Need some help with this print.

[lbeentjes 1]

I designed a iphone case with a logo plus names for someone. The logo itself comes out fine. But there names are not that great at the bottom layer. Because its the botomlayer the filament of the letter comes out a bit spread. But at the top layer it looks fine.

Any idea how i can make the bottomlayer letters look better? Maybe raft work better? I dont really want to change font.

 

[takei-naodar 0]

A 0.5mm radius at the edges will help will help.

 

[lbeentjes 1]

But then the print will drop down no?

Im trying to print it upside down with support material, see how that works out.

 

[gr5 2,172]

upside down with support material

 

Smart.

Make sure brim is off and maybe your levelling was off by a tiny bit causing some overextrusion on the first layer because the bed was slightly too close to the nozzle. I would also of course consider making the font "bold".

Also consider printing the name in a contrasting color like this which I did with only a single nozzle:

 

[jonask 0]

Not a solution to your problem but also worth to try:

When i was printing something similar, with a small text on the first layer i got the same problems.

I had over extrusion, and when i turn the build plate down, first layer wont stick.

Then i added a 0.1 mm bottom to the Model, so it prints the first layer full and at the second layer the text starts.

This was a really cool effect because if you print the first layer at 0.1 mm it looks like thin foil and is also a bit transparent. And the text had a "hologram" style. A text inside a model is where 3D Printing uses its full potential

 

[lbeentjes 1]

The print came out pretty nice when I did it upside down. Only problem is because of heat(?) the print warped a bit and now it doesn't fit on the phone. Is there a way to fix that?

 

[jonask 0]

What build plate temp you running?

Maybe more / stronger support will help?

 

[lbeentjes 1]

I got a UM1 so no heated bed.

How can I get more support?

 

[gr5 2,172]

the print warped a bit

 

There's different kinds of warping. What do you mean exactly?

If you simply mean the corners lifted then you can make them stick down better using:

1) Brim

2) extra hot first layer - 240C and print slow and squish the filament into the blue tape slightly. Heating the blue tape with hair dryer for 2 minutes immediately before printing also helps the plastic flow into the cracks in the blue tape and stick better.

3) Make sure to wipe the blue tape with isopropyl alcohol to clean off all the wax. If now the tape lifts, use wider tape.

Take a spare piece of filament and boil some water in the microwave. Take the water out and dip the filament in for 10 seconds then take it out and bend it. Surprised? Now take a hot air gun and a flat surface (counter top?) and heat up your warped cover with a heat gun on low or stick the warped parts in hot water and press gently on flat surface to fix the warp. Heat gun works better as sticking the whole thing in hot water might be too much.

 

[lbeentjes 1]

Yea, I did notice the tape lifts. Ill try something's. Isn't there anything else I can use to print on? Because you go through the tape pretty fast. Like hairspray as adhesive?

Thanks for the help btw

 

[Dim3nsioneer 557]

For printing without a heated bed I had good results with Kapton tape. PLA sticks quite well to it if the bed is levelled nicely and if the first layer is printed hot enough. Kapton tape is available 200mm wide, so you need just one piece. And it lasts much longer than blue tape.

However, as gr5 pointed out by setting it first priority, brim is a must on an unheated bed.

 

[gr5 2,172]

Yea, I did notice the tape lifts.

 

Oh - get wider tape then. Illuminarti has 6 inch (150mm) blue tape. I have about 60mm wide tape.

I can usually reuse the same tape for 5 or 10 prints before I have to change some of it.

I had bad luck with kapton tape unless I warmed it a bit with a hair dryer to 30C or so.