How to print a single wall for ALL models/objects/parts on the print plate..?

[shoe 1]

is there a setting in Cura to print all the first wall of all models/objects/parts on the print plate, before printing anything else (the other walls and infill)?

 

Sometimes I have to abort a print, because a single "model/object/part" on the print plate didn't print correctly. Usually the FIRST wall printed doesn't stick properly. So far, I have to monitor the full initial layer to be sure all the initial walls stick, because Cura often prints the complete initial layer of an object and then moves on to the next object to print its entire first layer. So I have to wait until the last model to be sure the initial walls stick properly.

 

It would be better to print all the initial walls (or just the initial wall) of all objects before printing the remaining walls and filling out anything else. Is this possible?

[gr5 2,172]

uncheck "infill before walls".  

check "outer before inner walls".

 

This is not enough if you have multiple islands touching the build plate (like the 4 legs of a table would be 4 islands on the bottom layer).

 

HOWEVER, 90% chance that your issue is because your nozzle is too far from the bed.  When first layer doesn't stick well there are many issues but most common is the bed is too far.  To prove that if it starts to not-stick push up on the bed a little (or down on the nozzle gantry) and see if it's suddenly doing better.

[shoe 1]

Thanks! I will check it out.

 

So even with this setting it will print separate objects on the print plate fully and not just the wall of every object? If I import cube.stl and then ring.stl, using your settings, it will print all the walls of both stls first or will it finish one object after the other?

 

No doubt the nozzle distance is the main problem. Still, sometimes it is also definitely some microscopic "dirt/grease" from my fingers pulling of prints or dust. When I quickly clean with Isopropanol or put my glass bed in the dish washer, it always prints perfectly.

 

Doesn't mean the Nozzle distance isn't the main culprit. Just means, despite the suboptimal nozzle distance it managed to print well since it was super clean.

 

Nozzle distance always is a compromise for me. Either some parts of the print bed are too close or some are too far away. I can use my full print surface with my compromise adjustment but I need to keep it super clean, otherwise a few areas don't stick well. It is always the first layer and 99% some corner. But just the tip of the corner. The flanking sides are rock solid stuck to the bed. Maybe I should look into printing corners (FOR THE FIRST LAYER) super slow. Does such an option exist?

 

What I still don't fully understand is why some parts (usually corners) lift up but other very close corners don't. It seems random and not necessarily related to how optimal the nozzle distance is at that position. I know the principles why this happens but I think there are still some unknowns we don't understand yet.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2020 by shoe

[shoe 1]

I just read the documentation of:

 

"infill before walls" (was already unchecked for me anyways)

"outer before inner walls"

 

Both options don't seem to do what I want at all. Or am I missing something here?

 

Pity that Cura doesn't offer what I want. There seem to be many optimizations that could be done JUST for the first layer that would help immensely.

[gr5 2,172]

To answer your questions 2 posts ago - go to PREPARE mode and slide the vertical slider down to the bottom layer.   Then use the horizontal scroll bar and you can see what order everything is printed in.

[shoe 1]

I did do that to preview the print order. But with the following settings:

 

uncheck "infill before walls".  

check "outer before inner walls"

 

it still prints the first layer of every object completely (walls and infill) before moving to the next object. See attached screenshot of the first layer. As you can see, every object is finished before moving to the next object.

 

I want to print 1-2 walls of every object before doing the rest of the walls and the infill. I haven't found a setting yet to do this. Very strange because this seems like such a no-brainer setting to have.

 

Do you think I should open a feature request? Am I the only one who would love to see such a setting?

[Mari 36]

You want the developers to add a feature for a problem (warping) that you should try to fix first?

 

Start with making sure the bed is levelled, follow the levelling procedure not once but twice or more... After that make sure the bed is clean (I use Isopropynol alcohol 70%, and have no problems with warping or not sticking to the bed at all, I also use the right bed and print temperature for the material I print!).

