I have been learning the ins and outs of my new J1s. After first setting it up, it printed the PLA calibration prints beautifully. However, as I transitioned to my “real” projects, various problems have surfaced, and I have been able to solve them. This post is just to document what I have learned.
My workflow is to use Cura as my slicer, then to send the gcode files to my Raspberry Pi/Octopi, which is connected to the J1s thru the USB cable in the back. It turns out that this can cause a conflict with the way the two print heads move, as detailed in my earlier thread. By careful placement of “M605” commands, I was able to sort that out.
My other issue came when trying to print with my preferred combination of materials, ABS in T0, and HIPS in T1. ABS was sticking to the build plate just fine, but the HIPS would not. As the printing progressed, any place where HIPS was attached directly to the build plate would come loose, and ruin the print. I tried switching to the smooth side of the build plate, and using various adhesion aids: Kapton tape, painters tape, ABS slurry, Magigoo, etc. I discovered that the print heads would often tear the tape up, and adjusting the “Build Plate Thickness” settings from the control panel did not seem to have any effect.
I eventually found that using the smooth side of the build plate, with hairspray, has given good adhesion for ABS and HIPS, and the prints come off easily once the plate has cooled. I use 100 degrees for build plate temperature.
If anyone else has any other tips and tricks, I’d love to hear about them.
