What is my speed limit?
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Measure the resistance of your heater cartridge and calculate the real wattage. My last genuine e3d hotend kit, came with a claimed 30w heater which had a resistance of 6.2ohms, I run it at 12v thats 23W of heating power. I have another no-name cartridge which I am using instead which outputs 40w (3.6ohms). That is going to make a difference to how fast you can melt filament.
The other consideration is keeping heat in the heater block, a silicone cover helps. Also thermal transfer to the nozzle from the block, can be improved by putting copper grease on the heater cartridge and nozzle threads (also helps immensely when getting the nozzle out again) but NOT on the heatbreak threads, as you want heat not to rise into the heatsink and away from the filament/block. E3D make a plated copper v6 heater block for around £20, I haven't tried it but it must be of some help.
Are you getting high enough measured temperatures in the heater block, sometimes printing PLA at 190 (when the heater block is only actually at 180 deg C) is not going to enable faster printing. If you haven't got anything that can measure the actual temp, try setting the requested temperature to 30-35 deg C above the point at which you first start to see ooze flowing out when heating.
I can print at 90-100mm/s with a genuine e3d v6 and an actual 40w heater.
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Thank you Dj,
I didn't even consider the wattage of the heat cartridge. I will check that tonight.
I have a ton of the E3D "Block Socks", and I have experienced how well they work at keeping the heat in but I wish they would redesign them a little. After a couple of prints, mine start to sag a bit, and plastic accumulates between it and the block and when it comes time to change a nozzle, it's just a biggo mess!
So with this new machine I have opted not to use them because I haven't noticed the temp fluctuating at all. It stays rock solid even when the fan kicks on. I will install one on the block and see if it helps.I have suspected the accuracy of my temp readings may be off but I am not 100% sure. It matches the room temp perfectly before I apply heat. I have an IR heat gun but I can't seem to get an accurate measurement. I think because the block is too small.
So one can print at 100mm/s with these components. Thank you for that.
I am going test the wattage, install the sock, and figure out how to get a reliable temp reading from the hotend so I can put any doubt to rest that it is not hot enough when printing.Thank you sir!
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E3D has a new version of the sock, which looks better: http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/V6-Sock-Kit-3-Pack
Ordered some of them to try. But yeah, had the same problem as you with the old version. -
If the temperature reading is rock solid even when printing at 100mm/sec, then a higher wattage heater cartridge won't help.
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What dc42 said is correct. Also note the limitation on a hotend is not linear speed, but volumetric rate. 60mm/sec at 0.8mm wide 0.5mm high layers is harder for a hotend than 0.4mm wide 0.2mm high layers at 100mm/sec.
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Thanks guys.
I will just be happy with what I have. I always thought I could print faster on my old Prusa clone if I could just get the frame tighter. I always worried it was going to detonate if I pushed it above 60mm/s, so I thought that was the only limitation.
I built the new machine that was more structurally sound with delusions of doubling my print speed, not knowing that I would've run into this same problem with the clone if I could've gotten it any faster.
SO compared to what I have been used to, 60mm/s is quite an improvement.I have read about the Volcano hotend and I think it was meant for other things that what I would print.
I like high resolution and fine finishes. And my V6 gives me that.So with this knowledge, I'll just concentrate on other things and see where I can squeeze a bit more quality out of it from here and there.
As always, thank you all for the help.
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Er, sorry but I couldn't resist the temptation to jump in here https://somei3deas.wordpress.com/2017/06/22/exploration-of-print-speeds-with-a-diamond-hot-end/ and https://somei3deas.wordpress.com/2017/06/25/duet-pressure-advance-experiments/
@Scottbg1 are you using a print cooling fan? That can screw things up especially if air is being blown directly at the nozzle.
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The e3d socks are one of two designs one which leaves most of the nozzle protruding, these work, the nozzle gets gunked up but the heater block stay shiny. And the type with just the nozzle tip poking out, these don't work, nice idea but filament find its way in between the nozzle and and the sock.
Volcano can print slow and accurate or fast but not as quick with large nozzles as you might expect, you lose a little z height but gain IMO a better heat exchanger to heat your filament.
Used with aero extruder and the z height issue is taken care of.
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That was one of the first things I did was play with my cooling fan. I have it down to 10%.
Completely off and the print begins to fail.Those are interesting reads and coincidentally I just discovered pressure advance last night.
I enabled it in config.g but didn't get a chance to test it because it was getting late. I plan to play around with it tonight. Thank you for the info!
The second article definitely gave me insight on what to look for!I meant to mention this to you in my last post, but I had modified the last sock I used by cutting the nozzle hole to a larger diameter and it seemed to work great. I hadn't tried it in this printer yet because I didn't think I needed it.
I only used them on my old clone because of temperature fluctuation but it's rock solid without it on this printer.I want to visit the volcano since I have a block and nozzles in my parts bin. But I'll have to make a new carriage since I just modified it to carry the IR sensor I mentioned earlier. Adding the height of the volcano will make the sensor useless, the way I have it mounted.
I really want to see what benefits pressure advance brings.
Thank you all so much!
