Easythreed Gcode Files
Hermila Farquhar
I recently bought a Easythreed K9 3D printer. I wanted to buy something that is not real expensive so I can find out if I like 3D printing or not, then if I like it I can buy something a little more expensive.
But when I try to use Ultimaker software I have problems, the first is when I push the start button, no filament comes out. Before I start printing I make sure the filament is able to come out when feed filament before starting printing.
The second problem is when it starts, the print head stays about 3 inches above the bed, and the printer head moves around like it is printing and no filament comes out and the head never goes down to the bed.
A gcode file has sections. The first section is usually statistics about the print. The second is the StartUp Gcode and explains to the printer what temperature to work at, when to auto-home, how much to purge, etc. After the main body of the print is the Ending Gcode that shuts the printer down in an orderly fashion.
Read the directions and follow the directions that came with the printer ,its all on the sd card that came with the printer ,very easy to use ( i own a K9 and it prints beautiful) no need for a 3d printer control software on your computer,I am trying to find a software control program that will control it . Rem to use the CURA slicer that came with it as it works fantastic.
I have the same printer and this is what I did to get it working ...
Open the attached file in Cura which will set the printer configuration, start g-code and end-gcode etc. (it's just a blank model with the settings in and is a zip file so you can go and view the files inside if necessary)
Then for any model you want to print drag that model into Cura and it will use the same printer settings.
Then Slice your model and save to SD card
Make sure there's not any strain on the filament feed and it should print fine then move the head out of the way at the end (the default easythreed end gcode would home to the bottom corner causing issues collisions with any models in the way)
OP asked about purchasing a button end printer. My reply is you get what you pay for. The Easythreed you suggested is very limited in print size, capable print material and support after the purchase. I'm not going to say no, don't buy that. It does create small parts using PLA or TPU (flex) materials. It's a small price to pay to introduce you to the world of 3D printing.
However, having the hardware is half of it. You then need some sort of CAD and slicer software to create the files to print your own design. Otherwise, you are dependent to whatever you find on the web. There is several free software to choose.
I hope others will join in to discuss the details of everything involved in going from an idea, or need, to having a finished 3D printed part. I'm short on time this morning so I'm going to leave this here for now.
The Prusas were purchased by the local library ($800.00 ea.) and I (and a few others) volunteered to assemble them. The instructions were very good and assembly was easy. Most tools were included. Set up and calibration was mostly automatic and, also, pretty easy. The Prusa has automatic bed leveling. There was no tweaking of the controller settings necessary.
The HicTop is my personal printer. I paid $180.00 for my printer. The instructions were OK. Setup and calibration was more hands on. The Marlin software is not as smart as Prusa so no automatic functions. Bed leveling is manual and must be done periodically. I did have to tweak the temperature settings in Marlin to get reliable printing without alarms. I spend less than $50.00 for improvements like glass for the bed.
The Prusa printed nicely as soon as it was set up. It took a little while to get The HicTop to print reliably, now prints very nicely. If I put prints that were done with similar settings from Prusa and HicTop side by side, I can't tell the difference.
In conclusion, the Prusa was more expensive but for a beginner would be better because the instructions and firmware make assembly, setup, calibration and use much easier. For someone that is mechanically inclined, patient, wants to know the printer from the bottom up and is willing to do the extra work, the cheaper printers like HicTop may be a good deal (I love mine).
That kind of is I guess the bottleneck for me at least, as users don't use the 3D printers at the maker shops you basically give them a memory stick with the file or email them the file and then they will let you know when it's ready to pick up kind of the way the old school rules of film worked in cameras. And I asked the guy that work there this kind of stuff for advice on buying and he said he only knows about the really high-end ones they have and he's customly modified them to be significantly uncomparable to any ready to go printer you can purchase for home.
As a worst case scenario if I was to buy one of the incredibly bottom of the barrel additions because of available funds and I was unfortunate enough to get one that just clocked out before the first print job even finished is there enough Hardware that I would have received so that I could only need to spend nearly nothing following the scratch 3D printer builds using Arduino boards in place of any circuitry that would have come.
