Inter-layer adhesion issue

[PcS]

You are printing pla too hot. Usually....at least all the rolls I have had I print right at 180 or 190. Period. Filaments usually get shinier the higher you go in temperature and remain more matte or flat with lower temps. You might try printingredients instead of calibration cubes...just a one or two inch square cube one eight inch tall to test for first layer squish and top infill beauty. These print fast and give you some instant idea after you change something. I know everybody prints at.different speeds depending on their needs but try one at 180 for print nozzle and 1800 for speed.

[Jules]

You are printing pla too hot. Usually....at least all the rolls I have had I print right at 180 or 190. Period. Filaments usually get shinier the higher you go in temperature and remain more matte or flat with lower temps. You might try printingredients instead of calibration cubes...just a one or two inch square cube one eight inch tall to test for first layer squish and top infill beauty. These print fast and give you some instant idea after you change something. I know everybody prints at.different speeds depending on their needs but try one at 180 for print nozzle and 1800 for speed.

Really? Thought it was the other way - every time i up the temp to the 220 range, I get flat dull looking PLA prints.

Gonna have to test that now - I might have been telling him wrong....

[dramsey]

Doing a 220 degree print now, will do a 190 degree print when finished.

UPDATE: 220 produces a flat finish.

FWIW, the Da Vinci Jr's un-changeable temp for its PLA was 190.

[Jules]

Just tried a 180°C print - you're right PcS, it does have a duller finish, but I could not get the filament to stick to the bed. (My gap was initially set for PLA with a higher temp nozzle.)

I 'll take your word for it - I'd have to reset the gap to use the lower temps, and i don't want to do that before i finish up the profiles I'm working on.

[sthone]

I 'll take your word for it - I'd have to reset the gap to use the lower temps, and i don't want to do that before i finish up the profiles I'm working on.

It's not always a perfect method but you can always manually turn the z knob a pop to adjust the gap on the fly for the first layer.

[Jules]

I 'll take your word for it - I'd have to reset the gap to use the lower temps, and i don't want to do that before i finish up the profiles I'm working on.

It's not always a perfect method but you can always manually turn the z knob a pop to adjust the gap on the fly for the first layer.

Whoops....never thought of that....my mind naturally went to the Z-Stop. Did not think about the knob.

[PcS]

Printing a temp block in pla now...as it has been a while since I have printed any pla... My memory might be backwards... 180 was a no go at all with this roll of pla. It will start at 190 and go to 220. Will post results when done.

[dramsey]

Tried printing at 190 degrees with a bed temp of 60. That didn't work at all, no adhesion (this is a PEI surface). Just dragged wads of filament around.

Raising the bed temp to 70 got good first later adhesion, but the second layer wouldn't stick-- the ends of long traverses peeled up when the head reversed.

Raising the temp to 200 reduced the second-layer problem, but it was still bad enough to ruin the print.

Raising the temp to 210 worked fine. So what's the secret to printing PLA at lower temps?

[Jules]

Tried printing at 190 degrees with a bed temp of 60. That didn't work at all, no adhesion (this is a PEI surface). Just dragged wads of filament around.

Raising the bed temp to 70 got good first later adhesion, but the second layer wouldn't stick-- the ends of long traverses peeled up when the head reversed.

Raising the temp to 200 reduced the second-layer problem, but it was still bad enough to ruin the print.

Raising the temp to 210 worked fine. So what's the secret to printing PLA at lower temps?

Hairspray.

[dramsey]

Tried printing at 190 degrees with a bed temp of 60. That didn't work at all, no adhesion (this is a PEI surface). Just dragged wads of filament around.

Raising the bed temp to 70 got good first later adhesion, but the second layer wouldn't stick-- the ends of long traverses peeled up when the head reversed.

Raising the temp to 200 reduced the second-layer problem, but it was still bad enough to ruin the print.

Raising the temp to 210 worked fine. So what's the secret to printing PLA at lower temps?

Hairspray.

Um. Between layers? How would that work?