Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files)

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Jules
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Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files)

Post by Jules » Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:41 pm

READ THIS FIRST

These are my personal (non-MakerGear-sanctioned) S3D profiles for the MakerGear M2 V4 Rev. E dual printer. (Shipped after 03/01/2016). They will not work for the earlier model M2 printers. There is a separate thread with profiles for earlier M2 models.....viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2984


1. If you have not yet done so after installing the dual upgrade, you need to re-set the Starting Height using the MakerGear Z-Adjust Application before you use any of these profiles. (Or any other profiles.) You do not need to re-level.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3666

2. If you have just upgraded from a single....the first thing you want to do in Simplify3D is set your configuration for the new dual extruder arrangement:

Click on Help > Configuration Assistant, then select Printer - MakerGear M2 Dual in the dropdown. The MakerGear M2 Dual is your default profile, and you can use it to set up your own profiles. If you do, be SURE to save the profile under a new name when you have it the way that you want it, so that you can use it later. (Don't just update the Default....it's very easy to do, and it's a quick way to mess yourself up badly.)

It's also a great idea to export your personal FFF files to your desktop, so that you can save a copy that will not get over-written. (File > Export FFF)

3. Step 3, before you use these profiles, is to test each of the individual extruders on a small calibration square print using the MakerGear M2 Dual default profile. This will check to make sure that you have correctly oriented the wires in the RAMBo, and that all of the connections are secure:
calibration.zip
Ed's infamous calibration square - if you can print this correctly your machine is working.
(1.98 KiB) Downloaded 1044 times
a. When you print from the left nozzle using the default profile, you need to make sure that you have set a Temperature for each nozzle on the Temperature tab in the default profile - I just noticed that it lists 0° temp for Tool 0 on the default. That is an error.

b. When you print the calibration square from the right nozzle, you need to tell the printer to use that nozzle on the pages below:
S3D settings.jpg
Changes to make in the Advanced settings of S3D when printing from the right nozzle.


Some things you need to know:

1. Quality/Speed

I print for best quality at what i consider a reasonable speed. These profiles are on the conservative side, speed-wise. Feel free to increase the speeds, but don't expect to get as good results with it.

Second Update: I originally had the Speed Reductions set to about 4% on the Cooling Tab. The previous advantage to that lower number was to reduce heat soak effect on small single prints and detailed surface layers, but there seems to be a bug in the latest version of S3D that applies it to the first layers and shield as well. Increase the value to 20% on all the profiles if it currently lists as 4%. Most recent versions have been updated to 20%.

2. Temperatures

These temperatures for various filaments have been tested on a boro with polyimide tape. (And hairspray, if warranted.) If you are running a different plate, you might need to adjust the temps to whatever works for your surface. I also tend to print on the low side of temperature ranges, it cuts down on oozing. Increase the extruder temps only if you feel you need to. (The defaults cause a lot of oozing issues.) And you might notice a slightly different nozzle temp between the left and right nozzles - that has been deliberately adjusted for the additional fan cooling effect on the right side, mainly for the lower temp filaments.

3. Auto-Configuration

Do NOT click on the Auto-Configuration buttons in these profiles. Do not touch the Auto-Configuration buttons in these profiles.

Pressing on the Auto-Configuration buttons will change some of the settings, but not all the settings that need to be changed, for whatever filament you want to change it to. It will over-write the Starting and Ending scripts which have been optimized for your machine setup.

In these profiles, the necessary settings are coded into the profiles themselves, and appear in the Profile title. You’ll get strange/lousy/crappy results if you try to use Auto-Configure on them.

If you want to create your own dual profiles – start with the MakerGear M2 Dual default profile and adjust from there. Remember to save the results under a new name, or you will modify the original.

4. Labeling Bug

There is a bug in S3D concerning the labeling of the extruder that is used for the shield, when you are using a single filament for the shield, instead of both. It seems to appear randomly, I can’t find the common denominator...what it does is show you that you have specified one filament to be used for the shield, but then when it is sliced, it uses the other extruder for the shield. And it prints how it is sliced.

The main reason I put such detailed descriptions into the profile titles is – it’s going to be really confusing if you think that the shield is going to print out of PVA (as shown in the Profile setup), then it prints the shield in PETG, which is what I actually want it to do. (PVA is horribly expensive; you don’t want to waste it if you are using it in a print.)

(Unfortunately, there’s no way around the bug that I can find – it’s just going to list the wrong extruder.)

When in doubt, the slicer results should match the title of the profile.

