Yes and on some printers, that spot where the Bowden tube meets the nozzle is very problematic. You have to loosen the nozzle a bit, push the Bowden tub up against it, then tighten the nozzle the rest of the way
It was awful on my Ender clone, but haven’t had that issue on my Prusa.
I had to dig to find where I got the model from. I suppose I should add the link in case anybody wants to give them kudos or print it for themselves.
It was created by Rocket Pig Games: Printables link
That is a very good question. There aren’t any insane overhangs, just a few tricky spots. I had print he same thing smaller, so I knew it would be okay. I think the file actually mentioned in the notes that you COULD print it without support.
Can I ask what settings you had to hone in?
What printer and hot end?
(this is all specific to Prusa MK3/Prusa Slicer)
I used the default profile that Prusa has for .6 nozzles, and I changed the layer height to be larger. I think I may have actually added a perimeter as well, which slows things down normally. Nothing else changed at all.
You have to change the nozzle size in the printer hardware menu. Then I had to run the first layer calibation. I found out the hard way that that calibration test ALWAYS uses .4 settings. I printed about 10 of them and nothing was turning out, then I made my own, but creating a 75x75 box, that was one layer high. It printed perfectly with minimal z adjustment.
Was it a kit? Had it been printing before you started getting this issue or was this an issue out of the box?
All great points. I thought he was asking if it was worth it to invest more on it. I was simply saying that if money wasn’t a limitation, there are great options that are a significant improvement. Some day my MK3 is outdated too. I wouldn’t buy one now, but I also am not sure I will buy the MK3.5 kit and spend the time installing it.
That looks like the issue to me as well, good call.
Here is my take. I have an Aquila (Ender 3 v2 clone). I really had to keep that thing tuned in order to get decent prints. I later bought a Prusa MK3S+ which I haven’t had to tune at all. I am bummed that the MK4 was released 4 months after I bought my MK3, but thats life.
With the evolution of printing, and the new advances, an ender 3 just cannot compete with quality or speed…unless you put in a lot of upgrades and time/energy. Its a workhorse, but only for those that want to work on it and tune it. There are so many new printers that are faster, more reliable, and have some incredible features like Bambulabs, Mk4, Anker Make, etc. Its really hard to recommend Ender 3s (any of them) anymore.
They accomplish the same thing, but the probe itself is very different.
Taken from a helpful reddit post: *The BLtouch is based on an hall-effect sensor, while the CRtouch has an optical switch. The BLtouch has a plastic and pointy pin, while the CR has a bulkier metal pin.
The CRtouch is slightly more precise than the BLtouch with a lower deviation delta. They both are more sensitive than the minimum stepping distance of 0.025mm that is found most frequently.
The BLtouch is at its fourth (3+1) iteration, while the CRtouch has been released relatively recently. There’s a lot of information on the BLtouch available on Antclab’s website, while there’s pretty much none for the CR.
I would go for the BL for two reasons: the smaller footprint of the probe behaves better on textured surfaces, and beacuse hall-effect sensors aren’t subject to drifting when aging (unlike the optical switch in the CR, that technically “wears out” and starts introducing an offset to the measurements).*
It is tough to get support for a machine that is at your house anyways. Youtube will offer way better support for Creality and Prusa printers. You can find almost any repair you need.
While this is true, and I learned a ton on my Creality. Some people don’t want to tinker, or repair anything. Some folks aren’t comfortable or confident in their ability to do that. That is why you can find so many super cheap used creality printers. People buy them, and don’t want to work on them. It fails and they get rid of it. If you get a more reliable machine, like the Prusa, and it seems like Bambulabs is starting to join that club then you may never really need to repair it.
I have had my prusa for coming up on 2 years and haven’t adjusted or touched anything. I did build it as a kit, and have built and tinkered with Enders, but with my prusa I don’t need to. If people don’t plan on printfarming or selling, or having it run 24/7 chances are it will run for ages without needing to adjust anything. Thats not the case with the cheap printers.
With the MK4 out now, you can find super cheap MK3S+'s on places like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist (in the US). I have been seeing a ton of them listed locally lately. From what I have seen, you can pick one up for $400-$550 depending on whether prusa assembled it or it was a kit and what accessories it comes with.
I had an Ender 3 clone, and that is how I got into 3d printing. Would I buy one again, now that I have an Prusa MK3S+, no. Creality makes a good product for the cost, but it will cause you headaches and cost more in the long run. I probably spent $100 on parts my first year alone…more the following years. I have had my Prusa for 2 and haven’t spent a nickel on it and haven’t ever had to repair or adjust anything.
So take that for what it’s worth. From a SAFETY perspective, I trust the software and hardware on the Prusa over anything on the market. It has much more reliable failsafes and sensors looking for thermal issues. I never worry about my Prusa for safety. Just make sure you update it if they have any big firmware changes.
I have worked through a TON of troubleshooting on my previous PLA printer(Voxelab Aquilla). The toaster torture test is a beast of print, and it is meant to fail and find the limits of your printer. I would start with much simpler tests. Have you done any simpler temp tower or chep cubes? Or any of the bed level prints? Share photos of some other prints so we can get a better idea of what all is going on.
I am not familiar with how monoprice printers work - but what slicers(s) have you tried/used? Are you leaving default speeds/temps? Is it always the same filament?
What is an appimage?