Bad top layer

[lbeentjes 1]

After i installed my heated bed ive had some trouble printing.

But now it is printing my top layers are a bit ugly.

The settings i used:

Ultimaker original with a heated bed

Layer height: 0.2/0.1 tryed both

Shell 0.8

Bottom/top thickness 0.6

fill 15%

speed mms: 50

Temp 210/220 tryed both

bed temp 50

Diameter 2.85

flow 100%

I used a new fillament Colorfab blueish white.

Could be the filament so ill try with the old one but i doubt thats it.

 

[DidierKlein 729]

Looks to me like you have a problem with the walls not touching too:

http://support.3dverkstan.se/article/23-a-visual-ultimaker-troubleshooting-guide#wallspace

I would also increase top and bottom thickness

 

[nightwish 0]

There's a thread about that problem: http://umforum.ultimaker.com/index.php?/topic/5375-top-layers-not-touching-um2/

 

[gr5 2,224]

The UM2 issue is probably mostly a firmware issue which shouldn't affect UMO. I hope. It hasn't been figured out yet.

Your basic problem is underextrusion. The one key parameter you didn't mention is printing speed.

Underextrusion may be happening everywhere but it is always most noticable on solid layers other than the bottom layer (bottom most layer depends too much on leveling and so don't use that layer as a judge). Walls aren't always obvious when underextruded if the underextrusion is low enough (say < 25%).

In general the easiest way to fix underextrusion is to raise the temp (I recommend 240 as the top temp though - but 240 is a reasonable temp to print PLA) or slow it down (I don't know how fast you are printing? How fast?). At 200C filament is like toothpaste. At 240C it flows like honey.

So either go up to 240C or cut your print speed in half and see if that helps. Print a small cube.

Another fix is to increase flow. You could increase by 25% but the filament might just grind up so that might not be the best solution.

If it's truly only the top layer that is a problem then another possibility is that it doesn't have enough support from the layer below. Sometimes it takes 5 or 6 layers to fully support that top layer. For me, .2mm layer with .6mm top/bottom thickness is plenty for excellent looking top layers. Also I usually do 20% infill which supports those top 3 layers. For .1mm layers I also like .6mm top/bottom thickness.

There may be a new slicing bug with Cura as there is a ton of people complaining about top layers right now.

I'm currently slicing with Cura 13.09 and have no trouble.

 

[lbeentjes 1]

I print in 50 mm/s, i did say it

Ill try a different version Cura and try printing a little bit hotter.

Ill post tommorow with the result.

 

[amedee 349]

I have a spool of blueish white, and as opposed to other ColorFabb spools I have, it doesn't print well under 220°C...

So I concur with what have been said so far: try hotter and slower, and it is definitely worth trying another filament to compare.

See this example -- both towers are ColorFabb PLA (you can see the temperatures when you click on the picture) the blueish white starts under-extrude at 215°C and eventually clogs the nozzle :

 

[lbeentjes 1]

I have a spool of blueish white, and as opposed to other ColorFabb spools I have, it doesn't print well under 220°C...

So I concur with what have been said so far: try hotter and slower, and it is definitely worth trying another filament to compare.

See this example -- both towers are ColorFabb PLA (you can see the temperatures when you click on the picture) the blueish white starts under-extrude at 215°C and eventually clogs the nozzle :

 

Ill try printing hotter. Are you getting good quality prints with that filament if you print in a higher temperature?

 

[amedee 349]

I used it once, was not too happy about the result (too cold: clogging -- too warm: stringing) and I gave up.

I don't say that this filament is bad, but I have not found the time so far to look for the right settings, so I am lazy and use other colors in the meantime

But higher temperature (225°C) / lower speed (40 mm/s) definitely helps

 

[gr5 2,224]

Lowering speed from 50mm/sec to 40mm/sec will make only a tiny bit of difference. Printing .1mm layer versus .2mm layer however is printing at half the volume and makes a big difference. If you are getting bad top layers at .1mm layer, 50mm/sec then I don't think this is typical underextrusion. I don't know *what* the hell it is.

Definitely print hotter (try 240C). Some PLAs print much better at higher temperature.

Um, stupid question, could this be ABS plastic?

 

[lbeentjes 1]

It shouldnt be ABS. Then i bought the wrong thing. And the box said PLA

Tommorow ill try a different fiament and see if it looks better.

Edit:

So the other filament did not do better.

Ill try using Cura 13.10. Maybe the version of cura thats messing things up.