Replicator 2

Replicator 2 Information.

Thor 3D Specialty Filaments Now Available

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We have recently brought in two additional types of filament to use with your 3D printer. The two types of filament are PETG and a Wood-PLA blend. The PETG filament is printable very similar to PLA except it requires a higher nozzle temperature. This makes it a great way to print more durable parts that also have some give on your Replicator 2. PETG warps very little so it does not require a heated build plate and it is roughly comparable to ABS for its physical properties and strength. The Wood-PLA blend filament allows you to print in a material that looks and smells like wood. This filament is recommended for use with a 0.5mm or larger nozzle and as such, it will have increased chances of jamming on a stock Replicator 2 Nozzle. Other than the nozzle size this filament prints just like standard PLA although it is more … Read more

Greasing a Replicator 2 and 2X

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The Replicator 2 and 2X both require minimal maintenance to keep them performing at their best. Every 50 hours of printing a small amount of grease should be applied in two locations. If your printer is squeaking, applying grease in these locations generally will stop the squeaking as well. Applying this grease is done to keep them quiet and prevent excess wear on parts such as the Y-axis secondary. When we are greasing a Replicator 2 or 2X we use this PTFE Grease. The first point we apply grease to is the Z axis threaded rod. This is the one that controls the height of the platform and is pictured below. The method to applying the grease to this threaded rod is to raise the platform all the way up and apply a small amount of grease below the platform. After that lower the platform and put grease above it … Read more

Applying Blue Painter’s Tape

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Applying blue painter’s tape to you platform can be done in a number of ways. Below we will discuss one method of applying it that consistently works well for us. Materials Needed: Build Plate(easiest to apply tape when out of the printer) Blue Painter’s Tape Sheet Squeegee(A credit card or similar will work in a pinch) Rubbing Alcohol Paper Towel Sand Paper (320 grit works well) Process The First step is to remove all pieces of the last sheet of tape on the build plate. If there are any large chunks of adhesive left over scraping them off may be necessary, but leaving some adhesive residue from the last sheet generally doesn’t hurt anything. The first step is to peel half the sheet of tape off it’s backing. This should be done starting at one of the shorter edges. With the backing removed align the edge with the side of … Read more

Installing Replicator 2X Extruder Upgrades

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We sell an Extruder upgrade for the Replicator 2X. It is an upgrade over the original style with a lever you flip left and right to adjust tension. There is a newer version that also uses the new style that requires a vertical squeeze in order to release the tension. This is newer version will perform similarly to the 3D printed upgrade version so upgrading that version is not necessary. These newer squeeze style drive blocks have over double the pulling power and will often work well beyond where the old style would fail. This is an upgrade we recommend on every Replicator 2X we sell. When you go to upgrade you will need to reuse one of the longer bolts that hold on your original extruder to go through the corner of the new drive block that acts as a lever. Over tightening this bolt may cause feed issues, … Read more

MakerBot Desktop 3.7

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Many of you have likely already downloaded MakerBot Desktop 3.7 as it was released in June. This is just an update for those that haven’t either because they are sticking with an older version they feel is sufficient or that haven’t noticed this latest version of MakerBot Desktop. Desktop 3.7 is a significant upgrade in terms of the ease of accessing the bulk of the settings that many users want to fine-tune when they are printing day-to-day. By simply switching to the custom tab in Settings, you can now control things like how far your raft extends from the print, travel speeds during a variety of printing stages, angle required to generate support and even choose to print infill at a lower resolution than the outer shells. This customization is a great way to get your prints printing how you want while no longer requiring you to edit text files … Read more