Working with rafts & getting a model started correctly?

[jdlev]

Hi Guys,

Working with Simplify3D, and have printed about 8-10 models so far, so still very much a noob. I've been playing with the printing profiles and the temperatures just to experiment, and have had decent luck, but still end up with some small issues.

Issue one is I always have to use a raft to get the models to stick, and that's on top of already having put down the tape that came with the unit and using stick glue on the deck on top of that. That issue causes the 'unkempt' starting point for my models. Usually, I'll start the fan at 30 percent for the first layer or two, so it get's a good sticky foundation, and move it up to 60 percent from there for the rest of the print. The 'unkempt' part remains stuck to the model, even when I've done rafts that are as little in thickness as 4% and a single layer. The filaments typically break off, and I'm left with a women mess on one side of my model. The rest of the model seems to print fairly nicely. Any tips? Here's an image of what I'm dealing with.

[Jules]

Hi jd,

Yeah, that's the problem - getting the filament to stick without having to use a raft, because those are a royal PITA.

Best way to do it is to make sure that you are printing with the correct gap size, heating the bed a little bit (about 50°C or so for PLA) and using enough adhesive (which it sounds like you're doing). Set the fan speed for the first layer to zero to let the PLA stick well, and then switch to 100% fan cooling for Layer 2 and beyond.

If you haven't done the calibrations yet, there are several that you can do to optimize your prints and make the filament stick better - I just gathered them all into one place and typed them up into a guide a week or so ago.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2778 (It's long, but hopefully useful.)

And one other thing that might help - sometimes you can turn a print over on the bed to give it more surface contact area, then you don't need a raft.

i never use a raft if i can help it. Even a Brim is easier to remove.

[jdlev]

Thanks for the tips Jules! I'll be sure to check out your calibrations and see if it improves my prints

Cheers,

Jeff