Replicator 2 only prints at 0.2 mm

[benr]

Hi, I know there are tons of resources out there, I'm just hoping someone who knows the answer or has an idea can quickly point me in the right direction.

We've had some issues with the thermal tape coming off and resistor wires getting pinched on our print head.

All seems to be working, but when we try to print fine (0.1mm), we get whips and strings and not much else in our prints.

When we try to print rough (0.3mm), layers eventually don't stick together and we get a few layers of unbound strings of filament before complete failure.

0.2 mm works OK, although we tend to get strings of filament when the nozzle moves across a gap and our surface textures on top and bottom seem to be a bit rougher than what they were when the bot was fresh.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[sinful]

Hi,
if the tape got loose from the hot end you can take it completely away. I am printing without thermal tape and its fine.
It depends on what you are trying to print and what settings are you using for that. Can you please provide some pictures with failed print to get better idea of what is happening. I suspect you have some sort of under extrusion where the filament feeding needs to be checked.

Try to load filament as normal and as soon as it comes from the nozzle, try to hold it from above with your two fingers, thumb and pointing finger. can you stop the filament flow?

[benr]

Hi,
if the tape got loose from the hot end you can take it completely away. I am printing without thermal tape and its fine.
It depends on what you are trying to print and what settings are you using for that. Can you please provide some pictures with failed print to get better idea of what is happening. I suspect you have some sort of under extrusion where the filament feeding needs to be checked.

Try to load filament as normal and as soon as it comes from the nozzle, try to hold it from above with your two fingers, thumb and pointing finger. can you stop the filament flow?

Hi,
Thank you for the reply.
When our thermal insulation (tape and ceramic) came off completely (replicator 2), the machine was not able to produce anything. While it was trying to print, the temperature readout would swing wildly and the fans would rev up and down continually. Never got past a few layers before it would have trouble extruding. Upon replacing the tape, the system got much more stable and was able to maintain a near constant temperature.

In my tests I am trying to print a box. The errors happen before we get past the floor of the box.

I have attached a picture of the results of trying to print at 0.3mm. The extruded material seems to not melt enough and does not bond to the previous layer.

I think the guide here can provide better illustrations than I can:
http://support.3dverkstan.se/article...shooting-guide

At 0.1mm I get what they call "Hairy prints" before complete cessation of extrusion.

"Stringing" is common at 0.2 prints but it is not breaking us.

I tried to hold on to the filament to do your test but the pull is very strong. IIRC I usually have to back out a plug when a print fails at 1mm or 3mm.

My settings are the standard makerbot desktop settings. 230 deg C, extruding speed of 90mm/s, travel speed of 150mm/s, 10% infill, 2 shells, and the layer height can be 0.10 mm, 0.20 mm, or 0.30 mm. The other settings do not change when I change between the Low, Standard, and High presets, but as I was saying, only the Standard (0.20mm) setting works.

Thank you!


3mm print result.jpg

[sinful]

From your picture I could tell that something with your cooling or the temperature measuring is not right.
Could you please take another picture of how your complete extruder looks like? It could be that the fans are not blowing correctly, the active cooling nozzle is missing or the front fan is facing the false direction. Please provide me with pictures of your extruder from all angles, I could then say more.