q:
I'm creating a reverse Bowden setup to guide my filament from spool to extruder, through a path which contains two couplers in the middle as follows:

[spool] --- |#= --- =#| --- [extruder]

So I have to connect a tube to the back of a coupler (---=#|) and not just to the front (---|#=). That's the end that contains the screw thread, and it's not designed to take a tube. I can't manage to make it a smooth transition. When I try to push my 1.75 mm filament through, it will often get stuck there. After it's through, the extruder seems to have no problem with it anymore.

Is there a trick to making this a smooth transition?

[A]
The solution might be to countersink the opening at the threaded portion within the tube. There are various angles available for countersinks, although the more common angles are 82 degrees and 90 degrees.
Drive the countersink to the point where the wall thickness is zero, unlike the drawing below showing some material outside the beveled area.
For your purposes, you'd want the steepest angle possible, the 60 degree tool.  If you decided to purchase a countersink, pick a diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the wall thickness of the coupler. You could use a countersink of the same diameter as the outside diameter of the threads.
Center drills are available with 60 degree angles as well:
Amazon specific item
The second smallest center drill listed here has a 1.5 mm center point with a 4 mm drill point. If your coupling is larger than 4 mm, the next size up will not work as well, as the center point is 2.5 mm. You'd have to resort to a countersink only.
If you are near a machine shop or have a friend with a mill or even a decent drill press, those resources may be able to perform the countersink for a minimal (or possibly zero) fee.
I have a mini-mill and a collection of countersinks as well as center drills. I found my bag of unused couplers. They are for 5 mm tubing and were flat on the threaded end. This is the result after a quick trip to the mill. It appears in the close up that I could have driven the center drill deeper into the fitting, and also cleaned off the swarf a bit as well.


q:
If a part is wanted to be made the strongest possible, what slicer settings should be used?

3-5 shells vs  all shells, no infill?

100% infill vs  some other % infill?

Thin layer height vs thick layer height?

Any other relevant settings?

[A]
If your real question is what would be the strongest then I say - the solid would be the strongest - no doubt.
But if the question is:
what be the strongest in comparison to weight or
what is the strongest in comparison to the cost (amount of material)
then these are good questions!
You can of course find many tutorials and comparisons on the net and there will be many answers - which all of them could be good/bad ;)
If these are your questions then instead of simple answer you can ask more questions like:
in which orientation or
for what purpose or
for continues stress or maybe for variable stress or
for bending forces / shearing forces or maybe tearing forces
all these forces and circumstances could require other answer... which could also lead to other questions :)
But according to my experience, the strongest settings (for general purpose) is 3 outlines (and the same number of first/last layers) and triangle infill 20-25 %
Why I think this is the strongest, 3 layers gives good chance to have well stickiness even if there are geometric/design issues and triangle infill gives good (and common) way to carry and spread forces.
But as I said it depends on many input data.
Let's look at these figures:
in figure A we have the strongest composition for compression; this is because all working forces try to damage material particles which is of course hard to do (depending on material density and length of polymers and the way they are tangled and so on - in general - material strength only).
If we consider figure B where forces try to tear apart layers then we know that we base on stickiness between layers which can vary on printing parameters (as is temperature and speed).
Finally, figure C shows shearing forces - in terms of layered structure it doesn't really differ from tearing apart but the results (the resistance of and object) is even weaker - it's because we base on stickiness and we additionally have less effective field of working stickiness) which reduces endurance of an object.

s: huggingface

c: devops

d: intermediate


q: 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?

[A]
The below image was taken from
their AliExpress shop page
.
Unfortunately, I don't manage to find the datasheet or schematic to give more technical advice.


q:
In this answer user Barafu says,

Yet I manage to keep my tolerances +- 0.05 mm which is enough for everything but miniature printing.

I have asked for clarification on that answer regarding what is meant by "miniature printing" but in the meantime, I want to ask the general question.

What impact does dimensional accuracy of filament have on final print quality, and why?  Does it vary between different filament types?

[A]
Dimensional accuracy is not as important as dimensional uniformity. I can print with undersized (or oversized) filament, adjusting the flow appropriately, provided the filament has a consistent diameter. When creating filament in-house, without expensive equipment, it is difficult to maintain the same diameter throughout the entire extrusion. It is likely this extrusion diameter (when creating filament, rather than the output of the actual print head) to which Barafu is referring when he mentions his tolerances: +/- 0.05 mm
in diameter
. Which is reasonable.
The "miniature printing" comment likely refers to printing miniature models for tabletop gaming.
If the source filament becomes wider than expected, the output will have overflow, or more material than desired will be deposited, and this will certainly affect the quality of the piece.


q:
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.


q:
I have seen many people saying on this site and many other 3D printing websites that 24 V systems are safer, compared to 12 V systems. By safer, I am talking in terms of fires or other electrical and component failures.

Why would a 24 V system cause less danger? I would think that 12 V would be safer because it is very common (automotive) and many parts have been around for a while that use it. Although there are an increasingly amount of boards that support 24 V, many don't or need fuses or other parts that do support 24 V.

Also, many parts that I have used are rated for 12 - 24 V. A 12 V power supply can go a bit over fairly comfortably. A 24 V power supply can't without partially going over the rating.

If I had to build a printer designed with safety as a main priority, what voltage would be best?

[A]
From a pure safety standpoint there is nothing about a 24v system that is distrinctly more safe than a 12v system. I see you added comments about something involving wire sizes. This is not really a factor.. I would say not knowing what wire size to use is a whole other issue. There is nothing stopping you from putting on larger wires.
The following websites verify the fact that a 24v needs smaller wires. Though again the system it self is not safer because the wires required are smaller.
JamesTown
SDC minimum wire gauge to distance chart
I will also note the size difference is negligible anyways. It is not a major difference.
Now one exception to this. If you had a 24v and a 12v compatible board. I would pick a 24v. The reason is not that the wire sizes needed are different. But for the reduced danger of the CONNECTOR that the wires attach to. I see quite often in the flashforge owner group boards that have caught fire due to a cheap connector that can not handle the load for the printer.


q:
I intend and would like to print a transparent hemisphere. I have a Taulman T-Glase clear 1.75 mm filament and I have XTC-3D.

You can read this interesting page, Hacking t-glase to look more like glass!

First question, what kind of printing settings should I use? Should I go for a low infill percentage or a high one? Should I go for line or hexagon? I would say 5% line but perhaps there is a better setting.

Then, how should I use XTC-3D as mentioned on the above link? I'm a little bit confused how it can make the part more transparent.

[A] Refraction of light is caused by changes in medium or angle of inflection. Any changes in medium will cause refraction, as such to be the most clear you would not want pockets of air. This means that if you are printing single layer 0% would work. The best appearance would most likely come from 100% infill as there would be no changes in the medium. The epoxy you linked to appears to smooth the surface, The smoother the surface, the clearer it will look. It is the same reason why you don't see clear textured mirrors or windows.


q:
I'm not really sure if I'm asking the right question here, but I just made a noob mistake of buying 3 mm filaments instead of 1.75 mm. I have a Makerbot Replicator 2 which I've been using and so far it is pulling in 1.75 mm quite well.

Is there any way I can still make use the 3 mm filaments, or do I need to use the filaments on different models? If it is the latter, which particular model is able to pull in 3 mm filament well?

[A]
This is not a definitive answer (and has turned into a ramble), as I have not yet had to change my filament size.
However, initially, I would have thought that only the hotend and the hotend's nozzle would need to be changed, from one that can handle the 1.75 mm filament to 3 mm. If the extruder is spring loaded, then it should adjust itself to the thicker filament, without a problem. If not, then you may have to do a slight manual adjustment.
However, after doing some further reading, there may be other factors that need to be considered, such as:
Extruder gearing;
Melt time (which would imply a different feed rate)
It could be worth having a close look at the aperture of your hotend. If, in the unlikely situation, it looks as if the hotend would accept 3 mm (or if you could remove the lining so that it can), you
may
not need to actually change any hardware, but instead just try tweeking the
feedrate
in the software, because as your nozzle is less than the width of the filament anyway, then it will be fine for both 1.75 mm
and
3 mm. A 3 mm filament would require more heating, and therefore a slower feedrate than a 1.75 mm feedrate. Once the filament has melted, so long as the pressure from the extruder is sufficient, then the molten filament should come out of the nozzle. However, this may be a less than satisafctory method and result in some dubious prints.
There is an interesting thread on the RepRap wiki,
1.75mm Filament vs 3mm Filament
, that discusses most of the points above.
It should be noted that the advantages of 3 mm filament has over 1.75 mm are that it is:
cheaper
stiffer (less flexible) and thus "easier" to push through the hotend.
As an aside, one interesting point raised in the thread, is that maybe a smaller extruder can be used, for the narrower 1.75 mm filament, thus resulting in a lighter print head. I am not sure how true that is.
This article,
Converting a 3D printer from 3mm to 1.75mm
, does the reverse of what you want, and comes with a
video
. It states that, as you have already found, that the hotend needs to be changed:
The printer [Thomas] is changing out to accept 1.75mm is the Lulzbot
  Mini, one of the most popular printers that would ever need this
  modification. The only required materials is a new hot end suitable
  for 1.75mm filament, a 4mm drill, and a few wrenches and allen keys.
  It would be a smart idea to get a hot end that uses the same
  thermistor as the old one, but that’s not a deal-breaker as the
  problem can be fixed in the firmware.
Alternatively, you could leave your printer as it is and use a
3mm to 1.75mm filament converter
, which may be a bit of overkill for just one reel of filament
1
.
The bottomline
To be honest, is it worth the hassle, time and expense of having to modify and re-calibrate your printer (or worst case, change the model of the printer), just for the price of a reel of filament (assuming that you did not bulk purchase a bunch of reels)? It may be better to stick to one filament size (i.e. your original size) for all of your projects, and so resell the reel of 3 mm and stick with the 1.75 mm printer and buy the correct filament
2
.
1
See also
Conversion of 3mm ABS filament to 1.75mm
2
See also
Tom's answer
to
Conversion of 3mm ABS filament to 1.75mm
See also
Can 1.75mm filament be used in a printer that takes 3mm filament?


q:
I have a Prusa i3 made by Geeetech. My 3D prints keep suffering from warping when printing with PLA.

