me too
Some funky layer issues, you could see it losing timing across sides, and youâd have layer squish heavier on one side vs the other, and I could even see from the front that it was printing at a slight angle sometime. I do, and am fairly into precision metrology, plus grew up working where reasonably precise leveling was necessary, and can usually see level within a degree or so by eye (youâll probably hate me adjusting your picture frames and mirrors if I ever visit your house, and disabling all the post processing on your TV, probably my biggest idiotic pet peeves lol), so this shit was driving me insane.
I do still get some Z-banding/shimmer that I believe is resonant/wobble from the gantry without Z-braces, that said, printing functional parts isnât remotely the same as printing âprettyâ aesthetic parts, so Iâm learning to let that shit go. Most of the info out in the world of âhobbyâ 3d printing is all about printing high detail decorative stuff, and trying to fight layer lines, etc, with very little focus on strength, layer adhesion, etc, and the rules donât translate between the two goals, as CF-Nylon has been teaching me very cruelly.
The BLtouch addition is pretty easy if you do the âWaggster Modâ approach, you use the pins/cable for the real crappy neo-pixel LED that comes with the machine. That said, another mod Iâm planning soon is to actually utilize that for a significantly higher power LED, or a camera there. Itâs too difficult to see whatâs going on with the first layer with the hot-end in the way, and these filamentâs are expensive!
That said, if you guys are interested in playing with Nylon, PC, ASA, etc, checkout www.3dmakerengineering.com Iâm using a LOT of parts (buildplate/bed, nozzles, etc) from them, and their prices on filament are extremely good for the quality. Iâve been hesitant to advertise them too much because I worry about popularity inflation, but figured Iâll share with my esk8 fam. 
Their solid carbide nozzles are EXTREMELY nicely made.
Worth mentioning, itâs really kind of a waste of a volcano style hot end, to print PLA with a 0.4mm nozzle. First upgrade I recommend anyone with a Sidewinder is a 0.6mm or 0.8mm hardened steel, vanadium, carbide, or nozzle X nozzle. The 3DME carbide nozzles, and the Nozzle X, are pricey, but they both have lifetime warranties, although even printing abrasives, I donât think theyâll be easy to wear out.
Oh and go ahead and buy a replacement heat-block, the stock aluminum one is MEGA easy to strip, as is the stock heat break, easy to break.
My X1 is supposedly a V4, but mine had the older double threaded MK8 (I think?) style heat break, even though most apparently have the newer, smooth body on the heat-sink side, so worth checking that. I really like the Slice bi-metal break, but I did get like 4 or 8 solid titanium ones for the newer style on amazon, that I just put on my Ender, that are insanely nice, and I paid less for the pack than the single from Slice, if anybody wants a link let me know. Iâm running those with the Slice Copperhead btw. Before I machined a custom block for the X1, I bought the Copperhead, thinking it would work with the X1, and while it technically does, it isnât designed for Volcano nozzles obviously (idiot moment for me), without sticking WAY out, which does work, but isnât optimal. So I made a new one, and switched the slice to the Ender.
I would very much like to try their Mosquito Magnum, but Iâm simply too invested in Volcano style nozzles at this point. Iâm hoping to switch all my printers to them ultimately.
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To add, about 3DME, Iâm using their CF-Nylon Pro filament, which is awesome, and insanely cheap compared to most of the premium alternatives. Theyâve also got an ASA for like $24, which is a modified ABS type filament, but supposedly much easier to print, with less warp, toxic fumes, etc, but without compromising strength much.
I plan to get some next order, might be a wicked option for easy esk8 pulleys, etc. They donât have any CF reinforced ASA yet, but Iâd wager itâs coming soon.
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Some really great advice in here. Iâll keep it bookmarked for when I feel the need to upgrade!
Wow the prices are really good for the filaments. Iâll consider ordering from them for my next batch of filament. I know nylon can be tricky but with the battlebot stuff, gears, and pulleys that I want to print, it would be really great to be able to print. Glad that we have another resident 3D printing pro here now like @mishrasubhransu
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Kudos and big thanks @javand for the tips, I didnât know about Silicon carbide nozzles and the prices from 3DME are pretty cool 
Humble me wonât be suggesting as extreme mods as you have since Iâm not yet at this level of material engineering and expertise, but Iâll try to complete the extensive posts above however I can. Mainly Iâll aim at improving the stiffness and regularity of the printer + raise its versatility for bitchy warping materials (just like ASA).
