Shutting Down?

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outlaw704
Posts: 18
Joined: Fri Apr 11, 2014 11:58 pm
Location: Austin, Texas

Shutting Down?

Post by outlaw704 » Tue Apr 22, 2014 11:59 pm

Very raw NOOB here.

Today was my first day printing (first time I've even seen 3D printing in person...). Lot's of successes using Red MakerGear PLA with Simplify3d on Windows 8, sending files by USB.

I've got a few questions.

What is your shutdown protocol? How long after a print finishes do you wait to turn off the printer (and fans)? Can I damage the M2 or cause thermal stress by not allowing a cooldown period? How do you disconnect your computer from the printer? I just pulled the USB cord out and got a Windows crash, there must be a correct way??

Thank-you!

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Tim
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Location: Poolesville, Maryland
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Re: Shutting Down?

Post by Tim » Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:24 am

I've done it all different ways. The best way I've seen is to add a gcode trailer to every print in which the machine runs the fan for a short while (cooldown period), then shuts everything off. This helps if you're not necessarily going to be somewhere close to the printer when it finishes the print.

On the other hand, I have stopped the machine dead mid-print (many times!), and it doesn't really make much difference if it gets a cool-down period or not. Usually it's best to wait for cool-down before you remove the print, but that's only because it's much harder to remove a print from a hot bed than a cool one (but I'm impatient, and the razor blade works).

Since getting Simplify3D Creator, I have been leaving the machine on after prints, because for the first time I can just run one print after another (eventually I need to clean the plate and reapply the hairspray). If the fan gets annoying, I manually turn it off with the fan speed adjustment in the machine settings in Simplify3D. But, if I just turn off the printer (which I do by having it plugged into a power strip sitting next to it and within easy reach), Simplify3D quietly disconnects, and is ready to reconnect when I turn the printer on again (although it also likes to change the com port, which I have to set back to the correct one. This is a Linux thing, so your milage may vary with that one). Actually I'm pretty impressed with Simplify3D's communications, as it's considerably less hassle than pronterface. If there are Windows-specific warnings, then somebody else will have to answer them, because I will not willingly get near a Microsoft product.

Toby
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Re: Shutting Down?

Post by Toby » Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:38 am

congrats on your first print :)

I don't know that it matters much, but my concern about cooldown and keeping the windows ports assignments straight led me to the following ritual:

when a print ends and I'm not going to print again right away (i have two glass plates so I can swap them out and print immediately), I wait for the hot end temp to drop below 150, then click disconnect in S3D, then turn the power off the M2.

Also while the hot end is cooling I use tweezers to pull off any ooze that accumulates on the nozzle so there's no interference with leveling/z-height adjustment on the next print.

I haven't been using the 50mm bed fan so that isn't running in my case, but if for some reason it were running after the print I wouldn't hesitate to turn it off immediately using the slider in S3d

There are much more involved end sequences out there in GCode- I think Dale's is the most often quoted and last I heard it had made it's way into the docs in this forum.

I've also gotten into the ritual of removing the glass plate even if I'm not printing again right away. I put it on a wire rack with the vague idea that it's sort of like bread and it might cool more evenly that way. Lots of other factors might be at play, but since I started doing that it seems to help when it comes time to remove the part.

Dale Reed
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Location: Cleveland Heights, Ohio USA

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by Dale Reed » Wed Apr 23, 2014 1:37 pm

Toby wrote:congrats on your first print :)
<snip>
There are much more involved end sequences out there in GCode- I think Dale's is the most often quoted and last I heard it had made it's way into the docs in this forum.
<snip>
Yes, congratulations! And welcome to the fun!

Thanks for the props, Toby. Here's my ending G-code, which extracts the filament (for unattended prints, don't do that if you are in a production environment and going to print again right away) and does a cool-down with full fans, then "presents" the part for your inspection and amazement.

Code: Select all

G91 ; relative mode
G1 Z20 ; lift 2 cm
G90 ; absolute mode
G1 F6000 ; medium fast
G1 X200 ; off to right
G92 E60 ; set extruder relative pos for retracting 6 cm
G1 F300 ; set speed
G1 E0 ; retract move filament -60 from G92 point
M104 S0 ; turn off hot end heat
M140 S0 ; turn off bed heat
M106 S255 ; cooling fan full speed
M108 S255 ; extruder electronics fans full speed
G1 F6000 ; medium speed
G1 Y80 ; reasonable Y
G1 F600 ; slow speed
G1 X180 ; move slow right
G1 X20 ; move slow left
G1 X180 ; move slow right
G1 X20 ; move slow left
G1 X180 ; move slow right
G1 X20 ; move slow left
G1 X180 ; move slow right
G1 X20 ; move slow left
G1 X180 ; move slow right
G1 X0 ; move slow left to home
G1 Z195 F2500 ; run platform down to near bottom
G1 F6000 ; medium speed
G1 Y240 ; bed forward to present part
M84 ; power as low as possible - disable stepper motors
M106 S0 ; bed fan off
M108 S0 ; extruder fan off
I hope the comments are clear. Note the Set Relative Position to 60mm then "extrude" to zero to do 6 cm of retraction. The rest should be pretty obvious.
Have fun, learn lots, make neat stuff, and be happy!
Dale

outlaw704
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by outlaw704 » Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:33 pm

Thank you All!

I will try all of these suggestions and find the best solution for my environment.

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Artenen
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Location: Sheboygan, WI

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by Artenen » Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:22 pm

That end code was the bees knees! Thanks for posting it!!! I usually set up a print before going to bed.

jsc
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Re: Shutting Down?

Post by jsc » Tue Apr 29, 2014 6:53 pm

Dale, why do you do the thing with resetting the extruder position to retract? Once you are in relative mode, why not just G1 E-60 or whatever?

jbarnhardt
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Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:56 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by jbarnhardt » Tue Apr 29, 2014 9:03 pm

jsc wrote:Dale, why do you do the thing with resetting the extruder position to retract? Once you are in relative mode, why not just G1 E-60 or whatever?
I was wondering this as well... I've seen this in a few different posted start/end gcode blocks.

Dale Reed
Posts: 376
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 1:39 am
Location: Cleveland Heights, Ohio USA

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by Dale Reed » Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:47 am

jsc wrote:Dale, why do you do the thing with resetting the extruder position to retract? Once you are in relative mode, why not just G1 E-60 or whatever?
Uhhmmmmmmm........ because I found it somewhere and tried it and it worked. As Homer Simpson said when Lisa was bad and he sent Bart to his room and Bart objected: "In times of trouble, you gotta go with what you know."

At my advanced age, I've learned the hard lessons about not trying to "fix" stuff that wasn't broken. Now get off my lawn!
Dale

p.s. to Artenen: I'm glad you found it useful! Yes, it's nice to wake up to a finished, presented print and a quiet printer.

jbarnhardt
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Apr 09, 2014 10:56 pm
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Shutting Down?

Post by jbarnhardt » Wed Apr 30, 2014 7:02 pm

Excellent answer, Dave! I will leave your plastic flamingos and gnome statues alone. ;-)

-John

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