Basic practices

[TobyCWood]

Lets try to make this a sticky thread on best practices for operating our 3D printers.

Here's a first cut at basic supplies needed for operating my Rep2:

Aquanet Unscented Extra Support Hold

Nippy cutters

Cricut Art Spatula

Scissors

Metric Allan wrenches

Needle nose pliers

Superlube (PFTE)

Digital calipers

Denatured Alcohol

A couple of guitar "E" strings

A very small ratchet with a 7mm socket (for nozzle removal)

Crescent wrench to hold the hot block

[James Hukill]

PET tape on my Rep 2X bed rocks.  Super easy to just let it cool and the prints lift right off.

[TobyCWood]

This was from quite a ways back on MOGG:

My essentials list:

1. X Cable strain relief... actually find a means to keep the cable from bending in one spot.

2. Fix Extruder by replacing the Delrin Plunger (no longer needed... seems the craptastic plunger is no longer on Rep2s.)

3. Cricut Craft Spatula for taking objects off the BP

4. Make Spool holders for 80mm and 100mm deep filament spools

then later...

1. Clean the acrylic BP or blue tape with Denatured Alcohol for a good stick. Wrap tape all around not just right to the edge of the BP.... or better yet dump tape and use hair spray, Glue stick or some other water soluble liquid vinyl.

2. Read everywhere you can about as many PLA sources possible. There's more bad sources then good. If the stuff is real cheap it is either poo or ABS!... or both.

3. Buy ONE spool from a new PLA source before you do a big buy and test it to be sure it ain't crapo. Don't buy via Alibaba or Aliexpress. 100% crap in my experience.

4. If using tape use 3M 2090. there's reports of an even better type that is not Blue...

5. Move to RepG and Sailfish. (MW got better since then, but IMO RepG is still essential)

6. Learn other slicers like Kisslicer and Slic3r to increase you range of capabilities. Some models need more attention to supports or other variations due to their design. No one slicer does it all best.

7. Get a glass BP for prints that extend to the extremes on the bed... if not for all prints

8. Print as much as possible... the more you print the more you learn.

9. Record all you can about everything you print (including files) to ensure reliability. If it took you 3 tries to get something to work you do not want to go through it again the next time you want to print the model again. I use a dB I am developing just for this purpose.

10. Placing the spools above the bot rather then behind helps avoid snags and cross overs as well as lessens drag from friction... I also removed the PFTE feeder tubes.

[TobyCWood]

Source?

[lovethepirk]

Are the guitar "E" strings for running through the extruder?  I can see them going in but not coming out the small extruder point.  Do you take apart the extruder then use the guitar strings?  How often do you find yourself doing this?

[TobyCWood]

Yes. You can clear a clog using them since they are thin enough and strong enough to go into the nozzle even without removing the nozzle. While it's hot of course.

[Michael McCandless]

I'm confused how you can clear a clog without taking the nozzle off?

Like, say something inside the filament (maybe a grain of sand or glass or whatever) was too big to come out of the nozzle, how can sticking a string in and out without removing the nozzle clear that?

--

Mike McCandless

http://blog.mikemccandless.com

[TobyCWood]

True if it's foreign matter (I heard of tiny ball bearings in filament once) it will not clear without removal... and yes most of the time I clear a clog by removal although since I now buy exclusively from either Toybuilders.com or Rainbot3D.com I have NOT had ONE clog!

But a lot of times a clog can simply be from gunk or residue or even plastic which got shoved back up and cooled or even filming...  These clogs start by effecting the straight down flow of the filament. During "Load" if the filament goes off to the side and not straight down it's likely due to this. With the filament extruding in load and while wearing my mag glasses. I jam an "E" string up in there and swirl it around... while it is extruding... until the flow is straight down again.  I have not had to this kind of clear for a very long time either BTW.

Buy good filament!

[DavidK]

Keep in mind that you don't really want an "E-String".  Technically, there is no such thing as an E-String until it is placed on the guitar and tuned to an E-- and many different thicknesses of wire can produce an E.  If you go to a guitar store and ask for an E-String they will look at you funny.

When you buy guitar strings, especially individually, you select it by type (steel) and thickness (in thousandths of an inch).   My Rep2 has a 0.4mm nozzle, which is 15.75 thousandths of an inch.  Rounding down (so I am sure the wire will fit) and I want to buy a string that is 15/1000ths.  

