Solid infill, not really solid

Hey,

I have just realised that my "solid layer" isn't that solid at all!

I have attached a photo of the issue.

Any ides on how to fix this?

Thanks

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First question - have you calibrated your E_Steps?

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First, make sure your E steps is set correctly (Assuming you have the printer calibrated in X, Y, and Z first). Measure your filament, as it may not be the exact size you think it is (Smaller filament means less volume being extruded for the length). Take 3 measurements in different spots and average them. Finally, make sure your hot end size is set properly (This sets the spacing of your infill).

Slic3r is just a terrible slicing software for beginners. All the options leads to tons of confusion. Try starting with Cura for an easy GUI.

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ohioplastics
Slic3r is just a terrible slicing software for beginners. All the options leads to tons of confusion. Try starting with Cura for an easy GUI.

really? slic3r seems to be easier to setup than cura

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It's a matter of preference. I'm a big fan of the "new" Cura, and I'd recommend all new users start there. Configuration is a lot easier with Cura's coherent menu system. Plus, Slic3r updates seem to conflict with each other and I got really frustrated with the raft settings. It never seemed to work right for me.

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thejollygrimreaper

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ohioplastics
Slic3r is just a terrible slicing software for beginners. All the options leads to tons of confusion. Try starting with Cura for an easy GUI.

really? slic3r seems to be easier to setup than cura

What? Slic3r has hundreds of settings (just like the demise of Skeinforge) and really poor defaults if you care about resolution or part fitment. Where as Cura only has a hand full of settings and most of them are great at the default. Further more Cura has very few bugs and good tool paths. I honestly can't believe anyone recommends Slic3r with all of its bugs and issues. I recommend Kisslicer or Cura and I am leaning more towards Cura since Kisslicer looks to be at end of life. After that I would go back to Skeinforge or SFact. I have also been meaning to look at Repsnapper again since it looks to be active and in the Debian/Ubuntu repo's.

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Quote
Sublime

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thejollygrimreaper

Quote
ohioplastics
Slic3r is just a terrible slicing software for beginners. All the options leads to tons of confusion. Try starting with Cura for an easy GUI.

really? slic3r seems to be easier to setup than cura

What? Slic3r has hundreds of settings (just like the demise of Skeinforge) and really poor defaults if you care about resolution or part fitment. Where as Cura only has a hand full of settings and most of them are great at the default. Further more Cura has very few bugs and good tool paths. I honestly can't believe anyone recommends Slic3r with all of its bugs and issues. I recommend Kisslicer or Cura and I am leaning more towards Cura since Kisslicer looks to be at end of life. After that I would go back to Skeinforge or SFact. I have also been meaning to look at Repsnapper again since it looks to be active and in the Debian/Ubuntu repo's.

personally i've always been able to set slic3r up quickly and easily and i've seen quite a few people do it, but the which slicer is better argument is likely to become and old and unending as the 3mm vs 1.75mm argument in the end it comes down the personal preference,

my last two forays in cura land weren't exactly great, the first time all it did was crash when i tried to load a model, and i gave up after that, my second attempt got me gcode that tried to overextrude by several orders or magnitude even though all the settings were correct (estaps/filamentsize) so i haven't been back since,

my slicing activities though demand something that has commandline function because i have a dropbox/communal slicing arrangment where i can drop in a large number of stl files and they get sliced according to which directory they are put in, cura doesn't seem to have this , but i'll look at it in the not to distant future again

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thejollygrimreaper
but the which slicer is better argument is likely to become and old and unending as the 3mm vs 1.75mm argument in the end it comes down the personal preference,

So true.

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my last two forays in cura land weren't exactly great, the first time all it did was crash when i tried to load a model, and i gave up after that, my second attempt got me gcode that tried to overextrude by several orders or magnitude even though all the settings were correct (estaps/filamentsize) so i haven't been back since,

If it was the new Cura then you should try it again. It is a very young software and the first few releases did have bugs as all software does. I have been playing with it lately and I have to say it produces really nice gcode. It still has its issues like how it slices automatically as you change a setting which is great for the average model but sucks for hi-res ones that are hundreds of megs each.

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my slicing activities though demand something that has commandline function because i have a dropbox/communal slicing arrangment where i can drop in a large number of stl files and they get sliced according to which directory they are put in, cura doesn't seem to have this , but i'll look at it in the not to distant future again

You can access the Cura engine directly from the command line if my recollection of the commit history is correct.

