3D printers are great tools for creating custom objects, but they can be finicky. One of the most common problems that 3D printer users encounter is a clogged nozzle. A clogged nozzle can prevent the printer from extruding filament properly, which can lead to poor print quality or even failed prints. However, cleaning clogged nozzles is relatively simple.

Causes of Clogged Nozzles

There are a number of things that can cause a 3D printer nozzle to clog. Some of the most common causes include:

• Using the wrong type of filament. Some filaments are more prone to clogging than others.
• Printing at too high of a temperature. This can cause the filament to melt and solidify inside the nozzle, blocking the flow.
• Printing with a dirty nozzle. Over time, the nozzle can build up with dirt and debris, which can block the flow of filament.

Methods for cleaning clogged nozzles

There are a several different ways to clean a clogged nozzle. The best method for you will depend on the severity of the clog and the type of filament you are using. For the pull methods, I typically try to use a white PLA or better natural nylon so it is easy to see if anything was pulled from the nozzle.

Method 1: Standard Pull to clean a clogged nozzle

A standard pull is the quickest way of cleaning clogged nozzles. To perform a standard pull, you will need to:

1. Heat up the nozzle to at least 180°C
2. Remove the filament from your printer
3. If you have a Bowden, remove the PTFE so you can push directly into the heater block
4. Insert a piece of filament into the nozzle and push it through until it comes out the other end of heater block
5. Pull filament out quickly
6. Examine the blob at the end of your piece of filament, if it appears to have schmutz in the blob, cut it off and repeat #4-6
7. Once the filament is coming out clear, you should be ready to reassemble your print head, reinsert your filament and resume printing

Method 2: Cold Pull

If you are still having issues after cleaning clogged nozzles in method 1 you can try a cold pull. A cold pull is similar to the standard pull, but is intended to allow the blob to partially harden around any debris in the nozzle. To perform a cold pull, you will need to:

1. Heat up the nozzle to at least 180°C
2. Remove the filament from your printer
3. If you have a Bowden, remove the PTFE so you can push directly into the heater block
4. Insert a piece of filament into the nozzle and push it through until it comes out the other end of heater block
5. Lower temperature of nozzle to somewhere between 125°C and 140°C
6. Pull filament out quickly
7. Examine the blob at the end of your piece of filament, if it appears to have schmutz in the blob, cut it off, reheat the nozzle to at least 180°C and repeat #4-7
8. Once the filament is coming out clear, you should be ready to reassemble your print head, reinsert your filament and resume printing

Method 3: Needle Cleaning

If the cold pull method does not work, you can try using an needle to clean the nozzle. A small gauge sewing needle can work or you can purchase a kit like the one to the right. Once you have an appropriately sized needle you need to:

1. Heat up the nozzle to at least 180°C
   (I usually go to 250°C for this on printers that can handle it)
2. Insert a needle into the nozzle and gently scrape the inside of the nozzle
3. After I have scraped the inside of the nozzle I usually go back and do a standard or cold pull to get anything that was knocked loose by this method
4. You can also just try printing again

Method 4: Drill Bit

If needle cleaning did not work, you can also try using a drill bit to clean the nozzle. WARNING: if you use a drill bit that is too large it can damage your nozzle, so I recommend purchasing a kit like the one on the right. If you have an appropriate sized drill bit you need to:

1. Heat up the nozzle to at least 180°C (I usually go hotter for this method as well)
2. Insert drill bit into the nozzle and gently spin the bit inside of the nozzle, the goal is to use the bit like an auger to pull anything in the tip of the nozzle out
3. After I have augured out the inside of the nozzle I usually go back and do a standard or cold pull
4. You can also just try printing again

Method 5: Disassembling the Nozzle

If the nozzle is still clogged, you may need to disassemble the nozzle to clean it. To do this, you will need to:

1. Remove the heater block from the printer
2. Remove the nozzle from the heater block
3. Clean the nozzle with a wire brush, tweezers, a needle or a drill bit
4. Reassemble the nozzle and heater block
5. Heat up the nozzle again and resume printing

Alternatively, if you have another clean nozzle of the appropriate size you can replace it at this point

Method 6: Cooking the nozzle

If you had to disassemble the nozzle, and you don’t have a spare, or if you swapped out for a clean nozzle, you can try cleaning the nozzle in your oven. You will need something you can place the nozzle on that can withstand the heat of your oven, but that you will not use for food after you are done. I usually collect multiple nozzles that need to be cleaned and then use a fire brick.

