SmartRap print quality reference

Hello everybody, I am new for the 3D printer. This is my first post on reprap. I want to make a Smartrap printer, and may well after that make Prusa. I want to ask for some sample really printed from Smartrap. In wiki page, there are one or two, and there are some other on the new but mostly about print smartrap ifselt. Have anyone print a cellphone case ?
Thank you

any part that is printed by Smartrap please

I think you are to early
I am also very intrested in the small printer and contacted smartfriendz and they seam to have there hands full with getting the time to send out the small machines.
So I simply think that there are not many that have there machines so far?

but some things I belive are correct even if I don't have one ?

It will only print pla.
It will not have the same quality of a finetuned and optimized mendel?
its a great machine to get started with to learn the basics before you build a mendel or a prusa etc.

But wath I can see when they actually print the parts on a smartrap to ship them to customers so is it not bad at all for the price of the machine.

One thing are for sure
Iam getting one as soon as I have got my prusa to work as I want.
I love that small machine.

Sorry, but no prints yet, I've just got mine put together. Since this is my first printer it's taking me a bit longer to learn the software. I got Marlin loaded on to the Mega tonight and looked into slic3r... Hopefully I'll have something for you soon.

Just for the info, I'm using a Turnigy TGY-1370A 3.7g servo that's $2.88 from Hobbyking USA warehouse and it fits nice and tight. I cut all my 8mm rods to 300mm and a 8.5x11 inch $2 walmart picture frame glass fits perfect. I bought two and doubled it.

@madmike8:
Does your x-axis do alright with 300mm rods, or have you needed to add support? The reason I ask is, I am planning on doing the same thing, and Serge (smartfriendz) mentioned that it might need support at that size.
Once I get this working I will post sample prints

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2014 01:21PM by dzdn.

Well, this is my first 3d printer, but I got her fired up today and Pronterface I manually raised the upper part of the Z axis to about an 30mm from the top of rods. Seemed stable to me, but I won't be sure till I print some thing. Now I'm going to go hunt up some tutorials on how to set up the software and the printer because I'm clueless now. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you everybody
I am on the way to make one, FabLab here in Taipei can do it for small price so I will try to print it out and test soon.
Hope to see all your pictures soon

Hope this helps for a Smartrap reference. I did upgrade from the fishing line to GT2 Belts.

Can anyone please share their Cura settings etc.



I received my PLA today an started a print, thoughthe extruder doesnt seem to be strong enough to push the PLA trough PTFE + hot end
in i manually push the PLA a bit more then the PLA oozes a bit, the stepper humms a bit as in... 'i'm not strongh enough'

This is my first printer, so unfortunately i can't simply print an airtripper...

Looks like i need a dirty hack so that i can print another extruder. Any idea's?

Quote
BackEMF
Can anyone please share their Cura settings etc.



I received my PLA today an started a print, thoughthe extruder doesnt seem to be strong enough to push the PLA trough PTFE + hot end
in i manually push the PLA a bit more then the PLA oozes a bit, the stepper humms a bit as in... 'i'm not strongh enough'

This is my first printer, so unfortunately i can't simply print an airtripper...

Looks like i need a dirty hack so that i can print another extruder. Any idea's?

You probably just need to turn the current up a bit on your extruder motor.

Yeah, adjust the stepper driver. Google for some good guides.

If your stepper starts to stutter while printing, you can adjust the print speed down or temp up.

thx,
it looks reasonable now, now i need to get the PLA to stick to the glass

what is the temerature when PLA is most sticky?
How do i see when it's to hot or too cold?

Do i have to move the nozzle closer to the glass?
and when am i too close?

Quote
BackEMF
thx,
it looks reasonable now, now i need to get the PLA to stick to the glass

what is the temerature when PLA is most sticky?
How do i see when it's to hot or too cold?

Do i have to move the nozzle closer to the glass?
and when am i too close?

