All, I see gaps/voids/holes in my prints. [attachment 17917 CloseUp.JPG]. Strangely, there are more gaps on one side of the print than the opposite side [attachment 17918 Onesidevsother.JPG], and this happens even with some prints laid out 45° off axis. Also happens when 2x of the same model is printed at the same time - the same faces (often more than one) have gaps. Also, the gaps seem to follow a pattern, which makes me think this isn't a filament issue but something with the printer or controls. I have a MendelMax 2.0 and have gone through most of the Reprap wiki calibration page. In the attached "[attachment 17919 Overview.JPG]" image, you can see a really nice 0.5mm cube test. The overhang test failed and I will have to tweak that later. I've tried the following: Increasing extrusion rate using M92 Ennn and M221 Snn (in separate trails) through Pronterface. This doesn't fix the issue - it just overfills the layers. You can somewhat see that the 20mm cube printed with high / extra material at the corners. The waviness of the cube went away after I installed Z carriage isolators. Increasing temperature (this only makes the parts more brittle) Adding a wiper to the filament (cotton scrap ziptied around the filament before the extruder) Isolating the Z carriage (using Ohmeye's isolators). These helped with print quality. Now my gaps are straighter :) I'm printing PLA at 180°C with a 60°C bed using "stock" settings - 30mm/s with 0.300mm layers and have the curved fan duct and spool holder installed. Any tips would be appreciated! https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,237463#msg-237463 Wed, 10 Jun 2026 11:50:47 -0400 Phorum 5.2.23 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,238048#msg-238048 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,238048#msg-238048
Actually I'm afraid to admit that my issue was way less complicated than I made it out to be.

In Slic3r, I had the external parameters setting set to 100, not 100%. The whole part would print at 30mm/s, until it would hit the perimeter where it would try and speed up to 100mm/s. The extruder couldn't keep up and gaps were the result. The printer would speed up for the infill anyway, and I printed almost half of the spool watching the printer speed up and slow down and never made the connection.

This issue drove me insane and I feel like a total idiot for skipping over the settings so quickly. Thanks for the help, I'll be sure to remember the gear teeth in case I see the gaps again.]]> Filip Printing Tue, 20 Aug 2013 21:44:18 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,237797#msg-237797 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,237797#msg-237797
If the teeth are partly clogged (due to too high or too low idler tension) it can slip at the same place, producing a pattern that repeats like that.]]> Nudel Printing Tue, 20 Aug 2013 06:33:23 -0400 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,237463#msg-237463 https://reprap.org/forum/read.php?262,237463,237463#msg-237463
I see gaps/voids/holes in my prints. [attachment 17917 CloseUp.JPG]. Strangely, there are more gaps on one side of the print than the opposite side [attachment 17918 Onesidevsother.JPG], and this happens even with some prints laid out 45° off axis. Also happens when 2x of the same model is printed at the same time - the same faces (often more than one) have gaps. Also, the gaps seem to follow a pattern, which makes me think this isn't a filament issue but something with the printer or controls.

I have a MendelMax 2.0 and have gone through most of the Reprap wiki calibration page. In the attached "[attachment 17919 Overview.JPG]" image, you can see a really nice 0.5mm cube test. The overhang test failed and I will have to tweak that later.

I've tried the following:

1. Increasing extrusion rate using M92 Ennn and M221 Snn (in separate trails) through Pronterface. This doesn't fix the issue - it just overfills the layers. You can somewhat see that the 20mm cube printed with high / extra material at the corners. The waviness of the cube went away after I installed Z carriage isolators.
2. Increasing temperature (this only makes the parts more brittle)
3. Adding a wiper to the filament (cotton scrap ziptied around the filament before the extruder)
4. Isolating the Z carriage (using Ohmeye's isolators). These helped with print quality. Now my gaps are straighter :)

I'm printing PLA at 180°C with a 60°C bed using "stock" settings - 30mm/s with 0.300mm layers and have the curved fan duct and spool holder installed.

Any tips would be appreciated!]]> Filip Printing Sun, 18 Aug 2013 23:25:48 -0400