This is the 3-D print forum https://www.3dprintforums.com/

I think they are associated with CNC Zone.

 

But for good strong prints, I use Polymaker PolyMax PLA.

The little I know and have read about these is the filament is the big thing in print quality. Many people doing printing skimp and by generic filament, stuff of unknown origin, and quality, and then complain that the process is not a good one.

 

The little I know and have read about these is the filament is the big thing in print quality. Many people doing printing skimp and by generic filament, stuff of unknown origin, and quality, and then complain that the process is not a good one.

I learned a ton after reading this webpage.

Of course, other factors affect the end result as well. Such as plate temp, air flow, first layer adherence, etc.

But, as in everything else, the best way to learn is to use the thing, make lots of practice runs, and follow with thorough and meticulous observation...

 

I learned a ton after reading this webpage.

Of course, other factors affect the end result as well. Such as plate temp, air flow, first layer adherence, etc.

But, as in everything else, the best way to learn is to use the thing, make lots of practice runs, and follow with thorough and meticulous observation...

... my bad, @shortbus, I meant to include this link in my previous post ... what I said should make more sense now...

 

@strantor, didn't you buy one awhile back? What did you get?

It's been a few years. It was a prusa I3 ("clone"?) Sold as a kit by a kid on a local college campus. Main frame made out of MDF. It worked "fine" (compared to others).

 

I've just recently given my son a Prusa I3 clone. This one is cut from ply (as is my Deltaprintr). He has not printed with it yet. I hope to help him tomorrow to set up Cura and calibrate the printer.

The kit was $169 AU. Not bad at all!

 

my bad, @shortbus,

Thought maybe I missed a post.

This is another of those things I wanted to make, just like a DIY CNC. Got a lot of the stuff to do it just not the ambition. At 70 years, just doing the have to stuff takes more of my time than it used too.

But did some reading on it and they, a few years ago, were saying to watch where you get the filament. That some Ebay sellers were selling stuff like string trimmer line as filament. Stuff that while it may work and melt it doesn't make good printing filament.

 

It's here! ... time to play ...

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That looks like fun
I'll be interested to see what you print. My Deltaprintr has just started another batch of geckos. I have given some hundreds away just for fun.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1862194
We have Nerd mania here tomorrow so some of us are dressing up. I'm going to hand out Geckos and Centipedes there.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2867299

 

Glad to see you got the Monoprice MK11.
Let us know how it performs.

 

Glad to see you got the Monoprice MK11.
Let us know how it performs.

So far I've made four runs and three of them have been a disaster... the material just won't stick to the baseplate, I've been trying to adjust its temperature to see if it makes a difference but no.... maybe I didn't calibrate the nozzle-to-plate distance right ... I'll be back with more news later today.

 

What are you printing with? ABS is pretty fussy so try PLA for a start.
I print onto Acrylic disk with a coating of watered down PVA glue. This is on my Deltaprintr and it does not have a heated bed.
Originally I tried masking tape and hair spray but found PVA works well.
My icon to the left shows the print bed with the Apple Watch Thing printed on it. No raft or rim and you can see how it printed and stuck quite well.
And the gap from the hot end to the bed is pretty critical, as you have noticed. Bed leveling is the foundation of a good print.
My Deltaprintr has just jut had the FSRs replaced with Piezo sensors to detect the hot end tapping the build plate during auto leveling and it works well.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2986496
Next project will be the same applied to my Wanhao machine.

 

What are you printing with? ABS is pretty fussy so try PLA for a start.
I print onto Acrylic disk with a coating of watered down PVA glue. This is on my Deltaprintr and it does not have a heated bed.
Originally I tried masking tape and hair spray but found PVA works well.
My icon to the left shows the print bed with the Apple Watch Thing printed on it. No raft or rim and you can see how it printed and stuck quite well.
And the gap from the hot end to the bed is pretty critical, as you have noticed. Bed leveling is the foundation of a good print.
My Deltaprintr has just jut had the FSRs replaced with Piezo sensors to detect the hot end tapping the build plate during auto leveling and it works well.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2986496
Next project will be the same applied to my Wanhao machine.