Whenever I print something with a base at about 10 cm x 10 cm, at least one corner of the print would warp up. I've read numerous articles about warping and tried all sorts of methods. My printer's bed is level, and heated to 60°C. My bed is made from clean glass. I've tried all sorts of adhesives. I tried blue tape, and used hair spray.

The only way for me to combat this is gluing the base to blue tape with 502 Glue. I used brim and the whole brim just warps up. I sometimes leave the model printing over night. For the first few hours it's perfectly flat. When I go back to it the next morning I'd find one corner warped up. This is very dysfunctional to my prints.

Is there a reliable way to stop this warping from happening?

[A]
For ABS it will warp unless you build a heat chamber.
That said the tricks to reduce warping come down to:
Material, i.e. PLA is less likely to warp;
Use a fan, it helps so much;
Make sure you have temps calibrated well - Too hot is more warp;
Use a raft. The Makerbot uses a raft and no heated bed;
Make sure the room is not drafty. Having it by the window will result in warping;
Adding a large brim also helps;
I find good ol' glue sticks work the best at keeping the print to the bed;
SMASH the first layer. This one is controversial. I personally do first layer at 130% and print speed of 30%. You get elephants foot sure, but it's on the bed real good.
Tom is right. It is very very hard to print that big of a piece without warping. That said I have done very large pieces on my Ultimaker, using a fan, glue stick, MatterHackers PRO PLA and no raft. But again that's on an Ultimaker.
Note you can build a heat chamber pretty easily. Specifically a passive heat chamber.


q:
The problem

When I print with my mElephant 3D printer from Makeblock, the prints come out with waved walls like in the picture below. I am using PLA filament from https://makeblock.lt

What I tried

I tried changing temperatures 190-220, tried to change the flow rate. Also checked if the bolts are not lose. Everything seems good.

My printer

[A]
Repeating patterns like that usually stem from issues in the Z axis.  This is likely caused by bent screws which in turn cause the X axis to move around.    Are the top of the threaded rods constrained?  If they are, an easy fix may just be to let the top of the threaded rods float around by removing the constraint.  Most Prusa i3's use 5mm threaded rod for the screws and 8mm smooth rod, does your printer use the same setup?
If your printer has 8mm (or 5/16") threaded rod you could try to get some that are straight or the better solution would be to get the 5mm threaded rods and just print adapters to hold the 5mm nut inside the trap.  This would require new couplers (aluminum or rubber/plastic hose), 5mm threaded rods, nuts, adapters (printed) and a small change to the firmware.  This works because the 5mm rod is more flexible than the 8mm smooth rod and less likely to force the carriage around.
If you already have the 5mm threaded rod/8mm smooth rod then I would look to make sure your X axis is tight and does not move around on the Z axis smooth rods.
This would be easier to point out if you include a picture of your printer.
Edit:
If your printer is the mElephant from Makeblock then I would try removing the bearings at the top that constrain the threaded rods and try the print again.


q:
We have a toy with some broken parts, an Executivity Gear Master. I don't think it's made anymore. Some tiny parts were easy to break and we'd like to 3d print some replacement parts. We don't have CAD or any other 3D drawings file, just a few of the unbroken parts. What's the best way to get some of these printed? Do I have to turn this into a 3D file first? (Is there a quick way to do that from the part itself?) Or is there a way to do it where I just need the part, rather like getting a spare key cut from a pre-existing key being used as the template?

Here's a photo of the part I need to print. Placed next to a quarter for size comparison:


q: Using a 3D pen I printed a small box. However, I was doing it on plain paper and of course the paper didn't come off the plastic very well. It didn't matter for that specific case, but if I want to print something else, which non-sticky surface would you recommend? Is there any way to use transparent surface (so that I can put a paper with picture as a guide under it)?

[A] You could use a piece of glass, that's what most people using 3D printers have as a build surface.  An easy source of glass for pen use would be a picture frame but the edges are likely sharp so be careful.  Acrylic would also work and is easily obtained in small pieces from places like Lowes/Home Depot, I used Acrylic for some time on my Kossel.  The plastic can stick to Acrylic very well but I had no issues using it with my printer, just test it out and see what process works if you go that route.


q:
I have Ultimaker 2+ 3D Printer and I need to print a piece that doesn't fit within the build volume of the printer. Even though it would fit I'd still need to print it in two parts because I'll need to fit some equipment inside. I could use glue to put it together, but I'll need to remove the equipment later.

So I'm trying to find some feasible solutions how to attach/snap it together. The wall thickness is currently 3mm.

Plane for cutting the part.

Cut cross section.

[A]
If the equipment has to be removable, then there's no point in trying to make a one-piece object in the first place.  So it looks like you have two problems. The first is to decide what's the best way to split your container to facilitate both putting the equipment inside & removing it; the second is how to latch the two together.  I can't answer the first since you haven't shown us the equipment.
As to the second: there are a number of plans for spring-latching connectors (such as used with straps, backpack covers, etc) on thingiverse.com.  If you have no constraints on the exterior of your container, I would just merge the latching connectors into the container wall (e.g. with meshmixer) .


q:
The question is how to scale an existing mesh without changing the thickness of the walls?

I am using Blender to create STL files for 3D printing. Let's say I create a shell for a model railroad car. Since 1/87th is the most common scale I make the walls of the shell just thick enough to make it rigid in 1/87 scale. Now, if I want to print the same shell in a larger scale, say 1/48, the wall thickness will nearly double and it will waste material printing walls that are thicker than needed. If I want to print in 1/160 the printing may fail because the wall thickness falls below the minimum the printer will support.

Any ideas?

[A]
Your question falls into two different categories, here at 3D Printing SE and there, at
Blender SE
.
I would consider that your objective would best be solved using some form of parametric modeling, an aspect that is rarely embraced by Blender. Even though the limitations of Blender make life interesting for you, there may be a couple of useful features within (and without) the program.
On
Blender SE
, a question of similar format exists, with a somewhat open-ended answer. A quick search using The Google, with the terms "
Parametric Modeling with Blender
" results in a number of different approaches. According to a quick perusal of the search results, some of the solutions involve free plug-ins or add-ons for Blender. More complexity rather than less, perhaps.
I'm familiar enough with the very simple basics of Blender to know I would not be able to make use of those answers. I'm also well aware that Blender's power extends beyond my own limitations with features supporting scripting, animation and so many other tools. Seeing the workflow diagrams/charts that make up some of the advanced portion of the program leads me to believe that one can accomplish your objective, but one must be a certified wizard with the program.
As an alternative, one could engage any one of the many parametric modeling programs available. I'm a fan of OpenSCAD, although the text/scripting interface can be daunting for some. If you've become skilled in Blender, a non-GUI format isn't necessarily the best route, although the GUI options are no less confusing, in my opinion.


q:
A plastic gear of an older DVD player broke. I always read about being 3D printing a "repair revolution". So I looked for a template to give to some printing service, but I found none (and nothing close to it).

Could you please explain me, what steps a layman should take to get the gear piece replaced using 3D printing?

[A]
If you have the remaining pieces of the gear and enough remains to determine certain measurements, one can either engineer the gear using a number of gear modeling designs, or one can take measurements directly from the parts and engineer a raw design.
If the gear you have is not particularly peculiar, it is possible to use a gear generator plug-in, template, or library to make the "foundation" of your gear. The modeling software would then be used to add the appropriate bosses and key ways required to complete the design.
If you are considering to create the part yourself, you have a wide selection of programs from which to choose. I'm fond of OpenSCAD, and it does have
a number of gear libraries
. Simple bosses and key ways are easily accomplished using
OpenSCAD
.
Another package available on the internet which includes the option of using a gear generator is
Tinkercad
which has a reputation of being easy to use. You'll find many tutorials for this program as well.
Tinkercad requires an "outside" program to generate the gear design which is then imported to the model workspace. Even a program as simple as Inkscape can create gear profiles to be imported into many design packages.
Fusion360 is available free for hobby or non-commercial use, but may not be the easiest to learn in a short time.
So many others as well. Use your favorite search engine for "
gear generator modeling software
" or similar wording and be overloaded with links.


q: I have been trying to print an object that is 4 inches tall. About at 3 inches it falls off the bed. I am using tape on the heated bed and right before the print I am wiping the bed with rubbing alcohol. After the first time I tried hot gluing it to the bed when it was mid way through so that it wouldn't fall off but that didn't work. I am printing at 185°C and the bed is 55°C. I am using PLA to print. Should I increase the temperature of the bed or is there something else that is wrong?

[A]
Even though knowing the model of printer is slightly helpful, it's not critical to making your print work. Your PLA manufacturer should have recommendations for both the bed temperature and the nozzle temperature. Is your print bed glass or metal?
As an example, my bed is glass and I set the temperature to 70°C for PLA, but the real temperature at the bed is slightly lower than that.
I'm using 3M brand blue painters tape. What type of tape are you using? It will make a difference. I originally used cleaner on the tape, but found it was not needed. Blue tape means parts stick so well that you have to get them free before the bed cools too much, or you'll have to remove the tape to get the part free.
My PLA nozzle temperature settings range from 190°C to 230°C, depending on the filament. I use the manufacturer's figures and vary them five to ten degrees depending on the results.
Too hot at the nozzle will burn the filament possibly causing a clog, while too cold will cause extruder feeding problems. You did not reference having feeding problems, which implies your nozzle settings are acceptable.
Consider to change your tape and to increase the bed temperature. At a 55°C starting point, you could jump five degrees at a time until you get a good bond.
Also be certain that your bed is level and properly calibrated. The first layer should apply in a slightly "squashed" manner. Too close and the nozzle tears up the tape, but too far and the filament will sit on top and not properly adhere.


q:
I'm relatively new to 3d printing, and wanted to get a few things understood.
Firstly, I am unclear on how Hexagonal infill is stronger than, say, diamond pattern.

