qid int64 1 2.78M | question stringlengths 2 66.6k | answers list | date stringlengths 10 10 | metadata list |
|---|---|---|---|---|
15,816 | I am building a 3D printer from scratch, the bed will only move on Z and the head will stay at the top of the printer and move X and Y.
How do I modify the Marlin firmware to have the bed lower as it prints instead of lift like most printers. | [
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"text": "To understand normal commands from a basic printer slicer, all movement commands in g-code are written to be away fr... | 2021/03/08 | [
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15,843 | I'm still fairly new to 3D printing; got my Ender 3 V2 for Christmas last year. Recently the tension arm in the stock extruder snapped, so I bought and installed an all-aluminum replacement. My first successful(ish) print since installing it lasted two to three hours before I noticed the filament wasn't feeding. It had softened and clogged the lead-in to the Bowden tube just past the tooth gear. I figure the problem comes from (and what probably broke the original plastic) heat buildup; the new aluminum frame was VERY hot to the touch. I also noticed that the extruder motor was rather hot as well.
So you all know where I am: all I've printed with is PLA at 195 °C. Since changing extruders, I was getting over extrusion and dropped it to 185 °C and increased the retraction from 5 mm to 6.5 mm. The new one doesn't have (easily) adjustable tension, but the tension felt as strong as I had it on my old one, so I left it alone. I currently print within an enclosure, one of Creality's foil-lined ones since my printer is located in the garage (this is more for dust, but for longer prints I felt it was good to have since at the time it was getting very cold at night in the garage).
I don't think it's heat creep, since that meant it went all the way up the Bowden tube. My first guess is the ambient heat inside the enclosure. I am currently trying a new print with the top and side openings folded up to allow airflow. But I welcome more experienced suggestions and input.
### Additional info
I think I was getting away with the low temperature (185 °C) because my printing enclosure held heat so well. I'm attempting to print outside the enclosure today to start removing variables to my problem, if it under-extrudes, I'll bump the temperature up again.
Please note that I replaced *just the frame*.
I wouldn't know how to adjust the voltage [of the Z-stepper] if indeed the [pre-set factory calibration is incorrect and causing the stepper to heat up]. The new tension arm is a bit tighter than I had it set on my old, but I can't imagine it's making enough resistance to overwork the motor without seeing other issues first.
I didn't see any signs of Heat Creep when I pulled out the filament. The only softening I saw was in the direct drive; it had been pushed into a conical shape that plugged the port into the Bowden just past the gears. I'm still leaning towards an issue with the direct drive (is that what it's called? still learning the terms). the aluminum was too hot to touch and I had to wait 10 minutes before I could safely depress the tensioner and pull the filament out. That or the motor is overheating trying to pull Filament through.
The motor driving the filament is on the opposite side of the Teflon tube, mounted to the vertical frame - it is *not* on the nozzle side of the Teflon tube. | [
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"text": "You could still get heat creep with a Bowden tube. It has different characteristics. Instead of jamming up in... | 2021/03/11 | [
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15,855 | Just received my new Ender 3 v2. When using the Auto Home feature, the Y-axis motor drives the bed as far back as possible then the motor grinds for about 10-15 seconds. The Y-axis limit switch is not being depressed and the limit stop is about .5 inches away from the switch. The control unit locks at this point and must be power cycled to regain control. If I manually depress the limit switch then it appears to act normally.
Clearly either the limit switch is way out of adjustment or the bed is not positioned properly. Can this be fixed or should I send it back as defective? | [
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"text": "It is possible that the **buildplate is too low**, and cannot travel all way down the Y axis, but is hitting in... | 2021/03/13 | [
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15,857 | So I was thinking of using a closed-loop motor in my 3D printer for better accuracy and high-speed printing without losing steps. I have analyzed options available including just tweaking stepper current and firmware changes to prevent step losses but I want to find the best way to do it with encoders. The problem is I need a pretty high resolution for a 3d printer and usually, high-resolution servo motors use potentiometers that are limited and not suitable for a 3d printer. I am thinking of building my own closed-loop continuous rotation servo using stepper/DC motors and encoders but I can't find any high-resolution encoder at a reasonable price. So is there any way to somehow use low-resolution encoders (like 36 pulse every full turn) or is there any encoder type that I can use for better accuracy at a reasonable price other than optical ones? Also is there any other solution for closed-loop systems at a reasonable price?
Note that I am aware that I may need to modify firmware or write my own code for motors and program them from scratch.
**Note:** You might consider this question [Closed-loop stepper motors](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/12087/closed-loop-stepper-motors) a possible duplicate but I have read that and my main problem is not being able to find any cheap high-resolution encoder for this purpose.
Also for some reason, I can't use products like BTT S42B closed-loop stepper drives, my only option is to build them myself.
**TL;DR:**
Is there any type of encoder with high resolution and cheap price for use in 3D printers? (I don't mean brand, I mean technology) | [
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"text": "The gearbox approach is solid, but it will be 100x slower, and you said you wanted speed."
},
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"answer... | 2021/03/13 | [
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15,863 | I uploaded a 3D object for [this project](https://lerdagiovanni.wixsite.com/kauda/stl-files) to Fusion 360 and printed it out straightforward:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLeFU.png)
Yet its middle hole is too small for the stepper motor ([Nema 17 Stepper-M](https://www.omc-stepperonline.com/nema-17-stepper-motor/)) I am using so I wanted to increase its tolerance before reprinting it.
So, I followed the [tutorial by Tyler Beck of Tech](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SigAE7GG9vs&ab_channel=TylerBeckofTech%26Espresso) who lead me to drawings:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0Z3YX.png)
I was wondering if doing a drawing (sketch in Fusion 360) was sufficient to expect the shaft of the step motor to go through?
Here are the gear and the shaft before I add the drawing constraints:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/arA1s.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wpxT3.jpg) | [
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"text": "This seems like a tolerance press fit problem and similar to what you will find if you try the same using normal ma... | 2021/03/14 | [
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15,868 | I'm using Cura and it removes my holes and deletes sections of the print and disconnects parts. In Blender it looks as it should be, as I designed it. I know there are a few mishaps inside (not manifold) but is there a way to fill in everything on the inside. I only care about the externally facing faces. This is extremely infuriating I hope someone can tell me how to force Cura to print what is originally seen in the .stl.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vhECG.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/spmc4.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/R5IEQ.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/XhOsa.png)
These are photos of how it should look.
Now these next photos are how Cura previews it. Not only does it fill in the holes (no, fill holes isn't enabled) it adds huge gaps in the side and bottom of the print as can be seen.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nhQv4.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/H1eTp.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Q51Me.png)
How can I force Cura to print what I see in blender in the original .stl?
I am exporting in Blender to .stl and opening that in Cura.
---
I was able to fix it partially by fixing normals in Blender but there is still this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Rjk38.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lFOfR.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/wPoMg.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Z2Uuy.png) | [
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"text": "It's common for modeling software to flip normals, causing what you describe. You said,\n\n> \n> I only care abou... | 2021/03/15 | [
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15,873 | Prusa MK3 heatbed power cable shorted out (on the Einsy side) and it looks like I need to replace the Einsy. Should I replace the heatbed too? I don’t know electronics well and am worried I will just fry a new Einsy.
Heatbed end:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1pA7t.jpg "Heatbed end")
Crispy at RAMBo end:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rWn8V.jpg "Crispy at RAMBo end")
Crispy at RAMBo end:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Ot8Z.jpg "Crispy at RAMBo end")
Larger images can be found [here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qt77P.jpg). | [
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"text": "It's common for modeling software to flip normals, causing what you describe. You said,\n\n> \n> I only care abou... | 2021/03/16 | [
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15,887 | I have just bought my own 3D printer. However, I am now reading that there may be some safety risks to 3D printing. I will be taking some precautions, such as buying an enclosed 3D printer (the FlashForge Adventurer 3), using PLA instead of ABS, and putting my 3D printer in my garage. However, I am still concerned about the possible risks. What are some other good safety tips and best practices when 3D printing? Am I doing enough, or should I do more? What have other users of 3D printers done to mitigate potential safety issues? Please let me know. | [
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"text": "Install an overhead vent, like those you would have above your stove, to direct fumes and micro-filamen... | 2021/03/17 | [
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15,888 | I have a [Flex3Drive](https://flex3drive.com/) remote-direct-drive extruder I bought for my Ender 3 (with the original extruder motor), and I'm pretty happy with it except for abysmal retraction performance due to the 40:1 reduction, which requires the motor to turn about 480° to retract just 1 mm. This is minimally workable for PLA and rigid materials where I can get by with just 1 mm of retraction, but it takes just as long to retract 1 mm as the original bowden extruder did to retract 6 mm, defeating a lot of the appeal of a direct drive. For TPU I haven't been able to make it workable at all. By the time I retract 3 mm or so, which seems necessary to avoid stringing, the hotend has already melted and/or deposited a blob on the print. Failure to print TPU also defeats much of the point of a direct drive.
I'm running retraction at 8 mm/s, 500 mm/s² acceleration, which is already higher than the manufacturer of the extruder recommends, and about the fastest I've been able to get it to work. Based on [this calculator](https://www.daycounter.com/Calculators/Stepper-Motor-Calculator.phtml) and 8.9 mH motor inductance, that seems roughly expected. I have TMC 2209 steppers and tried playing with current but it doesn't seem to make much difference.
Otherwise, I love this extruder, and want to make it work. Is there a way I can salvage it by changing out the motor for something that can do higher RPMs and accelerate just as fast or faster? | [
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"text": "In general I would use <https://github.com/rcarlyle/StepperSim> which takes into account more parameters.\n\nYou can p... | 2021/03/17 | [
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15,891 | So basically I've been having a problem with my Micro+.
It will not level / calibrate itself and I can't fix it. The reason I'm here is that I've been using Cura, and somehow it destroyed my bed. (See image)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qe8cA.jpg)
I would like to know how to get it off, as I tried freezing, scraping and sandpaper
---
To clarify some things:
* The material is PLA,
* bed is made of plastic.
My build plate surface got destroyed after trying to use Cura, which sliced wrong and engraved the print into my bed. | [
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15,908 | I want to build a mini CNC machine and need some lead screws. I was wondering I can simply 3D print some. There are a few 3D models out there but I want to know if printing it in PLA+ has enough strength for a small CNC. Is it possible? | [
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"text": "Is it possible? Yes. Is it advisable? **No**\n\nLead screws need to be smooth and have little to no stretch and ther... | 2021/03/20 | [
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15,913 | Being new to 3D printing, I started using Cura (which came with my Ender 3v2) to slice models I found on Thingiverse. I know that there are other slicers and have heard positive things about PrusaSlicer.
I know that settings will have different names, but I am asking more about the setup. What things, settings, etc. should I be aware of when using PrusaSlicer? Will I need to re-calibrate anything in PrusaSlicer? | [
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"text": "Basically all slicers work very similarly, it is a matter of preference, being accustomed, or wanting to use a certai... | 2021/03/21 | [
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15,916 | I am trying to print a fairly simple object yet I keep getting the same issue.
As you can see in the picture the print quality is bad with all the blobs on the vertical part of the print.