1. Put fire brick in oven on middle rack
2. Place nozzles tip up on fire brick
3. Heat oven to higher than your normal operating temperature, the goal is to heat plastic until it flows out of nozzle. I usually go for 500°F or 260°C
4. Leave nozzles in oven for 20-30 minutes, or until you see a small puddle of filament that oozed out onto the fire brick
5. If you don’t see that any filament has oozed out of the nozzle you can try increasing the oven temperature and going back to #4
6. Remove nozzles one at a time from the oven with needle nose pliers and clean surface with a wire brush for that like new appearance

Conclusion

Most methods for cleaning a clogged nozzle are relatively simple, but it is important to do it correctly to avoid damaging the nozzle. By following the methods outlined above, you can easily clean your nozzle and keep your 3D printer printing smoothly.

The post How to: Cleaning clogged nozzles appeared first on 3D Printing: How-to.

Throughout this article I talk about using the control panel or your software to control the printer. Get to know your control panel. You might need to look around but many have a “Manual Level” option which allows you to tap on-screen buttons to tram the head to each corner of the bed.

Step 0: Heat the bed

If you have a heated bed, I recommend preheating it before attempting leveling the bed of your 3d printer because thermal expansion can change your results. You can heat the nozzle but it is small enough that I don’t think thermal expansion is really a concern.

Step 1: Home the 3d printer

The first step is to home your 3D printer. This will bring the extruder to its starting position. Most 3D printers have a home button in the control panel. If yours printer doesn’t have a control panel you can send the “G28” g-code command through your software.

Step 2: Move the extruder to the first corner

Once the printer is homed, you’ll need to move the extruder to the first corner of the build plate. Use the control panel or 3D printing software to move the extruder to the front left corner of the build plate. I usually raise the nozzle and then move to a point inset about 20mm from the front left corner.

• Raise the nozzle 10mm above the bed using the control panel or you can use the g-code command “G1 Z10”
• Next use the control panel to move the print head, or g-code command “G1 X20 Y20” should do the trick.

Step 3: Insert a piece of paper

Next, you’ll need a piece of paper. Slide the paper under the extruder until it’s between the nozzle and the build plate. Using the control panel, move the print head down to a height of 0, or use g-code “G1 Z0”. You should now feel some slight resistance when you move the paper back and forth.

Step 4: Adjust the bed height

If there is a lot of pressure on the paper or worse, it tears when you try to pull on it, the bed is too high. You will need to use the thumbwheel to move the bed away from the nozzle tip. If there is no resistance when you try to move the paper the bed is too low. You will need to use the thumbwheel to move the bed closer to the nozzle tip. I try for a slight dragging sensation if I pull the paper, but the paper bunches up when I push.

Step 5: Level all corners

Repeat steps 2-4 for the remaining corners of the build plate. Move the extruder to the front right, back right, and back left corners, and repeat the process. You will need to know the dimensions of your printer for this step, and you will want to use the control panel to move the print head to a position about 20mm inset from the corners. Don’t forget to raise nozzle before each move, just in case any corner is too close to the nozzle tip. If any corner is too close to the nozzle you can gouge the bed and it will affect all of your prints.

If you are using g-code you can use the commands above by substituting in the width/length – 20. So for example for a 250x250mm bed I would use

• G1 Z10
• G1 X20 Y230
• G1 Z0
• etc.

Step 6: Check the center of the build plate

Once you’ve leveled all the corners, move the extruder to the center of the build plate and check the height there. If the center is too tight or too loose, your bed might be warped. If it is a heated bed and you did not pre-heat it, you might go back to “Step 0” and start over before you assume the bed is warped.

Step 7: Print a test object

In conclusion, leveling the bed of your 3D printer is a crucial step in achieving high-quality prints. By following these steps, you can ensure that your first layer adheres properly and your prints turn out great. Happy printing!

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I have built a couple of 3d printers from scratch and spent a lot of time doing upgrades to the printers that I have, so I didn’t expect too many issues with the printer. However, putting this printer together was surprisingly easy. If you are feeling intimidated about building your first 3d printer, don’t worry, I’m here to guide you through the process and share some tips and tricks to help make it easier.

Before you start, make sure that you have all the parts and tools needed to build your Ender 3 Pro. You should have received everything in the box, but just double-check to make sure. Also, you’ll need a few tools, including a set of hex keys, diagonal cutters, pliers, and a screwdriver set.

