A Different Direction..............

[Dave Ward]

Phew! - beginning to think I'd never get there! This is the first complete model that has come off the build plate.............................
Its a 20mm calibration cube -it does look a little rough in places (!!), but this is the way you start to tweak the settings. The size seems to be pretty good, at least it's the same on each axis.
I levelled the bed again, then put then used a spool of POGI PLA filament, using the recommended temperatures. No problem in the print sticking, so I'm pretty sure it was poor filament that caused yesterdays problems.
One thing that I have noticed is that the spool holder isn't very good, it needs watching, to prevent snags - not that good for long prints. The cube took about 1/2hr to print. I do need a rubber/cork mat to put under the printer, as it does make the desk resonate a bit!
Tomorrow, I'll print out the expected 'benchy' & see how things can be improved
Dave

 

[Jim R]

Well done Dave. Big sigh of relief

 

[outrunner]

Obviously patience, or pig headedness pays off and I am pleased you have cracked it Dave. The orders will be rolling in shortly.


Andy.

 

[JR]

Well I think that deserves

Congratulations Dave . Good for you have the perseverance to see it through .
Bet you feel relieved.

 

[Tim Marlow]

Great….onwards and upwards then….very interested to see where you take this…..

 

[Dave Ward]

Great….onwards and upwards then….very interested to see where you take this…..

Tim,
quite a steep learning curve, to see the limitations and strongpoints of the printer. I'm going to print out one benchmark, then I think parts for the printer, where appearance might not be too important. I've got a cooling fan duct, a filament guide, spool holder, and a power supply shield all lined up. Hopefully I can use these to tweak the settings, so, when I finally move onto my own stuff, it will be presentable
Dave

 

[Mark1]

As you say ,a bit of tweaking but its a good start

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Sounds like a plan, Dave

 

[Dave Ward]

The 'benchy' - I sliced this with PrusaSlicer, as the latest versions of Cura & Lychee won't work on my rather long-in-the-tooth PC ( OpenGL graphics problem )
The first print failed & came unstuck - I didn't use any glue stick - wrong

You can see the honeycomb interior - it isn't solid, this % infill being just one of the variables
I used a glue stick for the second attempt ( Tesco equivalent of Pritt ).

Took about 13/4 hrs to print this, it's not at the finest resolution, but draft mode.
It looks bad in close up, but in your hand - it's OK


I need to level the bed a little more, and I reckon the nozzle temperature could go up a bit. I think the nozzles a bit high, and I might try a 'brim' on a print to see if that helps. I think the fan duct will be the next

It will certainly take several attempts - I may need to add supports & this seems to be an art, that you only learn from trial & error!
This is a direct swap for the existing parts cooling fan duct - giving better cooling for the just extruded PLA
Dave

 

[adt70hk]

Coming on nicely Dave. You've got start somewhere and the boat looks ok.

 

[wotan]

Dave

Bravo for getting this up and running. Just a little tweaking and you look like you're on your way to some fun projects.

John

 

[Neil Merryweather]

Looking good Dave. It's very rare you need anything to built solid, and you can speed the build up by reducing the infill percentage. I usually use 10-15%.
A brim is a must for tall thin prints but should be ok for benchy. Might be good for that duct, although it will give you some flash to be removed.

 

[Neil Merryweather]

If you do need support for the fan duct try and avoid having it internally - it will be a bugger to remove

 

[Jim R]

Fine looking little boat Dave. You're getting better by the day

 

[Mark1]

All going the right direction by the look of it.

 

[langy71]

For saying these are 'test print' they're looking very promising Dave, it's like you've said all down to a bit of tweeking here and there..

 

[scottie3158]

You look like your on to something promising.

 

[JR]

And we thought moulding was a black art, now this really is.

Good going Dave.

 

[Dave Ward]

I printed the fan duct - I added a brim, to help adhesion..............

The brim just snaps off.....................

A little clear up around the edges & I'll swap this for the fitted duct.
I'm not ecstatic about the build plate, but the magnetic replacement should be better. The existing plate needs tape to provide a 'texture' for adhesion, and glue stick to improve that. I'm still expecting to still use the glue stick, but no tape. Being magnetic it can be removed & flexed to pop off the print - at least that's the idea!
Dave

 

[Neil Merryweather]

looks good Dave.
My printer has a removable glass plate and I use a Dimafix pen to hold stuff in place.
it's not cheap but it it's sticky when it's hot and releases when it cools down. And it washes off with water.
You'll find the Pritt needs to be scraped off from time to time(unless you change the tape more frequently) although I guess you might be able to wash it off the magnetic plate...
I would also persevere with the bed levelling and the initial calibrating of the nozzle height-maybe use a thinner piece of paper?
Happy tinkering