X and Y Layer Shifts
Posted: Tue Aug 02, 2016 5:09 pm
I'm confining my posts to the Getting Started forum for now, because I'm a brand new M2 owner and still going through the new user learning curve. I hope this is the right category for this post.
After printing a calibration square on my new printer and finding that it came out really close to the expected dimensions with the out-of-the-box parameters in Simplfy3D, I decided to crank out a functional trial print overnight and then get back to fine-tuning calibration later. So I took a Raspberry Pi case that I had previously printed successfully on my Monoprice Mini + Cura, dropped it into Simplify3D on my Mac, started off the print, and went to bed. I think that the Simplify3D parameters were pretty close to default; I had played with some of them to get my single-wall test print, but then I attempted to set things back to default settings.
This morning, I popped the print off the bed. Everything seemed well-adhered. Then I noticed that the print had layer shifts in both X and Y axes. I didn't carefully examine the orientations of the pieces vs. their skirts before noticing the problem, but no asymmetry jumped out at me before popping off the parts. I set the pieces back on the bed for these pictures. The skirts are still stuck in place in their original positions.
I can think of a number of possible causes for these layer shifts: Steppers missing steps? Pieces shifting on bed? Computer feeding the printer went wonky? Travel speeds set too high? Slipping belts? Cable came loose during shipment? I can't rule out printer trouble, computer trouble, or user trouble just yet.
The belt tensions both feel about right to me. I had the printer connected to my MacBook Air, being fed directly from Simplify3D. I plan to add an OctoPi (that's what this case print is for) to the mix later, but I'm keeping things simpler until I get more experience. I have not yet installed my Dual Extrusion upgrade kit, and I'm using the black PLA filament that came with the printer.
I have to head off to work, so I won't be able to try anything else until tonight. I'll have my laptop with me, so I should be able to pull up the Simplify3D parameters that were in effect while i'm at work. Can any of y'all suggest the most likely culprits for me to begin investigating?
P.S.: Prints made with black filament aren't the easiest things to photograph clearly!
After printing a calibration square on my new printer and finding that it came out really close to the expected dimensions with the out-of-the-box parameters in Simplfy3D, I decided to crank out a functional trial print overnight and then get back to fine-tuning calibration later. So I took a Raspberry Pi case that I had previously printed successfully on my Monoprice Mini + Cura, dropped it into Simplify3D on my Mac, started off the print, and went to bed. I think that the Simplify3D parameters were pretty close to default; I had played with some of them to get my single-wall test print, but then I attempted to set things back to default settings.
This morning, I popped the print off the bed. Everything seemed well-adhered. Then I noticed that the print had layer shifts in both X and Y axes. I didn't carefully examine the orientations of the pieces vs. their skirts before noticing the problem, but no asymmetry jumped out at me before popping off the parts. I set the pieces back on the bed for these pictures. The skirts are still stuck in place in their original positions.
I can think of a number of possible causes for these layer shifts: Steppers missing steps? Pieces shifting on bed? Computer feeding the printer went wonky? Travel speeds set too high? Slipping belts? Cable came loose during shipment? I can't rule out printer trouble, computer trouble, or user trouble just yet.
The belt tensions both feel about right to me. I had the printer connected to my MacBook Air, being fed directly from Simplify3D. I plan to add an OctoPi (that's what this case print is for) to the mix later, but I'm keeping things simpler until I get more experience. I have not yet installed my Dual Extrusion upgrade kit, and I'm using the black PLA filament that came with the printer.
I have to head off to work, so I won't be able to try anything else until tonight. I'll have my laptop with me, so I should be able to pull up the Simplify3D parameters that were in effect while i'm at work. Can any of y'all suggest the most likely culprits for me to begin investigating?
P.S.: Prints made with black filament aren't the easiest things to photograph clearly!