Can anyone explain how the different shape causes the structure to be stronger? I saw a few places that hex is stronger; usually, more vertices means 'weaker' shape (i.e. a triangle is stronger than a square), so how does that work with hex vs diamond?

Also, in small objects, where the printer makes only a single dot as the infill (a dot instead of a line in larger objects), does the infill strengthen the object at all?

EDIT: I am trying to understand the effect of the infill pattern on the strength of the print, regardless of print time.

[A]
Correction: I believe I found what you are looking for:
Report from EngineerDog.com
The author concludes that rectilinear infill with a zero degree offset is the strongest. However, I have not seen consensus for or against a certain pattern being strongest. I recommend more investigation .
My original answer:
I don't know that one pattern is significantly stronger than another,
  provided they each bond well with other infill deposits as well as the
  perimeters.
There are studies around. In 3D printing, strength is rarely the only
  consideration; one must optimize for strength
where needed
versus
  time to print.
See
this
as an example of a report which supports the hexagonal or honeycomb
  pattern as the optimal balance between strength and print time.
This
  one
is
  more detailed, but only compares linear infill patterns of varying
  layer thickness and density. There are many such articles, some more
  scientifically conducted than others, available with a simple search.


q:
I am wondering - of course if the 3D printer's bed big enough - printing multiple copies of the same print could save me significant amount of time in a small production line, excluding minor wastage such as setup time, post-processing time, etc.

e.g. if my foo print takes 10 hours, printing 2x copies at the same time would take 2x times more, increasing linearly or it would be significantly less?

[A]
The proportion of production improvement is dependent on the size of the items being printed, generally speaking. Unfortunately, it's variable enough to make a precise answer difficult.
Consider a single unit print. I'll use my printer as an example. Other printers may have similar sequences. The print is begun and the bed has to heat up to temperature. Once the set level is reached, the print head(s) also have to reach temperature. Ignoring for the moment the print duration, one then considers that the printer bed has to cool to release the print.
If you have ten items to print, you gain nine times the above elapsed time. That can be a substantial portion of production time.
On the flip side, there isn't going to be much benefit in time from ten prints opposed to one. You may lose some post-processing time if you have stringing between the items.
Directly related to quantity printing is yet another complication. If you have a single print fail, you've lost that time. As an example, one print may take 18 minutes. Twelve minutes into the print, you have a nozzle clog and have to abort the job. That's an unfortunate loss.
With ten prints on the bed, you are two hours into the print and have a failure. Much worse loss of time and productivity.
Obviously, one would prefer to have a properly fully working printer and be able to operate with the confidence that these failures won't appear.
Hobby grade printers can't provide that level of confidence, but industrial/commercial grade printers should, further improving the productivity time for printing multiple items on a bed.
If you have hot-swappable print beds, maybe combined with the ability to pre-heat the incoming bed, you gain time-wise. I don't know enough of the commercial grade printers to suggest that such a feature exists. My printer bed is attached with magnets and could be hot-swapped if I exercised care. The bed would begin to cool quickly, making a pre-heated plate all the more valuable. I'll just print multiple items and hope for the best, instead.


q:
I am doing a quad-copter now.

I am not sure what color is the best to use for outdoor durability, especially in sunlight.

They say PETg is the most durable material amongst cheap ones.

But what color to choose: white or transparent? Or it does not matter?

[A]
Unless you plan to use your copter outside Earth atmosphere or expected lifetime is more than tenths of years, UV degradation should not be a problem for PETG. Some of the net sources indicate the
possibility
of degradation after significant time of
constant
exposure to outdoor conditions (mostly color change), which sounds mostly like absence of practical experience.
Yet if there are any concerns about losing mechanical properties from the sunlight, any opaque lacquer car paint can help to absorb unwanted radiation and add some nicer view to the model. Acrylic paint will also work (tried this once myself) but it may not be suitable for outdoor.


q:
I have been playing around with creating scripts to generate some custom G-code for a Malyan M180 and I am having trouble understand what commands to use to switch nozzles. Sometimes I can get the nozzles to switch and it doesn't recenter but sometimes it does.
I have been using:

G54
M108 T0; switch to left

and

G55
M108 T1; switch to right

Has anyone else looked into this and have any idea what commands or sequence of commands should be used to change nozzles?

[A]
No, M108 does not do that. You are looking for
T#
, where # is the tool position you want:
```
```
T1 ; switch to tool position 1

T3 ; switch to tool position 3
```
```
This tells the processor to send all heating, cooling and flow commands to this tool until another tool change is specified, and invokes the X/Y(/Z) offset for the new tool position.
See
http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code#T:_Select_Tool


q: In trying to understand 3D printers, I have watched some YouTube videos where the crafters make items with hinges. That in itself blows my mind. It is hard to grasp how something with moving parts can be printed. But specifically I am wondering if the concept can be extended to food printers to make, for example, a sugar or chocolate telescoping lollipop (sucker)?


q:
I've heard that using hairspray is useful for keeping the 3D objects from peeling off of the bed, but every example I have seen where someone uses hairspray, they use it on a glass bed.

Is it okay to use it on a metal bed as well?

[A]
Do you mean bare metal or metal with some film on top? You can apply hair spray to bare metal, but you will have troubles cleaning it off. Solvents do not evaporate hair spray, they only turn it into thick sticky goo you will need to clean off. I recommend that you try glue stick or even beer (seriously) before hair spray.
You should also know that
any
adhesive is required only when your printer has bed leveling issues. After I finally dealt with bed leveling, I print ABS, and even ABS/PC mix (nasty) without any adhesive, on a bare kapton film over a metal bed. I rub it with alcohol before printing.


q:
I'm looking for a post processing method for increasing the functional strength of a 3d printed part originally made by FDM. I've tried printing my part with solid infill but the layer separation is still the primary failure point. I'm looking for a way to get something closer to a cast or injection molded part. Obviously less strength but there is a pretty big gap in material properties.

The only method I've thought of that might work is drilling a small hole, or series of holes in my part to inject an epoxy into the part. Haven't tried it.

I'm open to any possible ideas or advice if someone has tried something like this. Not sure if this is necessarily the best place but thought it's a good place to start.

[A]
Layer separation will always be the primary failure point of FDM. So your best action would be to design parts in such a way that forces are applied across the Z axis, not along it.
If layer bonding is too weak, this is a problem that should be solved during printing. Possible reasons are:
Nozzle temperature too low
Filament contains moisture from the air
Filament covered with dust
Inappropriate ratio of nozzle diameter/layer height. We usually use 2 (0.4 nozzle for 0.2 layer) while theory suggests it should be more than 3.
Inappropriate cooling of part during printing, drafts.
If all this things are set right, no post-process treatment will improve the part. If not, you could reduce inner tensions by blasting the part with hot air gun, but it is better to solve the problem, not the consequences.


q:
Is there any way to test what kind your filament is? There are no labels on the spools and I don't know whether they are ABS or PLA.

I got the plastic with the printer, which is no longer sold (Solidoodle 2). Since I bought it on eBay that is probably why it has unprofessional filament. The plastic filament came with the printer which is now off sale (Solidoodle v2).

I set my extruder to 210 °C and bed to 50 °C and it printed fine (with tons of hairspray and painters tape).

I figured out where I got it. I got it from Solidoodle (who have gone out of business) when I bought the Solidoodle 2 right after it came out.

I bought PLA and ABS so it has to be one of the two. Any other ways without having to burn and smell plastic? I just have the roll with no numbers, works or anything on it. And how to I smell without breathing in the fumes?

[A]
Using The Burn Test to Identify Plastic Materials
is one way. From the link:
To initially determine whether a material is thermoplastic (meltable)
or thermoset (non-meltable) type, heat a metal or glass stirring rod
until it glows red or orange (to about 500°F / 260°C) and press it
against the sample. If the sample softens, the material is a
thermoplastic; if it does not, it's probably a thermoset.
Next, hold the sample to the edge of a flame until it ignites. If no
flame is produced quickly, hold the sample in the flame for about 10
seconds. If the material burns, note the color of the flame, the
nature of the smoke, the presence of soot in the air and whether,
while burning, the sample drips.
Next, extinguish the flame and cautiously smell the fumes. To identify
the odor, samples of known plastic samples for comparison can be most
helpful. Finally, check your observations against the known
characteristics of each plastic as shown in the table below. Once you
have made a tentative identification, it is usually desirable to
repeat the flame test once or twice to confirm the results of the
original identification. Remember that additives may affect results.
For example: flame retardants can mask the polymer material's normal
flame & smoke burning characteristics.
However, remember ABS and PLA aren't the only types of filament.
ABS and PLA have different melting points and smell different when melting. Maybe try melting little bits on a soldering iron or stove top. The smell could give it away. Just don't breathe in the fumes, it can be toxic, also molten plastic particles in lungs aren't great either. I'd recommend contacting the supplier.
No markings complicates matters. Not very professional of the supplier. Smelling without breathing in fumes, just don't put your face directly over the fumes, just hold it away from your face and sniff sniff the air. if the smoke curls are going into your nose you are doing it wrong.


q: I have an stl with multiple parts that I want to split up. Cura 15 had an option to "split object into parts" but I can't find that in cura 2.4. Did it get removed?