I'm starting with ABS ... maybe that's a bad idea, from what I've been learning online... but right now I'm running another program, and this time it seems to be working. I'll keep you updated.

I'm making one of these, downloaded from the site you've been posting about.

​

 

I hope your 3D printer works well for you. Mine has given me great joy, AND a lot of frustration!!!
thingiverse.com is a great resource indeed. And I post my designs there for people to share as I've used lots of other folks designs.
I'd best go to bed as it is 1:40AM here.
Good night

 

There you go, this is a much better result. Although there are still many improvements to be made.

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As can be seen, the top and side surfaces are quite acceptable, but the bottom ones are way too rough.

The material I used was ABS, and I worked it at 45mm/sec print speed, 240°C printing temperature, with the base plate heated at 110°C. I used the raft technique as adhesion to the platform. It worked so well, that it was actually a bit difficult to have it come off the plate, so for my next test I'm going to lower that temperature to 100°C, see how much difference it makes. Also, I'll be lowering the printing temp to 235°C, see if that works better on the bottom surfaces.

 

the material just won't stick to the baseplate,

Can't remember his name, but, there was a member here who did a lot of 3D printing, and made his own machines, hasn't been here for quite a while though. He when printing ABS, if I remember correctly, applied a layer of home made ABS glue to the base first. He made his glue by melting scraps of ABS in acetone, I think. I know I suggested using ABS pipe glue(plumbing pipe) instead, but he said his was cheaper to make.

I'll think about his name and see if I can remember it.

 

He made his glue by melting scraps of ABS in acetone

Yes, I too have done that when using ABS on the other printer.
Lately I have used cheeeeep PLA as the stock for my geckos and other givaways.

For "real" prints, try Polymaker Polymax PLA. It is a bit expensive, but does not require a heated bed, and the Polymax is 9 x stronger than PLA, and a bit stronger than ABS. It is my filament of choice.
And as you can see, I've been experimenting with pausing the print and changing the filament to give a colour highlight.
Another thing that works is to colour the filament with a permanent marker to give stripes on your printed object.
Lots of fun to be had

 

I'll think about his name and see if I can remember it.

Found him by doing a search here. Thought his name was "bill" something, and was close. It is "BMorse". He was into CNC and 3D printers, haven't seen him for quite a while though.

Yes, I too have done that when using ABS on the other printer.

What is it that makes ABS need the "glue" on the base board of the printer? Any ideas why it seems to only be ABS?

 

There you go. I've done my first print using PLA, and the results have been much better, dimensionaly speaking. And also the surface finish has been significantly improved, when compared to ABS. The piece also adhered to the platform with no problem, and was much easier to remove than ABS.

The problem of the lousy under-surfaces persists, however. And I truly have no Idea as to how to go around it. A much slower printing speed, perhaps?

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You can try to increase the retraction a little to help limit the stringing and maybe lower the temp a bit too.
But that is a pretty hard one to print as there are a lot of small bits in the air.
Still, that is not bad for an early print.
Yesterday I picked up a couple of reels of PolyMax and now am printing Hula hoop joiners. The PLA ones broke. I do find that the PolyMax behaves well. It is a pity it costs so much more.
I was at a Nerd Mania event, made up as the first Master from Dr. Who, and spent the day talking to folks about 3D printing for around 6 hours. It was a bit silly really as I have no connection to the 3D printer stand fellow, I just parked there with some of my prints and tried my best to infect folks with 3D printeritus The door raffle prize was a $900 3D printer. Not a bad win for the guy who got it! (it was not me).

To get the best from your 3D printer, the settings will have to be tweaked a bit, but once you get there, it opens up a great world of fun.