First Print (Warning: Unspectacular)

[wesadie1969 2729xp 2]

Well I bought the Prusa I3 MK3 in the end. All built and calibrated and seems to be working well.

Now to start looking for bigger challenges.

[ianska 704xp 0]

Looks like it’s set up nice 🙂

What sort of challenge are you looking for?

[wesadie1969 2729xp 1]

Made some base insert templates for Wild West Exodus to get sizes right and they have printed very well and  I’ve just set the first part of Printable Scenery’s Small Winterdale Cottage going (4 walls), it just under a 12 hour print.

Is 3D printing always this nerve wracking?

[ianska 704xp 1]

It is at first, then you get used to it and you’ll be running prints overnight dreaming spaghetti plastic dreams. I still find I wake up at random times in the night and the first thing I’m thinking is “I wonder if the prints are fine” and have to head off to the print room to check on everything lol

12 hours is a good time to keep the prints to though. Means if things mess up you don’t lose too much 🙂

 

[wesadie1969 2729xp 0]

5 hours in of 12.

[warzanKeymaster 31125xp 2]

looking great mate

here are some of the castle bits were printing for Normandy

now the interesting thing is two of these towers have been put together from completely failed prints (just with a bit of out of the box thinking and some super glue lol)

All three beds are working away and so far so good!

[wesadie1969 2729xp 0]

I guess the beauty of failed terrain prints is they can still be utilised as ruins etc.

That’s quite a production line you have going there Warren.

[ianska 704xp 1]

Printers breed lol

[wesadie1969 2729xp 0]

Disaster. 97% complete and the print came loose from the bed. I think I should have used a brim.

Not a complete loss as the print is only missing a tidy layer and the 4 pegs for the roof which can easily be replaced with magnets.

[ianska 704xp 0]

I’ve just printed that too. Nice building and can;t wait for the rest. I did the roof a 0.12mm layer height and it came out super smooth,

[wesadie1969 2729xp 0]

I’m printing at .15 layer height at the mo.

Did you use a brim for the main building?

If this one fails, I’m going at the bed with acetone then a glue stick, it’s a great learning experience this 3D printing lark.

[ianska 704xp 0]

No brim. I only use a brim with small pieces that are likely to fall off. It seems odd that it came unstuck that far into the print with that much of a surface area on the bed. Are you sure the beds level? not sure how it works on the Prusa. Do they have auto leveling?

Coming unstuck can be a combination of things though, bed leveling, type of PLA used or a sudden change in room temp where the bed cools too much and the print unsticks before it’s got up to temp again. I’d try the acetone and a level before hairspray and glue though 🙂

[wesadie1969 2729xp 0]

Hmm, it was late at night and I had the room window open, so maybe the temp dropped too quickly for the bed to compensate.

[ianska 704xp 0]

I’d say that was it. It’s getting cold here now and I’m finding I have to shut the print room window overnight. as long as the room stays under 32 degrees it’s normally all good

 

[shingen 13941xp 0]

Hi wesadie1969,

 

Good choice of printer 😉 Congrats.

 

Looking at your first print (a whistle) I think you may want to tinker a bit with fine tuning Z axis, it may be only a picture but I think your hotend maybe too high over printbed at first layer. That doesn’t look like that on your next print, but whistle’s bottom looks uneven.

 

I use older type of printbed surface, but found out the hard way that one should always use some glue stick, even when printing simple PLA.

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