[A]
I don't think this feature was implemented at all with Cura v2.x.
As the developers say on the v2.1 release, "Cura has been completely reengineered".
Finding proper changelog documentation appears to be pretty hard because they have not posted any actual changelogs except the "user friendly viewable" changelogs which only list additions of new features but don't display what everything they changed between each version of their application.
Here is the most complete changelog I could find. I do not see any mention of this feature.
https://ultimaker.com/en/products/cura-software/release-notes
Going through the Cura 2 manual or the Cura 2.1 FAQ, also does not mention this feature.
https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/20406-installation-cura-2-1
Furthermore, searching around for version 2 "split objects" lead to forum posts of people suggesting to use some other software to achieve this specific task. If you decide to go this route, I recommend Meshmixer from Autodesk to manipulate your models and then export to STL and import them to Cura either as a whole new position set up or separate model files where you can change them there as you need to (meshmixer allows for object repositioning around a defined build plate so you can just import the whole assembly into cura and then print).
It might also be worth to put in a feature request on the UM forums.


q: I have an STL file and I would like to know how many grams would this print consume. Is there a software so I can get it or an online link that can say me  that?

[A]
Some slicing programs will give this information. Here is the first comment at the end of the print, which gives volume and length of material used, from gcode generated by
Slic3r
:
```
```
; filament used = 388.6mm (0.9cm3)
```
```
According to
ToyBuilder Labs
, ABS is 1.04 g/cm
3
, so 0.9 * 1.04 =
0.936
, or just under one gram.
In the G-code file produced by the slicer, search for "filament" or "M30" - it's right after the M30. You might need to use the verbose G-code option.


q:
I am wanting to buy a 3D printer to add to my shop.

I am an engineer and enjoy making/building things so the kit idea sounds fun and economical.

I see Tronxy has two different styles for their larger printers:

P802 (reprap frame) style

X3 (metal frame) style.

As far as I can see, both printers have the same basic resolution, accuracy, and material specs.

What are the advantages/disadvantages/differences between the
P802 and X3?

How important is auto-leveling?


q:
I am about to purchase a TronXY X3 or P802; but, my PC is running Windows 10.

The spec sheet for the printers does not list anything above Windows 7.
Is anyone using either of these printers with Windows 10?

[A]
Since the printer supports using an SD card, you don't
need
to connect it directly to a PC. Serial over USB has been broken in the past in various Win10 builds, I've not tried it recently and I've not tried connecting my A8 to my PC recently either.
If you need to use USB, and can't make it work with Windows, there is always the option of using a Raspberry Pi single-board computer (which you can then connect to by VNC from your PC). Depending on the software you want to use, this might resolve any remaining issues you have.


q:
I spent the last days trying to make the best gears I could but they are not "smooth" nor good. I searched at thingverse with "gear" but I see no set of gears. I would like someone to point me a good set of gears (with 5, 10, 15... teeth for example) so I can use this STL file with Google Sketchup.

Do you guys know any good matching gears that I could print?

I will be using this gear in a fast spinning matching so it would be nice these gears to be well designed to support some fast moving.

Also, I think in my case I would like to use gears with this shape (the white gear). Any idea why is this gear design better than the usual?

[A]
This type of gear is known as a "herringbone" gear. A traditional straight-cut gear is strong, but can cause more vibration as each tooth engages and disengages. A helical gear (slanted tooth) reduces that vibration as the tooth engagement is more uniform. However the angle of the teeth causes a sideways force that may be undesired. A herringbone tooth design effectively cancels the sideways forces but gets the uniform tooth engagement.
A search for "herringbone" on Thingiverse comes up with many gears of this type.
Regarding the quality, if you are not happy with the results of your own design, that's OK - gears are shockingly complex, and people make careers of gear design! However, if you have a good CAD model that just isn't printing well, it's not likely a bad STL.
An STL from a different source is likely to have similar quality with the same slicer/printer setup. You might be able to improve print quality of your design by changing settings on your slicer or adjusting your printer. I'd suggest asking a question with your current setup and specific print quality issues.


q:
Why does the Ultimaker 3D Printer has a Heater + Heater transfer plate (aluminium) + Glass?

I wonder why a glass plate, and if is possible to remove the glass and print directly in the aluminium plate adjusting the heating.

Link to the ultimaker.

Pictures:

[A]
Printing directly onto aluminum is something I've never seen before, likely due to the fact that PLA (and other materials) do not adhere reliably to aluminum. Instead, many opt to use blue tape, kapton tape, PEI, buildtak/commercial build surface, or an additional build surface, such as glass. When heated, clean glass can be directly printed on. The use of a glue stick, wood glue, isopropyl alcohol, the above adhesion aids, and others can help adhere your part better hot or cold.
Can you remove the glass, add any of the above to the aluminum plate, and print on that? So long as it's a clean, flat surface, yes. But it'll be more work for you to replace or clean the build surface, as you won't be able to simply remove the glass and replace it. You're not gaining much by taking out the glass. A slightly faster bed heat-up, perhaps.
As for
why
Ultimaker went with an aluminum transfer plate, that is a slightly more
engineering
oriented question.


q:
In a discussion about motors with a friend who used to work in the robotics industry, he told me that he despised stepper motor systems, as every stepper based system he had worked on required a bunch of hacky software fixes to make the system perform to the required level.

He said that servo motor based systems had their own foibles, but at least they could generally be tuned out and you always knew that if the encoder said you were in a given place then you would be (to within the constraints of the backlash compensation).

Because of this, I was wondering if there were any options for using brushless DC motors + encoders + drive electronics instead of steppers + drive electronics.

[A]
I think using these technologies is possible, and may be better than stepper motors, but by using these you loose the main advantages of the steppers : the simplicity and the cost.
When you use steppers, you assume your motors are strong enough to don't loose any step, and you "just" command them. Steppers are not so expensive and are compacts, so your 3D printer is "simple".
If you use separated motors and encoders, you can do better job, but your 3D printer will be a lot more expensive, harder to tune, and harder to program.


q:
I am doing laboratory experiments and need to print some components.

I am working with different aqueous (water) solutions containing sulphuric acid (H2SO4), hydrochloric acid (HCl), and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), separately and in combination. The pH of the solutions are in the range 0 to 7. Temperatures don't exceed 40° Celsius.

In another application we have aqueous solutions containing high concentrations of FeCl3, HCl and in some cases H2O2 at temperatures of up to 180° Celsius.

Which 3D printing filament materials can you recommend for these applications?

[A]
There are two issues you have here, one is temperature stability and the other is chemical reactivity of plastics. I can't help you with the chemistry side, but I can help with the temperature.
Application 1 (Temp < 40 °C)
Any FDM plastic will perform reasonably well under these temperatures. I would suggest trying a Nylon, PETG or a PolyCarbonate filament as I know these are more resistant to acids than PLA or ABS. As far as strength of the parts, all FDM plastics will work well
Application 2 (Temp > 180 °C)
This temperature range is above the glass transition temperature of the PLA, ABS, PETG and Nylon are all well below 180 °C and therefore aren't worth considering. Your best option is PolyCarbonate, or PolyCarbonate-ABS which are both fairly high (roughly 140-150 °C). However, are both below your minimum temperature threshold.
My conclusion is to try a polycarbonate sample and see how it reacts to the chemicals you're working with, though it doesn't look hopeful.
For Chemical reactivity, I did some Google-fu and found a few links that look helpful for PolyCarbonate:
Chemical resistance polycarbonate
Polycarbonate Chemical Compatibility Chart


q:
I have a reprap printer with 0.3mm nozzle. It prints quite well, I am really surprised with quality of all the surfaces and the general precision of the parts printed. BUT I HAVE a problem: when making (for example) a 10mm x 10mm x 10mm cube with a 2.8mm diameter hole from top to bottom (to fit a screw) after I print it gets a size of 3mm diameter.

I know this is related to extrusion width but cant the slicer software (I am using s3d) know that it is using a specific extrusion width and compensate for that in order to get the diamter right?

OBS: this printer is supposed to get 0.05mm precision.

[A]
It's a generally accepted fact that FDM/FFF printers will have
deviations when it comes to holes and perimeters
. Typically, holes print smaller than designed and external surfaces end up larger than designed.
In your case, it seems to be the opposite: the hole is too big. It could be that you're just printing too big overall. You might want to make sure that your printer is printing the 10mm X/Y dimension in you example correctly. If it's too big, part of it may be just the typical oversized perimeter, but some of it might be due to incorrect firmware X/Y 'steps/mm' or extrusion like you mentioned.
See also:
"Are you printing undersized holes?"


q:
What does the pink color in Slic3r preview mean? Yellow is my model, green is support, and pink is..?

If the pink color is some kind of warning, how do I fix it?

[A]
Having had direct experience with Slic3r, I can offer up this information. Your model is composed of bottom layers, top layers, outside layers, infill, rafts, brims and perhaps something I've missed.
The program provides for color coding of these features. In the case of your image, the pink represents a top layer, but may also represent a type of infill, depending on "context."
Consider to slice the model, select the preview tab, which you have showing here, then using the slider control to the right of the image window. As you move it from bottom to top, you can observe the construction of the model and each feature as it appears, layer by layer.


q: Whenever I try putting the filament through the nozzle it does not go through. I have searched everywhere online and have found nothing.

[A]
My first step would be to cut the filament at a bit of an angle.  This will help the filament enter the extruder correctly.
If you're still having trouble, you may have a clogged nozzle.  This article by Lifewire -
3D Printer Extruder Nozzle Clogged? Here Is How To Unclog It
has some good info.
I've also heard stories about the Bowden Tube (the PTFE tube that guides the filament from the extruder to the hotend) becoming warped or melted in cases where the printer's temperature control went awry.  This is rare as PTFE doesn't melt until 320°C.


q:
I had this idea for bulky parts for just printing the shell (PLA) then pouring in some kind of filler in to make up the bulk/strength.

