1 Topic by wompus (edited by wompus 2021-06-07 08:34:15)

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Topic: Need help getting SD2 up and running again

http://soliforum.com/i/?yI0zdEG.jpg

It's been a while since I had my SD2 up and running. Pulled it out to get back into 3D printing. Had some more difficulties than I wanted to deal with with ABS so switched to PLA. This printer and myself included don't have much experience with PLA but it seems less picky than ABS. Prints were coming out nicer and cleaner. Only thing was trying to figure out what temps to use. 170 on the extruder seemed to be working ok and 70 on the bed with a flowrate of 75. If you have recommendations, I'd like to hear what they are.

So here's the problem. The extruder clogged up during a print. Maybe it was some ABS that was still inside and clogged up the hole. I stuck a 1.5mm hex driver down the shaft of the barrel and pushed a bunch of black stuff out. I thought that did the trick but as I pulled up the hex driver, liquid PLA oozed up and got in the hole of the teflon. Has anyone dealt with this type of issue? I tried pushing it down again but no luck. My next step is disassembly but if anyone has experience or knows a better way, please let me know. Hope to share some of my work and mods with you guys once I get Wompus I up and running again.

2 Reply by heartless

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Re: Need help getting SD2 up and running again

are you sure you have an SD2?
Reason for asking is that hotend mount is SD4, not 2 - so, unless you have made some major changes...

Regardless, you now have a mess on your hands.
Hate to say it, but yeah, disassembly would be in order, and with the stock hotend, it is not going to be easy to clean it out.

If you can get the nozzle off, you can use a mini torch to burn out any stuck PLA, then soak in Acetone to help get any ABS residue out.

for the throat... that is much more difficult to contend with due to the peek liner. you "might" be able to force the stuck material out from the bottom, but yeah... not really sure what to tell you on that.

in all honesty, because of the hot material coming back up into the throat, you are probably going to be better off just replacing the hotend.

I happen to have two stock hotends that would mount right up if you are interested in one.. yours for the cost of shipping it
the one on the right (clean one) is known to have had ABS run thru it last... the one on the left, not really sure what was run last. Your choice as to which one you would like.

http://soliforum.com/i/?0P411sb.jpg

the trick to changing materials is to ALWAYS start with the higher temp, and purge, purge, purge until you are 100% positive you have all of the old material out.
Example 1: to switch from ABS to PLA - start with ABS temps, purge well, then reduce to PLA temp and purge some more to get overheated PLA out. PLA will burn if it gets too hot.
Example 2: to switch from PLA to ABS - again start with ABS temps, and purge well.. then print as normal

with the stock hotend on my SD4, i was running PLA between 160-165C - ABS was around 185-ish, maybe as high as 190 - depending on the color.

SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1

3 Reply by wompus (edited by wompus 2021-06-07 19:52:09)

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Re: Need help getting SD2 up and running again

Yes, it's the 12x12 frame. I've done some mods to it over the years.

http://soliforum.com/i/?D8EN3Ja.png

I'm not sure if anyone else has done the direct drive shaft mod since I posted it here many years ago. I'd like to go back and revisit this mod to clean it up and also do some mods that I've never seen others do. It greatly improved my circle prints in case anyone is wondering.

This SD2 uses the non jig saw extruder and I also incorporated a lead screw into it. When it was working, it was working well for my needs. But it's been many years since she last ran and she's not the same girl she used to be. I actually have a need for a 3D printer now for some projects in the home and work and not just because I find 3D printing interesting.

Thank you so much for the offer. I will let you know after I give it my all to get her working whether I'm going to need replacement parts. Are these parts compatible from any other manufacturer of 3D printers or these are the last of the hot ends for the Solidoodle line of printers? Thank you for the temp recommendation as well.

4 Reply by heartless

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Re: Need help getting SD2 up and running again

to my knowledge, there are no others using the same configuration anymore.. what you see is what you get and that is about it.

most of us have updated the hotend to something else a bit more "modern", with the majority going the E3D route. That is what I run on all 5 of my printers and I have been very happy with them (side note - if you do decide to upgrade, don't buy the cheap clones, not worth it for the long haul) But - and depending on how adventurous you are, it does require making changes to the firmware.. but sounds like you are pretty comfortable with modding things, so...

SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1

5 Reply by justsomeguy

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Re: Need help getting SD2 up and running again

A couple of mods you might consider:

Direct Y drive that looks sturdier than yours: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:593006

New carriage with bearings: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:281795

Extruder (goes well with e3d hot end): https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:738178

There are alternate versions of all of these if  you search around thingiverse.