My Flashforge Printer Journey.

[FWLR]

I found it Simon. What do you mean "auto supports" I have done all three of my prints with them mate.
Is it the thickish base. They do seem really thick compared to what I have sent me by Rik with his Beam engine print..

[SimonWood]

I found it Simon. What do you mean "auto supports" I have done all three of my prints with them mate.
Is it the thickish base. They do seem really thick compared to what I have sent me by Rik with his Beam engine print..

The 'base' that it prints on is called a raft. The Adventurer 3 is designed to print a raft rather than levelling the build plate. Supports are for any part of a print that 'overhangs'. The printer can't print onto air - so it can print something vertical, or something that eases outwards at up to about 45 degrees. Anything more than that it will want supports which it prints to give something for the overhang to print on top of, but which can then be discarded afterwards. Flashprint offers 'linear' or 'treelike' supports, and can automatically add them or you can do it manually. (I find it useful to get it to add them automatically and then delete the ones I think aren't necessary.) Have a play with the settings - what I did was take a particular model and print it a few times with different configurations.

[Trevor Thompson]

Downloading flashprint.

When you try to download it you should get a warning that it is from an unknown source as you say. That warning should also have a link to go to settings where you can temporarily override the safety feature which stops it downloading.

It will then instal flashprint.

Simon i more of an expert with a Mac than I am so I will let him follow up on this advice.

Trevor

[SimonWood]

This should be a direct download to the Mac version of Flashprint 4.5.1. It's not the latest version, but it's the latest I could find on their website!

The issue you are having, Rod, does not sound like what Trevor is describing, because it with Safari not macOS. But if you have the issue Trevor describes, right click on the app in Finder, and choose open. It will then give you the warning he describes but with an option to open it anyway - you may have to put your password in to authorise it (this all depends on your Gatekeeper settings).

[FWLR]

Thanks Simon, I did get to load that version. It still came up with this...

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So I went to finder and opened it and it put the install pop up onto my screen. Loaded it and it worked....Weird why it wouldn't load earlier. Oh well, I have it now.

I have printed off the barrel, but it had an awful lot of filament on the bottom of it. So I loaded it again and put some linear supports on it. I got this....

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Why is there supports on the side of the print.

[FWLR]

This is the settings for the supports. No idea if this is correct though.

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[SimonWood]

Supports on the side are for the bands round the barrel. In my opinion they are unnecessary.

Those don't look like the default support options. Maybe hit "restore defaults"? Mine are 55 deg overhand threshold and 1.5mm pillar size, 'touch platform only' unchecked.

[FWLR]

I have put the same in has you have Simon and there are more now. Is that correct.

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I don't see why there needs to be supports around the side of the barrel though..

[FWLR]

Can those be deleted.

[SimonWood]

You've now got the same support settings as me.

Personally, I would print the barrel without any supports. But that's only through my own experimentation. As I say, I'd try things out - expect a (good!) few failures and appreciate them as learning opportunities!

I wonder if your barrel is on the bed?

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Click on "Move" twice and a pop up for 'Set Position' will come up. The Z position should be 0. A quick way to ensure this is to hit the 'On Platform' button.

[FWLR]

I have printed it has is in the file Simon and it came out with a huge 2mm thick raft.

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I will need to use my Dremel type tool to take if off and for me it's a lot of waste isn't it Simon.

[Trevor Thompson]

Couple of points

Simon is right about the supports. I was just trying to get the basics across.

You won't need to use a power tool to get the raft off. It should just peel off in your hands. If it doesn't run a knife blade down the join between barrel and raft CAREFULLY.

The raft shouldn't be looked at as waste. It is an essential part of the way this printer works. When you have more experience try without it - but for now just accept it.

S{lease stop worrying about waste - you will make plenty of waste if you try to eliminate it.

If it is difficult to separate the barrel from the raft you can lift the barrel off the bed by 1 mm, add supports and print. With supports at the default setting you should get no supports up the sides - just underneath the barrel. Any bits of support left after separating the barrel can be sanded away.

Trevor

[Trevor Thompson]

Regarding the comment about the platform face, and how to make it fit on the bed.

Try turning it through 45 degrees so it lies diagonally across the bed. It looks like it might just fit.

Trevor

[SimonWood]

Yup, that's normal. I find I can usually snap them off with my fingers, though.

It is a lot of waste and you can try printing without one - but as Trevor mentioned elsewhere, because that increases the chances of a print failing, it will very probably actually increase the amount of filament wasted!

EDIT: Posts-crossed - point already made!

[FWLR]

Thanks Trevor and Simon. It's just I don't want to make an all mighty cockup...

[SimonWood]

Regarding the comment about the platform face, and how to make it fit on the bed.

Try turning it through 45 degrees so it lies diagonally across the bed. It looks like it might just fit.

Trevor

I can't get it to fit even at 45 degrees. I'd be tempted to use the cut tool in Flashprint to cut it into two blocks of 5 and then use the move tool place them parallel to each other within the bed area.

[Trevor Thompson]

Iv just tried it it won't quite fit.

I will ask Philip for the sketchup file and modify all three so they fit on our printer beds.

Just give me a little time to get the file modify it and send it to you.

Trevor

[Trevor Thompson]

Yes Simon

That is the way to do it - I wasn't thinking straight.

Are you going to post how to do that or shall I?

Trevor

[Trevor Thompson]

Follow this sequence:

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Trevor

[FWLR]

Don't know why I was worrying about the rafts.

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Three of the 5 prints I have done. The rafts came off just by looking at them, they didn't really, just a little bit of pressure and off they came. Brilliant.