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Sublime has it right too... why anybody would recommend Slic3r to anybody is beyond me.
These users recommending Slic3r probably they have not spent the time to really differentiate between the slicers or have lower standards when it come to print quality.
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So here's my little copy and paste rant on using a competent slicer...
Have a quick glance at the Slic3r Forum... [forums.reprap.org]
Nothing more than a extensive bug list that goes on forever and grows with every new release of Slic3r.
I used to read this Slic3r blog daily, then I got a clue... You can't circumvent crappy slicing software by manipulating your slicer profiles, modifying your firmware or blaming your machine.

FYI... NOT sure why anybody is still using Slic3R beyond v7.02b (v7.02b is a great simple and competent slicer).

I sadly laugh when I see people trying to fix problems with this continual problematic slicer >Slic3R v7.02b.
I finally gave up after Slic3R v9.8; recouped my life, and no more wasted time and plastic, and moved forward away from Slic3R.

Also glad to be done with random artifacts/bumps/blobs/warts/overhangs scattered about my prints, yesh... enough is enough !
You can easily spot a user that is using Slic3r by viewing their unwanted identifying extras added to one's print. Typically garbage output from Slic3r.

Every new Slic3R upgrade version has a new set of unresolved problems. I tried EVERY Slic3R version v7.02b - v9.8 extensively and utilized every smart so called fix for the problems... result garbage can full of melted plastic, hundred of frustrating hours endured/wasted, and saw my life passing me by. I'M DONE, DONE, DONE and DONE with Slic3R !!!

I used Skeinforge v41-v50 as my primary slicer for the last 2 years, but it has an internal memory limit which restricts you from printing more than simple trinkets and objects.

Using KISSlicer... I found new capabilities and no limitations... Finally I can do what my intentions were when I bought my printer, to print close tolerance high quality functional engineering prototypes.

Since using KISSlicer over the last year... I can now print very complex and close tolerance engineering prototypes (0.1mm Layer Height @ +- 0.05mm tolerance for all dimensional shapes; except slightly undersized hole I.D.s) all day long everyday using KISSlicer, IMO it is the best slicer solution out there. NO more Slic3r wasting my time and memory limitations using Skeinforge, I have my life back now and time to do other things other than melt plastic in to useless shapes and fill the garbage can.

Note : KISSlicer is seemingly and sadly going defunct it appears, and is no longer maintained by it's creator/owner, but is still the best overall slicer ATM.
Download from here:
www.kisslicer.com

Information here:
- Kisslicer Refugee Camp - Google Groups
[groups.google.com]

_____________________

IMHO I think Slic3r developers, at this time need to put a halt to Slic3r as it is known, take what they have learned and create a ground-up new version, and stop patching/upgrading the garbage. Personally I think they try to fix a bug, and then create 10 more bugs from the bug they fixed. I appreciate their endeavors, but the world does not need another Microsoft Vista.

Stop Chasing Your Tail Around... ditch Slic3r... an Your Problems should be all be history now.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2014 01:49PM by ShawnT98027.

I had this kind of gaps if the nozzle was too high for the first layer - even with well calibrated thin wall object. Once you are missing plastic, you need some layers to compensate it. Have you also gaps at higher level of that part? I use both, Cura and slic3r. Most of my bad print results were user related...

Manu

Hey,

My Z end-stop is a bit temperamental when I move it.

so is there a way in Cura to give it some Z offset?

Thanks

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The Z offset should be adjusted using your endstop. If you can not readjust the endstop you can use gcode commands in the start code. I use gcode in the start code. To use gcode if the nozzle is too far away from the bed you would enter G92 Z0.1 (change the Z0.1 to suit your needs) into the gcode prefix tab at the end after it has homed (usually g28 to home). G92 tells the machine where it currently is. So in the above example it tells the machine the nozzle is 0.1mm away from the bed so when the print actually starts it moves down that amount before starting the print to be at 0. If you want more space not less you move it up with G1 Z0.1 F600 (G1 is a move and the F number is the speed in mm/m) followed by a G92 Z0 to tell it the new position is is actually 0. This method is good because if you ever make changes to the machine you can simply open the gcode file and change the numbers to match the machine instead of re-slicing the model.

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my printers Z home is at its max. which is 60mm.

My original start code is:

G28
G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle

So, to alter the Z offset (to say 0.5 upwards), The start code would be:

G28
G92 Z59.5
G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle

Thanks

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ayouden
my printers Z home is at its max. which is 60mm.

My original start code is:

G28
G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle

So, to alter the Z offset (to say 0.5 upwards), The start code would be:

G28
G92 Z59.5
G1 Z5 F5000 ; lift nozzle

Thanks

Exactly.

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FFF Settings Calculator	Gcode post processors	Geometric Object Deposition Tool Blog
Tantillus.org	Mini Printable Lathe	How NOT to install a Pololu driver