Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

I've been trying to print out a Screwless Gear Cube, but I've been having issues getting my Ultimaker to extrude properly. Namely, midway through a print, it has a tendency to have a very sparse extrusion on the outer walls, as seen below.

Gear%2520Cube%25201.JPG

This problem is very unpredictable, though. It is usually just confined to a few layers of a print, as it is here. Also, sometimes it does not effect all of the outer walls of a print. (For example: if I try to print some square object, only one or two of the faces might be affected.) It tends to be localized, and it usually fixes itself by the time the print is completed.

There are some other issues with the extrusion as well, such as the blobs on the side of the print, but I think the sparse extrusion is more annoying, since it can't easily be cleaned from a completed print. Because of this, I was wondering, what might be causing these issues with the extrusion? Are there some settings in Cura that might be causing this, or is there something wrong with the printer?

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    It's a mechanical problem, maybe slowing down the printing speed helps a bit against it, but most likely your extrusion is slipping. Are you using UM filament? Or from a different supplier?

    Do you have the spring extruder upgrade?

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    I haven't given the spring extruder upgrade a try, and I'm using Ultimaker silver PLA. I also haven't noticed any slipping, but I'll at least try turning down the speed a bit.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion
    I haven't given the spring extruder upgrade a try, and I'm using Ultimaker silver PLA. I also haven't noticed any slipping, but I'll at least try turning down the speed a bit.

    please install the spring extruder upgrade asap. then switch to another PLA, as I would label the UM silver an "unhappy filament" (I heard and seen too many problems): extrude some of the new filament by hand, to make sure none of the silver is left in the head... make sure you measure the correct diameter for the filament (2 sig digits), and enter it into the slicer.

    since you have over hangs, print a bit slower and with fan on all the time.

    at a later time, you can revisit the silver, but get confidence with a normal PLA first.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    New silver is good, half year old silver is most likely the bad stuff with varying diameter. But I rather call it gray, as proper silver looks different :-)

    But this looks like black PLA. Which is horrible for photos. But good for spotting problems in your prints.

    First I would try increasing the temperature a bit, to see if that is causing the extruder problems.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    All of the PLA I have came with my Ultimaker that I got 6 months ago. I just measured my two rolls, and the silver PLA I have varies from about 2.80mm to 3.15mm in diameter. I also have a roll of red PLA which is a little more consistent: about 2.95mm to 3.05mm in diameter. Should I give the red filament a try, or is the diameter still to varied to work well?

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    6 months ago, that could be the bad batch of gray (called silver on the sticker I think). 3.15mm can be too much for the bowden tube, depending on the tube, and makes it hard to push it into the hotend. 2.8mm should be no problem, IF you have the spring extruder upgrade. Without the spring extruder varying between 3.0 and 2.8 could cause some grinding and extrusion problems. For the 3.15mm, printing slower could help, as the extruder is stronger at slower speeds.

    I recommend using the red PLA. Red is also a nicer color to print with. (I started out with black and red, hated the black, loved the red)

    (I don't know if we have a return policy on the bad PLA. You could send a friendly email to support, they will know better then I do, they might also be able to find out if you have PLA from the bad batch.)

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Problems Getting a Clean Extrusion

    I just switched to the red PLA, and literally every problem I was having before has been resolved. I printed out one of the small gears as a test, and it turned out perfect.

    Thanks!

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Create an account or sign in to comment

    You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create an account

    Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

    Register a new account

    Sign in

    Already have an account? Sign in here.

    Sign In Now
    • Our picks

      • Help Us Improve Cura – Join the Ultimaker Research Program
        🚀 Help Shape the Future of Cura and Digital Factory – Join Our Power User Research Program!
        We’re looking for active users of Cura and Digital Factory — across professional and educational use cases — to help us improve the next generation of our tools.
        Our Power User Research Program kicks off with a quick 15-minute interview to learn about your setup and workflows. If selected, you’ll be invited into a small group of users who get early access to features and help us shape the future of 3D printing software.

        🧪 What to Expect:
        A short 15-minute kickoff interview to help us get to know you If selected, bi-monthly research sessions (15–30 minutes) where we’ll test features, review workflows, or gather feedback Occasional invites to try out early prototypes or vote on upcoming improvements
        🎁 What You’ll Get:
         
        Selected participants receive a free 1-year Studio or Classroom license Early access to new features and tools A direct voice in what we build next
        👉 Interested? Please fill out this quick form
        Your feedback helps us make Cura Cloud more powerful, more intuitive, and more aligned with how you actually print and manage your workflow.
        Thanks for being part of the community,

        — The Ultimaker Software Team
        • 0 replies
      • Cura 5.10 stable released!
        The full stable release of Cura 5.10 has arrived, and it brings support for the new Ultimaker S8, as well as new materials and profiles for previously supported UltiMaker printers. Additionally, you can now control your models in Cura using a 3D SpaceMouse and more!
          • Like
        • 18 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...