# Specific 3D Printers, Scanners, & Hardware > QiDi 3D Printer Forum >  Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

## marcnaz

New to the forum & first post. I just purchased a Qidi Tech 1 dual extruder printer (Amazon). I'm well versed in CNC machines, but new to the 3d Printer world.
My initial impressions are good as far as packing, fit and finish, but haven't powered it up yet and made any test prints so the jury is still out. Instructions are not the greatest as with many Chinese items imported to the US. Anyone else have one of these? Comments, pros, cons, tips?
Thanks!

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## wachuko

I just ordered one... should be here next Wednesday (Aug 26).  Subscribed to see what else is shared.

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## marcnaz

> I just ordered one... should be here next Tuesday (Aug 25).  Subscribed to see what else is shared.


Great, let me know your thoughts. So far my observations...
Looks like same overall design as the Flashforge Creator pro, but with Creator (1?) Firmware. When I received mine, a belt was off which I thought was broken. I called the phone number in China, but the individual spoke very little English and requested I email tech support.
Reply was very prompt (just time your email with daytime hours in China) and included photos of how to install etc. I then was able to reinstall the belt & spring tensioner without to much of a problem. 
Following the instructions (which seem to jump around a bit out of sequence) I was able to make a couple of simple prints including dual color. It prints fine via USB but I was not able to print from the SD card and the printer gives a "SD card read error". After trying everything (other/smaller SD cards, reformatting FAT16, FAT32 etc), I emailed support (they ask for photos to help explain) and they promptly replied that they will send out a new keypad/SD reader board. 

All in all, so far so good. They seem very pro customer support and I give their Tech Support an "A" so far. I've attempted to set up Simplify3D to work, but still haven't got it working yet, but it should. I think it's just my inexperience with 3D printers.

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## wachuko

I agree with the support.  I sent several emails asking questions before buying.  They were prompt to answer all questions, sending the manual via email for me to review, etc.  Even got direct email from them instead of going through eBay for communication (since they could not send the pdf via eBay).

Keep the updates coming as you progress using it.  I downloaded ReplicatorG... First project for me will be this:  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:585501

Thank you!!

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## wachuko

Got it today.  But the screw/threaded rod that controls the position of the print platform is slightly bent and will not allow for normal travel.  I can understand stuff like this happening do to packaging.  Support from these folks is great.  On WhatsApp with them right now. 







Make sure to switch setting in power supply for 120volts



There



Instructions to put it together are easy to follow...I also used the video they have on YouTube.  They can use some updating on the leveling of the table as the documentation does not match the screen exactly... but the menu is very easy to follow, so no big deal.

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## wachuko

So they are sending the drive for the print platform and the cable (which the one I have is fine...but they will send anyway), and a new stop switch for the print platform.

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## curious aardvark

sounds like a good company - so what does this cost ?

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## wachuko

> sounds like a good company - so what does this cost ?


Got it directly from them, via eBay, for US$649.00

They have these listings for 499.00 on eBay but you have to add the 150.00 for shipping.  Here, take a look: QIDI 3D Printer

I first saw it on Amazon for 799.00 with free shipping (Prime)... but got it from eBay for a few bucks less...

The construction is solid... I mean, this thing is hefty... handles really come handy to move it around the table while I was putting it together.  The most challenging part to put together was that lexan dome that goes on top... but only because I needed like 5 hands to hold it while installing the bolts and nuts.

I did every possible test that I could.  Testing the extruders, leveling the table, loading a file to print it.  So it went through the cycle of heating the table to 115 degrees, then the extruder to something above 200 degress (can't remember now)  Can't wait to get the replacement parts to get this thing printing!!

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## wachuko

Oh... apart from the printer, it comes with two roles of filaments.  One PLA and one ABS... I loaded right extruder with the ABS that the printer came with and the left extruder also with a Hatchbox ABS filament I got from Amazon.

It also comes with this stuff that you see on the table... it came with a roll of painters tape, but I got some larger sheets and that is what I used.  Easier for me just to put down one sheet of tape than several strips...

USB cable to connect the printer to the computer
Memory card
USB card reader adapter with color and logos that my daughter would love, lol
Those two wire harness...not sure what those are for
Those two plastic tubing...not sure what those are for either
The square block that you see with a hole, that is a wire harness holder that goes in the back... came with an extra one...



EDIT: Forgot to take a photo of the box that holds the tools and extra bolts...

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## curious aardvark

so 649 for a creator pro and lots of bits. Can't see how you'll beat that :-) 
Now go print something !

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## Syd_Khaos

> You need to edit the gcode script for start something like this:
> 
> ~snip~
> 
> That will produce a long line across the front of the bed rather than a glob.


Thank you for sharing this.
Now, time for noob questions.
Does this gcode need to run at start of every print? Or rather every so often as calibration?

The last line of your post makes it sound like this blob/line is a normal thing. Does the machine require this material ejection at start, or is there a way to tweak the machine so this does not happen?

How reliable is printing from SD card? Was reading back in this thread some and seems like its maybe hit or miss.Was planning on printing from SD, or I need to get 150ft usb cable.
Its standard size SD cards ya?

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## bluemeane

> Thank you for sharing this.
> Now, time for noob questions.
> Does this gcode need to run at start of every print? Or rather every so often as calibration?
> 
> The last line of your post makes it sound like this blob/line is a normal thing. Does the machine require this material ejection at start, or is there a way to tweak the machine so this does not happen?
> 
> How reliable is printing from SD card? Was reading back in this thread some and seems like its maybe hit or miss.Was planning on printing from SD, or I need to get 150ft usb cable.
> Its standard size SD cards ya?


I think the glob is a hangover from the actual flashforge. I have a friend who has one and his just pushes out a long line of it off the build plate. But our plate is slightly bigger so it instead puts it on the plate making a big glob. And yes it is normal as it needs to make sure it is full of material and 'primed'  :Smile:   I prefer the long line instead of the glob as it doesn't burn the bed plate or melt and possibly get stuck and then dragged into the print.  I guess you could adjust where it purges and it will do it off the build plate lol.

As for printing I built a 'Astroxbox' from a cheap raspberry pi and added a USB camera so I can start, stop, and keep an eye on my prints remotely. I love it because I can stop a print if it starts to fail or something goes wrong and I am not there.

As for USB you can't have a 150ft USB cable as their theoretical limit is about 9 ft  :Wink:  beyond that and the signal doesn't make it to the other end lol.

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## RetroCreo

> Thank you for sharing this.
> Now, time for noob questions.
> Does this gcode need to run at start of every print? Or rather every so often as calibration?
> 
> The last line of your post makes it sound like this blob/line is a normal thing. Does the machine require this material ejection at start, or is there a way to tweak the machine so this does not happen?
> 
> How reliable is printing from SD card? Was reading back in this thread some and seems like its maybe hit or miss.Was planning on printing from SD, or I need to get 150ft usb cable.
> Its standard size SD cards ya?


The blob  is only a result of using the third party software Simplify3D and the script goes in the start scripts menu. 

The qiditech needs no modification and prints fine out of the box. I get better results printing from SD than over usb. Sometimes when printing over usb, if my computer crashed or shut off then the print would fail.

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## rcleav

I agree the SD card is the most reliable. I also have an Astroprint setup but only use it to monitor prints. i've had problems with it crashing during a print.
As for the purge line my right extruder does drop the line off the right side of the plate the left extruder would to if I didn't have my plate clamp there.
I have found no real reason to change this behavior. My CTC does the line across the top of the plate but I have gone been using the Flashforge Creator pro for both machines for simplicity. They both work great.

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## rcleav

So how is everybody's top cover hood doing? Mine is being held together by tape. :Confused: 
I got an enclosure kit from here http://www.criticalmods.com/ for my CTC. It's built in one piece and much stronger then the Qidi tech one.
They said they would sell me just the hood for $35.00 + shipping. It will fit on top of the Qidi Tech just not drop down into the top slots like the original one does.
Also the back is cutout in a way that entails using a spool system that feeds from the top.  I have made one of these for my CTC. One advantage to top spools is it's easier to change filament. It's also come with a vent if you want to go that route.
My overhead system is not as compact but it does work.

IMAG0488.jpgIMAG0490.jpg

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## Syd_Khaos

I'm having some serious issues...and don't even have my printer yet.
Blender is what I have always used for rendering models. Up till now its always been to mod video games. The Blender I'm using is out-of-box so to speak, no add-ons or plugins besides the default ones.
Last night I purchased S3D and was excited to start getting some stuff ready to print.
Right away it seems like Blender is a very poor tool for use in tandem with S3D and the 3D printing community in general.
Seems like a vast majority of the stuff on the internet (via sites like Thingaverse) is done in .stl format. S3D lists its native formats as .stl and .obj.....

Blender has both these formats for import/export, however there seems to issues with both. I found a set of Fallout 4 bobble-heads on thingaverse I am planing to print, as a test, and because I want them. The files are of course .stl format. When I import one into Blender it was 130+ meters tall. When its scaled down to its proper size (and scale value reset in Blender) I export it as new file in .stl format. When the new .stl from blender and the original .stl file are loaded together into S3D the one from blender is 1/10 or so the size of original.

The same thing happens when exporting to .obj format, but the size decrease is greater.
I have double and triple checked settings in Blender to make sure its on metrics, and scale value is resetting properly.

If Blender is in fact not a good choice, is there another free/cheap alternative? 
$800 on printer, $150 on S3D, another $400 on machine parts and materials...my budget for getting into this is about maxed for now=)

Any tips would be very welcome.

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## RetroCreo

> I'm having some serious issues...and don't even have my printer yet.
> Blender is what I have always used for rendering models. Up till now its always been to mod video games. The Blender I'm using is out-of-box so to speak, no add-ons or plugins besides the default ones.
> Last night I purchased S3D and was excited to start getting some stuff ready to print.
> Right away it seems like Blender is a very poor tool for use in tandem with S3D and the 3D printing community in general.
> Seems like a vast majority of the stuff on the internet (via sites like Thingaverse) is done in .stl format. S3D lists its native formats as .stl and .obj.....
> 
> Blender has both these formats for import/export, however there seems to issues with both. I found a set of Fallout 4 bobble-heads on thingaverse I am planing to print, as a test, and because I want them. The files are of course .stl format. When I import one into Blender it was 130+ meters tall. When its scaled down to its proper size (and scale value reset in Blender) I export it as new file in .stl format. When the new .stl from blender and the original .stl file are loaded together into S3D the one from blender is 1/10 or so the size of original.
> 
> The same thing happens when exporting to .obj format, but the size decrease is greater.
> ...


What machine parts did you buy?  Also, S3D isn't really necessary as the ReplicatorG software the printer comes with is more than adequate.  Also, you don't have to import the .stl to blender, you can open it directly in S3D and scale from there.

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## Syd_Khaos

> What machine parts did you buy?  Also, S3D isn't really necessary as the ReplicatorG software the printer comes with is more than adequate.  Also, you don't have to import the .stl to blender, you can open it directly in S3D and scale from there.


MagHold build plate
2 borosilicate glass plates 
And about $80 at Lowes on PVC and fittings and various hardware. To make overhead dual-feeder, and a mounting system for the glass plates.

I already purchased S3D. For me, as an entry-level hobbyist, it seemed like money well spent. Plus it seems like ALOT of people are using, makes it easy-peasy to share settings and such.

I was importing the .stl I got from thingaverse to Blender not to scale it...thats why I had to do because of the huge size on import. I was actually wanting to smooth and adjust the model a bit before loading it into S3D.

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## rcleav

First Blender is a modeler that can handle meshes and S3D is a slicer. STL are meshes. Modelers create objects that are then converted to meshes.
There is a lot of support for using blender as a modeler check Youtube. I use Autodesk Fusion 360 to create models and S3D to  position and slice the meshes for printing.
To edit a mesh STL you would need a mesh editor Autodesk makes a free one of them to. In S3D after importing the object click on it and a side window will open which allows you to reposition and scale your object. Finally there will always be a debate about what model slicer is best I personally have used most of them and prefer S3D.

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## DJalin1

Hello All,
I have enjoyed reading this thread and the information here has helped me make the decision to to get a Qidi Tech 1.  Originally I was going to get it on Amazon (prime customer) but I see many of your have gotten the machine direct from eBay and saved 150.  Are their any benefits from purchasing from Amazon over eBay?  I am thinking with the 150 saved I can get Simply3D software.  This is a great thread btw!!!
I am a bit concerned about getting the newer model versus the older as I have seen some one you with a recent eBay purchase getting the older model (pre Dec 2015)

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## rcleav

> Kinda starting to think this is the origin of the leveling issues as well. With the extruder over the rear most mount I can get the gap perfect. But the front 2 mounts still have a gap thats to big...like the plate mount is maybe bent a bit.
> 
> I can check all that by taking the bottom panel off yes?



You can check the wiring from the bottom. But sounds like you may have a bent Z-Axis.  You should be able to turn the Z-axis screw by hand until it hits the limit switch.

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## rcleav

Get a hold of Qidi Tech and they will send you a whole new extruder Assy.
Take pictures of the extruder and the front of the machine to prove you have an old setup.
Look at the long aluminum bar that the exteruders attach too are there 2 tapped holes on the left end of it?

Sounds like your having adhesion problems.
Find a Youtube video on leveling the build plate and recheck it. 
I usually run my glass build plate at 60c.
My printers are in the basement which is pretty cool so I make sure that inside the cabinet is at least 70F.
I have digital thermometers inside my printers to monitor the cabinet temperature.

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## Syd_Khaos

> You can check the wiring from the bottom. But sounds like you may have a bent Z-Axis.  You should be able to turn the Z-axis screw by hand until it hits the limit switch.


I can, both raise and lower the platform to max limit by hand just like Qidi says you should be able to.
The cable bunch that comes from heat plate was somewhat loose in the board connection. Pushed that all back tight and about to plug it in again. 

If anything is bent it seems like the metal bracket the heat plate mounts to.

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## rcleav

> If anything is bent it seems like the metal bracket the heat plate mounts to.


Can you take a picture of that build plate support?

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## Syd_Khaos

Plate support, not sure if you can see what your looking for though.

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## rcleav

How about a picture showing the build plate up to the limit switch.. With the extruders centered on the build plate.
I want to see what the gap looks like.

The printer is sitting level right?
You can remove the build plate to get a better look at the support.

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## Syd_Khaos

Gap in middle of printplate


Gap in center front of plate

I can not get the plate any higher than this in the front, the 2 bolts are out of thread.

I did manage to get something to print, was supposed to be a 20mm test block. The bottom few layers printed very well, then it left a few gaps, then about half way up it stop printing the exterior structure all together.



edit:
To clarify, the gap at full center of the plate is about double what it should be. The gap in front center is 3-4 times what it should be. Only using right extruder at the moment.

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## rcleav

If the printer itself is level on a level surface you could take the build plate off and put a small level across the build plate supports to see if they are level. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have to take the extruder Assy out and check the hot block heights are even.

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## bluemeane

> I also tried it and had the same problem.
> It was written for an older machine that doesn't have the cooling fan on the left side of the extruders for print cooling.


Can you make a video of this movement so I can look into it? Mine doesn't grind of move too far, ot does a nice long line to about 1 inch from the side, then slows down, and moves very slowly another couple of mm's and prints.

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## Syd_Khaos

Made alot of progress today.
Have my machine set back up where its supposed to be. 
It was not printing because the plug for the heatplate was loose in the motherboard plugin. Now its showing the proper temp, and heating/cooling like it should.

I still cant totally level the plate, but I'm fairly sure its an issue with the mount. However I can get the back 1/2 of the buildplate very level with the gap Qidi recommends. I am going to try and print(just on back 1/2 of the plate) the bracket/shim I need to mount the glass. I am going to take 2mm height off of the shim. This will make the plate 2mm higher and should solve this last little issue I'm having.

Just want to thank everyone again for all the help, you all awesome!

edit:
Anyone have a vid on how to install a z axis shim on this machine. Looked around a bit and not getting a clear explination.

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## sygyzy

> Correct. 
> I tried putting nuts on there too, was wondering why bolt wouldn't slip through. Looked in there and its threaded.


You are the man Syd!

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## sygyzy

Quick question about the spool holders. 

When I was installing the holders, I noticed each rod had two nuts on one side and one on the opposite side. I used the side with two nuts to attach it to the back of the machine, sandwiching the back panel (spool holder | nut | back panel | nut). This leaves a single nut on the opposite side. Is this correct? I saw some documentation that looks like they want you to use a nut to tighten the actual filament spool against the body (on the holder). However, with the two spools QIDI Tech included, the diameter of the spools are too large and the width of the holders are too narrow to able to be secured.

Thoughts?

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## dspdrew

> I used the Make An Offer on the Buy It Now item.  They accepted $650 when I did it.


Ah okay, Thank you.

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## rcleav

> Well, that's a bid, not a Buy it Now price. But okay, it's worth a shot.


Yes it is and that is how people have gotten them for $650

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## bluemeane

> Well, that's a bid, not a Buy it Now price. But okay, it's worth a shot.


The 'Buy it now' ones all have a box for 'make an offer'. Make and offer of $680 now (Used to work at $630 lol) and they will accept it  :Big Grin:

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## rcleav

> Quick question about the spool holders. 
> 
> When I was installing the holders, I noticed each rod had two nuts on one side and one on the opposite side. I used the side with two nuts to attach it to the back of the machine, sandwiching the back panel (spool holder | nut | back panel | nut). This leaves a single nut on the opposite side. Is this correct? I saw some documentation that looks like they want you to use a nut to tighten the actual filament spool against the body (on the holder). However, with the two spools QIDI Tech included, the diameter of the spools are too large and the width of the holders are too narrow to able to be secured.
> 
> Thoughts?



Goto my post #56 here it has several links to thingiverse that you should print first that will help you get started.
The one that specifically address your question go here and print them.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:571760

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## g.gregory8

@sygyzy 
3. I'm using MakerBot software too and the same happen but luckily i had filament loaded in the right extruder so I noticed it was doing the raft with right nozzle then main object in left nozzle. You have to got to settings in MakerBot then Custom -> Mult Material Printing -> Set 'Support Material Extruder' and 'Raft Material Extruder' to the correct ones. Then also make sure the object is using the correct extruder by clicking the big 'i' icon in bottom left of screen twice and selecting object then extruder type. Note sometimes if after making this change I enable or disable support or raft then options change. The best way to confirm it is using correct extruder is to click preview before every print. It will show left extruder in red and right extruder in white. This way you can see what the raft and object will use.

Also how did you set default extruder to left?

4. As above confirm with preview it is correct before printing.
5. I choose Replicator Dual

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## sygyzy

*@g.gregory8

*I don't think there's a way to set a default extruder. I know about the "i" icon and selecting the object and choosing extruder. However, even though I chose "Left" for the object, nothing was coming out. I think what was happening is this: since I chose to print the object with a raft, it was trying to use the right extruder (which was empty) to print the raft. Then it was going to use the left head to print the main object. The thing is, the raft does not show up in the program (ie there is no visual representation of it). So, when I click on the "i" icon to choose the extruder, I could only select and see the object and select a head for that. 

I went to Custom | Multi Material Printing and was really confused about how I can set 'Support Material Extruder'. Annoyingly, Makerbot software decides to name the extruders Left and Right on some screens and 1 and 0 on other screens. What the heck?

It's pretty clear now that Makerbot considers the right extruder to be the "default". With that said, I might decide to just swap my spool over to the right. To be honest, I was hoping to use the left because my starter spool had the label on a certain side that made sense to load it on the left holder.

Last but not least - I've read one of the main reasons for a dual extruder is to have the raft material be different the main object. Since PLA and ABS prices are the same, what sort of "cheap" raft materials area out there?

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## rcleav

I've always considered the right side the primary. Don't know why maybe because I'm right handed. :Smile: 
Traditional support material was called HIPS I believe.
BTW I haven't used rafts for months most of my prints haven't needed them.
Only objects that have a very small base surface compared to the top need the extra support of a raft.

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## sygyzy

Good to know rcleav. I guess I dont understand rafts as much as supports. For supports, anytime I see something with overhang I assume it needs some supports. No big deal on left vs right. When I get home, I'll make PLA on the right (primary) and ABS on the left.

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## rcleav

> I took a closer look at the Mighty Board and the schematic.  It is not going to be as simple as just connecting an RGB LED strip to the connector.  It looks like to save costs they did not populated the RGB driver circuit.  To get it to work your going to have to solder some components to the board and you will need some good solder skills/equipment.
> 
> Here is what you need:
> U15
> http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...4-1-ND/1125730
> 
> U19
> http://www.digikey.com/product-detai...8-1-ND/2814156
> 
> ...


You may be able to use one of these for the voltage reduction.
http://www.amazon.com/Solu-Regulator...5%3A2470955011

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## sygyzy

Yeah that does not seem trivial.

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## onewickedsvt

piece of cake! lol.

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## rcleav

> Would you mind posting detailed shots of how you re-routed the cables to minimize strain? I would greatly appreciate it.
> .


Here are some pictures of the drag chain I printed for the X axis cables on my machines.

IMAG0504.jpgIMAG0505.jpgIMAG0506.jpg

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## KludgeGuru

Replaced the cable and I'm up and running again.  :Big Grin:  Going to start printing the chain parts tomorrow.

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## sygyzy

Oh interesting. I guess it didn't click that the chain cable has you re-route the cable down to the board directly instead of running up then along the upper right edge, then down the side edge, then down. Makes sense looking at it all of course.

Can you take a picture of how it attaches to your case on the end opposite the endstop and motor? From Thingiverse it looks like you have to drill and screw a few inches up the side. But on yours, I can't tell how it ends.

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## rcleav

> Can you take a picture of how it attaches to your case on the end opposite the endstop and motor? From Thingiverse it looks like you have to drill and screw a few inches up the side. But on yours, I can't tell how it ends.


On the  Qidi I used an existing hole about 1/4 of the way up for the mount. On the CTC I drilled a hole lower since it's plywood. I like how the chain on the CTC lays and think I may  drill a hole lower in the QIDI so it lays the same. The CTC mount is nearly as low as you can go just above the bottom deck.

 Ideally if you read the older clone forums the ideal X axis cable routing is coming out the right rear corner of the machine. This is so you can move in RF generating cables away from the display. To help minimize the RF scramble of the display. As you can see I didn't do that.

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## jfkansas

Well it isn't exactly a Creator Pro. Some significant quality differences... 




> so 649 for a creator pro and lots of bits. Can't see how you'll beat that :-) 
> Now go print something !

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## jfkansas

> guys I am having a hard time or rather no luck whatsoever getting simplify 3d connect to the printer!
> 
> I get fail to connect message over and over!


Why are you trying to connect the printer? You should only connect the printer to update software and make firmware changes. Normal operation should be to copy files to the SD card to print. I rarely have my printers connected to a computer...

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## mtnride

> Well it isn't exactly a Creator Pro. Some significant quality differences...


Curious what the deficiencies are if you've used both... I've never got to see a FFCP up close. There are a bunch of places I could imagine improvements but specifics would be great. Maybe there's an opportunity to engineer these things with just a little bit of effort.

All that said, it's not a fantastic printer, but it does a good job for my purpose: quick prints of things I dream up in CAD. I put together a BOM and this thing seems to be ~$100 over the low quantity parts I pieced together. Great value for the money with lots of room for improvement.

