I'm having the same problem.  Either the raft pops a corner off, or the object pops off the raft.  My front right adjustment screw is at its limit, although my platform is pretty level.  I had to re-level after my first heat cycle though. </br>

I've taken to adding a 1mm solid raft to my builds, once that is printed, I pause the print, and tape down the corners of the "raft"  and the rest of the object prints fine.  Of course, I have to cut off a huge raft afterwards, no easy peel-aways with this method.</br>

If you find a better solution, please post it here!

Hi Guys,

If you feel like your build platform may be warped or if you're having trouble with the plate leveling routine, feel free to start a support ticket here - we'll be happy to help sort it out.

Thanks,

Ben

MakerBot Support

Hi.

My biggest problems with Replicator is that the object starts peeling off from the heated platform and, after waiting for almost an hour to heat-up and print a percentage of that object, I have to cancel the printing because a nozzle hits the edge of the support grid and knocks it out of position. I tried to clean the kaptan tape with acetone, increase the temperature of the platform by 10, 20, 30 dgr C, level the build platform 10 times a day and I STILL HAVE THAT PROBLEM. Can someone from Makerbot solve this problem with a mechanical solution to keep the object's grid on the platform? I don't know what else to do to make it work???? Thanks.

I am having a similar problem but I think I have it solved. I believe it is coming from cool air blowing into the case and causing differential cooling of the part as it is printing. I have partially draped one side and it reduces the problem. Next print, I am going to make a larger drape for all three sides and see if it will reduce further or completely solve. 

Clipping plastic curtains over the windows in the Replicator box has stopped the pieces from curling and popping off for me. Top left open and sides not tightly sealed. Just some plastic transparency sheets clipped to top of the box that hang over windows.

I had the same issues described, I am trying to make the BalloonJetPlate_fixed and the sides popped up at around 10% and the whole project was tossed off it's center point at around 15%

I had the window to the room where the MakerBot is housed open, I will keep the windows and doors closed and try the project again.

Note: I also noticed that although I can set the Preheat on the plate to 110 it eventually reverts back to 100 degrees

Just covering up the case sides has made a big difference in the print quality on all the parts I have printed.  I did raise the plate temp to 110 for a couple big parts but I don't think it is necessary for the smaller ones. The plate and extruder temperatures are set in the G-code for each print, not from the settings on the firmware. You can edit the G-code directly for the print you are making but to adjust the temp for all prints, you would have to go find the file where the defaults are being read from to make global changes. So far, I have just been using ReplicatorG with the default settings and have not looked into all the stuff that Skeinforge can do. 

I have tried 3 additional large jobs and all have failed due to curling, I tore out a few magazine pages and taped up all 3 sides with small gaps open to see if this help.  I'll keep the room closed and check on it infrequently to make sure I am not bombarding the job with outside air to see if the problem goes away.  The top is still completely open and exposed to let some heat out as part of the build process.  I guess I'll find out in 4 hours how it went.

Yes, so covering the sides did in fact make a HUGE difference and my large project is a success.  Taping magazine pages to all 3 sides isn't a fantastic solution however, what have you all done?

I have the same problem. When printing raftless, the part starts to peel off the platform. When printing with a raft, the raft starts to peel off the platform.

I tried lowering the platform to leave less of a gap, and found that my adjustment screw on one corner was right at the limit, so I added one additional washer to each spring peg. This did not help.

I have followed these other two threads (see below), which suggest raising build platform temperature to 110 degrees C, 120 degrees C, etc. I tried that too, and that helped but didn't fix it. It seems to me that there is a "hot spot" or "cold spot" on the replicator build plate. I wish I had a thermal camera to prove it... :/  Either way, it sounds smart to try side drapes to reduce heat loss in the open air around the machine. I noticed that the replicators at CES had tops made from laser-cut acrylic.... I have access to a laser cutter.. Will the Makerbot people please open-source the CAD files so we can cut acrylic sides and tops to trap the heat in our replicators?

-Ryan

http://groups.google.com/group/makerbot/browse_thread/thread/edf9907be6401a22/320f5464aafda8aa

http://groups.google.com/group/makerbot/browse_thread/thread/46d1b83a8803aee4/f7b5d67c751ca512

I unfortunately do now have access to laser-cutting acrylic.  I was thinking making large transparency sheets however and then maybe modelers clay to keep the sides and front of the unit completely air gust free.  That way if someone walks into the room when the MakerBot is running, I don't have to yell at them for ruining my project... :)

I just enclosed my replicator with saran wrap and painter's tape on the sides, and a curtain on the front, then carefully draped a old tshirt over the top.  (I think I'm going to put some rods up and make a structure to keep it off the extruder feed tubes).  This improved things markedly, I am running 110C on the build platform as well.  

Thanks Jay, I'll try that, but I hope there is something official about this issue from MakerBot as well, or was this also an issue with the past 3D printers?  I don't know, this is my first one ever... :)

Hi Ben, I had exactly the same problems you were having, and I was able to totally fix them. Here is what I did:

1) Raise the build platform. Even if you think the gap between the build platform and the extruder nozzle is OK, try getting them closer together. The Replicator is designed for these two to start VERY CLOSE together and that's how you get a good sticky base. Try printing raftless, with one added shell, and watch the first layer of plastic very carefully. If the plastic "drags" at all or does not smush into place, then they need to be closer together. This fixed 50% of my problem.

2) Enclose the sides, front, and top of the replicator with Bubble wrap and blue painter's tape. This traps the heat and gives you better platform adhesion

3) Raise your build platform temperature, either through manually editing the GCODE or through Skienforge. I tried raising it from 100 C to 110 C, and then 115 C, and 110C seems to be good enough. 

4) Don't get discouraged. I had resigned myself to the fact that my parts "just won't stick" but now that I have the issue fixed the Replicator is Awesome again!

-Ryan

Thank you Ryan!

I agree with Ryan's tips, although I'm still in the process of raising the platform.  My dual extruders aren't quite even and I need to do the "kapton shim" under the right side to even them out.  Once they're even I'm going to push the platform up more aggressively.  

After enclosing the printer though, holy carp it gets hot in there!  Can definitely see that it's much happier than in the "almost 70F" air of my house wafting through the frame.  Managed to get a lego tri-brick printed last night, and while it's not perfect yet, it was at least stuck firmly.  I suspect my remaining issue with the bottom layers being slightly malformed is the platform clearance, so I know what I'll be doing this weekend.  

Jay and Ben,

I also had issues where I felt that one extruder was lower than the other. I took some needle-nose pliers and "scraped" the plastic away from the tip of the extruder while it was cold (not preheated) and found that they were actually level after all, it was just the melted plastic that made it not look that way.

