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I think the birchwood one would work. the metal one is 4.5mm, and according to the docs at the E3D site, the mount area is 6mm. I guess it doesn't make much difference to use a printed one or a wood one, since if the printed one doesn't melt, then the wood one should have no problem either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tachout
Please share that STL file. I printed this popular Z-endstop mod (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:336665) but the X-Carriage rails on the 10" i3v extend much further past the right vertical rail than the 8" i3v, so this mod wasn't compatible.Quote:
Originally Posted by MiniMadRyan
The e3D requires a fan to keep the heat from creeping up into the extruder base. So, whether the printed block melts/softens or not would depend on how hot you're running the nozzle and your selection of the cooling fan and shroud.Quote:
Originally Posted by usarmyaircav
I will be doing ABS. So two questions then areQuote:
Originally Posted by printbus
1. Should I use a different fan than the one that comes with the hotend?
2: Should I have a shroud printed before starting to print?
2A: Can I still use the same extruder that comes with the kit or will I need a different one?
Unfortunately, I don't know the answer to your questions. I just wanted to make sure you knew what you're getting into.Quote:
Originally Posted by usarmyaircav
I've narrowed my choice of printer to the 10" i3v due to generous build area, the abundant amount of help available on forums, youtube, the manufacturer, etc., reviews by people that use this printer, and of course the attractive price. Being my first printer all of these things are very important to me being able to achieve good printing results. I was looking at a couple of others in the same price ball park, but for reasons like not getting responses to questions and lack of an active userbase for help I have ruled them out and feel MakerFarm would probably improve my chances for a successful printing experience. So I am ready to pull the trigger on this one.
The intended use for this printer is for prototyping small parts before manufacture and parts will be in the 6"x6"x4" or smaller range, but like this printer for the ability to go a bit bigger if needed.
I need a little advice before I order though. I'm not sure which nozzle to get with the kit. I think the hexagon might be best since I will be able to print materials other than ABS and PLA, but I don't know if the 1.75mm or 3mm would be best. What difference would I see between the two in actually printing and what advantages would each provide? It seems 3mm material is a bit cheaper to buy than the 1.75mm. Is there a reason for this?
Also, are there upgrades or additions I should order initially to make this a better printer or is the stock kit fine as it is? Should I get the additional items for auto leveling and install this during the build, or do that mod down the road after gaining some experience with the stock build? And of course, what should I be considering that I haven't thought of before purchasing?
I've got the cash set aside for the purchase and I'm chomping at the bit to get it ordered and on the way, but I would rather get some advice before placing my order to reduce any possible frustration from folks that have been down this road already. I've been lurking here and other sites for a couple of months now trying to understand the market a bit and what the benefits and frustrations of 3d printing might be, and since none of what I've seen has been enough to scare me away, I guess I'm ready to jump.
Thanks for any advice you can give me.
Here's the file, note that this was my quick and dirty version, and that the keyway on it is in the wrong position (it should have been on the other side) It fits pretty, well, you may need to do a bit of sanding on the screw holes depending on the screws used.Quote:
Originally Posted by RaySuave
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:437330
Hey Drone! Before I placed my order, I had the same dilemma. I was planning to go with the Jhead and then upgrading to a fancier hotend later, but I went with the 1.75 hexagon because I felt like it was worth the extra $20 to upgrade it a bit and make it more future proof. I really glad I did, and would recommend the hexagon after running it for 4 months or so. It's handled abs and pla very well and based on that, I would think that it will also be able to handle more exotic materials with no problem.Quote:
Originally Posted by Drone
I went looking for concrete reasons to go with 1.75 or 3mm filament and it seemed like there wasn't many concrete arguments for settling on either. It is totally your preference. I went for 1.75mm and in order to make a decision I thought about the the following (very topical, and insignificant) physical differences:
1. There is less print head motion resistance than having to move a thicker 3mm strand of filament back and forth.
2. There is less friction/resistance inside the inner wall of the hotend tube because the the surface area of the filament in the hotend tube is half of what the resistance of the 3mm filament.
3. I would think that there is less ooze with 1.75mm filament because you would need a shorter amount of retraction to stop the flow and there is less force from the extruder motor needed compared to 3mm. 3mm getting extruded out of a 0.4mm nozzle vs 1.75mm getting extruded out of a 0.4mm nozzle.
4. It seems like the general 3d printing industry trend is going slightly towards 1.75mm.
5. It doesn't hold its curve from the spool as rigidly so it may be easier to pull into the extruder.
I was impressed with my stock printer right from the first print. I don't think there are any mods that you NEED to do to get great prints. However, there are always things to improve so you can customize your printer to your needs. Check out the Show your Mods thread for some great ones. Speaking personally, I don't see a need for auto leveling right now and you can definitely add it on later if you want. I have found that I need to level the bed maybe every 20 prints but before I bought my printer I had thought it would be needed after every print.Quote:
Originally Posted by Drone
The only mod I would DEFINITELY recommend is to buy two 5mm x 5mm aluminum rod couplers and install those instead of the shitty plastic tubing used to fix the threaded rods to the z motors. Throw those in the trash instantly, lol! I don't understand why aluminum rod couplers aren't included in the first place but Colin sells these on his site and I would definitely add them to your order. I bent my threaded rods installing them and it killed my hands trying to get them in.
If you have any more questions please feel free to ask!
Thanks so much for your help gmay3. Your answers make sense and I am going to order the printer with the hexagon 1.75mm. Good advice on the couplers too. I had bookmarked the Amazon coupler link from earlier in this thread but didn't realize Makerfarm had these available. I will order the couplers from Makerfarm and install these during initial build. I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions once I receive the printer and get it built, but your answers have really helped with those couple of niggling questions I had before I could even place my order. Looks like it's order day! I'll probably take advantage of the 5.00 off per roll of filament and get a roll of both ABS and PLA to start directly from Makerfarm so if I have any initial issues I'm at least starting with material Makerfarm approves of. It seems material quality can be a big issue with print quality and I don't want to add frustration with my initial prints caused by sub standard quality filament. Where do you buy filament from? And what vendors are considered quality filament? I also noticed Makerfarm now has 1 day shipping for 20.00 rather than 5 day wait, wasn't there yesterday, guess another 20.00 wont really hurt so I'll spring for that also.Thanks again for the help!
Cool! Glad to hear! Order day is the best day lol
Yeah good call on getting both a PLA and ABS roll. So far I have ordered 3 rolls from Makerfarm, I was going to shop around but I didn't really see lower prices anywhere else and I'd like to support Colin's business. Also, sometimes Colin has special prices on cracked rolls/ripped bag filament and I can say that I haven't had issues with either.