MakerGear Forum

I just completed my first test print on my brand new M2, after getting hooked on 3D printing through my experience with the really inexpensive Monoprice Select Mini. Wow, this M2 is really impressive! I didn't realize that the Rev. E eliminated all mechanical adjustments from the bed leveling. Manual bed leveling with software compensation seems like a good approach. I used the v1.1.8-Beta build of M2 Quick Start on my MacBook Air under OS X 10.10.5 (Yosemite) without any problems at all. While I have not used any prior versions of the M2, it seems to me that the new Rev. E with the Quick Start tool completely eliminates one of the few complaints I've seen about earlier M2 versions: tricky bed leveling procedure. The new procedure looks very new-user-friendly to me, while still giving advanced users lots of control. I still would have picked the M2 as my upgrade printer of choice if the Rev. E hadn't been released, but I'm pleasantly surprised to encounter a much easier leveling procedure than I expected. Maybe MakerGear should emphasize the lack of mechanical adjustment in the Rev. E more? I didn't realize that was a feature of the new revision while I was researching it, and I think it's a pretty compelling selling feature.

My first test print of the sample bracelet is warped due to insufficient bed adhesion, but otherwise it turned out nicely. It appears to be a challenging thing to print due to the very small bottom surface area. I think it will be a good torture test as I learn about bed adhesion tricks. All of my limited prior experience has been with printing on masking tape or Buildtak, with lots of bottom surface area, and sometimes brims or rafts.

I ordered the Dual Extrusion Upgrade kit, too, as well as several different types of filament (from other vendors) to experiment with. But I'll stick with the factory-tested single extruder and the supplied MakerGear PLA filament for now as I learn how to drive this machine. Oh, and speaking of factory testing, I was pleased to see that my printer was factory tested by printing both the sample bracelet and my printer's own reel holder. An actual functional test print is a far cry from the QC issues I had with that Monoprice printer, which clearly showed that it wasn't thoroughly tested, and its power supply never even had power applied prior to its explosive failure the first time I plugged it in! I have to admit, when I unpacked my M2, I jokingly exclaimed "goddammit!" when I saw that its AC power cord was supplied by Monoprice!

Great!

P.S. Go post a review on Amazon.....your input from having used another printer first is doubly valuable!

Oooh, yes, posting an Amazon review is a good idea! I'd like to get more mm of filament under the head first.

So, while printing HEXA.G (which is a lovely song, by the way), I noticed that the bottom layer lines weren't fully fused together. Manually advancing the Z axis knob two clicks higher over the next couple of test prints made the bottom almost mirror-smooth, just a few pinholes short of being air-tight. So, maybe the test bracelet will adhere properly without extra help once my Z-height-setting technique improves. I also need to learn how to master Simplify3D. I previously used Cura with the little Monoprice printer. I bought a Simplify3D license along with the printer based on reading discussion of it here on the forum.

I have a lot more to learn, but I think I've made enough progress to eat the candy that came with the printer now.

I've just finished leveling out the bed again after applying a PEI sheet to the glass, and I now realize that I was completely wrong about thinking the bed leveling was screw-less, with software compensation. Doh! As I went through Quick Start, sure enough, I ended up adjusting leveling screws at the corners. If I'm not still confused, then I think my out-of-the-box bed leveling check didn't require any screw adjustments because the bed was still level from the factory, so Quick Start didn't lead me through those steps. With the new PEI sheet installed, the bed was no longer level, and I had to go through the whole leveling process.

Leveling was still easy, and I have the bracelet test print running now. Applying and trimming the PEI sheet was a pain in the behind. I'm planning to join the MIC-6 + PEI club when critical mass is there for the next run of them. Last night, I took the STEP files for the original Rev. E hold-down clips from the MG GitHub, added 1/16" to the barrel to compensate for the additional thickness of the PEI sheet, and printed up four of them to prepare for tonight's PEI installation job. Life is good.