How do you determine temperature and fan speed?
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This is not a general question but I actually want to hear the methods users here are using.
I find it quite difficult to make up a methodology to test the combination of these two settings. Of course one can print a temperature tower (or similar) with fixed fan value or a fan speed tower (or bridging test) with a fixed temperature. But both will influence each other and together mainly influence bridging performance as well as inter-layer-adhesion.
So how do you proceed to find the best values for a filament?
Me, so far, I printed a temp tower once and after that I just guessed - luckily good guesses so far.
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Temp tower without fan to narrow down the temp range, and then a fan tower to see where the overhang and bridge performance improves.
Then follow that up with some live tuning during test prints.
Eventually you just get a feel for it. Raise temps a bit if I'm pushing melt rate. Raise cooling a bit if the model has lots of overhangs or small details. Raise temps if it's a part that needs to be stronger.
Since it's not likely you're going to be doing rigorous destructive testing it's hard to know how temps will effect that other than hotter=stronger. Visual impact is subjective, but you could make up a scoring sheet and produce many iterations of test prints.
YouTube filament reviews of filament might give you an idea of what to expect from that particular brand or even material in general, but unless you're using the same hardware to print with the results aren't really transferable. Thermistor variation, different fans, nozzles, etc.
Honestly the best way to go is to guess to start and learn as you go.
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@phaedrux Do you use the same model for fan tower as for temp tower or do you use different models? And if you could link the models here I'd find that interesting.
I found a simple model for testing inter-layer-adhesion the other day. Will link to that tomorrow. That looked simple and interesting.
EDIT: Here is the above mentioned model at Thingiverse.
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0_1546458555589_Heat_tower_190-240_Bridge.stl
From http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2223651And yes I use the same model for both fan and temp. It's a decent model because it has bridges, overhangs, sharp corners and curves.