Step 1: Assemble the base frame

The first step is to assemble the base frame of the printer. Follow the instructions carefully and use the hex keys to tighten all the screws. Make sure the frame is sturdy, level and square before moving on to the next step. One thing that helped with this was that I put all of the screws in place slightly loose then I used a square to check my corners before I finished tightening things down. Making a mistake at this stage can leave your Ender 3 Pro frame racked and your prints will come out skewed.

Step 2: Attach the gantry

Next, attach the gantry to the base frame. Again, carefully follow the instructions to insure everything is lined up correctly. The slightly loosened screws idea from above helps here as well, then when you have it lined up using the square you can tighten everything down using the hex keys and pliers. After you have finished this step you can use the diagonal cutters to snip off any extra zip tie length.

Step 3: Install the electronics

Now it’s time to install the control board and power supply. My Ender 3 Pro came with the v4.2.2 “silent” controller board; this board which has the 32-bit STM32F103 RET6 CPU and TMC2208 stepper drivers.

Carefully follow the instructions and take your time with this step; you want to make sure that you are grounded so no static discharge damages the control board. Also make sure that none of the cables get crimped or otherwise damaged. There is AC going into the PSU so there is a shocking hazard if you damage the cables. Confirm that all of the cables are going to their proper connectors and routed neatly and secured with zip ties so none wander into places where they can get damaged later.

Step 4: Attach the hotend and extruder

Attach the hotend and extruder to the gantry, following the instructions carefully. Use your hex keys to tighten any screws or bolts that need it.

Step 5: Level the bed

Finally, it is time to turn you printer on and set it up for printing. The first thing you will need to do is level the bed. This step is very critical; If your bed is too low your prints won’t stick to the bed. If your bed is too high, the nozzle can scrape on the bed and damage it. If it is not level you can have both of the above issues on a single print. For help leveling your printer you can go to my article: Leveling a 3D Printer Bed: Step-by-Step

That is it. If you have followed all of these steps your printer should be level and ready for your first print.

Remember, building a 3d printer may seem daunting and at times there can be some challenges, but it’s also rewarding. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new things. You can search online and find many upgrades for your Ender 3 Pro, which you can print on your printer. Happy Printing.

The post Building the Creality Ender 3 Pro: Tips and Tricks appeared first on 3D Printing: How-to.

Toy Vanity Issue

To help beginner builders, Imakr puts together the more complex parts; x-carriage with hot end, bowden extruder, display panel, etc. That would be fine, except they did not remove the protective film from the acrylic. Wanting this printer to look “just so” as my wife often complains about the appearance of my original printer, I could not let this go. So, I had to take everything apart, remove the protective film, and put everything back together, without instructions as they had already done it for me.

X-Carriage Belt Tension

The method used to trap the belt in the x-carriage requires that you pass the belt through two holes and then wrap a zip tie around the doubled up belt to hold it in place. In addition, you need pretty good tension on this belt or it will get too loose or even pull free. I was able to get the necessary tension easily, although I was at first concerned about the strength of the printed parts. Unfortunately, when trying to adjust the bearing packs on the x-carriage so that they move smoothly on the rod, the belt worked loose, multiple times.  I was finally able to get around this issue by adding a 2nd tie wrap to each side. In the future I will probably print a small retainer clip with a couple of m2 screws to hold this looped belt in place.

Rubbing things the wrong way

As I mentioned above, the printer comes with several printed parts, including the left and right ends for the x-axis.  I put the x-axis gantry together as the pictures showed, but when I attempted my first print, I noticed that the belt was rubbing (and even flexing and twisting).  The cause of this was that the space the belt goes through in the left x-axis end is close to the face of the motor, and the gear had been put on the motor shaft by imakr so that the groove was away from the motor. This puts the groove too far forward, so I tried to push it further down on the shaft, but then the gear rubs on the motor housing and tends to seize. To fix this problem, I had to remove the x-axis motor (which was under decent tension after my trick above) and put the gear on the motor backwards to allow the belt to track straight.

too small a space

This printer is advertised with printable dimensions of 120x140x130mm, which might be possible if you are willing to ignore, or work around, some issues. Realistically, the size is closer to 110x130x105mm. There are 3 main reasons for this; the print head is off the board at 112m on the x-axis, there are about 10mm that you cannot reach on the y-axis, and above 105mm the print head either pinches the display or clicks (and holds) buttons, plus it scrapes along both if printing at that height.

