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Printing issues ...
Im betting Baron got it right with the "hot end not heating". You can't extrude unless the hot end is above a pre-set temperature - limited in firmware - and that temperature is sufficient to melt your material.
Don't know what material you are using but for PLA I believe you need about 160C and for ABS over 210.
A picture of the machine is always good.
Is this a direct drive extruder or Bowden?
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Have you looked at the heating profile in the host software?
Wrong thermistor selected?
Wrong max temp limit set?
Bed and hot end thermistors on wrong connections?
Thermistor damaged or not seating correctly in your new hot end?
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Z steps are in there. Note:- doesn't look like you set a z offset for the first layer.
Pictures of the machine would be useful.
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Is this right? It prints the 1st layer.
Prints the 2nd layer periphery OK.
Prints the 2nd layer infill from the long diagonal to the corner OK.
Then it either prints a circle or drops the hotend and does a move or a bit of both.
Just thinking:-
2nd layer has a different speed setting. The proper action would be a move to the long diagonal to complete the infill, possibly with a lift.
Check setti
by
MCcarman
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Printing
We all make mistakes. Some times their to simple for us to see.
Congratulations on fixing it yourself.
by
MCcarman
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General
To try and be clearer, using RGN01s picture.
If the X guide rods went straight through the Z carriage then his springs will push the Z carriage to the right and it could move on the rods. The belt tension will pull the other z carriage to the left. you probably get bowed "vertical" sides.
If the X guide rods finish in the Z carriage and the motor is mounted on separate rods the Z carriage can't s
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Be careful with what you are adjusting. A 0.4nozle extruding at 0.77 shows way over extrusion. You don't directly fix that with extrusion width.
Those familiar with the software need to step in here because I am still confused by the extrusion width.
Check the filament size, extruder calibration and any extrusion multiplier settings first.
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Make sure that the Z slide is locked to the X rails firmly. If not the tension in the belt will try and pull the Z guides together.
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
If its reading zero then its not reporting the correct temperature. As opposed to reading ambient temperature.
Check all the wiring to the thermistor.
Take the thermistor wires from the hot end and put them in the bed thermistor connector on the control board. If it reads a sensible number then the board is OK.
Measure the resistance across the bed thermistor wires.
Let us know what you find.
Nex
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
What is your nozzle size and have you set an extrusion width?
Just thinking that if you over extrude on a curved profile, dependant on how the software calculates it, the problem is larger on the inside than on the outside.
You could run a 20mm test cube and see if the dimension is the same as the round object.
If you get an issue with holes that have a X or Y axis then this would still be relev
by
MCcarman
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Printing
OP:- If I wait long enough the hot end will come all the way back to room temperature
Does the hot end actually drop to room temp or just the reported temp? Assumed answer is that the temperature drops or you wouldn't have extruder issues.
Seems very much like something is loose and the movement of the carriage is making it worse.
Since its the temperature that is dropping I would suspect its th
by
MCcarman
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General
Im not an expert with PLA but I don't think it needs a heated bed. Might be worth leaving it off so it doesn't affect your glue.
Your retraction settings are reasonable for a Bowden tube extruder. If you extruder is a direct type then set retraction to about 1mm? Be careful of having too much retraction as it can cause clogging.
A bit more info would be useful - and pictures. What temperatures ar
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Picture of the hot end may be useful so we can look for mechanical issues.
A picture of the heating curve may also give some clues.
Check the thermistor or the heater cartridge hasn't come loose.
Consider where air from the cooling fan is going - have you changed anything on the hot end recently?
by
MCcarman
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Printing
I have no experience of the software design but I suspect your problem may be related to your extrusion width. I would set it to auto as a start. I left mine at auto when I first got a printer and haven't changed it since. however there are many on this board that suggest setting it manually.
For a 0.4 nozzle the "natural" width is about 0.48. Depending how the Slicer applies your specified width
by
MCcarman
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Slic3r
Code looks OK.