I have leveled the bed many times and I keep getting this issue. I have also calibrated the E-steps. I have replaced the PTFE tube as well.
I am printing with Sunlu PLA+. I was printing at 220 °C but now that I set it at 200 °C the result is a little bit better but it has not gone away.
Please advise on how to fix this.
Note: I have 2 Ender 3 V2's and the other printer is printing the same files pretty much perfect.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ku8fN.jpg) | [
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"text": "Maybe it's only about the slicer settings, it's over extruding problem. I recommend lowering the extrusion mul... | 2021/03/21 | [
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15,919 | I have just set up my new 3D printer. However, the build plate keeps slipping while printing. I tried to use binder clips to keep the plate in place, but this makes the build plate unlevel, messing up my prints. What are some other ways to prevent the build plate from slipping. I was considering using duct tape, but am not sure whether this would work. | [
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"text": "I use kapton tape to fixate the glass plates to the heated beds on two of my printers, one a Prusa i3 clone, the othe... | 2021/03/21 | [
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15,922 | So I have been having an ongoing problem with my printer that I just can't solve. I don't usually ask the questions on stack exchanges until my problem gets unsolvable. Unfortunately like this one
**Printer**: Creality Ender 3 V2
**Current Board**: [Creality v4.2.7 (Silent Motor)](https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B07TFTVTXK)
**Background**: This started when I accidentally fried the T20 chip on the v4.2.2 mainboard when I tried to install the BLTouch incorrectly (I looked at the photo upside down) and and also accidentally pulled the wire out and what I guess is why the T20 chip was fried. I thought at first the PSU was the one causing the trouble at first so I replaced it. Then found the burnt chip and decided to upgrade the board to a v4.2.7. I installed everything correctly according to a video that I found somewhere on YouTube.
**Current Problem(s)**: When I turn on the machine the light on the mainboard is on but there is continuous beeping coming from the display with small clicks like a clock every 1 sec. or so. The backlight to the display is on but nothing is shown. I just found with a multimeter that the bed and nozzle terminals give no volts back.
**Firmware**: I have tried to update the firmware to the [official one off of Creality's website](https://forums.creality3dofficial.com/download/ender-series/ender-3-v2/) and also using the source code for [Marlin v2.0.7.2](https://marlinfw.org/meta/download) with PlatformIO. The tutorial I followed was here:
**Update [3/24]**: Found that the firmware seems to not flash even after giving the .bin file a different name.
**Extra Thoughts**: I currently have no idea what to do. I think I might replace the LCD and its cable. I have only printed a few things and just want to get back to it but I don't want to buy a whole new printer to do so. I feel like I get closer to getting back to it every time I fix something but I'm starting to lose hope that it's just a never ending problem loop. I appreciate any help given. | [
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15,935 | I have read that if I disconnect OctoPrint when printing, the print will stop. Since I thought the advantage of OctoPrint over, say, printing from Cura, was that it didn't tie up the computer while the print was taking place, what are the advantages of OctoPrint? | [
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"text": "The benefit of using OctoPrint as a printserver lies in the fact that it can be used on a stable computer platform. ... | 2021/03/24 | [
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15,954 | I've updated my Ender 3 with V4.2.7 mainboard, BLTouch and 400XL kit (extends the capabilities of your Creality Ender 3 3D Printer to a 400 mm X, 400 mm Y and a 500 mm Z printing platform). Now I need to update the firmware. YouTube did not provide any help: i.e.: out of date, so cryptic as to be unusable. Marlin & Creality had overly complicated, for what I need, solutions. Trying these led only to frustrations! Any ideas? | [
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"text": "I've done the board upgrade on my Ender 3 Pro. As I've read the BLTouch is easy to install. I'd go over to ... | 2021/03/26 | [
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15,955 | I'm new to the 3D printing world and got my first Ender 3 (with the 32-bit controller board).
I have a problem with every single print. I've upgraded to the newest Marlin firmware, did the mesh leveling then started printing and fix the Z bed option in "Tune - Z bed" during the print (so the first layer is perfect). Please note that I save all the data of the mesh before end of the print. Then, when I start the same print again, the nozzle height is wrong. This happens every single print. The strange thing is that I need to adjust the height differently after every print. Like, the first print was -0.055 mm, second print was 0.30 mm, then it was +0.25 mm somehow.
I really like to print without these constant adjustments. | [
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"text": "It sounds like your bed is unstable. This is what I had to do with my Tronxy X1, and I fixed it by installing a decen... | 2021/03/26 | [
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15,966 | I have just acquired my first 3D printer, a BIQU B1. Overall I'm quite pleased with the printing results but I'm having minor defects on the Benchy test. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I guess it's related to the overhang and maybe vibrations.
My print settings are:
* Software: Ultimaker Cura
* Temp: 205 °C
* Heatbed temp: 60 °C
* Height: 0.2 mm
* Print speed: 60 mm/s
* Travel speed: 150 mm/s
* Flow: 94 %
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PAFSA.jpg "Imperfections in Benchy - front")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ob3Za.jpg "Imperfections in Benchy - rear")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/7tYI7.jpg "Imperfections in Benchy - side") | [
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"text": "From the Benchys, it is apparent that the temperature is quite high or that there is not enough part cooling flow. T... | 2021/03/29 | [
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15,970 | I am designing some parts that should modular fit together. I am currently exploring a Lage-like design with octagonal holes and cylindrical pins.
I notice that (depending on the amount of clearance) that the fit is initially tight (to the extent that the pieces are very difficult to remove from each other), but that after a few dozen times connecting and disconnecting the parts the fit becomes very loose. I am currently using PLA. With what material would this occur less quickly/is more resistant to this kind of wear?
The sizes of the pins/holes are slightly bigger than Lage (probably similar to Duplo). Don't think that snap-fit would work in that size. Below of a picture of one of the test pieces (this one later printed in PETG).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uePVE.jpg)
I have an open printer so I prefer materials that don't require me to build an enclosure first. It is a Prusa i3 MK3S: Direct drive; 1.75 mm filament; max temp 300 °C; heat bed max temp 120 °C. | [
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15,974 | I'd like to buy a 3D printer and use it as a "platform" for an **external** optical sensor. The idea is to mount an optical sensor on the Z-axis and to put a workpiece on the X-Y table. Now, I'd like to move the sensor across the workpiece and trigger the measurement of the optical sensor. Hence, the 3D printer is not actually printing, but only used as a motion and trigger device for the optical sensors.
I have never used a 3D printer, but I'm afraid that I'll run into several problems:
1. The standard G-code of "wait one second" is `G04 X1` on many CNC machines. Does this code exist on 3D printers as well?
2. Is it possible to extract a trigger signal (e.g. 5 V) from the 3D printer? Are printers available which provide a G-code for an external trigger? Could anybody suggest a model? I'm happy to pay some extra dollars if I don't have to solder by myself. Of course, a second option would be to use the voltage, which is used to heat the filament. | [
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15,985 | I've just received my Ender 3v2 and tried multiple SD cards, all have been formatted to FAT32 with no luck. Under the Print selection, all I get is the back button. I looked and I have the V4.2.2 and the firmware is up to date, Showing 1.0.2 unless this is not right and this is why I'm having this issue. Even when plugging directly into the computer, nothing is showing up. | [
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"text": "What helps for me is **re-inserting the TF card** several times. Indeed, the machine has some trouble re... | 2021/03/31 | [
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15,988 | I was thinking about [this question](https://lifehacks.stackexchange.com/questions/24627/how-to-paint-a-circle-pattern-on-a-big-piece-of-paper) and thought of maybe printing a pattern-drawing roller painter.
The question is: is it possible to print with an ink absorbing material that could make a paint roller possible?
P.S: I don't own a 3D printer, nor have I any deep knowledge in this matter. I simply want to know if this is feasible, so I can start looking for someone to 3D print this for me. If it's not, knowing beforehand could spare me a lot of time. | [
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15,990 | I recently got an Ender 3 Pro for my birthday, and I am having some problems with elephant's foot (as the title suggests). I have tried several fixes; lowering the print speed, changing the print micron size (quality) in my slicer, and I have also tried the masking tape trick (it definitely does not work). I want to know if there are any other ways to prevent elephant's foot on my prints. I first noticed it on a game-cartridge holder. It was four and a half millimeters thick on the bottom. I think that it could be an issue with the design, but I'm not entirely sure. I can send the specs for the design if you want to look at them. | [
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"text": "Elephant foot on an FDM machine is typically caused by more material (filament) being present in that layer than... | 2021/03/31 | [
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16,005 | Suddenly my prints start having small strings and I'm not sure what to do to eliminate them.
I have already tried to clean the filament tube, cleaned up the nozzle, and played with various retraction settings. Nothing seems to work and I still see these small strings.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uweHt.jpg "3D print showing stringing")
Any idea how I can eliminate it? | [
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"text": "What you're seeing does not look like *stringing*, which I would characterize as material th... | 2021/04/01 | [
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16,017 | In slicer G-code is it possible to set the probe Z offset for the first layer only?
For my stock E3 plate I find -4.125 mm best however for glass I need to go to -4.175 mm for the first layer to get better adhesion. So it's a manual process every time. Any way to tell the slicer do the first layer at -4.175 mm and next ones at -4.125 mm? | [
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"text": "I don't understand the reasoning behind a first layer having a different offset from the following layers, but, You c... | 2021/04/03 | [
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16,022 | Does anyone have any information about using a soldering iron to fix and retouch 3D prints?
On the market, for example, we can find Modifi3D pen. Why has nobody created a simple soldering tip for this use?
I have a TS100 soldering iron which has great temperature control and I think it would be perfect for this use.
Does anyone think it's a bad idea? | [
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16,031 | I've used TinkerCAD (<https://www.tinkercad.com/>) and was able to easily model objects for 3D printing, despite having no prior experience in 3D modeling.
However it needs to be connected to the internet to work, which is not always available at my location.
At minimum, I need an ability to create solid shapes and holes, and with resize, align and rotate options.
Is there an equivalent program that's free, with a similar intuitive interface as TinkerCAD, and works completely offline? | [
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16,046 | I just got the Ender 5 Plus with BLTouch set up today. I was having some massive issues and determined that my leveling was off because the BLTouch was flashing red and not connecting. When I turn on the printer there is about a 50% chance that it will probe correctly by deploying the pin and correctly retracting it. However, I'm having about a 75 to 90% fail rate on auto leveling where it is doing measurements. I've checked the wiring and it looks correct, but not sure what else to check.
The fixes I've seen say updating the firmware, but all show firmware at 1.70.0 BL. Mine is at 1.70.2 BL. So I'm not sure if there are more firmware updates to apply.
I do not know how to check which BLTouch I have. And I've been able to make it get to printing 2 times, but something is off because it is stringy at 1 point of the build on the first layer. No adhesion basically. So that is the problem I'm trying to fix, but can't get to it because the BLTouch fails so often on the first part. The only way I've found to fix the BLTouch consistently is turn off machine, pull the pin down, push it up, then turn on the machine again.
