Calibration Process Brainstorming, Part Deux

PLA or ASA - but PLA is going to be your best option. I started with ABS and made it my go to material when it was unpopular because it was hard to get it to print well on home 3D printers. ABS is the same material a Lego Brick is made from, also the black plumbing pipe at home improvement stores. ABS is used widely and has a long history. As a printing material it requires heated bed. It warps. Depending on the shape it can be very hard to work with. I printed in ABS for 6 years. Some printers are better at it then others.

All 3D printing has a learning curve. Some printers are better at some materials then others.

You mentioned ASA, what is ASA? I’m glad you asked. ASA is very simulat to ABS but has a UV stability component missing from ABS. Parts out of ASA will have a better shelf life. ASA is almost identical to handle as ABS.

PLA has a lower melting temperature and resists warping and tends to have sharper edges. I describe it as being more glass like. Those hard shaper edges will chip if dropped more easily. PLA tends to be much easier to print with not requiring a heated bed. It is much easier to get more successful results quicker with PLA.

All of this means for the part you making PLA will be more accurate, easier to print and have less warping. I would print it 180 degrees from the way you pictured it with supports. The orientation of your part will effect it’s strength, looks and accuracy.

The Monoprice Printer is inexpensive and has been a workhorse for me. However in their launch they suggest Simplify 3D. It is a $150 printing package. I had problems when I was dealing with their support department. I worked for a 3D printer company and had users asking for help with the product. Instead of working with me they basically said we have this, send the customer to us, they are ours. My customer sent a copy of Simplify 3D telling the customer not to contact them to reach-out to me. I forwarded it 3 times to the only support address they have, they refused to respond to me. So for being one of the most expensive printing solutions I can’t say much for any support you may or may not receive. For some prints it is the best results in tool path and performance with the mini delta. I’m not sad I paid for it, I just don’t like them as a company based on the contact I had.

Depending on if you want to spend time learning to print or just want to get things done would dictate what the best printer is.

As an example I know a guy that just bought a printer for $80. I know he will be able to print, but his $80 printer will need $120 of upgrades to get where he is going. It will take him approximately 4 - 6 months to get his printer to a point that he can get basically good prints.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thank you

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Sounds like you have quite a bit of experience here.

Thanks for that bit of info. It is really difficult to get an idea of what is needed in a 3D printer. $150 is cheap in my mind, comparing to some of the more heavily marketed printers, like the Prusa i3 mk*.

Thanks @bee… I have the super cheap monoprice printer on order and it supports PLA or ABS. Apparently, it does not come with any filament (was cheap, so can’t complain). I’ll grab some PLA filament as well. Do you have any recommendations on where to get it from?

Regarding supports, could I just keep it oriented the same way but build in a transition at 45 degrees from the 1/2-inch cylinder to the square camera mount portion… It would make it a bit taller, but I don’t think that’s a problem. That way I don’t have to flip it upside down and put supports in where I want the camera to cleanly install.

The printer we are talking about is capable of printing about the size of a soda can.

The Monoprice Mini Delta - it runs in the $180 range. However the suggest another manufactures software that costs $150 in addition to the printer.

Again the first question needs to be what are your goals.

Thank you

I just ordered a Tevo Prusa Clone a few days ago. It seems all of the cheap 3d printers (mine included) have their faults. I picked one that was popular even though there are “better” ones in the same price range. I made my choice because hopefully it will be easier to get parts, upgrades and help.

We’ll see I guess :slight_smile:

I’m writing a piece over on Disciples Of CNC ( DO CNC ) about 3D printers right now it will be up next week.

https://www.disciplesofcnc.com

Did you check out their forums first before deciding on your printer?

Thank you

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I mostly went by YouTube videos and didn’t check any forums on purpose. I was trying to keep bias to a minimum. I almost bought a Kossel style delta printer, but changed my mind based on the reputation of the Prusa. Now I have another thing to learn about.