To simplify their design (also to make it cheaper), imakr uses m3x20mm screws almost exclusively in the main construction of the printer. This caused several issues including an unsightly screw sticking out in a place that can tear flesh. It also caused the command to home the printer to grind for 140mm of attempted belt movement on the Y-axis since I already had the print bed sitting at 0. Unless you pull the end stop as far forward as possible, it will never close and the automatic homing feature fails on the Y-axis. Instead, I replaced the two m3x20mm screws with two m3x16mm and pushed the end-stop further back. With such a limited printable space, 4mm here and there can be important.

Continuing on the space topic, make sure that you mount the print bed with the larger overhang towards the back of the printer. I had it turned the other way, which in my head looked like it would provide extra space, but real estate you can see on the print bed is not necessarily accessible to the printer, and space “inside” the machine is. Anyway, switching this around allowed me to add another 10mm to the printable space in my slicer settings.

Finally, imakr provides a fiberglass printing surface which measures 120x140mm as advertised. You can fasten this down to the acrylic print bed using binder clips, which they also provide.  The binder clips occupy 15x10mm of printable space in each corner or side of the bed, and there is no slicer I know of that can be told to ignore them.  Maybe if you put them in corners and describe it as an ellipse you could get close.  Anyway, if you want that extra 600mm of printable space (really its 6000mm if you exclude the binder clip areas in your rectangle), you have to forgo using the fiberglass board and print directly to the acrylic bed (with a layer of tape of course). I have gotten around this by creating two profiles in Cura, “Startt 3D fiberglass bed” and “Startt 3d Acrylic Bed” with the appropriate sizes. I prefer to print on the fiberglass.

Conclusions

Overall, the printer seems to be exactly as advertised. A good beginner level printer. Construction is time consuming, but with their assembly guide it is not too difficult. I would definitely recommend it to friends interested in getting started with a 3D printer of their own. The only real negative is the limited print size, which (as with most printers I have researched) is overstated in the technical specifications.

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Anti-Sag Truss parts

Over the past couple of weeks I have printed out the parts for the anti-sag truss. During that time I printed the parts with various levels of printer upgrades, and different colors of filament.

Part 1 – Left end

There are three printed parts for the left end of the anti-sag truss. Construction is very straight-forward.  Connect the left end of the anti-sag truss to the left end axle retainer with two M3-10mm screws, be careful not to over-tighten the screw.

Next, put the idler pulley in the left end and fasten in place with an M8-30mm screw.
If you over-tighten this you will have to replace it with an M8-35mm screw and nut, so take care.

Step 2 – Right end

There are also three parts in the assembly of the right end of the anti-sag truss. Connect the right end of the anti-sag truss to the axle retainer using two M3-10mm screws.

Place the idler pulley assembly into the right end and fasten in place with another M8-30mm screw.

Step 3 – Lower idler pulley

The last part of the anti-sag truss is the lower idler pulley which connects to the z-index base part. The picture of the parts is missing the M8-20mm screw.

Assembly is extremely simple. Put the bottom shell of the lower idler pulley assembly down on the table, then place the idler pulley where it belongs. Finally place the top half of the shell down on top of the assembly and fasten it down using four M3-8mm screws. Then thread the M8-20mm screw through the idler pulley to complete the part.

Step 4 – Assemble the handle

Using the parts you already put together and the three parts for the handle, you now need to assemble the handle for the printer.

• Fasten the handle top and bottom parts using four M3-20mm screws
• Fasten the left end of the assembly into the handle from step #1 using two M4-20mm screws
• Fasten the right end of the assembly into the handle from step #1 using two M4-20mm screws
• Finally put the truss center piece into the assembly created in step #3. Make sure the holes line up between the assembly and the center piece, if not, flip it 180°. Fasten the truss center piece and assembly using four M3-8mm screws

Step 5 – Install the anti-sag truss

At this point you should have both parts needed for your printer. You can remove the wooden handle from the printer and fasten down the handle using the same M4-8mm screws that previously held the original handle.

Connect the lower idler pulley to the z-index housing on the printer. This part must be installed straight out from the 8mm drilled linear shaft the goes through the z-index housing. I bought a package of 8×1/2 self tapping screws to fasten the lower idler pulley, I drilled a starter hole using a Dremel, then drove the screws int the rest of the way to complete the installaion.

