Nasty prints

[Noambeau 1]

Hello, I have been printing some small objects recently and I have encountered some stringing and bad prints. I'm thinking it has to do something to do with my Cura settings. I have added my settings and pictures of the prints below.  Is there an optimal setting for small prints?  Also, any general tips to improve my print settings would also be appreciated. Thank you! 

I'm printing with the monoprice select mini  with PLA, my Cura settings are:

 

Quality:

Layer Height: 0.1mm

Initial Layer Height: 0.3mm

Line width: 0.4mm

 

Shell:

Wall Thickness: 0.8

Top/Bottom thickness: 0.8

 

Infill:

Infill density: 20%

Infill pattern: Grid 

Gradual Infill Steps: 0

Infill before walls: yes 

 

Material:

Printing temperature: 195 C

Build plate temperature: 60 C

Diameter: 1.75mm

Flow: 100%

Enable retraction: yes 

Retraction distance: 1.75 mm

Retraction speed: 25 mm/s

Retraction Minimum Travel: 0.8

 

Speed:

Print speed: 40 mm/s

Infill speed: 40 mm/s

Outer wall speed: 25 mm/s

Inner wall speed: 40 mm/s

Top/bottom speed: 20 mm/s

Travel speed: 75 mm/s

Initial layer speed: 20 mm/s 

Initial layer print speed: 20 mm/s

Initial layer travel speed: 37.5 mm/s 

 

Cooling: 

Enable print cooling: yes

Fan speed: 100%

Minimum layer time: 10s 

 

Mesh fixes: 

Maximum resolution: 0.01

 

Special modes:

Print sequence: all at once 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Noambeau
Wanted to be more elaborate

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I would say that I would go back to the default and just dial back the temp a bit more than you have. Also, that is some really teeny weeny parts to be printing. The only time I have gotten anything decent at that scale is to actually tell my nozzle to go to a very thin line width with wall counts/thickenss being a direct multiple of the nozzle width. I am assuming you are using PVA as well to support these prints?

 

Edit: I would also look at @Gigi's recent threads on tiny prints. @Gigi is rockin' it on the teeny stuff. I also believe he is using a 0,.25mm nozzle which really makes a difference.

Edited February 8, 2018 by kmanstudios

[DidierKlein 729]

What printer is this ? (Not an Ultimaker i guess).

 

To avoid (or reduce) stringing:

 

Adjust retraction settings (relieves pressure in the nozzle)

Lower temperature (lowers oozing)

Increase travel speed (lowers travel time, thus lowers nozzle pressure, thus lowers oozing)

 

[kmanstudios 1,120]

I thought the idea behind slowing the travel was to give a lower temp time to bond with the previous layer. Please elucidate

[DidierKlein 729]

The travel speed is the speed when the head is doing non-printing moves so it's particularly important when going from an island to another (where stringing appears generally)

 

I'm not sure i understand what you are referring too @kmanstudios

[kmanstudios 1,120]

5 minutes ago, DidierKlein said:

The travel speed is the speed when the head is doing non-printing moves so it's particularly important when going from an island to another (where stringing appears generally)

That made it clear. I did not have a good working definition of travel speed in me wee head. Thanks!!

[Noambeau 1]

11 hours ago, Noambeau said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by Noambeau
Didn't mean to post this

[geert_2 556]

If I had to print this on my UM2 in PLA, I would try 20...25mm/s, and 180...185°C first. And then watch what happens and adjust on the fly as required. The slow speed is to get as little nozzle pressure as possible, thus even flow and less leaks during travel, and the low temp to improve cooling and reduce stringing as much as possible. And of course I would print a dummy model next to it, so the nozzle has more cooling time, to avoid heat-deformation.

 

Less heat deformation with a dummy (square tower) next to the real testmodels (cones). Numbers are cm, little lines are mm. The cones are 20mm diameter x 20mm high; the blocks are 10mm x 10mm wide, and higher than the cones.

 

Tips for dummies.

 

Example of real dummy and part of real model.

 

 

Another dummy in a real print.

 

 

Edited February 8, 2018 by geert_2

[DidierKlein 729]

In your settings it says that the material diameter is 1.75mm ... is it a modified Ultimaker?

 

Which one is it? Ultimaker 2+ / Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker original / +

 

On Ultimakers travel speed can go up to 250mm/s

[Noambeau 1]

3 hours ago, DidierKlein said:

What printer is this ? (Not an Ultimaker i guess).

 

To avoid (or reduce) stringing:

 

Adjust retraction settings (relieves pressure in the nozzle)

Lower temperature (lowers oozing)

Increase travel speed (lowers travel time, thus lowers nozzle pressure, thus lowers oozing)

 

I'm using the monoprice with pla,thanks for you tips I'll try it out

[Noambeau 1]

13 minutes ago, DidierKlein said:

In your settings it says that the material diameter is 1.75mm ... is it a modified Ultimaker?

 

Which one is it? Ultimaker 2+ / Ultimaker 3 or Ultimaker original / +

 

On Ultimakers travel speed can go up to 250mm/s

Sorry I wasn't clear, I'm the monoprice mini 

[Noambeau 1]

14 minutes ago, geert_2 said:

If I had to print this on my UM2 in PLA, I would try 20...25mm/s, and 180...185°C first. And then watch what happens and adjust on the fly as required. The slow speed is to get as little nozzle pressure as possible, thus even flow and less leaks during travel, and the low temp to improve cooling and reduce stringing as much as possible. And of course I would print a dummy model next to it, so the nozzle has more cooling time, to avoid heat-deformation.

 

Less heat deformation with a dummy (square tower) next to the real testmodels (cones). Numbers are cm, little lines are mm. The cones are 20mm diameter x 20mm high; the blocks are 10mm x 10mm wide, and higher than the cones.

 

Tips for dummies.

 

Example of real dummy and part of real model.

 

 

Another dummy in a real print.

 

 

Thank you I'm printing this on my monoprice select mini. I will definitely be trying this method thank you! 

[Noambeau 1]

3 hours ago, kmanstudios said:

I would say that I would go back to the default and just dial back the temp a bit more than you have. Also, that is some really teeny weeny parts to be printing. The only time I have gotten anything decent at that scale is to actually tell my nozzle to go to a very thin line width with wall counts/thickenss being a direct multiple of the nozzle width. I am assuming you are using PVA as well to support these prints?

 

Edit: I would also look at @Gigi's recent threads on tiny prints. @Gigi is rockin' it on the teeny stuff. I also believe he is using a 0,.25mm nozzle which really makes a difference.

Thanks I'll try that. I know there small but I want to be printing some jewelry peices so these prints were some test prints. I'll check out the thread you mentioned. Thank you!