Buying a 3D printer

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 07, 2021 9:17 am

Welcome to the Dark Side .......
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 07, 2021 9:39 am

I am not completely over on the dark side,I have yet to master Tinkercad, but I did manage to download some stl files for bogies and couplers into it from Thingaverse.
Once I master that, the universe (forget the galaxy) is mine.
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by -steves- » Thu Sep 09, 2021 9:16 am

You're going to love it. :thumbup:

Tinkercad is very simple is that most things are made up from a circle, a circle hole, a rectangle or a rectangle hole or a combination there of, there isn't much left after that. :thumbleft:
The buck stops here .......

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:37 pm

The Ender is nigh!!!
My printer has been dispatched and is in transit hopefully it will be before the weekend.
Then the question will fly thick and fast.
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:23 am

GAP wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:37 pm The Ender is nigh!!!
My printer has been dispatched and is in transit hopefully it will be before the weekend.
Then the question will fly thick and fast.
Only one (question)? ........
You'll be lucky. :? ;) :lol:

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:28 am

-steves- wrote: Thu Sep 09, 2021 9:16 am You're going to love it. :thumbup:

Tinkercad is very simple is that most things are made up from a circle, a circle hole, a rectangle or a rectangle hole or a combination there of, there isn't much left after that. :thumbleft:
The only shapes I've struggled to perfect are the fillets between boiler fittings (eg dome, chimney, safety valve) and boiler. I think they are easier in Fusion 360 ( but I've not yet got the hang of that)

Rik
PS - I'm going to remember this little trick when I next draw coach or loco roofs -
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:46 pm

ge_rik wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:23 am
GAP wrote: Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:37 pm The Ender is nigh!!!
My printer has been dispatched and is in transit hopefully it will be before the weekend.
Then the question will fly thick and fast.
Only one (question)? ........
You'll be lucky. :? ;) :lol:

Rik
Umm I think I was supposed to type questions there.
I have enough to fill a small note book already.
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 14, 2021 9:55 pm

ge_rik wrote: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:28 am
-steves- wrote: Thu Sep 09, 2021 9:16 am You're going to love it. :thumbup:

Tinkercad is very simple is that most things are made up from a circle, a circle hole, a rectangle or a rectangle hole or a combination there of, there isn't much left after that. :thumbleft:
The only shapes I've struggled to perfect are the fillets between boiler fittings (eg dome, chimney, safety valve) and boiler. I think they are easier in Fusion 360 ( but I've not yet got the hang of that)

Rik
PS - I'm going to remember this little trick when I next draw coach or loco roofs -
That is great, must have a go when the printer arrives.
So many things to play with and call it a learning curve.
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:48 am

The Ender has come!!!

I have finally taken delivery of an Ender 3 V2, I had to wait till stocks arrived to fill my pre order.

I am slowly assembling it and should be up and running next week, if life would just stop getting in the road.

My first prints will probably some LGB type bogies, I found some stl files on Thingaverse, to replace the home made ones I have on 6 wagons at present.

I am thinking of using ABS filament.

Does anybody know what type of filament comes in the box with the printer?
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by -steves- » Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:12 pm

GAP wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:48 am The Ender has come!!!

I have finally taken delivery of an Ender 3 V2, I had to wait till stocks arrived to fill my pre order.

I am slowly assembling it and should be up and running next week, if life would just stop getting in the road.

My first prints will probably some LGB type bogies, I found some stl files on Thingaverse, to replace the home made ones I have on 6 wagons at present.

I am thinking of using ABS filament.

Does anybody know what type of filament comes in the box with the printer?
It is standard PLA in the box. As you have an Ender 3, it is not enclosed and you may have issues printing with ABS. Trevor on here loves the stuff but that isn't the case for most of us, it is a bit of a black art to print with ABS, especially for first prints. I would go with the PLA to start and see how you get on and then decide. Just my point of view :thumbup:
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:05 am

Well the Ender was assembled and the Z axis limit and bed levelling carried out; Pass sort of,
Next came the loading of the Creality slicer to my laptop; Fail (Did work on another one)
Then came the loading of the filament and getting it to flow through the nozzle; Fail (Nozzle was blocked, got that cleared)
Up next was to do the test print of the dog file that is on the SD Card; Fail (filament does not stick to the bed and all I end up with is a load of string).

