Qidi Tech 1 - Replicator 1 clone

[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 .

[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.