MakerBot Industries

Too big? Too little?

Have you ever tried to import an STL into ReplicatorG and found that the object was miniscule? ¹  This usually happens when the object was saved as an STL in inches, rather that millimeters² .³

It takes 25.4mm to equal 1 inch.  All you have to do is scale the object up by a factor of 25.4 and you’re ready to go!

1. Photo courtesy of Holtsman [↩]
2. Which is what ReplicatorG assumes [↩]
3. What do you mean you’re not metric?!  Get out of my house! [↩]

Recently, I posted an introduction to partymode and uploaded my own sample partymode scripts to Thingiverse to kick things off.

Today, I want to share a few more details to help you play in the ReplicatorG-flavored G-Code sandbox. For those uncertain about the value of creating short movement bot scripts should remember that this is a great opportunity for you to learn just enough about G-code to tweak your prints and personalizing the start.gcode and end.gcode files in your skeinforge profiles for better, more efficient MakerBotting.

Also, why not add a bit of musical hijinx to your prints? Why doesn’t your bot play music after every print? Mine does.¹

I’m going to bribe you to improve your G-code fluency by introducing you to a stupidly simple trick you will want to use every time you skein a model.

MakerBot Operators grumble about navigating down through the ReplicatorG file structure to adjust the Start.gcode files for a Skeinforge profile. But do you know what happens if you don’t do this step? The nozzle drops down to 20mm-40mm above the platform and attempts to print in the air. Not so successfully, as it turns out.

Well, that little snipped of gcode you must change in your Start.gcode file appears again right near the top of the gcode that you generate when you slice a model. Here’s the chunk in question just a little ways down the G-code document I have just generated for an Octopus model I am super eager to print on my bot. Want to make an adjustment? You can punch up the code right in ReplicatorG without touching your Start.gcode document.

(**** begin homing ****)

G162 Z F500 (home Z axis maximum)

G161 X Y F2500 (home XY axes minimum)

G92 Z80 ( ---=== Set Z axis maximum ===---)

G92 X-57.5 Y-57 (set zero for X and Y)

(**** end homing ****)

“Hmmm,” you say. “So this is the Homing section. And Set Z axis maximum lists only 80mm for the height of my build envelope. You’d better change that to your bot’s printing height ( 120.3mm) and then save your file!”

Thank you, bot-friend! You have just shown me how to use ReplicatorG to tune and save g-code!² You can perform this trick right within ReplicatorG or open a plaintext editor and change the file there.

I suggest you take a look at this homing block every time you skein a new model to make sure that the correct value has propagated through. (Sometimes it helps to adjust your z-height by a 10th of a millimeter up or down — that first layer is ultra crucial when you aren’t printing a raft, especially on stepper-driven extruders.)

Do you want to know the handful of G-Code commands every Operator should recognize on sight! Learn more after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

1. Well, my Cupcake prints do. [↩]
2. Most G-code is practically as simple — thanks to lots and lots of commenting in Skeinforge and the user configurable Start.gcode and End.gcode. [↩]

Ethan’s recent post about Nick’s experiments with turning down a print bed’s heat to avoid upper layer warping got me thinking…  it seems to me that keeping a heated platform on throughout a print job may not actually be required. ¹  When I’ve printed without heat at all, such as on an acrylic surface, I’ve only noticed ABS warping up to about 1cm or so.  After that printed objects tend to just even out.

The GCode command for setting the heated build platform temperature is:

M109 S70 T0

Where “S70″ means heat the platform to 70 degrees Celsius. ²  I honestly don’t know exactly how this GCode works.  It might force your printer to wait until the platform reaches a new temperature before continuing with processing more commands.  While this isn’t a big deal while your extruder is heating up before printing begins, it could be problematic if you try to change your printer’s temperature during a print job.  Even if this command doesn’t force the printing to pause while it changes temperature, there’s still the issue of how to implement it.  You probably don’t want to shut off the print bed’s heat during a short print job or in a print job for an object less than 1cm tall.  In any case, this is an idea and a question for the experimenters, hackers, and RepG/Skeinforge gurus out there.  What do you think?

1. Doesn’t it just seem ironic that using a heated build platform can eliminate warping at the base only to cause warping farther up a printed object?! [↩]
2. When I heat my build platform to 70 degrees Celsius, PLA sticks to to Kapton like glue. [↩]

Shakespeare's 6th Birthday by Lindsayloveshermac

Are you working your bot too hard? (Is your bot working you too hard?)

Ever wanna just take the night off, spend some quality time with your robot? Maybe toss the ole Calibration Cube between the two of you?

Now you can: partymode

Here is how you do it.

Create a short snip of G-code¹ saved as a “.gcode” file, put it in a “partymode” folder, and drop the “partymode” folder into the “scripts” folder within ReplicatorG 24.

Code can be a fun set of movements, a tune, a gesture, a microprint, a neat trick.

Make sure it will play on all MakerBots (don’t play favorites: Thing-O-Matics and Cupcakes are both invited to the party). Test and tune right in the G-code window of ReplicatorG.² Call the script from here: “File > scripts > partymode.”

Now it is time to throw a party! Hire a caterer! Stock up on 3-IN-ONE oil! Activate your script and get down with your bad self, while your bot is bot-bot-botting along next to you.

Was your party a smash success? Share back!

