For you, is a 3D printer a hobby in and of itself, or is it a tool with which to pursue other interests? What is the main goal you're trying to achieve with regard to the printer's performance? Does the method you have chosen lead to that goal? Steel on aluminum is usually not a good idea. Bearings in contact with a heated bed will get hot and the grease in them will melt and probably ooze outby the_digital_dentist - General
The bearings are usually attached to the undercarriage, if that undercarriage warps or bends due to either a poorly designed leveling system or heat, it will affect how the bearings slide on the guide rails (if used) and the position of the bed plate. Wood and derivatives such a MDF will warp (quick) when put near a heated surface. Plywood will warp (quick) and delaminate (over repeated exposurby the_digital_dentist - General
Glass is the wrong thing to use if you have a heated bed. Many people don't seem to value their time very highly so they try all sorts of things to get prints to stick to the bed instead of spending $30 or so to actually fix the problem. Cast aluminum tooling plate with a layer of kapton, PEI, PET stick to ABS and PLA. Use a well designed 3 point leveling scheme that doesn't bend the plate orby the_digital_dentist - General
I've seen that behavior before. I'll bet you sliced with Slic3r. Try deleting the print, printer, and filament preset files you're using and recreate them, then slice again.by the_digital_dentist - Controllers
Post the gcode of the cube that you're having problems printing.by the_digital_dentist - General
look up "orthogonal axis compensation" which should really be called "nonorthogonal axis compensation". Using software to fix a mechanical error that should not exist is sort of silly. If X and Y are not orthogonal, fix the actual problem and make them orthogonal. It isn't hard to do, though it does take some time. Usually, you only have to do it once, unless your printer has two motors driviby the_digital_dentist - General
You should see commands like G1 Z0.2 Fxxxx.000 where xxxx is the feed rate in mm/minute. You should see these commands for each layer, so if, for example, you're using 0.2 mm layers, you should see a G1 Z0.2..etc, G1 Z0.4...etc., G1 Z0.6 ...etc. Those commands will have a bunch of G1 or G0 commands with X, Y, and E values between them because those are the XY plane extruder paths for each layby the_digital_dentist - General
I don't think the minimal pressure difference that could be obtained by a fan would have any effect on noise- most of the noise from the printer comes from motor vibrations coupled to the printer's frame. Even a complete vacuum wouldn't prevent that. The electronics would have to be kept outside the vacuum chamber- common electronic components aren't designed or rated for operation in a vacuum.by the_digital_dentist - General
Does whatever generates those images take into account the width of the plastic deposited, of does it only show the path of the nozzle? Have you tried actually printing? Do the prints look like the images you posted?by the_digital_dentist - Slic3r
Sounds like a bad driver to me.by the_digital_dentist - General
When the time comes to rebuild or build another printer, look into 3 point leveling. It actually levels the bed without flexing it or the undercarriage. If you follow the link in my sig, below, go to step #7 to see how a 3 point leveling system is done right.by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
That's a big piece of the problem. Three points define a plane, 4 points define a potato chip. When you adjust one of the corner leveling screws, the bed attempts to pivot about the diagonal formed by the two adjacent corner screws. Since the diagonally opposite corner screw doesn't let that corner move up and down, the bed flexes instead of leveling. The problem is compounded by using an undby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
Are there four leveling screws at the corners of the bed?by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
A picture of the side of the cube would help. It looks like you're over extruding, but that may just be due to the Z axis stopping. Have you checked the mechanism for binding? If you jog the Z axis up and down does it do what it's supposed to or does it get stuck? Jog the Z axis over the full length of the screws. Have you checked the gcode? How did you check it?by the_digital_dentist - General
It's pretty big. Right now it's assembled by just pounding the PVC pipe pieces together with a rubber mallet- it is too big to fit through normal doorways when assembled, so it will be kept as a "kit" to allow transport. I have a friend helping write code for the controller right now, and we're working feverishly to get it ready for the Milwaukee Maker Faire. It may make its first ever print aby the_digital_dentist - Look what I made!
It could be a problem with the gcode file you're trying to print. Have you checked the gcode? You should see the Z axis coordinates increasing at each layer change. You can plug the file into gcode.ws in a web browser and get a visual indication of what the gcode is doing. Assuming the gcode is OK, and it probably is, if it prints a few layers just fine then the Z axis stops going up, it is mby the_digital_dentist - General
Can you use the scope while the fans are running, or do you have to turn them off?by the_digital_dentist - Look what I made!
Screws as motor shafts are nice, but if the motor can't deliver the torque you need, it is worthless. Do you have any idea how much torque you need and how much the motor can deliver?by the_digital_dentist - General
When you continue to "evolve" you realize that printed parts don't have many uses in a quality printer (you can't print a part that makes a flexible guide rail stiffer or straightens out a bent threaded rod) and you replace as many as possible with metal.by the_digital_dentist - Mechanics
You need skill for any printer, but skill can't make up for a bad printer. There are no slicer settings that can remove Z wobble from a poorly made machine.by the_digital_dentist - Mechanics
Very nice! Is there a sock that fits over the tube to prevent people from putting their hands on the mirror? Are the fan there to prevent condensation from forming on the mirror?by the_digital_dentist - Look what I made!
Update: I tested the turntable screw drive mechanism today: Chocolate printer screw drive testby the_digital_dentist - Look what I made!
The problem with threaded rods is not accuracy of layer heights. The problem is they are all bent. That causes most printers' X axes to shift as the bent threaded rod flexes the Z axis guide rails and/or the printer's frame. The big advantage to lead screws is that they are actually straight and don't cause that sort of problem. Go with the acme screws - bearings are cheap. I don't know wherby the_digital_dentist - General
There are a few main difference between a good machine and a crappy machine. In one word it comes down to stability. That means stability in time, temperature, and operation. Any uncontrolled movement of the nozzle relative to the print bed will affect the print. Crappy machines use unstable frames that flex and move during printing. A good machine has a rigid frame. If you push on the framby the_digital_dentist - Mechanics
A 12V fan rated at 700 mA will take 700mA regardless of any other load on the power supply. The power supply will have to supply the additional 700 mA to power the fan, so make sure the total load on the power supply doesn't exceed its maximum.by the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
I think you're overly concerned about motor wear. I would expect belts to wear out much faster than motors. Even cheesy steppers ought to give many years of service in a 3D printer. Look at how they are constructed. Ball bearings and steel shaft. There isn't much to wear unless the bearings are really poor quality (possible, I suppose, in really cheap motors). If you are really concerned abby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
I have slic3r 1.2.9 and can't find any reference to "max volumetric speed". What version of slic3r are you using?by the_digital_dentist - Slic3r
PIR can handle the temperature but it will warp due to the temperature differential between the heated and unheated sides. I have used 1" PIR with the foil peeled off. Maybe leaving the foil on it will reduce the tendency to warp. You can print directly on unheated PIR with the foil peeled off. ABS sticks well. You won't need a bed heater or even a leveling system. Just bury the extruder noby the_digital_dentist - Reprappers
Check the Z axis screws and bearings to make sure they aren't binding. Check the Z axis motor current. In the future, post photos of the problems so people can have more info on which to base their diagnoses..by the_digital_dentist - General
Be careful about turning up power supply voltage. Its power rating does not increase with the voltage but the load does. It is very easy to exceed the power supply's rated output power and as a result kill the supply. If the bed resistance is 1 Ohm, the bed will use 144 W at 12 V and will use 182W at 13.5V. Other powers will likewise increase.by the_digital_dentist - General