1 Topic by kartunzlancasterohio

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Topic: first post- first time printing startup ?'s

hello all, this is my first post here at soliforum. It looks like a well rounded support forum full of 3d printing knowledge. Heres what ive got going on. I have what appears to be a solidoodle 1, but might be a 2 because the printbed is 8x8 inches I believe. A buddy of mine bought it new years ago and just sat it in his closet without ever using it. He just gave it to me a couple weeks ago. At first I just took it apart and cleaned and oiled everything and got things moving smoothly. Now I am ready to try my first print. Ive downloaded some software such as Slic3r,soliprint, and 3Dslash. from what ive read I believe I can use soleprint for the entire printing process. What Im asking here today is just for a complete rundown on what I should expect during the printing process.
my main concerns are the initial calibration and startup process..
Im completely new to 3d printing. ive never even seen a printjob done except for a few youtube videos ive watched. but in the videos they already had the printer setup and running before they tried to print anything. I also see a lot of negative comments on the solidoodle. What are some of the experts here opinions of the solidoodle? Im hoping its atleast good enough to break me in to the whole process before I buy a better printer. I have a roll of black and a roll of white abs filament. so basically what im asking for is a basic walkthrough for initial setup and first print. ive downloaded some ready to go files from thingiverse for upgraded replacement parts for my printer I want to start out with. once I get my feet wet ill start designing my own projects.

Thanks,
Adam

2 Reply by kartunzlancasterohio

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Re: first post- first time printing startup ?'s

Another thing I forgot to add in my post is, What are some good upgrades I should do to this that will make it print better? thanks

3 Reply by heartless

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Re: first post- first time printing startup ?'s

Welcome aboard!

if it is 8x8 bed, it is at least a SD3 - the 2 had a 6x6 bed.. not sure about the one...

I have 2 of the SD4s - basically a 3 with full sides/doors.

they are not bad machines in stock form, but they can be improved upon.

My advice is to get familiar with it's operation in stock form first, then maybe think about upgrades down the road when you have a better grasp of things.

To start out, you may want to take a read through the Soli-wiki (http://www.soliwiki.com/) there is some good info there.
Making sure belts are tensioned properly, and everything is aligned well is important.

You will need a way of "communicating" with your printer - most of us use Repetier Host for that. I personally prefer Slic3r for my slicing needs, but use Repetier Host for actually controlling the printers.

I have written a series of blog posts going over the basics of calibration and how to set things up - the information in them was gathered from this forum and it's many members back when I was first starting out... I will get you some links in the morning (about to head to bed now)

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

4 Reply by heartless

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Re: first post- first time printing startup ?'s

Good Morning.

Ok - as I mentioned before, the majority of SD users use Repetier Host (RH for short) for printer control. When we got our first printer, Soliprint was not even an option, so I know nothing about it, or how to set it up. I am sure someone here does, however, if you would prefer to use it.

all of the info I will be sharing uses RH (version 1.0.6) for printer control.

RH download & documentation: https://www.repetier.com/
(it does come with Slic3r and Cura bundled in with it but be aware that some functions are not available via RH, so it is still a good idea to have the stand alone version as well).

Just starting out, I would focus on just getting things up & running and worry about upgrades later. There are several for this machine, but one step at a time here.

so, starting with the basics... there is a video for instructions on how to align the Y axis pulleys for smooth, even movement..
see here: http://wiki.solidoodle.com/belt-adjustment

this blog post goes over belt tension and bed leveling...
https://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/belts-bed-leveling

I then go over proper filament calibration in 2 parts...
Feed rate: https://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/fi … ion-part-1
Flow rate: https://northwoods3d.weebly.com/blog/-f … coming-out
Again, all of the information contained in those 2 blog posts was gleaned from multiple postings here at Soliforum from multiple users - all I did was put it all together in one place.
Your slicing program needs accurate information put in to get accurate results out, so yes, this is important.

For starting out, I would suggest something simple and quick to print (less waiting and less filament usage) until you get things dialed in decently.

you will definitely want this one for calibration purposes...
Basic calibration cube: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:34553

This one is quick and fun, and will also give you an idea of how well you have the carriages aligned & belts tensioned since it is round.
Quick & simple print: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:670785

Be aware that the stock hotend on a Solidoodle has the thermistor taped to the outside of the heatblock, which results in less than accurate temperature readings. Your temperature settings will be very different than the temps "suggested" by manufacturers... In stock form, my SD4 temps were around 165-170C for PLA and 185-190C for ABS. Your machine may vary somewhat from those, but those would be a good starting point to work from. You may need to increase/decrease slightly depending on how things go.

Also be aware that ABS has a somewhat steeper learning curve than PLA would, so don't get discouraged if you don't succeed right away. You can do this.

for more reading material, visit the main Solidoodle section of this forum (further down the main page) and do a bit of poking around in there. Tons of great information!

Beyond that, have fun with it, and ask questions if you don't understand something. We all started out with this the same way - knowing basically nothing. lol

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