1 Topic by tortelli.victor

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Topic: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

Hello everyone! I'm new to 3D printing and I just got a used SD4 from my cousin. I did some tinkering and printing with it. I tried to calibrate and set it up as good as I could based on some stuff I found on google. Turns out the printing is not as good as it should be... I think. I tried to print a toothpaste squeezer I found on Thingverse (https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:867811) after changing some values in the software, just to see how it goes, and the result was:

http://soliforum.com/i/?MvOW0Mm.jpg

http://soliforum.com/i/?q7W1eOw.jpg

http://soliforum.com/i/?FKdX9Ke.jpg

http://soliforum.com/i/?SopyQWa.jpg

http://soliforum.com/i/?4fSv3vT.jpg

As you can see, the gap where the toothpaste is supposed to go through is filled with filament on some spots. Also, on the first layer bottom left corner, it looks like the nozzle is sort of dragging over the fresh filament and leaving a trace on it. You have any suggestions on how to properly configure the software or even the printer itself? I'm using Repetier-Host v1.2.1 for MacOS (I can get Windows running on if needed). My nozzle temp is set to 215C and the bed to 105C. Currently using PLA.

Please excuse me for any misspelled words, English is not my first language.

2 Reply by Tin Falcon (edited by Tin Falcon 2021-08-22 18:22:59)

  • Tin Falcon
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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

first of all welcome to the forum not a terrible fist print.
105 deg C is way to hot  for a heat bed temp for pla use 50-60 c.
also you may want to turn down your hotend temp to 205 c
set your extruder size in advanced settings to .48 mm
also check you extrusion steps they may be a bit high.

The old wiki page from soliddoddle is still available although not supported any more.
there are also some broken links but still worth a look

http://wiki.solidoodle.com


as far as guides look here :
https://www.simplify3d.com/support/

the quality guide is most helpful.

This one on is also very helpful:
https://teachingtechyt.github.io/calibration.html
This should get you and your classic machine up and running.
Also a very well formed fist post with pictures even. A pleasure to help.

Tin falcon.

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
Marlin/Repetier Host/ Slic3r and Cura

3 Reply by heartless

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

Tin Falcon wrote:

also you may want to turn down your hotend temp to 205 c

if it is the stock hotend, you probably want to go lower than that.. I was printing PLA in the 160-165 range, and ABS in the 190s with the stock hotend on mine.

But yeah, as Tin Falcon said - too hot for PLA on both bed and hotend.
Basically, with PLA, you want to run the hotend as cool as you can, but still be melting the plastic fully so it adheres to the previous layer properly. May take a bit of experimenting to find the right temps for your printer - seems no two of these are exactly the same.

over extruding is also a Solidoodle trait, one that can be fixed with a little effort, but you need to get temps sorted out first.

SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1

4 Reply by Tin Falcon

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

also a good idea to make one change at a time unless you are sure of what effect a change makes.

@ heartless what are the recommended layer heights      magic numbers . i know they seem a a bit odd but work due to the sae lead screw.

Soliddoodle 4 stock w glass bed------Folger Tech Prusa 2020 upgraded to and titan /aero extruder mirror bed
FT5 with titan/ E3D Aero------MP mini select w glass bed
MP Utimate maker pro-W bondtech extruder
Marlin/Repetier Host/ Slic3r and Cura

5 Reply by heartless

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

oh yeah.. they are a bit odd, but they definitely work!


Standard = Solidoodle
0.3 = 0.2963
0.2 = 0.1905
0.1 = 0.1058 (dont recommend this one until you have a really good handle on what you are doing.. start with the 0.2963)

SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1

6 Reply by tortelli.victor

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

Tin and heartless, thank you for your fast and detailed answer and for welcoming me to the forum!

I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow for the weekend (I left the printer there) and I'll try the settings you recommended.

I'll keep you guys posted of my progress here.

Thank you again and have a good weekend!

7 Reply by tortelli.victor

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

Hello again!

After adjusting the temperatures as Tin recommended, I tried the same object I was printing before (toothpaste squeezer) and I got the print that is closer to my fingertips:

http://soliforum.com/i/?N4XqVTw.jpg

I didn't let it finished and cancelled the print after a couple os layers as I saw that the shape wasn't right. After taking a good look at it, I noticed that the right side was better than the left side in almost all aspects. The edges weren't rough, the gap was wider, etc. I knew that the settings like temperature and nozzle hight for the print were the same all around the bed (x and y axis), so I came to the conclusion that the problem must be the bed adjustment... BINGO! After levelling it, I got the other print that is visually way better.

As I'm slowly calibrating the printer using simple objects at first, so instead os having a bunch os toothpaste squeezers laying around, I decided to change the print to a Batarang that is much cooler lol. This is the print I got:

http://soliforum.com/i/?noa0rAF.jpg

That's for the "bed side" finish. Now, I think that the next adjustment that I need to make is the nozzle hight between layers, that's my guess. As you can see on the picture below, the nozzle is still dragging over the fresh filament, which by the way I just ran out of, so no more prints for a couple of days...

http://soliforum.com/i/?JfVqhQo.jpg

As soon as I get more filament, I'll adjust the layers hight and I'll get back to you with the prints.

Thank you all again for your tips.

Have a great weekend!

8 Reply by heartless

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Re: Need help setting up SD4 for the first time

your problem with the nozzle dragging is that you are seriously over extruding.
you need to calibrate the feed rate on that printer before you do much of anything else.

go thru the steps of the attached document one by one.. do NOT skip over anything. You will be amazed at the difference in your prints when you complete this process.

for the record.. all of the information contained in the document is available on this forum, but it is widely scattered with no single thread giving all the information at once. All i did was gather the info while i was learning, and put it into a logical order in one place.

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Filament Calibration 101.pdf 474.8 kb, 3 downloads since 2021-09-04 

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SD4 #1 & #2 - Lawsy carriages, E3D v6, Rumba controller board, mirror bed plate, X motor fan, upgraded PSU & Mica bed heater
SD4 #3 - in the works ~ Folgertech FT-5, rev 1
Printit Industries Beta Tester - Horizon H1