Not all Filaments are the same

Thanks @rick

It was amazing the difference in just using other slicers.

I am yet to try PETG and it is on my learning curve. The Proto-Pasta HTPLA v3 that I am currently using is quite good. I have a few more PLA’s to test and then I will move onto PETG’s . This damned thing is becoming addictive.

Keep having fun

Doug

@Doug. It really is a learning journey. As an example, I was initially quite frustrated when I had adhesion problems with PLA, but the advice of some of the members here really helped me. I no longer have any adhesion problems with PLA.
I use this as an example, so that when I just started with PETG I knew there would be problems but that with a bit of patience and trying new settings I would get there. I am finding that the ‘factory files’ in Simplify 3D make the experience much better in this regard. Once I have my settings for PETG (3D Fillies) dialled in I will publish them here so that others can use them as a starting point.
There are a lot of settings in Simplify 3D and I have been trying quite a few of the more obscure ones to help with PETG. The good thing is that the Simplify 3D website has some really good guides.

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Hi @rick

Thanks fro the heads up on the PETG and guides on the Simplify3D site and I look forward to learning to use Simplify3D and other filament types other than PLA.

Hand-on-heart I have only experienced two adhesion issues on the built plate and I have now printed a few hundred times. I use no glues, sprays or tapes. I make sure I calibrate about every five prints or when I turn the Snapmaker on. I make sure the temperatures are suitable for the filament.

It is all good learning.

Doug

@Doug. I can understand your lack of adhesion issues. I was mucking around with glue and found it was a waste of time. Since I have been doing what you do, ie. cleaning the bed with alcohol every print and doing frequent calibrations I have not had a single print fail to adhere. I have also made sure the first layer is printed slow and spread out.

I am getting close with the PETG, still a bit more stringing than I would like. Just about to try a 5 degree temperature drop on the extruder.

Rick

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@rick

The other thing that I have not done is clean the plate with any alcohols or cleaners… I feel lucky.

I did replace the 3M plate cover after a few hundred prints, this was due to my over exuberance in removing an object that was stuck on too well and I actually sliced it open with the spatula. It did have a lot of little scars from being used so much. I am now more careful when removing objects.

I look forward to hearing about your PETG adventures. I cannot see that I will be venturing into any toxic filaments such ABS for what I do.

At some stage in the future I was thinking of trying this Composite HTPLA - Carbon Fiber

Doug

Hi All

I would be interested to hear from experienced users on how long an extruder nozzle should last. I have just watched this video When should you upgrade the nozzle in your 3d printer? and How to pick a 3D printer nozzle and how to install it!

Are there any recommendations for good nozzles?

Doug
ps @Rainie , @whimsycwd do you have any guides/advice for different extruder nozzles that work with the Snapmaker when using different filaments?

Interesting @doug. I used alcohol to remove the glue residue after my ill fated attempts to use glue stick. I just stuck with it after that. I’ll try without alcohol and see what happens for the next few prints. It only takes a few minutes to work out if it is going to go bad.

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@Rick

I have just started looking into the life of a nozzle and types of nozzles… another part of our learning. Have you looked into this topic? Tripped over a couple of comments about detecting when your nozzle is starting to fail, such as Signs of nozzle failure

Looks like my development will be at the crawling stage for a while longer

Doug

@doug. I haven’t been printing long enough to worry yet - I hope! I’m going to watch the videos you posted though. Thanks.
Cheers Rick

@rick

I did find one comment where the person suggested that you should get 30-40kg through a standard nozzle when printing with PLA; more abrasive filaments will reduce the life of the nozzle.

Doug

@doug Wow. That’s a lot of printing for a cheap nozzle - about $1000 worth of filament!

This video is worth a look - it uses Simplify 3D. https://youtu.be/qD0sVyc9Guw
Cheers Rick

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@rick

Absolutely brilliant I will add this reference to the Snaplinks Wiki entry. a big thanks for this.

I love the ability to preview the layers and now I know you can manually add supports…wow! I thought it clever on the last model of the thinking man where he lowered it below the build plate and only printed the top half… another wow… so much to learn…we are just scraping the surface. I hope other newbies are learning from us.

Doug

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Hi All

Hopefully this will save a few newbies from some pain. I have a new lesson to learn, infills and outer wall thickness. The parts prototype I designed a few days back came to some grief. It printed beautifully with Simplify3D with the normal default settings.

Well, one of the cylindrical pegs snapped off where it joins the main body…my fault. However I had not applied much force to it when this happened. On closer inspection you can see the infill pattern and the wall thickness. For scale the peg is 8mm in diameter. The peg wall would be less that 1mm (by sight)

I am now looking into improving the strength of the peg, with infill and or wall thickness. learning, learning, learning.

image

I hope my exploits save you from some grief.

Keep having fun

Doug

Hi @doug. That’s a shame it broke. I agree that more material would make it stronger. Additionally, the transition from the flat surface to the peg is quite sharp. That’s an area of stress concentration and a fillet might help. Would that compromise the function?

I just had a print failure. I broke one of the ‘S’ rules! Not enough support for a tall thin object and the nozzle caught it and popped it off the bed at the five hour mark. Lesson learned. I’m now printing out in a horizontal orientation with supports.

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Hi @rick

Thanks for the hint, it is in the melting pot of things to try. I don’t mind that it broke as it is now a source of further learning. We just live and learn from our (and others) mistakes.

I decided to tell the story as I figure that there are many other newbies who can learn from my escapades.

Doug

Thanks Doug. In the same spirit I just posted a photo of my mistake above. You can see how tall and narrow the parts are and you can see where the nozzle caught and burned the main part.
It was a simple matter to rotate them to the horizontal in Simplify 3D. The broken bit is reprinting now.

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Rick, that is a method I have used on a number of items to improve structural strength. I was not expecting the problem on such a short item. I must admit I was not expecting so much infill in the 8mm dia. cylinder.

Doug

@rick

I have watched a couple of video’s from this guys Angus Deveson, Makers Muse and his Maker’s Muse Youtube Channel

I have found his reviews/suggestions quite good. Only today did I realise that he is Australian based.

Doug

Hi @rick

I did another print of my bespoke part, using an infill percentage of 40% and a print quality of High to see how it would turn out. I keep using that damned exclamation of WoW! and it is true. The lines are crisp the finish is excellent. It did take twice s long to print (240+ mins). I watched the pillars print and there was no discernible infill pattern in them. I printed an embedded letter B on one of the faces, this is how it came out…I was amazed at how clean the whole print was. The pillars all had a few little nodules on them that were easily cleaned off. My filament on this one was a PLA from Flashforge at 210c / 60c

image

Next!

Doug

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@doug sorry I’m coming into this late, but did you increase the thickness of the wall? I see you only had 2 walls (0.8mm) on those pegs. You should probably go with 4 walls (1.6mm) and then keep the same infill. And since you’re using Simplify3d, you can set different settings for bottom half and too half using processes. Angus of Maker Muse did a video explaining the process.

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