Is it possible this is a firmware issue or is just the BLTouch is likely faulty? | [
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16,054 | I am printing fairly cheap, but highly rated, PLA and not sure whether this is underextrusion or overextrusion; but it just looks bumpy and not clean. My settings:
* 195 °C at 60 mm/s bed temp 50 °C
* 0.4 mm nozzle at 90 % extrusion
* 0.1 mm layer height
* 6 mm retraction at 60 mm/s with 0.50 mm coasting
I tried at 190 °C and it severely underextruded halfway through, but the outside looks much smoother; I also tried with and without coasting with no difference and tried adding -0.2 mm extra restart distance which didn't change much either. Could this be because I am just printing a rather small part (25 mm diameter)? I think this because I tried printing a much larger 100 mm diameter hemisphere just before, which printed perfectly using the exact same filament.
I've switched out to a new 0.4 mm nozzle, tried a 0.6 mm nozzle, but the only complete print I got had this rough and bumpy outside. It is printed in the orientation shown as removing support from those thin legs lead to them snapping.
I also had moderate stringing throughout, which I thought coasting and restart distance would fix.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HfV5J.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/v4xCN.jpg)
Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Edit 12/04:
I have since reinstalled one of my all metal hotends, as I wasn't using them due to clogging issues, installed a brand new 0.4 mm nozzle, set the extrusion multiplier to 1.0 and disabled coasting. I also calibrated my e-steps, which means I needed to buy an arduino and burn new firmware.
Sadly I didn't print in between fixed, but these are the results I got.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9T77E.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JEcZv.jpg)
The prints are **much** better but there is some pretty serious stringing and zits due to me needing to reduce the retraction distance for the hotend to 2 mm, as the 6 mm distance I was using before would make it clog; but since I'm using a bowden extruder it creates stringing. How could I go about fixing this? I feel like I'm playing a game of whack-a-mole. | [
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16,065 | I am looking for a way to easily separate the wires between the power supply and the Einsy board of my Prusa Mk 3S+ with a connector. The power supply delivers 10 A at 24 V.
I thought about a [YL wire-to-wire electrical connector](https://www.jst.com/products/wire-to-wire/yl-connector/) as it can handle up to 7 A at 300 V. This should be enough since the two cables share the total load.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/WOMTO.png)
The 6 cables (4 power cables & 2 PSU power panic cables) have different diameters. Is it better to use one connector (6 pin) or two connectors (4 pin, 2 pin)? | [
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16,085 | I bought an Ender 3 v2 in January 2021 for my second printer. I have had an Ender 3 for two years and love the quality it prints. This new printer has been plagued with issues since day one. Creality sent me a new mainboard and fan due to issues. Even since then my printer will still not print consistently. I checked all my belts and made sure the bed is leveled.
I print a test cube and it looks perfect. Then I will print a bigger longer print and sometimes it looks 100 % perfect with smooth layers and then I will print the exact same print from the same memory card and there will be ridges every couple of layers and the print turns out very rough.
What would make this happen? I could understand if it always printed like this, but it is *completely random*. This is all from the same filament spool and I only use Hatchbox. My Ender 3 hasn't had a single problem in the two years I have owned it besides changing out the Bowden tube twice.
I use Cura for slicing.
The following pictures are of the same print on the same printer using the same filament from the same file.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJnPq.jpg "Photo of print showing layers")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/G34o9.jpg "Close up photo of print showing layers") | [
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"text": "First, check that your belts are tight, on the X-axis and the bed. If not, tighten them.\n\nSecond, grab th... | 2021/04/13 | [
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16,092 | Ive been experimenting will multiple color filament but the colors a more or less blended. Is there are filament that goes from one color directly to another without having transition color ex. red to green immediately.
I've been tinkering with [Filament Hub Filament](https://www.filamenthub.com) and it is very good (some of the best I've ever used) however I've had to essentially melt strands of one filament to the next and this is unsustainable.
Anyone know any filaments or methods to have an immediate color change | [
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16,103 | I recently bought a Titan Aero hot end which came with a 24 V 30 W heater cartridge from E3D. I'd like to use this but the cable length is only 1 meter long and I need it to be 2 meters. The ends terminate with prong connections and there is no polarity to the prongs. How can I safely extend the leads one meter and then connect to my Duet 3 Mainboard 6HC?
Should the cable terminate with a JST connector instead of the prongs to connect to the Duet board?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OVTbP.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/bucyV.jpg) | [
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16,113 | My custom 3D printer prints everything inverted. I guess this is a homing problem as the motor moves in correct direction.
In Pronterface,
* if I press -Y — bed moves forward (towards the Y endstop)
* if I press +Y — bed moves backward (away from Y endstop)
* if I press -X — hotend moves left (towards the X endstop)
* if I press +X — hotend moves right (away from the X endstop)
on RAMPS 1.4:
* X endstop is connected on the 1st pin
* Y endstop is connected on the 3rd pin
* Z endstop is connected on the 5th pin
(Pin 2, 4 & 6 are not used (are these for MAX\_ENDSTOP ?))
Below is my Marlin config
```
#define X_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Y_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MIN_ENDSTOP_INVERTING true // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define X_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Y_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MAX_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // Set to true to invert the logic of the endstop.
#define Z_MIN_PROBE_ENDSTOP_INVERTING false // Set to true to invert the logic of the probe.
#define X_HOME_DIR -1
#define Y_HOME_DIR -1
#define Z_HOME_DIR -1
#define INVERT_X_DIR false
#define INVERT_Y_DIR false
#define INVERT_Z_DIR false
```
I have attached 3 photographs.
1. Shows the Home position of hotend. Y Motor on back and Y endstop at front.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/M4Gcr.jpg)
2. Shows inverted print.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/9SRBZ.jpg)
3. Pronterface screenshot (shows actual G-code file)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/4ru5r.jpg)
I tried flipping the motor cables, but that inverts the motor direction
I also tried INVERT\_Y\_DIR true, but no luck.
Please help me. What am I doing wrong? | [
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16,130 | Let's say I've made a 3D scan of my face and managed to get that into FreeCAD. How might I then create an object (it's a mask, okay?) that conforms to the shape of my face, with a given thickness, such that I can export and 3D-print that part only?
So if I printed it, it would fit over my face, but still look like my face from the outside, too. It would be, say, 3mm thickness througout.
To be clear, I'm not looking to make a 3D model of my head (the world does not need such a thing), or 3D model of a mold that I can use to replicate my head. I just want to make parts that conform to the shape of other, complex, parts. | [
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"text": "It depends on the software you're using, but here is an example with TinkerCad.\n\nStep 1: Import your 3D model (i... | 2021/04/19 | [
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16,133 | I have a problem in regards to filament jam, however I don't think that my case is any related to the extruder nozzle.
After 30 to 40 minutes printing my filament bends and get stuck on the tube entrance.
To print a nut wheel which comes as a demo file, I had to repeat the operation 4 times, and I had to stop printing when it got stuck, and continue with the printing, which led to a small imperfection.
What's the problem? The filament? The printer? Myself?
I have a Voxelab Aquila (completely new) and the filament u just a generic PLA from Amazon.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/SkWzF.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Hs1qY.jpg) | [
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16,135 | I am getting this error when I try to enable the Z2 driver for MKS Gen L V2.1
Could anyone help?
Error "TMC2208 or TMC2209 on Z2 requires Z2\_HARDWARE\_SERIAL or Z2\_SERIAL\_(RX|TX)\_PIN. | [
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16,141 | I am currently trying to print a company logo on another part I have printed in a different colour. To try and maximise the strength of the part, I need to print the part on a different orientation to what I intend on printing the logo on. As a result I need to in a sense re-adhere the part to the bed so I can print the logo. I am using PLA filament on a spring steel sheet (the default sheet with a Prusa Mini).
Any ideas would be appreciated before I accept defeat and just glue the parts together. | [
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"text": "Adherence is the 3D printer's worst enemy.\n\nI use painter's tape, but I heard that you can if you need to remo... | 2021/04/21 | [
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16,155 | I've recently switched to PETG , and I'm using Cura as slicer and Ender 3 as printer.
I'm printing a model which Cura declares to be **35 g**, but if I weigh the printed model it weighs **23 g**.
I'm printing with just 1 line of skirt, so its weight is negligible on total weight.
I've replaced the stock plastic extruder with a double gears metal extruder (3Dman 11 Dual Gear Extruder ).
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/22V5v.jpg)
I've also replaced the stock springs with metals ones.
I'm not having a quality problem, just I want to understand if this difference is caused by a bad configuration that could be improved.
Which are the corrections/checks that I need to do in my setup (both printer and Cura) for fixing this difference? | [
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"text": "The density of the filament can be specified in the material model of the filament in Cura (Preferences -> Configure... | 2021/04/22 | [
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16,163 | I was wondering the other day why don't all three motors move at the same time? Don't normal paper printers move 2 motors at a time? they're 2D printers. It makes sense if a 3D printer really does print with *all* three motors moving. Won't it also be more efficient if they do 3D print in all axes? | [
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"text": "The Z axis moves between each layer so you are indeed printing in the 3rd dimension. There are some techni... | 2021/04/23 | [
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16,171 | We're thinking of buying a PETG-powered printer. When researching printers available on the market, there are machines with a 100 microns. I was wondering if there are machines with a 50 microns or close to 50 micros? Otherwise, why not? | [
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"text": "The Z axis moves between each layer so you are indeed printing in the 3rd dimension. There are some techni... | 2021/04/23 | [
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16,172 | Every time I start a print, midway during printing, my printer starts to under extrude.
I tried lots of different models every time the problem occurs.
What should I do about this? | [
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"text": "If everything is stock on the machine and all other setting are properly configured, this is most likely [he... | 2021/04/23 | [
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16,180 | Does anybody if the Anycube Mega X comes with a nozzle for 1.75 mm filaments or is it 2.85 mm?
I saw online that it works with 1.75 mm filaments but the Cura settings given by the manufacturer had 2.85 mm.
I should mention that using a 1.75 mm filament works BUT my designs have clear under-extrusion, which is very likely caused by having 2.85 mm in the settings. So at this moment, I am trying to gauge whether to change the settings to 1.75 mm or buying 2.85 mm filaments (this only works if the Mega X comes with the appropriate nozzle). | [
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"text": "Reading all 49 pages of the manual was fruitless. I'm astonished that there is no reference to the filament diamet... | 2021/04/24 | [
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16,189 | I'm trying to print the following model:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/b8cSN.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HGgi3.jpg)
I'm using [Simplify3d](https://www.simplify3d.com/) to print the model with the following settings on my [Qidi X-pro](https://www.qd3dprinter.com/):
* Filament is ABS
* Bed temp is 100 °C
* Extruder temp is 230 °C
* 1 top layer
* 1 bottom layer
* 4 perimeter shells
* The outside direction is 'outside in'.
* Internal infill is triangular at 60 %.
I've tried numerous tweaks to the settings, but, I can't seem to get a perfect perpendicular exterior wall as seen in the photos. The print more resembles a trapezoid. It appears like the walls are bowing inward. This also seems to throw off the dimensions. They aren't consistent. For example, the height of the part is 6 mm, but, in measuring with a caliper it shows 5.8 mm to 6.2 mm.