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## DJalin1

g-code with updates from forum to eliminate glob and replace with line

Left:


; **** Replicator 2X start.gcode ****
M73 P0 ; Enable build progress
G162 X Y F3000 ; Home XY maximum
G161 Z F1200 ; Home Z minimum
G92 Z-5 ; Set Z to -5
G1 Z0 ; Move Z to 0
G161 Z F100 ; Home Z slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall home offsets
M135 T1 ; Load left extruder offsets
G1 X-110 Y-75 Z30 F9000 ; Move to wait position off table
G130 X20 Y20 Z20 A20 B20 ; Lower stepper Vrefs while heating
M126 S[fan_speed_pwm] ; Set fan speed
M140 S[bed0_temperature] T0 ; Heat buildplate
M134 T0 ; Stabilize bed temperature
M104 S[extruder1_temperature] T1 ; Heat left extruder
M133 T1 ; Stabilize left extruder temperature
G130 X127 Y127 Z40 A127 B127 ; Default stepper Vrefs
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
M135 T1 ; Load left extruder offsets
G1 X-100 Y-65 F9000 ; Move to front left corner of bed
G1 Z0.3 F6000 ; Move down to purge
G1 X90 Y-65 E24 F2000 ; Extrude a line of filament across the front edge of the bed
G1 X100 Y-65 F180 ; Wait for ooze
G1 X110 Y-65 F5000 ; Fast wipe
G1 Z1 F100 ; Lift
G92 A0 B0 ; zero extruders
M73 P1 ;@body (notify GPX body has started)
; **** end of start.gcode ****






Right:




; **** Replicator 2X start.gcode ****
M73 P0 ; Enable build progress
G162 X Y F3000 ; Home XY maximum
G161 Z F1200 ; Home Z minimum
G92 Z-5 ; Set Z to -5
G1 Z0 ; Move Z to 0
G161 Z F100 ; Home Z slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall home offsets
M135 T0 ; Load right extruder offsets
G1 X-110 Y-75 Z30 F9000 ; Move to wait position off table
G130 X20 Y20 Z20 A20 B20 ; Lower stepper Vrefs while heating
M126 S[fan_speed_pwm] ; Set fan speed
M140 S[bed0_temperature] T0 ; Heat buildplate
M134 T0 ; Stabilize bed temperature
M104 S[extruder0_temperature] T0 ; Heat right extruder
M133 T0 ; Stabilize extruder temperature
G130 X127 Y127 Z40 A127 B127 ; Default stepper Vref
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
G1 X100 Y-70 F9000 ; Move to front right corner of bed
G1 Z0.3 F6000 ; Move down to purge
G1 X-90 Y-70 E24 F2000 ; Extrude a line of filament across the front edge of the bed
G1 X-100 Y-70 F180 ; Wait for ooze
G1 X-110 Y-70 F5000 ; Fast wipe
G1 Z0.5 F100 ; Lift
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
M73 P1 ;@body (notify GPX body has started)
; **** end of start.gcode ****




Both:




; **** Replicator 2X start.gcode ****
M73 P0 ; Enable build progress
G162 X Y F3000 ; Home XY maximum
G161 Z F1200 ; Home Z minimum
G92 Z-5 ; Set Z to -5
G1 Z0 ; Move Z to 0
G161 Z F100 ; Home Z slowly
M132 X Y Z A B ; Recall home offsets
M135 T0 ; Load right extruder offsets
G1 X-110 Y-75 Z30 F9000 ; Move to wait position off table
G130 X20 Y20 Z20 A20 B20 ; Lower stepper Vrefs while heating
M126 S[fan_speed_pwm] ; Set fan speed
M140 S[bed0_temperature] T0 ; Heat buildplate 
M134 T0 ; Stabilize bed temperature
M104 S[extruder0_temperature] T0 ; Heat right extruder
M104 S[extruder1_temperature] T1 ; Heat left extruder
M133 T0 ; Stabilize right extruder temperature
M133 T1 ; Stabilize left extruder temperature
G130 X127 Y127 Z40 A127 B127 ; Default stepper Vrefs
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
G1 X100 Y-70 F9000 ; Move to front right corner of bed
G1 Z0.3 F6000 ; Move down to purge
G1 X-90 Y-70 E24 F2000 ; Extrude a line of filament across the front edge of the bed
G1 X-100 Y-70 F180 ; Wait for ooze
G1 X-110 Y-70 F5000 ; Fast wipe
G1 Z0.5 F100 ; Lift
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
M135 T1 ; Load left extruder offsets
G1 X-100 Y-65 F9000 ; Move to front left corner of bed
G1 Z0.3 F6000 ; Move down to purge
G1 X90 Y-65 E24 F2000 ; Extrude a line of filament across the front edge of the bed
G1 X100 Y-65 F180 ; Wait for ooze
G1 X110 Y-65 F5000 ; Fast wipe
G1 Z1 F100 ; Lift
G92 A0 B0 ; Zero extruders
M73 P1 ;@body (notify GPX body has started)
; **** end of start.gcode ****






Take the above and put it in the start script for each mode (Left only, right only, both)

----------


## DJalin1

Has anyone tested the top Z-Axis size with the 1/4 Glass Build Plate?

I have a tower I want to upscale to 145.2 mm, but if you minis the 6.35 mm (.25 inches) it leaves only 143.65 mm.

----------


## rcleav

> I Used a 1/4 Glass Build Plate with Aqua Net
> Never had any issues with sticking during build or taking off once build was completed.
> 1/4 Glass:        http://www.mcmaster.com/#8476k74/=11lgnot
> Corner Supports:    https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:613685
> Shim:            http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1225804
> 
> 
> Other Mods
> Z-Axis Brace:        http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1412738
> ...


All good choices to start with.
I've replaced my hood and now have my spools overhead.
http://www.criticalmods.com/

----------


## dspdrew

> The code has nothing to do with what machine is being used. I mean, it could but it's like saying "my friend uses a Mac and she doesn't have that icon in the corner". Your friend's CTC could do the exact same thing as your Qidi Tech if he/she wanted.
> 
> Sure, that code may be cut and paste but I believe there are comments to help you. I am pretty new to G-Code but it's not that hard to figure out. 
> 
> 
> 
> ```
> G1 X-100 Y-65 F9000 ; Move to front left corner of bed - This is better than the values you quotes since it keeps it on the corner rather than off the bed
> G1 Z0.3 F6000 ; Move down to purge - remove this if you don't want it to lay down the line
> ...


My point wasn't about the machine used; it was about the slicing program. That's why I am going to try ReplicatorG instead.

----------


## rcleav

> Sure.
> 
> http://www.gyg.cc/cad/liquid_feeder_...01_1.1_cap.STL


Ok tried your model and it will be extremely hard to print since it's so small.
You will need to print it very slowly at .1 layer height, 1 shell and zero infill.
I got the bottom 3/4 to print ok still working on the top.

----------


## dspdrew

> Ok tried your model and it will be extremely hard to print since it's so small.
> You will need to print it very slowly at .1 layer height, 1 shell and zero infill.
> I got the bottom 3/4 to print ok still working on the top.


Haha thanks. I had a feeling the part itself might be a bit of an issue. I might see if I can design it slightly different.

----------


## dspdrew

This is so unbelievably frustrating. I have done everything according to the instructions, and since nothing in the instructions explains how to change the temperature of the build platform in ReplicatorG, I used the mess of instructions you can find online. The printer moves to front left corner and finally heats to the proper temperatures, then goes to the back right corner, then goes back to the front left corner, and starts heating up to the wrong temperatures again. What am I doing wrong?

Edit: Okay, so apparently this program appends to the .x3g file.  :Confused:  I thought it was overwriting, so no wonder this was happening. It probably would have reheated 20 more times if I hadn't stopped it. It's printing pretty good now.

This is one of the most buggy and strangely developed programs I've used. I especially like how it looks to see where your desktop folder is to determine the location of your Windows user profile. I would say using one of the global variables would have made a bit more sense haha.

----------


## rcleav

If using S3D go back and reload the Flashforge creator pro original profile and start with it's default settings.
Don't worry about the how the startup script works it won't hurt anything.
Try printing a cube with the defaults. Then when you have that working you can try the more advanced settings.
BTW I was able to print 90% of your model but the top point is to small for a .4 nozzle.

----------


## dspdrew

> If using S3D go back and reload the Flashforge creator pro original profile and start with it's default settings.
> Don't worry about the how the startup script works it won't hurt anything.
> Try printing a cube with the defaults. Then when you have that working you can try the more advanced settings.
> BTW I was able to print 90% of your model but the top point is to small for a .4 nozzle.


Alright, I'll try that. I was able to print the whole thing with the standard PLA settings, but yeah, I need to redesign this thing. I'm not sure why I didn't realize how tiny some of the features were. It's just way too detailed for this resolution of a print.

----------


## jfkansas

> Ok tried your model and it will be extremely hard to print since it's so small.
> You will need to print it very slowly at .1 layer height, 1 shell and zero infill.
> I got the bottom 3/4 to print ok still working on the top.


On something that small a .3mm nozzle would help and set the extrusion width to about .25mm. No real reason to print slow, due to the size the acceleration parameters will slow it down enough. 1-2 shells and 100% infill will work. .2mm layer heights should be fine.

----------


## KludgeGuru

I printed my first part with the Maghold plate last night.  I like it!  They typically attach a BuildTak sticker to the spring steel but I asked them not to since I didn't want to use the BuildTak.  Instead I put PET tape on top of the spring steel.  I even sprayed the top of the PET tape with hairspray.  It worked just as good as the glass plate (that I dropped).

Removing the part was slightly easier than the glass since the spring steel is flexible.  Oh and I can drop the steel plate without it it shattering.   :Wink: 

Here is what I ordered if anybody is interested:
http://www.3dprintermods.com/prestas...roller=product

http://www.amazon.com/Gizmo-Dorks-Po...words=PET+tape

Here is an image of my print (for my wife)
20160325_061357.jpg
http://www.thingiverse.com/make:206985

----------


## jcoahran

> Did you guys need longer screws for either end of the cable chain? What size/type?


I'm also interested in the answer to this regarding the screw lengths. I've printed out the chain parts. The dis-assembly and installation seem non-trivial. Is it easier than it looks? Does anyone have any specific steps they could share?

----------


## bombnav

It builds ok, I ran 2 models during the night and they were small but tall models and they came out straight and ok.


it bangs the left side on the initial laydown of plastic on the outer edge.  It delays laying down for about 40 MM then starts and over runs about 40 MM and hit the left side.

it is like its confused on where the build plate edge is.

Thanks for all the other tips.  its been a steep curve for me but a fun one so far.





> Congrats!
> 
> 
> You can adjust he height of the nozzles.  I haven't had to do this yet so I'm not sure where the set screw is, but it shouldn't be too hard to find. 
> 
> 1. Level your bed against the lower nozzle. 
> 2. Level your higher nozzle against the bed. 
> 
> Here is a discussion about this for the Flashforge:
> ...

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> I'm also interested in the answer to this regarding the screw lengths. I've printed out the chain parts. The dis-assembly and installation seem non-trivial. Is it easier than it looks? Does anyone have any specific steps they could share?


I used the screws in there, but they a little tight, if your able to you may wanna use slightly longer hardware.
Was crazy easy to install.
Disconnect the motor and limiter switch, then undo all the wire holds down to the floor plate. 
Slide the start mount over the cables and mount it, I used the lowest bolt the wire holds were attached to.
Slide each chain link onto the cables and assemble them on the start bracket as you go.
Attach the drive mount bracket to back of stepper motor (run the wires through it first) and reattach the leads to the motor and limiter. 
Attach the chain to the drive mount bracket.
Pull the extra wire through to the base of the machine, I'd suggest using cable tie to bunch up the extra with one of the other cable clusters.

----------


## sygyzy

There are three points of adjustment so when you run the leveling profile from the LCD menu, you have to make sure to manually move the head block around to the different points and adjust. Also, the heads are often not perfectly level to each other so what I like to do is level the specific head I know I'll be printing with. Then if I switch to the other head and I see issues, I'll re-calibrate with that head.

The reason you are hearing the clicking noise is that you have your head too close to the bed. The extruder is trying to spin the gear to push the filament but it's immediately blocked by the build plate.





> I just got my QIDI Tech I 3 days ago and today I noticed a problem I hope someone can help me with.
> 
> Today I was printing and noticed the left extruder kept hitting the print.  I re-leveled and check everything and now when I start a print the head will start on the plate but will move too far left and hit the stop and bump and grind some.
> 
> Also noticed there is not some clicking sounds when its printing that was not there yesterday.  
> Is this an adjustment you can make in the profiles?

----------


## sygyzy

How is the BuildTak normally attached to the spring steel? Is it just adhesive? By having them not install it, did you get a discount? Or did they include it, but not install it on the plate?




> I printed my first part with the Maghold plate last night.  I like it!  They typically attach a BuildTak sticker to the spring steel but I asked them not to since I didn't want to use the BuildTak.  Instead I put PET tape on top of the spring steel.  I even sprayed the top of the PET tape with hairspray.  It worked just as good as the glass plate (that I dropped).

----------


## sygyzy

I know this should be super simple but I want to be prepared before I start taking stuff apart so I hope you don't mind more questions.

Which part exactly are you using for the start (bottom) and end (by motor) connections? I printed everything and I can see at least 2 for each end.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:124700/#files

Do you know what sizes screws are used for the motor end? 

Lastly, I am confused about the connection point at the start. The only screw I see that low is one of the weird ones where a little wire hold is attached to the case with a tiny bit of threads sticking out and a nut. Is that the one you are using? I can't even tell where the head of the screw is since it doersn't seem exposed on the other side of the case. I am at work so I can't verify right now. I don't see enough exposed threads that could handle holding the start piece securely. And, since I can't even see how the screw is attached, I am not sure how to replace it with a longer one. Am I missing something?




> I used the screws in there, but they a little tight, if your able to you may wanna use slightly longer hardware.
> Was crazy easy to install.
> Disconnect the motor and limiter switch, then undo all the wire holds down to the floor plate. 
> Slide the start mount over the cables and mount it, I used the lowest bolt the wire holds were attached to.
> Slide each chain link onto the cables and assemble them on the start bracket as you go.
> Attach the drive mount bracket to back of stepper motor (run the wires through it first) and reattach the leads to the motor and limiter. 
> Attach the chain to the drive mount bracket.
> Pull the extra wire through to the base of the machine, I'd suggest using cable tie to bunch up the extra with one of the other cable clusters.

----------


## bombnav

Ok to be clear the 3 leveling points are over each of the adjustment points correct?  I use the business card width as shown in some videos and set each point to the same width.  This is after I inspect the heads to make sure they both are at the same height to stop the dragging.

 Also any idea on how to make the extruders stop moving too far left on initial plastic lay down on the front edge of the build plate and banging into the sides?  Is there an X adjustment for this?  

 Has anyone written a good FAQ for the QIDI that covers all the menu items on the LCD?

Other than the leveling what other calibrations should I be doing?

 Thanks to you for your help.  This forum is awesome.




> There are three points of adjustment so when you run the leveling profile from the LCD menu, you have to make sure to manually move the head block around to the different points and adjust. Also, the heads are often not perfectly level to each other so what I like to do is level the specific head I know I'll be printing with. Then if I switch to the other head and I see issues, I'll re-calibrate with that head.
> 
> The reason you are hearing the clicking noise is that you have your head too close to the bed. The extruder is trying to spin the gear to push the filament but it's immediately blocked by the build plate.

----------


## rcleav

Not to offend some of are newer members but I wish we could have a regular forum with the ability to have a sticky page. 
A lot of the same questions are being asked weekly if not daily. 
Until we do the Flashforge forum has a pretty good sticky page that would be nearly identical to a Qidi Tech one.
http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...-Creator-forum

----------


## bombnav

I agree I hate walking into a forum new and asking questions.  A sticky page would be nice.




> Not to offend some of are newer members but I wish we could have a regular forum with the ability to have a sticky page. 
> A lot of the same questions are being asked weekly if not daily. 
> Until we do the Flashforge forum has a pretty good sticky page that would be nearly identical to a Qidi Tech one.
> http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...-Creator-forum

----------


## rcleav

If you are running Sailfish on your Qidi Tech you should be using this version of RepG
replicatorg-0040r33-Sailfish
Found here https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:32084/#files

----------


## Tikz

Anyone know anything about the upgraded 2016 version of this printer?  Getting ready to pull the trigger on it from ebay.  This will be my first printer.

----------


## HalimDesign

hi guys, 
im a new user of this qidi tech, 

ive got mine yesterday and print some 3Dbenchy, the elephant and some random stuff 
for now i am very2 happy with this printer 

next , i'm trying to print bigger object which took 8 hour 
but , the print stop extrude at my 50% job 
the machine is working but no extrusion happen at my right extruder , it is seem to clogged/block 
i try to unload and load the filament but still there is no extrusion happen. 

i use PLA 230C extruder - 40c heatbed 
can someone help me to overcome this problem ? thanks

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Having a huge issue with curling today and last night. Everything I print in PLA or ABS has a corner or edge that curls up. Have tried adjusting heats a bit, cleaned a reprepared glass a couple times. I can not for the life of me tell whats causing this.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> hi guys, 
> im a new user of this qidi tech, 
> 
> ive got mine yesterday and print some 3Dbenchy, the elephant and some random stuff 
> for now i am very2 happy with this printer 
> 
> next , i'm trying to print bigger object which took 8 hour 
> but , the print stop extrude at my 50% job 
> the machine is working but no extrusion happen at my right extruder , it is seem to clogged/block 
> ...


If it is clogged you may have to take the extruder apart to unclog it.  230C is probably too hot for PLA which may have caused the clog.  You should print PLA down around 200C.

----------


## caall99

> Having a huge issue with curling today and last night. Everything I print in PLA or ABS has a corner or edge that curls up. Have tried adjusting heats a bit, cleaned a reprepared glass a couple times. I can not for the life of me tell whats causing this.


1. Yes, get your temperatures into the appropriate range for the respective filament. 190c pla with 40c bed. 220c abs with 85c bed.

2. Activate minimum layer time of 15 to 20 seconds in makerware.

3. Use active cooling fan for pla, but not for abs.

----------


## caall99

I am hearing some audible creaking from my y axis, on the left side of the machine. It could also be the extruder slipping.. Maybe 220c is too low for my black abs, and the extruder cant push the filament through... Then again i have no indication of under extrusion. Must be noise in the bearings or carriages. Anyone else notice that?

----------


## kaznad

Hi Guys,

So I order the Maghold Build Platform and the Glass from McMaster and the PET Tape from Amazon. However the Aquanet spray cannot be shipped to me in Asia as they not ship outside US. Any idea what chemical to look out for the hairspray or any hairspray will do? 

Thanks.

----------


## HalimDesign

> If it is clogged you may have to take the extruder apart to unclog it.  230C is probably too hot for PLA which may have caused the clog.  You should print PLA down around 200C.


can i have some basic steps how to repair this ? 
or i should contact the qidi support for details??

tq

----------


## rcleav

Heat your extruder up and then remove the nozzle with a 9mm wrench.
Hold the extruder hot block with pliers when doing this. Be Careful it's hot.
Pull the nozzle off and then the PTFE tube.
Turn the printer off
Clean out the PTFE tube and or the nozzle. I use a heated small drill bit and the finest piano string.
Put it back together cold. Heat the printer backup and while holding the Hot block tighten the nozzle.

This is just just a quick how to description there are several Youtube videos that cover this just search Flashforge, CTC or Makerbot Dual extruder clogs.

----------


## kaznad

Thanks rcleav for posting that list. A lot of useful stuff.  :Big Grin: 

I printed this, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:604579, but it doesn't fit, it just falls off. I printed in ABS with a Raft, the print turned out ok. However it doesn't fit, it just drops off. I probably should have printed one to test instead of printing all 3 at once.
This one may work, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1340078, I have yet to print it out.

----------


## Shinobi

I'm based in europe and will probably buy the printer through the german amazon store. it's listet for 673€ including shipping from china. That would mean that there will be additional customs charges too, right? any cheaper suggestions?

i also found it on ebay... what price offer will they accept? any ideas  :Smile:

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Thanks rcleav for posting that list. A lot of useful stuff. 
> 
> I printed this, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:604579, but it doesn't fit, it just falls off. I printed in ABS with a Raft, the print turned out ok. However it doesn't fit, it just drops off. I probably should have printed one to test instead of printing all 3 at once.
> This one may work, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1340078, I have yet to print it out.


The second one is a remix and he says he made it to address the issues of the original like you are talking about.

----------


## rcleav

> Thanks rcleav for posting that list. A lot of useful stuff. 
> 
> I printed this, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:604579, but it doesn't fit, it just falls off. I printed in ABS with a Raft, the print turned out ok. However it doesn't fit, it just drops off. I probably should have printed one to test instead of printing all 3 at once.
> This one may work, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1340078, I have yet to print it out.


They are a little loose I used a dab of Shoe Goo to glue it in place. A glue that I use on my RC stuff.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> Thanks rcleav for posting that list. A lot of useful stuff. 
> 
> I printed this, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:604579, but it doesn't fit, it just falls off. I printed in ABS with a Raft, the print turned out ok. However it doesn't fit, it just drops off. I probably should have printed one to test instead of printing all 3 at once.
> This one may work, https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1340078, I have yet to print it out.


I printed that one too and found that it falls off, so I took a heat gun to it and melted the corners around the nut.  I think the sharp corners on the outer diameter is a poor design and it hurts your finger tips when you try to torque down on the nut.  I plan to redesign it to be more finger tip friendly... eventually.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I printed that one too and found that it falls off, so I took a heat gun to it and melted the corners around the nut.  I think the sharp corners on the outer diameter is a poor design and it hurts your finger tips when you try to torque down on the nut.  I plan to redesign it to be more finger tip friendly... eventually.


See, this is why when I see all of these printed glass corner holders on Thingiverse I laugh at them because if it can be printed it shouldn't be used on something that is going to get hot.  Seriously, we use a heated bed to help it hold it down around the Tg of the plastic yet it is being used around the same heat source?  Seriously?  It makes no sense and I am surprised the holders work as I know from my own experiences those screws, even SS (only slows down the heat progression not stops it) can get hot enough to burn you a nice blister if it is touching the HPB especially when doing ABS and the HPB is at 110c.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

When sealing small holes in ABS piece with slurry how long yall usually wait for slurry to cure before working (sanding/painting n such) the area?

And to answer an earlier question...
The yellow ABS from Orb Polymer is WAY better than the black. It bridges better, yields crisper/cleaner edges and corners, and virtually no warping to be seen at all. Not saying that Orbs black is bad, because its not, its very good actually. But the yellow a bit better.
Getting my first shipment from MakerGeeks today, can't wait to see what I got, and run some of their ABS see how it compares.
Kinda seeing ABS as being main workhorse for my shop. Do some artsy stuff in PLA because it comes out better, but 80% of uptime on my machine most weeks is ABS.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> See, this is why when I see all of these printed glass corner holders on Thingiverse I laugh at them because if it can be printed it shouldn't be used on something that is going to get hot.  Seriously, we use a heated bed to help it hold it down around the Tg of the plastic yet it is being used around the same heat source?  Seriously?  It makes no sense and I am surprised the holders work as I know from my own experiences those screws, even SS (only slows down the heat progression not stops it) can get hot enough to burn you a nice blister if it is touching the HPB especially when doing ABS and the HPB is at 110c.


I don't like the plastic glass holders either.  The problem I have is I have to re-tighten them after each heat cycle.  My solution is to use the Maghold plate and glue the glass to the top of the spring steel.  It works well, except for my Maghold plate was warped.  Putting a glass plate on top of the Maghold helped but I used 1/8" glass and it could bend just enough to follow the warp of the Maghold plate.  I shipped my Maghold plate back yesterday to be replaced.  I hope the replacement is more flat.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> See, this is why when I see all of these printed glass corner holders on Thingiverse I laugh at them because if it can be printed it shouldn't be used on something that is going to get hot.  Seriously, we use a heated bed to help it hold it down around the Tg of the plastic yet it is being used around the same heat source?  Seriously?  It makes no sense and I am surprised the holders work as I know from my own experiences those screws, even SS (only slows down the heat progression not stops it) can get hot enough to burn you a nice blister if it is touching the HPB especially when doing ABS and the HPB is at 110c.


You kinda answered your own question.

Melting point of PLA is 180ish c, most run it at 190-200c. ABS is 220c+. PeTG is 230ish.

The absolute hottest I have EVER gotten the build plate on my machine is 110c..and it only stays this hot for a few layers.
Also take into consideration that most actually using printed plate clamps are using something a little higher grade than ABS (like PeTG or one of the other high-end engineering resins) and its very workable using printed plate clamps.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> You kinda answered your own question.
> 
> Melting point of PLA is 180ish c, most run it at 190-200c. ABS is 220c+. PeTG is 230ish.
> 
> The absolute hottest I have EVER gotten the build plate on my machine is 110c..and it only stays this hot for a few layers.
> Also take into consideration that most actually using printed plate clamps are using something a little higher grade than ABS (like PeTG or one of the other high-end engineering resins) and its very workable using printed plate clamps.


Petg is a bad choice. Tg of PLA - 60–65 °C , ABS - 80 to 125 °C, Petg - 67 to 81 °C so my 110c bed temp I use for ABS the PetG would go waaaaaaaaaay past its glass transition temp.  Remember Pet is an inbetween of PLA and ABS (sort of like what would happen if PLA and ABS had a baby scenario, lol).

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Mine just got accepted.


I put mine in 13 hours ago exactly so we will see but at least they just got in as it is morning time in China right now.

Off the topic at hand but I just noticed this forum's time is off by 7 minutes roughly (it is slow) because all of my clocks, and my internet time, said 38 past the hour and this forum said 31.

----------


## cncartist

My printer arrived from China in 3 days from the order which was really impressive and allowed me to setup a week earlier than planned!


I shared the first round of basic parts I designed for my printer on thingiverse.  The wire covers are pretty cool to accent your printer IMO and hopefully they print properly for others.

Interior Square Corner Wire Hide Covers

Interior Heated Bed Wire Hide Cover

Acrylic Printer Cover Filament Guide / Acrylic Straightener

----------


## Warren O'neill

> how bad was it bent? I have seen printers that were just fine after loosening up the screws top and bottom then run the platform up and down a little. Tighten back up and all good.


Ok so i have tried what you suggested  but its still getting stuck. 
you can see the bend in the rod as it turns 

Not to worry there is a new one on the way

----------


## Warren O'neill

Just a quick question 

I want to print the cable chain but i am not sure what parts i need to print as there are two drive mounts and some other different things
Should i just print the lot and see what i need or can some one please tell me witch parts i need to print 
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:124700

----------


## cncartist

> Just a quick question 
> 
> I want to print the cable chain but i am not sure what parts i need to print as there are two drive mounts and some other different things
> Should i just print the lot and see what i need or can some one please tell me witch parts i need to print 
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:124700


cablechaindrive_small.stl
chain_start.stl
~16 x cable_chainunit.stl

chain_start may need to be sanded to fit properly against the front wall - a picture of the one I just put together with 16 links can be seen here and may help - http://www.thingiverse.com/make:212517  :Smile:

----------


## kaznad

> Yes. If you have "operational" as the status you're connected to the printer. Remember you must use the GPX plugin with this printer.


