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First print: some gaps and blobs
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 4:21 am
by telephone1652
Hi Folks,
So I'm pretty happy with my first print, given that the machine is barely calibrated. Already it is much better than anything I got out of my Cupcake.
However, I know it can be much much better than it is, so I'd love your feedback. This was printed at 100 mm/sec via pronterface
Re: First print: some gaps and blobs
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 4:31 am
by jimc
are you using slic3r? those are small blobs at the start or end of each line. in s3d thats controlled with coasting and restart distance. i dont know about the other slicers. 100mm/sec is pretty quick. not exactly a speed for quality
Re: First print: some gaps and blobs
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 5:15 am
by jsc
Yes, 100 mm/s is very fast. There are trade offs. I don't go beyond 80 mm/s for fast prints, and down to 40 if I really care about surface detail.
Blobbing is a matter of tuning, and I haven't solved it for good myself yet. In the latest version of Simplify3D, you can select the layer start location, so what I've taken to doing is turning off random layer starts (I think a seam is preferable to random blobs everywhere) and placing the seam in an inconspicuous location, like a corner.
For objects yours, try "vase mode" with a single shell, no top layers, no infill. It will get you the best quality surface because it is composed of a single spiral filament all the way up.
Re: First print: some gaps and blobs
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 4:21 pm
by Dale Reed
Are you working from the model (STL) and doing the slicing? That sure looks like the sample twist hex (already sliced) in the sample G-code on the M2 SD card. It looks pretty matte, if that's PLA. I'd try bumping the extruder temperature up in 5 deg C increments and see if that helps. You can do this while it's printing. Start at the temperature you printed last time. After about a cm of height, bump the extruder temperature up 5 degrees in the Machine Control Panel, while it continutes printing. After a few cm, bump another 5. You should be able to get a nice surface that is glossier. (You'll still have some texture to the surface, but there should be less blobbing and a smoother, glossier finish.)
Dale
Re: First print: some gaps and blobs
Posted: Tue May 13, 2014 5:29 pm
by telephone1652
That is, indeed the sample twist hex. It was the first thing I printed after leveling the bed and setting the z endstop.
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try it again at a lower speed and with the temperature increase and see how it goes.