Can anyone tell me how I can get my external walls perpendicular? | [
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"text": "You may be getting shrinking due to cooling on the non-top and non-bottom layers. Sixty percent infill is rather ... | 2021/04/25 | [
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16,196 | Every now and then I'll have a problem with layer shift. Solving this is a separate issue, but it occurred to me: most of the time when this happens I notice right away because of the noise. What if there were an easy to to pause the print, re-home the X/Y axis (not Z), and then resume. I'd only have one layer that was a bit off. Sometimes that's enough to ruin the print but sometimes I could clean up with a razor knife later and just live with the small scarring and weakness.
Is there a way to do this during a print? I suspect it might require support within the printer (or print tool like OctoPrint), and might also depend on how the print is sliced in terms of knowing absolute vs relative coordinates at any given moment. | [
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"text": "Have you tried this? It should just work, at least if you're using software like Octoprint t... | 2021/04/26 | [
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16,210 | My Ender 5 Plus (original) does not perform leveling.
After the self-leveling command, the Z axis only descends.
I have already exchanged the BLTouch three times, and the problem remains unchanged.
I bought my E5P in December, in America, to bring it to Brazil, I had to completely dismantle it.
Machine reassembled, I start work again, everything works very well.
But, one day, I made the mistake of stopping an impression (due to problems with the appearance of the piece) and, before removing the piece from the bed, I pressed the HOME command, which caused the hotend/BLTouch to rest on the printed part, forcing the whole mechanism.
Well, I changed the BLTouch and the problems really started.
When I send the leveling command, the Z-axis behaves erratically, going down instead of returning to the beginning and, with each command, it goes down more and more.
I changed the leveler again, the problem persisted, I disassembled piece by piece, wiped a general cleaning, applied a clean solution to contacts all over the electronics, reassembled, reinstalled the firmware (Version 1.71.0 KF), and everything went back to work.
Yesterday, I sent a piece for printing (PLA nozzle 1.00 mm, layer 0.36 mm, speed 100 mm/s, infill 40 %), and left for my morning walk. When I returned, there was a huge ball of melted material, adhered to the hotend, again more problems. I disassembled the entire hotend, carried out the total cleaning, reassembled it, and let's go back to work.
Leveling OK, there was a problem with the thermistor and the heating of the nozzle, I changed the thermistor and the heater cartridge (taking the opportunity, since several times the system had heating problems, when the temperature should be above 230 °C / 446 °F). Everything ready, come on...
* Leveling problem has returned.
* BLTouch exchange done, nothing done
* Loading the firmware again, nothing done
* Review of connections, nothing done
The Z-axis continues to descend, not responding to commands, and in the Pronterface the message appears:
```
Error: STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999
Error: STOP called because of BLTouch error - restart with M999
```
I've already exchanged BLTouch 2 times and it didn't work out.
I have 2 inductive levelers here, maybe the solution is to install them and forget the BLTouch, or do the leveling manually.
Questions:
1. Has anyone had this kind of problem with the printer? If so, what is the solution?
2. removing the leveler and performing manual leveling, has anyone tried this? What changes in Marlin need to be made?
3. Does the replacement of the BLTouch by an inductive sensor imply in what firmware changes? Is there a tutorial about it?
I appreciate any help you can get from friends | [
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"text": "I had the same problem with my Ender 5 Plus.\n\nThere is a small set screw at the top of the BLTouch ... | 2021/04/28 | [
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16,223 | Any hints or suggestions (filament type? suggested settings? model sources?) for 3D printing minis to use in Dungeons & Dragons?
I've done a couple where the support structures were difficult to break off without breaking off a hand or something.
I have a Lulzbot Mini (1), single-extruder if that makes any difference. | [
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"text": "Buckle up, this is going to be rough:\n\nFDM printers are not the best choice for printing figurines in the 25 to 40... | 2021/04/30 | [
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16,227 | All of my completed prints come out with rough edges. What are some methods for removing rough edges from 3D prints? Also, are there any ways to reduce rough edges on prints? For reference, I use a FlashForge Adventurer 3 and PLA filament. | [
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"text": "1. To remove unwanted residual material:\n\n* You can scrape with a knife\n* Use sand paper\n* use files\n* V... | 2021/05/01 | [
"https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/16227",
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16,229 | When I first got my 3D printer (a FlashForge Adventurer 3), it came with a sample pack of filament. With this filament, I was able to use skirts for my first layer. When the sample filament ran out, I switched to Hatchbox PLA filament. For some reason, I cannot use skirts with the Hatchbox filament. Now, whenever I try to print something with a skirt, the print moves around, ruining it. The only first-layer that works now are rafts, which I do not like, as they use up more filament and are more of a pain to remove. Is anyone else having this problem? If so, what are some workarounds to this issue?
>
> Here are the failed prints. I terminated them mid-way, as they started
> to shift on the build plate.
>
>
> | [
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"text": "It is unlikely this is a filament material issue since many of us have used Hatchbox PLA without this issue. ... | 2021/05/01 | [
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16,239 | This issue just started recently; I am not sure if it is because of the specific part I am printing or whether something on the printer is going bad. Up until now, I have been printing all kinds of parts with no problems whatsoever.
I am printing a hollow sphere whose walls have fill paths that require the X and Y to change rapidly. i.e. the wall is 2 mm thick and the wall-line-count setting is set to 2.
When the print head is jerking back and forth to fill in this area it causes horrible vibrations and really bad Y layer shift. You can see the vibrations transferred through the flexible neck of the black LED light in the foreground.
All the Cura settings are at default- I have not tried to speed up my printing in any way by adjusting the settings.
The vibration seems to be coming from the Y stepper.
I have already tried tightening the belt; everything else seems tight.
It is an Ender 3 Pro with a stock mainboard and probably around 50 hours on it +/- 20 hours.
I have printed the same part on my other printer with no issues.
This is happening now on other parts that do not have particularly high jerk paths, it is shifting the Y by a full mm or more at a time.
Would you say the stepper motor is going bad? Or the driver? Or something else?
Here is the part in the video; I of course stopped the print after it started shifting:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/DQ9JC.jpg)
And this is how it is supposed to look:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Bkr03.jpg)
EDIT:
Here is the path that causes the problem:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/k4rPv.png) | [
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16,263 | I’ve got this proximity sensor which is a 5 V, it doesn’t say it can be used over 5 V. Can I use a buck converter or is it possible to wire it up direct to a 5 V source on the Ender 3 V2?
What I don’t understand is where to wire it direct to 5 V on the printer or if I use a buck converter then where does the 3rd wire go to on the printer?
If it goes to the signal wire on the Z endstop then which one is the signal wire?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0yHTW.jpg) | [
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16,271 | Today I ran into an issue with the filament not sticking to the build plate. However, the strange part is, that this only happens with one filament color (both PLA, khaki, black works just fine) and only in the main print. The test line on the side of the bed and the brim all stick without a problem. I already releveled everything and as I'm using ABL and the other filament works fine, this shouldn't be the issue.
I also tried increasing the first layer thickness in Cura, however, this leads to extreme warp (2 mm height on 5 mm width).
From my observations, it seems that the print head is raised after the brim is printed. Is there a setting in Cura to change that?
**Printer Details:** Modified Ender-3 with MKS Gen L V2 Board and TMC 2209 motor drivers and BLTouch
**Print temp:** 220 °C / 70 °C initial after that 200 °C / 60 °C
**Firmware:** Marlin, details [here](https://github.com/MasterPuffin/MKS-GEN-L-V2-Marlin-Firmware-for-Ender-3/tree/BLTouch) | [
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16,279 | **My setup**
* Ender 3
* Creality glass bed
* Creality 3D BL Touch auto bed levelling kit v1
* Creality 3D silent mainboard v4.2.7
* OctoPrint running on a Raspberry Pi 4 connected over USB (with the 5 V pin covered with a piece of tape to prevent powering the mainboard)
**Problem**
Despite starting with `G28` & `G29` in my G-code file, and the printer & BLTouch doing a proper bed levelling (the BLTouch seems to work as intended), the first layer comes out uneven. Please find some pictures below of a test print ([this one](https://thingiverse.com/thing:4077747)). I hope the pictures show clearly that the nozzle is too close in the bottom left, and too far in the top right (top left is also a bit far, and bottom right a bit close).
I've done days of research, all over the web, Reddit, forums & YouTube and tried numerous fixes, to no avail
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/KBGqd.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0AUFG.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/TXjUk.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qhg7n.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/leTlq.jpg)
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 1: Observe z compensation**
When I do a test print with a bed levelling at the start, I observe the z-axis go up and down during the print, suggesting the printer is trying to compensate based on the readings from the start of the print. It just seems it's not compensating enough (or too much).
When I run a `M420 V` I get (which implies it has the mesh loaded):
```
Send: M420 V
Communication timeout while idle, trying to trigger response from printer. Configure long running commands or increase communication timeout if that happens regularly on specific commands or long moves.
Recv: Bilinear Leveling Grid:
Recv: 0 1 2 3 4
Recv: 0 +1.245 +1.257 +1.282 +1.332 +1.342
Recv: 1 +1.187 +1.167 +1.130 +1.127 +1.147
Recv: 2 +1.082 +1.080 +1.057 +1.077 +1.085
Recv: 3 +1.202 +1.147 +1.057 +1.000 +0.957
Recv: 4 +1.192 +1.180 +1.117 +1.085 +1.027
Recv:
Recv: echo:Bed Leveling ON
Recv: echo:Fade Height 10.00
Recv: ok P15 B3
```
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 2: Level the bed as much as possible**
I've tried to level the bed as best as possible. As you can observe from the `M420 V` command the bed is pretty level. This was done using the Bed Level Visualizer plugin from OctoPrint.
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 3: I've changed from a 3x3 grid to a 5x5 grid**
As advised in several places the bed levelling is now done with a 5x5 grid. This didn't make a (noticeable) difference.
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 4: I've updated the firmware**
I used to run on the Creality firmware. I've downloaded new firmware from `marlin.crc.id.au` (did that today, so using `Ender3-v4.2.7-BLTouch-20210511.bin`). Didn't help.
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 5: I've calibrated the Z-offset**
I've done a lot of tests, tweaking the z value to the current value, where part of the bed comes too close to the nozzle, and part of the bed stays too far away. So the Z-offset is not going to be able to improve anything I believe.
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 6: I've done all the regular hardware tweaks**
I've checked all the common things: Belts are tight, wheels are properly tightened, nothing is wobbly, Z-axis is clean.
