ASA isn’t quite ABS and it still has the same smell, just not nearly as intense. There are other properties that ASA has that ABS doesn’t and vice versa. I also use TitanX ABS from FormFutura, which is a low warp, low odor ABS.
I know this is an old thread, but since it’s had a spark of extra life, I thought I’d mention that I’m a new GlowForge owner with a lot to learn on that front, but I’m also the founder of fbrc8 (pronounced ‘fabricate’), the company which assembles, distributes and supports Ultimaker’s printers for the USA and Canada, so I know rather more about that technology 
. I feel like there’s a lot of opportunities for cross-pollination between the two types of making. If anyone has questions about 3D printing, please feel free to get in touch!
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Stay away from the Prusa i3 MK3. I got one of these in February, and it’s been nothing but trouble. This is an alpha-quality product that is still not ready for release. However, they released it anyway and their support department and web store are both overwhelmed. You can’t get many parts, support takes 5 days to respond, most of the promises whiz-bang features have to be disabled to avoid problems, and the quality of the prints is still not as good as the previous generation Prusa printer (MK2).
While I agree with your statement when I am frustrated with mine, if you fix all the stupid things they have left in the design it is actually a nice printer. It has all the features that my go-to printer introduced into the market three years ago for just about twice the price. What I have had to do with mine so far:
- Fix the cable management. I can share the files if you want.
- Fine-tune the material profiles. The default profiles are too hot and cause the filament to soften in the heat exchanger. I think this is because the 5V fan doesn’t push enough air to keep the filament cool.
- Reseat the heat break with better thermal paste.
- Add a silicone insulator around the heat block. I had to manually trim the insulator to allow nozzle removal and to clear a couple of obstructions.
- Download the latest firmware.
- Test and adjust the belts to get them within range of the firmware - took about three hours.
- Calibrate the extruder very carefully.
- Give up on Prusa “support”. While they did send me a new bed sheet after I cut my finger on the edge of the original, it took a week to process. Their support response is three days when it is fast and most of the time they just send canned responses. Their response to the fact that my MK2 caught fire due to crappy wiring components was that they “knew about the problem.”
I don’t know why, with the quantity of printers they ship, they can’t put out a decent hardware and software combination. I use the CEL Robox most of the time. It was introduced in June 2014. I have SN 31 and 36 and they are still working without issues. Yes, they were 1500.00 each and they can’t print anything taller than 100 mm, but at least I can use them consistently and reliably. They have every feature that the Prusa MK3 has except the magnetic bed, and they can print with two colors or two materials and have an enclosed print area. They also are ready to operate in about half the time as the Prusa. The only advantages of the Prusa are the noise level and the build volume.
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Thanks for your reply! I actually have a lot to learn about 3D printing, and it is great to hear from someone else who has an MK3 and is willing to share knowledge. I’ve been a bit disappointed that the Prusa forums aren’t the helpful community that we have here (and am very puzzled as to why that might be).
The thing is, I bought the MK3 because I was new to 3D printing, and the company’s previous product (MK2) had literally hundreds of reviews saying it was a reliable, no-frills but solid performer, workhorse. I saw the new features in the Mk3 that were all designed to make printing less error prone, and I thought this would be a good platform to learn about the technology.
Instead I’ve been trying to both learn and troubleshoot a flawed design at the same time. I don’t know what’s settings I need to tweak in the slicer versus what’s a problem in the firmware versus what’s a problem in the design of the printer or something I got wrong when I assembled it.
I agree with what you say about support. I gave up on them when they told me to update to the (B6) parts for the x-axis, after having been told just a couple of replies up the thread that I already have those parts. And seeing your list of all the things you’ve had to change in their design, it’s actually kind of discouraging.
I think I have my belts tensioned correctly - X is at 260, Y 254. I think support said the target value is 240, +/- 40. I do have a persistent issue with the x belt rubbing the idler, though. Makes noise and I am sure will eventually wear out the belt. I’ve been unable to fix it despite numerous attempts. I think something in the x-axis parts must be warped…
I am actually using a firmware I built off the head of the source tree in Git. Since updating to that, I’ve had WAY more consistent results out of the first layer. I can actually do a Live-Z test and use it to tune, whereas before I would get random results even if I didn’t change the value.
Please do share your cable management files - this is one of the aspects I am not happy with.
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The new cable holder is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M5mFVJCHLiK5q6lJreAmaXEyrt_g1N9V/view?usp=sharing
It is just that one part; I printed it with nylon so it is tough but flexible. If you don’t have access to nylon, I suggest a stiff TPU. If you need it printed I can do that for you too: www.hudsondesignlabs.com/3dprinting
I have the same problem with the X idler but it hasn’t caused any issues yet. I think there is a new X-Motor mount part that may reduce it; I saw an announcement from Prusa about something to do with a new X-Motor Mount.
Let me know if you have specific questions and I will do what I can to help. I have both a MK2 and a MK3 and have seen most issues.
