Bracelet Test Print: Minor Issues Normal?

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Gwhite
Posts: 372
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 3:38 pm

Bracelet Test Print: Minor Issues Normal?

Post by Gwhite » Mon Jul 17, 2017 11:56 pm

I ran my first print last night, using the bracelet file supplied on the SD card. It came out looking fine at first glance, but a close examination showed some "artifacts." I'm not sure if they are normal, or an indication of any issues I should chase down. Here's what I'm seeing:

1) The first layer appears to have spread out a bit on the platform. You can feel a slight burr on the inside & outside of that edge. If you look at the face with "MakerGear" printed on it, it seems to be more pronounced on the right side. I think this may be where it started out, and the filament in the extruder may have been a little extra hot while waiting to begin printing. There are also small sharp burrs on the inside corners where the first layer goes from the end walls of the label section to the polygon.

2) There are small vertical stripes (ripples) in the face of the label surface on the trailing side of all the letters. You can barely feel them, but with the light at the right angle, they are clearly visible.

I am guessing these are all no big deal, and it may that all of the bracelets have these artifacts as a result of slicing details, the capabilities of the printer, or the nature of 3D printing. From what I've read, printing a skirt (for example) might take care of the slight unevenness of the first layer where printing stated, and slight tweaking of the extruder or platform temperature might take care of the burrs. One the bed cooled down, I had no problem popping it loose, and in general, I'm quite pleased. Having assembled it from a kit, I just want to be sure that I haven't got any minor issues that need addressing before I start printing more complex stuff.

Thanks!

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sthone
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Re: Bracelet Test Print: Minor Issues Normal?

Post by sthone » Wed Jul 19, 2017 3:56 am

That's all normal stuff when it comes to 3D printing.

Laying down the first layer is usually gets squished to the platform a little to help with adhesion. If its too much (commonly referred to as Elephant's foot) you can reduce this by raising your z height but this my lead to adhesion problems. Another common trick is to design a slight chamfer into the part where it sits on the bed.

The small vertical stripes is called ghosting... you can minimize it by playing with print speeds and acceleration but it's just one of those things you have to deal with.

There is some many things you'll learn along the way so don't get too frustrated your just starting out. We are here to help but keep in mind 3D printing does have it's limitations.
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