Are you using normal filament or something extra soft? It really shouldn't be chewing up your filament. Maybe you are printing slightly too fast and/or cold? What is your:
1) layer height
2) print speed
3) print temperature?
If you go too cold and too fast it will underextrude and either the feeder will slip or it will chew up the filament.
Hello Gr5, thanks for your prompt answer.
I'm using regular blu PLA from Ultimaker.
I usuallu set the printer this way:
Layer Height from 0.04 to 0.06 (I need resolution)
Print speed from 35 to 50 (never more than 50)
Print temperature 210°C (as default)
At the moment, since I help the loader manually, I don't have this issue anymore, but http://cl.ly/image/140o0w2r2y3x, the first line is always not very clear and I think I'm having a little underextrusion on the bottom layer.
Meanwhile (it's printing now) I can see some warping on the base.
I did some tests with the brim and I still had warping issues.
I really can't find out why I'm having this problems, I tend to avoid the rafting because it's very difficult to clean up in the end.
Thank in advice.
cheers,
Alessandro
Okay - now you want to talk about two issues? :eek: :-P
1) Your bottom layer is very very underextruded. Maybe it is simply because your levelling is off. I think you need to redo the levelling procedure - you don't need to adjust the 3 screws at all - after you do the 1mm thing at all 3 spots put the paper in the back under the nozzle and spin the knob until it is just barely tight. Alternatively you could unscrew the 3 levelling screws by a half turn each. I recommend you do the procedure - it's very fast if you don't touch the screws.
Alternatively something could be wrong with your extruder system. The layer height of less than .1mm with a speed of 35mm/sec and temp of 210 is very easily achieved. But the *first* layer is not so easy - you are printing at twice that thickness (or more) at .2mm. Now .2mm is a reasonable first layer thickness but 210C is pretty cold for that speed of 30mm/sec and my printer can handle that easy but some printers can't. Try setting the temp to 230C for the bottom layer and then lowering it to 210C for the rest. Also you might want to move your filament onto the floor as the angle that the filament comes into the feeder can cause quite a bit of friction.
Could you please take a photo of the feeder on the back of your machine?
2) As far as lifting corners. If you are printing something small like in your photo, then you should only need to do 3 things:
brim, heated bed (60C is enough), glue
If you want to print something more than 10mm long then consider going 70C (75C is too much don't go over 70C) which will keep the bottom few layers of PLA above the "glass" temp.
As far as what glue - the gluestick that comes with the machine is great. Or use a wood glue/water solution. More details about getting the part to stick to glass here:
http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/3404-printing-on-glass/
In regard of warping I think you should also clean your glass plate after several prints, or when it looks dirty.
The amount of adhesion can also be involved if there is a lot of plastic or glue residue, or perhaps dust or 'grease' from your hands.
When have you received your Ultimaker 2?
Could you send me your serial number in a DM? Thanks 
Is your Ultimaker extruding / oozing before your print starts?
Or are you perhaps starting your print without any pressure in the nozzle and this is being build up through the beginning of your print? Is it always just the bottom that is underextruding or only the beginning you have to help feeding the filament manually?
Thank you!
Sorry George, I got somehow carried away by the situation. ;D
I did the levelling 3 or 4 times today, problem is that I don't know how much is "barely tight" or "a bit resistance" so I never know if I'm doing it right.
For the 1mm is OK, but then, when it comes to "the paper" what kind of paper should I use?
There are many different kinds, I'm using a regular photocopier paper, is it ok?
After that, I went running some tests, I had very bad underextrusion issues (some were so "under" that it didn't even extrude) but in the end it looks like I've found a decent "balance" starting from the default advanced settings, with custom settings and your advices about the first layer temperature/speed settings.
The model I'm printing now, I used your temperature hints without the brim and it looks like there are no warping issues, pretty happy about it, thanks.
I'm using Cura so I changed the temperature between the first layer and the rest of the print manually in the settings on the printer, since I didn't find how to manage it from Cura (looks like I'm n00bing strong).
So, here is a photo of the back of the printer after you told me I moved the filament onto the floor.
I'm now printing something at 0.06 but my goal is to print at 0.04 at a decent print-time, am I asking too much?
If I don't bother, I'll post some results along with settings screenshots and infos.
Thank you so much for your precious infos.
cheers,
Alessandro
Hello Sander, thanks for your answer, I'll try to answer point by point:
> In regard of warping I think you should also clean your glass plate after several prints
I'm cleaning the plate every 2 to 3 prints to be sure it's not a glue/grease/dirt problem, I'll be more careful then.
