First layer looking weird

[Mangsch 0]

Hello

 

I am currently printing a Badge for someone. They want the Logo to stick out at the Top and on the Bottom. Since i cant make it stick out on the bottom, i want it flat on that side. However it just looks weird. I tried changing the inital layer with to 100% but didnt do anything. Any ideas? Top image is how it looks on the bottom, bottom image is how it SHOULD look. 

[gr5 2,097]

1) I'd tell the person that you can't do it.  Did you show him these pictures and he still wants them both raised?

2) you can print two and glue them together.  Registration will be difficult so if you are making many of these you might want to make a jig to hold them perfectly centered while the glue dries.  Definitely clamp them while drying.  "crazy glue" works pretty well.

 

[gr5 2,097]

One more thing - if you can get the red to print first on the bottom layer it will look better (e.g. thicker jaw).  Or at least quite a bit different.  Like bold text versus regular.

[Mangsch 0]

Thank you for the Quick answer. I thought about glue but i need to make 20pcs so that would take quite some time. 

They will still take it if it is only one one side, but i told them i will try my best to print it on both sides. Also it is a good training, the more difficult thing try the better i will get. 

 

Is there a setting in Cura where i can tell it which one to print first? Cant fint any setting related to that :(

[gr5 2,097]

So to have the red stick out and downwards, it will look like crap.  The black will be up in the air printing over air and will fall down to the glass and be all like wheat chex instead of solid.  You need a 3rd extruder to extrude PVA for support.  I suppose there is a way to do that if you slice it two different ways, then splice the two gcodes together (with some g92 corrections and temp change corrections) and you change the filament from pva to black part way through.

 

No - that's really really crazy.  Much too complicated (tons of gcode editing by hand).

 

In cura to make it print the red first -- I'm not certain.  First learn how to use PREVIEW to see which color is printing first.  Then try two things:

1) I think it matters the order you load the model files.  So delete both models and drag the red STL into cura first.  This worked for me once (years ago).

2) If that doesn't work try swapping cores - if the black was core 1 then assign the red to core 1, reslice, if it looks good in PREVIEW then don't forget to swap colors on the printer as well.

[gr5 2,097]

By the way you can also make the red stick *inwards* on the bottom layer.  This will work better as you can bridge a gap and the black has support all the way around.  Better but probably not great.  It will probably also look kind of crappy.

 

As a general rule for *one* color prints - text that sticks outwards is harder to do (and looks worse) than text that goes into the print (like holes in the print).  "emboss" versus "embed"?  I'm not sure of the right words.  But in this case with the top of your print it looks quite good.

 

Also text on a wall looks better than text on a top or bottom surface.  Much higher resolution for one thing and it holds together nicer if you think about the motion of the print head in both cases.

[Mangsch 0]

I am now trying to print in swapped colors. As i can see in the Preview it should be doing the eyes and teeth first. I will abort the print a few layers in and try it with loading the .stl files in a certain order as you said. If that doesnt work i am just gonna swap the colors. 

 

I will keep you updated, thanks again for the quick and helpful replies. 

 

5 minutes ago, gr5 said:

So to have the red stick out and downwards, it will look like crap.  The black will be up in the air printing over air and will fall down to the glass and be all like wheat chex instead of solid.  You need a 3rd extruder to extrude PVA for support.  I suppose there is a way to do that if you slice it two different ways, then splice the two gcodes together (with some g92 corrections and temp change corrections) and you change the filament from pva to black part way through.

 

No - that's really really crazy.  Much too complicated (tons of gcode editing by hand).

 

 

Ummmm. I think i will need to learn to use cura first :D but thanks for the explanation :)

[GregValiant 1,144]

I'm going to vote for the glue solution.  You would need to alter the model by slicing it in half edgewise.  Then put two 2.2mm diameter holes in the backside of the black part, but not through to the show side.  With the part loaded in Cura, make a copy and then mirror the copy.  Print.  The skull will be raised and the hidden 2.2mm holes would be against the bed.

 

Cut two pieces of filament 5mm long and super-glue them into the 2.2mm holes in one part.  Trim them short.  Super-glue the two halves together.  The filament becomes the locating pins to "clock" the pieces.  You can use paper spring-clips as little clamps.  If this was an automotive assembly, the locating pins would be non-symmetrically placed.  We used to call it dummy-proof.  The Japanese believe that nothing can be made proof from a dummy so they call it poka-yoke ("Avoiding Inadvertent Errors").  In any event it would be good if the big holes lined up.

[gr5 2,097]

Or 3.3mm diameter holes for 2.85mm filament.

[GregValiant 1,144]

Oh, my bad.  I did take the 1.75 for granted.