**What I've done to try to fix / debug 7: I've tried to add M420 S**
I've tried to add the `M420` command after the `G29` command (I know it shouldn't be needed, as `G29` enables bed levelling, but just wanted to make sure)
**Reference: My printer M503 settings**
```
echo: G21 ; Units in mm (mm)
echo: M149 C ; Units in Celsius
echo:; Filament settings: Disabled
echo: M200 S0 D1.75
echo:; Steps per unit:
echo: M92 X80.00 Y80.00 Z400.00 E93.00
echo:; Maximum feedrates (units/s):
echo: M203 X500.00 Y500.00 Z20.00 E50.00
echo:; Maximum Acceleration (units/s2):
echo: M201 X500.00 Y500.00 Z100.00 E5000.00
echo:; Acceleration (units/s2): P R T
echo: M204 P500.00 R500.00 T500.00
echo:; Advanced: B S T X Y Z E
echo: M205 B20000.00 S0.00 T0.00 X10.00 Y10.00 Z0.30 E15.00
echo:; Home offset:
echo: M206 X0.00 Y0.00 Z0.00
echo:; Auto Bed Leveling:
echo: M420 S1 Z10.00
echo: G29 W I0 J0 Z1.24499
echo: G29 W I1 J0 Z1.25749
echo: G29 W I2 J0 Z1.28249
echo: G29 W I3 J0 Z1.33249
echo: G29 W I4 J0 Z1.34249
echo: G29 W I0 J1 Z1.18749
echo: G29 W I1 J1 Z1.16749
echo: G29 W I2 J1 Z1.12999
echo: G29 W I3 J1 Z1.12749
echo: G29 W I4 J1 Z1.14749
echo: G29 W I0 J2 Z1.08249
echo: G29 W I1 J2 Z1.07999
echo: G29 W I2 J2 Z1.05749
echo: G29 W I3 J2 Z1.07749
echo: G29 W I4 J2 Z1.08499
echo: G29 W I0 J3 Z1.20249
echo: G29 W I1 J3 Z1.14749
echo: G29 W I2 J3 Z1.05749
echo: G29 W I3 J3 Z0.99999
echo: G29 W I4 J3 Z0.95749
echo: G29 W I0 J4 Z1.19249
echo: G29 W I1 J4 Z1.17999
echo: G29 W I2 J4 Z1.11749
echo: G29 W I3 J4 Z1.08499
echo: G29 W I4 J4 Z1.02749
echo:; Material heatup parameters:
echo: M145 S0 H200.00 B60.00 F255
echo: M145 S1 H240.00 B70.00 F255
echo:; PID settings:
echo: M301 P21.73 I1.54 D76.55
echo:; Retract: S F Z
echo: M207 S3.00 W13.00 F4800.00 Z0.30
echo:; Recover: S F
echo: M208 S0.00 W0.00 F4800.00
echo:; Z-Probe Offset (mm):
echo: M851 X-45.00 Y-7.00 Z-3.30
echo:; Filament load/unload lengths:
echo: M603 L415.00 U450.00
echo:; Filament runout sensor:
echo: M412 S0 D8.00
ok P15 B3
```
**Reference: The start of my G-code file**
```
;FLAVOR:Marlin
;TIME:775
;Filament used: 0.480677m
;Layer height: 0.2
;MINX:16.516
;MINY:16.515
;MINZ:0.2
;MAXX:218.485
;MAXY:218.485
;MAXZ:0.2
;Generated with Cura_SteamEngine 4.9.0
M140 S60
M105
M190 S60
M104 S215
M105
M109 S215
M82 ;absolute extrusion mode
; Ender 3 Custom Start G-code
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G28 ; Home all axes
G29 ; Auto bed levelling
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X0.1 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to start position
G1 X0.1 Y200.0 Z0.3 F1500.0 E15 ; Draw the first line
G1 X0.4 Y200.0 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move to side a little
G1 X0.4 Y20 Z0.3 F1500.0 E30 ; Draw the second line
G92 E0 ; Reset Extruder
G1 Z2.0 F3000 ; Move Z Axis up little to prevent scratching of Heat Bed
G1 X5 Y20 Z0.3 F5000.0 ; Move over to prevent blob squish
G92 E0
G92 E0
G1 F2700 E-5
;LAYER_COUNT:1
;LAYER:0
M107
G0 F6000 X26.14 Y20.098 Z0.2
;TYPE:SKIRT
G1 F2700 E0
```
**Reference: Congifuration.h**
As I've used two precompiled firmwares (see point 4 above), I don't have a `Congifuration.h` to share.
**Concluding**
I hope I've given a detailed enough account for you guys to help me. If you have any additional questions I'll try to answer them as quickly as possible. Thanks a million! | [
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16,281 | Sorry, I'm new in 3D printing and modeling and I need help.
I bought a 3D model with a hollow part of the body that doesn't print on my printer normally (with very high resolution (layer is 0.12 mm, the nozzle is 0.4 mm) because the walls are very thin). I tried to make it as a solid in MeshMixer or ZBrush, but I can't. Can you help me, how I can fix this defect?
I use Cura for slicing.
I know, that I can take a thinner nozzle (0.2 mm) and Cura will slice it better, but I want to make this model solid so I could print it with nozzle 0.4 mm.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/QqOdU.png)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VZNwk.jpg) | [
{
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"text": "This is a problem with the model, you need to make sure that the model isn't hollow. You might be able to g... | 2021/05/12 | [
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16,283 | In Prusa i3 clones the Z axis is often problematic. Mechanically unsynchronized dual Z axises which are driven by the same stepper driver easily misalign. Using only one Z motor makes the whole gantry sag on one side. And Z lead screws that aren't perfectly straight lead to z wobble.
The other day I had a simple idea that would fix all of that, but I can't find anyone who implement it before, so I probably there are drawbacks that I don't see.
The idea is to remove the lead screws (possibly replacing it with a second set of smooth rods to counteract X axis vibrations) and instead hang the gantry onto two ropes/wires which are drawn by a winch. That way, both ends of the gantry could be drawn symmetricaly by a single motor. Since there is no Z lead screw, there is no wobble. And since only the gravity is pulling the gantry down, you shouldn't be able to destroy anything by ramming the nozzle into the bed.
What drawbacks are there for this system? What am I missing? Is the gravity strong enough to press the nozzle into the last layer when printing? I am using a direct drive extruder.
---
Supplemental follow up question (related to, and answered by, Lrisb's answer):
>
> From my understanding the hangprinter is only attached to ropes, same as a portal crane. I am considering an i3-style printer with the leadscrews removed, but the smooth Z rods intact (maybe even with a second set of smooth rods in place of the leadscrews. So the only forces that gravity has to work against are: output pressure of the extruder and potential bouncing in z direction. So, how could I calculate if gravity is enough for that?
>
>
> | [
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16,287 | I am printing ABS on an Ender 3 printer at a temperature of 240 °C on the nozzle and 110 °C on the bed. I am getting the following result:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/FnLuQ.jpg)
Is there any way I can fix this? | [
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16,298 | I have a BLTouch clone (3DTouch) on my printer (Artillery Sidewinder X1). I installed it on the printer ages ago and has been working fine since. Recently, I did a BTT smart filament sensor upgrade.
I updated and edited both the Marlin firmware and the MKS TFT28 screen firmware to get it to work with the smart filament sensor. The filament sensor runs through the screen not the motherboard so it is enabled in screen firmware instead.
The sensor works fine and every other part of the printer is fine as well, except that after the BLTouch does a `G29` (I have it do that before every print in my start G-code, followed by an `M500`), It will not adjust the Z-axis to compensate for the unevenness of the bed. I can see the Z motors not move and I cannot feel the lead screws rotate in my hand if I touch my hand against them.
I have been through several other forums, videos, etc. on the internet but none of them have the same problem as me and/or their solutions do not fix the problems.
I have also tried flashing the display with the original firmware, which did not work so I guess is that I have something wrong with the firmware.
I have checked and double-checked my firmware but maybe there is something I missed or do not know about that could be causing my problem.
Firmware can be found [here.](https://github.com/Smartich0ke/Artillery-Sidewinder-X1-firmware)
---
*I have tried running the original firmware with changes only made to enable the BLTouch. The Z-axis does still not compensate.*
---
*I have also replaced the mainboard. I don’t know if that could affect the operation or not.*
---
*Recently, I needed to print a part so I put the default Marlin firmware using the Artillery SWX1 example in Marlin's collection of examples with modifications made only to work with the BLTouch. I can post this copy of the firmware but it is probably identical to the GitHub repo below. This way I could just print with no Z compensation, however, now whenever I try to home the printer or do a `G29`, the BLTouch doesn't deploy and it will crash into the bed. I posted an unlisted video on YouTube demonstrating the issue [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyyazOalsc8). Also note that in the video, I attempt to move the Z-axis by 1 mm, but instead, the stepper motors spin at full speed and the gantry comes zooming towards the bed.*
---
*I tried flashing the firmware yet again and for some reason, the BLTouch worked. it could home is and to a probing routine. I have been using the printer without the compensation and it works fine but it is really bizarre that this is happening. I know it is unlikely to solve the problem, but I am thinking of purchasing a replacement BLTouch. They are only 20 bucks to replace and I did accidental slightly bend the plastic probe before the Z stopped compensating. So is it possible the BLTouch is cactus?*
---
*So recently, I noticed when running a G29 T through Octoprint or Pronterface, etc. that the printer will return a set of numbers for each probing point. Does this indicate that the BLTouch has taken the measurements but the printer will not use them to compensate the bed?*
I have tried all the answers below. | [
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16,299 | I picked up some no-name "silk" PLA in a multi color pack as part of a project where I needed some additional distinct colors and structural properties didn't matter, but now I'm playing with the excess I'm not using for that, and its behavior is really weird. On overhangs with detail on the downward-facing surface it's like everything flowed/melted together rather than retaining the extruded shape. And on vertical surfaces where one would expect to see layer lines, the lines are present and can be felt and slightly seen, but don't seem to contibute to the sheen/reflective properties like how they would in normal PLA or other materials. Together these observations make me suspect there's an additive that melts to a state where it flows much more than the base PLA at PLA printing temperatures, coalescing into more of a uniform smooth surface.
What are the likely additives in "silk PLA" filaments, and what printing/mechanical properties should we expect from them?
Some further observations: pushing it out of the hotend by hand, it has *a lot* of die swell, almost up to the original 1.75 mm diameter, and if tension is released it tries to retreat back into the nozzle. This suggests to me there might be some sort of foaming type additive involved, and also explains the behavior on overhangs. | [
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16,308 | I broke 2 keys (i.e. left ctrl, enter) on my Asus UX31A laptop and it seems that this model is too old to find replacement keys.
Is there any way I can find a 3D model of the needed keys to have them 3D printed?
I do not have a printer nor I have any experience in this field.
What I need is either someone that has models for these or that can point me where I can find such models. | [
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"text": "This is more off-topic as an answer, but serves as a possible solution.\n\nReplacementlaptopkeys.com is a resourc... | 2021/05/17 | [
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16,311 | I have a 3D printer, which wasn't used for a longer time. There is a nozzle, but don't know what diameter is it. I used several widths - from 0.2 to 0.8, switched them depending on my needs, but don't remember which one was used lately.
The nozzle is a little bit worn down, so the diameter on the side is not visible.
How to get the nozzle diameter, without taking it off the printer?
This is more of a theoretical question, because I can simply swap the nozzle, but still - eager to know. | [
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16,337 | I've observed printing PETG that the primary if not the only reason for using a high bed temperature seems to be preventing the bed from acting as a huge heat sink and rapidly cooling the initial layers such that they don't bond well to each other. In particulat, the heat is not needed for adhesion-to-the-bed purposes. This got me thinking whether there's a way we could get rid of the requirement, as a way to save time and all the energy spent heating the bed and cooling the room it's eventually dumped into.