Thanks, I realized what was wrong. It only shows you status information of the print if you print via Octoprint. If you print directly from the SD card on the machine, which was what I was doing, it will not show any print job info. I tried printing using octoprint for a couple of prints and it turned out pretty well. I am looking to add a webcam next. 

Thanks again.

----------


## jfkansas

It will also help if you take the bearing out of the top of the lead screw where it fits into the plastic. 




> Ok so i have tried what you suggested  but its still getting stuck. 
> you can see the bend in the rod as it turns 
> 
> Not to worry there is a new one on the way

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Not mounted up yet but it all came together nicely.
> Attachment 9207
> Attachment 9208
> Attachment 9209
> 
> I'm thinking we might be able to gain about 10mm of build plate travel.


So when ya gonna be selling these kits? =P

----------


## jfkansas

Could be soon. I have one right now if you want to be an early adopter. :-)   $140 + shipping if you can print the plastic, $160 if you want me to print the plastic kit. Plastic kit includes top and bottom mount, Bearing nut retainers, 3 thumb screws with nylock nuts and spring retainers with silicon vibration dampers.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

I have a question for the people who own this printer as it has been in the back of my mind for a while now but with two nozzles, effectors, motors, isn't all of that weight bad?  I would hardly do much with the second nozzle but having it for when I would want to is nice.  Since X has 140oz for just the two motors alone what is the fastest you can print with this machine before all of that weight slaps you hard?


140oz plus has to have sag on X and something QIDI uses on their machine writeup material is that 8mm harden imported rods is better than 10mm domestic rods (basically they are saying that Chinese made 10mm rods used on I guess the Creator Pro is inferior to their 8mm hardened rods) "Imported 8MM axis, hardness obviously higher than domestic 10MM. "

----------


## svt04cobra

Gotya!!! So wouldn't it be good to cover the heated build plate completely with this stuff? That way the glass would be level and completely transferring the heat evenly? 




> You don't fasten a glass plate anymore you use those pads to transfer the heat up and having at least 4 makes it where the glass doesn't move and if you ever need to you can simply lift the glass up off of them (some might come up but no big deal you just leave it or peel it off and place it back on the metal then place the glass back on).

----------


## KludgeGuru

My Qidi for work arrived today.  This time it shipped UPS from California, so it looks like they have a place with some stock in the US.  Last time it came straight from China via DHL.

----------


## svt04cobra

What do you use it for at work? You designing something?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Gotya!!! So wouldn't it be good to cover the  heated build plate completely with this stuff? That way the glass would  be level and completely transferring the heat evenly?


As I was recently told this answer I will repeat it...NO, lol.  It forms  air pockets and when you pull the glass up it will tear the pad.  I was  so hoping I could do this to take my taco MK2B and my boro and have 2mm  thick under it but that isn't a good idea.  Basically the printer I  have I have never been able to print well with it because the MK2B is  like a taco shell.  The aluminum heat spreader helped but it finally was  deformed as well (it came bent too).  I give up on trying to get  anything here that is flat and straight so I will buy a printer and if  it isn't flat I have all sorts of things I can do even charging back if  needed because it would have come like that since it is in the printer  already.

The metal shop in Nashville left me high and dry and  never did send me my quote and I think it is because I want something in  metric (drawn with metric) and most shops can't do metric.  Heck, the  shop is all over the country and they can't even do anything with a cad  drawing so pretty lame.

All I want is this in 1/4in Aluminum tool  plate (Mic-6 for instance) and I can't get it.  I have no way I can do  the holes here and countersunk even but someone with a DP could easily  whack that out (or even a CNC mill/router).

ToolingPlate.jpg 

Couple that with a 3M backed 200 watt 24v silicone heater (or if I could find a Kapton Heater it would be even better) and my issues would be gone.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> What do you use it for at work? You designing something?


The goal at work is to have a printer that can print exotic materials such as Tungsten and Bismuth loaded filament..  We already have 3 Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printers which are our work horses but material wise they don't have many options.  We have a Makerbot Replicator 2X at work but it is just a piece of junk, I've spent 3 weeks trying to get it to print correctly and I'm still having problems.  So I've given up on the Makebot and going to try the Qidi which I've been very happy with at home.  

On a side note we have many Mechanical engineers at work that utilize the Stratasys printers, but I'm very proud of having the record for the longest printing project.  I designed some test boxes which took 2 printers 5 weeks to complete with near constant printing.  My project was the reason we purchased the 3rd printer.   :Smile:

----------


## KludgeGuru

> The metal shop in Nashville left me high and dry and  never did send me my quote and I think it is because I want something in  metric (drawn with metric) and most shops can't do metric.  Heck, the  shop is all over the country and they can't even do anything with a cad  drawing so pretty lame.
> 
> All I want is this in 1/4in Aluminum tool  plate (Mic-6 for instance) and I can't get it.  I have no way I can do  the holes here and countersunk even but someone with a DP could easily  whack that out (or even a CNC mill/router).
> 
> ToolingPlate.jpg


I doubt it is the fact that you drew it in Metric, more likely it is that you are a hobbyist that wants a one off.  You were more of a distraction that they didn't want.  Most machine shops don't want to setup their machines for a quantity of 1, they want larger quantities that they can program the machine then let it run.  We do stuff in metric all the time and we would laugh at a machine shop if they refused to do a job because it was in metric.

You should try some place like this:
http://www.moranmachineshop.com/small%20quantities.html

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> The goal at work is to have a printer that can print exotic materials such as Tungsten and Bismuth loaded filament..  We already have 3 Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printers which are our work horses but material wise they don't have many options.  We have a Makerbot Replicator 2X at work but it is just a piece of junk, I've spent 3 weeks trying to get it to print correctly and I'm still having problems.  So I've given up on the Makebot and going to try the Qidi which I've been very happy with at home.  
> 
> On a side note we have many Mechanical engineers at work that utilize the Stratasys printers, but I'm very proud of having the record for the longest printing project.  I designed some test boxes which took 2 printers 5 weeks to complete with near constant printing.  My project was the reason we purchased the 3rd printer.


That Bismuth printing intrigues me.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I doubt it is the fact that you drew it in Metric, more likely it is that you are a hobbyist that wants a one off.  You were more of a distraction that they didn't want.  Most machine shops don't want to setup their machines for a quantity of 1, they want larger quantities that they can program the machine then let it run.  We do stuff in metric all the time and we would laugh at a machine shop if they refused to do a job because it was in metric.
> 
> You should try some place like this:
> http://www.moranmachineshop.com/small%20quantities.html


No no, I did this because they advertise on their web site that they do one offs all the way to thousands as all are welcomed.

This is the page that says one or thousands of cuts. http://metalsupermarkets.com/services/

Now look at that page and tell me how it is they can't open any cad formats as they don't do cad?  I had a voice call with them and that is what he told me so I had to do the drawing in jpeg for him.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> No no, I did this because they advertise on their web site that they do one offs all the way to thousands as all are welcomed.
> 
> This is the page that says one or thousands of cuts. http://metalsupermarkets.com/services/
> 
> Now look at that page and tell me how it is they can't open any cad formats as they don't do cad?  I had a voice call with them and that is what he told me so I had to do the drawing in jpeg for him.


Maybe they just didn't like you then.  :/

Hey 1 more post and you are up to a byte (255).

----------


## DarkAlchemist

LOL.  Naw, it was nothing personal and I have been very respectful to them but they obviously can't handle something.  I know they never replied to me for almost a week until I called them and they had to admit they couldn't open the files I sent because they do not have any cad programs to open them with.  I was scratching my head on that one after reading their website.  Oh, well I will contact that place you mentioned and I hope they do Tool plate as normal aluminum will not work.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Well 3 thick coats of Aquanet and still seeing raising issues. When I first got the glass this was not an issue. ABS bed temp at 110c and again at 115c both times I get raising/curling.


Have you tried lowering the bed temp?
What works for others may not work for you.

Personally I have to run both my nozzles and bed at slightly lower temps that what most run. I think this is due to there being rather high humidity where I'm at.
For ABS I typically start with a bed temp of 100-105, and drop it down to 80 by layer 5 or so. If your first layer sticks without issue then bed temp probably does not need to go up any higher.

Keep in mind to much hairspray can be as bad as to little. I repeat something rcleav said to me in this very forum when I first got my machine....spray the glass till it just starts to look like frosted glass (the type used for bathroom windows n such). This was very god advice as I have yet to have a single issue originating from to little/much hairspray.
Also make sure your using the right stuff...purple can, says all-weather on it.


So....lets talk about acetone now....
I have got ABS slurry down I think, but am curious now about acetone's effects on other materials.
I have never seen mention of PLA, PeTG, or Nylon slurry, so I assume that its break down of these materials is not stable enough for slurry. But has anyone tried smoothing or vapor bath techniques with acetone on other materials than ABS?

Just got a 3D scanner. Made by XYZ Printing it was only $180, with free shipping. It only has a 1.5mm resolution, so not the best scanner by a long shot. But it is handheld, super easy to set-up and use, and it exports files already in .stl format. If you can deal with the loss in resolution is a cheap easy way to get basic scans.

----------


## kaznad

> I was reading about this vase after your note and saw people were able to speed print it properly.  The QIDI is definitely capable of it but I usually print all my items in 0.12mm for a nice surface finish and for this vase I had to deviate.  FWIW, the settings I used are below and they might help (printed in ABS).


Thanks a lot for the settings man. I will be sure to try them out soon. I am using PLA but I guess that should not make much of a difference.

----------


## KludgeGuru

This is one option for smoothing, haven't tried it yet but it looks interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0TGL6Cb2KY&sns=em

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> This is one option for smoothing, haven't tried it yet but it looks interesting.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0TGL6Cb2KY&sns=em


I have seen that technique used and I can tell you get it out in the open air cause the stink is horrible.  As it cures it heats up so you get the stink of the epoxy AND the stink of the plastic being heated up.  It does work and those people who can get two part epoxy at their poundland/pound world are lucky because our Dollar Tree never ever has epoxy.  Super glue that doesn't work on my pla or abs but never epoxy.

----------


## rcleav

> Well 3 thick coats of Aquanet and still seeing raising issues. When I first got the glass this was not an issue. ABS bed temp at 110c and again at 115c both times I get raising/curling.


Have you checked your build plate level? 
What size is the objects surface?

----------


## cncartist

> Thanks a lot for the settings man. I will be sure to try them out soon. I am using PLA but I guess that should not make much of a difference.


You're welcome and you can see I didn't choose "vase mode" as this design technically doesn't qualify as a vase shape even though the inside functions as one.  My layer height was large at 0.3mm and this print finished in less than 3 hours which was nice.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

Serious question and that is how hard is this printer to retrofit the Z 8mm smooth rods to 10mm smooth rods?

----------


## jfkansas

> Serious question and that is how hard is this printer to retrofit the Z 8mm smooth rods to 10mm smooth rods?


Well if you have the parts....it isnt' really that bad. You need to remove the bottom, all 4 sides and the back mounting plate, that's about 30 screws. Then remove the 4 screws holding the Z stepper in, this will drop it out of the bottom. After that you have to release the Z stage that is 12 screws. Then you have to release the top of the machine by removing 12 screws, do the back two corners and half the front 2 corners. After all that you should be able to lift up the top of the machine enough so the Z stage will come out.  The thing is, all the screws you remove you should remove anyway to drop a little thread lock on them and re-tighten because if you don't over time they will loosen up.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Well if you have the parts....it isnt' really that bad. You need to remove the bottom, all 4 sides and the back mounting plate, that's about 30 screws. Then remove the 4 screws holding the Z stepper in, this will drop it out of the bottom. After that you have to release the Z stage that is 12 screws. Then you have to release the top of the machine by removing 12 screws, do the back two corners and half the front 2 corners. After all that you should be able to lift up the top of the machine enough so the Z stage will come out.  The thing is, all the screws you remove you should remove anyway to drop a little thread lock on them and re-tighten because if you don't over time they will loosen up.


Thread locker I have but OMG, is there a write up, or a video, for all of that?  How do I get 10mm to fit considering it is all molded for 8mm (i.e. LM8UU vs LM10UU bearings and their holders, etc...)?

----------


## TK4426

> Have you checked your build plate level? 
> What size is the objects surface?


Triple checked the build plate, the objects are  2.5  x 2.5 inch squares.

Switched over to some Hatchbox PLA, seems to stick better but seeing some warping on the corner, running it at 210c with a 50c buildplate, full fan. Going to try bumping the plate up to 60c on the next run to see if it helps.


Side note: after tightening the Y axis motor, and all grub screws I have not seen anymore shifting in the layers!

----------


## jfkansas

> That looks to me like a classic case of under extrusion.  Up the flow rate a smidge which is sometimes called an extrusion multiplier.
> 
> https://www.simplify3d.com/support/p...enough-plastic


No you can't over extrude to fill in gaps where there is no tool paths. That is not how 3d print works. Fix the tool paths...  Other parts of the print already show signs of over extrusion.

A 3d extruder isn't a caulk gun...

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Hey folks - So, I'm looking at purchasing my first 3D printer.  I've been looking through this thread and you all seem pretty happy with the QIDI Tech 1.  I'm trying to decide between that at $700 from amazon and the Makerbot Replicator 2 at $800 from amazon.  The Replicator 2 is single nozzle, PLA-only and it doesn't have a heated plate.  On the up side the Makerbot is name brand, USA company, easy to reach tech support via email or phone.  Any thoughts?  I'm really bewildered.  Again, I'm VERY new to 3D printing. 
> 
> Thanks!
> Todd


Stay away from Makerbot who is probably going to go bust by the end of the year.  They have already moved all production to China, reduced the price of the VERY ancient Rep 2 and is selling, globally, 8 printers a day.  Don't fall for that Rep 2 trap as I think you will like the Qidi very much and their support is pretty awesome so I have been told.

----------


## jfkansas

> Apparently you didn't read the link.  Your fix is asinine to say the least by telling him to add more infill.  WTH?  His walls look precisely like those in the link and yes, some looks like over extruding but those walls being separated like that has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with infill/overlap. 
> 
> 3d printing/extruding is precisely like a caulk gun (more like a hot glue gun but the same principle) when you get right down to it.
> 
>   He may not have the right diameter set in either as I read the filament that comes with the printer isn't all that spectacular.  In S3D it is a simple matter to dial in the filament diameter but if that filament strays too far it will over and under extrude as we all know.  First thing anyone should do is measure the filament in 3 spots for 100cm and do an average and pop that number into the diameter setting.  Once that is done then go from there.


Bull shit, the walls look just fine. 3d is nothing like a caulk gun. You never pump more and more plastic into a space like a caulk gun. You melt and smash a precise amount of plastic along a tool path. That's it. If there are gaps you have to fix the tool paths.

----------


## jfkansas

> LOL to you and your primitive understanding.  A caulk gun extrudes based on how much pressure you apply.  Hmmmm, extruder extrudes based on how much pressure is applied.  Hmmmm.
> 
> I suggest you zoom in on the walls of both pics and you will see the same in both of them.  Look at the separation around the letters (the shells which is the same as walls) and they are separated the same in both pics.  When I got the same freaking issue I was under extruding by about 10% so I set Marlin's E steps where it should have been and all gone.


No, an extruder pushes more plastic when it moves faster, and less when it moves slower. An extruder never stops to fill in an area, like a caulk gun. The print head moves from current position, to next, and extrudes a calculated amount of plastic when moving. Then does it again and again and again.

----------


## jfkansas

Nozzle size has nothing to do with it unless the nozzle is variable size while extruding. Of which I've never seen. Maybe they have those things in the Clay 3d world, but that isn't what we are talking about. Your making my head hurt, just like when I hear Trump talk. lol

----------


## jfkansas

No, nozzle size is constant. It is part of the calculation, but it isn't a variable like print head speed and extruder stepper speeds are.

----------


## jfkansas

Ah much better with his posts ignored. No value listening to him any more. Can only imagine when he gets the printer... Ug.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Ah much better with his posts ignored. No value listening to him any more. Can only imagine when he gets the printer... Ug.


How do I ignore on here?  Oh, it is Ugh and not Ug.  I knew I smelt a BS artist when I first saw your posts and either you are one or completely ignorant but in either case I will find out how to ignore your posts on here if there is a way.

Found it and good bye to you - http://3dprintboard.com/profile.php?do=ignorelist

I apologize to the rest of you but he came off on me and I will attack  back especially when I know something like the orifice size of a nozzle  affects pressure and how much plastic can come out, or any material for that fact.

Back to the original post that started this fiasco I will simply say if you were using Marlin, instead of Sailfish, to do a test of 100mm of filament and extrude it and see if 100mm is extruded exactly (mid air not printing) and if not you adjust your e-steps.  On Sailfish it is similarly done I do believe.  Once you know that is perfect then go from there.

----------


## electrichammer

After a few test cubes I am pretty happy with it.

Did a test print of the 3D Benchy though there are a few issues with it that you all may be able to guide me to fix.

Mainly top layers seem too thin (see picture).

IMG_2562.jpg
Settings are as follows.

Printed setting in Simplify3D
High quality
PLA
Extruder layer 1 at 230 degress
layer 2 at 240 degrees 
No heated bed

Capture.jpg

Capture2.jpg

Any advice on how to improve this would be greatly appreciated

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> After a few test cubes I am pretty happy with it.
> 
> Did a test print of the 3D Benchy though there are a few issues with it that you all may be able to guide me to fix.
> 
> Mainly top layers seem too thin (see picture).
> 
> IMG_2562.jpg
> Settings are as follows.
> 
> ...


WOW, way too hot for PLA.  I haven't even seen ABS that I have purchased at 230c-240c.  Try and lower those temps and repeat that test unless this PLA is an oddity demanding those sorts of temps.  Most PLA I have used want around 200c (give or take 10c either way).

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Ok, its newbie time.  I was putting mine together and note the PTFE tubes in the tool kit.  From previous posts, I recall that they are to be inserted into the extruders.  However, they don't readily slip into the extruder filament holes on top.  What am I not realizing/seeing?


Those black hoses I do not think are PTFE as they do not feel like it (not as slippery) if those are the ones you mean then those black hoses slip into the top black plastic piece that is on top of the motors.  It just goes in a little bit and they do not go in the extruder at all.  The black plastic piece with the two long 3mm screws in the top and the filament hobbed section is below that clunky black piece and it is that piece those hoses go into.  Your motors had the black plastic piece on top of them both (it is one piece) right?

----------


## rcleav

Those are extra PTFE tubes in the tool kit.
To access the PTFE tube you remove the nozzle then pull the tube from the bottom.
Heat the nozzle up before removing it.

----------


## JimHs1

> Those are extra PTFE tubes in the tool kit.
> To access the PTFE tube you remove the nozzle then pull the tube from the bottom.
> Heat the nozzle up before removing it.


Thanks.  As I couldn't see any, I didn't know if there was some already installed...

----------


## JimHs1

> Those black hoses I do not think are PTFE as they do not feel like it (not as slippery) if those are the ones you mean then those black hoses slip into the top black plastic piece that is on top of the motors.  It just goes in a little bit and they do not go in the extruder at all.  The black plastic piece with the two long 3mm screws in the top and the filament hobbed section is below that clunky black piece and it is that piece those hoses go into.  Your motors had the black plastic piece on top of them both (it is one piece) right?


Should have been more precise.  I meant the white tubes that came in the "toolbox".  They are about an inch and a half long.  I do see where the long black tubes (filament guides) go.  Yes, there is a single black plastic piece on top of both extruder motors.  Thanks.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Should have been more precise.  I meant the white tubes that came in the "toolbox".  They are about an inch and a half long.  I do see where the long black tubes (filament guides) go.  Yes, there is a single black plastic piece on top of both extruder motors.  Thanks.


Ahhh, well I didn't get any extras of those (like my glue stick I didn't get because China considers it contraband according to Emily so maybe they thought I was going to use them to declare spit ball war with and took them too as my box was opened and retaped) but I already have a few meters of PTFE hose 4mm O.D. 2mm I.D. from my old Bowden setup I tried so it didn't matter.

----------


## JimHs1

> Ahhh, well I didn't get any extras of those (like my glue stick I didn't get because China considers it contraband according to Emily so maybe they thought I was going to use them to declare spit ball war with and took them too as my box was opened and retaped) but I already have a few meters of PTFE hose 4mm O.D. 2mm I.D. from my old Bowden setup I tried so it didn't matter.


I didn't get the glue stick either, oh well.   I was wondering about having extra PTFE tubes available, so thanks on the size info.  Also, could you explain a Bowden extruder versus what we have?  Just a simply explanation of basics and why a Bowden would be used.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

Bowden has drawbacks and I haven't heard of anyone who has managed flexible filament using a Bowden setup yet (someone may have and I missed it).  Real simple explanation is a Bowden setup takes the heavy motors off site so the extruder can move faster.  I personally saw better prints with it (way less ringing) but I had a lot of issues as well and finally went back to the classic setup.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

SOOOOOO happy that's done!! Been printing flowers for past 72 hrs or so lol.....

Anyway, I have been experimenting with embedding things mid-print. Have had some success but would be alot better if I had certain control and/or info.

Is there a way to have the machine pause a print at a certain layer?
OR
Is there a way to have the machine display what layer it is currently on in a print?

If either of these things are possible it would greatly improve not only the success rate of inlayed prints but also the range of items that can be embedded mid-print.

@ JimHs1:
Welcome to the Qidi club bud =)

----------


## cncartist

> SOOOOOO happy that's done!! Been printing flowers for past 72 hrs or so lol.....
> 
> Anyway, I have been experimenting with embedding things mid-print. Have had some success but would be alot better if I had certain control and/or info.
> 
> Is there a way to have the machine pause a print at a certain layer?
> OR
> Is there a way to have the machine display what layer it is currently on in a print?
> 
> If either of these things are possible it would greatly improve not only the success rate of inlayed prints but also the range of items that can be embedded mid-print.
> ...


That's really funny as I was printing the same thing!   I built some filament dry boxes in order to have enough colors ready.




You can have the machine pause at a certain Z-Position using the menu on the machine.  I haven't utilized this but it's definitely an interesting thought.

I remember seeing the layer height in the print statistics after "Auto Level Inactive" goes away.  It takes a couple seconds to disappear and show the height but it will update as the print keeps going.

----------


## JimHs1

QUOTE=cncartist;87943]That's really funny as I was printing the same thing!   I built some filament dry boxes in order to have enough colors ready.

<JimHs1 - Pics deleted>

You can have the machine pause at a certain Z-Position using the menu on the machine.  I haven't utilized this but it's definitely an interesting thought.

I remember seeing the layer height in the print statistics after "Auto Level Inactive" goes away.  It takes a couple seconds to disappear and show the height but it will update as the print keeps going.[/QUOTE]

Where did you get the dry box filament feed through files?

----------


## vbx

But why would printing it as a one-piece cause the QiDi to leave blobs? While Makerbot at school prints so damn smoothly?

----------


## cncartist

JSensebe, very nice!




> But why would printing it as a one-piece cause the QiDi to leave blobs? While Makerbot at school prints so damn smoothly?





> Please keep in mind I am sure it could be printed  with a lot of supports, but it wouldn't look anywhere near as good as  printing the pieces separately and a ton of finishing/post processing  would be required in order to make the model look really clean.


Without printing it myself I could not say exactly but the suggestions I provided would improve the overall flexibility of printing your model.  The way the model is provided (fully assembled), I would not want to print it to test since it would require a large amount of support filament/waste.  41 meters of filament with support, 26.7 meters without support.  All 4 gears in the below image are hidden inside of the support structure, it may print properly but your model deserves better.   :Smile: 







NOTE: I didn't take the time to align the gears to the rods for the exact 0.01mm dimension which they should be for the final print.  The STL files provided would allow a perfect mate of the parts provided you take the time to get the proper degrees/spacing.

----------


## vbx

OK, how about someone give me a simple .x3g for me to print on my printer as-is and lets see how it comes out?  If it horrid, I'll demand a refund.

(something you printed before) so we can compare the print job. I think my unit is defective.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> OK, how about someone give me a simple .x3g for me to print on my printer as-is and lets see how it comes out?  If it horrid, I'll demand a refund.
> 
> (something you printed before) so we can compare the print job. I think my unit is defective.


Good luck with a refund as I couldn't get them to do it and it was their fault. Besides I priced how much shipping of it (at 60 pounds) would cost me to China and it was over 1k dollars.  So, I took it all apart to fix their nonsense and carelessness.

Now, they did send me, via DHL, all parts I needed though the gift of the nozzles they said they included with the rod was lost in transit as it was in the box with the rod and the rod was sticking out about 5 to 6 inches from the end of the box all taped up.  I showed Emily the picture and all she said was "It was sent and we don't know how that happened".  So, oh, well.

----------


## cncartist

> OK, how about someone give me a simple .x3g for me to print on my printer as-is and lets see how it comes out?  If it horrid, I'll demand a refund.
> 
> (something you printed before) so we can compare the print job. I think my unit is defective.


