rigid.ink Print-in-Place Man

FAQs

If you have any questions please send us an email at customerdelight@rigid.ink.

Got a question about rigid.ink? We’ve compiled the most common questions we get, and answered them here. If you still can’t see what you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to ask us.

What does your 60-day guarantee actually mean?

We’re so confident you’ll love your rigid.ink we have a relaxed 60-day returns policy.

If after you’ve adjusted your printer settings (as advised) you’re not happy with the filament for whatever reason, you can send it back.

You could say our returns are about as hassle-free as a nice massage. Almost. Please just email us before you send it back though for instructions.

How fast is your shipping?

Our standard (and free shipping, over £65) is pretty quick. We use a variety of fast couriers depending on what you’ve ordered. We dispatch all orders same working day if ordered before 2:30pm (UK). This means a lot of orders do arrive the next working day.

UK orders only take 1-3 days in most cases. For orders to Europe around 3-5 working days, and orders to USA/rest of world around 4-10 working days. If you really need something guaranteed next-day delivery inside the UK you can opt for this at checkout.

I’m a little confused, should I buy your PLA or ABS?

Short answer: Usually if you’re not sure, you’ll probably just want to go with PLA. Our PLA is significantly stronger than other brands, very easy to print with (heated bed not required) and long lasting. If however you need something a little harder wearing, and your printer has a heated bed – you might want to go for the ABS.

What temperature should I print my rigid.ink?

This varies between materials, so please check the recommendations on the specific product page. Generally, due to the pure nature and high grade of our raw materials your extruder setting wants to be a little lower than normal. For example, our PLA extrudes best at around 180-185°C depending on what printer you’re using. Heated bed is not necessary for our PLA, but you can use one at below 45°C. Our ABS works well from between 230-250°C, with a heated bed of 90C-95°C (no higher!).

Please allow for the fact that some 3d printers currently on the market don’t actually have very accurate thermostat readings and so some degree of adjustment is nearly always needed to get the best results when trying a new brand of filament. Different printers print rigid.ink best at different settings, so don’t be afraid to experiment.

I don’t have a heated bed, is this a problem?

With PLA, no. All other materials (including Flex PLA) require a heated bed to avoid warping during those first few layers.

Do we need to use blue tape / hairspray?

Not often. You’ll find your rigid.ink sticks well to most build surfaces. If printing direct to glass, your best bet would be to use a good quality glue stick and a apply a thin even layer to your bed before printing. If this doesn’t work, try blue painters tape, Kapton tape or hairspray.

My 3D printer manufacture recommends only using their filament – can I use rigid.ink?

Short answer: Absolutely! As long as your printer does not have an E-PROM chip, rigid.ink will work with any 1.75, 2.85 and 3.0mm FDM and FFF 3D printer. You’ll know if your printer uses sneaky E-PROM chips because it magically knows how much filament you have left and if you’ve changed the cartridge.

You will find rigid.ink outperforms your printer manufacture’s “recommended” filament (we promise, or your money back) and costs a fraction of the price.

Will your spools fit my printer?

Most likely, as our 1KG spools are fairly normally sized. The exact dimensions are: 20cm total diameter, 7.5cm wide and 5.5cm inner hole diameter.

Need an adaptor to fit your spool holder? You can find the file, designed by one of our lovely customer’s here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1052160

I want to use rigid.ink in my 3D Pen – will it work?

Yes, but please take note to buy the right size for your 3D Pen. You will likely want to use PLA instead of ABS when using a pen. Also if you’re using your rigid.ink and it was near the end of a spool, it might be slightly more tightly coiled. If this is causing problems with your pen, simply heat up the filament a little to straighten it out enough to feed it freely into your pen.

I’m looking for 3.0mm filament, will your 2.85mm diameter fit?

Absolutely; we phased out the 3.0mm size in favour of the new 2.85mm filament. There is no difference when printing our 2.85mm filament through a 3.0mm printer – we just wanted to cater for those with 2.85mm printers also.

My filament printed, but then bubbled?

This is caused by the filament absorbing too much moisture. Contact us to see what we can do for you, also check out the storage instructions below and our article - How to keep your 3D printer filament dry & what to do if it's not

What’s the best way to handle and store rigid.ink?

3D printer filaments in general are sensitive to water absorption, especially PLA. To keep your rigid.ink fresh for longer, keep it sealed with the desiccant in the zip-lock bag provided. rigid.ink is best kept in a cool try area, away from direct sunlight.

Will you be stocking wood or metal filaments soon?

Not at the moment we're afraid, although we do offer silver and gold metallic effect filaments in both ABS and PLA.

How does your loyalty program work?

When you checkout and complete your order, you'll be given an option to create a customer account (once order is complete) - you'll also get a 250 point bonus for doing so. After enough points have accumulated, you can claim back rewards of up to £20 per order. One discount code per order.

You will receive 5 points for every £1 spent.

These vouchers will be emailed to you, and take the ex VAT price off. If you pay VAT, it will be represented as a round figure deduction (eg. £5 off the total) but if you're a EU business or RoW customer, the checkout will deduct the VAT element for you, your voucher will represent the ex VAT amount (e.g less 20%, or £4.17).

Meet Your Lovable, Articulated Print-in-Place Robot

On this page you'll find details on how to print, ideas for mischief and all current expansion models for your adorable desktop pets to play with.

Rocket launchers & Tennis, anyone?

For some reason, the first mods we could think of were tennis rackets, and rocket launchers. It was and obvious choice, really. We even have a rocket, for the launcher. Does it get any better?

You'll notice the robot has practical claw-like hands so he can grip onto various objects. Use the design recommendations below to design your own tools, weapons and toys for them to play with.

It's not all sports and warfare though, print enough of them and they'll spread the love. Hopefully not too much though, they'll be multiplying like rabbits...

What will yours get up to?

How to Print & Download:

Download the files below. Make sure you orientate the parts correctly on the bed. Your robot should print upright like they're sat down, like this.

The Tennis Rackets print flat, and the rockets and launcher stand on end.

We designed the robot to be printed with a typical 10m FREE rigid.ink sample. These are around 30-35g. A printed robot at 10% infill will weigh around 15g once finished. It's designed to be printed in place, in one peice.

The legs and arms will articulate once you break him free from the print bed, so there's no need to use supports. We printed at a layer height of 0.15mm for extra detail.

A bot and accessories can be printed out of a sample if printed at 10%, with 4/3/1 layers @0.3mm.

You can just about print two bots (no accessories) out of a sample as long as you keep the infill below 8% and go for 4/3/1 layers @0.3mm with no waste extrusions.

Please Note:

Make sure you print with a 'Brim' if you're finding those tiny hands pop off the bed during printing. And slow down those first few layers.

DOWNLOADS

rigid.ink Robot STL
Bazooka STL
Bazooka Rocket STL
Tennis Racket STL

Design your own accessories?

The fun really comes alive when you design your own accessories for D.ink to use. The diagram above gives specifications for his hands and head holes, use these dimensions to create your own clip in place accessories. Be them outlandish hats, swords, sportswear or anything else, really.

If you'd like to share your accessories, just send in your STL file. Once checked for print-ability, we'll provide the link here for all to download.

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