Happy with your Flashforge?

[Teledog]

Today's tweaks;
The Z-axis lead screw was wobbling at the top (slightly bent lead screw) & there was a definite gap in the upper mount, probably not terribly important, but it bothered me, so I machined a tiny nylon bushing.
No wobble now,.. but still have to beat the slight bend out of the lead screw sometime.
Also, the heater bed wires sometimes fell behind the bed when it was fully down, getting pinched in the process.
Put an ultra weak spring on them to keep them forward/under the bed. (stretched the spring out even more after the pic) Could probably just as easily used a rubber band.
Z drive bushing.jpgheater cable spring.jpg

PS: - Removing "STUCK-ON" ABS from Kapton?..drizzle a little IPA around the edges while warm, pops right off! (Works for old hot melt glue also..doesn't dissolve it, just breaks the bond)
- Kimwipes work for cleaning hot nozzles (Kleenex SUX!..been there, done that!.. gooey/lint mess!) they also work well for lint-free bed cleaning with IPA

[Geoff]

Today's tweaks;
The Z-axis lead screw was wobbling at the top (slightly bent lead screw) & there was a definite gap in the upper mount, probably not terribly important, but it bothered me, so I machined a tiny nylon bushing.
No wobble now,.. but still have to beat the slight bend out of the lead screw sometime.
Also, the heater bed wires sometimes fell behind the bed when it was fully down, getting pinched in the process.
Put an ultra weak spring on them to keep them forward/under the bed. (stretched the spring out even more after the pic) Could probably just as easily used a rubber band.
Z drive bushing.jpgheater cable spring.jpg

PS: - Removing "STUCK-ON" ABS from Kapton?..drizzle a little IPA around the edges while warm, pops right off! (Works for old hot melt glue also..doesn't dissolve it, just breaks the bond)
- Kimwipes work for cleaning hot nozzles (Kleenex SUX!..been there, done that!.. gooey/lint mess!) they also work well for lint-free bed cleaning with IPA

Do you find ABS sticks that hard when it cools down? I've never needed anything to get something off my heatbead, when it cools to around 80c i just knock them off, always have.

[Teledog]

Knocking them off works well with small prints, but I've found with larger (non-raft) prints, it kinda pulls /bubbles/trashes the Kapton.
Tried nylon pot scrapers..sometimes work..great for rafts , but "once in a while" they rip/lift the Kapton on raftless prints.
A quick blast of IPA from a needle tip squeeze bottle (1-2 second wait, perhaps another blast) @~80C or lower {BTW, wait ~20 seconds for old hot-melt glue, it really works well for breaking the bond}
Then push (knock) them off..I hate having to whack them off too hard (AKA: means another leveling/new Kapton)
Still haven't found the perfect solution....

[Geoff]

Knocking them off works well with small prints, but I've found with larger (non-raft) prints, it kinda pulls /bubbles/trashes the Kapton.
Tried nylon pot scrapers..sometimes work..great for rafts , but "once in a while" they rip/lift the Kapton on raftless prints.
A quick blast of IPA from a needle tip squeeze bottle (1-2 second wait, perhaps another blast) @~80C or lower {BTW, wait ~20 seconds for old hot-melt glue, it really works well for breaking the bond}
Then push (knock) them off..I hate having to whack them off too hard (AKA: means another leveling/new Kapton)
Still haven't found the perfect solution....

You are definitely running your heatbead too hot for the plastic you are using then, if youa re trashing or bubbling the kapton , without doubt 1005 I can say your HB is too hot.

I learned that on my Lego printing experiment. You want to print Lego raftless (and big things, Im not talking lego blocks, Im talking entire lego cars on one plate) and I did find that when it was too hot I was killing my kapton tape, then after a week with my printer I figured out that the hotbed setting needs to be set for each filament - and 1 or 2 degrees can make a MASSIVE difference. Generally I have found that unless I am dying to print fast and don't want to wait for the next preheat then sure, i'll knock them off - but you do it quick as in 'SMACK!!!" none of this pulling like a sissy lol, you won't de-level your platform if you do it fast enough.

Or just wait till it cools down - a correctly heated bed for the right plastic won't stick, i'll give you 100 kilograms of plastic guarantee on that one (well maybe not 100.. im probably on my 60th roll - my machine is printing non stop every day except for when i go to bed, I never run it overnight. Just me, Im paranoid.