I saw that too, but mine were slightly off post-wipage.  I've just leveled them perfectly with two small strips of Kapton across the mounting edge outboard of the mounting screw hole.  After that, I re-leveled the platform (which didn't need much), and am now printing well.  

Have to say, covering up the sides and front, as well as a carefully clipped cloth over the top (be careful, without clips it can fall in and get caught on the extruders, with messy results) made the biggest difference.  

Eventually I'll make the covering permanent, and probably fabricate a box for the top that doesn't interfere with the extruder pipes.  

I too raised the bed temp to 110C and made sure my bed was as close as possible (the table warps up in the middle at temp so I can't get it as close as I'd like - that is a whole other issue).  I still had warpage on larger items.  I was sure it was being caused by a large temperature difference between the hot bottom side and the cooler top side.  I was going to make an enclosure but in observing a build one day I noticed that the nozzle cooling fans are blowing large amounts of cold air toward the extruders and down thru a gap in between the nozzle bar and carriage onto my printed objects.  I taped over the gaps and and the warpage virtually disappeared.  Later I bought slightly longer screws and turned the fans around so they are pulling heat off the cooling fins of the extruders instead of blowing cold room air straight down onto my prints. 

This also creates superior bonding between layers since the top of the part stays hotter when the next layer is printed.  Before I could bend a part after printing and it would crack at the layers.  It was more like a wicker basket then a solid plastic part.  That problem is gone now too.

The fan change and a bed temp of 110C has fixed the warpaged due to temperature deltas caused by the fans. 

I still have print/lift problems due to bed warpage that hasn't been fixed yet.  I am waiting on MakerBot support on that one.  The bed is a  sandwich of an FR4 PCB heater and aluminum (with Kapton tape on top of that).  Aluminum has a coefficient of thermal expanansion almost twice that of FR4.  When you bolt these two materials together on their perimeter and then heat them, the difference in expansion rates causes warping.  To keep it interesting, apparently FR4 expands at a different rate in the X direction than it does in the Y direction.  On my machine this warpage causes the middle to rise (or the edges to go down).  This means that larger prints that go out to the edges have trouble getting a good base print because the bed is too far away from the nozzle.

I seriously love this machine...but.....everything I print seems to be warped, no matter the platform temp. or placing a 'raft' etc.  If it's meant to be flat and larger than a couple inches, it curls at the edges or bends and just ticks me off.  Real fixes?

I have done a couple things that have all but eliminated my warping problems - for small to medium sized prints at least. 

• The most significant is to use a leveling jig I designed and a dial/digital indicator http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:23257 after the bed has been heated.  I have consistently seen the front edge of the bed sag as much as 0.4mm (the diameter of the filament) after the bed has heated.  I am guessing that the plastic bed arms are softening slightly with the heat. 

• The other thing I did was remove the 6 screws and bolts from the left and right edges of the build plate.   Per my previous comment " Aluminum has a coefficient of thermal expanansion almost twice that of FR4.  When you bolt these two materials together on their perimeter and then heat them, the difference in expansion rates will cause warping" - the aluminum will grow bigger than the FR4. 

• Lastly, I am a fan of rounded edges and I love to use fillets to soften sharp edges when I design things.  I found however, that fillets or chamfers on the bottom perimeter of the part causes the equivalent of a stress riser and seems to encourage lifting at the edges.

I CAN SEE THAT THE ISSUE OF THE OBJECT BASE FAILING TO STICK TO THE PLATFORM IS A PROBLEM BUT l DO HAVE A SOLUTION,IT IS A BIT LONG BUT l WILL SHORTEN HERE IN AN EFFORT TO HELP THOSE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR MAGIC BOX - HERE WE GO - 1:REMOVE THE RUBBER STOPPER FROM THE RIGHT CORNER OF THE PLATFORM AND ADJUST THE LENGTH OF THE SCREW IF REQUIRED. 2:MAKE A NEW PLATFORM OUT OF A RECTANGLE OF 4MM MDF, THIS SHOULD HAVE HOLES FOR SITTING OVER THE SCREW HEADS AND A GROOVE UNDERNEATH ON THE RIGHT SIDE TO SIT OVER THE PLATFORM CONNECTOR. [THIS NEW PLATFORM SHOULD BE CHECKED SO TO ENSURE THAT IT DOES NOT TOUCH ANYTHING WHEN THE PLATFORM MOVES TO IT'S EXTREMES - AND THE FITTING OVER THE SCREW HEADS IS BEST TO BE TIGHT SO THAT IT KEEPS A GRIP ON THE NEW PLATFORM - THIS NEW PLATFORM WILL HELP YOU BUILD BIGGER PROJECTS]. 3:LEAVING A 10MM MARGIN RIGHT AND LEFT STICK A RECTANGLE OF THE THIN VINYL USED IN SCHOOLS WITH VINYL CUTTING MACHINES SUCH AS THE STIKA - THERE ARE USUALLY OFFCUTS ABOUT. 4:USE SELOTAPE AT THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES TO FINISH THE JOB.[THE REASON  THIS WORKS IS THAT THE TYPE OF PLASTIC USED AS VINYL STICKS WELL TO THE ABS BUT BE CAREFUL WHEN LEVERING UP YOUR PROJECT AND SMOOTH DOWN THE VINYL AFTER EACH PRINT AND THE VINYL WILL CONTINUE A LONG SERVICE, AND IT COSTS NOTHING].  SINCE DOING THIS OUR MAKERBOT HAS BEEN PRINTING OUR PROJECTS RELIABLY.

I recently received my replicator and have since experienced many of the trials and tribulations chronicled here.   Like all my other colleagues I too have had to try increasing the HBP temperature in the gcode to 110C and then 115C and currently I am running this at 120C.   Naturally, I have also printed the 20mm calibration cube many times, with then without, then using a raft with post adjusted extruder distance and so forth... And then i tried adjusting while the the first layer is being printed and raising the plate up until the first layer is being schmeared in a nice flat line across the build surface so I think you get the drift here.  

So after some consideration (and much observation) of the behavior of this unit I have come to conclude that build platforms are a bit of an Achilles heel in these units.  It does turn out that my platform is warped (and warps further under heat).  This causes the model under extrusion not to lift off the platform but to end up with the plastic in one corner kind of smeared and raised in a curve when you compare it to the other corners.

Frankly, as an engineer I would not choose this thickness of plate for an application to is going to see the platform temperature raised to 120C repeatedly unless you had carefully selected the grade of material and i do not think this has occurred here.  Furthermore, I do not think users should continuously be doing all this calibration on the fly - if this is indeed necessary then the product design needs reappraisal.   (Not trying to heap ridicule on the product - please understand this)

My solution to my problems is simply to make my own build platform out of a thicker piece of Aluminum and some platform supports (because I do not trust the plastic ones supplied will not bend in heat).  I am also considering going to glass on the build platform but i will post developments as I work on the problem.