Printing bulk .2mm at a time line by line is slow and subject to warping!

So I though precision print a shell and fill it with 'something' - has this been done by anyone? What is a good something to use?

Yours hopefully!

[A] Or you could use a second head to do low-density infill with very thick layers, like a 1.5mm nozzle and 1.2mm layers.


q:
I mean 3D forms like these? In a small scale (height: 1-2 cm, width: 0.5 cm).

I want to keep all the form's details.

If it is possible, what printer do you advise? How much does it cost to print one piece like that in terms of ink? And what is the most permissive software for this kind of printing?

[A]
Best option for something like this would be to use an SLA printer. They can do sharper image detail compared to FDM style printers.
That being said, printing something like this poses its own set of challenges. In order to print a part, some surface needs to be in contact with the built platform, and depending on which surface chosen, you will end up with having some amount of overhang, or undercut. Not an issue in and of itself as these can be supported with support structures. For the size that you're looking at printing though, removal of the support material will be a bigger challenge.
As for costing of this, that's not something that this forum is used for, but these structures don't look absurdly difficult to print. If you were to contact a local print shop, or check on Google for an online print house, they will be able to give you costing on printing these.


q: What are the "magic numbers" people refer to regarding print resolution on the Monoprice Select Mini?

[A]
The "magic numbers" are optimal values that work particularly well for the layer height.  Michael O'Brien derived these numbers by reverse engineering the
mechanics of the Z-axis stepper motor
.
Using these values as your layer height will generally improve your print quality over using round layer heights such as 0.15, 0.2, or 0.25 by eliminating quantization errors.
To see an example of this, print a copy of
3DBenchy
at 0.15 and 0.175.  On the 0.15, you will see some wavy patterns on the curved bow portion compared to the 0.175.  This is the result of inexact rounding.
```
```
Layer Height (mm)
0.04375 (results may vary)*
0.0875
0.13125
0.175
0.21875
0.2625
0.30625
```
```


q:
I've done some research on this matter however I cannot find any clear answers.

How does a SolidWorks CAD file get 'converted' into a file format suitable for 3D printing, in detail?

[A]
When you convert it to, let's say, a .stl (3d object file) file, I believe it converts the geometry of the parts into binary and saves the sets. These matrices can be used by the software of 3d printer in order to give the appropriate Trajectory for the extruder. And then the motion of the extruder is 'divided' amongst the available stepper motors and it generates equations of motion for the motors in electrical signals.
That's what I've learned so far by using a 3d printer.


q:
I'm having an issue where the first layer of my support structures isn't sticking on the edges and causing the print to (eventually) fail.  Any ideas on how I can fix it?

I'm using Slic3r.

[A]
There are many things you'll need to check and/or confirm to ensure that you will have a good bond to the bed. The first is to confirm that you are using a genuine Prusa printer as it appears in the photo. Having built one recently makes it easier for me to guess that is the case.
Have you performed the bed calibration sequence? The manual provides a series of steps which results in a zig-zag pattern of filament being placed on the bed, while the z-height is adjusted from the panel. You want to have a filament trace that is only slightly squished onto the bed, not flattened so much that it's cutting into the PEI and not so high that it's nearly cylindrical.
The bed must be of the correct temperature for the filament selected. If in doubt, raise it five to ten degrees C. I recently assisted with the aforementioned printer that had a peeling problem and the bed temperature had to be raised to 70°C from the "standard" 55°C generated by Slic3r.
It is critical that the bed be clean as well. Denatured alcohol is recommended, with application of a clean cloth.
Your photo is somewhat out of focus, making it difficult to determine if the brim is being created at an excessively high z-level, which will cause peeling. The main body of the print, also out of focus appears to be heavily flattened, but that could be an artifact of the photo.
The reflections on the bed appear to indicate that some gouges in the surface exist. If your PEI is damaged, you will have the problem you described. I've seen videos in which the bed is not quite as gouged and was refreshed with very light sandpaper or very light steel wool or both. Of course, after using such material, clean the surface thoroughly.
I understand the PEI that is applied by the manufacturer is quite thin and can be further damaged if too much pressure is applied while refreshing. It is far better to apply too little pressure if you plan to perform this task.
Consider to read through the manual and address all of the calibration aspects of the printer to establish a base point for the problem you are experiencing.


q:
For a university project, my partner and I need to print the robot Poppy. This is an open source robotic project, poppy-project.org.

We are printing it with a double extruder SpiderBot with PLA and HIPS as support material. Our principal issue is the weakness of the pieces we print.

It prevents us from removing the support material without damaging the piece. We don't have the chemicals to dissolve HIPS.

Have you some advice to make the pieces stronger, or a more gentle method to remove the HIPS?

Thanks for the replies

[A]
Why not try using PVA(Polyvinyl alcohol) for support material.
I use it for my support material with PLA, and it dissolves in water.
here is a link to some on Amazon.
https://smile.amazon.com/eSUN-1-75mm-filament-natural-0-5kg/dp/B00MVIQASU/ref=sr_1_3?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1508539512&sr=1-3&keywords=PVA


q:
I have a 3D printed object that I'd like to print on. Adhesive stickers are an option, but as the surface is rounded it's difficult to get a good film to stick well.

Is there any system to print on a 3D object (e.g. ink jet). I need at least 300dpi. Black in the first instance, but color would be nice for future projects.

[A]
There are printer types that can print images into the material as it's being printed. SLA and SLS type printers are capable of this but I believe Polyjet printers are the best suited.
At 300 dpi though you might be pushing the edge of what is capable. to get that fine of detail your best option may be to look into getting a vinyl wrap for your part that is applied after it's printed. If you've seen cars with really high detail images on them, a vinyl wrap is typically how they're done.
Note
I should state that the SLA and SLS embedded images are still in the R&D phases and being experimented with. Possible now, but not in production phase. The SLS version essentially ran another print head over that worked similar to an ink jet before sintering the layers. The SLA version I saw worked somewhat similarly, but had some 'unique' clearing processes.


q:
After I updated the firmware on my Prusa i3, the Bed won't switch off anymore. It worked perfectly before the update, but now, the moment I power up my printer, the LED on the bed turns on and it starts heating up. The manual control in Repetier Host doesn't turn if off or on and I even tried g-codes M140 S0 as well as M0, but it does not switch it off.

Edit:
I have an Arduino Mega2560 with a RAMPS shield. The Marlin firmware came pre-configured from the store I bought the kit from.

[A]
50°C is hot for you. PLA's glass transition temperature is 65°C. A car in the mid-day sun can get very hot indeed.
As to the question of "stronger" - if the part is designed to be
strong enough
for its use in PLA, it will be no better in "stronger" ABS. If the PLA part will be "more precise" and "less warped" - that may well make it better for its use. Other than a widespread community dedication to self-replication, (or mostly self-replicating with some metal parts) there's plenty of arguments for making most printer parts out of machined metal, for that matter - much stronger than ABS or PLA.
Brittleness likewise might matter if you were planning to drop the printer; but should not matter in use if the part is designed for the forces it will see in the material it's designed for. Looking at older technology, many machine tools are made of cast iron, which is quite brittle, rather than steel, which can be less brittle depending on how it's processed. If the part is designed for the job and used/handled in a reasonable way, "brittle" is not an inherently bad thing, and a thin steel part that flexes is a worse thing than a thick cast iron part that flexes less.
As for
withstand the elements
that appears to be a reference to outdoor use where PLA will break down - but if you are not leaving your printer out in the rain (which will be bad for many other parts unless you do a lot of engineering to protect them) that should be of little concern.


q:
For the Anycubic Kossel Linear Plus I have to upload data to the 3D printer from a software called Arduino and then close it. Then I open Pronterface and put in the right port and baud rate that is in the Arduino files and then click "connect". Afterwards it says

connecting...

and that is all it does and doesn't fully connect to the printer. I've tried changing the baud rate and port in Pronterface, Arduino and the bit rate in the Device Manager but nothing works.

Any suggestions on how to fix this?

[A] I know this may be a little late, but I bought the same printer and found that I had problems also. To fix this connection issue I first made sure I had no arduino programs open that were trying the connect to the printer. These would not allow Pronterface to connect to my printer. Then if I still had issues I opened up task manager on my computer just to make sure I had no other programs trying to communicate with the printer. Then if it still can't connect I closed Pronterface and reloaded it a couple of times.


q:
I have recently purchased an Anet A8 but have been wondering why the prints look squished and have tiny balls on them.

I am using 1.75 mm cheap PLA bought from eBay and have also had problems of filament oozing out of the print block.

]1

[A]
It could be that cheap filament has inconsistent diameter, or your calibration is over extruding, or you have something loose that needs to be tight.  It's hard for me to tell precisely from just these images.  In your shoes, I would print 20mm x 20mm x 10mm, 100% infill boxes until I got it dialed in so that it is square, fully filled in, but nice and flat.
If they're coming out square and staying stuck to the build plate properly, but are bumpy and overfilled, then you're over extruding and you'll want to either recalibrate e-steps or if they're correct, adjust your flow rate in the slicer (down).
If they aren't square then you need to square up your frame and tighten it and the belts.
Etc.
But my first guess is that you're extruding too much plastic since I'll bet they were flatter when they were still on the build plate, yes?
On the question of ooze: you'll always get some ooze.  Molten plastic and gravity means some will ooze out pretty much no matter what.  What you need to worry about is when this results in stringing or unwanted lines on the surface of the print.  These things you address with retraction (which reduces the pressure on the nozzle during travel moves, but can't stop gravity) and for the surface problem various travel, z-hop and combing strategies depending on your slicer.


q:
I have a Tevo Tarantula 3D printer.

