MakerGear Forum

1. Seems like Hatchbox Woof Filament is more difficult to melt as its getting ripped from the platform bed as the extruder continues to print in other areas of a project. Am I doing something wrong?

2. Does anyone use Simplify 3D as I'm looking for a profile to load: 1 for fastest print possible 1 for best quality possible. (I have the MakerGear 2e) I think that's what it's called basically the latest one on Amazon.

3. Metallic, Copper, Wood, etc. I've just bought all of these but one concern: Are these bad for us? Not printing a cup and drinking from it but air and touch wise. Don't want to hear about 1 million people dying of cancer cause they printed stuff in their closet.

5. Thingiverse is nice but are there any other related free-market printing sites that are at least of the quality of Thingiverse?

6. All of these "Load to print" softwares, what is everyone using to actually draw/make the .stl files? Call me crazy, can you print a vector?

(Let's all be considerate to one another, I request you not ask me to search the forum as I've done that quite extensively for these answers. In addition, answers change).

w22 wrote:Does anyone use Simplify 3D
... you not ask me to search the forum as I've done that quite extensively ...

Admittedly, phpbb's forum search isn't all that great, which may explain why you didn't find many answers.

I use Google's site search: Assuming "woof" is a typo: Vector art works fine, with a bit of preprocessing: And so forth and so on...

You have an extensive collection of filaments for a new M2 owner; I'll be interested to read how your configurations differ from those of the folks already using them.

1. If its getting pulled from the build surface it sounds like a adhesion problem. What are you using for bed adhesion?
(On that note) I run Hatch box wood at 205°/ 50° and use glue stick on the bare glass.

2. Profiles are all dependent on your actual printer and what type of filament you are running.

3. Who knows... Everything is bad for you these days.

4. I know 7 8 9 but what happened to 4?

5. Keep in mind just because a model is on any of these sites it doesn't mean it's actually printable. (with the exception of maybe Myminifactory... they are the only ones that make sure a model is printable before uploading)
To Name a few..
https://www.redpah.com/
https://www.myminifactory.com/
https://www.youmagine.com/
https://cults3d.com/
https://pinshape.com/
https://sketchfab.com/
http://www.123dapp.com/
https://www.yeggi.com/
http://nasa3d.arc.nasa.gov/models/printable

6. If your talking modeling software there's tons of programs (some free, some not.)

Solidwork
https://www.onshape.com/
https://www.tinkercad.com/ (You can convert a vector (SVG file awnyway) to print using Tinkercad.)
http://www.123dapp.com/
http://www.meshmixer.com/
Ect.
Ect.
Ect.

w22 wrote:Seems like Hatchbox Wood Filament is more difficult to melt as its getting ripped from the platform bed as the extruder continues to print in other areas of a project. Am I doing something wrong?

If it's coming off of the bed of its own accord, then you may need to raise the bed temperature or take additional measures for adhesion to the bed, such as purple glue stick or hairspray. Wood filament is basically PLA infused with sawdust, so PLA settings should be close, but undoubtedly will need some small adjustments. What are you using for bed adhesion, and what temperature are you running the bed at?

Metallic, Copper, Wood, etc. I've just bought all of these but one concern: Are these bad for us? Not printing a cup and drinking from it but air and touch wise. Don't want to hear about 1 million people dying of cancer cause they printed stuff in their closet.

PLA degrades badly when exposed to sunlight and deforms easily when exposed to temperatures in the range of, say, a hot cup of coffee. However, as far as fumes go, PLA seems to be pretty harmless. ABS fumes can be harmful, but this is more a problem with burning plastic than with melting plastic. But ABS fumes are obnoxious enough that good ventilation is recommended. PETg is nearly odorless, and is probably harmless. PET is certainly harmless---it's what two-liter plastic bottles are made of. PETg and PET+ are slightly different formulations, though, and I'm not a materials science expert. Nylon is the most chemically inert plastic available.

Metal and copper filaments are less of a concern for you than for your nozzle, which will suffer abrasion from these filaments. A stainless steel nozzle is recommended if you use these filaments a lot, but is probably unnecessary for occasional use.

Let's all be considerate to one another

I think you will find this forum to be full of friendly and considerate people who don't mind repeating themselves for newcomers.

Tim wrote:I think you will find this forum to be full of friendly and considerate people who don't mind repeating themselves for newcomers.

