New CubeX Software Version 1.04 and Firmware Version 1.06 available

What's new?

• I noticed there is now a "Fit to window" button.
• The "Support" feature got improved and it seems to do somewhat better with the support structure.(If you are using the "Support" feature, it's always good to check the build file and see where the support structure is added. In some cases, you might still rather design your own support structure in the model).
• I am getting now better result with the 0.10 resolution setting than before.

Not sure what else was changed and improved with this update.

Here is the link for the software download.
http://cubify.com/resource.aspx?link_id=14

Heated Printbed for the CubeX

If you have printed with ABS, you know that part adhesion to the print platform and part warping are quite a challenge and issue. The much higher shrinkage rate of the ABS material compared to PLA, make the part want to curl up at the edges.

I have printed some ABS parts with success, but most parts with a larger base, warp too much. The CubeX can print nice in ABS, if you can get the part to stick well to the print platform.

In this case (Yoda model) the ABS print came out good with the standard setup, and the warped bottom does not really matter much.

 

But often ABS parts look like this (above).

 

After trying blue tape, different glues, enclosing the whole printer, etc.. etc.. nothing seem to help enough against the part lifting and warping on many parts, when printing with ABS.

I finally acknowledged and what many suggest, that a heated printbed is most helpful for most ABS printing to get flat or straight parts.

So I searched and found a company (GRM Products) http://www.grmproducts.com/CubeX_Heated_Bed_System.html

that designed a heated printbed kit for the CubeX. They have been selling heated printbed kits for the 3D touch printers (similar to CubeX) and gotten very good reviews.

In my ABS part warping frustration, I did not hesitate to order the heated printbed kit and install it in my CubeX.

 

The installation is pretty straight forward. You remove the standard print platform base (3 screws) and then install the heated print bed re-using the same hardware. The controller box attaches with high strength double stick tape onto the side of the CubeX, and the self adhesive cable tie holders keep the cables in place. There is a cut off switch which turns the heater automatically off when the print is done. - very nice. The switch needs to be positioned and the switch lever needs to be adjusted to trigger properly. You have to do a little test print and mark the position on the side how far the print bed moves down after a print so you know at what height to position the heater cut off switch. Then you can use the "Move" command to move the printbed up and down at the mark and check if the switch triggers. Once the switch is in place it's good.
A new z-gap sensor was also installed in a different location, so the temperature changes would not affect the z-gap.

 

The design and finish of the heated printbed kit is solid and very clean. The print bed top surface is a high temp glass. The controller keeps the printbed temperature at the adjustable set temperature and is very easy to use. The print bed heats up very quick (2min for PLA (70deg C) and 5 min for ABS (110deg C).  The max adjustable setting is 135deg C.

The controller has also a 110V socket in the back, which can be turned on or off with a switch at the front of the controller.

 

The heated print bed platform is nice and flat. After the installation, you have to of course level the printbed and adjust the z-gap.

All three print platform leveling screws are accessible.

I check the z-gap after the printbed heated up, right before starting the print.

It was recommended to use blue painters tape or Kapton tape. So I started with blue painters tape first.

The first print was a 2"x1" small part that I could not print on the standard printbed without the part warping,  but with the heated printbed the part printed without warping.

 

I used blue painters tape on top of the glass platform to print onto. Print bed temperature at 110C.

Now printing a larger part:

The second print was a 6" x 2" square. During the print I saw that the blue painters tape lifted a little at the end of the part at the tape seam. So I aborted the print.

I only had 2" wide blue painters tape, so on larger parts, there is always somewhere a tape seam underneath the part. So it is best to use a wider tape or position the part that the tape seam is more in the middle of the part vs close to part edges where you have the most part shrinkage (pulling on the tape)

Next I put a 6" wide Kapton tape onto the printbed and printed the same 6" x 2" square part again.

The Kapton tape works great. The part stayed flat to the platform without warping. It showed already how well it printed without the part lifting and curling up at the edges. - awesome.

Next was a 9"L  x 2"W  x 2"H mount. I increased the printbed temperature to 120deg C.

Since this part is so long and the best possible adhesion might be needed, put a coat of Acetone/ABS slurry onto the Kapton tape. (other 3D printer users with heated printbed and Kapton tape swear by it) It is Acetone with pieces of ABS dissolved into it. I keep it in an acetone proof container and wipe a coat of it onto the print bed with a rag.

The print came out very nice. Very flat, no warping.  - this is great!