First a great source of DIY and âbuy itâ mods you can do for the Artillery Sidewinder is listed on this blog :
The guy covers really most aspects of what can be done on this awesome machine, and he also links tutorials on how to make the technical or difficult mods
For a reliable and practical âstockâ machine, I would start from this checklist :
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When assembling your machine, use a square ruler to check Z Gantry is as close to 90° as possible from the frame. Tighten the screws while maintaining in optimal degree position your Z beams.
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Apply silicon oil or thin layer of silicon grease to the wheel guides for moving axles, and take proper time to set the wheels. The rails must glide smoothly and wheels must be in contact but not âsquishedâ against the rails.
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If the stock wheels wear out, buy a set of POM or Polycarbonate wheels as replacement. Rince and repeat previous instructions, then forget !
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If you keep the stock top spool holder, donât overtighten both ends : only fix the end holding the filament detector and leave room for the other one to be able to slide left to right on the base ; a lazy improvement will be to add a plastic spacer before inserting the screws or teflon inserts beneath the metal, so you can firmly tighten the sliding end and forget (it will still be able to slide and no risk of the screws falling out)
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If you keep the top spool holder and none of these solutions work good enough for you, there are printable rods available to fix the spool holder in a âwideâ universal holder style like this one :
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Very important : Strain relief cable mods for every moving connector (special note, bed power cable really need this upgrade for safety reasons, hereâs a printable link)
- Z-brace extra Arms to improve the Z gantry stiffness, turn your vertical beam into a triangle structure ; The file linked works good as is, Iâll be experimenting with L shaped aluminum bars to see if a more âOEMâ look is achieavable while maintaining same or better stiffness (Iâll upload printables for it)
- For good measure, print spare Idler levers for your machine since many people reported broken levers (this plastic part feels a bit âflimsyâ compared to other parts on the printer IMHO) ; There are metal idlers available but some people also complained about them not working properly so hereâs a perfect printable example
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Do not use a spatula with the stock textured bed and donât touch it with your fingers, instead you can use a makeup silicon paint brush similar to this one (itâs soft and wonât scratch the bed while be enough to pop your print of the surface) ; ask your wife, chances that she has a spare one are high
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You might want to check this YouTube video on how to solve any Z misalignment on your Artillery (extensive version)
- Slidable USB and Micro SD Cover to avoid losing plastic bits or blobs in the connectors :
All the above mentioned mods/tips are tested and proven so you can readily give it a go! Also if youâre happy with your printer performances with the materials you use, you can stop here. 
âŠJoke this is esk8.news, we donât settle with âenoughâ 
Now that the base is covered, letâs enter a quick list of "How to improve the performances of your printer the accessible way (this list will include tested and suggested mods, go on this journey at your own pace) :
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Suggested cheap mod - Enhance/Rework the aluminum paper wrapping of your stock bed to improve insulation & thermal repartition toward the edges : cover the holes around the leveling pulleys, wrap the contours till the edges themselves. Use Gorilla tape to achieve a black and discrete OEM look worthy of your Sidewinderâs sleek appearance ; Iâll post a small how-to with pictures
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Tested mod (Iâll quote @javand here) : Bi-Metal heat break from Slice Engineering (worth it if you upgrade your whole hot end and extruder) or Trianglelab (if you keep the stock Artillery block) ; This is a necessary step to print Nylon, which requires temperatures around 260°C to print properly
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Tested mod : POM anti backlash nuts, this helps further prevent ghosting induced by Z motors wobble / axle - Gantry misalignment
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Tested mod - Upgrade your whole hotend/extruder block with a bolt-on Hemera V6/Volcano unit, this is an accessible alternative to more custom mods if you plan to use high temperature materials like Polycarbonate (from 285°C to 300°C) ; You can follow this great tutorial :
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Tested mod (Iâll quote @javand again, big thanks) - replace your stock nozzle with higher tier ones ; for regular nozzle, Trianglelab / Micro-Swiss / Nozzle-X are good ; for high end nozzle, 3DME Silicon carbide nozzle are endgame !
