New Maker saying Hi

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RipleyLlessur
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:31 am

New Maker saying Hi

Post by RipleyLlessur » Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:49 am

Hi all, I just bought and received my Makergear M2 V.E. a few days ago. I wanted to say hi and introduce myself. My name is Ripley, I live in Arizona, and am a professional Maker. I am using Revetier Host and Slic3r on a PC, usb'd directly into the printer. Mostly I'm using PLA and am having lots of typical beginner issues (adhesion, Z-offset, software). This forum is great though and I've found most of the answers I need and am learning and making progress. Though it's sometimes a frustrating learning curve...
One thing that would be helpful is a simple guide for Revetier. Everything I've found so far has been very technical. I've found most of the settings I need but its not super user friendly. I'm not sure that the basic printer config is correct. The bed size is def wrong and I don't think it is communicating a proper Z-stop. The only way I know how to set the Z-stop is by using the M2 QuickStart software, but I don't think this is getting through to Revetier? I had to set the "Printer Setting" Z Offset to -.55mm for Slic3r.
What's the best first level pattern for a large and flat print? Rectilinear was making long lines which didn't stick to each other or the bed. Hilbert Curve looks cool but when I pulled the piece off, the bottom layer stuck to the plate and got totally ruined. Which pattern is best for PLA adhesion?
Lastly (for now) is there a tutorial for basic g-code writing? I just want to be able to set the finish code to retract 50mm and lower the z bed to home.
Thanks! I look forward to meeting ya'll, though I feel like I already have since I've read a lot of posts.... :)

theboz1419
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 1:54 am
Location: Puyallup, WA

Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by theboz1419 » Mon Jul 18, 2016 10:36 am

Hello, I'm also a newbie, just recieved my M2 last Saturday. Im having my own issues with PLA, mostly the corners warping. Im trying Hairspray now, and will lower my bed heat some, to see that helps. I am using Octoprint and slic3r atm until I get the link for S3d. I have had some issues with Octoprint, but found a Config file that seems to help. Im thinking of going to ABS, as a friend of mine says its much better then PLA.
Builder of custom wifi BBQ temperature controllers

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Jules
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Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by Jules » Mon Jul 18, 2016 2:05 pm

Hi Ripley, welcome to the group! :D
One thing that would be helpful is a simple guide for Revetier. Everything I've found so far has been very technical.
Everything is pretty much on a volunteer basis here on the forum, so the folks who use Repetier would need to write up a guide for it. (Maybe as you get a little more comfortable with it you could put a few little How-To's together? We could use a bit more information for it. Most folks use Simplify 3D here.)
The only way I know how to set the Z-stop is by using the M2 QuickStart software
You want to use the Z-Adjust Application to adjust the initial gap here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3666

The reason for that is that unless you also run through the leveling process each time in the QuickStart Application, the results do not get written to the firmware. (And that's a bit of a hassle, and not necessary each time. The Z-Adjust application writes the results to the firmware immediately.)
Rectilinear was making long lines which didn't stick to each other or the bed. Hilbert Curve looks cool but when I pulled the piece off, the bottom layer stuck to the plate and got totally ruined. Which pattern is best for PLA adhesion?
Infill patterns generally don't have much to do with adhesion - that can be helped with a little hairspray or gluestick, so just use the pattern you like. Rectilinear patterns are generally the weakest, things like Hilbert Curve and Honeycomb or fast Honeycomb are the strongest, but they take a long time. Rectilinear is the quickest, so you just need to decide which one fits your needs for a particular print. If it needs strength, try a Honeycomb pattern. If it's a draft, use Rectilinear.

One thing....generally one uses several solid top and bottom layers on the print - if you don't specify solid top and bottom layers, the infill will come into direct contact with the plate, and yes, that would be impossible to remove in one piece. Don't forget to specify the number of solid layers that you want. ;)
Lastly (for now) is there a tutorial for basic g-code writing? I just want to be able to set the finish code to retract 50mm and lower the z bed to home.
Excellent guide to writing G-Code here on the RepRap Wiki:

http://reprap.org/wiki/G-code

To save you some time, this is part of the ending script code I use:

M104 S0 ; turn off extruder temperature
M140 S0 ; turn off bed
G91 ; relative mode
G1 Z10 E-10 ; lower bed 10mm & retract 10 mm


If you don't want to have to re-feed the filament each time before you start a print, 10mm retraction should be fine. Go with 50 mm if you plan to actually remove the spool each time for storage. (I generally just leave it on if it's not PLA, and if I need to completely back out the filament for storage, I use the Jog Controls in the Machine Control Panel.)

