Kraken thread

[Eaglezsoar]

Are the Richrap extruders on Thingiverse?

[mhackney]

Yes, here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:60531" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Eaglezsoar]

Thank you!

[enggmaug]

McHackney,

I remixed your Konnector with Xnaron plate into this thing : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:268464" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now, I'm waiting for my Kraken to see how it fits.

[mhackney]

Hey cool! I am working on an effector but plan to mill it in aluminum.

Cheers,
Michael

[enggmaug]

If you do manage to get quad extruders or even 3 extruders on a Rambo, a tutorial would be much appreciated.

I will keep track of my progress in this thread

[enggmaug]

Where did you guys put the reservoir ? I would prefer putting it under the machine, so that a leak would not ruin the machine, but I wonder if the pump could be up to it.

The best place for routing water hoses would be the top, but then again, a leak would be a disaster for the machine ...

I thought about putting the machine upside down, but well.... I'm not sure yet...

[mhackney]

Mine is on the table next to the Rostock. The pump has plenty of umph that it should be fine underneath too.

[mhackney]

[img]http://mhackney.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v25/p87864936-3.jpg[/img]

This was my very first 2 color print with Kraken. The hardest part was dealing with Slic3r. I FINALLY got the RC3 release to work for me. It required disabling wipe and a little editing of the gcode to prime the pump a little before printing.

This is a little color calibration piece I whipped up. Still some work with slicer settings to minimize oozing and a little better calibration of nozzle positions. Basically, the Kraken nozzles are on the cornea of a 20mm square. I wanted X=Y=0 to be the center of the effector. That means that each nozzle is 10mm in X and 10mm in Y from the center. Just a matter of determining if it's + or -! I arbitrarily chose the nozzle in the +X and -Y (front right corner looking between the X and Y towers) and then go counterclockwise from there. That's sirt of how I wired things up so I just stuck with that.

The Configuration.h file is looking for number of steps for the X and Y positions. At 106.667 steps/mm for X and Y it's easy to get in the ballpark - use 1066.67 steps for 10mm. You can test by lowering the nozzles to Z=5 and then issuing tool change gcode - simply T0 and T1 for 2 nozzles. Do this in the Repetier Host gcode field and you'll see the nozzles move to 0, 0 when you select one. It's a quick sanity check.

[Eaglezsoar]

That little bi-color block in your hand represents a lot of hard work.
Another job well done!

[mhackney]

Plus it has cool colors! I love this turquoise PLA! I just ordered another KG of it.

[EdB]

Thanks for the info everyone. Great thread. I have a Kraken on order (shipped last week) and a reprappro Prusa i2 that I've been using for about 4 months.
I ordered two of the small nozzles (.2mm) in an attempt to get improved support separation and sharper perimeters.
I've been wondering about the coolant tank and LOVE the radiator (ordered one just now).
Really like the looks and features of the X3 pro, but I've been leery of ordering due to no response (email or facebook), slipping ship dates and incomplete web site.
The positive comments you all have have convinced me to bite the bullet and order one.
I'm also doing a bunch of changes at once to reduce the re-builds: add LCD control panel, move z motors to bottom, flip x axis (currently vertical), add acme z rods, add stabilizers, redo belt drives...
Many other mods to go before this beast will print, but I'm looking forward to a much better quality and multiple materials, colors, and sizes. That is once I figure how to make slicer do all that...

*edit: can't currently order from panucatt web site, just get a "backorder" warning...

[mhackney]

EdB, Panucatt is a reputable business so don't worry about ordering from them. I think it is a bare-bones operation so emails sometimes take a while. But I've always got replies from Roy and he helped me configure my X3 Pro over the weekend. It is a very well design and manufactured board.

They have these boards coming in all the time so keep watching or email and ask when the next batch is available and to hold one for you. I had to do that for the Viki display and it was worth the wait.

The slicer is a different story...

[Skupitup]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering what the E3D PTFE bowden tube material is like? I have a delta printer similar to the berry bot designed that I am starting to manufacture to use a Kraken but I want to know if I should be minimizing the bowden tube length. If i mount the motors on the top of the frame, the tube length is around 800mm, but i may be able to hang a bundle of 4 steppers and ezstruders centered in the frame about 200mm lower shortening the tube. Is this really necessary for oozing prevention etc? E3D says that their tube is reinforced somehow, which is why i'm asking if their tube is better suited for longer runs.

thanks!