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E3D has a new version of the sock, which looks better: http://e3d-online.com/E3D-v6/Spares/V6-Sock-Kit-3-Pack
Ordered some of them to try. But yeah, had the same problem as you with the old version.I'm also stuck at 60mm/s (0.2LH with 0.4 nozzle, with bowden), beyond, my extruder is skipping. I can go faster but only at 0.1LH
Socks help when you've got cooling fan for PLA, but no so much, after its the limit of the E3D heatblock. When you've got a rigid frame and an high speed printer, volcano will do the trick, seen it on my friend's printer. 0.4 nozzle are available too for volcano so you'll keep your resolution (currently waiting for mine). Large nozzle and large heat block will let you print quicker.
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It's all about how fast you can melt filament in terms of mm^3/sec so a large nozzle with a greater area will actually reduce the maximum possible print speed.
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Head speed is lower as you said, but you can max the melt rate of the volcano block and lay down more filament per unit time, with a large nozzle rather a 0.4mm. Plus big parts printed with big extrusion lines are stronger.
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You just upped my interest in the Volcano. I didn't look hard for other nozzles. I only saw what they offered in the kit that they sell. And I believe that .05 is the smallest they offer in that. If they offer a .04 I will order one right now.
Please let me know how yours turns out. -
You just upped my interest in the Volcano. I didn't look hard for other nozzles. I only saw what they offered in the kit that they sell. And I believe that .05 is the smallest they offer in that. If they offer a .04 I will order one right now.
Please let me know how yours turns out.I've asked E3D because their descriptions pages are always outdated. The starter pack comes with a 0.8 and the eruption pack comes with the all set from 0.6, the 0.4 is an optional nozzle out of any pack.
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You can get a clone nozzle in almost any size.
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Personally I would pair the second sock that nozzle is protruding with a copper heat block and copper nozzle. The copper nozzle doesnt stick to filaments like PLA and ABS… it starts gunking up with stuff like igus iglidur etc though.
Thanks for the tip on new sock design, i gave up on them due to the filament and nozzle oozing up.
Scott, have you tried elmoret's recommendation .4 layer width and .2 layer height? The default settings of a slicers layer width will naturally slow down how fast you can print.
I run a 40w heater with copper block and nozzle without a sock and have no issues printing 60mm/s parimeters with above layer settings.
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Forgot to add the nozzle tip design is easily modified to the better design with a craft knife.
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Scott, have you tried elmoret's recommendation .4 layer width and .2 layer height? The default settings of a slicers layer width will naturally slow down how fast you can print.
I run a 40w heater with copper block and nozzle without a sock and have no issues printing 60mm/s parimeters with above layer settings.
No I haven't. And in truth I didn't know you could control the two separately.
I just tried googling how to adjust the layer width in S3D throughout the print and I didn't find anything definitive.
But I did find a couple of hints and I have formulated a guess and I am hoping you can confirm if I am right.You would control the parameter and infill width by the parameter outline count. Meaning, if printing at 0.2 layer height and setting 2 parameter outlines. Correct?
That parameter outline setting dictates the infill width if I read it correctly.
How would that effect resolution? Or would it at all?
If I have this figured right, adjusting to these layer settings wouldn't necessarily increase print speed, but decrease print time.I hope you tell me that I figured it out correctly, because I am feeling like a 3D Printing Master right now.
I spent a few minutes last night cutting out the holes in some extra socks that I have, with a pair of wire snips. They're not pretty but it's all about function over fashion, right?
I really do appreciate everyone's help.
Maybe one of these days I'll take a trip to England and I'll buy you all a beer. You guys drink that dark beer with STUFF floating around in the bottom of the glass, I think.
Or you all could come to South Alabama, USA and I could introduce you to sweet iced tea and grits. -
I drink more or less any type of beer
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Scott, have you tried elmoret's recommendation .4 layer width and .2 layer height? The default settings of a slicers layer width will naturally slow down how fast you can print.
I run a 40w heater with copper block and nozzle without a sock and have no issues printing 60mm/s parimeters with above layer settings.
No I haven't. And in truth I didn't know you could control the two separately.
I just tried googling how to adjust the layer width in S3D throughout the print and I didn't find anything definitive.
But I did find a couple of hints and I have formulated a guess and I am hoping you can confirm if I am right.You would control the parameter and infill width by the parameter outline count. Meaning, if printing at 0.2 layer height and setting 2 parameter outlines. Correct?
That parameter outline setting dictates the infill width if I read it correctly.
How would that effect resolution? Or would it at all?
If I have this figured right, adjusting to these layer settings wouldn't necessarily increase print speed, but decrease print time.I hope you tell me that I figured it out correctly, because I am feeling like a 3D Printing Master right now.
I spent a few minutes last night cutting out the holes in some extra socks that I have, with a pair of wire snips. They're not pretty but it's all about function over fashion, right?
I really do appreciate everyone's help.
Maybe one of these days I'll take a trip to England and I'll buy you all a beer. You guys drink that dark beer with STUFF floating around in the bottom of the glass, I think.
Or you all could come to South Alabama, USA and I could introduce you to sweet iced tea and grits.
S3D might default that to something else.
Normal place to change layer height.
