Poor print quality on my JG Aurora S5

[MoFlash 0]

I've been playing around with my Aurora for some time now. At first its print quality was horrible, half expected to me, getting into 3d printing with zero prior experience. I found solutions for a few problems but my models (My main goal in printing is to make miniatures for tabletop) still look crusty/rough/otherwise low detail.

 

Cleanup only goes so far, as even with optimal supports and meticulous care with a pair of pliers, I still seem to need to spend hours with a sheet of sandpaper to get all the jagged bits. Despite all of that, high polygon areas like the face or pieces of armor look nothing like what they should according to Cura. I almost wouldn't mind if its for low-priority mob minis, but I know this printer should be capable of better! I'm a close viewer of 3D Printed Tabletop, and after seeing what his S5 is capable of I have to wonder what I'm doing wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h00Qkxwwh_4

 

Could be a Cura settings thing, but ever since they're update with including printers like the 5S I'm not sure that's the likely problem. I've also thought about whether I'm running the filament too hot, but while I'll experiment with cooler settings to be sure, only some of the afflictions on my minis look like they could be heat-based. I'll do my best to supply images for best representation of the issues. Some larger minis come out "better" but any small pieces on them such as fingers and facial features are still nightmarish. If anyone has advice, I'd love a slice.

Pictures down below

Some helpful info for you to know:

Heat plate runs at aproximately 60.F with nozzle running at 200.F

I'm printing at 0.06mm layer height and using 1.75 PLA "Dikale" Filament

[AndersK 59]

You mean °C and not °F, right?

 

Cant see your images but you need to show your results to get better answer.

 

Often when you see pictures of great quality models they are the result of hours of post-processing, like sanding and acetone smoothing.  

 

[geert_2 557]

Also not seeing the pictures here. You can usually drag and drop, or copy and paste, any pictures into your message from Windows Explorer or from any document or website.

 

Maybe the effect you are getting is this? Not enough cooling due to printing on a too small area, so the nozzle stays on top of that one area, keeps radiating heat, and does not allow it to cool down and solidify? Printing slow, cool, and with a dummy tower next to the real model (or multiple real models at once) helps a lot, but does not eliminate the problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MoFlash 0]

Yes! I think that might be it, the tower technique is one I've yet to try, I had completely forgotten about it. I'll try posting the before images again, then I'll come back with my findings with testing the after-tower version of the model.

And sorry for the confusion, I did mean Celsius instead of Fahrenheit.

 

But also, real quick while I get that underway, can making two or more models work as well as using a tower? The tower seems to be best optimized for minimal filament waste and speedy printing, but I actually don't mind having multiple of the same miniatures as long as they come out alright. Would putting multiple minis on the same plate work as well as using a tower, or should I avoid that for some reason?

 

Thankyou again - I'll post what I find with the tower technique to keep folks in the loop!

(hopefully images posted correctly below this time)

[geert_2 557]

Multiple models should of course improve cooling, so it can help.

 

But I think the bow wil always be problematic, even with cooling towers. Each time the nozzle lands on or takes off from a surface, this will leave a mark and risks causing a blob, string or hair.

 

This is an area where filament-based printers are not optimal, and liquid resin printers are better, especially those optimised for juwelry.

 

Another thing you want is a very constant flow through the nozzle. So that the melt always has the same temperature and same viscosity. This is why I switch off features like "minimum layer time", which slow down the printer. But then the melt stays too long in the nozzle, gets hotter, and tends to cause more strings and more cooling problems (in my models).

 

Sometimes changing the printing-orientation can also help, e.g. printing it on its back, depending on model geometry and printer (single/dual nozzle).

 

Placing a desktop fan at lowest speed a meter in front of the printer may also help. This gently evacuates built-up hot air, without cooling the nozzle down too much.

 

Playing with retraction settings can also have an influence, but I have never done that, so I can't recommend anything.

 

I just thought about other pictures I had: very small figurines (>2 cm), some printed upside at various speeds and temps, and some printed on their back. The red one was printed slowest and coolest, but I don't remember settings. The hairy one was printed at normal settings (=too hot and fast for these small models) with multiple models at once. The "mummified" one was printed standalone, at normal settings (=too hot). These were all printed with a 0.4mm nozzle, single color, UM2-printer.