Next I connected a length of GT2 timing belt in the retainer on the right end of X-Gantry with the treads facing out, so the smooth side would roll over the pulleys. I may need to experiment with this, but it seemed most logical. The belt was then passed up over the pulley in the right end of the anti-sag truss, then through the square holes in the handle from right to left, over the pulley in the left end and around the lower idler pulley. Finally, I lightly tightened the belt down using the retainer on the left end of the X-Gantry.

I then zeroed my digital caliper between the top of the X-Gantry left end and the Anti-Sag truss. Because I only lightly tightened down the left retainer, I was able to lift the X-Gantry on the right side, and then pull the belt tighter one tooth at a time. I continued doing this until I found the tooth on the belt where my measurement with the caliper went from positive to negative.

Time for bed, and some more calibration cubes tomorrow…

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Extruder head upgrade parts

I have decided to create a direct drive extruder head instead of adding a Bowden drive and extruder head at this time. I have already printed all the parts I need for the Proto-Plastik extruder head I found on thingiverse.

As I mentioned above, this was the part I originally planned to create, but I talked myself into trying the Laird V11 extruder head. The V11 extruder head provides vents to cool your prints, but it turns out they are about 2-3mm too tall for the hot end that came with my TwoUp.

Assembling the Extruder Head Upgrade

This extruder head upgrade is very straight-forward to assemble.

As the purpose of my upgrades are to create better 3D prints, it is not surprising that there are often inconsistencies in my prints.  When necessary I use a sharp blade to smooth parts, make coarse “adjustments” to parts and to clean up ooze, strings and etc. Frequently I use a drill bit to clean up and round screw holes. To improve my grip I wrap the shank of the drill bits with a length of blue painters tape.

Step 1

Put a 624ZZ bearing in the direct drive tightener then pass a M3-16mm screw through the larger hole in the tightener and the bearing. Tighten the screw but be careful not to over-tighten it or you will strip it out.

You probably noticed in the picture that the bearing is barely visible, I assume this is because of my printer’s poor bridging and not Proto-Plastik’s design. I disassembled the tightener and thinned down the upper part of the arch to about 1mm from the screw hole with a sharp blade.

Step 2

Insert the hot end into the inner plate for the Direct Drive Extruder Head, then place the hot end retainer over the hot end. Insert two M3-16mm screws into the holes in the retainer and tighten them, once again being careful not to over-tighten.

When I finished tightening down the hot-end retainer, I noticed there was too much play (I could easily turn the hot-end). I tightened things up with a little excess PTFE I found lying on my desk in the groove and re-tightened everything.

Step 3

Although not pictured above, I also printed an extruder mount which turns the extruder head 90°, so it lies on the same plane as the X-Axis Gantry.  Proto-Plastik claims this reduces the extruder heads inertia. I am just concerned that without the anti-sag truss, it also moves the motor further down the arm so causes greater sag when fully extended.

To install the extruder mount fasten it to the X-Axis bearing mount using four M3-16mm screws. If you don’t have a one piece bearing mount you really should print one. The screws are held in place with M3 nuts, and it is kind of tricky keeping them in place to start them.  I tried several things, including a magnet, but had my best luck sticking the nut to a piece of blue painters tape and basically taping the nut into the hole to start it.

Step 4

Insert an M3-16mm through the bottom left NEMA motor hole and mount the NEMA-17 motor into the extruder mount. You may have to slightly loosen the hot-end retainer if there is not enough space to slip the screw past the retainer, mine slipped past it easily enough. By the way, I first tried an M3-16mm which when fully tightened down did not secure the NEMA-17 motor. I then tried a M3-12mm and it couldn’t reach the motor face through the extruder mount. My final compromise was to put a washer on the screw and tighten it down. This prevented the socket head from going in to the recess and made everything nice and snug.

Put the tensioner in the extruder head and check the depth of the filament drive gear. You want the center of the knurl under the filament hole in the top of the extruder head. I had to remove my drive gear and turn it around to get the groove centered under the hole. Screw the tensioner knob into the tensioner and pass your filament down through the cool end and test the fit. You don’t want to have to disassemble the head and fiddle with the centering too many times.

Step 5

Finally, put the outer shell of the extruder head upgrade in place and fasten it in place with three M3-35mm screws. I also added a small length of cable guard to make sure the wires did not get down on the hot-end. I then finished putting tension on the filament and printed a calibration cube.

The post Extruder Head Upgrade – Second attempt appeared first on 3D Printing: How-to.

