Solved Printing Problems Following Installing LCD XXL

From the pictures, the white filament is a bit hot, but that is because you need to slow it down. Set a minimum time for the layer. Small layers will over heat otherwise. As @Sloan32 mentioned make sure the switches are (a) working and (b) actuating at approximately the same time (they should be close). You can do a paper leveling to make sure that they are close.

 

@Doug Gebhart, you are getting closer, don't get sidetracked by tilting the printer or the LCD. Mine lives on it's side more than on its feet and it really has no effect on the print quality. There are some other issues. It is hard to compare all three since you are using different filament colors and different printers. If you want to tackle these one at a time it will be easier.

Do the steps to calibrate your extruder as outlined in the above linked video, or else you will fight every new type of filament you buy. It is a real time-saver. It also makes sure you are not putting bandaids on big gushing wounds. If you don't start with a level playing field, you will experience countless hours of frustration.

I am going to focus on the black printer, most of the long time users here do not use MatterControl so even all our help will be limited by lack of knowledge of what MatterControl is really doing, but if I am reading post #15 correctly, first off you are printing too hot for PLA. PLA is the type of filament that the general rule is 'extrude at as cold a temperature as you can,' I would suggest lowering the temperature to about 195°C not the 210°C it is currently set at. I can't see extrusion speed listed in the parameters, but typically it is set at 60 mm/sec or 3600 mm/min depending on the software, I would lower the speed for PLA to about 45 mm/sec or 2700 mm/min until you get good consistent prints. You have the filament specified at 1.75mm was that actual measurement or are you accepting the nominal size as defaulted by MatterControl? Measure it and put in the actual value.

One special note, the natural color of most plastics is translucent clear, not solid colors. the colorant used in filaments can have a significant effect on how the plastic extrudes, everything from temperature to speed can be affected. This is a big reason why you should really tackle these one printer at a time.

One last suggestion. look to see if there is a local MakerSpace in your town, go to a group meeting, introduce yourself and then ask for help. Show them the prints and I am sure someone local can also assist.

 

If you are using Slic3r the minimum time is a Slic3r setting not really a Repetier-Host setting. What version of Slic3r are you using? I haven't used Slic3r in a long time, but my settings for speed on PLA were 45 mm/s for perimeters and everything else was a percentage between 80 and 60% of that speed. First layer was at 75% speed. Under cooling it was keep fan always on, 100% speed, disabled for first 2 layers.

But you realize that none of this will matter if your printer does not push out the correct amount of plastic. There is not much more I can do until you calibrate the extruder.

 

http://manual.slic3r.org/expert-mode/cooling

Slowing Down
Slic3r can tell the printer to slow down if the estimated layer time is above a certain threshold.

Care must be taken as the intended effect could be mitigated by the nozzle not moving far enough away from the fresh extrusion, a problem with small, detailed layers. For this reason it is usually recommended to use a fan where possible.

Set the minimum layer time up and the tops will look far better.

 

Alternatively you might could print a bit colder at those layers (not sure Slic3r supports that) -- just a thought.

 

Yes Slic3r allows youto change a few parameters based on the layer you are at, so you could drop temps later in the print. @Doug Gebhart I need to get a few things done right now, but I will try to find my old Slic3r settings that I used. I did a lot of printing with Slic3r in the past, so I am sure the setting files are still on my computer. I also used version 1.2.9. For most people they get overwhelmed by the sheer number of settings you can change within Slic3r, it is not for the faint of heart.

I also bet your eSteps are now closer to 800 instead of the default 723.38

 

The stopped cold extrusion warning is a firmware setting. The Robo sometimes comes with 'silly' settings for things like that*

Slowing it down is easier and your lower layers look fine so just double the minimum layer time until it looks as good at the top as the bottom


*My volcano extrudes PLA as low as 170 with no problems - -the minimum temperature needs to be colder than that on mine.

 

Some slicers handle that setting differently. Some will just slow everything down and others will print the layer at normal speed and then move the nozzle away until the time expires...

Either way it gives the parts fan time to do the deed.

 

I haven't used this profile in a long time, but I recall it working very well with eSUN PLA

This was my goto setting for anything I want to print in draft form, here are the highlights:

Print Settings
.25 layers, 3 perimeters, 4 top and bottom layers, 35% 3D Honeycomb infill, a 5 loop skirt 5 mm away, 45 mm/sec, 75% first layer speed. The widths are messed with to get nice smooth layers, you may need to tweak them yourself.

Filament Settings:
1.73 mm That was my average measuring about 10 feet, every foot over 5 spools of eSUN PLA I had open at the time, 0.97 Extrusion Multiplier so as not to over-extrude on the bottom and top layers, 195°C extruder, 60° Bed, fan on under 60, slow down at 25.

Printer Settings:
Startup GCode

Code:

M82  ;Set extruder to absolute mode
M140 S[first_layer_bed_temperature]
G1 Z30  ;No matter what raise extruder to 30 mm
M109 S[first_layer_temperature]  ;Wait for extruder heating
G28  ;Home all axis
G29  ;Run autolevel routine
G90  ;Set absolute coordinates
G1 X5 Y5 Z10 F3000  ;Extruder to the front and off bed
G92 E0  ;Zero extruder
M117 [input_filename_base]  ;Display filename 

End GCode

Code:

G1 E-10 F300  ;Retract the filament to release some of the pressure
M104 S0  ;Turn off extruder
M140 S0  ;Turn off bed
G1 X10 Y220 F3000  ;Move bed over & forward
M84  ;Disable motors
M117 Done

Notice there is no Z Offset in my startup code, since I am not using the default Robo firmware I set it and store the value in EEPROM so no need to add it to the slicer settings. Please make appropriate changes for your setup.