Newbie with a UM3 getting bad prints

[DanielUM3 0]

Hi Everyone,

 

Im new to the world of 3D printing, my company purchased this printer before i joined and now im trying to use it without any training.

However im a trained engineer so i should be able to follow your advice.

 

I tried to print a test part and i noticed several issues with the print, can anyone help me correct them?

See the photos below and my questions, any other comments are welcome.

 

1. Lots of random bits of extrude on the base plate, is this normal?
2. Layers arent sticking together on the part, why is this happeneing?
3. There is extrusion sticking out the side of the part, what is causing this?

 

Thanks very much,

Daniel

 

[gr5 2,172]

Wow!  That's some serious splitting.  Okay first you need to figure out what kind of plastic this is.  I'm guessing it's ABS and you are printing with PLA settings.  ABS prints best with very little or zero fan.  Try setting the fan to the minimum where the fans still rotate (assuming this is ABS) also make sure Cura is doing ABS settings.  Also cover the front and top of the printer.  You need to get the air up to 35C and the bed up to 110C and you can't do eithe without covering the front and top.  Really you should avoid ABS as there are much better materials out there.  Like PLA which is much easier to print and doesn't need any of the above advice.

[DanielUM3 0]

Hi gr5,

 

Thanks for the advice, i followed your instructions and the print came out much better.

However it still has some issues, some of these may just be my misconceptoons.

 

The part still has light splitting although it looks like its just on the surface because it feels quite strong.

How can i improve this?

 

Also there is still pieces of material protruding from the part in random places, is this normal?

 

And finally the build plate looks like a mess when its printing with excess of material around it.

Is this normal?

 

Am i expecting too much out of this printer to get quality parts?

 

Thanks,
Daniel

[Nicolinux 288]

Hi,

 

this is definitely not normal. Looking at the first picture from your last post, the second print core (on the right) has some material build up. Coudl it be that the materil is oozing from that core during the print?

Also, which print cores are loaded? Just open the front lid on the print head and note down the print core markings (should be AA 0.4 or BB 0.4).

It would also help if you could find out what kind of filament it is. Maybe there is a sticker on the spool at the back of the printer.

If it is PLA, then in Cura select the correct material and switch to the recommended settings (see screenshot).