Using the slurry, the parts can be hard to remove from the platform after the print because the part binds so well to the Kapton tape with the slurry applied. The "helper pads" make it easier to remove the part without marring the part.  Helper disks download: Helper disks zip file

So on a smaller part I just print directly onto the Kapton tape. Sometimes the Kapton tape can get damaged when pulling the part off, but if it is not in an area where the next print is, I leave it. The Kapton tape usually lasts for a couple prints. Otherwise just put a new Kapton film on. I got a 5" and 6" roll of Kapton tape on Amazon. It's fairly cheap and there is a lot on a roll. It comes also in narrower or wider rolls.

After the print, it is recommended to let the heated printbed and the part cool before removing it, so this takes a little longer than without a heated printbed.

So far I only printed three smaller PLA parts on the heated printbed (at 50 - 70deg C). No glue, directly onto the Kapton tape. - No problem.

I will print larger parts soon and see how it would print directly onto the glass.

The heated print bed is permanently installed, no need to remove after a print since there is no glue to wash off. To replace the Kapton tape I just lower the printbed and thanks to the remove able top and access to the side and front, there is enough room to apply the tape onto the platform. First I thought oh - no, the heated printbed is not removable, but using it now, I find it is not necessary to remove it at all anyway.

The heated printbed definitely makes the difference for ABS printing.

The price for the CubeX Heated Printbed kit is not cheap, but I am very happy with the product, quality and ABS print results.

It is nice now to be able to get besides great PLA prints, also more successful ABS prints.

To see the 9" long part print perfectly flat on the heated printbed was quite amazing.

I will post some more ABS print results as they come along, besides the PLA printing.

 

 

 

(Note: I am not affiliated with GRM products and have to buy my stuff like everybody else, but I gladly promote companies with great products and services).

 

 

 

Example - Making a challenging model printable.

This is just an example how a challenging model for 3D printing was modified to make it printable. It might spark some ideas next time you run into a challenging model to print.

First off, thank you to Landru who modified this model to make it easily printable and to post it on Thingiverse for everybody:   -  Nice.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:14480

As you can see, this model as it is would not be printable without a lot of support structure, and even then, would most likely not come out very clean.

To solve this the model was modified and split into two pieces.
Chamfers were added to many features to minimize overhangs.

Part 1:

Part 2:

 

 

Holes for alignment pins were also designed into each half of the model.

Just in case, I added little "helper disks" under the thin ends of the wings for more print bed adhesion surface to prevent any part pull up and warping. I usually don't design the helper pads into the model, instead add them when setting up the model in the CubeX software for creating the build file. (see other post about "helper pads" and download. Helper disks zip file

Note: I would print one part at a time. Seem to get better results that way and minimize possible strings between parts when the print jet moves from one to the other part.

 

 

 

Both parts printed very nice. 0.25 Resolution, medium fill, PLA natural, no raft, no support, with added helper pads.

I just had to cut off the helper pads, insert the alignment pins and add a few drops of superglue to hold both parts together. (I used spring pins and pushed them into place with the tip of a hot soldering iron. That melted them right into place).

 

Printed model assembled:

Size: W: 4.2", H: 3.0", D: 5.25"

 

 

New CubeX User Guide available

http://cubify.s3.amazonaws.com/public/cubex/cubex_user_guide.pdf

More Part measurements, and other functional parts printed on the CubeX

Here are some more prints with the CubeX.

Note: All prints are with PLA.

I am quite impressed how accurate and consistent the parts are printing.

Hole locations were right on. I do not have the means of measuring them exactly, but the mating parts fit to the screw holes.

 

PLA taps and drills quite nicely (slow speed to not melt the plastic) and the threads are quite strong for plastic.

Since PLA is not as flexible as ABS, snap fits don't work as well with PLA. (I have only tried one snap fit).

 

In some cases you want to adjust your design to get the proper fit and not be too tight, but it is predicable.

For example the clamp around a cylinder. Knowing that the inner diameter of the clamp prints slightly smaller, I increased the diameter of 2.530" on the model by 0.01" to get the proper clearance to fit on the cylinder.

 

Also, some parts that are designed as machined parts, might need to be modified in some areas, due to less strength and higher flex of the plastic part.

 

 

 

 

USB memory stick and System power

Since the memory stick has to be constantly plugged in and out of the CubeX, it might not be a bad idea to plug a USB extender cable into the CubeX and then plug the memory stick into the extender cable. The extender cable is easily and cheaply replaced if it gets damaged from the frequent plugging in and out. -   Just a thought.

Since the CubeX does not have a real power switch, it is advisable to plug the CubeX into a powerstrip with an on/off switch. That way if something goes wrong you can quickly turn it off, also easier for power off, than unplugging.

For new CubeX users. - Getting started with your first Print.