If you can use ABS, here is the spiral vase x3g I used - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7M9AUUSCldVcEpYMDFOYmZEeVU/view?usp=sharing

It is ~3 hours to print, 12 meters of filament, no supports, and no cooling.  110c build plate, 230c extruder - Right nozzle only.  Make sure to level your build plate and it will print in the center.  Here is a picture of the settings / progress during build - http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...ll=1#post86692.

NOTE: I've never printed someones .x3g file before and I can't guarantee it will work for everyone.

----------


## JimHs1

I finally had the time to print my first object.  It was a design of my own.  Printed in ABS at 210 and bed at 110.  Came out ok all but the base.  As it was my first print, I used the Qidi as received, i.e., I didn't remove the blue pad on the table.  The object starts as a tube standing on end.  The blue pad of the Qidi, bubbled up in the middle, which altered the first few layers of my object.  The blue Qidi table pad remained bubbled up (single bubble) in the center.  Anybody have this happen before?  I do have the glass paltes that I plan on using, so identifying the issue is more curiosity issue for me.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> JSensebe, very nice!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Without printing it myself I could not say exactly but the suggestions I provided would improve the overall flexibility of printing your model.  The way the model is provided (fully assembled), I would not want to print it to test since it would require a large amount of support filament/waste.  41 meters of filament with support, 26.7 meters without support.  All 4 gears in the below image are hidden inside of the support structure, it may print properly but your model deserves better.  
> 
> 
> ...


I loaded it up (first time I ever ran into a .thing file so I learned it is just a zip like format and 7-zip, zip, and winrar all work with it (learned something so cool)) but when I loaded the long file was longer than my bed and nothing I could do will make that print with that length on this printer.  Now printing on an I3 style machine would be no problem due to its larger printing dimensions in Y and Z.

----------


## vbx

> If you can use ABS, here is the spiral vase x3g I used - https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7M9AUUSCldVcEpYMDFOYmZEeVU/view?usp=sharing
> 
> It is ~3 hours to print, 12 meters of filament, no supports, and no cooling.  110c build plate, 230c extruder - Right nozzle only.  Make sure to level your build plate and it will print in the center.  Here is a picture of the settings / progress during build - http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...ll=1#post86692.
> 
> NOTE: I've never printed someones .x3g file before and I can't guarantee it will work for everyone.


No ABS here. I donated my ABS spool to my campus.  Since I used up most of their PLA for my prints. lol

----------


## cncartist

> I loaded it up (first time I ever ran into a .thing file so I learned it is just a zip like format and 7-zip, zip, and winrar all work with it (learned something so cool)) but when I loaded the long file was longer than my bed and nothing I could do will make that print with that length on this printer.  Now printing on an I3 style machine would be no problem due to its larger printing dimensions in Y and Z.


The print is using the whole Y axis of the printer and has to be rotated on an awkward angle to fit on the plate.  It does fit and the finished print bed would be a wall of support going across and having proper environment calibration for even the filament guide tubes/extruder wires would be important.    :Smile:

----------


## DarkAlchemist

Yep, it barely fits so everything has to be precise although I couldn't manage to move itto place as you did.

----------


## Roger36330

> All motors but Z are being ran at max Vref (118 not the normal 128 one would believe) so they get hot enough to blister your hand as X did to me.  Since the carriage is ABS I am surprised the motors haven't caused it to sag at the very least.
> 
> It appears not a soul knows what Vref should really be except it should not be at full throttle (at least with Marlin using Stepsticks we knew what Vref meant precisely).
> 
> My suggestion would be to turn all motors down to 80 (leave Z at 40) and do a nice print and see what happens.  If no skipping then after 1 hour feel the motors and if mildly warm 80 was the magic number.
> 
>   You can do what I did with my I3 and just keep going lower and lower until the motor would skip or lose steps then back it up some.  By doing that you will have way cooler motors that will last longer and the ABS plastic parts will love you for it.  So, 80 and if that works go 60 and if not then 70, etc... since we have no idea wth the formula is for a Mightyboard.


I guess it's time to reveal my ignorance, to address the Vref adjustment, is that done via the firmware or a POT on the stepper driver etc? Is this something a novice should attempt?

Roger

----------


## Roger36330

Update, found it, that was easy. Thanks for your help.

Roger

----------


## Roger36330

You are awesome, changed Vref from 118 to 100 and stepper motor is cool to the touch.

Tks

----------


## suds

Any baseline results on stepper vref@80? Point me in the right direction to where the adjustment is made. I'd like to test.
Thx.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Been digging through some of Da Vinci's schematics.....gonna start printing some of that stuff.
Gonna start with a perpetual motion wheel driven by water. It will be his 'over-weighted wheel' design where the hammers are replaced with vials 1/2 full of water. 
After that I will be doing a floating arm trebuchet..I know there are some models for these floating around the net...but most are altered. I will be trying to stick to Leonardo's original design as much as humanly possible.
Then probably one of his flying machines, though very undecided as to what one I'm gonna attempt.

Will be a big change, as the past several days everything I have printed was derived from the models at NASA website. My favorites so far being the Hubble and several terrain plates of Moon and Mars (the best imo is Victoria Crater).

----------


## JSensebe

> Hello Guys, I will be receiving my QiDI in a couple of hours today. Noob question (even after reading a lot post) Should I place 3M Painters tape on stock plate and then align it? Or, align the plate and add the 3M painters tape/glue and then see what happens?
> 
> Also, how do I know I have enough ABS/PLA to run a big job and does the QIDI pause when it runs out? Giving you a chance to load more...


I've been running mine with the blue tape that shipped on the plate and a liberal application of glue stick. I've only printed PLA so far, though. I'm itching to try the ABS, probably in the next day or so. I clean up the glue stick with a damp paper towel as the glue is water soluble and will actually turn back purple again when it gets wet, which helps; it's much easier to clean purple glue than transparent glue. 

I don't think the printer can detect when it runs out of filament. You just need to make sure you've got enough, or watch it carefully while it's printing and pause it if you run too low. My longest print has been twelve hours, because I was printing several parts at once. I probably wouldn't do that again. I had a little bit of stringing between the parts that I needed to file down.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I see they are selling the 10mm rod kits on Ebay now. $30.00 plus 20.00 shipping from China. I sent them a message and they said it was a 10mm kit as it doesn't say it in the description.


As I said not cheap and anyone within 30 days of purchasing can get them for free or get your money back.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I guess it's time to reveal my ignorance, to address the Vref adjustment, is that done via the firmware or a POT on the stepper driver etc? Is this something a novice should attempt?
> 
> Roger


Done via RepG as the pots on a Mightyboard are digital like they are on a Smoothieboard.

----------


## JimHs1

> Will be a big change, as the past several days everything I have printed was derived from the models at NASA website. My favorites so far being the Hubble and several terrain plates of Moon and Mars (the best imo is Victoria Crater).


Links to the files?  Or to the website where they are located.  Thanks.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> You are awesome, changed Vref from 118 to 100 and stepper motor is cool to the touch.
> 
> Tks


Remember, the whole point is to see how low you can go before it skips then raise the number a little.  80 seems to be about right so 100 is still a little high BUT one extruder versus two makes a difference so 80 for one might not be enough for two though I would say to give it a shot.

   Very stupid of Qidi to have maxed them to full force like that as 118 is the max from what I read (for the record I don't think Qidi knows what they are doing they are just winging it as they go along with open source files). 

I found it odd that Z is only at 40 and everything else is 118.   Oh, I would suggest to play with A and B because a cooler motor there is less of a chance of a clog (regardless if a heatsink and fan are used hot is just wrong).

Good luck and please report back how low you managed to go on each one.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> A VERY good tip indeed!
> 
> Make sure your using at least commercial grade borosilicate glass, scientific grade is better. Most windows are standard grade boro...one step below commercial. The thermal properties are horrible, and it is possible to get stress and heat cracks in such low grade glass.
> 
> A good place to look locally for glass is any place that does custom bathroom (shower) enclosures as these typically use commercial grade boro-glass.
> 
> Purchased my first glass plate from MC Master Carr...only to find out later there is company locally that does bathroom enclosures, used the higher end of commercial grade boro, and cuts me plates for $10 a piece. And to add insult to injury their shop is about 4 blocks from me lol....


McMaster is not badly priced at all but the shipping kills it if you can get commercial grade boro locally.  I am not sure if I can locally here and if I could I am sure they would charge far too much but I will call the main place in my city the next time I need some.  What exactly would I ask the local glass shop for?  hint:  Whatever your answer make it in very simple words for them because they are not the brightest bulb in the package any single time I have had to deal with them (metric makes them mad too).

----------


## jfkansas

Most window glass is just soda lime float glass. Actual Boro is hard to find. Even stuff that is marketed as Boro is a lot of times just Soda Lime glass.

----------


## KludgeGuru

> Most window glass is just soda lime float glass. Actual Boro is hard to find. Even stuff that is marketed as Boro is a lot of times just Soda Lime glass.


I just went to Home Depot and got a sheet of 1/8" glass and cut it myself.  I was able to make 2 build platforms from one sheet.  It is not Boro but it works fine, many heat cycles so far.  I stuck it to the maghold spring steel plate with 3M transfer adhesive.

----------


## JSensebe

DarkAlchemist, good tip about heating the plate to remove the sticker. I hadn't thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.

My thought about the air holes was purely hypothetical. I'm not planning on drilling holes into my plate any time soon.  :Wink:  I'm not looking into making any mods, not even adding glass, until I become a little more experienced. I barely know what I'm doing right now. I'm a smart guy and I read up (a lot) before buying the printer, but nothing beats experience. I'm dreading the day something goes really wrong.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> DarkAlchemist, good tip about heating the plate to remove the sticker. I hadn't thought about it, but it makes perfect sense.
> 
> My thought about the air holes was purely hypothetical. I'm not planning on drilling holes into my plate any time soon.  I'm not looking into making any mods, not even adding glass, until I become a little more experienced. I barely know what I'm doing right now. I'm a smart guy and I read up (a lot) before buying the printer, but nothing beats experience. I'm dreading the day something goes really wrong.


Don't dread it man.
I am the same way...I read alot before I jump into stuff. And I was also under the impression that a 3d printer was a complex machine.

What it does is complex...but from a mechanical/engineering standpoint these are very simple machines. The first week I was nervous about taking bits apart or making any modifications.
This only lasted till the first time I had to take it apart. Now I can strip the entire extrusion block down to single parts, clean it, and get it together ready to run in about an hour. My machine has many mods already done to it, and several more planned.

I totally understand that toes on the edge feeling, but with this machine I would advise to take that plunge sooner rather than later. Once ya do in a month you will be pro at maint and cleaning breakdown and have a modded machine working more how you want it to.

If nothing else you should consider printing a wire-chain for the gantry wire bundle on right side of machine. The way its run stock...it's just not good...it can pinch, and that leads to cracking or shorts. There is a good one on Thingiverse that several of us in this thread are using.

edit:
Ohhhyea..
Forgot to show this. Don't recall who, but someone had neo magnets on their door machine.
Nice high-tech and hands-free solution.

Here is my low-tech, not so hands-free solution:

=P

----------


## cncartist

I like heating the build plate up to 90c for removal of the blue sticker.




> edit:
> Ohhhyea..
> Forgot to show this. Don't recall who, but someone had neo magnets on their door machine.
> Nice high-tech and hands-free solution.


Yours is a nice design for sure, I was going to print them but I had the  magnets lying around and figured I'd try em out and they are still  there today.   :Smile: 

The magnets I used are held with some shipping tape:
https://youtu.be/TK8cJTt9LEg?t=1m03s

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I like heating the build plate up to 90c for removal of the blue sticker.
> 
> 
> 
> Yours is a nice design for sure, I was going to print them but I had the  magnets lying around and figured I'd try em out and they are still  there today.  
> 
> The magnets I used are held with some shipping tape:
> https://youtu.be/TK8cJTt9LEg?t=1m03s


Better wear gloves when touching 90c for sure, lol.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Still got some cleanup to do and seal the seams in with slurry...but already looking pretty good.

----------


## cncartist

Surprisingly at 90c it isn't too bad but obviously I don't directly  touch the build plate at that temperature.  I use the scrape tool to  lift one corner of the blue sticker and then I grab the lifted corner  with a cloth after it cools down to probably 50-60c.  From there I can  peel it with my hand without getting burnt and I'd be glad to do a video  of it just like the one I showed for cleaning the build plate.  FYI, I  tried it at 60c + 70c previously but it ended up leaving a lot of the  residue behind and at 90c almost all of the glue is lifted with the blue  sticker.




> Still got some cleanup to do and seal the seams in with slurry...but already looking pretty good.
> image


Looking pretty sweet, can't wait to see it finished!

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Surprisingly at 90c it isn't too bad but obviously I don't directly  touch the build plate at that temperature.  I use the scrape tool to  lift one corner of the blue sticker and then I grab the lifted corner  with a cloth after it cools down to probably 50-60c.  From there I can  peel it with my hand without getting burnt and I'd be glad to do a video  of it just like the one I showed for cleaning the build plate.  FYI, I  tried it at 60c + 70c previously but it ended up leaving a lot of the  residue behind and at 90c almost all of the glue is lifted with the blue  sticker.
> 
> 
> 
> Looking pretty sweet, can't wait to see it finished!


Yep, a vid would be nice for people.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I made this mod to S3D's V3.10 GCode Script and no more clunks.


Thanks for letting people know because the script from here, for those lines, is much better and wiser.  127 is full blown current to your motors which is absolutely horrible to do, and use.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Does anyone use/have 3DMax?

If so PLEASE contact me if you would be willing to convert a few files for me. I don't have software that can open .IGS files...but I know Max can (or used to be able to).

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Does anyone use/have 3DMax?
> 
> If so PLEASE contact me if you would be willing to convert a few files for me. I don't have software that can open .IGS files...but I know Max can (or used to be able to).


That is the IGES format.  What do you want them converted into?

----------


## jfkansas

Fusion 360 will convert. It is free unless you use it commercially. 




> Does anyone use/have 3DMax?
> 
> If so PLEASE contact me if you would be willing to convert a few files for me. I don't have software that can open .IGS files...but I know Max can (or used to be able to).

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Fusion 360 will convert. It is free unless you use it commercially.


Exactly but he may want them converted into a non solid format.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

I need them in any format Blender can read.
From what I gather looking into it this morning the best conversion format would be .obj. 

I will have to look into Fusion360..this particular application is not for commercial use.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> That is the IGES format.  What do you want them converted into?


I am actually not versed in this format at all. All I know is its a solid style CAD format...that literally all lol.

So IGES is the same as .IGS??

All the files in question are tagged .igs and called as IGS file. I don't see IGSE anywhere. I'm guessing igs is the shorthand/command version of same tag??

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I am actually not versed in this format at all. All I know is its a solid style CAD format...that literally all lol.
> 
> So IGES is the same as .IGS??
> 
> All the files in question are tagged .igs and called as IGS file. I don't see IGSE anywhere. I'm guessing igs is the shorthand/command version of same tag??


I do believe .igs is the older version of the file format and the newer version is .iges though I could have that backwards.  I figured you wanted it in .obj.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Turns out Fusion 360 wont export into format I can use =(

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Turns out Fusion 360 wont export into format I can use =(


I can try it for you if you pm me a link to the .igs file.

----------


## DaveB

> What ya really need to run it is all metal hot-ends.
> 
> And really you should be breaking down the extruder block(s) at least every couple of weeks...once a month at the absolute least. Personally I break down the extruder blocks every 2 weeks....the whole machine once a month.
> 
> edit:
> Just realized something that totally bums me out.....
> Never got a chance to pull the bot stats from the old control board before it went kerput. =(


Holy cow!  I had no idea that level of periodic maintenance was required.  If you are making all of those Iron Man costume parts then I guess you must be running your printer 24x7.  Could you elaborate on what breaking down "the whole machine" involves?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Holy cow!  I had no idea that level of periodic maintenance was required.  If you are making all of those Iron Man costume parts then I guess you must be running your printer 24x7.  Could you elaborate on what breaking down "the whole machine" involves?


Naw...I don't run my machine when I sleep or when I gonna be away from the house for long time. Though neither of those things happen much. I am printing from about 8am to 2-3am most days. 

Every 2 week:
I take the fans/heatsinks off the blocks, take the nozzles and PTFE tubes out, take the feed carriage apart and the toothed feed gear off. 
Fans, heatsinks, and steppers are wiped clean.
Toothed feed gear, nozzles, and PTFE are heated and cleaned. To clean nozzles use either piano wire the right size or use torch cleaning wire the right size (that being 0.4mm). Best way I found to clean PTFE tubes is to get a 1.5mm drill bit and heat it up, then stab it through the tube.
Everything is put back together, and both feed gears lubed.

One a month:
Same as above. I also snap the all gantry carriges off the bearing to clean and lube all the gantry rods. I take the bottom plate of the machine and clean out down there, as well as bottom of the build area. Clean off all clear plastic parts. While I clean these areas all wires and connectors are checked for damage and tightness. Then I wipe the whole machine down with denatured alcohol....it gets dusty here lol.

This is probably WAY more than this machine needs...but I have a touch of OCD, and I tell ya, its very rare I have downtime due to problems that seem to be constant for alot of other makers (like nozzle/feed clogs and small crap like that). 
I think I way over-do everything though. I clean my build plate after every print. I test and recalibrate bed level before each print..even if its close enough. 

I mow my lawn in cross pattern....even though its mostly grab-grass lol...just kinda how I do things.

edit:
Forgot to mention I got more info on the IronMan suit. Talked to my buddy that runs an autoshop in Long Beach. He said to make the suit look like it did in the movie to go with a heavy metallic silver base with the red and gold ontop.

Gonna be using Eastwood Meteor Grey as the base, Eastwood Pin-up Red, and Candeez Gold sugar-coat. Will be finishing it all with Diamond Super77 clear-coat.

----------


## cncartist

That's a sweet project Syd and it's awesome you are doing research.  Hopefully 4 months is enough printing time and it really sounds like it's going to be a kickass costume.   :Smile: 

In reference to maintenance/printer upkeep:
My printer runs A LOT and I don't perform anywhere near that level of maintenance.  I think it really depends on your environment and I've had good luck with lubricating/cleaning the 8mm axis rods besides doing minor cleaning of the exterior of the extruder nozzle and leveling the build plate/cleaning the build area.  I do those things almost every print or 40 hours of printing, the leveling/cleaning is done nearly every time.  The only things I've rarely done that are considered maintenance is wiping down the belts lightly to remove debris and removing little filament strings from the extruder fans with pliers.

I just reached 1000 hours on my machine, printed my longest print at 38 hours, and at ~920h I finished printing a large marble machine from thingiverse.  I calipered the interior dimension of the rails and bought the appropriate sized chrome steel ball bearings for the track.  It's really cool when seen in action but due to the ball bearings it wouldn't be appropriate for a small child.   :Smile: 

 



I've never disassembled the extruder, taken the fans off the heatsink, cleaned the interior of the extruder nozzles, taken the carriages off, or even seen what the toothed filament feed drive gear looks like first hand.  I don't know if I've had exceptional luck, but I did have a very good understanding of machinery before I purchased the printer and learned a couple key things in my first weeks of ownership while disassembling and reassembling most of the paneling/wiring.  At 1000 hours of use it's almost to the point where if the extruder assembly had a major issue I wouldn't be against getting another assembly (I think $85?).  I don't believe it will have an issue soon and I have extra nozzles / feed gears on hand that I've been waiting to install but I haven't seen a decrease in print quality yet.  If anything, the print quality has increased since my understanding of how to slice the models has improved.

I don't believe I would have reached 1000 hours of print time in less than 3 months without having a well performing and properly maintained machine, but I'm glad I haven't had any issues that required me to disassemble anything in the extruder assembly.  I wish all other users had the same luck as me, but I know from reading the prior issues reported that isn't the case.  I'm extremely grateful that other users such as Syd above have outlined maintenance procedures for many of the processes on this machine and I wouldn't feel uncomfortable taking this thing apart to its bare components to resolve an issue given enough time.


NOTE: I'd like to add that I cover the machine when it will be off for more than 12 hours and all my filament is currently fed through dryboxes that have the capability to clean the filament prior to it reaching the feed gear/extruder nozzle.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

That marble tower is awesome! 
You should do a short vid of it in action when ya get the balls for it.

What color is that? Is that Orange Krush from MG?

I do not think I will have the armor done by this Halloween. I probably could if I rush it...but I really don't want to do that. I want this to be a damn near movie quality build when I'm done, or at least close as I can manage.
Always next year after all =P Also, me and the wife have been talking about going to E3 or ComicCon LA this year, to try and drum up some cosplay orders for our little shop. We figured that would be a great market for little 3D print shop to break into. The things would be fun to design and print...and those cosplay cats spend CRAZY amounts on good costume bits.

I may take a break from the armor soon, as I finally found a fella up in Austin to help me with a mission I have been on since before I got a printer.....
I am a HUGE fallout fan, have been since the first game was released. When Fallout 4 was in pre-order I couldn't get the cash together for a Pip-boy Edition before they were sold out.
There are some good ones on the interwebz...but they all fall just a little short. So I have been hunting for someone with one from Bethseda that is willing to take it apart.
Gonna drive up there this week with my scanner and strip that thing down and scan every little bit.
I shall have my game accurate pipboy!! Gonna make a few extras to sell...help finance the armor a bit better.

----------


## bluemeane

> h


any chance someone here more knowledgable about stepper motors can answer my question in the last page?  :Big Grin:

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> any chance someone here more knowledgable about stepper motors can answer my question in the last page?


What stepper are you trying to replace? One of the feed motors yes??

Don't think what ya get for feeding is gonna be to critical. Long as the motor housing and shaft are same size, and it has ok torque then ya should be ok. 

Keep in mind that when ya run the feed filament function from machines control panel it will run the feed motor at about the max it will ever run during normal printing operations.

----------


## bluemeane

> What stepper are you trying to replace? One of the feed motors yes??
> 
> Don't think what ya get for feeding is gonna be to critical. Long as the motor housing and shaft are same size, and it has ok torque then ya should be ok. 
> 
> Keep in mind that when ya run the feed filament function from machines control panel it will run the feed motor at about the max it will ever run during normal printing operations.


Oh yeah they run really fast when loading for sure lol.

Yes I am looking to replace a extruder motor. And looking for something cheap and closer than China lol.

So as far you think I am good to go with this motor?

LEORX Nema 17 2 Phase 4-Wire 1.5A 40mm 1.8° Stepper Motor for 3D Printer https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015SS3Y7O..._4nxzxbCRZC999 


Thanks again!!

----------


## cncartist

> That marble tower is awesome! 
> You should do a short vid of it in action when ya get the balls for it.
> 
> What color is that? Is that Orange Krush from MG?
> 
> I do not think I will have the armor done by this Halloween. I probably could if I rush it...but I really don't want to do that. I want this to be a damn near movie quality build when I'm done, or at least close as I can manage.
> Always next year after all =P Also, me and the wife have been talking about going to E3 or ComicCon LA this year, to try and drum up some cosplay orders for our little shop. We figured that would be a great market for little 3D print shop to break into. The things would be fun to design and print...and those cosplay cats spend CRAZY amounts on good costume bits.
> 
> I may take a break from the armor soon, as I finally found a fella up in Austin to help me with a mission I have been on since before I got a printer.....
> ...


Definitely, I got the ball bearings in last week and just posted a video.  Very good eye on the filament and yes, it's Orange Krush from MG.  :Smile: 




Understood that the armor is going to take a while to get it perfected and the costumes idea sounds neat. I've played through a couple Fallout games myself and thoroughly enjoyed them.  I haven't seen a Pip-Boy in person like what you're talking about but it sounds like it would be a desirable item once completed. Will it have electronics in it like the in-game one?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Understood that the armor is going to take a while to get it perfected and the costumes idea sounds neat. I've played through a couple Fallout games myself and thoroughly enjoyed them.  I haven't seen a Pip-Boy in person like what you're talking about but it sounds like it would be a desirable item once completed. Will it have electronics in it like the in-game one?


The ones Bethseda was selling with Fallout4 are made to hold a smartphone...the top 'screen' plate pops open so you can put your phone in. There is a (free) pipboy app you put on the phone so it has all the screens/functions as pipboy, can even link the app to the game as use the app instead of the ingame pipboy. 
Since I am gonna be scanning parts from a Bethseda one its gonna work the same.
However there will be some electronics in the build not handled by the phone...but only 2 amber color LED indicators.

There are a couple things I do not think will print well. The main things that worry me are the 2 'gauges' (handled by decals on the bethseda version). Dont have a vinyl cutter yet....so probably gonna pull the textures from the game and print on transparent photo paper...glue em on the paint and clear-coat over em.
Also there are some things I am probably gonna 'fake' a bit. Like the little wire spool on the back for the relay plug. I'm not gonna bother making a little spool....the 4in or so of wire showing is good enough for me. The ejection pegs for the holotape deck.....to complex, to small, to much a pain to replicate I'm guessing. Probably gonna replace that with a rubberband system to pop the tape out.

If the scans come out good and the first one I make comes out good I may make a few to sell....but SHHHHH....don't tell bethseda =P

----------


## Stwert

Just had my first bash at stripping down the extruder (not really by choice.) wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. But sure enough I've got myself a knackered thermocouple. 

