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Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 5:20 am
by zahn
Has anyone been able to successfully print ninjaflex with the M3? Any tips would be appreciated, I just got myself a roll and have been reading online for resources but haven't found much in relation to the M3.

Cheers

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Mon Jul 09, 2018 3:39 pm
by airscapes
I have not yet tried ninjaflex nor do I have the M3. However I don't think the drive on the M3 is too much different than the M2.. Soft filament needs to be printer really slow (10mmS) and you need to adjust the drive tension so the filament is not crushed and distorted or it will wind up in the drive between the teeth and the bearing and you will be taking the drive off to release it. I created a tension gauge for the M2 drive (might fit the M3) so once I find what works, I can mark that setting on the spool and be able to bounce between filaments quickly. viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6748
Good Luck!

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2018 12:56 pm
by zemlin
The best build surface I've found for Ninjaflex is Garolite LE - linen-based phenolic sheet - which also works well for nylons.

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:33 pm
by Phil
I recommend a 0.50mm nozzle vice 0.35mm.

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Mon Jul 16, 2018 5:02 pm
by aaron
I've been printing with NF on the M3-ID with the stock 0.35 nozzle. I agree with the above poster at the 0.50 would probably be better. I print slow at 1200 mm/min and 1.05 extrusion multiplier at 245 C and 60 C on the bed. I print right on the glass surface with no Kapton and haven't had issues with adhesion.

If you goal is to print Multi Material, I recommend adding in some custom scripts to cool and re heat the hot end on tool changes.

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:06 am
by Umburry
95% of my prints are in either Ninjaflex or Cheetah. I have a M2 with .5 nozzle for big stuff and an M3-ID with .35 nozzle for the smaller stuff. I even got dual color ninjaflex parts printing.

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:59 am
by airscapes
Umburry wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 4:06 am
95% of my prints are in either Ninjaflex or Cheetah. I have a M2 with .5 nozzle for big stuff and an M3-ID with .35 nozzle for the smaller stuff. I even got dual color ninjaflex parts printing.
How do you get the stuff to feed smoothly? M2 with a .5 I can get it to "Print" but is is not smooth and .35 won't flow at all. Seems to be a feed problem more than anything.. I have a custom numbered scale built on my tension screw which is a thumb screw for more control and accurate repeatably, but can not seem to get it to feed smoothly even at 6mms. Larger object with the .5 did turn out ok, but small pieces for a prosthetic hand for a child did not work so well at all with .35 Nozzle.
Thanks

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 3:04 am
by Umburry
airscapes wrote:
Thu Oct 04, 2018 7:59 am

How do you get the stuff to feed smoothly? M2 with a .5 I can get it to "Print" but is is not smooth and .35 won't flow at all. Seems to be a feed problem more than anything.. I have a custom numbered scale built on my tension screw which is a thumb screw for more control and accurate repeatably, but can not seem to get it to feed smoothly even at 6mms. Larger object with the .5 did turn out ok, but small pieces for a prosthetic hand for a child did not work so well at all with .35 Nozzle.
Thanks
on my M3-ID my left head is at 230 and 18mm/sec. To get the same results on the right head I need to run it at 245. when you say its doesn't feed smoothly do you mean the print is bubbly and rough or that the filament get wrapped around the feed sprocket?

I print this stuff so much that they featured my grippers on their store page https://ninjatek.com/products/filaments/ninjaflex/

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:02 am
by airscapes
Doesn't get wrapped around, it is bubbly in that there are areas where it stops feeding and has holes.. Not so much with the .5 nozzle but .35 I just could not get to work. letting the filament run through my fingers while printing, it feels like is stops at times.. This is being gravity fed from above and I have played with the tension while manually extruding to try and get the best repeatable feed.. Tried different print temps but from 230 - 245 with little improvement. 230 is what I used with the .5 nozzle printing the steeper motor dampers for the M2 and they worked well. The part I need to print with the .35 are the finger hinges for a prosthetic child's hand that is basically a very small rectangle 5x1.2x3 mm or there abouts.. just guessing.. ended up with a little pile of rubber when using the .35

Re: Printing with Ninjaflex?

Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2018 4:12 am
by Umburry
Here is a close up of a part I just pulled off the bed. .15 layer height
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ZiYnt ... A3J3MPzTcR
all stock parts on the M3 so it is possible. either bump up your speed or drop the temp down to like 215-220 if your going really slow. The more time it spends in the extruder at high temps is what causes the bubbles