21

No problem! Feel free to reach out to me in the future if you need help with it :slight_smile:

22

Thanks!

23

Can you set different temperatures for different extruders. Can one be 230 and the other 200 to print to colors that melt and different temps.?

24

Yep, the extruders can be controlled independently of one another!

25

Can I print NijaFlex? Is NijaFlex ABS or PLA?

26

Yep! I’ve printed several things in NinjaFlex, you just have to adjust the settings accordingly. NinjaFlex belongs in the TPE/TPU plastics family; it’s neither PLA or ABS but it’s own thing entirely.

I’ve successfully printed the following filaments (all the prints you see on my Hub were done on the Dreamer):

  • CopperFill & BronzeFill
  • Timberfill
  • PLA
  • PLA-PHA
  • ABS
  • BioSilk
  • NinjaFlex & SemiFlex
  • Watson
  • Carbon Fiber PLA
  • Stainless Steel PLA
  • HIPS & PVA

I’ve attached an image of a very small print that was done with NinjaFlex, next to a penny for reference.

20160630_091826.jpg
20160630_091826.jpg3264×1836 1.47 MB

27

Thanks, What does carbon fiber PLA and Stainless Steel PLA Mean? Does it have those things in it to make it stronger?

28

The stainless steel PLA (SSPLA) isn’t really stronger than normal PLA, but it’s more dense and can be polished to look like stainless steel. It’s made by adding steel powder to PLA while it’s molten, so that when it get extruded into filament, the filament is a mix of steel and PLA. I can upload some pictures of that later so you have an idea of what it looks like, and some examples can be seen on Proto-Pasta’s website (Stainless Steel PLA | Metal-Filled PLA Filament – ProtoPlant, makers of Proto-pasta). It’s definetely a lot tougher and harder than normal PLA, or even the copper/bronze PLA composites. When I sand Stainless Steel PLA, it takes a lot longer and chews through sandpaper like there’s no tomorrow.

Carbon Fiber PLA (CFPLA) is significantly more rigid than normal PLA, so it’s great for drones and other RC vehicles. Like the stainless steel PLA, it’s made by mixing little strands of carbon fiber into the PLA before turning it into a filament. I use the one made by Proto-Pasta (Black Carbon Fiber Composite | Carbon Fiber PLA Filament – ProtoPlant, makers of Proto-pasta). Unlike the Stainless Steel PLA, the Carbon Fiber PLA finishes really nicely with about the same amount of work it takes to sand normal PLA.

I would recommend upgrading the nozzles if you plan on running a lot of exotics through any machine though, they are not kind to the stock brass.

I have attached a picture of a Carbon Fiber, Copper, and Stainless Steel piece I did then polished for reference

20160630_093833.jpg
20160630_093833.jpg1563×2031 1.58 MB

29

One other thing with these filaments, watch for clogs! Any of the metal based ones love sticking to the nozzles so it’s important to unload them once the print is done.

30

Do I need to upgrade the nozzles if I print PLA, ABS, PVA, Carbon Fiber, and Stainless Steel, and NijaFlex?

31

PLA, PVA, ABS, and NinjaFlex will all print fine with the stock nozzles.

For Stainless Steel and Carbon Fiber, the brass nozzles the printer comes with will be ok for a little bit, but over time the abrasiveness of those filaments is going to chew through the brass, which means your extrusion nozzle diameter is going to get larger and larger. This is not good, since then you have no way of telling the slicer what size that hole is and your extrusions will lose consistency.

Upgrading to hardened steel is not too expensive (check out E3D’s ones http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Extra-Nozzles) and really benefits you in the long run. You can print just about anything with the hardened steel nozzles and they’ll last much longer than the brass will.

32

What Size do you get? Can I tell the slicer what size it is? My Da Vinci only lets me choose .3 or .4

33

I use 0.4 mm with the Dreamer; most slicers should allow you to define the nozzle size to be whatever you want. DaVinci will limit because of proprietary software and DRM but that won’t be the case with the FlashForge.

34

If something breaks do they have extra parts available?

35

Yes! Pretty much anything you might need http://www.flashforge-usa.com/shop/parts-accessories.html?limit=30, that link is for the US, if you’re not state side then there is an equivalent website based in china (the actual companies base) http://www.ff3dp.com/

36

When do you use the heated bed and can I control the temp. of it?

37

It helps on almost every build but is mandatory for printing something like ABS and yes you can control the temp in the software

38

Hey Johnnyo,

You can try the Ultimaker 2 Go or the Ultimaker Original. They are inside that budget.

You can also go to the Makerbot Replicator Mini Compact. Even though you are loosing printing space in comparison with the Ultimaker.

Kind Regards

Max Moors

39

Hi, I’ve seen a few printers in my time working with them and noticed some kits can be better than prebuilt printers if you have a tiny bit of common sense. The nicest printer I’ve used is probably the prusa i3 original unlike the variations it can print a multitude of materials and has has a layer height as small as 10microns. However, when printing at that small a layer height I noticed the 0.4mm nozzle was a decent size too big, but I digress, in terms of print quality it’s better than the maker boys I’ve used and they were the more expensive models which names I do not remember (they were £3k and £5) Picture has a 100 micron 3Dbenchy and Marvin and a 10 micron dice Tl;dr prusa i3 original was pretty good 8.5/10

IMG_20160629_122057080.jpg
IMG_20160629_122057080.jpg4160×2340 2.06 MB
IMG_20160629_121439674.jpg
IMG_20160629_121439674.jpg4160×2340 2.31 MB

40

Has anything ever broke for you? What are common errors you have had or is it just the normal 3D Printer issues?