Anyone know of a UK/European supplier for them, the wait time from China is a bit on the lengthy side. 

Cheers.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> This failure did appear to be in the feed mechanism, and there was nothing but shavings from that filament loading up the stock QIDI feed gears teeth.  I guess that's to be expected as the feed gear was spinning with no filament motion.  Longest (and last) print I did with it was about 2.5 hrs.  
> 
> I gotta say, getting to the extruder and such for these repairs is a real pain.  I cannot imagine performing the level of maintenance that you regularly execute.  I would be spending all of my free time dis and re assembling with no time left for actually printing.  And it probably wouldn't work then because I broke something.  I guess all that practice must have a positive impact on how quickly you can strip one of these apart, but it took me hours...


Another reason I love a RepRap system as everything is accessible and easily taken apart, and reassembled, like no tomorrow.  On these Makerbot based things nothing is.

   Oh, go look at your X belt, for instance, and when it needs tightening you have to take the entire dual extruder off then you can remove two screws (these are not metal screws so eventually they will strip since they bite into the plastic) AND when you have done all of that you are met with a continuous belt so you have to cut it so you can tighten it or simply replace it.

  The X belt has a number on it that I believe means GT2 and is around 800mm (I can't remember the exact number precisely) long.  No joy with the machine and how much you have to do to get to anything real on the machine in comparison to a RepRap which was created to have everything easily accessible.

Why is there no way to tension any belts on these machines with just adjusting a screw, or some sort of tensioner?

----------


## Mjolinor

> Hexadecimal system is for geeks, nerds, and computer programmers.  Sorry, not following that at all as the majority of the world is based on base 10 not base 16.


The hexadecimal system is used of necessity. All your messages are posted using it, just because hte geeks and nerds do ti well enough so that you do not have to bother using it is a credit to them not an indication of how much better than denary it is.

Yup, that is becoming apparent. Probably best to stop trying I suppose.

----------


## JSensebe

Everything would be solved if we all used base 2,520.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Everything would be solved if we all used base 2,520.


LOL, hahahaha.

----------


## DaveB

I've been trying to make a replacement filament guide/manifold piece for the top of my QIDI extruder assy because my feed hoses keep working their way out. The design that I am working with now is http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:735350
I've built it and tried it out and it seemed to work fairly well.  It did need the two screw mounting holes drilled out to 3.5mm.   

Note: By the way, the design in the "Useful items to make for Qidi Tech" ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:616895 ) will not actually work on a current model Qidi.  The filament feed holes do not line up with their current positions on the feed mechanisms.  See the comment section in that part for more info if you're curious.

Anyway, in the process of messing with these things I noticed something odd about the Qidi extruder assembly.  This filament manifold sits across the steppers, the filament feed mechanisms, and the 40mm fan cases.  What's odd is the filament feed release handles actually project ABOVE the plane of the adjacent stepper top surface. The stock Qidi manifold has a completely flat bottom surface, and when it is pulled down into place by its two mounting screws, its bottom surface hits and compresses the top of the filament release handles, and forces them downward. Apparently this deformation is needed, because when I relieved the area of the manifold over the release handles such that the manifold no longer compressed them, the feeders stopped working reliably.

Does anyone else have any info on this?

----------


## rcleav

> I've been trying to make a replacement filament guide/manifold piece for the top of my QIDI extruder assy because my feed hoses keep working their way out. The design that I am working with now is http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:735350
> I've built it and tried it out and it seemed to work fairly well.  It did need the two screw mounting holes drilled out to 3.5mm.   
> 
> Note: By the way, the design in the "Useful items to make for Qidi Tech" ( http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:616895 ) will not actually work on a current model Qidi.  The filament feed holes do not line up with their current positions on the feed mechanisms.  See the comment section in that part for more info if you're curious.
> 
> Anyway, in the process of messing with these things I noticed something odd about the Qidi extruder assembly.  This filament manifold sits across the steppers, the filament feed mechanisms, and the 40mm fan cases.  What's odd is the filament feed release handles actually project ABOVE the plane of the adjacent stepper top surface. The stock Qidi manifold has a completely flat bottom surface, and when it is pulled down into place by its two mounting screws, its bottom surface hits and compresses the top of the filament release handles, and forces them downward. Apparently this deformation is needed, because when I relieved the area of the manifold over the release handles such that the manifold no longer compressed them, the feeders stopped working reliably.
> 
> Does anyone else have any info on this?


I've been using this on my Qidi Tech for 6 months now and it works great.
Unless the newest Qidi Tech's have deviated from the basic MK10 dual extruder design and it doesn't look like they have it should work fine..
There is a little play for alignment in it before tightening the screws down.

----------


## beano_2278

So, i'm interested in printing in a flexible filament and i've seen a lot of people printing replacement MK8 extruder parts that keep the filament on a better line through the drive gears, ideally i'd like to try the same but i want to print a a simple upgrade that doesn't require lots of modifications. upon looking on Thingiverse i can see many different mods out there but firstly i'm not sure which ones are the best and which ones may fit the Qidi Tech printer easily.

My initial investigations have led me to this one : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:684426

Thoughts from anyone with a Qidi that has printed with flexible filament.

Many thanks

Steve

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> So, i'm interested in printing in a flexible filament and i've seen a lot of people printing replacement MK8 extruder parts that keep the filament on a better line through the drive gears, ideally i'd like to try the same but i want to print a a simple upgrade that doesn't require lots of modifications. upon looking on Thingiverse i can see many different mods out there but firstly i'm not sure which ones are the best and which ones may fit the Qidi Tech printer easily.
> 
> My initial investigations have led me to this one : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:684426
> 
> Thoughts from anyone with a Qidi that has printed with flexible filament.
> 
> Many thanks
> 
> Steve


What you have linked is for a Mk8 Extruder set-up. The Qidi machines use Mk10s.

There is a feed assembly on Thingiverse for Mk10 set-ups...and having been using it for 2 months now I can say it works rather well.
These are what ya need for Mk10s http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:857200

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> So, i'm interested in printing in a flexible filament and i've seen a lot of people printing replacement MK8 extruder parts that keep the filament on a better line through the drive gears, ideally i'd like to try the same but i want to print a a simple upgrade that doesn't require lots of modifications. upon looking on Thingiverse i can see many different mods out there but firstly i'm not sure which ones are the best and which ones may fit the Qidi Tech printer easily.
> 
> My initial investigations have led me to this one : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:684426
> 
> Thoughts from anyone with a Qidi that has printed with flexible filament.
> 
> Many thanks
> 
> Steve


That is a bit confusing because these printers use a MK10 and not a MK8 but my thought is that after looking at the date that was published that the author must have had the earlier model of these printers that DID use MK8.   MK8 != MK10 and are not interchangeable.  I am unsure if that goes for the drive mechanism as well or not though.  All you can do is try it.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> What you have linked is for a Mk8 Extruder set-up. The Qidi machines use Mk10s.
> 
> There is a feed assembly on Thingiverse for Mk10 set-ups...and having been using it for 2 months now I can say it works rather well.
> These are what ya need for Mk10s http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:857200


You use that with Filaflex, TPU or Ninjaflex?

----------


## wirlybird

> With blue painter's tape on the aluminum and glue stick on that, ABS seems to adhere well. I'm using Slic3r and GPX now with a modified version of the Simplify3D G-Code posted here. I made a filament profile called "None" to better handle the case where I'm using one extruder, so I don't need two printer profiles for single extruder prints.


How are you removing the print?  Do you wait for it to cool?

----------


## wirlybird

I am trying the purple aqua net.  Never used hairspray for anything before!  It doesn't come out in a mist like I would expect rather it is "splotchy" it is hard to explain!!  What have you guys experienced with this stuff?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I am trying the purple aqua net.  Never used hairspray for anything before!  It doesn't come out in a mist like I would expect rather it is "splotchy" it is hard to explain!!  What have you guys experienced with this stuff?


I used ultra hold hair spray but in a bottle pump so I could pour it out and flow it on though I sprayed some times (careful it is nasty to bearings) and it worked for ABS and PLA but I originally used the Purple Elmer's big fat glue stick and while that worked I hated it as it would scorch etc... so I switched.  Finally I said I am tired of all of this expense so I tried bare Boro glass and was hooked.  3mm thick 110c ABS and 52c for PLA.

----------


## DaveB

Just posted a design for an adapter / mounting base for the Ikea Jansjo light. 

 This base fits on a QIDI printer and attaches onto the QIDI's corner.  It may be reversed for use on either the front or side facing surfaces of the Qidi. The Jansjo is $7-$10 at Ikea. 

All info is at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1655034   The version shown in the pix is a rev back from the design on Thingi.  You can also see my monstrous P/T video camera peering in from the side.

----------


## JSensebe

> How are you removing the print?  Do you wait for it to cool?


Yes. I read that removing parts too soon could tear the tape, so I wait at least until all the fans switch off, at which point the bed is normally down to about 60°C. The nice thing is that if the tape tears, it's easy enough and cheap enough to just apply new.

By the way, my Chinese glue stick ran out today.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  It was getting a little pale, so it wouldn't have been useful too much longer anyway.

----------


## DaveB

> By the way, my Chinese glue stick ran out today.  It was getting a little pale, so it wouldn't have been useful too much longer anyway.


Qty 30 Glue sticks on Amazon for $10.  I think I am set for the next few years or so...
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013CDGT6

----------


## JSensebe

> 


Those door hinges are a nice, elegant solution. Where can I get those?

----------


## wirlybird

> I used ultra hold hair spray but in a bottle pump so I could pour it out and flow it on though I sprayed some times (careful it is nasty to bearings) and it worked for ABS and PLA but I originally used the Purple Elmer's big fat glue stick and while that worked I hated it as it would scorch etc... so I switched.  Finally I said I am tired of all of this expense so I tried bare Boro glass and was hooked.  3mm thick 110c ABS and 52c for PLA.


I have the 1/4" Boro from McMaster.  Trying it now with Aqua Net.  I will try bare.  Aside from the table temps what are your basic settings for the filament etc.?

----------


## wirlybird

> There are only 2 places I order from:
> http://www.makergeeks.com
> http://www.orbpolymer.com
> 
> I order alot more from MakerGeeks.
> 
> MG has the higher quality material (though not by much).
> MG does free shipping on any order in US, Orb ya have to buy 3 rolls to get free shipping.
> Orb only carries ABS, PLA, and PETG, whereas MG carries a huge range of specialty filaments as well.
> MG runs spools of as they are ordered directly onto the spools that are shipped to you. Orb used huge warehouse spools and cuts orders off of there. The end result is ya get firmer and fresher material from MG....esp so on less popular colors. The drawback is that it can take a day or 2 for MG to ship your order, where as with Orb it goes out that day or the next (depending on how late in the day ya order).


I am looking at PLA and ABS on MakerGeeks but see many different "names"  such as Maker, Chrystal, Raptor etc for PLA.  What series do you guys normally get from Makergeeks in PAL or ABS?

----------


## DaveB

> I am looking at PLA and ABS on MakerGeeks but see many different "names"  such as Maker, Chrystal, Raptor etc for PLA.  What series do you guys normally get from Makergeeks in PAL or ABS?


From MakerGeeks, Maker is their standard line of PLA and ABS.  That is the stuff that I have had good luck using.  
I've tried one roll of their Raptor PLA (that's their high performance PLA) and it printed wonderfully, more like ABS than PLA, but jammed up my extruder after about 4 hours of printing.  Syd warned me, but you know I had to experience the pain for myself.  
They just released their Crystal PLA and PETG line last week. I've ordered a roll of that in PLA but have not received it yet.  Some way cool translucent colors there, sure hope it prints well. 

Got no idea on Orb, never tried their stuff.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> It really doesn't seem to flat.  Might make a stop at the local machine shop to talk to them about the bed and glass and see if they have any ideas that won't break the bank.


Good luck as it will not be cheap.

Rounding and lifting is what ABS does so all you can do is keep all drafts away and leave the bed at 110c.  Don't lift the door up as that will create a draft.  Use hairspray or a glue stick if you must and if that doesn't work use that AND brims.

----------


## Noircogi

> Never understood all of these one companies owning everything.  Make something cool and some company will buy it out.


Investors consider it bad for a company to have too much cash sitting around.  They expect stocks to outperform money markets.  Companies also buy others if they (the buying company) have over-valued stock due to high growth before its P/E ratio becomes more reasonable after the market stabilizes.

----------


## Noircogi

I love my borosilicate build plate, but with very thin ABS pieces, I was getting some lifting.  A nice solid coat of Aquanet fixed that and seems to last for many prints.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Investors consider it bad for a company to have too much cash sitting around.  They expect stocks to outperform money markets.  Companies also buy others if they (the buying company) have over-valued stock due to high growth before its P/E ratio becomes more reasonable after the market stabilizes.


Main reason why I despise Wall Street and investors and look out for venture capitalists as they should be shot on sight.

I firmly believe Wall Street has done more harm to the USA (saying USA since that is where I live) than good over the decades.  Never go public with an IPO as the company is never the same again.

----------


## DaveB

> I just go by feel and I don't feel very well so I have a hard time leveling (tramming).  I will say the bed on the Qidi is not flat for sure.  It has ripples and the aluminum bed is slightly warped.  One thing I have never understood on any printer I have owned is why in the dead center, regardless of the material used for the bed, it rises up so the gap is too close when everything else is fine.  I have never been able to fix that issue.


Maybe its the X-axis support structure sagging?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Maybe its the X-axis support structure sagging?


I think it has to be because every printer I use has 8mm rods there and they sag on their own let alone with a motor and hotend + extruder to help weigh it down.  Makes it impossible for me to level a bed.

----------


## DaveB

> I had not seen mention of it on this BB but MakerGeeks is having a 15% off sale thru July 5th.  Coupon code is FIREWORKS


I ordered and received a roll of the new MakerGeeksCrystal Red PLA.  Looks really great.  I printed a spiral vase mode lampshade and it came out excellent.  I used 230C & 75C decreasing to 60C with a blower after 1 (just before my blower died, Emily is sending a replacement.)  This material seems a little more brittle than their standard Maker PLA, but the color is really cool.  Reminiscent of candy apple red.  I'm going to order a blue and a yellow before their sale ends today.

----------


## JSensebe

> I ordered and received a roll of the new MakerGeeksCrystal Red PLA.  Looks really great.  I printed a spiral vase mode lampshade and it came out excellent.  I used 230C & 75C decreasing to 60C with a blower after 1 (just before my blower died, Emily is sending a replacement.)  This material seems a little more brittle than their standard Maker PLA, but the color is really cool.  Reminiscent of candy apple red.  I'm going to order a blue and a yellow before their sale ends today.


230° for PLA? I stay in the 190°-200° range, usually. Does this "crystal" stuff require more heat?

----------


## Stwert

> Now, what I would be very interested in is in compiling SF 7.7 and getting it uploaded.  From what I read you can make your own profiles but I could care less if the stupid SF can't really do PWM or the Mightyboard that is in the Qidi.  Either this is a hardware issue or a firmware issue and I suspect, more and more, it is a Firmware issue.  If Matlin does it and SF is based off of Marlin then why not?
> 
> If anyone dares ask "the God" (unto himself) Jetty he may be able to shed some light on this but he and I are not on speaking terms.



I'm inclined to agree, the more I look into it the more I think it's a firmware rather than hardware issue. 

For what it's worth regarding the firmware resetting a couple of pages back. I've tried it today, it's seems to make no difference. Just what you'd expect it to do, back to how it was when the printer arrived.

----------


## DaveB

> I ordered and received a roll of the new MakerGeeksCrystal Red PLA.  Looks really great.  I printed a spiral vase mode lampshade and it came out excellent.  I used 230C & 75C decreasing to 60C with a blower after 1 (just before my blower died, Emily is sending a replacement.)  This material seems a little more brittle than their standard Maker PLA, but the color is really cool.  Reminiscent of candy apple red.  I'm going to order a blue and a yellow before their sale ends today.


Made a 40mm x40mm x 10mm solid object and the color is even more intense.  Watch out though, I had printed on a build plate with glue stick on Boro glass. Even after it was cold I had to put the plate in water to get the part off.  It was very thoroughly stuck.

I printed the spiral lampshade in my last post at 230C because I was concerned about the filament adhering well to itself in a single layer print. There was no bubbling in the lampshade at 230C.  I then printed this square part at 210C, my go-to temperature for PLA and it seemed to come out fine.

----------


## DaveB

> Do you know which file you used to print adapter for the MG rolls?  Looks like a bunch of files and not sure yet which one is the correct one!


Use http://www.thingiverse.com/apps/cust...hing_id=735213

Then apply the values for: 51mm tube diameter, 85mm spool diameter, 17mm height.   5 arms will work well.  I like the "right" version.

----------


## wirlybird

> Use http://www.thingiverse.com/apps/cust...hing_id=735213
> 
> Then apply the values for: 51mm tube diameter, 85mm spool diameter, 17mm height.   5 arms will work well.  I like the "right" version.


Thanks, will get it going today.

I saw in your other post that you have glue sticks.  Are you using those for the glass?  I am having a little trouble with corner lifting with ABS, hair spray may be worn but was wondering how it works.  Is that also the magnetic set up?  What do you think of that?

----------


## wirlybird

> I've been busy getting my dry box installed.  Here is the new setup:
> 
> Where's Waldo?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Bingo...  I had to move some hanging files and build in a shelf.  There is room for two boxes, max of 6 rolls.
> 
> ...


Digging the setup.  I may come after that manifold or the new and improved version!!  I am going to set up the dry boxes directly behind my unit - when I get to it!!

----------


## DaveB

> Thanks, will get it going today.
> 
> I saw in your other post that you have glue sticks.  Are you using those for the glass?  I am having a little trouble with corner lifting with ABS, hair spray may be worn but was wondering how it works.  Is that also the magnetic set up?  What do you think of that?


Yes, the glue sticks are for the glass.  In desperation I've used them on everything, but they are my go to solution for ABS on glass.  For PLA the BuildTak is often too easy to pass up.  Getting the glue stick off is easy, just add water.  Elmers is completely water soluble.  

Yes it is the Maghold build plate.  Usually I love it.  A few days ago when I was separating the steel sheet from the glass, not so much.  There is a tirade from yours truly on this BBs about the pain of removing the 3M adhesive from between the glass and the steel sheet.  Just doing that once was enough to make me doubt my sanity.  

Big advantage of glass:  It is flat.  Really, really flat.  No bubbles, no warps, no nothing, just flat.  Makes leveling and adjusting the height of the entire build surface a lot more predictable.  You just need a little patience as it cools so the print will pop off without you prying at it and adding stress points to the glass.

----------


## DaveB

> Thanks, will get it going today.
> 
> I saw in your other post that you have glue sticks.  Are you using those for the glass?  I am having a little trouble with corner lifting with ABS, hair spray may be worn but was wondering how it works.  Is that also the magnetic set up?  What do you think of that?


One other thought on hairspray, are you sure you are using enough?

 Originally Posted by *cncartist* 
This video has great instructions on how to coat the glass build plate with 
the Aquanet hairspray - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzCcTCXGiDU

----------


## wirlybird

> One other thought on hairspray, are you sure you are using enough?
> 
>  Originally Posted by *cncartist* 
> This video has great instructions on how to coat the glass build plate with 
> the Aquanet hairspray - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzCcTCXGiDU


I am using a pretty heavy coat.  I may need to prep for these prints with a fresh coat.  

The aquanet I am using doesn't spray in a mist like spray paint, it more splurts out.  It seems ok as it sits and dries.  There may be two types in the purple can!

----------


## jfkansas

What I was getting at on the water tight is if you do soak it for a week and it isn't water tight then the water will get all inside the print infill and will most likely never come out or dry out. So by sealing the outer shells by a quick acetone dip will at least for the most part seal the gaps in the outermost layers which should limit the water absorption. Acetone fully evaporates in a matter of minutes so it won't be a toxic by product. 

While not FDA approved, some stuff called Silicon conformal coating works well for sealing. It also has a nice smoothing effect also since it contains acetone. I spray a lot of my parts with it and it leaves a nice soft matte appearance. 

Heat gun and ABS is tough since ABS doesn't have a true melt point like other plastics. It just slowly gets softer then boom the part will just collapse. Acetone is the best chemical treatment. I usually don't use vapor with acetone anymore. Either I will quick dip a part in acetone, spray a mist on, or sometimes just use a rag and do an acetone quick wipe. Most of the time I prefer the acetone mist or using the Conformal Coating though. 




> Water getting into the piece is not what makes it unsafe for fish, but rather that ABS has some mild toxins in it, even the natural stuff. 
> This is why ya soak it for a week. And toxins in the plastic will naturally seep out during that time.
> 
> As for getting something watertight, I have found that going 8-10 on the shell ( being top, bottom, and outer layers) and layer height of at the most .12mm (.1 is better) most prints will hold liquids. Not sure if I'd use acetone on anything for food or pets, but with a little care (and alot of practice) you can get the same results with a heatgun.
> 
> edit: I feel it needs said...I have NOT tested the soaking of ABS...this is just what several hours of online research have led to me think is accurate info. I did get to talk to the maker i refered to in Oregon for a good 20min via Skype.

----------


## wirlybird

Ok guys, here is a test of the layer issue I am having.  The cube is a 1" solid cube in white ABS bed at 110 and extruder at 240.  Simplify3D at default settings for ABS.

The left cube is solid with default infill etc.  The second has a cutout going through it from left to right.  The third (right one) has a cut out going from top to 1" down.

You can see the changes in how the layer is printed on the side where the hollow part of the cube is.  I know these look pretty good but there is a definite dimension change where the change in the layers takes place.

On the much larger part this layer change is much more pronounced as can be seen in the other photos.

The bottom print is a redo of my part last night and same settings as the cube.  It has the same issue but not as bad.  You can see how the top and bottom are bowing toward the right.

I am at a loss on this but it seems parts with some type of internal changes now have issues printing.

[IMG][/IMG]


[IMG][/IMG]

----------


## DaveB

> Ok guys, here is a test of the layer issue I am having.  The cube is a 1" solid cube in white ABS bed at 110 and extruder at 240.  Simplify3D at default settings for ABS.
> 
> The left cube is solid with default infill etc.  The second has a cutout going through it from left to right.  The third (right one) has a cut out going from top to 1" down.
> 
> You can see the changes in how the layer is printed on the side where the hollow part of the cube is.  I know these look pretty good but there is a definite dimension change where the change in the layers takes place.
> 
> On the much larger part this layer change is much more pronounced as can be seen in the other photos.
> 
> The bottom print is a redo of my part last night and same settings as the cube.  It has the same issue but not as bad.  You can see how the top and bottom are bowing toward the right.
> ...


W, I really don't have a clue about this.  Maybe S3D could help you?  I have to wonder if there is some value / setting within S3D that might cause this behavior.  The issue is not very obvious to me in the test cubes you have printed.  I just do not see it.  Maybe measurements would make it more obvious for those examples?  It's rather blatant in the larger object, although I am puzzled why it seems to show up in your pix as a more gradual change as opposed to a single event stepped change.

----------


## wirlybird

> Use http://www.thingiverse.com/apps/cust...hing_id=735213
> 
> Then apply the values for: 51mm tube diameter, 85mm spool diameter, 17mm height.   5 arms will work well.  I like the "right" version.


Did the customization deal.  I gave me 5 different ones and 4 of them look the same except for left and right even though they have different names.  I don't see a difference anyway!

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Well, the what is crazy is the stuff in the Dollar Tree is the real deal from back in the 1970's and stuff but just does not work.  Now I had read last year that Cyanoacrylate glue has expiry dates and actually goes stale fast (meaning it will not work right) so I suspect the Dollar Tree stuff is older stock but not for sure.


You probably hit the nail on the head right there. Dollar Tree and stores like it take over-flow or discontinued stock from bigger stores like Wal-mart or Target and such as them. The chances that it been sitting on a shelf (or in a warehouse even) for a good bit of time before it gets to Dollar Tree is, Id guess, pretty high.

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone have any idea why this (see highlighted area) no longer lights up or shows the correct "set" temperature when the extruder starts to heat?  In the pic the extruder is set to 200 and is heating, it is showing the current temp however.  The light for heat bed works correctly.  This used to work.


[IMG][/IMG]

Additional info:  The light and target temp work when running on extruder 1 (right extruder) but not when using the left extruder.

----------


## wirlybird

How did we live without 3D printers?!  Had a busted clip for the bottom of a mini blind so I built a new one!

This one was printed @ 200.  Trying another @ 195 then 190.  190 seems to be the target temp for this PLA.  At 200 bad stringing.


[IMG][/IMG]

----------


## JimHs1

Has anyone printed from a scan using a Makerbot digitizer (or similar)?   I have a broken part (crockpot handle) that it too complex for me to try to draw. If so, was the scan reasonable?  Any difficulties encountered?

----------


## DaveB

> Anyone have any idea why this (see highlighted area) no longer lights up or shows the correct "set" temperature when the extruder starts to heat?  In the pic the extruder is set to 200 and is heating, it is showing the current temp however.  The light for heat bed works correctly.  This used to work.


I don't use the USB control too much, so I can't answer your question.  Weren't you extending the USB by 75' or so?  Could that be involved?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Has anyone printed from a scan using a Makerbot digitizer (or similar)?   I have a broken part (crockpot handle) that it too complex for me to try to draw. If so, was the scan reasonable?  Any difficulties encountered?


