31
votes
Accepted
When to use 1.75 mm vs 3 mm filament?
There's no appreciable difference. Just use the filament that fits your particular printer.
If you don't yet have a printer, then I'd get one that uses 1.75 mm filament:
1.75 mm is ...
- 14.8k
19
votes
Accepted
How should I clean my extruder when changing materials?
If you feel you need to clean the nozzle the best approach is a cold pull. You can perform this procedure with many printers, however, you should seek advice from your printer manufacturer before ...
- 470
19
votes
Accepted
Why do the corners of my ABS object lift off the bed?
There are many different approaches to solving this issue and most of the answers already are spot-on. However, the fundamental reason for the "warping" is incorrect and inconsistent temperature ...
- 6,284
19
votes
When to use 1.75 mm vs 3 mm filament?
There are a few factors to consider those two:
3 mm
More rigid - easier to print with flexible plastics. I couldn't make my 1.75 mm printer print with NinjaFlex using standard Bowden extruder.
Can ...
- 456
19
votes
Accepted
Which is the difference between MK6 and MK8 and even MK10?
All credits for the following go to user "vermon" who posted in this thread.
The following is a heavily amended version from his longer answer there.
Makerbot did start its hotend series using MK as ...
- 4,687
17
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between a Bowden extruder and a direct drive extruder?
A Bowden extruder and a direct drive extruder are two different types of extruder systems used in FDM 3D printers. Both feed filament into the hotend, but differ in the way the filament is pushed into ...
- 1,151
16
votes
When to use 1.75 mm vs 3 mm filament?
I generally agree with the points in masteusz's and Tom van der Zanden's answers, but I would add a bit more detail. Generally, the differences are minimal, however:
Generally speaking, a 1.75 ...
- 363
16
votes
Accepted
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an all-metal hot end compared to one with a PTFE heat break?
This is a good question to make a comparison table. All-metal hotends Vs. PTFE liner hotends.
All metal:
Works well for high (+250ºC) temperatures filaments like nylon or PC.
No need to replace the ...
- 306
14
votes
Accepted
Can 1.75 mm filament be used in a printer that takes 3 mm filament?
Typically an extruder and hot end are designed for one or the other, and cannot support the other without mechanical changes.
The extruder may not be able to grip a smaller diameter filament with ...
- 1,853
14
votes
Accepted
Will I see a noticeable difference switching from a .4mm to a .3mm nozzle?
1) Smaller nozzle advantage: sharper "corners" (higher X and Y resolution)
2) Larger nozzle advantage: faster 3d printing (because you can print the shell faster as each perimeter can be thicker so ...
- 944
14
votes
Accepted
Filament isn't going into the Bowden tube, instead it goes "into the room"
This is typically caused by resistance in the tube or hotend but in your case it appears to be mostly caused by a very poorly designed extruder. The filament needs to be constrained closer to the ...
- 2,090
12
votes
Accepted
How do I calibrate the extruder of my printer?
Basic process
To calibrate the extruder you would need to verify that the
requested amount of filament is actually what is being moved by the extruder.
Structural or temporary problem
A first thing ...
- 34.5k
11
votes
When to use 1.75 mm vs 3 mm filament?
I think (as do a lot of others) that the differences are rather minor. So just my 2 things I know from experience. We've been using 3 mm for some years and now we are moving towards 1.75.
1.75 mm ...
- 1,106
11
votes
Extruder is running backwards?
You can either flip the connector for the motor around (i.e. plug it in backwards) or (if you are using Marlin firmware) look for the following line in configuration.h: (using the Arduino editor open ...
- 14.8k
10
votes
Why do the corners of my ABS object lift off the bed?
Most common problem with corners is to low temperature of heated bed. Set the heated bed temperature to 110°. If this will not help then try to set brim in your slicer.
The problem can be cause by ...
- 1,911
10
votes
Accepted
How do I keep my extruder head from getting clogged?
Different types of hotends and extruders can lead to different problems associated with clogging. Based on my personal experience the leading causes of clogs and jams are the following
Foreign ...
- 403
10
votes
Accepted
Why does my PLA filament form a spiral shape and clog my extruder?
The shape you get is quite easy to explain. It's the shape of the lowest energy possible in your situation. Simple but it doesn't explain the issue... or does it?
It does. The filament cannot be put ...
- 3,456
10
votes
Accepted
Can an extruder rated for 24 V work with 12 V ATX power supply?
Electrical engineering can be quite complex, but in this case you can save yourself with same simple equations/relations. Using the following formulae:
Voltage ($\ U$) equals current ($I$) multiplied ...
- 34.5k
9
votes
Accepted
Are the Makerbot 5th generation's initial issues resolved
Makerbot claims the problems are fixed. I have heard from a number of resellers that the problems are fixed. Unfortunately, both of those are somewhat biased sources. It's surprisingly hard to get ...
- 6,536
9
votes
Efficient and easy way to thermally insulate the heat block of the hotend?
The "quick and dirty" approach is to just slap a bunch of Kapton tape on there. The more the better! (Until you need to dismantle for maintenance, anyway.)
I find pre-cut ceramic tape + kapton tape "...
- 6,536
9
votes
Accepted
How to choose an extrusion temperature?
Printing temperature basics
Manufacturers generally specify a somewhat wide range of printing temperatures, and what temperature you should actually need can only be determined by trial and error:
...
- 14.8k
9
votes
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an all-metal hot end compared to one with a PTFE heat break?
Yeah, Yeah... Old topic I know, but still an ongoing topic for new and old hands alike.
"All metal or PTFE lined" along with "Bowden or Direct drive" Those are the questions!
This is a very unusual ...
- 91
9
votes
Filament isn't going into the Bowden tube, instead it goes "into the room"
Your extruder is encountering resistance and the filament path is too open.
Your teeth seem to be biting in too hard. Loosen up your tensioners a bit. Teeth biting too hard deforms the filament. ...
- 239
9
votes
Accepted
PTFE pulled into extruder gears
You are probably right, I have a Tarantula as well, and this happened many times to me. The reason is mostly because the hotend fan gets too hot, stops working, then, the filament in the aluminium ...
- 206
8
votes
How should I clean my extruder when changing materials?
In most cases, removing the old filament from the printer, inserting the new filament in, and running the new filament through the printer for a short period of time will clean the nozzle. The skirt ...
- 2,268
8
votes
Why do the corners of my ABS object lift off the bed?
Adding a manually added brim with a larger bulk at the corner extremities that you can cut off after printing should help. My larger prints come off the printer looking like tents with concrete ...
- 181
8
votes
Efficient and easy way to thermally insulate the heat block of the hotend?
I ask myself why people hassle with kapton tape when it is so easy to use teflon sealing tape to isulate the hotend. This tape is slightly foamed to allow better sealing when used for sealing "tube ...
- 81
8
votes
Pulling filament through long tubes
I would say it's not the best approach.
In the situation you've described I would rather install some kind of vertical ring a bit above your printer. This ring would organize your filament going ...
- 3,456
8
votes
What are the advantages and disadvantages of an all-metal hot end compared to one with a PTFE heat break?
In general, metal extruder without PTFE feeding is useful when printing with materials that require high temperature to melt: 300oC and above.
Polycarbonate with recommended printing temperature at ...
- 878
8
votes
Accepted
Silver Solder specifications for hot end heating element
The first is not suitable. ASTM96TS Sn96Ag4 has a melting point of 221–229 °C according to Wikipedia. Pb96Ag4 would be OK, but that is not lead free so doesn't seem to match your description. ...
- 3,792
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible