Axon 2.1 released.. 21 Sept 2012

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Dave White
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 New version of Axon released.... Lots of new changes.... Including raftless printing!

http://rapmanv3.blogspot.com/2012/09/axon-21-released.html

Download from the technical resources of the BfB website.

first test prints looking good!

speed
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So you get into the install and a dialogue pops up "The feature you are trying to use is on a network resource that is unavailable. Click OK to try again or enter an alternate path to a folder containing the installation package 'Axon 2.0.1 Setup.msi' in the box below." :\

Then got a dialogue that said that Axon 2 couldn't be uninstalled, so it's looking for the previous installer to do that. I don't necessarily want to uninstall the previous version just yet. Why do so many programmers try to decide for me how I want to run my system!?

I think I'll just do an endrun on setup.exe and install the msi directly. How much worse could it be?

AlexHoHoanNghia
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am i wrong or something, the new version can't build in 0.125 or 0.5mm layer thickness. It allows you to select 0.125 or 0.5mm option but results are always 0.25mm !!!!

can someone enlighten me? or my system went haywire?

thanks 

alex 

Dave White
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Just processed a file at 0.5mm and printing ok at this very moment.... looks like it may be a problem with your set up. perhaps try re installing?

(my object is approx 31mm high and it sliced into 64 layers.... therefore equates to 0.5mm layers)

Dave

speed
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When are you seeing the layer thickness result? In an actual print or on screen in Axon2?

There's a bit of a confusing aspect in the UI, where the default materials appear to allow changing the thickness, and optionally saving a variation, but everything else is greyed out. IMO, if no changes are possible, unless you save an entirely new material by naming it differently, all settings should be greyed and unresponsive. This had me going for a while when I first began using Axon.

Changing a material name, so that the settings become active, enables all of the layer thicknesses for that material that are then available to be chosen on the Build dialogue. This tripped me up, too, as I tried to save a .125mm version of a material and then found out that it was redundant to do so.

The only place where choosing a different layer thickness does anything is the radio buttons on the Build dialogue after you have chosen your material for respective extruders; either in the Printer Configuration button on the Build dialogue itself or previously on the Settings tab > Printer Configuration (same dialogue pops up in both places). If this isn't what you are experiencing, I have no clue, as mine works as expected.

Ryan Thomas
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I like the raftless printing but my issue is the speed setting does not work in any layer thickness.

No matter what I set the speed to, it builds and with the same estimated time.

Setting the speed makes no differrence to the estimated print time or the actual print time!!!

 

 

 

 

Ryan Thomas
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OK So It Seems when chosing no raft, you can no longer adjust speed!!

Hope this is a bug

 

speed
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Looks like a bug to me. I'd suggest either starting a new thread, so anyone from BfB may have a better chance of seeing it, or open a support ticket. Good sleuthing.

Andrew
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Alex, please can you provide more information about the settings you are using in the build as we are unable to recreate the problem.  A screen shot of your Printer Configuration window and Build Settings window would be of great help.

Thanks,

Andrew

Andrew
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Ryan, thank you for providing feedback about the problem you have.  I can confirm this is a bug which occurs when the raft is not present and we are working on a fix.

Andrew

Ryan Thomas
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Thankyou!

Was just about to reply.

Ryan

snydergj
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One other thing I noticed while printing a PLA part.  I was printing a raftless PLA part and using ABS as support.   Instead of just adding support where it needed it, it was overshooting the part thinking there was raft underneath it.  Therefore it would try to start the support layer in mid air and then go over the part.  This was creating bits of material curling up and would interfere with the next layer of PLA.  The support layers need to only go directly under where they need to go so the second pass of different material doesn't hit the part and knock it loose from the bed. 

support.jpg
Andrew
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snydergj, thank you for your post.  The overhanging support is generated by the Skeinforge build system that Axon 2 uses and we are not aware of how to change this behaviour.

The work around for your geometry is to rotate it 90 degrees so the slot is vertical, thus support material will not be needed.  Of course there are geometries where rotation cannot prevent this, however this situation is rare.

Andrew

speed
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Here's another that Skeinforge doesn't do correctly.

First image has same material for support and part. Second image has same material for raft and support. Bottom of the second image is how Skeinforge should build the file. Having raft and support way out past the part that it is supposed to be supporting is wasting time and materials.

 

raft-support.jpg raft-support2.jpg
anar
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It seems that the raft interface layer will never print because of the presence of a M108 S0.0 that will prevent any extrusion.

Does anyone else have the same problem ?

Edited : it seemed to happen only once and that I'm unable to reproduce it. I will try again but as I don't remember the exact material settings I have used I think there's little chance...

Still you might consider it could happen.

Claudster
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I have the same problems as Speed when it comes to support in Axon 2. Axon also has the nasty habit of placing support everywhere (especially where it is not needed) when the support option is selected.

What is worse is that Axon has no way of adjusting this. Will upcomming releases take care of this?

Dave White
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On first quick tests it looks like the support in Axon 3 is much better... 

Andrew
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Claudster, in Axon 2 the Gcode generation is done by the Skeinforge application which we utilise.  As new versions of Skeinforge are made available from time to time we take the latest version and test it with Axon with the aim of making a new release of Axon 2 + Skeinforge, so users can take advantage of the latest Skeinforge developments. 

Ryan Thomas
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Hi Andrew

Will the speed bug be fixed in V2,1? or are you focusing on V3.

I like V3 just hope it includes ability to tweak things, otherwise I cant use it.

Ryan

jaymekoatz
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hello.
 
Since I installed the update axon 2.1, there were problems in the files at the time of printing.
 
head starts printing the raft, but not moving, depositing the material continuously.
 
have to resort to 1.0 axon to print. How to fix it?
 
My printer-and BFB-3000 Plus, with updated firmware.
 
Thank you.
 

 

jaymekoatz
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Gentlemen, please disregard my previous post.
updated again and seems to be working correctly.
Thank you

 

tetralite
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I hope Axon 2.1 will continue to be updated to fix any bugs and make improvements. I have tried the latest Axon 3 Alpha 3 version and find it is unusable because the settings aren't accessible.

Here's a bug in Axon 2.1 (or is it in the 3D Touch firtmware -- Vers 5.4.1?):

     At the end of a print, the heads are sent toward the back of the machine. The table is not lowered when this move is made, causing the extruder tip to drag across any top-layer surfaces of the part, which leaves a scratch and, if a little plastic self-extrudes, it also leaves a blob on the first edge it touches. The easy solution is to drop the table a tiny bit and reverse the extruder feed a few turns before making this head-homing move. I can't determine (without some experimenting) if this is in Axon or in the firmware, since there is no documentation that explains, for example, what "M113" does in the G-code, thanks to the lack of updated or complete documentation from BitsFromBytes.

It would also be nice to be able to adjust the extruder feed rate for the first layer in prints with and without rafts, without having to edit the G-code manually.

Will we get Axon 2.1 updated or has development stopped on the best version of Axon so far?

Ryan Thomas
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Hi Andrew

Please fix the speed bug in V2,1!!!!!

V3 as it stands is useless, and V2.0 can't do raftless prints.

This bug is starting to cost me money!!

 

Ryan

annoyed user

evschneider
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Hi guys,

 

I am yet another Axon 2.1 user -- I prefer the customizability over V3.  Will the speed setting bug in this version be fixed?  Please!?