I'm trying to print a calibration cube.

The slicer is Cura and is set for a 1.75 mm filament extruded by a nozzle of 0.4 mm, with a heat bed temperature of 60°C and extruder 200°C.

As seen in the image I stopped the printer after a minute, when I noticed that the filament wasn't sticking to the hotbed.

I've also made other tests, but the result is the same - the upper right part of the print lifts and touches the moving nozzle.

How could I resolve this? Any advice?

[A] I don't have this specific printer but this used to happen to me as well on my D-Bot. The reason being bed not being leveled properly. Ensure that your bed is leveled such that the distance between the nozzle and bed is about 0.2mm after homing. Also coat your bed with something sticky like glue or hairspray. You won't need this if you are using a PEI sheet.


q:
I'm using M80 and M81 G-codes to power on/off power supply.

Is there a G-code to know the actual state of the power supply?


q:
I am interested in doing development on Cura.  Initially I want to start with the UI rather than the Engine.  I have found the repository and have cloned it to my PC.  I have also looked over the Wiki and searched the web.  For such a popular open-source product, I was surprised I couldn't find a build guide.

Can someone direct me on how to get started.  I have a LOT of experience in Software Development (more years and languages than I want to admit to); but, I have never used Python.  Consider that in your instructions.

[A]
As you are an experienced developer, these links should help:
This is a related question, but for Ubuntu
How to build CuraEngine?
Wikipedia has an informative page on
Cura
, which lists the Github development pages:
Cura Github development page
Cura Github legacy (pre-Ultimaker) development page
Cura slicing engine Github development page
Reading the development pages is a good place to start. The
Cura Github development page
does contain resources for Windows.
The top level Ultimaker
Github page
contains links to all of the relevant repositories, amongst other useful resources, including:
CuraEngine
- CuraEngine is a powerful, fast and robust engine for processing 3D models into 3D printing instruction for Ultimaker
  and other GCode based 3D printers. It is part of the larger open
  source project called "Cura".
Cura
- 3D printer / slicing GUI built on top of the Uranium framework
cura-build
- Build scripts for Cura
With respect to Python, I, myself, am slowly making my way through this Python tutorial,
Python Code Academy
. However, there are a many other good Python tutorials out there, the best resource is probably
Python.org
.
One thing to note is that Python 2.x and 3.x are markedly different (see
Should I use Python 2 or Python 3 for my development activity?
).
What should I learn as a beginner: Python 2 OR Python 3?
is also an interesting read.


q:
Acetone is banned in my country, and I cannot get it.

What substitute could I use?

[A]
The answer really depends on what you are using it for. Is it for dissolving ABS? A
quick google search
should show you what you want.
The thread,
Could you recommend me a suitable alternative to acetone as solvent?
, has a good many points that are worth considering:
For example, you may need to consider the
Polarity Index
Burdick & Jackson solvents
are arranged in order of increasing
  polarity index, a relative measure of the degree of interaction of the
  solvent with various polar test solutes.
If you are using it to dissolve a polymer other than ABS, then the family/class of polymer may need to be considered:
Apart from your desired solvent qualities (non-flammability and low boiling point), the choice will be totally dependent on the family/ class which the polymer  belongs. Based on the principal that 'like dissolves like, the attached document will provide you with good ideas on which solvent to use when a particular repeating unit of the polymer is involved.
Butanone is a possibility:
One alternative is butanone (button-2-one) - this is similar to acetone, but has a much higher boiling point. It is often used for alkylations etc. It has a boiling point of 79-80°C compared to 56°C of acetone.
or NMP:
N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) can be used. It is a polar aprotic solvent and dissolves many polymers. It has high boiling point ( >200 degree centigrade)  It is soluble in water and easy to dispose which is a great advantage during work up of reactions.
However, some other alternative chemicals are listed here (from
Any good alternative to Acetone
?:
Butyl alcohol
methyl isobutyl keytone (MIBK)
denatured alcohol
MEK (methyl,ethyl,ketone), i.e. Kleen-Strip MEK Alternative
Ethyl Acetate
Some branded items, from
Alternatives to Acetone
:
Surfasolve
Surfasolve is a 100 percent biodegradable acetone replacement that removes adhesives, degreases tools and works as a resin solvent.
    Surfasolve is a non-regulated product.
Bio-Solv
Bio-Solv is an acetone replacement that is 100 percent biodegradable. It is not deemed a hazmat, so shipping will not cost
    you more. This acetone alternative is not listed on California
    Proposition 65, a law passed in 1986 to keep substances that cause
    cancer and birth defects out of drinking water. Nevertheless, you want
    to use Bio-Solv in a well-ventilated area because of an unpleasant
    odor. It is not, however, a hazardous air pollutant. Bio-Solv is not
    petroleum based.
Replacetone
Replacetone is another acetone alternative. It is nonflammable and nonvolatile. It can be used as an acetone or MEK (methyl ethyl ketone,
    an industrial solvent) replacement that is biodegradable. Both
    Replacetone and Bio-Solv are referred to as green acetone.
Methyl Acetate
Methyl acetate is offered as an acetone replacement. Manufactured by the Eastman Chemical Company, it is utilized in industrial
    applications. It is biodegradable, volatile organic compound exempt
    and non-HAP (hazardous air pollutant)
Important note
However,
some of these items may also be banned in your country
, so check first. As you do not say which country that you are from, it is not possible to qualify this statement.
It is worth remembering that some of these substances are
not
as safe as acetone, and
the fumes may be more toxic
, so they should always be used in
well ventilated spaces
.


q:
I want to print multiple objects in a single G-code file on my Maker Select Plus 3D Printer.

On the Cura "Machine>Machine Settings..." menu, what are the correct settings for "Printer head size" in the upper right quadrant?

My best guess is below:

Note 1: I'm particularly concerned that I got the min and max directions correct.  For instance, I just swapped my Y min and Y max values because when I tried them the other way, the print head impacted the first object when printing the second.

Note 1.5: I added 10 mm to my settings because I was concerned that Cura wasn't accounting for the width of the raft that I usually use when I print.

Note 2: From what I've read online before posting this question, this printer may be physically the same as the WanHao Duplicator i3.

[A]
TL;DR
The settings that you seem to need can be found here:
Print One At a time settings? CURA
:
You actually can!
Providing that none of your object is too tall (taller than the Gantry
  clearance). Also the objects cannot be too close from each other (when
  you activate the option and move objects on the bed, you see a gray
  box around them showing this limit).
The reason you cannot use it at the moment is probably because you
  didn't filled the printer head size parameters (Menu "Machine ->
  Machine Settings..."). You will have to measure them, but on mine
  (Australian clone of the i3) I use those values and it works fine:
Head size toward X min: 30
Head size toward Y min: 70
Head size toward X max: 60
Head size toward Y max: 50
Printer gantry height: 35
Those are "conservative" values (a little bigger than the actual
  values). It means I'm losing a little bed space, but I prefer that to
  the risk of having the print head knocking out previous prints if one
  of the measurements is too low :o).
PS: The option will automatically disable itself if some object
  dimension are too big to avoid collisions
To be fair, the rest of the thread is people debating whether you can successfully achieve
sequential printing
, or not, with the Wanhao Duplicator I3.
However, the setting above seem to be the settings that you are looking for. Apart from
Head size toward X max
, they also correlate, pretty much, to the settings that you have already determined. As the poster notes, their settings are, somewhat, on the conservative side, which would explain the difference.
Extra detail
If this is so that you can achieve
sequential printing
1
, then this may not be suitable for your printer, unfortunately. Sequential printing works best for printers with a long nozzle with nothing (fans, X-axis gantry, etc.) around it, for example a delta printer with a low hanging nozzle would be ideal. Your printer type has a wide head with attachments, as well as an X-axis gantry, and so the clearance is less than that of an (ideal) delta.
See
WanHao Duplicator i3 Printer Head Size Settings for Cura
for more details.
If you wish to go ahead and still try it, then from the
same link
:
The way to measure is lower the nozzle to the bed.
Then measure the space taken up around the nozzle by the heater block, fans, mounting, the motor, and finally, the distance between the X axis rods and the bed "WHEN the nozzle is touching the bed".
That gives you some idea of the clearance you have where an ALREADY printed object can exist on the bed and NOT get slammed into the gantry or moving head when printing a second sequential part.
Just a visual with a moving bed printer and it's not promising.
  Not impossible, but in a 200mm square build area, you might really only get 4 objects at a time in the 4 quadrants.
Even that is height limited because the gantry will slam into it at a certain height.
Maybe some weird staggering pattern.
Also, of use, for obtaining your own measurements, from
Ultimaker - Cura 14.07 Printer Head Size
:
If I'm not mistaken all measurements are taken from the nozzle tip. So, for the first one, measure the size of your head from the nozzle tip towards the direction in X to where your machine homes.
and
There's a tooltip when you mouse over these settings which describes what they mean.
Gantry height is the vertical clearance between the build plate and your x-y gantry (on the Ultimaker, these are the 6mm shafts which hold the head).
If you print two objects - one after another - then the first object must be shorter in height than the gantry height. Otherwise, the gantry would crash into the first part while printing the second part.
In more detail, paying attention to the placing of the objects can aid with any issues that you have with a low gantry:
If you place multiple parts in a diagonal line across the build-plate so the gantry and head never intersects earlier parts after printing them, you can set the gantry height to an artificially high value, to ignore it, without problems.
I place pieces along a diagonal from right-front to left-rear, to avoid conflict when the head homes after finishing the print. I can fit 3 to 4 small but tall pieces on the build plate that way for sequential printing.
The purpose of these
Printer head size
settings is to enable Cura to determine the order in which the objects are printed:
... none of those settings are important as long as you only print one STL file at a time. It's when you want to print multiple objects "one at a time" that these numbers have a purpose - it allows Cura to figure out which order to print them in and if it can do them one at a time or if it has to print them all at once.
Footnote
1
Sequential Printing
is where one object is
completely
printed, before moving on to the next object, instead of the usual method of printing all objects
simultaneously
one layer at a time. This method can give superior quality prints, but not always. The main advantage appears to be reduced "stringing" of filament between objects, and a cleaner surface finish, due to reduced print head movement between objects. The process is detailed in
Multi-part printing
.


q:
I've got the following PLA filament that is not feeding correctly into our Ultimaker 2+

It starts to feed and then all of the sudden, the wire 'eats' (read breaks, but not entirely) the plastic filament as you can see on the picture below:

Any hints are more than welcomed.

