Contents
#1
- Does it necessarily replace a whole hot end if I clog up a nozzle?
- Print heads are sold in pairs with the same nozzle diameter. Can a different diameter nozzle be fitted or can I mix and match print heads?
- Will you provide Cura/PrusaSlicer profiles?
- Will there be an update to allow you to change nozzle size without buying an entire new pair of hot ends?
- When will the pre-order discount end?
- When is the built-in-camera option coming?
- What about changing filament mid print? Does it support the M600 and M0 gcode commands?
- Dimension accuracy: How to tighten X, Y axis belt?
- What is the difference between the left and right hotends or are they identical/reconfigurable to be used both sides?
- What are my options for printing? Is there any kind of octoprint-like web server I can send jobs to via WiFi?
#2
- Is there a protection procedure in case the z leveling fails? (What happens if the nozzle does not recognize the bed / bad contact between them?)
- Will you offer some PEI spring sheets instead of glass beds?
- Given the silicone pad, WHY and WHEN is purge tower necessary for multi-colour print?
- What decision was made about a cheap exhaust option (not in accessories atm)? If DIY, what suggestions do you have?
- Why does J1 need a wipe tower?
- Is it possible to integrate it with a tool changer system like printer mods’ exchange?
- In dual extrusion, can different size nozzles be used?
- Is there a preventive maintenance plan like greasing the linear guides every 1000 hours of printing? (just a example)
- When will an internal camera become available?
- How and when can I get the shipping numbers?
#1
Polls: 2022-11-11 to 2022-11-14
Votes: 304
Answer Date: 2022-11-17
No. 1 - 19%
Does it necessarily replace a whole hot end if I clog up a nozzle?
It’s not necessary to replace the whole hot end when you encounter a clogging issue.
A large majority of clogs can be fixed without the need of replacing hot ends or nozzles. First, you can open the latch on the front of the print head to check the filament loading status since it will release the tension of the driven gear, allowing free filament movement and better access and visibility to the mechanics of the direct drive system. For example, if the clog happens in the hotend, you can heat the nozzle to about 250°C and use the provided H2.0 Allen key to push the filament through the clogging area. If the clog happens in the extruder, you can use a tool (eg. tweezers) to remove the filament that’s stuck in gear. If the clog happens in the nozzle, you can heat the nozzle to about 220°C (for PLA), and use a nozzle cleaning tool or a metal string with a diameter that is smaller than the nozzle diameter (0.4mm) to push the clogged material backwards through the nozzle tip. Do this step with high-temp. protective gloves.
If the hot end has been used for a long time or has been damaged, you will need to replace it. J1 uses easy swap hot ends. You only need to loosen two screws to replace the hot end. Also, J1 can automatically recognize the hot end type with the PCB connected with the hot end. Please note that the left and right hot ends are mirrored. So they cannot be used interchangeably.
J1 supports standard MK7/MK8 nozzles. If you don’t want to replace the whole hot end and you are sure that you can handle the nozzle replacement after reading our guide (Similar to normal nozzle replacement on most 3D printers. I will share a video to show the process soon.), you can replace the nozzle instead of hot end. It will require some tools to make it. Also, J1 won’t be able to automatically recognize the nozzle type if you have changed that. BTW. The heat sinks, heater blocks, heat breaks, fans, and nozzles are identical on both extruders.
No. 2 - 16%
Print heads are sold in pairs with the same nozzle diameter. Can a different diameter nozzle be fitted or can I mix and match print heads?
In progress. We need a little bit more time to find a better solution. I will follow up the progress on this and share the latest update later this week.
No. 3 - 14%
Will you provide Cura /PrusaSlicer profiles?
Yes. We have released J1 Cura Plugin. You can find it on our forum and github. The plugin provides J1 machine configurations and various materials printing profiles. GitHub - Snapmaker/SnapmakerJ1CuraPlugin: Snapmaker J1 plugin for Cura 5
We will release printing profiles for PrusaSlicer at the end of Nov. 2022. Currently, there’s only PLA profiles sharing on our forum. Beta Version - High Speed Firmware, Cura Profiles, PrusaSlicer Profiles
In addition, we will provide profiles for ideaMaker and Simplify3D after we release profiles for PrusaSlicer.
No. 4 - 10%
Will there be an update to allow you to change nozzle size without buying an entire new pair of hot ends?
J1 can recognize nozzle diameters when they connect with the machine. However, current J1 firmware doesn’t support manually changing nozzle diameters.
This feature is in J1 firmware development plan. Users will be able to turn off auto nozzle recognition, and then manually enter the nozzle diameter value on the screen.
No. 5 - 7%
When will the pre-order discount end?
As J1 production runs to the next phase, the preorder price will be increased gradually during preorder campaign. Early adopters enjoy bigger discount. In the next phase, it will be increased about $50. Snapmaker J1 newsletter subscribers will receive email notifications about the pre-order price update a few days before it changes in the store.
No. 6 - 6%
When is the built-in-camera option coming?
There’s no built-in-camera addon plan. Back to the early days of J1 project, we considered adding the camera module to J1 in the future. However, in the past year development, we mostly enhanced the machine reliability, printing speed and quality, while the camera is a lower priority. In the latest product improvement plan, we are not going to make the camera module. Although we won’t release camera module, advanced users can connect J1 with a Raspberry Pi running Octoprint to realize remote control for J1 if needed.
