I’ve been working on calibrating my A350. I’ve successfully printed one of those boats and a cube. They appear to have completed successfully, but how do I know?
Let’s take the cube, for example. Should I be able to see the individual strand lines? I think they are well stuck together (at least I can’t pull it apart), but I can clearly see each layer on the sides. Is that normal? I kind of thought it would be smooth.
The same goes for the top. There is a nice sort of cross hatching pattern, but should it be there?
The bottom is smooth, which makes sense since it’s on the bed, but there is a slight ridge running along the bottom edge. Should it be there?
I suppose I am asking if there is a sort of checklist to confirm that I’ve got the best print possible…and if not, what should I do to fix it.
You’ll always see the layers and to some degree a pattern on the top and bottom.
The ridge you mention is know as ‘elephant’s foot’ and is where the first layer(s) are compressed and flow outwards. You can minimise this effect by increasing the Z offset but then you might run into adhesion problems. Here’s a vid from a guy called Angus who explains how he mitigates against it. Well worth looking throw his videos on Youtube.
I like using Kickstarter test. There are specific instructions on how to evaluate the print and then rank it so you know how well the printer is calibrated. Here’s the link:
Check out @xchrisd’s 3D Printer Walk Through. Although if you’ve done the cube and Benchy, you probably already have. I will admit that each project’s Thingiverse instructions are hit or miss on suggestions.
If you’ve got a specific issue you’re concerned about, there are lots of posts helping people. @iAlreadyLost’s recent post about his XWing quality comes to mind, and has a lot of tips.
If searching and those threads don’t help, please post your results and specific questions. The walk through has a suggested post format to make sure you give us all the info we need to help.
