Help needed with getting good print quality

Hi all,

I have been trying out multiple solutions with my printer to get better quality, but I seem to not be able to do it by myself. So now I'm here for some help.

My printer is a modded Anet A8 with a Titan extruder, a brass V6 heater block, a brass T-V6 nozzle and a glass bed, enclosed in an IKEA lack enclosure . I use Cura as my slicer and print with AzureFilm PETG 1.75mm.

I have not printed anything since the start of 2020, but had to print some stuff for a project I'm currently working on. All was printing fine before with the same settings, but now I am getting horrible printing quality (see [https://imgur.com/a/EU0MqnS](https:/...com/a/EU0MqnS)).

Solutions I tried include:

* Drying my current filament
* Using new filament
* Increasing/decreasing print speeds
* Increasing flow rate
* Printing temperatures from 210°C-240°C
* Build plate temperatures from 45°C-85°C

Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? If you need more information, don't be afraid to ask. Thanks in advance!

You said PETG, you should NEVER run PETG below 230C...that alone may have clogged the nozzle. (If you have a real V6 hot end and not a knock off, the PTFE should be good to do this). Try heating to about 255 and forcing 25-50mm through by hand, this *might* knock a clog free. If it is a knock off V6, don't heat past 245. If this fails, open up the hot end to check for clogs. Check the following:
-Are your throat tubes solid or do they utilize PTFE? Is the PTFE melted?
-There can not be a gap between the PTFE (or solid throat tube) and the nozzle...

Thanks for the reply.

I was able to fix the problem. Apparently the e-steps were reset to a previous setting. When I told the extruder to extrude 100mm it only extruded 37.7mm. Recalibrating the e-steps did the job. I must have updated the firmware somewhere after my last print in 2020, which reset that setting.

Regarding the printing temperature, AzureFilm says the following on their website:For good results, you must print at a temperature of 220-230°C, and the printing table should be heated to 80-90°C.

That would definitely make it look like a clogged nozzle... pretty much does the same thing, not as much filament comes out as desired.

As far as the temp goes, I did see that on their website, and I also saw where they posted their product on multiple other websites that it was 220-250. Rule of thumb with PETG... Too cold and you will see the gaps, it won't melt smoothly between layers... Too hot and it will get super stringy when it retracts and leave spider webs everywhere. I found the best results when my fan shroud broke and I quit using my fan to cool... so 0 cooling.

As far as the bed temp goes, you should be good anyway in that range. The bed temp is just there to hold the print on the bed. I see you print in a box (same for me), and with PETG, inside a box I am able to run down to 75 degrees with no issues.

If you give those a shot, your lower screen shot of benchy will be even smoother.

My fan speeds are now running at 50% regular/100% max. I'll give lowering the fan speeds and bed temp a try, as soon as my new filament comes in (I ran out of PETG in the last couple of days).

Thanks, I'll give the article a look!