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Nov 2015
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Apr 2016
Feb 2017
4 months later
Electroronto
Apr '16

well the filament itself it keeps breaking at the top of the extruder when I leave the filament connected with the oil filters… do you remove the filament off the extruders after printing? maybe I should have removed them after every print…

Yeah I’ve not had the chance to get different rolls (I bought like 8 rolls off of makerbot) so when I’m done those 8, I’ll definitely look at those other ones you mentioned :slight_smile: Thanks a lot

TangibleCR
Apr '16

No I have not. That’s so strange! I have never heard of that issue.

And no problem!

Electroronto
Apr '16

Hi again!

So I’ve tried the suggestions you mentioned… and for some reason this time around it’s working so far… I hear no clicking noises coming from the extruder… granted I printed a calibration pyramid and in the middle of some dragon piece… but before, at any time it would just print the first few layers then it would start clicking…

So what I’m trying to figure out is, why does it work when you put it around oil, but not when it’s on its own? What is the science behind that? and since you’ve mentioned you’ve had successful prints with ninjaflex on the Rep2X… would I be able to print with carbon fibre??? I purchased colorfabb’s xt-cf20 and it would do the same as PLA… but I’m not sure I can pass the carbonfibre through the same oil filter as with this PLA filament…

If you’ve had any experience printing with carbon fibre in the rep2x it would be really really awesome to hear your experience and setup!

Thanks

TangibleCR
Apr '16

Hey! Im so glad it worked out for you!!!
Yea it is really weird because Makerbot replicator 2 can print PLA fine but the 2X needs oil. I herd someone saying it is too dry. But that makes so sense that the rep 2 can print it and the 2x cannot when its basically the same machine.

I have in fact printed with carbon fiber from colorfab! I have yet to get a perfect print but I am REALLY really close. I think it also needs oil but the closest print I got had one line missing. I have not had time to print carbon fiber because of the orders I have but I am very close.
I print at 260 for the extruder and 60 for platform. I also have a steel nozel .6 hole.
Let me know ho it goes for you. I will try a carbon fiber print soon and let you know how it goes!

Electroronto
Apr '16

That’s awesome! my tries have come out terrible, either too gooey or just simply skips… I don’t have steel nozzles, I have the 360 brass base material and plated with twinclad xt coating… but they’re at .4mm… I have found that Colorfabb XT-CF20 melts at 210 just fine… you can easily push the filament through at 210… but when it prints I used to have the same issue as with PLA… I can see a major difference with the Replicator 2’s and Replicator 2X’s… the metallic feeder tube isn’t as long on the Rep 2 as in the Rep2X… I had a Rep 2 and gave it to my dad when I got the 2X thinking it was a better machine… was sourly disappointed…

But my mind is still boggled at the fact that it needs oil to print… Before I try printing with carbon fibre again, I will make a few more prints on PLA just to make sure it’s 100% now… :slight_smile: but I will let you know how it all goes :slight_smile: Thanks for the settings btw!

TangibleCR
Apr '16

No problem! but I love the rep 2x just because it has a heated bed.
I use the rep 2 at school all the time and its just about the same.
I love my 2x over the 2 just because it has extra features. With a little bit of learning it can be a great machine.

Electroronto
Apr '16

true true… but there was no “proper” documentation, which was such a huge learning curve/gap

Electroronto
Apr '16

So I’ve been somewhat successful after adding the oil, but now it seems the prints are just warping… I never had that issue with PLA before… not on my Replicator 2, or even my reprap… so why now on the Replicator 2x?? I’ve leveled the plate so it’s a tight fit. I’m using blue painter’s tape, I’ve cleaned the surface with nail polish remover (aka low end of acetone)… and for long prints it just warps and unsticks from the tape… should I use the acetone slurry? I thought that was only for ABS… also I don’t heat the bed, since there’s no heated bed on the Replicator 2 and yet it’s successful at printing 5+ hour prints… your ideas on this would greatly be appreciated again :slight_smile:

TangibleCR
Apr '16

No you don’t need slurry. There are different grades of blue tape.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DVCZ982/ref=mp\_s\_a\_1\_2?qid=1460159221&sr=8-2&pi=SX200\_QL40&keywords=blue+tape&dpPl=1&dpID=418-jT7fXiL&ref=plSrch

its like sand paper. You need to get blue tape with a rough surface. Also if you still get curling then I would turn on heated bed to 60. Prevents curles. And also it depends on how much moisture you have in the room. If it’s humid it might curl more.

Not sure how much oil you put but that might also be the problem. My oil chamber has two sections. The top layer is an oiled sponge and the bottom is dried. This way it goes through oil then drys off a bit before printing.

Electroronto
Apr '16

so you placed 2 oil filters just to have one run through a sponge with oil and the other one empty to dry out? that’s clever… but I think I found my problem… I increased my extruding temperature 10 degrees and it seems to be working so far… haven’t tried a more difficult piece but so far so good :slight_smile:

Thanks again for the insights!

TangibleCR
Apr '16

No problem. Yea there are so many tiny problems that would cause curling. It’s hard to say. What do you print it. I print at 220 with no problem.

Electroronto
Apr '16

Yeah that’s my temp now… I was printing at 210 before… I didn’t want to go all the way to 230 because it’s not makerbot’s filament (too expensive)…

10 months later
kylesoehn
Feb '17

Thanks for the tips. They seem to be working wonderfully. Very Helpful - Kyle