No.7 - 5%
What about changing filament mid print? Does it support the M600 and M0 gcode commands?
Currently, it doesn’t support these commands. If you need to change filament mid print, you will need to pause the print and change the filament manually on the screen.
No.8 - 4%
Dimension accuracy: How to tighten X, Y axis belt?
If belts are too tight, it will affect printing accuracy. If belts are too loose, it will cause step-missing problems. So we need to adjust belts to a suitable tightness.
We will provide belt adjustment method in J1 user manual, which will be released at the end of Nov. 2022. To put it simply, users can easily adjust X, Y axis belts using a 3D printed adjuster. We will provide the G-code file of this adjuster in the manual.
No.9 - 3%
What is the difference between the left and right hotends or are they identical/reconfigurable to be used both sides?
The left and right hotends use mirrored design. They cannot be configured to be used on both sides. The heat sinks, heater blocks, heat breaks, fans, and nozzles are identical on both sides.
No.10 - 3%
What are my options for printing? Is there any kind of octoprint -like web server I can send jobs to via WiFi?
Yes. You can send jobs to J1 via WiFi in Luban (Snapmaker slicer for J1), Cura (with provided J1 Cura Plugin), or via USB flash drive.
#2
Polls: 2022-11-19 to 2022-11-23
Votes: 205
Answer Date: 2022-11-27
No. 1 - 23%
Is there a protection procedure in case the z leveling fails? (What happens if the nozzle does not recognize the bed / bad contact between them?)
There’s stall protection for the calibration procedure. J1 uses TMC2209 motor driver IC, which comes with StallGuard feature. We use it to verify whether mechanics function within the safety margins, avoiding crashing into the heated bed or the glass plate. (Learn more about StallGuard feature on Trinamic website: https://www.trinamic.com/technology/motor-control-technology/stallguard-and-coolstep/)
The bad contact between the nozzle and heated bed can be identified with StallGuard feature. The bed will stop rising, and the J1 touchscreen will alert you that there’s an error. (Here’s a short video I took before. You can learn how protection takes effect from the video. The screen UI is in Chinese. I’ll take an English version next time.)
Update Starting from firmware version V2.2.10.
- Fixed stall protection failing risks occur when there’s a glass build plate on the heated bed.
- Added stall protection for Z homing.
Possible risk (for current firmware version) - The stall protection fails during calibration when users forget to remove the glass build plate (in the case that users ignore the screen’s warning of removing the glass build plate). Reason for this issue: We found that there are differences in each TMC2209 motor driver IC for their StallGuard performance. Especially, when adding the glass plate (that makes the platform becomes heavier), the probability of failure increases a lot. We cannot set optimal sensitivity settings for this feature. To avoid annoying false error reporting and process blocking, the current settings will cause a risk of stall protection fail when the glass plate is on the bed.
No. 2 - 21%
Will you offer some PEI spring sheets instead of glass beds?
No. The PEI spring sheet (flexible buildplate) is not supported. J1’s dual extruders move on the same X axis. It’s virtually impossible to use mesh bed compensation for IDEX 3D printers. So it’s super important to choose a reliably flat build plate. In J1, we use glass build plate instead of the flexible spring sheet. Glass is naturally stiff and thermally stable. Therefore, it remains flat and will ensure bed leveling remains consistent. The metal flexible plate is not comparable.
No. 3 - 12%
Given the silicone pad, WHY and WHEN is purge tower necessary for multi-colour print?
When printing at a low temperature, like 195℃ for PLA and a low printing speed, like 40-60mm/s, the prime tower might be not necessary for an IDEX 3D printer. However, J1 prints at high speed (≥ 200mm/s), it requires to increase the nozzle temperature to above 210℃ to increase material flowability. The material easily oozes because of gravity and flowability. So we generally enable prime tower feature to get better print results for dual-color printing: save printing time with high-speed printing, cleaner print surface, and accept a small amount of waste of material.
No. 4 - 8%
What decision was made about a cheap exhaust option (not in accessories atm)? If DIY, what suggestions do you have?
This is still in internal discussion. We have put print cooling improvement as a higher priority than air filter feature. The latter will be influenced by the former. I hope that I can share more after we complete tests on this. Before that, there’s no progress.
No. 5 - 8%
Why does J1 need a wipe tower?
It’s the same answer as the one for No. 3 above.
No. 6 - 6%
Is it possible to integrate it with a tool changer system like printer mods’ exchange?
No.
No. 7 - 6%
In dual extrusion, can different size nozzles be used?
Yes. You can use the same size of nozzles or different sizes of nozzles in one print.
No. 8 - 5%
Is there a preventive maintenance plan like greasing the linear guides every 1000 hours of printing? (just a example)
Yes. There’s a maintenance plan for J1. You can read this content in the J1 user manual. Download here: https://support.snapmaker.com/hc/en-us/sections/10129930251671-Snapmaker-J1
No. 9 - 4%
When will an internal camera become available?
It’s not in the plan. It’s a same question as FAQ#1 No. 6 - 6% - When is the built-in-camera option coming? Please check out the answer under that question.
No. 10 - 3%
How and when can I get the shipping numbers?
For Kickstarter rewards delivery, please read this topic: J1 Kickstarter Rewards Delivery Info
For Pre-order delivery, please read this FAQ: https://support.snapmaker.com/hc/en-us/articles/10430772962455-Pre-order-Shipping-FAQ