Little by little…

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I took the opportunity to spend time with Fusion360 and I’m really starting to like it. This is a rendering of a rough camera mount. I don’t have the camera yet, so I don’t know the precise dimensions of it.

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Little OT, but I got my 3D printer last night. Setup was incredibly simple and I printed their test piece. Looks pretty good for $160 printer and no calibration. I think it will work just fine for the stuff I want to make… like the camera mount. I expect the camera to arrive any day now (it’s in the U.S.)

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Be careful. They’ll eat all your spare time…

I got a Printrbot Plus 6 years ago and still haven’t managed to get back to the Zenbot.

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I’m interested in marrying 3D printed parts with parts cut off the Maslow to do some robotics with the kids. Maslow to print the platforms and larger structural parts and the printer to print the 3D “precision” parts.

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Go @madgrizzle go! Let me know if you need any help.

Thank you

Will do. I’d actually like to have a subforum here for 3D printing since some of the techniques are related (and I really don’t want to join another forum… got enough as it is)

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That looks like it came from a Monoprice Delta. I am a little jealous as I bought one and had bed level issues that I have not had time to get back to. I need a couple months without work or kids to get caught up on projects :confused:

I don’t have a forum setup on Disciples of CNC yet.

https://www.disciplesofcnc.com

But I did start a Wiki and added a page dedicated to my thoughts on 3D printers.

https://www.disciplesofcnc.com/wiki/pmwiki.php?n=Main.HomePage

https://www.disciplesofcnc.com/3d-printing.html

While I’ve put the direct link to the 3D page it helps me if you create an account from the main page.

Thank you

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Yes, its the MP Mini Delta. Worked right out of the box. I put some blue painters tape on the bed after I fed the filament through the extruder and hit print. The mini delta auto-levels the bed apparently.

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For what it’s worth I have 2 of the MP mini delta printers now and both work very well out of the box.

Thank you

Yeah, it is supposed to autolevel, but from the research I did when it didn’t work out of the box for me, it seems that there are two ways that it can get off level. One being a bent build plate (which would be the easiest to fix) and the other being a sensor improperly located (which, I believe is the problem I am experiencing). The fix that I read through a Reddit user is to add material to the top of the poorly positioned sensor to bring it up to the right spot.

Unfortunately, I have not had an hour to sit down and concentrate on determining a fix (and even less time without small hands trying to “help”).

I was/am impressed with the printer, though. I think I just got one of the rare ones that doesn’t work right out of the box.

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BTW - I’d get some super lube and lube up the rails. ad a bit above and below the bearings as it is moving. As shipped the MP-MD is dryish. Mine was squeaky out of the box. Remove any excess as you don’t want it to drag on the bearings.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Lube-3-oz-Tube-Synthetic-Grease-with-Syncolon-PTFE-21030/202932687?cm_mmc=Shopping|THD|google|&mid=s8zXmKv4N|dc_mtid_8903tb925190_pcrid_195274179091_pkw__pmt__product_202932687_slid_&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqM3VBRCwARIsAKcekb2ejAD2P7IkzarJ6wjJDyb-crZySt_bAepQzQAF5Id8o4GO2s5n7ToaAt2lEALw_wcB&dclid=CMjYkOSlgNoCFZN1AQodrXgMBA

Many people like to print “raftless” as they feel it takes unnecessary time and material. I like to use rafts and supports. I have many more successful prints then not by doing so. Especially with materials that want to warp.

If you don’t have any over hangs of greater than 45 degrees you can turn off supports.

There is a great range of costs and quality of filaments. Cheep filament will save you money and eat time fail after fail. Stick to quality stuff. I have had Hatchbox, Polymaker, and Esun come up in these conversations to name a few. I loved the way the Monoprice PLA filament worked on their machine -FWW.

Thank you

@Keith

There are 3 switches on the build plate platform. You could test it pretty quickly by “fingering” the plate to see if they are working while it’s trying to calibrate. When it’s triggered it should move to the next point.

Thank you