'Windswept' trailing edges

[michaelvk 5]

So here's an interesting one..

I'm printing a sword pommel for this gig I'm working on, and for some reason, on diametrically opposing corners, I'm getting this weird windswept (like ice in The day after tomorrow) effect on trailing edges. I figured it's a form of stringing, but can't understand why it only does it on those two corners.. It's by no means lost (the underlaying profile is intact, so there's no deformation), as it can be scraped/sanded back, but it still puzzles me.

I'm using Ultimaker's own (I've got some Colorfabb, but find UM PLA to be crisper in detail) PLA, currently printing at 20% speed and have dropped the temp from 200 to 195 degrees.

Any ideas, chaps?

 

[michaelvk 5]

It appears I answered my own question.. Temperature was a fraction too high.

 

[gr5 2,200]

See first photo here:

http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/1872-some-calibration-photographs/

Yes, lower temps helps stringing. Also you want very fast "travel speed" and if you are relying on using feedrate % to lower speed you are unfortunately also lowering travel speed. So maybe you should lower your mm/sec in Cura some instead.

Also your retraction distance might not be enough but it sounds like you solved this anyway.

 

[michaelvk 5]

Easy does it was the key ultimately. Just lowering the temperature cleared it up immediately.

I'm sure I'll end up ruining the print in some novel way down the line though

 

[Titus 170]

I also believe the fan cooling it from one side(the good side), and not the other side(the hot bad side) is the reason you see it at one side only. Dual fans could allow you to print at a little higher temperature I guess.

 

[michaelvk 5]

Actually the 'windswept' look was on that corner, as well as the corner diagonally on the other side, so fan or no fan, it was the same on both sides.

Either way, dropping the temperature 5 degrees helped a lot.

 

[nallath 1,123]

Also, nice print. Care to show the results when it's done?

 

[michaelvk 5]

Thanks! Although sadly, as it's for a TV show, you'll have to wait until April/May next year to see what it is..