P.S.  You may gather from my account that I may be no stranger to this area of endeavor and you would be right:)

No more WARPS!

Ok did try almost every possible option listed here. Nothing seemed to work. Now this option works 100%. Level your plate and keep the platform at 100-110 deg C

1. collect scrap ABS and cut into small 1cm by 1cm bits ...hey just aprox.

2.add this and equal amount of acetone in an airtight bottle.

3.let it sit for a couple of hrs to a day.. stir the contents about once every 30 mins or so .till the ABS dissolves or almost does.

4.apply this slurry very sparingly with a small brush on the platform in a random pattern covering the build area of your model. You can do this while your platform is heating up.

5. if you applying too much of this slurry , its going to take you a long time to detach your model from the build platform.What works best for me is a very thin coat and about 30% coverage of where the

    model will sit.

Hope it helps...Cheers

One more thing... I don't use a raft !

Hi Brain,attached are pictures and clearly shows the difference  .the white object was printed using a cleaned platform, red was using the method above.(sorry ran out of white ABS)(object is aprox 6 inches in length) Its not a lot of work... once you make this slurry , you can use it for months...

I got my makerbot a week ago and had all of the same problems. I figured the warping was from air flow across the part being made. I put Kapton tape under the fans to block the air blowing down and all of my problems were gone.

Hi Gary, tried your  fan block. Did not work on big models eg. 15 cms length and  once the thickness (z depth) is more than 1.5 cms. and more. The corners start to warp as the top layers start to cool  contracting and while the lower layers are still warm due to the heated bed.  Even with my method the warp pull is so great that I have the abs pulling the Kapton tape off the platform at the model corners so each Kapton application lasts me just 2 models.

Hi Shyam,  By your comments I think you are saying that you have actually tried Gary's method of blocking the fans with some prints and have proven this to work only for models less 15cm length, right? If with your method the warp pull is so great that the Kapton tape pulls off the platform...I would say that there is some serious misalignment in your platform.  While I like the ingenious way in which you solve the warping problem with your sticky slurry, I think that some basic principles need to be considered in at least the initial setup of the platform before we go looking for ways to improve the present design.   Not trying to preach to the converted here, it's just that when I hear that your Kapton application lasts just 2 models alarm bells start to ring.  If this is because your slurry causes the model to stick strongly to the HPB then I can understand this.

On the other hand I have concluded the following:

1) Level both extruders - if one extruder is higher than the other there will be lifting of the deposited layer occurring when the higher extruder is being used.

2) If the print heads are not nicely parallel to the HPB we get pushing occurring and all sorts of other nasty problems.  Simply using the leveling routine is not enough in my opinion and I have made a levelling jig(http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:25246) to help ensure that I have an even surface to print head distance.

After  the above have been done, I think it is safe to go ahead and experiment with slurrys and other methods.   I read all these approaches with interest because I am still investigating ways to solve the problem conclusively.   I also think that the "flatness" of the HPB and its thickness are of paramount importance and I intend to do some further work in this respect.

For the moment, my warping problem is not entirely resolved.  I do get "acceptable" prints most of the time after carefully aligning the platform and heads with a 0.15mm gap on the extruder.

Just letting all on this forum know that I too am looking for root cause answers to this issue.  Good luck with your endeavors.

I like what enktech said about the "coefficient of thermal expansion" for aluminum versus the items mounted to and around the aluminum, and that's the best explanation I can see for explaining issues relating to platform warpage. 

Not to talk trash, but I won't try the slurry solution and don't think I would recommend that. I use acetone and melted ABS to glue parts together, but coating your platform with it is kind of missing the point of the 3d printer. Instead, level the table as best you can, and then wrap your 3d printer in bubble wrap.  And implenent the fan block technique. That fixed my issues.

The whole lifestyle and community surrounding Makerbot is about making 3d printers accessible to a larger group (not just tinkerers and hobbyists). Having gone from the Thing-O-Matic to the Replicator, I must say that the Replicator is a step backward in terms of "ease of use" and "approachability" for people that are less techinical and more "casual" users of 3d printers. I got my new aluminum build plate, but I hope Makerbot's engineers are doing their due diligence on thermal expansion and are getting the issue fixed properly. 

Juan Yes I have tried Gary's method...though it's not new to me,... bubble wrap?moisture? platform temp?etc...etc...  I've got polycarbonate doors on my bot. guys I've tried everything posted here and elsewhere.I have no love or hate relation with the bot. I just need to get the job done.Small objects have never been a problem... its the large size objects  that are part of a bigger job,  have to fit without a warp. My platform is leveled after heating it for 30mins.I have a jig for that so there are minimum errors there. this abs+acetone method works for me ...untill something better comes along. cheers 

Shyam, fully understand where you stand with the bot and I concur. It is frustrating for the folks who in good faith start to use the beast because as you said they just want to get a job done and find they fallen into a pit of perplexing problems with no idea how to navigate out it.

So the abs+acetone method works for you and I think that is at least comforting.    Again I agree that at least you can get some jobs done for the time being.   However IMHO this work around in no way replaces design.  My biggest handicap is finding the time to get into this machines' design shortcomings.   I only get a few hours a week to relax AND I have kids:)  

I too am currently preparing to fit some polycarb covers over the machine but until I get these cut I am going to continue to use the cut-out cardboard box the unit came in which may be lacking in aesthetic appeal but does the job admirably!

I have had my Replicator with dual extruders for a week now. The first few models, 3D Knot, reference cube, Mobius strip and 3dscrew box printed fine and of course I gave them away to impress friends with my new gadget. However, since then I have not managed a successful print. I'm experiencing the symptoms listed above. I have re-leveled the platform. Either the model lifts after about 5 minutes or it fails to stick to the platform on the initial layer. I was using the machine with the garage doors opened yesterday, but today I closed the garage up. Still no joy! I have also cleaned the table as recommended. I was hoping to print the Octopus model for my granddaughter, but the tentacles lift. As I didn't alter the temperature on the original prints, why would I need to adjust it now? What would change  in the machine to make an increase in platform temperature needed? I will try to do the calibration prints again, but  yesterday they wouldn't stick.

The only anomaly I have noticed is that during the platform set up the left nozzle extends off the platform. I'm waiting to hear back from support on the one. I might try the method of clisng the openeings up next and see if that works. If not I'll try the temperture modifications to one of the original working models.

You don't have to manually make the change in the GCODE each time. You can change it ONCE in Skeinforge and it will use that value from now on.

