Team 3D
This page is under construction. PLEASE STAND BY.
Note this is mostly for maintainence, not for general usage. For information on using the 3d printers, please see the 3D printers Page
3D printer construction and maintanance team.
Printer Stuff
For info on using the printer's see the main 3D printers Page
Quick links:
Proposals
This is a list of proposed suggestions, ideas, shenanagins, and other various odities that may be informative
These are all hypothetical conjecture, and may not be practically implementable.
Proposed projects
These are Projects; Itemised and contained, running for a hopefully finite span of time.
TODO
Proposed plans
These are more long form policies than individual projects.
Long term print corner operations
TODO
Once most of the 3d printers are working at all well, we will have many working printers
As it is unlikley that all of them will be utilised continuously, and hackspace space isn't exactly in surplus, all of the printers need to serve at least some basic continuous purpose
- Prusa - Sitting and being awesome
- Felix - Rapid prototyping (IIRC it canout-pace the prusa)
- BigBox - MultiMat/Large form factor
- MendelMax - Large form factor + Prototyping (See Below TODO)
Prototyping platform
Idea is simple: Use the mendelmax for fun shenanagins
Ideas currently include:
- Clay Extrusion
- Colour mixing extruder
- E3D volcano
- 3mm extruder
- MORE = TODO
Procedures
Check with a print maintainer before you mess with the printers. We like not returning to a tangled mess of broken printers and dreams
These are standard procedures needed for printer setup/configuration
PID Tuning
This is used to stop the fracking printers from fracking failing to fracking heat up.
MOST 3D printers use PID loops to maintain the hotend and bed temperature. PID loops are used to account for the slew that is heat transfer. If they don't they will laugh at you when you try to mess with PID.
AutoTune
Marlin and The RepRap wiki have some great docs on how to autotune PID.
To summarise so you don't need to read them you GENERALLY call:
M303 C<count> E<tool> S<temp> U1
For this command:
- The count is how many loops of pid tuning to run
- The tool is what you are tuning; Extruder number indexed from zero, OR -1 for bed
- The temp is the temp to calibrate at. I.e. if you are having stabiluity issues at 220C, then you want S220
- The U1 tells the printer to use this value instead of just printing it to console.
You then save with:
M500
If you have EEPROM enabled. Which you should
Pro-Tip: If your temperature plummets when the fans come on, enable the fans before performing a PID tune
Manual Tune
When autotune fails, manually tuning CAN work.
There are 3 pid values each meaning different things:
- The proportional factor - P - How much PID cares about the difference between target and current
- The integral factor - I - How much PID cares about the historical difference from the target
- The derivative factor - D - How much PID cares about the rate of aproach to the target
Some common problems solvable by this:
- Printer never reaches tempreture - Increase P
- Printer overshoots - Decrease P AND/OR Increase D
- TODO: MORE
Calibration Dump
The current printer calibration data can be dumped using an M503 command
This can then be copied to the wiki in a code block, such that any maintainer can access the wiki to restore the calibration, even if the one who calibrated it is no longer there.
TODO: MORE
Unblocking Hotend
Most of this guide section is built for E3D hotends. Most of our printers run them. As always: If unsure check with someone.
These assume the nozzle isn't blocked. TODO FIXME
Heat killable blockage
Take this to be phase 1 of the process of killing blockages.
The procedure here is simple:
- Heat up printer above normal print temp. Prusa recomend 250 for PLA; 270 for ABS
- Feed filament in (if necesary, with "encouragement")
- Hope it extrudes
If it does WOOT. If not: Try a higher temp or onto:
Hard blockages
Caution: This involves putting your hand near very hot (>250C) metal parts.
So trying to melt out the blocky git has failed. Now you need to push it out. This generally means the blockage is higher up in the heatbreak; likley in the heatsink side.
To do this you need:
- Your hotend extracated from the printer head (with nozzle removed)
- A long, rigid stick like implement for pushing the blockage out (should be slightly less than the diameter of the filament)
If you are going the full hog and getting out the heatbreak; an 1.5mm allen key may work.
Procedure:
- Push tool down hotend
- Try both ends
If this fails cold:
This may need lots of heat. I.e. >300C; Instant burning, hand melting temps. Beware.
- If still attached to the printer (heat cartridge+thermistor) try heating it up and repeating
- If it is not attempt to extracate the heatbreak and push it out of that; while heating it up with a hot air gun
- If the heatbreak is stuck in the Radiator, remove the PTFE liner, then heat with a blow torch.
- If you cannot remove the liner then HARD ABORT; PTFE is dangerous if heated above 250C (hence why it doesn't go into the heat block)