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best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA


Dim3nsioneer

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Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

Hi there

I'm having quality issues with Colorfabb signal red PLA/PHA. I get a lot of knots and clearly visible layer structures when printing this material.

This is a typical example:

Example Colorfabb signal Red

 

This print was made with 50mm/s, 220°C for the first layer only, then 205°C until the velocity dropped under 25mm/s due to minimum layer time from which I used 195°C. The filament diameter was measured and set to 2.85mm. The layer height was 0.1mm.

I do not have these issues with standard PLA. The very same settings result in a very convincing quality with pure PLA.

Any hints how the quality could be improved?

 

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I don't get the knots on my prints (changing to KISSlicer got rid of them for me, but I haven't tested the very latest cura so that may not be an issue anymore) but I do get the visible layers. Have you tried measuring the diameter of the filament in more than one direction? My filament seems to be slightly oval and I'm thinking that may have something to do with it.

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I can confirm that with the ovality of the filament. I think every filament has some? Actually, I get a larger diameter when measuring in radial direction compared to axial direction. I usually take the axial measurements as I think the bending around the reel might make the measurement quite arbitrary.

    Thanks for the hint with KISSlicer; as soon as I have set it up for the Ultimaker, I'll give it a try.

    What about the temperatures? Higher, lower or the same as for pure PLA?

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I print with the ColorFabb PLA/PHA a fair bit and I have always found it prints better at a higher temp.

    I use 224-228deg C. I am not saying that is an optimum temp for you but it is typically 6-8deg higher than I print with Ultimaker PLA and 10+ deg higher than Faberdashery PLA.

    Bob

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Here's my profile for KS to get you started. It's not perfect by any means but gets the job done. http://theintarweb.net/ultimaker/KISSlicer%201.1.0.zip

     

    That's exactly what I was up to... :grin: Thank you very much!

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    What I can say is that colors have a heavy influence. The two samples were printed with ColorFabb fluorescent green and yellow with the same settings. While yellow behaves almost like regular PLA, the green looks much more "liquid".

    columns 1 cm high, 0.1 mm layer height, 2 perimeter lines, 50 mm/s, temp on the lower end, but doesn't have much influence

    plapha.jpg

    But in both cases the extrusion / pressure graph doesn't match with the nozzle movement very well. There is always to much pressure at the end of a path when the printhead stops and "waits" for retraction, while there is insufficient pressure after priming for a new path. You can see the round corners in the green part, especially at the corner where the path ends. And you can see the extrusion gap at the beginning of a path. It looks like the lower PLA/PHA viscosity doesn't forgive as big pressure changes as standard PLA.

    I would really appreciate having something like the Jetty-Kubicek-Newman (JKN) algorithm implemented as it addresses this issue. While regular PLA works quite well without that kind of fine tuning, my impression is that it would be very helpful in this case. It looks like the real pressure is always a little behind the actual requirements. Of course, you could go slower but that would mean curing the symptoms only.

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Funny how we get different results. I have been doing a lot of work with Faberdashery PLA over the past few weeks, running mostly at 60 m/s and 210 degrees. On Saturday I opened up my first reel of Colorfabb (Dutch orange) PLA/PHA. Wow it was so much better. I ran the same speed/temp as the PLA.

    I did not suffer under extrusion on path start or oozing during retraction but, printing 4 copies of the same model simultaneously I was suffering some oozing during the travel from the last model back to the first model. Reducing the temperature to 205 fixed that. So I seem to be somewhat lower in temps. Of course a couple of print runs does not mean I have the optimum setting.

    Right now I do not think I will be going back to PLA.

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I use colorfabb white; and whatever temperature i choose, i get these dreadful strings. Corners are never straight with this plastic. Not even talking about retraction. Best results i had with 235 degrees. I am capable of printing 150 mm/s with filament twice cheaper than colorfabb. Please tell me what to do with a box full of 165 euro garbage?

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Bonjour , je viens de commander un nouveau PLA sur igo3D INNOFIL3d, fabriquer au pays-bas, pour ultimaker.Des que je le reçois ,je le test pour voir sa qualité.

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    anyone find a solution to this, got some lovely leaf green but it blobs constantly

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Dim3nsioneer, what is the size of the object?