With that in mind, are there viable bed materials that are good thermal insulators? Just putting down a layer of any insulating material between the underlying bed and buildtak or whatever surface you want might work, but I would think these kinds of print surfaces are designed for moderate to high thermal conductivity themselves, and wouldn't be as bad a heat sink as the underlying metal, but might still sap a noticable amount of heat out of the part right away. | [
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"text": "I’m pretty sure it can be brought separately but usually comes with a lot of heat-beds; It is a type of foam ... | 2021/05/21 | [
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16,341 | I’m just getting my feet wet with 3D printing, and I’ve had a few prints do this. Curious if anyone has any ideas for me that might help clean this up? (I don’t really have anyone in my personal circle who can help out, so hoping this community can :) )
Edit 5/23
The first layer of the print is inconsistent in the way it’s deposited. Some areas feel correct while others are very thin. Usually there are large gaps like in the pictures below. After the first layer, the rest of the print seems to be fine. I’m curious is anyone has any insight into what could be causing the inconsistency.
I try to level the bed before each print, but I’m not sure if it’s at the correct height as the instructions I got with the printer are pretty subjective: “use a piece of A4 paper and you should be able to pull it with **some resistance**”.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/OD6cz.jpg)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cNVrs.jpg) | [
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16,345 | I've had my Ender 3 for almost three weeks, gone through about a kilogram of PLA filament (printing a mix of upgrade parts for the Ender 3 and stuff I actually want to use) and made one PETG object, generally with good results.
I've noticed however, as seems relatively common (per YouTubers, anyway), that my bed isn't *flat* -- that is, the build surface isn't a good approximation of a geometric plane. If I adjust the bed to have correct clearance (good adhesion and correct single-line width) at the corners, I'll get adhesion failure in the center, and if I adjust to give a correct center, the extruded filament will be squished into the build surface texture; the nozzle may even lightly scatch the surface at the corners. That indicates the corners are high, relative to the center, by roundly 0.1 to 0.15 mm.
I'm aware of BLTouch and its clones, but in order to get full use of that system (which automatically compensates for the non-planar bed) I would need to not only install the surface sensing hardware, but flash my printer's firmware (potentially after removing the control module cover and plugging a cable and adapter into the mainboard). As a longtime builder/upgrader of my own computers, this is certainly within my capability, but I'd prefer to make my build surface flat instead of applying software corrections; I see this as upgrading from a 386 to a Core i3 because the computer is overheating -- that is, the problem will go away because of all the other stuff you have to do, but you haven't really *solved the problem*.
My general idea more or less mimics the self-answer on [this question](https://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/questions/11996/options-for-getting-a-really-flat-build-surface) in terms of measuring the excursion and applying shims under the build surface (I've installed the Creality magnetic sheet surface, so shims would be applied between the magnetic base sheet and the removable build surface). I plan to use household aluminum foil, standard weight, which is generally close to 0.63 mil (= .016 mm), applied with repositionable spray adhesive and laid down in layers, using a combination of feeler gages and single-layer test prints to determine where and how much foil to apply.
I've "test flown" this option by putting a single Post-It sheet under the center of the removable build surface, and now I have a much closer match between the center and corners, and can (depending on my nozzle standoff) actually see the outline of the makeshift shim in the first layer where it prints over the edges of the Post-It.
Is there anything I'm missing that would prevent this shimming method using aluminum foil from resolving the warped bed to allow me to depend on an even thickness and correctly adhered first layer? | [
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16,355 | I am trying to print a tank to be used with my RC engine. The material that I have to use needs to have the following properties:
* It needs to be possible to seal the final print so that it is not leaking any fluid
* It needs to resist methanol, nitromethane (a solvent like Acetone) and lubricating oil at room temperature. It can get discolored or have other changes from the fuel, but it must not be able to compromise the sealing.
I first - foolishly - just printed it with ABS as I do for every fluid container as I can nicely seal it with Acetone. After almost being done with it a friend told me to check the chemical resistance of ABS and as you might guess methanol and nitromethane completely desintegrate it, almost like acetone itself, so that was a waste of time/material.
Next I considered using Nylon. It shows exactly the chemical resistance against all the fuel components I need, however I could not find any (easily available) option to seal the print after printing and after printing a small test container and pouring in some water it leaks after half a minute, so unless I find a way to seal the Nylon containers interior this is also not an option.
I checked various epoxies but the few that I checked all showed poor resistance against methanol/nitromethane.
What I could not test yet but seems like an option is using HDPE. I am using PET bottles to transport the fuel sometimes so it definitely is both resistant and - in theory - watertight, however I am not sure how I can seal an HDPE print, so I am not sure about my first requirement with HDPE. **EDIT**: I found that [Limonene](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limonene) dissolves HDPE and is relatively harmless and easily obtainable. Maybe it can be used to seal the HDPE print surface?
Hence my question: Is there a material that can be printed on a regular desktop printer (heated bed, nozzle up to 255°C) that satisfies both my requirements above or am I "doomed" to buy a moulded plastic fuel tank? | [
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"text": "Most commercial blow-molded fuel tanks for model airplane fuel (methanol or ethanol, nitromethane or nitroetha... | 2021/05/24 | [
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16,378 | What fan speed should I use with PLA? Do I need to manually set the fan speed in ‘Control’?
Also, on the filament cartridge Bed Temp is listed: *"No heat/60-80 °C"*. Does this mean heating the bed is optional? | [
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"text": "Most commercial blow-molded fuel tanks for model airplane fuel (methanol or ethanol, nitromethane or nitroetha... | 2021/05/26 | [
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16,392 | I printed a lot of models in last month. I spent 2 kg filament in total. I want to know how many hours have been passed while printing. As far as I read, 1 kg PLA (1.75 mm) is about 110 meters long. My default print speed is 70 mm/s. The nozzle diameter is 0.4 mm. The nozzle multiplier in the simplify3d is 0.9 .
In a very basic math,
220÷(0.7×0.04÷0.0175×0.9)=~ 153 hours.
Is this correct? | [
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16,414 | I want to get my Ender 5 plus to print at 300 °C. As such, I've edited the firmware and increased the `HEATER_0_MAXTEMP` to 315 °C.
In my slicer, I can slice and print at 300 °C, however, I cannot manually adjust the temperature on the LCD screen past the stock setting of 260 °C.
Any help in getting the manual adjustment fixed would be greatly appreciated. | [
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16,416 | The problem with my Anet E12 should be on USB connection itself.
1. If powered down, the board still gets power from USB
2. If board is resett, USB will still connect
3. Still works on SD; seem like most part not damage.
What cause the problem? Where to check first? How to fix it?
Note: This printer worked with no problem before. | [
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16,439 | So I bought this printer three days ago as a way to dip my toes into the 3D printing world, and it was working great at first. But at some point, the ABL procedure started behaving oddly: Instead of moving down to touch each corner of the printing bed, it's now only doing so for one corner, then moving to the next, but instead of going down, it goes up. It then continues to the third corner, stops, and moves up again. After that, it returns back to home position. The result is that the extruder hovers way above where it's supposed to be --or alternatively bumps into the printing bed when it's near the origin corner-- thinking it's adjusting for some nonexistent slant, dripping filament all over the place.
The gantry itself is totally level, and I can't see any mechanical faults. As far as I can tell, there's no way to manually level the bed, the only option is to use ABL.
I found out that the Monoprice Vapet printer is the exact same one as the Tina2, so if anyone has experience with that printer in particular, it'll apply here too. | [
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16,440 | Windows has its 3D Builder software which upon importing an image, converts it to a heightmap of the image, aka turning it to a 3D model that can be saved as an stl.
Does Linux have software with similar properties that takes a black and white image and turning it into a 3D heightmap model? | [
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"text": "FreeCAD can import JPG (and IIRC TIFF and PNG as well) image files and produce a lithophane type height-map b... | 2021/06/04 | [
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16,448 | I have an UP! mini and I am using the UP Studio and ABS 1.75 mm.
My prints are always stuck to the rafts and are impossible to remove without destroying the print.
I've had a look at the settings on the Up Studio but I don't know which ones to change to improve the situation. | [
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16,453 | I have noticed major watches watch brands do not seem to offer manuals to 3D print your own parts.
Is there a reason for this?
I would assume in this day and age, with [watch repair a dying profession](https://www.careeronestop.org/Toolkit/Careers/Occupations/occupation-profile.aspx?keyword=Watch%20repairers&onetcode=49906400&location=US), transitioning parts to 3D printing would be a logical next step (notice luxury watches are still very popular but [also fluctuating](https://monochrome-watches.com/top-50-swiss-watch-brands-2020-market-share-sales-editorial/)).
I have found [minimal information](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8AvZnqt5NE) on 3D printing watches. Maybe there is another name for this science and it's not typically fit for 3D printing? It appears some [purists](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/2127463/how-3d-printing-changing-swiss-luxury-watchmaking) aren't into 3D printing. So it appears watch parts are [machined](https://www.productionmachining.com/articles/keeping-watch-on-small-parts) except for the small parts. | [
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16,456 | I am printing this piece using a 0.4 mm nozzle. It happens that the piece on the chin does not print properly.
I have already tried the tree mode supports, touching the plate and in all the places but the same thing happens.
I include photos of my configuration in Cura.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rXeqU.jpg "Photo of print")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Y5jNA.jpg "Photo of bad print quality")
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0zNft.png "Settings - quality")
>
>
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/x0WTX.png "Settings - speed")
>
>
>
>
> [](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lM79D.png "Settings - support")
>
>
>
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VyQY3.png "Screenshot of Cura - showing supports") | [
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"text": "I see that you have a minimum support angle of 60 degrees -- that may mean Cura Slicer isn't generating suppo... | 2021/06/06 | [
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16,483 | All the blower fans for part cooling I've seen rotate counter-clockwise when viewed from the intake side. I'm looking to replace mine on an Ender 3 with something stronger, and one of the worst parts of the stock design is that it's offset by about 20 mm versus the nozzle position, requiring awkward duct paths that reduce the flow to get uniform coverage around the newly extruded material. A fan that rotates in the opposite direction, with air exiting on the right-hand size when viewed from the intake side, would be exactly right. Are there such models available, and if so, what is the right terminology to search for them by? Or is there a simple way to modify a fan to reverse its direction? | [
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16,487 | I have an Ender 3, currently in stock Bowden extruder configuration.
I want to be able to print nylon and TPU, both of which require temperature too high for the tolerance of the PTFE Bowden tube (as well as the issues with the flexible filament in the tube).
Therefore, I've considered converting my printer to direct drive. However, the conversions I've seen, both DIY/print the parts type and commercial, seem to include a short length of the same PTFE tube between the extruder (now mounted on the hot end carriage) and the actual hot end. This same material ought to have the same temperature limit (about 250 C) as it would have in a Bowden configuration -- and for nylon, at the least, this is a problem, since the PTFE would start to soften from contact with the heat break.
Am I missing something in these conversions, or is the PTFE's glass transition not the limiting factor in printing hotter with a direct drive conversion? | [
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16,506 | I just assembled Ender 3 and noticed that the X-axis movement doesn't correspond to the commands. When I make it move 1 mm with the encoder it moves 16 mm. Everything is in the "out of the box" configuration.