At the moment the printer is in the shed being ignored till I figure out what I have done wrong (troubleshooting chart in the manual is of no help).
Any ideas/suggestions listened to.
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by philipy » Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:29 am

GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:05 am
Up next was to do the test print of the dog file that is on the SD Card; Fail (filament does not stick to the bed and all I end up with is a load of string).
First thing to check is the nozzle height above the bed. If the gap is too big, you end up with exactly what you've described ( we've all been there, done that...wanna buy a T-shirt? :lol: ).

2ndly, I don't know specifically on Enders, but have you got warming on for the build plate? It is often said that PLA doesn't need a heated bed but I've found a temp of 60 deg for the first layer and drop to 50 deg for the rest of the print helps good adhesion.

Third thing is that you could try Pritt Stick, smeared on the bed. I don't personally like doing it although it does help. The reason I don't like it is that over time it builds up and you get a very rough print surface.
Philip

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:01 am

I agree with everything Philip has suggested.

Bed-levelling is an acquired skill and takes a few goes to get it right. Does Ender suggest using a sheet of paper to act as a feeler gauge between the nozzle and the bed? Getting that right can take a few goes - as you adjust one screw you find it has altered another you have already done and so you may need to go around each of them two or three times making fine adjustments.

The Pritt layer only works if you are printing directly on to a glass bed. Does the Ender come with a removable magnetic mat? They're supposed to be very good for the first 50 or so prints and then begin to lose their effectiveness and so you may then end up printing directly on to the glass. I don't think Pritt will work on top of the mat, but others may correct me.

I remove each old layer of Pritt with a wide chisel before putting on a new layer. This avoids the build-up of Pritt but does add another chore to the printing process (and can create a lot of dust which I then Hoover away).

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:29 am

philipy wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:29 am
GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 3:05 am
Up next was to do the test print of the dog file that is on the SD Card; Fail (filament does not stick to the bed and all I end up with is a load of string).
First thing to check is the nozzle height above the bed. If the gap is too big, you end up with exactly what you've described ( we've all been there, done that...wanna buy a T-shirt? :lol: ).

2ndly, I don't know specifically on Enders, but have you got warming on for the build plate? It is often said that PLA doesn't need a heated bed but I've found a temp of 60 deg for the first layer and drop to 50 deg for the rest of the print helps good adhesion.

Third thing is that you could try Pritt Stick, smeared on the bed. I don't personally like doing it although it does help. The reason I don't like it is that over time it builds up and you get a very rough print surface.
Phil and Rik
Z axis end stop was adjusted 3 times so nozzle was about 1mm above plate.
The "leveling" with the printer paper was done at least 10 times, I spent nearly 2 hours trying to get a print started.
The bed was preheated to 60C with nozzle at 200C, a setting in the Ender "prepare" menu
The bed seems to be closer than 1mm to the plate.
If I adjust one side of the plate till it is "just right" when I move over to the other side the nozzle hits the plate till I adjust the opposite side, the same for the front to back adjustment.
I just go round and round and adjust each one in turn over and over as any change of one screw throws out all the others.
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by Trevor Thompson » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:28 am

-steves- wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:12 pm
GAP wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:48 am The Ender has come!!!

I have finally taken delivery of an Ender 3 V2, I had to wait till stocks arrived to fill my pre order.

I am slowly assembling it and should be up and running next week, if life would just stop getting in the road.

My first prints will probably some LGB type bogies, I found some stl files on Thingaverse, to replace the home made ones I have on 6 wagons at present.

I am thinking of using ABS filament.

Does anybody know what type of filament comes in the box with the printer?
It is standard PLA in the box. As you have an Ender 3, it is not enclosed and you may have issues printing with ABS. Trevor on here loves the stuff but that isn't the case for most of us, it is a bit of a black art to print with ABS, especially for first prints. I would go with the PLA to start and see how you get on and then decide. Just my point of view :thumbup:
I don't know anything about types of printer other than the one I have. But printing with ABS requires specific conditions: bed plate heated to 100 degrees C, extruder at 230 degrees, and a FULLY enclosed build area. I suggest that the printer you have is not suitable for printing ABS.

