my first printer

[evilpoly]

Hello bean users . So i got my bean a few days ago . First thing i did was spend a day figuring it out . Looks like mine runs on a raspberry pi 3 . ramps 1.4 . So far my prints are limited to the SLAcer. I've bean only able to print out 25 um .025 mm . Anything over 2600 slices or so and it wont make a zip and crashes. Second thing i noticed is the thing sweats a lot . I constantly have to clean the inside of the cover. I've already replaced the Teflon on the vat due to me not calibrating it properly and had a few dozen prints stick to the bottom of the vat. I've also had trouble when i wanted to check my prints . I would pause and then resume . But that gave me lines on my prints . That all said can anyone suggest a better app? im so tempted to use marlin or Octoprint . I couldn't access the pi but i can sure take the card out and replace it . Ya they changed the login and pass.


Vat... been there bean that... be very careful with the darn thing when you handle it . its so delicate . I've already stripped one of the screws out. broke a piece off of it .  . 

Other than that it prints wonderfully . So silent . love it . Definitely  gona fool with it . Most likely replace the chip on the ramps board. Octoprint with the pi's built in wifi etc . add a camera etc.

[MisterAcoustic]

Hey evilpoly,

Thanks for the information. I hadn't heard anyone mention anything about problems with SLAcer, or the sweating issue. I'm curious what operating system and browser you've been using so far. The crashing thing seems fairly odd - do you have a limited amount of RAM?

Regarding the sweating - are we talking about water condensing on the inside of the cover, or something to do with the resin? If it seems to be water, do you have the printer in a basement or other naturally humid location? Do you have a measurement of the humidity in that location? I'm just curious whether I should expect the same thing when I receive mine.

Your post is titled "my first printer", but it sounds like you're well above beginner level, or you've done a LOT of reading . Do you have experience with filament printers? I suppose you could also mean that you've purchased multiple Bean printers, and just received the first one .

I'd especially like to see any successful prints you've done - since Kudo3D generally stopped posting their very addictive print photos, I'm having withdrawal symptoms. Feel free to show off what you've got .

Stan

[evilpolygon]

I've been using the grey resin for the last 2-3 weeks and i've had the cover on the printer all the time . i'm surmising that the fumes maybe accumulating on the inside of the green cover . yes i have the printer in the basement where its cooler . the temperature around the printer is at room temp or slightly below (its summer and on the third floor i have an air conditioner on)  i've noticed some micro cracks on the acrylic . resin fumes perhaps. and no its not water for sure cause its greasy and has a smell to it. maybe its just this resin.


i've did some testing and found nanodlp as the perfect slicer for the bean . no crashes and also a neat layer by layer feature for previewing. i haven't tried to connect the nanodlp software to the bean yet . atm the printing software from kudo3d works well for me . unfortunately the nanodlp software has naming issues and i have to rename the files with advanced renamer . free to download. so its unzip rename re-zip so the files can be downloaded to the bean . the slacer app just isn't reliable for me . 

yes its my first printer . i really wanted a 3d printer for years just not affordable (form printer is out of my league). ive even built a dvd gcode mini pen thingy. ive been playing with the contempt to build my own fdm printer  but with a budget im on im slowly collecting the parts i need a bit at a time . i just need to find a place here in canada for the lead screws and frame . i might just weld one from scrap. ive played around with the pi and ardruino . im trying to learn to code on the arduino . one of them has marlin installed on it and the pi with octoprint . im curious how these will work on the bean .

im a total noob . after receiving my bean it took me 10 days to realize that the thing was put together in a rush . i had to dismantle the z axis to tighten all the screws . it was the bearings that were making the whole thing wobble . i actually thought it was normal . i wasted a bottle of grey to have prints skewed . looked like the tower of piza . found the problem . thanks kudo! tighten your screws please before shipping . or was it a clever ploy to make me waste resin??

ive managed to go as far as 16 microns . ive been printing in 20 so far . playing around with the advanced settings to quicken the prints as i learn . ive found the first layer and possible second layer to lift at speed 5 instead of the suggested 15 they have at default . after that any supports leading the the model done at 15 with exposure set to 30 . i expose my first and second layer at 70sec. i have not tried to have exposure set to 10 sec yet . later on that. lift height ive found first layer and second layer set to 15 and then 8 being the lowest for the rest of the print. 

