Have I missed any modifications to my Robo R1+?

My Robo 3D printer has been modified so many times I am losing track of them all, so I thought I would list them here before I forget. and to let others know about modifications that can be done.

I started with the R1+ with the heated bed so I could use both PLA And ABS filaments.

My first upgrade was a set of Z axis stabilizer brackets from Thingiverse printed in Blue ABS filament.

Next was a set of spool holder brackets designed in BobCad that mounted on the top of the printer.

Robo 3D offered an upgrade to the original Y axis slide rails with smooth rods, linear bearings and a easily removable heated bed, so I ordered and installed that.

I didn't want to tie up my computer while printing, so I ordered a Smart LCD controller XXL from Printed Solid and designed and printed a custom enclosure for it that mounted to the side of the printer. I now save my gcode to a 4Gb SD card, and print standalone.

Robo 3D offered the auto leveling upgrade kit with new Z axis limit switches, ordered and installed, and upgraded firmware.

My original plastic hot end clogged so bad that I had to replace it. Decided to order an E3D V6 kit from Printed Solid and Installed that.

Nozzle clogged real bad, ordered and replaced it with new one,along with the hot end thermistor with a new screw in type from Printed Solid.

Robo 3D offered an upgrade to new Z axis lead screws to reduce ribbing, ordered and installed them.

The original hobbed bolt was tearing up the filament, ordered an improved replacement on ebay and installed that and replaced extruder screws, springs, with hinged standoffs to make filament changes easier.

Changed spool holder to use an stainless steel adjustable arm that was salvaged from a computer mounting arm from an old wheelchair.

Installed an LED light strip inside the top of the printer.

Installed ferrite bead chokes on the cables to all stepper motors, heaters, power supply, and ribbon cables to the LCD, it eliminated the occasional scrambling of data on the LCD screen.

Fabricated an aluminum front cover with the R1+ logo for the extruder to help with wire management on the X axis and improve it's appearance.

Added 3 extra magnets to the Y axis bed supports to improve the stability of the bed. there were 2 on the front and 1 in the back, now there are 3 on both ends and the bed doesn't wobble when leveling.

Found a Kickstarter campaign for FLEKS3D for an improved build plate, I backed the project and received the reward, installed the build plate system, and it works fantastic, no more hairspray, no more putty knives, no more parts warping off the bed during printing, just flex it to remove the part.
available from http://www.fleks3d.com

Designed and printed a filament colorizer using Sharpie chisel tip markers to experiment with coloring my filament, Installed and tested. Works well.

Print quality is now very good, and no more Z axis ribbing, no warped parts lifting off the bed during prints.

Using my Robo 3D printer is now much easier and much less frustrating than when I started, I have paid the price of being on the bleeding edge of new technology, I hope that new users of 3D printers can appreciate the effort and costs the community of 3D'ers have endured so they could have a better 3D printing experience than we started with.

The newer models are much improved and will continue to do so because of our community efforts. If you are a new user, reach out and thank one of us " old timers" for making it easier for you, and pass what you learn to others so their experience is better as well.

Thanks for reading.

 

Thanks for the reply, I agree with your comments.

The bed heater is now a non-issue for me as the FLEKS3D build plate system doesn't require heating the bed at all for most filaments and recommends a maximum bed temperature of 60 degrees C, anyway, I guess that means i can skip the enclosure as well (sorry Mike that might have been my next purchase). It works fantastic! did I say that already, Check out their website if you get a chance, it's the best upgrade i have done yet. Worry free printing is now possible. It will work for almost any 3D printer model.

Qctoprint sounds cool, but those are not features I need currently.

 

Regarding the FLEKS3D build plate, did you have any luck getting ABS to stick? I have had zero luck so far with ABS, trying a different brand soon to see if that helps. Even the skirts come lose shortly after putting them down. I have messed with the bed temp and the extrusion temps. Any tips?

 

ABS should stick very well.
Check your Z height to make sure it is set correctly.
Make sure you are printing on the rough side of the build plate.

Your Z height should be set so that you can just slide a business card between the nozzle and the build plate. Home the printer then move the cold head to the center of the plate, then lower the head until you can just slide a business card under the nozzle, check the Z position value and use that as your Z height offset value in your slicer. Your slicer will add that value to all Z axis moves.

You can make small advustments in your Z height and test printing until you get the correct value.
If the Z height is set too high the filament won't stick well, if it is too low your filament may not extrude or the first layer height will be too short.

 

This actually helped a lot. Also moving to Simplify3D seemed to create better layers than Mattercontrol. I still have minor issues with warping on ABS, but it is way better than it was. Guess I need to tune/calibrate my machine more to get this working 100%.

 

Excellent post. I'm learning a lot while waiting on my LCD and printing some stands/legs, tool attachments, LCD enclosure, etc..

@Bil Forshey : Which size FLEKS3D did you go with? There doesn't seem to be a perfect match for the ROBO 3D R1+

@WheresWaldo : On the flip side of that question, What bed heater upgrade do you recommend?

 

The 10x10 with the frame fits perfectly. The outside of the frame is flush with the glass.

 

Gotcha. I'm still in the "gathering info" phase and not ordering anything just yet. Still gotta get all the info and compare all the options.

Thanks for the info.

 

Here is the 10x10 Fleks3D plate and frame mounted on the R1+

 

Excellent. Thanks for posting that. It helps to have a visual to help with my decision. Is the reality/experience with it as easy and problem free as they claim?

 

It is by no means perfect but it does work pretty well. ABS can be printed without heat but it is still temperamental at times with warping. PLA is pretty solid. The main benefit is the easier removal and no need for glues and adhesives.

 

Thanks for your picture and review.
I've been seriously looking into getting one of these.
The little research I've done tells us not to let the hot end touch the fleks3d.

How do you do the auto leveling routine at the beginning of each print on the Robo3d?

 

I think it is more of not letting the nozzle touch when hot. So you would want to adjust your start code to not heat the hot end until after the ABL command.

 

Check out this thread