Ctc 3d Printer How Do I Upgrade Firmware
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03-23-2016,08:26 PM
#i
Technician
The CTC “How To” Mini Guide — Or, How I Turned My CTC Into a Press Fauna.
I’m really happy there is such a post-obit for the CTC make line of 3D printers; and these style of cartesian printers in general (FlashForge, et al). I retrieve they are great little machines and definitely a contender for best “cheap” 3D printer out in that location on the market today. In my opinion, these CTC printers straddle the line between “Fix made” and “DIY” perfectly.
Now, considering this CTC was my outset ever foray into 3D printing and printers in general, it has helped me learn a great bargain about the process of 3d press and troubleshooting these printers immensely. And so I wanted to share my experiences and results with the community which has in the past helped me out with some of said problems before. I hope this “mini guide” can assistance those who may already ain a CTC printer or are looking to buy a 3D printer, and perhaps fifty-fifty help with troubleshooting their CTC and getting the best possible results from it. Allow’southward begin!
Author’s Note: This mini guide is based on the composite wood frame CTC 3D Printer.
1. Necessary Upgrades
I put this 1 first because out of the box, the CTC, while a good, decent printer, may have a lot of weak points where prints could go (catastrophically) incorrect. Although I jumped the gun and went out and upgraded as much as I could with my CTC, I do recommend the first timer try press first on their CTC and and then upgrading afterward (to go a amend picture of their before/later on prints).
-Z-Axis Guide Rods
In my stance, this should exist the first and chief upgrade for all CTCs. This current iteration of the printer utilizes 8mm Z-centrality guide rods alongside the Acme threaded rod, all of which tin be wobbly and unstable. I accept these two upgrades on my printer:
http://world wide web.thingiverse.com/affair:496298, and
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:497923. Unfortunately I didn’t realize the bottom pieces could also be replaced, and I concluded upward gluing the bottoms of the rods to the base permanently (Oops! More on the glue later).
-X-Axis Carriage/Cable Guide
Another “must have” in my opinion, is the carriage and cable guide upgrade for the X-Centrality. I read somewhere a while back that the CTC’southward tend to take problems with the constant movement on this axis, causing strain on the cables which leads to failure. To combat this, I printed and installed this:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1198142016-03-23 16.27.32.jpg
-Extruder Nozzle Upgrades
This is not necessarily an issue relating to only CTC printers, but 3D printers in full general. I’m a firm laic that to get consequent, quality prints, you need to have quality extruder parts installed on your printer. That is why I upgraded my extruder nozzles to stronger, wearable resistant nozzles, which allow’due south me print with any materials, such as Carbon Fiber. (http://www.amazon.com/High-Lubricity…/dp/B00ZMVCYUG).Also, I upgraded the nozzle tubes/barrels with these, and they take PTFE tubes within for ameliorate friction control:
http://www.amazon.com/Barrel-Nozzle-…/dp/B00LPAT3DENote on the barrels: If you alter your extruder style from the default directly bulldoze blocks, make sure you exercise both sides, otherwise you may end up with i extruder nozzle college/lower than the other.Thirdly, I installed PTFE tubing all the way from my enclosed filament box into the extruder itself with this upgrade:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:340031
This is a critical mod that volition help get your filament into the extruder and reduce/eliminate damaging humidity issues.2016-03-23 16.27.05.jpg
2016-03-23 16.26.37.jpg-Heated Bed Upgrades
Another necessity I experience is, throwing away the kapton/blue tape crap on the aluminum heat bed and installing a borosilicate drinking glass plate (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY8F172) (shown beneath). You volition also need a shim for the back of the Z-Axis. The one I am using is here (http://www.thingiverse.com/affair:836670). Additionally, a fashion to secure the glass bed:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1296854. For keeping the prints stuck to the bed, I utilise Elmer’s Glue (Not-Toxic Majestic kind) establish hither:
http://world wide web.amazon.com/dp/B001PV3MNA.–Enclosure Upgrade
I bought an Acrylic Enclosure Kit from
http://criticalmods.weebly.com/ctc-fashion.html
Now for some reason the acrylic panels I received seemed a bit off in their size… and I had to use double sided glutinous tape to adhere it to my printer, just I managed to make them piece of workWith these essential upgrades to your CTC 3D Printer, they should eliminate most, if not all, of whatever problems you have or may take regarding different Axis issues, printing bug, wobbling, ABS issues, et al. Now nosotros move on to the less critical, but still of import modifications.
