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Posts Tagged ‘Makerbot Replicator 2 upgrade’
Adding Aluminum Arm Stiffeners to Replicator 2
19, Oct 2014
Time for another upgrade to our MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer, this time we have decided to install aluminum arm stiffeners in order to help eliminate sagging of the build plate and reduce the lateral build plate vibration and movement during printing. The upgrade parts we are installing are the Aluminum Arm Stiffeners from Performance 3-d. The installation kit we got is designed to fit multiple 3D printers and it includes pretty much all things to mount it including screws and a drilling tool that is partly 3D printed. These Aluminum Arm Stiffeners are designed to be fitted as an upgrade on Makerbot Replicator 1, Replicator 2, Replicator 2X, Flashforge Creator, and Wanhao Duplicator 4, Duplicator 4X.
The arm stiffeners are relatively easy to install and it should not take a lot of time, then you need to spend some time tweaking things up before finally tightening them – try moving the build platform up and down over the Z axis to make sure that everything is fine. The results after installing the upgrade – less problems with failed or not that good looking 3D prints as with other upgrades that we have already installed, but still we do still have some issues from time to time. In general however after installing each new upgrade to our 3D printer we are getting less and less problems after that, so there is definitely an improvement, either small or big.
Time for another upgrade to our MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer, this time we have decided to replace the extruder nozzle. This upgrade we did more out of curiosity than because we actually needed to – no jammed nozzle or problems with the original one aside from the fact that it did not look that good anymore. As you can see on the photo above the original nozzle on the left does not look so good anymore due to the stuck PLA filament on it that we have removed, but some stains were left. The extruder nozzle on the right is the Low Friction MK8 Extruder Nozzles from Performance 3-d.
The extruder nozzle upgrade we are installing is also made from brass base material like the original MakerBot one and has the same parameters. The difference however is the special coating applied that makes all of the difference when printing as it can help in preventing a lot of problems while extruding material due to the fact that the filament does not stick so easy to the nozzle. Other than keeping a cleaner look and fewer problems with printing and filament sticking to the nozzle we are not seeing difference in the quality of the prints, not that we actually expected to see some anyway. It is all about having less problems like filament jams, or when using abrasive filaments like carbon fiber wearing off the nozzle and the Low Friction MK8 Extruder Nozzles from Performance 3-d seem to do very well in these areas.
What we want to share with you is that the replacement of the extruder nozzle is something that is not very easy to do as it requires disassembling most of the extruder in order to be able to safely remove the old nozzle and replace it with the new one without the risk of damaging something. We would recommend to only replace the extruder nozzle only if you have no other choice and not just out of curiosity or if you want to test something out. With that said however it will be a wise idea to have a spare extruder nozzle available ahead of the time when you might need to replace the stock one.
Print Your Own 3D Printer Upgrades
14, Sep 2014
One of the best things about 3D printers is that once you get one, you are able to start printing modifications and upgrades for your own device using the printer itself. Regardless of how good or expensive the 3D printer is there are usually some things that you can further improve or just make your life easier by printing some additional parts that might extend the device’s functionality. You don’t need to even design the parts yourself as many of them are already available for direct printing, at least for the Makerbot Replicator 2 printer (including many compatible models) that we use.
In fact we have already printed some upgrades for our Replicator 2 3D printer that we are using and are very happy with, apart from the upgrades that cannot be directly printed, but need to be bough separately or to be made using different hardware. Upgrades like a holder for the filament guide tube, or a better spool holder for non-standard spools with filament can save you from unsuccessful prints. Other upgrades such as upgrading the extruder filament feed mechanism or adding build plate holders can result in better quality prints. There are other upgrades that you can also find useful such as SD card or tool holders, camera holders for recoding the build process and so on and so on. Not to mention that you can also print upgrades that are purely for visual tuning and upgrades that can also be fun as they will allow you to personalize the 3D printer.
– Check for some 3D printer upgrades already available for download on Thingiverse…