You want to use something to help the PLA stick. Some use blue tape, others use a wster / white glue mix. Me, I use Aqua Net Hairspray. The "Extra Supper Hold" stuff. Tried a couple of other hairsprays, one of the cheep off brand ones and an expensive "hair salon" type, and neither worked anywhere close the way Aqua Net does. i hear the water glue works real well too, but there is more dry time involved.

As far as your nozzle height from the glass on the first layer, I'v been running it the same as my layer height for the rest of the print. some use .75 or even .5 of layer height for the first layer to get more plastic on the bed, but I find I don;t need that with the hairspray. Have to pry off the parts as it is.

I've been trying PVA glue (woodglue) thin layer,

the bedlevel probe spots where the hotend touches the glass, there the PLA seems to stick pretty good.

When i start to print the PLA oozes a bit, and once it ptints the brim then tere is a moment when no PLA comes out.

At what temperature are you printing?
The sticker on the PLA spool says 190 - 200 degrees so i decided to start at 195.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2014 04:22PM by BackEMF.

I use the Elmer's Stick Glue. I've learned that the temp changes with the spool. Lol. I've ran as low as 175, but 195 seems like a good starting spot and either adjust up or down from there...

Thanks, i'll go shopping for glue sticks tomorrow. And i will try the lower temeratures right now.... And another brand odf PVA glue...

I'm using 1/3 white wood glue with 2/3 water on glass ( cold) . paint a good layer, wait long time it gets really dry .

I'm using this on 4 smartraps in production for 3 weeks now and didn't repaint any glass since ! maybe i'm lucky with the right glue ? I can't believe it is still sticking so well . Just right in fact. Parts get out with simple knife and glue stays on the glass . Since , I totally stopped working on a heated bed .

---

the Smartrap project

[smartfriendz.com]
[www.thingiverse.com]
[reprap.org]
[github.com]
doc assemblage: [reprap.org]
NEW: Forum smartfriendz: [smartraptalk.smartfriendz.com]

Yes, Serge is right. The wood glue is probably the best option.
I have been talking with two biggest 3d printing companies in my country, and both are using wood glue when printing PLA. One said that he can nearly print around 30 times with one painting of the bed. So it's good
Also lot of people from my national forum is using similar method, not all, but lot of.

I will try this also, but I will also try to add heated bed. So probably next week, or two.

I'll stay with the woodglue then. :-)

I think it is the distance of the printhead from the bed... on the points where the autoprobe touches there the PLA sticks very well.

it's just that where it should to stick, it doesn't get pushed to the bed. Also i still have the feeling extruder slips so moetimes there is no PLA coming out when i expect it. So maybe the two issues together are making it hard to tackle.
Today i'll take the Hotend apart. looks like there is an issue accuring due to all my experimenting with the temperatures. (and this add to the challenge...)

I'm not there yet! heheheI

I try to stay away from heated bed, it gobbles up so much energy... + the price of an extra power supply.

BackEMF, did you try adjusting your extruder offset? I can help you with it if your Servo. Mark can help you if your Servoless.

The way I set my offset is to home Z. (G28 X0 Y0 Z0) and then, being servoless, move the Z axis up .1 mm at a time until I can slip a piece of paper underneath the nozzle, then down until it just grabs the paper. I make note of how far I needed to move Z and that amount is the offset. If your using the "No Servo" version of the firmware, don't worry about negative ( - ) numbers not being on the LCD, the Firmware knows which direction to go.

When I had the servo in use, it was basically the reverse on the Z. After homing, move Z down from "home" position with a piece of paper underneath and when the nozzle just starts to grab the paper, take note of the distance you moved Z down and that distance will be your offset.

Mark

Thanks for that Mark, I'm going to need that info before to long.

I have the no-servo version, and i don't have a display yet.

the offset somehow will not go lower.
When i have my hotend mounted again i'll look if i can simplify my startcode.

... that will be for tomorrow..

Quote
BackEMF
thx,
it looks reasonable now, now i need to get the PLA to stick to the glass

what is the temerature when PLA is most sticky?
How do i see when it's to hot or too cold?

