The thing I love about 3D printers are their ease of use and reliability. If only this was the case. If you want something which likes to do its master proud, buy a laserjet printer. Or a dog, for that matter. This post comes after a series of failed prints. It comes after stepping on far too many bits of broken plastic. It comes after my little Prusa i3 nearly made me pull every strand of hair from my skull.
Now, don’t get me wrong–I love 3D printing. These wonderful machines have come to occupy the few spare moments I have in my day. When they work, they’re great. When they work. Being a relatively new player in the 3D printing game, when my printer fails to produce quality prints, I often am at a loss. What is the issue? I try everything to get the print right–I add glue to the bed, raise the temperature, check for clogs, etcetera, etcetera. But when this novice fails to accurately find a solution to one of the ever-present issues with 3D printing, he becomes frustrated. And you would, too, if a machine which you so gingerly put together, piece by piece, and perfected after hours of meticulous calibration, began to fail for no discernible reason. Which is exactly what happened yesterday.
I bought some new filament. It’s white, and a really nice, bright white at that, so I was excited to print some really nice parts. Now, I don’t believe it was the filament which was the issue, as this brand received many nice reviews on that there Amazon. Honestly, I think the printer had it out for me. In fact, I am certain of this. I know it saw into my mind, peering directly at images of snow-white parts. Easier to paint. An overall cleaner look than the gaudy red and blue which I had become accustom to printing in. The point I’m trying to make is this: my printer hates me. But, why? I’ve done so many nice things for it. I built it. I feed it with high quality filament. I’ve even given her a name (Nana, by the way). Regardless, my work horse of a Prusa i3 hates me.
It stopped extruding midway in a print. No problem, I thought, just a simple clog. So, I cleaned out the extruder, and gave it another go. Everything seemed to go as planned, until it clogged again. And again. This went on about ten times, I imagine. I gave up on this j-head, and decided to grab another from my parts bin. But, the same thing happened to that one. So, I replaced the drive gear. Same deal, no extrusion. So, I replaced the cold end altogether, with the exception of the stepper motor. This at least seemed to do the trick, so I let it be. And then it happened again. I tried one more thing which somehow slipped my mind prior: checking the idler tension. And that turned out to be the issue. Literal hours wasted on what could have been fixed by tightening a single screw.
And so it is, another chapter in the never ending-book of reasons why 3D printing has yet to come into the mainstream. As I write this, my printer is dutifully printing yet another part, but I fear this may be in vain, as it is likely to end up another bit of plastic to find itself in my sock, on my clothes, or in another part of the house. I love 3D printing, but 3D printing is a tough lover.
PROGRESS BY CHANCE: Projects led by miscalculated and ill-advised enginuity 