3D printer questions

[Gordon]

I just bought a Monoprice 15365 Mini printer and I am running in to a few basic questions.

I am having a problem with the first layer not sticking to the bed and results in a spider web of plastic which gets tangled in later layers. The printer starts by doing a perimeter loop and then starts the base part layer. The original loop is what is getting the head tangled. I am using PLA plastic and running 195° head temp and 60° bed temp. I am not sure whether I should make something hotter, cooler, faster, slower.

One Monoprice specific question. The printer comes with a micro SD card so I bought another card. Ended up with a 32GB since the price is not much more for a 32 vs 8 GB. Contacted customer support and they said that the SD slot would not support more than 4 GB but the printer still does not work. I can load my gcode to the original SD card and it works OK but the other do not work. Any thoughts on the SD card?

I am having a slight problem when loading another filament. There seems to leave a slug of plastic in the head which must be pushed out so the first few inches is the old color. Also there is a problem with getting the new filament to feed into the head. To remove the original filament must be heated in order to get it out of the head.

Any advice and/or a forum where the basic questions have been answered.

Gordon

 

[Cogsy]

Ended up with a 32GB since the price is not much more for a 32 vs 8 GB. Contacted customer support and they said that the SD slot would not support more than 4 GB but the printer still does not work. I can load my gcode to the original SD card and it works OK but the other do not work.

I don't get what you're asking here - the machine won't support more than a 4GB SD card and you're trying to use a 32GB card - that won't work. Unless you meant you put less than 4GB of data on the 32GB card. In that case, you have to use a 4GB or less card, not a higher capacity one just with less than 4GB of data on it.

Can't help with the rest of the questions. Sorry.

 

[Gordon]

When the 32 GB card did not work I contacted CS and as a result I got a 4 GB but that one did not work either.

 

[dave-in-england]

When the 32 GB card did not work I contacted CS and as a result I got a 4 GB but that one did not work either.

You will probably have to format the SD card before you can use it.

 

[ScottB]

It is normal procedure to heat the extruder before removing old filament. If you heat the extruder the filament will come out very easily and the new filament will feed in easily as well. there will be a small amount of the old filament left in the extruder that can be pushed out my manually feeding the filament through the software control or if you use a brim on your parts the old filament will be pushed through and the new filament will be extruding before your actual print begins.

 

[ScottB]

I forgot to address your Spaghetti issue, It sounds to me that you have your extruder too far above the bed. Your bed needs to be aligned as accurately as possible to your extruder and when you home your z axis the extruder should just touch the bed. If you have this set correctly and you set your first layer at a .2 height you should have no problems with the print adhering to the bed.
195 might be a bit low in temp for PLA so you might want to bump up 15 to 20 degrees. What are you using on your bed? are you printing on Glass, Blue Painters tape, or Kapton tape? Blue Painters tape works well for PLA ( Sometimes too well as it can be difficult to release small parts) If I use a glass sheet covered with blue painters tape after the print is done I put the sheet in the freezer for 10 minutes as this greatly helps to remove small parts without damage. Also keep in mind that not all printers are calibrated correctly. I have a Hictop Prusa i3 printer and I do print PLA at 195 degrees in my slicing software, actual test reading of my extruder is closer to 215 to 220 degrees. Its all a learning curve for each individual printer.

 

[tms6401]

To help sort out the bed issue, I was told to use a piece of ordinary printer paper. Home all axis and turn the machine OFF. With the nozzle in one corner, slide the paper between the bed and the nozzle ... adjust the bed until you can just feel some resistance when you try to pull the paper out (exactly like the cigarette paper/milling cutter procedure). Do that on all four corners and go round a couple of times and you should be good.

For parts not sticking I just use green painters tape. Some use blue. I put strips of tape to cover the bed and rub them down so there are no bubbles. Bed temp around 50 - 55c and head temps at 200c (for PLA) and that is it. I usually just lift off the rows that are covered by the parts, and replace those pieces of tape.

Changing filament ... one hand on the filament lock lever ... the other on the filament you want to take out. Make sure you are up to printing temp, and have the new filament ready to go in ... slightly push down on the filament so that a few squiggles come out of the nozzle ... then pull straight up and remove the old filament. There will be some left in the nozzle. Take the new filament and insert into the nozzle (end cut on an angle to make a point). Make sure to push the fliament locking lever in and push and wiggle the new filament. You should feel when everything is in the right place. Just push down until you see the start of the new color coming through. It takes longer to describe how to do than it does to do it.

I am very new to all of this, and had all of the same problems, and my description shows how I sorted them. Your mileage may vary.

You might also try the Yahoo group that is dedicated to these machines ... https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/RepRap_Prusa_i3_3d_Printer/info

Tom

 

[Gordon]

I am still learning on this. Groups like this help. It is new technology for many of us and we make the usual dumb mistakes which we look back on and wonder how we missed that.

Thanks all.

 

[tms6401]

I am still learning on this. Groups like this help. It is new technology for many of us and we make the usual dumb mistakes which we look back on and wonder how we missed that.

Thanks all.

Gordon, I am 70 years old and I find that if I don't keep stretching the limits, then the limits shrink very quickly.

Last week at this time I had no idea I would have one of these contraptions whirring away in the other room.

I'm finding it great fun, now that the initial cold sweats are gone and I am actually getting useful stuff. (printing upgrade mods for my machine as we speak ... err ... type.)

The one thing I am really loving about this is that I can set the machine going, and then forget it for a few hours. I am not far away from it, but I can be on the lathe or mill, or anything else, and the printer just keeps on buzzing and whirring.

After this initial mod I am doing, I am going to start printing the parts to make a 3d printer/ laser cutter / cnc router (albeit a very light duty one). That is my winter project combining some machining, some electronics, some drawing etc.

So, onward and upward.

Tom

 

[Gordon]

Tom:
I can relate. I am 76 years old and still find it challenging to try new stuff. I do not have any specific projects in mind but just enjoy learning new things. So far I have made one simple part and the sample parts which came with the machine. I addition with learning the printer I have to learn 3D CAD. I have been using 2D CAD for several years but you need 3D for the printer. I have been playing around with 123D from Autodesk and I am slowly learning how to use that. I am not sure that is the best program but it is free so I am not out anything but time. I am afraid that it is good for "gee whiz that is neat" but I am not finding a good way to actually make parts which must be a specific size and must fit other parts.

Gordon

 

[MachinableWax]

I find an automotive feeler gauge to be much easier, and more accurate to use for bed leveling than paper.

 

[tms6401]

Yup, the feeler gauge would be excellent ... if I had one, which I don't. I must look into getting one as I agree totally.

Tom

 

[MachinableWax]

The temperature can vary greatly between printers too. For instance, I have a spool of PETg that states 260°C, but actually prints better at 240°C on our printer. So that 190, may not be ideal for your particular printer.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSOPsRiiOZk"]Here's[/ame] In this video, he describes a good method for temperature calibration. Your slicer may be different, but the principles are the same. It is a good idea to do this for any new material, or even a familiar material from a new supplier.

Thomas Sanladerer has some very helpful videos too. Here's a link to his guides playlist