Topic: Things to know before you buy...
UPDATED (07.05.13)
I want to list here a few things that I think will help people that are buying a Solidoodle, as well as a few things I wish I had known before ordering. I knew that the Solidoodle isn't a true plug and play printer, and that there's a good amount of tinkering involved with it in order to get good prints, but I still made quite a few mistakes that could have saved me a good amount of time. I will keep updating this thread as I continue getting more experience with 3d printing. Here is just a quick guide that consolidates the most important steps and might keep you from a couple pitfalls.
-Before you order, read everything below. You might want to order some spare parts together with the printer.
-There's not too many instructions that come with it, so here are the most important steps:
-Unpack your Solidoodle but don't remove the kapton tape around the extruder and on the bed.
-Build the filament spool holder
-Connect your power adapter (you might have to push the plug into the power supply quite hard to get a proper connection).
-Install software that Solidoodle provides a link for (I would do this even before you get the printer and get familiar with it).
-Don't forget to Install the driver (link is bellow the main software link). I forgot to install the driver at first, which caused my
computer to not see the printer. Took me awhile to figure out what was wrong.
-Configure your Software according to the Solidoodle software config instructions.
-Load the slicer config files that are bundled with the Solidoodle software config instructions. The G-Code in the advanced section in slicer needs to be adjusted for the SD 3. It's for the SD 2, which means that it doesn't "dump" in the right place (even if you specified the right "dumping" coordinates in the preference tap. Also, you will have to adjust starting extruder temperature in this code (just changing it in the preference tap had no effect).
-Connect USB cable to computer (do this after you installed the software and driver).
-Make sure your computer doesn't go to sleep. One of my prints got interrupted because my computer went to sleep and the software crashed. Had to start the whole print all over again. (waste of time and filament)
-Check if everything is calibrated properly: PID calibration, Z screw (bed hight), level bed, feed rate, etc. (you'll find all this info in the Solidoodle wiki).
-PID tuning on Repetier on Mac is slightly different. Updating the Eeprom setting like described in the Wiki won't work. You will have to do it manually (pretty easy). Check here for more info: http://www.soliforum.com/topic/1388/tem … -problems/
-Even though I used the provided slicer preset, my filament size setting was wrong (3mm instead of 1.75), check to make sure this setting is correct.
-Start heating up the platform (don't even think about starting to print before it reaches proper temperature, the plastic won't stick and you are just wasting time). I found that 85 degrees Celsius works best. If it's hotter or cooler, it will curl more.
-Don't heat up your extruder too early. You don't want it to be up to temperature while in idle. It will clog very easily.
-Make sure that the extruder turns automatically off when not in use (will prevent clogs).
-I got a clog the first day, even though I made sure to never have it up to temperature when not printing.
-Also, I wouldn't heat up the Extruder any hotter than 210 degrees, you might damage it and it might clog. For some reason, at 195 degrees, I had the nozzle clog multiple times. I switched to 185 degrees, and haven't had a clog since.
-If you have a clog, there's a good chance you will break something trying to unclog it. I wouldn't even try working on the hot end while it is attached to the jigsaw. Remove the hot end (video on solidoodle wiki), and then work on it.
-The only reliable/practical way I found to clean out a clog was to remove the barrel and nozzle from the PEEK and then use a blow torch on them. Be careful when re-asempling that you turn the "sticking out part of the heater" away from the x-carriage (towards you). Else it will melt it.
-A clog will most likely happen at some point, and chances are you will break the barrel or some other part trying to remove it. In other words, you might want to order a replacement hot end (original or other compatible hot end) at the same time that you order the printer (I would suggest that if you use your printer for work, and you don't have time to wait for replacement parts). If you order later, after the clog happened, be aware that it might take weeks for Solidoodle to ship it, even if it is listed as "in stock". You might want to order spare parts from other suppliers (most of them seems to be a lot faster and ship within 48 hours if an item is in stock).
-Some spare parts like the barrel aren't listed as spare parts on the Solidoodle website but can be ordered form other manufactures without you being forced to buy a complete hot end.
-If you are having problems with your STL files, you might one to try running them trough netfabb (google it).
-Your first print should probably be a normal cube so you can see if you have any calibration etc. issues (also measure it to see if the dimensions are accurate).
- The first real items you should print are spare parts for your printer. I would definitely print an MK4 jigsaw replacement.
- I then would start looking at upgrades like a housing, glass bed etc. I added a glass bed (I use hairspray on it) and an enclosure. Those two upgrades fixed my warping and sticking issues almost completely.
-Make sure you have tools to work on the printer (you eventually will need them, guaranteed).
-Buy Kapton tape (I made the mistake that I thought I won't need it immediately, but I was proofed wrong the first day of printing).
-Get acetone, you will need it to clean the bed for the prints to stick to it, and also to make abs glue.
-Store your filament in a moisture proof container (to avoid bubbling).
-The original filament I got was from Solidoodle, and I then decided to switch to octave.com filament. They are cheap, ship very quick, and have good customer service. I found the best temp to print their black abs filament is 195 degrees.
-If your extruder is skipping, an easy fix might be to raise the extruder temp a little or to loosen or tighten the tension arm (sometimes loosening help, even though it seems counter intuitive.)
I hope those tips are of some help to beginners like myself. I'll update the list as time goes on. If you have any tips, corrections or additions, let me know...
Where I got my replacement parts and expendables from:
Makergear.com : Bought my heater barrel from there. Very fast shipping at a reasonable price.
Ultibots.com : Bought a J-head and Kapton tape from there. Very fast shipping at a reasonable price as well.
Octave.com : Got black abs filament from them. Fast shipping, good price and customer service.
. I'm not sure if I'm running at too high temperature (don't have an IR temp meter). Lowered extruder to 185 degrees and so far it is fine. Just found out that PID tuning for the Mac is slightly different from the PC... Also melted my x-carriage a little bit because I mounted the heating block 180 degrees reversed. Updated my first post.