Disable Automatic active bed levelling for Ultimaker S5

[Abdu 1]

Hi folks

 

The build plate of my brand new Ultimaker S5 undergoes active leveling before each print. It results in either of my 2 extruders over or under extruding. Is there a way i can disable this active levelling process before each print, as i personally prefer manual leveling. The prints doesnt look that cool compared to the price i paid for this printer. Hope there is a solution to this.

Edited July 11, 2018 by Abdu

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Abdu,

thank you for your message. It's not possible to disable the auto leveling, because of the size of the build plate in the Ultimaker S5, doing a manual level is very difficult and the risks are bigger. That is why it can not be turned off. But obviously, it should not result in your prints over or under extrude. Can you explain a little bit more what happens, and do you possibly have any photo's to illustrate?

 

Thank you!

[Abdu 1]

Hi

the print is very brittle, I am using InnoFil3D PLA and Ultimaker PVA. I have an Ultimaker 3 as well, using the same filaments, but the prints come out to be perfect. I see some gaps between the layers on my S5 prints. I have attached an image of it.

 

Thanks

[WesleyE 14]

This indeed not what would be expected. Would you be able to post your model and Cura settings? It is difficult to see only from the photo where it went wrong. We would love to research this. Did the machine prime after every material switch?

 

However, I can assure you that this is not due to the automatic bed leveling. To elaborate on Sander's comment: The topology of the build plate changes during heating of the bed and is affected by a number of parameters. In order to guarantee a good adhesion, we probe the build plate with the grid and actively compensate for any deformations. Only relying on manual leveling does not compensate for these deformations and will lead to even more under or over extrusion, but only in the first few layers.

Edited July 11, 2018 by WesleyE

[Abdu 1]

Hi

I am using a 0.25mm Ultimaker print core, 0.1mm layer hieght, and 0.12mm initial  layer hieght, a 100% infil, 210C temperature (Material specifies 200C to 220C), Fan speed at 50%, speed at 30mm/s and no prime tower enabled.

 

Hope this helps.

[gr5 2,167]

@Abdu - leveling only affects the bottom layer and in rare cases the bottom 2 layers but that's it.  

 

Are you seeing gaps in both filaments on the same layer or only in one of the filaments?  If both filaments are having gaps in the exact same layer then that eliminates many possibilities and if only one filament is having a gap - that eliminates the other possibilities.  I can't tell by your photograph even when I zoom in.

 

[gr5 2,167]

By the way it is possible to turn off auto leveling but it involves ssh and even so I really don't recommend it.  

[Abdu 1]

There is a gap only on the extruder 1, which is PLA on a 0.25mm nozzle.

Throughout the model, the horizontal lines are very peculiar, i see small gaps between the layers, and its brittle. the cylindrical model got split in 2 smaller cylinders when i tried to take it out of the bed.

 

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Abdu, at which settings are you printing? Since the 0.25 print core is so small, it is not recommended to print at a high layer resolution. This would mean the pressure/ flow rate would be too low. Speed is also an important factor. Have you tried the default print profiles first?

 

Curious if you made any progress regarding the print quality.

[Abdu 1]

Hello SandervG

I changed my Innofil material to Ultimaker Black Tough PLA Material, and that largely fixed it. 
I think the material was the problem. But what surprises me, is that is was a fresh Spool, and also, Innofil makes some really good quality filament.

 

After switching to Tough PLA, the print quality and durability has become waay better. But what happens now is, that at one particular layer, or maybe 2 layers, i see under extrusion. Thats only for that specific one or two layers, and not the entire print. 

This happend so much with my Innofil PLA, that it would form bands of layers underextruding(as seen in the image above)

This has reduced to a large extent with tough PLA, but it still persists.

I print at 0.1mm layer hieght, 220C temperature,100% fan speed, 60C bed with Dimafix spray, and speed is 30mm/s.

 

Thanks for your help!

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Abdu, good to hear that it is mostly gone! Tough PLA is a really nice material to print with. Do you have a photo of these one or two layers? Do they happen at random, or at the same height always? 

[Abdu 1]

Hi

 

They happen randomly. Please see the attached photo. In the photo, the marked region is very weak. It is not very obvious because of its black color.

Thanks for help

[SandervG 1,521]

Hi Abdu, it is indeed difficult to see on the photo. Is this also printed with .25 print core? Does it look like under extrusion, or does it look like the layer is misaligned? The arrow more or less points at the area where PVA stops. Is it usually around the same level?

Is there PVA in that layer?

Do you use a prime tower or anything like that? Do you use default Cura profile for .25 print core and Tough PLA?

 

Sorry, lots of questions ?

 

 

 

[Abdu 1]

Hi

Is this also printed with .25 print core?

Yes, its printed with 0.25mm Print core
 

Does it look like under extrusion, or does it look like the layer is misaligned?

it actually looks as if there isnt much material flowing through on those specific layers. The solid becomes see through only on those specific 2-3 layers.

The arrow more or less points at the area where PVA stops. Is it usually around the same level?

it happens randomly, its not specific to the level. Sometimes it doesnt even happen. but whenever it does happen, it makes the part very weak.

Is there PVA in that layer?

yes there was PVA on that layer. I had gently pulled it of, as it wasnt very strongly stuck like the PVA on the base.

Do you use a prime tower or anything like that?

No, i have disabled Prime Tower

Do you use default Cura profile for .25 print core and Tough PLA?

Yes, i use Cura, and print core set to AA 0.25, and material set to Tough PLA.

I appreciate you help, feel free to ask any more question if you have.

[SandervG 1,521]

7 minutes ago, Abdu said:

Is there PVA in that layer?

yes there was PVA on that layer.

 

So would I understand it correctly that you say on the areas where there is not enough Tough PLA, those layers were filled with PVA instead? So there was PVA where there should have been T PLA?

