Getting Started (Page 3 of 4)

In your image IMG_004 above the extruder is definitely too close to the bed. I would not go too far over 200 for extruder temp as it will not solve a stringy problem by going higher. Have you tried to slow the first layer down the setting is in slic3r under the print settings tab.

...Yes, I have leveled it and played with the little screw thing in the back. Both the screw driver and screw bit itself were too long to fit in there so I was forced to use my fingers to try to turn it. How close to the platform is the extruder supposed to be?..."

your question makes you sound like your not sure on how to set the Z height...

I'm with jeffrey, you need to adjust z and level the bed..

if it hasnt been posted already then read http://wiki.solidoodle.com/

(you have to get used to adjusting/maintaining/calibrating the SD, your going to need to do it on an ongoing basis)

I bet you could sell it on eBay for more than you paid for it...

yep had a laptop with it too I think... maybe a desktop

I don't suppose there are technicians around the country that could help me get this thing to work to confirm whether or not it's a lemon. I read somewhere that somebody got one that for whatever reason the extruder just kept slamming into the side of the casing and actually broke through.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Solidoodle-2nd- … 2c6b09b708

Sold for $770+ shipping. After fees, that's $700, which is what you paid for it I think?

People pay more because they get to skip the wait list and get it now.

I empathize with you on this one, as I can understand how one might expect a "fully assembled" 3D printer to be an out of the box experience.  However, unfortunately that's not where the state of the technology is with FDM printing, even with printers costing many times more.  In my opinion, the Solidoodle is a solid machine, but it's no different from all similar printers in that it is a hobbyist device, not a commercial appliance.

It doesn't sound like your printer is defective in any way, but simply needs the normal tweaks we all had to learn, such as when to add a raft/brim to the model, or when adjustments to the flow and/or z-height need to make a particular model stick better to the kapton tape.

But still, even today, I have a fair number of prints that fail for one reason or another, and have not yet gotten a clog, but expect to at some point.  I enjoy tweaking the machine, which is what I expected from researching 3D printing beforehand.  I call my Solidoodle "the world's BEST time-waster", but I have engineering degrees and bought it as a hobby, so my expectations were certainly different from yours.

I DO NOT recommend buying a 3D printer in this class strictly as business proposition.  A $40,000 Z Corp plaster-based machine or a stereolithography based printer is probably reliable enough for a business, but IMHO you will likely always have to fiddle too much with any FDM machine and its prints to make a significant profit with it.

That being said, I urge you to try a little longer with some of the excellent suggestions others have made here, but dial back all expectations for what results you can reasonably expect to get from the technology.  If you re-evaluate and find out (as I suspect) that it doesn't make sense to keep it as a business device, you might be able to return it to Solidoodle or find another buyer on this board. Given the backlog in machines and the cost of all of its components (since competitors set kits for the same price), I'm guessing you should be able to do so without losing too much.

Well, there's your problem.

It's like any other tool. You can get a paintbrush from the dollar store, or shell out $15 for a quality, brand name brush. The difference will be noticeable.

Stratsys, etc printers are expensive because they are engineered properly, have good quality control, and rigorous testing. The Solidoodle has none of that. If you don't like to tweak stuff, you shouldn't be in hobbyist 3d printing, to be honest. You'd be better served with a service like Shapeways.

I have a background in the arts Rocketman. and i bought the solidoodle with 2 things in mind 1 learn the technology and 2 make art possably use the models i can create to do sculptures in bronze but ultimately to figure out the limits of the technology.

However that being said there is an old magim that paralels what others have said. Whenyou get into a hobby or a buisiness proposition. you have to plan on getting the best equipment you can afford. I looked at the stratasys system at about 12000 as an outright purchase. for approximately the same size work i would get with the sd2 and with about the same size as the sd3. Looking at my money and options i deliberately chose this route. let me carry this argument further

the alalogy of the paint brush is a good example:

a 1 dollar paint brush is going to cost you in other ways the bristles will begin to fall out after a very short while its cheaply made. There have been very rare exceptions I can think of where i have gotten very lucky with a cheap brush and howthe hell they let a kolinski sable brush get marked at 10 cents i'll never know.

but a more expensive brush like say a kolinski sable is going to have better quality hair (the kolinski sable to infact) than a 10 cent horse hair brush. its going to have better glue and be lamped in better with a beter quality ferule and better quality wood handle etc and it will last as much as 20-30 years with proper care and handling. and you won't have to shave your paintings

Just with eh above alalogy the sd is a fantastic bargain. it has a solid frame unlike msot of the kits outhere its well assemsbled but its goign to take work to learn how best to use the material just like an artist has to learn his materials. But if yous tart with the best materials you can as you learn or move up to better systems you will have alot less to unlearn. I've already used what i've learned with the weeki'v ehad the printer to come up with better ideas on designing parts.

again i can put word out to the defcad people if you want i think there are atleast 3 who would be interested but its up to you

I can second what they have been saying.  3d printing is not for the masses or non-technical people who cant use tools.  No matter which FDM printer you buy you will need to worry sbout the same things, calibration, filament, clogged nozzles.  Shapeways on others use a different type of printer, usually powder based, then fused with a laser.

The SD line is very cheap, especially for being assembled.  The other sub $1,100 ones usually require 6+ hours building, then a few more squaring and calibrating.  After that is done, you'll have the same problems as with the SD.

3d printing is still a hobbyists activity and will be until your complaints are addressed.  Calibrations and all that other stuff will have to be done without or with very little input from the end user, like regular paper printers ended up being.  Think of current 3d printers at the same place early dot matrix printers where.  Had to adjust head for paper thickness, etc.  Fixed those issues & made them cheaper and more people got them.

My point wasn't that either rocket man my point was about tools and learnign the materials. And the fact that this isn't a plug and play type technology. I know i'm gonna kick myself but how much research did you do into 3d pritners before you ordered?

I was looking at a few different models. Nothing really mentioned adjusting platforms and stuff that needed to be done due to the rocky ride of shipment.