My Flashforge Printer Journey.

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SimonWood
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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:49 pm

Trevor Thompson wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 2:16 pm When mine is about to run out I try to be around and see that there are but a couple of turns on the reel. I then follow the change filament routine to take the last bit of filament out and load a new reel.
How can you tell when it's about to run out of filament? I find it very hard to judge... Finished my first spool of ABS yesterday, it ran out during a print. (Thankfully it hadn't got beyond the raft...) I still have some of the PLA that came with the machine left, though... but I'm not sure how to judge how big a print I could use it for, short of unspooling it and measuring!

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by Trevor Thompson » Mon Jan 04, 2021 5:59 pm

Well its a bit hit and miss.

I have unreeled the filament and measured how much was left in the past. That isn't easy because its longer than you think. Obviously the slicing software tells you how many meters a model will use. When it looks like there are only a few layers on the spool there are 2 choices.

Print something small knowing there is sufficient filament to handle that model.

or just keep an eye on it until there are just 2 or three turns left on the spool. It is a bit of a faff and easy to get sidetracked thinking about something else, and then of course its too late.

I just try to pay attention to it!

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:06 am

Thanks guys. It's got a bit on it yet ( I think ) well it looks like it has. Like Trevor says, it's really hard to know and that's my worse fear, well it's not a fear is it really, just like Simon has said, if it runs out during a print but it's gone further than the raft would be most annoying. So I guess it's loose a bit of filament to be safe.

Can I ask what nozzle you have bought for your filament Trevor and Simon, and what size. I can't remember what size comes with the machine.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:52 am

FWLR wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:06 am Can I ask what nozzle you have bought for your filament Trevor and Simon, and what size. I can't remember what size comes with the machine.
0.4mm Rod - that's the same as what comes with the machine. I've not tried the 0.3mm nozzle.

It may be listed as "improved version" though that seems to be the only version available - the original version suffered from 'heat creep' causing blockages with PLA at high temperatures.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Tue Jan 05, 2021 8:54 am

Have you bought one Simon and from where if you have. :thumbright:

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:06 am

Yes, from a company called Box via Amazon - but they are currently out of stock.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:36 am

Flipping heck they are a bit expensive aren't they. I thought they would just be like most of the others you see on Amazon. Small brass nozzles with are screwed in. Still if that's what is needed one has to pay for them. :thumbright:

Hopefully I won't get many or any blockages :roll: :roll:


Also what do you guys use to clean the bed. I have Isopropanol in a large bottle I use for cleaning my brushes and paint pots. Is that ok to use... :?:

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by Trevor Thompson » Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:32 am

The extruder unit for this printer isn't just the nozzle - which is the cheap brass bit. Its the whole extruder with heating element feedback thermistor and perhaps other bits. It is easy to replace - you just press a button and it pops out. That is why it costs about Β£25. I have replaced one - but it was linked to changing filament type. I don't expect to change another soon - but I have 2 of them as spares. I am mindful that it might not always be possible to get spares, and they are cheaper if you get them from china or hong kong direct - and wait 4 weeks for them to arrive.

Cleaning the bed is important. Particularly if you are printing using the outer edges of the bed. small components which just use the middle don't seem to be so sensitive to the bed being clean. If a large print lifts at the ends then clean the bed.

Firstly I clean the bed with an alcohol soaked piece of kitchen towel. Well not soaked but enough on it to wet the bed as I rub it over the bed.
Eventually that will not have the desired effect. Then I use acetone in the same way. Bear in mind I am using ABS, and acetone is the solvent for it - so you may have to choose a solvent for PLA. Limonene is the solvent you will need. I understand it is used in the catering trade as a cleaning agent.

If I really have a problem I use acetone with ABS disolved in ti in the same way again - but this leaves a thin film of ABS on the bed. ABS sticks like ..... on that! So be careful if going this far, you will then have difficulty getting the model off the bed. Or at least if you use a raft the model comes off the raft easily enough - but getting the raft off the bed is another issue.

