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Waltermixx
Howdy Folks, I'm back...

I've been using my makerbot mostly for printing since i got it. I only used my Folgertech when I needed someting done in ABS... well yesterday my makerbot Replicator 2 suffered a pretty bad jam, and i was unable to get consistant results from it without it jamming... new parts on order. :) In the mean time I grabbed my Folgertech Prusa I3 printer, removed the ABS, fed it PLA reduced the temp of the bed to 55, and the nozel to 195 and it's printing PLA like a champ. :) the heated bed is awesome for keeping print jobs from warping. I may never go back to ABS with it.... :)

either way Just thought I would check in again :) this printer is still awesome, even after being on the shelf for about a year ( the ABS smell was getting pretty bad ) at any rate, with PLA it's great...

I do have to figure out how to add a fan to cool the filament as it leaves the print head, so far no issues without one... I may have to review this thread and see what others have done. :)
It did manage to bridge quite well without a fan, it was a small bridge of about 15mm :)

Cheers. :)

here is a link to some pics of a MicroSD card interface holder. :)

[www.flickr.com]

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Vanbot

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Nargousias
Had my printer since last November... Still reading this thread.... and re-reading......

Yep. While there is a ton of information in this thread, the utter lack of organization makes it less useful than it could be. Sometimes it's like asking someone where the gas cap release button is on your new car and being handed the service manual complete with instructions on how to install pistons rings and every complaint every mechanic has ever had about working on that model of car.

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Dnixon123
Thanks for all your replies, It's been jamming less over the past day or two so I can use the printer again. I actually lowered the hot end tube down farther away from the extruder, decreased my print temps a little bit, and started the fan before I began heating my extruder. Since I started doing this I haven't had problems but I'll also try wrapping the block in kapton tape. I was also looking at getting an e3D lite6 but had a question about how to mount it.

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widespreaddeadhead

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Dnixon123
Right now I'm using white PLA...

My stock extruder jammed on Hatchbox White PLA, and I've since changed to an e3d lite 6 hotend and have had zero issues with clogs. A lot of people were mentioning this to me, but at the time I didn't really think it was necessary to spend more money on something. Eventually I ordered the e3d lite6, installed it and have been a huge fan ever since. Just something to keep in the back of your head.

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Dnixon123
...I've got some samples of a few ABS colors that I could try to use...

I'd clean out the hotend and extruder and try some prints in ABS, just to make sure it's working as it should.

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Dnixon123
...I also read that the problem might be heat coming up from the hot end and making the filament too soft, is there any sort of insulation or something that I could try to prevent this?

Possibly, could you take a picture of your hotend with the threaded rod leading up to the extruder? One thing that might help is using some of the kapton tape that came with your kit to wrap around the heater block on the hotend, and that will insulate it a bit. Another thing you might want to think about it getting a PLA cooling fan for your hotend. There are many designs, such as these [www.thingiverse.com] & [www.thingiverse.com] that will help cool the plastic and possibly help with your issue also.

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Dnixon123
Right now I'm using white PLA...

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widespreaddeadhead

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Dnixon123

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widespreaddeadhead

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Dnixon123
Over the past few days I've been having some issues with the extruder on my printer. It will staart making a skipping noise and the filament will get caught. I've fixed it several times by opening up the extruder and removing the mangled and squished piece of filament but it keeps happening. I think that the extruder is the issue but it could also be the filament that I'm using. It's the cheap hatchbox filament from amazon and it has been sitting out for a while so I've sealed it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel packets and I'm going to leave it there for a day or so to see if that helps. Does anyone know of a fix for this or possibly even a replacement extruder that could fix the issue?

I had the same issue with the stock extruder, try this one, although you'll need to buy a spring. [www.thingiverse.com]

Thanks for the reply, I thought about trying that extruder but I can't exactly print it at the moment since the extruder i have on there seems to not be working. Is there anything that you know of that I could try to get the stock extruder working?

What kind of hatchbox are you using PLA or ABS? What color? I've used a lot of hatchbox filament and had a few problems with a few colors of PLA and the stock folgertech extruder. Right now, the best thing you can do is to clean it out, then check the vref on the stepper and make sure its getting the correct voltage.

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Dnixon123

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widespreaddeadhead

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Dnixon123
Over the past few days I've been having some issues with the extruder on my printer. It will staart making a skipping noise and the filament will get caught. I've fixed it several times by opening up the extruder and removing the mangled and squished piece of filament but it keeps happening. I think that the extruder is the issue but it could also be the filament that I'm using. It's the cheap hatchbox filament from amazon and it has been sitting out for a while so I've sealed it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel packets and I'm going to leave it there for a day or so to see if that helps. Does anyone know of a fix for this or possibly even a replacement extruder that could fix the issue?

I had the same issue with the stock extruder, try this one, although you'll need to buy a spring. [www.thingiverse.com]

Thanks for the reply, I thought about trying that extruder but I can't exactly print it at the moment since the extruder i have on there seems to not be working. Is there anything that you know of that I could try to get the stock extruder working?

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widespreaddeadhead

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Dnixon123
Over the past few days I've been having some issues with the extruder on my printer. It will staart making a skipping noise and the filament will get caught. I've fixed it several times by opening up the extruder and removing the mangled and squished piece of filament but it keeps happening. I think that the extruder is the issue but it could also be the filament that I'm using. It's the cheap hatchbox filament from amazon and it has been sitting out for a while so I've sealed it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel packets and I'm going to leave it there for a day or so to see if that helps. Does anyone know of a fix for this or possibly even a replacement extruder that could fix the issue?

I had the same issue with the stock extruder, try this one, although you'll need to buy a spring. [www.thingiverse.com]

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Dnixon123
Over the past few days I've been having some issues with the extruder on my printer. It will staart making a skipping noise and the filament will get caught. I've fixed it several times by opening up the extruder and removing the mangled and squished piece of filament but it keeps happening. I think that the extruder is the issue but it could also be the filament that I'm using. It's the cheap hatchbox filament from amazon and it has been sitting out for a while so I've sealed it in a ziplock bag with some silica gel packets and I'm going to leave it there for a day or so to see if that helps. Does anyone know of a fix for this or possibly even a replacement extruder that could fix the issue?

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Ecky
Beezer:

Being a bike guy myself I appreciate those good solid real world applications for a 3D printer. Keep up the good work.

I used CPU thermal paste between the heat sink and the block to improve the contact/heat transfer and also put a single stainless steel washer on each screw to make a heat break between the block and the motor. Motor doesn't over heat and the ABS extrudes well.

I am personally waiting for an aluminum Y carriage plate I ordered from Australia. Once I have that I will also install a new aluminum bed and the z axis probing so I don't have to level it for each print. I should have all of the parts next week.

A Bowden type extruder is also in the future.