SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
Alright, with 3D printing there is a ton of heresay on the internet, poorly written articles penned by fresh journalism majors with 6 figures of government debt and zero clue about 3D printing, and just general internet/reddit d-baggery that there is an excess of information and not all of it is correct.
Thing is, I am still a beginner, I am no pro, but now i am getting consistent quality prints after trial and error and more money than I needed to spend being spent. While this printer is good out of the box, I want to share what things i did that helped me along and things you can do to ensure success.
The point of this post is so that you dont have to go join some other forum, deal with the malarkey there, and still have to weed through the junk, and hopefully make this less intimidating for those who want to give this whole printing thing a shot.
I am not going to cover what G code is, and how you eventually end up with it since that is pretty specific to the individual.
Jyers Firmware - Cost 0$
This helped the machine run immensely better, quieter, enabled the ability to pid tune. This should be the top of the list before you even print really.
Make sure all bolts are tightened - $0
Seems stupid, i know. But the stuff that is preassembled when you get kit may not be all that tight. Turns out the gantry wheel was a little loose on mine causing all sorts of havoc. Check ALL the nuts and bolts, and not just the ones you assemble.
Learn your slicing software $0
Seriously, you can do the learn as you go thing if you want and cling to using other peoples G codes and the defaults as long as you want. This way when your print does something you didn't want, you can fix it.
Calibrate esteps. $0
This takes less than 5 minutes. The instruction manual neglects this. It basically ensures that your extruder moves the amount of filament you tell it to. Turns out over the course of 100mm, mine was extruding 94mm. Doh... It looks like they all come from the factory like this.
PID tune $0
Ensures your temps on the hot end and build plate are accurate. You did get the jyers firmware, right?
This next section might cost you a few pennies, but not a whole lot. Who wants to spend a hundred bucks on a printer they just paid $250 for right?
Metal Extruder - $15
Worth every penny. The stock unit is flimsy, and the ones you 3d print are no better. Just make sure that you put the washers back in the right place on the idler pulley or you will be chasing your tail looking for a problem you created! This is the one I used.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WHYBVJ5/?tag=lstir-20
Spring Upgrade for build plate $10
The springs that come with the stock printer are junk. The bed becomes "unlevel" very quickly with them. These are much sturdier and your bed holds level longer. You get enough to do enough to do like 4 printers.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFBK8FC/?tag=lstir-20
Bowden Tube Upgrade- $15
The tolerances in your bowden tube arent very good, this can allow the filament to flop around in the tube leading to feed problems. Especially printing your more flexible stuff.
Alternatively you can buy a direct drive kit for about the same price. This kit relocates your extruder to the hot end and then your tube is only about an inch long.
https://www.matterhackers.com/store/l/capricorn-xs-175/sk/ME7M2FX9?rcode=GAT9HR
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132825359443
Ball Bearing spool holder. About $5
This is the only thing on this list i condone printing yourself. It takes standard 608 bearings and a 4 inch 5/16 bolt and nut. Tons of my underextrusion issues were solved by this one simple part, incidentally it was the last one i tried.
Your spool holder is basically a rod your spool hangs from. Everytime your little extruder needs more filament, it has to tug on your roll, and if it is just hanging on a solid rod, there is tons of friction to overcome. This can lead to underextrusion and your filament slipping in your extruder worst case. I actually saw plastic powder on my rod that had rubbed off from the spool!
I used this one, but there are other designs.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3551666
That is about it. If the pros can think of anything I missed, or something I should add, let me know! Ill add pics and links later.
Thing is, I am still a beginner, I am no pro, but now i am getting consistent quality prints after trial and error and more money than I needed to spend being spent. While this printer is good out of the box, I want to share what things i did that helped me along and things you can do to ensure success.
The point of this post is so that you dont have to go join some other forum, deal with the malarkey there, and still have to weed through the junk, and hopefully make this less intimidating for those who want to give this whole printing thing a shot.
I am not going to cover what G code is, and how you eventually end up with it since that is pretty specific to the individual.
Jyers Firmware - Cost 0$
This helped the machine run immensely better, quieter, enabled the ability to pid tune. This should be the top of the list before you even print really.
Make sure all bolts are tightened - $0
Seems stupid, i know. But the stuff that is preassembled when you get kit may not be all that tight. Turns out the gantry wheel was a little loose on mine causing all sorts of havoc. Check ALL the nuts and bolts, and not just the ones you assemble.
Learn your slicing software $0
Seriously, you can do the learn as you go thing if you want and cling to using other peoples G codes and the defaults as long as you want. This way when your print does something you didn't want, you can fix it.
Calibrate esteps. $0
This takes less than 5 minutes. The instruction manual neglects this. It basically ensures that your extruder moves the amount of filament you tell it to. Turns out over the course of 100mm, mine was extruding 94mm. Doh... It looks like they all come from the factory like this.
PID tune $0
Ensures your temps on the hot end and build plate are accurate. You did get the jyers firmware, right?
This next section might cost you a few pennies, but not a whole lot. Who wants to spend a hundred bucks on a printer they just paid $250 for right?
Metal Extruder - $15
Worth every penny. The stock unit is flimsy, and the ones you 3d print are no better. Just make sure that you put the washers back in the right place on the idler pulley or you will be chasing your tail looking for a problem you created! This is the one I used.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WHYBVJ5/?tag=lstir-20
Spring Upgrade for build plate $10
The springs that come with the stock printer are junk. The bed becomes "unlevel" very quickly with them. These are much sturdier and your bed holds level longer. You get enough to do enough to do like 4 printers.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KFBK8FC/?tag=lstir-20
Bowden Tube Upgrade- $15
The tolerances in your bowden tube arent very good, this can allow the filament to flop around in the tube leading to feed problems. Especially printing your more flexible stuff.
Alternatively you can buy a direct drive kit for about the same price. This kit relocates your extruder to the hot end and then your tube is only about an inch long.
https://www.matterhackers.com/store/l/capricorn-xs-175/sk/ME7M2FX9?rcode=GAT9HR
https://www.ebay.com/itm/132825359443
Ball Bearing spool holder. About $5
This is the only thing on this list i condone printing yourself. It takes standard 608 bearings and a 4 inch 5/16 bolt and nut. Tons of my underextrusion issues were solved by this one simple part, incidentally it was the last one i tried.
Your spool holder is basically a rod your spool hangs from. Everytime your little extruder needs more filament, it has to tug on your roll, and if it is just hanging on a solid rod, there is tons of friction to overcome. This can lead to underextrusion and your filament slipping in your extruder worst case. I actually saw plastic powder on my rod that had rubbed off from the spool!
I used this one, but there are other designs.
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3551666
That is about it. If the pros can think of anything I missed, or something I should add, let me know! Ill add pics and links later.
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