[A]
The photograph and your description indicate that the drive gear is eating the filament because the filament has stopped moving. The least likely problem would be that something is jammed at the spool or between the spool and the entry to the drive mechanism.
The more likely problem is that your nozzle is clogged. It is simple to determine if that is the case. If you have a direct drive mechanism (not a bowden tube type), remove all the filament and release the wheel or bearing that presses the filament against the hobbed pulley, which is the part connected to the motor or driven gear if you have a geared mechanism.
Heat the nozzle up to correct temperature for PLA and attempt to push filament through the nozzle. If it does not move, your nozzle is clogged and has to be cleared.
A nozzle clog can be caused by a too-low temperature or a too-high temperature resulting in burned material becoming jammed in the nozzle.
If you have a 0.40 nozzle, find that size of nozzle tool or use a 0.40 mm drill bit and carefully push and turn it into the nozzle.
Also consider to use nylon cleaning method. This involves heating the nozzle to the correct temperature for melting nylon filament, forcing it into the hot end, then allowing it to cool. Reheating it while pulling on the filament will remove some of the debris. Eventually, it will pass through the nozzle and will also pull out clean, with no debris on the end of the filament. It is suggested to research "nylon cleaning method" to learn correct temperatures.
I have used the nylon cleaning method and have removed debris from overheated filament in the past. I have been able to shine a bright light from below and see the open nozzle after completing the process.
The above steps are identical for bowden type systems and require to remove the bowden tube to access the hot end more effectively. The tube can be removed from either the hot end or the drive end, but force is more effectively applied if the tube is removed from the hot end.


q:
I'm a new one for this community.
This also not directly related with 3D printing.
I searched about this and I couldn't find good answer.

One of my friends told me CNC machining centers (Milling) mostly use servo motors and CNC laser cutter and plasma cutters use stepper motors mostly.

Position controlling is more accurate in servo motors than steppers.

I think position controlling is more important in laser and plasma cutters than CNC machining centers, but laser and plasma cutters use stepper motors.

Why do laser and plasma cutters use steppers without using servo motors?

P.S.
This question has more area than 3D printing and CNC routing.And also, This question asked for more reason for why use steppers in laser cutters,plasma cutters and CNC router.SO, this is not a duplicate of this  one.

[A]
Servos do have several advantages; but, they are more expensive and more difficult to control.
Generally, a servo motor is a DC motor but with an encoder to provide position feedback.  A circuit (can be a computer) then compares the actual position (from the encoder) against the commanded position and uses the error to determine how much power to put to the motor (usually by PWM).
Some of the advantages of servos:
The encoders on the motor often have thousands of counts per revolution so they are accurate.
They are a great choice for controlling a large mass.  When beginning a motion, the control loop can detect that more power is required when the encoder does not respond as fast as expected thus putting more power to the motor. This will them automatically reduce as the motor reaches speed and no longer needs the acceleration torque. Also, the servo loop can also apply reverse torque when trying to slow down the large mass to limit overshot.
Some of the disadvantages of servos:
The DC Motors used for servos reach peak power at thousands of RPM.  That means to use them on a printer you will need to gear them down.  This adds to the expense.
You need electronics to PWM the power to the DC Motor and to close the servo loop (usually at least 1 KHz).  This can require a lot of the CPU.  Probably would be more than a Melzi could do since it is already maxed out.
The servo loop tuning can cause the motor to buzz when it is holding position on an unloaded axis.  This could cause print issues.
I know you have likely seen cheap servos out there often called "hobby servos". These are often used in RC.  These use a creative trick that allows them to use a cheap potentiometer to create an inexpensive control loop.  The limit to this "trick" is that it CAN NOT rotate a full 360°; thus, it CAN NOT run a continuous axis.  Yes, I know there are hobby servos out there that are called continuous rotation servos; but, they do that by disconnecting the potentiometer.  In that case they are no longer servos.  This is just a way to use the same control interface to control a standard DC motor and the motors are not accurate.
Stepper motors on the other hand:
Are really cheap;
Don't require complicated drive circuits or control loops;
Love to hold position without a load.
Their downside is that their rotational accuracy is limited by the physical poles of the motor.  This can be improved using micro-stepping; but, there are limits.  Also, it is difficult (often impractical) to determine if the motor missed a step.  That can usually be handled by just making sure that the load on the motor is always well below the step torque.  This often involves managing the motor acceleration.
In summary, servos are great for some applications; but, for low cost situations like 3D printing, steppers are hard to beat.  It is likely servos needed for milling CNCs because the cutting head is much more massive than an extruder or laser and the servo control loop is needed to provide accurate motion for the higher mass.


q:
I have a Tevo Tarantula with a MKS Base 1.5 board and dual extruders.  I am running Marlin RC8 Tevo Community build for the dual extruder, large bed and SN04 sensor.

All temperature sensors work and give accurate reading but E1 when activated runs at 100% until the overtemps kicks in and shuts down the system.  Like I said, it reads proper temperatures through the thermistor it just won’t stop at the set temperature.  I checked the MOSFET and there is no obvious scorching or bad solder joints on the MKS board.  This leads me to believe it is a mix-up in firmware but, being a bit of a newbie on this, I am still getting familiar with G-code and Marlin.

I have confirmed the correct board is being referenced in firmware from boards.h but looking at configuration.h I just get confused.  What I am thinking is somehow/somewhere E1 might be referenced as a fan that is just off or on.  Anybody have ideas?

[A]
I am not sure what the hardware config is for the
Tevo Tarantula
Make sure your
```
configuration.h
```
file is setup for your hardware.
The extruder defines are describe in
Conditional_LCD.h
It looks like the
configuration.h file
on GitHub is configured for a single extruder.
For example, if you have 2 hotends; but, "HOTENDS=2" is not set then the I/O will not be configured for the 2nd hotend.  I just looked at the code and if
```
HOTENDS == 1
```
then the
```
MOSFET_D_PIN
```
will be used to control FAN1 (which sounds very similar to what you are describing that you are seeing).
```
```
#if HOTENDS == 1
    #define FAN1_PIN     MOSFET_D_PIN
  #else
    #define HEATER_1_PIN MOSFET_D_PIN
  #endif
```
```


q:
I've noticed that after my Anet A8 completes a print, the right hand Z mount ends up 1-2 mm lower than the left, even though I make sure both the left and right hand Z mounts of the X-axis are at the same height before switching on the printer.

Does anyone know what the cause of this might be?

I'm guessing something is causing the right hand Z to skip steps. I can't see or hear any obvious mechanical issues. I checked all guide and threaded rods were straight before assembly.

Could it be a faulty stepper or control electronics?

[A]
Try winding the Z axis all the up and down a few times using the front panel controls. Does it still go out of alignment? Is it out of alignment at the top? Does it come back into alignment when you wind it back down?
The principle is: if you have a dodgy motor drive chip, or a mechanical fault, it will skip some steps on the way up and the two motors will be out of synch. Then, on the way back down, it will skip an (approximately equal) number of steps and the motors will return to something resembling similar places.


q:
I am at my wits end with this problem. I start a print and the skirt goes down fine, then the outline of the parts go down fine (usually) and then when it goes to fill in the first layer, it will always get stuck to the hotend at some point and rip apart the layer.

Any ideas on how to solve this?

Printing PLA at 210°C;

First layer temp is 225°C;

Bed temp at 60°C;

1.75 mm filament, and;

0.4 mm nozzle.

Maker Select V2.1, using Cura to slice.

[A]
Step Zero:
is always to check/adjust the bed level - if the height over the bed varies while putting down the first layer, it's hard to ever get first layer settings that work.
Step One:
is to adjust your first layer settings - height, temperature, extrusion width until you find a set that work for your setup (knowing that they may change somewhat when you change filament.) Some folks find more success with thin first layers, others with a thicker first layer to pump more plastic, still others use the same layer height but increase the width to pump more plastic, and others combine these approaches. Increasing the temperature is common, though in my case I found that the "usual" +5°C was not enough for the present setup.
You can change one setting at a time and have an idea of what works better or worse in each case, or you can change lots of settings and hope you get lucky. I prefer the tedious approach, it's less maddening.
Are you using any surface treatment on the bed? A bit of gluestick or hairspray may help you stick.


q:
I am using Marlin firmware with a RAMPS board on an Anet A8 printer.

The bed size for the printer is 220 x 220 mm and that is stated in the configuration.h file. When using mesh bed leveling, the nozzle jumps to the first corner on the bed perfectly after setting the x-min to 5.0 but the next two points are off the end of the bed. Here are my settings:

// Travel limits after homing (units are in mm)

 #define X_MIN_POS 5.0
 #define Y_MIN_POS 0.0
 #define Z_MIN_POS 0
 #define X_MAX_POS 220
 #define Y_MAX_POS 220
 #define Z_MAX_POS 240

What could be my issue?