>When have you received your Ultimaker 2?
3 days ago.
> Could you send me your serial number in a DM? Thanks
Of course.
> Is your Ultimaker extruding / oozing before your print starts?
Yes.
At the moment it looks like there are no loading issues, but I keep helping the feeding by hand, just to be sure.
I'll post some photos next, after I run the next print test at 0.04.
The latest one, at 0.06 went pretty correct, as you can see here, I'm just a bit concerned about the spots pointed by the red arrow, since I don't know if it's normal or not.
These were the settings of this print, I also did as suggested by Gr5 putting the nozzle temperature for the bottom layer at 230°C and 70°C for the plate during the whole print, then 210°C for the nozzle.
> Or are you perhaps starting your print without any pressure
> in the nozzle and this is being build up through the beginning of your print?
> Is it always just the bottom that is underextruding
> or only the beginning you have to help feeding the filament manually?
When I see that it's underextruding the bottom layer, I usually abort the print.
I didn't use the BRIM in this latest print, but the previous I did came out always like this one, is it normal or should it be less "spaghetti-like" and more like a plat uniform thin layer?
Thank you very much,
Alessandro
Brim and levelling
what kind of paper should I use? There are many different kinds, I'm using a regular photocopier paper, is it ok
Yes, regular photocopier paper. Marlin assumes that you are levelling .1mm off the glass which is typical photocopy paper.
s it normal or should it be less "spaghetti-like" and more like a plat uniform thin layer?
This looks bad. This does *not* look like underextrustion (although it is possible). This looks like bad levelling. Whatever you have been doing - just go a little bit closer (tighter on the paper). Just a little!
This one is about perfect brim:
There are many other pictures where brim is squished too thin or to spaghetti like on the same topic here:
Posts #6-too thin, #11-too spaghetti and #20-good (the ones with the blue cubes):
RED ARROWS
Okay. Now first of all, please post pictures on this forum. Will your picture links still work a few years from now? Probably not. To post pictures go to link on top left of this page and click "gallery" then blue upload button. AFter uploading pictures, make a post and click "my media" next to smile icon. Here is the picture you refer to with the red arrows.
Some of those arrows point to "stringing" caused by a tiny drop of filament on the nozzle pulling off when it touches the infill on non-extruding moves. This is normal and not a problem as it is hidden *inside* the object.
Now you also have a problem with the "tops" of certain parts of the face - these spots are not getting enough time to cool so the hot nozzle is basically mixing hot pla in a soup which doesn't have time to cool. There are many solutions to this - for sure make sure your side fans are at 100% by the time it gets here. You are still new and I have already posted tons of advice on this so I'm just going to suggest one thing - check "cool head lift" and minimum layer time to maybe 5 seconds. Alternatively you could print two of these objects at the same time but then you might have external strings. Or you could print this part vertically instead of laying flat. The Z axis has much better resolution than the X/Y axes which are limited to the .2mm radius of the .4mm diameter nozzle.
Above you posted an image of your settings but there are 3 pages of settings - not two. Go to "expert settings" to see the rest. Next time maybe publish all 3.
I'll post some photos next, after I run the next print test at 0.04.
I've never gone below .1mm. I don't really see the point when the nozzle diameter is .4mm. If you change your nozzle to .2mm - well maybe then it makes more sense to go to Z steps smaller than .1mm.
Hi, thank you both for your effort in helping me out.
I tried to upload pics directly from the "image button" here but it didn't work so I thought it was a "new user limitation" since I'm still achieving the "4 approved posts" to avoid approval procedure.
Now it's clear so I did as you told me, gr5.
I'm searching in previous posts but sometimes it's hard (for me) to know which keyword I should use since I don't know the exact technical terminology, if you already posted infos, it will be perfect for me if you can just tell me "search *this topic* on the forum" as you did now, don't worry, for me it's already a big help and I don't want to steal too much time.
In the first day I did some basic test and I tried the 0.04 print which came out with a resolution that it would be just perfect for me.
Bad thing is that I didn't take note (as I'm doing now with screenshots and photos) so I don't remember what I just did to achieve this level of resolution:
Is there a way to know how the "High Quality Print" settings of Cura when using in "Quickprint" mode? (I didn't find anywhere).
The "high quality print" settings in Cura can (and have at least once) change from release to release. I've never used any of the quick print settings but you can find out what they are by slicing something and saving the gcode. The get out of quickprint mode (back to full settings mode) and you would think those are now the shown settings but they aren't. You have to do "file" "load profile from GCode...". Load the gcode file you made seconds ago and now you have it.