update . i broke my bean! the lcd screen has developed black spots . i think i either crushed the screen as i was configuring the z axis . bit after taking it all apart ive noticed the lcd is mounted on a sheet of acrylic. duuh duhh daaaa! micro cracks . if it was glass it shoulda split right in half or chunks of glass in side my printer . so any ideas? im thinking about using an old samsung note screen . contacted kudo . ill see if this happens again . ill have to upgrade the thing to glass maybe. i replaced the stepper driver . i dont know if it helps or not . ive done some mods already like having a washer in between the large black tightening knob on top of the z axis . the plastic was stripping off . i broke the vat too. darn thing is so delicate . soooo i took my soldering iron to it . ha good as new. im going to have to build me a cnc machine and make me a aluminum vat. replaced the teflon film twice . i hate doing that . then they released a video . head to wall . pound twice. 

so ive printed multiple parts and used the resin as the bounding agent . light bulb . save on super glue . 

ill post up pics after work . now that the bean is offline and i have nothing to play with . or i just might take it apart and find out how it works . tried to access the pi . but sneaky kudo has changed the pass and login . took out the micro card but i can't copy the files . the pi has wifi capability so why the repeater that they included with it?  it has a ramps 1.4 i might swap it out with my 1.6 cause i can . or find a smaller board .  until i find a replacement screen its a pile of parts . 

hope you get yours soon . great printer . fun to use . great detail . 

a little about me : husband and father to 2 kids married 23 years. have a background in 3d modeling and animation . worked for EABlackbox Need for Speed  franchise and conceptual architectural projects including a concept for a monorail for the city of Seattle transportation . i play mini table top war games . i sculpt , draw, paint. hobbies include facial makeup for movies  and i have a interest in electronics .

[evilpoly]

update . i have now ordered a new lcd assembly from Kudo . infact i ordered 2 . my green case cover has now come apart at the joints as i thought . wish i can find a way to post pics . any ideas?


hmm seems like my previous post wasnt posted . ill go home and repost it. i answered some of acoustics questions and then some.

[evilpoly]

https://spool3d.ca/wanhao-duplicator-7-v1-5/

this must be the competator . seems loke everything on this printer are better and for the price too. steel construction no acrylic . top bearing cap to stablize the lead screw . i read somewhere it even has a carbon filter for fumes . cheaper than the bean at retail too. im so tempted to get one of these .

i wonder if the parts are swapable . ?

mybad thats the photon that has the carbon filter

[evilpoly]

well it looks like i lost the previous post i did a few days ago . i cant post anything from my computer due to approval from moderator. so ill just rewrite it.

the sweating was residue from the resin . it was greasy to the touch. it was attacking the acrylic . i have the printer in the basement so its cooler that the third floor where i have the airconditioner on. first off i noticed black spots on the lcd . i emailed kudo about this . i thought it was dead pixels . i turned it off line for a day due to a failed print i had . so the spot had disapeared . i think it was heat due to me not turning the machine off for 16 days .

another noob thing i did was not tightening all the bolts and screws on my printer when i unpacked it. i thought the play i had on the z axis was normal . couldnt figure out why my prints were skewed . took the whole z axis apart tightened the guide rollers and any visable bolt and screw. now its rock solid . i even flipped the anti wobble screw upside down to get a better lock on it . i did lube up the lead screw with some lithuim grease.

as for Slacer . i decided to use nanodlp . worked perfectly . 6000+ slices at 16microns. i did have to batch rename the files. unzip rename and rezip.

yes this is my first printer ever . i really wanted a form1 or now form2 but its over priced . saw this on kickstarter and thought .... reputable company not a bad price . why not. im planning to build myself a cnc machine and fdm printer. everything is open sourced so it should be simple enough . i did a test build with dvd parts and an audrino . works well .
yes i have done a lot of reading and research. i really wanted an sla printer . dlp??? damn too late . but surprisingly its awsome . its fast .

i broke my vat the other day . took my soldering iron too it and its good as new. never thought it would work . i had nothing to loose . also i have two more.

atm im in comunications with kudo trouble shooting a few issues . fun fun .

[evilpoly]

lol my posts showed up finaly .

[evilpoly]

kudo3d youtube channel has some vieos up on how to install the teflon film . z axis calibration and applying the lube they have . wish i saw these earlier. they did say they will release a how too on lcd assembly replacement aswell.

[evilpoly]

   

test print of the spots i had on my screen . turns out they weren't dead pixels . the holes are the places where the resin didn't cure

   

the hood coming apart

   

came apart

   

micro cracks in the acrylic. i also found a few on the acrylic lcd

   

print i did at 20 mircons

[evilpoly]

   

printed at 20 microns . less than 48 hours . not a very good estimate due to the printer software not knowing how long it would print . the object is also hollow . edited in meshmixer. it came out to 2600 png files done with nanodlp. did this print before i fixed the z axis . you can see the two bands running along the window. if you enlarge the picture you can see the layers . still very gratifying