What kind of printer do you use?

I use Simplified3d, For some parts i produce, No other slicer has worked as good for support material which sometimes needs to be very uniquely placed to keep quality up.

OK but Simplified3d is the most expensive slicer I`ve ever seen - they want a 150$ [ OS Windows PRO is even cheaper than this ! and hasn`t got a trial, or demo to check / money back if not satisfied is not really a demo ] - since I am printing everything using a RepetierHost - which is for free and handles good - so even if this S3D could be a slightly better, I probably won`t find a free resources to check - test this slicer unfortunetelly [ which doesn`t mean it is not worth - maybe is ]

I am using a Hictop auto bed leveling kit.



Just got it to work. My first print ever.

@Pierre Lalancette, has anyone given you a heads up on Fusion 360 from Autodesk? There may be better programs out there but it's free for enthusiasts/home use and so far has been able to do everything I've asked of it. Now that I've got a fair amount of time in on it, I can do complex stuff pretty quick.

It has a direct to 3D printer feature of some sort but I've never used that. I just save .stl files and pull them into the print software that came with mine.

And good luck with not wanting to spend too much time designing and printing. I thought I wouldn't use mine all that much but the applications just keep multiplying and it has allowed me to really up the quality of my build. That you can print things that cannot be simply machined is another big win. I'm sure you and many others here already know the benefits, but when you can print instead of wait on a machine shop and print things like threads threads ready to go - no drilling and no tapping - it is also a time saver. Plus the ability to quickly iterate on designs without wasting money on machining is another big plus.

Have fun!

+1 Fusion 360 Rocks. Easy as sketch, extrude and "beautify" with fillets ect ect (yes a VERY crude basic explanation of modeling )

Thanks @Zed and @Nick Moxley, I will certainly be using Fusion 360, as soon as I can get my printer to work again.

You see, everyone were talking about the Malin controlling software. And since I was unable to print anything else correctly, I decided to give it a go. This is when I learned that I have a LCD display of 4 rows with twenty character, because they all lighten up at the same time and never change. After a long research, I could get it back alive, but not printing correctly.

This is exactly what I was hopping to avoid. Not to be sucked down in a hole of hundreds of parameters that I would have to set one by one. And for that, I had the great idea of flashing my board with a new software. I am such a sucker for trying new things, with such a little brain.

Now I am reading a configuration file, trying to understand. Precious time wasted for my simulator.

Hi,
- Recently made an enclosure to improve the ABS heatbed temperature from printed elements + 5 * 500x500x2 mm plexiglass
[ probably better to use a 3-5mm, but works not so bad with temp. and is cheap - wtill missing some better front panel mountings - now 2 printed joiners to have some easy access ].



- Also planning to make a 3D printed 3D printer [ aluminium profiles frame, according to REBELIX project ]
STL sources [ Czech language is a problem, but STL and PDF is in EN ]
http://reprap4u.cz/rebelix/
https://github.com/RepRap4U/RebeliX
Instruction with all elements / build tutorial - RebeliX_navod_na_stavbu_HW.pdf

I use a Replicator 2. It has over 3,600 hours and a ton of modifications(aluminum extruder, silicone wires, custom glass plate), but it works beautifully!

@Andrew M I am so jealous! Your prints seems to be so beautiful, when I can't even make my printer work.

I know, it's normal, I am just starting out. (still jealous).

@Pierre Lalancette What printer are you using and what kind of problems are you having? I have a ton of experience fixing these things.

Hictop 12 (autobed leveling).

What kind of printer do you use?

I used the program that cam into the printer and print 2 things:
- The little robot
- And this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1258415

They came out ok. I did the autobed accessories at only 40% filling and they were not that solid. When I put them in, I started to have problem. Not sure the modification was the problem, but I will probably get back to the original design until it work correctly.

So, since I was not able to print anything anymore (Could not get the first layer right, to high, to low, never sticking or a big mess, nozzle always dripping), I decide to try 'Marlin'. My printer died. After many tries, reading the whole configuration.h file and setting it up to my best knowledge, I got it to work again, but not properly.

I tried Repetier with Cura and Slic3r, but I was not able to set it close to the bed. Because I was using another program to calibrate it (can't recall the name) that does z only movement (which is great) but was unable to read the file to print. When I put Marlin, the 3 points calibration was working, but the printing was way too high.

It probably all have to do with calibration. Not even sure about the right temperature to use (PLA). I am using masking tape on my aluminum bed.

So many things to check. I'll take any tips. Thanks.

The sticking problem is more than likely a combination of temperature and leveling(which is probably calibration. I've never seen an autoleveling bed, but I know if the replicator is not perfectly level, the first layer never sticks. It also sounds like you might be running too high of a temperature. If your nozzle truly is dripping, it's way too hot. I normally run mine at 215 degrees celsius. Any hotter and it starts clogging up the extruder. This is very filament-dependent.

Also, what filament are you using? I had some major problems with certain brands. I switched to Hatchbox and haven't had a single problem since.

Right now, I am using the superb PINK filament that was provided with the Printer. Probably Hictop filament. I have 2 AMZ3D roll (black and white) that I may open to check if it helps.

Yes, my temperature is too high. 230 c. I had tried other temp with no good result. But I will try again for sure.

I need to find the right software that will calibrate and print. Now, I am using 2 different one with terrible result. I will test this weekend, since I can only have access to my printer on weekends.

At last!



May not be perfect, but it's way off better than anything I have done before.

Thanks to people that put their Marlin firmware for the Hictop:
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1815232

Thanks also for all the tips. I start my printing at 200c and 70c to drop it at 190c and 55c after the first layer. I will probably drop the temperature even further as I still have a little bending due to heat.

No more modification for now. I will run it like this until I have plenty of time to improve it. It is not the case right now, I have a 6DOF to do.

I thought to save myself some trouble and got me a UM3.

Did some dual color prints but right after, I re-designed new low friction filament rollers to fit some aerospace quality bearings i had laying around. The spools now are rotating longer than a frigging fidget spinner, talking about no friction at all

Its a must to have these low friction rollers, i had filament getting grinded as the bowden entry from below is not very forgiving of friction, especially if retraction is active.

Hope to find time to make some sim parts too soon.

Interesting on the grinding filament, I have my spools on a Simple Printed Axle, Tho No bowden tube to pull through so completely different setup, but im shocked that the little bit of tension on the Spool would cause that issue.

Whats your First BIG print with that mammoth build volume you got ?

No idea yet. I started printing a giant hollow two color globe, but failed mid print from grinding filament. It just takes long time to print useless stuff.

Being taller build space, I'll design something useful to print with the extra space in mind.

Go easy on Infill and perimeters on big prints, If you can, print in vase mode for non structural stuff. I look forward to seeing some high res quality prints outta that unit.

@Pierre Lalancette - it is sometimes very hard to make a first print, since many parameters need to be set up properly in a printer / other depends of type of material [ PLA / ABS / PetG ] + many different producers on the market with poor quality filament - first I need to buy many variants to see which really works while other prefers not to cooperate [ had such a bad quality that my nozzle had to been replaced even with a filter... ] - it is good that you finally made a real good quality print !

Thanks for the info. I starting to hear from everyone that quality over filament is a big issue. Tests are parts of the 3D Printing life I guess. I am looking at your casing as a solution for when I'll have to move from pla to abs. So many things to learn and do!