Trevor

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by ge_rik » Tue Sep 21, 2021 10:59 am

1mm seems a very large gap to me - the height should be no more than the thickness of a sheet of paper.
I'm sure you've probably already tried this but there are a few videos on YouTube about bed levelling specific to the Ender 3 - eg - https://youtu.be/_EfWVUJjBdA
This chap seems to know what he's talking about.

It does sound as if you're having more of a problem than should normally be the case. Once the bed has been levelled, it does get easier - I promise... :lol:
If you're still running into problems I could pop round to see my mate who has an Ender 3 to see if he has any specific advice.

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by philipy » Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:30 am

GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:29 am
Z axis end stop was adjusted 3 times so nozzle was about 1mm above plate.
The "leveling" with the printer paper was done at least 10 times, I spent nearly 2 hours trying to get a print started.
I think there is your problem. My m/c (Qidi) came with a thin piece of plastic on which is printed "Levelling paper". I've just checked with micrometer and it is 0.25mm thick, so your 1mm sounds very much too high. For reference a piece of Tesco best printer paper came in at 0.11mm. The major cause of print problems I've found, is getting that gap right. Too big and you get spaghetti, too small and it smears and even drags the nozzle on the bed.
GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:29 am The bed was preheated to 60C with nozzle at 200C, a setting in the Ender "prepare" menu
Thats sounds fine for PLA in my experience.
GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:29 am The bed seems to be closer than 1mm to the plate.
As I've said above, but you need to know what it is. Find a piece of 0.25mm plasticard and use that.
GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 8:29 am If I adjust one side of the plate till it is "just right" when I move over to the other side the nozzle hits the plate till I adjust the opposite side, the same for the front to back adjustment.
I just go round and round and adjust each one in turn over and over as any change of one screw throws out all the others.
I think there was some discussion of this a couple of weeks back. If memory serves, you have 4 levelling screws on the Ender? I only have 3, which brings its own problems but they are different to a 4 screw version, so I can't really suggest the best way to tackle it.
Philip

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by GAP » Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:14 pm

Trevor Thompson wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:28 am
-steves- wrote: Mon Sep 20, 2021 1:12 pm
GAP wrote: Fri Sep 17, 2021 6:48 am The Ender has come!!!

I have finally taken delivery of an Ender 3 V2, I had to wait till stocks arrived to fill my pre order.

I am slowly assembling it and should be up and running next week, if life would just stop getting in the road.

My first prints will probably some LGB type bogies, I found some stl files on Thingaverse, to replace the home made ones I have on 6 wagons at present.

I am thinking of using ABS filament.

Does anybody know what type of filament comes in the box with the printer?
It is standard PLA in the box. As you have an Ender 3, it is not enclosed and you may have issues printing with ABS. Trevor on here loves the stuff but that isn't the case for most of us, it is a bit of a black art to print with ABS, especially for first prints. I would go with the PLA to start and see how you get on and then decide. Just my point of view :thumbup:
I don't know anything about types of printer other than the one I have. But printing with ABS requires specific conditions: bed plate heated to 100 degrees C, extruder at 230 degrees, and a FULLY enclosed build area. I suggest that the printer you have is not suitable for printing ABS.

Trevor
There are 2 preheat settings on the Ender3 V2 PLA and ABS which is why I am looking at ABS
Graeme
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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by -steves- » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:24 pm

GAP wrote: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:14 pm
There are 2 preheat settings on the Ender3 V2 PLA and ABS which is why I am looking at ABS
Yes it has the preheat settings, as does my Ender 5 and my Ender 6 (the 6 is a mainly enclosed printer) but I still wouldn't go with ABS as they are not FULLY enclosed. Just stick with PLA or PLA+ for now (I always use PLA+) and if you want more, then try PETG and see how you get on with that.

As mentioned, the first layer height is absolutely critical for everything.
The buck stops here .......

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Re: Buying a 3D printer

Post by -steves- » Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:29 pm

Also it can be worth winding the levelling screws down tighter before you do the levelling as the board can move otherwise.

Never had an Ender 3 myself, but I am assuming you have to set the Z offset like the Ender 5 and then save the settings?
The buck stops here .......

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