I have have done everything but the slurry, include building in tabs as part of the design and then using reverse tweezers to hold down the print.... it kind of works, but not for big jobs.  I did purchase a very high-tech state-of-the-art add on for the maker bot.  It is called "cardboard box."  All joking aside, the box is propped up, not to constrict airflow to the mightyboard, and blocks all drafts while increasing the air temp around the print.  I plan on building one like this guy did.... http://www.tedlarson.com/2012/07/05/makerbot-is-in-the-lab/

I think MarkerBot Indus should be including an enclosure with the purchase.

Well my fix of Kapton Tape below the fans worked for a while until i started long parts. I was able to fix sticking issue by rubbing 600grit sand paper on the Kapton Tape and following it up with alcohol wipe. this has been working great for long parts. This however will not fix shrinkage on thick parts (just like welding metal. the parts move while cooling if you do not have enough tack welds).

Only been using the replicator for over a week now, but have been doing so very aggressively/enthusiastically....I had major issues with raft warps/base moving the first few days....but since learning to level properly any warps that now develop are no longer sufficient to kill a print unless it is something very delicate/tiny -- my only real issues now are extruders clogging and the occasional frozen print job (Software failure?).  Unless I see otherwise, I think nearly all significant raft/base movement issues are just a result of not being aggressive/fanatical with leveling. 

It sucks, but once a day I spend about 20 minutes continually rerunning the level routine over and over before I start printing.  I hope there is an auto-leveling upgrade available someday....

+1 for preventing draft. If you have ANY draft whatsoever in the room where you're printing, all prints seem to be guaranteed to fail. I suspect the printer would be happiest inside an enclosed cabinet where air does get to flow a bit, but where the temperature does rise to considerably hotter than regular room temperature.

I've also noticed that

1. The different types of plastic filament behave very differently in regards to warping. The clear plastic has so far proved to be the easiest to print, with the least print problems.
2. The print alignment seems to have a big effect on how individual objects warp, where the same item aligned front to back on the build plate vs side to side can turn a failed print to total success. Experiment in ReplicatorG! :)

There has been a lot of discussion about acetone/pva slurry for holding prints to the build plate.  It does work, but is difficult to clean up, creates a mess and can paint the inside of your machine with rigid plastic if you're not careful.  I use bottles of slurry, in each of the colors I use to repair imperfect prints (I paint it on bad sections with a pointed stick) and thin mixtures will smooth a print out nicely).

PVA wood glue, is a much better way to hold prints down.  A thin layer on the build plate will make the prints stick and tapping the end of a chisel shaped Xacto knife placed under the edge of the print, will break it free.  When the glue builds up on the plate, it can be removed by peeling it off like a bad sunburn.  I can usually get 3 or 4 prints, applying a new layer of glue for each, before having to remove the old stuff and starting over with a new layer.

Warped Build Plates:  Chances are, the plate isn't warped, but is caused by the plastic support sagging a bit as the plate heats up (an aluminum casting or stamping would be a better choice here, MakerBot).  Try calibrating the extruders with the plate heated.  This cleared up my issue of the print heads being too far away on the front sections, preventing the plastic from anchoring.

See my previous posts about coefficient of expansion of the aluminum and FR4 and plate leveling (ditto on Bfk1's call for cast aluminum plate support arms).  Then skip making slurries etc. and try this hairspray trick http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28787 and let me know if you see the same improvement I did.  I can now even print parts that have chamfers/fillets on the first layer, something that always guaranteed base separation before.  I have not yet tried one of may larger part designs that wouldn't print before without failing but the improvement in my small to medium sized parts gives me reason to hope now.  I will update when I do print a larger part.

Update on my comment about warped build plates:  I had to replace the wiring harness for the bp heater.  While waiting for the part to come in, I decided to remove the mill marks from the plate's upper surface.  I discovered the plate is in fact, not flat.  Mine was high in the center, with a small drop-off at toward the left side and a significant drop-off on the right.  I smoothed and flattened the plate in my shop.  One possible advantage of smoothing the plate (along with having a flat surface) is the Kaplon tape adheres to the aluminum 100%.  There are no gaps where the mill's tool carved into the aluminum's surface.  This may prevent my chisel from cutting through the Kaplon when I remove the parts and the wood glue holding them on (I'll try Enktech's hair spray, but the glue works great for me for the moment).

Another advantage I noticed straight off is, it took me no time at all to level the plate.  I still have a drop-off toward the right side, no where near what it had been, but the gap is .001 or so greater there.  I'm printing now and I'll know shortly how much better or worse the job went.

When I posted my comment (June 25, 2012 01:28) - I had already run a dial gauge over the plate and concluded that it had to be warped from manufacture.  What I find interesting about this is the fact that flat Aluminum plate (precision flat) is not that hard to find and not that expensive either.  I was promised another build plate but it never arrived, so I just went out and sourced some precision flat and polished the surface to finish it off.  I do also agree with the observation about the plastic supports and I am looking into replacing these.

I do recommend making the levelling jig from thingiverse - Not sure if I included stl files for mine but I will check to make sure in case someone wants them and I will include the Solidworks file.  I hve experimented with the slurry but I find this a bit messy since you have to clean the plate every so often.  Think I'll give the hair spay a go...if this does'nt work I can at least use it on my comb over.

We have spent a lot of time looking at this issue (prints lifting and curling up off the replicator bed) here at BilbyCNC (Australian Makerbot distributors). We came up with some simple answers.

Firstly you need to understand that when you notice your print curling or lifting up from one side it is caused by cool air being drawn in towards you print from that side of the bed. The filament on that side then cools and contracts causing an arc in your print that lifts the cool side up and eventually causing the whole print to slide off the bed.

You can solve this by running the preheat longer, sealing up the box and increasing the HPT in the GCODE. We have covered in this in more detail on our tech support page for those interested :

http://www.bilbycnc.com.au/MakerbotReplicatorSupport.asp

Lee, I tried changing the Gcode.. Saved the changes, transfered it over to the SD card,  "built" the stl file from the updated Gcode and when I go to print it still tells me that its temperature is 110, NOT 115 like I asked it to.

Because I see this:

M109 S110 TO

I changed it to this: 

M109 S115 TO

Or did I have to change it to this?

M109 S110 TO S115

This is really frustrating, since we just got it here at our school and its really not doing what its suppose to do!

Jody:

Try using Titebond II wood spread out on your Kapton tape before you print.  That may work for you.  Wood glue is made from PVA, which sticks like crazy to ABS.  Pulling the parts off the plate can be a challenge. Wait for the plate to cool, then rap the part (gently) with a small hammer and a stick.

If that doesn't work, there's another, more aggressive method that's good for large objects:  Mix some of your scrap plastic into a bottle of acetone.  Let it set for a day and you'll have a slurry.  When you print, use blue painter's tape instead of your Kapton.  Spread a thin layer of slurry down on the tape and print away.

