Lulzbot Mini 2 and using flexible filament for the first time

Filament
1

Had my printer for a few months now, so much fun :slight_smile: Been using only PLA so far and want to print some flexible filament now (thinking of the black tire material for a custom lego wheels build).

Will this one do the trick?

I read somewhere TPU doesn’t work with the Mini 2, so I’m confused by TPU not working, but Ninjaflex being supported (Ninjaflex is showing as TPU in the product description…)

I see Ninjaflex (Ninjatek) in the Cura 3.6.23 filament dropdown, so was wondering if that is a supported flexible material that will work with my Lulzbot Mini 2?

Any advice would be great!

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I don’t have a Mini 2, but we have no trouble with it on the Taz Workhorse. I have both 1.75 mm and 2.85 mm printers, and flexibles are much easier to work with at 2.85mm. Compared to PLA, you will find bridging to be more limited and stringing to be harder to control. The default profile will probably work fine.

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I use this on my Mini (1). Don’t know if it fits the two, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to adjust or re-design?

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You won’t see a generic TPU profile because we haven’t produced one, but that does not mean you can’t print it. You can try the Ninjaflex settings at first, then dial the settings by creating your own profile.

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I print NinjaFlex on my Mini2 quite often. No issues, using the default settings in Cura LE.

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As I recall, the Mini 2 has the same type of head as the TAZ Workhorse with the exception of the nozzle (I don’t think the nozzle is hardened steel on the Mini 2 but it is on the Workhorse). Anyway… I print TPU frequently on my printers. The print speed for TPU is very slow – you can’t be in a hurry when you print it, but it does print just fine.

Ninjaflex (85A) is very soft and it’s difficult to print fine detail, but tires should be fairly easy for it. Ninjatek’s ‘Cheetah’ (95A) is also TPU but a little firmer and because of that it can print finer details. Cheetah is similar to PolyMaker’s PolyFlex TPU. I use both.

I print the stuff directly onto the glass bed (not the PEI side) and don’t use anything on the bed (I don’t use glue-stick, etc.). To remove it, I use a wet paper towel and wrap it around the base of the part and squeeze gently to let some water onto the bed while lifting a corner… capillary action pulls the water under the part and makes it easier to get a clean release. If I don’t use the water trick then it’s much harder to release.

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