Was there cake?³ Share your partymode script on Thingiverse. There’s a new tag in Thingiverse-town, and it’s shakin’ all the nation’. partymode

And get your partymode script up by midnight, Wednesday, March 16th and it will be under consideration for inclusion in a “partymode” folder for future ReplicatorG releases.⁴

Maker.Bot.Party.Mode - Set 01 by mifga

This set of short GCode scripts initiates what I hope will be a longstanding practice of creating fun things for your bot to do. Nothing as heavy as extruding much. More dances, gestures, sounds, and neat tricks. These scripts play well on all MakerBots (I don't play favorites: Thing-O-Matics and Cupcakes are both invited to the party). Make sure to read the instructions at the top of the code before running each partymode. Your axes might be reversed in a different pattern than mine -- so watch out! Where are your partymode scripts? And quick utilities? And stupid pranks? Making these things is probably the best way out there to get a firm grasp on essential, human-readable g-code scripting. They always told me that the future would be fun. And so I made it fun for everyone. Included in this set: "Game Anthem Grrarr!" "MakerBot M Stamper!" "one turn deserves another" "Party like a cube" "sNAKEy dANCe" "Stirring the Air" "Triangle Man, Triangle Man" "Where Is Violin! Is Too So Small!" Thanks to Pleasant 3D for the great gcode path visualization ... for these behaviors that leave no extrusion trace upon the world. (http://bit.ly/dUe5xh)

This thing brought to you by

1. wanna repeat? throw an M30 at the end — at least until ReplicatorG 25 comes out [↩]
2. Ah, G-code, you are so groovy and human-readable. [↩]
3. I was told there would be cake. [↩]
4. Just make sure these are released as Public Domain or Creative Commons such that commercial releases are permitted! [↩]

ReplicatorG is your friend!

This is the third in a series of posts about ways to get even better print results from your 3D printer.  The absolute best part about the two prior posts, on calibrating hardware and upgrading hardware, have to be the voluminous comments.  Please keep your hints, tips, hacks, and suggestions flying in!

• Calibrate Software. Once you’ve got your 3D printer hardware tuned up, it’s time to look to the software, especially the Skeinforge settings for your machine.

1. Skeinforge calibration.  There are a number of guides out there, but the one I would recommend is the series written by Dave Durant.
   1. Skeinforge basic settings
   2. Five critical Skeinforge settings
   3. Configuring the latest version of Skeinforge
   4. Creating a new Skeinforge profile
   5. Tuning a new Skeinforge profile
2. Find the best print temperature for your choice of plastic.  The ideal plastic temperature would be hot enough that it will stick to the platform and to the layer underneath.  It should also be cool enough that by the time the next layer is laid down the prior layer isn’t too molten allowing it to deform.  I print PLA at around 195-205 for small to larger objects, respectively.  I print ABS at around 220-230 for small to larger objects, respectively.
3. Find a good build platform temperature.  Not so hot that the plastic is kept molten, but not so cool as to allow warping.  A good warm build surface also allows the plastic to adhere to the build surface better.  When printing in PLA I like to keep the build platform at about 70 degrees and at 135-140 for ABS.  There’s very little warping with PLA even without a warm build surface, but the PLA sticks so much better.
4. Even after your machine is well calibrated, there are still a number of ways to improve Skeinforge calibration.  There are just dozens of little settings to tweak.  Configuring the Skeinforge Oozebane setting can remove the little plastic strings that get left between parts. ¹
5. Calibrate Skeinforge for printing with a higher Z-axis resolution by trying to print with thinner layers.  The main downside is that printing overhangs may become more difficult.  Reading Dave Durant’s posts should help with this.
6. Tune your “start.txt” and “end.txt” files in ReplicatorG.  You can add some pretty cool things to the start and end files.  You’ll need to read up on your GCode, but it’s well worth the trouble to fine tune the start routines for your machine.  Perhaps you need a longer extrusion time?  Need to adjust where the wipe procedure homes in?  This is the place to get to work!
7. Experiment with using the “outline” plugin either in conjunction with or in lieu of the “wipe” command.  Thanks to Riche for e-mailing me this tip!
8. Skeinforge 0006 or 35?  It’s tempting to stick with an older version of Skeinforge once you’ve got all of your settings dialed down.  Switching to the latest Skeinforge version within ReplicatorG allows you to use the latest features, improvements, and plugins.  Yeah, it’s more work.  But, then again, if you were afraid of a little elbow grease you wouldn’t have build your own 3D printer, would you?
9. Cupcake:  Can you build a set of “start.txt” and “end.txt” files to replicate the auto-homing behavior of the Thing-O-Matic using your stock Generation 3 electronics?  I bet you can!
10. Thing-O-Matic:  Calibrate your starting height in Skeinforge.  Obviously you don’t want to smash the print head into the build platform.  Neither do you want to start building10mm above the build platform.  You may find that it’s best to start at different heights depending upon the material you’re printing on and the plastic with which you’re printing.

What am I missing here?  What software calibration tricks and tips do you have to share?

1. Some have referred to Oozebane as a dark art, not without some cause. [↩]

Well, there's your problem...

Quick, name just one company that care enough about its users that it is willing to create a firmware/software fix to save you from having to buy a new or replacement part.

Drawing a blank?  Here’s a hint – their name rhymes with SchmakerBot Industries.  The latest version of ReplicatorG, version 0020, provides a way to remap the terminals.  If you’ve blown out an H-Bridge¹ you don’t have to go through the hassle of finding a new chip, desoldering the old one, resoldering the new one in, and troubleshoot it all.  There are probably at least half a dozen 3D printers out there right now with this exact problem keeping them from cranking out all sorts of cool things – their operators wistfully looking at Thingiverse each evening before drifting off to sleep.

Well!  Sleep no longer!  There is printing to be done!  Things to be made!  ReplicatorG 0020 is here to rescue you from your unproductive and restful slumber!

1. I call them fiddly bits. [↩]