Problems printing Ultimaker TPU

[rustystarphish 0]

I have been really struggling to get a decent print using the Ultimaker TPU on my S5 and S3.  I have used both the red and blue version of the Ultimaker TPU95A, and I am using all the suggested slicer settings in Cura 4.13.1 for the Ultimaker TPU profile, but the end result of my prints is still unacceptable.

 

I am attempting to print some flexible vent lines for an assembly mockup.

 

The print typically starts off fine, but it will almost always stop because of the flow sensor error.  When this occurs, i unload/reload the TPU and that will typically get it to start running again, but i think i get the poor print quality after that.

 

Anyone know what is causing the flow sensor errors?   This past time, i just got fed up with the print stopping every 30 minutes so i disabled the flow sensor and the print was horrible after that.

 

Below are some pics of the slicer setup and the end results after printing.  The bottom parts of the hose and the support look great, but after a certain height, it turns to garbage quickly.

 

I will also attach the obj files for these hose assemblies.  

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

 

DT-internal-NOclip part b.obj DT-internal-NOclip part a.obj

[rustystarphish 0]

This first print had retractions enabled, I am currently trying another print with retractions disabled to see if that helps

 

[conductive_printing 1]

it's probably grinding at the feeder wheel.  decrease the feeder wheel pressure to minimum, also lubricate your filament with some oil to help it slide inside the bowden tube.

 

I believe the flow sensor just detects when the feeder wheel is still clamping onto the filament, so when it gets ground down, it sets off the flow error

[Jasonjason 6]

… also the filament is flexible, why not flatten out the design and avoid all that support.

 

Like others said- clean out the feeder- clean out the hot end- do cold pulls etc, try  print slower.

 

also I’ve had troubles with the filament sensor being sensitive to the angle which the filament leads in.

 

[kayakbabe 14]

since it is tpu why are  you trying to print with supports and different elevations. it's flexible so print it flat on one level and let the tpu do it's work after you get it off the printer.

[Pena 6]

Have you tried reducing your print seed and keeping your TPU filament dry?

[Travis7s 28]

I've found the nozzle tends to clog easily with TPU and the extruder can't apply enough pressure without grinding the filament. Try a printcore clean right before starting a new job and see if that helps. I tend to do a cleaning every 20-25 hours of printing with TPU.

[rcoopr01 0]

Assumption is you are using a 0.4mm print core and material is getting jammed up in the feed tubes.   Try using the 0.8mm print cores for TPU. 

[Slashee_the_Cow 620]

12 hours ago, rcoopr01 said:

Assumption is you are using a 0.4mm print core and material is getting jammed up in the feed tubes.   Try using the 0.8mm print cores for TPU. 

Just FYI, while we definitely appreciate people trying to help, often the OP isn't monitoring a two and a half year old thread, although there is always the possibility someone else will come across it 🙂 

 

I hate seeming like I just try to 💩 over the suggestions from people trying to help, but I'm also here to provide advice to the best of my knowledge. Using a 0.8mm core isn't just a drop-in replacement (even if you happen to have one already); it generally requires re-slicing your model and you might lose the level of detail you want. The guideline for line width is 60-150% of nozzle diameter, which means you go from 0.24-0.6mm to 0.48-1.2mm (hence the loss in detail), and while there's no guideline for minimum layer height (just never use layers higher than your nozzle diameter) it's harder to print shorter layers as your nozzle diameter goes up because it requires much more precise control from the extruder.