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http://reprap.org/wiki/RUG/New_Zealand Discussions on suppliers, meetups, and how to keep Keas from eating your extruder heads.
Re: z lift before finishing print - 11 years ago
As I posted on Jan 20 above, you need a G91 code in the end code before the G1 Z5. G91 makes subsequent movements relative to the current position, rather than absolute (absolute = relative to zero). If you do it as you suggest, then you will need to change your end code every time you print a model that has a different height.by n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Introducing the Slot Bot! - 11 years ago
Nice job. I like the use of angle and the mains voltage heatbed. You can also get corner gussets that will bolt in that would stiffen things up if needed. It looks like the Z axis geared steppers will limit your carriage travel. I realize the carriage is below the Z steppers but you may need to limit your carriage travel to avoid your extruder or filament in-feed from clashing with them - parby n.glasson - CoreXY Machines
Re: Prusa I3 BOM Help - 11 years ago
Could be right that the nozzle is flying too low rather than too high. Hard to tell from a photo. One way to work it out properly is to do a large solid square calibration piece and setup the Z so that it is deliberately sloped along the X axis from say 0.1mm to 0.4mm clearance. Use feeler gauges to measure and set the clearance at each extreme of the X travel. Have it levelled on the Y. Setby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Prusa I3 BOM Help - 11 years ago
I'm guessing you are concerned with the non-uniform nature of the long solid runs on the first layer which seem to get better to the right side of the print. You can improve this by making sure the bed is spotlessly clean, perfectly level (compared to nozzle travel), has the right clearance (from the nozzle) and is not running too fast (on the first layer). In my experience, the most importantby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Can anyone do a print or recommend a printing service - 11 years ago
I doubt you will find many locally who are keen to print and sell a full set of Prusa Mendel I3 plastic parts commercially. A full set of these parts weights about 500 grams. This means about $20 worth of filament (if you shop around). Add to that at least $5 postage within NZ and your supplier would have to be happy to tie up their 3D printer for a day or two and shag around with several prinby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: New I3 build in Wellington - 11 years ago
Tim Great to hear things are working well. Y slippage can happen. If your belt is tensioned it is not likely to be skipping teeth. It is more likely that if your bed is supported by 17mm ply (which it looks like from the photo) then it may be a bit on the heavy side for the stepper to accelerate without skipping steps occasionally. You can fix it by either tweaking stepper driver current orby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: First few mm of prints missed on Prusa-Mendel - 11 years ago
Backlash is an engineering term used to describe the lost motion between moving a mechanism in one direction and then the other direction. In this case the Z axis nuts have some necessary clearance on the threaded rod. Depending on how the nuts are retained, they may also allow some axial movement relative to the carriage. These clearances mean that after you have auto homed the Z axis, it mby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: First few mm of prints missed on Prusa-Mendel - 11 years ago
You first need to determine if it is something flaky in your G-code or if it is a printer hardware issue. Open something in pronterface and click the graphic then step up thru layers. Check that the Z dimension listed corresponds with the height of features you are expecting to see at that level. If that checks out, use a vernier caliper to measure the vertical height of your X carriage when tby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Melzi version 2.0 replacement - 11 years ago
I have seen vicvega77's machine tonight and we tried unsuccessfully to revive the USB port. Afterwards, I came across this forum post: Melzi micro USB port repair. I hadn't thought of connecting the usb cable wires directly but that might be worth a go. The board is buggered anyhow as it is and vicvega77 went away convinced that RAMPS 1.4 is probably the way to go if the Melzi can't be saveby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: z lift before finishing print - 11 years ago
In windows explorer, find your gcode file then right click and "open with" then select "notepad". That will let you view the contents of a gcode file. It is just a text file. If using mac or linux you will need to find equivalent methods - I'm not so familiar with those OS's.by n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: z lift before finishing print - 11 years ago
If it works manually but not when coded into "end codes", I think you are either putting your end codes in the wrong place or your slicer is not incorporating them into your G code. I'd suggest putting something else obvious in the end code on your slicer and see if it works. Something like: G1 X150 Y150 F3000 ; Move to X = 150 & Y = 150 G4 S2 ; Dwell for 2 seconds G1 X50 Y50 F3000; Move toby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: z lift before finishing print - 11 years ago
You don't need to do a 5 hour print to check that you have the right end codes to do a 5mm lift at the end of a print. Try it out on a 3 minute print until you get the end code correct. What has probably gone wrong with your end code is that F3000 is perhaps way too fast for your Z axis to be able to move. If set too fast, you will just hear a brief buzzing from the steppers and they wont moveby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: recycle PLA , Nylon, ABS - 11 years ago
I see where this is going - using PLA for compost on your vege patch growing corn!by n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: recycle PLA , Nylon, ABS - 11 years ago
You could grind up reject parts using Liquid nitrogen to make them really brittle first. I think it really wouldn't be worth the hassle though. You'd only be doing it to satisfy some urge to save the planet, although it is questionable that it would be beneficial on that basis. It would probably end up costing more and results would be poorer than making your own filament from virgin pellets.by n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: My Newbie thourghts on printing PLA, PLA Flex and ABS - 11 years ago
Sounds like your ABS woes are filament related and you might benefit from trying a different supplier. Running slow and hot with no fan cooling should make layers stick together OK. No mention of heat bed temperature - I assume you have this set to suit ABS. I usually run it at 110 deg C. Professional machines use heated chambers for ABS to prevent warping from causing delamination. You canby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: incomplete part - 11 years ago
