Traveler218

Here are some pictures of my Super Deluxe Advanced Printing Enclosure. It was constructed using a cardboard box, a glue gun and an exacto knife. My previous dimensions were incorrect; it has 11" clearance on top, about 6" inches above the Bowden tubes. It even has a retractable viewing port.

I made a cardboard box cover. It has about 3 inches on each side, 6 inches on the top and the back is completely open. It's main purpose is to block the A/C vent from blowing down onto the print. I originally made it when I was trying to print ABS. Using ABS I was experiencing major warping issues and the top help considerably. I have continued to use it for PETG. When I first started using PETG I made only minor changes to the CPE profile and was able to print without a problem I ran an entire roll of PETG, with one print running 2 1/2 days. everything worked fine.

Not eliminated altogether, but somewhat discounted. I was able to use the same filament on a TAZ6 to print the same model with no problems. That would lead me to believe it's not the filament.

No, the filament wasn't tangled. The extruder did chew it up pretty well, but the head did not seem to be clogged. I was able to manually purge with no problem. The print actually looked quite good up to the point that it just quit printing. Usually, there is some evidence of where it went wrong, but both times this print failed it just started printing air. Based on several other comments, and some information I picked up from a couple other threads, I will make some adjustments and try one more time.

And I thought it was something I was doing wrong:O This was a very educational post, for those of us with limited Cura experiance. Thanks!

I have also seen major problems with "wet" filament, but mostly with ABS or Nylon. In fact I have caused damage to my home printer by not taking the time to dry ABS before printing, even though I store it in resealable bags, with desiccant, and then store those in weather tight containers, with more desiccant. All of the early research I did indicated that PETG was not hygroscopic, and was therefore a good choice for humid environment. That's one reason I chose to use it in the work environment. The PETG I use at home is never sealed in bags, or dried, and I seldom have a failed print unless I do something stupid (which is far too often these days). Of course, being part of the "Spoiled Family" my home A/C is never turned off and we don't have wild swings in humidity. If that is in fact what is causing my printing problems (and now that you mentioned it, it makes sense), I'm not sure how I can solve the problem. I can't control the A/C, the property managers do that, and have no way of controlling the humidity. The best I can do is bring in a food dehydrator to dry the material before starting a long print, and maybe building a sealed spool holder to limit the moisture absorption during the print.

I checked the spool and the way it is feeding, there does not appear to be a problem with that. The spool sits on a set of 608 bearings and rolls freely, with nothing obstructing the path. The edges of the spool are smooth and the filament comes off without catching on anything. Humidity can get high in this building and yes, they turn off the A/C at night. I hadn't really considered that as a problem. The UM3 is situated close to an A/C vent. I constructed a box to block the top and front of the unit when I was having warping problems with ABS. Lots of open space above and on the sides, but it prevents direct drafts from the A/C. It seems to help the issue. We should probably invest in the advanced printing kit, but haven't been able to spend that money yet. I'll have to check into that last one. I used air to try and clean it out, but have not taken it apart to check on build-up on the knurled pattern.

I guess this thing just doesn't like working nights! Started out looking great, but then just started printing air. Nothing apparent with the clog, I was able to easily remove the filament. The only problem I found was the filament was chewed up at the extruder. This has happened before. Is it possible I need to slow down the print speed or reduce the flow rate? By the way, this was a 54 hour print that failed after about 6 hours. The previous prints that I have done of <4 hours worked great. Why would it fail after a prolonged print? Robert

As I've said before, If you're not willing to get your hands dirty, 3D printing may not be for you. Being an Engineer, and previously a mechanic, and in general a Tinkerer and Maker, the problem solving aspect of it is one of the things that attracts me. Sometimes it would be nice to understand the nature of the problem I am trying to solve though. Sometimes it just defies all explanation. Thanks for the help and support. The community here is great. Robert

I agree, that's what had me so frustrated about printing it. This is a little more complex geometry, but I still consider it simple. The key was that it ran for 3 1/2 hours. I was concerned that I was having a problem with the cores maintaining temperature for an extended period. While this is still a long way from 21 hours, I think it gives me confidence that if everything else is set up right, the longer print should work.

