High quality prints

[stratogavster]

Update for everyone....interesting developments too!!

I have been using a Mac to drive my printer since building and only just tried it using a PC this evening.....and....the printing of circles has become incredibly worse!!

On the mac the circles are not great and get junked as the part builds but on the PC they are blatant ovals like in HLA diagram!

I've not touched the printer at all only swapped the computer driving it!...

Can anyone go figure on this one? i'm scratching my head

[Lioric]

Makes no sense. Are you using a pre sliced g-code file or are you slicing it?

If slicing make sure you are using the same slicer and the same settings.

In any event, printing on a Mac would be worse

[stratogavster]

Preprepared Gcode from the forum....

No changes....

Actually after using the PC version of Reptetier Host I wanted to stab my eyes out with plastic forks in disgust at how much worse it is!! Why is the UI different?? different arrows and controls....nice big buttons on the mac for +1 +10 +100....now i've got to aim more...UI no no's!

It's slow as hell and since leaving the first post it's dropped out twice and killed 2 prints! i'm using a Dell M4600 that is 4 months old!! i7 CPU and Nvidia Quadro gfx and 16GB RAM!....

My mac is a MacBook Pro Unibody 2.8ghz dual core and is almost 3 years old and it seems to run Repetier Host like a dream!

The FPS reported on the Mac is usually 1000 - 2000....on the PS it drops to 150....

I have a print running now...fingers crossed it doesn't wipe out

:S

[stratogavster]

Latest developments in the quest for high quality prints.....

My 'circle' woes continue - have laid to rest my dimensional issues for later

Latest print - Stopped early on purpose to pursue another print....

As you can see some junked holes and some very clean and almost round holes.....any ideas what is happening here? same part same print!

(in the part I had 4 junked holes - all for the stepper motor screws, the others seemed ok, just the roundness was a bit off)

Thanks!

(ps. also seeing large gaps between print lines on the first layer.....any ideas on this too?)

[Lioric]

Preprepared Gcode from the forum....

No changes....

Again. makes no sense. The printing host app has nothing to do with the print quality.

Actually after using the PC version of Reptetier Host I wanted to stab my eyes out with plastic forks in disgust at how much worse it is!!

It's slow as hell and since leaving the first post it's dropped out twice and killed 2 prints! i'm using a Dell M4600 that is 4 months old!! i7 CPU and Nvidia Quadro gfx and 16GB RAM!....

My mac is a MacBook Pro Unibody 2.8ghz dual core and is almost 3 years old and it seems to run Repetier Host like a dream!

The FPS reported on the Mac is usually 1000 - 2000....on the PS it drops to 150....

I have a print running now...fingers crossed it doesn't wipe out
:S

PC is not Windows, what you are seeing is the "Windows" compiled version of RepetierHost. Please don't turn this into a "Mac is better in everything even the old 10 years Mac is faster and do better prints that a Core I7 PC", specially when there is no technical argument to back up your claims

Probably you are not very familiar with "PC's", but for me every single print has worked since the first day, either in Linux or Windows, not "dropping out" or anything

[stratogavster]

Update on the venture for high quality prints....

Software background:
Still having mixed results from both Mac and PC Repetier Host....When printing from the Mac about 1hr into a print small circles and arcs (still bad quality) but become less than smooth....very very slow movement, but straights are nice and fast....always 1hr into the print!....according to Guillaume it's a buffer issue

When printing from the PC I don't seem to have the buffer issue but all my prints want to start close to the dump area..I have to restart the print maybe 3 or 4 times with many Repetier restarts and Arduino power cycles.....

Anyway...print quality...

A lot of mechanic tuning....lubrication...tuning belt tension etc etc....somehow jumping over my software troubles I have a print in motion that looks great! (with a few blobs and stringing!) but more importantly it's peeling from the bed....

Anybody have any suggestions how to improve the bonding to the bed?

[HLA]

This makes no sense for me too. Whether mac or PC - should make nil influence on the printing. One hypothesis where this could make a difference: the sending of Gcode commands to the printer. On different systems, there could be delays which would manifest themselves as quality degradation. But I have never heard of this happening.

I think that there is something wrong with settings. Try installing/reinstalling SW on both computers. Try actually slicing the same object with exactly same settings on both systems and then comparing the prints. I am very interested in this - keep track on your progress here.

[HLA]

Bonding to the bed is one of these standard issues of 3D printing. Check the following:
1) distance of hotend tip to the bed: should be less than the layer height, but not zero, and same above the entire bed;
2) make sure bed is absolutely clean: clean-rub with acetone;
3) increase temp of first layer to 200-210deg: helps bonding;
4) some PLA-brands/colors are more difficult to stick than others - experiment with temperature of first layer;
5) use raft: helps against warping;

If (1) is unfeasible, i.e. the bed is uneven or bent, i posted a thread on how to modify your printer with a glass-plate which works very well for me and belongs now to my standard setup: http://www.felixprinters.com/forum/view ... p?f=9&t=28

Good luck!
HLA

[Kjetilei]

Regarding buffer problems: if you are using the 3d View in Repetier-Host while printing you might experience slow-down on "complex" geometry. I printed the chess piece (or was it the owl) and after a couple of centimeters the printer suddenly started to behave really strange. After a little while I found out that the behavior stopped every time I switched away from 3d View and started again when I switched back...

Curling: Try with painters tape If you have a wide roll that covers the print area the bottom will be pretty smooth.

[stratogavster]

Thanks HLA & Kjetilei

Quick response...

@HLA
1.) Distance is good and always manage to put a nice consistent layer down first
2.) Always wiped with isoproponol
3.) Do this manually each time too...between 210 - 220, then drop it down to more usual temps - (though quick note I have a k-type thermo couple which I pass between the PEEK sleeve and hotend head and touch the barrel which reads 5 - 8 degrees lower than the software reported temp)
4.) Have black PLA from Guiallaume - have experienced variances between material colours and quality in my day job so had yet to worry about it at this stage, was hoping for quick tips to try and tune now
5.) Not even started with slicing yet!! using only pre prepared gcode.

Glass bed sounds interesting! will see what the future holds

@Kjetilei

I always view the temperature plot. Had spotted the mac version has a very high FPS and is very interactive, where my PC suffers from low FPS and the 3D plot (if ever used) is way way behind the real print and sometimes fails to move at all, so based on this observation I always stuck to the temp plot.

Painters tape will be my next test!