Ninjaflex Cheetah Phone case

[Csabanyujto 1]

I trying to print my Articuno (pokemon) iPhone case from Ninjaflex cheetah, but I got some trouble with it.

My problem is at the bottom where the side beggins the layers not sticking nice and it makes the whole phone case looks ugly. Check the pictures.

First picture

Second picture

Settings in cura

I tried to make the perfect print for about 31 times and been trying to changes a lot of things but still not good.

Changes I tried:

- The model angle (don't want 90° because it cuts my fingers)

- Print head heat between 220c and 240c

- Layer height between 0,1 mm and 0,3 mm

- Wall thickness 0,6mm till 1,2 mm

- Print speed between 20mm/s and 60mm/s

- Retraction on/off

- combing on/off

- support on/off

etc.

Also printed the model in PLA with basic settings and it came out perfectly for the first time.

I read somewhere bigger nozzle diameter (0,6 or 0,8) makes flexible prints more reliable. Do you have and experience with it?

Do you have any ides what settings should I try?

If it will come out perfectly I will also make the other 2 legedary bird (Zapdos, Moltres) and I will upload them so everyone can download it (I already made a PLA version)

Thank you for your help!

[neotko 1,376]

Flexible stuff it's harder for overhangs since it's viscous. I never used cheetah but imo I would try to use fans sooner so that corner doesn't look that bad. Also slower (as much as the flexible material allows you) should help.

Oh I see, the problem it's that these part it's actually flat and it warps. Ok, try:

- Bed hotter

- Some bed adhesion helper (glue, hairspray, anything recommended by the filament vendor)

[Csabanyujto 1]

The first layers are stick perfectly since i'm using BuildTak, so it's not bending, wrapping.

The problem comes after the 5,6th layer where my printer starts to build the side of the phone case.

[neotko 1,376]

Then probably it's just that you can cold the pla faster on the edges than that cheetah and you need fans at more speed, or print cooler.

It's this phenomena http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/30-getting-better-prints#chamfers

A curve that close to the bed it's always hard to get perfect, specially because the angle of the first curve it's a big overhang. I don't know how cheetah works, but for my willowflex I must set fans at 100% at layer 2, and I have mod the fans so they are x2 more powerful (at least). Ofc I don't use buildtak just hairspray.

As you said I think a bigger nozzle should help since it tends to produce better overhangs.

[gr5 1,108]

Like neo says - fans will improve overhangs. I doubt you can do too much fan for this but I don't know cheetah well. In other words fans may also cause other issues. Anyway by default Cura takes a while to crank the fans - I think around 5mm? There's so many versions of cura with so many defaults. Like neo says - you want fan at 100% by second or third layer (but no fan on bottom layer).

For best quality never go over 30mm/sec. 60mm/sec will never ever be better quality than 30mm/sec. But it will be faster!

[Csabanyujto 1]

Thank you guys for the help, gonna remake the model and going to get 0,6 mm nozzle!

The link helped to understand what may be wrong. @neotko