After having bought the k8200, and much research and tests, i decided to share all the things i’ve learned so far with you.
First thing is this : go to your local hardware store and get at least a 2mm GLASS PLATE or mirror, it’s only a few € and is Important if you
want to print straight. The standard heatbed is not 100% level! even if adjusted with the screws.
The glass plate also helps with your print staying attached on the heatbed and other problems related to not having a level surface to print on.
Secondly, the coupling, between the Y-axis stepper motor (left motor) and threaded rod, is not aligned and is massif which means it doesn’t give way.
This creates much friction and could be the reason for the motor to skip steps.
Perhaps not until you go up about 10 cm and then it could start, leaving you with a failed print after many hours.
A solution lies in getting a better coupling (making one yourself is also an option) or making a better mounting system for the motor and nut guide along the frame all together.
These .stl files can be found on thingiverse when searching for k8200 so i will not provide all the links in this post, these are already on the forum somewhere.
I also noticed my threaded rod was pretty crooked so i had to straighten it out as well, plus lubrication of the rod with some fine machine oil ensures a smooth transition.
Thirdly the HOBBED BOLT that feeds the filament through the extruder is not good. You can find better ones that make sure you won’t end up with yet another failed print.
something like this for example;
Furthermore the reason there is a FAN next to the extruder is to prevent heat from the extruder to spread to the upper housing! When this occurs it will jam.
It might not happen with small parts but when you’re printing something that takes hours to complete, you better prepare your machine.
I’ve seen some nifty designs for a housing to put over the fan to direct the cool air to the extruder’s upper parts, but also designs that cooled the print and bed…
so be sure to choose the right one or design it yourself of course.
When you want to print ABS it would be a good idea to increase the power to the heatbed from 12 to 24 V so it gets higher temperatures witch is needed for the material to keep sticking to the bottom. A upgrade in your power supply might be in order, but you can find more detailed information about that in other threads on this forum. Generally the melting point of ABS is between 220 and 250 degrees Celsius.
Lastly I’ve noticed a lot of people having problems getting their print off the surface. Always make sure the surface is grease free, use alcohol or another cleaning solvent. There is always kapton tape you can use if you like pissing money away, or painters tape, there is some glue you can afterwards dissolve with water…
OR a quicker way is to use compressed air from a can to instantly cool the outer surface to make it shrink and detach from your plate.
That’s all i can think of for now, hope this was helpful and I’m looking forward to see more useful things being created by the 3d printing community.
Any further tips or upgrades can be posted here, but keep questions, that are already answered in other threads, to yourself to keep this clean.
Peace