Ender 3 Neo v2, about to pull the trigger

[GeneT45]

It's also pretty helpful when you switch colors and forget to purge the old color out of the nozzle.

except, on small prints the brim isn't quite long enough purge out all of the old color. being forgetful gets you some interest first layer color effects.

I've switched colors mid-print and haven't had much problem. If you heat the hot-end to extrusion temp, then pull the old filament and feed in the new you should have only specs of the old color and only briefly - certainly not enough to print a brim for even a small part.

GsT

 

[Ken226]

I've switched colors mid-print and haven't had much problem. If you heat the hot-end to extrusion temp, then pull the old filament and feed in the new you should have only specs of the old color and only briefly - certainly not enough to print a brim for even a small part.

GsT

I didn't mean mid-print. I meant after one job, and before the next.

But yes, that is the correct way to do it.

I was joking, at my own expense. A few times in the past, ive got lazy and in a hurry, swapped the filament out cold and let the brim consume the remnants of the old color.

Learned the hard way a couple times that a small part = a small brim = still have the old color in the first layer of the next part. My Vorons CW1 Stealthburner makes it really quick and easy to swap filament with the extruder cold.

There was a period of a few weeks where I was printing lots of stuff, so I developed a bad habit of cutting corners.

I don't do that anymore.

 

[AlfromNH]

As it turns out, there wasn’t enough filament to finish the job. Once it got past the extruder it stopped feeding obviously, but this printer doesn’t have a sensor so the print head kept chugging along.
getting the remaining filament out proved challenging and I wound up breaking the plastic “quick release” fitting at the extruded end. Fortunately the printer came with a spare.
Rather than removing the last of the old filament, is the proper method to use the new filament to push the old in far enough to get the extruded to grip it?

 

[Lo-Fi]

Heat the nozzle to 120C, then pull the old filament out quickly and firmly is a good method. Google "cold pull". It's also a good way of cleaning a clogged nozzle as the filament pulls everything out with it.

 

[GeneT45]

Heat the nozzle to 120C, then pull the old filament out quickly and firmly is a good method. Google "cold pull". It's also a good way of cleaning a clogged nozzle as the filament pulls everything out with it.

This is what I do, but I wouldn't say I pull quickly, just evenly and firmly. Obviously hold the drive roller open on the extruder when doing so. You *can* get away with pushing a new piece of filament behind the old one - I've done it once and it worked, but now I just pause and change rolls.

GsT

 

[RandyWilson]

Question: what's with the "curb" it prints around the items every time?

in this case it's a skirt. There is also a brim, a raft, and (my favorite) none. It's controlled under the Build Plate Adhesion section of your slicer.

I hadn't looked into the Neo before. It appears to be mostly standard fare; 4.2.2 controller, 24V Mk8 hot end. The big difference is the new heatsink and fan assembly. It will be interesting to see what interchange there will be with those. You'll find that there are a LOT of parts and upgrades for the Ender line. Most are really inexpensive, though I did just see a diamond-tipped nozzle for $100.

 

[Mechanizoid]

Question: what's with the "curb" it prints around the items every time?

Depending on the exact setting in your slicer, the "curb" could be either a skirt, brim, or raft. The skirt is a couple lines of filament traced around the object, but disconnected from it. It serves mainly as a purge for the nozzle, and helps ensure a steady supply of filament. The brim is a larger skirt of filament that connects with the base of the object and extends a little out onto the build plate. The raft is a 3d printed mesh, several layers thick, that serves a flat surface on top which to print the model.

The first layer is your most important layer. If the filament fails to properly adhere to the build plate, the rest of the print is doomed. Sometimes, a model needs a little help to adhere to the build plate... this is where a brim or raft can help. You might find that a model curls up on the edge, or that an entire print detaches and falls over. Or, the print may adhere well, but once its done you find that the bottom layers of your print mushroomed out sideways just slightly. This is called "elephants foot", and can really mess with parts intended to mate to other parts. Properly tuning your print settings can resolve these issues, but if all else fails a brim or raft will help.

You can tune these settings in your slicer program. In Cura (the program I use), you can choose between a skirt, raft, or brim by scrolling down to the "Adhesion" settings.