Don't get frustrated.  Extruding plastic is as much of an art as it is a science.  Take your time, save your scraps and failures and by mid-semester, you'll be an expert... Guaranteed.

Sorry for the awkward exit here, but Lee's comment about cool air is correct.  I use clear acetate and velcro to cover the side and front openings.  Velcro allows you to quickly open the printer for access.  The top can be covered with an appropriately sized box to help hold the heat in.  Have your students design ways to improve the printer and make the prints more stable.

Jody:    You should not  really need to set the temperature and higher than 110.  Normally you would see - M109 S100 T1  so it should simply read - M109 S110 T1 when you set it to 110 deg.

@Lee  :    I am just a humble engineer ( NOT an Australian Makerbot distributor) from Victoria but  I can tell tell you that you have hit only part of the problem.  You observation is partly correct -  curling or lifting up from one side it is caused by cool air being drawn in towards the print but this can happen from more than one side simultaneously.  The real issues here are a) Plate heating evenly & plate mass (or lack of)  b)plate flatness c)coefficients of expansion d)even distance (level travel) between extruder and plate. Sealing the box certainly hepls and should be done but again, there is more to do than just this.   I could detail all the enhancements I hace done to obtain perfect prints....but I leave that to the experts making a living out of this.

Well I've found some Titebond glue and it worked for the dual extrusion demo, but the Roadrunner I am trying to do still seperates about 38% through the process and then it goes off the rails again. I am going to go and find some Titebond II today, hopefully this town has some.  Just curious, at what temperature do you add the glue? 

Here is the image I am trying to print.  The one thing that I do notice is its base. When the bot is making it, the left side of the "base" seems to be "higher" than the right, with very little of the plastic bonding to the plate.  Could it be something in the actual stl program?

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:15478

If the titebond II does not work, I will try the acetone/plastic slurry.

Hi Jody If you have to use Titebond something else is going very wrong.

You said " When the bot is making it, the left side of the "base" seems to be "higher" than the right"

Is that the case from the very first layer?

If No - the first layer or so start fine then it lifts you more likely have an envronmental issue - so many people have this issue, in fact it is 90% of our tech support calls and easy to fix. (It is also applicable to all open repraps) We popped an article up with photos of fails and detailed the cause and solution for each...I strongly recomed you look at the "lifting at one side" section here :

http://www.bilbycnc.com.au/3DPrintingProblems.asp

I hope that helps ;)

Lee

If yes your bed may not be flat - check the calbration and pop a level on it to check that

Juan

You commented that curling can happen from more than  "one side simultaneously" - I would argue that this is still cool air being drawn in. We are putting to gether some thermal imaging footage for you all to watch just how much cool air can be drawn in from all sides as the hot air rises above the bed. The coolest air obviously comes from a cool air source. For example the side of the machine drawing air in from a cool cross breeze from the airconditioner.

You pointed out a lot of other factors : a) the bed heating evenly - the design Makerbot have gone for heats up more evenly than many, The edges will always be cooler because they are fighting the air around them. Yes in theory a thicker plate would help retain heat - but also take more enery to heat up - it is a bit of a trade off.

b) Plate flattness -yes naturally and if your plate is not flat that is a problem - Ben (Makerbot) raised that in the first reply to the thread, and if thats the case go back to Makerbot, they are great guys and i am sure they will sort that out for you.

Lee

I think I may have figured out what I am doing wrong.. The Titebond, etc is working (worked on dual extrusion) I believe its a flaw in the design of the Roadrunner from Thingiverse. When I look at the picture from Thingiverse in my replicatorg program, the base of the drawing itself is slightly above the plane.  I tried to "move" the roadrunner so it looks flat, but the best I could do is have the image itself go "into" the "floor", but part of it still sticks up at one end.  Any ideas or am I now in a different topic?

I tried to leave a comment at thingiverse, but it won't let me.

Thanks so much guys!

I'm assuming you print from your computer hooked up to your printer.  Disconnect your computer from your printer.  On your computer, click on the stl file you want to straighten.  It will open in GrplicatorG. There are a number of commands to the right of the image.  the first is "view" which will allow your to look around the drawing.  The next is "Move".  click on that and then click on "Put on Platform".

Next to to "Rotate" and click "Lay Flat"

That should set you up with the correct orentation.  Generate GCode from there and at the top of the page are 2 icons that have arrows pointing to sheets of papers (I have no idea who determines what icons should look like over at ReplicatorG headquarters).  Click on the left hand icon and it will gererate a "s3g" file that you can use to print with.

There may be an easier way to do this, but that is the way I line things up on my machine.

Thanks, I will try that.

Lee, 

A) With why the curling can happen from more than  "one side simultaneously" - I know that this is due to cool air being drawn in so no need to argue anything there. 

B) With the bed heating evenly - Makerbot may have gone for an approach that heats up more evenly than many, but in my assessment it is still deficient.

C) The edges will always be cooler because they are fighting the air around them.- Of course

D) A thicker plate would help retain heat - but also take more energy to heat up - it is a bit of a trade off.  -  I'll go for mass any day

E) Plate flattness -yes naturally and if your plate is not flat that is a problem - I have solved this with my own design

F) Ben (Makerbot) raised that in the first reply to the thread, and if that's the case go back to Makerbot, they are great guys and i am sure they will sort that out for you.  -  Too little too late....I was promised a plate months ago and it never arrived.  So I decided to take on the design issues of this machine and proved once again the old adage that goes - if you want a job done well....

Ok, so I am not exactly new to the play field.  I have built a Mendel and a Prusa before and all single extruder jobs. I wanted to use a dual extruder so I welcomed the opportunity to work with the Makerbot machine.   But you know, I immediately noticed that my Prusa was producing consistently better prints.  But there is more to this story, you see, I work at a University.  After carefully considering the products availble, we purchased 30 Cube printers and guess what....they are actually very good and do not exhibit any of the problems that plague the Makerbot.

After looking into all the issues the Replicator brought "out of the box" it is clear that this product should have had a little ore time on the drawing board even it meant that the machine would have launched a few months later.  And if the unit ended up costing another $100, I know this would not have affected sales in any way.  Pity really.

Just a quick note to respond to my post in July regarding items not sticking. After a failed attempt and tearing the coating on the platform, I started at step one yesterday following Brian's suggestions. ( I have been busy this summer!). Replaced the lining, and started to print one of the calibration prints. I adjusted the platform during the printing, It took three goes as I kept stopping and removing the material that wasn't sticking and cleaning the surface each time. I also taped 8 1/2 x 11 inch printer paper over the ends. Once I had  the calibration print sticking and the  bead was flat instead of round I went for the gusto: Octopus! See attached. Off to start really playing now! 

Thanks for all the advice!