Really hope ya didn't buy one of these...

Just like everything else Makerbot makes its WAAAAY overpriced. There are 3D scanners out there for 1/2 the price that do just as well.

3D scanning is not gonna be print ready (unless you spend $2k+ USD), you will always need to do touchup work. And the few scanners I have been able to try...well they more for 'organinc' type things, all but the highest end ones seem to have slight issues with 'parts' for lack of better words. 
On top of all but the highest end scanners will have serious issues scanning anything pure black, pure white, reflective (even a tiny bit), or semi translucent. 

My buddy has a $600 scanner, some off-brand, and I had to spraypaint things yellow to get em to scan even close to proper.

Do you still have the part? All the broken bits? Take some pics and some mesurements, e-mail them to me at Syd.Khaos@gmail.com...Ill see what I can do.

----------


## JimHs1

> Really hope ya didn't buy one of these...
> 
> Just like everything else Makerbot makes its WAAAAY overpriced. There are 3D scanners out there for 1/2 the price that do just as well.
> 
> 3D scanning is not gonna be print ready (unless you spend $2k+ USD), you will always need to do touchup work. And the few scanners I have been able to try...well they more for 'organinc' type things, all but the highest end ones seem to have slight issues with 'parts' for lack of better words. 
> On top of all but the highest end scanners will have serious issues scanning anything pure black, pure white, reflective (even a tiny bit), or semi translucent. 
> 
> My buddy has a $600 scanner, some off-brand, and I had to spraypaint things yellow to get em to scan even close to proper.
> 
> Do you still have the part? All the broken bits? Take some pics and some mesurements, e-mail them to me at Syd.Khaos@gmail.com...Ill see what I can do.


No I didn't buy one, as the local library has one available for use.  Yes, I thought they were way overpriced and wasn't considering a purchase, at least not until I had several scans that turned out good.  

Thanks, but I would hate to have you spend your time on a project of mine.   I will try the library scanner first them MAY take you up on your offer.  My biggest problem is finding a reasonable 3d CAD and learning to use it.  I have used TinkerCAD for some basic items, but it doesn't have the capability (or maybe its just me) for this part.  I have tried but after several hours I gave up.  I have tried Fusion360, but tis capabilities and how to use them are not obvious (at least to me).

----------


## jfkansas

> No I didn't buy one, as the local library has one available for use.  Yes, I thought they were way overpriced and wasn't considering a purchase, at least not until I had several scans that turned out good.  
> 
> Thanks, but I would hate to have you spend your time on a project of mine.   I will try the library scanner first them MAY take you up on your offer.  My biggest problem is finding a reasonable 3d CAD and learning to use it.  I have used TinkerCAD for some basic items, but it doesn't have the capability (or maybe its just me) for this part.  I have tried but after several hours I gave up.  I have tried Fusion360, but tis capabilities and how to use them are not obvious (at least to me).


What capabilities are you needing out of Fusion 360?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> No I didn't buy one, as the local library has one available for use.  Yes, I thought they were way overpriced and wasn't considering a purchase, at least not until I had several scans that turned out good.  
> 
> Thanks, but I would hate to have you spend your time on a project of mine.   I will try the library scanner first them MAY take you up on your offer.  My biggest problem is finding a reasonable 3d CAD and learning to use it.  I have used TinkerCAD for some basic items, but it doesn't have the capability (or maybe its just me) for this part.  I have tried but after several hours I gave up.  I have tried Fusion360, but tis capabilities and how to use them are not obvious (at least to me).


Buddy, I got plenty of time to spare lol.

I use Blender for all my design work. I know...its a rendering program, but it does everything I need to to design prints. Not to mention its free, and there is HUGE amount of online tutorials for it.

If ya have access to the makerbot scanner then you should def try it out. Chances are you will need to work on the model a bit before its printer ready.

----------


## wirlybird

> I don't use the USB control too much, so I can't answer your question.  Weren't you extending the USB by 75' or so?  Could that be involved?


I don't think so because everything else is working without a flaw.  Also the bed heating lite and target temp are working.  It was working but stopped but I don't know why!

It's like something in the software changed but I have no idea what.

----------


## caall99

So, did a bit more experimentation: My motor VREF setting is 90 for X and Y. I was printing at a peak feed rate of 90mm/s and 130mm/s travel-only speed. Object sliced with Cura 2.1.2 and acceleration in Sailfish firmware was limited to 300mm/s^2 for X and Y. I notice that occasionally, acceleration is ignored and the print head races to its next starting point at the full 130mm/s travel speed! This results in a "bang" and the stepper motors skip and printing continues at a new location killing the print. I did some reading here: http://www.sailfishfirmware.com/doc/sailfish.pdf (READ SECTION 9.4). Sounds like Sailfish cannot "accelerate" a move if it doesn't know the last location (e.g. last location not saved in EEPROM). I wonder if Cura 2.1.2 does something to the gcode that could cause this "NON-accelerated" move phenomenon to occur randomly MID PRINT. 130mm/s without acceleration on a dual direct extruder Cartesian setup is painful to watch.... I am sure my 90 VREF setting is also reducing the amount of holding torque resulting in the steppers having insufficient force to overcome the momentum of a 130mm/s un-accelerated move - resulting in skipping of steps. thoughts?

----------


## jfkansas

The print head never knows where it is at on a grid. The gcode isn't a coordinate system, it just says whereever it is now, next move 13mmX and 12mmY and extrude this much E plastic. Then repeat that 1000s of times.  So did the belt skip a tooth? Maybe you shouldn't travel faster than say 90 with a fully loaded print head. Take the left stepper off if you want to do 120+ travels.  As far as acceleration, all "sailfish" knows is it has to move 40mm in X direction and 30mm Y or whatever the move is. It doesn't care where it has been. It calculates accell based on how far it has to go.

----------


## Mjolinor

> The print head never knows where it is at on a grid. The gcode isn't a coordinate system, it just says whereever it is now, next move 13mmX and 12mmY and extrude this much E plastic. Then repeat that 1000s of times.  So did the belt skip a tooth? Maybe you shouldn't travel faster than say 90 with a fully loaded print head. Take the left stepper off if you want to do 120+ travels.  As far as acceleration, all "sailfish" knows is it has to move 40mm in X direction and 30mm Y or whatever the move is. It doesn't care where it has been. It calculates accell based on how far it has to go.


Gcode does absolute and relative. It depends what you have set in the file.

----------


## jfkansas

True, and acceleration would be calculated by the distance between where it is now and where it is going. Both Absolute and Relative the the processor knows how far the move is and accelerates/decelerates as needed.

----------


## caall99

Thanks for the information, but I am already aware of this and have taken measures to make sure that everything is tight and working properly. My issue is non-accelerated print and travel moves occurring mid print, which cause the motors to skip. I should be able to print at 90 mm/s and travel at 120 mm/s, or even twice those amounts, if my max acceleration setting of 300 mm/s^2 was working consistently... but it's not.

----------


## jfkansas

What are your max speed changes? X and Y at about 7 or 8 is good.  Max accell for X and Y at 750 is good. Even with those settings I wouldn't go over 90 with a fully loaded print head. 120-140 for travel is easily obtainable with the left stepper removed.

----------


## caall99

> What are your max speed changes? X and Y at about 7 or 8 is good.  Max accell for X and Y at 750 is good. Even with those settings I wouldn't go over 90 with a fully loaded print head. 120-140 for travel is easily obtainable with the left stepper removed.


Max speed changes are 7. Max acceleration for X and Y are 300mm/s^2. None of this matters when it comes to my problem. I am talking about intermittent loss of "acceleration feature" in the middle of a print... I could set my travel speed to 200mm/s and it shouldn't matter with my acceleration value of 300mm/s^2.

----------


## DaveB

I may the last guy to the party, but I just found about a dozen videos on YouTube from QiDi.  They cover basic maintenance activities for the Qidi printer, and include replacing: the extruder, half the extruder, the filament drive gear, the Zaxis motor and threaded rod, the thermocouple, and the extruder drive steppers.  Also leveling the build platform, testing the X, Y and Z limit switches, tightening the screws on the X and Y drive stepper pulleys, building and installing the acrylic covers, and replacing the nozzle and PTFE tube (I always wondered what that big freakin bolt was for).

All of these turn up on You Tube in response to a search for "QIDI 3d printer", then apply a filter for this week (or today if you're snappy).

I expect that Qidi will eventually post these in their sticky thread.

----------


## rcleav

> I may the last guy to the party, but I just found about a dozen videos on YouTube from QiDi.  They cover basic maintenance activities for the Qidi printer, and include replacing: the extruder, half the extruder, the filament drive gear, the Zaxis motor and threaded rod, the thermocouple, and the extruder drive steppers.  Also leveling the build platform, testing the X, Y and Z limit switches, tightening the screws on the X and Y drive stepper pulleys, building and installing the acrylic covers, and replacing the nozzle and PTFE tube (I always wondered what that big freakin bolt was for).
> 
> All of these turn up on You Tube in response to a search for "QIDI 3d printer", then apply a filter for this week (or today if you're snappy).
> 
> I expect that Qidi will eventually post these in their sticky thread.


I've been in touch with Qidi Tech support recently and they are definitely taken a more proactive support role.
Example the changes on this forum and new help videos on Youtube.

----------


## DaveB

> I've been in touch with Qidi Tech support recently and they are definitely taken a more proactive support role.
> Example the changes on this forum and new help videos on Youtube.


That is all positive news.  Their new printer is a good incentive I guess.

----------


## wirlybird

> W, how is the Flexion install going?



The one question I am going to have is that they have a FFF Profile for S3D but it is for the Replicator/FlashForge.  Don't know if I should actually use it or just work the settings for the QIDI profile.  Maybe someone who knows more than me can look at them and see what the real difference is.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

Hey wirly...got your package Monday, should be no problems.

Have had a crazy busy week, but should be able to get on this sun or mon.

----------


## wirlybird

> Hey wirly...got your package Monday, should be no problems.
> 
> Have had a crazy busy week, but should be able to get on this sun or mon.



No worries just thought it would be a cool project to demo the capabilities of 3D printing.

What do you use for CAD?  I am using Fusion 360.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

70%? WOW, that means your layer height * 0.7 is your first layer height and that is rough going.  You would need a dead flat, and trammed, bed or no dice.

----------


## wirlybird

> 70%? WOW, that means your layer height * 0.7 is your first layer height and that is rough going.  You would need a dead flat, and trammed, bed or no dice.



At 90 I am getting gaps and skipping of the infill for the first layer.  I am going to test more but it doesn't seem to correspond with leveling.  That's why I was wondering about irregularities in the glass.

Always open to suggestion for settings in S3D.

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone have a particular cable chain they like the design of?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> At 90 I am getting gaps and skipping of the infill for the first layer.  I am going to test more but it doesn't seem to correspond with leveling.  That's why I was wondering about irregularities in the glass.
> 
> Always open to suggestion for settings in S3D.


Irregularities are fine as long as they do not go outside of your first layer height.  My I3's bed has a max difference of 0.2mm from its highest point to its dead 0mm point so I try and keep it at 0.28mm (uses a 0.35mm nozzle) for a first layer height.

  This is the one thing S3D does 100% wrong because it should never be based on a percentage but on a set value and why it hasn't ever been changed I don't understand it.  If I print at 0.1mm height I have to go figure out what a 0.28mm first layer height's percentage would be (0.32mm for a Qidi's 0.4mm nozzle) and if I change my layer height to something else I have to go do it all over again when the other slicers did this right so I don't have to keep effing with it every single time I just want to make a print with a different layer height.  You *MUST* do this to insure that your first layer height does not go over your nozzle size * 0.8.

btw, doing it via a percentage can lead to some weird values for the first layer height if you look at the gcode.

----------


## suds

> That is an elegant solution!  Do you ever accidentally knock the door causing it to close?


Coming back to this - I made a new open hinge version that only lets go of the door 30 degrees from vertical. It also includes the slide to lock open feature, and won't pop off the hinge in that position.

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1697406

I chose 30 degrees from vertical so that you can one-hand open the door through the whole part of the motion that wants to knock the door off the hinge. At 30 degrees, it needs your help to de-hinge.

----------


## wirlybird

> Coming back to this - I made a new open hinge version that only lets go of the door 30 degrees from vertical. It also includes the slide to lock open feature, and won't pop off the hinge in that position.
> 
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1697406
> 
> I chose 30 degrees from vertical so that you can one-hand open the door through the whole part of the motion that wants to knock the door off the hinge. At 30 degrees, it needs your help to de-hinge.



Looks good.

Which glass plate bed clips are you using and how are they working?

I had to mod some clips because my glass is not exact size.

----------


## suds

Hey wirlybird, I made my own and I can upload the files later today. They happen to fit my borosilicate plates from China just right (friction fit). There isn't much overhang onto the build plate so they may not tolerate plates of slightly smaller dimension.

----------


## jfkansas

> The Flexion extruders are JUNK and so is the QIDI.  Tow belts broke and one side of the gantry actually fell out while printing.  This whole thing is seconds away from going in the trash.


Whats wrong with the extruders? I just got new stock of my setups. They are great.

----------


## DaveB

> Ya really, it is kinda hard to break belts. But they are inexpensive and easy to replace with better ones if the qidi ones are bad.


 Suggestion on a source for "better" ones?

----------


## jfkansas

Really haven't ever had to source any. Maybe monoprice? They have flashforge belts.

----------


## DaveB

> Whats wrong with the extruders? I just got new stock of my setups. They are great.


Flexion says they have a new high temperature version that's coming out in a few weeks.  It's using some flavor of Micro Swiss hardware.

----------


## wirlybird

> Ya really, it is kinda hard to break belts. But they are inexpensive and easy to replace with better ones if the qidi ones are bad.



I'm not sure now if they are bad or not but they came off.  I spent an hour trying to take the thing apart just to get to it and am still not there.  I would not call them easy to replace.

----------


## wirlybird

> Is your first layer height setting in S3D set at less than 100?
> 
> That actually looks pretty good.



I'll have to look but it is should be at the default.  I was still having first layer issues but this cube has no bottom layer.  The height issue gets worse with taller prints so it seems it compounds by layer.
The last prints before the meltdown I was getting the sides dialed in pretty good but a 20mm high cube no top or bottom was now 19.8 and that was consistent over a set of six.

----------


## wirlybird

> Whats wrong with the extruders? I just got new stock of my setups. They are great.



I can't get them dialed in and Flexion support has been non existent.  I start the get the single wall width good and the overall height keeps getting worse.  I had the old ones dialed in near perfect.

----------


## wirlybird

> Flexion says they have a new high temperature version that's coming out in a few weeks.  It's using some flavor of Micro Swiss hardware.


that could explain a big price drop days after I bought mine.  On top of all the other issues I added the price cut to the list of gripes but their support has been silent so far.

----------


## wirlybird

On a positive note from the meltdown, QIDI was very fast to respond to my request for help on how to replace the belts and align the gantry.  The guy said " do not worry we will get it going again".  So I give QIDI credit for effort with their product.  Problems are easier to not sweat when you have support that really tries.

Of course, any one else can chime in here on advice - procedure!

----------


## jfkansas

> On a positive note from the meltdown, QIDI was very fast to respond to my request for help on how to replace the belts and align the gantry.  The guy said " do not worry we will get it going again".  So I give QIDI credit for effort with their product.  Problems are easier to not sweat when you have support that really tries.
> 
> Of course, any one else can chime in here on advice - procedure!


You never said which belts.

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone using Makergeeks  PLA finding different temps for different colors?

----------


## DaveB

> Anyone using Makergeeks  PLA finding different temps for different colors?


By color, no, not that I have noticed.  By type (Maker vs Crystal vs Raptor), definitely yes.

----------


## DaveB

> I have really been looking at the kossel kit printers.
> Seems like a delta style printer would be better for alot of the jewelry and artistic stuff I do like little statues and stuff like that.
> Probably what I am gonna end up doing is sell my qidi, get a mini kossel and a cheap I3 clone. Then I have cartesian and delta option.


Syd, anything going on with your QiDi?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Syd, anything going on with your QiDi?


So get this....
Yesterday I wake up and decide screw it...gonna try this print again.
It finished and came out pretty darn good.


This part one of a 2 part velocity stack for a chopper my buddy just got.
Have already printed the 2nd part too.

Here is the really crazy part.....I did NOTHING to the machine between last time I posted here and yesterday morning when I started the print.

edit: this thing is actually about ready for paint...will post another pic once its bolted onto the bike.

----------


## DaveB

> So get this....
> Yesterday I wake up and decide screw it...gonna try this print again.
> It finished and came out pretty darn good.
> 
> This part one of a 2 part velocity stack for a chopper my buddy just got.
> Have already printed the 2nd part too.
> 
> Here is the really crazy part.....I did NOTHING to the machine between last time I posted here and yesterday morning when I started the print.
> 
> edit: this thing is actually about ready for paint...will post another pic once its bolted onto the bike.


That's a dangerous looking piece Syd.  Glad to hear that you've recovered your QiDi, one of the things you did must'a fixed it, only one question... 
When you do post the pix, please do one down the throat of it too, I guess they are all a bit of a venturi shape?  I had to Google "motorcycle velocity stack", and at first I was surprised it was cold enough to bolt ABS(?) onto the engine, but if the carb is right there then I suppose it can't be too hot, and there is a bit of airflow. Neat!

----------


## wirlybird

> So get this....
> Yesterday I wake up and decide screw it...gonna try this print again.
> It finished and came out pretty darn good.
> 
> 
> This part one of a 2 part velocity stack for a chopper my buddy just got.
> Have already printed the 2nd part too.
> 
> Here is the really crazy part.....I did NOTHING to the machine between last time I posted here and yesterday morning when I started the print.
> ...



KOOL Syd!!

----------


## Syd_Khaos

I am still toying with the idea of flipping it and getting some other machines.
Alot of single nozzle reprap machine easy to work on, with part available from US suppliers. And I am really wanting to try a delta style printer on certain designs.

If I get a decent offer I probably will. If I have a Qidi I would much rather have one with the bigger rods and such. Flipping this one to finance some others now, then maybe repurchase a Qidi down the road a bit seems like good plan to me.

edit:

----------


## pstephana

I didn't realize how much I've been printing over the last 3 weeks until I saw the filament spools.
ABS: <10% remaining
PLA: <50% remaining

I remember reading about people who couldn't wait to get home to start printing. I found myself saying the same thing!!!
It really is fun once you understand the processes about printing.

Also, I have to give Qidi Props for building a decent and reliable 3D printer, even if it's a clone.

----------


## DaveB

> I didn't realize how much I've been printing over the last 3 weeks until I saw the filament spools.
> ABS: <10% remaining
> PLA: <50% remaining
> 
> I remember reading about people who couldn't wait to get home to start printing. I found myself saying the same thing!!!
> It really is fun once you understand the processes about printing.
> 
> Also, I have to give Qidi Props for building a decent and reliable 3D printer, even if it's a clone.


Cool!  I believe it is actually a clone of a clone...

----------


## wirlybird

> I didn't realize how much I've been printing over the last 3 weeks until I saw the filament spools.
> ABS: <10% remaining
> PLA: <50% remaining
> 
> I remember reading about people who couldn't wait to get home to start printing. I found myself saying the same thing!!!
> It really is fun once you understand the processes about printing.
> 
> Also, I have to give Qidi Props for building a decent and reliable 3D printer, even if it's a clone.



Easy to do!!  Late nights and early mornings also come with this!

----------


## lehighkid

Very nice.  Did you fit the nut in during or post?

I see you have the Flexion extruders on in that pic - is it an older one?

----------


## wirlybird

> Very nice.  Did you fit the nut in during or post?
> 
> I see you have the Flexion extruders on in that pic - is it an older one?



I did the nut after with the help of a punch and small hammer.

Yea, older pic.

----------


## Warren O'neill

> When ya want to upgrade to 10mm rods? I have 3 kits ready. Let me know what color the plastic, I have many ABS colors. :-)


Interested in one of these kits i have sent you a PM

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone tried Hatchbox PLA or ABS?  What do you think?

----------


## rcleav

Hatchbox and ESun are both well respected and popular brands. Both there ABS and PLA work fine for me.
I use either depending on price and availability on Amazon Prime.

----------


## Noircogi

> I print via OctoPrint (on an RPi3) web interface from my MacMini.  I have S3D on the MacMini set to automatically upload gcode when the slicing file is saved.  I have yet to print from an SD card.


Another vote for Octoprint here.  I posted some setup notes earlier in the thread.  Web-based interface and automatic time-lapse generation.  I really didn't want to be wearing out that SDCard slot on the printer.

----------


## wirlybird

QIDI TEch-1 extruder temp issue.  My printer seems to have developed an issue maintaining the extruder temp.  Say I set it at 200 for a print.  It heats ok but a little while after the print has started the temp registers as much as 15 degrees less.  S3D and the printer display both agree.  After a long time, let's say 20 minutes into the hour and a half print the temp slowly starts to inch up.  Over the 90 minutes the temp is barely able to get back to the target temp.

Any ideas?

----------


## JSensebe

> QIDI TEch-1 extruder temp issue.  My printer seems to have developed an issue maintaining the extruder temp.  Say I set it at 200 for a print.  It heats ok but a little while after the print has started the temp registers as much as 15 degrees less.  S3D and the printer display both agree.  After a long time, let's say 20 minutes into the hour and a half print the temp slowly starts to inch up.  Over the 90 minutes the temp is barely able to get back to the target temp.
> 
> Any ideas?


I had this problem when the big side fan was on. Once the unused extruder reaches 50°, there are three fans running and the extruder you're using has a hard time maintaining its temperature. Making sure that side fan is off, if you haven't already, should be your first step. I disconnected the cable to make absolutely sure.

----------


## wirlybird

My new design for the rear manifold for my dry box.  It keeps the original part for the two rolls on the back of the machine without restricting access and adds for the five feeders from my dry box.  Now, when I can remove the filament I am running I will install and see if it really works.


[IMG][/IMG][IMG][/IMG]

----------


## wirlybird

> I had this problem when the big side fan was on. Once the unused extruder reaches 50°, there are three fans running and the extruder you're using has a hard time maintaining its temperature. Making sure that side fan is off, if you haven't already, should be your first step. I disconnected the cable to make absolutely sure.



I see what you are saying but it doesn't even try to reheat.  It can take twenty minutes before it decides to start heating or atleast it isn't indicating it is heating.

Also I need the fan for PLA.  When I was using the right extruder I was having issues with extruded filament overheating or not cooling sufficiently especially toward the rear of the printer.

I'll git it a shot thought to see if that does affect it.

Thanks for the suggestion.

----------


## Talon 3D

Excellent work. I think I might try this out as I learn more about 3D printing. 





> OK!!  The dry box project is now functional.  The first pic is the overall setup - pardon the mess in the background.  The upper filament flanges where a first design where the box was going to be below the printer and that is why they are angled up.  For now it will sit behind the printer hence the lower flanges.  Five rolls can be loaded at once each on its own roller base making changes easier.
> The feed tubes go into the manifold on the back of the printer.  The manifold has plugs for the filament that is not in use.  The filament goes up through a small hole in the plug which allows you to grab the one you want and feed it from there rather than opening the dry box.
> 
> 
> [IMG][/IMG]
> 
> 
> A closer look at the manifold and the plugs.  Also my first attempt at knurling.
> 
> ...

----------


## Talon 3D

What nozzles do you guys recommend when it is time to replace them? 
I have seen a few in here with the Swiss Micro looked great but expensive.

----------


## DaveB

If my introduction to printing with PLA was as finicky as getting ABS to print what you want is being, this machine would have been cut into pieces a long time ago.

----------


## JSensebe

> If my introduction to printing with PLA was as finicky as getting ABS to print what you want is being, this machine would have been cut into pieces a long time ago.


I haven't had much trouble printing ABS with the Qidi, once I disconnected the side fan. What issues are you having?

----------


## wirlybird

> I haven't had much trouble printing ABS with the Qidi, once I disconnected the side fan. What issues are you having?



ABS has been reasonably cooperative for me also.  The main thing I have contended with is some lifting of corners from the bed.  I find that it just really needs a good fresh hairspray glass.

----------


## jfkansas

ABS and hairspray has never worked for me especially on large flat bottom parts. Small parts its ok. I've tried all the tricks, several coats, let it build up etc. 

Lately I've been scraping bed clean with a single edge razor window scraper. Then wiping the glass with AquaNet on a paper towel. Then heating bed to 70c and applying a thin coat of abs slurry. I have some white and clear mixed up and I keep in small mason jars. Also have some colors mixed up if needed. Once the bed fully cools the part generally just lays there un stuck to the glass and you just lift it off.

----------


## DaveB

> ABS and hairspray has never worked for me especially on large flat bottom parts. Small parts its ok. I've tried all the tricks, several coats, let it build up etc. 
> 
> Lately I've been scraping bed clean with a single edge razor window scraper. Then wiping the glass with AquaNet on a paper towel. Then heating bed to 70c and applying a thin coat of abs slurry. I have some white and clear mixed up and I keep in small mason jars. Also have some colors mixed up if needed. Once the bed fully cools the part generally just lays there un stuck to the glass and you just lift it off.


