Missing extruder assembly instructions?

[pcenginefx]

Hi all - just got in my kit M2 yesterday and am nearing the finishline, but unless I'm blind I don't see anywhere on how to assemble the actual extruder! The "M2 Assembly" instructions end with you attaching the extruder motor to the printed extruder motor mount, and the "M2 wiring" instructions start by assuming you already have the entire extruder & fans attached....

//Aaron

[jimc]

aaron, try this.


http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0030/7 ... PDF?100213


or this


http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0030/7 ... ly.pdf?849

[pcenginefx]

Thanks Jim - I also found this M2 assembly video that helped as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTgTv11-8nc

Another question - do I fully tighten the black screw above the idler bearing?

[jimc]

no, that screw is the filament tension screw. the more you tighten that the harder the bearing squeezes the filament into the gear. you dont want this too tight. going by the gap that this squeezes together, start with it 1/2 way squeezed together. you'll get the feel for it after awhile.

[pcenginefx]

Thanks! I kinda thought that was the case but wanted to verify.

[pcenginefx]

Akk.............hit another gap in the instructions as I was wiring up the machine - the HBP wasn't fully instructed to put together...it says to attach the HBP cables but there was no instruction to mount the plate to the machine up to this point.

[jimc]

hmmm, if your doing the bed wiring, read this thread and look at the pic i posted on how to run the wires. it will save you trouble down the road. the instructions probably dont say to mount the plate to the machine because it doesnt mount really. it just sits there on the rubber blocks.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1712&p=6823&hilit=b ... wire#p6823

[pcenginefx]

Oh, wow........ok didn't see that before. Thanks for the instructions - I did exactly that.

...and now that I put the HBP on the rubber blocks, now I know why everyone uses those included clips too...

[benavery]

So I managed to loosen the screws on the rubber pieces and push the corners in tight, and re-tighten. Now got in a perfect state where the HPB sits super snugly down the bottom, and the glass just lightly presses in and seems to stay put and never need clips.

[ednisley]

the glass just lightly presses in and seems to stay put and never need clips

Ahem. You'll eventually wonder what causes small shifts in various layers of your objects... [grin]

The extruded thread making up the objects will be less than 0.5 mm wide and you can see variations well under 0.05 mm. For comparison, human hairs are about 0.04 mm in diameter, so there's plenty of room between "seems to stay put" and "doesn't move at all". Those ugly binder clips serve a useful function, although there are other ways to keep the platform in position.

Getting good results from a 3D printer requires paying close attention to details that can't possibly make any difference: small temperature variations, tiny angles, minute position changes, slight diameter changes, and a host of other "irrelevant" measurements. The M2 will deliver accurate and stable results over the long term, with just routine maintenance, but (as with any 3D printer) achieving great results doesn't happen by magic.

Don't feel bad: we all started from where you are now (some of us with much worse printers) and the forums have a wealth of information. Take a look at the photos in the Showcase section to see what you will be doing in short order.

Welcome aboard...