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I own 3D systems Cube X (Meh …over priced)
Prusa MK2S - Best printer i have used. MK3 out and better. (Co workers have clones and I am told "Die in a fire slowly as my prints turn out a bit better)
Sparkmaker SLA printer - good detail and best for mini
A few M3D printers (cheap - you get what you pay for)
Do you actually own an MK3? I challenge your assertion that it’s better than the MK2/S. The MK3 is an Alpha product, and it remains to be seen what it’s going to take to get it to the level of robustness and stability already in the MK2.
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Thanks! Is this part a replacement for the cable holder that screws into the extruder? I was thinking it was something to help with routing the cables around the frame.
Great. Thinking one of my X-mounts must be warped, I had just ordered some replacements from Prusa. No doubt I’ll get the old version…
Thanks, will do.
This is a replacement for the cable holder that is mounted to the long screw and screws into the back of the X-Carriage. The extruder is the motor and gear unit that drives the filament to the hot end which is the assembly of the heat sink, heat break, heater block, and nozzle.
Right. I was referring to that whole assembly as the extruder, but I know that’s not technically the correct terminology. Sounds like we’re talking about the same thing. Would PETG work for that part?
No, PETG is not flexible enough. The cable holder arms will break off. I designed them to hold the cables with enough force to keep them in place but not enough to allow them to stress at the entry and exit points. You have to separate the arms to insert the cables, so you need either nylon or TPU. I would use something like PolyFlex or SemiFlex to print it if you don’t have or can’t use nylon.
I thought I understood what you were asking; by being specific I wanted to make sure that I did and that everything came across correctly. I have worked with too many people not to be specific.
No, I totally understand this. So If I wanted to get you to print this for me, should I just fill out the form on your website and upload the STL file you linked?
Yes, that is one way. The other is to use the red 3D Hubs link. That link runs it through 3D Hubs which handles payment and everything else. Otherwise, I will send you a PayPal link once I have the quote written up and you can approve it.
I am guessing the cost of that part will end up being about 17.00 shipped through 3D Hubs because of the shipping cost and the startup fee that pays my time to look at the part. If you run it through my site, I will give you a flat rate 10.00 - 8.00 shipping by USPS Priority Mail and 2.00 for the part.
I agree with Illuminarti about ways to use both 3D printing and the Glowforge together in projects. I have one sitting on my desk that my fiance’ surprised me with. I believe he found the pattern on Thingiverse (will have to ask him for the info) – it’s a stand that is made up of both 3D printed and the Glowforge cut out a wooden board (with screw holes) to make a stand for my Microsoft Surface. It opens up so many more possibilities when combining the two.
I HIGHLY recommend the Ultimaker 3 (and had actually bought it from fbrc8 last March). I have had one little message pop up one time, and his staff was quick to jump and e-mailed me right back. Also when a small item broke, they had it in the mail to me immediately. They even write back later and check to make sure you, their customer, is satisfied.
I have personally owned 3 different 3D printers, but have printed on a few additional…this printer just keeps on going … and it has a dual extruder which can either print in 2 different colors or in one color and print with a dissolvable (PVC) support material which is awesome. If I was to buy another 3D printer today…it would be an Ultimaker. I haven’t had to “fiddle” with it to make it work or to print better…it just keeps on printing.
Our Maker Space has an Ultimaker 2 (which we upgraded to the 2+) and I had printed with it a LOT before deciding to order the Ultimaker 3. I have not regretted it for a moment.
Sign me…one happy gadget girl!
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Check out www.seemecnc.com as well. They are not the cheapest but they are very well thought out and very reliable. A friend has been running these for years and they are just rock solid. My brother has one now and so do I. They have a couple different sizes, options for kits you build yourself and for fully preassembled machines.
Brian
I have a mk3 and it has been super reliable and high quality. Definitely not alpha level (I’ve had a literal one of those with my e3d big box - me they rest in piece). I carry it to and from classes when I teach my courses and it doesn’t get all skewed. At least for me (which seems to be the sample size we are using here) it has been a fantastic printer. To be clear I bought mine assembled.
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A friend of mine has been doing a lot of research into filament printers and just ordered this guy:
https://www.cetus3d.com/product/cetus-extended-mkii/
Some of his reasoning below. Forgive me if I screw up any of the details, because I haven’t studied this yet myself, this is my memory of our conversation.
- It uses rails not rods, and rails are more dimensionally stable
- It is cheaper to convert to a completely open source driven platform than many devices in its class
- It has a large build area for its price
- It has a reputation for Just Working, well, at least as much as any 3d printer can Just Work.
- The community is of sufficient size to make getting help practical
- The company sells replacement parts without hassle
Downsides: out of the box it isn’t set up to do ABS, and you may have to change the extruder to use many other filament types. It also uses proprietary nozzles, but they only cost $12 if you need to replace one.
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