Beginning to think that this machine is a waste of money! Horrendous bed leveling issues after many hours manged to get a “compromise” that allowed the 1st layer to print. Mainly want to print one item multiple times, totally gave up trying to fill the bed it just wouldnt do it. Reduced the number of items to the point where it will print. Still struggling and not had a successful print yet. Getting about 3/4 through the print before it fails, the magnetic bed is now moving causing the print to fail, how and why I dont know I have noticed that the magnets dont seem that strong, really dont know were to go from here apart from sending the machine back as “not fit for purpose”, Which would
be a shame. Any ideas or suggestions ?
What exactly are you trying to print? (I’ve seen you post these pictures like this, but don’t have a clue what you’re printing)
It looks like it’s just a single wall, so not a lot of surface for bed adhesion. Have you printed other things successfully?
What print settings are you using, what slicer?
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Just want to check that you’ve assembled correctly. Can’t tell for sure from pictures.
Bed frame should be nuts down.
Heated bed attached using flat head screws so they’re flush. (if they aren’t your sheet will slip like crazy) Use binder clips to keep it in place. Make sure your bed is clean. Use rubbing/isopropyl alcohol.
You’ve calibrated extrusion?
What type of filament? is that PLA? Have you tried printing a little hotter? White of same filament sometimes needs 5-10º hotter. What’s your bed temp?
As @brvdboss said it looks like single wall. Can you share your stl? Might need to use a brim or raft.
Maybe print two batches. It will actually be faster because travel time takes more with bigger prints and more items.
3D printing isn’t plug and play. It takes time and adjustments. You’ll get there.
-S
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Yeah, what was said about a learning curve is exactly what to expect. 3d printing is a challenge with a tremendous amount of caveats and variables. i had no idea what i was walking into and am really amazed at how intricate it really is. and i am terrible at it too, im barely grasping some concepts and havent even began to understand others.
i want to say that its important to think of it as a hobby or craft to learn/master over a machine. failing to do so will bring you nothing but anger and you might give up which is a real shame.
i see you are printing a shape repeatedly, what you may not realize is that the bed isn’t very level and some areas will be lower and higher. perhaps simply moving the parts around to different areas could make a difference, and over time you’ll learn how to work around it to an extent.
have you been able to print the object when its just one piece with success? maybe you can work to master that first.
Also, theres a lot of resources for fine tuning the machine available - but a really nice easy starting point is to just get a 20mm calibration cube and print it til its wonderful, then expand on it from there.
i hope you don’t give up.
i think if your print sheet has moved the nozzle has either built up material which is crashing into the part, the part has warped to get it up there, or the part has some curling. even possible some over extrusion is leaving blobs/zits
have you tried enabling z-hop?
I found that when i was first getting started that rafts were so helpful in helping to figure out what works because it took the adhesion out of the equation, but once i got more comfortable i barely ever use them, brims are pretty handy too though!
Can you share the model you are using for review? maybe we can use some of our experiences to make recommendations?
I’m new at this too. I have a Snapmaker Original.
My first few prints all failed or just sucked in some way. But, unlike you, I decided to take it slow, learn to make one off small objects. Things like calibration cubes, and other small things. All on the printers’ default settings. Just to learn where it fails, and where it does ok.
From your pictures, it seems you are simply not ready to print that many things at once.
If I were you, I would start with ONE of whatever those things are. Make sure you inspect it, and then go online, this resource is invaluable, for finding out why the print has defect x or defect y or whatnot. Do check all of it when you can. I did, it helped me a lot.
The trick here is to slow down, expect to have a learning period where you will not get anything useful other than learning how to 3D print. Which is your goal right now.
As to your machine, I would take a couple of hours to make sure it is assembled perfectly. Anything in the machinery that is off, even by a tiny bit, can cause issues at some point in the print.
Also, whenever you change materials, expect to learn them as well, not so much the same PLA from the same manufacturer, but a different material like PETG, or ones with stuff in them like metals or wood. Those take more learning to do properly.
As with anything new, it will take you more time to learn and master.
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I have tried Luban and Simplify , it is a single wall using default high quality settings, only printed 2 other items the test vase was fine, and another small item which was okay . It does not like multiple small prints which is what I wanted the machine for, I have 3 other machines which print small items (see pics) with no problems. I was looking to increase the volume
that I can print with this machine
This is my 4th machine, I have 2 of Zortax M200 which are basically plug and play, no tweaking needed. The other machine is a ulitmaker 2+ which can be a bugger at times, they mostly print the same items over and over 24/7
Bought this machine to increase capacity which is not panning out at the momnet.!
Will take a look at Z Hop yes I can print one piece ok
Multiple small items can be challenging on the bed, because it isnt particularly level.
You can increase the calibration grid in the display’s settings, or you can even use Gcode to go up to an 11 x 11 grid (search the forum for that) which will likely have a big impact
Outside of that, alot of people are working towards using a glass bed, manual leveling right now allows that, and with some rigging you could auto calibrate it too.
It may sound hokey, but its the reality. The snapmaker attempts to compensate for unlevelness with calibration to map out the bed, but the heat of the bed also affects the surface’s flatness.
You can try to crank up the heated bed to 5-10 degrees hotter than you will use it, let it get to temp for a bit, then quickly run calibration, this may also help you. you cant keep the heater on during calibration. I have started doing this with success.
I recon if you get a piece of glass from the hardware store and manually calibrate your machine, you will have a lot more success if you are trying to mass produce something like that.
