Ender 3 V2 printing problems (still going)

[Dan Flemming]

My Ender 3 V2 "was" a great printer until it started doing weird stuff!

It's in an inclosure and has NEVER acted up like it has in the last month...

My fixes so far:

1) Realigned everything in XYZ.

Took the machine apart and checked all the cam's on the wheels.

Made sure they were ALL adjusted just right (not too tight/loose).

Adjusted the horizontal axis bar to the bed.

Adjusted the bed & z-offset (saved manual, then new mesh saved).

Problems:

a)  Out of nowhere I'm getting a "blob" at the seam (see attachments).

I don't know why!

Extruder 205-C

Bed 65-C

Inside chamber 80-84 degrees (2 thermometers, 1 at extruder level, 1 up high between 2-fans w/ filters).

Please note: These settings has always worked perfectly (and even using 210-C with PLA+)

b)  Stringing that is un-characteristic for this machine (yellow PLA).

Could it be the NEW PLA from Hatchbox?

This brand was always was THE best PLA I've used in yellow.

c)  Getting small lines towards the inside that shouldn't be there (with stringing).

It's like the code is corrupt, but I just re-sliced the attachment and printed in (see attachments)

I'm not sure what is going on, but it's really bad prints that just started after a 2 month break.

Hope someone has an idea about this...

Thanks,

Dan

[Kamesh M Sundaram]

Retraction. 

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[TobyCWood]

+1

What slicer sw are you using? You may have a retraction on layer change set with an added detraction. 

[LukeH]

Firstly, why on earth are you using an enclosure at 80 degrees to print PLA? The glass transition of PLA is 60 degrees (the temperature at which the material switches from being a proper solid to being a semi-solid, much like pitch or bitumen - it doesn’t flow like a liquid, but it will creep and slump), which means that at 80 degrees you are going to have all sorts of issues, including potentially:

1. Reduced model resolution, from the plastic slumping

2. Surface issues (blobbing, other imperfections) because the layers don’t cool down to below the transition temperature before the next layer goes on top

3. Heat creep

4.  Softening of the filament on the cold side of the extruder 

5 long-term damage to your electronics.

6. Slumping and elephant’s foot

If you are only printing PLA/PETG, then a heated chamber does more harm than good The goal of 3D printing is to get the lst layer below the glass transition temperature at a rate that doesn’t cause uneven cooling and warping, but fast enough that by the time the nozzle comes back for the next layer, it is printing on top of a solid material, and not a semi solid (glass). Inside an 80 degree chamber, PLA will never fully solidify, even with vast amounts of cooling fan.

All of that said, If it is a brand of PLA you have used before, and you are sure your settings are good for retraction distance and speed, pressure or linear advance, etc. (check and double check), and your are sure it is a hardware then, then start with the basics, and go from there - replace your nozzle, and tighten your belts.

If you must use an enclosure with PLA, then the farget enclosure temperature is about 50 degrees. 

[Dan Flemming]

I think you misunderstand.

It's NOT a heated chamber!

80 Fahrenheit, not Celsius.

My home is 75 degree F, inside the enclosure is 80-84 degree F with the heat on both the head & bed.

I've gotten very finely detailed prints up until my "break" from printing.

I've basically rebuilt/re-aligned/adjusted the whole printer.

AND took the print chamber off, cleaned it, put it all back together (along with a new nozzle) and still get a glob at the seam.

[Dan Flemming]

Using the "GCode Viewer" in OctoPrint, I notice the line-of-print continues over to the next part-of-the-circle at the seam.

That has to be WHY it's a build-up blob!

The code shows everything that's wrong!

Stinging, small blobs...  EVERYTHING!

I slicing with Cura 4.11 and I have never had bad code like this!

I think the 3mm thickness is the problem.

Print & slice one yourself on your machine, see if the blobs appear...

circle 40mm Radius

5mm high

3mm thick

[Kurt at VRFX]

Yeah - if you mention a temp - and don't state F or C - since 3DP's exist mostly in metric world - people will AssUMe its C temp. But, F temp makes sense.

-K

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[Dan Flemming]

Cura 4.11

Retract at layer change WASN'T on (I'm sure it was "on" before, because I watched a vid on youtube about it).

See attachment.

I think a wider part, maybe 4mm would be a better slice, because the walls are thin and that might be why the prints are bad...

[Dan Flemming]

Yep,

The wider print fixed the stringing.

Retract at layer change worked.

I printed a 40mm radius, 5mm wide, 5 mm high.

Almost perfect!

Now i'm printing one of my products that takes 1.5 hours.

I'll let you guys know how it turns out...

[Luke Hartfiel]

Ah. My apologies.

To be fair though, you gave mentioned three temperatures, and gave no indication that the third wasn’t using the same system.  :)

On 8 Jul 2022, at 3:00 am, Dan Flemming <newmi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I think you misunderstand.

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[Dan Flemming]

Thought I'd let everyone know the other thing I found that may have been THE problem all along.

The 2 screws that holds the heat sink to the heater block was very loose!

The heat sink was seperated about 1-2mm.

Tighten them and started getting great prints agian.