Nightmare start

[d43d]

So my first start in 3d printing went as expected... horrifically!

RTqTUS9.jpg


It seemed to start ok then everything was on the nozzle and being pulled and pushed around on the nozzle mid air.. I then killed the power and have not turned it back on since..


I bought this printer here.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3511201525...530%26_rdc%3D1
I'm using the black PLA 1.75mm that came with it.


A couple of things that could be issues..


1) I didn't receive filament guide/feed tubes.. so didn't use anything.. Any tips on what to buy? Ebay doesn't appear to come up with anything apart from one source from Hong Kong.. presumably some tubing not unique to the 3d world is what I'm after..
2) Firmware is 7.2
3) I used makerware to load 20mm calibration box. Then changed bed temp to 50 degrees. Nozzle to 210 degrees. Feed rate to 90mm/s.
4) 0.2mm layer.. 50% infill. 2 shell layers
5) Print bed was flat, although perhaps a little too tight to the paper? I could push around but there was resistance..


Am I right in assuming the nozzle is finished now? I've bought another and can swap the left one to the right in the mean time.. would I have damaged anything else too?


Any help greatly appreciated..

[ServiceXp]

I doubt there is anything wrong with the nozzle, you may need to clean it however.

Questions:
1) Was the entire calibration cube moving around with the nozzle (got dislodged from the platform)?
2) When running a 'load filament' command, does the filament come out of the nozzle nice and straight?
3) What kind of build platform prep did you use? (Painters Tape, etc...)

The cube needs to be printed at 100% infill for proper calibration.


EDIT: It also sounds like you may have your platform trammed too close to the nozzle. I don't think it should be scraping the build platform when moving the extruders around.

[ServiceXp]

Oh, and don't let this little bump in the road discourage you. It's problems like this where you learn the most.

[EagleSeven]

Just get the nozzle hot and wipe it clean with a rag.

Try settings of:

"layerHeight": 0.33,
"extruderTemp0": 205,

[d43d]

Thanks for the help..
1) Yes it all had dislodged and was stuck on the nozzle in one piece. So nothing was on the bed as it was moving around.
2) Yes it did do.. not turned it on since as I thought I should get some advice first on what to do next..
3) The red tape that came on the printer.. like painters tape yes..


100%.. ah ok.. will do in future.. thanks again.


Ok.. yes I'll not have the paper grip so tight the next time I align.. I guess I should have erred on the side of caution for the first run anyway.. better to be too far, than too close perhaps..

EDIT: Ah missed your reply EagleSeven.. ok will do that now... Is there any substance I should use? I don't have a lot in the house at the mo but can venture out.. I do have 99% isopropyl alcohol if that's any help...


No worries.. I'll not let it discourage me.. Life would be boring if everything just worked perfectly.. you wouldn't have the fun of learning!




So.. you were me.. what would your next step be? Unscrewing nozzle for a clean? Running the unload sequence?

[EagleSeven]

No, just a Dry cloth should get it off , when it starts to melt.
A little on outside of nozzles does not hurt anything, as long as it's not dripping off

I'm pretty sure the main problem was that the Layer-Height was too Low, if it was at .2
And temp was a little too high for PLA

[d43d]

Yes definitely 0.2mm as I didn't change that from the default in Makerware... I'll up that 0.33mm put the temp down a bit to 205 degrees and give another attempt once clean..
Thanks a lot guys and I'll keep you informed how it goes!

[EagleSeven]

Yes definitely 0.2mm as I didn't change that from the default in Makerware... I'll up that 0.33mm put the temp down a bit to 205 degrees and give another attempt once clean..
Thanks a lot guys and I'll keep you informed how it goes!

Yes, increasing height to .33 will let you know if that is the problem.
Then you can lower it a bit until you are happy with the results.
I've found that differences in nozzles require slightly different layer height and width settings.
(Not all .4mm nozzles are exactly .4mm, as an example)

[ServiceXp]

Thanks for the help..
1) Yes it all had dislodged and was stuck on the nozzle in one piece. So nothing was on the bed as it was moving around.
2) Yes it did do.. not turned it on since as I thought I should get some advice first on what to do next..
3) The red tape that came on the printer.. like painters tape yes..


100%.. ah ok.. will do in future.. thanks again.


Ok.. yes I'll not have the paper grip so tight the next time I align.. I guess I should have erred on the side of caution for the first run anyway.. better to be too far, than too close perhaps..

EDIT: Ah missed your reply EagleSeven.. ok will do that now... Is there any substance I should use? I don't have a lot in the house at the mo but can venture out.. I do have 99% isopropyl alcohol if that's any help...


No worries.. I'll not let it discourage me.. Life would be boring if everything just worked perfectly.. you wouldn't have the fun of learning!




So.. you were me.. what would your next step be? Unscrewing nozzle for a clean? Running the unload sequence?

1,3) That's a problem. So is this Red tape Kapton tape? or some type or red painters tape? Kapton is good stuff; I have no idea about the Red tape. Hopefully someone with experience with Red painters tape can chime in if that's what it is. The blue painters tape is the default tape most use.

2) Run the Load Filament command, and make sure the extruded filament comes out nice and smooth and falls straight down (doesn't curl upward or wiggle a lot when extruding). This will let you know if your nozzle is clogged.

You want the bed trammed close enough to apply a small amount of resistance when moving the paper between the nozzle and the bed.

From there I would try Eagles suggestions.

[d43d]

Well definitely on the right path!

It's cube shaped!


On each layer some of the lines were quite 'lumpy' so to speak.. not sure what would cause this...




I'm not 100% sure what the difference between kapton tape and painters tape is.. This red tape seems a little smoother than the blue painters tape I'm used to.
The print bed is something I've been wondering about.. I am fishting a losing battle with the red tape and should I just upgrade to the recommended setup?


Yes load command runs great.. smooth.. no wiggle..


I wonder if my last print could be a problem of the printer bed being a little too far away? I was probably a little overcautious this time with the aligning..