Yep bed frame has nuts down, everything is tight etc. My bed frame is so not level, I took it off this morning and machined it level, with the heat plate and print bed fitted it feels so much flatter now, before it felt like ripples…
PlA is being used bed temp 60 nozzle 200
Not sure what you mean by “You’ve calibrated extrusion?”
I will reduce the number of items, currently there is 20 sets which is showing 36 hrs print , need to get to 24 hrs so it can be repeated every day
I have attached the stl files which print ok on my two Zortax M200 machines 24/7Part1.STL (840.6 KB) Part2.STL (638.9 KB)
Regarding extruder calibration - there are some advanced techniques you can fine tune the machine with.
we can get into those details as well, but they require some patience to work through.
also just briefly looking at your parts, and keep in mind i am NOT an expert, but I think if you were to print them on their side it would go a long way towards them sticking.
You can also consider applying a gluestick to the print sheet which is a cheap easy tool to help, or specialty materials such as Magigoo.
the thing is your parts have a very small surface area on the orientation shown on the file.
very little surface to grip onto.
I feel like this would be an easier print.
doing that, you might need to add support to the rectangular cavity
which you can let the slicer do or you can design your own with trial and error to get as little of it in there as necessary to have success. yes, you lose surface area on the build plate doing that, and maybe the shape will have different issues that wont work for your application, but I think with some practice and effort you can get them printing to your satisfaction in that orientation.
anyhow as i said, i am not an expert. i am only doing this for about 4 weeks now.
i am sorry you arent satisfied with the snapmaker 2, i don’t feel like it is a machine that should be relied on for production, but that doesnt mean you cant get things down pat to pound these little parts out all day. i think with some additional patience and some learning you can make this work and have a lot more parts each day coming off of the machine. it is certainly not a plug and play machine, and i think that alot of people expect it to be something it isnt, but it can be a great machine if you learn it inside and out.
one final thing, if you aren’t going to flip the part, maybe if you started with a big raft to print on you would get some parts coming off, but that should be temporary while you figure out other improvements (only for the extra time and material it takes to do one, especially in the volume you are trying to do!)
there are a lot of tweaks that require tests and mods to the machine that can be done to make it better, but at least having a base understanding of what you are up against is more important first in my humble opinion.
You’re comparing with an Ultimaker2+ and a Zortrax M200. Both of those are in my opinion at least one class “higher” than the Snapmaker2. (Note those are just 3d-printers and not a cnc and laser as well)
Another important thing: both of those are CoreXY printers (the head moves in X-Y and the bed moves down) So this also means that you’re parts, once on the bed will suffer a lot less “stress” while printing. The parts barely move at all and thus you can get away with significantly less adhesion to the print bed.
In that regard, I think you can still print the parts in the orientation you’re currently doing, but I would turn them 90 degrees so the orientation of the parts is parallel with the Y-axis movement. As your parts are top-heavy that should work a lot better.
Both of the other printers have a full enclosure that maintain the temperature a lot better than the Snapmaker enclosure
In the last pictures you’ve posted (I assume those are from one of the other printers?) you’re using a raft, I don’t see that same raft on the print on the Snapmaker. As it’s a raft connecting all parts together, that would help immensely as well.
Do I think you can build a full plate of your prints on the SM2? Yes, if you change the orientation, reduce the print speed and/or use a raft. Have a look at this post from @stefix Need help with the proximity sensor of the 3D Printhead
That’s by far the fullest print sheet I’ve ever seen on this forum.
Will it be faster than two separate batches on your current printers: I’m not so sure. If speed was your goal, then I’m not sure the Snapmaker2 was your best choice. (and it might have been better to just buy three or four smaller cheaper printers in stead and have them work in parallel)
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I wont give in just yet!
I am trying another print with less items on, will see how that goes. if not good I will mount a glass table bed on it and try that.
If the 3D proves to be to troublesome for these parts I will use the machine for R & D
although I haven’t played with the cnc or laser yet plus my daughter has her eyes on it for some etching stuff so I might give it to her.
Thank you for the input, didnt think about turning 90 degs will give that a go Will tweak the speed down a tad, although it does print slow compared to my other printers.I have reduced the batch size. The raft is the way Zortrax print, can be a pain but it is what it is.The round spacers printed on the Ulitmaker are done with no raft. I would prefer to print with no raft, well thats the goal anyway. If a raft is needed so be it.
I don’t think a raft will be strictly necessarily. The parts are top heave but not extremely high. I think/hope that turning the 90 degrees will have the most effect. You could also play with the acceleration settings to make the movements less “jerky”
If you’ve flattened the bed, that will definitely help as well.
And as mentioned by @MooseJuice: make sure you have calibrated your e-steps. Almost every SM is under-extruding by 10% out of the factory
https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html#esteps
No a raft is not necessary, i thought it would be a stepping stone towards getting it tuned in. some usable example of material coming out.
i dont think he is quite ready to deal with the e-steps just yet. soon though.
if i am wrong and you are more comfortable, the link provided above my post by brvdboss will go into the details on how to do it… you need to plug your computer into the usb mini slot of the controller and use the console to run some commands and do some measuring. it does make a difference, but for me the bigger affect on the print quality was done with the linear acceleration adjustment.
I will say that the information posted above is very good stuff, thank you for that insight bvrdboss
I use a Pritt Stick I don’t know if that puts the purists off but it works. Cleaning is super easy just a warm damp sponge and a bit of light scrubbing after a print. Ive never had a print fail since using this technique.
Already tried that.with the same result