(This is based on what I learned during my little frustrating initial start)
If you are just getting started with your new CubeX here is what I can suggest:

• To avoid possible frustration or disappointment, don't rush into your first print. It is not just "plug and play", but it is not that difficult either once you know and understand the basics.
• Take the time and read thru the User guide to get familiar: CubeX user guide 
• Read thru the different posts of this blog, hopefully you find some useful information. For example Posts: "Successful 3D Printing - Part 1", "Initial Setup", and other Posts.
• Start printing a small part first. You won't use much filament and get a quick result.             Here is a good starter model from Thingiverse: "Treefrog by MorenaP" It is a cute little frog that prints in 10 minutes (when scaled down to 50%). Make sure to use these print settings: PLA material, 0.25 layer thickness, Medium density, No raft, No support, No fine detail preservation. Scale part to 50 percent. Also rotate to frog model 90 deg. so its looking to the side when you set it up in the CubeX software. In this oritentation it will print nicer since the overhang under the chin of the frog is not facing to the front where the print start / knit line is. (see other post about "Part orientation.......").
• File link: "Treefrog by MorenaP"     Or print some of the model files that came with the printer. You can scale them initially a little bit smaller for a quicker print time.
• Print in 0.25 layer to begin with. I print almost everything is this layer setting. It prints fast and gives a nice finish. If you want to try out the 0.1 or 0.5 layer height, print smaller parts (like the frog sample above) so you get a quick idea about the difference and can compare.
• Print with PLA first.  - ABS is a lot more challenging to print with. ABS has a lot higher shrinkage rate and parts tend to warp. It is challenging to get good adhesion to the print bed and perfect print bed leveling and z-gap is needed. So get good with PLA printing before trying out in ABS.
• If you have a CubeX Duo or Trio, and want to print a multicolor part, make sure you have successfully printed in single color first. Check the User Guide, and see the post "Multicolor parts with CubeX" in this Blog for some info on multicolor printing and a suggested  test print file.
• Have fun printing.

Z-gap. What is the proper z-gap?

The z-gap setting is quite important for optimum part adhesion to the printbed and clean part finish at the bottom surface.
It is a good idea to watch from the side and the top when the CubeX prints the first layer. Looking at the first layer print lines you can quickly see if your z-gap setting is ok.
The first layer should be a little smushed onto the print bed so you get good adhesion and no gaps between print lines.  A z-gap of just under 0.1mm should do that. Some use just a sheet of paper to check the z-gap.
If you print with ABS, you want your z-gap a little tighter, close to 0.05mm.
See the illustrations below:  (another CubeX user found them somewhere on the Cubify website, - thanks J. Andre!)

 

 

In general, this is what I do before printing:

1. Select the "Home" button. This will move the print jet behind the print bed so you can do step three.
2. Make sure the jets don't have any (not even a tiny piece at the tip) of filament left stuck on them otherwise it can affect your z-gap measurement.
3. Hit the "z-gap" menu button and check or adjust the z-gap with the up/down button.
4. Then print. 

Note: Always "Home" before setting or checking the z-gap. This has been most consistent.

 

 

 

See also Cubify website for z-gap setting suggestion.

http://cubify.com/blog/how-to-set-z-gap-on-the-cubex/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software version 1.03 available

A new software version for the CubeX is available for download.
Some bug fixes and improved zooming / move feature and auto placement.
http://cubify.com/cubex/index.aspx?tb_cubex_learn

Click the Download software for Windows button in the middle of the screen.

Dimensional accuracy - Part 1 - Small parts and features

Note:
All part were printed with PLA  (I will repeat the same once I get my ABS)
All Dimensions are in mm.  (0.1 mm = 0.004 inch) (1mm =0.04 inch)
Parts were measured as they come of the printer.
No cleanup done on the parts.
If there was a little bump on the corner or so, I ignored that for the measurements

See summary at the bottom.

Picture of printed test parts:

Some of the walls did not close on top. I have seen that on some other parts too.

 

 

Download excel file:  Excel file with measurements

 

 

Holes printed with part laying flat, gives best holes size results.

 

 

Holes printed with part on its side. Holes turn out slightly oval

 

 

Summary for PLA prints:

Overall the dimensions are very close to the designed dimension and are repeatable. - Quite nice for a plastic printed part.

Notes:

• The minimum wall thickness it prints seems to be 1mm. (I think that is a double pass. Would be nice if it would let you do single pass for even thinner features).
• 1mm small hole did not print in the vertical direction, but somewhat on the part in the horizontal position.
• 1mm small cylinder did not print. Seems to be too small.
• Holes print a tad smaller. (Better smaller than larger so you can drill out to exact dimension for critial fit).
• Horizontal holes print slighly oval.

These are all small dimension parts, I will follow up with a larger part dimension accuracy post.

 

 

 

 

Dimension accuracy of parts and features - see post above

I am printing out some test parts to see how accurate holes, cylinders, wall and part sizes are.

And some more Printed Models with the CubeX