Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[wirlybird]

I just changed nozzles, should the ptfe tube be pushed all the way into the nozzle or pushed up into the extruder? Which end should be snug? Seems there will be a gap but where should it be?

I am wondering because I think this may be why after several hours of prints the old color is still contaminating the new color.

[wirlybird]

Here is an update on the monster dry box.

Getting the rails in.




The rails are in and the rollers in place. More rollers to make!




A front look at the 5 roll monster. It will be equipped with reusable desiccant packs and humidity indicator. There is also room for storage.

[wirlybird]

And so the Flexion install begins.

Some parts here:




Preparing the hot ends while waiting for the printer to finish up.

[DaveB]

Here is an update on the monster dry box.
Getting the rails in.
The rails are in and the rollers in place. More rollers to make!
A front look at the 5 roll monster. It will be equipped with reusable desiccant packs and humidity indicator. There is also room for storage.

That is looking sweet W! I did an axle in mine and I like your solution better. It makes swapping one roll out a huge amount easier.

[DaveB]

And so the Flexion install begins.
Some parts here:
Preparing the hot ends while waiting for the printer to finish up.

Looking good! You might make some careful measurements of the PTFE tubes that are provided with the kit. That way should you later desire to, you could make a jig to cut bulk PTFE tubing to size. Looks like they are doing everything possible to fully support/surround the filament with the PTFE tube for its entire length from the drive gear to the hot end.

Are those brass sleeves for the heater inserts?

[wirlybird]

Looking good! You might make some careful measurements of the PTFE tubes that are provided with the kit. That way should you later desire to, you could make a jig to cut bulk PTFE tubing to size. Looks like they are doing everything possible to fully support/surround the filament with the PTFE tube for its entire length from the drive gear to the hot end.

Are those brass sleeves for the heater inserts?

Good idea on the PTFE tubes. I will keep extras because they have a special cut on one end. I like the setup, the tube goes in the barrel and up into the extruder. It never gets to the nozzle. The nozzle and barrel bind together to form a seal.

[DaveB]

That is looking sweet W! I did an axle in mine and I like your solution better. It makes swapping one roll out a huge amount easier.

Reminds me of my old Corvair: rear engine then differential then transmission, all on a spline shaft thru the whole mess. Like some kind of unholy barbeque...

[wirlybird]

What it comes down to is the unload speed is way too slow. What happens is melted filament is slowly drawn up the cold area of the hot end and hardens and clogs. Now sometimes it is low enough where it will still remelt, but usually it wont.

Here is something I just tried while unloading my extruders for the upgrade. I started the unload from the control panel. I kept my finger on the tension lever or release as the extruder heated and a slight tension on the filament. At a certain temperature the filament all of a sudden released and with little effort I was able to pull it all out without problem. This actually worked well. I did not wait for the motor to do it but waited until the filament was soft enough to come out on its own.

[wirlybird]

Looking good! You might make some careful measurements of the PTFE tubes that are provided with the kit. That way should you later desire to, you could make a jig to cut bulk PTFE tubing to size. Looks like they are doing everything possible to fully support/surround the filament with the PTFE tube for its entire length from the drive gear to the hot end.

Are those brass sleeves for the heater inserts?

The brass sleeve is for a certain size heater.

[wirlybird]

Here it is! The first print from the Flexion! My access badge holder I designed. This is at the default QIDI profile settings for PLA except temp (bed - 60, extruder 190).

I have not cleaned it up at all. Straight off the printer. I do need to figure out how to get ride of the scar in the lower corner going toward the middle.

[IMG][/IMG]