Layers Display

[SledgeT 0]

Being new to 3d printing and cura in particular, I don't know know what I am looking for in the layers display of cura when there is a fault. The guides just say it is obvious - that may be true but I've not seen one in the two prints I've done. Can anyone describe what I might see please? Thanks in advance!

[gr5 1,107]

The most common (and obvious) issues are that it often won't print certain parts of your model - thin sections such as a thin wall or an antenna or something < 1mm thick.

The other common issue is that it fills in holes that are meant to be open.

More difficult issues to spot is when it prints "in mid air". Imagine you are printing a model of a standing person whose arms and hands and fingers are all pointing down to the ground but also held away from the body. Those finger tips will be printed in mid-air and just fall down to the bed.

Bridging works great on 3d printers - for example if you have a wall with a square opening it will print the top of the opening just fine. But if it is an arched opening - it will work - but the quality won't be so great.

[SledgeT 0]

Thank you gr5 for your very prompt reply.

I gather from your answer that my stl file will be accepted by cura but that any thin section/antenna will be missing from the display. (Sorry to check the blindingly obvious to you but getting long in the tooth means being over cautious I think).

I've avoided the mid air hanging problem by having support set to everywhere and as you pointed out it works well - as demonstrated by my second print which had a domed cylinder cut out of the bottom of my shape (ready for an LED).

Again, thanks for the help.

[gr5 1,107]

any thin section/antenna will be missing from the display.

In layer view it will be missing but in normal view it will be there. xray view is also helpful as any red spots indicate an error in the model (not solid) and you should then check that area in layer view.

[gr5 1,107]

Also when you are printing lots of different things with lots of different parameters sometimes you forget some parameter - for example today I forgot to turn on brim feature but I noticed it in slice view. Also once for one print I had turned off the "bottom" and then on the next part I almost forgot to turn it back on but it was obvious in slice view.

[SledgeT 0]

 

any thin section/antenna will be missing from the display.

In layer view it will be missing but in normal view it will be there.  xray view is also helpful as any red spots indicate an error in the model (not solid) and you should then check that area in layer view.

 

It never occurred to me that the different Cura views would reveal/miss out parts of the drawing so thanks for the tip. Its something I now know to keep a check upon. Yet again, thanks.