lilscorpion
Well-known member
How?
The Everything 3D Printer Thread
- Thread starter BoilermakerFan
- Start date
LeonardY
Well-known member
Filament sensors are usually nothing more than a switch. Either normally open or closed depending on your needs. I have a QIDI X-MAX. The filament sensor was sold as an accessory. It plugged into the MB then I had to update the firmware.
If they had not offered it. I would have made a switch and a relay to shut off the power.
There are lots of options out there.
The only problem I have had is if the filament breaks after the sensor. Then the filament is still in the sensor.
niget2002
Well-known member
I got the Bigtreetech Smart filament sensor 2.0. It monitors not only filament being in the sensor but it has a roller that tracks the filament flowing through it. If the filament stops flowing when it shouldn't it throws an error. Technically, this should also trigger if the nozzle clogs.
I have had 1 false trigger where it said there was no filament. I went out there and everything looked fine. I fed some filament to verify, then hit resume and everything completed successfully.
I tested the sensor by cutting 4 or 5 6" long pieces of filament and running a print so that it failed every few minutes. I'd feed the next piece in and hit resume, then wait for it to fail again.
niget2002
Well-known member
Both of my machines are 'mostly' hand built at this point. The printer I put the sensor on is running Klipper using Bigtreetech controller and hardware. The sensor I added is from bigtreetech. It took quite a bit of googling and configuration changes to get it working.
rslaback
Well-known member
I've been working on a Case 448 restore which includes media blasting some hydraulic lines and a valve. The fittings are JIC and hard to mask off. I stole the 3D files for some caps and plugs off McMaster.com and printed some. Those went on the lines and the valve and stayed there from media blasting through finish paint.
niget2002
Well-known member
that's a great idea. I'll have to remember that.I've been working on a Case 448 restore which includes media blasting some hydraulic lines and a valve. The fittings are JIC and hard to mask off. I stole the 3D files for some caps and plugs off McMaster.com and printed some. Those went on the lines and the valve and stayed there from media blasting through finish paint.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
Bambu's do have a filament sensor, but it is located before the extruder gear. Will expand on what I think happened in a bit.
Cruzan80
Well-known member
Sorry, was at work, and realized I never posted the answer earlier up-thread, so wanted to make a "reminder" for myself.
For the Bambu printers, they do have a sensor to detect filament presence (or lack thereof). In the attached picture, the sensor (as best I can tell) is somewhere at or slightly above the upper QR code. I know for certain it is above the two shcs at the top of the heatsink, as the gray lever on the left is how it cuts the filament for changes, so it has to be above there).
What Bambu doesn't have is a way to tell if the filament is travelling "past" the sensor, just if it is present or not.
For "ghost printing" without the sensor being tripped, it is almost always something to do with the extruder gear. This is the thing that grabs the filament and slowly pushes the solid down into the heated nozzle chamber, where imit then forces the "liquid" filament out the nozzle due to pressure.
If there is a break in the filament leading up to the extruder gear, it is possible for it to break past the sensor, but before the extruder teeth grab the filament. Therefore, the printer doesn't see an "error" and it keeps going.
A second possibility is that the filament is "stripped", and the extruder can't grab on well enough to keep pushing the plastic into the nozzle. Alternatively, extruder gear teeth can get "filled" with plastic debris, leading to the same issue (a tensioner usually keeps the extruder pressure against the incoming filament).
The third (ish) option is a nozzle clog. This leads to the "liquid" plastic not being able to exit the nozzle, and either backing up thru the hot end, or the extruder "stripping" the filament thru pressing into a "Rigid" area.
I would clean the gear out well (compressed air and/or rubbing alcohol), check for breaks in the filament (depending on age), and check if you are set at the best temperatures (as too hot/cold can affect the flow, and therefore clogs). If it is a specific brand/color that keeps being affected, that would be an indication settings may need to be tweaked.
Based on how Bambu has recently (at least said they will be) become(-ing) stricter on 3rd party software and modifications, I do not see a good possibility of adding a filament sensor to these printers (beyond what is already there).
From my understanding on how it is all set up, the AMS motors simply engage when needing to load and unload filament during a change, and otherwise are in "neutral", freewheeling during the print (I don't think the AMS directly power-feeds the filament during printing). So the AMS or lack thereof would not change the underlying issue.
