Just checked it out on the site Duet3D
Looks great! Unless something truly extraordinary comes along in the next bit, that'll be my next step for a controller.

 

Yeah, looking over the stuff some more, I believe we were looking at both, to move the discussion as well as the files. github makes sense for files that require versioning, not sure that really applies here though after more thought. I think any required versioning could be done with simple file / directory structures.

The discussions themselves would just need something that can be split up into topics / sub topics threads.

 

So I finally picked up some 645 nylon to try my X slider experiment again.. I think it *might* work if I could just get it to stop curling! I remember a while back someone said they print in nylon... Any advice to prevent warping/shrinkage at the bed? I tried a 16 layer brim, and it didn't even phase it. I'm printing on blue painters tape over an aluminum bed.

 

I thought nylon had to be printed on a heated bed otherwise it will warp.

 

The bed is also heated.. I tried bed temps up to 95C, and they made zero difference..

 

Heated bed with blue painter tape? You might need a better printing surface for nylon.

 

It's what the manufacturer recommends.. It does stick, it's just that it shrinks up during print. It's a warping issue, not a first layer issue.

Is there another surface that does better at preventing warping of nylon? From what I've read most surfaces don't work with nylon on the first layer, as it needs a rough surface to bond with.

 

I have seen people report that Print Bite works with nylon. I use it on my printer with pretty good success with PLA and PET-G. Never tried nylon. Have you checked to see how Buildtak handles nylon?

 

Warping issues are partially first layer issues. I just finished up a customer job that was a long narrow and tall print. These are really prone to lifting / warping. I ended having to adjust bed temp, extruder temp, fan settings, first layer height, first layer squish, bed surface and heater / bed interface layers to accomodate it.

The design of the print matters as well.

I am not familiar with Nylon, my hardened nozzles aren't here yet nor are the PT100 parts for some of the high temp / exotics... But here is what I start mucking with to reduce warping.

* squash first layer
* use glue juice / stick, have heard good luck with PEI coated and some other engineered surfaces.
* Raise bed temp
* try different fan settings, earlier / later, lower / higher speed, no fan
* raft
* higher first layer temps

 

Buildtak report success with nylon when used with a thin layer of glue stick. Have you tried the glue or hairspray on the painter tape?

 

Haven't tried glue or hairspray yet.. I'd like to avoid hairspray (I print in my office, so I prefer to avoid the mess), but I do have a few glue sticks sitting around. AFAIK nylon can't be cooled because of delamination issues. Have not tried with buildtak, though I doubt I would use it again after the horrible experience I once had trying to get a battered piece of buildtak off of my print bed.. I've been thinking about picking up one of these though: Flexible 3D Printer Plates by PrintinZ

@Chris Roadfeldt you mentioned customers.. Are you working through one of the printing service companies? If so, is it worth it?

 

That stuff is also know as Zebra plate I think. Have heard a lot of positive with it. It is really nice that the have the layer of metal in the middle to help with the inductive sensors.

 

For me it is. I don't get a lot of jobs, but the ones that come through are really interesting and challenging. For the last one I had to modify the printer to temporarily increase the bed size. Hence my earlier request for info on larger version of the C-Bot.

The money received covers cost and is enough to support my 24 / 7 printing habit and printer upgrades. With more jobs you could conceivably make a go at this.

I am looking to increase the number of jobs coming in and expanding into some specialty printing, exotics, large format, etc...

There are obviously expectations when a job comes in.
* Quick acknowledgement of the job
* accurate assertion the job is doable
* Good communication and status updates
* Print starts as soon as customer pays into escrow.
* Print completes on time and is as near to perfect as possible.
* Proper packaging, quick shipping.

Basically all the things you would expect from a professional service.

 

Wow, I didn't even see that about the metal part.. Heh, looks like I know what I'm buying!

 

I found reference to it in the technical section. Kind of surprised they don't mention that on the main page.

Resources - Technical - printinz.com

Under the nozzle and gap setting.

 

Hmm.. I'll have to think more about this. I'd love to support my printing habit, but my day job might get in the way...

Lately I've been mulling over the idea of doing a kit.. My bracket design is basically idiot-proof.. If you print it on a square printer, and if you can get the extrusions to fit, there's a 99% chance it's square. If I can get the cost of a 300x300x400 build volume printer down to $400 I might try it. Just the savings from shipping would be a huge improvement compared to sourcing each part individually. But I'd have a lot more work to do on parts before I get to that point.

 

I can personally vouch for zebra plates, i like it a lot, PLA doesn't need heated bed on it unless it has a small contact area, i haven't tried nylon on it heated though, and PET-G works great when bed surface is 60-70C

You just have to be careful with the surface, hot-end collisions leave deep divots if the hot-end is hot, shallow divots if it's cold, if you're looking to test it, i recommend getting the zebra skin, unless you rely on an induction probe

 

Agreed: Github fine for code\stls, but we need a forum for the forum (or I'd still be fine with a Google+ page personally... ).

 

BTW, if you're looking to change extrusion sizes as a part of this, I really would be glad to help out. I already have profile-independent support for the bottom corners and the motor mounts (I have the latest round printed.. testing them this weekend). I really want to see it scale

 

I do use an induction probe... The skin is only 1mm thick, so it should be okay anyway, and its a lot cheaper.

 

Appreciate it. I have a idea for what I am going to do. Think I am going to put together a derivative of the C-Bot, already have a name for it, with Carl's approval of course. Thinking about doing a CR-Bot, too close in name? Going for the clear call back to the C-Bot, but also indicating a different design.

The printer itself is basically a C-Bot style XY gantry / Core XY mechanism on the Z platform with a fixed build plate. The Z platform will attach on all four vertical pillars. The pillars will be connected at the top and bottom. This should keep everything stable and aligned. This also allows for some big, heavy and thick build plates, think 6mm+ aluminum build plates for nice even heating over a large surface area.

Next up is to throw together the CAD drawings.

 

Right on. You've probably already seen this, but just in case you haven't...

TITAN-XY (Fixed Build Plate, Quad Z Screw, CoreXY)

This seems pretty similarto what you're talking about.

 

I had not seen that, but it's pretty much what I had in mind. I'd like to keep as many parts in sync with the C-Bot for reuse.

my initial idea was to combine the corner brackets, x/y stepper mounts and z platform wheel assembly for the front. Combine the corner and z wheel assembly for the rear.

If I'm being honest this has more to do with the fun of designing a printer than necessity.

 

I can relate to that Good luck on your design, I'm psyched to see what you come up with!

 

Just to follow up on the nylon thing.. If you ever find yourself trying to print nylon, Elmer's glue stick over painter's tape on a 45C bed with a large brim (like 15-20 layers wide, 3-5 layer high) does pretty well. Thanks for the help!

 

I couldn't find any enclosed power plug mount for the "standard" Switched Fused Power Socket that bolted to the v-slot in the orientation I wanted, so I made my own. It knocks off ~10mm from my Z height but I never use anywhere near the full volume anyway. I'm sure I will forget this at some point and crush it, but until then I am pleased with the addition. Finally I could wire it up properly instead of having a cut off lamp cord screwed into the power supply.



Posted on Thingaverse as well with customizable wall thickness and extra wire space.

 

Nice CapnBry. I went with the snap-in version...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00511QVVK/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Oh that looks great, I didn't realize they made them in snap in. I would have preferred to have a mount like yours if only I had made my printer another 20mm wider!