I am using Laird’s V11 extruder instead of the one from Proto-Plastik.  I like that it cools the print head in addition to cooling the extrudate. In addition, it is about 10mm narrower than the factory one so I will get back some of my print width.

Printing the Extruder Head

Laird provides a single model for the entire V11 upgrade, but it is larger than my printers max x-index and y-index, so I printed the parts individually. I continue to rotate each part so the long axis is on the y-axis instead of the x-axis because of my limited usable width due to x-gantry sag.

It took about 8-1/2 hours to complete, but the parts look pretty good.
I am ready to start building the extruder head.  I wonder if I will be able to click the existing LM8LUU bearings into the one-piece mount plate I printed out, or if I will have to disassemble the X-Gantry… again.

Removing and disassembling the factory extruder head

CAUTION: Before removing the extruder head; heat the head, retract the filament and let it cool back down. You don’t want a 190°C extruder head lying loose on your desk *ahem*. Removing the extruder head turned out to be very straight forward. I simply removed the four M3-30mm and four M3-25mm screws holding the LM8LUU bearing mounts to the extruder head. Be careful as you remove it, remember that it is super glued to your x-belt and if that comes loose the head will swing around. Also, in case it doesn’t come loose (mine didn’t), be careful removing it from the belt, the super glue may have weakened or stiffened the belt and you don’t want to damage the belt.

After the extruder head is removed from the printer, remove the extruder tensioner screw, then just proceed to remove any other screws as you see them, order doesn’t seem important. During this step I noted two separate wooden parts that were cracked, one was broken completely through.

Salvaged parts

1 x 1038-2RS Bearing
3 x M3-45mm screws (you really need four, but the TwoUp only uses 3)
1 x Nema-17 Extruder Stepper Motor
1 x Hot End

Step 1

Use the 1038-2RS bearing and what appears to be a couple of thin film washers. I don’t remember putting them in, so I am guessing they are actually a seal that was on the bearing, but they are slick and the small acrylic washers are thick enough to bind the bearing.

Step 2

Put the Nema-17 extruder stepper motor down on the table top, then put the front half of the extruder body on top, with the filament tensioner lever on top. Partially screw an M3-45mm screw in the right hole of the tensioner lever. Use this setup to align the filament driver gear with the 1038-2RS bearing.

Step 3

Now I am going to stack the parts to make the back half of the extruder body. Just a shameless plug for one of my favorite books, the next few steps would be easier if you are a Motie. First, grab the new one-piece mount plate and insert an M3-45mm screw in the upper-left hole. Put the end vent piece on the screw through the mount plate, and then put the back half of the extruder body on the screw (the back half is the one that doesn’t have any holes in the end for screwing to the cooling fan).  Finally, put the filament tensioner on the screw. It should look something like this picture.

Step 4

I stole a spring from an ink pen. If it doesn’t provide enough tension I will have to print the spacers Laird provides a model for to increase the tension. Put the spring in the place provided, then put the front half of the extruder body on the screw. Now it gets tricky, open the lower part of the body enough to slide in your hot end, through the provided hole. Finally, tighten the screw in the NEMA-17 motor. The second screw is passed through the second hole in the lever, and the final screw goes in one of the bottom holes.

Now you can see how that 3rd arm comes in handy.

Extruder Head Conclusion

Unfortunately, I discovered at the end that this extruder head assembly does not work with my hot end. Apparently there have been some changes made to the hot end; my hot end does not have the cut out in the barrel to lock it in place in the V11 extruder head assembly and it is shorter so the vents extend past the end of the nozzle.  I guess I will have to re-assemble the factory head and hope it survives until I can find an alternate upgrade. Sure looks nice though, and I will gain the extra width as I can keep the one-piece mount plate with the factory extruder head assembly.

To see my working upgrade follow this link.

The post Extruder Head Upgrade appeared first on 3D Printing: How-to.

X-Gantry Right

This is a large piece and Slic3r says it is going to take over 5 hours to complete printing.  Barring any unforeseen mistakes by myself, this should go fairly easily, it will just be time-consuming. I have decided I am going to do my cleaning routine that I usually only do after a failure, to try to prevent any issues.

After preparing the print bed and the extruder I added my object and started printing. As usual, I switched to an online game while I waited so I can monitor the print and the printer itself, you can never be too careful.

X-Gantry Belt Tensioner

Everything went smoothly with the X-Gantry right end. So, I have decided to try to complete the X-Gantry assembly tonight. Things went so well with the other parts that I have decided to do the cleaning step before this print as well. Who knows, maybe I will just make it part of my “process”. This print will only take a little over two hours.