Settings:-
There is no Z offset set. this should be the distance between the bed and the nozzle tip when homed. If levelling the bed with paper this would be the paper thickness. If memory serves it is a negative value.
Your Infill overlap is set at 15%. normal is zero and this is only used if you have issues.
Looks like the cooling fan is coming on for the last layer but this is n
by
MCcarman
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Printing
There are other methods but the simplest way to look at the Gcode is to. Hang on better go back a step.
After you have sliced your model and generated the Gcode save the file.
Then if using windows open notebook, (Start menu > programs >Accessories). In notebook select open file, then browse to the Gcode file, (change the view to all files or it wont be visible).
The Gcode file is just tex
by
MCcarman
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Printing
A couple of things that may help.
1. print more than one part at a time. For small layer areas the time to complete the layer is relatively short and the filament doesn't have enough time to cool before it is disturbed by the next layer (or adjacent filament in the case of peripheries). So printing more parts (or putting pauses in the code) gives more time for the filament to cool.
2. Increase th
by
MCcarman
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Printing
OK, sorry I miss interpreted your question.
Your proposal should work. Note o_Lampe's point. Looks like plenty of clearance between the carriages at the end of the rails and the Z motor couplings.
Usually a good idea to clamp the wiring to the carriage (Pclip, tywrap etc) as the continuous flexing of the joints can cause failure. Might be possible to use one of the top bearing screws.
While you h
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Photo required so we can see how much the shift is.
Are you printing from SD or via USB?
Is anything changing at this time? Cooling fans, infill, part shape.
If its happening on different layers its unlikely to be Gcode. May be a similar time after print start so could be related to temperature on the driver, sleep mode on the laptop etc.
Loose drive gear on the stepper?
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Just to close the original issue.
I note that in the last photo you have removed the insulation from the heater block. This will have improved the cooling on the heat break tube and may be why there is less blocking.
Of course the down side is that heat loss from the hot end is increased so it may take longer to get up to temperature, probably reduces the max temperature you can get to and may be
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Good practise is that wires attached to moving parts should be mechanically supported. So all the wires to the bed should be attached to the bed or carriage. Pclips or tyraps can be used. Often the suppliers don't provide a fixing point (hole) so you have to use your initiative. You also have to remember the hot bed can melt some plastics hence I mention attaching to the carriage.
You should do t
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Yes its there to allow air to cool the heat break.
The heat break (threaded tube) has a small diameter so there is a very small cross section for the heat to pass through. And its long enough to allow the air to cool it before the remaining heat soaks into the extruder area. The heat sink at the extruder is also cooling the motor.
If you look at an E3D hot end it has fins on the heat break to ai
by
MCcarman
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Prusa i3 and variants
Well done. Happy printing.
by
MCcarman
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Printing
Historically people have often delved into if you have the right PTFE tube in the extruder. I don't use PLA but I believe others have printed with lower temperatures - as low as 180. Might be worth a try.
by
MCcarman
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Printing
I support lowering the throat tube but will say 3mm as there is no clear threads at present.
Also check your retraction setting is small such as 1mm as you have a direct extruder. Obviously this depends if you have it turned on or not.
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MCcarman
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Printing
Looks like some temperature issues. What material? what temperatures and cooling settings are you using? Did you redo the PID settings?
I don't like the spool feed into the extruder but I am not sure why. Can you put the spool lower down and make sure the PTFE tube doesn't touch the spool. That's to ensure there is a straight entry to the extruder and no chance of the spool jamming.
One of you c
by
MCcarman
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Printing
There should be a gap between the hot end and the extruder. I am sure there is but the picture doesn't show it. If not you could just be loosing temperature when it starts moving.
by
MCcarman
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Printing
The bed voltage is usually printed on it. If its capable of being configured for 12v or 24v this is done by soldering the wires to the appropriate pads at the edge of the board. This is also marked on the bed. Just do a search for "3d heated bed 24v" and you should get a load of images.
by
MCcarman
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Printing