I have had filament break during retraction and it is almost always about 20-40mm sticking past the feeder tube down into the extruder housing. Using an AMS, it will tell you it failed to retract, and to open it up and see what failed. Thinking the same could happen in reverse.
The pic below is from Bambu's Wiki on cleaning out a nozzle clog on an X1 (https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/troubleshooting/nozzle-clog).
For the Bambu printers, they do have a sensor to detect filament presence (or lack thereof). In the attached picture, the sensor (as best I can tell) is somewhere at or slightly above the upper QR code. I know for certain it is above the two shcs at the top of the heatsink, as the gray lever on the left is how it cuts the filament for changes, so it has to be above there).
What Bambu doesn't have is a way to tell if the filament is travelling "past" the sensor, just if it is present or not.
For "ghost printing" without the sensor being tripped, it is almost always something to do with the extruder gear. This is the thing that grabs the filament and slowly pushes the solid down into the heated nozzle chamber, where imit then forces the "liquid" filament out the nozzle due to pressure.
If there is a break in the filament leading up to the extruder gear, it is possible for it to break past the sensor, but before the extruder teeth grab the filament. Therefore, the printer doesn't see an "error" and it keeps going.
A second possibility is that the filament is "stripped", and the extruder can't grab on well enough to keep pushing the plastic into the nozzle. Alternatively, extruder gear teeth can get "filled" with plastic debris, leading to the same issue (a tensioner usually keeps the extruder pressure against the incoming filament).
The third (ish) option is a nozzle clog. This leads to the "liquid" plastic not being able to exit the nozzle, and either backing up thru the hot end, or the extruder "stripping" the filament thru pressing into a "Rigid" area.
I would clean the gear out well (compressed air and/or rubbing alcohol), check for breaks in the filament (depending on age), and check if you are set at the best temperatures (as too hot/cold can affect the flow, and therefore clogs). If it is a specific brand/color that keeps being affected, that would be an indication settings may need to be tweaked.
Based on how Bambu has recently (at least said they will be) become(-ing) stricter on 3rd party software and modifications, I do not see a good possibility of adding a filament sensor to these printers (beyond what is already there).
From my understanding on how it is all set up, the AMS motors simply engage when needing to load and unload filament during a change, and otherwise are in "neutral", freewheeling during the print (I don't think the AMS directly power-feeds the filament during printing). So the AMS or lack thereof would not change the underlying issue.
I have had filament break during retraction and it is almost always about 20-40mm sticking past the feeder tube down into the extruder housing. Using an AMS, it will tell you it failed to retract, and to open it up and see what failed. Thinking the same could happen in reverse.
The pic below is from Bambu's Wiki on cleaning out a nozzle clog on an X1 (https://wiki.bambulab.com/en/x1/troubleshooting/nozzle-clog).
86turbodsl
Well-known member
Does anyone have any suggestions on dialing in a new filament brand i just got? PETG. This is the 3rd brand of PETG i've tried, and it's tending to jam up in the extruder, i have to clean it all out and it runs fine for a while, 2-3 prints, and then it does it again.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
More heat?
Bro what the **** is this pictureUpgraded to 8 spool CFS for ULTIMATE POWAH.
The rear one has PETG, the front PLA.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
I ran into a random post that someone had the same problem with eSun petg, that it had a lower softening temperature than other brands. I'm running a K1, and i had left the lid on, so my thought was it was getting warm in there, softening the filament in the extruder when it sat for a while, and that caused the kink.
Yankeefarmer
Well-known member
Have you dried it before use? I know that Bambu Labs recommends drying their PETG before printing with it. I’ve used both Bambu and Sunlu PETG without issues. My machine is an X1C.
I've been working on a Case 448 restore which includes media blasting some hydraulic lines and a valve. The fittings are JIC and hard to mask off. I stole the 3D files for some caps and plugs off McMaster.com and printed some. Those went on the lines and the valve and stayed there from media blasting through finish paint.
man i cannot for the life of me get the caps to print good for JIC.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
Have not. Don't have one
moab11
Well-known member
Look into a Sunlu S2 dryer, they are pretty inexpensive and work well.
It seems 75% or more printing issues are because of wet filament.
It seems 75% or more printing issues are because of wet filament.
Cc_windsurfer
Well-known member
Second the recommendation for the sunlu s2 dryer. Been running one on mostly petg for a year now with no problems.
