Ultimaker 3

[walkerj 0]

Hi 

We have a Ultimaker 3 and we are using PVA as our support material. I am having problems with Corking and the PVA not coming out of the nozzle either right at the beginning of the print before it starts the design or half way through a print, so I then have to unload and load again, this is happing daily. Does the room temperature have a big part or do we have a faulty PVA roll.

 

Cheers in advance

 

David 

[UlrichC-DE 109]

Hello,

here we had written about it.

 

Yes, with 3D printing there are temperatures that should be maintained.

For FDM, >16°C/61°F is recommended.

 

To find causes it may help to have a new/fresh PVA roll from a 3D printing reseller.

Many greetings

[CarloK 203]

There could be something wrong with your printer, like in the above linked thread where the feeder was assembled wrongly and didn't have enough grip on the filament.

 

But, PVA material easily absorbs moisture and then will give bad printing results.

There are 2 tests to check your filament quality:

1. Take a 30cm of filament and bend the material. Material in good condition will bend, but not break. If the material snaps off relatively easily, the material has deteriorated in quality.
2. While the filament is loaded, purge the material from the extruder. As the material extrudes from the nozzle, the material strand should appear flat and un-textured. If the strand appears to have texturing or visible bubbles in the purge strand or you hear a popping sound, then the material has absorbed moisture.

 

Here is info on drying your filament: https://support.ultimaker.com/hc/en-us/articles/360017464340-How-to-dry-Ultimaker-materials-

 

 

[walkerj 0]

hi 

 

I have now taken the PVA out and now drying for a couple hours, As I have seen bubbles in the material. I have tried the bending trick but is does not snap. I am thinking it is the room temperature and we do not use the 3D all the time. so I will be removing the PVA and warming up twice a week and I have fix the tension and greased the feeders.

[CarloK 203]

PVA is a difficult material for storage. I wouldn't recommend to warm it up twice a week; it's a lot of work and might not be often enough. Depending on temperature and humidity, in 24 hours the PVA can deteriorate to unprintable quality.

I recommend to remove the PVA from the printer when not being printed with, then store in an air tight bag or container with some of those anti moisture bags.

 

When you often print with PVA, then consider buying a dry box, these allow printing while the material is protected from the environment. Or [advertisement], go for the full package and buy the Ultimaker Material Station, this has a built in dehumidifier. It won't dry a wet spool, but it will keep quality at the same level as when you inserted the filament.[/advertisement]

 

In my personal projects I hardly ever use PVA. I prefer creating supports with the same material I print with, or use Ultimaker Breakaway material. These print faster, are cheaper and seldom fail prints. PVA is then only used for projects with hard to reach support structures.

[walkerj 0]

Hi Carlo

 

Please could you quote on the Ultimaker Material Station, this has a built in dehumidifier and the Ultimaker Breakaway material. so if we change material we would need to change the BB04 to a AA04.

 

regards

[CarloK 203]

@walkerj For quotes you have to contact the reseller in your country. At this page it shows a button for requesting a quote for the Pro Bundle, just write down in the request that you already own an S5 and want to upgrade this.
For extra info on the BreakAway material: https://ultimaker.com/materials/breakaway, here also a button for finding a reseller.

 

About the nozzles, with a BB core you can print all materials, no need to change. The AA core has a slightly different internal geometry, intended to reduce oozing but the effect is minimal. Just click away the warning when the printer complains at the start of a print job.

The other way around is not allowed, you can't print PVA with an AA nozzle. This will soon lead to a clogged nozzle as filament will start to carbonate in the areas with less flow.