Dave

Just started printing in wintery Australia and only had one print come off the HBP (or it might have popped off the raft - not sure).  Before I printed anything I'd noticed Andrewupandabout youtube videos had 'walls' on his Replicator using what looked like A4 transparency sheets, as well as the various posts about ideas on how to keep the box warm (thanks Lee!).  I'm now rather careful to:

• make the room at least less cold (heater)
• close doors and windows that are likely to cause any slight breeze of air (fumes seem ok so far)
• enclose Replicator side walls (couple of A4 pages stuck to the side)
• partially enclose the 'sunroof' opening, e.g. left and far right edges, if my print doesn't extend that far
• Using 115'C for the platform
• preheat the build platform on it's own, before I preheat extruders (since the extruders heat up quite quickly)
• level the HBP while it's at least warm from a pre-heat (rather than cold)
• never put my (oily) fingers on the HBP - I just use a razor blade scraper and pop my prints off that way

Just to add my $0.02 - I had the same issues mentioned by many here. Many of my prints would warp (sometimes on the hotbed, sometimes off the raft!). I tried leveling the bed multiple times (even with a super thin paper) to no avail. My extruded plastic was laying down as a thin flat line (not round) but I still couldn't prevent warping. I even have enclosed the sides and top as best I could with cardboard to prevent excess heat.

SOLUTION:
It seems the fans on the extruders is blowing air onto the prints (cooling the extruded plastic too fast).  I finally followed someone's suggestion to remove the fans from the extruders, and place Kaptan tape below the fans and voila! Not a problem since (only done a handful of prints so far)! Even more amazing, it seems the rafts are now sticking stronger to the final prints, sometimes requiring a knife to remove some of the stubborn parts.

OK, I'm about four hours into this same problem now with no useful results. Very frustrating, as it seems I should have better results out of the box with less tweaking requirements. I have leveled, re-leveled and ran the calibration routines several times. I'm not a stranger to machine tools so I should be able to figure this out. The problem I'm having is that the ABS (1.8mm) isn't sticking to the bed, and is gunking up around the nozzle. I've cleaned with acetone and I'm starting to look into other solutions mentioned above, like covering the sides. 

Is there an official troubleshooting guide for Replicator that addresses this problem in a step-wise fashion?

Penguin. Have you checked your fans on the extruder head? The standard design seems to blow air onto the aluminum heat grill and down onto the prints. This is causing the prints to cool down too fast (and reducing the temperature of your hotbed)

I have had great success with my solution posted previously. Additionally, I tend to set my hotbed to 115c instead of the default 110c for printing ABS - seems to help abs stick better, especially for larger prints.

I highly suggest you check your extruder and find out if your fans are blowing air directly onto the print. The fix is simple - remove the fans, place a strip of Kapton tape over the gap below the fans, and re-assemble. I was very leery of this step at first, but when everything else failed to produce good prints, I tested this method, it worked perfectly

@Mike, you aren't unwiring and removing the fans, just blocking the flow from air do the part. That makes sense. I'll give it a try and come back here with the results. 

Yes, correct, All I'm doing is removing the fans/aluminum heatsink and placing down a strip of 3.5 inch by 0.75 inch kapton tape in the gap below the aluminum heatsink. Then reassemble. This will GREATLY improve print adhesion.

@Mike. That solved the problem and now the material adheres to base.

But there's a new problem. The left nozzle bunches up badly - it won't stream the extrusion down. It just curls around the nozzle. Got a clue about this one?

@penguin Huzzah! Haven't run into that issue yet - but that probably merits another thread (no thread hijacking! ha ha)

@penquin I have had that issue before.  I crashed the nozzle during bed leveling way back when (before I started using this infinitely better procedure http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:23257 )  The nozzles are very delicate and the tip got crushed on one side and made it curl.  I had to buy a new nozzle.

These are the 5 key things I had to do to go from "Why did I waste my money on this thing?!" to "This thing is awesome!"

1. Real bed level AND GAP SET http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:23257
2. Bed Temp 115C
3. Setting the first layer speed to 25% (0.25) http://fabmetheus.crsndoo.com/wiki/index.php/Skeinforge_Speed#Objec...
   Menu GCode->Edit Slicing Profiles, select the profile you are using (or make copy), Press Edit button.  Select the Speed Button on the Skeinforge Settings Window.  Fill in 0.25 for all fields under -Object First Layer
   - This slows the machine way down on just the first layer so the nozzle has time to force the plastic onto the bed for a solid bond.
   - This setting is especially important as you try to go to higher build speeds.
4. Blocking fan flow (reduces curling of part edges)
5. Aquanet Extra Super Hold Hairspray (no kidding!) http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28787

After I figured these things out I went from swearing at my Replicator to swearing by it.

HAIR SPRAY!!!

Someone posted this solution to the warping unsticking problem somewhere.  On the weekend, I was printing the geared skull and when I got to a file that had four separate small pieces in it, it would repeatedly fail about halfway through as one or more would get knocked loose after they'd come free from the build platform.

I run every build at 110c which has worked in most cases but some things have warped free or simply come loose and required a reprint.  After it happened three times on this print, I went to Walgreens and bought heavy duty unscented (my preference) hair spray.  Sprayed it on the build platform, and built away with a perfectly adhered print.  When the part was done, the raft stayed and I was just able to remove it with a fingernail.

I have to admit the first time I used it last night I was in a hurry and sprayed it on a hot build plate.  Not something I'd recommend as much of it vaporized and I am not a smoker and there were no open flames or sparks nearby (ha, ha).  It worked great.  Today I sprayed it on the cool plate.

I would recommend masking off the areas around the build platform to avoid overspray.  I just grabbed an empty cereal box from our recycling cut it up into several rectangles and placed them around the lowered platform to protect the "pretty" replicator logo and the other insides of the printer.  Obviously, remove them before printing.

The person who suggested this used "Final Net", I think, I used Aqua Net, see pic, and it works great.  It should clean off with acetone, I think, if you get a buildup on the Kapton tape on the build platform.

So if you keep having problems after all the leveling, give it a try, it worked for me.

I recommended AquaNet @  http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28787. I tried White Rain but it didn't work.  I included a file for a cardboard mask to shield the rest of your replicator (bearings, rails etc.)

Ok...me again.  This whole warping thing bugs the hell out of me.  I'm not an engineer or much of a gizmo tinkerer.  I buy things hoping they'll "just work".  My bad?  Sure.  I try to make things I've designed that are about as big as a container to hold a bar of soap.  3"x5-6" or so.  One or two corners come up.  Blows.  I saw that folks were having better luck with PLA, thought I'd give that a try.  None in stock on this site.  This whole thing is bumming me out guys.  Tried the temp. change...etc.  I don't want to rebuild this machine to get it to work.