I've been working on printing JFkansas' extruder mechanism in ABS.  This is my first tight tolerance experience with ABS.  Had some serious over extrusion issues and have dropped the extrusion multiplier from 1.00 to 0.80.  Switched to using ABS slurry, which adheres wonderfully with ABS (big surprise...not) but does not adhere so perfectly with the glass bed.  I have found that for some prints I must turn on the blower to prevent thinner "shelves" from turning upward into the extruder.  

PLA was just easy, everything worked right off.  ABS has been a fight every step of the way.

----------


## Noircogi

Wow, I pretty much only print ABS and it's been no problem at all.
I use a borosilicate build platform.  I load it up with a nice solid heavy coat of aguanet.  One aquanet treatment will work for a large number of prints. (At least 20)
I run the bed at 110C for the first 10 layers, 100C for the next 10 layers and 90C from there on up.  When the bed cools down after printing the parts pop right off with no trouble.
I did see some lifting with large thin ABS parts until I started using the aquanet.
I run the extruder at 230C with the fan turned off for ABS. I use the right extruder for ABS, and the left extruder for PLA.

I've not had any issues with PLA either though.  For that I do bed temp of 80C, extruder temp of 210C and fan on.

----------


## DaveB

> ABS and hairspray has never worked for me especially on large flat bottom parts. Small parts its ok. I've tried all the tricks, several coats, let it build up etc. 
> 
> Lately I've been scraping bed clean with a single edge razor window scraper. Then wiping the glass with AquaNet on a paper towel. Then heating bed to 70c and applying a thin coat of abs slurry. I have some white and clear mixed up and I keep in small mason jars. Also have some colors mixed up if needed. Once the bed fully cools the part generally just lays there un stuck to the glass and you just lift it off.



How do you usually apply the ABS slurry?  I've been wiping it on with a paper towel.

----------


## jfkansas

With a short bristle paint brush. I keep several colors of slurry in shorty mason jars they are about 4" tall jars but could use the super short "Jam" jars too.  I've been cleaning with razor scraper, then spraying aquanet onto a paper towel and cleaning plate with that. Then Preheat to 70c or so and brush on the slurry. The slurry can be mixed to a whole milk like state or thicker or a little thinner. 




> How do you usually apply the ABS slurry?  I've been wiping it on with a paper towel.

----------


## Talon 3D

Here are the last two panels.

Screenshot (103).jpgScreenshot (102).jpg

----------


## DaveB

> Here are the last two panels.


Screen shots would be much more helpful if I were able to read them clearly.  I think it looks like you've got the temp set at 230?  I missed the bed temp if it's in there somewhere.  Don't have any experience with that mfg's filament, but PLA temps are more typically 200/60

----------


## Talon 3D

I am sorry about the screen shots they are actual large sizes  but for some reason the forum software is shrinking them now when just a little while ago it did not. LOL
I had the bed at 80c and the extruder at 220 as lower temps it did not stick to itself. 





> Screen shots would be much more helpful if I were able to read them clearly.  I think it looks like you've got the temp set at 230?  I missed the bed temp if it's in there somewhere.  Don't have any experience with that mfg's filament, but PLA temps are more typically 200/60

----------


## jfkansas

> Screen shots would be much more helpful if I were able to read them clearly.  I think it looks like you've got the temp set at 230?  I missed the bed temp if it's in there somewhere.  Don't have any experience with that mfg's filament, but PLA temps are more typically 200/60


Haha thats what I said...  Need better pics.  Definitely 230 is hot for PLA. That is a small part also so might have some cooling issues where the previous layer isn't solidified yet. Looks like a fan is on, but the fan works better on left nozzle.

----------


## DaveB

> Screen shots would be much more helpful if I were able to read them clearly.  I think it looks like you've got the temp set at 230?  I missed the bed temp if it's in there somewhere.  Don't have any experience with that mfg's filament, but PLA temps are more typically 200/60


It also looks like you are using the right extruder which does not get very good cooling airflow from the blower.   PLA needs good cooling to do its best, and I see that you do have it on.  It just doesn't really get to the right nozzle very well.  You might try shifting over to use the left extruder.

----------


## DaveB

> Haha thats what I said...  Need better pics.  Definitely 230 is hot for PLA. That is a small part also so might have some cooling issues where the previous layer isn't solidified yet. Looks like a fan is on, but the fan works better on left nozzle.


LOL - Dept of redundancy dept here J.  
Talon, I gather you are using the forums embedded image attachment tools?  I was not aware that was "working" again.  As that functionality had been totally defunct for several months, I save my pix to a free outside image storage service like imjur or similar, then embed a link to that external image in the posting text.

----------


## DaveB

> LOL - Dept of redundancy dept here J.  
> Talon, I gather you are using the forums embedded image attachment tools?  I was not aware that was "working" again.  As that functionality had been totally defunct for several months, I save my pix to a free outside image storage service like imjur or similar, then embed a link to that external image in the posting text.


Links for Images to be embedded are of the form [XXXimg]http://i.imgur.com/W20rVLF.jpg[/XXXimg]  with the "XXX" text removed.  If I don't put those "XXX"es in there this BBS puts up the image instead of the text and hides the text...

----------


## Talon 3D

I can switch to the left extruder. I only went as high as 230 as it said it could take it LOL
https://meltink3d.com/shop/pla-pha-f...apha-filament/

I have been looking at making a new fan shroud to cool. Thingiverse has a nice looking one. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1484546

I will switch sides and lower the temp and see what I get.

S3D does make it easier to choose and use either extruder than makerware did that is for sure.

----------


## DaveB

> I can switch to the left extruder. I only went as high as 230 as it said it could take it LOL
> https://meltink3d.com/shop/pla-pha-f...apha-filament/
> 
> I have been looking at making a new fan shroud to cool. Thingiverse has a nice looking one. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1484546
> 
> I will switch sides and lower the temp and see what I get.
> 
> S3D does make it easier to choose and use either extruder than makerware did that is for sure.


The PLA/PHA material appears to be similar to the Makergeeks Raptor series of PLA filament.  I do print the Raptor stuff at 230.   It prints kind of like a cross between PLA and ABS, has much better high temp characteristics than straight PLA, and needs to be "annealed" at 100C for 5-10 minutes after it is printed for max strength and temp stability.

The fan shroud you id'd comes in from the front side of the printer and will block your view of the nozzles.   Here are some other choices and tradeoffs:    
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1542849  dual rear uses existing blower     
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1695189  dual rear reqs 2 x blowers on back
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1716089 Single, uses existing blower, improved ductwork for left blower

----------


## Talon 3D

Thanks those give me some things to decide that is for sure. I like the idea of ones in back as well instead of on the front. My OctoPi cam is in the front corner it would totally be blocked.




> The PLA/PHA material appears to be similar to the Makergeeks Raptor series of PLA filament.  I do print the Raptor stuff at 230.   It prints kind of like a cross between PLA and ABS, has much better high temp characteristics than straight PLA, and needs to be "annealed" at 100C for 5-10 minutes after it is printed for max strength and temp stability.
> 
> The fan shroud you id'd comes in from the front side of the printer and will block your view of the nozzles.   Here are some other choices and tradeoffs:    
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1542849  dual rear uses existing blower     
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1695189  dual rear reqs 2 x blowers on back
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1716089 Single, uses existing blower, improved ductwork for left blower

----------


## wirlybird

> Ya, probably just turn layer retracts off all together. It isn't traveling enough to the next layer to be needed.



With further testing - ABS with retraction settings of 1.4 and speed 50mm/sec with 0 restart and I get a near perfect seam.

Testing PLA with the same except -.25 restart.  -.3 was a bit to much.

I wonder why ABS acts so different then PLA?  I mean I get that they are two different materials but why does  the print plop out the extra at the start of an extrusion and doesn't for the ABS?  Is it the viscosity of the material?  Maybe I am a little to hot on the PLA (210)?

----------


## jfkansas

Ya PLA tends to be a little "runnier" especially when to hot of printing. 1.4 is always where I am at with ABS. What about the other settings like extruder hold? Ever find it?




> With further testing - ABS with retraction settings of 1.4 and speed 50mm/sec with 0 restart and I get a lnear perfect seam.
> 
> Testing PLA with the same except -.25 restart.  -.3 was a bit to much.
> 
> I wonder why ABS acts so different then PLA?  I mean I get that they are two different materials but why does  the print plop out the extra at the start of an extrusion and doesn't for the ABS?  Is it the viscosity of the material?  Maybe I am a little to hot on the PLA (210)?

----------


## wirlybird

> Ya PLA tends to be a little "runnier" especially when to hot of printing. 1.4 is always where I am at with ABS. What about the other settings like extruder hold? Ever find it?



Just looked, the QIDI has extruder hold and it is set to on.

I couldn't find it on the FFCP but I will look again.

----------


## Talon 3D

I appreciate that. 
It is good to know.  
Finally had a chance to try again.  I slowed the print speed way down to 25 mm/s, cooled bed to 50 and although better I still am getting some funky warping. Not a ton but enough to make me not comfortable with a larger more complex build in PLA. 

[IMG]    [/IMG]




> Yes, of the blower systems I had posted I have actually tried the first and third I listed (copy below).   As you had mentioned that the design you favored required that you purchase a second blower and a power splitter, I inferred you were interested in the second of the three I had posted.  That particular dual blower design does reduce the Y-axis build volume, and I wanted to make sure that you were aware of that difference.  The two that I have tried do not impact the build volume.
> 
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1542849 dual rear uses existing blower 
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1695189 dual rear reqs 2 x blowers on back
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1716089 Single, uses existing blower, improved ductwork for left blower

----------


## wirlybird

> Yes, I am using this feed carriage in one of my extruders.    http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:857200   Although I have not yet tried Ninjaflex filament in it.



Have you seen any difference over the stock one when using regular PLA or ABS?

----------


## wirlybird

Ok, so I printed this duct last night.  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1597507

Looks ok sitting on the bed!  Later I will see how it really came out.  Only thing I am worried about is getting all of the support material out of it!  Hopefully it will be easier than I am thinking.

Has anyone tried this one           http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1716089 Single, uses existing blower, improved ductwork for left blower.

or the original it was designed from?  They claim prints come out much better.

I am looking for a dual setup to try a dual extrusion print.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Have you seen any difference over the stock one when using regular PLA or ABS?


I can confirm these carrigaes work for flexi-filaments.

Have run about 150grams of Ninja-flex and about 300 grams of semi-flex with these.
You should also notice no clogs or jams with ABS and PLA. Have not had a filament based muck-up since I have installed these.

----------


## wirlybird

> I can confirm these carrigaes work for flexi-filaments.
> 
> Have run about 150grams of Ninja-flex and about 300 grams of semi-flex with these.
> You should also notice no clogs or jams with ABS and PLA. Have not had a filament based muck-up since I have installed these.



What did you print them in?  ABS or PLA?

What basic settings are you using for printing in ninja and for semi?

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> What did you print them in?  ABS or PLA?
> 
> What basic settings are you using for printing in ninja and for semi?


Printed mine in ABS.

For the flexi stuff..nozzle bit hotter than ABS, bed temp close to PLA...REAL slow print speed...even a bit slower than PLA.

----------


## jfkansas

With that extruder plastic I have printed as fast as 60mm/s with a specific combo of components. Jfkansas plastic, the older style drive gear that has teeth from end to end. Teflon lined thermal tube, and a P-3d coated brass nozzle. I haven't been able to replicate these speeds with anything else. 

Currently since I am out of P3-d nozzles I am using a Microswiss all metal nozzle, that is mated to a stock thermal tube with PTFE. The PTFE is cut short and inner edge beveled and stops at the top of the Micro Swiss nozzle. Slow speed printing with this, around 30mm/s. But outlines and infill are set to 100% so everything prints at this speed.




> Printed mine in ABS.
> 
> For the flexi stuff..nozzle bit hotter than ABS, bed temp close to PLA...REAL slow print speed...even a bit slower than PLA.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Syd
> You've probably seen this already.  DaDave is rocking on!
> http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1779274


Yea, I was mostly working off of DaDaves stuff.
That project on a major hold though. Probably gonna end up selling my machine to fix the wife's car.
Been a series of unfortunate events that has left us pretty broke for a bit.

----------


## Talon 3D

That looks bad ass.  
I'm still debating building your monitoring add-on, I am not used to Arduino gear yet.  I use mostly RPi and Nuc systems for projects. 
I like the setup you have from the case to the mounting system. Nice work. 

I'm going to go check Benchy now. It's been done a while but I was letting it cool. 
My PrintBite is still not settled and here yet. 

Hey anyone have a reliable supplier for screws, bolts and nuts commonly used in many of the different types of projects I've seen? 
I live very rural so my choices are slim. I've ordered a few kits online but they are usually lacking. 




> The cube looks pretty good to me!  
> 
> Took a picture of the printer running at night with my LCD Night Shade (black) covering the front panel LCD.  The lights are also off via the on/off switch I wired into the lighting system.

----------


## Talon 3D

Success at last.  The dual duct fan helped a ton. 
Now I will try a bit larger project in PLA/PHA. 
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]
[IMG][/IMG]

----------


## wirlybird

Very nice!!  What is the color/filament and no wise-cracks about color or I'll throw another model ship at you!! 





> Success at last.  The dual duct fan helped a ton. 
> Now I will try a bit larger project in PLA/PHA. 
> [IMG][/IMG]
> [IMG][/IMG]
> [IMG][/IMG]
> [IMG][/IMG]

----------


## Talon 3D

LOL, It is black Meltink PLA/PHA.  I was in bed so the color looks odd in the pics. It is a nice black that is for sure. I also have the dark green PLA/PHA from Meltink as well.  I have to buy some more though as the only other PLA I have is the orange from QIDI which for some reason is really brittle after printing even after baking.




> Very nice!!  What is the color/filament and no wise-cracks about color or I'll throw another model ship at you!!

----------


## DaveB

> LOL, It is black Meltink PLA/PHA.  I was in bed so the color looks odd in the pics. It is a nice black that is for sure. I also have the dark green PLA/PHA from Meltink as well.  I have to buy some more though as the only other PLA I have is the orange from QIDI which for some reason is really brittle after printing even after baking.


Based upon the pix I would never have guessed that the filament color was black.  LED lighting?

----------


## Talon 3D

Yeah, LED from the Camera and the tablet it was sitting on. 
It is a nice black. I will take a normal pic when my wife gets home and I am not wrangling my 1 yr old son. He is pure energy. LOL




> Based upon the pix I would never have guessed that the filament color was black.  LED lighting?

----------


## wirlybird

> LOL, It is black Meltink PLA/PHA.  I was in bed so the color looks odd in the pics. It is a nice black that is for sure. I also have the dark green PLA/PHA from Meltink as well.  I have to buy some more though as the only other PLA I have is the orange from QIDI which for some reason is really brittle after printing even after baking.


It looks gold!

----------


## Merijeek

Alright, so based on everyone's recommendations I convinced myself to get S3D.  One small problem with the dual extractor wizard. 

You can see my preview in the attached picture. 

Capture.JPG

You're seeing the 'active toolhead'. So, I should have a dual color print. However, I don't have one. I've got all one color - specifically from my right head. 

Any idea what I've got wrong?

----------


## DaveB

> Alright, so based on everyone's recommendations I convinced myself to get S3D.  One small problem with the dual extractor wizard. 
> 
> You can see my preview in the attached picture. 
> 
> Capture.JPG
> 
> You're seeing the 'active toolhead'. So, I should have a dual color print. However, I don't have one. I've got all one color - specifically from my right head. 
> 
> Any idea what I've got wrong?


 It's hard to guess, but based on the number of times that I've goofed it up, in the step where you select both processes it is very easy to miss checking the proper box. 

 Do all of your set up and then make sure the print looks like what you want in the preview. Select the option to show the active tool head and go through the print. You should see both tool heads becoming active  and printing their respective colors.

----------


## Merijeek

OK. So.

I had my clogged arm - it's the plastic piece with the hole at the top that has the lever at the end. Qidi is sending me a replacement - presumably just for that piece. So, since I had a replacement on the way I decided to really put some effort into it, got a bigger drill bit, and opened up the hole. The problem was, basically, I had a C-shaped piece still in there, and it didn't leave enough room for a piece of 1.75mm filament to go through. 

I reassembled, did a filament load, and filament flowed normally. 

Then I tried to print, and ended up with a mess. A little getting laid down, and a lot getting dragged all over the place. Re-leveled. Tried again. Same thing. 

I did that a few times, all spectacular failures. 

Then I did a print from the left printhead. And it's looking pretty close to perfect. 

So, any thoughts on what I could have wrong with the right printhead? I can't have it mis-leveled or anything. At least I can't see HOW I could manage that.

----------


## DaveB

> OK. So.
> 
> I had my clogged arm - it's the plastic piece with the hole at the top that has the lever at the end. Qidi is sending me a replacement - presumably just for that piece. So, since I had a replacement on the way I decided to really put some effort into it, got a bigger drill bit, and opened up the hole. The problem was, basically, I had a C-shaped piece still in there, and it didn't leave enough room for a piece of 1.75mm filament to go through. 
> 
> I reassembled, did a filament load, and filament flowed normally. 
> 
> Then I tried to print, and ended up with a mess. A little getting laid down, and a lot getting dragged all over the place. Re-leveled. Tried again. Same thing. 
> 
> I did that a few times, all spectacular failures. 
> ...



Using the filament load function, does the problem right printhead seem to extrude normally?  Any clicking sounds?  Temperature numbers OK?    Typically the R and L nozzles are at SLIGHTLY different elevations, so that might be an issue.  Do R and L have the same material loaded?  Are the settings the same in S3D or whatever slicer you are using?

----------


## DaveB

> Here is a cube I am doing, trying to dial in some Hatchbox ABS.  The pics are of the same spot on the cube from different angles.
> ABS - 210
> Bed 90
> QIDI Tech-1 fully enclosed
> S3D
> This is the corner set for start points.  I have been turning down the temp to see if this will go away or reduce but it is not.
> I am ran a print with start point optimized to see how that did and that spot is better but still there.



Is that warping and lifting off the bed while printing?

----------


## Talon 3D

When I run the bed at 110 for ABS that does not happen but if I drop it any I get the same thing. Warping. 




> Here is a cube I am doing, trying to dial in some Hatchbox ABS.  The pics are of the same spot on the cube from different angles.
> ABS - 210
> Bed 90
> QIDI Tech-1 fully enclosed
> S3D
> This is the corner set for start points.  I have been turning down the temp to see if this will go away or reduce but it is not.
> I am ran a print with start point optimized to see how that did and that spot is better but still there.
> 
> 
> ...

----------


## Merijeek

Seems to extrude normally. Definitely no clicking sounds. Temperatures look good. They don't have exactly the same material (both Hatchbox PLA, different colors), but close. I'm using S3D, and I'm doing same settings, apart from swapping nozzles.

----------


## wirlybird

I am looking at the corners of the cube as you go from top to bottom on the bottom 1/4 you can see how it is sucked in like someone put a heat gun on that spot.  I am not worried about lifting from the bed but more the deformed spot.






> Is that warping and lifting off the bed while printing?

----------


## wirlybird

I am not worried about the little bit of lifting but more the deformed part of the bottom 1/4 of the corner.  It only does this on one side.






> When I run the bed at 110 for ABS that does not happen but if I drop it any I get the same thing. Warping.

----------


## wirlybird

I would guess that nozzle is to high.
When I level the nozzles to the heat bar I still have to shim the extruder on the gantry to get them at an equal height from the bed.





> Seems to extrude normally. Definitely no clicking sounds. Temperatures look good. They don't have exactly the same material (both Hatchbox PLA, different colors), but close. I'm using S3D, and I'm doing same settings, apart from swapping nozzles.

----------


## jfkansas

What does the top of that cube look like? Is it 100% infill? Why is it so tall? A calibration cube is supposed to be 20x20x10. It is helpful to note which axis is which. 

Temp is about 20c too low for ABS. Bed is about right. May need to use slurry to keep it stuck.

----------


## wirlybird

The top is ok but it is not at 100% yet.  It is a 20X20X20, I keep forgetting to cut it down!  Orientation would be as I am facing the printer this deformed area is the right rear corner.
At first I thought it was because I had selected specific start point for the extruder but when I re-ran it with optimized selected it still did it but not as bad however then I get the saw-tooth effect on the corners of the cube!  Another issue to deal with.

I switched back to a Makergeeks white ABS last night and am running the cube again and I think I am not getting this issue.  I will be able to start testing later. 





> What does the top of that cube look like? Is it 100% infill? Why is it so tall? A calibration cube is supposed to be 20x20x10. It is helpful to note which axis is which. 
> 
> Temp is about 20c too low for ABS. Bed is about right. May need to use slurry to keep it stuck.

----------


## wirlybird

> Is it just the plastic piece that sits on top of the bed arm and rear Z-axis stabilizer bar?  Looks effective and should be an easy upgrade for others if the files are available.




Yea, I made it up.  It fits in the hole in the middle of the platform and then I drill holes for the adjuster screws that are snug so there is not chance of lateral movement by the bed.  Then the piece is bolted to the platform.  Adds a little rigidity to the platform. Seems to just tighten things up a little.  Cheap easy add on.

----------


## Merijeek

What would one want with PVC stickers?

----------


## cncartist

> What would one want with PVC stickers?


The stock blue build plate replacement sticker.   :Wink:

----------


## Merijeek

Ah, that. Got it.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> How many are you looking for?  I ordered them in bulk at ~$3 a pop and might be able to help out.


I just need one for now...cant find any singles for under $8
Qidi sells em on ebay for $3, but the wait....

Trying to find a place in US to get em on reg basis.

----------


## cncartist

> I just need one for now...cant find any singles for under $8
> Qidi sells em on ebay for $3, but the wait....
> 
> Trying to find a place in US to get em on reg basis.


PM me if you need one by early next week.  :Wink: 

It does take forever, I still haven't found a place in the US that can do that price.  If you find one I'd be interested.

----------


## Talon 3D

Getting weird problems where it will pause itself until I hit unpause on the unit. 
Even then it will pause again after a few mins.  
Only change in anything was a OctoPi update but it does it with running from the SD card. 
Any ideas?

----------


## cincaluk

bought a qidi tech in Aug. managed to get around 3 item printed out, then the unit starts blacking out. checked the unit power supply & confirm its kaput. contacted qidi tech & they send me a new power supply (waited around 2 weeks to get it delivered)

after installing the new power supply, the unit come back online, but now both extruder & heated bed can't go past 140deg c & 40 deg c respectively. the temperature reading will fluctuate, one time it shows 140 deg c, the next it shows 138deg c..

feel disappointed already. did i get a problematic unit or what? send out an email to them just now, waiting for feedback.

anybody has faced same issue as me?

----------


## wirlybird

> bought a qidi tech in Aug. managed to get around 3 item printed out, then the unit starts blacking out. checked the unit power supply & confirm its kaput. contacted qidi tech & they send me a new power supply (waited around 2 weeks to get it delivered)
> 
> after installing the new power supply, the unit come back online, but now both extruder & heated bed can't go past 140deg c & 40 deg c respectively. the temperature reading will fluctuate, one time it shows 140 deg c, the next it shows 138deg c..
> 
> feel disappointed already. did i get a problematic unit or what? send out an email to them just now, waiting for feedback.
> 
> anybody has faced same issue as me?




No, but one thing to do is go through the main board and check and tighten every connection.  Also verify the PS connections are correct.

----------


## wirlybird

> I used orange Hatchbox PLA. Standard S3D high settings, 205/60 on the temperatures. I'm thinking the high probably isn't totally necessary on a piece like this. 
> 
> The pictures here are without any sort of cleanup, but apart from taking care of some strings at the bottom and in one of the eyes I don't see doing much. 
> 
> I realize I forgot to include anything for scale, but he's six inches tall and has a diameter of about five inches.
> 
> Annoyingly enough, I can't direct upload a picture? Weird. So, here it is: 
> 
> 
> ...




How did you print these?  Right side up or up side down?  I got a few done but had a terrible time getting the little feet to stay stuck.  They kept getting knocked over!

Going to try one now with rafts to see if that is better.

----------


## Syd_Khaos

> Some pictures would help. :-)


Help me find my phone and I will get right on that lmao......

Its one of those days I tell ya, about to take my tail back to bed till its tomorrow.

----------


## wirlybird

> Its just a temp display with a wire probe on it that i have attached to the back corner of the inside of the printer so i can see what the temp inside the printer is wile it is printing.
> the desplay and probe i got off ebay for like $12 and it is meant to be for a water cooling set up in a computer but i just have the probe hanging in mid air so it takes a measurement of the ambient temperature  inside the printer.
> 
> i used fusion360 to design a mount for the probe and the mount for the display it self.
> 
> if you look up digital temperature gauge on ebay you will finde it


How did you wire up its power supply?

----------


## Warren O'neill

> How did you wire up its power supply?


i have added extra led's to the inside of the printer so i just wired it up to the same 12volt power supply i use for them

----------


## Talon 3D

The PSU in the system supports more things as well.  Especially some simple stuff like LEDs and gages.  Simple 12v PSU. 




