dunginhawk
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:15 am

NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

Good morning... So I have been using my FF Creator pro w/ simplify 3d for a couple months now and couldn't be happier... My quality on Cura, Slic3r, Mattercontrol, etc was considerably less than what S3D produced, so thanks for that.

So i finally finished a large job I was working on and thus have finally freed up my printer (for the first time) to start having some fun. I have a rostock max v2 but very rarely (bowden) got the flexible filaments to work right.

So with the FF Creator pro i have to use 240 degrees to get the extrusion at a good flow, which seems to work, its just hotter than expected. So a lego test print worked out just fine. Another print stuck to the bed so much that it peeled off at the layers (fine, it was a test anyway).

My question is... First, are there any folks using Ninja with FF creator pro? What has been your experience. Im starting to use more copperfil too, which is a finicky beast as well.
Im not sure if its the .4mm nozzle or what my issue is but when S3D slices and extrudes the bead is so thin coming out that a double layer wall is actually separated by a gap.
What would be the best setting to rectify that? I thought about raising the extrusion multiplier to 2.0 (its a big gap) or changing the width to .6 or whatever it needs. It seems like this is a bandaid rather than a solution. These same things sliced just fine on matter control and extruded (when the bowden tube allowed) thick enough to avoid this problem (.5mm nozzle).

Would love to get a discussion going. Definitely bought this printer to get in to the softer filaments.
thanks
JoeJ
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Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 10:52 am

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

If you're having to set the extrusion multiplier to 2.0, then there's definitely something wrong. Either you have the wrong filament diameter specified, there is a partial nozzle clog, or maybe even some other factor like bad temperatures that isn't allowing the nozzle to freely extrude. Could also be mechanical where the extruder is having a tough time properly driving the flexible plastic.

For the printers I have used with NinjaFlex, there were very few adjustments needed besides slowing down the speed. You can't run at nearly the same speed with the flexible filaments.
ssayer
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Dec 09, 2014 7:24 pm

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

Copperfill is finicky?? What brand? I'm using the Reprapper brand and it prints exactly like my other PLA...
dunginhawk
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:15 am

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

no, I'm not having to set it to 2.0 extrusion multiplier, just saying, by the way it is, 1.05 won't make up that gap.
it extrudes very well, and prints very well, it just isn't working as it should.

and the colorfabb copperfil... i wouldn't say its finicky, it just need tuning..
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jimc
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Location: mullica, nj
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Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

I have been printing a ton of ninjaflex lately. So much that i have another printer on order to just run it 24/7. I dont have a ff but i can say that the tough thing for ninjaflex to do is purge all old plasic type filaments from the hot end. I run an e3d hot end with a .4 nozzle and have fou d the best thing for me to do is have a dedicated ninjaflex hot end. One that has been fully cleaned out and has nothing but ninjaflex in it. The nozzle needs to be completely clean. I can bet that your ff nozzle has a thin coating of plastic in it that the soft rubber cant flush out making the hole dia smaller than the .4 that its supposed to be.
dunginhawk
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:15 am

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

jimc, i think that may be the right answer... i thought about that. i may give that a whirl.. although changing nozzles is a big PITA :)

any recomendation on a nozzle brand?
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jimc
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Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

Well i really dont know anything about ff so someone else will need to chime in on that
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BaronWilliams
Posts: 159
Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

Try using eSUN printer cleaning filament to remove filament from your print nozzle before using NinjaFlex.

If I don't clean the head, then during a print, I some times see specs of burnt plastic extrude with the NinjaFlex. It looks very ugly. I see this problem with NInjaFlex more than with other filaments.

The eSUN cleaning filament works very well. I have used this many times. I heat my print head to 230 C. Then insert the cleaning filament. I let it extrude just enough to know it's all the way inside the print nozzle (with about 10 mm of filament doing the cleaning job). I let it sit there for about 1 minute. When it heats up inside the nozzle, it expands, and it sticks to other plastics, but doesn't stick to the nozzle at all. Then I pull it out, and I will see pieces of plastic, and other burnt particles come out with it. I cut off the 10 mm used portion, and try again. If it comes out clean the next time, I know I'm done. Usually 1 time is enough.

I always clean the nozzle after using exotic composite filaments such as filaments containing wood, copper, bronze, etc. It does a very good job of preventing cross filament contamination by keeping your nozzle clean. Between PLA, ABS and HIPS usage, I have not needed to clean the nozzles at all. With things like NinjaFlex, and composite filaments I need to do this.

While it looks pricey at first, keep in mind that for each cleaning, you're only using about 10 mm of cleaning filament.

See here http://www.amazon.com/Printer-CLEANING- ... B00MG02WNK
dunginhawk
Posts: 39
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2015 10:15 am

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

i have a length of cleaning filament... i find that when i do it though, even letting it cool, it just snaps off inside the nozzle . it doesnt want to pull out with all the junk in tact..
i do have a BRAND new nozzle in my right extruder that im thinking about using just for ninjaflex.
I wish i had more things to print with ninjaflex :)
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BaronWilliams
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Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 8:30 pm

Re: NinjaFlex w/ FF Creator Pro

dunginhawk wrote:Im not sure if its the .4mm nozzle or what my issue is but when S3D slices and extrudes the bead is so thin coming out that a double layer wall is actually separated by a gap.
How fast are you printing? If you attempt to print NinjaFlex too fast that will happen for sure. I print at about 20 mm/s to get good results. Sometimes 30 mm/s IF the batch of filament can take that. Some batches cannot print well at that speed and start to print as if under-extruding. I found green NinjaFlex needed to print at 20 mm/s max, while red usually could do 30 mm/s.
dunginhawk wrote:i have a length of cleaning filament... i find that when i do it though, even letting it cool, it just snaps off inside the nozzle . it doesnt want to pull out with all the junk in tact..
The FlashForge Dreamer and the FlashForge Creator Pro have almost the exact same parts in the print head. I can easily pull out the cleaning filament on my Dreamer. I never had it snap off. I used it dozens of times.

You must be doing something different than I am doing.

I usually only let it cool to about 200 C before pulling it out. I don't let it cool to room temperature.

Are you letting it cool down below 200 C before pulling it out?

Are you pulling it out from the bottom of the nozzle?

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