Desperate for Help with Gcode file -Clean Up or Analyze - $

[masterbeat 0]

Hi,

We recently acquired an Ultimaker and are having difficulty printing out a model that is a logo with a loop at the top for a chain to go through (like on a necklace). The original STL file has been designed so that the loop is the same height (on z axis) as top and bottom of logo body (to avoid any support structure being necessary). There is enough base in the loop to build the curve without support (and we've seen other similar STL files and models work this way.

Our problem is that even after 4,267 tweaks to Cura to the best of our ability, the Gcode files result in a print that is printing extra lines between the logo and filling the loop with material, even though we have support structure turned off. We don't seem to see the lines on the print result.

We're not sure if the gcode is causing the lines and fill or another setting in Cura is causing the Ultimaker to drop the xtra material, although with our experience it looks more like support structure is being built as the extra lines look like support lines and not printing errors.

We are in a hurry to get a ton of these printed so we are willing to hire someone with experience to take a look at the source STL and the Gcode and either help us fix the code or send good code based on the STL from any slicer they prefer...

Hope to hear from someone, and thank you!

[IRobertI 520]

Some pictures of the problem print and the actual model will help greatly in figuring out what's going wrong.

[masterbeat 0]

Sorry, here you go. Pictures below are the print. You can see the extra lines it's laying down, obviously like it's trying to "support" the hook/loop. It did this when we had support structure 'on.' But turning off support structure is resulting in almost the same print. You can also see from the side view the hook/loop is completely filled solid and it should be hollow, and the curve is gentle enough the Ultimaker should be able to build this without support.

Also below is the STL file generating the print.

[Daid 306]

Disable the raft, lower the temperature and enable retraction.

[tomnagel 126]

The rough bed below your object is called a raft. People use it as a good sticky basis, but with PLA and the blue UM tape this does not seem necessary anymore.

I'm curious about the lines in your object. I suppose they should not be there? I get those with some of my Sketchup models. I've been told Sketchup is not very accurate, which causes 'holes' in the model. The slicer can sometimes not cope with that, with these strange lines as a result.

BUT: the good new is that you can see this before actually printing. Above the model view are a few buttons, one gives a code view, in which you can see every movement that the printer will do, color coded (walls, infill, move only etc.).

The faulty lines will be visible in that view.