[Internal Supports]

Hi Les

You can create a cavity inside your model and get your slicer to create support inside that cavity. Btw where's yout cat?

[Build plate glass variability - using a scraper]

Hi Colin

Try flipping your glass and print on the other side and see if you get the variations in the same place to determine if the variations are in the glass or maybe your XY rods. Generally you will always get a bit of variation which is why being dead level and starting with a thick first layer (0.3mm for a 0.4mm nozzle) usually works.

You also need to do all the other stuff like

Having the right bed temperature for the filament you are using.

Printing a slow first layer and using glue stick or similar.

Not having the fans on for the first layer.

No cold drafts blowing through.

If you ever use window glass you will see very high variations.

Hope this helps.

Owen

[ended Community Contest | Win an Extrusion upgrade!]

Congratulations dbrgn Well deserved.

[ended Community Contest | Win an Extrusion upgrade!]

Here's my entry. A TV stand for our 40inch 100cm TV. It was a big project and a lot of fun. Learned heaps about design and slicing. Total of more than a week solid printing. Most info is on the print page.

[print=2167][/print]

[Please critique my #3dBenchy]

Here are the speed settings:

 

You can change all the ones that have a % to 100. What you lose by printing the outside faster you can gain by printing everything at a constant extrusion rate.

I just started using Simplify3D myself and didn't notice these settings at first and subsequently was printing fairly slow. 65% of 40 = 26mm/s. I also upped the X/Y Axis Movement Speed (Travel Speed) to 200mm/s. This greatly improved stringing.

[Please critique my #3dBenchy]

Looks very good. I wouldn't change a thing.

btw what were the speed setting for travel moves? I found the default to be a bit slow.

Owen

[Hexagon Tube Print]

Hi

A picture of a failed print would be good. Also what slicer and settings are you using. Slow, thick first layer on a cleaned heated bed with glue stick or similar applied should work.

[Cura fails to make support structure.]

Hi Colin

In Cura have a look at x-ray view of your model to see if you can see anything different there.

I have read in the forums here that Sketchup is good for architectural drawings but not so much for modelling and producing STL files.

You may find a thread here about different free cad programs to use.

Good luck

[Printing threads with Cura and Inventor]

What's the actual problem? Creating the thread, printing or getting them to screw together?

[Filament spacing question for Ultimaker 2]

Can you show all your settings in Cura?

[Unexplained patterning in our prints]

Have you tried lowering the fan speed to 50% or less? I think it's better for XT.

[feeder move wrong direction (UM2)]

Hi

If you have dismantled the feeder and reassembled it you have possibly put it back in such a way that the filament is inserted on the wrong side of the shaft.

Owen

[New Colorfabb XT spoon and I have to change my default settings]

I have been using nozzle 240 bed 70 fan about 40% 30 to 40mm/s and getting good layer bonding with white xt 750gram spool. Summer here at the moment too.

[HELP! is this a bump? Z scar?]

Hi

Try higher Z speed and slower print speed

[Cura does NOT generate skit if brim or raft is enabled.]

I think its intended and not a bug

[Infill Issue - Printing as pedestals/posts instead of grid]

Hi

Your infill speed is 50mm/s compare to 30mm/s for inner and outer shells.

So drop that back to 30mm/s and see how you go.

That is a very small nozzle size so if you still have any under extrusion try slowing your speed down more or increasing your nozzle temp.

Good luck

Owen

[Best practices for printing on a heated bed?]

A tad warmer I would think plus a brim:)

[Glue stick or...?]

I use glue stick sparingly and spread it around with a damp sponge. If you use too much you can lift some glass off the top. 70c for pla and 100c for abs and fan on early to reduce elephant's foot. You can do quite a few prints before reapplying. Tend to clean off and reapply for a big print. You need to let the bed cool down a fair bit before it will release it's grip. Im interested to hear what others are doing.

[Heavy hack: bed autoleveling and tool height detection (ultimaker original -- full bed replacement)]

Nice:)

[How can I clear a completely compacted nozzle?]

If you have a soldering iron you can set it up with it's point facing up and hang the tip on that till all the stuff melts and burns out. Then bang the the noxzle upside down onto a hard surface. Then finish off if necessary with something fine through the tip. It has worked for me.

[Printing a Sphere]

I printed a 50mm sphere that came out fairly good. I think I just used support from Cura or KISSlicer. I know I didn't create any support from the Cad program. I would try it without brim or raft. Good luck and post a picture of your end result if you like.

[Ultimaker Original Plus: Question on printing surface quality]

Hi looks like under extrusion. The cause is most like way too low a temperature for ABS. It should be about 245 to 260 depending on the brand of filament and the volume of plastic you are trying to push through the nozzle (speed and layer thickness).

Try setting the temp at 250 and see if you can manually turn the extruder by hand and see if you easily get a smooth flow through the nozzle. Adjust the temp up or down by 5 degrees at a time till it seems right and then try printing at that temperature.

[general forum feedback]

This forum is heaps better now. The layout is nicely balanced between easy to read and compactness in each thread and in the topic list.

Navigation links up the top and link to last post in each thread and in the topic list is good.

Performance is much better now.

Even without having the since my last visit yet, filters can be set fairly well and overall it's much more pleasurable to use.

Also it's good that you fixed a lot of things together before you introduced them in one lump.

Thanks for your work guys and well done.

[Using Filastruder filament on my Ultimaker]

Thanks for the write up. Very informative and good to know.

 

[Bad layer bonding with ABS]

I wonder if someone could help me with the following, related problem. I recently (and in fact accidentally, wanted to buy PLA but clicked the wrong button) bought a spool of Thermochromic colour change ABS for my research. I had never printed with ABS and after tweaking the settings found 100c build plate and 250c nozzle worked well for me. Unfortunately the thermochromic colour change properties of the material are destroyed at this temperature. Recommended maximum print temp: 235c.

While it still extrudes at this low temperature, layer adhesion is a big problem, and while printing a plant pot bulbasaur a big crack developed. Should I try an enclosure? What else could I try, being unable to raise the nozzle temp? Any input would be appreciated...

 

Try printing slower. This gives more time for the base layer to receive more heat from the nozzle.