Also - put some fan onto the part. It can be as simple as a desk fan alongside the printer initially but ultimately you will benefit from a 40mm or 50mm fan mounted on the machine and directed onto the part. I have one 40mm fan mounted on the extruder and speed controlled by RAMPS plus one 50mm fan mounted on an adjustable arm that I can fit anywhere and direct at any problem areas. This helpsby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: filament source in new zealand - 11 years ago
Just be warned, cheap filament can turn out to be expensive and frustrating. Diamond Age is far more reasonably priced per kg with their 3mm filament than their 1.75mm. This price difference steered me towards building my printer to use 3mm. So far I have used several spools of Diamond Age PLA plus a reel of ABS as well as Ninjaflex (from Fenner Drives) - all with excellent results. My son anby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: endstop problems - 11 years ago
Following on from Waitaki, the reason why the Z axis homes then lifts and homes again is so that the second homing can be done slower and therefore more accurately. The distance it lifts is customisable in firmware. If it is not lifting enough to release the switch, you should change the setting in firmware to make the lift distance higher. If you are using Marlin look for this in configuratby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Not quite CoreXY but Sli3DR source files are released - 11 years ago
Any thoughts on what advantages Sli3DR offers over CoreXY? A quick comparison reveals there is almost 40% more length of spectra line and at least 40% more pulleys in the Sli3DR XY mechanics when compared with CoreXY (60% more pulleys counting drive pulleys as drawn - but these could be moved to corner pulleys). It is a nice tidy design and coding is simpler than CoreXY as there is one stepperby n.glasson - CoreXY Machines
Hybrid Spectra + GT2 on CoreXY? - 11 years ago
I am curious to know if anyone has tried mixing belts and fishing line on a corexy system. I have seen examples of corexy done with spectra line and examples done with toothed belt. I believe there are advantages with either. It strikes me that it would be possible to have the best of both worlds by making half the length of each "belt loop" toothed belt - with the remainder being spectra lineby n.glasson - CoreXY Machines
Re: About to purchase a 3D printer in Chch, advice required! - 11 years ago
Kartyboy94 - did you see my PM to you yesterday? I try and get along to this meetup on Kilmore St on Sunday afternoons: Members are usually working on a range of electronic and programming projects. It isn't only 3D printing, although there are a few 3D printing enthusiasts who go. I take along my 3D printer and spend time either printing something or testing out design changes or new technby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Smartfrog by Blackfrog - 12 years ago
QuoteBackEMF Thank you, Lets see if we might be able to make a printed LMF08UU? I really need to find some time to learn FreeCAD. :-) I have used mainly Freecad, OpenSCAD and at work Solidworks but for such a simple part I'd launch straight into my online account on Tinkercad. Give it a try - it is super easy. Once you have mastered tinkercad and need a bit more power - try Autodesk 123D.by n.glasson - Smart_Rap
Re: Split the Y axis from the rest. - 12 years ago
As promised, here are some photos showing our new Smartrap 3D printer featuring a separable Y-axis assembly and E3D all metal hot end. We originally tried the servo driven auto bed leveller but our servo was very twitchy and would not go to any set position and sit there without twitching randomly around that position. Maybe a better quality servo would work but to get started we cobbled up aby n.glasson - Smart_Rap
Re: Split the Y axis from the rest. - 12 years ago
Quoteregpye Quoten.glasson I too have re-worked the smartrap to have the Y axis separate. My motivation for this is to make a machine that can be quickly and easily packed into a case for transport. The Y axis will only need a 6 way electrical connector for the stepper and limit switch and some way of making it rigidly fixed to, but readily detached from rest of the assembly. I have an LCD conby n.glasson - Smart_Rap
Re: Split the Y axis from the rest. - 12 years ago
I too have re-worked the smartrap to have the Y axis separate. My motivation for this is to make a machine that can be quickly and easily packed into a case for transport. The Y axis will only need a 6 way electrical connector for the stepper and limit switch and some way of making it rigidly fixed to, but readily detached from rest of the assembly. I have an LCD controller as well that will eby n.glasson - Smart_Rap
Re: Help is needed! - 12 years ago
What sort of hot end? Printing with PLA I presume. The usual thing that causes blockages with PLA is heat transferring back up the filament above the melt zone. PLA goes soft and expands in the colder parts of the hot end and causes too much friction. Things that help eliminate this are: 1. Use a hot end that has a PTFE tube liner (not an all-metal hot end). The PTFE liner can accommodateby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Help is needed! - 12 years ago
That's exactly what I am saying. Check out this description on the Wiki: http://reprap.org/wiki/Stepper_wiring Once you have the wiring correct and the current from the stepper driver set properly, the two other things that might stop a stepper motor from turning is 1) being too heavily loaded or 2) being asked to accelerate too quickly. You will find that for a given current, loading and acceby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Help is needed! - 12 years ago
Like Dust said in an earlier post - check stepper wiring and adjust current to stepper. 4 wires from steppers are in two pairs. Different manufacturers use different colours so you are best to test to find pairs. You can identify the pairs without a multimeter by simply holding 2 wires together (with the other two separated) and noting if the stepper motor shaft is harder to turn. If the 2by n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group
Re: Madmike8's Smartrap Build - 12 years ago
Do I have it right that this no-servo design effectively uses the nozzle as the probe? I have seen this concept applied to a Prusa i3 and thought of a few problems with it. If your extruder dribbles when up to temperature, it will leave little blobs on the bed. This is probably not too concerning. It could be avoided by levelling cold but then it is likely that there will be an error due to sby n.glasson - Smart_Rap
Re: Prusa I3 BOM Help - 12 years ago
I am aware that silver steel can be hardened but this is not a realistic thing to do for your 3D printer. Hardened and ground linear shafts are manufactured in that order because the hardening process oxidises the surface and causes distortion - both these effects are corrected with the final grinding to the precision diameter. If you try and harden silver steel, the surface will be blackened aby n.glasson - New Zealand RepRap User Group