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Solved Skirt OK but first level full of bubbles

Discussion in 'Troubleshooting' started by ronnieh2, Sep 25, 2021.

  1. ronnieh2

    ronnieh2 New Member

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    "circle_test_for_1_z_level_high" looks great, so the bed is level.
    In the photo, the skirt and outline for the piece look good but the first level of fill is full of bubbles.
    Temp settings are 200C/50C. Filament is TECBEARS PLA. Quality MEDIUM, but changing that made little difference.

    Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
     

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    #1 ronnieh2, Sep 25, 2021
  2. ronnieh2

    ronnieh2 New Member

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    Update:
    Less wrinkles with bed heater off, but still lots of wrinkles.
    I also noticed that the bed shakes (image in the glass surface of the bed) when laying down the wrinkles.
    The bed is stable for the "good" passes.
     
    #2 ronnieh2, Sep 26, 2021
  3. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    have you checked the drive belt/stepper/cogs for bed (y axis)?
    It may be loose or slipping/skipping
     
    #3 mark tomlinson, Oct 1, 2021
  4. ronnieh2

    ronnieh2 New Member

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    Y cog belt looks good, but I tightened it. No change.
    Then, reduced first-layer speed. No change.
    Printed first-layer rectangle at 45 degrees for smooth x/y motion during fill. No change.
    Bed is mirror-clean - no glue or spray.
    First layer is still rough, but skirt remains smooth.

    Subsequent layers seem to print OK, so let's call this "solved".
     

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    #4 ronnieh2, Oct 2, 2021
  5. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    The rough part looks like over extrusion. Make sure that:
    1) Your nozzle diameter is correct in the slicer (if it has been used a good while it may have worn out larger)
    2) Calibrate the extruder.

     
    #5 mark tomlinson, Oct 2, 2021
  6. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    It may be the linear bearings on the rods that support the bed. If you manually (with power off) slide the bed back and forth is it smooth and easy with no squeals or other noises? It should be really easy to move and no "sticky" spots. You can try lubricating the Y rails. If you don't have the small tube of lithium grease that some printers shipped with you can get some at a H/W store. You don't need a lot of it... just a bit smoothed on the rods. The LM8UU bearing are supposed to be self-lubricating, but all good things come to an end :) If you DO lubricate it and it helps you might want to plan to replace the bearings on the Y (there are 4).
     
    #6 mark tomlinson, Oct 2, 2021
  7. ronnieh2

    ronnieh2 New Member

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    Thanks, Mark.
    Belt tightening, rod lubing, and replacing filament with new Hatchbox PLA made small incremental improvements.
    The first layer still wasn't smooth until I nudged nozzle diameter up to an excessive 0.7mm.
    The 0.7 setting resulted in under-extrusion so I set the diameter to 0.5mm for now.

    The first layer is beter now, but still rough.
    A 20mm test cube prints perfectly now, so I'll just close my eyes during printing of first layers.

    SOLVED. Thanks again.
     
    #7 ronnieh2, Oct 7, 2021
  8. mark tomlinson

    mark tomlinson ༼ つ ◕_ ◕ ༽つ
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    If you haven't calibrated the extruder that might be a good idea.
    Also the nozzles DO wear and as they age the diameter of the nozzle gets larger.

    Hardened steel nozzle wear MUCH slower than the brass ones. I'd start by calibrating the extruder :)

     
    #8 mark tomlinson, Oct 7, 2021
  9. ronnieh2

    ronnieh2 New Member

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    Resolved.
    Extruder calibration and oiling on my to-do list.
     
    #9 ronnieh2, Oct 7, 2021
    mark tomlinson likes this.

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