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Robo R2 Printing in Air

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by Louis Hall, Apr 16, 2020.

  1. Louis Hall

    Louis Hall New Member

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    Hi All,
    I own 3x Robo3D R1+ units and love Mattercontrol. I have been printing face shields for Covid19 for EMS on a small island that I live on and purchased an R2 to ideally print faster and better quality shields etc. I opened the box this morning and thus far it has been a nightmare. Problems I have come across:
    1. Can't figure out how to print an .stl file and can only print the files pre-loaded on the local directory of the R2.
    2. When I finally figured out that the only files that would work were the local files I went through setup of printer, did the wizards and when the print bed was moving up the Z axis it seems to stop about 1/2"below the extruded and I cannot for the life of me figure out how the hell to get the correct Z offset. I am feeling like a real noob without mattercontrol and a bit pissed that the iOS app is no longer available/supported.

    Also, I have run all updates.

    Any help, especially regarding z offset would be much appreciated!
     
    #1 Louis Hall, Apr 16, 2020
  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Moved to R2 forum
     
    #2 mark tomlinson, Apr 17, 2020
  3. Louis Hall

    Louis Hall New Member

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    Thank you Mark!
     
    #3 Louis Hall, Apr 17, 2020
  4. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I will let someone who has one else give you R2 specifics like @tkoco
    But you might start with the FAQ: http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/r2-faq.23706/

    Some general things... you can't print an STL it must first be 'sliced' into GCode. That is what the printer consumes.
    Now the R2 DOES have a built in slicer of sorts (an old Cura engine) but I am not familiar with using that. Generally you would slice the STL with something like MatterControl and then send the Gcode file to the printer for printing.

    Also review this: http://community.robo3d.com/index.php?threads/leveling-the-r2-print-bed.23492/

    Since that will help address the nozzle off the bed. There are some issues with the most recent RoboOS updates that might be affecting you and for that I will defer to someone more expert on that machine :)
     
    #4 mark tomlinson, Apr 17, 2020
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    I also think it is easier to use OctoPrint on the printer (via the web page interface the printer has installed) so you might want to look at that for controlling printing and just use the LCD for monitoring.
     
    #5 mark tomlinson, Apr 17, 2020
  6. tkoco

    tkoco - -.- --- -.-. ---
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    In addition to what @mark tomlinson has said, also check what software & firmware levels are in the R2 printer. Those items need to be matched properly. The R2 FAQ has links and information on the software & firmware. Many problems can be resolved by insuring that the software and firmware are matched.
     
    #6 tkoco, Apr 17, 2020
  7. tkoco

    tkoco - -.- --- -.-. ---
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    As far as STL files go, you will need slicing software like Cura or Simplify 3D ( S3D ). Those programs will convert the STL file into a G-code file. Then the G-code file can be sent to the R2 printer using the Octoprint interface. And then printed.

    Since you already have 3 R1+ printers, then you are no stranger to slicing a STL file. The main difference is that Mattercontrol software only knows how to talk to the printer directly via a USB cable whereas Cura or S3D can talk to the built-in Octoprint server in the R2 Printer. Thus you can upload the G-code file to the R2 printer and let Octoprint finish the print job.

    Plus, you can connect a web browser to the Octoprint server and get status information about the R2 Printer ( even during a print job ) or create a time lapse movie of the print job.
     
    #7 tkoco, Apr 17, 2020
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2020
    mark tomlinson likes this.

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