The print out went well, except I am not sure exactly what happened to the axle, but the flaw appears even with the top of the tightening knob.  My best guess is that the slicer did not slow the print for the first few layers and they overheated and basically sagged out from the axle.  I am planning to use it anyway, since it seems to fit with the other parts. Unfortunately, I just realized while dry-fitting the parts that I will need to reassemble the printer to print out the “Cap” for the axle.

X-Gantry Assembly

After putting the printer back together to print the axle cap, I am ready to take it apart again and upgrade the X-Gantry.  There is a definite temptation to just start shoving the parts together, but after the Cap incident, I decided to analyze this a little more.  There is a definite order for putting this together to avoid doing it over and over, and there are specific parts you have to salvage or have duplicates for.

Salvaged parts from X-Gantry

1 x R6RS bearing
2 x LM8LUU linear bearings
1 x Extruder head              (no need to disassemble)
4 x M3-16mm Hex Screw (currently securing extruder head)
1 x GT2 belt                         (try to leave it glued to the extruder head)
1 x GT2 Gear
1 x NEMA-17 motor
2 x Linear shafts

Disassembling factory X-Gantry

• Remove the 3/8-16×1″ bolt that holds the XIDLER on the gantry. Set aside the R6RS bearing.
• Remove the four M3-16mm screws from the NEMA-17 motor with the GT2 Gear.
• Remove top two M4-8mm screws and lift off the top handle.
• At this point I powered up my printer and ran negative Z-index until the X-gantry reached the top of the Z-index linear shafts. If you are feeling nervous you can turn the lead screw clockwise by hand until the X-gantry reaches the top.
• Lift the x-gantry off and set down on the table.
• Remove the eight M3-25mm screws holding down the bearing mounts and set aside the 2 LM8LUU linear bearings.
• Cut the 4 zip ties holding the 2 linear shafts to the x-gantry, slide off the extruder head with the GT2 belt attached and set aside.

Assembling Proto-Plastik X-Gantry

• For both end pieces, put an spacer in the linear bearing hole, then tighten in place with a threaded retainer.
• Put a LM8LUU into the opposite end of the linear bearing hole, followed by another spacer and threader retainer.
• Connect the acme threaded retainer to the left end piece with two m3-16mm screws. You may need to put a M3 nut on the screws and tighten them down, mine threaded tightly into the plastic.
• Use a 5/16″ drill bit to clear the full length of the linear shaft holes in the right and left ends. I did this by hand, not with a power tool, you don’t want to risk making the holes any deeper.
• Insert the linear shafts as far as they will go in both end pieces.
• Check that the assembly fits on the Z-index linear shafts still attached to the base and that the lead screw can start in the acme threaded retainer.
• If the holes in the ends are too far apart, or the acme lead screw binds, you need to clear the linear shaft holes a little better. The depth of the holes is correct so there is probably just some schmutz in them.
• Put the x-gantry linear shafts in the left end of the x-gantry.
• Put the extruder head assembly on the linear shafts and put the linear shafts in the right end of the x-gantry.
• Slide the tensioner over the x-gantry lined up with the hole for the axle.
• Push the end of the belt into the slot on the right end with the R6RS bearing inside it.
• Pass the axle through the tensioner and the bearing to hold it in place.
• Screw cap to axle with a M3-5mm screw.
• Adjust the GT2 Gear on the NEMA-17 motor shaft down until it almost touches the motor housing. I literally used a sheet of paper folded in half to maintain the spacing while tightening the set screws.
• Push the other end of the belt into the slot in the left end of the x-gantry, then push the gear through the circular hole in the left end and the GT2 belt.
• Tighten the NEMA-17 in place with the four M3-16mm screws.
• Turn the tightening knob until the GT2 belt is fairly tight.
• Put new X-Gantry on the Z-index linear shafts and turn lead screw to lower gantry enough to replace the top handle.

X-Gantry Upgrade Conclusion

It has been a long night, but I now have my new gantry in place. Unfortunately, it is probably sagging about as much as the factory one, which I was hoping this upgrade would help with. However, this gantry has connection points for adding the anti-sag truss, which should fix that problem.  Another issue that I have noticed is that the print width has gone from about 160mm (6-1/4″) to about 140mm (5-1/2″).