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Highly suggested mod - Build a top enclosure for your Artillery ! Even if you donât upgrade all of the above and stay at âstockâ level, a properly set enclosure will allow you to print bitchy materials without warp in a controlled air temperature around the printing area. This means warp-free ABS and ASA prints, and warp-free Nylon and PC for the modded printers. Personally as I donât have infinite space in my room, and since I want to keep the frame and electronics cool, Iâll try and come up with something cool and practical, Iâll post later on that)
I think thatâs already enough for now. In my personal experience, Iâve used extensively the following heated beds in the past two years : glass bed from Ultimaker S5, Zortrax textured aluminum bed, smooth aluminum bed from my Teebot
I now have just discovered the Artillery textured bed.
I cannot emphasis how much the Artillery bed impressed me on the first print, and would recommend to learn to properly use it before you replace it with a magnetic bed or similar. I have some PEI on the way so will be able to test both solutions and see if there really is any improvement for common materials (I cannot speak for higher end like PEEK and similar).
Note that on all the previous beds, be it Ultimaker, Zortrax or my machine, I always had to use adhesive of some sort and it wouldnât always give great results either. On stock textured bed with nothing, it gripped ASA strongly like magic. Thatâs a game changer for my use 
Thatâs it for what info I can push here, good luck and wish you will enjoy your printer !
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Wow tons of great information, thank you! I know where my next dollars for 3d printing are going.
Havenât printed the strain relief yet, probably should do that right away
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Yeah I actually had great adhesion with the stock bed, I never worried about spatulating(claiming this word as my invention) it, or touching it, I just spray it liberally with 90-99% iso-pro once it starts heating up and wipe it off with a fresh papertowel. Unfortunately, when you get to doing nylons, I just could not get it to hold. I did have no prob with it printing ABS with a brim, it held like a champ. Nylon would hold for a quarter of the print then it would cause probs. Iâm sure it could be made to work, I didnât have a good enclosure setup then, and I already needed to switch to a 24V heat-bed regardless, so nobody go ripping off the glass bed on my account! The coating they use is really good though IMO, although I did still like using blue painterâs tape for PETG.
Good post Vanarian and I agree, the single most important mod besides the heat-break you can make to get printing tricky filaments is any kind of enclosure. Even a large clear plastic bag, the kind large appliances or small furniture come in, is sufficient to get great results with ABS.
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Sup guys, quick update here and my first fail with the ultrabase 
@javand youâre right about the lack of heat uniformity over the bed, I did a quick thing to lessen it a bit but itâs nowhere perfect yet (tried first wrapping with aluminum)âŠ
For a 110°c target temp, one spot might be 112°c, center (between the bed pulley holes) may oscillate between 108-110°c ; pulley holes areas dip down to 80-85°c easily while areas around come back to 98-100°⊠then from outer areas to edges it falls down in steps to 78° then almost 40°c at the non heated edge zone. Overall there is good controlled 200x200mm centered area, then the outer zone can be really random. Thanksfully I got a perfectly flat bed which might already help a lot.
This + temporary bag encloure instead of a proper one caused my ASA print to lift like mad at each ends from bed, then mayhem followed (this was a 200gr print, I wasted around 100gr easily there).
So Iâll try and work my way up from there !
One thing I noticed (it affects Cura btw) : Printing area is indeed 300x300mm but the bed is 310x310mm. The edges arenât heated, I guess thatâs why Artillery didnât count them in the printing zone.
In Cura, the default Artillery profile has an error about that part : mentioned bed size is 300x300mm which give you a printing area of 290x290mm so you want to fix the âPrinter settingsâ from this profile and instead enter â310x310mmâ, so you gain back your full 300x300mm printing area in Cura.
