1. Got a question or need help troubleshooting? Post to the troubleshooting forum or Search the forums!

Solved Prints Deformed, Haven't Changed Settings

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by EvilDrReef, Dec 8, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    Hi! I'm hoping maybe someone can give me a push in the right direction. I feel like my problem is very unspecific, and I'm having a hard time finding symptoms that exactly match my problem in visual guides online.

    I've been having a problem with my R1+ lately where several of the prints have been coming out deformed as if they were overheated. This is a pretty recent development, and I haven't changed any settings in MatterControl that would have caused this. I tried dialing the temperature back as low as it would go with my PLA (I hit 190C before I had problems getting it to extrude).

    I also tested several different spools of PLA, including one that was brand new out of the package. Speed doesn't seem to be a factor, because slowing it down didn't help any either. My fan is also going at full speed during the entire print, and I just replaced the fan after this problem started in case that was the issue. Additionally, I cleaned the gear that feeds the filament into the hotend.

    I've attached some pictures of different prints/Benchys that might give a more experienced eye a clue. On the red print, note the striations. That's the first layer. As it was printing, it seemed to have intermittent patches where it didn't extrude, even when I cranked the heat up to 220C. On the yellow print, bubbles formed on the vertical surface, but the weird thing is that these were in regular patterns.

    Hopefully someone can come up with a fix I can try. Here are some pertinent settings:

    Nozzle Temp: 195C
    Bed Temp: 50C
    Filament: PLA
    Layer height: .2mm
    Speed: 60mm/s (But capped so that each layer has to take a minimum of 30 seconds)

    If you can think of any other settings I should check, let me know. Thanks!
    IMG_2334 small.jpg IMG_2340 small.jpg IMG_2341 small.jpg
     
  2. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Looks like your part cooling fan isn’t running
     
  3. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    It's been running, though. I've checked several times throughout the print both visually and by putting my hand near enough to feel the breeze. Could it be misaligned somehow? It looks the same as it always has to me, and when I installed the new one, there were only the two screw holes, so I'm not sure.
     
  4. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    What’s the printing temperature ?
     
  5. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    I traditionally have it at 195C, but the last few weeks of experimentation I've been running it at 190 to see if that'd help. And I've used three different brands of PLA--Hatchbox, Solutech, and one other one that didn't have a label.
     
  6. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Is the fan on the bottom of the printer running at all times ?
     
  7. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    Indeed. Since I got the R1+ back in 2016, I had it so that the fan was off during the first two layers (maybe the default? Not sure), but I have it running constantly now to see if it helps.
     
  8. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Not that fan. Underneath the printer. If your looking at the Robo lettering it’s on the front bottom right corner
     
  9. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    Oh, gotcha! Yep, it's blowing out air down there. I can feel it coming out.
     
  10. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Ok, so beyond that assuming your stock there are two fans left on the machine. One that blows on the hotend- it’s a small 25x25mm fan. It’s called a cold end fan. Then another fan on the bottom of the extruder carriage at the back called part cooling fan. I’d both those are working (please quadruple check) then I’d say your having a temperature reading issue or a mechanical issue in the extruder. Like possibly your tension screws are loose. To me it looks hot, but I’m not there to put eyes on all parts of the machine so we need to check things off one at a time
     
  11. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    The cold end fan runs at all times on my printer, even when it's not heated up. The part cooling fan is definitely blowing air, too. Since you mentioned the tensioning screws, I did actually adjust those about three days ago using this guide. According to the guide, mine were actually too tight. I'm not sure if that helps any, but I appreciate your responses.
     
  12. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Tighten them back up :) I run mine as tight as they can be.
     
  13. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    I tightened them back up and I'll do a quick test print. I should mention, though, that these problems started before I adjusted the screws, so I'm not sure it'll help. But we'll see!
     
  14. Geof

    Geof Volunteer Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2015
    Messages:
    6,757
    Likes Received:
    2,339
    Ok good to know. Next steps would be to check the thermistor and heater screws are both tight, then I’d reset all the connectors. With power off unplug them and plug them back in.

    if that still doesn’t help check your x belt is still tight. If you pluck it like a guitar string it should twang and not thud.
     
    mark tomlinson likes this.
  15. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    Worst case -- calibrate the extruder. It looks a bit like overextrusion going on there which would compound any other problem you are chasing.

     
  16. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    Thanks for the suggestions! I unplugged/replugged everything back in, and while it did somehow help everything to run way quieter than it was before (not sure what happened there, but I like it!), it did not seem to solve my problem.

    I did attempt to calibrate things in that Tom's Guide video, and if I did things correctly, it actually looks like I'm under-extruding. When I had it feed 100mm through, it only sent about 90mm in. I'm not going to be able to tinker with that anymore tonight, but I'll try it again tomorrow and see what happens.

    Also, I was wondering if this could be a symptom that my nozzle needs replaced. I print almost exclusively PLA, but that nozzle is getting pretty long in the tooth. Would a worn nozzle display similar symptoms?
     
  17. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    That can be a subtle problem to "discover" :)
    You might think it would be over extruding, but that depends on the print and slicer settings.
    What it does do is make the slicer miscalculate the filament diameter. I have had 0.4 nozzles wear out to as much as 0.8 and at that size if you don't know or change it, the prints become quite ugly. You can extrude a bit of filament in the air and then measure it with micrometers. If it is close to 0.4 (0.42-0.43) then it is fine (filament expands after leaving the extruder nozzle) if it gets over 10-15% larger then that is not expansion. If it is significantly more you are looking at wear. Brass nozzles do need more frequent replacement, but they are really cheap. In quantity E3D compatible ones can be had for a few dollars each. I prefer the hardened steel (not stainless) since those wear for a really, really long time even with more abrasive filaments (like polycarb or nylons).

    At my busiest with PLA/ABS we were replacing nozzles every 6 weeks (that is a lot of KG of filament being used however) and the hardened steel lasted well over a year so far with no noticeable change. They just are more expensive ($20-30 in general).
     
    #17 mark tomlinson, Dec 10, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2019
  18. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    With a small set of pin gauges you can measure the actual nozzle diameter, but I don't usually bother to get that precise :)
     
    #18 mark tomlinson, Dec 10, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2019
  19. EvilDrReef

    EvilDrReef New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2015
    Messages:
    19
    Likes Received:
    6
    It does seem possible that nozzle wear might be my problem. The filament I extruded is measuring between .5 and .53mm, which I'm guessing means it's fairly worn. I might try one more print to make sure that increasing the flow won't affect anything, but based on what you're saying, it's probably about time I get a new nozzle. I happen to have a hardened steel one waiting in the wings, so I may switch over to that.

    Thank you all so much for your suggestions and advice. I'll report back with my findings as soon as possible!
     
    mark tomlinson likes this.
  20. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2013
    Messages:
    23,912
    Likes Received:
    7,338
    You can adjust the size of the nozzle in your slicer and that will help (given your numbers I'd say it is probably close to a 0.5 now rather than a 0.4). But they will continue to wear (and brass ones are cheap) so a new one is probably the best option.

    Remember to loosen and tighten the nozzle hot :) Once loose you can cool it down to remove it and reinstall it (but snug it in hot*).




    *do not use the patented "Gorilla Grip" to tighten it. Firmly snug is good enough :)
     
    #20 mark tomlinson, Dec 10, 2019
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2019
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page