Greetings, I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong with my print. On one side its very smooth but on the other side its unfinished with lines. Any help or advice would be great
Is that PLA or some other medium? Are you using the Snapmaker software? Which side was touching the bed? What temperatures were you printing at? What temp was your bed?
It is hard to say without knowing a little bit more… but off the top of my head, I’d say that if the top picture is touching the bed, you could try adding a couple more layers to your top layer. If it is the bottom, then I’d say add a couple layers to the bottom layer. You can always try printing on a raft too… but I’m sure you will get better answers if you can supply a little more info.
I am using PLA, the Snapmaker software, the nozzle is 200C and the bed is 50C. The top picture is closest but it is already using a raft.
That is really strange… with that kind of stringing at the top, it seems like the nozzle might be too hot… but the rest of it is ok. What brand of filament are you using? You can see the infill on the top image… like the top layer is missing… (of course, that is probably what is smeared all over).
I’m wondering if you can try adding a couple layers to the top layer, and increase your retraction settings. I’d also cross-check your nozzle temp with a laser thermometer (if you have one). It just looks like it is too hot to me… If you cannot check your temp, then I’d say drop the temp 5- 10 degrees. PLA should still melt at 190 just fine. You can also try increasing your infill percentage to help give the top layer a solid foundation. Lastly, if none of those ideas help, you can try increasing your extrusion percentage slightly… but with that sort of stringing, I’d rule out the temperature and infill issues first. If you cannot get any joy from maniupluating settings… try some other brand of filament.
I will give some of these a try, I am using snampmaker’s PLA brand. Also just to clarify the top image above is technically the bottom of the piece and closest to the bed. It’s like it built the raft but then it’s leaving the bottom open instead of making it like the top layer which comes out smooth.
Do these settings adjustments still apply if it’s the bottom layer?
Do you use the snapmaker software with standard settings?
I’m printing with much slower speed and the results are perfect (even better than with my Ultimaker 3)
Yes I am using the snapmaker settings with the standard settings. What speed do you run at?
I’m printing with PET-G (requires much slower speed) at about 15 mm/s for small parts (like yours) and 20 mm/s for bigger parts.
With PLA I think you can go up to 20-25 mm/s for smaller ones and 30-40 mm/s for bigger ones.
Currently I’m printing a shim with Ø24 mm @ 16 mm/s.
Quality is more important for me than speed/time.
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Actually, yes, it does change things. What happens if you don’t use a raft? Does it have the same problems with stringiness? Stringiness could be the nozzle temp is too high, or your are over-extruding… but sometimes it can be the software trying to compensate (or getting confused) because your model is not manifold. Check it to make sure it is. Sometimes, when an object is not manifold, it will start bridging in strange places…
The stringiness is what is so weird about it to to me. I’d still say try manipulating the retraction (increasing a little) and possibly the extrusion settings as well (lowering a little). since it is the bottom that has the issue, you should try to increase the number of layers there. Add maybe 2 more. The one thing I would definitely try, if you need a raft (and it sounds like you probably will), is to increase the distance between the object and the raft. I say this because the two may be intersecting. It might be that the bottom layer is actually coming off with the raft (that is just a guess, I haven’t seen your raft), and maybe that’s why the bottom layer is under-done. I’ve had the opposite issue occur, where the gap between the two was too large, and I had to take it down about .4mm. It is just guess, but your problem might be the opposite of what I was bumping into.
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Thank you I will give all these suggestions a try. I do use a raft because every time I have tried without it the piece doesn’t stick to the bed and end up clumping up on the nozzle.
@xrave it seems you need to recalibrate the bed if you want to try printing without rafts. The hot end is too far from the print bed. Instead of using regular paper, use receipt paper you get from gas station or retail store. You can also try increasing the bed temperature to 60C for the first layer. Once the first layer adhesion is acquired, the rest of the print should go smoothly. Good luck!