 

10 minutes ago, Abdu said:

Do you use default Cura profile for .25 print core and Tough PLA?

Yes, i use Cura, and print core set to AA 0.25, and material set to Tough PLA.

 

I'm not asking specifically if you use Cura, but do you use the default fine-profile in Cura? Or have you changed settings in the custom settings tab?

 

If you haven't tried it already, perhaps you could take a look at these instructions on how to clean a print core:

https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/23132-clean-the-print-cores

[Abdu 1]

1 minute ago, SandervG said:

So would I understand it correctly that you say on the areas where there is not enough Tough PLA, those layers were filled with PVA instead? So there was PVA where there should have been T PLA?

No sir, sorry to confuse you. I meant that there was less T PLA. and PVA was actually supporting that structure. There was PLA where it should have been, and T PLA where it should have, but less.

 

3 minutes ago, SandervG said:

I'm not asking specifically if you use Cura, but do you use the default fine-profile in Cura? Or have you changed settings in the custom settings tab?

Yes, i am using Cura Fine Settings.

 

Thanks

[gr5 2,167]

1 hour ago, Abdu said:

They happen randomly. Please see the attached photo. In the photo, the marked region is very weak.

Does it happen in the exact same place if you print the exact same part twice?  This is important to diagnose.

 

1 hour ago, Abdu said:

it actually looks as if there isnt much material flowing through on those specific layers. The solid becomes see through only on those specific 2-3 layers.

 

Well if it happens at the same spot every time for the exact same print (same gcode file) then you can blame the slicer.  I've seen this on some of my prints.  One thing that I found helps is to drop the speed in half and also to make sure ALL the printing speeds are the same (infill, inner/outer shell, etc).  

 

If it happens in different spots for the same exact part with no changes in slicing then it's a hardware issue.

[SandervG 1,521]

48 minutes ago, gr5 said:

you can blame the slicer

.. or the STL

[Abdu 1]

Okay. So i performed one more print yesterday. And i could see those underextrusion layers more than once. 

 

Answering GR5's question. No its not the same hieght everytime. 

Also, twice during the print, it showed an error, saying my spool is over, however it was a brand new one. I have also confirmed that the filament is not tangled or stuck anywhere, it goes straight in to the printer. Just after i press OK, and resume print, the print continues. But then i see unextruded layers after that. 

The 2 pillars as in image, are also under extruded, and have become see through. But just before reaching those tiny things, there was no error saying that the filament is over.

 

Here is an image: 

 

i think there is some issue with my feeder system. This specific thing does not happen with 2nd material. It only happens with 1st material.

 

Please Help!

 

[SandervG 1,521]

Perhaps you could take a look at these instructions on how to clean a print core, if you haven't already:

https://ultimaker.com/en/resources/23132-clean-the-print-cores

 

And which firmware version are you running? We're constantly improving the flow sensor algorithm and if you are not using the latest firmware, updating it could also solve your problem. Which firmware version you are running can be found under: Preferences > Settings > About this printer > firmware version

[Abdu 1]

It has just been 2 weeks since i have bought the new printer, and installed the new print core.

 

however, i will still consider cleaning it.

 

Regarding the firmware, i am using 5.0.19.20180622 which is the stable one as of today. There is a firmware under testing as well, which i havent installed.

 

Thanks

[SandervG 1,521]

Usually, I would say you wouldn't need to clean it, but your print result indicates there may be something in your print core so in an attempt to fix it, cleaning the print core could be worth investigating. 

 

Depending on the outcome, could you for a test print turn of the filament flow sensor, see if that influences your print quality?

 

And I don't think you mentioned it before, but did your filament grind at any time in the past? (That is when your feeder creates a C-shaped notch in your filament).

[kmanstudios 1,120]

Just on the off chance, it may also need to be cleaned of the Inofill (Grinding/slipping) as well as a slight tightening of the tension on the feeder. If the filament is not being properly fed, it may be grinding a bit and not really showing movement.

 

This could account for the underextrusion at parts as it catches up and the sensor errors where it is slipping on the filament.

 

If the inofill ground a bit on the feeder, it may need to be cleaned out to make sure the knurls are able to really grip the plastic.

 

I am leaning this way because the inofill started to give you issues that may have clogged those knurls and you are still seeing the effects of it on the TPLA.

 

I would look at the inside of the feeder first to clean it out and make sure Knurls are ok. And then if not fully operable, maybe tighten the feeder a tad bit.

[Abdu 1]

1 hour ago, kmanstudios said:

Just on the off chance, it may also need to be cleaned of the Inofill (Grinding/slipping) as well as a slight tightening of the tension on the feeder. If the filament is not being properly fed, it may be grinding a bit and not really showing movement.

 

This could account for the underextrusion at parts as it catches up and the sensor errors where it is slipping on the filament.

 

If the inofill ground a bit on the feeder, it may need to be cleaned out to make sure the knurls are able to really grip the plastic.

 

I am leaning this way because the inofill started to give you issues that may have clogged those knurls and you are still seeing the effects of it on the TPLA.

 

I would look at the inside of the feeder first to clean it out and make sure Knurls are ok. And then if not fully operable, maybe tighten the feeder a tad bit.

Thanks a lot.. i opened the feeder, and there was debris of my innofil material. also, when i unloaded my TPLA, it clearly showed signs of a very tight feeder, so loosened it a bit..

 

So now, i am hoping a perfect print.

 

Thanks all for your help. I appreciate it.

[SandervG 1,521]

Good luck! 

Depending on the outcome, if there was debris in your feeder there is a small chance there could also be debris in your bowdentake a look at this guide This could also create extra friction and potentially cause under extrusion. If you still see some layers (hope not!) take a look at this guide on how to clean your bowden tube ?