Do i have to move the nozzle closer to the glass?
and when am i too close?

Are you using a glass build plate?
If so, clean the glass and wipe it with a good coat of glue stick that you can buy cheap at the stationary store (paper glue stick)
Then, don''t laugh, this really works a treat and I haven't told anyone before about this. Get some sugar and a little water. Heat it in a micro wave so that it mixes well and forms a oil like consistency when cooled. Apply a little to the glue surface with your fingers, rubbing it evenly all over the surface.
I would suggest that you do a few of these at the same time if you have a big print job on.
Now put the glass on your heated bed and set the temp to about 70C. The sugar will become a nice smooth surface and the stickiness will be gone.
Make your print and it will stick like s*** to a blanket. After the print, take the glass plate off the machine and put on one side to cool. Put your next glass plate on the machine and continue printing.
After a few minutes the glass will have cooled down, you may even hear a cracking sound (like breaking glass) The part will now be released by itself, you wont have to pry it off with a knife or anything, it will be completely loose and a beautiful clean surface underneath. Warning, don't be impatient and try and remove while still hot, you may damage the surface of the sugar coating and will have to wash it off (easy) and do it again. Wait and let it cool down and you can get many prints off the same surface. Sometimes a very light spray of water (very little) may be needed to repair the surface, secret is to leave as long as possible for the plate to cool.

I use standard window glass for all my machines, and if you have to buy it the price is pretty cheap. I am actually given mine by the local glass man. Clean the edges of the glass using a sanding disc or belt, don't hold the glass in one spot too long or it will get hot in that location and could crack. Just a quick run around the edges and it makes the glass nice and safe to handle. Dirt cheap and ready to do continual printing.

As I have said, I have never told anyone of my little secret before, so please someone give it a try and lets all enjoy some good prints.

---

[regpye.com.au]
"Experience is the mother of all knowledge." --Leonardo da Vinci

Hi Regpie,

The sugar metod is very interesting! Unfortunately i don't have a heated bed (im even trying to avoid it) but yeah, I really need to figure out a way to make it stick.
I'll try it on a unheated / glue bed.

I'll let you know what i discover.

Whooooo regpie!!

Sweeeeeet sticky printbed works. i did one half with sugar and one half with sugar and cornstach. (even more sticky)

the first layer is a bit wonky but that might be the nozzle height / uneven sweetneslayer?
have to keep an eye on the rest of the print now....

Guys again a lot of thanks for the brainpower!

And a special thank you to Serge, he is working hard to keep up with the demand.

Quote
smartfriendz
I'm using 1/3 white wood glue with 2/3 water on glass ( cold) . paint a good layer, wait long time it gets really dry .

I'm using this on 4 smartraps in production for 3 weeks now and didn't repaint any glass since ! maybe i'm lucky with the right glue ? I can't believe it is still sticking so well . Just right in fact. Parts get out with simple knife and glue stays on the glass . Since , I totally stopped working on a heated bed .

To follow up on this, I used EVO-STIK Wood Adhesive (easily recognisable green bottle with red top) that is widely available in the UK, it works very very well using FormFutura PLA which I've got to try here.

I watered it down to around 1 - 1 with water and painted 3 or 4 coats allowing it to dry between layers.

Thanks very much for the suggestion

John

If you are still looking for some sample prints, here's one and there are a few more here
This is printed hollow at 50% scale.

Please note that the print quality I'm getting can still improve as I am still tuning my printer and experimenting with things. I am suspecting my filament is not of good quality which contributes to poor prints, too.
But sorry, I haven't tried printing a cellphone case yet. I have an old HTC desire and I do not see any case design for it around. I may design my own and post it here.

Here is one of those little frogs I ended up printing out during my effort to help out a new FreeCAD user with mesh Boolean operations - which is how those BB's got snapped into the eyes. Yes, I said SNAP into. No glue, snap. Now that's a print, (dare I say it?), fine as frogs hair.

Mark



Edit - image should be good now.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/01/2014 04:10PM by markstephen.

Can't see your pic Mark.