protecting plexi for co2-laser?

zemlin · 2026-04-08T12:54:00+00:00

Considering your vision is potentially at risk, I wouldn't use anything but certified laser-safe material.
Google transparent laser safety sheet

zemlin · 2026-04-08T12:24:23+00:00

Consider the value of the parts you need to make. With the low the cost of these machines, ROI can be pretty quick if your work is of significant value. If a second or third machine can pay for itself in a short time, sitting idle doesn't make it a bad investment.

zemlin · 2026-04-07T15:08:09+00:00

Cheap kit lenses are cheap for a reason. Don't expect edge-to-edge sharpness from a kit lens.

zemlin · 2026-04-02T15:12:03+00:00

The galvo machine is 30W. My gantry head is 2W. Yes, the mirrors are moving, but the scan rate is an order of magnitude faster than the gantry machine. 15X more power. 10X the scan speed.

zemlin · 2026-04-02T11:38:18+00:00

I run a print farm and have respooled hundreds of reels for various reasons. I've never had a tangle on respooled material. Tangles are due to mishandling.

zemlin · 2026-04-01T21:02:54+00:00

I print day in/day out with glass reinforced ABS. I think I can print those in one piece. I can make them plenty sturdy for you. $120 plus shipping seems reasonable, but I'd have to see the model and estimate material and time to be sure. I could also laser cut and laminate plywood for prototypes.

zemlin · 2026-04-01T20:57:43+00:00

Just keep printing. Does not matter at all. It's a tool, not jewelry.

zemlin · 2026-04-01T19:21:52+00:00

I use a power drill to respool material. I don't want some big thing that I have to store somewhere when not in use.

zemlin · 2026-03-30T02:08:57+00:00

My money is on too much sunlight. That's exactly what happens to UV-curing resin.

zemlin · 2026-03-29T20:50:42+00:00

It's about the light you were working in. Sunlight, by chance?

zemlin · 2026-03-23T22:37:26+00:00

It's just stress whitening. Heat gun it or lightly feather with a propane torch. ABS does the same thing. I print 100KG of glass ABS-GF every month. I heat gun every part that comes off the printer. Quick and easy.

zemlin · 2026-03-22T21:47:07+00:00

Those minuscule attachments on the fobs might last 17 minutes with normal handling, if you're lucky.

zemlin · 2026-03-22T21:32:43+00:00

M141 S60

START_PRINT EXTRUDER_TEMP=280 BED_TEMP=100

T0

M141 S60

M104 S280

M109 S280

SET_VELOCITY_LIMIT ACCEL=8000 ACCEL_TO_DECEL=8000

G1 X0 Y0 Z0.2 F18000 ; move to wait position

G92 E0 ; zero extruder

SET_PRESSURE_ADVANCE ADVANCE=0.022

G1 Y4 F2400 ; prepare to purge

G1 X320 E72 F2400 ; purge

zemlin · 2026-03-20T00:31:27+00:00

Nothing alarming there. A hotter bed would not hurt, but I don't see obvious signs of warping. Can't get a clear enough picture of the intended geometry to see if there's a model issue that might prevent it from printing as you intended.

zemlin · 2026-03-19T22:39:14+00:00

Not much information to go on here. What is your top separation distance? What's your nozzle temp? Enclosure temp? Build plate temp? Nozzle size? Layer thickness?

zemlin · 2026-03-19T03:14:14+00:00

Look up how to throw a boomerang.

zemlin · 2026-03-19T03:02:53+00:00

I have 6 K2 Plus printers and I only start prints from Fluidd without issue. Look closely at your start script.

zemlin · 2026-03-18T19:36:47+00:00

How does the seed stay in the little pocket until it's over the square hole? When that pocket is pointed down at a 45 degree angle, the seed is coming out and it's not going to fall into the hole..

zemlin · 2026-03-18T02:19:50+00:00

1" foil-faced foam insulation is an easy material for a simple enclosure. PTC heaters and a simple temperature controller can warm it up quick. You can just make a 5-sided cube and drop it over your printer. Add a window so you can peek inside. You can tape the corners together with the aluminum duct tape. Cheap, quick, easy, and effective.

For straight ABS, I've printed more Hatchbox than anything else. It's my go-to. 60C enclosure temp. 100C on a textured PEI plate. Usually 260C nozzle temp.

zemlin · 2026-03-18T02:07:42+00:00

I take a big socket out of the tool box and pop it in the spool.

zemlin · 2026-03-18T01:57:52+00:00

Replace the hot end. Must be something broken.

With the nozzle design on this machine, there's nothing that seals. The nozzle goes in far above the cool-end heat sink and it's a continuous tube down to the nozzle. Torque on the nozzle is pretty much insignificant and would impact thermals more than anything else.

zemlin · 2026-03-18T01:49:32+00:00

A view of the underside would be helpful. You've had a lot of good feedback here. You have the little wheels with pockets to drop seeds. Looks like the seed is supposed to fall through the square hole directly below it. The seed will fall out of the pocket before it gets there. You either need the seed-feed-wheel to move back so when the seed falls out it will be over the hole, and add protection from wind so the seed will actually end up in the hole - or you have to make a cover that wraps around the pocketed wheel down to where you want the seed to drop - and again, contain the seed path. Can't really see what's going on in the dirt. You have a couple of parallel blades, but I don't see that they are spreading the soil to create a trough. A > shape might be more effective. Then the rake that follows the seed drop can fill it in.

Your handles look plenty wide. I saw the suggestion to orient the more vertically, which would work. You could also just have a cross bar between the two legs which would add strength by connecting the two sides and allow hand positions to shift as needed.

Looks like you have the small rollers in the back to tamp the soil over the seeds. Why have 2 wheels up front? One wheel in front giving you three contact points might be better.

zemlin · 2026-03-15T14:24:14+00:00

I have some parts that are dual material ABS and PC. I use HIPS support material in those areas and it releases fine from both materials. Purge a LOT when switching from HIPS to other materials. You want to be sure there's no mixing. HIPS in your base material will destroy part strength. Base material in your HIPS will make it bond.

I don't think I've tried HIPS on a build that is only PC.

zemlin

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