The 3D Printer Thread

[AlwynTurner]

Great news Rob, I'm pleased you managed to sort it out and I could tell you were getting very teed off with it. What was the setup problem just out of interest? I'm totally impressed with the print speed, it looks much quicker than your old model.

Happy printing!

Alwyn

[wibblywobbly]

On a normal Cartesian printer you basically switch it on, set up the Z height and you are away. The manufacturer supplies the firmware already configured for the printer.

With this one, they supply firmware, but it isn't for this printer, they copied it from another manufacturer, and didn't change it to run on theirs. The instructions that tell you how to configure it are not only wrong in several places, they refer to firmware code that doesn't exist, and omit the most fundamental parts altogether. There is no way of setting one of these up without trawling the web, asking questions, reading numerous sites and blogs and piecing together the info that you need for this machine. There is a mammoth 50 page thread on one forum where owners swap suggestions.

The huge difference between the two types of printer is that this one has three towers, and those arms all control the central plate with the hotend. The printer firmware needs to be set up with a ton of information and measurements so that the arms move the correct distances, and that the plate stays horizontal with the bed at all times. Then it has to know where the bed is and whether it is level, the radius etc etc. All of this info has to work together or none of it functions correctly. They may look whizzy, but the Cartesian printers are way easier to set up.

I spent weeks searching, and never found the 100% answers in one place, it was by reading endless how to's for other machines, and learning what was what that enabled me to eventually figure who was talking crap and who was talking sense. The problem with geeky types is that they have immense knowledge, but no idea about how to pass on that knowledge so that someone else can understand what they are describing, they always assume that the reader knows more than they actually do, and miss out vital parts of the instructions.

The difference in speed isn't due to the printer, in the video the Delta machine is running at 122% to see how well it prints quickly, the Smartrap is running at 50% as I was trying to get a quality print job done on the side vents for the Comet. One thing that I have done more by accident than design, is to build the frame straight, if that was off then the whole thing becomes a nightmare.

[AlwynTurner]

Thanks Rob, that explains the speed difference. It sounds as though your new printer is not for the faint of heart!
Glad you got it sorted though.
Alwyn

[wibblywobbly]

For anyone who has heard discussions on PLA and ABS when people are chatting about 3D printers, I came across this item that is probably the best explanation I have seen. As to odour, I suspect that manufacturing has changed over the last couple of years. When I started out there was a light sugary odour from printing PLA, but I am now sat all day with a printer running 2ft away and there is no smell at all.

http://www.protoparadigm.com/news-updat ... -printing/

[AlwynTurner]

I print ABS and really there is a very faint smell but not immediately noticeable, mind you I have an enclosed cabinet to maintain a constant temperature which also reduces noise and smell and improves the print quality.

Alwyn

[wibblywobbly]

Alwyn, those bed levelling gizmo's that you use...do they detect glass, or do they only work on metallic surfaces?

[AlwynTurner]

I'll have to check that Rob. I'll do a test tomorrow and let you know.

Cheers
Alwyn

[AlwynTurner]

Checked it and it only responds to metal, not glass.
If you want to go the sensor route here's an aluminium print bed

or this


Regards
Alwyn

[wibblywobbly]

I've got an aluminium bed but don't need it with PLA, so I use a glass one and hairspray. I am just looking for neater solutions to the bed sensor on the printer. I may have to see if I can install one similar to what I have on the other one, which works on a light beam sensor.

[wibblywobbly]

Some people just make me want to weep.....

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