Looking at Guitar Center, I quickly found this:  http://www.guitarcenter.com/In-Store-Clearance-DADDARIO-PL015--015GA-SNGL-ELEC-STR-100090039-i2294509.gc

But there are probably another dozen strings of the same thickness that could work fine.  If I went to a brick and mortar store I would just ask the salesperson for a 15/1000th thick steel string-- and I'd be in and out of there in 5 minutes.

-David Kessner

[TobyCWood]

I don't know... I been buying strings for more then 30 years, When I say "E" they always know what I mean.

[DavidK]

Weird.  On a normally-tuned guitar there are two "E-Strings".  One of them is obviously the wrong one (usually 3+ mm in diameter).

-DK

[TobyCWood]

yeah... well...

Anyways... the SMALL E string works real well and I find if I hold it with the needle nose pliars close to the end and shove on the clog it will pop it out, but it's always best to warm it up first to soften the plastic.

[Jetguy]

"When I say "E" they always know what I mean."

Like in Wayne's World?

"I'd raise the bridge, file down the nut and take the buzz out of the low E".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k9P62cC-_c

[Sentinel-A1]

I notice you mentioned that you were compiling a Db for reference. I think this is an essential requirement and wrote about this in another recent post.  I have been  planning to assemble a cross referenced system with skeinforge settings where required and pictures.  I have arrived at the point where I need this because as I focus on new projects (not related to 3d printing) the interval between printing and solving problems gets longer, and so do the knowledge cobwebs.  I have to mitigate the risk of forgetting the subject matter as a result of turning my efforts to other projects:(  So I am looking to develop an interface and I happy to open it up to the community for contribution and use.  I would appreciate any material you can provide to help with the cause.

Cheers

[TobyCWood]

I built it in FilemakerPro 13. I maintain files for every object I make, print for a client or download. I have found that maintaining the settings is not all that useful. Rather I simply drop the files into container fields. Yes, the dB is large, but HDs are cheap now and it will be quite a while before i fill the 4TB HD I host it on. Also...  I recommend moving away from RepG. It is now fallow except for RepG for Sailfish and that is only maintained for supporting upgrades and settings. These days my favorite SW is Simplify3D. It's not free and at $140 not inexpensive... but worth EVERY penny. 

[Sentinel-A1]

I am actually using RepG with Sailfish.  Guess you mean you are dropping the STL & Gcode files in to the containers?  This is definitely worth doing for the sake of keeping a reliable record of work done.  With Simplify3D are you using Sailfish?
My first consideration though is a Db of cause/effect to help with trouble shooting and refining output.  This will certainly be online and will require mediation so that users can jion and add their experiences/wisdom with pics/dwgs/refs/ etc.
After I have kicked that off I would like to construct a workflow system which records the jobs and contains the related files as these are created - this will probably have to be localised but can be of a generalized nature to allow almost anyone to set it up for themselves - basically, at installation you point to your production/management tools and it does the necessary design/costing/management tasks.

[TobyCWood]

Sounds great! I keep all the files depending on how hard the item was to print. For example, when i manually insert supports I keep the "factory" file for Simplify3D as well as the other all the other files. If the object is real easy to print I simply keep the .stl. After only a few months i had so many files a dB was the only way to go. I could easily make the file accessible to FMGo as well as web browsers but Filemaker now charges per remote user. It works REAL good and it's incredibly powerful and interactive and what takes months with xml and sql takes hours,

[Sentinel-A1]

The site backend wil be MySQL so I will be able to migrate any data you wish to contribute.  I am currently determining what CMS/template will be best for this purpose.  Of course, I am doing this while juggling my day job and other family duties (like the rest of us) so hopefully it will not take too much longer.

[David Ballard]

5th Gen, things i've learned to make it work great! or How I learned to stop being let down by my 3k investment...

https://groups.google.com/d/topic/makerbot-users/FZlYOUOukeg/discussion

it's a little long, but very comprehensive- i hope this helps some folks out that are getting started!  GO PRINT!

dave

[tramalot]

acceptable you mean, 

[tramalot]

I put 3 44 290gr in it just for fun

skipe