SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!! Going Crazy

[kiteboarder]

Ive been trying all day and was up last night till 3am in the morning, and i don't know whats going on. I have just got a Felix 3.0 and running the software recommended in the installation.

Hardware Felix 3.0
Software Repetier-Host Mac
SFACT/Skeinforge
Mac Computer

I am printing an item i made in cad software my self, I've printed this out on a Makerbot 5th Gen with no issues and came out perfect as i designed it at 100 microns.

When printing on the Felix 3.0 the holes i have where screws enter, start of perfect but as the sides of the holes meet back up towards the top its a very pore quality finish, its as if its about 3-4 layers away and then just bridges the two points together, instead of moving closer and closer per lay as it started.

Also on my model i have C shape section and for some reason the start of it looks more like a / shape there is very little curvature in the print on that section. its almost as if for the fist few layers its not stepping out gradually i.e. 100microns at a time, its as if its trying to print further out maybe 200+ microns at a time, so it looses that gradual climb.

Again this was never an issue with my makerbot, and can't work out if its the software or the hardware. I purchased Simplify3D last night as the hopes of a different slicing software would maybe resolved this issues, however Simplify 3D is having problems finding my 3D printer it seems. . I did manage to slice and download the G-Code file and import it into Repetier and then print, but it still has the same issues in the same places.

Please see photos attached.

The White one was printed on a Makerbot 5th gen and the Red one with the Felix 3.0

[Hugues]

you should try http://slic3r.org/, much faster than Sfact, and it's probably going to solve your problem

[kiteboarder]

I will give it a look, hopefully its not as complicated as the other. Do you print from that software also, or just a case of slice your STL files and them import the G-CODE back into Repetier?

Cheers

[Hugues]

i use repetier, and it calls slic3r,
it is much much simpler than sfact, and there are new releases regularly with cool features, you'll not want to go back.

I just remember the first time i used it, i was a bit disapointed by the first layer, it was very thick, i think by default it is set to 0.35mm, i put it back to 0.2.

[Dreide]

Those are massive overhangs and it depends very much on all kinds of parameters if it comes out well. Too me it looks a little bit like you used a too high extrusion temperature or there is too little cooling, so the filament sags down too much at the overhangs.

[kiteboarder]

im printing at 190 with PLA, the table is at 60 and the fan is on 100%, when i watch it do the holes both on the print its self and then the program you can see it get closer and closer to the peak of it, like two stair cases facing each other, but it doesn't print to the top its make 3 layers away and then just does a bridge over the cap, its as if the slicing software is causing it.

I purchased simpliy3D but for some reason i can't get it to find my printer, i imported the STL in still and then outputted the D-CODE and managed to print a better attempt, all them flaws where almost gone, so I'm wondering if it is SFACT?

So long as the angle is above 45deg and I'm printing at a high reds ( 100 Microns ) it should allow me to do gradual over hangs? which that bottom section is.

[Dreide]

im printing at 190 with PLA, the table is at 60 and the fan is on 100%, when i watch it do the holes both on the print its self and then the program you can see it get closer and closer to the peak of it, like two stair cases facing each other, but it doesn't print to the top its make 3 layers away and then just does a bridge over the cap, its as if the slicing software is causing it.

Well, if you can see it in the program already (the preview in Repetier, I mean), then it is the slicer for sure. Regarding temperatures, be aware that they might not be directly comparable between different printer models or even between devices of the same model, so you might just try with 185°C.

So long as the angle is above 45deg and I'm printing at a high reds ( 100 Microns ) it should allow me to do gradual over hangs? which that bottom section is.

Yes, provided the extrusion width is relatively big. But there are limits, of course, and as far as the bottom section is concerned, it is important to not get started on the wrong foot in order to get a nice result. I would consider the bottom section more difficult to print as it is so close to the heated bed which makes cooling more difficult.

[kiteboarder]

Hi Dreide

I think its defiantly the slicing software, after slicing and the G-CODE finsihed generating, i zoomed in around the objected i sliced where you can see all the building lines its going to create, and around anything oval when at the top or bottom it seems to space/step the layers out more, I've attached a few photos.

its as if the calculations are incorrect with the layers building upwards, and then its having to finish it of quickly so it just bridges it. but then again its spacing them out at the bottom sometimes too.

Ive purchased Simpily3D hoping it was a better all in one package to use and after reading some good reviews on here, but for some reason it won't connect to my Felix Printer, I'm still waiting on there support team to get back to me, apart from the one email saying something about changing a firmware setting which i don't know how to do. So instead i used Simply3D to create the G-CODE and imported that in to Repetier-Host and that looks a little better but still the same issues.


Im trying to get Slic3r to work but having issues with that. both with the version built with repeater-host and the stand alone version you can download.

[Dreide]

That looks all fine to me, except maybe the gap between the perimeter and the inner loop of the 1st layer in the 1st picture. But that might just be the result of some inaccuracies in the graphical representation of the G-code. The steps you see in all the pictures are unavoidable and are certainly much smaller than those seen in your red printout. If you play with the first layer height (e.g. 100% versus 150%), you will notice also a change in the step pattern, that is, where along the circle the steps occur and how long the final step (i.e., the bridge) is.

[kiteboarder]

Hi

At the moment I've used SFACT, SIMPLIFY3D and tried to use Slic3r. You mention the layer hight? do you have a screen shot of where this is, their is so many options and settings I'm getting over whelmed by it all now. Will i have to print to see a difference in that section and how does changing the first layer hight make that much of an impact that far up the model?

Its driving me insane, as them 3D views are whats happening as you can see with the Red Printout, the natural curve just isn't there with the bottom bit its more like a diagonal slice taken out of it, and the holes look just as bad when finish as these are meant for screws etc to pass through.

whats more annoying is my makerbot when i had it printed every time flawlessly the same curves I'm trying to achieve here.