 ; Disable steppers
G162 X Y F2500 ; Home XY endstops
M18 ; Disable stepper motors
M70 P30 ; We <3 Making Things! Yipee, you made it...
; display message above for 30 seconds
M72 P1 ; Play Ta-Da song

One other thing I do with Slic3r.  I print a single loop of print on the periphery of a phantom skirt.  I do this as a printer head clean extrude exercise.

Print Settings --> Skirt and Brim --> Skirt --> Loops (minimum): 1, Distance from object: 6mm, Skirt height: 1   This works well.  I do this in lieu of the G-code startup used in ReplicatorG software (which went to the lower left hand corner, and did this odd 4mm extrude exercise, with odd timing...)  The skirt thing works just fine.


Is packing multiple prints into the build volume a feasible workflow for powderbed printers? With fdm printers, the 3D object that should be printed can be positioned anywhere in the build volume. But it's only practical to place it on the bottom, because otherwise support material would be necessary.

stereolithography has the same problem. Even though the photopolymer can be cured at any position in the build volume, the result would drift away if it was not held in place by support material.

The powderbed based printers (either powder+binder or any of the laser/electron beam sintering/melting variants) do not have this problem, because they continuously fill the entire build volume with powder. The support material that other printing technologies require is part of the powder based printing anyway. It would be possible to pack the build volume with many prints and print them in one go.

Given that the machines are relatively expensive, it would be economical to increase the throughput. A company that does use such printers heavily could wait a certain amount of time until a few print queued up that fit together in the build volume and only then start the process. Do people do this?

Yes, this is very popular. Look into the site Shapeways and you will see that this is exactly what they do. I've also personally seen a local 3D print shop do this with their machine. It's called batching. I similar technique can be used in traditional machine shops (mills/lathes).


Fix ghosting problem (damping versus bolting printer to a desk) I have a Monoprice Maker Select v2. It is the kind where the moving plate (heat bed) provides the Y-axis and the moving extruder provides the X-axis. It has a fairly rigid sheet metal frame. In addition, I added steel rods has Z-braces.

I see some pretty obvious ghosting. This happens for an inch or so right after every sharp turn. Clearly, vibration is to be blamed. I found two simple techniques that improves the situation:

soft floor mats under the feet (allowing the machine to move freely)
bolt the machine to the desk (preventing the machine from moving)

Surprisingly, these two opposites provided exact same level of improvement for ghosting. My question is: which approach is better? Moreover, to further improvement, should I use...

(extreme version of 1) hanging the printer from the ceiling using bungee cords (maximize the freedom to move); or...
(extreme version of 2) bolt the printer to garage floor (0 freedom to move) ?

Ghosting is caused by differential movement between the bed and the head when the head undergoes acceleration. The forces add energy to a resonance in that differential vibration mode.

By changing how you mount the base, you will change the mode and probably change the frequency.

With the soft mounting, the bed can move more easily.  It will tend to follow the head acceleration better.  The whole system will still ring (you can't get rid of the momentum change), but you can cause the energy to go somewhere else and not excite that mode.

With the base bolted down tight, the base gets stiffer, increasing resonant frequencies.  You also may be making the base more resistant against racking or twisting motions.

It is completely credible that both interventions reduce the problem.  Of the two, I would prefer any intervention that increases the stiffness.

If you know your movement speed (perhaps from your configuration file) and can measure the linear frequency of the ringing, you can determine the resonant frequency that is being excited.  Depending on the frequency, you may be able to excite that frequency with an audio generator and transducer (maybe even just a speaker), such as with one of these: Dayton Audio Transducers.

With the system shaking at the right frequency, you can use your finger to find portions of the frame which are vibrating strongly, or maybe even your phone camera to make a high-speed video of the movement.


Bulging filaments - How can catch them before they go in the printer After multiple jams from bulging filaments on two spools I'm getting frustrated.  One, right before a job was done.

Is there something I can do to prevent these bulges in filaments from ruining jobs?

What can I do to prevent this from happening in the future before it's a disaster?

He's a picture of one I found using google.

How to catch and fix these on the fly? That would be difficult..

But this is an issue you really should not have.

Could it be an issue with filament storage?

Or is it coming from the manufacturer with these bulges? If so, I would try contacting ( you may have gotten a bad batch? ), or finding a new retailer if this happens often.

I have gone through a lot of pounds of both ABS and PLA and never come across this.


'Sine wave' deviation in X-Axis on moving bed printer. I've built a a PrintrBot inspired printer with a moving printbed for the X-Axis movement. It's controlled by a RAMPS board running Marlin firmware. And there is a problem with the X-Axis positioning.

