Anet A8 3D Printer.

[tlovatt]

Have you got the stl of that file??

No, but there are plenty of alternatives on Thingiverse such as https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:34558

But to be honest all you need to do is draw a shape in a cad program make it nice and thin(1 layer) then make a few copies in cura and distribute them over the bed

 

[DAPPH]

The extrusion flow, there may be others I have not found yet, moving between different versions of Cura can be a pain, the most reliable version I use for the Ender 3 nd delta printer is 15.06 on the Octopi units that does the slicing and controls the printers - for that version my printers both came with a profile that gives good results.

Thanks for that .
From your post am I to take it that each printer Marque & model to a greater degree tends to get optimum performance from a specific slicer & G code generator programme ? Up date / change / up grade either to a newer one and your highly likely to run into many problems due to small in compatibilities in the programmes ?

 

[bigegg]

Thanks for that .
From your post am I to take it that each printer Marque & model to a greater degree tends to get optimum performance from a specific slicer & G code generator programme ? Up date / change / up grade either to a newer one and your highly likely to run into many problems due to small in compatibilities in the programmes ?

more that each update of a slicer program tends to change settings.
each model of 3d printer needs different settings - in fact each build of 3d printer might need different settings.

but the program itself *should* work with any printer - it's just the config files which alter.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Any tips for smoothing the surface finish on PETG?
I get good, reliable prints using PETG filaments but the surface finish is always slightly coarse, even on quality prints. Is it possible to get a polished finish?

 

[tlovatt]

Thanks for that .
From your post am I to take it that each printer Marque & model to a greater degree tends to get optimum performance from a specific slicer & G code generator programme ? Up date / change / up grade either to a newer one and your highly likely to run into many problems due to small in compatibilities in the programmes ?

Not quite, there are different slicers but 2 seem to lead the way Cura (free) and a paid for software Simplify3D. From what I have read, go back a couple of years and Simplify3D was far better software, produced better prints and gave a lot more control over items such as supports. Cura has to a partial extend been developed to close the gap a bit and in doing so has added a lot of additional functionality. The new versions of software may have bug fixes but generally add new features and controls so that you can fine tune, upgrading from one version to another should not cause a problem in theory apart from v15.06 to the new style of Cura uses a different format of printer profile file so printers which include a format for the old versions do not work with the new.

How much you want to play with the settings is up to you, but as a beginner I would be tempted to leave a lot of them alone, once you have the basics you can then play to try and sort out the minor problems and also experiment with settings like the ironing to further smooth the tops of objects (I am printing more functional things such as holders and cases so not to worried about aesthetics).

 

[PhillipM]

Any tips for smoothing the surface finish on PETG?
I get good, reliable prints using PETG filaments but the surface finish is always slightly coarse, even on quality prints. Is it possible to get a polished finish?

Usually either moisture in the filament or printing it a little too cold. With enough heat it should come out nice and shiny:

 

[DAPPH]

Any tips for smoothing the surface finish on PETG?
I get good, reliable prints using PETG filaments but the surface finish is always slightly coarse, even on quality prints. Is it possible to get a polished finish?

I've read in the Prusa hand book about using a hot air gun ( chef's hand held blow lamp ?) , giving surface a very quick hot blast to remove hair roots . Would that do the same on very minor coarseness ….I don't know . Acetone will not work or so the book says .

 

[PhillipM]

There are chemicals that do - I use methylene chloride to weld it but it's not nice stuff to work with - and if you leave it exposed long enough to smooth it, it tends to degrade the plastic part itself.

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Usually either moisture in the filament or printing it a little too cold. With enough heat it should come out nice and shiny:

That was at 245°C and .1mm layer height with a 10mm/S outer shell speed.

 

[PhillipM]

Either degradation from spending so long in the nozzle at high temps (from going so slow) or the filament has too much moisture in it.
At that slow a speed and layer height I'd be printing about 210-220c. Depends on the brand though.

If that doesn't cure it pop the spool in the oven at about 60-70c for an hour.

 

[tlovatt]

That could also be an extrusion problem, mine suffered the same sort of effect when there was a partial blockage - are they up to weight compared with what the slicer predicts? Also how smooth is your model, how many faces did you set?

 

[DAPPH]

Does anyone use a ruby tipped extruder nozzle all the time or are they just for abrasive filaments ?

 

[PhillipM]

Don't use one, the design looked naff tbh. I use nickle plated nozzles.

 

[DAPPH]

Now for the good / bad news
Finally managed to contact Prusa today on their live chat / help section wrt some expert DHL driver putting a forklift tine & several bits of pallet wood though the box that my new Prusa i3 Mk3 3d printer kit was coming in . DHL had taped it up with their bright yellow & red tape that declares " Repacked by DHL".

Having had 48 hrs to microscopically examine every single bit and sending Prusa a list & loads of detailed close up & macro photos they are going to replace the whole package with a brand new one
Immediate observable damage was the vertical aluminium frame is bent 18 mm out of true & has a big 60 mm long by 8 mm wide gouge out of it , the table frame is out by 10 mm, the table by five , the steel build plate has a big gouge in it , the PSU is nearly 10 degrees out of true in its plastic shoe . Most of the circuit boards have pierced the couple of layers of bubble wrap they were covered, so they are immediately suspect and the two longest guide rods have a 1.5 mm bend gap between them when laid on and rolled over a sheet of glass .

I'm a bit miffed that DHL didn't just return such a damaged parcel straight back to the sender, as it's now going to take a month or more for me to get this damaged one sent off, looked at and then a new one sent back to me ……..just in time for the Christmas parcel 's delivery build up, which I'd hoped to avoid .

 

[AndersK]

DHL are experts in damaging goods in all possible, and impossible, ways and still deliver with a smile.

If not damaged they'll loose parts of shipment and then blame sender.

 

[130]

Always explain to the driver that you are going to unpack and check each piece so it'll be 4 or so hours for the signature or refusal or would they prefer to have it refused as damaged

 

[DAPPH]

Latest thing seems to be a brick signature & a picture of the front of your house or where they deliver to but instead of using their magic pen to sign, you use your finger tip to sign .
On Saturday Postie presented his brick for me to sign . " Just use your finger " he said . hardly any mark ended upon the screen .. " Don't worry " he said. " I'll scribble a bit more on it when I'm sat in the van" .

 

[tlovatt]

Latest thing seems to be a brick signature & a picture of the front of your house or where they deliver to but instead of using their magic pen to sign, you use your finger tip to sign .
On Saturday Postie presented his brick for me to sign . " Just use your finger " he said . hardly any mark ended upon the screen .. " Don't worry " he said. " I'll scribble a bit more on it when I'm sat in the van" .

You need to specifically tell them if you want to sign for something as damaged, they can flag it on the system before you scrawl (although some are reluctant)

 

[130]

My signature is always unexamined then name

 

[tlovatt]

My signature is always unexamined then name

Good luck making that legible with the modern systems. you may be able to make 1 or 2 characters legible but that it about it, the new generation of PDAs they are using are dire.