In the end you will need a new flexible bed plate. Again can be had from China etc for about Β£15. I am on the third. You can buy replacement build plate film, from uk sources for around Β£10. Look to make sure it is 3M branded. They are not easy to use. You need to get the original film off - and clean the plastic bed thoroughly. Then you need to fit the sticky film on WITHOUT getting air bubbles trapped underneath. It took me two of these before I got it right. It is successful - so don't throw a used flexible bed away.

I suppose I should say that I ruined 2 of these bed plates by being too generous with the ABS acetone mixture - so much so that getting rafts off removed pieces of film from the plate. That is why I urge caution in using extreme efforts to achieve bed plate adhesion!

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by philipy » Tue Jan 05, 2021 10:49 am

If you want to use Limonene, be careful
Although not toxic or carcinogenic, and is found as a flavouring in many foods, in its concentrated form it isn't very nice. Also, care must be taken with disposal, don't just pour it down the drain for example.

"Material may be irritating to the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract.
May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption.
May cause an allergic skin reaction.
May cause eye or respiratory system irritation.
Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects."
Philip

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Tue Jan 05, 2021 11:46 am

For what it's worth, despite my printer being in quite a cold environment (and bed adhesion being a serious problem for ABS) I have relatively little issue with PLA adhering. I just clean with 99% IPA after every print or two.

I haven't tried the acetone approach described by Trevor, partly because it won't cure the cracking issue (I need a warmer environment - roll on the spring!) and partly because I am mostly printing with PLA at the moment.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:07 am

Thanks Trevor, Phillip and Simon.

I am using PLA for the moment, so I think a new nozzle will have to wait I think. Hopefully I don't get any foul ups in the meantime.

I know that a clean bed is very important and the issues of sticking or uneven prints can be one of the main reasons builds come out wrong. I will use a weak solution of the Isopropanol, meaning very little on a towel.

I have now also nearly come to the end of the reel of PLA filament that came with my machine, about 8 turns left on it. My question is, how do I now take that off. ?The loading is pretty easy, I have a new reel ready and waiting to be used up... :lol: :lol:

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Wed Jan 06, 2021 2:05 pm

FWLR wrote: ↑Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:07 am I know that a clean bed is very important and the issues of sticking or uneven prints can be one of the main reasons builds come out wrong. I will use a weak solution of the Isopropanol, meaning very little on a towel.
For what it's worth I use 99.9% IPA in relatively generous quantity.
I have now also nearly come to the end of the reel of PLA filament that came with my machine, about 8 turns left on it. My question is, how do I now take that off. ?The loading is pretty easy, I have a new reel ready and waiting to be used up... :lol: :lol:
Using the touchscreen on the printer, choose 'Filament' and then 'Change'. On screen instructions will guide you through it but the process is essentially - the extruder is heated and the machine then automatically withdraws the filament. Once this is done it will instruct you to remove the spool, replace it with the new one, and once that is fed in tap on 'OK'. It will then feed in the new one - and same process as before, you hit 'ok' once the new filament starts extruding.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by -steves- » Wed Jan 06, 2021 6:20 pm

If adhesion is an issue with PLA there is a very simple solution. Forget cleaning the bed, I only clean mine after about 20 prints or when it gets toorough, then I have to dirty it up for the first print or it will lift. I use Pritt Stick (well Tesco equivalent) on the bed, just a very thin layer, (after layer one) then it sticks like you won't believe. I also use this method on my little MonoPrice printer and I really struggle to get the prints off it as it isn't a magnetic flexible base, but at least I don't get any warpage these days :thumbup: Many people use this, I read it online and it was the most used adhesion method I found.
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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Thu Jan 07, 2021 6:58 am

Thanks Simon, on looking at the screen I saw the change filament screen and did it exactly how you described it.

I haven't needed to clean the bed yet Steve, I was just asking about it. But it's good to know that even experienced 3d users need some sort of a cleaning regime and the Pritt stick is mentioned a lot online has you say.