[A]
The problem is in the code.
Please use these:
```
```
// The size of the print bed
#define X_BED_SIZE 220
#define Y_BED_SIZE 220

// Travel limits (mm) after homing, corresponding to endstop positions.
#define X_MIN_POS 5
#define Y_MIN_POS 0
#define Z_MIN_POS 0
#define X_MAX_POS X_BED_SIZE
#define Y_MAX_POS Y_BED_SIZE
#define Z_MAX_POS 240
```
```
Your problem will be ok.


q:
I printed Planetary Gears and the top looks great
but the bottom doesn't

I am printing on a TronXY X3 (Prusa i3 metal frame clone) using eSun PLA+ and sliced using Cura 2.4.  I print on glass and do manual leveling (sheet of paper to set gap).

What could be causing this?

It almost looks like a raft; but, I selected to print with a Brim not a Raft.

I have seen this on some other prints so I suspect it is a slicer setting.
Note: Bed adhesion seemed great.  First adhered well and part popped off with very little effort.

[A]
Your nozzle is too far from your bed.
The first layer isn't squished down sufficiently, resulting in these gaps. If your first layer looks like this, you should cancel your print and adjust the bed. Alternatively, you can adjust the initial height of the Z-axis in G-code (for instance,
```
G0 Z-0.1
```
followed by
```
G92 Z0
```
, which should be appended to your start G-code).
You can also try increasing the first layer height or the first layer extrusion multiplier. If you increase the first layer height, you will probably still have to adjust the bed slightly to bring the nozzle closer, but the thicker your first layer the larger the window where you get a good first layer.
Increasing the extrusion multiplier will effectively stretch the first layer to be thicker (and thus the model will come out slightly too high) and thus isn't necessarily a good idea, though some people find that a slight increase (to for instance, 110%) makes the first layer slightly more forgiving (but this also increases adherence, making parts harder to remove - there is a very fine line between getting good first layers and having your prints stuck permanently to the bed).


q:
I have an STL file from thingiverse. The model is of a rectangular lid with an engraving. I would like to print it using two different colors, so that the engraving would be in a different color than the lid base. In the model description, the creator explained that he simply switched the material mid printing.

However, I have a two-extruder printer, and I'd like to utilize it for this printing. What's the easiest way (tool) to select a part of the model and define that it should be printed using a different color?

[A]
One method is to use meshmixer to select the faces to be created in the second color and "detach" them without removing them from the model. Keeping the detached faces in place provides the appropriate alignment when brought into the slicer. When exporting the model for printing, check your preferences to ensure both segments are exported at the same time. The preferences (file) default to separate exports based on selection.
Some manipulation will be required with the extracted segments, as typically one is removing a zero-thickness surface from a manifold object. The videos I've seen usually create an extrusion towards the inner body to create a dimensional model from the extracted skin.
Even if you are not familiar with Meshmixer, there are a number of videos and tutorials explaining this feature. If you use the terms "meshmixer dual extrusion" you'll get loads of links in return. I narrowed it by adding "Maker's Muse" to the search, as his explanations are clearer than others.
I know that Slic3r and Simplify3D will support the correct positioning when importing the model, other slicers may require additional research to accomplish this objective. My search also appears to indicate that Cura will support such processing.
The rabbit in this image was being prepared for two colors. I've seen the video but cannot recall why this image was presented, as the other pieces were eventually incorporated during one print. It's possible this image represents a single color print, based on the supports, but it is indicative of a partial process during the creation of a dual extrusion print.


q:
My 3D printer makes weird sounds. When it's at >75% printing speed the extruder motor makes a "tac tac" sound and it goes backwards, pushing the filament back, for a small interval of time. I have tried changing the nozzle temperature and I'm unable to work this out alone.

Has someone had the same problem?

This is the 3D printer: Geeetech High Quality Wood Geeetech Prusa I3 Pro W 3D Printer Kit.

[A]
You are extruding (rather, attempting to extrude) faster than the hotend/nozzle can melt & pump plastic. Eventually something's got to give, and it's usually the grip on the filament by the extruder gear (or the torque available is exceeded.)
You either need to limit the speed you extrude at, or change other print settings (temperature) to melt faster. You are not going 75% - you're trying to go more than 100% (in real terms of what the printer can actually do.)


q:
Building a 3-D printer is obviously a huge undertaking.

Does anyone know of any reasonably cheap guides to build my own 3-D printer?

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


q:
I know nothing about 3D printing and I was wondering if it is a good candidate for what I want to make.

I want to make a custom game cartridge which looks like this:

Basically it's like a SD card in a custom shell. Now I can produce the inside as a thin PCB (0.6mm-1mm). But I was wondering what the best (and cheapest) way to prototype (and maybe make a small run production) the outer shell would be. The entire cart is about 2mm thick, so each half of the shell would be at most ~0.6mm thick.

Is this something I can do with a typical 3D printer? How would I "attach" the two halves together?

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


q:
As far as I know resin trays have a Teflon coat that allows prints to stick to the build plate easier than the resin tray but this Teflon coat wears over time.

I am new to the SLA scene and am currently troubleshooting a Draken Facture and trying to hone in my setting but my print keep sticking to the bottom of the resin vat.

How often should these trays be swapped out to allow for smooth printing?

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


q:
My Anet A8 frame are broken. I find frame project AM8 - Metal Frame for Anet A8. I like it but I can't find aluminum extrusion needed, like this: MiSUMi - Aluminum Extrusion - 5 series, Base 20, 20mm x 40mm.

Maybe somebody knows where I can buy it in Ukraine? Or maybe another frame options?

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


q:
What are the basic necessities needed to build a 3d printing machine.

Workforce

Technology

Money

etc.

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

[A]
Prints could end up on tray for couple of reasons.
Vacuum force on early layers - Usually you should lose pieces on the center of platform
Put holes or channels on platform
Very slow speed on early layers
Use smaller platform
Use tilt mechanism
Use larger support structures
Use stickier platform - Anodized aluminum is specially good
Non-aligned platform - Pieces on side of platform end up on tray
Align platform / tray
Low cure times - you could lose pieces around platform for DLP and whole platform for LCD ones
Resin related issues
Resin designed for thinner layers - Decrease layer thickness
Pigment settled down - Shake resin before use


q:
Testing my new Wanhao i3+. PLA plastic(Wanhao), basic normal quality settings in Cura (I guess 0.1 mm layer, 40 mm/s speed, 60c bed temp, 200c extruder temp). After 1.5 hours of printing quality degraded, it makes some loose structure.

Edit:
After finish I noticed that problem exists only in layers where it cycles printing/no printing. There is no problem on layers where it print continuously.

What is the reason can be and how can I fix that?

[A]
It definitely looks like under extrusion.
First thing I would check is the filament feeder to make sure it has
a good grip in the filament.
After that I would do another print to see if the problem is repeatable.
If it doesn't repeat, it may have been
A temporarily clogged nozzle
The filament was undersized in that segment and the filament feeder lost its grip.
The extruder got to cold for some reason in that segment and the feeder couldn't push the material through the extruder fast enough.
If it does repeat:
Re-inspect the filament feeder
Try increasing the the extruder temp to say, 225.
Try turning off retraction to see if it is related to those settings.


q:
I have a TronXY printer (i3 Clone).  It has a 220x220 mm heated aluminum bed and I print with a Borosilicate glass plate.

I have a slightly longer print (245 mm) I would like to do and I think I could adjust to settings and end stop to stretch the y-dimension travel and I have found a 229x257 mm plate.  This would extend over the edge of the aluminum bed.

Will the thermal conduction and mass of the glass plate be sufficient to still keep the bed warm enough?

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


q:
I'm working with a group at the MIT Launch startup accelerator for high school and I was hoping to do some market research regarding some of the current problems with desktop 3D printers. I was hoping to get some feedback from all your experience with 3D printing and the hours of troubleshooting you've likely encountered.

What workarounds and aftermarket modifications are the most useful? If you could change one thing about your printer what would it be? How do you troubleshoot issues and how long does it take? What would make you more likely to 3d print more often (ie never clogged, didn't have to watch first layer, etc)? In your opinion, what are the biggest issues the desktop 3D printing industry faces? Just share any wishes, thoughts, hopes, dreams, etc about 3D printing

Thank you so much for your time and sharing your experience!

[A]
First, regarding
"Why do 3D Printers Suck?"
- The answer is
They Don't!
Every tool has its limitations and you need to work withing the limitations of the tool.
Second, there are
A LOT
of different types/technologies, manufacturers, and price points and all of these have specific limitations.
I live in Tigard, OR and both my boys are in High School.  Our High School has a pretty advanced Technologies Department.  We have had a 3D printer for a several years and use it for printing parts for our after school programs (we have three FTC teams, one FRC team, and one (underwater) MATE team).  This last year the school introduced a CAD class and added about 15-20 new Afina printers so that the students can print what they design.
I talked to my sons (they have both used the printers) and they said the only problems they ran into were mistakes they made.  Two examples of that are:
Printing with ABS and having it warp (probably bed temp)
Trying to print a design with too thin a wall
I think there is a BIG opportunity for improvement here.  Having a "Slicing" program that doesn't require tweaking and would warn of likely print problems would help A LOT.  I like the idea of the new
PrusaControl
.  If this idea could be extended further as
Thomas Sanladerer suggested in his video review
I know the Head of Technologies Department (I help mentor several of the after school programs).  He has been responsible for getting printers and I recall he was concerned about more high-level things:
Service, Maintenance and Repair
Fumes (this is a lot of printers in one place with students in the same room)
Network interface and driver compatibility with school computer/network standards.
I believe there is another opportunity here.  If you could provide some sort of a "printer farm" where the students could send their print to the "farm" and then have a highly visible indicator on the selected printer would their name/ID when their print starts.  That way you can get more efficient use of the printers and the space they consume.