Desperately seeking help

[ChiLon68 0]

I am having issues with printing my cookie cutters with Cura/Ender 3Pro.  I use CookieCad to create my STL files and then slice with Cura.   I had recently replaced my extruder due to it being cracked and leveled my bed 3-4 times.  All running good on the mechanical side (I think) but not sure what is happening now.  Since updating to Cura v5.4.0 my profiles are no longer working properly 😭😭  and unfortunately, I never wrote down my settings.  Now all of my cuts are absolutely horrible.  The blades are so thin that its bendable and coming off around the handle (IMG_0564) .  I'm hoping someone would be able to help me with getting the settings updated/corrected and bring my cookie cutters back.    🙏

CE3PRO_Guitar-cookiecad.3mf

[GregValiant 1,112]

We normally get these around the holidays.

Your 3mf file has the model in it but not your Cura settings.  Load the model, set Cura up, and use the "File | Save Project" command.  Post that 3mf file here.  It will contain the model, your settings, and your printer.

 

I have the same printer and it looks fine with my settings.  That one model broke right where the wall started above the base.  That could be a layer adhesion problem.  A fillet around where the wall joins the base would help.

 

[ChiLon68 0]

Hi Greg. 

I've attached 2 versions.  I can't remember which one I used

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Its been frustating that I can't this corrected 😞

Library Cookie Cutter Guitar.3mf CE3E3V2_CE3PRO_Guitar-cookiecad.3mf

[GregValiant 1,112]

If I would have zoomed in farther I would have noted this.

 

Those dots on the skin look an awful lot like under-extrusion and so do the gaps between the inner walls and the skin.

You have your Outer Wall Flow at 95% and if you were under-extruding at 100% Flow on the skins then 95% is going to be pretty bad.  Under-extruding means no "squish" between the layers and that could be the entire problem.

Just to check - print a 25mm calibration cube scaled to 5mm tall.  Use a decent magnifying glass and look at the top skin.  Are all the extrusions welded together nicely?  If they aren't then you may need to re-calibrate your E-steps.

 

If you have a bowden setup then pull the bowden out of the hot end and trim it back by 5 or 6mm with a nice square razor cut and re-assemble it.  Make sure you have the lock clips in place under the lock-rings of the tube holders.

 

If you have a plastic extruder arm then take a close look at the underside.  They crack at the screw hole and the failure rate is 100%.

 

The entire blade is held to the base by two extrusions that are .4mm wide.  If they are under-extruded then they didn't weld together.  What was already a poor join area becomes much weaker and the individual extrusions aren't helping each other.