Topics

1

General Discussion / Alternate structure support s

« on: November 10, 2017, 02:51:03 AM »

Has anyone tried using alternate utilities to generate support structures?

I'm printing out a few miniature figure test runs that do absolutely require *some* support, but the Zortrax support (even at minimum with support-lite) makes it very tough to remove without breaking an arm or leg off.

Afterwards I tried using Meshmixer to create some supports and then load it in Z-suite with "no" support (NOTE this makes the Meshmixer supports look like some are floating a few layers above the bottom ones).
It seems to print mostly fine, but I still haven't found any settings that get a good balance between preservation of detail and easy support removal.

Anyone else experimented with other supports before loading it up in Z-suite, or would it be best to stick to a single tool to add support and generate Gcode and then use G2Z?

2

General Discussion / Dual fan replacement - wire connector type?

« on: October 06, 2016, 04:09:07 AM »

I want to do a dual fan replacement from the stock single fan, however I want to try and keep everything undo-able and able to change the printer back to complete stock if necessary to send it back to my official Zortrax partner for repairs/replacements.

To do this, I want to keep the stock single fan AND wiring untouched(but remove it completely), then want to put in two other fans of the same size and dual blower, cut their wires and link them together. That way the only permanent change made to the printer is that I have to cut the shrink tubing holding the wires, which can easily be replaced.

An issue with this however, is that I need another connector for the new fans to the control board(The fans have a similar one, but smaller), and have no idea even what they are called to find a replacement, printing them myself doesn't seem like it would work all that well since some parts are extremely thin and there would still need to be some caps/metal parts that I can't really make

I am looking for the two-pin type connectors that connect the fan cable to the control board, but can't seem to find anything that looks exactly the same (Some molex wire-to-board type connectors look similar, but still vastly different), can anyone help in telling what they are called and possibly a source where to get connectors that would fit the printer?

Edit: Another similar connector I could find is an SIL connector, they look the same as the ones on the fans though, so probably still a bit too small

3

General Discussion / My documented Z-Temp installation

« on: July 17, 2016, 07:11:49 AM »

After having my Zortrax M200 for a couple of weeks, I finally received my Z-Temp kit as well (international shipping caused a huge delay)
I decided to document the upgrade process and run a test print after each part to verify that everything still works fine.

Currently the printer was mostly unmodified with just some plexiglass windows/doors added to each side - I wanted to still be able to access every side if needed, so have 3 doors. It's far from airtight, but should be enough to stop any breeze and keep most of the heat in.
I still have to add an additional extruder fan.

Currently I only have official Zortrax filament to work with, but decided to use it all through to see if the Z-Temp components make any difference
The following components were installed:
- Z-Temp
- Z-Temp Bed Heat Control
- ZT-HE
- Extruder Block Insulator

I used one of the models that came on the SD card for a buckle(Attached). Material used was Z-ULTRAT - Nude colour
(I received along it with the printer and couldn't think of any other case where I wanted to use this colour)

A test print was done before/after each part installation:
I   - Before any modification
II  - Installed Z-Temp
III - Installed Bed Heat Controller
IV - Nothing installed, but tried printing with temperature offset by -10ºC
V  - ZT-HE plus Insulator

Some notes I made during each step:
-During the installation of the Bed Heat Controller, the instructions refer to a page on the Zortrax support site to replace the ribbon cable, but it's also not required to remove the build plate during this, as you only need to open up the bottom cover - just unplug, tilt the printer on it's side, remove screws, remove the bottom cover and unplug the fan
-Don't put the bed heat controller in the very last side hole (see attached Bed_Heat for a better position) unless you want to remove that side's rubber foot every time you plan on opening the bottom cover.
-Since I removed the build plate, I auto-leveled it again after replacing it back. No adjustments were necessary
-Once the bed temp controller was installed, I noticed that Z-ULTRAT prints at around 260ºC. This is right around the maximum recommended temperature tor the ZT-HE PTFE tube. While it could probably withstand some brief occasional temperatures around or slightly above this(During extruder heating and filament replacement), I didn't want it to go over this temperature all the time, so decided to test an extra print with the Z-Temp set to -10ºC. Aside from literally one piece of string on a support(which could have happened to any print, no matter the temp), I noticed no visual difference, but the raft actually came off from the build plate and a little easier! After this I used this temperature setting for all later prints, which had no stringing.
-Before installing the ZT-HE, I unloaded the filament, during which a glob of it got stuck in the extruder gear(which I only noticed afterwards when trying to load it again). After installation I noticed a different plastic-y smell and worried that the PTFE tube may have reached a temperature that's too high, but this dissipated after a minute and I haven't noticed it on any subsequent prints
-For the last print after everything was installed (V) - I got a little too zealous trying to remove supports and managed to clip a tiny part out of the buckle itself(middle left on top of the upside down V in the picture) with pliers - this was not a printing error
-Edit: Forgot to mention being a bit confused at first on how to put on the extruder block insulator, but then figured out that the square-ish cutout bit at one end is supposed to be for easy access to the screws holding the heater and thermocoupler

Overall I found the process to be extremely quick and simple, but also allowed me to learn a lot of hou the printer is put together and how to perform maintenance on the parts. Now off to get some additional filament materials to play around with!