Print not slicing, only supports

[ajchastain1 0]

When I go to try and slice my actual object that I want to print, the program wont let me saying I have the regular slicing restrictions telling me I can't slice it. But when I add supports to the object, It will slice those and leave the object there like it wasn't a part of the design anyways. 

 

I am still very new to Cura so I am sure this is a simple fix, but not one that i know how to fix obviously. 

 

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[GregValiant 1,251]

Use "File | Save Project" and post the 3mf file here.  Nobody likes to make a dumb guess, and a 3mf will have the model along with all your settings.  Then we can make an educated guess.  Huge difference there.

[ajchastain1 0]

I have an Ender 3 and as far as I can tell it should be within the build volume, but again, I am still pretty new to 3d printing.

 

Thanks for your help

BottomFrontLeftS.3mf

[GregValiant 1,251]

The gray areas that Cura shows on the edges of the build plate are tuned to the skirt/brim width and their distance from the part.  It's a disallowed area because Cura needs it for the bed adhesion structure.  If you turn bed adhesion off you'll see the part will fit.

Use a narrow skirt (3 rows) and keep it close to the model (2mm) and you should be good.  Another thing you could do is to rotate the part 45°.

 

[ajchastain1 0]

Okay so now when I splice the object, Cura generates its own supports, which I just want to add my own. But when I go back into prepare and try to add my own it just deletes the object.

[GregValiant 1,251]

I don't get that when I slice the part.  Opening the 3mf file, "Generate Support" is de-selected as it should be.  All those vertical rods "print as support" and they don't appear in the overlap areas.

 

This is a very difficult part and will take 33 hours to print as you have it configured.  In the upper jaw area between the "teeth" you can see in the preview that each layer will be printing in air until it gets to the next tooth.  Not good.  At the midpoint of the "brow" above the eye slot, the print starts in the center and prints in the air until it gets to your next support.  There is no question of "IF" it's going to fail there...it is going to fail there.

I know you have a lot of work into your custom supports.  Now that you have the 3mf file with a full record of all that work, try going back to just the STL and use the Cura supports.  Tree supports take a long time to process but they don't tend to grow on the part.  You are going to have a lot of benchwork where the print touches the support interfaces.  Tree supports will eliminate the need to sand and finish any areas where the support might have grown on the print itself.  Additionally, tall thin structures (like your custom support rods) are prone to failure.  You are going to have a lot of time into this.  Avoiding the heartbreak of a failure on such a large part should be your primary concerns.

 

Here you can see that tree supports hold up the overhang.  Yes, it's going to take 48 hours to print.  Yes you are going to throw away a lot of plastic support material.  But the odds of having to throw away the part along with the support material is way lower.

 

 

In the attached 3mf file, I raised the part a couple of mm off the build plate to get some structure under the chin.  That's why the photos show different layer numbers for the same area.  I'm not suggesting you have to print it like that.  Look at it as an option and change settings to see if you get something doable.

GV_BmFrtLtS.3mf

Edited February 6, 2021 by GregValiant

[ajchastain1 0]

Okay sweet thank you. I assume that the tree supports are an add on in the marketplace I can add? 

 

And one last question, on an Ender-3 do I have to separately heat up the nozzle? Or after the bed heats up will that heat up right after? There are some things the instructions did not cover. 

[GregValiant 1,251]

Tree supports are an option under Support - it's the second setting down "Support Structure" - Normal or Tree.

 

Cura automatically adds the M140 line to heat the bed and then M190 that means "wait for bed temp".  Those are followed by M104 hot end temp and M190 "wait for hot end".  Cura purposely staggers the heating because some printers can't handle the power draw of heating both at the same time.

If you put them into your start Gcode (after the G28) you can alter the order and whether to wait or not.  The words in the curly brackets are Cura keywords and Cura will fill in the settings. You would need to make a decision about auto-leveling if you have it.

 

M140 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ;Start heating the bed

M190 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ;Wait for bed

M104 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ;Start heating the Hot end

M109 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ;Wait for hot end

 

Changing them around like this is quicker if you have an Ender 3 Pro or something with an equivalent power supply.

 

M104 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ;Start heating the Hot end

M140 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ;Start heating the bed

M109 S{material_print_temperature_layer_0} ;Wait for hot end

M190 S{material_bed_temperature_layer_0} ;Wait for bed

 

In the second example, if you put a semi-colon in front of the M190 line then you won't have to wait for the bed to heat up.  That's OK for PLA but for PETG where the bed needs to be 80 or 85 degrees, you really want it to be up to temp before printing starts.

[ajchastain1 0]

Okay I found them thank you.

 

My next issue I have run into is that I can't push the object up (Z direction) so that the actual face of the object isn't directly adhered to the plate.

 

The top part of the helmet will be destroyed I feel like if they are directly attached. 

 

I have tried unlocking and locking the object to try and get it to move up and down but every time I put in a number under 100 it just snaps back to zero. I can put in numbers like 150 or 200 and it will go to those heights no problem. 

TopBackLeft.3mf

[GregValiant 1,251]

When I opened it I couldn't figure out what was going on.  I still don't know but I finally found a couple of parts.

 

After deleting everything but one "TopBackLeft" (there were several) I got it to the plate but it wasn't flat.  Using the Rotate Tool "Lay Flat" command and it showed up in a printable position.

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by GregValiant