Printed up a guide that tapes to the lid so I can run the pfte tubing all the way into the dryer.
Printed up a guide that tapes to the lid so I can run the pfte tubing all the way into the dryer.
That’s your problem. PETG is really really finicky about humidity levels. If you’re using the AMS, print out some dessicant holders from Makerworld and grab a $15 jug of orange dessicant beads. As a bonus, get a cheap humidity/temp digital thingy and double tape it to the inner lid of the AMS, facing out so you can see it without opening. When humidity percent starts to get in the low 30s, swap in fresh orange beads.
If you’re not using AMS, then I’d probably recommend switching to something like Sunlu PLA+ since it works well in Bambu printers using stock generic filament presets, is good and strong, and is not nearly as picky about ambient humidity.
JackOfDiamonds
Well-known member
Finally can stop mixing up my test tubes or tipping them over
rslaback
Well-known member
I'd be lying if I said I didn't run them through the 7/8-14 die and tap to clean up the thread just a bit. You also could try printing at a skewed proportion. Something like 97% in the X and Y but maintain 100% in the Z would make the plugs fit better. 103% in the X and Y with 100% in the Z should make the caps fit better. They don't have to have a hydraulic quality seal.
Jeff
Well-known member
Rule #11: Always dry PETG, even when new.
Jeff
Well-known member
Gentlemen, it's time to stock up on filament and parts.
instructions unclear: use many hundreds of KG a month without drying.
moab11
Well-known member
It's safe to say you fall a little outside of the typical user profile hahaha
in the new facility we will have a entire printer room dehumidifier running to get humidity as low as we can. on top of the AC units
pwhittle
Well-known member
moab11
Well-known member
Can't wait to see progress pics of the new building!
AI generated picture...Upgraded to 8 spool CFS for ULTIMATE POWAH.
The rear one has PETG, the front PLA.
You can tell by looking at the hand...
86turbodsl
Well-known member
I don't have a Bambu. K1 creality.
Cc_windsurfer
Well-known member
I have 1000's of hours printing petg on a k1.
First thing I do with a new filament brand is print a temp tower. Then I usually just go ahead printing at 255 on a 75 degree build plate....
I did have I bad spool from esun, haven't bought anything from them since.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
I've been leaving the lid off and door open. .temp tower looked pretty good top to bottom. 255 and 80 here
Cc_windsurfer
Well-known member
I print door closed, lid on, and all the other openings like around the screen and in the back filler with 3d printed plugs.
86turbodsl
Well-known member
The only time i get a clog is after a few prints, with lid and door shut. After that, i get a mangled petg section in the extruder. Take that out, clean it all up and good to go for a while.
Got tired of how messy my toolbox was so I'm starting to organize it. Figured I'd start with the plier drawer since it was the most chaotic.
I made some racks for the pliers and a sliding tray on top to squeeze out a bit more storage. My printer is too small to make the tray in one piece so it's two halves bolted together.
The tray has a magnet on the back so it won't slide forward every time you open the drawer. You gotta give it a little tug to move it forward.
For ref all the pliers under the tray. There's two different widths of the racks to account for the wider pliers vs the thinner ones. In total it can hold ~23 pliers (not counting the tray)
I made some racks for the pliers and a sliding tray on top to squeeze out a bit more storage. My printer is too small to make the tray in one piece so it's two halves bolted together.
The tray has a magnet on the back so it won't slide forward every time you open the drawer. You gotta give it a little tug to move it forward.
For ref all the pliers under the tray. There's two different widths of the racks to account for the wider pliers vs the thinner ones. In total it can hold ~23 pliers (not counting the tray)
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
Your own design?Got tired of how messy my toolbox was so I'm starting to organize it. Figured I'd start with the plier drawer since it was the most chaotic.
I made some racks for the pliers and a sliding tray on top to squeeze out a bit more storage. My printer is too small to make the tray in one piece so it's two halves bolted together.
The tray has a magnet on the back so it won't slide forward every time you open the drawer. You gotta give it a little tug to move it forward.
For ref all the pliers under the tray. There's two different widths of the racks to account for the wider pliers vs the thinner ones. In total it can hold ~23 pliers (not counting the tray)
Yeah. I designed the tray / plier racks although the racks aren't anything ground breaking new since there's already so many out there lol. I just wanted them to be specifically designed for the pliers I have.