Or is even this kind of idea as a backup plan in itself if required add the amount of extra funds which I should just not roll the dice and buy the 2 to 3x more costing one that 2112 said he's had some success with.
There are enough parts available that you could repair of replace pretty much anything that might go wrong with your printer. You could build a whole printer from available parts. I bought one of the very cheapest printers available. I did not like the flimsy bed so i went to Ace hardware, bought a piece of 1/8" thick aluminum plate and made a replacement. I bought a piece of borosilicate glass to put on the bed to make removing prints easier. Worn nozzles and heat breaks are easy to replace. Fans, stepper motors, drivers, extruder parts, even the controller board can be sourced and replaced inexpensively.
Like i said, in my opinion, the el cheapo printers work fine if you take the time to carefully build them and massage the hardware and controller firmware. You dont get some of the fancy functions like auto bed level and filament sensing, but like the man said, you get what you pay for.
Keep in mind the following are just my opinions. My experience comes from using $100K+ Stratasys printers, overpriced MakerBot printers at work and my personal 7 year old Original Prusa i3 MK1. My personal hardware and software has not been upgraded in 7 years so I'm not up to date on todays offerings.
As for the printer you posted, it doesn't have a heated build plate. This means you can only print with PLA and TPU. You will most likely be forced to print a raft as a base for it to level and adhere to the plate. My opinion is PLA is brittle, used mainly for modeling figurines. You can use it for mounts, standoffs and housings as long as you are not putting too much load on it. I have not used PLA in years. TPU is great for hinges, gaskets, spacers, phone cases etc. I use TPU when the job calls for it.
As for the Ender I suggested, I have never used nor seen an Ender before. I have seen parts printed from them and they were comparable to my Prusa. Enders are considered the gold standard for < $300 printers. Prusa is considered the gold standard for $1000 range printers.
You also have to consider the other half of the task. Designing your part and creating a gcode print file. There are several free CAD software tools available for this. TinkerCad or SketchUp may be all you will need for basic geometric shapes. Fusion 360 or SolidWorks would be a step up but become more complicated. I started off using AutoCAD too many years ago, then went to Pro E, which became CREO probably 12 years ago. CREO is all I know so I have stayed with that. I Do Not recommend a beginner to start on CREO. I'm sure there are much easier tools out there.
The CAD software generates either a .STL or .OBJ file. With that, you need 3D slicer software such as Cura or Slic3r to generate the actual gcode the printer uses to print your part. Easythreed has this comment on Amazon:
I have no idea what they are trying to say here. You need to use the 3D slicing software to create the gcode. There may be web sites that offer gcode. Web sites such as Thingiverse offer STL files and you run that through your slicer to create the gcode.
I say all this so you don't think you can buy a printer and immediately start printing your own custom designed parts. This requires the extra effort of designing the part and creating the proper print files with additional software. You might want to start by downloading various CAD software to see if you can create parts with it before you purchase the printer. The purchase is the easy part.
Thanks for all that, i actual have a diploma in 3d modeling and animation using 3ds max.
And took solid modeling for inventor in college.
So should not be to hard for me to adjust to blender if i wanted to get my 3d on again.
One thought i had was to use my pen thing shown above to glob over the treads of a bolt, where it would still slide in yhe mounting hole. Then krazyglue that plastic into the spot, cause ive done this a few times to fix my plastic toys that have screws snap off on me.
I cant wait till i have all my issues figured out in terms of storing these parts with no risk of esd or rattling about when on the bus or being pulled by my bike wagon. So i can start asking less situational questions and just post why my sensor wont work lol.
Well that one looks pretty damn nice compared to the one I posted above it's only like 35 $40 more.
Is there any anything at all you can say about it that would be a deal breaker on buying it in hindsight?
If you had to make a sacrifice in terms of the heated surface you're talking about as not included could you kind of simulate this by creating a sheet metal Extrusion going downwards or maybe upwards if you want to sacrifice print vertical limitation. In a way that you could clamp in a hair dryer or heat gun and have it just run hot boxing this enclosure making the printing service heat up the way a frying pan would on a stove.
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