@Kris, did you do any research before you hit buy?? With a name like "Makerbot" didn't you research it's history? The past 2 machines were completely build it yourself! Maybe the Replicator 2 would be easier to use for you.  You don't need to rebuild, there are a few things to try.

1) Check to see if your heatsink fans on the hot-end are blowing air onto your prints - if thats the case, you need to unscrew the fans and put some of that kapton tape under the fans (really simple, I promise)

2) Clean your print surface with some acetone (be careful if you use nail polish remover, some have oils in them which kills the purpose of acetone in this situation)

3) Check your hotbed temperature, Replicator G by default sets the temperature to around 110c in the G-code, you will probably have better luck around 50-60 degrees.

If you're not a "gizmo tinkerer" you will be after a few weeks with this printer!!  Seriously, it takes a little practice to prevent warping (I suggest you perfect printing smaller parts before trying a large soap-dish). I've found the biggest flaw in the Replicator design is the fact that the heatsink fan blows air directly onto prints - this causes both PLA and ABS to cool too fast, and thereby warp.

Also, there are a TON of sites that sell filament for these printers. Just avoid the low-quality made-in-china brands of filament, those ten to have bubbles in the core that can be a pain to figure out why the heck the printer isn't printing

Hi Mike,  Thanks for the reply.  I did NOT mean to sound hateful on the machine.  I truly love it and the way it vaults Joe Blow (me) into fabrication...etc.  Yes I researched.  This was quite a big purchase for me.  Yes I knew it was an emerging company.  Yes I held off until I read that the machines were basically consumer ready.  I've been tracking this stuff from the get go.  (Looking at the laser stuff too) 

Here is a question....if a lot of people find that enclosing the space is a fix...why wasn't that found and fixed in R&D or somehow addressed before shipping?  If it's a heat thing for the table, why isn't that an easy (don't have to go into code) fix....like hit a button for temp. settings?  I understand all the "stuff", I think...but hey....they sent me a big roll of coppery colored tape with no note or anything on what it's for.  I can just guess it's for the table.  Do I take out all the screws when I want to put a new layer on?  Look, I really don't want to sound like a jerk here (I know, too late) but I'm a consumer, most of what I buy I plug in and it works.  Yeah, sometimes I have to goof around with something to get it to do what I want but it's not usually so technical.  My bad for making this purchase and thinking it would work out of the box like a paper/ink printer?  I guess so.

As to your suggestions:

1) Fans?  As far as I can see there are two...they blow away (or on?) the print heads.

2) Did that....cleaned as best I could.  Pure acetone.

3) Tried all the temp settings mentioned in this thread.

Your next paragraph, can you tell me what you mean by heatsink fan blowing on prints?  As far as I can see they (2) blow out/sideways.

Thanks for the help and information and please, again don't think I'm knocking this product.  I am just a bit frustrated!  :)

@Kris, I don't quite know why the replicator was shipped in this configuration, I guess in their tests it worked sufficient for most  users. I felt the same way as you in the begining (Imagine my dismay when the right extruder wouldn't load filament, and makerbot support sent me to a video explaining how to disassemble most of the extruder!) I too was a bit confused by the Kapton tape at first

Also, I too tried enclosing the replicator to trap heat in the machine for the first month, those have since been removed (i block no sides of the printer anymore)

As to my suggestion 1, The fans are blowing air onto the heatsink. Look under the heatsink - see that gaping hole under them (if you can't unscrew one of the fans and move out of the way, you'll see what I mean)? Take off the fans and the heatsinks and put a piece of that kapton tape over that hole. This one change has solved 95% of the warping issues I had (Seriously, all the warping was pissing me off).

I consider this a major design flaw and am amazed they never fixed this in later versions of the printer (though it probably has been fixed in the new Replicator 2 they just released)

I totally get how frustrating it can be, but keep in mind, RepRap machines have only existed for about 6-7 years, and there's still much work to be done on the hardware and software side of things. I think it'll be another 2+ years before there are affordable fully plug-and-pray machines on the market (some are starting to show up, but I still consider them beta versions)

This question is for Brian Stamile:

Did you guys fix all these issues with the release of the Replicator 2?  

I have no problem using ABS on a dual replicator. In fact it stick so well that I have difficult yanking it  out from the hot plate. Hot bed heat up from 27 degree C to 110 degree C in about 5 to 6mins. follow by another 6 mins for the nozzle.

But I went through many iterations of the setup before I got a good print. From then onwards printing is just click and print.

My ambient temperature is 27 to 30 degree C. I do notice that drafts from near by fan/aircon will affect the print.

Things that I did not need to do/ or need to do with Replicator Dual for it to work(ABS material)

1) I did not clean the hot bed with acetone to get it to stick

2) I did not even bother about wiping down the bed with tissue paper after every print

3) Kapton tape on the bed was torn(bubbles as well). I did not replace it. It still stick very well.

4) I have not adjusted the bed after more than 30 prints.

5) in order for me to remove the delicate print from the surface, I have to print a raft.

6) For the initial feed of the filament into the nozzle, I learn I need to heat up the nozzle first. Else you can push until the cows come home and the extruder will not bite the filament.

7) I also learn that a little patience on our part to setup the things correctly, easily set the distinction between hate and love for the machine.

I love the machine alot!!!

Agreed - I haven't had to clean my build plate with anything more than a scraper, and removal of a completed print seems easy to me.  The only filament that didn't stick was from an alternate supplier, but even that came good with a slower speed and hotter nozzle.

I replaced the Klapton tape thinking it might help with prints curling up, but that was simply cold air and a lack of enclosure.  Now that I've hobbled together a temporary canopy and put tape on the bottom of the heatsinks, it's very reliable.

@Wai Leun :  It would appear that you have the only Replicator 1 in the world that works as promised by the advertising.  Virtually no one else has had such an easy time. 

@Bradley:  +1

The machine is a disappointment.  The company doubly so.

@Juan It's a machine that prints in plastic. It's core technology has only EXISTED since 2007 (first RepRap machine "Darwin" was built in 2007, though the concept dates back to 2004). Were you really that foolish to expect all the bugs to be worked out in only 5 years?  The technology is pretty simple, but making everything work together in perfect harmony is still a challenge. I think this is the major reason why Makerbot built the replicator to print in only PLA, because it's much easier as a printing medium than ABS!

@Mike...It prints in plastic, gee Mike no kidding!!  Well here is a mildly stunning piece of information (for you) -  making everything work together in perfect harmony is still a challenge only for the Makerbot guys.

I have a Prusa (Air2) which I built and run with Marlin sw and I can unequivocally state that it prints far better (in PLA & ABS) than this poor excuse for a market ready item.  Of course, from Makerbots perspective there was an untapped ready store of of early adopters to use for the funding of continued development so why not take advantage of these people.   The only driver for Makerbot in releasing the Replicator was continued extraction of money from a community of good people who believed the hype that Makerbot slung at them.

