Pronterface object disappears

I'm having issues trying to print any .stl files that I made myself on Sketchup or Blender. All looks well when I load the gcode on Pronterface but when I go to print, my object disappears and the printer just extrudes filament in the middle. I can download something from thingiverse and print it but anything I've made myself will not. Any help appreciated!

Hi,
I've had this problem with some of my own-made files as well, the solution for me was to simplify the file, for example a simple fillet.

Could you show the things you made and tried to print? Or send the files so I can see what it does here?



Natascha

How about running the STL through Netfabb Basic? It clears up many issues for me, might just work with this problem...

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Yvan

Singularity Machine

On sketchup install the "Solid Inspector" tool. (Google is your friend) It's an official tool, that checks that things are 3D printable.

Run it before you export to STL, and it'll tell you if what you have is "manifold"/solid

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/20/2014 04:22PM by DaveS.

Thanks for the help everyone, I tried every suggestion and I think it may just be too complicated/too many holes. I see about twenty holes. It is a Pokémon Gyarados.

a few things. i downloaded sketch (have not used it in years), and looked at the skp file, the person that is in the image for the perspective is somehow converted to the stl file as a separate structure. you will want to edit it and remove that female character in the skp file.


then the ears or flaps behind the snake head is only 1 triangle deep. this is not a manifold meant for printing. you can use skein forge to process it to gcode, but likely the head will need to have solid surface layers, and be an enclosed manifold. some tricks to do this are copy the image, and replace it with an offset of the stl. this will make the triangle walls thicker, the a repair in netfabb would do the rest.

Well I tried copying and offsetting, tried widening the ears/tail. Tried to fix on netfabb, still won't work. I'm done, thanks for the suggestions though.