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I use colorfabb white; and whatever temperature i choose, i get these dreadful strings. Corners are never straight with this plastic. Not even talking about retraction. Best results i had with 235 degrees. I am capable of printing 150 mm/s with filament twice cheaper than colorfabb. Please tell me what to do with a box full of 165 euro garbage?

     

    Must be some variation with different machines - I print architectural models in colorfabb white and love it - but I mainly use a .65mm nozzle and it seems to work best for me at 220 and above.

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Dim3nsioneer, what is the size of the object?

     

    Uhm, I don't have it right in front of me but the width you see must be something like 5-6cm. Is that sufficient for your question?

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Maybe you can send the stl to me abd I can print it to compare?

    I guess you mean traffic red? I have it loaded in one if our UM2s :)

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Yes, it is traffic red. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:26334is the model (one piece of the four, but they look the same in terms of print quality).

     

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Bonjour Fabrice,

    Avez vous des resultats avec les testes de Innofil3d? Je suis très curieux.

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    Posted (edited) · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Colorfabb fluorecent green and leaf green are in my list of favorite colors...

    I think you guys want it to hot and to fast .. I usually do 35-50 mm/s at 205 celcius. for nice quality.

    translation from french ...

     

    Hello, I just ordered a new PLA on igo3D INNOFIL3d, making the Netherlands, for ultimaker.Des that I receive, I test to see its quality.

    I like Innofil PLA,  I'm pretty sure they are also (one of) the supplier(s) of the Ultimaker PLA.

    I also often use cheaper PLA form makerpoint, pretty nice and easy.

    In general I like the softness of Colorfabb as it seems to be easier the finish the last part of the spool. With "real" PLA I often don't like the "springiness" (is that a real English word?)  and the tension in the last part of the spool. This of course is no issue with the large huge roles of spool-less pla from faberdashery...

    Edited by Guest
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    Posted (edited) · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    Just started printing small parts for my board game – photo's will follow as promised – with ColorFabb PLA. Standard Cura settings and what beautifull results.

    So on topic of Dim3nsioneer: I've got a standard UM2, standard Cura normal quality settings and ColorFabb just works great. Must be something in you UM.

    Deep colors, smooth finish. Really great. I'll be testing the filament from Emmen(Innofil) next week.

    Edited by Guest
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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I'm printing in colorFabb on an umo+ , my basic settings are 30 to 50 mm/s speeds and 190 to 200 degrees for both 0.2mm and 0.1mm layer.

    I usually get great results but recently, cura 15.02, I am seeing the blobs and retraction issues and strings.

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I noticed that the filling is very ragged. Bottom, sides and tops are perfect, but filling goes wrong. I think speed is to high. With the transparent Colorfabb that lead to problems and i had to abort the print.

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    filling goes wrong. I think speed is to high.

     

    yes I think the defaults for new CURA have that set too high. I always use expert setting and make those all zero to they will use the print speed setting. I do leave 1st layer speed slow.

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    Posted · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I'm having issues with Colorfabb PLA/PHA too. What do you guys think?

    check the link below please:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/16428-printing-issue-under-extrusion

    IMG_1365.thumb.JPG.23fd377a9822cd56075d7a2e11b1f343.JPG

    IMG_1365.thumb.JPG.23fd377a9822cd56075d7a2e11b1f343.JPG

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    Posted (edited) · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I'm having issues with Colorfabb PLA/PHA too. What do you guys think?

    check the link below please:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/16428-printing-issue-under-extrusion

    IMG_1365.thumb.JPG.23fd377a9822cd56075d7a2e11b1f343.JPG

     

    I am having similar results with the silver. I had to push the temperature up to 228 C to resolve them; but, I am printing with a 0.2 mm tip on a Merlin hotend.

    Edited by Guest
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    Posted (edited) · best quality with Colorfabb PLA/PHA

    I'm having issues with Colorfabb PLA/PHA too. What do you guys think?

    check the link below please:

    https://ultimaker.com/en/community/view/16428-printing-issue-under-extrusion

    IMG_1365.thumb.JPG.23fd377a9822cd56075d7a2e11b1f343.JPG

     

    You might want to clean the nozzle, I have the same issue when I change from XT (or regular PET) to PLA, not perticular to ColorFabb PLA/PHA.

    After using the atomic method for cleaning the nozzle the issue is solved for me.

    Edited by Guest
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