The current steps/mm for the X-axis read (from the display) 80 steps/mm.
Am I supposed to manually fix this with steps per mm setting or could it be another problem. Other axes seem to work fine. I also double checked and everything should be built correctly. | [
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16,511 | I have recently started printing with Polymaker's PolyMax PETG on my Ender 3 v2. I have not been able to get the layer adhesion anywhere near as strong as it should be. I would guess it is around 20-25 % of the strength in the XY direction. The parts snap easily along the layer lines under loads that PLA and nylon hold up to just fine.
Print settings:
* 0.15 mm layers @ 35-20 mm/s
* Hotend temp 245 °C
* 4 mm retraction @ 40 mm/s
* combing on
* jerk control on
* no cooling
I made sure to use a nickel-plated brass 0.4 mm nozzle. I have calibrated my E-steps and tried printing in an enclosure, but nothing seems to help with layer adhesion. I have made sure there is no debris getting on the filament as it comes out of the drybox and even tried taping around the heater block so there is absolutely no part cooling.
Any ideas as to what I could be doing wrong? | [
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"text": "I had this problem with my Ender 3 until I changed to a different extruder and now PETG neve... | 2021/06/11 | [
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16,523 | My Tevo Flash works well. Right now, I'm trying to print a thin, disc-like part on supports. The 3 perimeters at the edge of the disc are OK. The dense fill zigzag pattern makes many U-turns near the perimeter. It all looks OK in Simplify3D. But in the printed part, in several spots, the zigzag pattern doesn't reach the perimeters, leaving a ~1 mm gap.
My guess: in those spots, the filament has nothing to grab onto underneath, so the U-turn region is dragged back by the nozzle a bit (away from the perimeters) and/or it droops. I'm using the smallest support res in Simplify 3D: 1 mm. Any options I can try?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/nxpz1.jpg) | [
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"text": "The zig-zag pattern are known for this kind of fluke...\n\nI will use Cura to demonstrate, but it's gonna... | 2021/06/14 | [
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16,530 | 3D printer use stepper motors for moving print head and extruding filament. They need to have good torque and resolution.
Microstepping improves resolution as much as 32 fold (I think) but reduces torque the higher you microstep.
So...
1. Why not rotate the motor with microstepping at high RPM (which also reduces torque) and increase the torque by heavy gear reduction using a worm gear?
2. Won't the movement of printhead be even smoother and small errors in microstepping and unevenness of gears be averaged out using high RPM and gear reduction approach?
3. Does microstepping indeed provide accurate divisions of steps?
4. Can we get by with weaker motors because torque will be increased by gear reduction?
5. Can we get by with 48 step stepper motors instead of 200 step because gear reduction provides increased resolution?
6. There are extruders that use flex shaft to turn worm gear in direct extruder while motor is mounted on frame which turns flex shaft (zesty nimble comes to mind). Why don't they just use smallest possible stepper motor to rotate worm gear directly, instead?
Increasing motor RPM and using gear reduction should preserve the precision and torque, letting you use weaker, lighter motors, potentially reducing granularity of movement. I thought this was simpler approach and I wanted to understand what would I be losing as trade offs. I had considered more friction at worm gear and wear, higher heating of motor etc. But may be it's like "don't fix what ain't broken". 3D printers aren't that costly nowadays. I just wish they were even cheaper. | [
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16,536 | My first attempt to print in ABS has been an unmitigated disaster, and I could do with some advice before I try again.
I've been trying to print a [Bean Hopper Extension for Melitta Barista TS Smart](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4067324) coffee machine, but every time the layers separate, usually at or near a corner.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Net7D.png)
My first attempt had it lifting from the bed before a few layers had completed. When I tried it with a thin brim on the outside, it stuck down for a while, but eventually started lifting away from the bed. When I tried it with a raft, it got further, but then the print detached itself from the raft at one corner. My final attempt used a wider brim on both inside and outside, and it managed to get even further through the print. None of the brim had detached from the bed, but then I noticed layers higher up pulling apart, and when I eventually cancelled the print, I saw it had started separating earlier and managed to recover in later layers.
At this point I gave up and printed it in PLA, first time, but I would like to understand what I can do to improve my chances of printing this next time.
Also, I plan to redesign this with the outer wall extending straight up to the level of the bottom of the notch, with a flat top in which I intend to add a channel for a rubber seal. Will widening of part of the model cause more problems for an ABS print, or will it help strengthen it and prevent it separating as before?
I'm using an Ender 3 V2 with a heated bed, using Prit-stik as my bed glue. | [
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"text": "You make no mention of a heated enclosure, so I assume you aren't using one. ABS undergoes significant contraction as it ... | 2021/06/15 | [
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16,546 | I have a Tevo Flash. Normally, I don't care about perpendicularity with respect to the table. But now I have a 5" disc on a ball bearing, held by a 3D printed tube with a flat bottom. If the tube's axis is not 100 % perpendicular to the bottom, the disc, when spun, wobbles at the edge: ~1/8".
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/LgMr5.png)
As a test, I printed a vertical sample tube. I took close-up pics, on the printer's table, next to a carpenter's square. Down the table's Y axis, there's a vert. deviation of ~1 mm over 45 mm of height, between the sample tube and the square. Down the X-axis, the deviation is small.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rhb9c.jpg)
How do I deal with it? Can a slicer (I have Simplify3D) compensate for it? I could gently "skew" the geo in 3D modeling software, but it seems inelegant.
Note: this has nothing to do with bed leveling. The bed is level, the printer has a BLTouch. The first layers look great. The problem is above the bed. The right angles of the aluminum-extrusion frame aren't 100 % exact. Measured with the carpenter's square, the vertical columns of the frame (Z) deviate 1-2 mm over 100 mm from perpendicular, with respect to the bottom frame (X-Y). Trying to fix the whole frame would be hard.
EDIT: I used a 0.127 mm shim (from a sacrificial steel gauge blade), it fixed most of it. With the printer laid horizontally (so I could work with the screws underneath) and the shim in, the vertical posts were 100% true (see pic). When I put the printer back into its vertical, working position, the posts tilted back a bit. I'll try a 0.15 mm shim.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2Rt9t.jpg) | [
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16,547 | I've built a custom machine based on the AM8 (Anet A8 upgrade). I've got an E3D V6 clone hotend in, seems like a decent clone. I've replaced the heat break, heat block, and nozzle several times but after a given period it seems like filament leaks up the heat break. The heat break and nozzle are "all-metal" titanium versions.
How I set it up: I insert the nozzle all the way into heat block, I unscrew it about 3/4 of a turn. I insert the heat break until it makes contact. I then tighten using pliers and spanner. I assemble onto the printer. I heat until 285 °C, give it a few minutes, tighten as much as I think I can before something would break. I let it cool down. I heat again to 285 °C, tighten again as much as I can. Cool down. Then ready for printing (mainly using PETG at 240 °C).
What am I doing wrong? What should I be doing differently?
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/3Nd9q.jpg "Photo of hotend on 3D printer") | [
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"text": "1. Verification: When you tighten the nozzle against the heat break, the nozzle is not tightened completely a... | 2021/06/17 | [
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16,552 | I am looking to print an HTD Timing Belt pulley to be used in a laboratory setting that can get *very* cold for extended periods of time. By "very cold" I mean adjacent metal chambers get cooled with liquid nitrogen to lower than -200 °C. For the purposes of having a threshold temperature tolerance, assume that the metal chambers coming directly in contact with the pulley may get as cold as mK close to absolute zero.
While it was my intention to print this pulley out of PLA, I am unsure whether or not it will be able to withstand negative temperatures of this magnitude or if it will become brittle--or something else will happen to the structure of the print when it experiences these temperatures. I am open to printing any other material if there are some materials that will hold up better than PLA for low temperatures. It is preferable for me to print this part instead of machine it for the sake of a deadline. I was also wondering if there is some infill pattern, infill density, or other structural print parameters that would help reinforce a printed part against becoming brittle when imposed to such low temperatures. | [
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"text": "I found [this article](https://www.curbellplastics.com/Research-Solutions/Technical-Resources/Technical-Resour... | 2021/06/17 | [
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16,559 | My BLTouch was working great. Until one day, it just started showing the right side as being high on every read.
I've tried leveling many times manually and with the BLTouch. But every time I use the bed visualizer, it shows high on the right. I've even rotated the glass build plate with the same result.
Any ideas what could be causing this? The bed leveling image below was done immediately after manually leveling the bed.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/H70hm.png "3D graph of bed mesh") | [
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"text": "I think I found the problem. I think there was some crosstalk between the BLTouch wires and the other wires... | 2021/06/18 | [
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16,560 | I´ve been using my Ender 3 Pro for almost 1 year now. Always using the provided SD card. For a couple of days, the printed does not read any new file that I load to the SD card, but it does with the older files (and it then prints correctly as well).
I tried deleting some old files that I don't need, I tried turning it on with the SD card, I tried inserting the card after turning the printer on. It's always the same.
I am using another SD card and it works properly.
Any idea? | [
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"text": "SD and MicroSD cards use a type of memory (Flash RAM) that is subject to wearing out -- the actual memory cel... | 2021/06/18 | [
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16,562 | Usually the hardness of the material is considered primary for nozzles used with abrasive filaments. Has friction between between nozzle material and abrasive filaments been considered? It seems that friction as well as hardness would play a roll in how long the nozzle lasts. Perhaps, this is considered with ruby tipped nozzles. | [
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16,566 | Is there any convention on how to mark an all metal hotend to distinguish it from a hotend with a PTFE tube in the heatbreak? Once assembled for a German Riprap 3D printer, they look exactly the same on the outside. I'm trying to decide on a way of marking them to indicate the difference.
Hotend with heatsink
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ZljCB.jpg)
Exposed part of heatbreak between heater block and heatsink
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GpQtt.jpg)
Easy to see PTFE tube on nozzle side of heatbreak (all metal hotend has an all metal heatbreak with no PTFE)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/VKfVG.jpg)
Even after removing heatsink, PTFE tube is difficult to see in heatbreak (all metal hotend has an all metal heatbreak with no PTFE)
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Injic.jpg)
Nozzle end of all metal heatbreak
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/31MYU.jpg)
Heatsink end of all metal heatbreak
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/srJZ2.jpg) | [
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"text": "Given your heatbreaks are the same material and external dimensions, it seems that the most practical way to d... | 2021/06/18 | [
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16,570 | I’m getting nothing but jams with a new BCN3D Sigma R19 printer, printing PLA at 195 °C, two brands (BCN’s own brand and Monoprice orange). 6.5 mm retraction, as used in BCN’s PLA profile. Using their fork of Cura. Full enclosure, but it gets maybe to 32 °C inside, just warm. It prints fine for a few layers, then it jams, usually partially-I caught it in the act and the extruder (the Bondtech dual gear Bowden extruder they switched to on this model) would make knocking sounds as it skipped steps, and the plastic under extrudes in spider webs. It would valiantly try to keep going, and just chew up the filament a little, then extrude, then skip, etc.
