#robotics Logs

Apr 13 2015

00:41 e_shop3 holds up the new X axis and tries to work out how to start solving all the prob
00:49 orlock so, i got my wall width down to 0.35 at .1mm layers
00:57 rue_shop3 http://imgur.com/gallery/EEdKeXN
01:12 rue_shop3 my X jsut slipped again, by about 1mm
01:12 rue_shop3 arg
01:13 Triffid_Hunter rue_shop3: is this something you whipped together yourself, or an actual proper kit?
01:14 rue_house verticies kit
01:14 rue_house killer motors from printers
01:14 rue_house china drivers
01:15 rue_house I dont get WHY the X is 'slipping'
01:15 rue_house the motors just yesterday had enough torque to push the head thru the tape while it tired to trace out an outline
01:15 rue_house I think I'm noticing a pattern tho
01:16 rue_house when the area of the layers makes a drastic change, it happens
01:17 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: perhaps your print is curling, and the nozzle runs into it?
01:17 rue_house nope
01:17 rue_house its clear
01:18 rue_house verry rarely the X axis will do it, its usually the Y, it just starts sheering
01:19 rue_house worst yet, EVERYTHING i do fixes it, for the duration of the test objects I print
01:20 rue_house I am aquiring a massive pile of semi-usefull little test objects
01:21 rue_house Triffid_Hunter, oh I have a great example here on my desk, let me take a pic
01:21 rue_house oh I cant, camera is in the shop
01:22 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: trust me I've seen plenty of skipped steps, moved past that stage years ago
01:22 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: all I have left is memories of what I changed and fixed to get around it
01:22 rue_house the mechanics are free, the belt is fine
01:22 rue_house I'v swapped drivers, motors, driver axis channels
01:23 Triffid_Hunter then something is causing torque spikes.. nozzle running into curling print is a prime candidate
01:23 rue_house I'v grounded the hell out of everything
01:23 rue_house idea
01:23 rue_house tommorow I'll pick up the layer height,
01:23 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: Z-lift helps
01:24 rue_house it was working at .3 and I'v since changed to .25
01:24 rue_house hmm
01:24 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: heh that's huge, 0.25 is the largest height I use
01:24 rue_house I want to use more, but I need to get another nozzel set up
01:25 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: I print down to 0.05 if I need to
01:25 rue_house is there any layer height/curling relation?
01:25 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: no. curling is caused by insufficient cooling
01:25 rue_house ?
01:25 rue_house of the part?
01:26 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: we need both hot and cold for 3d printing, we need to get the plastic hot enough to shove through a tiny hole at speed, then cool it down rapidly enough that it stays where we put it
01:26 Triffid_Hunter PLA *loves* a breeze, if you point a 30cm desk or pedestal fan at your print you'll see an immediate improvement in quality
01:26 Triffid_Hunter immediate as in I've had multiple folk tell me "oh yeah I can see it right there in the wall"
01:26 rue_house you know, my bed fan is moved around all the time
01:27 rue_house hmmm
01:27 Triffid_Hunter ABS on the other hand hates breezes, it will literally crack apart on the bed if you so much as have a window open
01:27 rue_house I havn't tried my abs yet
01:28 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: it's less cooperative than PLA, get PLA working first
01:28 rue_house so I should put a bucket over the printer when I do abs? :)
01:28 Triffid_Hunter I use a towel, but yeah basically
01:29 rue_house do I have to worry about cooling the nozzel?
01:29 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: the top half of the hotend needs to be cooled with PLA because it goes soft at only 60°C, and if it goes soft in the top half then you get an almost instant jam
01:29 Triffid_Hunter ABS doesn't care so much
01:30 Triffid_Hunter what ABS cares about is your bed temperature and surface treatment.. surface needs to hit 110°C, and then you need to dissolve some ABS in acetone and apply with a paintbrush, then print on the result
01:30 rue_house hmm
01:31 rue_house rifraf always does abs
01:31 Triffid_Hunter I do ABS when I want to print something that won't go soggy in a hot car
01:31 Triffid_Hunter if I want something hard and strong with good dimensional accuracy, I always go PLA
01:31 rue_house I made some pla verticies for a new i2 I'm making, I can see I want to redo some in abs
01:32 Triffid_Hunter no, PLA is a better material for frame vertices and gears, it's a lot harder than ABS
01:32 rue_house ah, hmm
01:32 Triffid_Hunter you should make the frame from PLA, and the motor mounts and X carriage from ABS
01:32 rue_house the x axis started to split today when I shoved the rods into it
01:32 Triffid_Hunter then it was printed too cold
01:33 rue_house ooo!....
01:33 rue_house I should check how how 215 really is on my printer
01:33 rue_house your explination works on another level
01:33 rue_house small test objects dont warp
01:34 rue_house maybe I should giddy up on the heated bed
01:34 Triffid_Hunter wow, usually small objects are the worst for warping
01:34 rue_house and play with my cooling fans
01:34 rue_house I'm talking 1cm^2 and smaller
01:35 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: well slic3r automatically slows down and does solid fill for areas less than (default) 70mm² or so
01:36 rue_house k, you have given me direction, tommorow will be hell, I hope I remmeber what you said
01:36 Triffid_Hunter rue_house: good luck :)
01:36 rue_house prolly gonna sleep 3 hours when I get home every day this week
01:37 Triffid_Hunter heh if I'm faced with the option of 3 hours sleep I usually pick none, I'm typically far more functional
22:55 rue_shop3 armyofevilrobots, whats the print cooling on your machine look like, I cant remember if you have a fan blwoing on the print area/head