I wiped my bed with 90°alcohol diluted in water, seems to ensure first layer goes smooth. It wouldnât go away by itself when pushing it, so I think my problem is really warping with ASA, it wants to lift the edges of the part. Journey continues 
On a side note, the cable retainer (I updated link on my previous post) works great ; you should check if it lines up properly with your cable, mine was a bit off so I did moderately zip the first collar and full zip only the second.
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Ive just set up Octoprint with mine, fun times 
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Nice ! Was it easy or complicated to install Octoprint and all ? I havenât dived yet there haha
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I followed the teaching tech guide, which was pretty straightforward. Ive not done a ton of printing yet because my printer is based in a studio some miles from where i live and havenât felt comfortable leaving it running without at least a modicum of control. So i set it up with a webcam and loaded a bunch of plugins that came recommended. Am using https://octoeverywhere.com/ to monitor/control it remotely, which seems to work well, though ive not used it enough to determine how wellâŠtime will tell!
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Gonna try out the PLA+ from 3DMaker Engineering as well as some Nylon12. Excited to try out the Nylon
The PLA+ is actually a great price even compared to Amazon.
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Definitely try using a brim from the bed adhesion section for ABS, ASA, Nylons, etc, itâs hugely helpful if you arenât. Default âskirtâ does nada for this, itâs just an added nozzle purge basically.
Iâve been able to print ABS without a heated enclosure pretty easily by using a large brim, youâll see large complex prints pulling up a bit sometimes but the brim will keep it held down even so. Also, you want to work your bed leveling such that the nozzle is really putting out squished down lines on the first layer, basically as close as you can get without clogging the nozzle, if youâre close and donât wanna push it, try setting cura extrusion percentage/flow to 125% or higher for the first layer, this can really help as well.
Iâm still using Cura 4.7.x (.1 I think) with the profiles side loaded from 3d-Nexus btw, havenât tried the newer default profiles.
Make sure to disable combing when working with these filaments as well, and turn off part cooling entirely.
edit: just to add, check the webpage on 3DME for ASA and closely follow their profile in the listing (sometimes its more up to date than the info they send with the filament), especially for line width, and print speeds, for the first round. Also if youâre using steel, carbide, vanadium, etc exotic nozzles, youâll probably need to crank the nozzle temp up 10 deg or more compared to brass. 1.2x nozzle diam is a good guideline generally, with almost any filament in my experience, unless maybe youâre fighting globs with fine detail PLA. So Iâd set your line width to 0.48 for a 0.4mm nozzle as an example. Make sure on the first layer especially the lines are getting squished laterally into each other and âironingâ essentially each line on the first, if thereâs any visible space between them, youâre definitely gonna have probs getting abs/asa to hold.
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Let us know how they work out, Iâve been very happy with all of their filaments, and prices, havenât tried the Nylon-12 yet because Iâm a cheap bastard but I plan to.
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Yeah will do, have you used the nylon 6 before?
Yep, although mostly Iâve been using the nylon+cf, the nylon-12 supposed to be easier to print though.
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Thank you for the pointers, havenât tried pushing first layer flow up (I diminished everything to 97%) and I might have forgotten to set the brim too 
Iâll try to squish the nozzle down more, it sits pretty low but can be better definitely.
Printing at 0.15 layer height and 0.58 width btw!
Not sure if the combing is activated Iâll have to check that. For cooling fan I let 10%, should try no cooling as you said. Odd part is the vertical layers fuse great, no issues on that side even with the fan⊠Can it stress the part and make it lift too?
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Yeah warp is mostly related to uneven temperature variation between the different components of the print. Cooling the part with these filaments causes the extruded material to contract, thus inducing stress, and pulling the part around.
Thatâs why the high temp for the bed as much as anything, with ABS, et al, just keeping a higher baseline temp to minimize temperature difference and cooling speed, thus helping the warp issues. Plus ABS really doesnât need any part cooling, all youâre doing is making it more likely the temp at the tip of your nozzle is actually lower than the TC is reporting from inside the heat-block.
The brim if you donât have it, is going to likely solve 80% of your issue with this, but make sure youâre getting good lateral layer adhesion as much as vertical, thatâs just as key to part strength.
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OMG⊠i need this!
but how the heck can that be made?
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