Ordered My First 3d Printer!

Been toying with the idea for years now of getting a 3d printer and finally got it ordered 2 days ago (still hasn't shipped though). I think half my coworkers think I'm nuts spending $800 on a "toy".

Hopefully I can do half the stuff I think I want to try with it. I already downloaded Cura and Skanect and got them installed and ordered some grey ABS to start.

Any tips, suggestions, or tweaks for the latest version of the R1?

Thanks!

 

Just remind them how much quadracopters cost

For mods the only ones I suggest these days are:

- Lifter feet: Improves airflow to the ramps cooling fan

- LCD: Adds controls right on the printer. Also much easier for SD printing.

- Dual Parts cooling fan: Cooling from both sides greatly improves quality

 

Thanks. lol

I was thinking this LCD (it requires feet to clear I think) http://printedsolid.com/products/smart-lcd-controller-xxl

Any recommended fans and models to mount said fans to? I was thinking of replacing the fans anyway in the long run since it seems there is a lot of complaints on noise. Though I'm not sure there are quieter fans that do the job. I was also thinking of mounting a case fan blowing on the mainboard to keep it cool.

Thanks Again!

 

If you have the R1 there is already a case fan inside the bottom blowing on the board.

Other than that, print the lifter feet and LCD swivel mount foot.

Start here for the swivel mount and use the additional lifter feet linked in that description.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:681887

EDIT: Maybe this if you want to get fancy and have a side mount for the filament spool.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:461308

 

For the mount I'm partial to mine: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:720018

But use any of the many on thingiverse

 

As a recent new owner of a Robo3D, my suggestion is to watch the introductory video and follow the steps to make sure your printer is setup correctly at the beginning....this saves many of the frustrations and headaches that first time 3D extrusionists (new word - I just coined it!) encounter...Reading through the forums to learn about problems before they arise will also prepare you for more common issues.

While the default software (MatterControl) is not the greatest slicing/printing engine...I suggest you still follow the instructions on installing it....for a few reasons:
1. It installs the device driver (follow the directions on correct installation and when to unplug and replug the USB cable in)...this can be a bear if not done correctly!
2. Use the manual controls under ADVANCED CONTROLS>CONTROLS to move the X,Y and Z motors to their extremes to make sure everything is moving as expected before your first print (Upon this step, I found my new printer had a cracked bed rail [Y-AXIS] bracket that needed to be replaced.)
3. Getting used to the manual controls helps to ingrain and teach you the limits of your printer and how to manipulate it if something goes wrong...

Finally, have SHOUTBOX here on this website open when you setup and run your first print...The guys that hang out here are willing to give suggestions to help you work through the kinks, and when you do run in to a serious issue, tech support monitors it as well.

These are a few of the things I went through and after I had the bracket replaced, my 3D printer is running like a champ! (Thanks to Harry, Mike and Braydon on the Shoutbox for their support!)

 

Thanks for the suggestions and tips!

Finally got the email notification today that the printer was shipped. I was starting to get worried.

Got a 1kg roll of ABS "1.75mm - Grey Matter Grey" from makergeeks.com. I plan on expanding into a variety of PLA and ABS as $$$ allows. lol

I guess while I wait I need to figure out a table/stand to put it on

 

PET+ would probably be a good middle-ground filament between PLA and ABS in terms of the trade-off between print-ability and strength of the part.

Plus you can print at 260C on the nozzle and 75C on the bed and not use any adhesives to keep the print on the bed (or at least I can).

 

I wasn't paying attention when I ordered. I definitely want to get various filaments when I can splurge and order a bunch.

I'll have to look into PET. Seems there is always some new crazy filament on every 3d printer site I find.

 

One of us! One of us!

 

That is disconcerting...

 

What size fans did you use on this?

I'm thinking of ordering some quieter and more durable fans while I wait for delivery.

Thanks

 

Well I tried to do some printing last night and it failed miserably.

Tried to print the fan shroud and it started screw up about 1/8" off the bed by not sticking to the material below. This continued through several other attempts with my only half success was some Z screw supports that where shaking like mad once the printhead was about a inch off the bed.

Tried to slow things down a bit for an overnight print and it clogged the hexagon. Tried cranking the temp for a sec up to 280 to clear and some oozed out but stopped again so I imagine I'm going to have to ream it out with something.

 

Post what temperatures you were using for the print. I am assuming you were using the practice PLA (blue) that came with the machine? What are you applying to the bed to hold the material in place?

Start with small test models to insure everything is working properly before going full bore with a bigger model...

 

I've found increasing the temp by 5 or 10c usually helps for PLA. Every material/color behaves differently. I've started printing the temperature calibration tower to find out the best temp for each spool.

http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/finding-the-right-extruder-temp.1560/page-2#post-51817

 

Stock Settings and Yep the free blue junk. Well my main thought was get some of the upgrades printed and then worry about having nice prints. Painters tape.

Tried to use Cura but it for some reason looks completely different then what i've seen in everyone's videos and such and. I tried it because MatterControl was being retarded trying to print a spool holder which looked good on the display but in layers it putting a few inches of support material for no reason. But the bcode from cura ended up dragging the nozzle across the bed.

I tossed the blue junk and got the grey ABS out. Still have the clogged problem and not really sure how to fix it or tear down the nozzle without breaking it.