New Users

Walkthroughs as well as tips and tricks for when you are first starting into 3D printing.

Applying Kapton Tape

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When applying kapton tape to your build plate, it can be a little tricky to do. Making use of Kapton Sheets rather than a roll of kapton tape can make this process a little bit easier as they have a backing which helps with stopping them from folding over on themselves and they are cut to be the proper size. Wet Application Method You will need a few supplies to apply kapton tape to your platform: Kapton Sheet Soapy Water in a spray bottle Squeegee Acetone The first step will be to completely remove the previous sheet from the build plate. Once you have a clear build plate you will then want to peel the kapton sheet backing off and set it down sticky side up on a flat surface and then spray the sheet with the soapy water. Now that we have the sheet sprayed we can then grab … Read more

Getting your 3D prints to stick

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Your Print Surface The first thing to look at when your 3D print is having difficulty sticking is your print surface. It should be smooth without wrinkles, ridges or overlapping sections of tape. You will also want to be sure you don’t have any missing sections of tape. Covering the platform right to the edges will help ensure the tape sticks to the platform well and doesn’t lift as a print tries to warp.   Your part is warping in a large number of areas If your part is warping in a large number of areas or it doesn’t seem to be due to the objects geometry there are often a few key areas to look at. The first thing to do is ensure you are properly leveled. If you aren’t sure if you are level enough watch the outline of your print’s first layer. If it is a consistent width … Read more

Manually Leveling The Replicator 5th Gen Build Plate

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Some users have had issues with the assisted leveling on their Replicator 5th Generation Printers. We have found that using a style similar to the 4th Generation manual leveling process is possible and provides very accurate leveling. Note: Although the term leveling is used we are actually tramming the build plate so it is parallel to the XY Axis on the top. Both the XY Axis and the build plate don’t necessarily need to be level but instead must be true to one another. To manually level the Replicator 5th Generation you will need a sheet of paper to help you determine your distance from the nozzle. The first step will be to manually move the build plate to just slightly below the nozzle height. Grabbing it as shown in the picture above allows you to raise the platform away from the bottom of the printer without effecting the build … Read more

Introduction to Printing NinjaFlex

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This post is designed as a reference point for printing NinjaFlex with your Replicator 2 or 2X. In order to print NinjaFlex it is necessary to have a direct drive extruder that guides your filament from the drive gear to the nozzle. Any gaps or openings in that space allow the filament to kick out to the side and stop feeding. This is the Replicator 2X version here. As with printing other materials you will want to be sure your first layer is close enough to the build place that it bonds well. A heated build plate is not required with NinjaFlex.   Build plate compatibility: NinjaFlex is compatible with a wide variety of build plates but the one thing to be sure of is that your surface is smooth. Any ridges can cause feed issues because they increase the pressure needed to push the filament out the nozzle. Blue … Read more