Improve PLA settings (after 1 year using ABS)

[AlexMaker 0]

Dear friends,

I am new to the UM community with an original UM2 am trying to use (no Olsson block yet).

I spent 1 year using exclusively ABS at 260-270°C (over other machines: Tiertime UpCube et UpMini),

and I am definitely new with PLA and how to get it work.

As a start I decided to do this voronoï eggcup: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:400683

which has several complicated aspects to deal with (shape, angles...), and I am a bit desapointed by the first result, many dirty stuff straight out from the machine, as you can see:

What I have done before printing this "crash test":

- Lubricate all the axes of the machine,

- Calibration tray,

- Degreasing tray + thin layer of lacquer (strong fixation),

- Cleaning nozzle "atomic method" 3 times until obtaining a clean nozzle,

- Machine Update latest firmware (2.6.2 Jul 2017),

- Update latest version CURA (3.0.4),

- Installation of an official Ultimaker white PLA filament spool.

My settings:

- Nozzle 210°C

- Bed 60°C (after having read through the UM forum, instead of 75°C by default...)

- With BRIM

- Layer thickness 0.10mm

- Infill 10%

- Speed 60 mm/s

- Fans 100%

- Retraction enabled (speed 20mm/s min. - distance 0.8mm)

- No support

The first layer has also deformed, the brim has retained it a little:

I think my problems are due to too high extrusion temperature, making the PLA too liquid, causing the first unstable layers + visible dirt.

I think I have to lower the extrusion temperature.

What do you think ? Do you have any optimization tricks?

Thanks in advance for your feedback

Edited November 5, 2017 by Guest

[kmanstudios 1,120]

It will really depend on the PLA you use (Brand, colors, etc). But for the most part, I find that printing between 190°C (on the low end) to 205°C (on the high end) and mostly 195°C has solved a lot of issues.

You may have to change the speed to a bit slower to help it out.

Keep in mind that I am on a UM3E and that may make a difference, but I think it could be a start for you. I dual print almost everything and do not use the priming tower anymore as well as rarely use the ooze shield.

I am also on Cura 3.0.4. That will make a difference too.

Edited November 7, 2017 by Guest

[AlexMaker 0]

It will really depend on the PLA you use (Brand, colors, etc). But for the most part, I find that printing between 190°C (on the low end) to 205°C (on the high end) and mostly 195°C has solved a lot of issues.

You may have to change the speed to a bit slower to help it out.

Keep in mind that I am on a UM3E and that may make a difference, but I think it could be a start for you. I dual print almost everything and do not use the priming tower anymore as well as rarely use the ooze shield.

I am also on Cura 3.0.4. That will make a difference too.

Thanks a lot @kmanstudios !

I figured out after testig that those settings works well:

Nozzle 195°C

Bed 50°C

Print speed 50 mm/s

Travel speed 250 mm/s

Infill 25%

Thickness 0.10 mm

Retraction distance 4.5 mm (on the machine)

Retraction speed 25 mm/s (on the machine)

But am totally lost concerning retraction properties on the software side.

I feel completely lost, there are so so many different parameters, specially in Cura.

On my previous machines with 1.75mm filament and ABS I never had to deal with that. The filament was always going down without any stringing/oozing.

So either the concept and the settings of retraction are new for me.

Now with PLA, this seems more like a "living" material a way trickier to set, even at lower temperature (was around 270°C for ABS...)

And all seems kind of tricky, because there are parameters on the machine itself (retraction length and speed) and tons in Cura...

So far I ended up doing tests with various settings as shown:

From left to right, the settings in Cura 3.0.4:

Machine 1.0mm I 25mm/sec with CURA RMT: 0.8mm MRC: 90 MEDW: 6.5mm

Machine 4.5mm I 25mm/sec with CURA RMT: 0.8mm MRC: 90 MEDW: 6.5mm

Machine 4.5mm I 25mm/sec with CURA RMT: 5.0mm MRC: 150 (!) MEDW: 4.5mm

*RMT: Retraction Minimum Travel

*MRC: Maximum Retraction Count

*MEDW: Minimum Extrusion Distance Window

Edited November 7, 2017 by Guest

[AlexMaker 0]

By the way @kmanstudios, are there some tricks in Cura 3.0.4 to deal with ?

I would apreciate to have your opinion.

I spent the last night scrolling the forum, and it seems like finding the right version of Cura (without bugs or so) is a sport hard to handle...

Many users have several versions, using them in parallel, depending of the released numbers. Some time having trouble or prefering previous settings, etc.

(Also as a new Ultimaker user, it was pretty tricky though to find some basic info over the forum without any search field, I never found it, I used Google instead... )

[kmanstudios 1,120]

By the way @kmanstudios, are there some tricks in Cura 3.0.4 to deal with ?

I would apreciate to have your opinion.

I spent the last night scrolling the forum, and it seems like finding the right version of Cura (without bugs or so) is a sport hard to handle...

Many users have several versions, using them in parallel, depending of the released numbers. Some time having trouble or prefering previous settings, etc.

(Also as a new Ultimaker user, it was pretty tricky though to find some basic info over the forum without any search field, I never found it, I used Google instead... )

I like 3.0.4.

Retraction is not something I mess with too much. Usually, cooling the material works well.

Maybe try 190?

I may have a lot of posts, but that is because I am a blabbermouth....not super experienced in the ways of the Print Force.

[AlexMaker 0]

Yeah,

But still

Using 190 C temp leads me to very soft under extrusion (feeder grind sound + small holes on brim) while 195C seems perfect for me, 200C slightly too much...

When I received it, my machine was set as so, available on the display in maintenance :

1mm retraction length

25mm/s retraction speed

I have read over the forum that people achieve good things with 4.5mm length at 25mm/s.

What are your machine settings for instance ?

Edited November 7, 2017 by Guest

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Depends on the material and layer thickness.

As you can see, right now it is set for PLA, 0.2mm layer height.

[AlexMaker 0]

Depends on the material and layer thickness.

As you can see, right now it is set for PLA, 0.2mm layer height.

Thanks, I see.

So, those are the one for cura.

Why are the retraction settings on the machine different ? Could you compare to what is written on the display of your machine, going through the advanced settings ?

Are the machine settings or cura settings which are used when printing ?

Thanks in advance !

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I am on a UM3E and as far as I know, Cura runs all of that.