> i have added extra led's to the inside of the printer so i just wired it up to the same 12volt power supply i use for them

----------


## Warren O'neill

> The PSU in the system supports more things as well.  Especially some simple stuff like LEDs and gages.  Simple 12v PSU.


ok i was under the assumption that the printer ran on 24volt not 12.

if some one can confirm this will change it so that it all runs off the psu in the printer not a seperate 12v psu.

----------


## wirlybird

So now I have two bad spools of ABS from Makergeeks and they are unresponsive.

----------


## rcleav

> ok i was under the assumption that the printer ran on 24volt not 12.
> 
> if some one can confirm this will change it so that it all runs off the psu in the printer not a seperate 12v psu.


You are correct it has a single 24v power Supply.

----------


## Talon 3D

12 volt fan works fine connected to it manually though.




> You are correct it has a single 24v power Supply.

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone using MG raptor filament?  What are the temps?

----------


## DaveB

> Anyone using MG raptor filament?  What are the temps?


I've used the yellow MG PLA Raptor material at 230/60.  Great stuff too.  I've also got rolls of green and white but have not printed anything with them yet.  Syd has used it on some of his projects also.

----------


## wirlybird

Tips on basic settings?




> This is PLA/PHA and PLA Plus for the purple. They are working great. 
> The back is smooth as heck with PrintBite. I dont have to mess around. I wish I had it from the start.
> PeTG works great on the Qidi as well. Just have to dial it in.

----------


## wirlybird

Check for loose connections on the bed and on the main board.  Look for any pinched wires.




> I've been doing a lot of printing with my Tech 1, but have given it a break for about 2 weeks. I fired it up last night to print something for my wife and noticed the temperature of my print bed is fluctuating drastically. Both on the printer lcd and in S3D it randomly jumps to different temps. Just when I turned it on, I'm watching it go from 7 to 16, then to 40, back down to 6. All of this in about 20 seconds. Anybody know what would cause this?

----------


## DaveB

> Check for loose connections on the bed and on the main board.  Look for any pinched wires.


You might swap the two extruder's heater and temperature sensor plug connections at the motherboard and see if the problem followed those.  If the problem follows the swapped components, then the issue is most likely associated with those swapped components.  As physical temperature involves significant thermal inertia, the issue is most probably with the temperature sensor.  Bad connections / a failed temperature sensor are probable. Replacement parts are available from QiDi and there are videos on you tube (search for "qidi tech") showing how to perform the replacement.  If your QiDi is still under waranty, contact QiDi for the parts.  Sometimes they will ship via DHL which will cut several weeks off the delivery.

----------


## Talon 3D

With the PeTG it was a bit tricky. 
Bed 90 (PrinteBite) Bed 100 (blue sticker) nozzle 230, I've also slowed down to 24 on the print speed. No fan with panels on. 

PLA dual printing bed temp 80 to 90 depending on the form, large areas needed hotter.  Nozzle I kept at 210 to help blend the two filaments.  Speed was 32 can go faster but for the really fine detail I kept it slow. 
I made this fan duct in ABS though for printing PLA/PHA,  first two layers no fan then 90%the rest of the time. Front door open but top on for the PLA/PHA but normal PLA for open, top off and side panel open. 
http://www.thingiverse.com/make:256240

I hope it helps. 




> Tips on basic settings?

----------


## wirlybird

Thanks for the tips.  I may try the PETG this weekend if I get time.  Been focused on the new printer.





> With the PeTG it was a bit tricky. 
> Bed 90 (PrinteBite) Bed 100 (blue sticker) nozzle 230, I've also slowed down to 24 on the print speed. No fan with panels on. 
> 
> PLA dual printing bed temp 80 to 90 depending on the form, large areas needed hotter.  Nozzle I kept at 210 to help blend the two filaments.  Speed was 32 can go faster but for the really fine detail I kept it slow. 
> I made this fan duct in ABS though for printing PLA/PHA,  first two layers no fan then 90%the rest of the time. Front door open but top on for the PLA/PHA but normal PLA for open, top off and side panel open. 
> http://www.thingiverse.com/make:256240
> 
> I hope it helps.

----------


## mmccabe

Old post, but I just added a glass plate, want to print a Z-axis spacer or whatever you want to call it, but how do you adjust the printer so that it allows for the extra space-does this piece do that on it's own or do I have to adjust Makerware (doesn't seem to allow for this) or whatever program you are using.

sorry, can't really throw the terminology around  :Wink:

----------


## wirlybird

It will do it on it's own.  Try to picture this, glass is .25" thick so that makes it that much closer to the nozzle, so you add a spacer for the Z axis limit switch that is .25" thick also and that makes the bed stop .25" further away from the nozzle.

One important thing is that when you put the spacer in is to adjust the bed way down with the leveling screws to make sure the glass clears then once you are sure then run your leveling as normal!!!




> Old post, but I just added a glass plate, want to print a Z-axis spacer or whatever you want to call it, but how do you adjust the printer so that it allows for the extra space-does this piece do that on it's own or do I have to adjust Makerware (doesn't seem to allow for this) or whatever program you are using.
> 
> sorry, can't really throw the terminology around

----------


## mmccabe

Thanks so much. I have the plate cranked down really far, hopefully the spacer will make this work!

----------


## wirlybird

As long as the spacer is near the same thickness as the glass you should be ok.




> Thanks so much. I have the plate cranked down really far, hopefully the spacer will make this work!

----------


## cncartist

Welcome mmccable, let us know how that turns out with the glass bed.   :Smile: 

My printer is still going strong and has reached 3000 hours!  What are the other QIDI's at right now?

Also wondering if anyone has any links to neat stuff that can be printed for a 3d logo to be placed on the front of the printer.  I believe I saw something batman related before (wayne industries?).

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone tried replacing the card reader on one of these?  My card got bumped and broke the holder a bit.  Spring and stuff have gone!  It still works but you have to fiddle a bit to get the card right so it will see it.
I may just order a new board.  I am wanting to try to make an angled holder for the control panel to make it easier to see so a spare would be good anyway.

----------


## Talon 3D

It should not be too hard. You should contact QIDI directly as they most likely can send the exact part and will post a video guide on how to do it. They are quite thorough with that kind of thing.




> Anyone tried replacing the card reader on one of these?  My card got bumped and broke the holder a bit.  Spring and stuff have gone!  It still works but you have to fiddle a bit to get the card right so it will see it.
> I may just order a new board.  I am wanting to try to make an angled holder for the control panel to make it easier to see so a spare would be good anyway.

----------


## wirlybird

Vibration feet for the Tech-1 in TPU.


[IMG][/IMG]

----------


## wirlybird

Anyone using Slic3r with the Tech-1?

----------


## CheesePatrol

> Anyone using Slic3r with the Tech-1?


I have since day 1. No issues so far.

----------


## wirlybird

What is your setup?  How do you convert from Gcode?  I am using a GUI version of GPX which seems to work nicely - at least I think so!

I got a start script working pretty good but when it goes to do the first layer everything points to it being to close to the bed since nothing lays down.  The primer line lays down great.

I have only recently started using Slic3r on my MK2 and for that it is pre-configured.

S3D works with no issue.  I am trying Slic3r for fun and to learn more about it.





> I have since day 1. No issues so far.

----------


## CheesePatrol

> What is your setup?  How do you convert from Gcode?  I am using a GUI version of GPX which seems to work nicely - at least I think so!
> 
> I got a start script working pretty good but when it goes to do the first layer everything points to it being to close to the bed since nothing lays down.  The primer line lays down great.
> 
> I have only recently started using Slic3r on my MK2 and for that it is pre-configured.
> 
> S3D works with no issue.  I am trying Slic3r for fun and to learn more about it.


I used the scripts found here: http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/01/05...forge-creator/


The GPX Perl script tool some messing around with to get working.  As soon as I export, it generates the x3g - no extra steps necessary. I have the exact scripts and GPX batch file on my laptop, I can pull them for you if you'd like.

----------


## wirlybird

I've got some old stuff I can tear apart and see about the pieces.  Still works fine so I may just leave it alone until I get a new board.




> It should not be too hard. You should contact QIDI directly as they most likely can send the exact part and will post a video guide on how to do it. They are quite thorough with that kind of thing.

----------


## wirlybird

I have seen this page and tried this on my Flashforge Creator Pro and got it going once then moved to other projects.  I tried this for the QIDI and it didn't work so good.  The main thing I found with his script is it really bangs the machine around.
I have a "working" script I have pieced together but the main issue I am having is once it goes to start the actual print it is like it is way to close to the bed.  Maybe this is a slic3r issue and first layer height is different than S3D.
I don't know if this is just my first layer height or if the script is setting the initial height to low.
The purge and line across the front of the bed works great and the gantry moves "calmly"!!  I can post my script later if you want to see it.  Maybe I am missing something.  I am new to some of this.

I am also using this for the GPX.  http://markwal.github.io/GpxUi/
It is nice but I do get some cautions when it runs.  I don't mind the extra step but would definitely be interested in your setup.

Thanks for the help!






> I used the scripts found here: http://www.3duniverse.org/2014/01/05...forge-creator/
> 
> 
> The GPX Perl script tool some messing around with to get working.  As soon as I export, it generates the x3g - no extra steps necessary. I have the exact scripts and GPX batch file on my laptop, I can pull them for you if you'd like.

----------


## Talon 3D

Nice, how well are they working?
I know my temp table for my QIDI is a bit unstable. It will be better when I get the main bench for my printers cleared off and can put the QIDI back on it. LOL




> Vibration feet for the Tech-1 in TPU.
> 
> 
> [IMG][/IMG]

----------


## hydrocarbon82

Interesting to know, I didn't find that info anywhere. It's only drawing 0.6% of the 375w PSU's reserves (converter is >85% efficient at 2w) so I'm not concerned. It will also let me string up more 12v LED strips if I choose. I've tested them with 48 LED's for a few hours w/o issue and several lesser applications. If I really need more power I've got some slim 750W HP PSU's that I can put in series for 24vdc. Individually they're about 2/3 the size of that "Meanwell".

What I'm liking more and more is the rotated switch, it wasn't easy to access on my desk.

----------


## jfkansas

I rarely turn my printers off, and if I do I switch off the UPS they are plugged into.

----------


## bluemeane

I have a question for all the QIDI Guru's out there,  (Yous guys)

I have found that I need to replace my extruder motors, and they are as follows:

42HB34F08AB rated at .8 amps.

I have found motors that meet most all needs except they are either 0.4, 1.2, or 1.5 amp rated....

Will this matter, or damage anything if I go up higher than .8 amps? Can the power supply handle it? Should I go with the lower 0.4?

Also, most of the ones found are a little longer at 40mm, versus the 34mm of the stock, will this effect anything?? 

Thanks in advance!!!

Also if anyone has a link to a replacement extruder motor that is pug and play let me know!!!

----------


## bluemeane

Do you have a link to this?

----------


## bluemeane

> You basically go to a Bowden type setup to get it to work.  Google it.
> 
> Go with JF's cooling block setup and get Micro-Swiss all metal hot ends.  It's a bolt on.


Do you have a link to this??

----------


## Merijeek

So, question for everyone. I've just finished a weeks-long printing of a deluxe Catan board. The reason this matters is because I'm printing fairly flat, relatively thin pieces. Not that thin, but thin enough. Basically, various hexes from this:

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1238980

Anyway, long story short, as I finished each piece I found that I couldn't get my blue tape up off the bed without it tearing around the pieces and, therefore, still leaving the pieces attached to the bed (albeit, with a piece of tape under them doing me exactly no good whatsoever). 

So, the two ways I found to get things loose were:

Heat the bed once a print was finished, and then use my putty knife to pop the piece loose. Of course that meant I was actually deforming my piece. At best, I'd take a notch out of it as I got the knife under, at worst, I'd end up basically curling the side of my piece. 

Heat the bed once a print was finished, and then detatch the tape from the edge of the bed, and using that, pry up the piece using the tape itself as the putty knife (basically). Sometimes this would work fine, if the piece popped off. Sometimes it would work poorly, if the piece did more of a slow bull and got a bit cupped. And sometimes it went terribly, and I would have the tape rip around the piece and I'd have to go back to Plan B with the putty knife. 

So, I'm not looking for ideas on how to get prints to stick, because from what I've seen enough work leveling will get you there eventually. My issue is getting the pieces off the bed without damaging them. Any suggestions?

----------


## Todd-67

Glass bed, glue stick if prints are not sticking, freezer if the prints don't pop right off after cooling.

----------


## Merijeek

So, just something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/3D-Printer-H...3D171977598512 

connected with these: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1596076/#files

Or is there a better choice?

----------


## Todd-67

I use a similar setup on my ff machines but read the fine print on the glass. It states the size may vary by 1-3cm. That is way too much for those clips to work. Look for a local glass ahop and have them cut one to your specs.

----------


## Merijeek

Actually, with some more research I think I'm going to try some regular picture frame glass with these clips, unless someone cautions against it:  https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:570406

----------


## write2dgray

> 3 years on original wiring like this. The wires are taped to the side panel.


I often run without side panels for PLA and add them back on for ABS.  Here's how I ended up routing mine:

----------


## write2dgray

> - Disconnected the stepper motor driver fan.  Amazing that such a little fan is so loud!  I need to run my printer a bit and check driver temperatures with and without the fan to see if it even makes a difference.  Prior to this, I had made a little duct so that the fan would blow more air onto the drivers.


Did you ever check temps without the fan?  I sourced me a fanless power supply  :Smile: .

----------


## Merijeek

My neverending battle with ABS continues. I typically have zero issues with PLA, but ABS causes me so many headaches. 

Most prints, as long as I manage to get adhesion to the bed, I'm good. 

However, I've now got a problem with ABS where I get a good centimeter of printing completed, and then the piece will come free of the glass like so:



Any tips on getting past this issue? It's a continual problem for me with ABS.

----------


## rcleav

> My neverending battle with ABS continues. I typically have zero issues with PLA, but ABS causes me so many headaches. 
> 
> Most prints, as long as I manage to get adhesion to the bed, I'm good. 
> 
> However, I've now got a problem with ABS where I get a good centimeter of printing completed, and then the piece will come free of the glass like so:
> 
> 
> 
> Any tips on getting past this issue? It's a continual problem for me with ABS.


I use Aquanet Hair Spray (Purple Can) pretty thick coat. Glass should look frosted. with the build heated to 105-110 deg.
I've also have good luck with Esun ABS filament.

----------


## Merijeek

Well, the filament I happen to have loaded is from Solutech, which I have to say, seems to suck hard. I've had very bad luck with it. I've got a different silver I Can try. 

For everything PLA on the glass I've been using a glue stick with almost 100% success. 

Is 110 too hot for the glue stick, perhaps?

----------


## Lynza

When I do ABS (and PLA, it works well for both) I've used an ABS slurry. Very thin, mostly acetone, and I roll it on with a metal rod or a wooden shishkebab stick. Let it dry while the glass is cool, and it should be alright. I use white ABS leftovers and keep it in a jar. Looks like thin milk.

I got a new glass plate yesterday to replace one that broke. I put it on and tried printing PLA to it. It just stuck. I added nothing to the plate. It was pretty entertaining. I've since added a thin slurry coating to it, though, after some larger prints popped off early.

That being said, you might check:

1. Your level. I find if anything's out of whack, that sometimes helps. If you're not level in the spots that need to be, it can mean your initial layer isn't going down clean and then there's less to hold it.

2. Add a skirt. 1 layer, 10 lines. It'll help to hold it down, at least for the first couple layers.

3. Try turning your bed temp down. Sounds weird, but I was printing ABS at 90C and it was working just fine.

4. Make sure the cooling fan isn't coming on at some odd time. You can turn it on or off manually on the printer's settings, or within the software if you're using one that allows it. You shouldn't need the cooling fan on at all for ABS.

5. Check Lefty or Righty, depending on which extruder you're using. I had a hell of a time printing with Righty, with Lefty basically knocking the entire print/glass off the bed once the print got to a certain height. This can also come from uneven leveling of the bed. If it's getting knocked off at the same spot each time, this or something similar might be the culprit.

6. Slow it down. If you can set your layer speeds, set the first couple of layers to 50%. You could also try turning down your overall print speed and see if it helps.

I hope it helps. This is all stuff I've had issues with in the last month or so, and I'm hardly an expert.

----------


## Merijeek

Yeah, I haven't tried the slurry method yet. However, with the AquaNet I've gotten it to about 3cm without it getting knocked loose. I'm using lefty. 

Of course now I'm hitting the OTHER ABS issue I've bad in the last. This isn't a problem at the beginning, but the left edge of the piece (basically oval footprint on this thing) is starting to curl up from the bed. 

I so hate ABS right now.

----------


## Lynza

I feel ya. I really prefer PLA unless I need the ABS for something. I had the same problem today with a curved print, where I was printing close to the left edge. It started lifting, then the print got squished upward. I centered it more, and I didn't have the problem again. Could it be that the left side (or sides in general) aren't heating as evenly? I've clipped them down in the past (when I used rafts), but I don't like the finish you get with a raft.

I'd say try turning the print slightly if you can, or move it slightly more toward the center if it's something the model allows.

----------


## Merijeek

Yeah, this time it made it to about the 4cm point before it went to hell. 

I'm going to move it off center and head to the right instead and see what happens on the next one.

----------


## DaveB

I'm in the PLA camp as well.  Every so often I beat my head against the wall for a while, hit all my fingers with hammers, walk on some thumbtacks and then try ABS again just to remind myself how painfully frustrating it can be.  Regretfully, I've just not been particularly successful there.  My bad.

I've been successfully using MakerGeeks "Raptor PLA" material for several months now and heat annealing it after printing.  I love how it prints, kind of buttery like ABS. (See, I was paying attention and can say nice things about ABS.)  Also the Raptor PLA doesn't warp off the bed like ABS, is dishwasher safe, and extremely strong after annealing even at elevated temperatures where normal PLA materials would lose it.  So far I've been succesful at using Raptor PLA in preference to ABS, with the added advantage that I can get the Raptor PLA to successfully print nearly every time.

I suspect there must be vendors other than Makergeeks with similar materials (maybe some referred to as "PLA+"?) but I do not have any hands-on experience with them.  IMHO filament vendors seem not very forthcoming about their formulations, or even the physical characteristics of their materials.  This makes it more difficult to compare or even identifiy the comparables.  Is anyone aware of a comparitive filament chacteristics reference that is current and maintained by an independent organization? 

When printing Raptor PLA I use a glass bed @ 60C with glue stick and an extruder temp of 230C.  (I know the 230C seems very high for PLA, but it works really well.)  I also have the door(s) open, the top off, and the cooling blower on after the first layer.  I think the raw Raptor PLA filament may be a bit softer than standard PLA, so proper extruder nozzle height above the print bed, filament feed gear engagement, and filament feeder mechanism cooling and maintenance is important to avoid chewing into the filament and potentially clogging the extruder.

----------


## slaine

> Where did you getthe thermistor heater blocks from as that would solve that issue?    I was about to bite the bullet and buy a resin 3d printer but the thought that after < 100 hours of usage I have to keep replacing the LCD panel in them I just said no to that.  I do not want a LCD panel to be considered a consumable as that is just flat out wrong and not something we should be doing in 2020.  What happens, so I have read, is that the UV slowly destroys the panels and they have made better panels to get around 500 hours out of them now instead of about 70h but even then 500h is nothing (the panels are about half the cost of a new printer).


Just ordered some heater blocks from Amazon... Pretty cheap, and if they're not fit for purpose, it's no great loss... It's all a bit trial and error, but that's the best way to learn  :Wink:

----------


## Kahenraz

Does anyone have a Qidi Tech 1 that they no longer use? I'm looking to buy used parts to fit my unit which came with 8mm rods on the Z axis with 10mm rods that some people got with the later models.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> Does anyone have a Qidi Tech 1 that they no longer use? I'm looking to buy used parts to fit my unit which came with 8mm rods on the Z axis with 10mm rods that some people got with the later models.


I haven't used mine in years and years and honestly I no longer 3d print as it left a very sour taste in my mouth so I finally left it.  If I need to one off something I will but mine came with the 8mm then they made the upgrade shortly after.  To be honest it would be far cheaper, and faster, to purchase some rods and the bearings but the issue will come in with the plate as the holes for the bearings are not large enough so you will have to ream them out then that leads to the three mounting holes that then need to be drilled out.  Qidi-tech, the last time I looked, had replacement parts on eBay though the last time I looked was in 2019.  I don't think the price for that plate is expensive and I would suggest buying it from them then get the bearings and rods from a different source.  I would contact them on eBay about the part.

Good luck.

P.S. Where they get expensive is in the consumables like the nozzle and the heated PCB.

----------


## Kahenraz

I got my Qidi Tech 1 for free and have been using it for tinkering and learning about 3d printers; I've hardly printed on it at all other than to test any modifications I may have made. The next thing on my list is to upgrade the Z axis. I thought about buying the rods and linear bearings but I don't feel confident enough to DIY it myself. I would have to drill permanent holes into the platform and that would mean irreparable damage if I fail.

Qidi Tech does have some replacement parts available but not a replacement platform or rod assembly.

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I got my Qidi Tech 1 for free and have been using it for tinkering and learning about 3d printers; I've hardly printed on it at all other than to test any modifications I may have made. The next thing on my list is to upgrade the Z axis. I thought about buying the rods and linear bearings but I don't feel confident enough to DIY it myself. I would have to drill permanent holes into the platform and that would mean irreparable damage if I fail.
> 
> Qidi Tech does have some replacement parts available but not a replacement platform or rod assembly.


Write them as a lot of times they have them and will put up a sale for you and send you a link.

One thing to know about that printer but do not do 110c on the bed for ABS.  The sticker will peel off and the electrical connection will burn and bust off.  If I ever used that printer again I would change out the Mightyboard and I would have to use a silicon mat and I would have to change out the heaterblock for one that takes a thermistor.  All of that is easy to do and I will say the 10mm rod is a nice addition, and how it should have been originally made, but you don't really need them if you use the stability prints for it on Thingiverse.  Once I printed those the stability went way up.  Thing is anything printed in PLA in the machine will warp due to the heat build up.  My chain I had done in PLA, as well as the stability mounts for the rods, and the stability is fine since they are below the bed but the chain I had to redo in ABS as it warped into oblivion.  This is the one thing about that machine it makes for a nice ABS enclosed printer but the bed is not up to it though it says that it is.

----------


## Kahenraz

> I haven't used mine in years and years and honestly I no longer 3d print as it left a very sour taste in my mouth so I finally left it.


I was equally disappointed with my stock Qidi. Luckily I got it for free and it is a great machine to tinker with as it has a solid frame and the parts are all easily accessible. But I would be very upset to pay retail for this. The quality of output is not great but maybe I'm just looking at it through a modern lens. Maybe it really was a good printer at release compared to whatever else was available.




> I don't think the price for that plate is expensive and I would suggest buying it from them then get the bearings and rods from a different source.  I would contact them on eBay about the part.


I've been talking with them through e-mail about various things and there is very little support available for the Qidi Tech 1 at this point. They say that they no longer have the source code for the firmware (or don't want to give it out) and that they no longer have any 10mm rod parts for this printer.

Their X-Pro looks almost identical in dimension. I was told that the parts are not compatible but you never know. Does anyone know if the X-Pro has 8mm or 10mm rods for the Z axis?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I was equally disappointed with my stock Qidi. Luckily I got it for free and it is a great machine to tinker with as it has a solid frame and the parts are all easily accessible. But I would be very upset to pay retail for this. The quality of output is not great but maybe I'm just looking at it through a modern lens. Maybe it really was a good printer at release compared to whatever else was available.
> 
> 
> 
> I've been talking with them through e-mail about various things and there is very little support available for the Qidi Tech 1 at this point. They say that they no longer have the source code for the firmware (or don't want to give it out) and that they no longer have any 10mm rod parts for this printer.
> 
> Their X-Pro looks almost identical in dimension. I was told that the parts are not compatible but you never know. Does anyone know if the X-Pro has 8mm or 10mm rods for the Z axis?


The original came with a Mightyboard and the firmware it used was/is Sailfish.

Personally that machine is not worth the trouble of trying to find 10mm rods, the plate that fits the 10mm rods, and the bearings.  Do as I did and just print yourself up the stabilizers that slides over the rods and down into the base and the wobble practically disappears.  That was the one mod I did, as well as the cable chain, that made the machine a night and day difference.

----------


## Kahenraz

I spoke with Qidi and they said that both the Tech 1 and the X-Pro use 8mm rods.

Can anyone confirm whether they ever produced a Tech 1 with 10mm rods?

----------


## DarkAlchemist

> I spoke with Qidi and they said that both the Tech 1 and the X-Pro use 8mm rods.
> 
> Can anyone confirm whether they ever produced a Tech 1 with 10mm rods?


It was confirmed years ago as they posted the pics of the 10mm rods they began to use (might have been posted in this thread).  Btw, Qidi's "engineers" were the absolute worst buffoons I have ever had communication with.  I bet the janitor would have been a better engineer or maybe that is who their engineer was that I had communications with.

Yes, I am still very bitter about this company and I stay as far away from them as I can.

----------


## PatPend

I'm planning on upgrading the Z rods on my Qidi Tech I from 8mm to 10mm.  If you've done this mod - how did you go about it?  What panels have to come off and in what order?  Any help appreciated.  Thanks.

----------