Have fun with it! The learning curve is actually pretty quick. :D

RipleyLlessur
Posts: 11
Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2016 12:31 am

Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by RipleyLlessur » Mon Jul 18, 2016 6:31 pm

Thanks Jules! I'm considering buying S3d; I don't really like Repetier, but I've bashed my way through most of the settings and it works. If it saves me a headache though I'll spend the $$.
I'm having trouble getting my PLA prints off the bed. I used a glue stick and now its, well, stuck. I tried putting the plate in the freezer and it didn't help. I've been reading about adhesion but I'm confused about what exactly I have. The borscillicate glass plate I received with the Rev.E. has a yellow film on it. What is the film? Is it an adhesive? Also I received a roll of tape. Is this Kapton tape? Should I use this for the PLA instead of glue? Thanks for your advice!

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Jules
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Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by Jules » Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:32 pm

RipleyLlessur wrote:Thanks Jules! I'm considering buying S3d; I don't really like Repetier, but I've bashed my way through most of the settings and it works. If it saves me a headache though I'll spend the $$.
I'm having trouble getting my PLA prints off the bed. I used a glue stick and now its, well, stuck. I tried putting the plate in the freezer and it didn't help. I've been reading about adhesion but I'm confused about what exactly I have. The borscillicate glass plate I received with the Rev.E. has a yellow film on it. What is the film? Is it an adhesive? Also I received a roll of tape. Is this Kapton tape? Should I use this for the PLA instead of glue? Thanks for your advice!
The yellow film is Polyimide tape (aka: Kapton). (Also the roll.) You want to leave that on there, it protects the glass when you have to pry off a print.

And that is what you'll need to do......I highly recommend the Cricut spatula (Amazon carries them) and you want to pry up from one corner of the print, gently, because you can slip and cut yourself, even with the dull spatula. As soon as the tiniest bit of the corner comes up, air gets in underneath it and you can slowly work the spatula around to loosen it.

Simplify 3D is worth it - it's got some great tools that make things a lot easier than Repetier for beginners. :D

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Jules
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Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by Jules » Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:45 pm

theboz1419 wrote:Hello, I'm also a newbie, just recieved my M2 last Saturday. Im having my own issues with PLA, mostly the corners warping. Im trying Hairspray now, and will lower my bed heat some, to see that helps. I am using Octoprint and slic3r atm until I get the link for S3d. I have had some issues with Octoprint, but found a Config file that seems to help. Im thinking of going to ABS, as a friend of mine says its much better then PLA.
Welcome boz! :D

The hairspray should help with the PLA warping up at the corners - bed heat of around 50°-60° should be fine.

Do yourself a huge favor though, and learn the ins and outs of printing PLA, before you try to switch to printing ABS. For one thing, before you can print ABS out of that nozzle, you are going to need to clean it of any PLA remnants with eSun Cleaning Filament. (Otherwise you run the risk of baking the PLA into the nozzle at higher temperatures that the ABS needs, and that eventually leads to a clog.)

ABS also has it's own problems with cracking and warping for larger prints - it's actually a lot harder to print than PLA for items over a couple of inches in height, if you do not have an enclosure to keep the heat in. Your friend might be using a printer that is enclosed. For those, PLA is harder to print than ABS, since PLA needs a lot of fan to cool it off.

Stick with the PLA for a while, it's a very easy filament to print. (Yes, the rest are a heck of a lot harder.) :lol:

Slipshine
Posts: 182
Joined: Sun Apr 13, 2014 3:02 am

Re: New Maker saying Hi

Post by Slipshine » Tue Jul 19, 2016 12:30 am

Hi.

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