Lulzbot AO-100 problems and solutions

The Lulzbot is currently inoperative.

There are currently two main problems (edit date 1/19/2016):

1. The cables going to the hot-end are heating up, and get too hot to touch when the printer is used. ***This is a safety concern, and the printer should not be used until the problem can be corrected***.

2. The hot-end is not holding temperature reliably, and has been cooling off mid-print, causing prints to fail. This is most likely due to the thermistor or the heating resistor not operating properly.

Steps for fixing the Lulzbot:

A) the most economical solution is to rebuild the existing "Budaschnozzle 2.0" style hot-end with new thermistor, new heating resistor, and new connectors. This style of hot-end is an old design, and is prone to failure, especially when the hot-end gets "gooped up" with molten plastic after a failed print.  Hot-ends and nozzles are a "consumable part" and need replacement after long use.  Click here to see the steps involved in repairing the existing hot end.

B) Another choice is to upgrade the existing hot-end to a more modern design. The current hot-end is configured for 3mm ABS, and an "all-metal"  which would allow printing at hotter temperatures and provide access to newer types of filament, including PLA, Nylon, .  Lulzbot sells the "hexagon" model hot-end, while the E3Dv6 is also a viable choice.  There are several complications with upgrading this part, most of which revolve around the "snowball effect" which would require a cascade of other upgrades to take place.  Click here to see what's involved with upgrading to a new-model hot-end.

The Lulzbot is still a viable printer, capable of sturdy, quality prints, and is arguably worth upgrading. Additional retrofits that are planned include:

- "headless" printer control with Raspberry Pi and Octoprint. This upgrade requires a dedicated Raspberry Pi, but would allow users to connect wirelessly to the printer to start jobs, get progress alerts, and watch print progress on web camera.

- full software toolchain renewal. The current linux machine Tesla is badly in need of a system wipe and full reload. When the machine is renewed, we will reload the latest versions of printer control software and provide how-to instructions.

- a new filament spooling arrangement. The Lulzbot is configured for 3mm filament. The current filament dispenser system is kludgy, and needs rework. Care should be taked to protect expensive filament from dust and moisture.