Hi Yellowshark,
Thanks for your answer. I think though that what you describe in your first paragraph is about cura? I have Cura at 0.3mm first layer. It's better but still not closed.
My examples are about slicing in Simplify3D.
In simplify3D you set the 'Primary Layer Thickness' as the overall layer thickness (the layer thickness for the primary extruder, yes it's confusing) and there is a separate box to set thickness and width of the first layer in percentage of the primary layer thickness.
In my last example photo above I was printing at 0.1mm, with first layer thickness at 200%, so 0.2mm.
In the Simplify3D manual it states that the first layer height doesn't change the amount of material being extruded, so if you print at 0.1 and you set the first layer height 90%, you print 100% of the material on a 0.09 layer, so it should become wider. It also says you can use this to make the first layer thicker as I am trying, but it would still extrude the same amount of material. Changing the first layer width doesn't seem to change that, but it does change the distance between the lines, so if you make the first layer wider it just prints the lines further apart ánd it stops further from the outline (see the most right image on my 3rd photo above).
So in conclusion:
In Cura I'm getting reasonable results with a .3 layer thickness, although the lines still don't connect entirely.
In Simplify3D I am unable to create a .3 first layer with a .1 overal resolution. I must oversee something really basic I think..
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yellowshark 153
H Bjorn, Ok your problem really is trying to print the 1st layer at 0.1. To do this successfully everything else needs to absolutely right, i.e. bed levelling, nozzle to bed distance and temps. Far better to use 0.3 for the first layer. You do this under the Advanced tab\ Quality\ initial layer thickness. Reset your layer thickness %s and line widths %s back to 100%.
There is no right or wrong answer to the following but with PLA where necessary you can improve your 1st layer adhesion by adding say 5 degrees to your bed temp and extruder temp for the 1st layer. I print my 1st layer at a minimum of 210c; if the extruder temp I want to use is higher than 210c then I set the 1st layer temp the same as all the other layers. I set my bed temp to 65c and then for 2nd and subsequent layers I change it to 60c. If I remember rightly you can do this in Slic3r but with Cura you will need to change the bed and extruder temps after the 1st layer manually.
Use 20mm/s for your 1st layer print speed. If you have a glass plate on your print bed then your printer bed temp. monitor is almost certainly measuring the bed temp. NOT the temp. of the glass plate (they will be different). On my printer I add 8 or 9 degrees to the bed temp. settings to get the glass up to the required temp. And if you are printing something with a large base, say 50% + of the build plate, remember that it takes time with most printers t get the entire bed up to the required temp. On my printer when the centre of the bed reaches the desired temp. the perimeters of the bed can be 10-15c cooler. So you need to wait and use a digital thermometer to measure the bed before starting the print.
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