One only has to look at the direction Makerbot has taken with Replicator2  (both in sw and mech design) to realise how bloated their egos have become after leeching the knowledge from the community and pulling their product three card trick on them.   For your benefit, 5 years is a long time in technological terms and there is no shortage of evidence for this fact out there.  You obviously think the user community are oblivious to this.  Do I expect all the bugs to be worked out in only 5 years...YES and would you like me to name the dozen or so other manufacturers that make better product than Makerbot...please refrain from making specious statements.  The truth is the major reason why Makerbot built the replicator to print in only PLA, is because they just haven't got it right while most others have.  But rest assured they will continue to make their snake oil claims in the advertising.

@Bradley Pearce,

strange... I am glad I am the lucky on that has a working set. That is not a cheap toy..

maybe I will post a youtube of it in action.(got to learn how to do time lapse and stuff.)

the only printing I have problem is printing that nice looking bull dog... other than that others turn out well.

one picture shows what my friend printed out. The other shows the parts i printed out in a night(after I got the bed level) to replace my prusa mendel parts.

"adjustment.jpg" shows the pre-adjustment piece which is skew and the piece that is after adjustment. I would say, not bad for a first print

@Wai Leun

Sorry to take this already very long thread on a tangent, but do you mind telling me why you are printing parts for a reprap? (prusa mendel?) it seems to me that you can get a solidoodle cheaper than the hardware/electronics necessary for a DIY. I'm supposed to be printing a printer for my father, but I can't see how it's cost effective. Please let me know! (seriously)

Printing PLA used to be flawless for me using blue painter's tape, but now I'm having a ton of problems. I thought it was moisture in the filament, but after putting some new blue painters tape and wiping it down with rubbing alcohol my prints seem to stick again! of course there's something seriously wrong with the infill/density/strength/integrity of the prints (above the platform) that I have to sort out... curious what folks use as a diameter setting for 1.75mm PLA... and what about skeinforge density setting? flow/feed rate?

I keep my replicator in an IKEA Besta cabinet

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S09887556/

 (it cancels 80+% of the sound and fits perfectly) and it (used to) prints beautifully with a platform temp of 40C and extruder temp of 210C

I put an expedit bookshelf underneath to hold the large 5 pound spools.

Ordered the new one and am willing to sell if anyone wants to buy a V1 Dual extruder in mint condition

@Willstone,

I was very excited when I bought a low cost prusa Mendel as my first 3D printer. Unfortunately, after several long weeks, I still could not print anything descent on it. When the parts started to crack and break, I stop working on it. I strip the mendel apart and rebuilt. Still did not print properly.

When the local store brought in the Replicator, I bought it.  With the acquired patience from tuning the 3D printer, I took my time to tune the Replicator bed.

After tuning the machine, I wanted to see the consistency of the performance of the machine. So instead of printing the Owl over and over again. I decided to printout all the broken parts in the Mendel. I practically printed out all the parts and some which I modified.

My ambient temperature is about 27 to 31 degree C. And I believe the platform temperature is 100 Degree C. All default factory setting.

Even the Skeinforge setting is default. The only thing I tried to adjust is the "build support" option. other than that everything is stock.

As for the noise, I notice it does not make scaringly loud noise if I enable acceleration.Putting the replicator on a solid surface reduces the noise further.

Yes, it doesn't make economical sense to put together a 3D printer on your own. The board and extruder themselves are expensive. 

I'm sure you already had good experience with the replicator. Else you will not be buying the next version.

I'm planning to buy too.

I am a new owner of the Replicator. Got my machine only a couple months ago. But I have been very frustrated with the machine. I got the dual-extruder model. At first, I just played with the right extruder. Printed a demo piece that came with the SD card fine. But when I tried to print other things I downloaded from Thingiverse, most of them peeled off the platform in mid print. I then tried the left extruder. Same thing. Even worse is that after failing a couple times (peeling off) with the left extruder, the extruder stopped extruding. The head was still moving around but no plastic came out. Then I discovered there was a kink in the plastic feed on the left reel that prevent the feeding of the plastic. After fixing the kink, it was still not extruding. So the left extruder is completely dead. I also tried to "unload" the filament on the left extruder and I couldn't get it to unload even with a strong pull on the filament. If I forced the filament into the extruder with a slight pressure, it did extrude. But as soon as I released the pressure, it stopped extruding. So the nozzle is not clog. I suspect there is something wrong with the motor. In any case, that's not topic of this thread. Back to the peeling off problem. I scanned through the forums and found lots of people having the same issue. But of course there are many suggestions on how to fix it. So far, I tried leveling the platform. I even spent some money buying the calibration equipment such as described here (http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:23257). It doesn't work for me. My machine is in a relatively closed off area, so there is no breeze. However, I haven't tried to put side panels on the machine to see if that works. Somebody also mentioned to me that ABS plastic shrinks when cooled. That caused it to curl and peel off the platform and advised me to try PLA instead. I bought a couple reels of PLA plastic. It doesn't help either. Still peeling off. I got very frustrated and I needed to print a piece urgently. So I finally had to borrow somebody's UP! 3D printer. Boy, was that easy to use. I did not read the manual, just opened the STL file and started printing. There was no platform leveling, no adjusting platform temperature, the print platform was totally open air and no shielding of the breeze needed. So the question is: why is the Replicator so finicky? This makes the Replicator extremely user unfriendly. I am expecting a machine that just works. There are also lots of improvement parts that people recommended me to download from Thingiverse, print them and replace the original parts (e.g. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:28241). That really gave me an impression that the machine is not well designed. The only thing I like about the Replicator is its larger print volume. Now I need to print another piece urgently. This time the UP! printer can't help because it's larger than 5 inches in one dimension. Makerbot folks, please help me to make the Replicator work.

The stock replicator 1 is simply not a finished product.  You shouldn't have to buy additional stuff for a $2k machine for it to work, but the reality is that you do.  You need an Enclosure kit, the "Minimalist MK8" upgrade, the Sailfish firmware upgrade, and eventually aluminum arms to replace the plastic ones that hold the heated build platform. 

I had the exact same issue, and I actually ended up doing what Ryan did;

1. Raise the HBP until you see the extruded plastic almost being "smushed" instead of being a bead.

2. Increase the HBP temp. I run at 115deg.

3. MOST OF ALL!!!... use clear plastic (U+I use big zip lock bags) taped over the front and side windows of the Raplicator chassis. I also use a cardboard box, with a window cut out in the back, to make a "cover" on top. The box allows the cable/tubes to move freely. My entire chassis is covered, save for the open corners. I have solved 99% of my curl/pop off issues!