Anyone using 0.35mm or smaller nozzle?

Does anyone use 0.35mm or smaller nozzle?

If you do, what is the maximum layer/extrusion height and width you were able to print without any problem?

I've been trying to print using 0.35mm nozzle at 0.3mm layer height setting, and I kept having "no extrusion" issue. It's not a jamming (I don't think it is) because after a few seconds the extrusion continues... It just keeps happening every now and then, especially with solid layers - maybe it's also happening with infill layer but I just don't realize them.

It's like the extruder "chokes up" a little, cough it out and move on.. There seems to be more amount plastic extruded right after this choke up.

I tried various temperature settings and speeds, and they didn't really matter. Actually, higher speed seems to yield slightly better printing quality and ever so slightly less choking up. So, I set it at pretty good speed - I don't have any problem with that.

So, at last, I tried to reduce the layer height and extrusion width. I just printed the same test piece with this new setting (0.2 mm layer height with 0.4 mm extrusion width), and there were almost no choke up!

That made me wonder this was related to the maximum throughput, like the extruder couldn't simply squeeze out enough plastic out of smaller nozzle to make the required layer height and extrusion width.

If you are using 0.35 mm or smaller nozzle, what are your typical settings on the layer height and extrusion width, and what were the highest values you were able to use?

I use 0.35, 0.30, 0.25; I think I have a 0.15 laying around somewhere.

As a rule of thumb I use a maximum layer height of 80% of the nozzle diameter. Currently using a 0.35mm @ 0.20 mm layer height with good results.

tleneel Wrote:
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> I use 0.35, 0.30, 0.25; I think I have a 0.15
> laying around somewhere.
>
> As a rule of thumb I use a maximum layer height
> of 80% of the nozzle diameter. Currently using a
> 0.35mm @ 0.20 mm layer height with good results.


That's somewhat consistent with my experience so far; I had problems with 0.3 mm layer height with my 0.35 mm nozzle, but having much better luck with 0.2 mm layer height.

What about extrusion width? Do you let Slic3r, or whatever slicing software, decide the extrusion width for you?

I had a posting about this a few weeks back, but one time I checked the extrusion width the Slic3r produced for various layer height. To my surprise, there seemed to be no pattern and I couldn't see how the extrusion width was decided.

.25mm nozzle, .2mm max layer thickness.

Are you using 3 mm filament if so extruder because of nozzle size and the volume of the 3 mm filament moves very little and if your steps per millimeter on the extruder is a little off it will create a tremendous amount of pressure trying to push it through .35 mm nozzle I don't know what your particular firmware is but might have minimum RPM setting for extruder some slicing software like kisslicer has a setting for it I would suggest changing everything to 1.75 filament and especially if you have a direct drive extruder 1.75 filament is much faster melting if you printed fine .5 mm nozzle and you went .35 and it just stops I would assume it's a minimum speed in firmware for extruder because extruder would be turning much less I still would look into changing everything to 1.75 filament

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/18/2013 08:59PM by cnc dick.

That's a good point cnc. I guess I should've included the filament size in my question.

Yes, as a matter of fact I had a hellish time trying to print with 3 mm ABS filament through 0.35 mm nozzle. It just won't pass through.

Interestingly, however, I managed to print with the same 3 mm diameter PLA filament using the same 0.35 mm nozzle. Seems like PLA melts easier so it probably is easier for the extruder to squeeze it through a small nozzle as well.

I'm using Marlin on RAMPS 1.4. For slicing, I am using Sli3r 0.9.10b.



cnc dick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Are you using 3 mm filament if so extruder because
> of nozzle size and the volume of the 3 mm filament
> moves very little and if your steps per millimeter
> on the extruder is a little high it will create a
> tremendous amount of pressure trying to push it
> through .35 mm nozzle I don't know what your
> particular firmware is but might have minimum RPM
> setting for extruder some slicing software like
> kisslicer has a setting for it I would suggest
> changing everything to 1.75 filament and
> especially if you have a direct drive extruder
> 1.75 filament is much faster melting if you
> printed fine .5 mm nozzle and you went .35 and it
> just stops I would assume it's a minimum speed in
> firmware for extruder because extruder would be
> turning much less I still would look into changing
> everything to 1.75 filament

I'm using both 0.5 and 0.35 nozzles,printing both 3mm ABS and PLA without problem on 0.5 nozzle with max hight of 0.4 and on 0.35 nozzle everything under 0.25 mm layer hight is fine

I've printed .3mm layer heights with a .35mm nozzle with absolutely no issue, though I highly prefer the .1mm layer height as I am patient enough for good quality prints. Exclusively PLA. From what I've done, I honestly don't see how .4mm layer height could be a problem, but I haven't tried it yet.. maybe I will try that when my printer is up and running again.