FAQ

General Questions

What is required to assemble the printer kit?

The kit is shipped with most required consumables to assemble it. The only things required are the following.

Skills

- Basic soldering skills(only have to solder cables together, electronic components are already pre-assembled and soldered)
- Skills to assemble a mechanical construction
- Technical insight
- Common sense

Tools

- Wrenches 7mm and 13mm.
- File
- Nippers.
- Caliper.
- Allen key set. IMPORTANT, the key set needs to have a round head, which makes it able to work under an angle. Also longer keys are recommended.
- Pliers.
- Drill with a variable speed. Some parts need to be drilled out slightly, this should be done with care at low speed. 
- Drill bits 2mm, 4mm, 5mm, 8mm.
- Level.
- Hammer.
- Soldering iron including flux and soldering tin

Consumables

- PTFE/Teflon spray, recommended to use on the sliding bearings for optimal performance. This can be obtained from any bike or car store.
- Soldering flux and soldering tin

What are the possible payment methods?

Currently the payment methods are:

- Paypal
- Credit Card
- IDeal (dutch residents) 
- MisterCash(belgian residents)
- MoneyBookers

How to determine shipping costs?

In the shopping cart you can get a quote when you select your country and postal code.

Mechanical related

The bed is only supported at one point, is this rigid enough?

The bed overhang is nothing to worry about. After a lot of engineering work and testing, we've managed to get a very stiff construction and to achieve high accuracy even at the edges of the bed. The big advantage of the current construction is that the construction is not over defined, because there is only one point of attachment, which makes it easier to align, assemble and maintain.

Electrical related

I have basic soldering skills, what is required to complete the kit?

 The only activity where soldering is required is to connect pre-crimped wires to wires of the components like motors. Heatshrinks are supplied in the kit to properly isolate the connected wires. The electronics board is pre-assembled and tested.

Performance related

What is the resolution of the axes?

- X: 0.013 mm
- Y: 0.013mm
- Z: 3.9E-4mm

What is the nozzle diameter?

0.35 mm, this enables high quality printing

What is the range of possible layer heights?

- minimum 50 micrometer
- recommended 250 micrometer
- maximum 350 micrometer

What is the range of linewidths?

The linewidth can range from 0.2mm to 0.35mm

What is the range of print speeds?

The print speed can range from 10 to 200mm/s. The higher the speed the worst the quality becomes. The current production speed for the printer components is 80mm/s. This gives a nice tradeoff between speed and quality.The recommended speed for high quality printing is 30-40mm/s.

What stepping mode is used for the axes?

1/16th stepping. This results in low noise and higher resolution.

Is it possible to print with support material?

 Yes it is possible, by means of a toggle you can let the software automatically calculate support material. This enables you to print with large overhangs and bridges. The support material is of the same material as the printed object, but it is printed in such a way that it is easy to remove.


Software related

What software is used for part process and on what platforms can it be used?

We use 2 software packages

- Pronterface for Windows, Mac, Linux
- Repetier host for Windows, Mac, Linux
- Netfabb will be available soon

Filament related

For what kind of filament is the Felix 1.0 printer optimized?

The printer settings provided with the kit are based on PLA. Other materials like, PVA, ABS are also possible to use as long as it melts below 275 degrees C. When other filaments than PLA are used, the current settings are close to achieve reasonable print quality, but further finetuning in the printer software settings is required.

What filament diameter is needed?

A diameter of 1.75mm +/- 0.15mm

Where to buy filament?

Soon filament will be offered in our webshop, but in the meantime an updated list of suppliers can be found here: http://reprap.org/wiki/Printing_Material_Suppliers

What filament is better to use PLA or ABS?

PLA and ABS are the most common used materials for 3d printing at the moment. We strongly recommend PLA for the following reasons:

- PLA is much easier to use, a lot less problem with warping of material. 
- Significantly higher print speeds are possible with PLA.
- Mechanical properties are similar to ABS, but gets softer at lower temperatures. 60 degs vs 110 degC. 
- Lower processing temperatures are required, which lowers energy consumption. 
- PLA in printed form is reported to be stronger then ABS, because the layers stick better to eachother.
- ABS is oil based and the fumes can be toxic.