Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[DaveB]

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

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

[IMG][/IMG]

All right! Congrats!!! And best of all it's working!

[wirlybird]

All right! Congrats!!! And best of all it's working!

Yup! Got some issues figured out but overall pretty straight forward. Now I have to do a calibration setup to get things dialed back in. I think the extrusion multiplier is a bit low.

[wirlybird]

Couple questions here as I continue to read and dig into this whole 3D printing thing! Question for QIDI and S3D.


I read about setting the Z offset ... do we need to do this on these machines? Doesn't leveling the bed to a specific height to the nozzle accomplish this type of thing?

Has anyone calibrated the e-steps? If so how did you do it on these machines? Going to look into this more later.

[jfkansas]

No Z offset needed.

Esteps is calibrated with Extrusion Multiplier.

[wirlybird]

No Z offset needed.

Esteps is calibrated with Extrusion Multiplier.

So calibrating - setting the extrusion multiplier is all I need? sounds good here!! Easy enough!!

[suds]

Does anyone actually know what the PTFE tubes from Qidi are actually rated for temp wise??
Got a guy I used to buy robotics parts from says he has PTFE tubing that's rated for 800°F and same size (at least O.D. is) as what I got in printer.

Also...how many print hours yall think the stock brass nozzles could handle running sandstone filament? Have talk to those using stainless plated nozzles saying they can only run about 800-1000 hours of that stuff for nozzles need changed out.

I was thinking about trying the Micro Swiss all metal hotends since I'm messing with PETG now. Any luck with the high temp PTFE? And how hot have you run your hotends? I set mine @ 250 C which they easily hit during pre-print, but they sag maybe 7 degrees for the entire duration of the print. I'll have to do some more testing because I can't tell if it's a control issue, or some other limitation. My main concern is damaging the PTFE but I suppose that's just a minor inconvenience (fumes aside).

Edit: it was basically established after the quoted above that PTFE typically degrades and out-gasses around 250C.

[DaveB]

I was thinking about trying the Micro Swiss all metal hotends since I'm messing with PETG now. Any luck with the high temp PTFE? And how hot have you run your hotends? I set mine @ 250 C which they easily hit during pre-print, but they sag maybe 7 degrees for the entire duration of the print. I'll have to do some more testing because I can't tell if it's a control issue, or some other limitation. My main concern is damaging the PTFE but I suppose that's just a minor inconvenience (fumes aside).

Edit: it was basically established after the quoted above that PTFE typically degrades and out-gasses around 250C.

According to some of the folks selling hardened and all metal nozzles, the PTFE tube's heat conduction is an issue with higher temperatures. They state that the PTFE cannot adequately support speeds of 60mm/s and above at higher temps because the PTFE cannot conduct heat into the filament quickly enough. Replacing the PTFE is ~5 or 10 cents when purchased in bulk, and with a properly sized cutting jig it couldn't be much simpler. And at this point replacing a worn brass nozzle is pretty darn cheap too at ~$2.50/each. So if it takes 800-1000 hours of printing time to wear out a nozzle is that really significant? Some of the nozzle sites state that unacceptable wear can occur within a single roll of filament. Even if true, at $2.50/nozzle it still seems just a cost of operation.

[wirlybird]

Ok, so maybe I am nitpicking here, but doing a calibration cube ... well, more like a calibration pancake! 20X20X2 - I am getting a consistent 1.97mm height. What can I do to affect the overall printed height?

[DaveB]

Ok, so maybe I am nitpicking here, but doing a calibration cube ... well, more like a calibration pancake! 20X20X2 - I am getting a consistent 1.97mm height. What can I do to affect the overall printed height?

Here is a slightly different approach to calibration:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1708777

[jfkansas]

Ok, so maybe I am nitpicking here, but doing a calibration cube ... well, more like a calibration pancake! 20X20X2 - I am getting a consistent 1.97mm height. What can I do to affect the overall printed height?

You can't tell anything until about 5-10mm in height. It may be just plastic shrinkage. I print everything at 100.3 percent or so.