 

[GregValiant 1,251]

"Am I the only one who would love to see such a setting?"

I haven't personally heard from everywhere, but in this arm of the galaxy...yes.

 

A workaround would be to write yourself a plugin that would pull all of the ";TYPE:WALL-OUTER" and "TYPE:WALL-INNER" code that is in layer 0 and move it to the beginning (just after the skirt code but you don't seem to be using one).  You could copy and paste and do that by hand as well.  The E would need to be adjusted with G92 at the beginning and at each transition you create so the extruder stays in sync with the pasted code that follows.  That would be true of a plugin as well.  You may need to add Z-hops to keep the stringing down.  Trying to split that further down to "1 or 2 walls" would get complicated.

 

Follow @Mari's advice and get a first layer that stays down.  @gr5 has made a good video on leveling and adhesion that he might share.  My advice is to unclutter the build plate.  Trying to print that many details at once is always problematic.

[gr5 2,172]

how to get parts to stick better - how to fix warping - It's long at 20 minutes but I tried to keep it as short as possible.  Stuffed with lots of useful information about what to do and why it works.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t58-WTxDy-k

[Mari 36]

@gr5, great video, have put it in favourites on YouTube 😉

[shoe 1]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:41 PM, Mari said:

You want the developers to add a feature for a problem (warping) that you should try to fix first?

 

Start with making sure the bed is levelled, follow the levelling procedure not once but twice or more... After that make sure the bed is clean (I use Isopropynol alcohol 70%, and have no problems with warping or not sticking to the bed at all, I also use the right bed and print temperature for the material I print!).

 

No. I already do my best. My printer is as level as it can be and I clean the bed regularly.

 

Still, after a few prints not leveling the bed (no, I don't level before every print) and a few prints not cleaning the bed (no, I don't clean before every print), it will not stick 100% optimally at one little place in the entire print. Usually this little "no stick" is at a corner and does only rise to the level of a little imperfection at the bottom of the print. Most people wouldn't notice. I do and usually I stop the print in that situation and level and clean accordingly.

It would be MUCH simpler if I didn't have to wait up to 45 min. (full build plate) for the first layer to finish entirely before I knew for sure, that there would be no imperfection. But at the moment I have to wait. Just printing the 1st (or all) outer walls would just take a few minutes. It would safe filament and time if I decide to stop the print.

 

I mean there are new features with every new version of Cura and in almost all cases you could argue that the feature is unnecessary if people did everything 110% perfect in 3D printing. This is such a stupid accusation.

 

Cura for the most part should (and actually is) striving to make 3D printing as fool proof as possible. Bravo! This is how it is supposed to be.

 

And detecting problems EARLY is the biggest help one could get. And the feature I suggest would help detect 99.9% of the 3D printing problems as early as possible. How is this a bad thing even if many users are probably not innocent of causing the problems. Why have seat belts and air bags if most accidents are human error?

Edited December 27, 2020 by shoe

[gr5 2,172]

Do you use the "skirt" feature?  I use it on 90% of my prints and it catches all the first layer issues for me.  If I have any location on the bed that's a little low - it won't squish as much and I can see that in the skirt.  It goes around all the parts which is perfect as usually only one corner (or all) of the bed is low.

[GregValiant 1,251]

I just timed myself.  4 minutes 45 seconds to clean, dry, and hairspray the glass, and to level the bed with my piece of parchment paper.  I no longer run from place to place.  I am old and infirm.

I would guess that to write a plugin taking all the things in my previous post into account, and debugging it sufficiently would take at least a month of intense concentration.  I do not do "open source" work.  Someone would have to pay the freight.

Or I can spend less than 5 minutes cleaning and leveling, and then go fishing with a high level of confidence that the print is going to be fine because with a clean and level plate - they always are.

 

Or I could just buy a second build plate to use while #1 is in the dishwasher.

Edited December 27, 2020 by GregValiant