Another perfect print; it seems the simple stuff does well. I did have a couple of false starts with bed adhesion issues, but those can be attributed to user error. The print is clean with sharp edges, no warp and the support material came away without problems. This was printed using eSun Silver PETG

in the root directory under users. On my laptop it is: C:\Users\TBD\AppData\Local\cura

Can you provide any feedback on this? I am using PolySupport on my other printer and absolutely love the results. It's the best support material I have tried. I've used PVA and HIPS and never got good results. I would love to use this on my UM3 Extended, but haven't bought the 3mm size yet. If you tried it, I would love to hear the results. Robert

2.6.1 did that on me once, I had to go to the Cura directory under users>tbd>ApppData>Local>cura (replace TBD with your username), and delete everything in the directory. that got it working again.

It looks like there is a Z-axis Offset issue on that first layer. If the head is too close the the bed, or in this case the previous layer, Hydraulic pressure will build up under the head as it tries to lay down filament causing it to force out around the head. Try to calibrate the Z-axis and see if it fixes your problems. I'm not sure what material you are using, but try increasing the bed temperature to help with warping issues.

I do have a reputation for being Unique:P

Just to keep people posted; In the first picture below it appears that the print head got "Stuck" on the print. The print did not adhere to the bed and was sliding around with the head. This is why I typically use blue painters tape. It is the only thing I have found that the print will almost always stick. The second print I have some questions about. The last three attempts that I have made to run this print, the first layer looks "Wavy" as shown in the picture. On my other printer I would say that this is due to the Z-axis offset. The print head is too close to the bed. In Cura I have been unable to find a way to adjust the Z-offset. Has anyone else seen this, and are there any suggestions for solving it?

I noticed this morning that there is also an option in CURA to "Print walls after infill". Wouldn't this help solve your problem as well? Robert

They were PETG. I am trying a third this morning somewhat larger than the last. This one should take around 3 hours. After the second layer it looks pretty good, although it did deposit a few globs of material in the print. My other printer uses a PEI bed. It works well for all types of material but I do have to keep it clean. I am thinking about getting some of the adhesion sheets and maybe the "Advanced 3D Printing Kit". IF this were truly my printer I would have already purchased them. It's a little different when I have to justify the budget (even though these are not very expensive). The whole purpose of getting this printer at work, was to open our engineers eyes about possibilities and alternate ways of doing things. So far, with the printing problems, this has not gone too well. It's hard to justify spending more money when the results have been sub-par so far. Robert

Thanks again for the assist Eric. It is good to know that the Ultimaker is a least capable of printing this. I was pretty sure it wasn't the model, as I had printed it on another machine once myself. I may go back to work Monday and try to print this on the UM3 again. I have printed two other small models since this failure and they printed flawlessly. I may try one more slightly larger print just as another test first (something between this and last last print). I have opened a ticket with support and am pretty sure one of the hot-end nozzles is bad so I will follow through with that. I do appreciate the support and help in trying to resolve the print issue. Robert

So how did it go?

I have found the same thing. On my Robox printer I have the ability to go in and raise the Z-offset , .05mm seems to work well on that printer. However, with the Ultimaker 3 Extended, I have not found a way to adjust this setting in Cura. You say you have recently made a mod to cura to accommodate this, would you be willing to share this mod?

Looks good. That is about how mine looked at around 5 1/2 to 6 hours when I went home for the night. One difference is that you appear to be using "Lines" as the infill pattern. I did not change the default when I printed this the first time, and I believe it used "Triangles" for the infill. As I surmised before, that could be why mine failed. Anxious to see how this turns out. Thanks!

I had the same problem after dismantling the bed to remove material that had gotten underneath during a failed print. The solution turned out to be adjusting the rear know before starting the leveling process. I had tightened it town over half way. To fix the problem I had to loosen it back off a pretty good bit. This raises the back of the bed to allow the front knobs to be looser. If the back knob is too tight, then the back of the bed is lower, and you can't tighten the front ones far enough to get bed down. Also, the menu knob only works during discrete steps in the process. It will only adjust the rear position of the bed. The corner screws must be used adjust the front of the bed. Hope this helps.

Sure, How do I attach a file? I already have it Zipped. Robert Holt