Last edited by cjalas; 03-23-2016 at
09:06 PM.
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03-23-2016,08:27 PM
#2
Technician
ii. Non-critical (but of import) Mods/Upgrades
-Software/Firmware upgrade(s)
The kickoff thing I did to my CTC’due south software is upgrade its stock mill firmware with a much better culling operating organisation in the form of Sailfish 7.7 Firmware. This upgrade changes the core of the printer’s abilities, adding key features and abilities institute originally in the Makerbot line of printers (The Replicator 1 Dual, of which this is CTC is a clone). Theoretically, upgrading at the firmware level helps the printer’southward capabilities with speed/acceleration bug during press, and supposedly provides a more consequent printing feel overall. It may not be necessary, but I rather liked the new command infterface of Sailfish over the Chinese knockoff Firmware organisation.Secondly, I purchased Simplify3D Slicing software (http://simplify3d.com). If you don’t know what S3D is, it is comparable to other slicing software such every bit Slic3r, etc. It helps you lot configure the optimum settings for your 3D files to be sent to the printer. Simplify3D has many, many astonishing features, but what I find the almost useful is the visual attribute of laying out and planning my 3D pieces onto the heat bed platform visually, and being able to tweak the printer’s printing speed, layer height, etc directly in the software. Information technology really does make a huge deviation in how the prints come out. Some people take even commented proverb that S3D’s prints come out cleaner and improve than the aforementioned print ran through Slic3r.
-Remote control/monitoring via OctoPrint (http://octoprint.org)
This is more of an upgrade which is entirely up to you; only in my opinion information technology is one of the best things to happen to 3D Printers in general. OctoPrint lets you connect a Raspberry Pi or similarly compatible SBC (Single Board Computer) to the USB input of the 3D Printer’south host hardware, (about) completely bypassing the need for a tethered computer to run the 3D Printer. OctoPrint, i of a few of the means in which to accomplish this Wireless printing, in my opinion, is the best of the bunch. I won’t go into as well much detail here, but needless to say, information technology provides alive video monitoring and remote capabilities to your printer and has plugins to extend those functionalities.-Structural Support and Sealing
Something I have not seen too many people (then far) practice to their CTC 3D Printer frame, is to solidify and reinforce the construction of their composite forest frame. Now, at that place are a few mods bachelor on Thingiverse which aid the rigidity of the printer, such as these corner frame brackets found here:
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:338829
and these hot bed aluminum arm stiffeners (https://www.p3-d.com/products/aluminum-arm-stiffeners), both of which I have installed; but I oasis’t seen anyone reinforce the actual structure of the printer itself. I found myself tightening (and in some cases over-tightening) the screws property the frame together, and a lot of them were very loose upon the arrival of the printer when I beginning purchased. I noticed that this looseness caused my prints to get wobbly and overall simply made more noise and added shakiness to the printer over time. So with this in mind, I recently used some high functioning all purpose gum (articulate dry) and ran the glue along the edges of where the wood frames meet, every bit well equally filling in the (tightened) frame screws. You lot can encounter in the photos below all the areas I filled and lined with the glue. This mod in and of itself has, has
drastically increased rigidity and stability of the printer frame equally well equally helped remove all wobbling and shaking from the printer during prints.
I’yard really happy with this modification, and since I don’t foresee myself taking apart my printer frame any time soon (always), it is a permanent solution to make your wood frame extremely durable and solid, without the necessity of re-tightening or worrying virtually loose screws.2016-03-23 16.09.44.jpg
2016-03-23 16.08.42.jpgWell there y’all take it! All the things I’ve done over time to my CTC 3D Printer to turn it from a decent, albeit flawed “cheap” 3D printer, into a press powerhouse which makes consistent, amazing prints — as good every bit I’ve seen come out of any printer from, say for case, someone over at
http://3DHubs.com. I’m currently in the process of putting together a Kossel Mini DIY Kit printer, and using my CTC to impress parts all day long for the Kossel.I may come back to this post over time and revise/update or add new information and content as necessary. If anyone has any questions, delight experience free to post and inquire away.
Terminal edited by cjalas; 03-23-2016 at
09:11 PM.
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03-24-2016,02:ten AM
#3
Super Moderator
Nice, thanks for this – I am going through all of this now with this steaming pile I bought off Ebay – I should add none of this needed to be done to the flashforge.. thousands of hours printing, not one unmarried modification – everything I added, I took off considering it worked improve without. Glass bed? well that’s swell only you lose 3-5mm of print height – and when your max is 15cm, which is really 14.5 realistically, and so that .5 takes yous down to 14cm.. I establish believe information technology or not, I needed that .five alot.
