I am a total newbie to 3D printing, and have just purchased a Frankensbox FX-800 3D printer. It is a rebadged Dedibot DF3 Delta printer.
The claims for the printer are that due to the removable, flexible, magnetic bed design, it doesn’t need, or have a heated bed, and can print many types of filament…ABS, PVC, PLA, PC, wood, etc.
The slicer that comes with it is called Moira, and it also comes with Cura, and I have some issues, that I don’t know how to resolve yet.
First, using PLA at 210 deg C, it can print some smaller items, but larger items like a Raspberry Pi case starts warping so bad that the print will eventually warp enough that the extractor assembly will hit the print, and knock it loose and fail the print. At this point, minimal change has been achieved by slightly changing the temperature. Also, all of my prints with PLA have been extremely brittle, and take very little pressure and easily break.
I also just got a roll of ABS filament, and have been trying different temperature settings from between 225 and 240 degrees, but it will either not stick at all, or if it tries to, by the next few layers it wraps up into a potato chip-like curl.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
RC
edit: This printer also has automatic bed leveling, and seems to work correctly by taking 33 measurements on the build plate.
My printer has a heated bed, so that might make a difference, but I print PLA at 195C to 200C.
BTW, I also have a spool of ABS but haven’t tried it yet because I don’t have any way to avoid the noxious fumes. I gather they can be quite toxic, and I know from experience with ABS plumbing that burning/melting ABS stinks pretty badly.
I print pla around 190 - 200c and pla+ 205c, both with 60c bed.
I find the blacks are more prone to clogging too
print a temperture tower and find the right temp for your filament.
issues may arise from bed adhesion, particularly if your bed isn’t level and your nozzle isn’t getting the first layer down perfect. Most cases printing with a Raft may work to provide better bed adhesion.
@RC_Hamer Good to hear you don’t have fumes. I am considering an enclosure for my printer, but it’s pretty big, so it’ll take a bit of engineering to make it work.
@Maximo101 Totally agree about the bed temp. I was reminded again a couple of days ago when I printed one of the gcode files provided by Creality (a piggy bank). It started to print then the raft broke loose and moved around on the bed. I cleaned the bed and started again. That’s when I noticed the bed temp from the file was 45C. I immediately overrode it and set the temp to 60C: no adhesion problems after that.
I want a Delta printer! They look so cool!
FWIW, I’d stick to PLA until you get familiar with the printer. ABS has the reputation (I haven’t tried it yet) of being difficult to print without warping and delaminating.
What is the manufacturer’s recommended temperature range for printing the PLA? Warping occurs due to uneven cooling or to inadequate bed adhesion. So, I’d check the Z-offset (run some first layer test prints) and probably also slow down the speed on the first layer and turning off the active cooling fan.
Hope this helps and welcome to the maker club!
Cheers
I am making some progress and actually getting some prints, but I need to get a call into tech support. By the way my first layers look, my auto leveling system might not be working correctly.
Edit: More info; after talking with tech support, they suggested 215 C for temp, and to update to the latest firmware. Important tip, do not try this from the software that is on their site, it has a bug that can render the printer useless. Don’t ask me how I know!
After the update, the auto-leveling seems a lot better now, and it seems to be laying down suitable prints in PLA.