After thinking the problem was the extruder, taking it apart, cleaning, trying a few different tensions on the hobbed gears, my attention shifted to the hotend. I did some cold pulls with nylon, and each time the nylon would come out with this frayed ring of plastic about 15 mm above the cone from the nozzle tip. It’s like it was a separate piece of plastic from the filament, but it seems like it constricts the path. **This ring is about the depth where the heat break screws into the heat block.** I supposed it could have started higher in the cool end and gotten pushed down? I suspect the grooves pressed into the filament by the Bondtech might be prone to hang up on this plastic gunk ring.
Their hotend design is all metal, similar to the V6 (and apparently manufactured custom for them by E3D). Different, taller nozzle. It has a 30 mm fan blowing on the fins. There is no shroud on the fan, like the blue thing on the V6. The heat block is halfway up into the enclosed part with the cool end and fan. The fan blows on the heat break and the block.
One of my cold pulls shows a little bulge, right about where I think the brass nozzle butts into the heat break steel piece. I’m wondering if there is a gap there that plastic melts into? They do an inconvenient thing where they sell the hotend as a whole piece for $125, and apparently you can’t unscrew the nozzle like a V6, people report the threads get ripped out of the heat block. All to say, it isn’t advised to completely disassemble the hotend.
I thought the little fan might not be moving enough air across the cooling fins, so I tried to replace it with a new fan that moves more CFM, but it just screeches, it seems the fan isn’t really driven by 12 V, but maybe a PWM thing at 24 V. It was fine on 12 V DC when I bench tested it.
I disassembled the cold end from the heat break, and verified it had thermal paste on the threads.
My question is if anyone has experience with the gunk ring? Is my heat break getting cooled down into the heat block, or is heat creep getting up into the cool end? Or is the little gap or chamfer where the heat break meets the nozzle causing clogs?
I can work on more cooling (faster fan), or design a shroud for the existing fan so it doesn’t cool the heat break+heater block), to just not sure which.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/eVGNx.jpg)
EDIT: The filament partially jams (the extruder skips steps an knocks) even without printing, while just loading and purging over empty space, no retractions. | [
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16,571 | Having started with an Ender 3, it just seemed natural to me that the heatbreak should not be load-bearing; Creality's stock hotend has 2 bolts holding the heat block to the heat sink, which of course waste some heating power and increase the cooling needed to avoid heat creep, but serve the important purpose of keeping the nozzle position rigid relative to the carriage and making it so you don't bend or snap the heatbreak when changing nozzles.
Looking at hotends (especially all-metal ones) for a possible future printer build, I'm surprised to see that many (most?) don't have this property, and have the heatbreak playing a load-bearing role. This seems really undesirable. Only the Mosquito *makes a point of* doing this right, and supposedly has a patent on this or related design decisions. Is that really the case? Are there basic all-metal hotends that are designed to avoid making the heatbreak load-bearing that don't cost $150? | [
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16,572 | I am pretty sure that sanding makes a lot of microplastics, so it would be nice to collect the dust, and melt it to got a blob of plastic again instead of millions of tiny particles. What is the best way for collecting it, do you use any dust extractor, or are there different techniques like sanding wet surfaces and filtering it from water? | [
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"text": "As an environmental thing, micro plastics are an urgent problem for ocean life, it’s getting into the e... | 2021/06/19 | [
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16,585 | I'm printing a Qama cube I found on Thingiverse -- it's a puzzle toy I remember from the early 1970s, and the kind of thing that ought to be really easy-peasy to print. Each of the seven pieces is made of four cubes (or three for one piece) joined face to face in every possible combination, so that they can be assembled to make a single 3x3 cube (the claim in the day was, in literally tens of millions of ways -- though many of those were reflections or rotations of others).
Problem is, in order for the seven pieces to fit together correctly to make the 3x3 cube, they have to be flat and square on all faces, and dimensionally accurate.
I have an Ender 3 that's just a few weeks old (first print was May 8th to 9th of this year, also my own first 3D print). I'm printing these parts in gray Amazon Basics PLA at 200 °C, with the Creality coated glass build surface at 55 °C. I'm printing on a raft; the first layer goes down well, but over the course of the first forty or so layers, I get this:
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/GCk17.jpg "Raft lifting from build surface")
I presume this is due to the upper layers shrinking, though the horizontal dimensions look fine at the level where I stopped the print. I have Cura Slicer 4.9.1 set to print with no part cooling for initial layer, increasing to 100 % at layer 4. When I removed this part (immediately after stopping the print, so the bed was still in the low 50s), it was still stuck fairly well -- except where it had lifted.
What's causing this warping/lifting? | [
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"text": "> \n> What's causing this warping/lifting?\n> \n> \n> \n\nThe warping and lifting is caused by insufficient adhesion.... | 2021/06/21 | [
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16,586 | I didn't have any printer-related problem for the past 6 months, but now all of a sudden my Prusa MK3S stopped extruding during printing.
This is very strange as I can easily load\unload filament and control the step motor via Settings\Move axis\Extruder. When I did so, the filament got extruded normally.
However, when I try to print something or do First Layer Calibration, nothing comes out of the nozzle. I tried changing the Live Z (maybe nozzle too low) and it didn't help. I once managed to extrude *something* by increasing the temperature and the flow (in the printer's menu) to a ridiculous value of 999. Obviously, this isn't the best way to solve the problem.
Is there an easy way to fix this? I only had this problem yesterday and with some midrange-priced PETG
Edit: I tried different filaments, default slicer profiles, reinstalling slicer (prusa slicer) and drivers. None of these methods really helped. | [
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"text": "1. It doesn't seem to be heat creep. See [What are ways to avoid heat creep?](https://3dprinting.stackexchang... | 2021/06/22 | [
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16,629 | A Bowden tube extruder (like the stock one on an Ender 3) is known to have issues with printing the most flexible TPU, and with filaments that (either due to composition or condition) don't take well to too much retraction -- though the latter can be ameliorated somewhat with slicer settings. Direct drive extruders, on the other hand, by reducing the extruder to hot end distance to the practical minimum, greatly reduce the amount of retraction needed as well as the effect of filament compression and stretching.
One potential down side I'm aware of is that putting the extruder stepper and drive on the X carriage adds mass that the X drive motor has to both accelerate and decelerate; this could in theory have an effect on print quality, increasing ringing and overrun on the X axis (though this isn't generally a problem with the steppers used on the Ender 3 and similar printers).
What other reasons might there be to prefer a Bowden tube over direct drive? | [
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"text": "Other than higher carriage mass as you already noted, the only other reason to not go with Direct Drive over Bow... | 2021/06/25 | [
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16,649 | I have my print settings dialed into a real good spot, but there's one obstacle that's preventing them from coming out flawless; somehow, my print has "fuzz" everywhere. Not traditional stringing like you get from filament oozing while travelling from section to section, nor do I mean over-extrusion that causes the outer walls to sag or bubble out.
The final shape/texture of my models are perfect - there's just wispy little hairs sticking out all over the model. They are not even really visible unless you hold it up to the light, or against a dark background.
Here's an image of the wing from a dragon I printed. Notice the top edge of the part and how it looks like it's made of cotton or something? That's how it looks everywhere.
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/tkQPc.jpg "Close up of dragon wing showing cotton effect") | [
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"text": "That is the print stringing still. Even thought that you have your printer dialed in, the plastic that is s... | 2021/06/28 | [
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16,659 | I've got some sliced models that represent the **right**-side arms and legs of a robot. I'm really happy with how they printed, so now I'd like to print the **left**-side arms and legs.
I was thinking it would be pretty trivial to parse the G-code file using Python and change the value of all the `Xn` commands from `n` to `2*h - n`, where `h` is in the middle of the bed, say 110 or 120 mm for an Ender 3.
Before I fire up my favorite IDE, are there any major gotchas I might encounter from such a naïve approach to mirroring the G-code like this? I originally sliced in Cura 4.9.1. | [
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"text": "If your slicer does not have a mirror operation or a scale that allows negative values then mirroring in the G-c... | 2021/07/02 | [
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16,663 | As you can see the left side of the edge came out jagged. The right side came out just fine. What happened to the left side?
I am using Ender 3 + BLTouch using Sunlu PLA+ with 200 °C hotend.
[](https://i.imgur.com/Ki7ZzQ4.jpg "Left side")
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/W02pj.jpg "Right side")
Here are my retraction settings (if that matters):
[](https://i.stack.imgur.com/rA7gh.png "Retraction settings") | [
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"text": "This may be due to uneven cooling. The part cooling fan only comes from one direction on the Ender 3 serie... | 2021/07/03 | [
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16,683 | Some time ago, I bought an Elegoo Mars 2 Pro, and I really liked the product. This is my first resin printer and I am very satisfied.
What has been bothering me a little is in relation to the slicer. When I slice an item, Chitubox shows 3 hour/20 g (consumption), but this does not converge, when I print the final result is about 40 % higher than expected, this in both cases (time and resin consumption). I understand that resin consumption can be a little more relative, but time should converge.
My settings are the defaults provided by Chitubox, changing only the resin settings I use: 8 initial layers in 50 s and 2.5 s for other layers.
Is there something I'm doing wrong? Should these values converge with reality? | [
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"text": "This may be due to uneven cooling. The part cooling fan only comes from one direction on the Ender 3 serie... | 2021/07/08 | [
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16,686 | I just noticed the other day that my Ender 3 is printing stuff a lot slower than it can, and realized when I was slicing a part that it's because the default "Wall Print Speed" is half the "Print Speed" even though "Infill Speed" is full speed. I can enter higher speeds, of course, but then Cura puts up a little notification that "this value is normally calculated, but it has been entered instead" and offers to put it back to the calculated default -- which is half the "Print Speed."
I presume there are good reasons (print quality, underextrusion, etc.) for this -- what are they?
I guess it's relevant to note that I have a 4.2.2 mainboard and currently run Creality's version of 2.0.4-1.0.1 Marlin, the newest they offer for this board version without BLTouch. | [
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"text": "Perimeters, especially External Perimeters, are particularly sensitive to small deflections of the printhead, as... | 2021/07/09 | [
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16,689 | When considering enclosures able to reach higher chamber temperatures, insulation is essential to keep the heater power low.
Typical insulation materials are not transparent: cork (fire retardant, good for the inner hot side), rock wool, styrofoam panels, aluminium insulating panels (aluminium walls with foam in between).
Still, most of the time it's preferable to have one side of the enclosure transparent, to see what is happening inside without having to use a webcam (which may not work well or which may have a reduced lifespan when operated at 60-80 °C, due to capacitors and thermal noise in the sensor).
Rock wool, styrofoam panels and cork all offer about 0.032-0.038 W/(m K) thermal conductivity. In other words, a panel which is 50 \* 50 \* 1 cm will require about 0.85 W per each °C of temperature increase, or 8.5 W per 10 °C. A cubic 50 \* 50 \* 50 cm enclosure 2 cm thick would require 26 W to increase the inner temperature by 10 °C.
Replacing just one side with a transparent acrylic panel 3 mm thick would push the power requirement to about 190 W for every 10 °C of temperature increase, therefore finding a transparent insulation would be quite interesting.
**What are the options to have a transparent, but still reasonably insulating, panel?** | [
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"text": "Unfortunately there are very little solutions for fully transparent and thermally insulating materials. You may ... | 2021/07/09 | [
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