[agilliam]

I recently purchased a flashforge creator, and let me tell youit came as a pile of crap. Loose screws, parts all over the place. It even had broken pieces. advertised as new!

I returned the creator and got a new creator. Worked great for 4 days, then started poping and creaking. Sounded like sand in a ball bearing. UNACCEPTABLE. Sent this one back too since flashforge tech support said to "deal with it"

I got the Creator PRO. This one came very nicely built, everything looked great until I looked closer after it was printing. Nozzles were too close on the right extruder causing it to knock off what was already starting to print. The pulleys are severely wobbling and they said that's not an issue. ANYONE with a BRAIN knows that they are an issue. The pulley is off circular so anytime it moves to the oval area it moves the extruder a little more sometimes 1mm even 2mm more than it should. you can even see in the video clips that the X axis binds when moving it and it jerks the extruders.

I called tech support on this one, he stated he would call china and let me know a decision in 2 weeks. I called back after a few days to just see what was going on, while I was on the phone with the guy he sent me an email, stating that china engineers stated its not an issue, that they think the Z axis is. But they wont fix it. He said that its not going to cause any quality concerns. Stated that if I didn't like it I shouldn't have bought their printer. What kind of crap thing is that to say?

My advice is to steer clear of flashforge. 3 out of 3 printers came bad and defective, 1 of the 3 worked for a few days then bearings went out and started creaking and popping. The PRO came with nylon pulleys that are warped/bent/wobbling and it throws off prints.

I am returning mine and buying either a ROBO3d, or I may just spend the extra and get a brand that they will stand behind, lulzbot taz.

I've been keeping my eye on this one guys, for the price it looks excellent, around AU$2000 after conversion rates, for the quality of materials and build volume this may be my next purchase.

http://www.mankati.com/fullscale-xt.html

[djprinter]

I recently purchased a flashforge creator, and let me tell youit came as a pile of crap. Loose screws, parts all over the place. It even had broken pieces. advertised as new!

I returned the creator and got a new creator. Worked great for 4 days, then started poping and creaking. Sounded like sand in a ball bearing. UNACCEPTABLE. Sent this one back too since flashforge tech support said to "deal with it"

I got the Creator PRO. This one came very nicely built, everything looked great until I looked closer after it was printing. Nozzles were too close on the right extruder causing it to knock off what was already starting to print. The pulleys are severely wobbling and they said that's not an issue. ANYONE with a BRAIN knows that they are an issue. The pulley is off circular so anytime it moves to the oval area it moves the extruder a little more sometimes 1mm even 2mm more than it should. you can even see in the video clips that the X axis binds when moving it and it jerks the extruders.

I called tech support on this one, he stated he would call china and let me know a decision in 2 weeks. I called back after a few days to just see what was going on, while I was on the phone with the guy he sent me an email, stating that china engineers stated its not an issue, that they think the Z axis is. But they wont fix it. He said that its not going to cause any quality concerns. Stated that if I didn't like it I shouldn't have bought their printer. What kind of crap thing is that to say?

My advice is to steer clear of flashforge. 3 out of 3 printers came bad and defective, 1 of the 3 worked for a few days then bearings went out and started creaking and popping. The PRO came with nylon pulleys that are warped/bent/wobbling and it throws off prints.

I am returning mine and buying either a ROBO3d, or I may just spend the extra and get a brand that they will stand behind, lulzbot taz.

Wow! I must have been lucky, because my creator pro has worked flawlessly for whats' got to be approaching 100+ prints. A few buddies of mine who also bought a FF have had similar "luck,"we should go to vegas!

[Peet@FFUSA]

We are sorry to hear about the experience you have with our printers. Please do let us know what else we can do for you to make your experience a better one.

I recently purchased a flashforge creator, and let me tell youit came as a pile of crap. Loose screws, parts all over the place. It even had broken pieces. advertised as new!

I returned the creator and got a new creator. Worked great for 4 days, then started poping and creaking. Sounded like sand in a ball bearing. UNACCEPTABLE. Sent this one back too since flashforge tech support said to "deal with it"

I got the Creator PRO. This one came very nicely built, everything looked great until I looked closer after it was printing. Nozzles were too close on the right extruder causing it to knock off what was already starting to print. The pulleys are severely wobbling and they said that's not an issue. ANYONE with a BRAIN knows that they are an issue. The pulley is off circular so anytime it moves to the oval area it moves the extruder a little more sometimes 1mm even 2mm more than it should. you can even see in the video clips that the X axis binds when moving it and it jerks the extruders.