One affair I accept added to the CTC is the jump loaded extruders. Now you can print these yourself, but the ones on thingiverse (sad Mjolinor
) just didn’t fit properly, the filament didn’t grab tight plenty. So I bought some cheap ones off ebay, equally i’ve bought some before and they are really really proficient compared to the CTC stock ones.The Flashforge original came with the aforementioned extruders as CTC, but when my dual caput died, and I bought a replacement from FF, they gave me the new creator pro spring loaded ones, I never ever will go back to standard UNLESS its flex filament or wood I’one thousand printing.
I got these for $10, essential CTC upgrade.
http://world wide web.ebay.com.au/itm/131622631…%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
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03-24-2016,02:38 AM
#iv
Technician
Originally Posted past
Geoff
Dainty, thank you for this – I am going through all of this now with this steaming pile I bought off Ebay – I should add none of this needed to be done to the flashforge.. thousands of hours press, non one unmarried modification – everything I added, I took off because it worked ameliorate without. Drinking glass bed? well that’s great but y’all lose 3-5mm of print summit – and when your max is 15cm, which is really 14.5 realistically, so that .v takes you lot downwards to 14cm.. I found believe it or not, I needed that .5 alot.
Ane affair I accept added to the CTC is the bound loaded extruders. Now y’all can impress these yourself, just the ones on thingiverse (pitiful Mjolinor
) just didn’t fit properly, the filament didn’t take hold of tight enough. Then I bought some cheap ones off ebay, as i’ve bought some before and they are really actually good compared to the CTC stock ones.The Flashforge original came with the aforementioned extruders as CTC, simply when my dual caput died, and I bought a replacement from FF, they gave me the new creator pro spring loaded ones, I never ever volition get back to standard UNLESS its flex filament or wood I’m press.
I got these for $x, essential CTC upgrade.
http://world wide web.ebay.com.au/itm/131622631…%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Yea I sympathize some may need that extra infinite on the print bed… me, I never had it to begin with so it’s not that big of a deal. I find that with a 5-6mm glass bed, and longer extruder tubes, the bed springs are more than compressed which helps keep the bed level and less “bounce” or less decumbent to losing position.
I take a spring load extruder on the left side, only every bit I mentioned in the post, unfortunately it has slightly tighter tolerances in the infinite between the nozzle and the extruder block.. slightly moreso than the default extruder block on the right-hand side, so I have uneven extruder tubes (I have to slide the right ane down further to make up for this).
I’yard contemplating going back to both original extruder blocks on mine, since I recall I have some filament leak during printing out the dorsum-end of my nozzle.
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03-24-2016,07:39 AM
#v
Super Moderator
Originally Posted by
cjalas
Yea I understand some may need that actress space on the impress bed… me, I never had it to begin with so information technology’s not that big of a bargain. I find that with a 5-6mm drinking glass bed, and longer extruder tubes, the bed springs are more compressed which helps continue the bed level and less “bounce” or less prone to losing position.
I have a spring load extruder on the left side, but equally I mentioned in the post, unfortunately it has slightly tighter tolerances in the space between the nozzle and the extruder cake.. slightly moreso than the default extruder block on the right-hand side, so I have uneven extruder tubes (I have to slide the right ane down further to make up for this).
I’thou contemplating going back to both original extruder blocks on mine, since I think I have some filament leak during printing out the back-stop of my nozzle.
I read some time back to use thermal paste (like you use for your CPU) and thread the nozzle on with that, as yous don’t want to use thread lock, but I found it actually worked, evidently the thermal paste likes the loftier temperature, and it eventually cakes itself and seals any seams so y’all don’t become that dribble back up around the nozzle cervix.
Glass beds do accept the flat advantage I’ll give them that, I’thousand yet to get a perfectly flat aluminum bed on whatever printer.
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03-24-2016,09:52 AM
#6
Senior Engineer
I use copper grease on my nozzles.
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03-24-2016,09:56 AM
#7
Super Moderator
Originally Posted by
Mjolinor
I apply copper grease on my nozzles.
Please, there’s children here!
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04-03-2017,06:47 PM
#8
Student
A bit late to the party here simply but a thank you for the information about the CTC printer.
My maker infinite has simply aquired one of these printers and my task this night is to get it sorted.
A Raspberry Pi with Octoprint and (probably) a firmware upgrade.Regards
Geoff
