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Unresolved Prints have warped bottom (bed side).

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by joea, Aug 31, 2021.

  1. joea

    joea Active Member

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    Warped, I guess, or "shrunken" on one side. I've tried using a "brim", but not a raft. In the two pictures attached, you can see what I am referring to. The orientation of the print on the print bed is as you see it, facing the printer from the front.

    Filament is PETG, freshly dried, but a previous print of a slightly larger version of this item in PLA undried, displayed the same oddness.

    This "shrink" only seems to affect, as far as I can measure, the first 10 or 15mm, so I tend to exclude it being an extrusion related issue, at least directly.

    I thought it might have to do with uneven bed heating, based on some stuff I read about distorted prints. I may try with an unheated bed, just for a test.
     

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  2. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Well you have the right idea because warped/bowed prints on the bed are usually a sign of a heat problem, but ... not always too little heat :)

    It could be too little heat or (quite often) it can be too much heat.

    Warping/curling of filament is caused by heat or sometimes it is the filament. Could be filament behaving poorly.

    So yes -- try it with no heat and if you need something to assist in adhesion to the bed then try a bit of heat (not a lot) or one of the products that help with adhesion. Common ones are glue stick, hairspray or there are actual products you use to coat the bed that are specifically designed to help the print stick (but they cost a bit more than glue stick or hairspray)
     
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    If I print too hot the heat will not let the material cool in an orderly fashion and that can make just about any material warp a bit.
     
  4. joea

    joea Active Member

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    Meaning the bed too hot, or the filament?
     
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Yes :)

    That is either might help, although I'd start by ramping down the bed heat.

    You really should experiment with hotend temperatures as well -- test prints to find the sweet spot. None of my R1 units prints PLA hotter than 195c (and one actually works best at just over 180c). I do have a delta that ain't happy unless it is Colorfabb filament at nearly 220c -- Just not a Robo. ;)
     
  6. joea

    joea Active Member

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    OK.

    You get good results at those low temps? Since going to the hardened steel nozzle I've been running bit hotter than that advertised for the filament, based on some reading on that matter. I was bothered by some increased stringing, but that resolved, it seemed, by drying the filament. BTW, I got a food dehydrator via Amazon that can hold two 8" spools at a time, timer and thermostat built in. Cheaper than some systems anyway. Now, if only the vacuum bags were a bit bigger and actually held a strong vacuum . . .

    I'll experiment with lower temps once I get some of that werewolf spit you mentioned.
     
  7. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    Yes, the one printer I have using an E3D volcano runs in the low 180's but that has a much large heater core and melt zone and is designed for being able to print high volume of material (the nozzle are larger than 1mm -- one I use is 1.3mm) at high rates of print speed. Unlike a smaller melt zone hotend where moving too much plastic too fast can exhaust the melt zone and you get gaps in the print.

    LOL, yea just be cautious that it does not stick too well or you will end up putting the bed in the freezer to shock it loose :)
     
  8. joea

    joea Active Member

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    So being scared off, by the price and threats of permanent adhesion, I opted to give Aquanet a try. However, I find after a light spray and dry, there is zero tackiness. Is that normal?

    But, first few brim circles, so far, seem to be adhering just fine.
     
  9. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The tackiness of the hairspray is heat activated. This is why if you put the plate in a fridge or freezer the print will pop off of the hairspray. You can also speed up loosening it with a bit of alcohol :) Or you may find that it is still fairly easy to remove. You DO NOT want to get too aggressive with bed adhesion because borosilicate glass ... chips. It doesn't fracture/shatter as easy but it will chip and that is not cool... you can always put a plate of float glass (like window pane glass from HomeDepot or Lowes) on top if the bed if needed.
     

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