Help about the filament feeding

[Jules]

It is highly unusual for PLA to split like that, especially at that high of a temperature.

It might just be bad filament. Do you have any other spools?

(PLA gets very brittle if it has been exposed to humidity for a long time - you might want to get some fresh filament.)

[morganfree]

Based on what you're writting and many things i've read... I was really suspecting of that PLA...
The marks of the extruder gear when I'm retracting it, are really white, as when you crack some hard plastic. It's not a smooth mark when you smash a soft plastic but allmost some crackings on the fill.

And the only thing I know from the guy that sold me the machine is that he moved to the beach (really humid place) and left the machine "somewhere"....more than sure w/o any protection on it...

I'll try to buy some other rolls in order to test that.

I'll keep you updated and I own you some drinks whenever you come to Brazil.

Many thanks.

[Jules]

Sounds like a deal! Chuckle!

[morganfree]

Hey Jules!
I'm still laughing since the date I've discovered something very basic, that was causing many of my problems and actually reached the tedious situation of a clogged nozzle...
The plastic I was printing was ABS, not PLA!

Even more funny (or more idiot) is how I discovered: I was watching the Makergear site, in order to buy some stuffs, and when I went to the pastics, I noticed that the plastic roll for each material is different...and the one I have is the same for ABS...

Don't know exactly why I assume the plastic that came with the machine was PLA, nobody told me so, but I assume it. For almost two weeks I was setting everything for PLA, thus you know I was printing at a real high T and that I has some splitting issues with the fans. OK, simple answer now: the fans were cooling ABS, the bed wasn't that hot, and the T wasn't that high neither (eventhough I've reached 220-225 for "PLA"!).

Now, everithing is fine! I don't have more splitting, I'm not using the two bed fans (the original + the one real big I bought!), 230 C and 110 C... and that's it. Everything going just fine!

The only "detail" I'm trying to resolve is some loose threads on curvy perimeters, rounded edges, like the ones you see in the first picture. I guess I have some problem with the width or maybe I should add support for those parts? Any suggestion?

Another issue is the shrinkage the part suffered (that specifically) in some "zones". the part ended up weird... what could that be?

Thanks a lot, your credit is still really high! Even more when I'm giving you wrong information! hahahaha

Best regards

[Jules]

Chuckle! Yes, having the filament turn out to be ABS instead of PLA would make a rather huge difference as far as cooling and splitting goes!

Sometimes happens that you can get a spool that is mislabeled, and the only way to tell is by the smell. (ABS smells like burning plastic when it prints, PLA doesn't have a smell.)

I've never printed ABS, but some of the other guys here can take a look at your prints and give you some specific suggestions.

Just a few general ones that might help:

1. Your threads look fine overall but there's a spot there where they didn't stick. Clean the plate really thoroughly with a de-greaser soap followed by vinegar or alcohol. Then refresh the hairspray adhesive all over the plate.

2. It's very hard to print rounded edges on the underside of a print. That's just the nature of 3D printing. If you can re-design the file to have a flat bottom that contacts the plate all around, you will have better results. (Or you can print with Support, but the finish is usually not very nice.) A chamfer is better than rounding, if you absolutely have to have it slope there.

3. Rounded bottom edges make it more likely that the print is going to warp up at corners while the piece is printing (with either ABS or PLA). The bad thing is, warping at the lower edges causes splitting higher up in the print for ABS, so you've got to get that stuck down really well.

4. Remember that if you switch to printing PLA later, you should use some eSun Cleaning Filament to clean the ABS out of the nozzle first.

Other than that....you're in good shape, and you've had your first "Adventure in 3D Printing"!

[morganfree]

Great! Thanks!

1. Your threads look fine overall but there's a spot there where they didn't stick. Clean the plate really thoroughly with a de-greaser soap followed by vinegar or alcohol. Then refresh the hairspray adhesive all over the plate.

I'll do it. Is I use the side of the glass with the polyamide tape, I don't need to use HairSpray and It's just about cleaning it, isn't it? I have a side of the glass with tape. I'm talking of ABS.

2. It's very hard to print rounded edges on the underside of a print. That's just the nature of 3D printing. If you can re-design the file to have a flat bottom that contacts the plate all around, you will have better results. (Or you can print with Support, but the finish is usually not very nice.) A chamfer is better than rounding, if you absolutely have to have it slope there.
3. Rounded bottom edges make it more likely that the print is going to warp up at corners while the piece is printing (with either ABS or PLA). The bad thing is, warping at the lower edges causes splitting higher up in the print for ABS, so you've got to get that stuck down really well

I'll keep that in mind, I saw that rounded edges are not working well and support printings neither...(I'm creating another post to ask about support printings).

4. Remember that if you switch to printing PLA later, you should use some eSun Cleaning Filament to clean the ABS out of the nozzle first.

If I don't have the chance to have this eSun cleaning filament product (since I'm in Brazil), whats would be a good substitute, something more DIY product? Any kind of international shipping delays up to one month or more... I always have to have an option... Today I'm receiving PLA (for real!! hahaha) and another ABS. So I guess i'll have to clean the nozzle in the very next days...

Thanks again!

[Jules]

I'll do it. Is I use the side of the glass with the polyamide tape, I don't need to use HairSpray and It's just about cleaning it, isn't it? I have a side of the glass with tape. I'm talking of ABS.

You can put hairspray right on top of the tape and it will hold better.

If I don't have the chance to have this eSun cleaning filament product (since I'm in Brazil), whats would be a good substitute, something more DIY product? Any kind of international shipping delays up to one month or more... I always have to have an option... Today I'm receiving PLA (for real!! hahaha) and another ABS. So I guess i'll have to clean the nozzle in the very next days...

The Esun cleaning filament can be ordered through Amazon, so try to find it there. I don't know of any other substitutes. But make sure to clean the nozzle, before you try to print the PLA. (In other words, order the eSun filament, but keep printing ABS until you get the cleaning filament in.) Any time you switch from one kind of filament to a different kind, you need to use that cleaning filament first.

You don't have to use the cleaning filament if all you are printing is ABS. Just wait to try the PLA.

[morganfree]

OMG!!! Amazon will delay centuries!!! I´ll try to get it ASAP.

Thanks a lot!