Flashforge 3D Creator forum.

[curious aardvark]

yeah - but look on ebay - the same model is marketed under about 30 different names.
I had no idea it was a flashforge till I opened the box and read the note.

It's the laser cut woden box with two extruders.

[Geoff]

it's a flashforge 2x v8

reason i ask is the first line just drops off the edge of the print bed. After that it seems fine.

Do you mean the very first line it does from right to left before the print starts? On makerware that is meant to happen, just cleaning the nozzle out before the print and it does it off the platform so it won't mess the print up, it should just touch the platform at the end of that long strand it does at the start to break off that purged bit.

[curious aardvark]

Cheers geoff - just checking :-)

right firmware.
I just checked the printer and it says: The 3d printer - firmware version 1.0

I just downloaded a file from the flashforge website that says: mighty_one_7.2.hex

now I don't want to flash the firmware if it's going to kill geraldine.

So is this the same firmware, better firmware or deadly firmware - anybody know ?

Okay next question. Anyone know where i can find the cura plugin to generate x3g files ?

And what makerbot model exactly is the ff creator replicating. Been trying to use gpx - but so far without any luck.

[curious aardvark]

right nozzle well and truly blocked.

which is really annoying as everything else is going great. using glass for print bed painted with abs paint (dissolev filament in acetone). Things stick.

But about 75% through gyro thing, some thing started blocking the filament and while it finished and works - the top half is unfinished.

Tried flushing with other filament but there's something in there blocking it. Plus I get extruder gear grinding, so not only is something blocking the nozzle but there's a piece of abs snapped off in the little feed tube.
Must have been something in the filament - was some of the filament that came with the printer too.

Thoughts on clearing it please.

But in the meantime - how do i tell makerware I want to use the left printhead ?
Can't find that setting anywhere.

I don't see the point in having two If I can't switch between them, at will.

Okay forget that one - you select the model and use object info to pick an extruder for each model. Which is actually quite cool :-)

Back to firmware - I have 7.2 and apparently 7.5 is available.
But I need a reset button - haven't seen one of those, so is there another way to do it ?

[jfkansas]

You need Proftweak for makerware, you can set the default print head in there. 0 for right, 1 for left. Default is the right extruder.

To clean that blockage you will need to disassemble the right extruder, soak the parts in acetone to soften the material and then clean out the remaining junk.

It isn't difficult if you are mechanically inclined. It is said you have to heat the extruder to get the nozzle and mounting tube out but I didn't have to. The biggest problem to heating is getting ahold of the heater block so it wont rotate when trying to wrench off the nozzle. There are some sensitive wires going on there so I found it better to just remove all the wiring so i just had the bare print head. Then put the heater block in a vice and used a 9mm (I think) socket to loosen it. If you want to put a flame to the nozzle for a little bit it should be fine with that.

[Roxy]

DO NOT USE FLASHFORGE FILAMENT THAT EXTRUDES LIKE THIS. YOUR MACHINE WILL DIE.

in fact, right now I do not recommend buying any filament off Flashforge. There are many other suppliers, do yourself a favour.

Attachment 1452

See that gold coloured stuff? that is like epoxy resin - it goes in your nozzle and doesn't come out.

Geeeze Geoff!!! That is horrible!!! Can that stuff be drilled out? Or can it be dissolved out by putting the nozzle in acetone?

[curious aardvark]

do the brass nozzles just unscrew ?

I could just drop that in acetone and flush when everything had dissolved.

The left head thing is pretty simple - you just select it from the object menu.
That said - anything that gives me more control over makerware is useful.
Can't even find a setting to adjust for slightly thicker or thinner filament.

presently printing a 10cm square 2mm thick slab of abs to see if it'll work as a cold printing platform :-)

[jfkansas]

Ya proftweak has more settings than you will know what to do with. The Makerware defaults are safe middle of the road settings. The good thing about Proftweak is there is a direct link to a makerware guide on what all the settings mean. It still takes a while to figure out which way to go on each setting though, and it is easy to over do setting changes. You can dial yourself out pretty easily if you stray too far from the stock settings. I have read that some of the settings are "depreciated", in that they really don't do anything anymore, they are just there for older machines that used the settings.

[Geoff]

Geeeze Geoff!!! That is horrible!!! Can that stuff be drilled out? Or can it be dissolved out by putting the nozzle in acetone?

Nope, I am still yet to find a chemical solvent I can flush the nozzle out with it, and thus another reason I am swapping over to a home built now.

When I wasn't aware the filament was bad, I tried to use it several times (as you do..) and that killed the first nozzle. I was a bit green at the time and just went and bought a new dual extruder (for $400 mind you..)

When they wanted images of the bad filament months later, I used my old dual extruder, with the bad nozzle, but this time I used the other side that was still OK.

In testing it to take the photos, the other nozzle got jammed with all this resin gunk and now is completely stuffed. I have drilled out the nozzles but the extrusion from them is just a mess and unprintable.

So I am down to no spare nozzles or heads, so it's now at this point I think, do I buy another flashforge cheap just for spare parts and invest another 600 or 700 in it? nah... I will still use this old donkey tho, handy have a dual machine in case I need to.

[basfud]

Hi all, I own a Flashforge and had same problems with the original filament as well. Using 3rd party filament now instead. Original filament was leaving a gooey resin-like residue that would stick to everything and smelled like soldering rosin.

Geoff,
You can get the brass tip only for under $10, or get it customly machined for a similar price. Look for a workshop that does lathe and milling work and show them the element, they should measure it and make it just alike. If you're buying online, check for nozzle diameter, external screw diameter, and internal diameter, where the PTFE tube goes into.
Same with the teflon tube that goes in in the stainless steel tube, if it's burnt you can buy it on eBay, just measure the diameter and length.

If you can't find those things online drop me a PM.

Flashforge is a Chinese company, they kind of are like that. They will do everything to support the customers, but never EVER admit any mistakes on their side. Love it or leave it I guess. Still, I love my Flashforge a lot, it's a brilliant construction, in my opinion it has the best price/quality ratio, and I've worked on a few machines, both repraps and makerbot-style.

If any of you have problems with one of the heads hitting the model, they may not be levelled properly. Loosen one of them by untightening a small screw on the aluminum they go into, and push it up/down to level it, using levelled build plate for reference.