Jump to content

Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly


Vitt1812

Recommended Posts

Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

Hi All,

I need help in fixing my problem regarding bottom layer looking ugly.

Top layer is smooth and perfect. and it feels like bottom layer lines are not merged.

IMG_0386.thumb.JPG.8f12322eac0a7d04bc51f0792fa496e3.JPG, IMG_0387.thumb.JPG.30b04654a1092023a17b139d1112d2be.JPG

Layer height 0.1 mm; Bottom/ Top thickness 0.8 mm; Initial layer thickness 0.3 mm; bottom layer speed 30 mm/s;

Bottom was printed on the support structure. But I have seen similar effect when I print it on the Raft as platform adhesion type.

IMG_0386.thumb.JPG.8f12322eac0a7d04bc51f0792fa496e3.JPG

IMG_0387.thumb.JPG.30b04654a1092023a17b139d1112d2be.JPG

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    That's perfectly normal when printing with support/raft. Say you paint a board and then let it lie in the grass, what does the paint look like? Same thing is happening here only it's melted and soft plastic laying on top of hard plastic.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    Hi IRobertl,

    Thanks for your reply.

    I understand what you are trying to say.

    Please check pictures below. This was my earlier print with Raft as platform adhesion type.

    In this also Top and bottom layer looks different. Different parts were printed and assembled.

    In the picture red marked faces are bottom layers, blue marked face is top layer and black marked is portion of Raft face towards build plate.

    Can this be because of distance between bed and nozzle?

    Capture2.JPG.2706ff3fdf9b03fbe2fd9a841d3eac8d.JPG, Capture1.JPG.1cb7f907ce5aa220b2153378d757e294.JPG .

    Capture2.JPG.2706ff3fdf9b03fbe2fd9a841d3eac8d.JPG

    Capture1.JPG.1cb7f907ce5aa220b2153378d757e294.JPG

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    Have you tried printing the parts directly on the glass plate, without raft or supports? That should give nice flat bottom layers.

    If you print on a raft or on supports, the first layer of the model will always look ugly: there has to be a gap between supports or raft, and print, otherwise you can not remove the support from the model. But that makes the first real model layer sag and distort, thus ugly and with holes in it.

    If you don't mind assembling, try modeling the parts in such a way that every part has one big flat plane on which to print it. Else, it is best to design your own supports, or play with the support parameters (closer together, smaller gaps), for finer results.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    Just print direct onto the glass (you may want to use adhesive, hairspray etc.)- I do not think anyone really uses rafts these days, unless you really do have to use one. I have never used a raft in 3 years of printing

    • Like 1
    Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    The parts I print lately are semi-circular and curved, so I have to use a lot of support material. Making the bottom smooth can be tough, no matter which support type you use. (In my case, some low grit sandpaper helps pry off some stubborn support pieces)

    Where you have a flat piece, you should be able to get a great, smooth result from the glass/heated bed.

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted (edited) · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    ...

    Making the bottom smooth can be tough, no matter which support type you use.

    ...

     

    Yes, indeed. I also tried lots of different custom support designs for smoothest bottoms.

    What works best for me is:

    - A thin but solid bottom layer (e.g. 0.4mm).

    - Then a sort of tree-like scaffold, which leaves me lots of room to use pliers or hooks later on to pull the support out.

    - Then I split the tree in thinner branches.

    - Next again a thin solid layer, just below the bottom of the real model.

    - And finally small ridges of 0.5mm wide, separated 1mm.

    - And a gap of 0.2mm (minimum, for very fine models) to 0.5mm (for bigger models) between these ridges and the real model.

    Then the bottom of the model is still not smooth, but at least way smoother than with standard supports (of Cura 14.09, haven't tried later versions yet).

    Smaller gaps between the ridges and model give smoother bottom, but make the support more difficult to remove.

    Also for supports in-between model parts, I use a similar approach, as shown on this test piece, where I tried out various gap sizes.

    support_test5b.thumb.jpg.cec41ea5bad83bd827d1a52732b93e31.jpg

    support_test5b.thumb.jpg.cec41ea5bad83bd827d1a52732b93e31.jpg

    Edited by Guest
  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    The parts I print lately are semi-circular and curved, so I have to use a lot of support material.  Making the bottom smooth can be tough, no matter which support type you use.  (In my case, some low grit sandpaper helps pry off some stubborn support pieces)

    Where you have a flat piece, you should be able to get a great, smooth result from the glass/heated bed.

     

    If you can try a 0.8mm nozzle. Unbelievably the difference on overhangs is stunning. No support used.

    5a3311cfcc3ff_greyoverhangbad.thumb.jpg.b78c8add536c35faeed2ff5208c5c12b.jpg

    5a3311d0050e6_greyoverhanggood.thumb.jpg.bd8b35c20257905f38bc287daeff6a2a.jpg

    5a3311cfcc3ff_greyoverhangbad.thumb.jpg.b78c8add536c35faeed2ff5208c5c12b.jpg

    5a3311d0050e6_greyoverhanggood.thumb.jpg.bd8b35c20257905f38bc287daeff6a2a.jpg

  • Link to post
    Share on other sites

    Posted · Top layer is smooth and Bottom layer is not and looks ugly

    I have a similar problem, currently I'm on version 3.0

    I was puzzled by this problem, and finally discovered that Cura removes the very bottom layer. The part on the screenshots should have the bottom layer exactly like the top one, but, it removes 1 layer, and reveals the layer where the lines are skipped one after another.

    Top layer, as it should be:

    cura_top_layer.thumb.PNG.85ee8d299887cdd440673f1180df43ca.PNG

    Bottom layer, 1 is removed

    cura_bottom_layer.thumb.PNG.7f5abee5837bd444f08e4509b1c8003e.PNG

    Nowhere in the settings could I find anything related to the missing bottom layer.

    I print with Anycubic i3 mega (RepRap gcode style), and thus decided to use another printer settings. I went for some of Ultimakers, expecting the settings to be more default-like.

    What I saw that for Ultimaker, the top layer was removed together with the bottom one.

    Ultimaker 3 top layer:

    cura_anycubic_top_layer_default_settings.thumb.PNG.34ad8497e60ec9e326cdcac0bcbf6d91.PNG

    Is there any way to have controls of the bottom and top layers removal?

  • 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

      • Introducing Universal Cura Projects in the UltiMaker Cura 5.7 beta
        Strap in for the first Cura release of 2024! This 5.7 beta release brings new material profiles as well as cloud printing for Method series printers, and introduces a powerful new way of sharing print settings using printer-agnostic project files! Also, if you want to download the cute dinosaur card holder featured below, it was specially designed for this release and can be found on Thingiverse! 
          • Like
        • 10 replies
      • S-Line Firmware 8.3.0 was released Nov. 20th on the "Latest" firmware branch.
        (Sorry, was out of office when this released)

        This update is for...
        All UltiMaker S series  
        New features
         
        Temperature status. During print preparation, the temperatures of the print cores and build plate will be shown on the display. This gives a better indication of the progress and remaining wait time. Save log files in paused state. It is now possible to save the printer's log files to USB if the currently active print job is paused. Previously, the Dump logs to USB option was only enabled if the printer was in idle state. Confirm print removal via Digital Factory. If the printer is connected to the Digital Factory, it is now possible to confirm the removal of a previous print job via the Digital Factory interface. This is useful in situations where the build plate is clear, but the operator forgot to select Confirm removal on the printer’s display. Visit this page for more information about this feature.
          • Like
        • 0 replies
    ×
    ×
    • Create New...