New 3D Printer. . . Have no clue what to do.

[ddmckee54]

One of the first things I did when I started 3D modedling/printing was I drew up a 20x20x20mm cube then projected an X, Y, and Z onto the appropriate faces. Comes in handy if you think you've got problems with one of the printer's axis.

Along with the spare parts list that Foozer suggested if you got a cheap an inexpensive 3D printer, I would suggest getting new linear bearings. My first printer was an in-expensive (AT THE TIME) Prusa I3 clone kit, within 1-2 months it was making a HELLUVA racket when it moved. At that time you could buy 100 LM8's on Ebay for $50 - I didn't get those. I went for the more expensive version, figuring that you get what you pay for. The printer went from making a lot of grinding noises when it moved to almost silent - the steppers still sing to you.

 

[skyline1]

One of the first things I did when I started 3D modedling/printing was I drew up a 20x20x20mm cube

An ideal first thing to print, It is also an ideal CAD intro or there are plenty of them on thingiverse Thingiverse - Digital Designs for Physical Objects if you haven't got started with CAD yet.

Along with the spare parts list that Foozer suggested if you got a cheap an inexpensive 3D printer, I would suggest getting new linear bearings

Yes a set of good quality, named brand bearings are a good investment, The cheap no-name Chinese ones do wear fairly fast. I think my smaller printer is probably similar to yours and mine too started to get a bit loose and rattly after about 6 months.

keeping a spare extruder grip pinion among the spares is a good idea too (that might not be right name for it but it's the little toothed wheel that actually drives the filament forward)

the steppers still sing to you.

That's another part of the fascination, they make the most intriguing, musical, noises. It is like the soundtrack to some weird Sci-Fi film. I found that quite quickly I could tell pretty much what my printer was doing by sound alone.

Best Regards Mark

 

[ddmckee54]

Changing the nozzle - You will need to know how to do this without getting leaks. (Trust me, a leaking hot-end is not a pretty sight.)

I picked up this trick for installing a nozzle from YouTube years ago when I started printing. I wish I could give the original poster the credit he deserves. Since I started following this procedure I have changed many nozzles and have NEVER had a leaker. The same guy that did the video for burning out a plugged nozzle to clean it, also did the nozzle installation video.

1) When changing the nozzle I start with the bare hot-block and run the nozzle all the way in, finger-tight only.
2) Now, loosen the nozzle 1 flat.
3) Install the heat-break and run it all the way in, finger-tight only.
4) NOW get out your wrenches and tighten the nozzle. I normally use a 1/4" drive socket and ratchet on the nozzle and hold the hot-block with a 6" Crescent wrench. That combination gives me more than enough torque to tighten things up, and keeps me from exceeding the 1/4 turn before it breaks torque specification for the nozzle.

That's it, no magic involved and it took longer to explain this than it does to actually do the work.

 

[awake]

The key thing to remember when changing a nozzle is that the way the components fit together when cold is not the same as the way they will fit when hot - thus most instructions call for changing the nozzle at printing temperature. Which can be a fun way to get burns ...

 

[ddmckee54]

Andy:

I dis-like getting burned so I do my nozzle changes cold. Or at least cool enough that I don't need to wear gloves to protect my tender pinkies. Handling small metal bits at 200-ish°C is not my idea of fun.

The techinique I described works when cold, and the different rates of thermal expansion between the hot-block, the nozzle and the heat-break hasn't ripped the threads out of the hot-block - yet.

Don

 

[awake]

The issue I've had when trying to change the nozzle cold is not that the parts get too tight when they are hot ... but rather that what was tight when cold becomes loose when hot. Not sure if that is a function of the type of hot end, but its the reason I have had to go back to hot changes, despite burnt fingers!

 

[stevehuckss396]

I think my biggest problem right now is getting the part to stick to the plate of glass. I set the head height, have the plate leveled in, and some things go well and others not so well. I'm printing ABS at 240c degree on a 195c degree surface. Printer is also in a tent.

 

[awake]

With ABS, I found success by making a thin "wash" - dissolve a bit of ABS in some acetone, then paint it on. It should barely look like there is anything there, but it will make all the difference in whether / how well it sticks.

I haven't printed with ABS in some years, but I was getting consistent successful results with the wash, with my plate set to 100°C. (I am astonished you can get your plate to 195° - but I'm thinking this is way too hot, especially with an enclosure!)

 

[stevehuckss396]

Yes I fat fingered the keyboard. I meant 95c

 

[awake]

Whew! That sounds better. If you haven't tried the dilute-ABS wash, give it a try.

 

[Foozer]

ABS? That's Brave . . .
Never printed the Benchy - Done the PID tuning [temp now stays +/- .5 degree - Calibrated the Extruder Steps [way off out of the box]
So why not a Benchy . . . Matterhackers MH Build. Have tried other stuff - - Just have to pick one and i like that stuff, prints well. For an Ender 3 Benchy looks fine - Good enough for the dinking around I do...
The PETG prints ok, higher temp 20 hour prints gets a tad hard on the bowden tube sitting in the hotend.
Here's a Benchy . . . Two - Now one going at 3X for the Brides nicnak shelf [ She thinks it's Cute] Oh Boy . . .

 

[michael-au]

Cura works good for creating the g-code, you can use fusion360 to creat the stl files

Load the stl files in to cura

 

[awake]

ABS? That's Brave . . .
Never printed the Benchy - Done the PID tuning [temp now stays +/- .5 degree - Calibrated the Extruder Steps [way off out of the box]
So why not a Benchy . . . Matterhackers MH Build. Have tried other stuff - - Just have to pick one and i like that stuff, prints well. For an Ender 3 Benchy looks fine - Good enough for the dinking around I do...
The PETG prints ok, higher temp 20 hour prints gets a tad hard on the bowden tube sitting in the hotend.
Here's a Benchy . . . Two - Now one going at 3X for the Brides nicnak shelf [ She thinks it's Cute] Oh Boy . . .

Looks like great results! Oddly, I never have gotten around to printing a Benchy ... I suppose I ought to, to see how my home-made printer stacks up. But part of the reason I haven't ever gotten around to it is that my printer "just works" - I use it regularly for all sorts of purposes, and get good, strong, accurate results. I think I'm afraid that if the Benchy comes out significantly less than perfect, the printer will stop "just working."

 

[ddmckee54]

Andy:

I've heard that mathmatically the bumblebee isn't supposed to be able to fly either, but it doesn't know that so it just keeps flying. There's something to the saying "Ignorance is bliss", keep your printer ignorant and keep it printing.

Don

 

[awake]

Andy:

I've heard that mathmatically the bumblebee isn't supposed to be able to fly either, but it doesn't know that so it just keeps flying. There's something to the saying "Ignorance is bliss", keep your printer ignorant and keep it printing.

Don

Exactly. As someone who grew up with the Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote, I am a firm believer that what you don't know can't hurt you. (For those of you missing the deeply meaningful cultural reference ... there were a series of cartoons where the coyote tried to catch the roadrunner with ever-increasingly dubious schemes. Somewhere along the way, the coyote would wind up standing in mid-air, scratching his head ... until the roadrunner pointed down; the coyote looked; and only when he realized he should be falling, did he fall. Ah, the classics ...)

 

[ddmckee54]

Ah, the classics ...)

A fellow Looney Tunes fan... My wife nicknamed our first dog George. Remember the line "I'm gonna hug him and squeeze hin and call him George?"

 

[Eccentric]

Here are a few ideas for using the 3D printer in the home machine shop. Sorry about the crappy audio, I'm still trying to figure this Youtube thing out.