I followed the excellent guide as inspiration for installing the BMG Wind on the X1.
The bracket was printed in PETG at 230C on my Prusa Mini; I went with PETG for better thermal characteristics (softening around 80-85C). I put something like ~7 perimeters with 35% infill to make it strong; in fact, the lip that holds the extruder is basically solid. No further treatment was applied.
Sequence of Events
- Installed BMG Wind (and used a new nozzle and heatbrake) - I put threadlocker where I could, and the BMG Wind and Heatbrake has CPU Thermal compound to increase heat transfer)
- Compiled the Digant Firmware with bit switch
- Redid all Bed Calibration
- Redid e-Steps for the new Extruder
- Redid PID for new Extruder Setup
- Redid Calibration Cubes using PLA to set Flow properly (I print at 200C nozzle and 60C bed typically)
Everything looked great at this point, but I wanted to switch to PETG since it has virtually no PM10 and PM2.5 particulate
- Found Nozzle Offset for Bed Level on powder coated rough PEI surface
- Redid Calbration Cube using PETG to set Flow Properly (230C Nozzle and 85C bed)
- Did a Single Test Print (a 30mm tall DND Mini for a friend who has asked)
Here was my problem; I came back in the morning to start my functional print, and within 10 min found that the Nozzle crashed into the Bed and was dragging- the Filament was barely extruding. I cut power, and instantly saw the extruder didn’t seem level anymore…I took it apart and found the following
- the PETG Extruder bracket has drooped about 4deg C
- A Hole with the screw was deformed significantly
- the entire surface of the bracket looked warp
- Several ‘straight’ edges were curved now
- the BMG Wind cracked in several places
- the BMG Wind had a bracket that broke off
Any thought on what is wrong in my set up?
As a new user, I can only upload 1 photo, which doesn’t do this justice. I can’t even do imgur links, but add the HTTP yourself, and see below for the most impactful 1 photo.
imgur DOT com SLASH a SLASH yhKIozy
I wonder if the screws were “too tight”, but I did them tight enough to feel secure. Any less would not have made sense to me.
Finally, I did some minor modifications, that I believe have not interfered with the Thermal Failure, but will list for completeness:
- Custom Shroud for Fan on Heatsink - instead of the old dinky fan, I put a 5050 blower; it blows with a TON of air to keep it cool - on vs off is a huge difference. It is more weight, but to me it is weight in the right place, especially at the speed I print at. I see no connection to the failure, if anything, this would help by drawing heat away from the Body, and thus, the Bracket.
- ** 5050 Fan with Two-side Duct for the Nozzle** - many others have done this, nothing unique, but I did not do this till upgrading to the BMG Wind. I see no connection to the failure, if anything, it would improve airflow, but the air is directed down towards the print.
- Wobble Wings - They are truly amazing for eliminating Z wobble on the prints, but I did not add this till upgrading to the BMG Wind. I see no connection to the failure.