warp issues

OK I'm making steady improvements but I can use some help.

• I'm using PLA since this was recommended to start with.
• I have no sticking issues at all, don't need hairspray. I can print directly on the glass which I put at 50˚C or blue tape and no bed heating in that case. I like directly on glass better as the prints are easier to remove (after it cools).
• I put the PLA out at 190 first layer, 180 others. Only slight variations to this mess up the print. Too cold and the extrusion is too slow, leaving gaps. Too hot and it stays too stringy too long creating a messy blob. Using the fan helps.

The problem so far is warp, mostly in the X axis, but a little in Y as well. So I figured the belt was loose and I printed a belt tightener (see image). Didn't seem to make much difference.
Image 1A and 1B shows not only a shift between layers but also a scale issue so I figured it must be more than just the belts being loose.

• What I *think* is the case is that during infills the X and Y move rapidly and this causes shifting.
• I reduced all the speeds to 30mm/s and this seems to help but there is still a warp albeit less. See image 2 and 3. (I was actually able to print a couple of #2 and they were good enough to be used for the Z level adjustment mod.)

What should I do to improve this?

 

Your belts look loose still. Otherwise your bed is shaking a ton.

If I were you I'd modify your x belt to the style they describe in the install videos. It requires 3-4 small zip ties though so if you have those you can go ahead and do it. Warning though, it requires cutting your belt a bit, though you won't have an issue really.



start this around 10 minutes to watch how they did it:

 

Yeah the Y was kinda tricky, Just remember to mark it before removing it otherwise it takes even longer >_<

 

Although it looked like the belt was tight, I tightened it some more. Also using an Allen wrench I tightened the nut holding the gear on the motor axis. I turned out it was a tiny bit loose.
Did a test print and the results are very good!

 

Also a good thing to verify the set screws on the pulley align to the flat spots on the drive shaft. That should have been caught in QA but always a good thing to verify. Even if your pulley set screws are super tight it can still slip if not on the flat spot.

 

Thanks, it's on the flat spot now nice and tight.

Printed the 15mm test cube with 10% infill and it came out perfect (I think). 2 questions about it:

• All sides measure 15.28 mm (as far as I can tell). So not 15.00. Is this because of the filament width? My layer height is set to 0.3 mm (close to the 0.28). So basically when it puts down the outer perimeters 15mm apart it lays down a 'tube' of 0.3mm, so on each side it 'sticks out' the radius of the tube: 0.15mm. Is this a correct assumption?
• The top and bottom have sharp edges but the sides are a bit rounded. Is this expected?

 

15.28 is pretty good. Mine measured 15.2 as well and I think you're correct in assuming it's because of the filament width. You can try and fine tune this down but I didn't feel like bothering personally.

Corners will be rounded due to the G code. I try and add a fillet to any hard corner to give it a more predictable result on edges.