[mhackney]

The E3D tube is white as compared to the translucent clear tube from SeeMeCNC. I can't really tell that it is any stiffer or reinforced. In general, you want to minimize the length of the tube while not introducing tight radius bends or kinks. With the extruders top mounted, the tube is really not much shorter than the extruder mounted on the Rostock side arm that came with the original V1.

Once you have it setup you can deal with any issues if you have any with retract, wipe, etc. I've not had any significant issues with my setup.

[enggmaug]

Up to now, has anyone managed to get the 4 nozzles working on the kraken ?

I am at the point where I have one nozzle working pretty well, as well as I used to print before with my SeeMeCnC hot end.

Now, I am installing the second extruder.

I have not yet finished my Rambo extension project, as I have been busy lately. However, I gathered all the needed components, and finished the design. Just need to actually make the board and try it.

On remaining question is how did you guys attach 4 extruders at the top of the machine, and place 4 rolls of filament above that ?

I started to design a piece to hold all 4 steppers, but I am not quite satisfied with it.

It is a slow evolution.

[mhackney]

I have but it really hasn't been practical from a software/slicer perspective.

I used 2 of the original SeeMeCNC Rostock sidearms to hold 1 extruder and filament roll each and then mounted the other 2 up top. That works but not everyone has 2 sidearms!

Ultimately, I plan to fabricate a rack like system that will sit next to the printer. It will contain 4 spools and 4 extruders with the Bowdens and water tubes running to the Kraken. Been too busy to get to that though.

[bubbasnow]

you could get up to 6 on the top with this

http://forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php ... d&start=20

[enggmaug]

thanks for the link, I apparently missed it.

I will check if 2 or 3 dual stepper holders could fit up there, but if not, I can definitly reuse the idea.

[Eaglezsoar]

I have but it really hasn't been practical from a software/slicer perspective.

I used 2 of the original SeeMeCNC Rostock sidearms to hold 1 extruder and filament roll each and then mounted the other 2 up top. That works but not everyone has 2 sidearms!

Ultimately, I plan to fabricate a rack like system that will sit next to the printer. It will contain 4 spools and 4 extruders with the Bowdens and water tubes running to the Kraken. Been too busy to get to that though.

You are too busy. Too many projects not enough time. At least you will never be bored.

[pyrophreek]

I have been pondering the problem of drooling, which is all too common with multi nozzle setups on 3D printers. Has anyone experimented with a wipe zone for multi nozzle systems? also there is a section for tool change code in slic3r, could you add a fan to the wipe zone to enhance cooling of the nozzles? is this necessary? how fast do the nozzles heat/cool on the kraken?

[mhackney]

Kraken heats/cools fairly quickly but I don't do that. I keep mine at temp always. And use a little retraction. Folks have used a wipe zone - google it and you should find some things. It needs to be out of the way. Some slicers also put an ooze shield around the part to use to wipe the nozzle. This is time consuming though.

[pyrophreek]

I tried using the cool setting for the not-in-use nozzle, and it does improve prints with my dual stock seeme nozzles, but it takes forever to heat/cool the nozzles. If the krakens heat/cool much faster this could be a nice option to improve prints at the cost of a small increase in print speed. Also, if you have a part cooling fan, turning it on full during this nozzle change might be beneficial.

[mhackney]

I think the ideal solution will be one or several things we don't have right now:

• a slicer that is extruder aware and does a retract on the unused nozzle/s and a short prime and wipe somewhere hidden (inside) the part - basically using it as a wipe zone
• a mechanical shutter device in or around the nozzle that prevents oozing while allowing the nozzle to stay at temp
• a single nozzle with multiple inputs, similar to RichRap's mixing nozzle, that can not only mix, but with the right software, do clean switches from one material to another
• a movable wipe pad that follows the Z axis as the part builds upwards. this minimizes collisions and decrease wipe time

I think a lot can be done with just the slicer though. KISS has customized gcode for select and deselect extruder. I've been trying some things with that and doing a little manual editing of the output guide and seeing some interesting opportunities.

[pyrophreek]

Yah, I am looking forward to further developments with color/material mixing nozzles. I still think having multiple nozzles is going to be a necessity for certain applications, but for compatible materials and for multicolor parts, a single nozzle with an active mixing element will be the way to go.

in case you haven't already seen this, e3d is already working on it =D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmn7K1U06Wc" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, early rep-rap work on color mixing using an active mixer:
http://www.reprap.org/mediawiki/images/ ... rt-jmc.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

ahh the possibilities....