I called tech support on this one, he stated he would call china and let me know a decision in 2 weeks. I called back after a few days to just see what was going on, while I was on the phone with the guy he sent me an email, stating that china engineers stated its not an issue, that they think the Z axis is. But they wont fix it. He said that its not going to cause any quality concerns. Stated that if I didn't like it I shouldn't have bought their printer. What kind of crap thing is that to say?

My advice is to steer clear of flashforge. 3 out of 3 printers came bad and defective, 1 of the 3 worked for a few days then bearings went out and started creaking and popping. The PRO came with nylon pulleys that are warped/bent/wobbling and it throws off prints.

I am returning mine and buying either a ROBO3d, or I may just spend the extra and get a brand that they will stand behind, lulzbot taz.

[modman]

Hello Geoff,

Did you ever buy this printer? I checked out the Fullscale XT plus ($1899 - link below) and it looks good. I have a FF Dreamer and want to purchase another 3d printer. Wondering if I should buy the FF Pro or perhaps take the risk and buy this one.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Fullscale XT plus
http://store.mankati.com/collections...lus-3d-printer

Modman :-)

I've been keeping my eye on this one guys, for the price it looks excellent, around AU$2000 after conversion rates, for the quality of materials and build volume this may be my next purchase.

http://www.mankati.com/fullscale-xt.html

[basfud]

Geoff,
The Mankati guys are an Ultimaker ripoff, they have issues with delivery and service. I heard bad things about them. Pity, because the printer looks impressive (though haven't seen it IRL).
Personally I'd rather get the original Ultimaker with dual heads. They're are a reliable Dutch company, keep the printer opensource, and they're the guys behind Cura. So the money gets spent in a good way, supporting the community and an awesome printer

Ultimakers have different head construction than Flashforges, and they are blazingly fast, easily over 200mm/s, and layer height printing below 0.07mm. There was a thread for such HQ prints on the Ultimaker's Google Groups. Much more expensive though.

Now, Flashforge.
When you add head fans to the dual-head Creator this machine is a killer. I own a flashforge, and have a lot of experience with repraps, and some with proprietary printers, top range stuff. I printed shittons of stuff on the Flashforge, with shittons of materials. It's not perfect (oscillation interfering with print quality, loud) but I wouldn't change it for any other in the price range.
ATM I fried the head power section apparently and looking for solution, but Flashforge is a real workhorse and I love that printer.

Price/quality ratio is out of the roof imvho.

[Geoff]

Geoff,
The Mankati guys are an Ultimaker ripoff, they have issues with delivery and service. I heard bad things about them. Pity, because the printer looks impressive (though haven't seen it IRL).
Personally I'd rather get the original Ultimaker with dual heads. They're are a reliable Dutch company, keep the printer opensource, and they're the guys behind Cura. So the money gets spent in a good way, supporting the community and an awesome printer

Ultimakers have different head construction than Flashforges, and they are blazingly fast, easily over 200mm/s, and layer height printing below 0.07mm. There was a thread for such HQ prints on the Ultimaker's Google Groups. Much more expensive though.

Now, Flashforge.
When you add head fans to the dual-head Creator this machine is a killer. I own a flashforge, and have a lot of experience with repraps, and some with proprietary printers, top range stuff. I printed shittons of stuff on the Flashforge, with shittons of materials. It's not perfect (oscillation interfering with print quality, loud) but I wouldn't change it for any other in the price range.
ATM I fried the head power section apparently and looking for solution, but Flashforge is a real workhorse and I love that printer.

Price/quality ratio is out of the roof imvho.

The Mantaki failed with the filament feeder, they should have put it closer to the head, even midway would have been sufficient but you try and feed flex filament gripping from the back of the machine, feeding up into a loop down into the extruder... naaah sorry, from what i've read it's a major flaw. It looks like a nice machine but they are very dishonest in their advertising. They will print something, clean it, acetone it, put it on the build plate and take a photo and say it was printed like that, I caught them out 4 times. I was THIS close to buying one.

If I buy a new big fancy machine for $2500, I expect all those issues ironed out. I have heard great things about the Ultimakers and some of the prints from those I have to admit are some of the best I have ever seen come from one of these machines.

Considering flashforges are so cheap now, like you can pick them up cheaper than flashforge sell them for themselves in some cases, it's a pretty safe bet for an entry level machine.