exxos blog - random goings on

[exxos]

Have noticed some very slight vertical banding. Though it only seems to be towards the left-hand side of the object. Not really sure which Axis is causing the problem ? Have tried reducing speed and motor power but nothing really seems to help. I can only think it is the Y-axis somehow.

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It is not really that noticeable unless you catch the angle of the light just right. It is pretty strange because it is like one of those old holographic things where it has two images and depending on the light depends which image you get.. This thing is screwing with my head!

Also odd is the left-hand side towards the back also has a similar sort of problem where it oscillates towards the back.

EDIT:

Seems slowing the Y-axis down reduces the problem a lot. So experimenting with the jerk settings next.

EDIT2:

Jerk settings don't seem to do anything Though on the printer it seems to keep defaulting back to zero

I've reduced the Y-speed down to 200 again and repeating those tests..

EDIT3:

Now the printer said heating failed and died

[exxos]

Slowing y-axis down improved things no end. But I think its inherently slowing x-axis down as well

Anyways, the random start point if lines while does get rid of the z-seam, I'm still getting small gaps in the lines. Extra start or end pla doesn't seem to change anything. Well aside from the bottom layer. So wondering if its a bug in the slicer even so the extra blob doesn't go where the start end end of the lines are. It's like extrusion starts, then misses 1mm then continues fine the rest of the line. Its pretty odd

[coonsgm]

One thing to check is the rigidity and "solidness" of the surface the printer is placed on. I've had issues in the past where the vibration of the printer was magnified due to movement of the table where I had stationed my printer. I've since moved to a heavier location and most of that banding has gone away.

[exxos]

One thing to check is the rigidity and "solidness" of the surface the printer is placed on. I've had issues in the past where the vibration of the printer was magnified due to movement of the table where I had stationed my printer. I've since moved to a heavier location and most of that banding has gone away.

It could be part of the problem as well yes.

[stephen_usher]

Do you ever get decent prints out of this machine? It seems to have never ending problems, unless it's just that we hear when it's broken again.

[exxos]

Do you ever get decent prints out of this machine? It seems to have never ending problems, unless it's just that we hear when it's broken again.

Yeah on like day 1. It's not until you start using the thing you realise how many problems there are. If I were just to print out any old 3D crap on the internet, it would probably do it extremely well. But I am on the for maximum precision which slightest thing "wrong" causes a huge problem. The first benchy I did looked really good. Despite the Z-axis starting point being basically random and the whole bed assembly was loose. When I started printing more accurate prints, you rapidly start to see the problems.

But things escalate quickly because I realise the downfalls of a lot of 3-D printer technology now. I certainly would never go with any printer which does not have linear rails anymore. I would favour optocouplers for the Z-axis as minimum. While dual Z-motors is good, they have to be synchronised correctly. Otherwise as I found, I can spend endless hours calibrating everything only to go back to it in the morning and have to do it all over again. I would certainly avoid this style of printer like the plague in the future.

Overall I have had more problems with this style of printer than my flash forge in general. The flashforge printer would have been a really good printer if they had actually used more generic circuitry inside the thing.. Oh and use the correct size gears in the head assembly!

The problem I have currently is gaps in the Z-seam. Though reading around the Internet this seems to be a common problem with no solution word on the street it is when the head assembly moves vertically it leaves a gap.. But there are options to extend and advance the filament but none of them really seem to do anything. My current test is to slow the Z-axis down as much as possible, with the thought that they small blob will use out of the head while it is more stationary to "fill up" this gap. Ironically I had the reverse of this problem on the flash forge

[coonsgm]

Just took a closer look at your printer as well. Another point is to look at using a "bowden" style extruder. When you have a relatively heavy motor connected to the moving print head its inertia also adds to the noise in the print versus just having the heater, nozzle, and fan.

Having been 3D printing for about 10 years now and running 4 different printers over that time, I've found that linear rails, a single z-axis motor, and bowden extruder are best for accuracy and most printing situations. Other structures work better / worse in different situations, but my Ender 3 beats out my Makerbot pro, Wanhao I3, and Printrbot while being the least expensive by far of the bunch.

[exxos]

This is the problem I have currently. The rough lines are down to random Z-seams. But it seems to under extrude causing the craziness.

Though previously it was not anywhere near this bad. But I think the printer filament I'm using is old stuff and not very good to start with. Things only got a lot worse after I changed the old spool for this black stuff.

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I am currently printing a second square with " optimised" start points. So the Z-seam will be vertically as it was before.

[derkom]

Are you keeping your filament in a drybox of any kind? Some of your latest problem prints look like possibly wet filament. Do you hear any crackling/popping noises when printing?

[exxos]

Are you keeping your filament in a drybox of any kind? Some of your latest problem prints look like possibly wet filament. Do you hear any crackling/popping noises when printing?

I think this stuff came with the i3 like 8 years ago.. It is just bin lay my workshop the entire time. I do have some new stuff but it does not fit the spool holder on the printer I guess I will have to try and hacksaw the centre out of it so it will fit and I can use the stuff.

I don't really hear anything odd with it. But it definitely is not printing well.So I am not expecting immaculate results with it as I am still experimenting with settings currently.