5. The Blob

The Blob.jpg
Yaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
The Blob.jpg (27.15 KiB) Viewed 34521 times
Earlier versions of the M2 dual had an issue with S3D that failed to reverse the initial retraction on the inactive nozzle. That caused skimpy flow until the nozzle got warmed up by running through multiple skirt layers. That issue appears to have reversed in the current (Rev.E) version. When the shield begins to print on the first layer, it over-extrudes a little blob. It only happens on the first layer of the shield. The problem we run into is that if we are printing something sticky like PETG, dragging back and forth through that blob can make a bit of a mess; and PLA is even worse......if it hardens quickly - you'll whack into it with the nozzles. My temporary fix is to set the shield out far enough away (3.0 mm) from the print that the blob doesn't impact the print. But 3.0 mm is kind of far away from the print to act as a shield if the filament is really oozy. (2.0 mm to 2.25 mm distance away is optimal for a shield.)

Update: Woo-Hooo! If you detach the shield from the brim/skirt by as little as 0.1 mm, the blob will happen on the outside of the skirt, instead of at the shield, which makes it possible to bring the shield in closer......sometimes you just get lucky. :D

Profiles below have been updated to bring the shield in closer. (Since it is no longer directly attached to the skirt/brim, it might be less stable. Unfortunately, not a lot of choices.)

6. Centering

You will notice that when you are using a dual extruder, your "centered" prints no longer print in the center of the actual plate. That's because the right side nozzle is limited in travel scope. If you prefer to see them actually print closer to the center of the bed, input a Global X Offset of 25 mm or so into the G-Code page, at the lower left of the screen. (I liked to do that with the triangular support, it's not as much of a leveling issue with the new spiders.)

7. Starting and Ending Scripts

These profiles use a different startup and ending script from the default - they attempt to reduce the ooze from the inactive nozzles on shut-down so that the next time you go to print something, you aren't scraping a glob of hardened plastic across the bed at the tip of your nozzles. In order to do that, they purge more than the default does. (Ideally, you should clean the tip of your nozzles when they finish extruding, but I do realize that that is not always convenient.) In addition, you will be best served by waiting around for the start of the print and catching the purge off the side of the bed after it drops - it is possible for sticky filaments to cling to the nozzle making them difficult to wipe off, and ultimately wrecking your print before it even starts. It's just good practice, and although these scripts are designed to weight the load down enough to cause it to drop off to the side, nothing in life is certain. :?

I like to park the print head for the dual in the center of the X axis after a print, (reduces the strain on the right-side filament).

Feel free to change the scripts to whatever you like. (If you touch an Auto-Configuration button with one of these profiles open, you might just change them without realizing it. :shock: )

8. Money Back Guarantee

Yeah, right…… :lol:. I can’t promise that they are going to work for you the way they do for me. Setting up your own profiles is a perfectly acceptable alternative.

Since the forum is limited on attachments – I’ll put the actual profiles into the comments below.

Last - I have rather a lot of profiles for the two different styles of machines.......the ones for this machine begin with VEDual, for Version E, Dual. (Helps me to keep them straight - Feel free to save them under a new name, you ought to know which machine you have. ;) )
Last edited by Jules on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:28 am, edited 8 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:59 pm

Single Extruder Profiles for the M2 Rev.E Dual

Download and unzip the profiles, then import them into S3D. (File > Import FFF)

These work with only one nozzle at a time, and tend to get used more than the others. They're also the ones you should start out learning with, if you've never used a 3D printer.
(Pretty sure the left nozzle profiles can be imported for use into a single Rev.E machine. Anything that doesn't apply just doesn't get used.)

Each Zip File holds two profiles for the filament listed, depending on whether you are extruding it from the left or the right nozzle.
VEDual PLA Single Extruder.zip
(6.69 KiB) Downloaded 1020 times
VEDual PETG Single Extruder.zip
(6.65 KiB) Downloaded 980 times

:)
Last edited by Jules on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:25 am, edited 8 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Tue Apr 05, 2016 12:57 am

Support Profiles for the M2 V4 Rev.E Dual

Download and unzip the profiles, then import them into S3D.
These profiles work simultaneously with both nozzles, but have different kinds of filaments coming from each nozzle. (Used for support.)

Specific Notes:

PVA is a water-soluble dissolving support filament. It is very expensive, so these profiles minimize its use, by limiting the shield to the non-PVA filament, and using the PVA only for support structures. (These support profiles are also the profiles where the labeling bug appears, so don’t get confused.)

PVA is easily picked up by the hot nozzles, has trouble sticking to other filaments, and it drools like wood filament, so it’s very difficult to use. My recommendation would be to use it only if you absolutely have to dissolve something to get it out of your print.

My favorite support filament for PETG is PLA. The filaments do not bond to each other at all, you can literally peel away the PLA supports with very little effort and a small pair of needle nose pliers. But the PLA is much firmer than PVA where support is needed, and the hotter PETG nozzle doesn’t pick it up as much, making a huge mess everywhere the way the PVA does. So I’ve including a PETG with PLA support profile.

