Tip of the Day 30 - Using 3DTouch, CubeX,CubePro and Rapman

[rustel1972]

hi glad i could help a little, i am in the same boat with kisslicer and now this software [like it alot]

i am having the same struggles as you. the fff file i posted was great for large parts 230mm dia, but terrible for small parts
i am experimenting now and will post my results when they are positive.

[rustel1972]

bubble blower

hi i have been tweaking the fff to print small parts
it is not to bad. it is a section for an auto bubble blowing machine and is hollow in abs

basically the area i change are the
printing speed in others
M108 in script
extrusion multiplier
layer height .2
i keep the nozzle diameter as it is on my machine and on auto
the layer height under 100% buries the filament [my z height is a sheet of paper]

is anyone has good printing results on a cubex in ABS i would like to try their fff

[the_dude]

So far I've had better luck with CubeX on Kisslicer, but since Simp3D worked wonders on my other printer I'm determined to make it work with CubeX.

How close would you say your getting to the max resolution claimed by CubeX with Simplify 3D and Kisslicer? When using Simp3d with my lower spec printer I get amazing resolution.. I can't get CubeX to match the resolution of my other printer.

I'm trying to re-level the CubeX bed at the moment, what a pain that is. What method do you use to level the bed?

Thanks for the .fff, I'm going to give that a shot after I re-level the bed.

[rustel1972]

hi I am at .2 layers. I need to get .1
the balance is having the layers adher to each other. which I jiggle in the m108 , speed and extrude with percentage.
I'm sure there is a clever way to figure this, but I'm not sure what it is.
I will continue to experiment. for bed leveling,
I have a heated bed.. but I have a digital 50 mm leveling prob I use for my cnc machines. I level the back left to right, then I do front to back. my bed is quite level. it is easy to test by printing a large ring and stop once the skirt is printed.
i also have crude covers to enclose the printer.
I have an alternate z sensor which i glued and cable tied. Same goes for the magnet..the small jiggle the machine has did upset the repeatability of it before I glued it.
I might try printing a detailed part. I am now getting better prints than i did with kisslicer. I really like this softwares interface.

[the_dude]

re-leveled the bed today.. I have to say the design of that is terrible. But with some proper feeler gauges and patience I was able to get the bed almost perfectly leveled. That probe you mentioned sounds interesting..

First test with Kisslicer, best result so far, pla was well laid on the bed. resolution still needs help.

On to simp3d.. wow, that last fff file you gave me is turning out real nice. The only thing I tweaked was the temp setting, I changed the temp to 220 instead of 230. So far the print is coming out really nice with much thinner layers.

The only thing I would tweak next but not sure how is the prime.. when the extruder goes to lay down its first layer its lays a huge wad of pla all over the bed, everything after that seems perfect. What would you suggest I tweak to remove the over-priming?

I'm also experimenting with variable temps throughout the build.. going to start first layer with 220, then drop down to 210 after that. The first layer seems critical and lowering the temp after it I think will allow it to cool more gradually. I'll post some build pics soon.

Thanks again Rustel

[rustel1972]

great to hear, i have that blob problem too, which i will try to sort, once it prints well. My work around is a single skirt with a large off set so the blob is away from what i'm printing.

[the_dude]

So after leveling the bed and your FFF I think i'm at a good place to move forward on configuring Simplify3D for CubeX.

I'm using a bolt and nut as a benchmark for resolution. My other printer is able to print these model's at a resolution good enough that allows the bolt and nut to perfectly thread each other with zero play between them.

So far, my benchmark test on the CubeX is not working well.. but has improved over kisslicer.

When comparing the prints from both printers its clear that the layer on the CubeX are thicker making seams more pronounced.

I'm going to compare the fff profiles on both printers to see if I can find any clues on how I can make the cubeX printer at a higher resolution.

Question: When I set my Z-Gap on the CubeX, I used a feeler gauge measuring 0.102 mm thickness. in my research on the CubeX i found some suggested to go just under 0.100 thickness. What measurable thickness are you using for Z-Gap?

[rustel1972]

hi, i just use a sheet of printer paper for my z height, with it adjusted so you can feel tension when you move it back and forth.
The thickness your getting in the print, i believe is the M108 S and the default printing speed .
M108 is the extrusion speed, the other is the speed of the gantry.
If you extrude fast, but move move slow you get a thicker line. i think for most printers [not a cubex] the software configures this, but i think the firmware on the cubex is harder calibrate with using this software, which is why i just manually change both speeds till it prints well.
upload your nut and bolt, or send the link i would like to try it .

[MichaelHerron]

hi I am at .2 layers. I need to get .1
the balance is having the layers adher to each other. which I jiggle in the m108 , speed and extrude with percentage.
I'm sure there is a clever way to figure this, but I'm not sure what it is.
I will continue to experiment. for bed leveling,
I have a heated bed.. but I have a digital 50 mm leveling prob I use for my cnc machines. I level the back left to right, then I do front to back. my bed is quite level. it is easy to test by printing a large ring and stop once the skirt is printed.
i also have crude covers to enclose the printer.
I have an alternate z sensor which i glued and cable tied. Same goes for the magnet..the small jiggle the machine has did upset the repeatability of it before I glued it.
I might try printing a detailed part. I am now getting better prints than i did with kisslicer. I really like this softwares interface.

M108 and SPEED are the correct params to fiddle with. The Multiplier does nothing, and the extrusion width should be set and left alone.
Once you find a good M108/SPEED combination for your material, write it down. This ratio should apply (except for very small areas of your print) for all speeds the machine can handle. Our CubePro, for instance, gets good results at .4mm extrusion width and .2mm layer height with a speed of 2500 and an M108 S15. If you wanted to print something slower, you should keep that ratio. (Speed of 1650 would get M108 S10)
Changing layer height would require additional adjustment to the ratio(proportional to the change in layer hight).
If placeholders and placeholder math were available in the scripts, We could create a profile to make Simplify operate more like it does with other printers (its VERY good with other printers!), but there seems to be significant resistance to add such functionality.

[rustel1972]

thanks that is great advice