I have a notebook. Whenever I print anything I write down the filename, the date and time in my notebook and also settings that aren't in cura (and a few that are) such nozzle temp, bed temp. And anything I'm experimenting with or is unusual. I often use a sharpie to mark the bottom of the print with a number or letter if I'm printing more than one so I can tell which is which in my notes.
The actual Cura settings are saved in the gcode file so I am careful to never overwrite the gcode file. So if I make 4 attempts of printing something (each with maybe one setting changed) then I give it 4 different names so I don't overwrite any of the other gcode files. Ever.
Combining my notebook with old gcode files I can reload the settings and see exactly what I did.
Since you are new, and asked, I present to you a short thread of postings to help you learn a little about 3d printing - it's almost all pictures so it's easy reading!
http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/1872-some-calibration-photographs/
Once again, thank you very much, that topic explains a lot of issues I had.
At the moment I'm using this procedure:
• Print only 1 model (realistic face) name the test with a code, 00404a then 00404b and so on (LayerShell thickness)
• Screenshot all the settings then take photos of the various stages during the printing.
• Take notes if needed (at the moment I don't need since I'm using 235°>210°C for the nozzle and 70°C for the plate).
At the moment I'm printing a 0.04mm just to check, it looks like it's coming out pretty well, I've seen some little bumps on the side that, now that I check that thread, I think are due to a speed issue, maybe I should slower it a bit more (I'm printing at 25, after this, if it's close to the sample I posted previously, I'll print it again changing just the speed to 20).
I'll keep posting results.
Hello,
so the latest print went (regarding the final result) perfect.
I'm a bit concerned about an eventual "overextrusion" for the bottom layer, should I lower a bit the plate?
These were the settings:
Here are stages and the result:
I had to unload and reload the filament due to a previous underextrusion on the very first layer, found out that the filament was stuck and didn't came out properly, so the loader "eroded" the filament blocking the regular flow.
ps.:"sorry for my poor english".
Yes, I'd try lowering the bed a touch more. Cleaning the bed may also help. Also, make sure the outside of the nozzle is clean, and there isn't any residue that is sticking to the plastic and lifting it sometimes. But mostly, it looks over-extruded everywhere, so increasing the gap will probably help most.
Just turn all three leveling screws a quarter-turn to the right (anti-clockwise as viewed from the top). And then try the first layer again. Repeat the process until it gets better.
Thanks Illuminarti,
I lowered the bed, then it was too low, then I raised it a bit, then it was too much, then lowered again and this bed levelling is making me crazy, also, same bed leveling, 2 different settings for the print, both with the same bottom layer > one doesn't even extrude because the nozzle **almost** scratch the glue, another one looks like the bed is too low and the filament doesn't even reach the surface so it doesn't stick on it, damn, sometimes I think I should've been a farmer.
This is the latest re-print I did after the previous I posted, I tried to change some parameters in order to have gain some time, so now I'm reprinting it using a thicker wall and stuff.. I'll post the infos later.
cheers,
Alessandro
Good to see you here, Alessandro! I can't view all of your images, I get this message:
You do not have permission to view this image
I recommend ditching the stock spool holder and printing one of these. Get yourself some standard skateboard bearings. This, and making sure there's no slip in my bowden tube has solved all of my under extrusion issues.
The gaps in this print show how bad my under extrusion was. first thing I printed with this, was a better version.
Also, before printing, I heat up the nozzle and manually extrude some material to make sure it's flowing nicely before actually hitting "print"
Hi Paul! great to see you too!
I followed your advice and came here just to find the precious help of Gr5 and Illuminarti, in fact you were the reason why I decided to buy an UM2.
I thing I messed with the permission settings on my gallery, now you should be able to see the pics.
OK, I'll manage to print that holder, problem is that at the moment I just got 1 blu filament, I added 4 plain white when I placed the order but at the time of the shipment it wasn't available, so I'm a bit afraid to finish the filament and that holder looks pretty filament consuming. (No prob for the bearings, I do skateboarding since 1985 
)
One question, is there a reason why you disconnected the black tube from the bowden tube??
Hey no problem, I need to upload my spool holder to youmagine. There's others on there, but I like the simplicity of mine, no bolts needed.
Black tube? not sure I know what you mean?
ArunC posted a topic in UltiMaker Cura,
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gr5 2,070
The feeder spring should probably be set to the lightest tension which means you need the white square all the way up as shown in this picture:
Here is what the inside looks like:
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