New here Anet-8 question

Hello i am a newbie here and to 3d printing, i just bought a Anet-8 off amazon for 135, i know its not the top of the line but i just wanted something to get my feet wet in this world. I printed my first project which was a baby goot flower pot came out pretty nice, but it was only 4 inches tall. i have been unsuccessful since. i notice when my printer starts the pla is ok at first then starts piling up in certain spots and then just comes off. is there anything i can do to fix it or itll get better as print goes on? any help i would appreciate it thanks in advice. - Raymond

There is a perfect height that the nozzle must be at in order for the PLA to stick to the bed this is where the nozzle should be.
I found that if you print with a material that is less forgiving about layer height it is best.

You may note that a lot of 3D Printer users print on blue tape while I chose to print on Vinyl Transfer Paper Tape, Why you may ask.
Because I have a Vinyl Cutter and have lots of Vinyl Transfer Tape mostly it covers the entire bed in one pass...

You are not the first or will you be the last to have this very simply though sometimes hard to learn adjustment.
Shown below is an image of using Tape in lieu of another type of printing surface.

Attachment 15447

It took me a long time to get the nozzle height correct and found two changes that helped me the most.
1. Printing on Blue tape or in my case Vinyl Transfer Paper Tape.
2. I 3D Printed a z-axis spring loaded proximity sensor holder.
3. Enabling the function baby stepping also allows me to quickly see if the layer height is correct and do fine tuning while 3D Printing a 2 line Skirt.

Attachment 15448

I also changed my Proximity sensor for a lower profile sensor shown in the image above.
The sensor has a thumb screw nut for easy adjustment of the proximity sensor height.

basically it sounds like the nozzle is too close to the printbed.
so calibrate it.
Use a sheet of decent printer paper (90gsm is ideal) and have it so that the paper slides between the bed and the nozzle and just catches.
So you can feel a little friction but it mustn't be tight.

I would also recommend replacing the levelling knobs with knobs that have a nylock locking nut embedded. That way - once levelled - it will STAY levelled.

the a8 is actually a full Prusa design i3. so with a few modifications can be a really nice machine.

Ok thank you very much i will give blue tape a try. I know i need to adjust the height i did the paper trick from a video i found on youtube but didnt know about the tape. thanks again.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by curious aardvark

basically it sounds like the nozzle is too close to the printbed.
so calibrate it.
Use a sheet of decent printer paper (90gsm is ideal) and have it so that the paper slides between the bed and the nozzle and just catches.
So you can feel a little friction but it mustn't be tight.

I would also recommend replacing the levelling knobs with knobs that have a nylock locking nut embedded. That way - once levelled - it will STAY levelled.

the a8 is actually a full Prusa design i3. so with a few modifications can be a really nice machine.

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Yeah i did the paper trick from a video i found on youtube, it did ok on my first print but been messing up since but as the other gentleman before you metion about blue tape i will give that a try . and as far as the knobs that sound like a good idea i will probably try. Thanks for the help!! this is all new to me but overtime i know i will get the hang of it. What programs do you use? i got the standard that came with my machine but i am trying to print letters and cant seem to figure what program people use to make letters and words.

I use openscad. fpr all my design work - but it can take a little getting used to.
http://www.openscad.org/

A good first 3d design program is tinkercad - that's also very good for text :-)
https://www.tinkercad.com/

Blue tape is okay - but has anumber of issues. Not least of which is removing it from the bottom of your prints.
By blue tape we generally mean blue painters masking tape - buy the good stuff not the cheap dollarstore crap.
The biggest problem with it is the prints tend to stick too much.

The vinyl tarnsfer tape has been championed by a number of forum members over the years - so if you've got it - definitely try it.

A much better and permament solution is to get a sheet of self adhesive PEI. cost you about £8 off ebay and generally solves all print adhesion issues.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEI-Sheet...kAAOSweF1eBGIk

Always buy larger than your bed and cut to size - I used tin snips but decent kitchen scissors should do it just as easily.

I've got two designs for the 3mm locking nuts I'll upload when I'm back in my workshop.
With both you just press the locking nuts into the socket with pliers.
Otherwise the nuts do move and calibration remains a constant PITA.

As fara s slicers go - th best free one around is prusa slicer: https://www.prusa3d.com/prusaslicer/
set it up as 'other' printer and just tell it the bed size.
I suppose you could try telling it you've got an early prusa i3.
might be worth a try :-)

But it's veru good, easy to use (certainly compared to cura) and does give excellent results.

If you've got $150 to spare - then simlify3d is also excellent. But for the vast majority of people prusaslicer is all you need.

ok thank you lot of good info. i will try tinlkercad and prusa silcer, and the vinyl tape. i have something kind of like that contact paper which i use to cut things out with my scroll saw. I do alot i of 3d wood signs. kind of wanted to add 3d printer into it as well. combine the two. ill have to mess around with these programs and im sure youtube could help as well. thanks again for the advice !!

yeah no end of youtube howto's for tinkercad.

You got a laser cutter yet ?
damn sight quicker than a scroll saw.
more problematic with the cjeap machines like my k40.
But if you want to cut acrylic - way way better than a scrollsaw :-)

I have cut through 7mm solid oak, and 6mm acrylic is a breeze.
Plywood or mdf can be an issue with a laser as they use fire retardant glue and a laser is essentially concentrated fire.
But like all these tools - once you've got the hang of it - really useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60xfIu-lqAs

it's a start :-)