Control printer via computer?

[richardphat]

Cura can stop, Repetier Host can stop it. Pretty sure any open source supported software can do the job. Not sure why you would want to use makerware on flashforge printers though.

[curious aardvark]

Cura can stop, Repetier Host can stop it. Pretty sure any open source supported software can do the job. Not sure why you would want to use makerware on flashforge printers though.

because flashforge creators use the mightyboard and cannot use any of the open source software. Unless like geoff you've changed your board.

The rest of us are limited to makerware, replicator-g and simplify3d.

As far as stopping or pausing a print goes. The option exist on all software.

what os are you running on the computer ?

I've had no problem installing makerware on xp or windows 7.

Does the python part install correctly ? That's the only bit I can see being an issue.

Generally speaking if the first layer goes down clean, then the rest of the print will normally work.

Issues I have had:

Bad calibration, print detached halfway through and had lots of spaghetti.
Model fell off rim of printer and wedged under the build plate - I no longer have models on the rim :-)
Filament got caught behind reel and snapped
Abs warped, caught print head, dislodged print. - Fixed by mostly using pla now and abs pretty much just on raft.

But 99% of prints do what I want them to.
You can cut down on problems by a few simple precautions.

Check filament roll before starting a print.
Make sure the build plate is properly calibrated
No models around rim of printer (lol)
And be there when the print actually starts - for the first layer anyway. If that goes down clean - you're usually okay. Well until it warps anyway :-)

[Bassna]

because flashforge creators use the mightyboard and cannot use any of the open source software. Unless like geoff you've changed your board.

The rest of us are limited to makerware, replicator-g and simplify3d.

As far as stopping or pausing a print goes. The option exist on all software.

what os are you running on the computer ?

I've had no problem installing makerware on xp or windows 7.

Does the python part install correctly ? That's the only bit I can see being an issue.

Generally speaking if the first layer goes down clean, then the rest of the print will normally work.

Issues I have had:

Bad calibration, print detached halfway through and had lots of spaghetti.
Model fell off rim of printer and wedged under the build plate - I no longer have models on the rim :-)
Filament got caught behind reel and snapped
Abs warped, caught print head, dislodged print. - Fixed by mostly using pla now and abs pretty much just on raft.

But 99% of prints do what I want them to.
You can cut down on problems by a few simple precautions.

Check filament roll before starting a print.
Make sure the build plate is properly calibrated
No models around rim of printer (lol)
And be there when the print actually starts - for the first layer anyway. If that goes down clean - you're usually okay. Well until it warps anyway :-)

The computer is running a fresh install of Windows 7. It actually became a huge pain yesterday, I could not get the Kinect to work as a webcam no matter what I did, tried for hours. The makerware was just giving me some stupid silly error message, I would have to see it again when I got home.

I pretty much gave up on getting the kinect to work as a camera on there, not sure why it wont. I will just find a different cam to set up. Mainly wanted to record the prints. But would also be nice to pull it up from work and just see how far along things are, etc. And yeah I printed out a part to hold the spool filament feeding in the middle of the rolls. (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:409297) works great. I did have 1 print that had a leg break off mid-print, I believe the raft just came loose. I glue'd it back together, looks ok.

[Geoff]

Not sure why you would want to use makerware on flashforge printers though.

Because most designers who first get a printer and are scratching their head, are directed by all flashforge documentation to get Replicator G... have no idea what your print preview is going to look like, what supports will look like etc and have little understanding of Gcode.. (sure you learn all this along the way but lets say you are fresh) Makerware just works, it's that simple. No frigging around, load the model, press print and it's done. When I started printing and even still to this day, and while it lacks alot of features for me its very much what a printing program should be. Not overfluffed, not laden with technical jargon that most people are yet to understand. My kids won't touch repg, but Makerware they feel completely comfortable using.

Makerware was the first slicing/printing program I used that had a preview function, which I have come heavily to rely on not only for the structure of the print, but the estimated time and plastic usage. I know alot of other software does this, but Cura still for me is not as reliable as makerware for a stock flashforge.

Even if I'm NOT printing in Makerware, I still use it to slice and also to print preview because it is so damn quick. I wouldn't say it's quicker than slic3r but it beats the pants off ReplicatorG... which can take ludicrously long to slice objects. Not going to mention any other software because I would only be speculating.

Now, all of this is completely based on the software and has no relation to Makerbot, which I now consider to be the evil step-son of the printing industry, not the pioneer it once was.