Hopefully, tomorrow, I can figure out how to increase that, but now it is time for bed…

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Laying out my X-Gantry Small Parts

I started by loading Repetier-Host and laying out 4 copies each of the spacer and threaded retainer. Due to printer limitations, I laid the parts out in a 2×4 arrangement to keep them closer to the left edge. I sliced the parts using Slic3r, zeroed the print head and started my print. I watched the first layer of the print and saw lots of strands connecting the parts to each other and the skirt. As the second layer began to print, the parts began sticking to the nozzle and ended up looking more like little blobs than circles. So, I stopped the print and performed maintenance on the printer.

Preparing the 3D printer

After multiple tests printing calibration cubes I have developed a habit that typically fixes prints that won’t adhere to the print bed.  First, I replace the painter’s tape on the left side of the print bed. After I finish resurfacing the print bed I raise the extruder head to the top and set the heat element to 220°C and let it heat until it stops oozing. I then use a pair of sharp scissors to cut off the oozed extrudate, usually a couple of times as this often causes a little more oozing. When the extruder is no longer oozing I manually extrude 10mm of filament to make sure that it is coming out straight and not curling back up on to the heat element. It is important to note that if the extrudate is curling, this indicates a blockage in the nozzle which requires extra work. Finally, being paranoid, I turned off the heat element and when it isn’t hot enough to damage the painters tape, I re-zero the print head.

Printing All the Small Parts at Once

I restarted the print out of the all the X-Gantry small parts.  This time it adheres to the bed better, but the parts don’t seem perfectly round. I have decided to let it finish the print out, and hope for the best; the threads on the threaded retainers look pretty good. After a few hours, I snapped the parts off the print bed and using half of the scissors I used for maintenance, I removed the small lip at the base of the parts.  I still haven’t been able to eliminate that lip, because the parts get too transparent when it finally disappears and I doubt the parts will be strong enough to use as printer replacement parts.

Looking at the parts, they are not perfectly round, as I suspected. After I finished removing the lip, I tried to insert the parts into the X-Gantry Left and, once I got them started, the threaded retainers seemed to “go round” and tighten down sufficiently. Unfortunately, the spacers will not go into the X-Gantry without a hammer.  I suspect the issue revolves around the z-index rippling that I have noticed on other parts.  I think that I can round the parts sufficiently using the handle of my scissors, or possibly with a piece of sandpaper.

I’ll work on reshaping the spacers tomorrow while i finish printing the parts for the gantry. Time for bed…
Follow this link for the conclusion.

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Because of the limitations of my printer, remember I can only use the left 50-70mm reliably, I must take care to rotate the parts and force them to the edge before printing them. In addition, I have learned from my calibration cubes to leave enough room on the left side to allow a skirt around each object so the filament starts flowing well before each part begins. Fortunately, the parts of the X-Gantry have a cross-section of 50mm or less, so should print well.

X-Gantry Left and Another Surprise

I decided to bite the bullet and print the most complex part of the new gantry first so I started with the X-Gantry Left.  I loaded the image into Repetier-Host and sliced it with Slic3r. I then re-zeroed my print head, started to print the part, watched it begin the first layer and then switched over to a game to occupy the next few hours while it printed.

After an hour or two (my wife calls them programmer minutes) I thought to look at the object and noticed it looked a little odd.  I watched it as it continued to print for a few minutes before I finally figured out what was wrong with the object. For some reason, the seat for the acme threaded retainer was printing on the wrong end of the part.

After stopping the print and analyzing the situation for a while, it finally occurred to me that the Y-axis was moving in the wrong direction. I had noticed some issues zeroing the print-head in manual mode, specifically that my opinion of positive motion and the printers disagreed. However, I had learned to compensate for the issue while zeroing the print-head and assumed that it was and issue with the UI manual mode.

Based on previous experience with stepper motors I knew I could reverse the connector on the stepper motor controller board to reverse the motors direction. After moving the connector, I printed out a few more cubes, which all looked pretty good. As an added bonus, in addition to fixing the Y-Axis of the print-head, this also got rid of a startup noise that I had mistaken for the printer checking for an end stop.

X-Gantry Left again

I restarted the X-Gantry Left part and watched it a little more closely this time.  When I could see the first layer of the object looked like what I was expecting, I switched back to my game for a few more hours. When it finally finished, I snapped the part off the painters tape and removed the small lip at the base using a sharp knife. Besides the lip, I noticed some small ripples on the vertical sides, but that  is something for a later time.

This is obviously going to take a few more nights…
X-Gantry Upgrade Part 2

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