this is in Slic3r 1.2.1 That was, alas, the last Slic3r version with good bridges: it produced those big chain mail sheets back in December. I think every version since then produces incorrect bridging. Looks like I'm stuck at 1.2.1 for the chain mail, which is a shame given all the other improveme...

It seems that changes introduced in Slic3r since last year now prevent it from slicing the OpenSCAD model that produced the chain mail sheets described in my show-n-tell post: http://forum.makergear.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1710 For whatever reason, Slic3r now mostly uses the infill pattern on the bo...

How accurately can these things be printed? Printing the pin-and-hole test piece I used will give you an idea: http://softsolder.com/2013/04/21/makergear-m2-post-and-hole-calibration-test-objects/ In round numbers, a feature will be within ±0.2 mm of its nominal XY dimension. For large features, th...

suggestions for improvements Although it's contrary to the can-build-anything spirit of DIY 3D printing, I think chopping that box into smaller chunks that will print without heroics would be a Good Idea. Think of it as "design for manufacturing"... The notion of square-pegs-in-holes is tempting, b...

using a soldering iron to soften up the plastic That's too hot and too small. PLA softens at relatively low temperatures, so you want to heat the whole mess at once. Use a hair dryer or hot-air gun to produce lower heat over a larger area, take your time, and gently warm it all up. When it's soften...

apparently the Z axis is as well. The Z axis is set all the way to the bottom As part of the initialization sequence, the Z platform will move upward, touch the switch at the top of its travel, then remain close to the top. Turn off the power before disconnecting any wires! If it drives upward, doe...

the numbers for the z adjustment screw That went back into the metric stockpile when I put the Z switch on the gantry where it directly senses the platform position... which works a whole lot better, but that's a whole 'nother story: http://softsolder.com/2013/11/04/makergear-m2-re-relocated-z-min-...

when you're getting down to low layer heights, you need absolute precision. And that is why I think there's a good case for locating Z=0 exactly on the platform: you then adjust the first layer from a known reference and read the actual nozzle height from the G-Code to see what's supposed to be hap...

To me, this means that the extrusion width is thinner than S3D thinks it should be. But I have set it correctly, based on a single layer thickness box... The distance between the nozzle and platform is about twice as large as you expect. Your settings tell the extruder to emit enough plastic to fil...

The value I got for the extruder multiplier is .87 With that setting, the nozzle now extrudes 80% of the plastic as it did at 1.1, which will go a long way toward reducing the overstuffed walls that caused visible defects. With a 2 mm wall and a 0.42 mm thread width, try slicing the model with 1 pe...