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:31 am

I have done lots of prints on my machine, some which have turned out good and some disasters. But I have soldered on and I have now got a little bit better, only just mind, with doing some programming with TinkerCad. I still need to master the gate and I need some hinges for it, so with that in mind I thought it would be good idea to try and make a hinge. The one that ge_rik has done on is blog shows you how to do it. Thank you Rik, you have been so patient with me. I do encourage you to play with TinkerCad, it is a brilliant bit of software and though it may have it's limitations, I really wouldn't know yet if it has, by playing around and using it you can do a lot with it, some great and some not so great. I am done some fairly average things with it. Like a couple of paint pot holders. I don't know about you, but when I use my paints, the pots I use are not really that suitable with them either being too big or too small and not very stable.
So I tried various things with TinkerCad and these are what I did with them.

I first started with these to see what different setting came out. The first one is on the left. The photos are not the best I have done sorry. It came out with a thin wall and lots of flats on it. I looked at the setting on TinkerCad and realised that there was the individual setting, so I made the wall thicker and with less flats.
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The next photo is a group of 4 different print settings.
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The bottom right is the setting I ended up using for the print.

Then I needed to get the inside diameter for two of the paints pot sizes I use the most, which is pretty straight forward when you find out what the outside diameter of each paint pots and then the thickness of the wall and add that on.

This is what I have now got.
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Has you can see they still have the rafts on which aids with the stability of the pots. I did try one with out any raft and it just came off the printer just by the slightest touch..So I ended up with just a ring.

It's not a problem, I can always find a use for it... :roll: :roll:
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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:46 am

I now also have an hinge of sorts. I did try doing Rik's which he has put on the forum, but it turned out somewhat wrong. It was probably my fault with the understanding of the setting, but the rivets came out with very sharp points at the top, I know that's me :error: stupid....It also was a tad thin, so I played around again and this is what I have now. There is only one rivet on either side of the hinge plate, but that can be altered. The main thing is I have managed to print a hinge...

There is a decency warning with the first photo, it's just the way it printed..... :imsorry



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The second photo shows the one on the left, which is what I have come up with and the one on the right is Rik's setting, or my interpretation of it, sorry Rik.
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Again on Rik's also, one of the rivets came off really easy, I guess though that is because I didn't have it on the main body of the print.


Anyway onwards and upwards, hopefully. :thumbright:

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by ge_rik » Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:47 pm

No problem Rod
Happy that you are using my tutorial and branching out on your own

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Wed Jan 13, 2021 7:52 am

It's a bit more than achallage for me Rik, but with help from yourself and others on the forum I am making some progress, all be it slow....... :roll:

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by FWLR » Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:05 am

I did get to print the Bike also Boris. Although two problems arose from them. Firstly, the original small scale print I did put supports and they were a bit of a pain to take off. 2nd, I scaled it up to 140% and it was a lot better, but the handlebars and one of the foot pedals were a bit thin, the pedal actually broke off. Also it printed with two rafts on the bike wheels, which helped with getting the print off the bed and I kept one on to aid with it standing up.

Maybe the handlebars need to have supports, so I will try it again with the supports on, although is the a way of just having supports where you need them and not covering all of the print :?:

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Close up, they do look a bit rough, well a lot. But from a distance they look ok. I don't know how much it cost to print them, I only used about 1 meter of filament and it took about 45 minutes approximately.

I forgot to write down the time and material used.... :imsorry

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Re: My Flashforge Printer Journey.

Post by SimonWood » Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:01 am

FWLR wrote: ↑Wed Jan 13, 2021 8:05 am Maybe the handlebars need to have supports, so I will try it again with the supports on, although is the a way of just having supports where you need them and not covering all of the print :?:
2 options for this in Flashprint that I'm aware of:

Put supports in manually by going into 'supports' and instead of clicking on the "A" for Auto Supports (at the top) use the '+' for Add (on the left) to add individual supports - once you have selected this you can click on your model wherever you want to add supports.

Put supports in automatically in the usual way, then use the 'x' for Delete (on the left) to remove individual supports - once you have this selected then any supports you click on will be removed.

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