This is only true if you actually listen to the advice we give though (Wait he must be talking about Jules, she is a saint when it comes to helping )

sthone wrote:

Tim wrote:I think you will find this forum to be full of friendly and considerate people who don't mind repeating themselves for newcomers.

This is only true if you actually listen to the advice we give though (Wait he must be talking about Jules, she is a saint when it comes to helping )

Not so much this morning.......
(Actually, bogged completely down in those triple-damned profiles, keep accidentally deleting them.....grrrrrrrrr.)

Innner peaaaace, inner peaaace, in-in-inner peace.......

w22 wrote:1. Seems like Hatchbox Woof Filament is more difficult to melt as its getting ripped from the platform bed as the extruder continues to print in other areas of a project. Am I doing something wrong?

Every filament is different when 3D printing - you can't just plug in one filament and expect it to print exactly like the one you just finished with. Check the Filaments section of the forum for settings and quirks on different brands....this particular post by Pekish in the Filaments forum talks about nothing but Wood filaments, including the Hatchbox brand - viewtopic.php?f=11&t=3038

(In addition - use some adhesive like the guys pointed out...it will keep it stuck down during the print. )

2. Does anyone use Simplify 3D as I'm looking for a profile to load: 1 for fastest print possible 1 for best quality possible. (I have the MakerGear 2e) I think that's what it's called basically the latest one on Amazon.

Chuckle....aren't we all? Problem with that is....the profile is different for every type of filament, and different brands print at different optimal temps and speeds. That's where we come in - we have to tell it what we want it to do. There is no "one-size-fits-all" option with 3D printing.

3. Metallic, Copper, Wood, etc. I've just bought all of these but one concern: Are these bad for us? Not printing a cup and drinking from it but air and touch wise. Don't want to hear about 1 million people dying of cancer cause they printed stuff in their closet.

You're safe enough with those.....just don't hang your head over the machine for 6-8 hours daily while printing ABS and deeply inhale while it prints. Otherwise, something else is going to kill you long before printing these plastics does. There's more sawdust in your container of parmesan cheese than there is in the wood filament. (Which is bamboo anyway....a natural renewable resource.) And like steve said - the metal filaments are tough on the nozzle due to wear - but the base of the metallic and wood filaments is still just PLA - aka corn syrup. Billions of cooks are still alive, so it should be okay for an occasional print.

6. All of these "Load to print" softwares, what is everyone using to actually draw/make the .stl files? Call me crazy, can you print a vector?

I tend to design my files in Illustrator first, (because it's what I'm familiar with), and then take them into Rhinoceros for conversion to 3D form. So in a way, you can print a 2D vector once you have extruded the result into a 3D shape.

(.............In addition, answers change)

Yes, and quite right to remind us. Any pre-set FFF M2 profiles that you find anywhere on the web right now will not work for your machine. But, most of the discussions of the qualities of the filaments are something that you can use to make tweaks to your own profiles. And for pity's sake....don't do what everyone does at first and forget to save them under a NEW name....so you don't overwrite your defaults. (It's appallingly easy to do.........she said with a sad little knowing smile. )

Jules is an Angel sometimes when she jumps in to help.

Anyway W22, you really need to start with the easy filaments to learn 3D printing with, the Wood, Metallic and others are for when you have learned the basics. No, its not easy, there is a learning curve start with simple and work you way up. 3D Models for printing, lots out there and you can start with Thingverse. But as I found out you really need to find a simple 3D Modeling program like TinkerCad *free" and start learning. The stuff on Thingverse may or may not print right, sometimes the designer is just that someone who designs but has never printed anything. I always look to see if its been printed by someone before I download.

I sometimes design in AutoCAD LT 2008 in 2D so I can get the dimensions correct and then open in Fusion 360 extrude into 3D and assemble the parts into a working, usable 3D model.

No 3D printing is not plug and play.... yet, but its getting close.

Just have to say y'all are amazing people. I'm reviewing over the incredible extensive answers from y'all now. Thank you! I'll post back in a bit.

On a quick related note:

My MakerGear 2 extruder power cable continues to get sawed through by the upper right bed corner pin holder no matter how it's angled and the protective braid black shell around the cabling is really getting torn. If I could just have printed a "bed bumper" shell around the original pin, the problem would be resolved as the power cable would just glide up and off instead of strike right though.

Thoughts? (It's been doing this since day 1).