As can be seen in the image the X-Axis is not really stable. The blocks should be 10x10x10 mm, and the top and bottom are perfect. The waving does not appear in the Y-direction, it's only in the direction of the bed movement.
Each block was printed at different speed, from medium to dead-slow. I limited the acceleration and in the last block I also limited the non-printing speed so the bed would never experience a higher acceleration than with the printing itself. But the wave effect remains. And it's also remarkably repeatable so it looks more like a synchronisation error somewhere. Does anyone has a clue, or experienced a similar effect ?

This is the issue of your z-axis rather than x- or y-axis because printing speed doesn't have any influence on the results.

I bet:

your threded rods are bent or
nuts on these rods have too high clearance or
nuts on these rods have eccentricity or
couplings (between motor and threded rods) are bent or
these couplings are badly fitted

All above suggestions concern z-axis.

[edit] because it's PrintBot its z-axis has the following disadvantage


Printer keeps pausing during prints I'm having a rather strange issue in that the printer pauses randomly during prints. This was first noticed when printing a large and complicated model (from SD). Since then a 20 mm  calibration cube has been printed (from USB) with no issues (paused briefly after printing the skirt), it was used in conjunction with M92 G-code command to calibrate the stepper motors. Now i'm trying to print a temperature tower but it pauses multiple times even on the first layer (tried USB and SD). How do i ensure that the printer does not pause during prints?

Here's a link to a video of the printer pausing (trying to print a temperature tower).

Slicer details:

Ultimaker Cura 4.0
Also tried slic3r 1.3 32 bit
The temperature tower had a change temperature at Z injected into the G-code but none of the others did.

Printer details:

Anycubic S
Firmware 1.1.2
filament PLA+
firmware reprap/marlin

I had a similar problem some time ago. The problem in my case was, that in the slicer I had a minimum layer time, which was pausing the printer until that time had passed. I can't remember the name of the settings and I'm not at home right now, but the slicer can either print full speed and pause or it can slow down, to maintain a minimum layer time. I guess the idea is to give the plastic time to cool down.


Confusing stepper motor behavior I am trying to control stepper motors for a 3D printer with a RAMPS 1.4 shield connected to an Arduino Mega 2560. I have uploaded Marlin firmware to the board and am currently using Pronterface to test the board's components.
At first, the stepper motors would not move at all when commanded. They would just slightly twitch and them hum, but not rotate. Then, I checked the wiring connections and ensured they were correct, but the problem persisted. Then, I measured the Vref of the stepper drivers, which was 0.79 Volts.
Based on my stepper motors, NEMA 17, the maximum Vref I calculated was 1.36 Volts. After adjusting the potentiometer screw the maximum amount, Vref is 1.19 Volts. Now, the motors WILL rotate when given the 0.1 and 1 command in Pronterface, but return to the twitch and whine behavior when given the 10 or 100 command. What is the cause of this?

The described behaviour could happen if, e.g. X_STEP_PIN, X_DIR_PIN and X_ENABLE_PIN are not correctly mapped.
I guess you will find them in pins_RAMPS_144.h. Make sure the correct file is used.


Methods for applying full color graphic decals to the surface of a 3d printed part? I'm trying to find a way of applying graphics to my ABS printed parts.

I need a robust method which can produce a decent amount of detail with true color and legible fine text .
I also was hoping to avoid the use of stickers and opt for something that's slightly more permanent.

I was wondering if there are ways in which a vinyl decal or other types of decal material could be pressed into the face of a plastic part and then thermally fuse the two layers together using heat transfer method?

Most of the surfaces I work with would be flat, but there are some parts that are slightly curved and it would be totally amazing if I could somehow apply graphics to those areas as well.

Thanks for any hints

Industry has for years used a 'pad printer' to put images on complex shapes, like plastic or ceramic travel mugs, etc.

I have observed these, but never used one.  I see no reason why there couldn't be a DIY version made.

Best of luck, and I look forward to seeing what you come up with!


Why are stepper motors used in 3D printers? Stepper motors in 3D printers are used to move and position the extruder. But why don't the printers use servo motors or any other type of motors instead. Why only stepper motors are commonly used?

FDM 3D printers need to do repeatable moves. Servos might give better and more repeatable torque, but they don't give very precise movement without the need of an encoder system. This makes Steppers cheaper and easier adaptable in most cases, even though there are some printers that use different motor systems.

Note that different printers like SLS printer do use several simple motors, especially for the system putting down powder, and the tilting system in the new mSLA Prusa uses - afaik - a simple motor doing one rotation per tilting motion.