Reprap Prusa i2
Printing: first results
I spent a couple of hours in the workshop earlier this evening, finishing the hot end components and then doing a first real print. As you can see from the photo, it resulted in a small pile of junk plastic :D
I did manage to lay down a few good starting layers but most attempts didn’t adhere properly to the print plate or were subsequently scraped off by the head. Similarly, those that started off well ended up getting caught on the head too.
There are likely multiple causes for these problems. The Z-axis calibration wasn’t great, initially, so I adjusted that but it had drifted noticably within a short period. I think some of that is to do with the awkward top print plate adjustment so I’m going to look into improving that. Also, I may need to try improving the Z-axis smooth rod alignment and reconsider adding the springs to the threaded rod. I’m also going to pick up some blue painters tape as PLA is supposed to adhere well to that. Finally, I’ll spend some time making sure everything which could affect the Z-axis (eg: Y-carriage bearings) is suitably tight.
However, before I do any of that, I’m going to sort out the firmware programming issue. It’s clear that I’ll be doing a lot of it over the next few weeks and it’ll be a lot less frustrating if I can do everything I need through a single device. I’ll also make the adaptor for the FTDI board and I’m considering moving the PCB to the back of the RepRap so it’s out of the way and more conveniently located for the laptop.
Posted on 07 November 2012
