Issues with print quality, wall surface rough.
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I think you’re fighting a couple issues. Looks to me like over extrusion and also a possible issue with part cooling.
Having to run your extrusion multiplier at 93% is an indicator that your over extruding. Temp and or E-step could be too high and causing this.
220c for PLA is on the high side. Would recommend trying lowering it to 200 even 190 and trying.
Also recommend recalibration your esteps. I’ve found it best to calibrate the esteps with the nozzle removed and the hotend temp at 0. You will want to remove the nozzle, set the temp at 0, and enable cold extrusion. Mark the filament at 150mm and extrude 100mm at 1mm/sec. Doing it this way I can run my extrusion multiplier at 100%.
Is there a different cooling fan setup for that hotend that you can try? The ducts that come with the 4010 fans are not ideal and it looks like it’s blowing right on your hotend and the heater is having issues with keeping the temp consistent. This is evident at the tops and bottoms of the letters in the cube. Recommend finding a way to focus the airflow and direct it down a little so the air is not on the heat block. Having to print at 220 is also an indicator that you part cooling is actually cooling the heat block and you’re having to increase the temp to compensate.
Just a couple ideas of things to try. Hope it helps.
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@mwolter I will try a lower temp right now, and I'll double check my esteps. That hot end is my personal hot mess lol, maybe I can design some fan ducts tho. No fan doesn't seem to help tho
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@mwolter I checked my esteps without the nozzle, dead on. Here is a print at 195C:
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Looks better, the layers are more consistent but would be good to do a temp tower test.
The issues at the top and bottom of the letters are still present. Have a feeling this due to the fan ducts. Seems like the cooling for the plastic isn't enough but it's also affecting the heat block temp. Printing a four-wall cube (no top or bottom) in vase mode that has no letters and solid walls would help to isolate the cooling issue.
Would also be good to tune Pressure Advance once the other issues are resolved.
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@mwolter I'll try a temp tower, Ill have to look up how to do that in idea maker. Yeah I'll have to do something with the fans. That might take me awhile lol. I tried printing a cube at 220 and 107% flow, just to show I guess? Anyway:
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To me, the 220 107% print is bulging and looks melted. Like a marshmallow.
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I had a similar issue on a machine that showed vertical walls like in your picture. In my case, my extruder current was my issue. I increased my current from 600mA to 800mA in config.g and that took care of the weird striping issues. I'm assuming the backpressure inside the nozzle caused it to over/under extrude on a regular basis creating the bulging.
It's an easy test to increase your extruder motor current and then print again. Just something I've experienced with similar results as in your picture.
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Have you PID tuned the bed and hot end heaters?
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@PDBeal I will try that when I get home!
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@Phaedrux Yep, temp is very stable, about +/-0.6c
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@mwolter not as tasty tho haha, I'm probably printing too hot then. I'll go down to 205? 195 felt a bit weak to me.
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I might try swapping out the backlash nuts for regular nuts and seeing if it's a binding issue.
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@Phaedrux Can I just back off the backlash adjustors? They are this style nut :
https://openbuildspartstore.com/anti-backlash-nut-block-for-8mm-metric-acme-lead-screw/ -
Well here is 950mA on the extruder, temp 205. Really starting to think it's an extruder problem again:
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Or... It's a z problem... Backed off the antibacklash nuts, same setting as last posts
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I think it's a mechanical issue relating to the Z axis.
You are certainly over extruding in most of these pics, but 0.93-0.95 has always been the right extrusion multiplier for PLA for me....IF the esteps are set correctly. I always set my esteps through a nozzle at the temp I intend to print at. Usually at 195-205 deg for PLA, maybe just try a round number of 200. Set your esteps using a full 100mm extrude @ 5mm/sec, not just 20mm.
I didn't read what slicer you used, but for direct drive in S3D I just use 1mm retraction @30mm/sec, 1mm coast and 5mm wipe. Nice and simple.
In the V-core, I'd loosen all the mounts for the backlash nuts, Z steppers and even the rails, then push the bed up and down by hand to align it all. Keep doing that as you nip things up tighter, a look for any binding at all. I'd level the bed mechanically using a 0.2mm feeler gauge under the nozzle, with the bed and nozzle at temp (200 noz/ 50 bed) and check the backlash nuts are very lightly/evenly tensioned, as well as lubricated.
If you can get the bed pretty level mechanically, maybe disable the bed leveling mesh map and just set a nozzle height/offset at the start of the print. If you're using the triple Z motors that might be giving you some sort of trouble.
In short, there are some extrusion rate/slicer setting issues there, but that Z banding looks mechanical to me.
Hope that helps.
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@Corexy Thank you for the info, I will try that tonight after work. I really don't like the design of the Z axis on the V-Core, leaves a lot to be desired in my mind. Also not a huge fan of lead screws. Do you use wipe and coast with linear advance? I heard that they do not play well. My bed is a bit of a banana, but flat enough to do a 20x20 cube, so I could try no bed leveling. If you have any design suggestions for a better Z, please let me know! What do you think is causing the bulging right above and below the X and Y? Cooling? Or still Z related.
OH could it be bad idle pulleys? It's the only thing I haven't changed in the XY system.
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@CorvoDewittV2 said in Issues with print quality, wall surface rough.:
@Corexy Thank you for the info, I will try that tonight after work. I really don't like the design of the Z axis on the V-Core, leaves a lot to be desired in my mind. Also not a huge fan of lead screws. Do you use wipe and coast with linear advance? I heard that they do not play well. My bed is a bit of a banana, but flat enough to do a 20x20 cube, so I could try no bed leveling. If you have any design suggestions for a better Z, please let me know! What do you think is causing the bulging right above and below the X and Y? Cooling? Or still Z related.
OH could it be bad idle pulleys? It's the only thing I haven't changed in the XY system.
I don't use linear advance, just the settings I've described above. I really focus on esteps, and set extrusion multiplier by watching actual prints I'm doing, not measuring thin walls etc.
I don't like the way they set up the z axis on the V-core's either, and have already taken steps to do mine differently, including a conversion to single Z motor with a belt driving all 3 screws.
My bed is a banana too, which is why I'll probably convert to a cast aluminium plate.
I think the bulging is from the issues I mentioned, best start there. If you can switch off the bed leveling and print this little model on a flat bit, you can try those old school setting first. You could have a look at the current setting for your extruder motor. Sometimes too high a current there can cause print issues, but it's usually a wavy looking pattern on the surface.
- Do the loosening/tightening of Z components mentioned above.
- Set extruder current.
- Poke a correct size cleaning wire into the hot nozzle, just to be sure.
- Set esteps carefully using 100mm extrusion @ 5mm/sec
- Set slicer at 0.94 extrusion multiplier, 30mm/sec print speed, 1mm retraction, 1mm coast.
- First layer 205/55, zero fan. Second layer 195/50 20% fan.
Don't buy new parts, it's most likely assembly and slicer settings. Try that first.
Hope that helps again
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@CorvoDewittV2 Did you buy it as a kit ? Did you ask them (where you bought it from or the guys who designed it) if the have experience with this issues ? Perhaps it is a common issue and they know the most common cause in their design that can cause it.
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@Corexy Thank you for the advice! I went through the Z axis very carefully, and made no change to the print quality
I will try those setting tomorrow! I will also try a lower extruder current, cause why not at this point lol. You said you have a V-Core, how did you set it up so it works as intended???? I've been at this for 2 months and have made little change!!! Thanks again!