Each Zip File holds two profiles for the filament pairs listed, depending on how you have them set up, left or right.
VEDual Support PETG with PLA Support.zip
(6.07 KiB) Downloaded 949 times
VEDual Support PLA with PVA Support.zip
(7.19 KiB) Downloaded 906 times
VEDual Support PETG with PVA Support.zip
(6.07 KiB) Downloaded 887 times

Note: When you send a "non-dual" model to be sliced with one of these Support profiles, S3D might give you the error message below. Just ignore it and continue, the profile will still slice correctly.
Error message.JPG
Just click YES and get on down the road.
Error message.JPG (18.75 KiB) Viewed 34511 times
To check one of the mis-labeled files to see if it has sliced correctly.....Once it's sliced, click on the box next to Coloring, and choose Active Toolhead. That should show the left nozzle (Tool 0) part of the print in blue, and the right nozzle (Tool 1) part of the print in green. If you have your primary print filament in the left nozzle (PETG), and the support filament in the right nozzle (PVA), you will be able to see by the colors whether the main print, infill and shield are blue, with the support filament only showing green in the support areas and a bit in the skirt. That's what you want. If a Support profile sliced correctly, the shield is going to be the color of your primary print nozzle. (Obviously if your primary print filament is coming out of the right nozzle, the shield is going to be green.)

The image below demonstrates the concept. (Not too hard once you get used to looking for it.) And you only need to do this for Support profiles due to the S3D bug, it's not necessary for the other kinds of profiles.
Check Slice Job.jpg
Checking the Slice Job
Check Slice Job.jpg (62.85 KiB) Viewed 34511 times
Last edited by Jules on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:42 am, edited 6 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Tue Apr 05, 2016 2:33 am

Dual Color Profiles for the M2 V4 Rev. E

These profiles work for printing 2 colors of the same filament.
Files designed to use this method have been created with separate parts that merge together into a whole.
dual color1.jpg
Download the profiles and unzip.
To use the Dual Color profiles, import the unzipped FFF file into S3D.

Import the two separate parts of the bi-color file that you want to print:
Example:
Traffic Cone http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:21773

Click on Tools > Dual Extrusion Wizard.
Select the Dual Color Profile in the drop-down for the Base Profile.
dual 2.jpg
Choose the Dual Color Profile you wish to use.
Choose which color you wish to assign to each extruder.

When you get ready to Prepare to Print, choose both the color profiles shown.
Prepare to Print 1.JPG
Slice the print by selecting both Color Profiles.
Prepare to Print 1.JPG (33.37 KiB) Viewed 34502 times
These profiles print with both a brim and a shield, and both colors of filament are used in each.
VEDual Dual Color PLA.zip
(3.51 KiB) Downloaded 986 times
VEDual Dual Color PETG.zip
(3.51 KiB) Downloaded 881 times

:D
Last edited by Jules on Mon Aug 08, 2016 12:45 am, edited 6 times in total.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Tue Apr 05, 2016 4:23 am

under construction.jpg
under construction.jpg (6.72 KiB) Viewed 34483 times
No, you're not crazy........I took the profiles down temporarily for update.

(And...now I'm done.) 8-)
Last edited by Jules on Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:36 am, edited 1 time in total.

jsc
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by jsc » Tue Apr 05, 2016 4:54 am

Wow. You are pathologically helpful, Jules.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:10 am

Pathetic, isn't it? (My DH teases me unmercifully about it.) :lol:

no3dprintexperience
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by no3dprintexperience » Tue Apr 12, 2016 12:16 am

Thanks for these! I just got my dual extruder up and running finally after lots of false starts. So far everything looks good, except that now instead of purging the nozzles at the start of a print and wiping them on the bed, my left extruder purges a giant blob on the bed that both extruders then run through on their way to the starting point for the print. How can I change my settings to make the nozzle purge off the bed again? Thanks and sorry for the dumb question.

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Jules
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by Jules » Tue Apr 12, 2016 1:45 am

no3dprintexperience wrote:Thanks for these! I just got my dual extruder up and running finally after lots of false starts. So far everything looks good, except that now instead of purging the nozzles at the start of a print and wiping them on the bed, my left extruder purges a giant blob on the bed that both extruders then run through on their way to the starting point for the print. How can I change my settings to make the nozzle purge off the bed again? Thanks and sorry for the dumb question.
Not a dumb question......Are you using one of these profiles?

Update: Based on the issues in your other post....i suspect you might have a problem with the wiring on the extruder (backwards) and/or the firmware. Sounds like the machine is treating it as a single. Check your other post for the information i need.

winstondon
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Re: Dual Extruder M2 Rev. E Profiles - Simplify3D (FFF files

Post by winstondon » Thu May 19, 2016 8:16 pm

Hi Jules
Thanks so much for providing all these good stuff.
I just recently put up the Dual V4 retrofit.
My printer was bought before Sep 2015

Should I be using this profile or the other post?
I have yet to have time to do some tweaks to modify the retraction and things, but it seems like they both are somewhat working.

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